J. limps off the soccer field to the nearby bench. On the field, the game continues, but a cluster of students buzzes about J. I edge closer, trying to gauge if this is a real injury, requiring teacher intervention, or not. I listen to the hum of conversation about J., keeping my distance, not wanting to escalate the injury with an audience, but ready to move if needed.
“Hey, buddy, you good?” a boy asks, clapping his hand on J.’s back.
J, a veteran soccer player and injury milker, shakes his head somberly and clasps his ankle.
Another student stands on one foot and demonstrates how to wiggle his ankle back and forth. “Maybe you can do this,” he suggests. “It helps me with my ankle.”
J. wiggles his foot a few times and grimaces.
A third student commiserates, “Yeah, my wrist still hurts from last night when I was jumping on my bed when I was going to sleep.” He wiggles his wrist tentatively. (I immediately grimace myself, commiserating with his parents!)
(Meanwhile, on an important side note, it was PJ and stuffy day. So, you need to know that this cast of characters is mostly wearing pajamas, and many of them are clutching their beloved small stuffies. It adds a certain nuance to the scene.)
Oblivious to the injury drama, a first grader who’s been showing off his stuffed cat’s skills to me throughout recess, runs in and out of the scene.
“Look, Mrs. Hogan, Kitty flies!” He races by again, and his stuffed cat soars overhead.
Behind me there’s some sort of feral game happening and a young girl in my class is standing still with her head thrown back. “Aroooooooooo! Aaaaaroooooooooo!!!!” She’s howling like a wolf over and over again. Suddenly, a few kids give chase, and they all race across the playground. Standing by the soccer field, I can hear the intermittent howls.
“Look, Mrs. Hogan, Kitty can jump off the pirate ship!” the first grader enthuses as he zooms past, and poor Kitty goes sailing through the air again.
Back at the bench, another boy approaches J. (who, by the way, is looking pretty perky at this point). The boy holds out his hand. Nestled in it is a rock. A large piece of nondescript gravel from the strip of rocks that edges the building.
“This rock might cure you,” says the budding shaman, solemnly handing it over. J. takes it and looks at it carefully, turning it over and over. He looks a bit confused, but game.
I realize suddenly that the howls have ceased and glance over to ensure all’s well in that corner of the recess world. After scanning the playground, I spy Wolf girl. She is lying on the picnic table as still as can be. Several classmates are pretending to dig into her stomach and are apparently eviscerating her with unholy glee. They lift handfuls of imaginary guts to their mouths and dig in.
J, miraculously cured (Was it the rock?), suddenly stands up and races back onto the soccer field with no trace of a limp. The rock falls to the ground, bounces once or twice, and then is still. The crowd disperses.
Super Kitty flies by, narrowly avoiding a collision with my head.
Such is second grade recess.
Nix the comfort zone 
You captured it all so well! I could picture every bit, pajamas and all!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pajama day really added to the buzz of this particular recess. Maybe it was all the stuffies and their antics? lol
LikeLike
It’s amazing how these little shifts in routine can make such an impact!
LikeLike
Recess duty! Your writing reminded me that recess is filled with so many stories!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It can be such fun to tap into those stories!
LikeLike
Oh my goodness, this brings back memories to the treasured days of 2nd grade at recess. I used to teach this age, and they are so energetic and full of fun. I think what strikes me most is the ever-changing (quickly changing) buzz of onto the next thing, and that kitty in the air and the howl of wolves and all the randomness of imagination just captures it all so truthfully.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad that randomness came through, because that’s what struck me about that particular moment at recess.
LikeLike
Love the dialogue and the sweet tips the boys give J to help him recover from his injury.
Also, I’m amusing myself by imaging what would happen if jumping on the bed was part of my get ready for bed routine. Ha. I might have to sketch a cartoon about this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
J was definitely the recipient of a lot of empathy!
LikeLike
Haha so entertaining!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Recess duty can be the best! or not. lol
LikeLike
Bwahahaha!! You can’t make this stuff up. Your crafting of the tale was superb. I loved that you baited us into the recess with the injury and THEN told us they were in their PJs. I actually broke out laughing and had a bit of pity for you, pulling recess duty on PJ day. They always seem to be a little more crazy on those “special” days. I enjoyed hearing your voice as you “talked” to us by putting your thinking in parenthesis.
LikeLiked by 1 person
On top of the anticipation for Halloween, the Student Council at our pre-K-8 school designated the whole week as Spirit Week with different themes for each day. It was a lot. Fun at times, but definitely a lot.
LikeLike
I had a little twinge of missing recess duty. Ah it is fun to eavesdrop and watch playground antics.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s fascinating to see their playground choices. Sometimes alarming, too! lol
LikeLike
So fun to have a master storyteller take us along for recess shenanigans!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Shenanigans is a word that deserves to be used more widely!
LikeLike