Running away. For good.

Written by,
Ian Toomey
I dont understand it. Why does nobody listen to me? Im not lying! I am being
abused, but nobody cares. Nobody ever cared. I never told the lies my Mom told me
to tell, I said what I thought. The school counselor just laughed, the nurse waved
me off, and the CPS officer told me to grow up and take it. Now, I have decided to
get out of the awful world. I dont care if they send the FBI after me, Im leaving,
and Im never coming back. My name is Scout. I am eleven years old. I live in
Aurora, Colorado.
I just got out of the Beating room. Its basically my parents bedroom, but I
usually dont come out unless Im sore and tender in many different places. Today
was no exception. Mom beat me and abused me until I was flat as a pancake. I
didnt even deserve it! All I did was leave a lamp on in my room, and Mom beat the
living daylights out of me. I went straight to my room and laid on my bed. I was so
sick and tired of being Moms punching bag. While I cried in my room, I came up
with a plan to get out of here.
Here is my plan:
Step 1: I pack my belongings into a backpack and hide it under my bed.
Step 2: I wait until nightfall while being a good little boy for Mom to fall
asleep.
Step 3: I grab my backpack, get ready, and run away from home.
I dont know where Im going, but anywhere is better than here. That is pretty
much my plan. I have about twenty dollars in my piggy bank, so I put that into my
backpack along with my favorite toys, action figures, books, and a couple pieces of
candy I have secretly stashed under my bed. Then I put some clothes in my pack, I
hid it under my bed. The first step was now complete. Now all I had to do was wait
until nightfall. I put on some socks so I could just slip my slip-on shoes on and go.
Late that night I grabbed my backpack from under my bed. Then I went to go
see if Mom was asleep. She was. Smiling to myself, I crept down the stairs. I avoided
the one creaky stair, and then I was in front of the front door.
Wait! The security system! Mom usually sets it at night! I thought to myself.
You little rat! What are you doing? Get up here now you little creep! Mom
suddenly shouted.
Without even thinking, I unlocked the door and wrenched it open. The
security system starting blaring, and that gave me an adrenaline boost. I rushed out
the door, leaving it open. I bolted down the street away from home, away from the
Beating Room, and away from Mom. I was running away, and I would never go back
home again.
-10 miles from home-

I went into the general store to buy some food. I had managed to get from
Aurora Colorado to Castle Rock Colorado a few days ago. I think I will stay here for a
day or two, then go somewhere else. My goal is Broomfield Colorado, where my old
friend lives. He used to live in Aurora, but he moved. He has no idea I am coming.
He is 25.2 miles away. I should be able to make the journey. I hope.
Later that night I decided to sleep on the grass in a field. As I lay in the field I
thought about what life had been like before Dad left us and Mom became abusive
and a drunk. Life was good back then. We went on vacations and ate ice cream
together and even had a movie night every Friday. I was only six years old then.
But when I turned eight, Mom and Dad starting fighting, and eventually Dad
said I have had enough! Im leaving! and he packed up his stuff and took off.
He never came back.
It didnt take long for Mom to start to drink. After one week of him being
gone, she had bought eight six-packs of beer and three bottles of wine. One thing
you should know, is that when Mom gets drunk, she gets really angry really fast.
She started saying things that she would never say sober. I wont repeat them. I
wanted it to go back to when Dad was home and we were happy again. I dont
wanna live with just Mom now. I miss those good days
I had a hard time falling asleep. Especially since the frogs were so loud every
time they croaked I would startle and wake up. That happened about five or six
times during the night. Needless to say I didnt get a very good nights sleep. Oh,
and it is FREEZING during the night, and I was shivering for pretty much all night.
When the sun finally came up, I was relieved. I had no idea where I was, but as long
as I wasnt home, I was fine.
Later in the day around noon I went into a gas station store and looked
around for a map. I found one by the cashier desk. It cost one dollar. I only have
three dollars left, but I really needed a map if I was going to make it to my friends
house in Broomfield. I bought the map as well as a candy bar, then I went outside
and sat on a bench to figure out where I was.
Then the police officer showed up. I nearly jumped out of my skin. He was
just filling up his car, but I knew he was probably looking for me too. I tried to hide
my face behind the map. After a few minutes I looked to see if the cop was gone,
but he was talking on his radio. He leaned into his car, then came back out and
looked directly at me.
Hey kid! Can I talk to you for a minute? He yelled.
Oh no okay. Keep calm. Just lie. Dont panic. I thought to myself.
I folded up my map and put it in my pocket. Then I stood up and walked over
to the police car.
Hi there. Whats your name? The cop asked.
He was tall and had a tan uniform on. He had a wide brimmed hat that was
also tan. He was smiling. I thought quickly to a name I heard on TV once.
Cameron. I said.

