I stared at the road as I walked home in the rain.  The brick street I liked to think of as cobblestones were red and wet with rain, the water overflowing into the sewers through the cracks between the uneven, man-made stones.   I smiled at them, wondering what trees the little leaf particles came from, and from how far away.  Possibly from Haskall park.

Then a memory came to my tangled mind, and I remembered it was July 29th, the day of the long-dead Lucy Haskell's birthday party in the park.   Lucy Haskell was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Haskell, and they had built a playhouse right by their home for her.  But she died at age nine, from a sickness, and a park had been built by her little playhouse.  

People kept her playhouse, and every year on July 29th, the day her birthday was, they would have a party in the park, and people would get to play tug-o-war, and hulahoop and jump rope and play games they played back then when Lucy was alive.  They would have cake, all for free, for anyone who came there to play.  

It was a very wonderful birthday party that brought joy to many people, and I remembered my favourite part.  The pony rides.  Yes, there were ponies, and people could ride them - slowly, of course - and smile and pet them.  I loved the ponies, and I liked meeting them.  During riding them, I would ask the people who were leading them the ponies names, and they would answer.  This seems rather childish, rising on a pony.  But I enjoy it.  

This memory fresh in my mind, I set off to Haskell park, weaving my way through air.  The cilantro sat in my big pocket, withering, but that is fine, for I can eat it later, before cake so that I have something in me that's actually healthy.  Ish.  And I absolutely love cilantro.  

And soon enough after the short walk I found myself at Haskell park, watching the happy people from a swing, pondering what I would do first.

~~~~

OK.  So this is a real place, as Chad knows.  Lucy Haskell was real, and so is the birthday party every year.  And the park.  And the pony rides (I absolutely *love* them.  Though I'm getting kind of big.  100 pounds!).   You can do research, if you'd like, or you can just continue on and make stuff up (and very interesting stuff.  You guys are Totally Awesome!).  Or you can ignore my writing, if you think it's to complicated because you don't know of and have never been to this place...  Well, anyway, do whatever you'd like with it!  :)