Protected

Sometimes when life was too much, he'd make his way down to the water's edge, through the woods, following the old beaten path, running between the ferns, until his feet made the hollow thumping noise on the dock. The thought of only the planks of wood beneath his shoes separating him from the water eased his mind.

Not many people knew about this portion of the lake. It was once popular, but as time crawled on, plants grew, and as the path began to become overtaken by the forest floor, fewer and fewer people had journeyed to the water's edge - until it was only him.

He was lucky to have found a boat some time ago, washed up along the shore. It wasn't perfect, nor new, but it could still float and thats all that mattered. Finding oars had proved more difficult, but it wasn't long until he found a pair laying, seemingly unused in someone's back yard. He had convinced himself that he was only borrowing them for a short while, but he knew deep down inside, they would be his forever.

As bad as the world could be. As many names as he could be called in school, he had his escape. Pushing the boat into the glass like water was always soothing. He'd do it as quiet as possible. Not because he was worried someone would hear him and invade his private moment, but because it just felt like the right thing to do. It was respectful of the calm that had descended upon his world for the time being.

As he glided out towards the center of the lake, he noticed how lucky he was. The water was shielded by a layer of mist, much to thick to ever see through.

He could stay hidden for as long as he wanted.