A Miraculous Victory

He had been training for this his whole existence
In fact, they all had…he and the other racers
For generations, a singular purpose
So they bided their time, and grew stronger
And greater in number
Sometimes he wondered if he had what it would take
To win, a prize beyond imagination
Greater than any treasure on Earth

To wrest it from the grasp of the myriad others

And then, the moment had come
They all heard the call, and gathered
Felt the tension build, readied themselves
And then came the shot,
and they were propelled into the course
And the battle began

The way was treacherous, far more than they had been told
And many fell, not to rise again
Even he became mired down in the viscous terrain
And when trying to pull free, was impeded by others
But he would not be defeated, shaking free
And surging ahead, he persevered

And just when it seemed that he could go no further
That he could no longer drag his beaten form
over the bodies of his rivals
There it was:
The finish, the goal, the single meaning for his being
He slogged forward, beaten, so weary,
but full of determination
Only one more task lay ahead, between him and destiny

Knocking his rivals away, he sought entry to the fortress
But saw no clear door
In desperation, he slammed his body against the wall
Time after time, until he was utterly spent
Crumpled, he fought the urge to lie down,
surrender to defeat

But somewhere from deep inside,
He found the strength of purpose that had been built
Into him, and all that had come before him
Furiously, he knocked his competitors to the side
Arched his body, and with all his might
Jammed his head through the barrier
Twisted, turned, wriggled, and with one final surge
Found himself with the inner sanctum

And swelled with joy and pride
As his very arrival fulfilled his purpose, the reason for it all
He seized his victory, by losing himself
And becoming one with the fortress
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AND CREATING
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A NEW LIFE