23 April 2012
Chapter 8 Travel Partners
Night was coming near and I needed to keep moving. I hadn't walked much during the day. I hadn't ate much either. All I did was sleep. At least I don't need to have a nap! I drop to the floor and unzip my backpack. I pull out a banana, crisps and two biscuits. I swallow them down my throat into my stomach, as quickly as possible. I zip up my bag and turn on my torch. No cars. Good. The street lights were dimly showing the way. I tripped on a branch and landed on the grass. I got up. Spat grass from my mouth and limped down the M1. It was the 29th of March. Two days seemed like two years. I kept limping. The more I walked- well limped, the darker it got. My imagination started to work overload. I looked down at the grass. Shadows. Shadows of tall people. There's was so many shadows behind me. Their arms swinging towards me. Coming to take me away. I turn around. Trees. Lots of trees. The wind was blowing and the branches of the trees looked like moving arms. I carried on. My watch said 11:55 PM. I need to sleep. But I can't. Not until I have got to the M18. Which was about fifteen minutes for cars. Much longer for me. I never actually realised how lonely I was. That there was never anyone walking along side with me. No one to talk to. No one to laugh with. No one to shout at. No one to annoy. The sound of leaves crunching was filling the air. The strange thing was... I wasn't walking! There is someone else; somewhere out there. I spun on the spot looking for someone or something to blame. No one! Something ran over my foot! I shone my torch at my feet. A mouse? Insect? A DOG?!? A small, brown puppy. With white and black ears and a small furry tail. I laughed at myself. How could I have been so scared of a cute little puppy? I sat down and observed the pup. No collar. It looked dirty. Like a stray. I carefully stroked it's head. Tail wagging, it jumped onto my lap. I smiled at the poor thing. It looked back at me. Light brown eyes. Adorable! I lifted it up to check if it was a boy or a girl. "Boy. Definitely. I think I'll call you Rex! That's if you want to stay with me of coarse. So DO you want to stay with me?" Rex gave a happy bark. Obviously glad to have a owner. He sniffed my bag. Then started to dig at it and then he started whining. "What's wrong boy? Do you want some food?" I asked him. His ears pricked up and he sat up straight. I opened my bag and took out three slices of bread. I ate 1 and he ate two. We both finished the biscuits and the bottles of water. I better find some water tomorrow! Rex circled a specific spot and lay down. He was tired. So was I. "Let 's have some shut eye hey Rex?" "Woof." We shared the pillow and the blanket. I had a brilliant deep sleep. It was good to have Rex around. He was the only person I could talk to. He was my only friend. He was the only person who knew what it was like to be abandoned. To be excluded. We travelled a lot. I felt happy to look down and find a small fur ball, it's bum swishing side to side, walking along side me. We eventually reached the M18. It seemed like two minutes walking alongside Rex. Standing, I drank some water and poured some in Rex's little mouth too. (I had managed to find a tap and filled up both water bottles.) "Five days until Mum's birthday. I SHOULD be able to reach a few days earlier. What do you think Rex?" I stared at the puppy. His eyes sinking into mine. "Woof!" Rex replied. A fragile, purple butterfly fluttered passed me. It sat on Rex's nose. Rex; excited at this new object sitting on his sniffing device, snapped at the insect. Fortunately, the butterfly flew and sat on my knee, escaping Rex's long canine teeth. It was so beautiful. The butterfly. When you looked at it up close; you could see it was not exactly purple but a very dark blue. It had black spots and yellow stripes across its feet. I hadn't noticed, but Rex ywas preparing to pounce. To attack the blue dot that was trying to steal his nose and now his owners knee. Rex dived onto my lap. I shrieked and fell backwards. Rex started digging at my back. I pushed Rex out of the way and sat up again. The same butterfly was sitting on a branch- like nothing had just happened in the past ten seconds. A smile spread across face. I giggled. Then I laughed. I don't how long I laughed for. But it was the best thing that ever happened to me in a week!
Runaway (Chapter 8) • Opuss № I