Escape

Here is a bildungsroman I wrote for my exploring fiction course!!

Little things in this story were inspired by things I have experienced living here in Chicago.
Going through my first winter here, I was surprised by just how drying the cold actually is, and the way it makes it more difficult to breath. It's such a little thing, but it really did strike me. Using public transportation (like the bus in this story) everyday, I have encountered so many people I would have never imagined I would. I've felt uncomfortable (just as the character in this story does) and I have felt unsafe, but most of all, I have come face to face with the problem that is homelessness and poverty. Where I grew up, I never saw these issues and they were all very foreign to me when I moved here. I think a lot about how difficult it must be for someone who isn't able to buy a new pair of shoes, or doesn't have a pair at all, especially through these crazy Chicago winters. While this story is a complete work of fiction, many of the details are based upon real things I have come across living in the city.