Caught
by David Heulfryn

The air smelt fresh and humid, the rain having broken only ten minutes ago. The warm summer caused the ground to smoke as the moisture on the ground began to vigorously evaporate.

I stood in my bedroom looking out of the window at the houses that overlooked me. All those people looking at me, I needed to leave this place. I hated it. And it hated me, and what I was. My mother was scared for me and had bought me some time before my father came home from work. She knew what his reaction would be, as did I.

My small rucksack was on my bed, packed full of what I thought I might need but knew it wouldn’t hold everything I needed. It looked lonely on my single bed, a bed I wouldn’t sleep in again; in a room I wouldn’t call my own anymore.

The tears that rolled down my face had long since dried up, and I was resigned to losing my family. When I woke this morning, I never thought the day would end like this.

I, or I should say we, had been caught and a phone call was made to our mothers. It was a phone call that would end our old lives.

Checking my watch, it was time to leave, I threw my suck sack over my shoulder and walked deliberately down the stairs. I couldn’t see where my mum was, and I didn’t try to find her. I just opened the front door and left.

Walking down the street, I burst into tears and ran like my life depended on it. I ran out of the estate and down the muddy path into the local woods. I didn’t care about the wet and damp from the rain.

I found a fallen tree and sat on it, my tears not stopping and my breathing becoming irregular. I was as scared as hell.
When my digital watch beeped at the top of the hour, I started walking the path to meet him.

He stood waiting for me, and I ran over to him. We hugged each other hard, not wanting to let each other go and a few more tears strayed out of my eyes. I thought we’d be together forever, but this was really goodbye. He was staying because he wouldn’t get the bruised ribs or the black eyes from his father. He would just get a lecture and subtle re-education until he finally left home.

I begged him to come with me, but he was too afraid to lose everything he had. For a brief moment, I hated him for his cowardice but knew how difficult it would be for him to leave.

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