Jump Together

"I can't do this anymore." Ally sighed as she fell onto a park bench on her eighth walk this week. Work was driving her crazy. Her boss was the worst and she was over it all. She needed more than a break, she needed something new. But what? She needed a job, but could she afford to find a new one?

She threw her head in her hands. She was out of tears and ideas. She wasn't sure how long she sat there before she looked up again, but when she did she jerked back. "Ahk! Hello!”

"Hi!" a little girl with two perfect braids, freckles and missing teeth was smiling and waving at her. Ally looked around - where was this child’s mother?

"Why are you sad?" the little girl asked.

"I'm not..." Why was she trying to explain herself to a child? "Sometimes life is hard, kid, and you just have to make it work."

"When I'm sad, I play!" the little girl said, like she had all the answers.

"If only it were that simple." Ally sighed.

"But it is! Come with me!" Before Ally could answer, the girl pulled her off the bench. She opened an umbrella, which Ally hadn't noticed she was carrying.

It looked vaguely familiar... It was polka-dotted and clear. Ally had hardly finished processing that, when she realised they weren't at the park anymore…or at least, not her park. There were puddles everywhere and it was lightly raining.

The little girl smiled her toothy smile. "Jumping in puddles is the best fun!" She clicked her heels; had she always had on rubber boots? Ally looked down at her own feet. When had she put on rubber boots? The little girl pulled on her hand. "Look, the rain has stopped! Come jump with me?"

Ally held out her other hand and couldn't feel any rain, so she sighed and said, "Sure, kid, why not?" Hand in hand they jumped.

They made an impressive splash - even Ally was surprised. When the water settled there was a little monster floating in the air by Ally's head. And the two of them where in a bedroom, "What in the world?"

The little girl pulled on her hand again. "Come on!" They raced to another puddle that was in the corner of the bedroom and the splash was even bigger. This time they landed in a charming campground.

Every puddle, another world to explore! An old apartment building, kingdoms, superhero worlds, and so many more places….

Ally's head was spinning. "Wait, please slow down! There is so much to explore.”

The little girl looked at her with wide eyes. "I know! That's why I'm rushing! I don't have much time!"

Ally gently pulled the girl to a stop. "You’re just a kid, you have lots of time."

"No, I don't." The little girl was yelling. "I have to help take care of things, and none of the other kids play like I do! So I have to grow up." Tears fell down her face and her breath caught in her throat.

Ally dropped to her knees and pulled the girl into a hug. "Oh ya sweet girl, I'm so sorry... I wish I could help"

"Oh my gosh!" The little girl pushed free from the hug. “You can help!"

Ally was taken aback, how could she help? "What do you mean? I don't even know you…."

"Do you still write?" the little girl asked. How did she know that Ally used to write?

"I mean, kinda…? School kind of stole my time, but ya, I have a few projects on the go. But I'm kinda hitting a wall with them."

"Write these stories. And I can enjoy them." The little girl rocked back and forth in excitement.

“I don't know…“ Ally sighed. "I don't think I'm that good…."

"I bet you are better than you think. Please!” the little girl begged.

Ally looked at the little girl. The more time they spent together and the longer she stared at her, the more familiar this child felt to Ally. Her hair, her freckles, her umbrella… "You're not just some kid I met at the park, are you?"

The little girl shook her head. "Please explore the worlds and stories I don't have time for."

Tears pricked at Ally's eyes and she nodded. “I will... I'll write those stories. And we'll enjoy them together.” The little girl clapped her hands, and together she and Ally walked up to a puddle and jumped in together.