Running Wild: 7 Tales of Endeavor

When we hear the phrase “running wild,” we often recall doing something stupid and reckless that we did in our teens and youth. And it reminds me intensely of Atticus’s poems about being wild.

After all, the rebellious years of all life are all about self-discovery, passion, and defying the rules. This article is all about seven such tales that I have penned.

Running Wild: 7 Tales of Endeavor

1. To the top

“A little more to climb, and you’ll see that it’s worth it.” He said to his little brother as he clung to one rung after another. Dusk had crept into the sky and streaked it with vivid colors. Soon, those hues would dull into the night and get dotted with stars.

The two brothers climbed further up. They were nearing the top, and soon Jake would see the brilliant view that Ray, his older brother, had been dying to show him. Ray was the ultimate rebel, and obviously, Jake was the good one. Ray hadn’t set the bar very high for ‘the good son’ anyway.

This morning, Ray had successfully coaxed Jake into playing truant with him for the rest of the day.

“You’ll die without tasting the real-life,” Ray protested, “Forget the taste, at least take a whiff!”

Jake gave in to his entreaties. He was always intrigued by the way Ray lived.

“Life is all about running wild,” Ray sighed with satisfaction after he narrated one of the wild endeavors. Jake was always left astounded after hearing those stories.

This morning, Jake finally agreed to run away from school with Ray. Both of them went Go-Karting and then played poker all afternoon.

And then Ray had this perfect climax in mind. He convinced Jake to climb to the top of the giant wheel.

“The sunset is lovely from up there,” Ray smiled as he flung off his backpack into bushes.

Finally, they reached the top. They sat next to each other. The dipping sun was a sight that Jake would photograph in his eyes for life.

2. Off the cliff

“Come on, girl! It’s not that high!” her friend yelled excitedly. She was madly waving her hands and beckoning Raven to join her in the splashing water below.

Raven stood at the edge, trying to calculate the odds of drowning into the brilliant blue sea. Her friend, Ari was all always had some ideas running wild in her head. Her eyes sparkled up when she had some new endeavors planned.

Today, she had dragged Raven to the cliff that over-looked sea. Ari couldn’t wait to plunge off into the water.

“It looks so inviting today!” she said excitedly, pointing down to the emerald-blue water. She then pranced unto the edge and dived gracefully crying, “Woooohhhoooo!”

Raven felt deserted up on the cliff. “I can do it. I’m a good swimmer,” she whispered to herself. She backed away from the edge.

Then she ran towards the edge, took a deep breath, and jumped off!

Adrenaline pumped through her body and enclosed her like a mad storm. She felt alive for the first time.

3. The Luminous Eye

The Luminous Eye stared straight, unblinking. The Eye illuminated a few feet within its reach. The roar of the storm and rev of the engine battled for audibility. The lightning lit up the dark scene for a few seconds.

The motorcycles zipped through the dark, stormy night. She had left the dazzling lights of the city far away as speed took her into the wilderness. She had been planning this for weeks. And had impatiently waited for the perfect night.

Tonight, the thunder was raging, and raindrops pelted the silent, empty boulevards. The street lights flickered, but the group sped forward.

Naomi could feel her hair whipping the wind. The fresh drops of water splashed against her face. But all she felt was adrenaline rushing through her body and bike. She had sneaked out in the dead of night to escape into her liberty.

She had had enough of her family. Now she wanted to chase her liberty.

“You and your motorcycle! Always running wild!” her mom hated her passion. She believed that biking was for reckless ones.

Her mom’s friends voiced the same opinion, and so did her sisters and aunts and uncles.

Tired of these constant pestering and taunts, she decided to move out, far away from this pessimism. She had drawn out the perfect plan, acquired the budget, and selected a distant city to move into.

She knew her family would agree to let her go. So, she didn’t even bother to discuss or fight or convince. All she needed was a tank full of fuel and a stormy night to her escape.

And there she was. Zipping along the winding curving lanes towards her passion and freedom.

4. The Awkward Road Trip

“No! You’re crazy! You will get us killed!” he protested. This was typical of Andy, who was too “grown-up” to be a fourteen-year-old. His BFF, Miles, stood in stark contrast to him, for he was always running wild.

“I can drive!” Miles protested.

“In GTA!” Andy argued.

“I swear it’ll be fun. Come on!” Miles insisted.

“What if something happens to the car?” Andy looked doubtful, for they were talking about his dad’s car after all.

“I can drive, don’t you trust me?” Miles retorted.

After a lot of debate and discussion, Andy gave in. “But mind you, not a scratch!” Andy warned.

Miles pushed the key in and got the car out of the parking smoothly. Soon, they were out of the neighborhood and heading towards the edge of the suburb. So far, Miles had been driving slowly and carefully.

“Let’s have some fun,” Miles said. He tapped on the accelerator a little too hard. The car swerved straight into the trash cans.

Miles panicked and reversed the car hard. The car hit the pole hard enough to create a dent.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Andy cried.

“Don’t distract the driver!” Miles yelled back.

Somehow, he managed to get the car back on the road. He looked at Andy, unsure what to say. Andy was silent. Passing minutes filled the air with tension.

