Beauty & The Freak || Eddie Munson

Chapter 10

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When Abel and I finally arrived back home, I made us a quick snack. It was a simple mix of green apples, a few red grapes, and a few slices of pineapple. Before we went to the park, we nearly scarfed the entire snack down. Since it was still early afternoon, I gladly took him across the street after we changed. The sun was shining all day, and it was warm. Warm enough for me to want to wear shorts and a shirt. By nighttime, the temperature would fall back down and I'd be wanting to wear warmer clothing again. I'll take it while I can get it.

I headed right over to the swings like I normally did, claiming my spot on the outer right swing from the set of four. Abel ran over to the merry-go-round and jumped right onto it. He had one foot on the ground, trying to push himself. He usually got bored with that quickly and would soon run over to the play-scape.

There were two other families here, one having a picnic near the trees, and one helping their toddler down a slide. I recognized the one family having a picnic. They lived just two doors down.

Abel ran up to me. "Sissy, can you help me with the monkey bars?"

He has been trying for months now to conquer them. I smiled at him, standing up and following him over to the bars. He ran up the set of stairs and found the first bar. He reached up and gripped the first bar while standing on his tippy toes. I kind of wished Eddie would have been here. Abel was so happy when Eddie effortlessly lifted him up and helped him swing across all the bars. I tried to make him happy, even though I was too short to help.

I wrapped my arms around his legs and hoisted him up. He reached out with his arm, trying to reach the next bar. We made it three bars in before Abel started laughing and gave up. I set him on the ground and knelt down beside him.

"You're doing a great job trying, Abel. Once you get a little taller, you can swing across them." I smiled.

"I'm gonna go back on the slides!" He ran off and climbed up the stairs of the play scape.

I made my way back to my swing, keeping a close eye on him. The sun continued shining down on us and the breeze from earlier picked up slightly. Spring in Hawkin's was always my favorite. It rained all the time, but the temperature was perfect. I can say I've been enjoying these rain-free days the last week or so, but I was ready for a nice spring storm to roll through.

I used my feet to kick myself backwards, swinging at a steady pace. Abel was sliding down the slide. I knew by the time he finished playing, he'd have an appetite worked up and then we could eat dinner before winding down for the night.

After going down the slide one last time, Abel made his way back over to monkey-bars. I knew he would continue trying, no matter how much he failed. He reached for that first bar, his little hand wrapping tightly around it as he balanced his foot on the edge and reached out with his other hand. For a second, I thought he was actually going to make it to the second bar. But his hand slipped, and he went tumbling to the ground. Now, he wasn't far from the ground. This is a fall he's made several times. This fall was different.

He was still right next to the play-scape and when he fell... he hit his head on the edge of the play-scape. He landed on the ground hard, and I wasn't sure if he was okay. He laid there silently, and that's when I started panicking. I was mid-swing when I jumped off, falling right into the wood chips and gravel below me. My hands and knees stung, but I didn't even think about them as I ran right over to Abel.

His eyes were closed, and he wasn't moving. The first thing I did was place my hand on his chest, feeling it rise and fall as he breathed. He was breathing. That was a good sign.