And The Next...SHORT STORY

Instructions

INSTRUCTIONS: Press the flag for music. ____________________________________________ Kililah Hirawa, a middle-distance runner from Tokyo, was one of the fastest women anyone in the world had ever witnessed-and that was not an exaggeration. Soon after Sifan Hassan beat the female record for a mile sprint in 2019 at the age of 26-years-old, a few other women had surpassed her score. Ranked third in the one mile for women was now Miss Hirawa, who was merely a few years older than Sifan Hassan had been, at an incredible 4:00.89. Hassan had only achieved 4:12.33. She was on the verge of shattering the glass ceiling by being the first woman to accomplish the 4-minute-mile. September 29th, 2028. This fateful day in autumn will hopefully carve a special day in history. This was the thought that Kililah pushed out of her head as she prepared to set off on the track. The sky was overcast and it was fall, so it was neither too hot nor too cold. It was perfect weather for the perfect race. She would win this. She had to win this or everything she had worked towards would be for nought. Her stomach churned with all the terrible ways this could end, but she tried to clear her head. Nothing bad could come of her failure, but so much good could come from her success. As many people know, Roger Bannister, in 1954, had been the first man, and first person in world history, to ever run 1600 meters in under four minutes. Almost immediately after he did this, four-minute mile runners popped up like flowers all over the world. Over 1,400 male athletes have managed to accomplish what he did, but not a single woman. Kililah had been training for years for this day. This would be the peak of her career, but she didn’t know that yet. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as the starting whistle went off as clear as a bell. Her legs were in motion less than a second after the timer had started, yet there were quite a few people in front of her. This was expected. Middle-distance runners start off at a slower pace, allowing for enough energy to catch up later on in the race. The determination rose up inside her, swelling like a beast, as worry threatened to consume her. Pride and concern usually went hand-in-hand. She wanted so badly to win this, and knew that she had the ability to not only run in front of the competition, but to win the world record. What if she stumbled? What if she was not as strong as she thought she was? What if she was not fast enough? What if she won but it turned out to be a mistake and she was humiliated? She shook these thoughts out of her head as she was about a quarter way through the mile. Her heartbeat sped up as her feet pushed her farther to run past the person in front of her. Then the next person. And the next. The words beat like a drum inside her head, egging her on, until there was only one person left, , and the race was nearly finished. Her brain went on autopilot as she quickened her pace. What speech would she give if she won? She had been dreaming about this all week. When she gave her speech, she would thank her friends, family, and teachers, and crack a joke about her 5th grade P.E. teacher who told her that she would never run well. Everyone would laugh, and she would smile, as she had practiced in the mirror so many times before. It would be perfect. It was merely a daydream…but this was a chance for her to make that dream come true. She quickly evaluated the situation. There was only a short stretch of land left, maybe 50 meters. Kililah had to surpass of before then, while still finishing in the next 12 seconds. There was a person speaking on the speaker, narrating the race, but she had drowned out the sound with the noise of blood rushing in her ears. Her feet flitted across the ground, her muscles straining to push off against the ground. Sweat drenched her and she was nearly gasping for air. Then- She ran right into first place, crossing the finish line mere seconds after coming in front of . The crowd roared in sheer disbelief. Everyone heard the deafening noise–everyone except for Kililah Hirawa. She was still listening for the track announcer to declare her time. “KILILAH HIRAWA IN FIRST PLACE WITH 3 MINUTES AND 59.79 SECONDS!” If the people in the stands were wild before, they went absolutely berserk at this. A grin spread across her face, and she could hardly believe her ears. She did it. She. She. SHE HAD RUN A 4-MINUTE MILE. Kililah was the first woman in history to run a 4-minute mile. The next few minutes were blurred together, almost like time had become just as confused as her.