you feel the air conditioning rush against your skin as you walk in the building. as soon as you step in, your senses become overwhelmed. bright, primary colors encompass the interior of the building. there is a slight musk smell over the scents of food, cleaning products and plastic. you can hear the high pitched voices of other children who are full of energy.
it is one of your friends' birthday today, and your mom brought you here to celebrate. you can barely contain your excitement; you are ready to play. you take off as soon as your mom settles hers and your belongings down at one of the tables to go greet the other children.
with no regard for germs, you all climb around the playhouse together. the plastic is cold and slightly grimy against your hands. you can feel the static on your hair when you go through the large tube slide.
the ball pit smells weird, but you don't care. the bright, multicolored plastic balls are too inviting. be careful not to get lost. there was a missing child's case last year where he was last seen in the ball pit. you don't have a moment to think about how there is a bad odor near one of the corners.
a kid you just met today throws a yellow ball at your arm for your attention to let you know that it's time to eat and have cake. a giggle escapes your lips and you challenge him to a race to the dining area.
you don't get mad when you lose as you sit down together. you don't sit with your mom, which gives you a slightly guilty feeling but you're glad to have made another friend today. you both make jokes as one of the parents comes around to give everyone a pump of hand sanitizer. the chairs are cold against your skin, it feels like the room got colder now that you are still and not being active.
pepperoni pizza is what's on the menu for today's party. it's hot and very, very greasy. you decide to not eat the crust.
it's time to sing happy birthday to the birthday girl, and you do. she smiles brightly blowing out the candles. she turns seven years old today.
vanilla birthday cake is passed out along with ice cream cups for those who want some. your friend seems more excited for the ice cream than you do, so you offer him your ice cream up. seems like you just scored more friend points. the cake, however, is not that appealing. you eat most of the icing. it's so sugary that it feels like it's going to burn your throat.
this place is huge! there's so much to do that you were excited to get up from the table and play again. maybe you will go to the bouncy house next, or maybe play ski ball. one thing for sure though, is that you don't want to go near the animatronics on the stage. they look old, and are extremely worn down. they creep you out and you are not the only kid who feels that way. they're not on; they just stare very lifelessly off into the distance. you wonder what they're thinking, if they even think at all.
you spend the rest of the afternoon playing, bouncing around the building with new and old friends. your mom signals that it's time to go home. parting ways can be hard. you say goodbye to your new friend, wondering if you will ever see him again as you go to different schools.
by the time you leave, you are worn out and exhausted. you fall asleep within the first ten minutes of the car ride home not realizing that this will be the most exciting day you'll have in a long time.
YOU ARE READING
warm fleece and kitchen sink teeth
Horrorplaces that are familiar but uncomfortable. you think that you may have been here before, again and again. or maybe it's just a fever dream. tw: derealization; mentions of illness.
