THE PLAYGROUND

MORNING

It was quite chilly. I remember mom, trying to force me out of the house. The blistering cold hit my face. A mad stranger, dressed in a poorly fitting white coat, lifted me up by my leg. He slapped my butt and immediately ran as soon as my feet touched the ground. Father vacantly looked as he went on his way. I started crying. Mom gently held my hand and wiped my tears. She then squatted to my height and looked me in the eye. She whispered, “we are going to a nice place, you will have lots of fun, you will learn to be like me and dad, you will be strong, happy, and most of all you will get to play with other kids your size. Do not be afraid.”

She and father walked me to the playground. My shoelaces kept untying. This slowed us down and frustrated dad, but every time, mum would kneel and tie them again. She had this smile on her face when she did it that let me know it was not my fault.

It was beautiful. The gate was huge, golden with grills that ran to the top arch with “Welcome to The Playground” engraved on it. The frames of the gate had neat vines with white and purple flowers going round and round. The tarmac below was clean and glittered with gold sprinkles. There were two rows of trees forming a canopy as you entered the gate. The canopies led to a green open field. I could see other kids inside. They were already playing, running, and competing against each other. It looked fun.

On the outside lot other kids rode on silver chariots as others flew in gold birds to the playground. It was spectacular. There and then, I was afraid to head home. I was afraid it would end, and I hadn’t even started. But this crippling fear of home was so bad that I asked mum to wait for me at the gate. I did not want her to head home. She promised she will be there all the time and I should not be afraid of anything. I saw Dad coming, we had left him back at the house. He asked mom why she left Him alone since he also wanted to watch me in the playground. I was quite happy, but mom looked sad, her face melted into a huge ball of sorrow. Tears flowed down her soft loving cheeks She told and said to me, “don’t be afraid my son. It is me and you in this world, don’t let them break you, I love you so much don’t let these games hurt you. I will be here, have a good day son.”

Dad was mumbling something about respecting other kids and I started running towards other kids. I was so sadly excited. I looked back one more time and they were both there looking at me, they gave me a confidence I quite did not know I needed. Something caught my shoe. I fell. I sat down. I was a little scratched. It was a loose shoelace “why did mom tie them this bad?” I thought to myself. I wanted to stand and run back for her to re-tie the shoe but a huge kid, I swear she was mom’s size stood there, she dressed like one of us, but I suspected she was not. Her feeding bib quite confused me so I kind of let the matter go. She hit me asking why I did not yet know how to tie my shoelaces. Tears flowed crying for mum to come and help me. At the gate mother was just staring, wanting to help but they had locked the gate. She was frantic. Dad kissed her on the lip, and they went on kissing. Two kids came to help; one I had seen on one of the gold birds, she came, and took the shoelace from my left foot and told me to take the other off and give them to her considering if they were not there, they would not hurt me anymore. The other kid who I had never seen before, tied my right foot shoelace and asked me to join him to play. Decisions to me were something new and the only decision I could make was on whether to follow the kind girl who permanently solved my problem or the friendly boy who suspiciously asked me to follow them to play. I followed the boy who temporarily fixed my shoelace problem. My decision making was obviously not full proof to be a good one.

MID MORNING

Martin was quite a character. I have to say, he knew a lot of the playground, he showed me to some more new friends and even taught me a game or two. “Let me teach you my favorite new game that I was taught.” These were the rules. There was a small circle where each of us had to stand in to win the game. We went quite far, and we raced towards the circle where the first one to get to the circle won. Everyone was very proud of their position after the game. Some finished first while others finished last every time and to be fair, the mom sized kids with their bibs stood there to watch us. Some tripped others, some ran very fast and stood there to make sure the game did not end, others just walked but always and always the point was, the game always ended, and we were all happy.

We were allowed to walk to the gate. I was very happy to see mother and Father though they both looked different. Mother looked Worried and asked me where one of my shoelaces had gone and if was hurt so bad. I told her My shoelace accidentally got lost as I was playing. They asked if I was enjoying the playground I and told them I liked it fine. They even asked me if I was winning the games I had learnt and when I said no father was very disappointed, I tried to explain to him that it was difficult to run without one

shoelace one and he said I was Just like mother. I did not find this to be a problem because I loved mother. Mom was quite sad by the fact I did not win the games too. She told me I had to win the games or father will leave and go home. We were called back in and again mother clearly did not want me to go back to the playground. She feared I would be scratched again, she started to cry, and father took her to his arms and kissed her and she forgot all about me.

