I was running before I was out of the house. I cleared the lawn and river in one bound and raced into the forest. The rain was back again, falling so heavily that I was drenched in seconds. I liked the thick sheet of water- it made a wall between me and the rest of the world. It closed me in, let me be alone.
	I ran due east, over and through the mountains without breaking my straight course, until I could see a hazy glint of Seattle lights on the other side of the sound. I stopped before I touched the borders of human civilization.