Fighting your Battles

​Five friends had been such since childhood.

Since then, they had been inseparable, sleeping over together as much as possible, doing as much as they could during the daytime, with the night getting the same treatment.

Even though they were friends, that did not mean they always got along; actually they were sometimes downright nasty to each other.

They would always compete with each other to find “The Winner”; this “winner” always strutting around and peacocking his prowess,

...whether it was in sports, board games, or the games that they created for themselves.

One day while they were at the lake, a challenge was proposed to see who could hold their breath long enough while swimming under a bed of lily pads.

Whoever got across first was the winner.

Always ready for a challenge, the friends accepted wholeheartedly.

They all got into position and after the countdown, they were off.

Four of the five friends were swimming full bore; full speed ahead, but one was not swimming.

The other knew his running was faster than his swimming and ran across the shore and jumped into the other side before the others; to their unpleasant surprise…

...and to his pleasant acceptance of victory.

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