Feeling the crunching of the leaves underfoot and hearing the rush of the water heading down the small creek, he feels completely at peace. He can hear laughing in the distance of what must be little kids playing at a park, perhaps they're playing tag or swishing down the slide. Looking up he sees birds, some chirping in the trees, others staring at him as he passes. He feels a squish and looks down to see he just stepped in dog poop. Great. As he walks over to a tree, so he can try to scrape it off, he hears snapping of twigs and turns around to see a squirrel hopping off a tree to chase it's friend. He's smiling at the two squirrels when he hears the most glorious noise, if it can even be called that, he has ever heard. Turning around once again, he sees a little girl of maybe 6 or so, who is the source of the astounding noise. She's laughing. Her beautiful hazel green eyes, with flecks of gold, lock onto his diamonds of blue. He's smiling. Very big, he can tell. Possible the biggest he ever has, but suddenly she stops and is giving him a very quizzical look. He can't think of why she's stop when he suddenly remembers that he's in the middle of scarping dog crap off his shoe. He blushes.
"Hey there, what's your name?" He says as he puts his foot back on the ground.
"My name's Katherine, but everyone calls me Katie." Katie says with amazing confidence. "What's your name?"
"My name's Rick..." He trails off just staring at her in astonishment and confusion. "What are you doing out in the woods by yourself? You're a little young to be away from your parents, aren't you?"
"I'm not little," She scoffs. "And my dad's over at the swings. I told him I was going to wounder around a bit and he said it was fine."
Little rick couldn't imagine letting a little six-year-old girl, non the less, wounder around the woods by herself in Central Park. Though he was still young himself, he knew these woods weren't the safest, even if he went on mystical journeys in said woods almost every day. The difference was he was a boy and she was a girl and girls are targeted more. Plus, when he was six he would have never set a foot in these woods. The first time he ever came in here he was eight, and even then it was because of a dare from one of his friends. He realizes he's been staring at this girl, Katie, for quite a while and feels as though he should say something.
"How about we head back to the park and swing with your dad?" He can hear the worry in his own voice and hopes that she's little enough not to notice his nervous about what could happen to her.
"I'm big, I can take care of myself, thank you very much," Apparently not.
"I'm not saying you're little, it's just that I wanna go swing and, well you see, I was hoping to have someone join me and since you're here I thought maybe you'd like to swing with me." Seeing he's not really convincing her he adds, "So I could have a friend?"
That seems to get her. He can see her defenses going down and can tell she's about to oblige. He smiles to himself seeing that he got her. For only being about six she sure is stubborn. He can't imagine what she'll be like when she's grown. Something in him, though, tells him he'd like to know grown Katie. That she'd be very beautiful, maybe a little hard to get through to, and very hard core, but, when it counted, she'd be very sentimental and kind. Out of nowhere she's smiling, a full blown smile, that has to be the prettiest site he's ever seen. He can't help but feel that she's about to make him regret trying to talk her out of the woods.
"Fine, I'll go back to the park with you," Now it's his turn to smile, "But, only if you go and tell my dad that you think..." Her smile goes from pretty to evil in a second flat and now he's worried, "Hmm...that you..think he's stupid and that his daughter, me, is...smoking hot."
Oh she's evil, real evil. He doesn't want to get in trouble and he can't even begin to think of where this little girl would hear the words 'smoking hot'. He really does not want to tell a man, this little girls father, that he's stupid and this little, you would think innocent, girl is 'smoking hot'. The good thing is it would get her out of these woods and since it's getting dark it would be for the best. He turns to stare in her eyes and sees a little insecurity there. About what? Him? Him saying that stuff to her father? But if that was it why would she want him to say it in the first place? Does she think he'll refuse and just let her stay in the woods?
"Fine, but you can't go back in the woods after I've said it to him," He sees the worry get deeper and figures it's because she was hoping he'd deny her offer. "And I get to choose how I phrase it-," She goes to cut him off but he puts a finger to her lips, "Nah uh uh, I get to choose otherwise I'm telling your father that, in the woods, you told me you thought he was stupid."
He notices her eyes get really big when he mentions the word 'woods' and forthwith he knows what had her distraught. Her father doesn't actually know she's in here. Abruptly, there's a change in the air around them, for she must have noticed he caught on to what she was up to. Just like a switch of a light the smirk switches faces. He's staring her down and she looks like a mouse that went for the cheese. Her eyes widened to double their size in a number of seconds, filling with fear. Her mouth went a gap and then it started moving so fast he couldn't understand a single word.
"You're going to have to repeat that, but slower this time." He told her, his smirk slowly fading but not completely.
"I said," She inhales greatly before she continues, "'Please don't tell my dad I'm in the woods, he'll kill me.'"
He bursts into laughter. She starts to pout and that might be the cutest thing she's done; although, her smile is a close second.
"Why did you want me to go talk to your dad if you don't want him to know you're out here?" he asks after he's calmed down.
"I didn't think you'd go with it. You don't look like the type to insult someone when you don't mean it." She said it so softly he had to strain his ears to hear her. "I just thought, you know, that you'd say something like 'No way!' and leave me be."
"It's not very good for a lit-sorry- big girl, like yourself, to be out here. Especial now, since it's getting dark." He explained, his voice quiet but filled with authority. "As a matter of fact, I shouldn't be out here anymore. It's very dangerous once it gets dark...trust me."
And she did exactly that. He reached for her hand, which, to his surprise, she took and they walked out of the woods together, toward her father. Once they got to her dad, she dropped his hand. She took off in a jog, for her father seemed to be frantically looking for her. Half way between her father and Rick, she turned around and shouted,
"You coming, Rick?!" and then she continued in her jog to her father. Reaching her father, she gave him a hug, which the rather young looking man returned with twice the force as the child. The scene gave Rick a bitter sweet feeling, for he has never gotten to meet his father. He couldn't deny, though, that it was a sweet scene. He had stopped walking a while back, not want to interrupt the reunion. After a little bit, Katie turned around towards him, smiling, and waved him over. He sprinted to where they were at, which was about twenty yards away, and tripped trying to stop, causing him to slam into Katie making them both hit the ground. He was scared. He quickly got off her hoping she, nor her father, would get upset with him.
Looking down at Katie she seemed fine, slightly flustered, but fine. Not mad or, most importantly, hurt. Then it was time to look up. Her father, seeing Katie was fine, burst out laughing. He pulled both Rick and Katie up in a matter of a second. After brushing off his daughter, he turned to Rick.
"What's your name, Son?"
"My names Rick, Sir." He responded, not really sure what to say.
"Nice to meet you, Rick," He stuck out his hand for Little Rick to shake, after they shook hands he continued, "My names Jim, and I see you've run into my daughter here, Katie." He said on a chuckle.
"Ah, yes sir. I...I'm very sorry," He said turning to Katie, "I didn't mean to, I just...I'm clumsy." Jim laughed, then he turned to his daughter, picking her up and putting her on his shoulders.
"It's quite alright, Boy. No worries, trust me, she's a tough one." He said winking, "Maybe we'll see you around." He turned to leave and Rick realized this was probably the last time he'd get to see Katie. Just then, she turned around and waved at him with the biggest smile on her face, only to turn back around when her father asked about her previous where abouts.