keeping moving during a national lock down

keeping moving during a national lock down

fiction
edward w pritchard


Currently I am seeking to keep moving during a national lock down over the corona 19 virus because I must walk daily to strengthen and exercise a damaged heart. Yet moving about outside is dangerous because contact within six feet of others causes transmission of the virus resulting in possible death.

As solution to the problem I have opened the book "a farewell to arms" by Earnest  Hemingway and am currently walking in spirit across the Italian countryside during World war one with Frederick Henry the ambulance driver non hero of the novel to escape the Austrians and approaching Germans
who have just overrun the Italian army who are in desperate retreat and most anxious not to practice war any longer.

The roads in Hemingway's novel are crowded with refugees, it is always dark and rainy and all rivers  are at the flood stage. Moving trains may be jumped onto in the dark but lurking invisible soldiers from all sides await to execute stragglers from the second army.

Pushing the nurse Catherine Barkley from his thoughts Hemingway's Tenente, that's lieutenant [Henry] in English,  pushes on towards Milan and safety across the Swiss border.  Alas poor Catherine dies during childbirth journeying into Nada, Spanish for nothingness, which is what happens to us all after death be it from too much warfare, existential angst, a virus or darkness and non stop rain while traveling on life's road. 

It's an ordeal to travel with Hemingway's non hero the ambulance driver lieutenant Henry but I always enjoy his company because he has no sustaining values or beliefs and always is exiting life's hospital to take a nice walk in the rain. Rain being a symbol for impending disaster and misery.