Mother advised us to be open and to have fun.
“Maybe when you go to your new school, you will like it a little
more. Jordan is happy here and besides, this house is bigger than
what we had in Caterham, and it’s even made of bricks rather than
matchsticks. We’ll have to put in a few features for character, but it’s
nearly there. I was thinking of a wishing well and a jellyfish aquarium,”
my mother said.
The house was the least of my problems. I wasn’t happy in
Qingdao. Three weeks after we settled into the house, my father
thought it would be a good idea to go to May 4th Square.
“What’s May 4th Square?” Muncho said.
“May 16th? I don’t know,” I merely muttered morosely.
Jordan didn’t know what the square was either, but he was
excited, anyway. He’s always been the kind of person to make the
most of massive life changes, and he’d recently conquered his lifelong
fear of right angles. There was nothing at all special about the Square
except it was astonishingly beautiful to look at. Jordan had brought two
kites and he flew one up in the air. A graceful eagle in arresting golden
hues. He begged me to join him with the other kite, a brown kite, but I
was not ready to have fun yet. I was still sad and mopey.
“You know, it wouldn’t hurt you to play with your brother,” my
father said.
“Jordan doesn’t need me to have fun, he is having fun right now
without me,” I mumbled moodily.
“Just take the kite, Joshy peanut-brittle!” my mother said.
“But I don’t want to!” My voice and my heart were mightily
melancholy that morning.
“Apple-crumble-and-cream-with-a-cherry-on-top-and-sprinkles
Josh!” Mother snapped.
Muncho appeared on my shoulder. He whispered into my ear and
told me to take the kite and that I would feel better after. I took the
kite from Jordan grudgingly. In that moment, to my great surprise I felt a
spark of happiness spark from the halves of my flinty heart. The kite
brought out the inner child in me (even children can forget their inner
child sometimes). Soon, me and Jordan were having the time of our