I was thinking about Questions.
Questions I would love to ask people, for fun. (Why I was thinking about such things at this hour on a Saturday night, Dios only knows.)
One Question I thought of was- What was your favorite place as a child? Not like "Disneyland" or "My grandma's house" or something, but the kind of places that only Children discover.
And I had a really odd, really obscur memory come to me.
It was of a small room in a big house in Lafayette that my mom and her friend would house-sit for during the summers. It was a magical place for children. Giant oak trees, a rose garden, a pool, a piano, and many rooms to explore, each with their own stories and daydreams. My sister and I would look forward to those two weeks of house-sitting more than any other summer plans. It must have been from when I was about 8 to about 10 or 11.
The memory was this- of a small room with an alcove. It was lit only by the rays of the afternoon sun that streamed lazily through the window, illuminating the dust particles and making them dance. The window was angled to create the space for a bench seat that you had to climb up on. It had a maroon velvet cushion. I would sit there for hours in the warmth of the sun, reading, drawing, staring out at the wild garden and trees. Next to this perch, facing the room, was a baby grand piano. Black and shiny and perfect. The piano bench was within the reach of the sun's rays- they shone in on you and warmed your back and neck as you played. I would sit and dabble at that piano, stumbling through little songs someone had shown me, making some up. It didn't matter to me that I didn't really know how to play anything, I just loved touching the keys and feeling their weight.
Of course, I spent much of those two weeks running around outside barefoot and half-naked, dirty and estatic. The kids all played together and we swam and climbed trees multiple times a day. But I have vivid memories of that room and going there alone. Of sneaking away from the games. I loved it there. It was pure Magic.
Wow. What was your favorite place? Think about it.
