The Race

The Race

         It was the tenth anniversary of their graduation from Canyon Falls University; every year they migrate here to do this run.  The five friends stood in a cool glade beside a clear pool of spring water; they stared up at the path leading into the wood and up the hill.

         The spirit of the event was comradeship; nobody ever took it as a race, just a day out for fun and remembrances. 

         “So let’s get it on… Let’s get going” Sally was bouncing around like a chicken on drugs. 

         The idea was to strip to their swimsuits, swim across the pond and back, re-dress and run the eight miles across this steep hill.

         Allan turned to Mary and chuckled, “It’s gonna be cold…”

         Barry and Doug just stood in the background rocking from foot to foot; knowing the shock this water was going to impose on their bodies.  Doug pulled out his cell phone and laid it down on the picnic table beside him.  “It’s three minutes to ten!”

         They all lined up beside the pool as Doug stared down at his phone. 

         Sally knelt down and untied the laces on her running shoes. 

         “Hey, that’s cheating…” Barry pointed at Sally’s blonde bush of hair.

         They all looked at one another and proceeded to mimic Sally.

         Doug called out, “One minute!”

         Sally stood up, “Last man back here buys the beer!”

         Doug shouted, “GO!”

         With that, the three guys struggled out of their shirts as they kicked off their shoes and as they started to drop their shorts the girls were already wading into the pool.  Mary in her one piece and Sally in a daringly skimpy bikini; both squealed at the shock of feeling the temperature of the water.

         The girls had inched in, up to their mid thighs, when the guys ran past them yelling Geronimo and dived in.  The splash saturation the girls in ice cold spring water; they looked at one another, gritted their teeth and followed. 

         The five swam close together, but Sally broke out and started to lead the pack.  When she made the far shore, the group was hard on her tail as she turned to go back. 

         Barry and Doug were the last to make the turn, Allan was leading Mary; Sally was beating the water like her life depended on it.  She was the first to come out and ran to her clothes; calling out, “Hope you brought Bud Light!”

She slipped her feet into her shoes and tied them as the rest of the group caught up to her.  She stuffed her clothes into her knapsack and started up the path in the wet bikini. 

         Barry called out, “Where you going?  That’s not right!  You didn’t get dressed?”  He stared at the cheeks of her bare ass as she disappeared up the path. 

         Mary, having purchased shoes with Velcro bindings, had slipped into an over-sized, men’s sport shirt and was on her way.  Allan stuffed his things in his backpack and was running beside Mary in his wet swim trunks.  Barry and Doug just sat there on a picnic bench watching their friends disappear.

* * *

         Three miles in, Mary and Allan caught up to Sally.  She had stripped out of the wet swimsuit and changed into a t-shirt and shorts. 

         “What are you doing, it’s not a race, it’s just a friendly run?” Mary questioned Sally in puzzlement.

         Allan sat on a log breathing heavily as his body glistened in sweat. 

         “Every year it’s the same thing, I just want to add some excitement to it.”  Her grin was from ear to ear and the exuberance in her voice made it sound legitimate and honest.  Mary knew Sally as an adventurer, totally uninhibited and sometimes foolhardy.

         They heard snapping of twigs from down the path and knew their friends were catching up.  Mary looked down at Allan who was in no shape to continue and looked over at Sally.  “Tell’m, each time they catch up to me I’ll give’m a piece of my clothing.”  Sally ran up and around a bend in the path, out of sight.

         Allan waved his hand at Mary, “Go on, I’ll pass the word.”  He didn’t see any danger in letting her go on alone, there was no stopping Sally and they only had another four or five miles to go. 

         When Mary left, Allan stripped out of his still damp swimsuit and slipped into his dry clothes.  It was still four or five minutes before the stragglers caught up to him.  He passed Sally’s challenge on to Barry and Doug who could not have cared less at that point. 

* * *

         Two hours and five miles later the three men all walked out of the woods into a shady meadow on the other side of the hill.  Mary was sitting at a picnic table eating a sandwich from her knapsack. 

         Allan called out, “Where’s Sally?”

         Mary pointed, indicating the woods at the far end of the pasture. 

         “What’s she doing over there?” 

         Mary started to laugh, spewing pieces of sandwich all over.  She held up a bulging knapsack, “I caught up to her four times!  She has absolutely nothing to wear!  Sorry you guys missed it!” 

         “That is so, so wrong!  In so many ways.”  Allan laughed. 

         “I told her that I would give her something to wear, if she had the guts to come out, when you guys arrived.”  Mary stood up on top of the table and waved at the woods, she screamed at the top of her lungs,  “Sally, come on out, they’re here!”

         The three men stood staring across the high grass and watched a bush moving towards them.  As she approached, they could see her outline behind the huge branch she was holding in front of her. 

         Barry snickered, “I like this, let’s do it again next year!”

         Doug blurted, “I’ll buy the BUD!”

         Sally sternly admonished both with “Shut Up!  Just shut up!”

~~

Word Count = 998