They just want to have fun!

Awareness, memories, prompts

March 13, 2023, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a place where children once played. It can be a field, a playground, or any place that attracted children to play. But now it is empty. Abandoned. Go where the prompt leads!

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March/April 2020.

We were on strict lockdown, the schools and universities were closed. All stores except grocery stores were closed. The kids were not allowed to play outside. Their playgrounds looked deserted, abandoned.

At some places, a tape was circling the entire complex so that kids don’t try to take slides or ride the merry-go-round.

Everyday, while walking I’d see the tape broken and sometimes even small children with their mom on the swings. They’d disregard the notices of warning and would sneak in for a bit of fun.

It was a tough time, especially for the young kids!

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Word count; 99

Written for 99 Word Story, hosted by Charli Mills

#Keepitalive

#99Wordstory

Published by Sadje

I am writing to express my opinion, share my experiences and to maybe provide some insight. My blog is addressing women at 50 ( but men are welcome to read my posts) ,their issues and the questions that come up at this stage in life. I don’t aim to teach, but to learn together.

Published

61 thoughts on “They just want to have fun!”

          1. We will look back on those years and laugh. I had a friend whose daughter would come home from her job delivering groceries and strip outside in the backyard behind bushes and come into the house to shower!

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  12. Will we ever completely recover? Some still wear masks… Most Doc offices do. At least we appear to be healing. Though it is harder in some areas than others. It is hard to imagine those years where the children were so restricted. I only had to deal with my hubby working from home! *sigh*

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  13. The last clinic I went to with mask restrictions just made them optional in the last couple of months. I do still see a few masks, but people with weakened immune systems still have to be careful I know. A friend of mine is on oxygen 24/7 and has a very weak set of lungs (qualifies for a lung transplant but has opted to not pursue it) – she rarely leaves the house and always wears a mask. Covid would surely be extremely dangerous to her. Seeing that playground all taped off is just a sad sight.

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  14. Pingback: Where Children Once Played Collection « Carrot Ranch Literary Community

  18. Oh man, those were distopian times. Even though the parks were officially closed and meant to be off limits, I still went out for walks in them – I needed do so to manage my anxiety and use up my nervous energy. I mostly went to a park that was already closed for the camping off season, and it seemed to be nicely forgotten about by the government. They finally came around to caution tape the playground not long relatively before the government realized that people needed fresh air and exercise and reopened the parks.

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