Vacation From Reality

When I was young there was this red bicycle by the woods; alone, resting, and beautiful. It was always a mystery to me as we drove by in the car or walked to the mailbox. Why was it there? What did it feel like? Simple human curiosity overtook me as a child.

No matter how many times I tried to ask about it, my parents just smiled and said it wasn't mine. They would never give me the satisfaction of knowing more about this oddity. So my curiosity silently grew.

My life was very closed. We never went anywhere or did anything that I can remember for the longest time. Groceries were once a month and a family event. Church was a private family study at home. School was taught by mother. Holidays were full of good food and relatives that came to visit us in our old Victorian home, but still. We never went anywhere. We never did anything.

At first this didn't bother me but as I grew older, my lust for the unknown grew as well. A tugging at the mind, a toying thought, a strange image. I felt like I was going insane, yet I was only a child. How could I understand insanity?

Till finally I could stand it no more. My curiosity overwhelming and strengthened by age, I waited till night and snuck out my second story window. Tentatively placing my unsure feet on the old boards, I quietly made my way to the edge and climbed down the old apple tree. My body landed with a soft crunch on the leaves. My heart stopped as my mind raced with punishments that would be placed on me if I was found. But this was no time to stop, no time to hesitate. It was time to live.