“Illumination”


The moon illuminates the field, I sit there lonely staring at the miles of grass and one lonely tree. A tree, a tree that is just like me, all alone; the tree is loved by the grass I’m sure, but the grass is just not a tree, the tree is all alone…just like me. The tree has nobody to really call a family, just like me, others may take the tree in, but it’s not his real family.

I hear a bell crack and I quickly jump up to see what is happening. I look up and it’s my mom, she’s ringing the bell telling me to come in.

“Sweetie it’s bed time, you need to come in now,” She yelled towards me.

I look at my wrist watch, nine o’clock; this is way too early to go to sleep. Then again I have to walk a full three miles to get to my nearest schools, but I want to stay up.

“Mom,” I yelled,” Can I stay outside for just a few more minutes?’

“No” she screamed, “You need your rest!”

I stood up, still staring at that lone tree in the grass. I begin to run towards my mom, she’s not a bad woman I thought. She is five foot six has a husky stature with dirty blond hair and light green eyes. Her nose was small and she had cuts on her hands. She never told me where they came from, then again I’ve only asked once. It seemed painful for her to try and remember that day, I’m so glad I’m back to her.

My dad, well he’s dead, he had gotten into a horrific car accident while out of town before I was born. My mom says he was a cheating man who lied all the time. The last time she said she saw him he had black hair was six feet four and a mean smirk on seedy mug for a face.

“Honey, I love you, don’t ever let no one else tell you I don’t, you’re the best thing that happened to me and the best thing that ever will happen,” she said holding me tightly tearing up.

“I love you too mom, I love you more than anything,” I said with tears swelling up my eyes also.

I stand there holding my mom with such love and compassion, my bleach blond hair colliding with her hair. As my five foot four slim stature and blue eyes compress it’s self towards her body. We slowly walked into our home that was tan and had a small selection of furniture inside of it. All I can do is really smile when I get in here; it is such a warm place to live in.

I run to my room that is also a tan color, I flopped down onto my bed that has colorful decals and a soft warm pink bed cover. I snuggle under the covers and begin to think of many great thoughts.
“My mom is great,” is the last thought that enters my head before I sleep.

The next couple of weeks went on just like that day, it was beautiful and was full of love. Though everyday for some reason I would go back to that tree in the middle of the night and watch it as it blows lonely in the wind. It reminds me that I will never go back, but I’ll never forget either.

I walk into my house the very next day into a home that smells like beer and cigarettes. The smell was so upsetting and made my stomach switch positions and turned upside down. I feel an uprising in my throat and begin to puke. I walk slowly to my mom’s room and the stench just seems to grow stronger. I cough uncontrollably and my stomach gurgles and bubbles to the point of making me want to die.

I bust open my mom’s door and see cigarettes scattered all across the floor. Beer cans upon beer cans stack on my mother’s bed; in the corner is a sobbing figure. Loud breaths and a puddle of tears come from the figure, or the woman I call my mom.

“Honey…baby come here,” she says.

I’m coughing worse now. It’s been a long time since I’ve been around smoke. It’s choking me, every breath I take hurts more and more. I stare at my mom; I notice a leather belt in her hand.

“Mom, what’s that in your hand,” I said hesitantly.

“It’s just something, something you need for doing wrong,” she said.

I know the look on her face; it’s a bone chilling look that scares even the meanest of dogs, a look I haven’t seen in a while. I turn around and begin to run, busting out the door; she quickly followed. The way she looked, it scared me so I continue to run; I ran closer and closer to town. She’s always faster this way; I hear her yelling.

“Elizabeth stop, you’re only making it harder on yourself, Elizabeth you little….,” she said.

I didn’t want to hear the rest; I knew it was only a load roar of swear words and anger. I’m only a mile from town, I can easily make it, but then I hear a thud from behind me. I turn around and a blond haired figure is lying on the ground. I began coughing even worse now, I run to the doctor’s office in town. My cough is nearly killing me but I still blurted out my last sentence to the doctor before falling unconscious.

“There is a lady passed out about a mile west from here, please-please get her some help,” I said as I fainted.

It’s only been a couple of days and the doctor says I have a disease called asthma. He gave me something called an inhaler and I have to go live with someone else again. The doctor also diagnosed my mom with something called Munchausen Proxy disease, or a disease where a woman hurts her kids to gain attention. He also said the way she got those cuts on her hands was self inflicted. Most likely to gain attention, at least that’s what I believe.

As I walked into the car to leave this house once again I see my mom sobbing on the porch on her knees.
“Please don’t take her away from me,” she said.

I don’t feel bad for her; in fact I think she deserves every one bit of it. As we begin to leave I see that same lonely tree in the field. I look at the tree; how it was so sad, alone, for nothing around seems to be the same as the tree. Now I see the tree; it’s happy now, the family it has is more than what he could’ve ask for. I notice the man in the front seat turn around just to stare at me with a great big smile. I was confused and not quite sure why he did this. I slowly said hi to the man; the smile on his face grows even larger as I hear these words out his mouth.

“Hello, my daughter I missed you so much,” my father said.