Pete Defeats Corona Virus

May 16, 2021
8:52 pm

How a frozen pop stops a pandemic

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, Pete relaxed in a crunchy bed of ice, browsing the local paper. Suddenly, a headline caught his eye about a scary virus happening overseas in East Asia. Pete had never been to that part of the world. He was especially concerned by the news since his distant cousins the Mochi family lived there. In fact, Pete was so disturbed that he jumped out of his ice bath and right into his cold suit. He ran out the door, hopped on his scooter and raced to the local newsstand. He gasped as right before his eyes; every single magazine blasted headlines about an unknown virus invading East Asia.

It was called the Corona Virus

Naturally, Pete wanted to learn everything he could about this virus since he was quite a curious popsicle who loved to read. So, he purchased several magazines. After arriving home, he read every word he could find about the virus and even went on his computer to research further. The more he learned, the more nervous he became. Pete became so nervous that drips of grape began dribbling down his forehead. The more he thought about the virus, the more he melted! Pete dashed into his freezer for relief, dreaming of a way he could prevent people from catching this terrible virus.

Pete was a take-action kinda popsicle

Generally speaking, popsicles don’t get sick. But Pete was concerned that he could catch the virus since nobody knew very much about it. Then he learned about a big word called pandemic. A pandemic is a disease that spreads and hurts people around the world. The Corona Virus was a pandemic! Nestled in his chilly freezer, Pete breathed deeply to calm his nerves. At this point, he thought the best thing to do was to stay home where he was safe. That way he wouldn’t catch the disease if it really was so contagious. If he had to go outside for any reason, maybe to dump the trash or go to the grocery store, he would wear a face mask and plastic gloves. These thoughts relaxed Pete and soon he climbed out of his freezer, ready to tackle the world.

We all know that Pete has a big warm heart

Every time he worries or gets emotional, his heart swells which causes a melt. This is a very dangerous situation for a popsicle. Thank goodness Pete had invented the Cold Suit! He wore it to stay frozen during times when he needed it most. The empowered popsicle got to thinking. What if he could invent another suit similar to the Cold Suit? This one would keep people safe from catching the virus. People could wear this special suit all day and all night. It would have temperature and humidity control. Since viruses don’t like warmth, a temperature button would keep the suit nice and warm inside. And since they don’t like humidity, a humidity button would keep the suit moist. A de-activation button would melt the suit right off the person when the virus was gone. Pete decided to call it the Corona suit.

Holy papaya popsicles! That’s it!

Pete needed advice from his two good friends Paolo Pistachio and Carmine Caramel. They were the Gelato brothers and boy were they a couple of smarty pants. Paolo was an epidemiologist who worked at the Center for Sick Control. His job was to keep people healthy. Carmine Caramel was a scientist who worked at DuPlunk Corporation. His work was to make amazing suits that kept people safe from dangerous substances. The Gelato brothers knew a lot about viruses and helping people stay safe and healthy.

The Corona Crew

The three sweet treats talked about the pandemic. Paolo was curious about how the virus came about; Carmine was interested in what was needed to make the virus go away; Pete wanted to find out how to stop the virus from hurting people. Paolo and Carmine were well aware of Pete’s talent as an engineer because they each had their very own Cold Suit that Pete had made for them. They thought it was super cool that Pete wanted to invent the Corona Suit. Together, they formed the Corona Crew. That’s when Pete talked about his Master Plan.

The Master Plan

Pete planned to sketch his ideas of the Corona Suit on paper. Carmine described to Pete how the suit could keep the virus out. It must be made from a special fiber material that was air resistant in order to keep out all the germs. It should also have a face shield that covered a person’s face, complete with a built-in oxygen purifier. It should also enclose their shoes. Special zippers and Velcro would keep the suite airtight. Pete could design and engineer the entire suit with no problem! He was especially excited when Carmine announced that he had a ton of extra fabric that he and his scientist friends at DuPlunk were about to toss away. He was happy to donate the fabric to Pete to use for the suits. Paolo chimed in. Once several suits were complete, he could help sell them to people around the world. He knew a lot about marketing and social media. Paolo elaborated about the influential people that he knew at Center for Sick Control. Through his contacts, he could inform everybody in the world about the Corona Suit and how much folks needed it to protect themselves against the virus.