MIDDAY

I was back to the playground and this time I did not trip and fall. I was very careful. I tried to look for Martin everywhere, but I could not really see him. I felt sadness, melancholy, a sense of longing for someone heavy in my heart. I wondered where he had gone. I wondered whether he had gone home with his procreator’s parents, I looked at the gate and I saw his Martins parents. I ran before the Mum sized bib kids stopped me. I asked Martin’s mother and father where Martin was, they told me he had gone home and that they had decided to stand there to watch others play so that they don’t miss him so much before they followed him home.

Anyway, a big bib kid came and asked me quite politely to please join the rest of the kids for a game of circle. I was very determined to win this race. I thought about my shoelace and how It would have helped me go faster. I looked at the gold bird kids, they all had extra shoelaces, the silver chariot kids, had both neatly tied. I thought I had a better chance if I removed the shoe without the lace, but the ground had rocks and pebbles. It would have been quite painful. I did not want father to leave mother because of me. All I wanted was to win for once. You can guess what I did, I removed both of my shoes and put them neatly by the start line. A kid who had one lace like me came and took my other shoelace away. any way I asked him if he would return my shoelace and he agreed he would after the race. Anyway, the race started. I was among the gold kids in position at the end, the other child who borrowed my lace came in first but stood there blocking people not to enter the circle. He was quite a rare curious case, but I didn’t mind. I asked him for my shoelace, he gave it to me and told me his name was Anthony and we could walk in the park together. I had not become first; I was badly hurt but I had greatly improved in the game. Maybe father will still be angry, but he would know I did my best.

Anthony was a curious case, he removed all his clothes and started walking naked. He told me it was because if he was naked no one could know tell whether he is a silver Chariot kid or a gold bird child. They will not know the difference so they would not think of helping him in anyway. They deemed helpful to him. I kind of saw his point of doing that since their help was quite short lived from my experience. I had to do something on the issue too.

I had to call every one lace child all over the playground and tell them we should all walk naked like Anthony. I tried explaining to them how Anthony had explained to me, but it did not make sense. One girl shouted that it would only make us just as identifiable and feel cold. I asked her what a solution might be. She had a plan; she knew she had the plan. She looked at our small crowd and said we should go and retake our shoelaces. If only it were that easy. What she had offered was not a plan but a wish all of us held in our hearts. It was infinitely better than the walking naked plan, but the big question was always going to be how. How were we going to get our laces back? Anyway, Anthony did not seem to have a care in the world, his solution was working for him, and our shoelace problem was well, our shoelace problem.

The smart girl’s name was Marie. She fascinated me a lot and every time she opened her mouth, she spoke on behalf of my heart. I liked her a lot. We started making time for us making the plan but soon I found myself thinking about Marie more than the oppression and shame of having to run bare feet so just father would be happy and make mother happy. Anyway, she told me we should first get our shoelaces then we could start playing with each other. She promised I would like the new game more. I was quite pumped for the new game.

MID AFTERNOON

The mom sized kids with bibs came and told us the final game was due in a short time. We had to get our laces back, we all wanted to make sure the gold bird kids do not win. I went and asked the gold kid girl If she could give me my other lace since my feet were hurting. She agreed but if and only if I would play a new Game with her. This is how the game went. First, we had to hold our hands and we had to make sure we did not let go. Then we made sure to enter a circle while pushing until both of us are in. I must admit. It was more enjoyable than anything I had experienced in the playground. I wanted to do it over and over, but she agreed to only one round. After the game, she gave me my shoelace and her name Antonnete.

I went where Marie was. She asked me how I had got my shoelace and why I did not get them for all of us. I just told her I asked Antonnete, and she found it in her gracious heart to give me the shoelace. “Who is Antonnete?” She asked under her breath. I pointed where she was.

She said I was lost, and I had gold bird in me now. Also, I should never talk to her until I make it up by bringing her shoelace.

