You know what the most depressing thing in the world is? Empty playgrounds. I know because I'm sitting in one. The swing seat digs painfully into my legs and it's far too close to the ground to do any actual swinging. There's nowhere else to go anyway, and sometimes it's good to be alone. I guess the place would be a bit more uplifting if it weren't so colorful; like it was trying to be something more than an old abandoned heap of wood, metal and cheap flaky paint. I got off the train at about 3 am along with some business people who actually had somewhere to be. Obviously I didn't.
I didn't even know what city I was in, just the knowledge that I was far away from anything familiar. And that in itself was comforting. The sun was rising now, an orange hue that chased away the dark gray. It must have been 6 am, which meant I had been "swinging " for a solid couple hours. In the cold light of morning, everything takes on a blueish hue, the one thing familiar about the strange new place I was in.
Runaway.
The word had a bad connotation, but it sounded so free.
I never dreamed that I would be one, but now that I am, I never want to go. A guy dressed in a faded hoodie jacket walked past on the sidewalk, dragging his fingers along the chain link fence. He glanced at me, then quickly looked away with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. I watched him slink away, he had a weird way of walking; possibly due to clothes that didn't quite fit. The first living member of this strange new city I had seen had paid me no mind. Maybe that was a good sign, there are things much worse than being ignored. I don't know what I was expecting, that I'd make friends the second I arrived? I'm ridiculous.
I reached into my bag and dug out my wool scarf. I didn't bring much, but the scarf (hand knitted with blue and gray stripes) meant a lot to me. Along that I brought a notebook and pencil, numerous bottles of water, a jacket and additional clothing, and my ukulele. A lot of useless things many would say, but they were the only things I valued in my old home. I decided that it was about time to go, my stomach was empty and I had already consumed the few provisions I brought with me. I stepped onto the sidewalk just as soon as the first car drove past on the empty street. Surprisingly, I was not tired at all. I was still riding out the adrenaline high I got from getting onto that train. After wandering around for some time, I was in the city's downtown area. There were many quaint small shops that weren't open yet this early in the morning. I took a seat on a bench outside a teacup store and counted the few cars that passed by. "Good morning!" A voice chirped. The door to the teacup shop was open and a middle aged blonde lady was standing, looking at me with a wide grin on her face. She was the type who tried to appear younger than she really was. "I don't usually get customers this early, but come on come in!" She held the door for me and I didn't have the heart to tell her that there was no way in hell I was going to buy one of her fancy tea cups.
