There was not doubt in her mind. She was going to do it. She was going to run away. Her parents were mean. She didn’t like the chores they made her do and they always fought. It made her feel sick and sad and mad. Her brother and sisters were always going out and leaving her there alone with them. She loved her brother and sisters. They were fun and told stories and hugged and played with her. She could always count on them.
So she decided. To run away and find another life. To show her parents that they were bad and make them feel sick and sad too. She wanted them to worry. She knew that it wasn’t right but she wanted to do it anyway. She thought about it for a few days, wandering around the big house. She decided she could travel light, only what she could fit in her pillow case. She’d bring blankie (she could never go anywhere without her blanket), her favorite giraffe stuffed animal and some cookies. This should hold her for awhile. In her mind the running away started to take on the feel of a grand adventure and she was excited.
She waited until nighttime, the house was quiet. Her mom was watching TV, her dad wasn’t home and her sisters were predictably gone. She tiptoed through the house to the garage. She’d always liked the garage, it seemed huge to her, a great place to run away. There was a closet in the back, it had many square cupboards with doors. But there were holes in the doors so she could still see the light. She was afraid of the dark. She walked by the cars and over the boxes to the cupboard. She found one that was nearly empty and crawled in. Then she waited. She felt certain that they would miss her immediately. She thought about how afraid they would be. She staid in her square cupboard, eating some crackers and imagining things, talking to her giraffe. She was in her own little world. She had done it, she had escaped.