Today I'm going to do something I never thought I would do yesterday— I'm going to skip school. I decided that today I would go as far as I could to somewhere outside of my city. I packed a backpack of snacks, spare clothes, and the entirety of my savings. My parents thought I was going to a friend's house for a sleepover over the weekend. Little did they know, that friend had already moved out a long time ago.

There was one train station a few blocks away from my home, so I paid for an unlimited distance ticket and boarded the train. I don't know how far I was going, maybe somewhere warm. Somewhere cold. In the middle of nowhere. I'll leave the train to decide. When I entered the train, the seats near the windows were filled, so I could only stand near the door holding onto a metal pole. Around seven stations pass, and I'm in somewhere I could barely recognize. Outside the windows were tall skyscrapers. I was now downtown— and the train was getting more and more packed. I kept myself near the metal pole and tried not to make any eye contact with anyone. It wasn't like they could look at me anyway— everything that I see is the only thing in this world. So I stared at the cold metal floor for the next hour.

Gradually, the sun rose into the sky, which meant the middle of the day. I guessed rush hour was over, so I could have a seat to myself. I think I fell asleep, because when I opened my eyes again, the sun was nearly setting, and the only thing outside the window was an open sea. Across from my seat was a young man that looked out from the same window. The train car was empty except for me and this lonesome man. He caught me staring.

" I don't know if you missed your stop because you were asleep. You might want to get off at the next stop." He offered. The young man wore a business suit that was made to fit his tall and skinny figure, and he held his backpack and a plastic bag of sweet-smelling food to his chest. He seemed to work in the city and was on his way home, I thought.

I shook my head after rubbing my eyes. " I don't have a destination." The answer resonated with him, and now I think he truly understood why I was there.

" Well... do you have somewhere to return to?" He asked, leaning forward with a bittersweet smile. I shook my head, and he looked hurt. If I were in his shoes, I would pity myself for running away from home. Technically I wasn't running, I was just making the last trip.

I wanted to spend my last few days in this world somewhere I wouldn't remember. The feeling I get from being in a new and unfamiliar place lightens the feeling of regret I would've gotten if I had sat surrounded by my family for another meal. So as the time ticked toward the end of the week, I could leave everything behind to how they were supposed to be, without saying goodbye. I realized I hadn't answered the man's question. " No," I replied. " I won't be returning anywhere." The man stayed quiet, and it was an awkward silence for ten minutes. He spoke up once the trains slowed down for the next station.

" Why don't I take you somewhere?"

***

I did not expect to be hiking "somewhere". The man led the way through the thick forest with no clear path. The sky was dark with specks of moonlight lighting the trees. Eventually, he took out his phone's flashlight to guide us through the forest. I grew weary of him; could he be leading me to somewhere secluded to kill me? Or worse...

Before my thoughts took me to somewhere else, the trees gave out to a clearing. It was an open beach, and looking up at the sky were so many stars. I stopped in my tracks to gawk at the scenery. The man gestured at me to follow him, so I caught up with him. He sat me down on the soft sand and gave me part of his doughnut, where the sweet smell must've come from. He told me that he came here on Fridays after he finishes work for the week, where it was quiet and empty, to relax. How could someone be so human— in this fake world?

They can experience beauty, peace, and solitude. So why shouldn't I? I bit my lip in frustration, and the man could see. He looked away and spoke to me in kind words about home, what it means to be with a family, and why I should return. But then he paused. A light soared across the sky.

I watched as it twinkled in the distance, till its light disappeared among the sea of stars. The man closed his eyes, making a wish. I closed mine too, but in my mind, there was only a blur. A mess of thoughts and memories flying around a black space. I searched through the void, hoping to find something that I need for a wish.

I was lost. Through all of these thoughts and memories, I couldn't feel a thing... Then suddenly, I felt warmth. The things running in my mind gave me a pang of emotion.

" There we go, just like that." someone's distorted voice called from the outside. It sounded like the young man. I continued to soak myself deeper into the waters of my thoughts and memories, searching for any kind of light. Then it appeared. The warmth envelops the space, and the void becomes a spiral of colors, leading downward. I feel a beckoning to that place, a haven awaiting me.

I feel a tear on my cheek.

I open my eyes, and I'm on the beach again, the same starry sky staring down at me. But I'm all alone. The man is gone, leaving the last few doughnuts at my side. I smile towards the horizon, and up into the world above. These feelings were always there.

***

It was a rainy day at first school. The boy would stare through the tiny round window near the top of the wall to tell the weather. Although weather was a topic for science at the boy's school, rarely did anyone go outside. Why see the sun up close and be blinded by its rays and heat? Why drench yourself in the dirty rain? These were responses from many adults that the boy would talk with.

The boy had no interest in the current topic that the robot taught. The robot only monitored his brain waves for any sense of attention. The boy has learned his way around it, by keeping his emotions stable and his mind full of questions. There were no other students around him, only rows of empty desks where children would've been. If the wealthy kids aren't willing to learn a few facts, I'm sure many underground kids would— he thought. The robot stops talking and turns off. It startles the boy, and he gets off his seat. He approached the robot and poked at the screen. It roared back to life, but on the screen was a large blinking telephone. He tapped it again, and a familiar voice spoke to him.

It told him his mother was gone.

It told him his mother left the world that day.

It consoled him with kind words and asked him to return home.

The boy refused, and there he stayed—- sitting in front of the robot listening to monotonous teaching for the next 3 days. Because he knew his mother liked to go outside and bask in the sun, and run through the rain. Because his mother was gone, he stayed inside ever since.