The Race Against Time

By Alexis Mack

My limbs ached terribly as I urged them on. Faster and faster I sprinted down the beaten down path that led into the large ominous building. Trash lined the streets and I tripped several times over bottles and broken glass. Other impediments of the road were gradually making me more and more furious about the situation, but I merely pushed myself harder.

I suddenly tripped on a large tree’s roots and scraped my knee up as I plummeted to the hard, unforgiving floor. I quickly regained my balance and my ungainly running took course once more. After a while I thought I saw her, a few feet ahead, but the figure vanished just as quickly as it had appeared, just like a shadow in the moonlight.

This motivated me to push on. I could not afford to lose this opportunity. The punishments would be much too severe. I gulped thinking of all the misery I would go through if I didn’t get to my destination.

The welcoming park bench sat clearly in the distance. The warm sweat was trickling down my face and into my eyes. I rubbed them furiously, but when I looked up the park bench wasn’t empty.

Rebecca had deposited herself on the sun-baked bench, only to leap off of it with the surprise of its heat. That was when I realized that innocent scene of a small girl in a ruffled little skirt and blouse had sealed my fate.

I suddenly realized I had been deceived and lost the bet. I could kiss my weekend goodbye because I was doing my sisters chores all weekend. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of my two-day sentence. My dessert and fun going to her was also a part of the bargain. This was going to be a terribly long weekend.