LOST

Kid Again

Matt's POV

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"C'mon, Sarah! Let's go outside." I pulled her by the hand and took her downstairs. She giggled behind me.

"Where are we going, Matt?"

"We are going outside. Let's play in the rain. It'll be fun!"

"But why? We'll get really wet. What's the point? We could stay dry inside." She wasn't in the mood. But she didn't understand why.

"Sarah, you never really had a childhood. So we're going to live out your childhood as much as possible while we're here. You deserve to have fun, to know what joy really feels like. You have to know what it means to be crazy!" I didn't wait for her response. Her face was already gleaming with excitement.

We stepped out and ran to the back of the house where the patio was. I stepped off of the wooden platform and landed in a big puddle. I heard Sarah shriek. My first reaction was to laugh. I didn't even have to turn around. I already knew my big jump in the puddle had wet her.

I dropped to the floor to catch my breath. My body made contact with the earth while I felt the drops of water hit my skin.

I looked up at Sarah and her face was pinched in surprise.

"Awwww, c'mon! Don't tell me you've never been splashed by water!"

"Ugh! Why would you fall and dirty yourself? And splash me with water, too?!" Her frown turned into a smile. She couldn't be mad at me. No way. Not ever.

"I didn't know it was going to happen. You can clean yourself up later. Right now, it's time for fun! Find the biggest puddles you see and jump in them!"

She looked at one and jogged towards it but then glanced at one farther back. I glanced at it, too.

Holy shit, that one's huge.

Sarah and I looked at each other. There was no other guess to the expression on her face. We both wanted that puddle. Her face read 'don't-you-dare'. We both dashed farther from the house. The huge puddle was several yards away.

I was laughing as I ran...noticing that I haven't had this much fun in a long time. We both slipped along the way due to the slippery wet dirt. Surprisingly, it was a tie. That didn't matter to us. All we did was jump our hearts out.

Sarah moved in slow motion as I looked at her. That smile was brighter than the radiance of the sun. I saw her having fun, and that was enough to make my day. It was enough to know that she was getting some of the great moments she should've gotten a while ago. Sarah was now truly living. Dale and that shabby cottage had nothing on her now.