The 4 Year Old Disappontment

• Prisha Nadar, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2018

The kindergarten I came to every day for the past few years now had to close down but my four-year-old self couldn't comprehend what was going on and didn’t like it there anyway, therefore I was emotionless. They were giving out the toys that were previously played with for free, so I had to take some of my favourites. I held a giant box in my hands, that was half as big as me, the day they had packed everything up. I had soon realised it was actually a farmhouse which wasn’t what I thought at first, because it was maroon, not the usual red from the barnyard series I was used to.

I traced my fingers along the ridges and fine details of the box, being quite bored with it as it was nothing like a farmhouse. I accidentally pushed my fingers through the doors of the farmyard while it was facing downwards. What seemed like millions of fake animals fell on to the stained carpet. I smiled with happiness and smacked the box onto the floor next to me. I started moving animals around and making stories purely out of my crazy imagination. I heard a loud bang and my head immediately turned around to see a bright and giant castle the size of me, in my favourite colour, pink. I got off the carpet to get a closer look at this intriguing object.

I hoped to take it home with me, as soon I saw the intricate details of the plastic as well as assuming that the pretty Barbie dolls were part of the castle. I placed one hand on the top of the castle but was met by another little girl the same age as me, who yelled in her high pitched voice, telling me that this whole castle was hers, and even got her parents behind her, backing her up but I didn’t care, I still wanted it but I found out the hard way that adults will never give in to stop a crying and wailing child from getting what it wants.

About a week later, I was invited to a house party that was across the street. As soon as we arrived, my mum told me to go into the room where the little kids would hang out. I went in and noticed something bright, pink and giant. I recognised it as the same castle I saw just a week ago. They were playing with the same Barbie dolls and castle that should have been mine. I was surprised they didn’t notice me even though I was sitting in the corner, being in my own thoughts, as talking to them seemed too dangerous which ended being the first disappointment of my life.