Peter had been trying to figure out what was being built on the other side of the fence for weeks. He was always curious when he saw any movement out there in the ordinary world. In the orphanage where he lived, he was surrounded by security and stability, which could be boring at times.
\nToday, he was watching again as people came and went, machines passed by digging the earth, carrying sand and laying green cubes. All kinds of rods, screws, tools, then colourful objects appeared: red pipes, a big yellow something and lots of green rods.
\nPeter had no idea what was going on, but today he realised that the big yellow thing they had just set up could only be a slide. The red circular tubes were stacked on top of each other: they became a rocket-shaped climbing frame, and the green rods became the support poles for a swing: it was playground!
\nBut there was one toy that caught Peter\u2019s interest even more than the swings, the slide and the monkey bars: the zipline. He had seen one in a book once, which was why he knew how to use it.
\n\u201cYou go up the little hill,\u201d he said to himself, \u201cgrab the two handles on the slide on the thick wire, kick yourself off, and whoosh \u2013 you’re flying!\u201d” “More than anything, Peter wanted to try out the zipline. Then he could fly like Peter Pan, his favourite fairy-tale hero.
\n\u201cGuess where we’re going today, kids!\u201d Said Professor Tinkerbell at their gym class that day. \u201cThey’ve built a new playground in our neighbourhood; today is the opening ceremony and we’re attending too!\u201d
\nPeter’s heart almost jumped out of his chest. They were visiting the playground. They would go over together and he would try the zipline with his friends. Professor Tinkerbell told everyone to dress up \u2013 in respectable, but casual clothes, because they would stay after the ceremony to play for a while.
\nThey went over in the afternoon, and stood in the sweltering heat listening to the mayor. After the speech, when the other unfamiliar children began to storm the playground, an adult in a suit pulled Tinkerbell aside and with a violent wave of his hand explained something about the press and how they shouldn’t allow the orphanage kids to mingle with the other children, adding as an afterthought, \u2018You do understand, don’t you?\u2019
\nThe professor returned to them with a sad face.
\n\u201cKids, we can’t try the playground now. Maybe another time\u201d. ” But they did not go to the playground the next day or the day after that, either. Peter was terribly disappointed. Luckily, he was distracted by the preparations for the big match. Peter loved football: he was the captain of their team, the Lost Boys. Another member of the team was Tootles, who was assigned to be a reserve since he couldn’t really attack or defend. It was as if the ball were avoiding him. Like Peter, Nibs, his lively, agile friend, was also a striker in the team. Nibs’ boldness often came in handy for Peter, and they were able to execute great attacks together. The other striker was slightly less skilful, but would have been mortally offended if he had not been put in the striker’s position. Besides Tootles, the other reserve was Curly, also quite a footballer, but the two of them usually managed to get something going with Tootles. The Twins always played defence: nobody could tell them apart and everyone kept mixing them up, even the team coach, Miss Tinkerbell. And they almost always had someone else in goal, they could never get anyone to fill the position permanently. “Needless to say, the team\u2019s name The Lost Boys also came from Peter’s favourite book, Peter Pan. Peter \u2013 and his friends \u2013 had been abandoned by their parents and lived at the orphanage. He loved living here with his friends, and the children’s home \u2013 to him \u2013 was a home for children, a cosy, happy place. Peter couldn’t stand Captain Hook, the coach of the rival football team, because he had once teased him for being Peter Pan.
\n\u201cYou’re Peter Pan who ran away from home, right?\u201d He asked grinning so that it was hard to tell whether he was joking or not.
\nCaptain Hook did not train every day with his team, who were called ‘The Pirates\u2019 by Peter and his friends. They were older boys, and they looked down on the kids from the orphanage.
\n\u201cWe’ll thrash you in the match,\u201d they used to say, \u201cyou’ll lose so badly you’ll regret ever kicking a ball!\u201d” “One afternoon, a few days after the playground opening ceremony, Peter and his friends were playing football in the orphanage.
\n\u201cTake this!\u201d Flake shouted to Peter, as he gave the ball a big kick. Peter tried to head it, but he couldn’t jump high enough. The ball hit the fence and then dropped into the corner.
\n\u201cLook! There is a hole under the slats. How come we\u2019ve never noticed until now? Let’s take a break, I’ll be right back!\u201d Peter said to the others, and without thinking, he slipped through the hole.
\nThe others looked at each other, puzzled, as Peter disappeared in an instant. As soon as he squeezed under the fence, he ran into the playground. He had never been so excited, he felt incredibly free. Finally, he could see the great attractions up close: a castle was built around the slide, and from the castle gate he could slide down into the moat; and the sandpit, surrounded by a castle wall. The zipline was in a jungle and shaped like a creeper stretched between two trees. The top of the rocket-shaped climbing frame was covered with a starry sky, and from the top one could touch the planets, the Sun and the Moon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1171,"template":"","class_list":["post-1173","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n