Around the merry-go-round we go
Faster now, then we slow,
Sunlight streaming through the leaves
Misting breath and heaves.
Chapter - 1
I, Silk, and my sister, Wendy, sat on the merry-go-round in the park, hoping it will go as fast as it did the last time. We were the little kids of the bunch, not quite 3 feet tall or 10 years old yet. But that never stopped us from whooping in glee every time we rode the little circle on our wooden horse-seats, our hair blinding us and eyes wild and watery with the cold wind. Chicago was like that at this time of the year, cold as a witch's teat (we'd heard Mommy say that once, and had Googled it when she wasn't looking).
Mommy was now sitting on that bench that she liked, the one in the corner of the park under the elm tree, reading a book like she always did. We never understood why she read so many books, they were so boring! Our teacher was always ragging us to read more, but why would we when there was the internet to learn whatever we needed to, whenever we wanted to? Like I said, how boring... Still, Mommy was like that, doing boring things without any good reason, the way most grown-ups these days seemed to do. Still, atleast she made good pancakes and never scolded us for being too fat the way Amanda's mom always scolded her.
The man in the blue shirt made little bugs crawl up my sleeves. No, not real ones silly, but he made me FEEL like I had them crawling all over me. He was there at the fence again, on the other side of the merry-go-round. He stood there staring at us like he was really hungry and we were lunch. I once pointed him out to Mommy but when she'd looked his way, he had disappeared like the Devil! Mommy told us never to speak to him if we ever saw him again, and had told me to look after Wendy extra extra carefully when we went to the park now. So here he was again, making me very itchy, and I had to become extra extra careful now that he was here.
I wanted to fetch Mommy so she could ask that man why he was so hungry all the time and why he gave me bugs with his eyes. So I shouted over the wind, LOUDLY, "Wendy, let's go get Mommy!" But the circle was spinning so fast and we were laughing so loud, she did not want to ever get off. So here's what I thought - What if I jumped off the moving carousel and ran over the fetch Mommy, while Wendy could ride out the wind before we came back? I quite adored my little sister, you know, even though she could be annoying at times, like when she wore my neatly ironed clothes to school instead of her own crumpled uniform. ANYWAY... I had this neat trick where I could easily jump off a moving swing on my own, without even a single scratch. Yes, I was very proud of it, it was my signature move! I made up my mind, yelled out again to Wendy, saying "I'm going to fetch Mommy!", took a deep breath... and jumped.
Perfect landing! Yes, I know I'm awesome!
If only my story had ended there...
Chapter - 2
If only my story had ended there.
I ran, ran at full tilt, almost stumbling over the little roots & clumps of grass sticking out of the ground, and finally reached her. "Mommy!", I shouted, "That creepy man is back!"
"What creepy man luv?"
"That man I told you about ma, the one who gives me bugs."
"You mean the one who gives you the creeps darling", she said, smiling. "So, he's back, is he? Let's go see what business he thinks he has around little kids at the park. Where did you see him Silk? And why isn't Wendy with you?", she asked, noticing that I was alone for the first time.
"He's standing by the fence Mommy. I left Wendy there to keep an eye on him", I said, feeling quite proud of having come up with that little fib.
"You what?!!"
Mommy ran, like I had a few minutes ago, at full tilt, stumbling over everything in the way. She ran towards Wendy, book fallen on the ground and forgotten.
I froze in surprise; didn't she believe me? Wendy was keeping an eye on him, he wouldn't get away this time! As Mommy's book fell, I watched it flutter to the ground for a bit and thought about it picking up so the pages don't get dirty. Then I watched Mommy run farther away from me, and forgot about the book as I ran after her.
I reached the merry-go-round and looked around. It was still turning slowly, but there was no one on it. The place was empty. No Mommy, no sign of Wendy either. Had Mommy got lost? Nah, the park is not that big! Maybe Wendy had wandered off and Mommy went to look for her? They wouldn't have both gone home and left me along, would they have? They wouldn't forget about me like that, no way. Mommy loves me too, she said so many times, even today morning!
I sat down on the now still merry-go-round, and thought hard. Had I made Mommy angry today? Yesterday? Except for when I'd tracked mud on the carpet last evening, I hadn't done one bad thing till now. Maybe Mommy and Wendy had gone to search for that creepy man? Yeah, that must be it. After they find him and Mommy scolds him for giving me the creeps, they'd come back here and we could go home. It was getting cold after all, and a little dark too. I pulled my knees close and rested my head on them, feeling alone and a not just a little miserable. Mommy wouldn't forget about me, she would come back for me, wouldn't she?
Would she?
Epilogue
Running can be fun. If you close your eyes even for a second, you feel like you're flying. When its cold, the tips of your ears and nose freeze up until you can't feel them anymore. The blood rushes to your head and your heart beats double time, as the world moves by you in slow motion.
As I wake up, I remember the running more than anything else, more than memories of Wendy or Mommy or the man in the blue shirt. That feeling of freedom and and being completely carefree is something I've never experienced since, except in my dreams. Because dreams are all that an orphan and a cripple can have.
