“Ready to jump on the count of three, Stella?” My dad says. He’s talking in a serious tone, like we’re in a life or death situation. He was always so dramatic, adding excitement and drama to my everyday life. “If you choose to stay in the swing and not jump, the planet will face mass destruction. A spell will be broken, causing all the zombie’s to rise from their graves. But if you choose to jump, if you choose to take that leap of faith and soar into the sky, you’ll save everyone from the mother of all zombie apocalypses. You’ll conquer your fear of flying, as well as saving your fellow Americans!”
“YES! I’m ready. Give me a countdown.” I giggle. I grip tightly to the chains, willing my beating heart to calm down. Excitement courses through me as my dad begins his countdown.
“One, two, two and a half, two and three quarters.”
“DAD! Just count to three already. I’m growing old up here and I think I see zombie hands trying to come out of the ground. Hurry up and count before it’s too late!”
“Three, JUMP!” I get my momentum and leap from my swing into the air. I stretch my fingertips out as far as I can, and try my hardest to swipe my fingertips through the fluffy clouds. I land in the soft sand, and roll over onto my back and stare up at the sky that seems so far out of reach. My dad walks up and lies down beside me in the sand.
“You did it my sweet, brave girl. You saved us all. How will I ever repay you?” He takes his hat off and holds it over his heart.
“If you really want to repay me, you’ll tell mom to let me have ice cream for dinner for one week, with chocolate syrup on top. Oh, and sprinkles.”
“Deal. We most definitely can’t forget the sprinkles.” He reaches over and kisses my forehead. “What you did today was very brave. Most kids can’t say that they saved an entire planet.” He looks over at me and gives me a small wink.
“But daddy, it was just pretend. I didn’t really save the planet today. I just jumped out of a swing.”
“Yes, you’re right. You did just jump out of a swing. But remember last week how you were scared to jump? You were scared you were going to fall and hurt yourself. I want you to always remember that you are good enough. If you can learn that, then you will never be afraid to try new things and you will never be too scared to fail.” I look over and smile at my dad and I am so happy because I have the best dad in the whole wide world.
I am rustled out of my daydream by the slow creaking of the swing set. As I lift my head I see a boy about my age staring at me. He is wearing faded jeans, a Depeche Mode t-shirt, and a worn pair of converse. He has a small smile playing on his lips but it doesn’t reach his eyes. His eyes look like they hold years of sadness. I bend my head down and wipe the tears that I didn’t know were streaming down my face.
“What were you thinking about just now? You looked so peaceful lost in your daydream. Then your face became sad and you started to cry.” He has his head tilted to one side as if he’s studying me.
I lift my face up to meet his and I just stare at him. This is my place of peace. Why is he here? Nobody is ever at this park. I only come here once a year and allow myself to remember a happier time in my life, and I don’t want to share this day with anyone.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him rudely.
“Well, the last time I checked, this was a free country. I can be at this park if I’d like. Why are you here? It’s obvious to both of us this park has been abandoned for years, so what brings us both to this park today?” He says thoughtfully. Smart ass.
I take a deep breath, and remember what my dad told me years ago. I need to not be so afraid to try new things. This boy is a complete stranger, one who I will never see again after today, so I choose to take that leap off the swing and open myself up to someone, in hopes that I can relieve some of this pain I carry around with me every day.
“I come here once a year to remember my dad. This park used to be beautiful. There were wild flowers growing all around this very bench, and there was a stone walkway leading to that swing set your sitting on, and of course it didn’t used to creak like it does now. I’m too chicken shit to actually visit his grave, so I come here instead.” I whisper out. “Your turn, why are you here?”
“I’ve been coming to this swing set every day for about 5 months now. I come here to escape my reality. There is something peaceful about this place.” He softly says. He’s right. He’s so very right. The park is like its own little sanctuary. A sanctuary that allows sinners like me inside.
“How did your dad die?” Oh shit, we are entering really personal territory.
“We are just diving right in with the heavy questions aren’t we? How about we start with something simple. What’s your name?”
“My name is River. What’s yours?” A small smile creeps up on my lips. I love that name.
“Estelle, but people call me Stella.”
“Well Stella, it’s nice to meet you.” He hops out of the swing and extends his hand to me. I look down at it, weary to reach out and grasp him. I slowly reach out and grab his hand and his fingers softly curl around my own. The moment our hands touch, I find myself never wanting to let go. I think he can sense it too because we stay there grasping hands for what seems like an eternity.