Prompt: Write something between 200-500 words that is based on a beloved childhood memory told from a different point of view.
"Alright, Maddie. We're here."
"You brought us to the park?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I want you to lay down with me."
My daughter, Madison, looked hesitantly at me after I said this. She's always been a rather cautious young girl. Quiet and gentle. She lies down with me on the grass that's soft under our skin. It's June, the weather is warm but hasn't become unbearable, and it's a beautiful sunny day. She's wearing a dress covered in flowers, her favorite that happens to be one I bought for her.
"Why are we laying here, mom?"
"I want to play a game. You in?"
She responds rather excitedly. I know how much she loves to be challenged. Already, at such a young age, grasping for something to fulfill that tiny little brain of hers. "Yes! What is it?"
"I call it the Cloud Game. It's where we look up at the clouds and imagine all the kinds of shapes and things it could make. Anything you think it looks like, that's what it is."
"Anything?" She asks me.
"Yes, anything."
"So that one right there," she points to the left of her, "that one looks like a dragon blowing bubbles!"
I laugh because she's insanely accurate. "Yes, it does!" She continues to point out clouds as I watch her. I try to do this as often as I can. I try to give her something to be creative about. Something that will calm her. Even at the age of 3, she's struggling with very complex emotions, and I know it's a lot for her. She bottles up her feelings and gets overwhelmed easily. I hope that the cloud game teaches her how to relax herself, teaches her how to observe her environment, teaches her to be creative, teaches her to see different perspectives. I know growing up with her father isn't easy and will affect her in ways that neither of us can predict. But I hope that I can help in small ways that she may not even notice. She probably doesn't even notice now, truly believing that this is just a game. But it's not. I hope my beautiful girl will learn lessons that will aid her throughout her life because of this simple little game.
"Which ones do you see, mom?" She asks me.
"Hm," I take a moment to look at the sky and think, thankful for this time with my daughter, "that one kinda looks like a teddy bear reading a book."
"Oh it does!"
I look at her again. I hope you grow to be everything I am and more, despite the early hardships that you've endured. I love you more than you know.
A/N: This one is based on my real life, so I hope you enjoyed it. I really tried to capture the love of my mother in this and I hope that I did well. Please tell me what you think and if you have any suggestions. Again, I'm trying to get better at writing. (I eventually want to do my own story.) Also, I didn't post for a while cause I fell out of the habit of writing consistently with everything going on in life. I'm trying to get back into it!
