Swing Sets and Monkey Bars
Ed stepped outside the Rockbell residence to clear his head after an argument with Winry, over what he couldn't remember, and decided he'd take a short walk through the small village in which he'd grown up. After about a half-mile, he came upon a site he'd forgotten- the Resembool playground, replete with swing set, monkey bars, and a slide. It'd been years since Ed had even seen a playground, much less played on one, and he decided he owed himself this small indulgence. First, he stepped up to the swing set, the kind with a hard, flexible, plastic seat attached to two chains. He rested in the seat, and felt the hard rubber mould to his slim hips with a strange sense of satisfaction. Settling into the swing, he held the chains tight and pumped his legs back and forth in a familiar, but long unused, rhythm his body had never truly forgotten. He felt the swing carry him forward and up, then backward and down and back up, over and over again at a hypnotic tempo. All his oppressive responsibility fell away, lost in that weightless moment between reaching the pique of the inversed arc's height, and falling back down. Lost in that moment when the chains went slack, right before the links' tension was restored. He felt the wind caressing his face, battering his braid. The first genuine grin he'd worn in years stretched across his face, when for just a short moment, he remembered what it was like to be a spotless child, unafraid to let himself go and just trust that everything would be okay. He twisted his elbows outside the chains, pointed them outward, took a deep breath, and launched himself from the swing, falling down and laughing brightly.
He ran to the monkey bars feeling a strange mix of triumph and reverence as he heaved himself in the air. He reached for the first bar, then the next bar, and the next. When he came to the middle of the monkey bars, he hoisted his feet off the ground and hooked his knees on the third bar from him. Then, he hooked his ankles under the next bar, braced himself, and let go, suspended upside down, feeling the simple joy of a child who has just accomplished something profoundly courageous. He realized the quaint symbolism in his action – bracing himself and simply letting go, forgetting consequences momentarily and just living, another indulgence he'd always denied himself. He grasped the bar above him, unhooked his feet, and dropped back down to the ground. He was slightly out of breath, his hands were sore, and his arms ached around the shoulders, but he felt good. He felt refreshed, as if all that was needed to resolve his life's problems was twenty minutes playing in the park. Though he wasn't so naïve as to think it was the truth, he had the sense to realize that at that moment, nothing could have been better for him. He returned to Winry's house with a weight lifted from his shoulders, and hugged her with brotherly affection, apologizing for the fight. Though completely confused by Ed's uncharacteristic behavior, she gratefully accepted the hug and apology, and wondered what had happened during the few minutes he'd been away. When she asked, he merely answered, "Just exactly what I needed." And she knew he was telling the truth.
