The Marathon Runners

Every locality has its character actors. The types who happen to be present on every occasion. They might not be the life of the gathering, but their absence makes things a bit dull. So when our community religio-cultural organization decided to celebrate the centenary of its existence, Kuttu and Pappu were active participants in almost everything with varying degrees of success. Then came the much anticipated mini-marathon.

After weeks of early morning exercises and training, Kuttu and Pappu were ready for the run. Jostling their way through the motley crowd of runners, they hit upon a brilliant idea - "Why not take a shortcut?" They gave the metalled roads a skip and stumbled down the pine covered hilly slopes, waded through the brooks and finally reached the finishing line - exhausted. Only to find the whole place deserted, except for a solitary caretaker. No runners in sight, they congratulated each other on their momentous victory - the underdogs finally had their day.

The caretaker, somewhat bemused with the jubilation said, "The race is long over and everyone has gone home."