ANNE VICTORIA

TIME

For helping me see the reality in my fantasy.

Copyright © 2013 Anne Victoria

All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-0-9923912-0-1

I ran.

My breathing was rhythmic.

I pushed my feet down into the soles of my running shoes that gripped tightly against the slippery paved walkway. My ponytail flicked from side to side, causing an itchy sting with each slap against my cheeks.

I followed the track as it circled its way through and around the deep green forest; the trees arched over, high above the ground. The trunks were solid, thin and tall, and their branches drooped slightly. A filtered light shone through between the leaves, allowing my eyes to adjust to the contrast. It was about seven-thirty p.m., after work.

I pushed my white sleeves up to my elbows, and even though my sweater was thin and it hugged my torso, it felt like my body heat was struggling to escape a thick winter coat.

Come on Amelia, faster, I thought as I leapt over a broken tree that lay across the track. Detached leaves, yellow and brown, rose above the ground behind me as I moved past them. The scent of oak and pine was strong, and breathing it in made my lungs ache and my nostrils sting.

My adrenaline took charge, and the muscles in my legs contracted against my black tights with each stride. My face felt clammy but my nose felt numb.

NARTUNDA

Beads of sweat sat on my neck, curling the short hairs that stuck out from my ponytail.

Various crossroads veered off from the main track, but I knew that any one I took would eventually take me back to where I began. It was like one big maze without all the confusion and dead ends. Tweets and coos from bustling birds and the occasional rustling within the shrubbery filled the empty space and caught my attention. It wasn’t enough to slow me down, though, I just pushed myself further. A steady drizzle began to fall from the sky.

“Come on, faster!” I breathed out into the cold, thick air. My icy breath coated my bottom lip. I quickly ran my tongue over it, feeling the heat bring the color back to life.

I dodged branches, jumped over rocks, and pushed stubborn dangling leaves away from my face as muscles in my body tensed with each movement. I grunted.

“Yes, I’m closer,” I spat. I pounced off a rock and landed with both feet firmly planted on the ground. I placed my hands on my hips and tried taking deep breaths whilst scanning my surroundings; the noises from various animals were becoming louder and erratic.

A flock of startled birds grabbed my attention as they hysterically flew over and away from the forest. Seven or eight rabbits sped past me, away from the shrubbery and grass they were in, and towards the entry of the park.

THE RUN

“What’s going on?” I said to myself in very short breaths. The noises were growing, and I felt like someone had thrown me into a cage filled with squawking birds. I turned a circle, looking up at the sky until the sound of heavy panting and bare feet hitting the tarmac pulsated in my ears. I looked back in front, but there was nothing there.

I took notice of another track to the right of me that went deeper into the forest, but for the first time in the three years I had exercised at this park, I hesitated. The sound of the erratic birds and the panicked rabbits, which I hadn’t ever heard before, made me nervous.

For the first time, I hadn’t seen another person at the park. I’d usually run past couples, other runners, and the occasional old man who’d stroll by, but this time I was alone. I didn’t like that feeling. It was starting to get darker.

In the distance, a young man, who was battered and bruised, sprinted towards me.

“Move, move out of the way,” he screamed, running to me. His breathing was frantic, but with every breath, he sobbed. I recognized him instantly. It was Michael, my work colleague of five years.

We had become close friends within the last year when our departments merged. We were two 25-year-olds who lived alone; I had a serious relationship, and he had relationships come and go as often as he’d change his underwear. I quickly jumped to the side to get out of his way, only the distance wasn’t enough for