George checked off another day on his calendar. It was only the second day of him being stuck indoors with nothing to do, and he was already bored to death.
Staring out the window, he thought about his conversation with his mother the day before. After being caught playing his favorite video game with his friends when he was supposed to be doing homework for the millionth time, his mother had had enough.
She had sold his computer for a thousand dollars and said that she would print out his homework.
Naturally, he protested. “That’s way too much paper!” he exclaimed.
But his mother didn’t care. It was the beginning of his 365 days of torture.
He lay on his soft, comfortable bed. It was April of 2020. During this time in particular, he needed his devices. He was numb with shock. He couldn’t go outside because of the quarantine restrictions. His parents had proposed for him to do some ‘fulfilling’ activities, but he found those to be quite bland and boring. He was amazed at how his mother could spend an entire afternoon in the garden, tending to the assorted tomatoes, cucumbers, and other fruits and vegetables. And he had to eat them too.
He needed a way to get his computer back.
Then he had an idea – what if he walked to the house of the family friend and bought it back?
A few hours later, he was in bed, nervously anticipating the moment when his parents would fall asleep. Quietly, he peeked into their room. They were fast asleep.
Then, he snuck down the stairs, careful not to make a sound.
At that moment, the stairs creaked, though thankfully the dog was awake and barked, masking up the sound.
Next, he proceeded to take his mother’s credit card, and opened the door. As he walked into the chilly darkness, he regretted not having put on a jacket. But there was no turning back now.
He ran through the streets, alone and unimpeded. Soon he reached the bank. Using the 24/7 ATM, he punched in a few numbers and watched, delighted, as a giant wad of cash came out.
He ran home again, elated. But as he turned the corner, he saw a neighborhood that was one hundred percent not his.
He frowned. Had he gone the wrong way?
As he traced his steps back, he got more and more disoriented. Confused, sleepy, and tired, he sat down in a corner and closed his eyes, with the thousand dollars still in his hand. Operation Freedom had failed.
——————————————————————————————–
When he woke up, he was in a small, crowded room. “Where am I?” he asked.
“You’re in the hospital,” answered the doctor. He looked around. He could see his parents, a few hospital employees, and a burly police officer. His mother had tears in her eyes.
“Why were you out there on the street alone?” asked the police officer. His voice was intimidating, and he struggled to answer.
“I… I…” he stammered.
“It’s okay,” said the doctor. “Let’s get him warmed up first. He nearly lost a few toes.”
He checked his feet to make sure all his toes were still there.
As the warmth seeped into his body, he recounted his story. He felt proud, like his adventure was something that only existed in his favorite books, not in real life.
Later that day, as his parents drove him home from the hospital, his mother promised to get his computer back plus the newest video game system.
Staring out the window, he thought about his conversation with his mother the day before. After being caught playing his favorite video game with his friends when he was supposed to be doing homework for the millionth time, his mother had had enough.
She had sold his computer for a thousand dollars and said that she would print out his homework.
Naturally, he protested. “That’s way too much paper!” he exclaimed.
But his mother didn’t care. It was the beginning of his 365 days of torture.
He lay on his soft, comfortable bed. It was April of 2020. During this time in particular, he needed his devices. He was numb with shock. He couldn’t go outside because of the quarantine restrictions. His parents had proposed for him to do some ‘fulfilling’ activities, but he found those to be quite bland and boring. He was amazed at how his mother could spend an entire afternoon in the garden, tending to the assorted tomatoes, cucumbers, and other fruits and vegetables. And he had to eat them too.
He needed a way to get his computer back.
Then he had an idea – what if he walked to the house of the family friend and bought it back?
A few hours later, he was in bed, nervously anticipating the moment when his parents would fall asleep. Quietly, he peeked into their room. They were fast asleep.
Then, he snuck down the stairs, careful not to make a sound.
At that moment, the stairs creaked, though thankfully the dog was awake and barked, masking up the sound.
Next, he proceeded to take his mother’s credit card, and opened the door. As he walked into the chilly darkness, he regretted not having put on a jacket. But there was no turning back now.
He ran through the streets, alone and unimpeded. Soon he reached the bank. Using the 24/7 ATM, he punched in a few numbers and watched, delighted, as a giant wad of cash came out.
He ran home again, elated. But as he turned the corner, he saw a neighborhood that was one hundred percent not his.
He frowned. Had he gone the wrong way?
As he traced his steps back, he got more and more disoriented. Confused, sleepy, and tired, he sat down in a corner and closed his eyes, with the thousand dollars still in his hand. Operation Freedom had failed.
——————————————————————————————–
When he woke up, he was in a small, crowded room. “Where am I?” he asked.
“You’re in the hospital,” answered the doctor. He looked around. He could see his parents, a few hospital employees, and a burly police officer. His mother had tears in her eyes.
“Why were you out there on the street alone?” asked the police officer. His voice was intimidating, and he struggled to answer.
“I… I…” he stammered.
“It’s okay,” said the doctor. “Let’s get him warmed up first. He nearly lost a few toes.”
He checked his feet to make sure all his toes were still there.
As the warmth seeped into his body, he recounted his story. He felt proud, like his adventure was something that only existed in his favorite books, not in real life.
Later that day, as his parents drove him home from the hospital, his mother promised to get his computer back plus the newest video game system.
