![Colorado Matters CMS Safe 3X2 Logo for Podcast Segments](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/04/Colorado-Matters-Podcast-Art-3000x2000-scaled.jpg)
The COVID-19 pandemic sometimes seems like the plot of a science fiction novel. A virus threatens humanity and leaves fear and confusion in its wake. Twenty years ago, Colorado author James Van Pelt wrote a short story that offers parallels and perspectives about what’s going on today.