Surrey League, Match Four, Lloyd Park

by Madeleine Armstrong

Photo by leah hetteberg on Unsplash

Your lungs and legs burn as you push up the hill, mud clinging to your calves. Below: a broad swoop of grass; the white poles of the finish funnel.

Victory’s so close. You shouldn’t, but you imagine the weight of the trophy in your hands. Surrey League Men’s Champion.

Then: his breaths heavy at your shoulder. You push harder but he’s passing, too strong, a hurricane of legs flicking dirt. The curve of his thigh, the distance behind you widening, the taste of sweat and shame. You stagger across the line in second place and sag to the ground.

His face looms before you, the face that haunts your nightmares – and your dreams.

Then his hand’s in yours, too hot to touch, hauling you to your feet. The gleam in his eyes dares you to hope that, maybe, he dreams about you, too.

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Madeleine won the Hammond House international short story prize in 2023, and has been published by Flash Fiction Magazine, The Hooghly Review, LISP and WestWord. By day she’s a journalist covering the pharma industry, and lives in South-East London with her husband, son and two cats. Her remaining spare time is spent running, reading and persevering with Twitter/X/whatever @Madeleine_write

This story won First Prize in the October 24 Monthly Micro Competition.