One day I arose much later than normal to find both Mother and Father missing. "Mother?" I called, "Father? Where is everyone?"

"Ty, my baby!" I heard Mother gasp.

"Ma?" I cried, following the sound of her voice.

I found her huddled in a corner. "Ma?" I asked again.

"Ty Gordon, my blond little puppy, I don't wanna die, baby, I don't wanna die!" she hollered and grabbed me around the neck, pulling me down on the ground.

"Ma!" I cried, "What are you doing?"

"Baby, baby, baby, I love my baby," she sang out.

She laughed and suddenly tried to kiss me.

"Mother!" I screamed and smelled the liquor in her breath.

"Baby, come here and give your honey a smooch."

"Ma!!" I screamed again and lurched away from her.

She reached out for me and laughed drunkenly.

"No, no, no!" I sobbed throwing myself out the door and onto the street. I ran blindly down the alley, my eyes clouded with hot tears.

"Boy, where do you think you are going!" a loud voice rang out and someone grabbed me from behind. I screeched, and was dragged by my drunken father back to the house where my drunken mother lay on the floor shouting.

"Baby! Where are you I brought us home our boy!" Father bellowed upon entering the house.

"Tommy, is that you? Come 'ere and give me some good lovin'!" Mother answered and ran drunkenly at him so that he dropped me.

I immediately resolved never to drink in my life, and ran. Out the door, down the alley, and out to the market where I was I was soon lost amidst all the people.

I wandered around for a long while just drifting, letting my nerves cool down, and searching for what to do next.

                "You there, boy," a man asked, "would you like to buy a few chocolates? Two for a nickel."

                "Alright," I said and reached into my pocket pulling out a nickel and the photo of my mother and father along with the people my mother had called the Marches. "Here you are, sir." And I handed him my nickel.

                A bright idea suddenly crossed my mind, "Sir, would you happen to be able to read this to me?" He reached out, took the picture and read, "1407 Logan Street. You know, kid that's just down the road a little ways. If you want to wait around I could take you there."

                "Thank you, sir." I replied, "I'll just wait over here until you're ready to leave."    

I waited for a while, until it was almost dark and most of the people were gone. Then the man came over to where I sat next to the wall of a house.

"You ready, kid?"

"Yes, sir."

And so, we set off down the street past the little houses, away from the house where I grew up, to a strange neighborhood where there were huge and beautiful houses lining the street.

"That's the one, boy," the man said, pointing to a particularly nice one, "I'm moving on, so here I leave you." And with that, the chocolate selling man left.

I stood in front of the house for a long while, thinking what lay beyond. Suddenly a dog barked somewhere near and I jumped out of my trance and ran up the drive.

Knock, knock. I was standing on the front porch knocking on the door. No one answered. I knocked again. No one was answering. I tried to open it. The door was unlocked.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" I called.

Still no one answered.

I walked further into the house until I ran into a sofa. After a final look around, I sat on the sofa and fell asleep.