A small lonely child sits on a swing going back and forth. She is there watching the other children play. Her eyes move from the monkey bars to the merry-go-round. The boys and girls were laughing and playing everywhere. She watches because they never allow her to play with them. Even now, they pretend that she is not there, not because she looks strange or anything. No the problem is that she behaves unlike any other child. She knows that someday what makes her different will make her very special.

As all of this goes though her mind, her eyes settle on three girls playing on the edge of the park. Still swinging she watches them. They are playing with dolls. The child looks down at her doll that she holds in her arms. She brings it with her everywhere, her only friend. She looks back to the girls. One of them is a small thing with bright red hair. Her hair always reminds the child of the bonfires her family has on the holidays. Another is average in every way possible. The last is the goliath of the girls. She stands tall that any girl in their class and is wide just the same.

The child watches them as her mind comes to a decision. She is going to try to play with them. Maybe today is the day when the view they have of her will change. She puts her feet to the ground to make the swing stop and jumps to her feet. Squaring her shoulders, she marches past the monkey bars, around the merry-go-round, and straight to the three girls.

Only a few feet away now, the smallest girl looks up. She has always been polite to the child when her friends were not around. This small girl smiles and then looks back down when the other girls realize what she is looking at. The big girl moves to stand in between the child and the other girls. That is when the child stops walking.

The child can feel her heart racing. This is the closest she has ever come to this girl on her own free will. Moreover, like all of the other times that she has encountered the big girl, she feels afraid. This could do with the constant walloping that she receives from her.

“Can I please play with you? I have my own doll.” The child ask as her voice shows the fear that she felt.

“Do hear this girls, Emma Rae thinks that she can play with us.” The big girl turns to the others and laughs. She lives for this moment. Nothing makes her happier than beating up on people weaker than she is.

“Sarah, leave her alone. Emma Rae has done nothing to us.” The smallest spoke in a voice just as bad as Emma Rae’s voice had been.

Sarah just laughs and so does the average girl. Then she turns to Emma Rae and slugs her in the face. Emma Rae falls to the ground crying. The average girl kicks her into the stomach. Laughing the whole time, they just land one blow after another to her. The small girl finally having seen enough stands and walks away. The other two follow suite.

Little Emma Rae lies there on the ground as tears stream from her eyes. Then she knows that she will never speak again to these girls. She know that she will never speak to anyone again. She forces her self to rise and there she starts her sad journey home.