Tree Run

A made-up story:


"Keith, what on earth are you doing?" I was already annoyed.

"Watch me, baby!" Keith dangled from the low branch with one arm and one leg hanging on. He swung to kiss me me, but I stepped away and folded my arms.

"Watch! See how high I can get! Think I can touch that bird's nest up there?" He was straddling the branch now, pointing up. We were in a clearing surrounded by woods. In the middle of the clearing was a big, rotting tree, and Keith had scrambled right up it.

"You'd better not, Keith! That tree doesn't look too sturdy. It's dying. Why do you always gotta act like an idiot? Trying to show off or something?"

Keith's lips spread wide and grinned with all his teeth. "So what if I want to show off to my girlfriend every now and then! You know you're impressed!" He stood up on a branch and reached up to haul himself up to the next one. He was already halfway up the tree.

I raised my eyebrow and looked up at him. I had to holler a little for him to hear me. "I'm not impressed. I'm irritated!"

"Baby, come on. Watch this!" He swung around the thinning trunk and grabbed another branch. I heaved a sigh while dozens of scenes flashed before the screen of my mind within seconds. Keith trying to impress my parents with all his stupid jokes. Keith playing rough with my little dog and saying he was only playing when my dog limped away, whimpering. Keith showing up at my apartment completely drunk one night and trying to take my clothes off. Keith laughing at me when I tried to tell him my dream and what it meant to me, saying it didn't mean nothing at all and that I was stupid. Keith skipping his college classes and never doing any homework. Keith rolling his eyes and getting impatient when I cried. Keith always acting funny, never ever taking me seriously.

I watched him now and couldn't stand him. I didn't know if I could leave him. But, as he climbed higher and higher, a crazy thought came to my head: people could disappear. Sometimes people ran away and no one ever knew what happened to them. I could go home, lock the door to my apartment, and pack all my things. And the next day I could be gone. It wouldn't be hard to transfer my college credit and finish up my senior year somewhere else. Heck, I could move across the world! He'd never find me! I could start all over.

No, I was thinking way too crazy. I'm stuck in this life with this guy. I need to suck it up and accept the life I chose. Besides, if I leave him, I'll be alone.

I'm already alone. What did I have to lose?

I watched Keith climb up to the level of the bird's nest. It wasn't safe for him up there at all. "Hey!" he hollered down at me. "What did one egg say to the other?" He was leaning over, looking into the nest. He didn't wait for me to try to guess the answer. "Let's get cracking!" He hooted and slapped the bottom of the nest. It fell through the branches and three eggs fell out and fell too. All of it landed on the leafy ground and the crack of the eggs made me sick.

I looked up at Keith, horrified. He had a wild look in his eyes and laughed at my facial expresion. I knew I had to leave. Immediately. Something was pulling at me and I desperately had to get away from him. He wasn't all bad, but he seemed like a monster to me then and there. I looked around at the woods around us. My heart pounded.

I knew that if I said anything at all, he would think I was angry and that he could argue his way back to my good side. I didn't want that. I wanted to never see him again. My eyes widened as I looked at him one last time, then I turned around and bolted into the woods. Things slapped my face, little branches or bugs or whatever, but I stared at the ground, leaping over roots and rocks. I breathed heavily but didn't slow down. I heard Keith calling, as if from a dream, "Hey! Where are you going?" It would take him a while to climb down and chase after me, and at the edge of the woods was my car (Keith had never learned to drive), so he'd have to find his own way home.

I didn't have to move away for things to be different. I didn't have to let him ruin my life, either by provoking me to leave everything here that I loved and moving to Arkansas or Mongolia or somewhere, or by letting things stay the same. I was done, I was done, I was done. I was running and panting and free.


God bless.