Night Runner Read Online Free
Author: Max Turner
Hobbit
is king. Iâve read it seven times. Captures, escapes, riddles, battles, magic swords and a magic ring, death and deception, goblins and elves and trolls and dragons, men who turn into bears, and giant eagles and wolves. It pretty much has it all. I think thatâs why Iâve always been a bit jealous of the main character, Bilbo. At the start, his life is pretty much the same thing, day after day, just like mine, until Gandalf the wizard knocks at his door. Then, in a snap, heâs off on an adventure so grand it can hardly be packed between two book covers.
Well, that was exactly what I neededâa knock at the door and an adventure of my own. But I guess wizards were in short supply. Instead of Gandalf, I got a crazy old man on a stolen motorcycle who smelled like heâd had enough wine to drown a horse. And all he did was trash the lobby.
I opened the book and started reading. After a few minutes, I realized I was still staring at the same page. I started again, but the same thing kept happening. Instead of seeing Gandalf and Bilbo, I kept seeing the old man on the motorcycle. â
Iâve found you
,â heâd said. Like heâd recognized me. But from where? Nurse Ophelia took me bowling sometimes, and to movies. And, of course, window shopping at Christmas. But I couldnât remember ever seeing him before. How could he know me?
I read slowly for about another hour, my thoughts drifting from the book to the strange incident with the old man. Then I had to get up. I was starting to get hungry.
Iâm sure youâve had that hole-in-the-stomach feeling that everyone gets when theyâve missed a meal. For me, it was a lot worse. Iâd get pain behind my eyeballs like someone was pinching them really hard, and my throat would get itchy. It might have been because I couldnât eat most foods, and so it was hard for my body to get all of the nutrients it needed. It might also have been related to my blood. I had a degenerative blood disease, so I needed to get transfusions a few times every year. Those were the worst. For days afterwards I felt like Iâd been drinking gasoline. If I could have found the right foods or the right medications, my problems probably would have gone away, but that never happened. So I got hungry often. And it always made me irritable. I remember this one time when I was ten years old, the nurse on duty forgot to bring me my dinner. When she showed up just before sunrise to make sure I was safe in my room, I was so angry I tried to bite her. After that, Nurse Ophelia delivered all my meals. She was more dependable.
In the common room, a couple of guys in grey uniforms were sweeping up the glass. They both looked at me as I walked past them, like the mess was somehow my fault. Two policemen were leaning on the reception counter. They were chatting with Nurse Roberta. She was young, and I think most people found her quite attractive. Icanât really separate how a person looks from how they treat me, so to me, she wasnât all that pretty. More like cranky and disappointed. Iâm not saying she was a bad person, but once she yelled at me for not making my bed, and I was still sleeping in it.
As soon as I got closer to the counter, the two officers stopped talking. They both looked a bit embarrassed, as though they should have been hard at work doing something useful and not chatting up the hospital staff.
âDo you know where Nurse Ophelia is?â I asked.
Nurse Roberta pointed over her shoulder with a pen. âIn the kitchen.â
I found Nurse Ophelia making my dinner. I sat on one of the metal stools and watched her. She turned and slapped gently at my leg to get me to move out of the way. That was the closest she ever came to showing affection, when she hit people. I slid my stool over and she reached into the refrigerator behind me. She took out a small bag that was full of red syrup. I think it was
is king. Iâve read it seven times. Captures, escapes, riddles, battles, magic swords and a magic ring, death and deception, goblins and elves and trolls and dragons, men who turn into bears, and giant eagles and wolves. It pretty much has it all. I think thatâs why Iâve always been a bit jealous of the main character, Bilbo. At the start, his life is pretty much the same thing, day after day, just like mine, until Gandalf the wizard knocks at his door. Then, in a snap, heâs off on an adventure so grand it can hardly be packed between two book covers.
Well, that was exactly what I neededâa knock at the door and an adventure of my own. But I guess wizards were in short supply. Instead of Gandalf, I got a crazy old man on a stolen motorcycle who smelled like heâd had enough wine to drown a horse. And all he did was trash the lobby.
I opened the book and started reading. After a few minutes, I realized I was still staring at the same page. I started again, but the same thing kept happening. Instead of seeing Gandalf and Bilbo, I kept seeing the old man on the motorcycle. â
Iâve found you
,â heâd said. Like heâd recognized me. But from where? Nurse Ophelia took me bowling sometimes, and to movies. And, of course, window shopping at Christmas. But I couldnât remember ever seeing him before. How could he know me?
I read slowly for about another hour, my thoughts drifting from the book to the strange incident with the old man. Then I had to get up. I was starting to get hungry.
Iâm sure youâve had that hole-in-the-stomach feeling that everyone gets when theyâve missed a meal. For me, it was a lot worse. Iâd get pain behind my eyeballs like someone was pinching them really hard, and my throat would get itchy. It might have been because I couldnât eat most foods, and so it was hard for my body to get all of the nutrients it needed. It might also have been related to my blood. I had a degenerative blood disease, so I needed to get transfusions a few times every year. Those were the worst. For days afterwards I felt like Iâd been drinking gasoline. If I could have found the right foods or the right medications, my problems probably would have gone away, but that never happened. So I got hungry often. And it always made me irritable. I remember this one time when I was ten years old, the nurse on duty forgot to bring me my dinner. When she showed up just before sunrise to make sure I was safe in my room, I was so angry I tried to bite her. After that, Nurse Ophelia delivered all my meals. She was more dependable.
In the common room, a couple of guys in grey uniforms were sweeping up the glass. They both looked at me as I walked past them, like the mess was somehow my fault. Two policemen were leaning on the reception counter. They were chatting with Nurse Roberta. She was young, and I think most people found her quite attractive. Icanât really separate how a person looks from how they treat me, so to me, she wasnât all that pretty. More like cranky and disappointed. Iâm not saying she was a bad person, but once she yelled at me for not making my bed, and I was still sleeping in it.
As soon as I got closer to the counter, the two officers stopped talking. They both looked a bit embarrassed, as though they should have been hard at work doing something useful and not chatting up the hospital staff.
âDo you know where Nurse Ophelia is?â I asked.
Nurse Roberta pointed over her shoulder with a pen. âIn the kitchen.â
I found Nurse Ophelia making my dinner. I sat on one of the metal stools and watched her. She turned and slapped gently at my leg to get me to move out of the way. That was the closest she ever came to showing affection, when she hit people. I slid my stool over and she reached into the refrigerator behind me. She took out a small bag that was full of red syrup. I think it was
Readers choose
Dara Girard
Rachel E. Cagle
P.J. Morse
Val McDermid
Celeste O. Norfleet
Anne Douglas
Sherryl Jordan
Mac McClelland
Jonathan Friesen
Ronie Kendig