Jack was nimble. Jack was quick. Jack was Elderberry High's track star. Not many people could hold a candlestick to Jack. Everybody wanted a piece of Jack. His father wanted Jack to go into the family business, and he had been accepted to Brown in the fall. Girls always found time to let Jack have his way with them. Every guy wanted Jack as a buddy. He really did have it all, but most importantly, Jack ran. Jack ran so fast. It was what he really cared about. He was happiest when he ran. Every night after dinner, Jack would go for a run through the woods. It was his time away from it all. No pressure. Just running.
Jack laced his running shoes and kissed his mother goodbye as he left through the side door. Jack checked his watch, and then he ran through the brisk air along the sidewalk. The woods lay beyond. He slipped between two trees and booked it through the woods, zig-zagging to avoid trees and bushes. He was testing himself, timing his runs every night. Pulling his time tighter and tighter together. Keep moving, Jack. Always room to improve.
Jack ran so fast that it felt like he wasn't even touching the ground. Everything whizzed past Jack as he ran. The perfect blue-eyed, blond haired track star flew through the woods at speeds that defied human capability. He felt free. It felt like he accomplished everything. Intoxication flooded his veins as Jack howled with delight. This was everything
The branch whipped out of nowhere. It was too fast for Jack to react. It collided with his Adam’s apple, and the force of the tree branch knocked him flat. His head lay at an awkward angle. Then with a dull snapping sound, the whole tree came crashing down on Jack. No one heard a thing. The trunk splintered over his broken body and then, silence. Jack was nimble, Jack was quick, and now? Jack was dead.
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D. H. Torkavian
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