For the Memories

Prolouge

I watched her from a distance, specifically across the park. Through the kids gymnasium; the monkey bards, the swings, and the slides. She was standing on top of a jungle gym, the kind that has a giant pole in the middle and everything sprouts out around it. She was well off the ground, but there was no fear in her eyes. According to her bright smile, you could even say she was excited. Excited being 15 feet off the ground, looking out onto a field of screaming children.

Those exact children were going to be the death of me. Every once in a while they would block my view of her. Just for a split second, not even half really, I would loose sight of her. Sight of her hair blowing in the wind, getting tangled in her face. She'd push it away but it was pointless.

She was shaking. Looking back the afternoon was relatively cold, it made sense she would be too. I saw her laugh, throwing her head back to release a hearty blubber of noise. It was similar to a cackle of an old witch. They ones in black and white movies that had brooms and striped socks. I saw the power in her laugh, the laugh that led to her downfall.

Up until then, there was no fear. Her presence held joyous fun and excitement. There wasn't an ounce of darkness in her. She spread light just with her gaze. I like to think I was the last thing she saw. Our eyes met and it was electric. I was on the other side of the wood chips, 40 paces away. The book I was reading long forgotten on the bench seat next to me. No story of fiction could rival how it felt to capture her gaze. No world imaginable could top her smile.

It was only a second or two that our eyes met. Enough for her to smile, and for me to comprehend it.

But soon enough, gravity caught up to her. I saw the realization on her face as it happened. The widening of her eyes, with the subtle frown of her lips. This followed by the flailing of arms and the urge quickly balance her body, which ultimately let to her literal downfall.

It happened slowly, but all at once. My body didn't react until she was laying on her back on the ground, and a crowd surrounded her. It was the first time I realized there were people with her, friends she was hanging out with. I heard the yelling of someone in the circle, I didn't realize it was her until I stood above in the masses, looking down at her.

In that moment I decided I never wanted to see her cry. She wasn't a pretty crier, in fact her face morphed into one of a goblin. If she wasn't in pain I believe I would of laughed, and that was the second reason I never wanted to see her cry.

And in that moment she looked at me again. Unlike the first time, neither of us smiled. I did a borderline grimace and she, well, continued to cry. I heard background voices of someone calling and ambulance, and someone who was yelling. At what I wasn't certain, but his anger seemed directed at himself more than anything.

I looked back down at the girl, who's eyes found mine for the third time. Bless the person who gave her those eyes, because even red and puffy they shined bright.

I didn't have anything useful to add the the chaos, but the urge to speak with her was deafening. I couldn't help myself. I had to talk to her. To touch her. To be with her. If only my brain caught up with concept of not being a dumb ass, because all I could think of saying was,

"I think you're gonna need some ice"