Mango Sorbet
by Mariana Chajon Oliveros
Once there was a little girl with (ethnically ambiguous features) who enjoyed (quirky and unrealistic hobby). Because nobody else in her classroom liked to do that, she often spent her recess alone, or with girls younger than her who hadn’t yet learned about what was cool and uncool in the second grade.
This day was rather a lonely one. She had tried playing with other girls at recess, but they wanted to do a dance choreography to a (kpop group) song, and it simply wasn’t in her plans to do something like that.
“But, you’re already part of the choreography,” said one of the girls who saw she was about to leave. She pulled her by the arm and it hurt.
Our heroine pulled her arm back, but didn’t say a word to her or any of the other girls. She left with tears in her eyes from the pain and she couldn’t see well, so she took the quickest path she knew to the playground tunnels.
The playground tunnels were a safe haven with many uses. For one, she could hide there at the end of the day, when the noise of children playing got too loud, the sun too bright, and the call to consider (certain existential matters) became increasingly intrusive. While waiting for her mom to pick her up, she could sit alone and think with a direct view to the parking lot.
The second use, and the one she was yearning for right now, was as a place to cry.
She would often cry at school, either because she had seen someone get hurt, or seen somebody else crying, or simply because she couldn’t understand (aspects of socializing).
Finally, she would sometimes hide in the tunnels if she didn’t want to eat (green-coloured food item).
When the girl got to the tunnels this time, she found a bright red one that was completely empty. Jackpot.
She sat inside and finally wiped the tears from her eyes. Wow, seeing is nice.
As she calmed down, she began to notice there was a little bug at the opposite side walking slowly towards the edge of the tunnel.
“You’re gonna fall off the edge,” she said in a whisper, assuming it would be easier for the bug to understand her if she spoke at a volume as small as the bug’s size.
“Darn, thx,” the bug replied.
So they speak in abbreviations, not in whispers.
“What are y-”
Before our heroine could finish her sentence, the bug asked, “do u hve n ee poop on u?”
The girl furrowed her eyebrows and scrunched her nose in disgust.
“Like u kno, may b sum in ur pocket tht i could eat.”
“No, why would I have edible poop on me…” she replied. “Besides, even if I did, why would I give it to you? I don’t even know your name.”
“L8 ee bug.”
“Nice to meet you ladybug.”
“List-n i kno u have poop on u ok just gimme sum plz. rn.”
“I’m sorry, humans don’t eat poop. But if you’re hungry and you know where to find some I can take you there on my hand so you get there faster,” the girl offered, already excited at the thought of having a mission.
“Nah thts ok. Not hungry tbh, just want 2 eat all the poop in the world.”
At that moment, a kid a few years older than the girl almost pushed her off the tunnel as he got in, not realizing she was there.
“Uuuh, sorry, I wanna pass through,” he said once he realized what he had done.
“Sorry, I’m playing here,” she answered, not bothered by the shove she had just received. Or pretending not to be bothered.
“But you don’t seem to be playing with anyone,” he answered.
“Well, I’m playing here.”
“(word that’s used to insult women),” he said before leaving the tunnel.
“Sorry ladybug, you were saying?”
“Ya i just want like all the poop 4 me cuz it’s wut i like 2 eat most & also cuz y not u kno.”
“Okay, but you know, you couldn’t even eat all the poop in the world if you wanted. There’s so much of it it’s polluting our oceans,” the girl answered, trying to sound smart by bringing up pollution.
“Rite, but i’ll just take all the poop tht i can & if i have to take it from my friends n family idm,” ladybug replied.
“That’s really gross,” the little girl replied.
“Well u just say tht cuz hue mans think poop is gross.”
The girl thought about this for a couple seconds. She remembered (something an adult told her) and then replied, “no, it’s because you have so much greed.”
“Guh-reid?”
“No, greed.”
“Grrrr eed?”
“No, greed.”
“Wuts tht?”
“Like, what I feel for mango sorbet.”
THE END
Comments