He smiles and waved as his parents leave with packed bags. They close the door and his smile dissipates. As soon as they start the car he bolts. As fast as his feet can go, he runs upstairs. His bag is already packed full. Matches, lighters, wire, clothes, toiletries, bandages, bread, some sandwich meats, pens, hot dogs, a flashlight, gloves, a $30 gift card, and a pair of sneakers tied to the bag. He puts the bag on, and a dark blue fleece blanket over his back and head. He runs downstairs and checks the windows again. Clear, he shuts all the lights off and pulls a small note out of his pocket. The note reads- “I love you, just give me time. I’ll be back. Mom knows why.” Two days prior he had come home from school to walk in on his mom in bed with his neighbor, Louis McCarthy. His reaction was to leave immediately. He hid in his room until the next day where he confronted her. She had no answer for him. This was the 5th affair his mother has had. He needed space, clarification, time to process. He left through the back door after locking it from the inside. He walks on the edge of the fence and out the back gate, leading towards the woods. He’s studied a map of his town, so he knows what rivers to follow. As it gets darker he uses his flash light, turning towards the railroad. He follows the rail until he could collect enough metal debris. He walked back into the woods to find a good tree. He finds a fallen tree that is secure on a large oak tree. He clears an area around the tree, and begins to dig a hole with a rock. He fills the hole with twigs, leaves and dry grass. He places the metal debris over the fire pit, back and forth like a rack. He lites the fire and begins to roast the hotdogs. He digs in after wrapping the dog in a slice of bread. As he is distracted the fire lights on the other side of the pit. Debris catches then the grass, all of a sudden the dead tree is lit on fire. He starts to run but the fire spread faster than he knew. Within seconds the forest is on fire. He runs dodging wild animals and large boulders. Suddenly a tree crashes down landing right on him… “DAVIIEEEEE” “ Wake up bud you got one more month of school left. Let’s goooo!!” Davie jolts up and gets out of bed. It was a dream, but he truly does share that secret with his mum. Hopefully he’ll gain the courage to talk about it with his dad.

Since the beginning of time, the aphids leeched off of sweet plants. When ants came to be they began tasting many different varieties of food. Ants strive off of glucose, and aphids produce a sweet nectar when eating plants. One day long ago a crew of ants were exploring the land for something sweeter than berries and leaves. They were crawling along when they began to smell something extraordinarily sweet. They followed the smell, to find a flower bed. They climbed the large flowers, to find hundreds of little green bugs. Around them, pools of the nectar. The ants asked the aphids about the nectar as another bug flies in and eats two of the aphids. The bug lands and the ants attack, ripping it in two. The aphids were impressed and offered the ants a deal. If the ants stuck around to protect the aphids, the aphids would make lots of nectar for the ants. The ants were pleased and vowed their lives for the benefit of their underground kingdom. Thousands of years later evolution has effected the aphids. Aphids are now smaller and produce less nectar. One day a starving ant got angry because she had protected the aphids moments before. The ant lost her temper and swallowed the aphid. The aphid was sweeter and tastier than the nectar. So the ant rose up and asked the Queen “Why don’t we just eat the Aphids? They’re tasty, they don’t give us what we need and they take up so much space!”. The Queen then ordered to taste the aphids herself. Sure enough the aphids were sweeter than the nectar ever was. So the ants eat the aphids and the aphids feel betrayed.

From the sun, to the plants and animals we eat From the food to our stomachs, absorbed into our body From your body to your mind, to your soul, your spirit From the spirit into stardust after we pass Back to a sun or to be recycled into something else.

Before, I was lost chasing a lost love. I was running away from the ones who ruined me. Trying to distract myself with relationships that really didn’t matter to me, to try to make sense of myself. When we met, I was ignorant. Ignoring the fact that behind those cold green eyes, and your defensive stance, deep down you have a heart yearning for someone to love. Someone to finally care for you, love you with all their heart. You’ve always needed someone to stop and see you for who you really are. A comedian, an actor, a writer and composer, a stoner, a lover and a luster. A world without you is something I can’t comprehend because I don’t believe it. That’s why I have failed my first prompt. Life without you is no life at all. Good night, Jay.