Promise : 2

“Merlin, why don’t we play in the seesaw?”

“I… I don’t know how you play that.”

“Awww, that’s too boring!”

Shienna stands by the entrance of a park, pointing to what looks like a plank with a metal stand stuck to its middle. She jumps around and around, her pretty golden yellow hair made prettier by the afternoon sun. The bright red ribbon she wears on her hair stands out very much, and her cute, smiling face tops it all.

“Come on! Come on! I’ll show you how!”

She grabs my hands and pulls me towards the plank that she calls seesaw. I don’t really know how to play this one. Both ends have these T-shaped metal bars that looks like something someone to hold on, while on the middle it’s stuck in a metal stand that makes the one end go up when the other end is down, and replaces position where the other end which was previously up would go down.

How do you play this game?

“Do you… put your hands on that… T-shaped metal and raise the plank up?”

Shienna started to laugh hard; her tears are almost bursting out.

“Hahahaha! What are you saying? It’s not how you play seesaw!”

She pushed me to one end and gestured me to sit on the edge and hold the handle bars. I sit down, and  my end went down – which really surprised me – while the other end went up.

“Hey, that’s not fair. Stand up so I can sit on the other side!”

“Uh, what if I my end… suddenly went up?”

“It won’t go up all the way that you can’t touch the ground.”

Shienna said with a wide grin. That grin puts my doubt on this so-called seesaw even more.

“Come on! Stand up, Merlin!”

With her pleas, I pushed my feet and stood up. The plank started to level itself horizontally, but I almost jumped when my end went up very quick and hit my butt.

“Oww!”

“I didn’t say that you stand up fast.”

And with that she went to the other side. She brushed her skirt aside and carefully positioned herself on her end. I stared at her as she smilingly took the handle bars, but was released from my trance when she clapped her hands very loud.

“Merlin we’re starting! Hold on to the handle bar tightly, ok?”

“Uhh…”

As she commanded, I held on the handle bars. Then she sat on the plank, and I went very high – no, not that high, but high enough that my feet can’t even reach the ground.

“Heey! Shienna this is scary!”

“Don’t be a wimp! Hahahaha!”

Then she pushed her feet and we exchanged heights – she is now at the height where her feet can’t reach the ground, and I am so low that I sit in a position where my knees almost hit my chin.

I stared at her as I don’t really know what to do.

“Merlin stop looking at my skirt!”

I was not really looking at her skirt, but maybe it seemed like that because I was looking at her from below. Still, I look at her like a lost boy wanting to ask for directions from a guard but too shy to ask what to do.

“Merlin what are you doing? Go on!”

“But… I have no idea what to do next.”

“Push up! So you can let me down!”

I pushed up. I am again in my previous height, but this time it’s not that scary.

“Hey Shienna, this is fun!”

“See? It’s not that scary right?”

We exchanged heights for a few times. Every time I am up, I look around the playground park and noticed that I am higher than most kids playing here. Looking at them from above makes me feel superior. But what I really liked to look at is the girl opposite to me. As we exchanged heights, she was very bubbly that her laugh causes most of the kids to look at us. Pair that with her pretty golden yellow hair and bright red ribbon, she would like a child version of a supermodel. Her eyes sparkle from the light of the afternoon sun, and sparkle more because of the tears while she laughs.

I really can’t help but laugh whenever she’s like that.

“Merlin! Merlin! Let’s play with the swing next!”

She points at a smaller plank attached to a high metal stand via chains. I tilted my heads. I can see some kids sitting on it and pushing themselves, while some boys are standing on it. I wonder how they can push it when both their feet are on the plank. Still, I think I can try that one mimicking those who are sitting on it.

Shienna jumps up and down.

“Come on! Come on!”

Again, she grabs my arms and pulls me to it.

I see a pair of unoccupied swings – she told me it’s not a plank – by the rear end of the park. It seems like it is very popular with kids, as though there are other things you can play in the playground, they are almost always vacant except for the swings. The rear end swings that we are going to have 3 swings – with one placed on the horizontal beam and begging not to be used. I wonder who among the kids here can play with a swing to have it placed there.

“Sit here! Sit here!”

Shienna pats the swing’s plank and gestures me to sit there. I nonchalantly obeyed her, as even opposing her will have me sit on the swing anyway. I hear a couple of giggles from the other swings as other kids look at me. Maybe they are thinking that that boy is a wimp, having a girl tell her to sit by the swing. Or maybe they are giggling because Shienna’s smile is contagious, or maybe because we look like a kid couple.

…Forget what I said about being a kid couple.

As soon as I sat down and held both supports of the swing with my two hands, Shienna gave me a push that nearly drove my heart out.

“W-w-what are you doing?!?”

“Giving you a push!”

I don’t even have the time to think what was happening when I felt another push on my back – it seems like the swing made its first journey forward and already went back. I notice some kids laughing as I gripped hardly on the supports. My hands felt numb and closed my eyes, hoping I don’t suddenly fly towards the sky and fall somewhere I’m not familiar with.

On the fourth descent, Shienna held the supports and stopped the swing.

“Why are you crying?”

“N-no I’m not!”

“Oooh. And the mighty Merlin is almighty once again!”

“Stop teasing me!”

I can’t even see what face Shienna is making, because my eyes are still closed and wet with tears, and I can’t let go of the supports, lest she suddenly gave me that terrifying push again.

“It’s getting late. Maybe we should head back.”

I told Shienna as I point towards the sky.

The sky is painted a bright orange glow, with pieces of red clouds floating freely across. I noticed a flock of birds that looks like they are dancing in the sky, and gave a small smile.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Because the birds look like they are dancing.”

I noticed Shienna sat down by the open swing next to mine, and only a few kids remain in the park. I guess their parents started calling on them one by one.  The kids that remain are not even playing at all, but relaxing by the monkey bars and side benches.

“Maybe someday we can dance like them.”

Shienna broke the silence between us. She is still looking towards the birds, watching them like she was put in a spell I can’t break.

Somehow I felt a small sting in my chest.

“Maybe you can dance like them. You can play the seesaw and the swing and can’t be afraid of it.”

“But it’s boring to play it alone.”

I can’t really reply to that. Before she pulled me here, for me the word “play” was synonymous to spending the time reading books and doodling on pieces of paper. I never really played anywhere other than my room before.

And somehow, hearing that made me think that Shienna used to play alone.

“Do you always play alone?”

“Some kids never wanted to play with me because they are afraid that I might cry.”

“Maybe because you look like a princess.”

That is true though. She really looks like a princess, who everyone would take really good care of and not allow to be scratched. Her golden yellow hair and pale skin made her look that she doesn’t belong in a place where tanned kids are playing.

“But I had fun playing with you today, Merlin.”

“What part of it is fun?”

“Everything, because you are so fun to tease.”

I was about to retort when I heard our moms calling us. Maybe they are finished with whatever meeting they had with the neighbourhood council.

From what I learned, Shienna’s mom and mine became friends when they were in college. Shienna’s mom went abroad to work, and that is where she met Shienna’s dad. This month, they are planning to return and live in this neighbourhood permanently, that’s why they are having a meeting with the council.

“We’ll play again some other time, ok?”

“Ok.”

Shienna waves cheerfully at me as she runs to her mom.

If only she wasn’t teasing me, maybe I would have had fun playing the seesaw and swings too.