The night was calm. No wind disturbed the trees and withering grass below. The backyard could hardly be called decent, let alone clean. Leaves scattered around an old Maple tree that had survived many storms. Some of the ground was sticking up in places making it hard for people to walk without caution. There was a really old plastic trash can near the back door, a rusty grill a little off center in the big unkept field, a broken trampoline, and a swing set for two.
It was a miracle that the house was still standing. It is a very small two bedroom, one bath home with not much of a kitchen and hardly any space in the living room. The home was ages old. It had never been repaired and most likely will never be.
The teenager again escaped the confines of said home. This was really the only place she could go without worrying about getting into trouble with her parents. This swing set has seen her at her highest, and her lowest.
Its been there when she first invited her best friend to play when she was 11, and its been there when the boy she liked turned his back on her.
She stood in front of the swing set admiring its age and stability. She brushed some of the dirt off of the seat and sat. The feeling was so familiar and comforting to her. The swing never let her down. It took her to a place above everything else, into a place were she was happy, into a place she couldn't be touched.
The girl kicked her feet from under her, the momentum getting the swing to glide back and forth. She closed her eyes and forgot about her worries. A sense of calm came about her and she was finally able to breathe. Really breathe. She opened her eyes to the star filled sky.
She was sixteen but had already gone through more in life than any adult she had known.
"If only Mom and Dad could see the stars and find joy in them." Her voice was steady with a whisper of hope.
She raised her head to the only window on the back wall. A golden glow emitted from the bedroom inside from a single lamp, with a single stand, and a single bed. No occupants.
She had turned this lamp on herself before heading outside to her swing set. It gave her a touch of optimism that things might just go back to the way they were.
Besides, she was still a kid with dreams that had the capability to take flight.