Southend
I once ran away from work in search of adventure. I got the train to Southend, whereupon I walked to the end of the pier and back.

I should have jumped; nobody noticed that I had gone.
( browser still relating boring anecdotes into a void on, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 15:21, Reply)

tempting....
I started a college course about 7 months ago and it was my first day there so i was feeling a bit lost lol. So im sitting waiting for our lecturer and to go to class and meet everyone (dont know any people there), and as it turns out im a ridiculuously shy person at the best of times and today was no exeption. i came so close to getting up and going home due to being so nervous that i made up an excuse and a plan to tell parents when i got home (er... they had to cancel the course cause there wasint enough people on it. admitedly not gr8). But somehow i managed not to and went to class that day and now here i am i passed the course got the qualification and got accepted to do the next course up!. i start the next course in 3 weeks and yes the same thoughts are running through my head.

sorry bit of a crap story but it is my first post w00t!!
(gooddeed, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 14:19, Reply)

What?
£5 a week pocket money and a bottle of ckone!? Did you wrap it up in a faberge egg held on the end of an ivory backscratcher and get your chauffer to drive you away?
Kids these days.
(Bellamy's Enemy, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 13:25, Reply)

This one’s only….
…..about 80% off topic.

Following up some of the funny ‘I hid from my Mum in the shop and she went frantic’ stories, I used to do the weekly shop at Tesco on a Tuesday night about 8pm with my daughter Sprog. We had a good relationship based on her being an annoying brat and me doing a stream of Dad jokes which would inevitably be met with “You’re not funny Dad”.

Anyhoo….she used to do the kiddie thing of lingering lovingly in front of the sweets, biccies, cakes etc. with the longing wistful look of the 12 year old. If I was feeling grumpy (and let’s face it, that was around 75% of the time), and she wouldn’t follow the trolley, I’d march off around the isle and then zoom over to the opposite isle but one and continue shopping. About ten minutes later she would turn up with a face like thunder shouting “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!!!”, “Well, you should have kept up then” I’d smirk.

Yes, I ran away from my daughter in Tescos, time and time again. Hangs head with shame.
(Che Grimsdale Best before:, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 13:25, Reply)

I attempted..........
To run away once, purely because my mum wouldnt give me my pocket money for that weel(£5!), i stormed out the front door, down the drive, got just passed my neighbours house and then my mum caught me and dragged me back inside.

She then went about taking the piss out of me in front of my sisters for the "essentials" i had taken with me too survive...

one mini bottle of "ck one". How i feel so pathetic.
(Flibertine im new - please be gentle with me, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 12:41, Reply)

Smarter than your average ape.
I legged it when I was about 8 after a silly row with my parents over something, I packed a plastic bag with all my favorite He-Man figures and away I went - down to the local field.
My Parents could see me from the house and I could hear them laughing too.
It didn't seem so funny when they realised I had also taken 500 Quid from my dads secret money hiding place and I was asking passers by for a lift by offering them a wodge of cash.

Get in!
(puppydogballs, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 12:37, Reply)

Girlfriend
Never ran away myself, per se, but an old girlfriend did once.

It was a Saturday morning, she phoned to say that her parents had gone out. So off I trot, as fast as I could on the old pushbike, round to hers for a bit of fun. Halfway through our impromptu get together the front door goes. Sure enough it's her parents and we've been rumbled. Oh, did I mention we were only teenagers?

Anyway, I have to make a hasty exit, shoving my pants and socks into my jacket pocket as I run down the stairs past angry parents and fly home on the 10 speed.

So, I think I've got off scott-free. I know I shan't be able to see the girlfriend for a while, but it's not a problem, we'll see each other at college and eventually her parents will thaw towards me and everything will be humky-dory again. Wrong!

A couple of hours after I get home, there's a knock on the door. Outside is the girlfriend, in tears and carrying a large bag of clothes. She's run away and come to stay with me! Which means I have to explain to my parents what the hell is going on, which means that now two sets of parents and set against us seeing each other anymore.

Amazingly her parents did eventually forgive me and allowed me to see their daughter again. Strangely though, my mother never forgave the girlfriend and even now, 20 years after the event, she still occasionally makes reference to the event.
(lardyboy Next stop, Fissplap Central, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 11:59, Reply)

More "running off" than "running away".
About 5/6 years ago I went on holiday with my cousin, Aunt and Uncle to Greece.
Every day Aunt and Uncle would wander off to the beach or wherever and do their own thing whilst cousin and I would lounge around the pool/bar doing our own thing.
Life was good.

One night we go out, a few drinks, a meal, some music... the usual. But my cousin is tempted into eating some dodgy looking Greek meal.
I stick to the pizza's and let him get on with it.

