> Now it was one of those days I needed something to breath on, so I wanted to learn something that wasn't on a book. Or on my screen. I needed to find an expert in the craft. So I went into the most sophisticated, advanced learning center of the century, "the children's playground in the mall." These kids are trying to make sense of the world, any little thing that happens slightly impacts their overall knowledge in the long run. This is where coping mechanisms were formed, this is where the illusion to impress people who don't care about you was formed, the social hierarchy and what not. They were just like new AI models learning how to navigate the system, and being trained on large amount of data, their ENVIRONMENT. Their ears, listening. Their eyes placing the patterns, their skin distinguishing touch and feelings. Their thoughts taking shape based on what their parents or guardian feed their minds.
> I was standing there observing the children, the rough boys, the gentle boys, the rough girls, the gentle girls, they were all there. Some were playing, some were disrupting the peace, and the others were trying to bring back the peace. The peacemakers, the warbringers, and the kids who didn't even know why they were in that playground. I saw a kid push down another kid's jigsaw puzzle. Then the offended kid pushed down the war bringer's puzzle too. And they were just there staring at each other after that, no words were said, just eye contact and physical depression. The both of them started going around causing trouble and pushing down others' toys and dolls too. I didn't do anything because these kids were just harmless and funny.
> Over at the edge, there was a kid watching me. I am usually the observer, there was someone observing me too? When I caught her attention, she came over in her cute little baby trousers, and jacket. "Hello! I am Lily" Then she waved, what a cutie. "Nobody here is like you, everyone is way small, and you are big. Why?" When that little girl asked that question, I knew that I have found the one I wanted to learn from. "How old are you?" "This many." She showed me six of her fingers. Ahh, so a 6-year old. I liked that kid, every other little one just accepted that someone bigger was there, she came to know what I was. Why I was there. That's the sign of a great mind. "What are they doing? Those kids." I asked. "Oh I don't know, I just watch them. I am too scared to talk to them." "Why?" "I don't know." "What do you like. To do?" "Play with my princess cupcake and make imaginary stories with her, but mummy didn't bring her, she said I should stay here and wait for her, she's coming." "Do you want to tell me a princess cupcake story?" She smiled and moved her head up and down. That was a yes. So I marched to the middle of the play place and yelled, "hey children, listen up!" My voice was sure loud enough. I made it sound like the authority of a parent, so they would listen. She wanted to run, then I pulled her back, and brought her to face the others. "Lily over here would like to tell us a princess cupcake story!" Now I noticed the kids laughing in the back. "Hey you there, what's your name?" "Joshua." "Joshua, if you make fun of princess cupcake again, we would make this a play, and you would be playing PRINCESS CUPCAKE understood?" "Ye..yeah." "I said, UNDERSTOOD?!" "YES SIR!"
> I made them gather round, they all became peacemakers now. Joshua was the example everyone learnt from. So I bent towards Lily, and held her ear. "Tell these kids your story, say it as much as you loved making it, okay? I have to get home soon to do something important." I didn't know why she had tears in her eyes. But she told me she would. "Okay." I stood up. "You all better respect Lily! She is in charge now! I'll be watching, I'll come in to punish anyone who misbehaves!"
> On my way out, I noticed a woman. "What were you telling my daughter?" "I was telling her to preach to the people about her cupcake." "What?..." "Listen to me, let her speak to these kids." "Oh God what?...we are running late, I have things to do." "I'll watch her. Give me your number." "No, I can't just..." "...Your kid has a dream. And if you keep pushing your busy life on her, she might lose herself in the process." Then she looked and heard Lily's voice, "...And then the Swamp Creature approached Princess Cupcake, slowly making its way behind her back!..." The children eagerly listened to her story. She didn't speak. She took my phone, and put her number on it, and just left. I stayed behind, I had plans but I sacrificed them. When Lily finished. The other children loved it. They were asking her for more, but their parents had to take them home. Lily came and asked if I heard her story. "You are going to have to tell it to me first, let me know if it is the right story I heard." She laughed for a while. "She left me, didn't she?" "No, she didn't. She helped you." Lily told me the story after I called her mother to come pick her up. I loved it. We waited, and I advised her on how life is probably going to be as she gets older. She fell asleep, her mother came in the night. There was so much load, and she was clearly stressed. I helped her get Lily in the car. She thanked me multiple times, it was okay after all. I watched them drive, I didn't even get to tell Lily Goodbye. It was a dry night, but I walked home with a lingering sense of peace. The air touched my skin, and I felt the comfort of the dry night.
*_BY MJ*