Little Inklings 2022

FREEDOM As I stumbled through the pouring rain, my feet squished on the mud, splattering it everywhere. I ran and ran through the darkness of night until I couldn’t take it anymore. I ran into the woods, stopped to rest at a dead tree, and sat there for a moment, panting and exhausted. I better get moving, I thought. Those prison guards are going to walk by my cell any second now and realize I’m gone. I always wondered why bad things happen to good people. When I was locked up, I became an example of that. Just because I wanted to help a friend. Since when is helping a friend a crime? I took a deep breath to calm down, and I got up, covered in mud. I started to jog in the direction I was going before, but before I could take another step I saw a small shape on the tree. It was hard to tell what it was in the dark. I took a few steps towards it to see it better, and what I found was a small cocoon. Looking at it, I couldn’t help but feel bad for the butterfly inside of it. Trapped in the darkness in the middle of the rain. I could tell it wasn’t getting out anytime soon. Get moving, I told myself. You’re not going to make it if you don’t go now. I started to run again, and this time I didn’t stop until I reached the other side of the woods. I walked out from the trees and found… a run-down CVS on the side of a lonely road. I walked past the gravelly road that would be any car’s nightmare to drive on, and walked into the store. The cashier was asleep at the register with a bottle of whiskey next to him and there were no customers. The smell of alcohol filled the air. This place was definitely not up to code. Now, I wasn’t usually the kind of person to shoplift a store, but these were desperate times. I grabbed a green T-shirt with an owl on it that said “Reading is fun!” and some shorts and underwear. I tiptoed to the register and grabbed some candy bars, then got out of there. I walked around behind the CVS and found a nice corner to sleep in. I closed my eyes for a moment and was soon fast asleep. — I woke up to see the sun rising in the distance. The rain had ended. I got up and started walking down the beaten-up road, hoping to find a train station somewhere along the way. Maybe if I can catch a train back home, I can find someone to help me, I thought as I trudged through the gravelly path. Maybe I can try to start over. As I looked up at the sky, a small flash of color caught my eye. I looked more carefully and I saw a butterfly. It had a little splotch of mud on its wing, but it was beautiful anyway. Guess you really did make it after all, I thought as I walked down the road to freedom. GUSTAVO DO VALLE ❜ 26 68