Self Known

[photo via pinterest] "Come back!" He shouts behind me. But I can't do that. I told him. I'm running. "Stop!" I shake my head and continue down the tunnel. I can hear his footsteps pounding behind me and I manage to sigh through my heavy breathing. I told him not to follow. "Don't run from me!" I slide to a stop, just before the open exit, the end of the tunnel. I look out and up, at the sun, the clear blue sky, the warm day. It's so different to the life I'm leaving. But it'll work. I turn toward him, watching him slow down to a stop, just a few feet away. "Please." The foreign word I've heard him say far too often. It chills my bones, though I can feel the warmth of the outside world radiating toward me, even though I'm still in the tunnel. "I can't stay. I told you that." "Why can't you stay?" My patience doesn't exist anymore, so I snap. "I told yo...

[ photo via pinterest ] I flip through the pages of my book, sighing and letting the words blur my vision. A soft growl is heard above the slight breeze that blows my hair and waves the grass. I roll my eyes and close my book. "If you're trying to scare me again, it won't work." I listen to the small sigh but still jump back when he pounces on me. "Ah hah! And you said it wouldn't work!" I giggle as we roll around in the grass. I try to push him off of me, while he stubbornly hangs on. "Get off of me!" "No." We continue to roll, and that's when I notice our slight downhill incline. "Oh no..." I reach a hand out, clawing at the grass, trying to slow us down as we begin to slide instead of roll. "Oh--" His voice is cut off by the splash of our bodies, hitting the water. I lift my head above the pond water, gasping for air and managing to push him off of me. He turns toward me and l...