Vignettes #43

On my way home after work I walk through a small area of apartment buildings before I reach the bus station. Although the houses themselves are rather dull and uncomely, they are surrounded by some grassland, a nice large playground with sandbox and swings and a well-kept soccer field, and there's even some woods where kids can play jungle.

On any given summer evening, especially at vacation time, I'll see lots of things going on: kids playing playing everywhere, a mother or two at the clothesline, a dad mowing the lawn or fixing a car or maybe barbecueing, some old folks sitting on a bench chatting.

Recently, however, it was a wonderful lukewarm evening, and I noticed that there was nothing going on at all, it was remarkably still and there was nobody around. Walking through the area I did notice a group of maybe 7 or 8 girls, all the age of maybe 10-12 years, sitting around a house entrance. They were all silent and each in some kind of thinking man's position as if they were in a silent conference.

While I walked pass them I imagined that probably some adult had scolded the kids for something, and now they were just hanging around with no idea what to do next.

I had already passed them, when I heard one of the girls behind me say: "But what shall we do now?"