Riley hesitated by the door, unsure whether to join the group of children playing games and having so much fun. It wasn’t as easy as the grownups made it seem; he couldn’t blend in effortlessly.
Feeling like an invisible observer, he longed to be noticed by at least one of the others before mustering the courage to approach them.
A wave of loneliness washed over him.
“Hey, wanna play tag?’’, a voice startled him. “Erm, yes!”, he answered hesitantly, a glimmer of hope sparking within him.
“Come on then, you are it”, the little girl urged him, a welcoming smile on her face.
Riley ran toward the group with excitement pulsing through him. Soon the laughter and the fun of playing with the other children caught up with him making him a part of the group. Riley felt lighter and happier.
This flash fiction piece is written in response to the one hundred and sixtieth edition of Fiction Monday inspired by the word prompt – PLAY hosted at Reflections by yours truly. Do join in if you have a tale to tell.
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Void Thoughts 
Such a sweet story, Vinitha! That little girl sure is a darling!
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Aww…this is such a sweet story, Vinitha, and you have narrated it perfectly! Loved it!
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The little girl’s parents raised her right 🙂
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Very sweet and true. Trying to put out a post for this too. Wish me luck.
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Short and sweet. I can feel for him. It takes a lot of effort to take that one step. Happy that he agreed and enjoyed with others.
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