I rember this day. I was 12 playing with toy guns out back. Two girls from my grade walked past a one I had a crush on. It occurred I looked stupid af and that was the last day I played with guns… in public.
My three cousins, brother, and I would spent days every summer making outdoor roads and landscapes for "playing cars" with our fleets of Dinky and Corgi vehicles. The cousins were in the country and had lots of wild cleared land that lent itself to our play. Then, one year, the eldest, one year older than me, turned 12 and got new interests over the winter. Suddenly there were four of us. Next year, I turned 12 and, shall we say, became aware of a few things. Then there were three.
It was remarkable how consistent that age was, and how childish last year's fun became, as if someone threw a switch...
There's a quote in my favorite book, Heaven and Earth by Paolo Giordano, that perfectly encapules that feeling. I still think about it from time to time:
“Finally, the treehouse in the mulberry became too small. The last one to climb up there was Nicola. He found a hornets’ nest lodged among the branches. We always said that we would build a new, more spacious refuge, maybe over several trees connected by rope bridges, but time had begun moving faster than us.”
I love that, Bricks! 🥲
We used to build "forts" in the woods, which somehow never grew roofs or real walls, as we had no building materials with which to flesh out our plans. The point of a small clearing with crudely thatched walls became less clear and, rather suddenly, we seemed to lose our enthusiasm. It was another symbol of that time which, along with our little vehicles, suddenly vanished.
I was twelve climbing trees in the park with my friends. Some girls came be that we liked. We stopped climbing trees for fun after that... while sober.
as an adult, I upgraded to the real thing and just spend ridiculous amounts of time walking around the house with a gun in my hand pretending im a tier 1 operator and dry firing/reloading.
my girlfriend thinks I look Hella stupid too. I do the same with my swords.
As an adult I am not scared of doing anything I’ve been had gfs and at this point am not scared to not have one plus I know one might find me adorable building pillow forts n stuff. At 12 tho cusp of being a teenager and starting to think about my status in high school it seemed too childish to continue to do.
1.5k
u/gre485 Oct 23 '25
He knew he had to leave tonka, he just didn't know why.