Wheee.
Toddlers and children let out whooping cries of glee
As they tumble down the yellow slide that spirals downward
To collect the prize that requires them to be alert.
The first one to solve a riddle gets the red balloon.
The last one to do so gets a lollipop.
The old man by the rusty stand decides it all.
His word is the verdict, and the playground is never silent when he's there.
The young crowd around him as they would around a free ice cream truck,
The love in the air is prominent, giving off a sickly sweet smell, almost to the point of being nauseating.
But it is this love that oozes from the kindly old man's heart that attracts the pure and innocent angelic figures that dance around the dilapidated piece of land, lighting up the darkness that evelopes it.
Wheee.
A toddler trips over the uneven pavement and falls onto the ground.
Silence.
The skin ruptures and drops of blood appear.
He winces, the corner of the mouth trembling.
Other children scurry over, unsure of what to do but knowing for sure that they had to stand there and protect the child. From what, no one knew, but their presence alone was enough to calm the child, for the waterfalls did not erupt and he broke into a smile.
The bunch of children giggles.
Let's continue! They announce.
This time, Johnny the injured will get to be king and order us around for the next five minutes.
Johnny chuckles.
To the moon! He raises his pudgy hand balled into a tiny fist, shaking and waving it around in the air with an imaginary sword. The children--soldiers--- follow suit.
The old man grins, a toothless and almost comical looking expression.
Wheee.
A little girl tugs at the old man's worn out jacket.
Turning, he sees her, donned in a torn and dirty rag dress.
He picks her up gently, carrying her with one hand like he would have twenty years ago with a daughter he never had. He then gives her a chocolate bar.
The little girl smiles. It starts as a quirk of the lips, then a fully developed ray of light that cuts through that feeling of gloom she emitted just moments ago, what with the long straight dark hair, pale skin, and skinny sticks for legs.
She plants a soft kiss on the old man's wrinkled cheek.
Wheee.
Where's your family? The old man asks.
The girl gazes at him with a stare far older than any five year old he has ever seen.
No family, she replies.
I live with my aunt.
The old man looks at her, and he understands.
Come live with me won't you?
He throws the legislation and realistic aspect away, his heart and soul focused entirely on saving this one girl.
The girl shakes her head.
Aunt can be mean, but she's just hurt.
The old man grasps her frail hand tightly. It's painful and not gentle like he was before.
Live with me! He booms, a sudden explosion the children have never witnessed before.
Silence in the playground.
A snap, and the old man realizes.
Letting go of her, the old man's hand is left to dangle lifelessly at the side.
The girl, now shaken, jumps off his protective arm, and scrambles away.
Wheee.
The old man turns away from the children and sits down on the pavement.
His hands are still shaking from when he touched the little girl earlier.
A prey escaped, he mutters under his breath.
A prey escaped... It escaped.
He remembers the supple skin of the girl.
He remembers the carnal desire that exploded within him when he found out the helplessness of the girl.
He remembers his inability to control it this one time.
He grins, a lewd toothless sneer, a less than comical expression.
After all, he has a few children waiting back home.
Wheee.
The old man recalls when Johnny fell down.
He remembers how the blood had excited him,
And how the innocence of all the children that rushed forward to protect him ignited more passion within him to continue what he was doing.
Wheee.
The old man starts to plot a way to make Johnny disappear
And appear
Within his house.
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