DAILY PROMPT
Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt
When I was a kid, we used to go to the park and horse around the water towers at Jack Long Park.
We used to throw rocks, play wall ball and sit around the base of the tanks and tell each other stories about what would happen if the tanks exploded and the water rushed out- how much was there? Would we drown? Would they cancel school for the day…or maybe even TWO days?
We’d look up at those giants and wonder if they wanted to do just that- drown us all.
The park was a nice enough park, but those tanks were spooky.
They still are.
It was always cool and dark between the three tanks, if you yelled or laughed or talked it seemed like those towers muffled the sound- I take that back.
It was like having someone throwing their hand over your mouth mid scream.
Still, that was our favorite place to play and we went there every chance we got. The thing of it is, whenever we went there we’d lose track of time and end up ‘on restriction’ when we’d end up at back home.
When it came to being ‘on restriction’ my Mom and Dad would huff and puff and blow off some steam and I’d be free as a bird within 24 hours.
My friends did hard time, so I’d end up at the Towers on my own periodically.
One day I was up there throwing rocks at tallest tank
when some ‘big kids’ showed up.
They were around 13 and I was around 8 and I was a little squirt with long hair and from what I’m told, a somewhat unsettling disposition.
” Hey, don’t throw rocks at that thing. You might break it and all of the water will come out.”
The boys were all on bikes and they were cool looking- no doubt about that.
I picked up another rock and threw it at another tank.
Ka-thunk.
” Do you want to die?” One of them asked.
I picked up another rock and threw it harder- it whizzed back at me and had I not stepped out of the way it would have hit me.
” No. I’m just trying to shake something loose from the bottom of the tank.”
” Oh really? What?”
” Stacy. Stacy Green.”
“There’s nobody in there. ” they laughed at me.
I laughed back.
” You better hope she is.”
I looked up a the tanks and so did the boys.
There were ladders on those towers, but of course you needed to bring a ladder to reach them. I looked up at one of them and said ” Good thing she’s afraid of heights. Even if I shake her loose she’ll be afraid to come down. I think.”
” You’re a weird little kid.”
No doubt, they were impressed with my little story and as they rode off, I heard one them say, ” Stacy Green. She said her name was Stacy Green.”
One day they put fences up around the tanks and now I feel a little sorry for the kids who will never have a place to go to discuss mortality, throw rocks without fear of punishment or breaking windows.
I’ll have to admit though, I’m glad that fence is there and that’s it’s locked.
Just in case Stacy Green ever decides to overcome her fear of heights.