Faster now, then we slow,
Sunlight streaming through the leaves
Misting breath and heaves.
Chapter - 1
I, Silk, and my sister, Wendy, sat on the merry-go-round in the park, hoping it will go as fast as it did the last time. We were the little kids of the bunch, not quite 3 feet tall or 10 years old yet. But that never stopped us from whooping in glee every time we rode the little circle on our wooden horse-seats, our hair blinding us and eyes wild and watery with the cold wind. Chicago was like that at this time of the year, cold as a witch's teat (we'd heard Mommy say that once, and had Googled it when she wasn't looking).
Mommy was now sitting on that bench that she liked, the one in the corner of the park under the elm tree, reading a book like she always did. We never understood why she read so many books, they were so boring! Our teacher was always ragging us to read more, but why would we when there was the internet to learn whatever we needed to, whenever we wanted to? Like I said, how boring... Still, Mommy was like that, doing boring things without any good reason, the way most grown-ups these days seemed to do. Still, atleast she made good pancakes and never scolded us for being too fat the way Amanda's mom always scolded her.
The man in the blue shirt made little bugs crawl up my sleeves. No, not real ones silly, but he made me FEEL like I had them crawling all over me. He was there at the fence again, on the other side of the merry-go-round. He stood there staring at us like he was really hungry and we were lunch. I once pointed him out to Mommy but when she'd looked his way, he had disappeared like the Devil! Mommy told us never to speak to him if we ever saw him again, and had told me to look after Wendy extra extra carefully when we went to the park now. So here he was again, making me very itchy, and I had to become extra extra careful now that he was here.
I wanted to fetch Mommy so she could ask that man why he was so hungry all the time and why he gave me bugs with his eyes. So I shouted over the wind, LOUDLY, "Wendy, let's go get Mommy!" But the circle was spinning so fast and we were laughing so loud, she did not want to ever get off. So here's what I thought - What if I jumped off the moving carousel and ran over the fetch Mommy, while Wendy could ride out the wind before we came back? I quite adored my little sister, you know, even though she could be annoying at times, like when she wore my neatly ironed clothes to school instead of her own crumpled uniform. ANYWAY... I had this neat trick where I could easily jump off a moving swing on my own, without even a single scratch. Yes, I was very proud of it, it was my signature move! I made up my mind, yelled out again to Wendy, saying "I'm going to fetch Mommy!", took a deep breath... and jumped.
Perfect landing! Yes, I know I'm awesome!
If only my story had ended there...
Chapter - 2
If only my story had ended there.
I ran, ran at full tilt, almost stumbling over the little roots & clumps of grass sticking out of the ground, and finally reached her. "Mommy!", I shouted, "That creepy man is back!"
"What creepy man luv?"
"That man I told you about ma, the one who gives me bugs."
"You mean the one who gives you the creeps darling", she said, smiling. "So, he's back, is he? Let's go see what business he thinks he has around little kids at the park. Where did you see him Silk? And why isn't Wendy with you?", she asked, noticing that I was alone for the first time.
"He's standing by the fence Mommy. I left Wendy there to keep an eye on him", I said, feeling quite proud of having come up with that little fib.
"You what?!!"
Mommy ran, like I had a few minutes ago, at full tilt, stumbling over everything in the way. She ran towards Wendy, book fallen on the ground and forgotten.
I froze in surprise; didn't she believe me? Wendy was keeping an eye on him, he wouldn't get away this time! As Mommy's book fell, I watched it flutter to the ground for a bit and thought about it picking up so the pages don't get dirty. Then I watched Mommy run farther away from me, and forgot about the book as I ran after her.
I reached the merry-go-round and looked around. It was still turning slowly, but there was no one on it. The place was empty. No Mommy, no sign of Wendy either. Had Mommy got lost? Nah, the park is not that big! Maybe Wendy had wandered off and Mommy went to look for her? They wouldn't have both gone home and left me along, would they have? They wouldn't forget about me like that, no way. Mommy loves me too, she said so many times, even today morning!
I sat down on the now still merry-go-round, and thought hard. Had I made Mommy angry today? Yesterday? Except for when I'd tracked mud on the carpet last evening, I hadn't done one bad thing till now. Maybe Mommy and Wendy had gone to search for that creepy man? Yeah, that must be it. After they find him and Mommy scolds him for giving me the creeps, they'd come back here and we could go home. It was getting cold after all, and a little dark too. I pulled my knees close and rested my head on them, feeling alone and a not just a little miserable. Mommy wouldn't forget about me, she would come back for me, wouldn't she?
Would she?
Epilogue
Running can be fun. If you close your eyes even for a second, you feel like you're flying. When its cold, the tips of your ears and nose freeze up until you can't feel them anymore. The blood rushes to your head and your heart beats double time, as the world moves by you in slow motion.
As I wake up, I remember the running more than anything else, more than memories of Wendy or Mommy or the man in the blue shirt. That feeling of freedom and and being completely carefree is something I've never experienced since, except in my dreams. Because dreams are all that an orphan and a cripple can have.
