Rage walked through his favorite park as the sun shown light upon his face and clothes. He always enjoyed a peaceful stroll through the park, for the park held many of his childhood memories. He could picture himself as a youthful child playing in the vibrant grass and climbing in the towering trees. His friend, Hollow, would join him in his thrilling endeavors, and so would his other two friends, Fluke and Evanz. It all brought him joyous memories of their lasting friendship. He's still happy to still have his friends after 13 years, and his friends feel the same as well.
The rays of light streamed through the autumn air and danced with the shadows of the remaining leaves on the trees. There were barely any other people in the park, so the only sounds heard were the wind flowing past Rage and the thump of each step he took. He sat down on a vacant bench and began to scan through his contact list to call some of his former friends. He kept scrolling until a hand waved in front of his face. He looked next to him to find that his friends, Fluke and Evanz, had taken a seat next to him. "Hey there, Rage. How's it been?" Fluke asked the shorter, who smiled at seeing two of his best friends.
"It's been great, Fluke. What about you two?" Rage asked.
"We've been doing fine as well." Evanz replied.
"Mind if I join in?"
They all looked over to see Hollow sitting on the other side of Rage. "Hey, Hollow!" Rage greeted him with a welcoming smile.
"Hey, guys. Didn't expect to see you guys here, or at the very least, any of you here."
"Yeah, same." Evanz said.
"I know." Fluke started. "When Evanz and I first got here, I wasn't even expecting to see anyone else here at all."
"Yeah, it's not that bad though, I mean, it may be very hollow around here, but it's not something to rage about." Rage joked as the others either facepalmed or sighed in frustration, but then they ended up laughing at their reaction to the childish pun.
"Well," Hollow said, "it is quite peaceful when there aren't so many people around."
"It sure is, Hollow, it sure is." Fluke said as they all took in their surroundings for a moment.
As Rage looked around, a specific tree caught his eye. It was a massive oak tree with sturdy branches that were low enough for a child to easily climb onto without much difficulty. He remembered that tree from the past memories. He and his three best friends used to climb into the tree and pretend that they were spies. The branches would never break, even if you hung a crate full of bricks from only one of them. He remembered the four of them sitting on one single branch on that tree and yet the branch barely even bent downward. Despite its age, it was the kind of tree that would last for centuries to come, which meant that more and more children would play on it as time passed by. He enjoyed playing in that tree because no one would ever object to them climbing it. It's part of the park, and thus it's part of the community for all to enjoy.
"Hey, race you to that big tree over there." Rage challenged Hollow as he pointed towards the oak tree from his memories.
"Just like the good old days?" Evanz asked, looking over at Rage.
"Just like 'dem good ol' days."
"One." Hollow started the countdown.
"Two." Evanz continued.
"Three." Rage grinned with excitement.
"GO!!!" Fluke shouted as they all jumped out of their seats and bolted towards the tree.
As they ran towards the tree, they all felt a feeling in their chest that they haven't experienced for quite some time. They embraced this newfound feeling as memories flowed swiftly through their thoughts. The laughter; the joy; the adrenaline; the pure fun they had before was coming back as this familiar yet unknown feeling. Then they realized that this was the feeling of true happiness at its highest point. Each of them had a radiant smile on, showing both amusement and determination. They were all truly having the most fun they had that month.
Hollow was the first to reach the tree, and Rage made it right after Hollow put his hand on the tree trunk. Fluke and Evanz both joined them in less than a second after Rage had arrived in a-close-but-not-close-enough second place. "Yes, I win!!" Hollow stated proudly as he held his hands up in victory.
"Okay, Hollow. It's not like you just won the Olympics or something." Rage said humorously.
"Who wants to climb up the tree and pretend to be international spy ninjas?" Fluke suggested.
"Ah yeah! Let's go!" Evanz cheered as he hoisted himself onto a nearby branch.
And so, they spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the tree and going on imaginary adventures. Despite the fact that they looked childish, they kept laughing and enjoying themselves.
There's no reason to be embarrassed about having fun, even if it may be childish.
