FAMILY POLITICS

 

Life's a stage, and you have to perform on it. You have to learn this performance through the valuable lessons life teaches you, just like I did. Bruised and battered, I lay on the soft, plump grass, the sky hovering like a giant over my head. Even the slightest squeak or creak frightened me, just like an innocent infant left to explore the world all by himself. There was no one to care for me or even offer a helping hand. Perhaps it was all the result of my careless attitude in the past.

My parents, whom I never listened to with precision, had passed away only recently. Every now and then, my bruises would grow more painful, and despite being sixteen, I felt like someone had torn my body apart. The "For Sale" label on my house concerned me deeply, and running away for the sake of my life could be at the expense of this house, which was very dear to me. Had my greedy relatives not come to invade this precious property, I wouldn't have been lying here, hurt both physically and spiritually, in the gorse bushes, calling out for immediate help.

“No! This is our property. Your father transferred the documents to me before his death, you hideous brat!” roared Uncle Larry. This was the final nail in the coffin. I had made up my mind to leave this house, where I would get beaten by hunters and all sorts of wicked things, for no reason at all. I knew that Uncle Larry was lying and that the documents were fake, but had I studied well in the past, as my parents had advised, I would have been able to take a clear stance. But now, it was useless to cry over spilled milk.

As I lay there, staring at the vast, indifferent sky, the bitter truth became clear: no one except your parents is truly your well-wisher. Even your closest relatives and friends can be mean and greedy, and when you are in trouble, they just leave you alone. No matter how friendly or concerned others may appear, their true intentions eventually surface, showing just how shallow and selfish they can be. My parents had warned me about people like Larry, but I was too naive and careless to understand. Now, I could feel their absence more painful than the bruises covering my body.

The path through the woods seemed like my only refuge. As I ran, the uneven ground caught me off guard, and I tumbled down a slope, crashing into a cluster of gorse bushes. The thorns dug into my skin, leaving scratches and bruises, but it was the fall that took the wind out of me. With every breath, a sharp pain shot through my ribs, making it difficult to even cry out. I ventured into the streets of the bustling city and got some first aid at a dispensary, but the money I spent was all I had. My carelessness and lack of seriousness about life in the past had left me with no skills, making it even harder for me to survive in this world.

“Where did I go wrong? Why didn’t I pay heed to my parents' advice?” Questions rushed through my mind. I sat in a damp, dimly lit tunnel, thinking about the next step for my survival. Although there was no glimmer of hope or luck, I moved forward in an unknown direction, wondering what my next stop would be and how the world would treat me.

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