2 minute read
THE OLD PLAYGROUND
from August 2021
by Johnston Now
By ALISON HENDRIX
There once lived a little girl with the brightest eyes and happiest smile the world had ever seen. The little girl and her mommy often went for drives to pass the time.
One day, the two had been driving for a long time among country lanes, open fields and lots of sunshine. They were both ready to be out of the car for a while. And as luck would have it, they rounded a curve to see a rusty old playground.
The little girl saw it and begged her mommy to let her play, so the car pulled in and stopped. The two got out, stretched their legs, and breathed in fresh country air. Then, the little girl ran to the slide.
She climbed up, her hands turning reddish brown from the rust on the rungs of the ladder.
When she got to the top, she cried, “Watch me, Mommy!” then, “weeeee!” all the way down the slide.
Her mommy caught her at the bottom, and the little girl climbed up again. This time, she imagined the slide was happier for having someone to play there, and it seemed less rusty, and the next time she climbed up, she thought it was shiny and bright, like brand new!
The other play things changed, too: the monkey bars glimmered in the sun as she swooshed across them, the swings’ faded blue rubber bounced to life. Even the creaky old merry go round now glided smoothly with no noise.
“Mommy!” said the girl, “it’s like new!” And for a moment, Mommy’s eyes became as bright as the little girl’s, but then they faded. Mommy couldn’t see anything more than a rusty old playground that needed to be replaced.
She answered, “Let’s get back in the car sweetie.” As they walked away, the swing became dull again, the slide lost its shine and the merry go round, still moving from the girl’s last spin, began to creak and moan.
The little girl asked every day to go back to that playground, and her mommy often brought her there. She invited a friend to come, and soon there were many children going to the playground on a regular basis.
When the little girl was all grown up and had children of her own, she brought them there to play. Though now more rustcovered than ever, it would always shine like brand new the moment the children arrived.
The End
