the secret

She found him by the rusty swingset. A cute, little boy with brown curls and big, bright blue eyes. She found him crying the next day at the same spot, and still she didn't talk to him. Mommy told me not to talk to any strangers, she told herself, unaware that someone was watching her. But, her mind replied, he's on a little boy. And so, she made a promise to herself that tomorrow is when she'll talk to him, to the cute, little boy with brown curls. Tomorrow, I'll say hello.

But, tomorrow never came, and the cute, little boy wondered where the girl with the straight black hair went. He looked everywhere for her .. the first time he spotted her, she by the sandbox playing with several other children. The second time, he thought that she was staring at him while he was by the swingset, crying because his pet Charlie th rat died. His cat Frederick ate him.And today is the third day he was at the playground. And the girl with the straight black hair was nowhere to be found. His sister picked him up an hour later.

She asked him about the girl. His sister seemed to think that he had a crush. And he didn't even know what or who a crush is! He was, after all, only five years old. All he knew is that he liked the girl with the straight black hair. She didn't come today, he replied. His sister nodded, and he didn't see the tears forming in her eyes. He wasn't paying any attention. He looked straight out of the window like he always did, wondering why his sister is weird, and why his brother was tall. Maybe I'll be tall like him, too, he thought.

Together, they went home.

When they got home, he quickly unbuckled himself from the booster seat, and came running into the kitchen. Today, his mother didn't even notice! At dinner, he found out that his mom cooked him his favorite dinner, macaroni and cheese. And let him have a soda for a drink! I wonder why she's letting me, but his thoughts wandered away as he noticed that the television was on. He then thought, but we never have the tv on during dinner. Then, he heard his mom say he can't go to the playground anymore, not by himself and that his mom or his sister will be with him from now on. And he asked why, mad that he had to have either his mom or sister be there. Why can't my brother come with me? Because was all his mom said. Fine he yelled.

He didn't finish his mac-and-cheese.

He also didn't get to go to the playground the next several days, either. It was either raining or his mom wanted him to come with her to go grocery shopping or some other stuff. His mom never asked him before to go, and he wondered why now. He never did ask her, though, because at dinner, she informed everyone at dinner that they were all going to go and see Grandma. Really, he said. Then he asked, but the day we get back from seeing Grandma, can we go to the playground. His mom nodded her head.

A couple days later, his mom finally took him to the playground, and he noticed that they weren't a lot of kids around. He also noticed that there was some yellow ribbon or something around the sandbox. And his mom told him that he can't play there for a long time. Why he asked. His mom said that it was a crime scene. A what he asked. But, his mom didn't know how to respond to that. Instead, she told him to never talk to strangers.