Next morning we're up bright and early, quick coffee or two and off to the pool we go.
But I get to the door I turn around to see him holding his stomach.
"Whats up?" says I.
"Throw us the keys and i'll meet you down there" says he.
"Fair enough" says I and I throw him the keys.

Now, i'd just like to point that 1: I cannot throw... not accurately anyway. 2: I sometimes forget that my cousin is a "Lefty"

The keys go spiralling through the air in slow-motion and, I swear this is 100% true, bounce off the door-frame and into the toilet.

The instant I hear them "splash" my brain starts calculating what'll happen next. I threw them so i'll have to retrieve them.

Not if i'm not there I won't!

I run like fuck, leaving my ill cousin to fish the keys out or sit in the appartment on his own for 8 hours until someone returns.

I make it to the pool and chill out on a lounger, 30-40 minutes later my cousin appears with the keys and a stern look on his face.

Eventually he saw the funny side and told of how he used a coat hanger to fish the keys out and then left them in boiling water whilst he sat on the toilet.

I still laugh at this story to this day and I like to tell this story to cousins' new girlfriends when we go out for a beverage. And when I do he always gives me that stern look as if he's never quite forgiven me.
(tylrdiablos, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 11:34, Reply)

Run awaaayyyyyy!
Ataaaccckkkkk!

Come back so that we can taunt you some more.


Sorry.
(CdrVimes, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 11:26, Reply)

I saw a chameleon
Lying there, in the sun
I ran, ran away
.
(Ali Bongo 9000 Ali Bongo 9000, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 11:22, Reply)

Not Running Away, Exactly...
...but during my late teens I used to regularly climb out of my bedroom window in the early hours of weekend mornings for a stroll, usually to the park.

That I was awake at that time was usually due to some controlled substance-fuelled fun the night before, but I used to really enjoy the quiet of it. At about 4 or 5am when the sun is just coming up and almost everybody else is still asleep, the peace of buggering off to the park and sitting in my fave tree beside the lake with a spliff or two and some mellow tunes was wonderful and set me up for the rest of the week. There was a time once when I dozed off and almost fell out of my tree, but I caught (and nearly shat) myself just before I dropped the 15-or-so feet to terra firma. There was another time when a couple about my age, obviously on a clubbing comedown, slinked into the bushes near my tree and energetic shagging sounds were heard for awhile. It was funny for the first five minutes but then I just wished he'd blow his stack so they'd go away and leave me to my precious peace*.

Suffice to say, none of the fairly rare passers-by ever thought to look up. This both damaged my faith in humanity for being so dim as to not thouroughly check out thier surroundings as I do (I could've been anyone/thing, rather than the amiably-inclined stoner I was), but was also fun because it made me feel like I was invisible - childish, I admit but remember, I was usually under the influence of psychoactive substances at the time.

Whilst I no longer need to climb out of my bedroom window to avoid my folks asking what the bloody hell I'm playing at, I still wander off for a walk in the wee hours now and then. I miss my tree though - it was one of very few things I liked about that town and I've never found one quite like it since :)

* And no, I didn't fwap one off - give me some fucking credit.
(thatblokeoverthere not quite as much an arsehole as I thought, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 10:16, Reply)

my cat also ran away

but only as far as my back yard. When it sees me it does that 'shithouse tiger' thing of crouching behind a single blade of grass and acting like I can't see it. And then it runs away if I approach it. I'm not sure who feeds it, it must hunt.
(apeloverage committed the vile act of onanism on, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 5:43, Reply)

I am running

cold on the idea that Steve Martin was ever funny.
(Lt Columbo, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 5:01, Reply)

I have run away from my responsibility

to post funny stuff here.
(apeloverage committed the vile act of onanism on, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 4:11, Reply)

war zone
when i just a few days older than 18 my mum threw me out of home at 3 am for waking the dog up

a couple of days later i caught a plane to israel with £70 quid in my pocket.

I called her 6 months later, told her where i was, that I was living in a park in the arab ghetto, that I had kidney failure and beep beep beep my phone card ran out

i live to tell the tale. she denies throwing me out
(globalloon, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 0:47, Reply)

SusK

Let me have him every other weekend then, or I'll tell everybody you've got one boob bigger than the other.
(Lt Columbo, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 0:24, Reply)

I tried to leave home once, aged about seven.
I can't remember for what reason now, but I must have had an argument with a parent.
I put on my best coat and shoes, and packed some cans of baked beans for food.
We lived down a fen road, and I walked for about 25 mins to the turn off from the main road.
It was then realised I hadn't got a can-opener, or any money. Story of my life.
( CaroWallis, Wed 16 Aug 2006, 0:14, Reply)

Constantly running away
I've been running away all my life: from (my) attitude(s) to life, commitment and maturity. Thing is my knees are fucked with all the running and I think I'm going to have to stop before they pack in.
(Rob Roy The Postie is looking for alternative employment, Tue 15 Aug 2006, 21:45, Reply)

Itchy feet still wanna go...
I did the usual running away as a wee nipper where I'd pack my cheese sarnies and head off to the park, wait till it got dark then go home again and no one would've noticed. Then when I got to 19 I did it properly.

