1.
The soil is never soil and the grass is never grass.
There has never been any scent of flowers; only the odor of children who are sweating, a sound of outburst laughter and a picture of little limbs flying, swinging and swaying at every milk break or lunch break.
A short lived happiness, the only one that can be acquired during a long school day.
A new imaginary game has arisen from collective imaginations called a “Zombie Game.”
Everybody is running, trembling and screaming in horror while chased by a Zombie who possesses the power of controling death and death only.
No one seems to be able to escape from death.
2
The hands of the Zombie are reaching out, grabbing around.
“Death Death Death Death Death”
The hands are reaching near.
“But we don’t want to die.”
Zombie touches one boy‘s shoulder, but he refuses to die.
“I am not going to die. I don’t want to die.”
“Why aren’t you dead? You must die...die...die...die”
“No...”
The deadly hands of Zombie become deadlier; from touching to pushing and then shoving the other side of the ground.
The boy suddenly falls face down, crying and running to the higher authority, who certainly possesses a greater power than the Zombie, which causes the battle of Zombies to end abruptly.
3
It’s the world of imaginations, but the fight and the pushing are real.
She, who possesses the higher power, has not started the class yet, since she has to start a trial’s investigation from the beginning to the end.
“He pushed me and I fell down”, the Plaintiff cries out loud and complains.
“He was not playing by the rules”, counter-defends the Defendant.
The Higher Authority does not ask who was right or who was wrong from either parties.
Instead, she asks the others about the ground rules of the game.
The others all confirm that one was not playing by the rules while the other used brute force.
She, who possesses the higher power, still does not point out who was right or who was wrong.
Her sweet, pleasant voice suddenly changes into a rough and serious tone.
“If you cannot find a way to play together properly, then all the play time will be abolished.”
4
Years from now, the boy who became a Zombie might grab his friends’ arm and eventually chew their necks out until blood splatters all over the artificial turf.
But at this very moment, his concern is about his privilege to play, his freedom to run freely on the artificial turf.
Everyone is looking at everyone else in the eyes while whispering to one another, even to the Zombie and the Plaintiff.
She, who possesses the higher power, is waiting patiently for a solution.
“We would like to continue to play the Zombies game. However, the one who is unable to follow the ground rules will have to come out for a break. And if anyone starts to get hot headed, he will also have to come out for a break as well.”
5
The soil is never soil and the grass is never grass.
There has never been any scent of flowers; only the odor of children who are sweating, a sound of outburst laughter and a picture of little limbs flying, swinging and swaying on every milk break or lunch break.
The last Zombie is holding his friend’s hand running cheerfully together under the watchful eyes of the Observer.
Sirivathi is the pseudonym of Natruethai Ployhirun from Thailand. Born in 1984, she attended Chulalongkorn University and obtained a BA in Music Education and MA in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She is the author of two books of poetry.