Downward Spiral

Tony or Tonn (a ten-year-old) as his mother called him, lived in a small house outside the woods.

His father, an alcoholic yelled. “You little shit! What did you do now?!”

“Nothing, daddy!” Tony shouted.

His father threw a bottle of whiskey at Tony’s bedroom wall on the spot where his drawing of his family hung. He was about to beat him up, but thankfully Tony’s mother intervened. She pulled her husband back and he passed out on the floor. She dragged her husband out of the room and left him on the couch.

Tony cried and opened the window for some air. He thought about climbing out the window and running away. He had to get away from this place. His mother won’t do anything.

He packed a bag and jumped out the window. The treehouse floor was wet as he landed on it. He climbed down the tree trunk and ran into the woods. He shined his flashlight on the ground, so he could jump over fallen branches and rocks.

After he walked for what seemed like miles or at least until the trees disappeared. He shined his flashlight in front of him and there lied a cliff. He thought about jumping and ending it all.

“Tony! Tony!” his mother shouted from the woods. She rushed out, tripped on a branch, and fell onto her hands and knees.

“Mom?!” Tony shouted back and pointed his flashlight in the direction of his mother’s voice.

The light revealed his mother got up from her fall. He ran towards her and hugged her.

“Tony, you can’t go running away like that. I was so worried.”

“I’m sorry, how did you know where to find me?”

“We used to watch the sunset here when you were younger, so I thought you might come this way.”

“I just needed to get away, from daddy, from you.”

“I’m sorry, Tonn. I know it’s hard living with your father and I, but I can’t leave him. He needs too much help.”

“But you have to, he’s–he’s–abusive! There I said it.”

“I didn’t know you thought about him that way.”

“Mom, he yells at us all the time. He has a drinking problem.”

“I know, but he told me he’d get help.”

“He told you that two months ago. You have to leave him.”

“I can’t, I’m afraid if I do, he’ll get worse and go further into a downward spiral.”

“Wait, did you leave him alone?”

“Yeah, he’s passed out in the living room. Why?”

“We better check on him.”

Tony and his mother walked back to the house and opened the front door. They found his dad passed out on the couch with bottles on the floor as if he had woken up and drank more.

“He’s not making any noise. He usually snores when he’s passed out,” his mom said. She checked his pulse.

His liver had shut down, along with the rest of his body. He died.

Tony’s mother called 9–1–1 and an ambulance arrived. The EMTs tried to revive him, but he was too far gone.

Tony’s mother got her wake-up call to change her life, but was it all worth it?