[ WP ] Please tell me about one of your fonder memories .

We were all playing ring-around-the-rosie, around a tree; big enough where people disappeared at the opposite end, but small enough where you could catch up to someone quickly enough. There was no assigned direction; we all just skipped, ran, or pursued in whatever way we felt like. At least six of us partook in the game, with no end in sight, and no concept of winning or losing. It was just... fun. 
 
 I was going clockwise, and she counter-clockwise. I was an arms' lengths away from the tree, and she was near it. When I saw her, my arm extended and it hit her throat. She hit the ground already crying, but got up quickly and ran to her house, face red from her wailing, embarrassment, and possible lack of breath. I said it was an accident. 
 
 I saw her father come out of the house, which was about four houses away from the cul de sac I was near. A skip to his step despite a slight limp, my little heart beat faster and faster with each step he took toward me. I was crippled with fear as he approached, and his own arms extended forward as he pushed me backward. The force was great enough to hurt, and I stumbled over a bike behind me, with the grass catching my body. His words echoed in my mind for a long time as he pointed his finger at me with determination. 
 
 `` If you ever touch my daughter again, I'll bury you, and your whole family!'' 
 
 After that, he left. Once I saw him go into his house, I got up and, without a word, walked back to my house with the other kids watching me. My house was two beyond his on the same side of the street, so when I got to his, my body said'run'. When I told my own father what had happened, he went over there to straighten out the whole matter, since we were all neighbors and friends. He asked me to go with him, but I was still scared and did n't want to face that man again. It was worked out, even if the details were n't completely told or revealed. 
 
 After that day, I stopped playing with all of those kids, and most kids in general. When my parents divorced, and I moved with my mom to a new neighborhood, I tried to regain that confidence to play or hang out. I did on occasion, but never could really find that sense of camaraderie or outdoor'fun' again. Not until college, at least. 
 
 This is one of my fonder memories because of all the things that it revealed and developed. Because I stopped playing with those kids, I developed other hobbies and a new sense of fun. Gaming became a great aspect and teacher in my life, with everything from enjoying the world-saving, heart-wrenching stories to bonding with my brother through 2D side-scrolling MMO battles. Writing became something I did for fun, even if it was just a poem for my mom's birthday or a stray thought that leaked onto some nearby paper. I even, eventually, questioned my actions during that day; did I really just want to see what would happen, knowing what would happen initially? What was I really thinking, if I hit her on purpose? 
 
 I did n't and still do n't know the answers to those questions, but what I do know is a single, confusing action and decision reshaped me into the person I am now. 
 
 And I like me.
