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    Silver Linings: Stories of Love, Hope & Courage in a Pandemic Setting
    Silver Linings: Stories of Love, Hope & Courage in a Pandemic Setting
    Silver Linings: Stories of Love, Hope & Courage in a Pandemic Setting
    Ebook143 pages1 hour

    Silver Linings: Stories of Love, Hope & Courage in a Pandemic Setting

    By LitArt Hub, Mayumi Cruz and Katie Velez

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    About this ebook

    This book is a carefully selected mix of literary and genre fiction depicting Philippine mythological creatures, time travel, women's fiction, and the paranormal – with one common theme: love, in whatever form, triumphs over all, inspiring hope and courage in a pandemic setting. 

     

    SAVIOR
    Mayumi Cruz
    A man from the future travels back in time to prevent a deadly virus from wiping out the human race by searching for the doctor who formulated a secret vaccine.

     

    MOUSE TRAP
    Alina R. Co
    Trapped, alone, and starving during a pandemic, Nancy thought she couldn't have it any worse, until a tiny mouse trespasses on her life and turns it upside down.

     

    MEMENTO MORI
    Mia Daquial
    Sometimes, messages come from beyond the grave, and for Esther Soriano, there's one message she must give before time runs out.

     

    YNISHKA FROM THE OTHER WORLD
    Paola Aliedo
    An aswang princess sets foot on the human world for the first time when she volunteers to save a witch, believed to have caught the virus, and meets the man who saved her life once.

     

    THE WHITE BUTTERFLY
    MD Jau
    Torn between the love she nurtured and the pain of losing her husband, a widow caught in a web of emotional conflicts finds her strength to move forward when she realizes that what she needs is already inside her.

     

    SUNSHINE
    Paola Luna
    Before he could lose his chance, a nurse caught in the middle of the pandemic takes extra measures to express the love he found in a woman infected with the virus.

     

    HERO
    J.R. McKay
    Stuck between heaven and hell, a guilt-ridden frontliner couple struggles to find peace without knowing what happened to the son they left behind after sacrificing their lives.

     

    WEAK HEART
    Nitz Tan
    After another day at the hospital, a young and hopeful doctor yearns for a long break but instead gets an encounter with a child stuck in solitude.

     

    TOYS OF JOY
    Valerie Tantuachut
    A toy maker receives an irresistible offer from an eccentric woman amid a pandemic lockdown: the opportunity to provide joy to others while saving his own. 

     

    SECRET HEALER
    Katie Velez
    In a world where myths and deities belong to fantasy stories, a deity found her place in the modern world as a hospital orderly, but had to deal with a pandemic plaguing humans without revealing her powers.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLitArt Hub
    Release dateJul 4, 2020
    ISBN9781393468691
    Silver Linings: Stories of Love, Hope & Courage in a Pandemic Setting

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      Book preview

      Silver Linings - LitArt Hub

      A LITART HUB ANTHOLOGY

      SILVER LININGS

      Stories of Love, Hope & Courage in a Pandemic Setting

      Paola Aliedo

      Alina R. Co

      Mayumi Cruz

      Mia Daquial

      MD Jau

      Paola Luna

      J.R. McKay

      Nitz Tan

      Valerie Tantuachut

      Katie Velez

      Edited by

      Mayumi Cruz    |    Katie Velez

      All copyright remains with the original authors,

      who are the sole copyright owners of the works

      and retain all rights.

      Silver Linings Anthology © 2020 LitArt Hub Publishing

      All rights reserved.

      Cover images from pixabay.com

      Cover Art and Interior Design by Mayumi Cruz

      This Anthology is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to events or locales is coincidental.

      FOREWORD

      Welcome to Silver Linings, the first anthology of LitArt Hub.

      This book is a carefully selected mix of literary and genre fiction depicting Philippine mythological creatures, time travel, women’s fiction, and the paranormal – with one common theme: love, in whatever form, triumphs over all, inspiring hope and courage in a pandemic setting.

      LitArt Hub is a platform for both seasoned and promising writers and other creatives to showcase their craft and talent. This includes publishing fiction, poetry and artworks on our website, in a quarterly digital magazine, as well as selected works from special calls for submission in digital and print formats.

      Enjoy reading! May these stories be a source of comfort and leisure for people who need them most.

      CONTENTS

      SAVIOR

      Mayumi Cruz

      A man from the future travels back in time to prevent a deadly virus from wiping out the human race by searching for the doctor who formulated a secret vaccine.

      MOUSE TRAP

      Alina R. Co

      Trapped, alone, and starving during a pandemic, Nancy thought she couldn’t have it any worse, until a tiny mouse trespasses on her life and turns it upside down.

      MEMENTO MORI

      Mia Daquial

      Sometimes, messages come from beyond the grave, and for Esther Soriano, there’s one message she must give before time runs out.

      YNISHKA FROM THE OTHER WORLD

      Paola Aliedo

      An aswang princess sets foot on the human world for the first time when she volunteers to save a witch, believed to have caught the virus, and meets the man who saved her life once.

      THE WHITE BUTTERFLY

      MD Jau

      Torn between the love she nurtured and the pain of losing her husband, a widow caught in a web of emotional conflicts finds her strength to move forward when she realizes that what she needs is already inside her.

      SUNSHINE

      Paola Luna

      Before he could lose his chance, a nurse caught in the middle of the pandemic takes extra measures to express the love he found in a woman infected with the virus.

