by Breck Yunits
The girl lost the race.
"I want to be fast", she said.
"You are fast", said the man.
"No. I want to be the fastest."
"I solved it! If I eat less, I'll weigh less and go faster."
The girl skipped breakfast.
The girl lost the race.
"Next time I'll skip dinner too."
"Ok", said the man, "but the moving trucks are coming. Time to pack."
In the new town, the girl skipped dinner.
She won the race.
"I solved it!", she said.
The man smiled.
She won race after race, in the new town.
At regionals, the girl stayed at the dorm with the other runners.
"Join us for breakfast?" a runner asked.
"No thanks, I skip breakfast to run faster."
The girl lost the race.
"I solved it! I need to eat the right things."
The man smiled.
The girl kept notes on her meals and race times.
The next year, the girl won regionals.
At college, the girl tried the relay.
She was the fastest on the team.
Her team lost.
"I solved it! If I share my notes, everyone will run faster."
The man smiled.
Her team won.
The man got sick.
"I'm proud of you", he said.
After college, the girl turned pro.
She followed her notes, but still lost.
A shoe company sponsored her.
"Take these", said the sponsor's doctor.
"Is that allowed?"
The doctor winked.
The girl won the race.
And the next.
And the next.
She was the fastest in the world.
"How did you do it?"
The reporter asked, sitting across from her in the restaurant at the fancy hotel.
The girl looked at her. Then looked left and down. Then left and up and down again.
It was quiet for a long while.
She finally moved her throat.
"The shoes", she said, with tears in her eyes.