Daydream Believer

cxxii. back to where we began and playing at the park

 

cxxii. back to where we began and playing at the park

“I’m going for a walk,” I told Shonali. I had just been so stressed out lately. I needed fresh air and some time out of the house. I grabbed my phone, plugged in my earbuds, and put them into my ears. Another one of the many songs that Justin had recommended started playing. I never bothered to learn the titles, but I learned the tunes quickly. I started humming along while I threw a light coat on and walked out the door.

 

This particular song had a fast beat, so I ran along with it. My feet hit the ground in time with the drums. It didn’t take me long to reach the park, which was where I was headed. I would be graduating next week. It just seemed so right to visit one of the many places where I had spent much of my childhood.

 

There were a few things that had changed at the park. The slides were a little newer and there were a few new trees that were planted. A sand volleyball court had been added behind the playground. Otherwise, the park remained the same. The core of it was the same. It reminded me of myself: a few improvements had been made, but it was all the same on the inside.

 

I wandered around a bit. There weren’t a lot of kids here, probably because it was getting a little late. The sun was still out, but it would probably go down soon. The park closed at dusk, so I didn’t have long here.

 

I stepped up onto the playground. It was clearly built for a small child, but I was small enough that I could play on it. Aaron, on the other hand, would have probably hit his head on something. I got to the top and went down the slide. It didn’t give me the same thrill that it did when I was little, but it was still kind of fun. Then again, the slide was never really my favorite thing to play on. That would be the swings.

 

I jumped onto the monkey bars, which were still quite difficult. I hated that I was short, but it meant that some things could still be fun. Besides, a lot of people thought that I was younger than I was, so nobody would question that I was playing here.

 

I ran to the swings. This was always my favorite. I pumped my legs back and forth, just like I did when I was five years old. My legs were a little longer now, but it was the same motion. Back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. The swing started to do the same, and as I went into the air, I felt the same way as I did when I was a little kid.

I felt like I was flying.