[Steele] A promise kept
Aug 15, 2017 17:25:35 GMT -5
Mongo the Destroyer, ForeverKuroi, and 1 more like this
Post by Steele on Aug 15, 2017 17:25:35 GMT -5
Monday evening. A deep purple hue tinges the sky as dusk threatens to give way to the night. In a small park fringed by roads, several children are busily playing, trying to eke out the last remaining drops of visibility.
As most of them swing, slide and seesaw the night away a couple of the children are playing rough, ignoring the TV-show warnings of "Don't try this at home!"
...and then you go up and try and moonsault off but I push you off like this and then you fall down and I win...
The large kid speaks in a stream of consciousness as his smaller friend tries to take it in. He nods, not really paying attention.
... so we'll use this skateboard and then you can ...
The fat kid has a skateboard, and he cajoles the smaller kid onto it. He teeters and wobbles, unsure exactly what to do as the fat kid keeps telling him to try and do a moonsault.
Tommy I don't think this is...
The fat kid, Tommy, isn't listening. He pushes hard on the back end of the skateboard and starts doing a slow-motion celebration, making crowd noises, lost in their adoration.
Meanwhile the smaller kid - his name is Chris, by the way - is having a less-than-celebratory time. As Tommy kicks him away he reels unsteadily and rocks the skateboard into an involuntary kickflip - which might have looked impressive if it had happened more than just a couple of inches off the floor. Unfortunately, it didn't happen more than a couple of inches off the floor and Chris finds himself being pitched sideways off of the board as it goes spinning into the bushes.
Chris' short life flashes before his eyes as he turns in the air, seeming to hang for an eternity as he waits to meet the hard ground back-first. He clenches his eyes shut and anticipates the impact, yet still he seems to be falling - he is certain he should have hit the ground by now... Mustering the courage to squint through one eye he finds himself staring up at the sky, the sun beating down on him... or is it a streetlamp? He squints with both eyes and sees a roundish shape silhouetted against the bright light. It's definitely a streetlamp.
As the world comes into view Chris realizes that he is no longer falling... the roundish shape comes into focus and reveals itself to be a man's head. Chris feels a muscular arm cradling his back, and a familiar face stares down at him. The man hoists Chris back to his feet and tousles his hair, turns him round towards his friends and then Chris feels a heavy weight on his shoulder that almost drags him down to the ground.
His head still spinning from the fall, Chris looks to his shoulder to see what on Earth is weighing him down so much - a huge and ornate gold plate sits on his shoulder, mounted on a big strip of leather... Chris takes a second to realize what he is looking at.
Every child in the park is now looking at Chris, ecstatic and envious. The man goes down on one knee behind Chris, steadying him with a hand on his other shoulder, then he speaks.
I told you I'd come back, didn't I?
As most of them swing, slide and seesaw the night away a couple of the children are playing rough, ignoring the TV-show warnings of "Don't try this at home!"
...and then you go up and try and moonsault off but I push you off like this and then you fall down and I win...
The large kid speaks in a stream of consciousness as his smaller friend tries to take it in. He nods, not really paying attention.
... so we'll use this skateboard and then you can ...
The fat kid has a skateboard, and he cajoles the smaller kid onto it. He teeters and wobbles, unsure exactly what to do as the fat kid keeps telling him to try and do a moonsault.
Tommy I don't think this is...
The fat kid, Tommy, isn't listening. He pushes hard on the back end of the skateboard and starts doing a slow-motion celebration, making crowd noises, lost in their adoration.
Meanwhile the smaller kid - his name is Chris, by the way - is having a less-than-celebratory time. As Tommy kicks him away he reels unsteadily and rocks the skateboard into an involuntary kickflip - which might have looked impressive if it had happened more than just a couple of inches off the floor. Unfortunately, it didn't happen more than a couple of inches off the floor and Chris finds himself being pitched sideways off of the board as it goes spinning into the bushes.
Chris' short life flashes before his eyes as he turns in the air, seeming to hang for an eternity as he waits to meet the hard ground back-first. He clenches his eyes shut and anticipates the impact, yet still he seems to be falling - he is certain he should have hit the ground by now... Mustering the courage to squint through one eye he finds himself staring up at the sky, the sun beating down on him... or is it a streetlamp? He squints with both eyes and sees a roundish shape silhouetted against the bright light. It's definitely a streetlamp.
As the world comes into view Chris realizes that he is no longer falling... the roundish shape comes into focus and reveals itself to be a man's head. Chris feels a muscular arm cradling his back, and a familiar face stares down at him. The man hoists Chris back to his feet and tousles his hair, turns him round towards his friends and then Chris feels a heavy weight on his shoulder that almost drags him down to the ground.
His head still spinning from the fall, Chris looks to his shoulder to see what on Earth is weighing him down so much - a huge and ornate gold plate sits on his shoulder, mounted on a big strip of leather... Chris takes a second to realize what he is looking at.
Every child in the park is now looking at Chris, ecstatic and envious. The man goes down on one knee behind Chris, steadying him with a hand on his other shoulder, then he speaks.
I told you I'd come back, didn't I?