Newsletter (2017-2018) December 2017 Newsletter | Page 11

Playground Friendships
By Mike Poon
Metals and plastics are what we are made of. We
do not eat or sleep. We rely on ‘spiritual food’,
which nourishes us. Our existence is valued only
because of the steely bonds between us and our
friends. On this lively playground, the atmo-
sphere is always mirthful. Children play hide-
and-seek after a long day of school. For them this
place is like heaven; all their homework, burdens
or nuisances are put aside once they enter. My
job is to send two kids into the sky in turns, some
call me Seesaw. It was the best period of my life.
I made some best friends: their names were
George, Franklin and Kate. I was always the first
one they visited in the whole park. Sometimes
I blamed myself for only having two hands,
which meant I couldn’t play with all three of
them simultaneously. They disputed, they ar-
gued, but ultimately they queued and buried
the hatchet. Every day was meaningful because
of the ‘spiritual food’ they fed me; their laugh-
ter and smiles satisfied me every time. At night,
their parents picked them up, but we were like
tangled earphones, unable to separate. “I’ll see
you tomorrow!” I whispered, although I knew
that they couldn’t hear me. I stared at the flats
above, where warm joyful sounds and light
spilled out from the windows. Nights were long
without their company. Therefore, I counted the
events which made me laugh during the day,
as if I was counting stars – the countless stars.
When Monkey-Bar and Slide watched me laugh
like a lunatic, they chuckled, too. It was the best
period of my life.
Monkey-Bar and Slide came years before me.
Sometimes they gazed at the stars with me, not
only because they were so desperate to share de-
lightful events, but also because they were ex-
perts of stargazing. “That’s the Sagittarius, the
ninth sign of zodiac. Next to it is the Scorpio,”
Slide said. I looked up in confusion; there were
trillions of stars, which ones were she talking
about?
a visit, then months. Until they disappeared. It
happened so gradually that I didn’t even realise
three years had already passed. I knew that Kate
had moved, due to her father’s business. I saw
Franklin a few weeks ago with his new buddies.
I almost couldn’t recognise him, as he was much
taller than when I last saw him, but his artless
face hadn’t changed. George was the only one
who I had not seen in these three years. One
thing could be sure – that neither we nor they
were best friends anymore. Other kids that I had
not met before kept playing with me, but the
emptiness still couldn’t be wiped out. The murky
nights were even more insufferable, since there
was nothing left for me to count. The galaxy was
enclosed by dense and thick clouds, seemingly a
reflection of my melancholy and confusion. Why
did they abandon me? Why weren’t we best
friends anymore? Hadn’t I always been there, as
a partner, as a listener? These questions had been
spinning in my mind every night. The answer to
my confusion, however, never came.
One evening, as the sky changed from red to
navy, the same question arose as usual. While
I was contemplating thoughtfully, someone
spoke. He had an aged voice, deep and hoarse,
as if he had eaten a mouthful of screws.
“I used to have best friends, too, not only one.”
It was Swing speaking; he had lived in the play-
ground longer than any facilities here. “Another
group of kids comes after a period. I know how
you think, but it isn’t worth of your time.”
“How would you understand, old man?” I an-
swered. “I thought we were inseparable, but
now they don’t even spare a thought for me. Ev-
erything seems blue, like I’ve lost the meaning
for my existence.”
“Do not focus on the unchangeable, as worries
won’t help the unalterable truth beyond our
reach.”
Those kids – George, Franklin and Kate came ev- “Easy for you to say.”
ery day at first. Then weeks would pass before
DECEMBER 2017
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