Loveday Writing

The swimmer**

Take Your Marks

I had to hold my hands together to stop them from shaking. Not from guilt, not from fear of getting caught, but from excitement.

The big day was finally here and I knew I was going to win.

It was hard not to get caught up in even more excitement with the cheers from the crowd who had flown in from all over the globe to support their loved ones, my rivals, and the colours of all the different flags of all the different nations, including the green and gold of my own. I hoped my loved ones would be in the stands too, that was one thing I wasn’t sure about that day.

I stepped up on the block and waited for my cue. While I waited, I took a look around at my eager, excited and overly cocky rivals, they wouldn’t be cocky for long.

Once I found out what lane I was assigned, I managed to sneak in and strategically place a few drops of ammonia into the other lanes. All I had to do was start the race as normal and wait for everyone else to dive in.

I wouldn’t be the underdog anymore, I’d be the champion.

The sound of the automated voice I’d been waiting for brought me back into the moment.

“Take your marks…”

**Reference: Marsden J 1998, Everything I Know About Writing, Pan Macmillan, Australia.