Rangers on the Playground

 

I remember when imagination was allowed to run free. When I and my friends were allowed to just… be. Those years of elementary school were precious, those days during recess were we could go out and play on the playground, acting out our own stories as they appeared in my head. I miss them, now… 21 years old and I remember how important that time was to me. How sad I was when it was over. 

 

The first time it happened was the first day of first grade. A gloomy day, the skies were gray and heavy with rain, but recess was still outside despite the showering. I didn’t know many people then, but that was the day I met my best friend, who remains my best friend to this day. 

 

I don’t remember what started it, but we both liked Power Rangers. And so we started playing together- creating fantasies and plotlines and monsters inside our heads. That was the day I created my first villain, Scorpion Tail, and he introduced a villain of his own, Zana. I didn’t know it then, but that was the beginning of Team Super. A silly Power Ranger, Pokemon, Digimon, whatever-we-were-interested-in-at-the-time idea where we played out battles of good vs evil. It was fun, although the noon supervisors were a little bit annoyed at our playfights when we pretended we were power rangers on the playground’s black top.

 

I miss those days. While I would never go back, it’s sad to look at your past and realize that the magic of your childhood has died.