It was a nice summer evening. The sun shone brightly, there were no clouds in the sky. I decided to put on my sneakers and train my lungs by running in the woods. Everything went great. Suddenly it seemed something fell out of my pocket on the road, so I looked back and spotted a little speck on the horizon. It was a figure of a man. Apparently, he had a stroll in the forest. Fortunately, nothing was missing from my pockets. I continued jogging.
Several minutes later I heard someone’s breath and heavy steps behind my back. I turned my head and saw an old running man with a long beard and bushy mustache. He had been that tiny black dot, which I had noticed before. The old man effortlessly outstripped me and moved forward. I followed the runner, hoping to leave him behind. After all, as a young lad I must have had more energy. To my surprise, I couldn’t shorten the distance between two of us, no matter how hard I tried. My heart pounded heavily, my lungs turned into a burning chamber, and my legs ached. Slowly but steadily, the man drew away from me. Despite the pain, I refused to give up.
Occasionally, I lost sight of the sportsman. It happened when he turned left or right. He got far ahead of me and looked like a figurine. At the end he became a very small speck. Soon thereafter, the man vanished. I clenched my teeth, acknowledging my defeat. I had been running for an hour. My whole body was exhausted and demanded water, which was not available to my misfortune.
It dawned on me I didn’t recognize the location. On top of everything, it was getting dark fast. I would have traded my soul for a cup of tea, if the devil had granted such an opportunity. While running, I had not paid any attention to the surroundings. All my vision had been concentrated on the old man.
I sat down and leaned my back against an old big tree. Everything indicated it would be a long way home…
I followed a path and found myself in a small clearing. It was obvious I got lost in the woods. There was a complete silence. I would be happy to hear a voice or a noise from a highway. However, only grass and leaves rustled underfoot. The forest was a pretty safe place, but the darkness invoked fear. If a serial killer were nearby, what would I do? Hunger, thirst, and pain tormented my body.
All attempts to figure out the shortcut to civilization ended up badly. I roamed in the woods, cursing the situation. It was stupid, but I couldn’t help myself pronouncing a strong word every now and then.
Wandering alone in the woods in a pitch-dark night was not as pleasant as I had expected. Tree branches scratched my skin mercilessly. I stumbled over roots several times. Thorns of bushes pierced my flesh, making me bawling. My clothes was covered with sticky seeds. Desperate times called for desperate measures. I chose one direction and decided go straightforward and do not deviate. Eventually I would reach a border of the forest. It couldn’t be boundless.
An hour later artificial light helped me to get out of the woods. I resembled a savage man from a prehistoric age. Who would have thought that a running routine would lead to a long nightmarish adventure?
