John Watson (7) sat on the highest branch of the tallest tree, peering down at the hiking trail below him. His dad had come home drunk again and ever since Harry moved out John had been the only punching bag for his dad to use during these times. Of course Harry would've brought John with her if she could've, but her friend's parents wouldn't allow it, insisting that he was 'too young'. John's mother had died of when she gave birth to him, which had resulted in his dad's excessive drinking, and his dad him for his mother's death. Because of this John always felt obligated to do whatever his dad wanted. He had to do the laundry, the cooking, the dishes, the cleaning…. everything that his dad didn't feel like doing himself. If he didn't, his dad beat him. It was simple as that. Sometimes his dad beat him for no reason at all. That, coupled with the guilt that never went away, made John miserable.
Everything had been perfect before John was forced to retreat to the woods. He had made his dad supper, swept the floors, done his homework, and put the laundry on, but his dad had come home and started to beat him anyway! This had happened before, unfortunately, so John knew what to do. He just ran into the woods behind his house as fast as he could and climbed his tree, waiting until about 11pm. His dad was almost always asleep by then, and he wouldn't remember anything in the morning anyway.
