Up The River

1. The Lonely Road

I walked down a road at half past midnight.  The full moon illuminated the path, giving just enough light so I didn't trip on a stupid rock or something.  As I continued, the air chilled, immediately sending goosebumps down my spine. I pulled the jacket I was wearing around myself even tighter and kept moving, trying my hardest to ignore the cold. I had no idea where I was going but I felt that I needed to keep moving forward. Although I wanted to go away it felt so lonely. Me and loneliness have had an intimate relationship, but it's rather one sided because I didn't ask to be alone all the time. I have no motivation to go back,  to go back to that hell hole of ignorance and narrow mindedness.    As I continued down the chilly path I noticed a light off in the distance and the hollow sound of laughter. As I got closer, I noticed the sign on the outside of the building and the smell of cigarettes and alcohol. The laughter grew louder and the suspense was encouraging me to go forward. I drew in a deep breath, straightened my shoulders, stepped in, and what greeted me inside was not what I was expecting.  Both genders were having the time of their lives, many were about the age of 21, they danced and drank and showed inviting expressions. I smiled to myself, this seemed like the perfect place to be. It had tables filled with laughing and smiling faces and good music playing in the background. There was such a beautiful energy surrounding it all. As I looked around I found the bar and ordered a drink, the bartender handed it to me with no objections. When I turned around I ran into someone. "Woah," a masculine voice said and I felt two hands grab my shoulders to keep me from falling over.