Six-year-old Sarah had just moved into their new house in New
Manchester. It was already a little late in the evening and while her parents
were busy getting things arranged with the packers and movers, Sarah ran around
the huge house. She opened the blinds of the bedroom window and when she noticed
a playground a short distance away, she was overjoyed.
She opened the back door and ran outside towards the
playground. If there was one thing, she could do all day, it was to swing. There were two swings and both of them were
occupied, by a small boy and a girl who seemed to be little older than Sarah.
Both of them seemed to be enjoying themselves and when Sarah shyly approached
the swings, they looked at Sarah and at each other.
“Hi I’m Sarah,” she smiled “What’s your name?”.
Both the kids kept swinging and the girl spoke up.
“I’m Dorothy. And this is my brother Simon,” answered the
girl.
Dorothy smiled, but Simon didn’t seem pleased at all. He
stared back at Sarah with an unwelcome look on his face.
“Are you new here?” asked Dorothy.
“Yes,” answered Sarah. “We just moved in here from across
town. My dad got a new job here, so.”
“I don’t want to share my swing with HER?” Simon grumpily
remarked.
“No silly, you need not share it,” Dorothy coaxed Simon.
She turned back to Sarah “He always acts like this whenever
he sees a new kid on the block. Simon doesn’t like sharing,” smiled Dorothy.
“Yeah no problem,” smiled Sarah “although I would love to
swing a little bit though,” she smiled.
Before Dorothy could answer Simon screamed in a fit of rage “You
can swing in the morning. IN THE EVENING IT IS MINE AND DOROTHY’s”.
Sarah was a little taken back.
“OK. OK,” she murmured and took a step back.
Dorothy stopped swinging. She immediately felt bad for Sarah
“I’m sorry about my brother,” she sighed. “He is sometimes moody. But you can
play on the swing in the morning. In the evening he plays with it”.
“Ok,” sighed Sarah somehow managing a smile. She was little
taken aback by Simon’s behaviour. He still looked at her, which his eyebrows
furrowed up. His eyes seemed to have turned red, and he seemed like he would
blow up any moment.
“Sarah child,” called out her mother from the house “Why
don’t you come back home? You can play tomorrow in the morning.”
“Bye, see you tomorrow,” Sarah waved back at the kids and
ran back home. Only Dorothy waved back.
When she entered the house, she turned back and saw both the
kids were enjoying themselves on the swing.
“Looks like we are lucky. Look at how close the playground
is for you?” her mother remarked.
“I love it ma,” said Sarah. “I met both the kids too”. She
pointed out to the kids, “The girl is Dorothy. And that crankerspuss over there
is her brother Simon,” she said as she pointed the kids to her mother.
Her mothers face turned as white as a sheet.
“What kids are you talking about?” exclaimed her mother,
“The playground’s empty”.
“Look ma,” exclaimed a surprised Sarah pointing to the kids,
“look at the kids playing on the swings”.
Her mother glanced at the playground and hastily locked up
the backdoor of the house and closed the window drapes. Because all her mother
could see was a vacant playground and empty swings in motion, even though there
wasn’t any wind!
***The End***
I occasionally post on my Facebook page. So If
you like these Short Reads, please like and follow my FB page
