New Friends, New Experiences

It was recess: the lone and level playground

stretched as far as Jack's beady little eyes could see - within seconds the land was teeming with toddlers. This was the long awaited moment he had been anticipating - the time for him to create the friendships he would have for a lifetime and the experiences he would cherish forever (if not until the end of the week).

He glanced from one end of the field to the other, scanning to find a candidate to approach. Beside the fence in the right, sitting beside the rusty red swing was a young boy with jet-black hair whizzing his toy planes through the crispy cold sky. He was on his own, so Jack thought it would be a good opportunity to take.

He nervously shuffled towards the unknown face, hands fidgeting in front of him as they clutched eachother for comfort. He took a deep breath as his heart pounded against his ribcage and feebly began to mumble:

"Hi, my name is Jack and I was wondering if maybe you may want to-"

"Go away! I don't want to be your friend, you're too boring!"

Suddenly, the entire playground became an abyss where the demons of silence scratched at your eardrums as you begged for mercy. The stares from the onlookers burned into the back of his head as the hissing taunts and jeers gnashed at him.

Tears began to well up in his eyes, lip quivering faster than his heart rate. As the droplets of sadness began to roll down his cheeks, red with embarrassment, he had no other choice but to rush to the toilets, knees as weak as his confidence.

He sat in a cubicle, struggling to breathe through all the tears and wished. Wished he had never stepped into this treacherous land. Wished he had never considered approaching the boy. Most of all, he wished that he could be back in his mother's warm embrace again.