• I was so tired of sitting and staring at the glittering lake, so I went out to the front yard to see what my father was doing. As I stood outside and the wind played with my hair I had the urge to run. So I ran. I told my father I would return soon and that I had my phone. I ran past the lake, small children playing, and many houses. Unsure where I was headed I just sprinted along not feeling the cold air burning my lungs, or my legs growing heavier.



    Making my way on the sidewalk always looking forward, but never paying attention to what I saw. I didn't want to think about where I was going, because I might be tempted to run to him. To his house; which I had been to so many times. I could picture the way to his house in my head. But I didn't want to go there now! I didn't want to face him. I knew if I saw his face all I would be able to do was cry. After awhile I left the sidewalk and just ran into nature. When I finally got to where I didn't know I was going I had the sudden feeling of homesickness. It came over me in a huge wave, nearly knocking me over. I dropped to my knees and began to gasp as I finally felt the searing pain in my lungs.



    However I figured that since I had run for such a long time I would at least examine my unknown destination. I climbed to my feet and did a 360' scan of my unknown surroundings. "Oh s**t...." I said between gasps. My head began to spin furiously, because my surroundings were exactly that. Unknown.



    I had to think. This was not time to panic. I had my phone so I could just call my parents. I checked my watch. 7:30 p.m. It had been two hours since I left the house. I didn't want to call my parents. I refused to prove that my parents were right about my irresponsibility! I figured I was somewhere I knew, all I had to do was sit down and think. I picked a moss covered stump at sat with my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. Thinking was the wrong idea. As soon as I closed my eyes he came. I pictured him sitting in his old chair in the band hall. I could picture him perfectly. All I heard was him. Correction, all I wanted to hear was him. All I needed....was him. As I snapped back to reality I realized that tears were slipping down my cheeks making spots on my pant legs.



    I jumped from the mossy stump and sprinted to the nearest tree trunk and punched it with all my force. I heard a sickening crack. At once I knew it was my knuckles. I cradled my broken hand against my chest and slumped against the tree. It didn't take long for my horrible memories to creep back.



    It felt so good to see his smiling face. I let myself sob since there was no one there. I finally gave myself away to my mind, and slipped into a deep slumber. I dreamt of him. He was holding me in his olive colored arms, and I felt happy for the first time since he had left me. Left me to be crushed by my sorrow.







    I opened my puffy red eyes to see green light being filtered through the trees. I was confused. I sat up and began pulling twigs out of my knotted, mud stained hair. I check my watch. 9:30 A.M. suddenly everything rushed back to me. What the hell was I thinking not calling my parents?! They probably already called the police and reported me as a run away! Ok, that’s it. I have to call my parents now. I climbed weakly to my feet and pull out my phone. I flip it open just in time to see it run out of battery! “s**t!” I fling the phone into a nearby tree trunk and watch its shattered remains fall to the forest floor.

    In my anger I paced away from my “campsite”. After about ten minutes; I noticed the trees getting bigger, and realized I had gone deeper into the forest. I sat down on the mossy damp ground and muttered curse words at the forest. Soon paranoia came and I was forced to jump up and jog in the opposite direction of which I had come. I came across a sturdy tree that looked like it could hold me, so I decided to climb it and have a look around. I reached up to grab hold of a low branch and noticed my knuckles were a bloody purple and misshapen. I remembered what had happened and quickly began to climb to keep myself from feeling the pain.

    Half way up the tree, my mind started to take hold of me. It crept back into my head like an evil mist. I tried to focus, but all I could think about was all the fun times we had. My mind kept replaying the same old memories over and over like a broken VCR. I was close to the top now, but I was so caught in my own thought that I didn’t have time to respond when my feet slipped off a wet branch and I went tumbling to the earthy ground. Hitting my head on a thick branch along the way, that was going to need stitches…
    I hit the ground on my hip and I let an agonizing yelp. I fall limp on the soil, while I felt the blood on my forehead coming much too quickly. I became dizzy, and had to struggle to hold on to reality. I couldn’t die here. Not like this. So weak, and pathetic. I called for help. Screaming at the top of my lungs through tears that were washing away some of the blood on my cheeks.

    “Crack.” I froze. What was that?! I may have been loopy, but I could have sworn I had just heard a twig snap about twenty feet away. Great, I survived the fall, but now I get killed by an ax murderer instead! The past few weeks had NOT been going well. I resorted to silent sobs as I indeed heard footsteps coming closer. Ten feet away now. I lay curled in a ball awaiting my death. Five feet. I shut my eyes and wished I could see him one last time, before I died. One foot. “Charlotte? Oh my God Charlotte what happened to you?!” The heavenly voice told me I was in Heaven, which was a surprise since I thought I would end up in Hell. “Can you hear me? Are you ok? Oh man. You look pretty messed up.” My eye’s flashed open as I realized I was still laying on the soft forest soil. There was only one person that called me by my full name. "Royce?” I said in a whisper. Now I knew I was dreaming. What would "Royce” be doing this deep in the forest, when he was supposed to be buried 5 feet underground in a coffin?