"Mother I'm not an outcast," screamed Mariam, "I just don't like people in general."
"You offend me, and I forbid you to come home," mother scolded.
"Fine, I will venture off into the rainforest, even if i'm in America." Demanded Mariam.
Mariam really didn't mind leaving her mother because the last time her and her mother fought, she was sent to a correctional ward on the other side of the country. Mariam grabbed her leather coat, cheap tracfone, and her wallet that contained her drivers licence, some money, her car key and a key to her Aunt's house.
Walking off this episode in my life is going to be well liven, she thought while stepping on the first step down the porch, then lightly shut the front door. Mariam mumbled to herself,"better not wake the neighbors, that would be unpleasant, especially because the sun was setting. " She grinned at looked around at her "middle of nowhere" surroundings. That's what you get when you live in Luce county Michigan.
She stumbled down the rest of the stairs of the porch, that would be a total of 5 steps. Mariam snaked through the twisted garden, looking out for stones and thorns. Her mother was born and raised in that cottage, and wanted to raise her only daughter there. Except the grandma hated the house and moved out right when Mariam was born. Mariam's mother had her at the young age of 24. Shortly after a year of living there, Mariam's father died in a small plane crash.
Suddenly Mariam stopped at the end of the driveway looking at her old crusty green Volvo that she named Penelope. "Penelope you are the best friend I never had," and smiled at her new future. Quickly forgetting the the small cottage where she grew up. Mariam got in her car, gently put the key in the ignition, turned it and put the car in drive.
Mariam drove off the gravel driveway, then went on the main road and continued driving deep into the night. Now it was reaching midnight and Mariam had drove a total of 330 miles landing her in Delta charter township Michigan. She wasn't used the large population of people, even if it was midnight and they were all sleeping.
Turning the at the corner, Mariam realized that this was going to be the most fun she ever had. Her Aunt worked at a retirement home and said if she ever stopped by for a summer, she could get a job there. Most people would find that troubling or even boring but for a sixteen year old misfit it would be heaven.
Now Mariam parked in auntie's driveway, and realized that her Aunt's house had dramatically changed from when she last saw it. That was when she was seven years old. The house was white, which was previously green and had a statue of a medieval knight on the porch. That was new she quickly thought to herself.
Mariam knocked on the door, hard but not too loud because her Aunt actually had neighbors and they all probably have to go to work on the Monday morning. The door creaked open, and her Aunt in her robe with pajama pants peaking out the bottom.
"Mariam, is that you?" she squealed, "I left my glasses up stairs in my room."
"Yes auntie Lodima, I'm afraid I've grown a bit."
"Well well well. Now I wish i could see you."
"I didn't seem to find myself just to drive 6 hours to get here in the middle of the night and leave," Mariam joked.
"I forgot about your bitterness Mariam," the aunt jestered Mariam to come inside her house.
Mariam walked inside and noticed cardboard boxes lined up along the hallway. Her Aunt lead the way to a door a couple feet from the front door. Turning the handle a small room with a desk in the corner and a full size bed in the center.
"Here you are," said the Aunt, "the guest bedroom."
"Thank you for everything. Just to warn you I'm going to need a place to stay at for awhile."
"Deary you may stay as long as you like, or in this case need."
Mariam sat on the bed, and straightened out the wrinkles she made when she sat down.
"Good night, Auntie."
"Good night, Mariam."
Auntie Lodima slowly walked out of the guest bedroom trying not to make the floorboards creak. Then lightly shut the door, and walked threw the house and up the stairs and into her bedroom. Mariam stood up and unfolded the covers and tucked into bed. Lightly shut her eyes and fell into a deep dreamless slumber. Mariam hardly ever fell asleep easily because of everything around her kept her up, even if she was in the lonely woods side of the world.
Author's Notes: Luce county Michigan has 7 people per mile, so Mariam can't wake up the neighbors.
