In a decade where plenty of people are throwing Gatsby-themed Roaring 20s parties, one small group is going a bit farther back in American Literature to prepare themselves for the Coronavirus! David Levy and his friends, self-proclaimed “Lit-Kids” have decided to start prepping for Coronavirus by staging an elaborate masquerade ball like the one in Edgar Allan Poe’s Masque of the Red Death.

Worried by the possibility of contracting the virus through daily life, Levy and his group of friends will be sealing themselves inside his apartment until the epidemic passes, just like Prince Prospero, the protagonist of Poe’s short story.

“We’ve just been such fans of Poe’s macabre oeuvre for years and have been looking for a reason to recognize his contribution to the literary canon. As soon as we heard Coronavirus had made it to our region, we knew what we had to do” said Levy, 24. “I live in a brownstone in Brooklyn and think it’s perfect for a masquerade ball. We’re going to have everyone dress up and have different themed rooms just like Masque. It’s going to be a blast and just like the characters in the story, we’ll be guaranteed safety!”

HornRimmer is unable to confirm whether or not they have ever finished reading the story.