The Curious Boy

Oh to be five again...

When he pushed the revolving door, the boy kept going around and around and around. His mother didn’t know he was caught inside the revolving door because she had three others to tend to. A lad of about five, he was playing and exploring.

Around and around he went, must have been a dozen times. With each turn another mall visitor stepped in between the doors and he just kept pushing the door, helping them and they in turn thanking him for the extra push. Of course he knew where the outside and inside were, but he was having a blast just going around in a circle. He could have done it all day.

Five minutes later when his mother figured out where she had left him, she came back for him, grabbed his hand, and dragged him into the mall further. She grabbed his hand and pulled, but his other hand was reaching to return to the revolving door.

When the mother finally reached the escalator, the boy forgot all about the revolving door. The stairs actually moved upwards without him having to lift a single foot. His eyes darted as he neared the top. How would he get off? Would his foot get caught at the top somehow? When he got there, he jumped off and onto the solid floor, and then noticed the Down escalator. His mother already was at the next store on her agenda with her other children when she realized he was on the Down escalator and would need to come back up for her to grab him again. She wasn’t about to chase him on an escalator. She would lose that battle quickly.

When the boy realized he could go faster by taking steps, he did just that, being cautious as he neared the end. The third time doing the entire Up and Down cycle, he stopped in front of a man and looked up.

“Papa!” he said, grabbing his hand and pulling him along to the Up escalator. He was going to show his father what it was like to use these fancy walkways.

His mother, seeing he was in good hands now, smiled and resumed her shopping with the other kids. They’d all meet up in an hour or so but for now, Papa was charged with watching over the energetic one. The kids waved to their father as the rambunctious lad ushered his father to the more curious things in the mall.