Anthony came and told me of a plan that would not only make Marie come to me but the rest of the one laced kid would adore me. We had to make the gold bird kids go home before the race. After all they were very few compared to us. I agreed to the plan. We had to wait a little for us to execute our so thought out our plan.

Antonnete called me for a game. I could not quite resist the invitation. She asked me to take it as practice for the main game. This time it was a little more fun since we both knew each other's names. She asked me if she could ask her parents to give me a gold bird of my own so that I did not need to go and play with the lace less kids. It was a surprise that the gold bird kids could see their parents wherever they wanted. I had to decide between a gold bird of my own or shoelaces for all.

I saw mum sized kid with a bib in the vicinity. I went and told her that Antonnete is trying to teach me a forbidden game and that she is bullying me into it. The mom sized kid with a bib came and took Antonnete by the hand she and told her that she had to pay for what she had done. Antonnete tried to say I was lying but the mom sized kid with a bib had already made her decision. Antonnete was sent home by the orders of the mom sized kid with a bib. Her parents were quite saddened by what she did. They just stood there, they also stayed, I guess also like Martin's parents just to see the other kids play.

It was almost time for the race. I had a gold bird of my own now since Antonnete had been sent home, plus a lot of laces that she had left behind. I told the rest of the one lace kids that time had ran out on our plan to trick all the gold bird kids. I had an Idea I could lend some of the kid’s shoelaces so long as they returned them to me and if they let me win, I would let them keep them. Marie was the first to come. She took me to the side she was though quite disappointed in what I was doing. So, I decided that I was not going to give her a lace even though I was doing it for her.

The silver spoon kids did not seem to be affected by a lot of the things and were quite happy a lot of times. I admired that a lot, but I had run barefoot. I had suffered as a one lace kid for way too long. I did not want to go back.

On the start line, we were arranged according to our shoelaces all gold bird kids were put a head of the rest. A mom sized kid with a bib came to where I was and pulled me from the crowd of one lace kids and put me with the gold kids, but I was the last among them. The arrangement finished and the race began.

I saw Marie with the back of my eye she was barefoot, and she would not let it go easy. I passed a lot of other gold bird kids. Finally! I was first. Mom and dad were going to be very proud of me. I had a problem though; Anthony was right behind me with his bare feet. Luckily, I made it to the circle first since he was busy blocking the kids who were behind him. Marie was almost at the finish and Anthony was going to push her. I shouted his name. He looked back and by the time he realized what I had done Marie had passed him and She ran into the circle. Anthony decided to come and ask me why I did that. Trust me, that was the first time he to made it into the circle.

I noticed the one laced kid had paired up. and some one ran barefoot, and the others just walked. Mostly the boys had the two laces but the ladies who had the laces beat most boys. Managed to finish decently. They were all quite happy and after the race all walked together in pairs of those who had and those who did not have a lace. The silver spoons also walked away similarly, and I wanted that. Anthony was quite mad, and he walked away with a hurry. We were left with Marie. She was all alone, and I was also alone. No one wanted to be my friend anymore. I think Marie felt bad for me. She came and told me I should be happy and run to the gate to tell mother and father that I had won the race. I told her she could asked her to take me to the gate. The mom sized kid with a bib would not stop us since now I had a gold bird. She said suggested if we could then start with her parents since mine were further. Away we went. Her mother quite liked my gold bird, her father thought I was not a good person since her daughter was still bleeding at her feet from running bare feet. I tried to explain but he would not have any of it. Anyway, they were both glad their daughter had found a friend like me in her life. We then went to find mother and father. We got to where they are were, but they were walking away going home. I tried to call them, but they could not hear me. Marie held my hand and told me she could cheer me up. We could go so as, and she would teach me the game.

This is how the game went, first we had to hold our hands and we had to make sure we did not let go. Then we made sure to enter a circle while pushing until both of us are in. I must admit it more enjoyable than anything I had experienced in the playground. Exactly like Antonnete but still way enjoyable than it.

EVENING

Marie came and told me that we could take our new doll to the playground and that we could watch him her there and later we could come and play when he enjoyed her his games. We went and stood at the fence. We imagined for quite a while. It was quite a joy watching him her play. Darkness was catching in fast, and it was time for Marie and me to go home. I wish the doll I, our doll or what we called it our kid Joy enjoyed her playground more than us.

THE END

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