I loved my life. I had a nice warm bed, a Nintendo 64, and all the cereal a boy could ask for. The bare necessities. So what could have caused me to walk out that door? To descend into an unknown world beyond my comfort zone? The truth was, I had none.

I had heard the rumors, the legends. Other kids had run away from home. Little Brian made it all the way to Safeway, Dakota managed to brave an entire block. I never understood what caused such outings. Sure, I had taken daily leaves into the forest for hours upon end, but I always had the intention of returning to the warmth of my room.

But that day, I felt a change; I felt the primal urge many before me had felt. No one had wronged me, nothing had angered me. It was just something I knew I had to do.

I gathered some items in my pack, nothing major, because I knew I’d be back.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m leaving, ma”

“Now, why would you do a thing like that?”

“Dunno.”

“So you’re running away?”

I stopped and thought about it. Up until then I hadn’t considered what I was doing running away. I zipped up my pack and looked up towards my mom.

“No Ma, I’m walking away,” I stopped to grab a stick. “And then I’m going to walk right back.”