Part Five

The Girl Who Loved The Moon
Part Five

I walked down highway 15, towards Kentucky. There was a town there, near an aquarium. I had bought a map in the first rest stop I found. It was cheap, but it showed all of Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. As the sun went down, I began looking for a place to stay. I saw a rest stop on the side of the road. I walked down to the McDonalds. It was bad food, but it was cheap. I bought a burger and ate it. I used the restroom, and when I came back outside, it was dark. I saw a hill and a small group of trees. But there were signs saying to stay away from them. Instead, I went around back of the McDonalds and found a patch of grass that ran up to the building. I took my blanket and unfolded it. I crept under the blanket and lay on the grass. I would sleep until the sun came up, and then I would keep going. took out my cell phone. I had charged it the night before, but I knew it wouldn't last forever. I had packed my charger, determined to throw it away if i needed to. I plugged my cellphone into an outlet in the wall. I curled up and tried to sleep. This scenery was so different from at home. There was no bed, only blanket, grass, and wall. There was no door, just a parking lot. I had crept into an ally so as to not be seen. I closed my eyes.

I couldn't sleep. I slept very little, and that made me think about how I could make it. I packed my stuff and bought a small french fries from McDonalds. I ate them as I walked up the highway. I had gone six miles yesterday. It wasn't enough. I needed to keep going, but I didn't know why. Something was pushing me, but it wasn't pushing hard enough. My courage was failing fast. I took a deep breath, and turned back the way I came. I couldn't go on. I had no reason to. I had a home, a family, food to eat, a bed to sleep in, I didn't need this. I got home by nightfall. My parents let me inside without a word. I hugged them and went up to bed.

As I lay in bed, I wondered at myself. How could I just go out, but come crawling back home? Because I have a home, I answered myself. I have what I need. I fell asleep in an instant.