Sledding

It snowed last night. Not much, it doesn't even cover the grass. You can still see tuffs of brown and green poking through the milky white snow. Regardless, it is change of scenery, and that is much appreciated. Without saying a word, I exit the kitchen. Olivia follows close behind. She knows not where I am going, but can tell I am a man on a mission. We walk for what feels like miles, heading to the spot where we first arrived.Where we first caught sight of the dinosaurs. Everything looks similar, and admittedly it is difficult to tell one scene from another. I remain determined. I'll know it when I see it. That's when everything will make sense. Olivia is an angel. How or why she goes along with this is beyond me. I mean my toes are numb, and I wanted to give up several times, but she will not let me. I hope we find it soon. Not even for me anymore. For her. I want to make her proud. See the glimmer in her eyes when I shout " I found it!"
"I think I found something." I hear Olivia announce. I turn around. She kicks the ground. It makes a loud, metallic clang. I excitedly fall to her feet and brush away the snow. There I find a bright yellow, curved object. "You found it!" I shout. "What is it?" She asks. "The shield. My shield. This is just what I was looking for." "Oh, glad I could help." I pick up the shield. It is pretty heavy. I'm glad we left it here after all. I spring up and walk towards the first hill I can find. It so happens to also be the highest one. "Where are you going?" Olivia asks. "Something I have to do." Olivia stares at me, concerned. "It's nothing bad." I assure her. Olivia shakes her head and follows me up the hill. Carrying a heavy shield up a steep hill is no easy task. I made it though. Now to reap my reward. I place my shield on the ground. I carefully sit inside it. Olivia reaches the top of the hill, out of breath. "Did you make yourself a saucer sled?" She asks. "Sure did." "I hate to break it to you , but I don't think there is enough snow." I look up at her. " I need this." I say , simply. I'm sure that sounds strange, but it's true. The modern world is dazzling and enchanting, but it is also chaotic and exhausting. If I could let myself be childlike for one moment, it would make all the difference. After all, this activity is something that I enjoyed greatly. I would sled for hours. The sun would go down, and I knew I should go home. I knew I would most likely get in trouble if I didn't. I didn't care. I would think to myself "Not until I'm good and ready." Olivia sees that this is something I need to do. "You want me to push you?" She asks, sweetly. I smile and nod. She places her hands on my shoulders. Her touch light, yet firm at the same time. She counts to three then pushes me off. Before I can say "WEE", I am stopped less than a foot away. "I'm sorry baby, do you want to try again." She says. " I don't think there's enough snow." "You wanna go? Do something else?" "No, not until I'm good and ready."