Wholesome Short Stories

The Swing Set

There was a swing set. And yeah there are a lot of swing sets, it's hard to think of any of them as particularly special, and this one wasn't anything special. Just the classic metal structure with chains hanging down holding up a seat of rubber, one of over a million in North America.

But the swing set was extremely special to one young boy.  He went to the playground that housed it after school a few times a week.  Every time running up to it jumping in on his belly, letting go of his feet and letting the swing fly.  He would swing back and forth, the seat cutting into his stomach slightly, until it slowed enough that he was barely moving.  Then he would get up pull it back with him and hop back onto his tummy, the swing soaring up with him on the other side.  Yeah an onlooker would think he looked ridiculous, but the swing set made him Superman.

It was also important to a teenage girl who loved another girl.  They walked by the park one day, playfully racing to the swing set.  The girls raced to see who could swing the highest in a friendly competition.  One dared the other to jump from it.  The second girl looked at the sand below moving back and forth underneath her, and back to the beautiful girl swinging next to her.  Taking a few swings to slow a bit she took a breath and let go of the chains.  Landing on one knee she stood up, brushing off the sand.  The first girl laughed happily, dragging her foot in the sand.  The second girl walked slowly towards the swing, still shaking sand off, and looking in her eyes, bent down to kiss the girl sitting on the swing.  An amazing first kiss, the swing set made her a princess.

The swing set was special to a man in his fourties.  He was a paramedic, and although he loved being able to help, there were days his job became difficult, because there wasn't much he could do to help.  On days like these he went on walks.  He had been going to the playground for a few years, after he found it looking for places to take his son.  He often went at night, so as to not take them away from the kids who used it during the day.  He would tell his wife he'd be back soon and went to the swing set.  Sometimes all he'd do is sit on them, allowing them to sway slightly calming him like a baby being rocked.  Other times he would kick his legs, propelling himself high up into the air, sometimes even above the bar holding the chains and they would go slack for a moment, making him crash down faster than if it had stayed in the perfect circle.  He didn't mind it though, all that mattered was that he was moving up and down, back and forth.  It wasn't a big part of his life, but the swing set made him free.

You wouldn't expect a swing set to be important to an elderly lady, but this one was.  She came by every day after she made lunch.  Sitting down slowly, careful not to lose her balance, she watched the children.  They ran around playing tag and climbing on all the other playground structures.  She sat there quietly.  Often a child would come up to her glowing with pride over a new toy, or a handstand routine they wanted to show her.  You'd be surprised how many kids will come up to people to share the things that excite them.  The lady cherished these moments, imagining what every child would grow up to be, there were so many possibilities for all of them.  Some parents secretly pitied her, thinking she was lonely, but the opposite, the swing set made her fulfilled.

No swing set is simply a swing.