Appalling teenage years filled with horror I won't bore you with, but finally had enough when I hit 19 so I ran away. Changed my name by deedpoll and only let an aged aunt know where I was. Went from Tamworth to Nottingham and stayed there for a few years and worked my way through university to become a teacher. Was in a going nowhere relationship that I've stayed in to this day.

When we moved to Lincolnshire I thought things would get better but they didn't. Decided to runaway again. Was all set, decided Manchester was the place to run to and was going to disappear at October half term. Unfortunately, aged aunt had let family know my name and where I was (silly me had kept updating her on my whereabouts due to a guilty conscience about her age). Had a phone call at school in September from my Mom (who had runaway before I had and her running away had caused a lot of my problems)first contact I'd had with her in 13 years. Apparently my so-called father (no contact for 8 years)was dying and needed to see me. Like a fool I went, and I went to his funeral - only to make sure the b*std burnt.

So instead of running away I had a nervous breakdown but did get back in touch with my mom who I now wouldn't be without. But the feet are still itching. I've hung around for another 5 years and things ain't improving so this time I'm definitely running.

Only problem this time is I've fallen in love properly for the first time ever and I don't think his wife will approve of him running away with me...
( PagDrag don't think we're in kansas anymore toto..., Tue 15 Aug 2006, 21:07, Reply)

Not run away, just hiding..
Me, my mum, and my sister were in one of those old 1950's style department store, looking at clothes for my mum. Me and my sis were bored.

While my mum is looking at some clothes, I suddenly notice my sister is gone. Glance about, can't see her.

"in here...!'

The clothes rail my mum was browsing was one of those round ones, closely packed with clothes. My sister had squeezed pass the clothes into the round middle bit. I giggle and squeeze in there too.

My mum suddenly notices we're missing, and starts calling out to us. We giggle. This is fun. She can't see us, cool..! More calling. Mum says something to a passing shop-person. The tannoy calls out saying that our mum is waiting for us.

More giggles.

After about half and hour we're bored and come out.

Half an hour after that, our mum stopped yelling at us.
(inflateable, Tue 15 Aug 2006, 20:18, Reply)

The cat did run very far
My cousins cat ran away to next door, it now takes pleasure in sitting outside the neighbours front door as my cousin leaves her her house and taunts her.
(purplefairy, Tue 15 Aug 2006, 19:59, Reply)

In my youth...
...my 'best' friend (i.e. he was older and would shit on me whenever he felt like it, but he was cool so I looked cool with him) set fire to a neighbours fence with me nearby.
He said I lit the fire and it was all my idea.
Cue months grounding from the 'rents.

So I wrote a letter to my mum stating that as no-one believed i didn't do it i had taken my pocket money and got on a train to London and I would contact them in 18 years or so.

Funnily enough i didn't go to London but hid under my bed until mummy found said letter. She screamed hysterically for 5 minutes then stomped off to my friends house across the road. I watched gleefully as my 'best' mate got the beating of his life for making her precious little soldier fuck off far away.

It was funny until she returned home to find my giggling in the living room.

I have never been beaten so hard with a rolled up newspaper in all my life, and the only time i left the house in 3 weeks was to do my paper round and go to school. Im still a little twat now...
(lovelysimon I am the lovliest Simon, Tue 15 Aug 2006, 19:32, Reply)

Used to work at a kids' home
where we spent a lot of time trying to track down teenagers who ran off.

The TV series 'Band Of Gold' was popular at the time, and the kids stupidly believed that proz life was like that - you know, old tarts wi' 'earts o'gold takin' care o' the young'uns...

When in truth the career path involves standing around in the freezing cold for hour after hour, night after night, year after year, only kept awake by speed and always in debt to the pusher, counting the time in blow-jobs till you can fall into a grubby bed in a noisy shared bedsit, and so on.

The police would look out for girls or lads under 16, and bring them back, but after 16 they were on their own.

One time, I was sent from the gloomy North to Rose Road police station in Brum to collect a runaway girl. I got there at 3am and was asked to take back another girl too. They'd had a week or so of trying the 'Life'.

