Dear Diary,
I love writing short stories based on the kids. This short story/observation was written 7 years ago.
He prances around the house, black luminous eyes, glinting with mischief, with the longest,longest, velvety lashes. He wills his sister to do his biding and chase him around the forbidden area- the living room! Oma's marble floors,gleam with promise, the old antique, Chinese porcelain bowls and silver antique betel trays and trinkets, beg to be held even as they nestle in open,inviting places- all within the peripheral eye view of the precocious 6 year old.
"Let's play hide and seek, Sara as he leaps onto the bouncy, creamy white huge sofa, narrowly missing hitting his foot against the edge of the wooden,low carved table.
Sara's too small legs cannot leap, so she dutifully scampers as quickly as her 3 year old chubby toddler body, can.... to join her brother.
Bounce,bounce bounce.
Sara's curls leaps and dances around her head, forming a moving halo of jet black hair. Her diapers peek and hide as her green and white cotton dress floats and shines, up and down.
You hide, I seek, okay, Zayed?
I'm going to count to 10
Ready or not, here I come.....
1, 2, 3....
Zayeeee...ed! You know you Oma says you cannot play here. Get off, get off the sofa now!
One last bounce, hoots of laughter and a leap off the sofa- Zayed runs as quickly as he can into the garden, through the side patio doors. A swipe of a kitchen towel, narrowly misses him.
Sara isn't so lucky.
Owwww...
Zayed,wait for me....Zayeeee...ed!
Gentle,firm hands hoist her off the sofa and she half wiggles out, even as she lands on the floor.
"No playing in the sofa..." but Sara is not listening.
Let me go, let me go!
Zayee....Ed, wait!
She runs after her brother, who's already run,half away around the house, and has found his super cool, half battered, faithful Ben 10 scooter.
"Come, Sara! let's play policeman. I'm the policeman, you're the bad guy. You run and then I shoot you okay?"
" I don't want to be the bad guy? I want to shoot you!
No, you cannot shoot me. I'm the policeman, he tells her with unusual, brotherly patience. You run and I shoot you,first, then after that you can be the policeman and you can shoot me,okay. But me first? Okay? Okay run... Quick,quick...I"m going to shoot you.quick. "
Sara runs, she thinks, quickly. He gives her a shove to hurry her along.
She falls and a huge 'hoi' leaves her mouth." I don't want to play this game" and folds her arms stubbornly, even as she sprawls on the grass.
Zayed is half holding a badminton racquet, his gun, and hanging on to his scooter.
"Get up and be the bad guy.
No!
Get up!please? You can be the bad guy after? Okay?
No!"
He bonks her on the head with the badminton racquet.
WAIL!
Zayed runs!
"Sorry, Sara " a very crestfallen, lone Zaid says after a scolding and 'time out' for 10 minutes in the corner of the room, upstairs.
"Want to play? let's play bicycles."
You're the bad guy and I'm the good guy. And I chase you on my bicycle.
A very eager Sara, on her tricycle, rides around the Chinese antique breakfast table ( beautifully polished old mahjong table" in the patio, wobbling dangerously close to the fish pond.
she stops....
" Zayed, Zayed, it's my turn...."
Her brother is on the opposite end,struggling with his bicycle, that he had just learnt to ride,without help, that morning.
" okay, Sara....wait,okay...."
Whoa...whoa, whoa...
I can't stop.....
Oh no!
S-p-l-a-s-h....
Zayed can't look and covers his eyes, even as he falls off his Nike, unhurt
WAIL!!
A pool of water, a quick movement of hands, shouts and screams, even as hands,once again, hauls a very wet Sara out of the pond. She is still screaming, piercingly in indignation and shock! Her tricycle is fished out of the pond too!
A second set of lungs wail and scream in fear and protest.
" I didn't mean to"
Mummmmmyyy.....Zayed pushed me in the pond!
I didn't't mean to. I got scared,
I was scared,
A jumble of words and tears.
Wet clothes off! Towels, ice On the huge bump that's beginning to swell!
Mummy, I hurt myself too....
Bikes forgotten!
Hugs, kisses, lecture, warning- stay away from the fish pond, cycle in the garden, grass is soft.
Sorry Sara....
I don't like you...
He didn't mean to.
Warm milk, dry clothes, a child on each lap....Tears magically disappear off very cherubic cheeks and long, wet lashes.
Quiet!
Silence...
Sara, do you want to go play ' hide and seek?'
