The Chase

I ran as fast as my feet could carry me through the foggy darkness. I ran so quickly and for so long that a side stitch began to torture me, making breathing painful. I needed to rest, but if I did, I risked being caught. I kept running, glancing back now and then to see how close he or it was. I couldn’t exactly define this horrible being.

There was nothing around, yet I could smell this mysterious creature nearby. I kept going, trying hard to maintain my fastest pace. I prayed to God not to let me faint. It was the only thing I could do except run. I looked back again, and there he was. A humanlike entity followed me steadily in the deep darkness; I could only see his glowing eyes and his cunning smile.

Soon, my strength ran out, and distraught, I searched for a place to hide but found none. I scanned the sky. I craved divine intervention; the response was only pitch-blackness hanging silently over me. Once more, I looked back; only a few large steps separated us. His sulfurous scent grew stronger, penetrating my nostrils and reaching my stomach. The urge to throw up took hold. I looked ahead, summoning my last remaining strength to speed up, but a hurdle appeared out of nowhere, a tree root as thick as a python, and I stumbled over it, falling on all fours. Helplessly, I fought to get up. I turned my body around, lying there, horrified, and saw him standing above me like a king. He was intimidating, bowing over me, his eyes burning with evil pleasure, a wicked, upturned smile.

“You can’t escape me,” he said, laughing aloud. “No matter what you do or how fast you run, I will always be on your heels. I am fear, and I am powerful, taking over every thought and cell of yours.” He started shouting at me.

Trembling, I closed my eyes tightly. My mind raced with thousands of questions and thoughts. “What did I do wrong?” “Can’t I fix it?” “Will someone help me?” “What should I do now?” Things like that. Then I prayed again; I pleaded with all the power of my soul. As I never had before, I screamed out loud with all my soul and belief. “I am strong, I am strong, and it’s me who decides my future, what I do, and when I do. I rule over myself!”

Then, in a heartbeat, like a mysterious miracle, the voice and the phantom of fear faded, and I opened my eyes again, standing firmly on my feet. Brightness and warmth surrounded me, and a wide road unfolded before me as I began heading toward the sun.

©2026, Vasiliki Papadopoulou