One final race ~

One Final Race

Terri minced her way across foam flecked, slime painted rocks lining the breakwall, picking her way around beached fish and sighing tentacles of seaweed.

“Ugh. Why do I care?” She scrunched her nose with palpable distaste at the effluvia emanating from a discarded beer can before consigning it to the lake with a resounding thwack from one booted foot. Discarded cans, discarded pages, discarded copywriters. She lengthened her stride to pick up her pace.

Squinting into the blowing spray that fogged her vision. She watched the tide rollout to meet the first glimmer of light on the horizon. This would be a great day to greet the sunrise. Turning the corner, she was surprised by a form, hands clasped, muttering unintelligible words as she stared out at the lake . Terri approached with growing recognition.

“Jan, it is you, isn’t it?”

“Terri, what are you doing here?

“Same as you, I suppose.”

‘So you didn’t write the great novel, like I didn’t build the world’s most beautiful building.”

“No, and I just got cut in a reduction in force. Just another number, of no more value than office supplies.”

“I remember the days, when we traveled to swim meets, how we believed we were so special. We were going to show the world be great at what we loved, after swmming every ocean.”

“What happened? Reality, I suppose,” Jan answered her own question in her familiar solemn voice.

“Well, here’s the lake, want to race to Canada.” Terri asked, feeling as if twenty years of gravity had just been lifted off her frame.

“We’ll never make it.”

“I know. But before we die, we will have tried it.”

“You mean, as we die.”

Terri nodded at Jan’s familiar half-smile, and they dove together into the chill water, swimming toward the rising sun.”

2006 - manga_kate

Prompt ~ The main character unexpectedly meets an old friend.
Word count 277 - for Daily Flash Fiction