Empty Space
Just a short scene that I felt like writing down.
"What are you doing out here? Everyone's inside watching the game," Lilly ran up behind me, but I didn't turn to look as she tugged my bushy fox tail. I didn't want to leave my daydreaming as I looked up at the clear blue sky.
"You know I know don't like to watch sports, and I just felt like getting some air."
"But it's so boring out here! And you don't feel like getting some air when you're hiding in your room?"
"You don't like to sit and look at the sky? Don't you like to imagine things to fill all that empty space?"
"It's pretty, but I'd rather play house. Can we play house?"
"Maybe later. If you're not going to go back inside could you at least keep quiet for a little while?"
"Okay," I smiled to myself as she pouted. My little niece was getting better at persuasion all the time.
She let me be, but not for long. "Do you wanna play on the swing set?"
"Fine. I suppose you want me to push you?"
"Yes!" She jumped as she exclaimed that, and then bounced along beside me as we walked to the swings. "But not too high! It's scary."
"You know I'd never let you fall. You just have to hold onto the ropes."
"Still scary." We reached the swings and she got on the one lowest to the ground. I moved around behind her, and gave her a gentle push. She moved a few feet forward, then back to me.
"Higher!" I pushed her a little harder in response, and she moved a little faster and forward a little farther before swinging back.
"Higher!" I pushed even harder, and then backed up a little now that she was gaining some height.
"Higher!" Another push and when she went forward to a 45 degree angle before coming back.
"Higher!" This push sent my niece to nearly a 60 degree angle.
"Too high!" I pushed again anyways as I laughed at her protest.
"I told you. You just have to hold on and you'll be fine." She was getting over 70 degrees on her forward swings now.
"But I don't wanna go that high!" She was coming out of a backward swing, and dug her heels into the ground to stop. She fell on her face in the grass as her momentum kept her upper body moving forward.
"Lilly!" I shouted with concern as I ran over to her, kneeled, and carefully rolled her over.
"That hurt!" She was starting to sob, but otherwise looked okay.
"Are you okay? What hurts?"
"My forehead." It did look a little red. "You said you'd never let me fall!"
"I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to dig your heels into the ground like that."
"Well it hurt!" She wriggled around dramatically, and I realized she really was fine.
"Can you ever forgive me?"
"No!"
"No? Not even for a tickle?" With that I started tickling the white fur on her belly. She tried to fight it, but quickly started giggling and wiggling around. After a minute I stopped so she could breathe.
"Alright. I forgive you. With that, she stood up and hugged me as I continued kneeling. "Will you come inside now? I wanna play house and everyone else is too busy watching the silly looking men run back and forth on the TV."
"Fine, but my house isn't going to be under the kitchen table again," I said as I stood up.
"Yes it is."
"No it's not." We continued arguing as we reentered the house.