Ella was a spirit, a pure lively little ghost.
In her house's playground, her brother, little Ka of five years old was playing with other friends his age. Ella was two years older than them.
Watching them playing happily with a ball, an idea of a game came into her mind. So she called the five boys.
"I have an idea of a game. Come!"
The boys heard her call and were intrigued by what it could be. Ella was their leader. The one that made sure of a good harmony between them. She was the one who let them come to the playground.
"We are coming!"
All the boys responded to her call without any doubts. Ella set the rules. Her only rule anyway was to play on the grass inside the playground with all the playsets around them, except climbing the big tree nearby. She told them that it could be dangerous for them as their parents have told them. Ella and Ka were good, obedient little people.
So they all came running towards Ella who was seated by herself alone on a bench. That's what she preferred when all the boys decided to play football.
With big eyes excited to reveal her brilliant idea, Ella explained about the game she had in mind. Questions and answers were interchanged between them until everyone understood the invented game. The boys afterward left her to play. They were all having fun. Ella as well was happy with them.
Suddenly, there was a calling sound somewhere. The gate to the playground. They all looked around and saw little girls behind the gate calling on the boys to open the gate.
To Ella's eyes they were alarms. Much more when her attention was called by the dimming sky. She looked up at the sky and she noticed that the clear blue sky was turning grey.
"What is happening?"
She asked herself at the same time she lowered her look to the boys.
One of them had opened the gate without any permission from her to let the girls in. There were three girls among the boys. All of them were the same age as her as they almost have the same height.
"Hello! Come here, all of you!"
She called everyone but only Ka turned his attention to her. She saw Ka telling everyone that she was calling but no one paid attention to him. The other boys were amused by the intruders. That's how the girls seemed to Ella. She would not like to go and join them since they were Ka's friends and played. She felt pain and disappointment being ignored by everyone.
Then one of the girls saw the tree. The forbidden tree. She pointed to it and urged the boys to go and climb the tree.
The group turned to look at Ella. Ella gave a "no" disapproval look to them. The girls laughed out loud and started to run towards the tree.
The girls climbed the tree and halfway looked back to call the boys. The boys' faces showed excitement at the idea as they looked at each other with a smile on their faces. Ka put himself in front of them to stop them. But the boys went running to the tree, ignoring him.
Ka turned sadly to where his sister was seated. He saw her with head down with sadness. He ran towards her.
"I am sorry."
He sat himself beside his very sad sister.
"I regret letting your friends come to play with you. Now they could be hurt, because that tree is weak. It is very old and damaged. Mom said it will be taken out soon."
Little Ka felt so sorry and unhappy for what his friends have done to his sister. He too has his head bent with sadness.
Ella slowly stood up from the bench and went inside the house, closing the door behind her.
Ka was left watching the others climbing the tree. It wasn't long that one bark of the tree broke and it was one of the girls who fell. She fell but did not cry. Instead she laughed. Blood started to run from her right arm as she was obviously hurt.
Upon seeing her harmed, the boys got scared. They looked to where Ella was seated, but she wasn't there anymore, but Ka. He was standing on top of the bench with an angry look on his face and both hands clasping his waistline.
The boys then realized they broke the rule. There must be a reason why Ella prohibited them from climbing the tree, but they ignored her. Then they consulted each other if Ella had said something. They remembered the warning of Ella, but they forgot!
Hurriedly, the boys started to go down almost in panic. Unfortunately, one by one they fell. The other girl was able to climb the highest, but swiftly she fell and looked dead on the ground as she did not move at all.
All of them got hurt and cried, but no one came to their rescue while the other girl who fell first was laughing crazily. They turned their heads around when they heard the shouts of Ka.
"All of you out! Out of my garden! I will never ever let anyone hurt my sister again! Never!"
The writer of the story found himself on the rooftop of the house of Ka and Ella. He was writing the story but he had seen grown up men and women on the playground. The pen wrote them on the papers as children. And, Ella was El, not a girl at all. He shook his head, preferred not to question his pen but woke up from a dream.