“Let me try!” Andy cried with a mad gleam in his eyes.

He took over the steering wheel. Together, they drove the car back and forth through the town. They wrecked more trash cans, hit more poles, and even attacked some graffiti walls. They made sure the lazy suburb remembered them in the coming years.

5. Because Parties Can Be Anywhere

“I can’t believe this,” Joe said as he scanned the streets and tried to process the awkward scene.

“Relax, man, the guy would be on the way,” Meg tried to calm everyone down.

The most impossible thing had happened. Their car had broken down in the very middle of the road. Other drivers were honking madly at the stuck vehicle.

Some angry drivers yelled colorful words at them. The calmer audience pelted them with obvious suggestions.

Miguel had already contacted the emergency service and was tapping his foot impatiently. He glared at his phone every alternate second.

Fortunately, being a weekday, there wasn’t any heavy traffic. But it was awkward all the same. Meg was trying to talk some sense into the impatient people that had come up to them to know what’s going on.

“Why don’t we put on some music?” Gina suggested.

“How would that help?” Miguel questioned.

“At least that would drain out the angry honks,” Gina said as she scanned some playlists.

“Let’s try that out,” Miguel replied as he saw no other options.

Gina cranked up the volume as loud as she could. EDM blared out of the speakers. The music caught everyone’s attention.

Miguel then got on the roof of the car. “The emergency services are on their way. It may take some time. Why not have a party till then?!”

Surprisingly, the crowd cheered. Soon, they had people hip-hopping on the hoods and roofs of the car.

The music and adrenaline were loud enough to drain out the approaching police sirens.

6. On a wild drunken night

“Dude, how are we supposed to get home?” Chet slurred to his friend Sam.

“I don’t know!” Sam slurred back and giggled. Chet struggled to bring the distorted double vision of Sam into focus.

Hazy memories of the wild night flashed before his eyes. The blinding neon streaks of lights blended with the blurry dancing figures. The clinking glasses and rosy faces created a promise of a good time.

It was Sam’s idea to scan the suburban bars and clubs for a change. And the night had been worth the effort. Another friend had dropped them off into a club and headed forward.

They had tasted some incredible local drinks. And probably, they tasted one too many drinks. They were soon too blurry-eyed to even realize the numbers on bills. They were quickly penniless and had no money to get home.

They were politely asked to leave the last bar.

“What do we do?” Chet asked him.

“Um, you remember how we used to hug trucks back in college?” Sam laughed.

“You’re out of your mind if you’re thinking about pulling off a stunt like that!” Chet protested.

“Then, you’ll walk back home?” Sam demanded.

The lack of sensible alternatives put an end to the argument. Soon, they were looking for trucks they could cling to and head home.

A few minutes of hysterical giggling and street scanning got them a motortruck that was heading towards the city.

“Wasn’t a bad idea!” Chet was smiling as he relived their wild, younger days. Both the friends mustered their last bits of sobriety and clung on to the back of the truck.

But soon, the huge lorry took the opposite turn. And it was too late when Sam realized the folly. Till then, the truck had dropped them off in the remote country-side.

“It was a bad idea!” Chet yelled.

“I’m not even sorry,” Sam replied as both of them sat cross-legged in the middle of the street. They recalled all their fond memories and high-fived each other as the dawn began lightening the sky.

7. A long, long walk to remember

“We should have followed the guided trail,” Reba complained for the millionth time as she and her three buddies Zack, Nofret, and Gayle scanned the forest floor for a trail.

“You’re no fun,” Gayle argued.

“Circling aimlessly in the woods isn’t fun either,” Nofret pointed out.

The group had been wandering in dense woods looking for a way out. They had sneaked away from other students and teachers and decided to take a different route into the woods.

It was Zack’s stupid idea to show up at the end of the trail before anyone else.

“I know it’s a weird idea. But we might spot some wild birds and beasts!” Zack was trying to convince his friends.

“This is insane!” Reba was against it. She knew that chemicals were always running wild in Zack’s brain.

“Yes! It sounds crazy! And that’s exactly why we should do it!” Nofret agreed. As the majority was against her, Reba decided to tag along.

After sneaking into the opposite direction, they wandered for hours cluelessly. They did spot some colorful butterflies, chrome-colored roaches, and icky moths. They took pictures leaning against the trees, sitting on the trees, and other possible poses with trees.

Soon, the sun tilted, and it was about to get dark. The group was hopelessly lost into the woods. They kept walking on and on.

“I just hope we are not circling about,” Zack said as he scanned his phone for some range.

“I think I heard a lorry.” Reba stopped and strained her ears. They all stopped as they heard familiar automobile noises.

Before long, they had come across a highway. “So, the GPS shows we are umm like 9 kilometers away from the targeted destination,” Nofret held up her phone screen.

“No way!” Gayle cried.

They all took a screengrab of the map. They turned towards the woods that were dark with twilight.

“Grab your flashlights,” Zack said as they began their long, long walk into the forest towards trouble.

So, these were some stories based on running wild. If you liked them, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Last Updated on August 28, 2023 by Nitisha Upadhye