Hot Pink Flowers

There was one tiny detail that Carmine almost forgot to share. The conversation grew a bit awkward as he revealed that, well, the fabric was covered in hot pink flowers. Seriously? Hot pink flowers?? But Pete quickly remembered that the brightly flowered fabric was all they had. Paolo reasoned that the hot pink flowers might be cool. Maybe the suits would make a fashion statement and people would love wearing them.

Yippee yam yogurt! Pete was thrilled by the support of his friends

It was time for Pete to get busy. On the top shelf of his bedroom closet sat a sewing machine that Pete had never used. Mama Victoria Vanilla Popsicle Cold had given it to him for his fifteenth birthday. That was ten years ago. At the time, Pete had no idea what he, as a male popsicle, would do with a sewing machine. Weren’t they for girls? But he didn’t want to hurt Mama Victoria’s feelings. Somehow, she knew that one day he might need it. Pete was convinced that his Mama Victoria could predict the future. Growing up, that was a little scary but he loved her oodles, anyway.

The Corona Suit Comes to Life

Pete laid out the sprawling, pink floral fabric on his living room floor. He proceeded to cut out all the pieces of the Corona suit, carefully following his sketches. Then he organized all his sewing gear – scissors, zippers, Velcro, tape measure, pins and of course his prized sewing machine. Before the end of the day, Pete had finished stitching the first Corona Suit. He was so proud of himself! Until he tuned in to the news… Pete worried about the rising number of humans that were catching the Corona Virus. And now, he heard that some animals were catching the disease! The news broke his heart and he immediately began to cry and melt. Animals can neither speak nor express pain. His intense compassion and love for animals drained his emotions. Teary-eyed and weary, Pete slowly climbed into his freezer and hugged his teddy bear for comfort as he froze into safety. Of course, Teddy helped tremendously in making him feel better.

Pink America

Tucked into his cozy ice bed, Pete drifted into a dreamland of chilly possibilities. Oddly, Paolo and Carmine experienced the same dream. It was a mystical vision as millions of Americans in all shapes and sizes wore the Corona Suit. They stood protected and happy as a virus-free nation, thanks to the genius of one single popsicle and his smarty-pant sidekicks. Together, Pink America chanted a verse, over and over:

The Corona Crew has saved us!

“We bid farewell to Corona Virus! With pretty, pink flowers and frozen genius. Corona Crew has saved us! Our dear Corona Crew has saved us! Forever in our hearts they shall remain.”

The rhythm bathed each of the slumbering sweet treats in blessings of gratitude.  They were now sealed with a forever bond.
Holy hoppin’ apple pops!
The next morning, the three frozen confections awoke with sparkling energy, as if something had touched their souls. Not surprisingly, each ran to their computers and connected on a video call. They were a little surprised by their togetherness, each eager to share their dreams. As they spoke all at once, the conversation tapered off as they looked at each other in disbelief. Was it possible that they all had the same dream? That’s a little spooky. But maybe it wasn’t spooky at all…

Success of the Corona Suit

The three courageous confections acted faster than a melting popsicle in a summer heat wave. They were motivated by their compassion and dedication to save as many lives as they could. The Corona Crew agreed to sell each Suit for $15, with the Gelato brothers keeping a portion of the profits. They sold their first 500 suits in one week! The Crew’s next purchase would be fabric to make more suits in different colors and patterns. Carmine’s colleagues at DuPlunk Corporation were so intrigued by the Corona Suit that they helped them license the suit for free – they called it a patent. A patent made it illegal for people to copy or steal the Corona Suit.  The DuPlunk folks also introduced Carmine to several reporters who interviewed the Crew and broadcast their story on popular television stations like CMN and Flip News. Paolo promoted the suit using social media avenues like Twister, ButtBook and Instagrim. Soon, the whole world knew about the Corona Suit! Purple Popsicle Pete and the Gelato Brothers were thrilled that the Corona Suit was saving lives. They were also very happy because in the process, their piggy banks grew fat with profit, allowing them to make more and more Corona Suits.