Christmas Runaway
Rummaging the bins for food, snow falling down around him while strangers passed him on the streets without acknowledgement, it was Christmas Eve and Oscar was all alone. He was six years old and he had run away from home, he thought he could do better, he was six after all, he was independent, everyone at home had been paying more attention to his three sisters, Meg, Molly and Maggy; he didn’t like all the attention given to them so he ran, and ran, and ran till the only thing he could see was the thickening fog and the snow rushing down so hard it was difficult to see anything else but whiteness. The shops were all closing, Christmas trees seemed to appear in every window, synchronising with each other, it wasn’t too long till they all appeared the same, and it wasn’t too soon after until Oscar was lost completely.
He was getting hungry, this place of town seemed to have little in excess food and he was beginning to become ever so famished. He couldn’t go home now, he didn’t think he would be welcomed, but food, he really needed food. He walked slowly through all the alleyways, and dark streets till someone called Harry approached him ‘Haha, yes. Harry, the scar on my head you see, I’m like the wizard!’, he had remembered watching a wizard on TV once with his family, he only half watched it however, he was thinking about food at the time, and everyone had been paying attention to his sisters so he didn’t care too much for the film. ‘What are you doing here all on your own boy, don’t you have a family?’, ‘no, no family. Hey, do you know where I can get some food? I’m starving’. Harry took Oscar through to a an alley where two rugged looking men were standing over a fire illuminating from a tin bin, ‘oh aye, come over here you two, I bet you’re both near death in this weather! ‘. Both Harry and Oscar sat next to the men while they gave them what was left on their food, it was chicken, Oscar loved chicken, he remembered that his sisters would always leave some chicken for him if he was out, he started to miss them, but there was no turning back now, not after so long.
Hours had passed, and when Oscar woke up he noticed that the two rugged men had left has did Harry, he looked around to see if there was any left-over food he could eat but he found nothing. He didn’t want to think too much about food anymore, so he kept on walking. Oscar was waiting for cars to pass before noticing a poster on a lamppost, ‘it’s me! They’re looking for me’, it was at this moment that he wanted to go home, but he was so scared and afraid that he didn’t know what to do, he tried talking to people but everytime he opened his mouth he was ignored. Never had Oscar felt so unwanted, so unwelcomed, he suddenly felt a lot less independent than he thought he was, food was so much more difficult to get than he first thought it would be, and everyone was so cold, it was so difficult to approach anyone, especially as he was so smelly from sleeping near rubbish bins and hanging around with people to who washing themselves was a luxury, it was around this point that Oscar was truly alone, and truly wanted to go home.
He was beginning to get frantic, running in front of cars in panic, Oscar began to seriously doubt where he was going, he wasn’t even sure that they were cars where he use to live. He wanted his mum, and his sisters, and he wanted to sit next to the fireplace, he liked the TV, even if he didn’t ever watch it; it was peaceful. Sounds were coming from the department stores televisions, he was so cold and so hungry, and ever so tired from walking, trying to find home, the monotonous tone of the television gave him some home comfort, reminded him of a better place, a place where his family was. He curled up next to window, as close to the window as possible and drifted into slumber, the deepest slumber he had ever let himself get into before. ..
The sun had begun to rise, the snow was falling even more heavily than it had been the previous day, the television was still on, there wasn’t any sound anymore just a message running across the screen ‘Merry Christmas’, it was Christmas, and Oscar was still cold and all by himself. He didn’t want to get up but he noticed a large shadowed figure approaching him, he got up to run but noticed the figure looked familiar, a woman in her forties, wrinkled face, she smelled like she owned a lot of animals, mainly other cats. ‘Oscar!? Oscar! Come here boy, come here, mummy’s here’, Oscar stretched out his paws and let out a big meow, the woman never seemed to understand him when he talked, not properly, he just had to rely on his purrs and meows if he ever wanted to talk to her, but he was happy she was here, it was so long since anyone had paid attention to him, he wanted to play first. Oscar ran underneath the cars, and hid in the bins in alleyways, ‘this is fun’ he thought, as the lady was running, gasping for her breath, she clearly didn’t want to be playing chase in the thick snow. Oscar was beginning to feel hungry, he clawed up the woman’s arms, and she kissed him on the head and stroked him roughly behind his ears, ‘stupid cat! I missed you, you silly fool, Merry Christmas’, she gave him one last kiss and took him home, Oscar spent the rest of Christmas laid in front of the fire watching TV, he didn’t get jealous of his sisters once that Christmas. Well, not until feeding time.
