Childhood

Chelsey decided to go on a walk to clear up her mind. 

She had come back to her hometown yesterday after 2 years. She started walking on the path. Taking in her surrounding she felt nostalgic. Her whole childhood was spent here. 

She saw a park in the distance. Memories came flooding back how she and her friends used to spend their days there and would hide whenever their parents start calling for them. They would then make their parents play hide and seek. 

She laughed at the memory. That time was the best without any worries. She decided to go inside the park. 

She felt a shrill as the cold wind hit her. She could hear the metal of the swings rustling. She set upon a dusty graveled path. Looking around she could see no one in the distance. She sighed thinking how much she has missed this place. 

She started walking toward the swing set. The swing set was painted pale. She sat on one of the swings. She wrapped both her hands around the chain and started pumping her legs back and forth. As she was ascending in the cold air, she looked at the park once again. 

She got a better view of it and looked at all the things she used to play as a child. 

There she saw a seesaw, she remembered how it feels to be up high at a moment, the wind ruffling the hair, and the next moment you touch the ground. She remembered the slide where her friends would form a line and slide one by one. She used to break the line and slide again and again. 

At that moment it felt like to be on top of the world. As a child, she remembered how these things would satisfy her and she would go home happy. 

She smiled sadly at the thought. 

She closed her eyes feeling the touch of the wind and got lost in her thoughts, how innocent and imaginative was she as a child. Now everything has changed. She no longer has any imagination. 

She heard the rustle of metal from the other swing. She ignored it. She heard the sound again. Upon opening her eyes, she looked that the park was empty. Thinking it of as her imagination, she continued swinging and closed her eyes again. 

She was pondering over everything when she heard the other swing started to rustle. 

She looked and saw a little girl with blonde hair and brown eyes. 

Her head turned completely and she started studying the child. She was curious about the child.  

"Hello " She greeted the girl. 

"Hello," The girl said with a smile. 

Looking everywhere Chelsey could not find her parents. 

"Hey, what's your name, and where are your parents? "

"My name is Amy and my parents are no longer with me," She said with a sad face. 

Chelsey felt bad and asked her where she lived then Amy told her she lived at an orphanage.

She thought about how her life would be without her parents. She couldn't even imagine it. Her heart hurt thinking of it. She talked to the girl a lot and came to know how happy she lives. 

She looked at the girl and asked how is she so strong enough to handle all this at such a young age.

She replied " I feel sad but my father always said I want to see you happy always. My grandma told me that my father and mother have become a star and now they are watching me from there and I want to keep my father's wish. "

Hearing her, Chelsey was amazed at her thinking. She felt very peaceful talking to the girl. 

She saw she had spent a lot of time and decided to head home. She asked Amy to go with her to the orphanage but the girl refused and said she will go back later when her guardian will come. 

Chelsey left the park. She turned to see Amy but she was not there. She was shocked to see she had gone so fast but she turned once again and saw Amy waving her hand with a smile. She waved back shocked. 

She reached home and felt happy. All her stress was gone. 

The next day, she thought of meeting Amy and went to her orphanage. 

There she met Mrs. Ryder. 

"Hello I want to meet a girl named Amy " Chelsey said. 

Mrs. Ryder sighed and said gloomily " She died in a car accident a few months ago. "

Chelsey was perplexed hearing this. She thought if Amy died then who the girl she saw. 

For confirmation, she looked at her photos and there she could see the same smile and innocent little girl that she saw yesterday. She talked to Mrs. Ryder a little more and left. 

She once again walked towards the park and no one could be seen.