Man Running
Who is chasing the running man?
I see the man in the early morning. His legs pump, his arms glisten in the sun. His shoes pound pavement as he looks worriedly over his shoulder.
Something is chasing him.
But there is only the gentle wind. And the chirping of chickadees. His eyebrows furrow, his pace slows. Run becomes walk.
I wave, friendly and curious.
“Whatcha running from?” I ask, half joking.
His eyes meet mine. Little black dots in a pool of white. The sweat from his brow runs into them, like a glacier feeding a mountain stream.
“Myself,” he says. And takes off again.
About the Creator
Kelley Stead
Grew up on a steady diet of Anne McCaffrey and Stephen King.
Spinning tales in the quiet moments between motherhood and building a business.
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By Kelley Steadabout a year ago in Fiction
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In a crisis, time slows down, and the mind speeds up, thank God, he reflected. Colonel Willis (Cool-Hand) Luce, six feet five inches tall and a shade under 290 pounds, commanded the launch room at US Stratcom, Offutt Air Force Base, Sarpy County, Nebraska. He was fond of tennis, not much for running around the back court, but with his wingspan he was a high brick wall at the net. Besides himself and the requisite lawyer, the room had two junior lieutenants at identical stations with keys to initiate a launch, two arrays of signal displays and monitors, one for Luce and his adjutant, the other for four analysts, two techies standing by to troubleshoot equipment, a linguist, a secretary, and a comms assistant. There was also a medic, placed there, Luce was pretty sure, for him. A widower, survivor of three heart attacks, veteran of two tours of duty in forward positions and a retired professor from the War College, he had accepted this position at the insistence of his former student the president, who had taken his course in Deterrence. He had obeyed the Commander in Chief, and insisted on the night shift, relishing the luxury of sleeping in after all the years of a military schedule. Following regulations there was a military chaplain. After all, you never knew, Luce mused.
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Comments (10)
Wow! I loved how this well written entry ended. It says so much in the literal sense of how we deal with our problems. Great read!
Great!!
Well, that’s one kind of motivation! Great entry!
Another clever entry, Kelley! Impressive!
This is great! I love that he is running from himself! Something we all can relate to.
Incredibly good, Kelley!
Great story. Love that ending.
Great take on this challenge. I loved your description and the unexpected ending.
Good one and fine use of such a small amount of words for the challenge! 😊👍 I need to try this.
That was certainly unexpected! Never would I have guessed that, lol! Well, I hope he doesn't catch himself and for the other him, I hope he catches himself. Lol!