Cam Alphabet Soup II: U is for Undefeated
So, yeah, I ended up writing two letters, and one writer had to drop out, so here I am again. I actually think this is the better fic by far, even though it wasn't the letter I originally claimed. Danged plot bunnies.
U is for Undefeated
In 1934, Glenn Cunningham was the fastest man alive.
In 1908, Cunningham was a bed-ridden cripple, both legs fire-shriveled, one foot toeless.
Cam thinks about Cunningham a lot. Mostly in the mornings, during the part of the morning when he has energy to spare for thinking.
Cam’s gotten very good at focusing. It’s become his most important survival skill. He likes to focus on the heel of his left foot, because by 10 am, that’s the only part of his legs that doesn’t hurt.
For as much of the day as he can, he focuses. He focuses on the end of the treadmill, walking and running and hobbling towards it. He’ll crawl if he has to. He’ll get there. That’s where the Gate is. He focuses: he puts the Gate at the end of the treadmill. Unlike other treadmills, he knows he’s going to get to the end of this one. He just has to keep moving, keep pushing. When the pain and exhaustion darken the room in front of his eyes, when he can’t see the Gate any more, he keeps on moving towards it anyway. He knows it’s there.
Like Cam, Cunningham was from Kansas. They get some crazy storms in Kansas, summer and winter. Cam’s seen some amazing rainbows there, blazing across the sky after a bad storm. Pots of gold. There’s a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. And by all the gods of brutal pain and sacrifice, he’s going to get there.
U is for Undefeated
In 1934, Glenn Cunningham was the fastest man alive.
In 1908, Cunningham was a bed-ridden cripple, both legs fire-shriveled, one foot toeless.
Cam thinks about Cunningham a lot. Mostly in the mornings, during the part of the morning when he has energy to spare for thinking.
Cam’s gotten very good at focusing. It’s become his most important survival skill. He likes to focus on the heel of his left foot, because by 10 am, that’s the only part of his legs that doesn’t hurt.
For as much of the day as he can, he focuses. He focuses on the end of the treadmill, walking and running and hobbling towards it. He’ll crawl if he has to. He’ll get there. That’s where the Gate is. He focuses: he puts the Gate at the end of the treadmill. Unlike other treadmills, he knows he’s going to get to the end of this one. He just has to keep moving, keep pushing. When the pain and exhaustion darken the room in front of his eyes, when he can’t see the Gate any more, he keeps on moving towards it anyway. He knows it’s there.
Like Cam, Cunningham was from Kansas. They get some crazy storms in Kansas, summer and winter. Cam’s seen some amazing rainbows there, blazing across the sky after a bad storm. Pots of gold. There’s a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. And by all the gods of brutal pain and sacrifice, he’s going to get there.