"Missing Five Years"

"PLAYGROUND"

Once upon a time there was a lonely princess. She always aim high to make her parents proud but she still felt unhappy. Everyone admire her for her smart brains, athletic skills and enigmatic beauty. But none of it matters to her . To her the world is full of sarcasm and hypocrisy. Everybody will say words just  to save their images towards other people. In other word, she hates liars.

She has the self-instinct that triggers her when someone lied to her. She even have thoughts that her mother lied about the divorce paper she noticed under the blue drawer of her parents night table. Finally her thoughts came true . Her parents were about to talk to her when she suddenly ran off the streets.

"Liar !! Liar!!"

She close her eyes as she speak the words that lingered in her mind the moment she saw her parents' sorrowful faces. She run as fast as she could until she reached the playground that she often hangs out. She kneeled in the chestnut colored sands inside the sandbox , pick a handful of it and throw them as if she doesn't like them inside the sandbox. Finally she bowed down her head and tears came flowing .

"Liars. You said you will not break our family. Liar!!"

She was sobbing and when she was about to cry out a voice stopped her.

" Oi ! Crybaby !"

She looked up and saw a boy standing on the top of the slide.

"Crybabies are not allowed to stay in the Majesty's place. You hear that ?!"

The boy teasingly smirk as if he was the knight in the palace.

"This isn't a palace dummy . This is a public playground "

The boy sighed and slide down. He approached the little girl who is dirty on the sandbox and stretched out his green mint colored t-shirt .

"What are you doing?", the princess asked in confusion with still  teary eyes.

"People always say that this is a public playground but I can see that this isn't just place."

He turn his  head around the place with  glimmering eyes as if he is standing into a beautiful castle. He looked back to the girl and stretched out his shirt even more.

"I think if you will wipe of those tears you can see clearly the palace around you."

The princess rubbed her eyes and wipe off her tears using the boy's shirt. She blinked three times , instead of being happy she frowned and look at the boy.

"Nothing changed ! It is still a public playground! Liar!"

The boy smiled and lend his tiny hands to help the princess get up from the sands. Without a doubt, she reached for his hands. As soon as she stood up, she pat her pants to remove the sands that stick up.

"What now?!" The princess peevishly asked.

"Close your eyes"

At first the princess hesitated but did not protest at all. She closed her eyes as the boy hold her hand. She felt the boy's hand squeezed. She felt silence for a moment. Then she slowly opened her eyes.

She was surprised to see how a public playground became  a golden palace. Her eyes widen and her cheeks blushed.

"Can you see it now ? I told you this is a palace" the boy commented and smiled widely.

Adults may call it the children's imagination but not of it matter to the princess and to the boy. They made their own world inside a small place. For them this isn't anymore "just" a playground but a palace of their own. They played around , rode the seesaw as if it were horses, sat on swings as if it were the King's and Queen's thrones. They played until sunset . Finally, they both sat on the bench below a nut tree.

"Did you enjoyed playing on my palace?" The boy asked with a sheepish smile.

"Your palace ? I thought we both owned this place?" The princess teasingly commented.

"Oh you're right, seems to be your the only one among the others who can see the palace."

"Others?" The princess curiously asked.

"Yeah . You know other kids from the neighborhood said they can't see it and called me weirdo for convincing them about trivial things." The boy sulkingly said.

"Ehh .  Haha. What's wrong with that. You're a weirdo anyway." The princess teasingly answered back.

"Weirdo? How about you . Crybaby! Bleh!"

The princess did not say anything for a moment. She clenched her hands and hold her jumper suit.

"Who would not cry when they found out that their daddy will be leaving them?"

After saying that both of them were silence.

After a minute., the boy jumped out the bench and face the girl who was gloomy and about to cry.

"I promised , I will not leave you." The boy smiled.

The princess looked up with tears . As soon as the boy saw it he panicked.

" Wahhh. What did I do ? Did I made you cry?! Ahh sorry I didn't mean to." He scratched his head crazingly and jump up and down.

The princess wiped her tears and laughed.

"That's a promise  then" then she laughed again.

The boy stopped and laughed with her. The boy stretch out his hand,

"I'm Jin Paul,but you can call me Jin. I'm 10 years old."

The princess stood up and reached his hand,

"I'm Ellin, 10 years old.Nice to meet you Jin." As soon as the introduction were finished they both laughed.

The sun was out and the two new friends have to go back to their own homes . As they waved good byes, Ellin's smile was worn out. Now she have to go back at home and hear the words she despairingly don't want to hear.

As soon as she got home, her mother hugged her tight and cried.

"I'm sorry Ellin , mom did a horrible thing to you. I'm sorry" she press her body against Ellin's.

By the time she went back home . Her parents were divorced and her father already left them. There are no more signs of his clothes and even his things. Ellin went back to her room . She wanted to cry but there were no more tears coming out . She finally accepted that the man who promised her that their family won't break apart is a liar and he will not come back anymore to her and her mother's lives.

"I hate liars."

She murmured, but then she remembered one person who promised her that he will not leave her. She simply smiled . She felt less pain and continued to think about Jin's promise. She once more trusted those words of assurance.

Three weeks had passed. Ellin became accustomed of her arriving home without a father , eating meals only with her mother. Everything seems to be normal for her now. Often times her father will call her but she won't answer it. She let her mom go out with some college friends to lighten up her mood. But the best thing she could do is to play everyday with her best friend Jin.

They both know how to enjoy themselves. Sometimes Jin will go to Ellin's house and invite her to play. There are also times when Ellin will eat dinner at Jin's house. In there, she found out that Jin don't want eating brocolli and carrots. They seemed to become familiar with each other in just months. They go to different schools but if there is time they  go home together.

Jin really loves to eat sweet desserts at Ellin's house. He will always go home with a slice of caramel cake in his lunch box from Ellin's mom.

They are typical best friend and childhood friends everyone know but they have the special thing common between them . That's their secret palace in a public playground. They often play and  hang out there . They even write their names under the rails of the slide to claim the place. They had much fun for 2 years. 

--End of chapter