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)