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This is the story of Oliver, the boy who was brave enough to talk about his feelings. 

Chapter 8 Oliver feel angry.

The prime minister speaks on the radio and social media that Sunday night. It is very quiet outside. Everyone is at home listening in. Oliver and his mom and dad are viewing it on Facebook. The prime minister looks very concerned as he begins talking.

He starts by saying that there is no reason to panic. Together with the other ministers, they have prepared measures to prevent the virus from spreading. Each person is required to do what they can. For starters, people who get ill will be in a special ward in the hospital, where no one is allowed to visit them, except for nurses and doctors, of course. 

The virus is very contagious, which means we will have to keep a distance of at least 1.5 meters from one another. And we will all have to start wearing facemasks as soon as possible. The World Health Organization has promised to send a shipment of the masks to Dot Island as quickly as possible. We have every confidence that we can keep the virus from spreading on our beautiful island. Let’s do this together and stick to the rules in place.

Oliver stays quiet once the speech has ended, but he has many questions. How can you play with friends if you have to stay 1.5 meters apart? And how far is 1.5 meters anyway? Will school remain open as there is no room to stay 6 feet apart? And what about Ms. Julia, how will she eat? Even his parents are sitting without saying a word. Oliver’s thoughts are all muddled up, and he’s angry. Angry that this stupid virus had to come here and make a mess of things. 

He doesn’t know where to start or what questions to ask. Soon it’s bedtime, and without being asked, Oliver gets up to bathe and brush his teeth. Mr. Silly seems to feel Oliver is not himself and walks with him everywhere he goes. Once in bed, mom and dad come and sit with him to say goodnight. Everything is different tonight, everything, and it’s all Oliver can think of. 

Seeing his anger, Oliver’s mom asks if he wants to do the belly breathing exercise together. That seems like a good idea. Oliver lays down and puts his hands on his belly. His mom lays down next to him and does the same, because everyone can benefit from belly breathing. After practicing this a few times, Oliver starts to feel a little calmer, and after a while, he falls asleep, with Mr. Silly next to him on the floor for extra comfort.

The smell of scrambled eggs woke Oliver up the next day. His dad had already gone to the farm, and his mom was preparing breakfast. Oliver jumps out of bed, almost stepping on Mr. Silly, and hurries to get ready, so he can enjoy his breakfast this morning before he hops on the bus to go to school. Oliver has forgotten about the virus for a short while until he sees his friends, and they all start talking about it.

Only when they arrive at school, everyone remembers what day it is. Every Monday, for ten weeks, Ms. Marieke comes to their class to do a special art class. She brings all these new and exciting materials, and for one hour, it’s all about having fun and working with paper, scissors, glue, and sometimes even stickers and glitter.

Even though it’s not like school, they still learn a lot. For example, about how everyone is unique in their own way, that bullying is very hurtful, and also that it can be helpful to express your feeling through art, as it can be difficult to find words for them. During the session, Oliver thinks about how grateful he is for Ms. Marieke’s program, as the virus makes everyone so scared. It looks like doing crafts makes him feel less angry.