GAMESBy Noelle De Jesus

MARK IS NEW TO THE PLACE AND IT HAS BEEN 7 DAYS SINCE HE AND HER MOM MOVED FROM THE CITY. MARK WAS AN ONLY CHILD AND HE IS ONLY SIX YEARS OLD. HE LIKES PLAYING ALONE WITH HIS TOY CARS AND

LEGO.

ONE DAY, MARK’S MOM CALLED HIM AND TOLD HIM “HONEY, YOU SHOULD GO BY THE PARK BEHIND OUR STREET. THERE ARE KIDS

PLAYING THERE MAYBE ITS TIME TO MEET THEM.” MARK DIDN’T REALLY WANTED TO BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT MOST KIDS DON’T LIKE HIM BUT

HE WAS OBEDIENT ENOUGH TO JUST SAY, “OKAY MOM!”

AS HE RODE HIS BIKE TO THE PARK, HE CAN ALREADY HEAR CHILDREN LAUGHING FROM A FAR. BOY, DID IT MAKE HIM NERVOUS.

HE SAW A LOT OF KIDS PLAYING BY THE SLIDES AND SEE-SAW BUT HE CHOSE TO SIT ON SWINGS ALL BY HIMSELF. HE WAS JUST STARING AT KIDS YELLING PLAYING IN FRONT OF HIM.

SUDDENLY, HE FELT A TUGGING ON HIS SHIRT, ONLY TO SEE A LITTLE WITH A PINK HEADBAND ON HER. FROM THE LOOKS OF IT, THE GIRL SEEMED YOUNGER THAN HIM. HE

ASKED HER NAME AND SHE REPLIED, “TRICIA”. THEY STARTED TO BECOME PLAYMATES AFTER THEN.

ONE DAY, THE LITTLE GIRL TOLD MARK THAT THEIR FAMILY HAS TO MOVE TO A BIGGER PLACE. HE FELT SAD BUT COULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT.

MARK REMAINED A LONER AT THE PARK. HE THEN SAW A GIRL OF HIS AGE, PLAYING ALONE NEAR THE SWINGS. HE APPROACHED THE GIRL AND TRIED TO BE FRIENDS WITH HER. HE ASKED HER OF WHAT SHE

WAS PLAYING BUT SHE DIDN’T RESPOND AND ONLY LOOKED AT MARK WITH A PRETTY SMILE ON HER FACE. THEN SHE TOOK OUT A BAR OF

CHOCOLATE OUTSIDE HER SLING BAG AND GAVE IT TO HIM. ASTONISHED YET THANKFUL, MARK ACCEPTED THE GIFT.

UPON GIVING THE CHOCOLATE BAR, THE GIRL RAN FAST AS SHE COULD AWAY FROM HIM. MARK ALREADY KNEW THAT THE GIRL WAS SHY. THIS KEPT ON HAPPENING FOR ABOUT A

WEEK. HE KEPT DIFFERENT STUFFS FROM THE GIRL AND HE STILL DIDN’T KNOW HIS NAME. HE WOULD ASK THE GIRL BUT THE GIRL WON’T TALK. HE TRIED GUESSING HER

NAME BUT SHE JUST KEPT SMILING AND JUST KEPT SHAKING HER HEAD TO EVERY NAME.

OTHER KIDS AT THE PARK STARTED NOTICING THAT MARK WOULD ALWAYS HAVE PLENTY OF TOYS TO BRING HOME EVERY TIME HE COMES BACK FROM THE PARK.

KIDS STARTED APPROACHING HIM, BORROWING HIS TOYS. MARK NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS AND WAS ENJOYING THE ATTENTION THE OTHER CHILDREN

ARE GIVING HIM. 

THESE KIDS TURNED INTO HIS PLAYMATES AND THEY WOULD RIDE THEIR BIKES AROUND THEIR VILLAGE. IT HAS BEEN WEEKS SINCE THEY HAVEN’T RETURNED TO

THE PARK SINCE THEY WERE STARTING TO DISCOVER ELECTRONIC GADGETS.

ONE HOT AFTERNOON, NONE OF MARK’S FRIENDS WERE AROUND TO PLAY WITH HIM. HE HAD NOTHING TO SPARE HIS TIME SO HE DECIDED TO GO TO THE PARK. AS HE WAS WALKING TOWARDS THE SWINGS, HE

SAW A LITTLE GIRL SITTING ON HIS USUAL PLACE. HE RECOGNIZED THE HEADBAND AND THE SLING BAG SHE WAS WEARING. IT WAS THE LITTLE

GIRL FROM FEW WEEKS BACK.

HE SAT BESIDE HER AND APOLOGIZED FOR NOT RETURNING FOR WEEKS. THE LITTLE GIRL GAVE HIM A SHY SMILE AND GAVE HIM

ANOTHER BAR OF CHOCOLATE. HE THEN HEARD A TINY LITTLE VOICE SAYING, “CHIEL”. HE WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT TINY VOICE FROM

THE LITTLE GIRL. “SO, SHE COULD TALK” HE THOUGHT.

WHEN CHIEL AND MARK WERE ABOUT TO GET OFF THE SWINGS TO PROCEED TO THE SLIDES, THEY HEARD KIDS RUSHING TO THE PARK. MARK RECOGNIZED THE

SHRIEKS OF HIS FRIENDS. THE KIDS STOPPED WHEN THEY SAW CHIEL AND MARK TOGETHER. IT WASN’T USUAL SO THEY TEASED THEM. “CHIEL AND MARK IS

SITTING ON A TREE. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” HE SAW FROM THE CIRCLE OF KIDS, TRICIA, WHO WENT BACK WITH HER PARENTS TO GET SOME OF THEIR REMAINING STUFFS IN THEIR HOUSE. SEEING TRICIA ALSO SINGING ANGERED HIM. HE

STORMED AWAY FROM THE CROWD, STOMPING HIS FEET HEAVILY.

THE NEXT DAY, MARK DECIDED NOT TO GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY. WHILE HE WAS READING HIS BOOKS, HE HEARD HIS NAME FROM OUTSIDE THE

HOUSE. HE HEARD A VOICE OF A GIRL CALLING HIS NAME. HE GOT SO EXCITED AND RAN TOWARDS THEIR GATE, YELLING “TRICIA? TRICIA IS THAT YOU? WAIT FOR ME, I’M COMING!” WHEN HE GOT OUT OF THEIR

GATE, HE WAS SURPRISED TO SEE CHIEL WAITING FOR HIM OUTSIDE.”I’M SORRY, I THOUGHT IT WAS TRICIA CALLING ME. WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ME?” HE ASKED. “NOTHING. I WAS LOOKING FOR YOU AT THE PARK

BUT YOU WEREN’T THERE. I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE HOME AND DID NOT WANT TO GET OUT” SHE REPLIED. HE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO TELL

HER AND JUST SAID, “OH. I’M S-S-SICK. MAYBE NEXT TIME.” THE GIRL, DISAPPOINTED, JUST NODDED. “OH. OKAY” CHIEL SAID AND WALKED

AWAY.