He was getting hungry, this place of town seemed to have little in excess food and he was beginning to become ever so famished. He couldn’t go home now, he didn’t think he would be welcomed, but food, he really needed food. He walked slowly through all the alleyways, and dark streets till someone called Harry approached him ‘Haha, yes. Harry, the scar on my head you see, I’m like the wizard!’, he had remembered watching a wizard on TV once with his family, he only half watched it however, he was thinking about food at the time, and everyone had been paying attention to his sisters so he didn’t care too much for the film. ‘What are you doing here all on your own boy, don’t you have a family?’, ‘no, no family. Hey, do you know where I can get some food? I’m starving’. Harry took Oscar through to a an alley where two rugged looking men were standing over a fire illuminating from a tin bin, ‘oh aye, come over here you two, I bet you’re both near death in this weather! ‘. Both Harry and Oscar sat next to the men while they gave them what was left on their food, it was chicken, Oscar loved chicken, he remembered that his sisters would always leave some chicken for him if he was out, he started to miss them, but there was no turning back now, not after so long.
Hours had passed, and when Oscar woke up he noticed that the two rugged men had left has did Harry, he looked around to see if there was any left-over food he could eat but he found nothing. He didn’t want to think too much about food anymore, so he kept on walking. Oscar was waiting for cars to pass before noticing a poster on a lamppost, ‘it’s me! They’re looking for me’, it was at this moment that he wanted to go home, but he was so scared and afraid that he didn’t know what to do, he tried talking to people but everytime he opened his mouth he was ignored. Never had Oscar felt so unwanted, so unwelcomed, he suddenly felt a lot less independent than he thought he was, food was so much more difficult to get than he first thought it would be, and everyone was so cold, it was so difficult to approach anyone, especially as he was so smelly from sleeping near rubbish bins and hanging around with people to who washing themselves was a luxury, it was around this point that Oscar was truly alone, and truly wanted to go home.
He was beginning to get frantic, running in front of cars in panic, Oscar began to seriously doubt where he was going, he wasn’t even sure that they were cars where he use to live. He wanted his mum, and his sisters, and he wanted to sit next to the fireplace, he liked the TV, even if he didn’t ever watch it; it was peaceful. Sounds were coming from the department stores televisions, he was so cold and so hungry, and ever so tired from walking, trying to find home, the monotonous tone of the television gave him some home comfort, reminded him of a better place, a place where his family was. He curled up next to window, as close to the window as possible and drifted into slumber, the deepest slumber he had ever let himself get into before. ..
The sun had begun to rise, the snow was falling even more heavily than it had been the previous day, the television was still on, there wasn’t any sound anymore just a message running across the screen ‘Merry Christmas’, it was Christmas, and Oscar was still cold and all by himself. He didn’t want to get up but he noticed a large shadowed figure approaching him, he got up to run but noticed the figure looked familiar, a woman in her forties, wrinkled face, she smelled like she owned a lot of animals, mainly other cats. ‘Oscar!? Oscar! Come here boy, come here, mummy’s here’, Oscar stretched out his paws and let out a big meow, the woman never seemed to understand him when he talked, not properly, he just had to rely on his purrs and meows if he ever wanted to talk to her, but he was happy she was here, it was so long since anyone had paid attention to him, he wanted to play first. Oscar ran underneath the cars, and hid in the bins in alleyways, ‘this is fun’ he thought, as the lady was running, gasping for her breath, she clearly didn’t want to be playing chase in the thick snow. Oscar was beginning to feel hungry, he clawed up the woman’s arms, and she kissed him on the head and stroked him roughly behind his ears, ‘stupid cat! I missed you, you silly fool, Merry Christmas’, she gave him one last kiss and took him home, Oscar spent the rest of Christmas laid in front of the fire watching TV, he didn’t get jealous of his sisters once that Christmas. Well, not until feeding time.
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