A Small Act of Kindness

The sound of laughter filled the air, as well as the pungent smell of chlorine. A small ball bobbled along, followed by a young girl clutching a pool noodle to keep afloat. Her right hand gripped the side of the pool for help, occasionally reaching forward to grab the ball, but her fingers just brushed the side as it floated just out of reach. The girl was determined, and with a mighty push, the ball was secured in her arms. She laughed happily, grinning at her cousin, who was nearby, keeping an eye on her. The young girl turned and spotted her mother taking her baby brother into the kiddie pool, where she noticed another little girl, not much bigger than her little brother, playing quietly with her dad. The young girl tossed her ball out of the pool, and pulled herself out after it, struggling as her pool noodle got in the way. Once she had dragged herself from the water, she padded over to the kiddie pool and hopped in beside her mum.

"Hey, Anna, how was the big pool?" Her mum asked, laughing as her little boy grinned up at her, splashing the water with his little hands. Anna laughed too, and told her mother that she could go all the way from one end to the other.

"ALL by myself!" She dropped down, and grabbed her brother, splashing with him to celebrate, before remembering the real reason she had come back to the little pool. She looked back at the other little girl, and made the decision that they were going to be friends. She moved over to the other little family, and held out her ball.

"You can play with this ball, if you want." She offered, placing the ball on the water and pushing it towards her.

"Do you want to play with the girl, Maddie?" The little girl's father asked. The small blonde nodded, and took the ball carefully, before throwing it up a little and laughing as it came back down. She did this a few times, and Anna found herself laughing along with her whenever the ball hit the water.

"If you want, you can even do this." She said, and showed her how to spin the ball, making the water splash everywhere. Maddie laughed again, and Anna joined her. Soon enough, the two were splashing and laughing as if they had been friends for a long time. Anna found herself playing with the little girl just like she played with her brother at home, showing her cool tricks and pulling faces and making jokes just to make her laugh. Neither took notice of their parents making small talk in the background, having too much fun with the small ball. Anna's little brother joined them a couple times while they played, Anna making sure that they all got equal time with the ball.

All too soon, it was time for Maddie and her family to go back home. When she realised she had to leave her friend, the smaller girl began to cry, wanting to stay and play longer. Anna hugged her tightly.

"Don't cry, Maddie. You can go home and do something cool with you mum and dad." She said. Maddie's dad smiled from above them, and encouragingly told them that they were going to go home and watch a movie with some popcorn.

"That's going to be fun, isn't it, Maddie? Popcorn? I love popcorn. It goes pop! and the little bag jumps around and it tasted so good!" Maddie giggled and began to wipe her eyes, nodding tearfully.

"Thank you for playing with her," Maddie's parents say as they pick up the little girl, "she had a lot of fun with you."

"Thats ok." Anna grinned, looking back at her mum. Her mother smiled at them.

"Thanks for letting them play together."

Anna smiled and waved at the teary-eyed girl watching over her father's shoulder as they walked away, and she smiled and waved back. Anna picked up the small ball, and tossed it the other side of the pool, paddling across to go and get it. It wasn't as fun by herself.