>Be Anon, walking home from school.
>Most kids' parents picked them up, but you didn't mind walking.
>It gave you time to yourself.
>You think about how you are kind of glad school has started again.
>The teacher this year is old. She reminds you of the school building itself,
>weathered, crumbling, shakey, and completely useless at what it did.
>Could be worse.
>At least you got to see your friends again.
>Your parents didn't let you see them much, because
"Anon"!
>Speak of the devil. You hadn't noticed you just crossed the last street.
>Your mother was waiting for you by the front door.
"Anon, where have you been"?
"School. I was walking home".
"Don't be a smartass with me.
You know I expect you to be home at exactly 3:30.
As long as you live in my house, you are going to pull your own weight".
>Heh, like that tub of lard knows anything about pulling weight.
"What did you say"?
"Nothing, Mom".
"That's right. Chores, Now"!
 
>After you were done scrubbing the bathroom with a toothbrush, you look at the clock.
>It's 9:00. That means you missed supper, again.
>You quietly sneak into the living room.
>That bottle sitting on the coffee table meant mom was gone for the night.
>You look through the kitchen. Mom had macaroni and cheese tonight.
>Dad was out late again. You only ever saw him once a week.
>The cheese was congealed and cool,
>but the noodles stuck to the bottom of the pot still counted as food.
>Dinner of champions.
>You grab a spoon you had washed earlier that day and scraped the pot.
>Well, nothing to do but go to your room.
>Your room was comforting. You could lock the door, and that made it safe.
>After digging around in you tattered backpack, you found it.
>At least there was one way to ignore the situation you were in.
>You turn the bent, discolored page.
"In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit..."
>Book in hand, you read on into the night
>until drowsiness forces you to drift off to sleep