Bright Lights, Big City

For the past few years Donna was living in hell. Her parents were constantly fighting with each other and as their battles worsened, so was the way they have treated Donna. She was constantly yelled at and sent to her room and the blue and purple bruises on her arms, legs and back made it difficult for her to fall asleep and turn off the havoc in her life.

One day she decided to run away. She packed some clothes and took all the money from her piggy-bank. There wasn't much there, only money her grandparents gave her from time to time, when they were able to remember her birthday. That didn't happen often but she was saving every penny.

That day she didn't come back home after school. Instead, she took a bus to the big city and started life away from her predatory parents.

When the bus arrived at the city it was already dark. Donna was startled by the bright city lights and its fast pace. She was standing in the light drizzle, her skinny knees were shaking and she didn't know what to do next. She was trying to find a dry bench to lie on, but each time she found one, someone shouted at her "Go away. This is my bench".

Donna didn't know what to do and started crying. She was pouring all the tears that were aggregated inside her eyeballs all these years. She never cried when she was beaten or yelled at or when her mother passed out from either alcohol or her father's pasting. Now she let her tears loose and cried.

--Time's up--