Kristen stood in the shadow of the hibiscus tree.
She heard her friends squealing and stifled a giggle. Her bratty brother
and boy cousins were finding her friends where they hid but Kristen had
the best spot ever. Her friends had helped her to the hilltop because
she was the birthday girl.
For lunch, Mom and Aunt Daphne had laid out macaroni pie, barbecued
chicken and a chocolate cake with pink icing and smarties. Kristen turned
nine today. She wore her brand-new paisley jumper and white party
shoes. She’d had the coolest tea party on the garden lawns with her pink
tea set.
Time passed as she crouched in the shadows, listening to the kiskadees
call from the trees. She wished she could see them…they sounded so
pretty. She hadn’t heard any squeals in a while. She risked a hop of
glee.
She wanted to rub it in their faces. Everything looked flat and safe to
her, but then, that was normal. The hill looked flat but she’d climbed
up to get here so she knew it wasn’t flat. Kristen had tripped down steps
before. Her parents said her eyes didn’t work properly.
Her parents approached. “Kristen, let’s get you down from here,” Dad said.
“Shh, I’m hiding,” Kristen said.
“Time to come down, Kristen,” Dad repeated patiently.
“It’s hide and seek,” Kristen explained. “I have to stay here.”
“Come on, Kristen.” Mom jerked her arm. “Game’s over.”
“No it’s not!” Kristen insisted. How could it be over when nobody had
found her? “You’ll see,” she grouched to her parents on their walk down
the hill.
Each holding an arm, they marched her to the picnic table. “Sit down,
Kristen,” Mom said. “See?” Kristen followed her Mom’s finger and gaped. Her
friends were playing tag with the boys. They were running round and
round the trees, laughing like howler monkeys.
“I wanna play, too,” Kristen said, standing up.
“They played with you all morning!” Now Mom’s voice was angry. “Let them
have some fun.”
“It’s my birthday!” Kristen protested.
“Kristen,” Dad said. “You have to understand. They need to run and play.
And you can’t run and play like them.”
Kristen understood. Her friends didn’t want to play with her. She began to
cry.
“Don’t be ungrateful,” Mom scolded. “Look how much we all did for you.”
Kristen wished she was back in the shadows behind the hibiscus.
(c) Kristy Kassie, 2016
Sometimes, shadows play an important part in a
story.