Running Away

A boy once lived with his parents and they were a happy family. They lived in the mountains of tennesse. They had a great home in the middle of the forests atop the mountains. Life was perfect for them. One day, the boy went to see if his parents were making a big breakfast. They were and he came into the kitchen to watch them. He watched his father flip the eggs as his mother made the bacon. Then, the boy noticed a lantern next to the stove. He was old enough to know that karosine was flamable. So, he picked up the lantern to move it, but he accidentally dropped it on the stove. Immediately, the karosine Ignited, engulfing his parents in flames. His parents were lifted by helicopter to a hospital, where they were pronounced…well…you get the picture.

The boy was devastated that he had taken his parents life by trying to help them. Then, a man in a black tuxedo approached him. He said, “I know how you feel. The same thing happened to my parents.” The boy felt like he had some hope. He told the hospital he wanted to go live with the man, but his parents had left a letter in a jewelry box naming his godparents. The boy wondered, “Where could they possibly be sending me to?” He son found that he was living with his step-aunt’s cousin’s brother’s step- 3rd-cousin’s sister’s 4th cousin’s aunt and uncle (twice removed). But, how was a small child at the age of nine supposed to remember that?

He arrived in their cozy home-and I use that term lightly-only to find them grinning a big one-toothed grin at him. They boy’s…uh…relatives…i guess…lived in the big concrete jungle of detroit. This wa probably the biggest change of the boy’s life. He was used to living in a calm and warm home in the maountains and now he moved to a cold, loud, crackhouse in the middle of….sorry that was getting kind of rambly. Well, he began his first night there on a small cot that was hard to lay on and felt like a pile of bricks. It was cold because they didn’t pay the electricity bill and there were spiders crawling on the floor because they were too cheap to call an extirminator. He didn’t know how he would be able to stay there until he was eighteen. He still had nine more years to go. He fell asleep anyway last night and awaited morning.

He awoke to a yell from the female relative. He hadn’t remembered what happened and assumed he was still at his old house. He slowly walked into the kitchen with his eyes closed trying to smell what was cooking. He took a big wiff and smelled something very unfamiliar. He quickly opened his eyes to find that the male relative was smoking a cigar. It all came back to him. He ermembered where he was and what unfortunate thing happened to him. “Hey, sleepy head!” the female yelled in his ear. “My name’s Matilda and this is Eugene.” She pointed to the man. “You have quite a few chores to do!” she yelled. “I want you to sweep the floor, clear out all the cobwebs from the windows, clean the stove, pick some apples from the tree in the front yard…and the horrible list went on for a long time. She handed him a paper with all the chores on it in case he forgot. And, all the poor boy did was nod his head and say, “Yes ma’am.”

He began to do the long list of chores starting with sweeping the floor, then, clearing the cobwebs, then, cleaning the stove, then, he got to picking the apples. He started to pick the apples, when a man in a black suit came up to the tree. “Hey, boy,” he said. “Remember me?”

The boy looked up at the man and a huge grin came across his face. “I knew you’d find me,” he whispered.

“I couldn’t just leave you here with these terrible people. I had to rescue you,” said the man. “Now, hop the fence, kid. Quick, before the come out to check on you.”

The boy dropped the apple and did as the man said. He hopped the fence and ran off with the man. They climbed in to his black sedan and started off to an airport. “So, what’s your name?” the boy asked.

“Tom,” he said. “Tom Wagner. What’s your’s?”

“Son,” he said.

“No, I mean you name. Not what your parents call you,” said the man.

“Well, I figured if I call them Mom and Dad then they could just call me Son. And, it stuck,” said Son.

Tom was confused. How could a parent become so lazy as to not name their son with a real name? Well, it wasn’t his call whether or not a name was good. Anyway, they kept on driving towards the airport, but by then, his relatives had already found out and began to track him down.

When they arrived at the airport, they bought tickets to Miami, Florida. They were sure they wouldn’t find him there. Tom stayed with Son in Miami for a few days and eventually began to become attached to him. They played games and made breakfast every morning. They began to love each other. Then, Matilda arrived at he door to greet him. Tom immediately recognized her in her diguise and took Son to his rental car and they drove to the miami airport. Of course, Eugene was following   the plane, but they jumped off into Oklahoma. They rented a hotel there because now, they knew that the relatives would follow them.

They weren’t there for long, when Eugene came to the door as a mailman. Again, Son and Tom leaped into the car and drove off. This time, they went to a bus station. “To Death Valley!” yelled Tom. The driver hit the gas and drove straight to the valley. The road was narrow and rocky. Son eventually fell asleep on the long ride over to the valley and dreamed of him and his parents in their cozy, mountain home in Tennessee.

When they arrived at the valley, Tom stayed with Son for, again, a few weeks. After three weeks, Tom told him, “I’m going to leave you here. You can’t come stay with me because they will find you. I live close to them, so if you stayed with me, They would find you very quickly. Stay here and don’t follow me.”

Son was broken. He was left again. He had no parents to look after him. He would be alone. “Please,, don’t go!” he yelled. “Who will take care of me?”

“Oh, that’s right,” said Tom. “I’ll have my friend who lives around here come look after you. I have to go.” 

“But he won’t understand me like you do!” Son cried pitifully.

“I’m sorry, Son. I can’t stay here. I have to go home. All my valuables are there. Trust me you’re safer here.” he began to walk out the door, when Son approached Tom. He held out a piece of cloth from his clothing.

“I’ll miss you,” he said and handed him the cloth because that was all he could give him. Tom left and didn’t look back.