Chapter 1
Child innocence is such a fragile display out among the grass or within enclosed foundations. The careless and unknowing voices overlapping each other is enough to sentence someone to a nostalgic melancholy. The opposite effect is usually paired with dismal and liminal surroundings. A haze shall over take the individual, spiraling into a gentle buzz that disrupts any thought that may have a positive aura. Nothing is left but depressing residue of what once was. No longer shall they live amongst it, other children will take their place in time’s cruel arrow...
Mulch had been scattered about in disarray, cast away from the narrow wooden boarder. It was now splintered and discolored, decay shall soon overtake its core before seizing the shell. A shadow offered a blanket for its imperfections, hiding it away from any suspicion of it’s displacement. Every now and then, a hazy speck of light shifts and then disappears, doomed to repeat this process until the celestial in the sky falls yet again. It’s mighty trunk and creeping branches stood crooked, leaves covering up it’s demented skeleton. It had grown quite thick and sharp, having witnessed what might’ve been centuries of life. They were doomed to outlive the tiny creatures that sheltered within it’s dull bark and among it’s branches. The trees’ existence was a long one, this they knew to heart. A tree shares no disdain or sadness should one fall, it simply carries on with it’s silent breath. Enclosed within the perimeter of ghastly giants was an area disrupted by human activity. Grass and flowers had been substituted for metal bars and colorful tubes that twisted all the way down. Tiny creatures, children, ran amok and climbed great heights only to fall from aloft with a gentle rustle. Despite all the movement, it was all contained. Nothing ever seemed to leave the wooden boarder.
The birds and such had fled aside from a few scavengers, leeching off the selfish who were rich in food and material. Whatever was carelessly left behind, they had claimed and fought for. A few perched upon bars, observing and judging the frantic and disruptive kids, pondering a reason for such chaotic rapture. The taller and more calculating of the creatures appeared more orderly, often keeping to the courts of cement or the trees with a book in hand or talking amongst each other. A child would seize the bars, having been dared to climb. The laughter and jests would continue as the group of children huddled around, the eldest of the kids gazing from a distance. Within moments, he climbed.
He had never seen such a height before, climbing the bars was a task never fulfilled by this youngster. He reached onward, rising slowly as everyone else cheered. None of this group had ever made it to the top, yet day by day they would surround it and dare to try. A leg hooked upwards, steadying itself. The other soon followed. With a hop, he had attempted to hold onto the upper rods, trying with all his might to pull himself up. He would be the first out of everyone, praise would soon come his way.
As with many endeavors, it was not to be. He had miscalculated how much upper arm strength he really had. Such things are not foreign to children, they were prone to misjudgement and were far too ambitious for the limitations of this wretched world and the meek body of a child. As his hands slipped from grace, he had flailed too much. He swayed to the side until a cold sensation took over his head, the core giving way to a harsh yet momentary pain as his ears were met with a clang that sounded more like it was held captive within his head. The crowd had silenced as the kid fell to the ground, limp for a few moments. A few of the eldest children looked onward from a distance. For a moment, it was but a still life as everything around them moved, too careless to notice anything had happened. Yet, there they stood dumbfounded for what felt like agonizing hours. In reality, it had only been a few seconds. The child stood, giggling as he held his head. The pain had subsided by now, it was nothing major and their parents had not noticed what occurred. The children held no concept of internal damage and immediately brushed away any terror driven thoughts. None knew better, not a single soul. One by one, their smiles and relentless noise returned, crowding around the kid and congratulating him for getting that far. They saw no failures, they saw only progress that none before him had. Never mind any grim outcome that was looming over them at that moment, it was time to play. Before long, they had scattered for a game of tag. No one but them had perceived the mishap.
Among those children, was a fickle young lad. Many considered him clever, to him he wasn’t at all. He had learned many things in his short time on this earth, many of which that shouldn’t burden a child at such a young age. Insomnia had overtaken him for years now, the dark circles around his eyes greatly contrasting the emerald hue. To many, he blinked the least when push came to shove. As observant he was, much of that was shoved aside in moments of careless child play. The other kids called him "Micheal", his parents called him "Dirompente". An unfortunate title upon such a lively youth who wouldn't understand its meaning until some cruel spirited vessels in later grades brought it to his attention. In the shortest of terms, he liked "Micheal" better.
With a grin, he dashed away from the group as fast as he could. The villain of the game had ran in the opposite direction, buying him time to hide. He spotted the giant stride, swinging some hollering children around and around. To him, this was not the sight of a hazard, but a landmark to the hiding spot he sought. He zipped beside it at a safe radius, making a bee-line straight for a certain wall. He jumped and allowed his body to slide behind the black cement wall that had little stars carved and painted. There were 5 large holes meant for little feet to climb through. However, behind the solid parts were where secrets might've been shared. Whispers of stolen toys, of crushes and candy. For Micheal, it was a perfect spot to peek out for any danger that might head his way. The only flaw was that he couldn't see what might be sneaking up behind him.
This flaw had costed him dearly. A childish roar greeted him within moments of looking out, sending his heart rate sky-high.
"Relax Mikey, it's just me!"
The long haired girl giggled. Despite only one eye being visible past her bang, Micheal knew she meant trouble. Peaceful eyes were often an easy disguise for mischievous intent.
Micheal hopped away with a yelp. "Maggie! I won't surrender—"
"Relax, I'm not the boogeyman!"
Despite it being a game of tag, they had fashioned a parody for themselves to make it more interesting. After all, why would they run away from something dubbed "It"? What was "It"? It, to the kids, was not scary enough and not a reason to run and hide. Boogeymen, on the other hand, all kids hid from. They'd all be quaking in terror as if their life had depended on it. A rumor among the kids was as follows; if you were to break the rules, the real boogeyman would come and chase you until you apologize. If you failed to do as such, you'd be cast away never to be seen again. They had even made up a tale about someone named Timothy who did this. However, it was mostly the eldest child of the group who spread such lies among the impressionable kids. Despite the good intent, the method was full of skepticism.
"How do I know you're lying?" Micheal cautiously observed her, ready for any sign of movement. He'd dart away like a blind mice had any hint surfaced.
"Because I said so!" Such things are kept to a simplistic tone, nothing too complicated yet nothing too damning to a more cognitive mind. "If I were the boogeyman, I would've already tagged you!"
It was all she needed to say for him to drop his guard a little, yet not quite enough.
"Well then, what are you doing over here by the stars?" He kept his distance but was no longer watching her, he was instead keeping an eye out for whoever might be seeking if it wasn't Maggie.
"Hiding, you?"
"Hiding."
Silence had passed them by as she looked through the hole as well. She waited for her prey to grow comfortable. However, she could only calculate what she could see and hear. There were possible variables, yes, but they never existed in her eyes. Within moments, she reached out quickly. However, Mike had dodged much to her dismay. He yelped and ran off, nearly slipping as he turned a corner.
Maggie shouted, beckoning him in vain as she chased. With great haste, he marched over some stairs, not paying attention to where they were heading. Within several moments of scaling the twisted steps, he was greeted with a gaping hole and bar hanging above it. He had unknowing climbed the tallest slide in the playground. It was notorious for the numerous sharp twists and turns. They say that once you reach the end, you were launched to the ground. There was talk of possible removal, even. There was a fleeting moment of fear that melted the minute he heard the pounding of footsteps against the porous metal. He gulped and grabbed the bar, swinging himself downward as far as he could, closing his eyes and bracing the presumed inevitable.
It was only spirals from here on out...
