The Running Man Creative Piece

Months went by after the funeral, feeling like years for Joseph. Everyday after school, he would walk over to
Caroline’s house, offering nothing but his company towards her. Most days, Caroline would be welcoming his
presence, but sometimes he would find her sitting by Tom’s old mulberry tree, seemingly whispering to it,
staring deep into its roots. Joseph left quickly at the sight of Caroline’s grief. He knew she needed to be alone
during those times, knowing in the depths of his heart that Caroline needed to cope with her brother’s death
her own way. Everyday he would detour down past Tom Leyton’s old room. Each step he took into the room
felt like he was re-entering the most important parts of his life. He would take casual glances towards Tom’s
bedside table, carrying some of his old books, and a picture of Caroline and himself by the mulberry tree. Close
to the door hung the cork pinboard, full of notes and Josephs first draft of the drawing he did of Tom. Everyday
that Joseph would go to Toms room, he would always go through the board, as if he had only seen the notes
for the first time. The note closest to the door read, ‘To Tommy, Mates Forever, Mick (Nam 1968)’. Turning the
note over revealed the younger Tom Leyton, back when he was in Vietnam. Directly in the middle of the
board, pinned from each corner was The Silkworms poem. He would read over it everyday before leaving,
seeming to find more and more meaning in it each time he would study it. Everyday, he would pray, cross his
fingers, do everything he could to hopefully one day, walk into the room and find Tom Leyton, hunched over
his desk, taking care of his Silkworms once again. But he knew still, that even some wishes cannot be answered
with a miracle.

The nights walking home from school for Joseph were problem-free. He had not witnessed the Running Man
since Toms funeral and was always greeted by Mr. Cousins, who would wait outside every day at his store,
cigarette in hand, Joseph’s favorite chocolate bar and a brand-new joke in mind that was sure to always give
himself more of a laugh than it would Joseph. Nevertheless, it was still Josephs favorite part of the joke. Upon
entering his home, he was always welcomed by his father with a warm hug

“How was school today?” Joseph’s dad would ask. And Joseph would always reply with the same answer,

“It was good thank you”.

He would always find his mother having a long chat with Ms Mossop in the kitchen over a cup of coffee and
some homemade biscuits that were given to them from Caroline. Joseph liked Ms Mossop, however he would
rather not get caught up in conversation with her talking about other people. He would much rather run
upstairs into his room and spend time by himself, whether it be drawing pictures of old friends, listening to
music, or taking care of his new silkworms. He would always bring some extra leaves back on his way home to
make sure all the worms had something to live on, and would frequently change the box they would stay in in
order to keep them healthy. He had learnt many new ways to keep the silkworms from Tom Leyton. Every time
Joseph fed them, he would always think back to his time with Tom and how much they would talk about
silkworms. Almost everything he did since the funeral had made him reminisce about the times with Tom. It
made the things Joseph did more enjoyable, to be able to relieve his happiest moments with him.

Joseph walked out of class with a sigh of relief, throwing his bag over his shoulder and beginning his journey
home. Rain swished off his jacket as he ducked his head down staring at his feet, regretting not taking his
umbrella with him that morning. His feet splashed through the puddles, filling his shoes with water after every
step. He approached Mr Cousins store, excited to step inside out of the rain for a moment. The chime of a bell
rang as Joseph opened the door into the brightly lit shop.