THE BEAUTIFUL ONE~Volume One

DAY FOUR (cont.)

"Don't you play, Michael ?" I asked, to which Michael replied "No." to which I

replied "How come?" to which Michael replied "Joseph makes us come inside and

work", to which I replied softly "Oh" and let the seemingly painful subject fall

by the wayside so I wouldn't seem nosy.

"You mean you've never played any games besides baseball?" I asked.

"No." Michael replied, and then added. "But I've seen some that look like they'd

be fun", before going on to describe the game the two of us-in our present

grown-up selves-had played in real time with the group of children and their

teachers the past weekend in the nearby park...The game he knew as

"Duck...Duck...Goose.'

"Yes...I know that game." I replied brightly. "We can play that if you want", to

which Michael replied, dubiously: "We don't have enough people."

"What about the tree...the tree could be a people." I suggested, to which Michael

replied "Yeah, you're right, it could!...Okay, you sit beside the tree, and I'll

be first", Michael instructed, cheerfully before beginning to run around me and

the tree (which was actually equal to the width of two children, the size of me

and Michael, sitting side by side).

"Duck...duck...duck...duck...GOOSE!" proclaimed Michael, as he tapped me on the

shoulder, and took me on a high-speed chase after him, around and around the

tree, before collapsing, in a fit of joyful laughter, in the place I had

previously occupied beside the tree. "Okay, it's your turn!" he said

cheerfully, though slightly out of breath.

"Okay...wait a minute...Whoo!" I continued with a giggle before rising to my feet,

and continuing with the game. "Duck...duck...duck...GOOSE!" I proclaimed, and tagged

Michael for his turn. Finding myself not able to run as fast as Michael, I

found once around the big tree all I could muster, and found myself once again

on my tummy in a patch of tall grass(this time from having caught my foot under

one of the roots of the big tree-a root which happened to be sticking out, and

hidden by the tall grass.

"Are you okay, Ana?" whispered Michael , so not to arouse the concern of the

grown ups.

"Yes...I'm fine." I replied, propping myself up on my elbows but remaining,

otherwise, on my belly in the tall grass. "Shooo...ah." I continued with a

yawn-suddenly sleepy from the rousing, energy-filled game. "That was fun...Thank

you...Michael." I continued, as I proceeded to make a pillow out of the sleeves of

the warm fabric parka I was wearing by resting my arms (folded at the elbows)on