My Canvas Bag

Mark is a young man who wants to escape the regular traumas that occur in his family.  His parents drink too much, and his family often forgets him.  No matter where he goes, the hurtful thoughts and feelings are always with him.  He tries to push them to the back of his mind and put on a happy face.  On good days and bad days, they dominate his thinking.  Mark never asks for these things to happen.  He is just forced to find a way to deal with them. Mark likes to get away from the chaos of his family by spending time in nearby woods.  He keeps a canvas bag carefully hidden outside of his house.  It contains blankets, a flashlight, cans of food, a transistor radio, things to read, and more.  The canvas bag has everything necessary for Mark to escape the turmoil.  The solitude of the woods brings him peace.
As he gets older, Mark's anger and resentment toward the things he has experienced only increases.  He makes bad decisions and gets into trouble.  There comes a time when he must choose a path.  Mark struggles to separate himself from the bad things he has done.  He refuses to give up trying to change. Mark is given the opportunity to write for a publication.  He discovers he has a talent for it.  Mark then discovers himself. It is an experience that forever changes his life.