The Wonder Years
A random memory: having snowed heavier than usual, we got a few days off school. some friends who
lived in the same apartment block and I went exploring. i was six years old at the
time. they were a couple of years older than me and, although I felt like a
sheep, I was delighted to tag along. we walked along a dubious little street, a path we had
never been down, and after some time arrived at a kindergarten. we hid behind
the bushes near the fence. i felt weird. then the kindergarten bell ran,
presumably for a break, and one of the boys suggested we all get stones and
throw it at the kids as they come out. I felt ill at the idea, because 1.
that’s not nice and as someone recently out of kindergarten I wouldn’t want that
happen to me, 2. I tend to exaggerate all my visuals in my head and I could see
my rock hitting the forehead of some poor three year old girl making her bleed
and forcing me to go to jail, never to see my parents again. by the time I
looked back at them they all had a few rocks in each hand and were telling me to
hurry up. I was six and wanted to fit in. I grabbed two
next to my feet, and inhaled deeply. am I even allowed to say no? all of a
sudden the kindy kids started running out and one of the boys counted, “1, 2…
3!” at that point, I saw the other rocks fly across the fence, I panicked and
thought the easiest way out of this was to throw… badly. I threw a little to my
left and it landed only two meters away, not even over the fence. as it landed
pathetically I heard the boys moan in disgust, but in unison we all turned
around and started sprinting, I could hear a few kids exclaim to a teacher some
people were throwing rocks, followed by a teacher running to the fence and
yelling at us nuisances, oh I hope those kids don’t grow up and end up like us.
I felt so scared, my heart was thumping, wanting to leave. maybe the kindy
teacher will be a really slow runner, and can never catch up? we ran and ran
till the kindergarten became out of sight. we sat down by the benches in front of our apartment block, all
breathing heavily, the boys laughed, and made fun of my throw. I pretended to
be embarrassed, but really I was happy that I didn’t hit anyone and wouldn’t go
to jail. I don’t remember hanging out with them again after, and spent the rest
of the break watching some drama about two sisters who can turn into snakes.
