The Runner

It was too hard to say goodbye. My eyes were burning red with hot tears as I embraced each of them in turn.

"Say goodbye to papa for me." I whispered as I hugged Kaia.

"I will." She replied, "Don't go falling from any more skies, please."

I laughed through the tears trying to drown my speech. "I'll try my very best."

The three New Zealander's lined up before Mr D and he nodded at them. "Thank you for your services to the Greek gods and yadayadayada you can go now." They disappeared without even a puff of smoke. Just like that - my friends were gone home.

I wiped at my eyes and forced a bittersweet smile onto my lips. Chris nudged me with his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine." A genuine smile crept onto my face. "In fact, I think I'm going to head out on a run. I'll see you at lunch, okay?"

He returned my grin as if he knew exactly what I was thinking, "Okay, have fun."

I was off before the last syllable passed his tongue, my legs pumping and churning against the dirt. I traced the path around the lake and skirted the edge of the forest. My heart pounded like it was trying to laugh on its own.\

This was how I was meant to live. I was meant to run. I was meant to run like the wind, with the wind. I was the wind. The more ground I covered the more at home I felt on this soil that had once felt so strange and uncaring. I was at home with the wind of my own creation pulling at my clothes and my hair.

In that moment I was a tamaiki o hau - a child of the wind.

I was the runner.

THE END

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