[LJ Idol Season 9 Topic 22: Sweep The Leg]
There was a light at the end of the tunnel.
It was weak, and flickering, but it was enough to make her run as fast as she could. It was enough to make her ignore the pain, to go the extra mile on uneven ground. Enough … until the light collapsed on her.
***
“Coffee?”
The grumbled response made Anna shrug, and she poured two cups anyway, adding two sugars to her own and a sip of milk to the other.
“I’m trying out today.”
“For what now?” Her husband looked at her above his morning paper - he liked the cliché too much to switch entirely to his tablet - one eyebrow raised, the other hiding the fact he had completely forgotten what today was about, if she even ever mentioned it.
“The competition, I told you about?” Anna kept her tone light but the burn on her tongue betrayed how quickly she’d swallowed her disappointment down.
“Oh yeah,” Peter vaguely remembered, “The reality TV thing. I didn’t realize it was today.”
“They told me to bring a pair of good shoes and a change of clothes,” Anna continued, focusing on her croissant so she wouldn’t have to see the wall of trivial news she didn’t want to read anyway.
“They expect you to do physical tests?” Peter lowered his paper, genuinely curious. After all, he was a sales representative in the medical field and there might be an opportunity there.
“I don’t think so,” Anna admitted, and she saw the wall go up again, “Well, they did mention to think of it more like a marathon than a sprint, and that endurance played a big role, but it’s a talent show, really.”
“Good luck honey.” Peter, just like every morning, made it a show to look at his watch in a typical “look at the time!” fashion, kiss his wife in a hurry and run out the door. Anna knew he started two hours later than he pretended to, but she didn’t care.
***
“Is this, um…” Anna, the slightly unnerved feeling making her face flush red, “Is this normal?”
Chris, the guy who towered over her with his six feet seven, shook his head.
“Then why are we doing this?” She whispered now, as a nervous silence settled over the grass plain.
“I don’t know,” he whispered back, “I’ve only ever been on Jeopardy”.
“Good show!” She smiled at him with two thumbs up when the woman behind her tapped her arm.
“Yes?” Anna turned around, to be greeted by a group of seven people.
“Hi there, you’re new here? And so is your friend?” The first of the women gave her a disarming smile, which made Anna feel uneasy. She turned around towards the former Jeopardy contestant, but noticed that he had been ushered away towards another corded area.
“It’s normal, they divide us in groups at first,” a small, bespectacled man reassured her, “In the end, we’ll all come together. Those who survive, of course.”
“Survive?” Anna gasped, and thought of her easy, comfortable life in the suburbs. Somehow, she wished she hadn’t felt that the cure for her growing boredom wasn’t a lover, like most of the women in her situation, but rather a new adventure.
***
“I’ll give you a figure of speech,” Anna cursed as she crawled through the mud, “What does this even have to do with talent?”
“Not much,” a voice behind her grumbled. Just in time, she noticed the reflection of the sun on a blade, and she kicked a loose rock away from her, straight into his face. When he cursed, she took it as a sign to try to stand up and run the last few hundred meters to safety.
“Well done!” Isabel congratulated her. She was the leader of the group of veterans that had taken her under their wings from the start. Although they were already three members short, Anna was still thankful for their tips and tricks.
***
“Her right leg is her weak point!” Isabel’s scream made Anna halt in her steps, shocked by her friend’s sudden betrayal. “Hit it, come on!”
Anna reacted too late, the sudden revelation everyone played for themselves hitting her so hard that at first she did not feel the bat connect with her leg. Too stunned to react, she looked down at the swelling bruise on her leg, but her brain would not compute and tell her body to bring her to safety.
She had told Isabel about an old running injury - her knee still sometimes snapped out of socket. She never expected the motherly woman who had helped her wash her clothes and find shelter and food to use that against her.
***
Nursing her leg, Anna sat against the cold rock. She didn’t dare to go back to the camp - she had been ousted there now. Her place was with the renegades - those who had been given another chance for one reason or another, or who still had enough value to continue. Her leg throbbed - it was badly bruised and she suspected a tear or at least a crack, but medical help would be unavailable to her for at least the time being.
“You did well,” Chris told her, “They were out to get you.”
“I know,” Anna sighed, “I didn’t expect it.”
“No one ever does,” he sighed, recalling how he’d slipped right before the finish line.
***
There was a light at the end of the tunnel.
A mile ago, she had tearfully said goodbye to Chris, and thanked him for everything he’d done for her. He’d told her to rush, to run as fast as she could, to make him proud, and then he’d closed his eyes and she’d known it was too late for him.
The light beckoned her, calling her, giving her the last tear of hope she could muster. She longed for her old life, she longed for the boredom and the lies and the pretenses of everyday routine.
There was a light at the end of the tunnel.
It was weak, and flickering, but it was enough to make her run as fast as she could. It was enough to make her ignore the pain, to go the extra mile on uneven ground. Enough … until the light collapsed on her.
