Rolling behind rocks
Laugh
Scream
“Duck and cover!”
Boom! Ha! Ha!
“You’re dead! We win!”
Spinning in delight
The colors blending together
Stopping quickly

She stands before me
Her eyes are a long way up
And I can’t quite seem to see that far
My eyes on the ground I shrug in silence
“It’s not ‘just’ a game.”
The feeling of hands rough on my arm
Shoving me away from the laughter
I hate her.

Glaring at the floor I consider leaving
Just squirming away
From her mean words and strong hands
Papa, where are you?
The tears rush down my cheeks
Why can’t she just leave me alone?
The words escape quickly
“Papa wouldn’t be so mean”

She stops and turns quickly
Swooping down like a hawk
“Papa isn’t here. And he wouldn’t approve of this either.”
She is a monster

Papa, where are you?
The tears come harder
I look over my shoulder
Squinting through the tears
The game resumes anew
The other kids with their bright shiny guns
Laughing
Yelling

But now I see the scene is all too real
Papa, you’re here
Fighting the bad guys
And I know you won’t lose
I won’t let you lose