Nice to meet you Cameron. Are your parents here?

I shook my head.
Oh. Are they close by? I nodded.
Where do you live?
Monaco Village. I said, thinking of a name of a neighborhood close by.
Okay. What is your name again? I told him.
He wrote it down on a notepad, then he told the dispatcher over the radio my
name. When the response came, it wasnt what I wanted to hear.
14, hes clear, valid out of Seattle.
Oh no I thought.
Hey kid, is that really your name, or are you lying to me? The officer asked.
In that split second I made the decision to run. Turning around, I bolted away
from the gas station and down the road.
Kid! Stop! Now! The Officer yelled.
I looked behind me and saw him running after me, talking into his radio mic
on his shoulder. He was a fast runner. Im pretty fast, but not as fast as he was. In a
matter of seconds, he caught up to me and tackled me to the ground.
Whyd you run kid? What do you have to hide from me? The officer
demanded of me.
He grabbed my arms and brought them behind my back, then he got
handcuffs and put them on my wrists. They were the hinge kind so they hurt when I
moved my wrists. The officer helped me stand up, then he walked me back to his
car. He opened the back door and helped me sit down, then he put my seatbelt on
me. I was trapped. I was going back home to the Beating Room. I was going back
to being Moms punching bag, and there was nothing I could do about it. This is the
end of my little adventure.
During the whole drive to the Station I tried to get my hands in front of me,
but it was useless. I was so tied down I could barely move.
Hey kid, I want to ask you one question. Why did you run away from home?
I thought about just keeping silent, but I decided to tell him.
My mom beats me. She beats me for every little thing I do wrong. I am
usually so beaten that I cant move. I swear I could slide underneath the door frame.
Nobody listened to me at school, so I ran away to get away from Mom The officer
didnt say anything, but he pulled over to the side of the road and stopped.
Okay kid. I want to know everything. Whats your name, where you live, how
your mother would beat you, and how long you have been out here, and where you
were going. I took a deep breath.

Okay. My name is Scout Douglas. Im eleven years old and I live in Aurora.
My mother would beat me with a belt. She would make me lean over against her
bed and then she would whip me with the metal part every which way. If I cried she
would beat me more. Then she would get out a hairbrush and she would beat me
everywhere with that. Then she would yank my shirt up and throw me on the floor.
Then she would kick and punch me all over my body. Then she would pick me up
and walk em to the door, where she would kick me out with her foot against my
rear. Then I would go to my room and lay on my bed, completely exhausted. I have
been out here for about six days, and I was going to Broomfield. My old friend that
moved lives there, and I was going to stay with them.
You know what? Let me make a call. I bet we can get that arranged for you. I
am Officer Sid.
It was arranged. Officer Sid would bring me to the police station, then to his
home. Tommorow morning I would be picked up from the Police Station by my
friend, who I would live with for the rest of my life. I was so excited!
We drove to the Police Station, where I had a meeting with a Child Protection
Services representative. She basically told me that running away was a bad idea,
how I should have called the police, and that kind of stuff. Then she had me sign a
bunch of papers that made it so I could live with my friend. After the meeting Officer
Sid took the cuffs off my wrists, and he let me sit in the passenger seat. We went to
Burger King for lunch, then we went to his home. He has two kids. A boy my age
and a girl a lot older than me. I instantly made friends with the boy. His name is
Percival.
That night I showered, (which felt marvelous) then for dinner we had pizza
and watched a movie, then it was time to sleep. I slept with Percival. He has a bunk
bed. He let me have the top. Now I have been sleeping on park benches and the
ground, so the bed felt like it made out of the softest material available. It was the
best night of sleep I have had in days.
Percival really wanted to know everything, so I told him what I had told his
father. After that we chatted about video games and Pokmon, which we both really
like, then we went to sleep.
-Two weeks laterAmmon and I are best buds! We do everything together. Heck, we even get in
trouble together. I got a restraining and a no visiting order against my Mom. She
cant come within 50 feet of me, or I have to call the cops. My friends Mom took me
back home to get my belongings with Officer Sid. He came to protect me against
Mom in case she decided to beat me again. Then we went shopping to get me my
own bed, dresser, and Side table. I even got a lamp! Its awesome.
I am glad I was caught by Officer Sid, otherwise I could have died, been
attacked, or worse. Im safe now.
The end.