There we a voice, next to her ear, whispering.
“Almost.”
It was weak, and flickering, but it was enough to make her run as fast as she could. It was enough to make her ignore the pain, to go the extra mile on uneven ground. Enough … until the light collapsed on her.
***
“Coffee?”
The grumbled response made Anna shrug, and she poured two cups anyway, adding two sugars to her own and a sip of milk to the other.
“I’m trying out today.”
“For what now?” Her husband looked at her above his morning paper - he liked the cliché too much to switch entirely to his tablet - one eyebrow raised, the other hiding the fact he had completely forgotten what today was about, if she even ever mentioned it.
“The competition, I told you about?” Anna kept her tone light but the burn on her tongue betrayed how quickly she’d swallowed her disappointment down.
“Oh yeah,” Peter vaguely remembered, “The reality TV thing. I didn’t realize it was today.”
“They told me to bring a pair of good shoes and a change of clothes,” Anna continued, focusing on her croissant so she wouldn’t have to see the wall of trivial news she didn’t want to read anyway.
“They expect you to do physical tests?” Peter lowered his paper, genuinely curious. After all, he was a sales representative in the medical field and there might be an opportunity there.
“I don’t think so,” Anna admitted, and she saw the wall go up again, “Well, they did mention to think of it more like a marathon than a sprint, and that endurance played a big role, but it’s a talent show, really.”
“Good luck honey.” Peter, just like every morning, made it a show to look at his watch in a typical “look at the time!” fashion, kiss his wife in a hurry and run out the door. Anna knew he started two hours later than he pretended to, but she didn’t care.
***
“Is this, um…” Anna, the slightly unnerved feeling making her face flush red, “Is this normal?”
Chris, the guy who towered over her with his six feet seven, shook his head.
“Then why are we doing this?” She whispered now, as a nervous silence settled over the grass plain.
“I don’t know,” he whispered back, “I’ve only ever been on Jeopardy”.
“Good show!” She smiled at him with two thumbs up when the woman behind her tapped her arm.
“Yes?” Anna turned around, to be greeted by a group of seven people.
“Hi there, you’re new here? And so is your friend?” The first of the women gave her a disarming smile, which made Anna feel uneasy. She turned around towards the former Jeopardy contestant, but noticed that he had been ushered away towards another corded area.
“It’s normal, they divide us in groups at first,” a small, bespectacled man reassured her, “In the end, we’ll all come together. Those who survive, of course.”
“Survive?” Anna gasped, and thought of her easy, comfortable life in the suburbs. Somehow, she wished she hadn’t felt that the cure for her growing boredom wasn’t a lover, like most of the women in her situation, but rather a new adventure.
***
“I’ll give you a figure of speech,” Anna cursed as she crawled through the mud, “What does this even have to do with talent?”
“Not much,” a voice behind her grumbled. Just in time, she noticed the reflection of the sun on a blade, and she kicked a loose rock away from her, straight into his face. When he cursed, she took it as a sign to try to stand up and run the last few hundred meters to safety.
“Well done!” Isabel congratulated her. She was the leader of the group of veterans that had taken her under their wings from the start. Although they were already three members short, Anna was still thankful for their tips and tricks.
***
“Her right leg is her weak point!” Isabel’s scream made Anna halt in her steps, shocked by her friend’s sudden betrayal. “Hit it, come on!”
Anna reacted too late, the sudden revelation everyone played for themselves hitting her so hard that at first she did not feel the bat connect with her leg. Too stunned to react, she looked down at the swelling bruise on her leg, but her brain would not compute and tell her body to bring her to safety.
She had told Isabel about an old running injury - her knee still sometimes snapped out of socket. She never expected the motherly woman who had helped her wash her clothes and find shelter and food to use that against her.
***
Nursing her leg, Anna sat against the cold rock. She didn’t dare to go back to the camp - she had been ousted there now. Her place was with the renegades - those who had been given another chance for one reason or another, or who still had enough value to continue. Her leg throbbed - it was badly bruised and she suspected a tear or at least a crack, but medical help would be unavailable to her for at least the time being.
“You did well,” Chris told her, “They were out to get you.”
“I know,” Anna sighed, “I didn’t expect it.”
“No one ever does,” he sighed, recalling how he’d slipped right before the finish line.
***
There was a light at the end of the tunnel.
A mile ago, she had tearfully said goodbye to Chris, and thanked him for everything he’d done for her. He’d told her to rush, to run as fast as she could, to make him proud, and then he’d closed his eyes and she’d known it was too late for him.
The light beckoned her, calling her, giving her the last tear of hope she could muster. She longed for her old life, she longed for the boredom and the lies and the pretenses of everyday routine.
There was a light at the end of the tunnel.
It was weak, and flickering, but it was enough to make her run as fast as she could. It was enough to make her ignore the pain, to go the extra mile on uneven ground. Enough … until the light collapsed on her.
There we a voice, next to her ear, whispering.
“Almost.”