      HERO

      J.R. McKay

      Stuck between heaven and hell, a guilt-ridden frontliner couple struggles to find peace without knowing what happened to the son they left behind after sacrificing their lives.

      WEAK HEART

      Nitz Tan

      After another day at the hospital, a young and hopeful doctor yearns for a long break but instead gets an encounter with a child stuck in solitude.

      TOYS OF JOY

      Valerie Tantuachut

      A toy maker receives an irresistible offer from an eccentric woman amid a pandemic lockdown: the opportunity to provide joy to others while saving his own.

      SECRET HEALER

      Katie Velez

      In a world where myths and deities belong to fantasy stories, a deity found her place in the modern world as a hospital orderly, but had to deal with a pandemic plaguing humans without revealing her powers.

      A NOTE FROM LITART HUB

      ABOUT LITART HUB

      ABOUT THE AUTHORS

      SAVIOR

      Mayumi Cruz

      How do you find a needle in a haystack?

      The rush of the mob is dizzying. People are barreling back and forth. They are panic-buying, snatching items from the supermarket shelves like there’s no tomorrow. Some are fighting over a roll of tissue paper, others over a carton of milk. Almost everyone is snarling at one another, all traces of decency and courtesy forgotten.

      The faces pass me by in a blur, the sound of heavy, hurried feet intermingling with muffled curses and whispered expletives. The scent of fear pervades the air, gripping each and everyone in a vise-like hold, like tentacles of a humongous octopus.

      It is, undeniably, pure and utter chaos.

      Dad, what were you thinking, sending me here?

      Perspiration trickles down my brow and I wipe it off with my fingers, staring at it with awe. I haven’t broken a sweat since...since ever. I’d only read about it in books. Another drop falls, this time to the floor. 

      That’s when I realize why I am sweating. I am not dressed like the people around me.

      Suddenly, someone bumps into me. Hard. I don’t even flinch, though. My four-layered clothing effectively protects me and I stay rooted to the floor. It’s the person responsible who is adversely affected. She looks shaken, as if she’d crashed into hard glass. I take pity on her elfin frame and, on reflex, clasp her arms to prevent her from losing her balance. 

      Her lips tighten at my unwelcome touch, her brows crunched in annoyance. She holds up her palms. Sorry for bumping into you. Please take your hands off me now.

      That’s when I see her inner right wrist. Where a tiny lotus tattoo is embedded.

      Look for the girl with the lotus tattoo, Dad said.

      I lower my head and squint, taking a closer look at her hand. Behind her fingers, my eyes glimpse her white doctor’s coat. She pushes me away, fear replacing her displeasure. Caught unawares, I lose my hold on her, and my footing. My back meets an almost empty shelf. It crashes down with a loud noise, with me on top. For the second time, my layered clothes shield me from harm. 

      But when I am able to stand up, the girl is nowhere to be found. I rush from aisle after aisle, frantically searching for her, not minding the curious stares. At the refrigerated section, I screech to a stop as I come upon my reflection on the glass freezers. 

      It’s no wonder she was frightened of me. Who wouldn’t be afraid of a man with a full-bearded face and long, unkempt hair? Worse, my thick parka, insulated pants and winter boots make me look like I’m thrice the size of my weight and body build. Hurriedly, I take the parka off, shoving it into my backpack. My inner shirt is drenched in sweat and I’m instantly relieved of the unfamiliar heat.

      An ear-shattering alarm peals above, followed by a female voice announcing that the supermarket is closing in ten minutes and that everyone must leave. People dash past me in a hurry to get out, pushing their grocery carts toward the cashiers. I follow their trail, where lines are formed and customers are shouting, eager to pay and go home. 

      I remember: the second wave is more fatal than the first, necessitating a less than five-hour window time for people to shop for their necessities and to avoid riots which spring sporadically everywhere. 

      I walk past them and stand by the main doors, my eyes wandering, searching for the girl with the lotus tattoo. But there is no sign of her. My heart beats like a drum in my chest as I look at my wristwatch, noting the time.

      You only have eight hours to complete your task, Dad instructed.

      I have to find the girl with the lotus tattoo.

      I have to find the woman who formulated the vaccine for the virus. 

      I have to find the Savior.

      Before the world plunges into darkness.  

      * * *

      In the early months of the year 2021, the third wave of a deadly hybrid virus wiped out two-thirds of the world’s entire population. The virus was an enigma, for it thrived in warm temperature instead of cold. Global recession and depression pushed many to suicide. The remaining people scattered everywhere. Still, the hybrid virus killed year after year.

      My father had the foresight to leave our tropical country. He travelled to Canada, moving from one place to another until he reached Nunavut, where the year-round extreme freezing temperature prevented the virus from hibernating and mutating. There, we settled and made our home.

      Twelve years into isolation, he dug up an old, badly burned laptop from a long-ignored box. He avoided it for weeks before he decided to fix it. In there, he found an encrypted file. After multiple tries, he cracked the password. The password was FRIENDS.

      What he discovered in the file propelled him into action. It drove him to build a time machine.

      * * *

      It’s getting dark and less and less people are left in the streets. I know the curfew will be in effect any minute now. Police cars are starting to do their rounds. I’m at risk of being arrested and mistaken as a looter. I walk down the length of the sidewalk, unsure where I should be headed. I close my eyes, searching my mind for my father’s guidance regarding this mission.

      Be mindful of your surroundings, son.

      When I

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