OS prompt 165.2 What's the scariest experience you've ever had?
The first time I remember feeling absolutely terrified was when I ran away from my father's wedding. It was bad enough that he was getting married, but then, at the wedding, I was presented with a step-brother. No one had mentioned him before that day. He was just a baby and all the women there were cooing over him. I'd had enough. I just wanted to get out of there. In hindsight I should have just hidden in the toilets - my stepmother couldn't have gone in there to find me. But instead I ran out.
So there I was, on the streets of London, dressed in my Sunday best. It was all right at first, but then I realised I was hungry and had nowhere to go. I did have places I could go, of course, but they would all just send me home. And I hadn't eaten much at the wedding, but I knew where all the food was in our kitchen. So I went home.
I had hoped to sneak in, but it was winter and there weren't any windows open. It meant my only way in was to ring the doorbell or freeze on the doorstep. I knew what would happen if I rang the doorbell, but I did it anyway.
Fortunately, it was my new stepmother who answered the door. She gave me a hug and said how worried they were about me. Which I doubted, but I let her hug me anyway. She didn't give me any choice in the matter. Behind her, though, was my father. He looked more angry than I'd ever seen him before. Upon seeing him all I wanted to do was run upstairs and shut myself in my bedroom. Except I knew that if I tried that I'd be in even bigger trouble.
I stood and waited for ages before he finally spoke. And then all he said was, "Go to bed. I'll speak to you in the morning." Which wasn't what I wanted at all. I wanted to speak but there wasn't anything I could think of to say. Besides, he had an expression that suggested that anything I said would be the wrong thing and would just make whatever punishment he had in mind for me worse.
Apparently he could only take my hesitation for so long, because he said, "Go!" and I went. I went to my bedroom and stayed there for as long as I could, but I didn't sleep long and when I did I had nightmares. There was no punishment that could possibly be as bad as the ones I imagined that night.
I was usually too scared of my father to do anything wrong, so now that I had, I was more scared of him than ever.
So there I was, on the streets of London, dressed in my Sunday best. It was all right at first, but then I realised I was hungry and had nowhere to go. I did have places I could go, of course, but they would all just send me home. And I hadn't eaten much at the wedding, but I knew where all the food was in our kitchen. So I went home.
I had hoped to sneak in, but it was winter and there weren't any windows open. It meant my only way in was to ring the doorbell or freeze on the doorstep. I knew what would happen if I rang the doorbell, but I did it anyway.
Fortunately, it was my new stepmother who answered the door. She gave me a hug and said how worried they were about me. Which I doubted, but I let her hug me anyway. She didn't give me any choice in the matter. Behind her, though, was my father. He looked more angry than I'd ever seen him before. Upon seeing him all I wanted to do was run upstairs and shut myself in my bedroom. Except I knew that if I tried that I'd be in even bigger trouble.
I stood and waited for ages before he finally spoke. And then all he said was, "Go to bed. I'll speak to you in the morning." Which wasn't what I wanted at all. I wanted to speak but there wasn't anything I could think of to say. Besides, he had an expression that suggested that anything I said would be the wrong thing and would just make whatever punishment he had in mind for me worse.
Apparently he could only take my hesitation for so long, because he said, "Go!" and I went. I went to my bedroom and stayed there for as long as I could, but I didn't sleep long and when I did I had nightmares. There was no punishment that could possibly be as bad as the ones I imagined that night.
I was usually too scared of my father to do anything wrong, so now that I had, I was more scared of him than ever.