RUN

Flying Free in a Large Cage

 The game began with a loud and clear gunshot. I took off, using the surge of adrenaline to fuel my sprint down the hill and onto the open moor. I saw a few boys lose their footing and go tumbling down the hill, spilling their packs. The sly ones swiftly snatched the meagre contents. 

     The soldiers cackled and mocked us from behind. They fired their guns into the air, inciting fear in us like we were animals. I could just make out Adam sprinting ahead. I went to follow him but a movement to my right distracted me. I glanced to see a boy jump on another's back and ripped off their pack. He wailed after the thief but he had already pranced across the moor in seconds. Suddenly, the ground smashed into my face. I looked up to see Kais. Snickering while he skipped ahead.

"Have fun when it's cold!" He said, chuckling.

I had now lost Adam in the dispersing group of boys that ran across the moor. As my adrenaline calmed and my thoughts cleared, I realized how good it felt. I was on my own, advancing independently. For the first time in four years, I was running away from them. I wasn't running towards them in defeat for their pitiful bread. I had everything I needed, I was everything I needed.  I had made it out of the place where hope cannot survive. The thought of "what if?"  came back. But this time, it wasn't sombre or sorrowful, it was hopeful. I would run to win, I had a promise to keep. 

 After a few minutes of hard sprinting, the ruins of Strasbourg were before me. I hadn't realized all this time it was so close. My soft footsteps echoed off the dilapidated walls and cobblestone roads. I could faintly hear a few other boys scurrying through the streets. Once my home, it was now unrecognizable. It was a strange feeling. I searched for something to bring me back to the days when I was younger and carefree. But it was all so foreign. I didn't even know what street I was on.

      Until I came to the end of the street. There, was my father's old bakery. It had been in a serious fire from the looks of it. The sign read: "Le Pere des Boulangers". -The Father of Bakers. The last word was charred off from a large inferno that engulfed half the town, but I knew it by memory. Memories of my Father I wasn't quite ready to remember. The Nazis had burned this part of my life down to ashes.

      I realized how far behind I was by now and bolted down the street. It felt good to run. To be free. It was the first time I felt free since my caged life at the camp. But this freedom was just an illusion. I was just a bird flying free in a large cage.

I ran for a long while. Always hearing boys in front of me, behind me or beside me. There would be a light shuffling or thundering footsteps to remind me I wasn't alone. Most of us hadn't spread out yet. I guess there was a comforting safety in numbers.

Once I got out of the destroyed French city, I made the quick decision to run through the woods. It was harder for a horse to get through a tangle of roots and branches. Also, it lessened my chances of crossing paths with someone else. After what I saw on the moor I was reminded this was a ruthless game of life and death. Not far off to my right, was the main dirt road that could lead you straight to Paris if you had the determination. I decided to stick close by in hopes of not getting lost. But if I meet any soldiers, directions won't matter. After hours of twisting and turning through the trees, I couldn't go any further. My throat was hoarse. I laid down in a small clearing surrounded by thick bushes. My eyes rested as I drifted through my thundering thoughts. The calming whistle of the breeze made its way through the thicket of trees and allowed me to enjoy my time laying on the soft forest floor. I couldn't waste too much time so I decided to check my pack while I rested. I undid the latch spilled everything out on the ground. I had;

One small Compass
One empty, military water canteen
One box of matches (Filled with joy for this one)
Four apples
One small, dull knife
One package of dried fruit
One small first-aid kit
Finally, One small metal box that I couldn't open without a key. (That's why the bag was heavy)