ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD Hu Yue is a fifth-grade student at the Liyuan Primary School. Under the care of her parents, she had led a carefree life before the SARS outbreak. But since early April, her life changed because of the epidemic. One of her classmates was found infected with SARS, which resulted in her schooling being suspended. Against this backdrop, Hu, with encouragement from her mother, wrote down her experiences during this unusual period of her life.

Following is a translation of excerpts from Hu's diary.

Flying home

One day in early April, teacher Zhang, the form master of the class, came into the classroom and gave each student some medicine. She said:"One of the students in this class has been found infected with SARS."Some students immediately began taking the medicine.

We left school earlier than usual that day. My mother came to meet me at the school gate in a taxi 10 minutes after I called her.

"How could it happen that she is in your class?"My mother asked the same question again and again on our way home. She told me that her heartbeat had accelerated immediately when she received my call and that she would, if she could, fly to take me away from the"infected area"?athe school. She said she had always been concerned about the possibility of some students around me being infected. Because of that she had been following the local news on TV closely.

The news that a Liyuan Primary School student had been infected spread very quickly. Someone even called my family the same evening for confirmation:"Is that true1¨°How terrible!"

My mother said"yes", but stopped short of saying the student was in my class.

I spent two days at home playing computer games and watching TV. But my good time came to a halt the third day when my mother asked me to read and memorize things from my textbooks. While I took that hard, I kept thinking how Fangfang?amy classmate with SARS?awas spending her days.

Combating fear

All the classes in the school except mine were continuing normally. The regular dance training sessions were under way. We were preparing for a children's arts festival in Futian District. I went to the dance training class twice a day?ain the morning and in the afternoon?abefore Fangfang caught SARS. But my mother forbade me from going the second day after Fangfang was diagnosed.

I sneaked to the dance training with a facemask after I had stayed home for two days.

"Who is this1¨°"asked the dance coach when she saw me.

"It's Hu Yue,"a co-trainee said.

"Really1¨°It's not like her,"she said.

But she recognized me after I took off the mask. She praised me for my perseverance in training, saying I was a good student. Later on, the praise was aired by the school's broadcasting station. I felt very pleased.

I felt like going to a battlefield on the day the festival opened. The smell of vinegar was drifting about at the theater, and many people were wearing masks. None of the teachers from our school, however, wore masks. They injected into us confidence and courage with their brave act. They are our good teachers.

Fangfang returns

We had no news about Fangfang for a long time, and rumors spread far and wide. One day, teacher Zhang said that she had been told by Fangfang's mother that Fangfang was getting much better. We were happy for her after we heard that, although at the same time we still had some doubt.

One day in May, teacher Zhang told us that Fangfang had been discharged from hospital. We felt both happy and surprised after hearing the news, for it was such a far cry from what we had heard. Two weeks later, we had more shocking news from the teacher: Fangfang would return to class the following week.

The class was plunged into clamor as every student started talking. Someone said loudly:"If Fangfang comes, we'll bring our own brooms to clean the classroom when on duty."Another student sighed and said:"What a pathetic thing, to sit beside her!"Someone even said:"We'll use protective clothes from next week."

Teacher Zhang told us not to be afraid, saying a person who recovered from SARS was not infectious while citing Fangfang's parents who had remained uninfected. The teacher also told us a re-examination of Fangfang at Donghu Hospital two weeks after she was discharged had confirmed that she was in perfect health, and the hospital had issued certificates stating that Fangfang was well. The teacher said that the hospital would be responsible for us.

May 25 was the day Fangfang returned. I felt scared. When I reached the school gate and looked over my shoulder, I found to my horror that Fangfang was following me. She was so early. I had a brainwave and thought:"I must enter the classroom ahead of her. Otherwise, I will not dare to go in."

When the first class began, those who should have sat close to her moved their tables and chairs away, leaving a large space around her. Someone even made some unfriendly remarks to her. But Fangfang remained silent like a lamb.

After she saw what had happened, teacher Zhang said loudly:"Move your tables back!"The students complied without saying a word.

After following Fangfang to the toilet like a detective, a student said to us secretly:"I tell you that Fangfang used the second faucet on the right. You must remember this, or you'll get into big trouble using the wrong faucet."

When we were having the sports lesson, I was surprised to find that Fangfang just stood on the side, admiringly watching us doing all kinds of activities and games.

Making a phone call

I told my mother what had happened to Fangfang after she came back to school. After about one week, my mother asked me to give Fangfang a call, saying I should give care and confidence to her. Although I sympathized with her, I felt uneasy for I was not sure whether she would like to talk to me. She was a person of few words. The conversation between us had been very limited since she joined my class more than one year ago. I was even concerned that she might not actually know me.

Encouraged by my mother, I dialed the phone number at Fangfang's home. When she picked up the phone, I found it hard to start a conversation as I am also an introverted person. She did not speak either. Finally, I said timidly:"How are you1¨°This is Hu Yue. Is that Fangfang1¨°"

"Yes. What can I do for you1¨°"she said.

"Oh, nothing serious. Are you going out to play on June 1, the International Children's Day?"

"No, I won't."

"What are you doing now?"

"Nothing."

"Why do you speak so lowly?"

No answer.

"Please speak a little louder, will you?"

"Mhm."

"That's good. Bye bye."

I had tried to find something to talk about with her in order to get closer to her. But with little I could find to say, I had to say goodbye to her. After putting down the phone, I thought she was cool towards me, and it seemed that she was not willing to talk to me. I lost more than half of the confidence to befriend her, and did not even want to communicate with her anymore. But my mother asked me not to give up and dialed Fangfang's number to talk with Fangfang's mother.

Getting closer

One day after the International Children's Day, I gave Fangfang a bag of chocolate balls. When I called her after class in the afternoon, her mother was very warm on the phone, saying Fangfang told her about this as soon as she returned home. Her mother then told me in detail how Fangfang contracted the disease. It turned out that Fangfang was infected by two workers at the family's small restaurant in Ganquan Road, where she often went to play.

But it is not known where the workers were infected. From March 28, Fangfang spent 40 days at Donghu Hospital to May 7.

Later, two of my classmates were surprised to see that I invited Fangfang to a McDonald's. It has now been more than two weeks since she came back to school, and the classmates have gradually changed their attitude toward her. They are not as afraid as they were, and some are willing to approach her. I am very happy because I have made my contribution as the first one to care for her on my own initiative.

Editor: Liao Ming