“Rose! You’re going to be late for work!” My husband yelled anxiously. I quickly dashed to the kitchen to grab a piece of bread, and stuffed in my mouth, before dashing out of the house door. As I stopped in front of the traffic crossing, I caught sight of the old dragon playground that I used to play at in my youth. After standing there for almost thirty years, it was under repair. It had stain marks and its paint was peeling badly. Upon seeing it, an old memory flashed across my mind…
“Ready or not here I come, Rose!” Mary shouted. I laughed cheekily as I thought, she would never be able to find me! No one could beat me in Hide-and-Seek! Mary would never be able to find me hiding inside the slide of the dragon playground, plus, she had to find me in 10 minutes, or else she would lose the game! Mary gave up really easily, so she would most likely forfeit! I laughed as the thought crossed my mind. Unfortunately, my laugh was heard by Mary, and almost immediately, my hiding spot was given away! Mary peeked inside the tube slide where I was hiding and commented exaggeratedly. “Rose! Your laugh was so loud that our neighbours probably heard it!” I burst into a fit of laughter when I heard this.
Mary had been my best friend since 1st Grade, and she always cheered me up by making me laugh. Little did I know that our friendship would come to an end very soon. It was the Mid Autumn festival in just a few days and my family had planned to give Mary’s family a big surprise party on the day of the festival. Since Mary’s family was a huge fan of mooncakes, we decided to make mooncakes for them. However, nothing could have prepared us for what came next.
The day of the Mid Autumn festival, my family and I went to Mary’s house to surprise them. However, we found their house deserted and empty of furniture. A few days later, we found out from our neighbours that Mary’s family had moved to America. My family was shocked but I was more devastated than shocked. I had lost my only best friend! My life would never be the same without her. How I wish I could see Mary once more. Why did she not tell me she was leaving?
“Ring! Ring! As I spun around, I realised a cyclist was headed straight for me! I immediately dodged out of the cyclist’s way, while the cyclist braked the bicycle.
“I’m so sorry! I gushed. The cyclist took off her helmet and I immediately noticed a distinctive scar on her right cheek. Mary had that too! This could not be a coincidence! Could this be Mary?
“It’s okay!” The woman replied with a grin that showed her dimples. That grin… Mary had always grinned that way!
“My name is Mary! What is your name?” The cyclist asked, extending her hand.
“My name is Rose!” I replied. At that moment, I caught her staring at me in a daze. Suddenly, Mary let out a cry and strangled me with a bear hug.
“I’m so happy that I found you again Rose!” Mary whispered. I had finally found my long lost best friend again.
After the hug, we went to the café nearby and caught up. She told me that day when we played hide-and-seek, our parents had had a fight, as Mary’s parents thought that I was a bad influence on Mary as there was a huge difference between our grades. Also, Mary’s parents had decided to move to America so that she could get into the IB programme there. However, I did not mind at all as I was happy that she could see my old best friend again.
“Wanna play hide-and-seek?” I asked Mary cheekily.
“Sure, do you still laugh like a donkey?” Mary laughed as we walked off arm in arm.
Khanh P6 Cantonment Primary School