The Swinging Boy
January 28, 2021
“Swinging Boy”
Everyone around me is taking a nap.
Everyone being almost all of my siblings; Barbara, Michael, Matthew, and myself. I don’t recognize the house we are in, but as I stand in the living room, I notice how it’s decorated. The floor is brown carpet, shag almost, the kitchen is dimly lit and there are dishes on the counter. It’s not completely messy but just a little grimy. There is an older, 70s style couch and the walls are a mustard yellow however the natural light coming in the room makes it look different. There are people sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor in the living room. I step over a few of them and I am now standing at the top of the stairs that lead down to the front door. Barbara is standing on my right side and we start to descend the stairs together.
She’s laughing about something, I’m not sure what but I laugh as well. As soon as she finishes her chuckle, I hear laughter coming from the outside of the front door, which makes me laugh as well. I recognize one of the laughs; it’s Erika. It sounds like there are a lot of people however Erika’s laugh stands out the most. We open the door and greet them outside on a black asphalt ground.
The scene is that of a park. Right in front of us I see a large grassy area; there are many people walking around and mingling and having picnics. Slightly to my right there is a play structure. It’s fairly large with a few slides, monkey bars, and a swing set. I am drawn to the swings and notice a young boy swinging; he’s young, maybe 3 or 4 years old and I ask him if he wants me to push him. I notice that he’a wearing a light blue shirt. He’s really excited that I offer to push him, however when I get behind him to start, I notice that he’s already swinging really high. I tell him that he’s swinging too high and as I am communicating this to him, he thrusts himself forward, getting more momentum. I feel fearful that he’s going to fall off because he’s swinging so high his body becomes parallel with the ground.
I watch as he swings forward with so much force that the swing goes completely over the top, upside down, and back around again so the swings’ chain wraps around the pole. He continues to go in circles up until the chain is wrapped so tightly that he’s stuck up top, upside down.
He’s scared and I am too because I can’t reach him and he’s starting to fall out of his seat. I watch as he falls from up high and I am unable to catch him in time; I’m not fast enough. He lands on the bark with a thud and I run over and pick him up. He doesn’t cry or scream, just holds on to his left arm. He winces in pain as I hold him close and I walk back towards the house to take care of him.
