Diary Entry…Sutro Baths

It’s been awhile since I’ve had an argument with Mom. This one was a knockdown, drag out, doozy. She wants me to bail out on the road trip.

She’s been having dreams recently. They’re all the same. The two of us are out for a run on a beautiful day.

Suddenly, some ‘thing’ is chasing us. She can never make out exactly what it is. But, it just keeps coming.

She also told me her buzz has been behaving strangely the past few days. She’s been buzzing at a low level for no apparent reason. This sounds all too familiar. It’s been getting stronger as I’ve been getting closer to home (Brisbane) and the end of the road trip (Colma).

Mom’s very concerned about the Nur. It’s unlike anything she’s encountered or heard of before. If she’s concerned, I should be too.

I’m worried. But, I can’t stop at this point. I’m in the home stretch. There are only three haunts left including Sutro Baths. I’m looking at just 20 miles to finish things off. I’ve never DNF’d in my life.

I also don’t really know what will happen if I ‘stop’ running. Thus far, it seems running is the only way to keep the Nur at bay. If I stop, I feel like this all but guarantees it will catch me.

Mom suggested a ‘compromise’. She suggested she could join me for the last few miles of the tour. I told her there was no way I could let her do this!

While she’s been feeling much better as of late, she’s not 100%. I also just can’t handle the idea of putting her at risk. She’s already risked too much for me.

Even if Mom joined me, what happens if and when we encounter the Nur? She’s never dealt with anything like it. Granted, she’s got WAY more experience than I do, but it’s still the great unknown for both of us.

As much as it pains me to think about it, Mom isn’t always going to be there for me. There will come a day when she’s not there to help me. I have to learn how to fight my own battles.

I’m not exactly sure how to fight this battle. But, it feels like now is as good a time as any for me to learn how.