Author's Note: In case you can't tell, this is an children's version of the myth Orpheus and Eurydice. If the names are confusing, Orphie is Orpheus (duh), D.C. is Eurydice, and Hadrick is Hades. Reviews are welcome!
Orphie, a six-year-old boy, sat atop the playground jungle gym. He was king of the jungle gym, and his climbing made him the most popular kid of the playground. Everybody looked up to him except Hadrick- the bully who wanted nothing more than to push Orphie from his throne and take it from him. One day, while sitting in his place high above the playground, Orphie noticed a new little girl entering the sandbox. He spun himself around the bar and allowed himself to drop gracefully to the ground.
"Hello. My name's Orphie."
"I'm D.C."
"What does that stand for?"
"Diane Cassandra, but I like D.C. better."
"I do too," Orphie said shyly.
Orphie smiled and ran over to his jungle gym. He quickly scrambled up to the top to show D.C. his reign over the playground. When he turned to look for her, she was gone. Hadrick had taken her, pretending to want to play "follow the leader." She followed him blindly around the playground, finally climbing the slide and sliding down. Orphie watched her slide down, realizing that the slide was exactly the opposite of his jungle gym. Once one goes down the slide, he or she can rarely get back up. Orphie watched as Hadrick and D.C. played in the sand just past the bottom of the slide. He gathered up all of his courage and dropped to the ground. He ran up to the top of the slide and took a deep breath.
"I'm coming for you, D.C.!"
He slid down to where Hadrick and D.C. were playing.
"Orphie, I'll make a deal with you," Hadrick said.
"If you can climb up the slide on the smooth end, without looking back at D.C., she will follow you out. But, if you look back at her, she'll be gone forever."
"Deal."
Orphie turned and started climbing carefully up the slide. He could hear the rubber of her tennis shoes against the plastic of the slide. He was almost to the top when he couldn't hear her trying to climb anymore. Thinking that she had slipped and fallen back down to Hadrick, he turned.
"Diane! Time to go home!" her mother called.
"Good-bye, Orphie. I can never come back now."
"No! D.C.! Stay!"
D.C. turned and slid down to the bottom of the slide again. She ran to her waiting mother and was never seen on that playground again, as her mother did not want her playing with Orphie anymore.
Orphie, saddened by her disappearance, wandered the playground aimlessly and refused to climb the jungle gym ever again. Hadrick took control of the playground, and though he could never reach the very top, like Orphie had, he would never allow anyone else to try.
Orphie, a six-year-old boy, sat atop the playground jungle gym. He was king of the jungle gym, and his climbing made him the most popular kid of the playground. Everybody looked up to him except Hadrick- the bully who wanted nothing more than to push Orphie from his throne and take it from him. One day, while sitting in his place high above the playground, Orphie noticed a new little girl entering the sandbox. He spun himself around the bar and allowed himself to drop gracefully to the ground.
"Hello. My name's Orphie."
"I'm D.C."
"What does that stand for?"
"Diane Cassandra, but I like D.C. better."
"I do too," Orphie said shyly.
Orphie smiled and ran over to his jungle gym. He quickly scrambled up to the top to show D.C. his reign over the playground. When he turned to look for her, she was gone. Hadrick had taken her, pretending to want to play "follow the leader." She followed him blindly around the playground, finally climbing the slide and sliding down. Orphie watched her slide down, realizing that the slide was exactly the opposite of his jungle gym. Once one goes down the slide, he or she can rarely get back up. Orphie watched as Hadrick and D.C. played in the sand just past the bottom of the slide. He gathered up all of his courage and dropped to the ground. He ran up to the top of the slide and took a deep breath.
"I'm coming for you, D.C.!"
He slid down to where Hadrick and D.C. were playing.
"Orphie, I'll make a deal with you," Hadrick said.
"If you can climb up the slide on the smooth end, without looking back at D.C., she will follow you out. But, if you look back at her, she'll be gone forever."
"Deal."
Orphie turned and started climbing carefully up the slide. He could hear the rubber of her tennis shoes against the plastic of the slide. He was almost to the top when he couldn't hear her trying to climb anymore. Thinking that she had slipped and fallen back down to Hadrick, he turned.
"Diane! Time to go home!" her mother called.
"Good-bye, Orphie. I can never come back now."
"No! D.C.! Stay!"
D.C. turned and slid down to the bottom of the slide again. She ran to her waiting mother and was never seen on that playground again, as her mother did not want her playing with Orphie anymore.
Orphie, saddened by her disappearance, wandered the playground aimlessly and refused to climb the jungle gym ever again. Hadrick took control of the playground, and though he could never reach the very top, like Orphie had, he would never allow anyone else to try.