I wasn't supposed to take more than one in case they overpowered me and took the Social Services car, but I took pity and we were soon on way back.

They'd had a narrow escape. They'd been picked up by the police when a pimp's house was raided for drugs, and were under arrest for possession. This was actually for their own protection, as the charges would be dropped if they agreed to go 'home' with me.

In fact, the police had actually raided the house, not for drugs, but to 'release' some underage girls who were 'working' from there: they had to arrest them for something else as they couldn't get them out any other way.

'My' girl was still defiant and refused to co-operate, so one of the bobbies produced a file. He said, I'm going for a brew now, and I've carelessly left this file here. If you naughtily read it, you'd find out what your good friend the pimp is really like.

Of course she did look, and read about his string of convictions for assaults on girls her age in the course of his 'work'. She was glad to come back with me.

I'd like to think that she and the other girl learned their lesson, went back to school and became model citizens. More likely though, they're drug-addicted prozzies, in prison, or dead.
(Juan Quar is clinging to her front teeth on, Tue 15 Aug 2006, 18:38, Reply)

High Ho
So I decided to run away. Didnt pack, didnt take any food.
I had no where to go so I climbed on top of my roof. Sat there the whole day. The parents didnt even notice.

Mum called for dinner so I went down and ate Lamb Chops. All in all an Awesome Day.
(Slatts If you cant remember it didnt happen, Tue 15 Aug 2006, 18:00, Reply)

Crap escape attempts.
I used to work in a psychiatric secure unit. One time, some builders left a ladder lying around near one of the windows to one of the wards' smoke rooms. Unsurprisingly, somebody kicked in the window, and used the ladder to get over the fence and leg it. He got about half a mile up the road and decided to flag a car down to try and get a lift. Unfortunately for him, the car he flagged down was being driven by a member of staff, so he got carted straight back to the unit.

Another one was being taken to A&E as he had some sort of stomach complaint. As the ambulance he was being taken in pulled up at the entrance, he just announced "see ya lads, I'm off" and pegged it. They caught him about 10 minutes later sat round the other side of the hospital having a fag.
(monkeyfish, Tue 15 Aug 2006, 16:37, Reply)

Running away from school
I once ran away from school with a friend, we were bascially just sacking it off for the day to go and drink cider in the park.

I must have been about 12 - as i walked down the lane from the school and past the small nursery that was about 400 yards from the school. Who should be walking up but dearest mother, who was coming to collect her youngest (my brother) from the nursery.

My friend and I quickly dove into some bushes only to be hauled out of there by mother and promptly dragged back to school (crying) oh how we laughed.
( spanishfly is so fucking sexy people impersonate him, Tue 15 Aug 2006, 16:18, Reply)

stupid child
My boyfriend once ran away from home to come and see me. The problem was that he wasn't allowed to cross roads by himself, and so spent half an hour before he was discovered missing running round and round the block. He was 6 and I was 5 1/2. I would like to say I go for more intelligent types now, but I'm not so sure that's the case.

I often threatened to run away from home myself when I was a wee lass. My mum would get the suitcase down from the loft and go into the kitchen to make me cheese sandwiches for my journey. When faced with such indifference running away never seemed as much of a good idea.
( hanabanana, Tue 15 Aug 2006, 15:54, Reply)

I once ran away to Leeds...
I hadn't done my psychology homework so I was bumming around for the hour in Newcastle station, and as time ticked round to time for my general studies lesson, I realised I just couldn't be arsed with going to college (this was my second week of college, no bloody wonder I dropped out). I couldn't go home, my parents were still there. Newcastle was boring, there was nothing to do other than go to college, and if I went back to Sunderland I was running the risk of seeing my parents in town. So what to do? Jump on the next train to Leeds, of course! I'd only ever been there once in my life before. When I was about seven, probably, going to the Royal Armouries with my parents, but that's a whole realm of stories to itself. I had to find the venue for a gig we were going to there in October. Got there. Found it. I came back, though, I was having a party that night.
Of course luck would have it that my photography lecturer (lesson I'd missed in the afternoon) saw me in Newcastle station and collared me for missing the lesson, but you can't win them all.
(and now for someone completely different, Tue 15 Aug 2006, 13:25, Reply)

My eldest sister once ran away....
...when she was a teenager (as teenagers do). Lasted a week, kipping at mates houses etc. She only came back when my other sister met her outside work with a baby me in the pushchair looking thrilled to see her.

Didn't stop her feeding me a chili pepper a few days later though...
( Sonic James Doom forgetting the date since... umm..., Tue 15 Aug 2006, 12:07, Reply)