The world was an infinite city, gray and stagnant, where the streets stretched on forever and the skies never changed. To the untrained eye, everything seemed meticulously perfect. The [Adults] walked in silent, orderly rows, their polished shoes clicking in harmony on the pavement, their faces blank and focused. They spoke only when necessary and only in monotones. They carried briefcases, tools, or books in their hands, symbols of their unending, joyless labor.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGmLc7r9wD
Among them, there was one anomaly: me. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pWJH0GAa7
The [Child]. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4GefDNXDw
I darted through the streets with scuffed sneakers and untamed laughter, the baseball bat on my shoulder acting as my only shield. I knew the [Adults] hated me. Not because they ever shouted or chased me outright, but because of the way they looked at me—when they dared look at all. Their hollow eyes would linger for just a moment before they turned away, as if the sight of me, a burst of color and movement, burned them. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCaFwCUbrO
They whispered to each other sometimes when they thought I couldn’t hear. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpb1HrEmLo4
“Why is it still here?” 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZDQxCteAb
“It refuses to [Grow Up].” 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6lKPdXORU
“Unnatural. Dangerous.” 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiwY1CG5XY
I didn’t care what they thought. This city might have been built for them, but I lived here too. And I wasn’t going anywhere. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9RvPgH7mD
In this world, I wasn’t supposed to exist. I didn’t know where I came from, and I didn’t care to ask. Memories of the past, if I ever had any, were foggy and distant. All I knew was the present: the suffocating monotony of this city and the quiet rebellion that burned in my chest every time I swung my bat at an empty soda can or shouted nonsense at the towering buildings. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzR7SvbDi9f
The [Adults] didn’t play. They didn’t laugh. They didn’t dream. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHsebOBLKk
But I did. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS31SmPECkk
I had claimed the abandoned playground on the city’s edge as my own. It was a strange place, as if it had been left behind when the rest of the city was built. Rusted monkey bars twisted into jagged angles, the swings creaked on their chains, and the merry-go-round spun aimlessly in the wind. The playground felt alive in a way the city never did. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjpRCMIYDw
It was here that I felt safe, free to climb, run, and scream to my heart’s content. The [Adults] never came near it. Maybe they couldn’t, or maybe they simply refused to acknowledge it existed. Either way, it was mine. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8uBs2ZPn2
Until the Dream Demon arrived. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVU4NmtoXQK
The day the Dream Demon appeared started like any other. I was balancing on the top of the monkey bars, my bat tucked under one arm as I surveyed my domain. The playground was surrounded by endless concrete, with no trees or flowers in sight. It was an ocean of gray, broken only by the faint hum of the city beyond. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRecfYTHiI
Then, I saw it—a ripple in the air above the horizon, like the heat shimmer on a hot summer day. Except it wasn’t summer, and this wasn’t heat. The ripple grew, twisting and distorting the skyline until it tore open, revealing a swirling vortex of light. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWP3mJrhIE
And out stepped the Dream Demon. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KrtWCxNMe
They were unlike anything I’d ever seen. Tall and elegant, with horns that curled gracefully from their head like polished onyx. Their clothes were an impossible mix of textures and colors—silk, leather, feathers, and things I couldn’t even name. Their eyes were mismatched: one a brilliant gold, the other a swirling void that seemed to hold galaxies. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE51ilcpeRY
They looked at me and tilted their head, curiosity radiating from them. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1xHtXWQAt
“You’re the [Child]” they said, their voice soft yet reverberating, as if it came from somewhere far away. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCphRkPc8oi
“And you’ve got horns” I shot back, gripping my bat tighter. “Who are you?” 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEvxtAee11
They smiled faintly, revealing sharp teeth. “You can call me the Dream Demon. Though I didn’t intend to come here, I find myself... intrigued.” 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegarM6djaq
I didn’t trust them, but I wasn’t scared either. Something about them felt different from the [Adults]. They weren’t hollow or lifeless. They were strange, yes, but alive in a way I could understand. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFY0D21mw28
The Dream Demon stayed. They claimed they had no choice, that the portal wouldn’t reopen for some time. At first, I ignored them, retreating to my playground and refusing to engage. But they were persistent, following me around like a curious cat. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTD8FkFt7gg
“You’re the only one like you” they said one day, watching as I swung my bat at a dented metal bucket. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAN3vnDT0zk
“Yeah, and you’re the only [Adult] with horns” I retorted. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCq93hB9iw
“Fair point. But aren’t you lonely?” 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZeQx26aXxs
I stopped mid-swing, the question hitting me like a punch to the gut. Lonely? I had never thought about it that way. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQeo1PYX22
“No” I lied, swinging again with more force. “I’ve got this whole world to myself.” 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZWuZpK08g
“But it’s not your world, is it? It belongs to them.” 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCemx2Sgm1C
I didn’t answer. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFddiBHkqj2
Despite my initial resistance, I found myself warming to the Dream Demon. They were strange, yes, but they weren’t like the [Adults]. They asked questions, laughed at my jokes, and even tried to swing on the rusted chains of the playground. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUP9kaii9KU
“They’re afraid of you” I said one day as we wandered through the empty streets together. The [Adults] had started to notice us more, their whispers growing louder, their hollow eyes lingering on the Dream Demon’s horns. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bjpxaVxNK
“They’re afraid of anything different” they replied. “And you are the most different thing in this world.” 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwPdRP8SiK
I grinned, taking it as a compliment.
It was in the bowels of an abandoned factory that we found the portal—a swirling vortex of light and color, hidden behind layers of machinery and forgotten tools. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT23Kao1fWw
“This is it” the Dream Demon said, their voice tinged with wonder. “My way home.” 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSB5pz4W2Um
I stared at the portal, an uneasy feeling twisting in my chest. For a moment, I imagined stepping through it, leaving behind the gray city and its [Adults]. Maybe the Dream Demon’s world was different, a place where I wouldn’t feel so out of place. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kfEiiHYtB
But then I thought of the playground, of the swings and the slide and the merry-go-round. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7AeFdAmkF
“You should go” I said finally, stepping back. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnivdRzR9hp
“And you?” 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy79vjOdqKe
I shook my head. “This is my world.” 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOevk9QEKHV
That night, the [Adults] came for us. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTshkw8C2oa
They didn’t speak. They never did. Their whispers surrounded the playground like a rising tide, their shadowy forms blending into the grayness of the city. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvR3WNusQJ
“[Grow Up], [Child],” they whispered, their voices like dry leaves rustling in the wind. “[Grow Up].” 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcOHzRFP08
I grabbed my bat and stood my ground, my heart pounding in my chest. The Dream Demon appeared beside me, their horns glowing faintly as shadows curled around their fingers like smoke. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxej26LHCIa
“We fight” they said simply. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8aKKlVZoV9
The [Adults] attacked in waves, their whispers growing louder, their movements faster. My bat swung through the air, connecting with their hollow forms, sending them scattering like ash. The Dream Demon fought beside me, their shadows twisting and clawing, their power a stark contrast to my brute force. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2mhXymBp6
“They won’t stop” the Dream Demon warned. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHk73BcaWLu
“Neither will I”153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLEFe1CmFl
The Dream Demon left through the portal eventually, their parting words a promise to remember me. I stayed behind, my bat in hand, ready to face whatever the [Adults] threw at me.
153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36Kt16Fhap
Refusing to [Grow Up].
153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMoJJb7Cdk5
153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiaPtbVGyZ
