The Oak

[Administrator]

Come relax in the shade of this giant oak tree...

[Perry Halliway]

<<NEW DAY>>

Perry took a seat under the shade of the oak, taking his hat off and wiping a little sweat from his forehead. He had lost sight of his sister some time ago and knew he'd be scolded for wondering off but he was having such a great time playing in the park. Now he just needed to rest for a few moments before he went off to find her. He looked up at the sky and imagined that the clouds were actually ancient warriors fighting. Letting out a giggle he laid back on his back to have an easier time looking up.

[Gwennie]

Gwennie didn't often go to the Bronx. She didn't often have any reason to, in fact, even now she didn't have much of a reason to, she had just felt like it. However, as she had sold all of her papers and didn't have any other commitments, that was reason enough. as she was walking by the oak tree in Pelham Bay park, she came upon a little boy who appeared to be about her age lying on the ground and staring fixatedly at the sky. Her interest sufficiently piqued Gwennie walked over to the boy and stood over him. " Whatcha lookin' at?" she asked cheerily.

[Perry Halliway]

Perry, lost in his own little world was slightly startled by Gwennie's sudden appearance. Well in his mind it was a sudden appearance. "Nothin' really just noticing how the clouds look like they're fighting each other." Lots of other kids Perry had met had never been able to keep up with his vivid imagination and he had therefore usually been cast off as a weirdo in some sense. He didn't usually mind though, to him his brother and sister were enough. Although sometimes he did long for a friend his own age.

[Gwennie]

Gwennie looked up at the sky, shading her eyes with her hand and squinting. "I dunno" she said thoughtfully "I t'ink dere jus' playin', not fightin'. Whadda you t'ink, Marvin?" she asked facing the blank ground next to her.

[Perry Halliway]

Perry smiled at Gwennie, "Maybe your right." He tilted his head to the side to get a different view. "Yeah they're just playing." He rested his head on his arms and continued to stare up at the sky, not fazed one bit by her talking to no one.

[Gwennie]

"Yeah, Marvin t'inks so too" replied Gwennie, sitting down on the ground next to the boy. "So" she said, resting her weight on her hands "My name's Gwennie an' dis is my doggie Marvin" she motioned to her left before continuing "What's yoah name?"

[Perry Halliway]

Perry smiled brightly, "Perry, nice to meet you." He was incredibly interested in why he couldn't see her dog, but his sister had always told him that questions like that could be taken the wrong way so he'd just ask Lexi about it later. "You can lay down if you want."

[Gwennie]

"okay" replied Gwennie, flopping backward onto the grass " ya been a newsie long?" she asked Perry, turning her head to face him.

[Perry Halliway]

Perry glanced over at her and shrugged, "Long as I can remember." Which really wasn't that long, but he had been a newsie for awhile. "Guess it's been as long as I could walk and talk. We just moved to New York though, we're from Jersey City." Perry never really understood why they had moved but he loved adventures and that's what moving to New York City was, a huge adventure. "What about you? How long have you been a newsie?"

[Gwennie]

"I been a newsie 'bout two yeahs" answered Gwennie, smiling "So, Jersey huh? is it very different from heah?" she asked, changing the topic.

[Perry Halliway]

Perry nodded, "Yeah, there aren't so many people there." He liked it here though, everything was so new and big. "It seems bigger here too, lots more stuff to do." He grinned, thinking about all the neat things there would be to do here. He wasn't sure what exactly yet, but he knew there would be plenty of things to do and he couldn't wait to do them.

[Gwennie]

"Yeah, it's pretty big" agreed Gwennie " But I like it dat way, dere's definately way more stuff ta do an' people ta meet. Not dat I got anythin' ta compare it to." she admitted shrugging her shoulders " I've lived heah my whole life."

[Perry Halliway]

Perry nodded, "Always somewhere new to explore. It's gonna be great! I can't wait to see the whole city, but my sister doesn't like me going off by myself. She thinks I won't ever be found again." He never thought about the fact that he technically had wondered off now and his sister was probably worrying about him. He never gave much thought to stuff like that.

[Gwennie]

"Well, I can undahstand ya sistah bein' worried" admitted Gwennie "But, really ya ain't even in any moah trouble den she is, walkin' around, maybe less even, 'cause people are more likely ta defend you" she explained confidently " Not dat dat'll convince her, but ya can try"