Flash Fiction: Breathe
Hillover Road Series | East, 2020 © Jennifer Sakai
Image by Jennifer Sakai
Words by Emma Elizabeth Mathes
When I was five years old, I ran away from home—and I do mean that I ran. In a tantrum, I moved as fast as my little feet allowed, feeling nothing but heat. It was the middle of July, and I wished I could evaporate.
About a quarter mile out, I stopped. Gulping air, I turned to see how far I’d come. In the distance, the same overwhelming house looked small, and manageable.
Alone for the first time with newfound liberty, I could finally hear my own thoughts. All I said to myself was, “Breathe.”
