November 2020,
A highly-fertile flock of black swans has crash-landed shortly after take-off in Hubei Province, China;
Not long afterwards, black swan ducklings begin to hatch,
And just as they reach full plumageβ¦
New Year leads to increased global travel,
As friends and family members reunite to celebrate;
Within two weeks,
A SARS-like virus which is highly infectious amongst humans,
And remains dormant for around 2 weeks before symptoms are apparent,
Makes itself known to the world as China reports its first death;
Just a week after that,
Chinese New Year leads to a frenzy of worldwide air travel,
With billions of extra trips being made;
And, in Wuhan,
A neighbourhood banquet is attended by 40 thousand families;
Rumour has itβ¦
That to announce bad news within this period of New Year festivities,
Means that you will be cursed with bad luck for the rest of the year;
A highly-oppressive government,
Which diligently monitors communications amongst its citizens,
Works hard to silence doctors who try to get the word out.
It’s a sequence which would make any air accident investigator smile wryly,
And then cry.
πͺ