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swedishbadgergirl  ·  3371 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Tell me a (yes-that-actually-happened) story.

So I lived in the middle of a forest before, when I was 14. Back then I went with the bus to my school in a small town every morning and back every afternoon. The bus only left twice or maybe trice a day and that meant that if we ended early I would be left alone with nothing to do. I've always been somewhat of a wallflower, but I don't deal well with being alone and having nothing to do. When this happens i usually go for a walk to think. I'm an only child who lived out in the country with two neighbors so i was alone a lot. I like to think this has given me a very colorful internal monologue.

Well I had had a stressful week and we'd just ended early. It was two hours until my bus would show up. I made a quick calculation in my head and realized that I could probably walk the 10 km to my home in two hours. And I really wanted a long walk to think.

So of I went, following the path my bus took every morning. The only problem is that the bus takes the motorway for a little while and i couldn't go walking along the motorway. I knew there was a way through the forest but I'd never taken it.

It had taken quite a bit longer to walk then I had thought, but I was feeling fine - I decided that the most logical course of action was to curt right through the forest.

I did this for a while but soon got tired and decided to sit down and rest. And I fell asleep. This was in October by the way. In Sweden. It was below 0 C outside. When I woke up there was frost on the ground and I was cold as hell. And my phone had run out of charge.

I legitimately thought I was going to freeze to death. I was laying therm waiting for it to happen because at least then I wouldn't be freezing.

After a while of laying there and crying and being pissed off at my self for being maybe the stupidest person alive I realized that i sure as hell didn't want to die.

So i started walking. I jumped over a stream and my shoes got wet so i discarded them and put my gloves on my feet. I sprained my ankle at some point. I fell down more times then I care to count.

But I kept on walking until i got home.

And i did. At four in the morning. With my homeroom teacher sitting in my kitchen.

Basically the whole town had been out searching for me.

I especially remember one teachers reaction when I came back. She asked my If I'd had nightmares about it. I hadn't had those... well yet anyway but I was really touched she asked.

Later she told me she had told the story to her five year old whom had run away in the middle of it before she had managed to convey that I had in fact survived.

Today I usually tell the story as the time i managed to get lost on my way home from school. It's kind of funnier and simpler that way.