The park.
A low iron fence.
Lined with ornamental plants.
The paint slightly faded.
Swings on the left.
A slide on the right.
A sandbox in the middle.
A water fountain.
A walking path.
I stopped at the entrance.
No gate.
Just an opening.
Yuna stopped beside me.
Her eyes immediately darted around.
Searching.
Two kids stood near the swings.
Waving their hands.
"...Yuna!"
Their voices were louder than usual.
Lighter.
Yuna raised her hand slightly.
A simple reply.
"...yeah..."
She didn’t run straight away.
Just walked a bit faster.
Heading toward them.
I entered after her.
A normal pace.
Unrushed.
The ground was a little dry.
Uneven grass.
Paved walkways.
Some parts shifted out of place.
Yuna had arrived.
Standing in front of them.
"You took so long..."
One of them said.
"...sorry, I went shopping with Papa for a bit..."
Yuna replied.
The other one gave a small laugh.
"...that’s fine, let’s play..."
They moved toward the swings.
Without waiting any longer.
Yuna followed.
Her steps lighter than usual.
I stopped near a wooden bench.
Sat down.
The wood was slightly rough.
Uneven.
Not a problem.
I looked straight ahead.
Yuna sat on a swing.
Pushed gently by her friend.
Small movements.
Not too high.
The sound of creaking chains.
Repeating.
The other one tried the slide.
Up.
Down.
Up again.
A simple pattern.
Repeating.
Yuna didn’t talk much.
But she wasn’t completely silent.
She had made friends.
Good.
"...my turn..."
"...yeah, yeah..."
"...careful, don’t push too hard..."
I looked at the other children.
In the corner of the park.
Playing by themselves.
Or with their parents.
No one was looking this way.
Alright.
An opportunity.
I leaned back slightly.
Looked at the sky.
Enough light.
Not too hot.
A few minutes passed.
Without any changes.
It was time.
I stood up.
I stepped toward the sandbox.
The corners of my lips lifted slightly.
There was a bit of hesitation.
But, there was excitement.
Dry sand.
Not compact.
Couldn’t be shaped.
I stopped at the edge.
Looked around.
A small water tap nearby.
I walked over.
Cupped a little water.
With my hands.
Returned.
Poured it onto the sand.
A little.
Not much.
I repeated it.
A few times.
The sand changed.
Heavier.
More compact.
Enough.
I crouched down.
My hands dug into the sand.
Pressing down.
Forming a base.
Flat.
I began.