Pinky Promise

Ellie raced across the playground, her hair fluttering through the wind. Her eyes would light up in amazement at the smallest of things. The beetle slowly crawling it’s way up the oak tree. Or the rustle of the leaves as she ran through them. But most of these small nuances were lost on John. All he cared about was that she was smiling. It had been a long time since he had seen that.

John stood near the swings, holding a bouquet of flowers, watching her. The years had taken their toll on him. His hair was a light shade of grey and his movements weren’t as sharp as they used to be. But he tried to make the best out of his situation. There was no one to blame but himself.

“Daddy!”, Ellie’s exuberant face came rushing at him. “Yes, Ellie?”, John asked. The way she called him daddy always made him smile. “Push me!”, She shouted, pointing her tiny finger towards the swing set. “Alright then. No need to get all worked up.”, John said as he picked her up and put her on the swing. He slowly started to push the swing. “Faster! Faster!”, she screamed. Her joy knew no bounds. “Hold on tight then!”, John gave one last swing and let go. Ellie soared into the air.

Her happiness was infectious. John couldn’t stop smiling. Kids were so far removed from everything. It was like they lived in their own little world. Unaware of anything that was outside it. To them, their biggest problem would be who would get the window seat on the way home. John chuckled at that one. What he wouldn’t do to be a kid again. He looked at his watch. It was almost time.

The swing came to a stop and off Ellie came, stumbling slightly and still laughing.

“I think that’s enough of the park today for you young lady. Time to go home.”, John said. ” What? But..”, Ellie whined. ” No buts. It’s getting dark.” John replied. Ellie pouted, but finally gave in. She knew there was no point arguing once Daddy had made up his mind.

She ran up to him and gave him a big hug. “Promise you’ll come back tomorrow?” She asked. “I promise.” “Pinky promise?”

John looked down at his daughter and couldn’t help but hug her even tighter.

“Pinky promise.”

Ellie was gone and so was the sun. The crickets were chirping and the moon cast an ominous glow over the park. John got up and placed the bouquet on the swings and left the graveyard.

“We’ll play again tomorrow.”

#daughter #writer #graveyard #park #promise #storytelling #Fiction