A Marathon
The whistle blew and everyone started running towards the goal. Humans were flowing like a river on a well-defined tarred path. Three familiar faces decided to run this mid-night half marathon a month ago and here they are competing against each other. However, deep within they knew their competition was not outside. They were fighting a battle within, a battle for which their poor legs were going to pay a hefty price.
A year ago, little did he knew that his bike would skid to give him fear for a lifetime. It was not his fault but the tear in the knee ligament was real. Two months post the surgical operation he was still lying on his bed unable to move his right leg. It was heavy and hard as an iron rod. Leave aside running, the feeling of walking normally was a distant memory. It is today that he finally felt alive.
The next face was tired of his slow-paced nine-to-six life. He could hardly find any meaning in his routine. Until now he was a winner but suddenly life seemed to drag at the pace of a tortoise. There was more money than he had dreamt of after graduation still everything was meaningless without the toiling medals. The sense of achievement, the joy of competing, and the enthusiasm of breathing were lost in time and the very feeling was about to be erased. He was here to keep this feeling alive and relive the winning moments.
The final face in my opinion had the most at stake. His decision to participate took everyone by surprise. Startled, stunned, and shocked as no one believed him making it to the finish line. The discouraging voices were unknowingly fueling the fire burning inside. Perhaps Avantika from Bahubali felt the same while blood was gushing through her eyes in the form of tears (Yeh mera rakht hai jo ghool kar bhav ban gaya aur meri aakhon se behene laga). Today, he was more than ready to prove everyone wrong.
Not only the trio but also their emotions made it to the finish line. The winner was obvious, the underdog was surely not the last and the very last person was happy to see himself running again :)
