Out of the Way!

There are roughly 72-units in the apartment complex we live in. Mostly 2-bedroom units, but a few one and three bedrooms, too.

Every month there seems to be a big turnaround with units. People come. People go. Some very quickly.

Recently, someone moved in who is quite noisy. We became alerted to their presence by the sound of running feet down the hallway. The complex is shaped like an "L" and we live on the top floor of the inner corner, so we could hear the running the full length of both lines. Our assumption was at least three, maybe as many as five, children. The other day I learned for certain.

I was climbing the stairs to third floor. This is a process for me. As I neared the top I could hear the stampede coming down the hallway. The entire clan was on its way. I hurried to reach the top so I would not be bowled over and sent down the stairs again. Not only would this likely result in injury, but I would still have to make the interminable climb again. I made it just as the source of the noise swept around the corner to go down the stairs.

Was it a pack of teenagers? No.

A gaggle of rambunctious boys? No.

A girl scout troop? No.

To my utter amazement a single little elf child swept around the corner and nearly bowled me over. Panting heavily, she only gave me a glance as she hurried down the stairs to seek out the candy machines on first floor. The noise followed her.

She couldn't have been older than five or six. Three feet tall and maybe thirty or forty pounds. Her entire person didn't seem much larger than the palm of my hand. But she could really make the noise.

The energy of youth, I guess. But now when I hear the stampede echoing down the hallway my mind envisions this tiny little elf child stomping with glee, completely oblivious to the meaning of living in this place. Ignorance really is bliss. I'm glad someone around here is having fun.