Swing Set
She always jumped over the cracks in the sidewalk, like any other person once did. The skipping always helped her forget about the bruises on her legs, the swelling of her lip. Her heart would always beat faster, her thoughts would always be wilder, the very moment she took off her shoes to embrace the warm April sand.
The younger denizens of Amaranthine had always preferred Stacey Philips Park to Sunny Days Playground; the adults never seemed to be able to figure out why, however. But to the children, the preference was palpable. Sunny Days lacked both swing sets and sand, while as Stacey Philips, or “Philly’s” as it was affectionately called by its admirers, had both in abundance.
Despite Mrs. Anderson’s disapproval, Annie would always skip to the park before 12:00 p.m., to avoid the “foot traffic.” Noon was when the local elementary school had lunch; as a result, the park was filled with little boys and girls with the humble, yet wild, desires of freedom. Although she’d never admit it aloud, out of fear, the youngest Fischer found the other children quite terrifying. But like any child, she was also filled with a kind of longing.
Of course, being only seven, she didn’t know it was longing, but rather, classified it as an itching curiosity. Why …show more content…
In a way, her little fantasies sustained her, even when the young girl felt broken. Those little trips to the park were much more than being first on the swings or irritating grumpy Mrs. Anderson. They were about pumping her legs on a dream boat, going higher and higher until her calloused hands could almost touch the wonderfully soft, atmospheric confectioneries, pumping harder and harder until her face was flushed with a reddish tint. How high she was—how wonderfully
She always jumped over the cracks in the sidewalk, like any other person once did. The skipping always helped her forget about the bruises on her legs, the swelling of her lip. Her heart would always beat faster, her thoughts would always be wilder, the very moment she took off her shoes to embrace the warm April sand.
The younger denizens of Amaranthine had always preferred Stacey Philips Park to Sunny Days Playground; the adults never seemed to be able to figure out why, however. But to the children, the preference was palpable. Sunny Days lacked both swing sets and sand, while as Stacey Philips, or “Philly’s” as it was affectionately called by its admirers, had both in abundance.
Despite Mrs. Anderson’s disapproval, Annie would always skip to the park before 12:00 p.m., to avoid the “foot traffic.” Noon was when the local elementary school had lunch; as a result, the park was filled with little boys and girls with the humble, yet wild, desires of freedom. Although she’d never admit it aloud, out of fear, the youngest Fischer found the other children quite terrifying. But like any child, she was also filled with a kind of longing.
Of course, being only seven, she didn’t know it was longing, but rather, classified it as an itching curiosity. Why …show more content…
In a way, her little fantasies sustained her, even when the young girl felt broken. Those little trips to the park were much more than being first on the swings or irritating grumpy Mrs. Anderson. They were about pumping her legs on a dream boat, going higher and higher until her calloused hands could almost touch the wonderfully soft, atmospheric confectioneries, pumping harder and harder until her face was flushed with a reddish tint. How high she was—how wonderfully