swing girl - a short story

The year was 1999, in the spring of my fifth year, and I was in love. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever laid my young eyes on; with her short curly hair, her cinnamon skin, and the way she used to sit around and eat ants during play time. Ah, she was the girl of my dreams and even though I had only known her for about a week, I knew in my heart that she was the one. The only problem was, I was sure that she didn’t even know I existed; to me, she was the love of my life, but to her I was just another kid at the Day-Care. But, I knew that I had to get her to notice me, it was just a question of how…

One day, during our play time, another young lad appeared. I already knew that he had feelings for her, just as I did and on this day, he attempted to prove his worth to her, claiming that he would jump from a swing and land on his feet.

Impossible, no such thing could be done. I thought. But the way in which he coolly walked up to the swing, exuding a kind of confidence the likes of which I had never seen before, left me puzzled.

Could he really do it?

He plopped himself on the seat, pushed himself backward and began to swing, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, until he was high in the sky.

He won’t be able to do it. I thought to myself. He’s just going to make a fool of himself.

But then, like an eagle, he took flight, launching himself from the swing into the open air. Everyone, myself included, stared in awe. His body, flew across the sky in such beautiful form, as though it was natural, and gracefully landed onto the ground.

Everyone applauded and cheered for him, even my love. And then, without thinking I said it.

“I can do it too!”

Suddenly all eyes were on me. Tiny hands pressed on my back, pushing me towards the swing as the children began cheering me on. I swallowed hard. There was no going back. When I made it to the swing I stared at it for a moment. I had never tried to jump off a swing before and the thought of doing so in that moment terrified me. But, seeing how easy it was for the young lad to do it, I convinced myself that it wouldn’t be a problem. I plopped myself down on the swing and looked at my love as she stood next to the young lad, who smirked confidently at me. I looked away from him and moved towards my love. She smiled at me and I felt my heart melt.

“This is for you.” I said.

I pushed myself backward and began to swing, back and forth, higher and higher until I surpassed even the young lad’s previous height. Now was the moment I feared, the moment I so dreaded… now it was time to take the leap.

I swung backwards, as far as I could go, and could feel my muscles tighten inside of my stomach. I swung my legs forward as I passed back through the arches and up into the sky again. It was then that I closed my eyes and let go of the swing, letting gravity pull it back through the arches again, while momentum lunged me into the air for what felt like an eternity.

I was so high up. I opened my eyes and I could see the roof of the Day-Care in front of me.

I felt, for that instant, like a bird. Like when a new flock of baby birds stand on the edge of their nest, when they ready themselves and take the leap; as they catch the wind beneath their wings and fly off into the horizon. I was that one bird – the one that jumps from the nest, and falls flat on his face.

Gravity can be cruel.

The moment of serenity quickly faded as I came crashing back to reality. Literally. I kicked my legs wildly in the sky and landed with a hard thump on my butt. For a moment I sat there, watching everyone as they watched me. I could see the smiles forming on their lips, just seconds away from laughing. I turned to the young lad whose expression showed his superiority, and to my love, who seemed so embarrassed for me. It was then that I cried like the little girl I was trying so desperately to impress. The tears rolled down my eyes, and I cried out like cats do in the night.

The supervisors quickly swarmed me, gathering up my tiny body and taking me inside. They made the necessary arrangements of calling my mother so that she could come and pick me up. I laid quietly in a room alone, away from the children – but I could still hear their laughter on repeat in my mind. Perhaps that’s why when my mother arrived I didn’t respond to her, didn’t hear her as she called for an emergency vehicle, or hear the sirens as I rode in the back of the ambulance to the hospital. All I could hear was their laughter. 

Time passed and, before long, I was back at the daycare – ready to face the embarrassment I was sure would ensue. However, much to my surprise, it seemed as though everyone had forgotten about the incident, entirely. Everyone except her. But as luck would have it, when she did approach me upon my return, it was to tell me that she loved me, as I did her. Oh, how my heart leaped for joy, and even though I was sure it was an act of pity, I had, at the time, the love of my life, and that was all that mattered. 

Edited 07/31/2017





Image from Digital Photography Review