Uphill

my is heart pumping furiously. i hear the tempo of its beats rise steadily in my ears. like someone is pounding huge drums in my chest.
the asphalt appears to be swaying as it travels backwards, it's dark surface is slick with the light rain and is obscured periodically by my white sneakers. i look up and my eyes blink automatically to avoid the raindrops. i am running away from civilization... lamp posts and city blocks long left behind are replaced by trees and fences. cars glide past slowly, their wiper blades dancing synchronously across the windshield, their red tail lights and orange turn signals glowing brilliantly under the misty gloom. the tires raise even finer mist and leave tire tracks in their wake, which promptly dissolve into the black inkiness as rain water lays its blanket over the tarmac.
the road narrows and winds up through the forest. rain falls steadily over the canopy, generating a constant static - like someone turned on the TV, but there was no broadcast. unlike the electronic version though, this seems pleasant in the otherwise serene surrounding. water trickles down my brows and percolates through my saturated clothes. i look down to see the wet fabric clinging to my body like second skin. if i'm breaking a sweat, it's not discernible. the road is now narrower, deserted. the cars are few and far between, and have to cross over the painted separators to pass me. daylight dwindles. crickets start their incessant chatter - like overhead high-voltage electric wires. acorns fall generously, noisily and scatter off among the dense vegetation.  i get off the road when 2 cars cross nearby, and i feel the malleable mulch and the lush grass crush softly from underneath the thick sneaker soles, as if i were running barefeet. unwillingly, i get back on the tarmac which now feels harder than ever.
my pace is steadier now. every stride jolts my body into awakening... i can feel my calfs, my thighs, the pit of my stomach, like i have never felt before. i feel the crisp, fresh air circulate within my lungs and my heart pumping rich, oxygenated blood through my veins. i feel i was born to run - to gently caress the soft earth beneath my toes and let the cool breeze do the same to my face.  dear mother, forever caring, giving; i can never thank you enough. why? why do you care so much for a spoilt, greedy brat, who will destroy your gifts and then throw tantrums? answers elude me, comprehension fails me, but i keep running.
the incline is steeper now. my pace slows. my steps are less and less further apart. my breathing is heavy, deep. my mouth opens to take in more, but the lungs are filled to capacity. almost on the verge of exploding. my mouth is dry, throat parched. i wipe off water from my face as a dull ache begins to make its presence felt somewhere in my guts. each step is an effort. my feet are lead, and the road is a powerful magnet, resisting any attempt to separate the contact. my insides feel like they're on fire. every nerve and sinew has started screaming for attention. "stop, i can't take it". but i ignore the voices. how can i give up? i haven't reached the top yet.
as if on cue, one of my shoelaces comes undone. is this a test? i keep going. the laces turn into wicks, soaking water from the rivulets and thrashing voilently against my ankles, spraying excess water. i am mildly amused for a brief instant. then a strange thing happens - suddenly, i don't feel exhausted anymore. the pain, if it existed, is gone now. it's a miracle - i feel rejuvenated. it's like i've attained escape velocity - freed from the shackles of my feeble mind. i could go on running for miles. the struggle is over.
i reach the top effortlessly and stop. there is no point in going on. i know i can, if i want to. my insides feel like ember. however, the skin is cold to the touch. i feel like there's steam rising from my arms, like it does for horses that have finished a race. obviously, there is none. i turn and start jogging - i'm a long way from home.
the return journey always seems faster somehow. as i near the base of the hill, i cross another solitary runner who is just starting the climb. i smile and give a thumbs-up for the uphill battle.