Billy Bull

Billy always thought of himself as the surefire pure bread of the family. The one most would be proud of. He wasn't completely wrong being raised in a family of six. His tough and stout brother always led the way for Billy protecting him from the outside world. Billy, of medium build and honestly a tad bit small for his age, never let anything get him down.

A positive outlook on life was the breath of fresh air for him. That is until he was diagnosed with the disease. His parents and brothers kept his hopes up and showered him with praise and love. It even went as far as dismissing the disease to keep him focused on the annual Pamplonada.

It was the highlight of their year. Their version of the Superbowl or World Cup. The festival of San Fermin was a celebration that took place in Northern Spain and delighted tourists and locals for a week-long cementing the finale with the iconic running of the Bulls.

This is why Billy always felt larger than life. Despite being the runt of the siblings, by god, he was fast and did it with such grace that it looked like a form of art. He would always outrun his brothers by a mile but would never physically harm the runners, instead, he would find joy in nudging them a bit as a way of saying better luck next time.

This year all that seemed like a lost cause, this spreading disease had affected his legs, and similar to basketball, his return to action was questionable at that. It was a blow to the head and heart. While the disease was non-life-threatening, how was Billy suppose to view life knowing his one true passion in life was taken away in a snap of a finger?

The infamous festival was on the horizon and Billy preferred to be alone. He simply did not see the logic behind attending even as a spectator. The love and passion were gone. Instead, he fell into a depression contemplating his role in the world and how he had let his family down.

The morning of the festival, his brothers and parents both prepped their breakfast and headed on down to the plaza where the initial gunshot, signaling the start of the bull run, would take place. Rumford, the oldest and strongest of the siblings, worked his footing in to gain traction for a quick start. Billy sulked alone, only this time a few blocks away from the runners. As much as he was hurting, the excitement of the crowd enticed him to reach closer and closer.

BOOM! The gunshot was heard around the town as the bulls took off already eyeing their victims. Some were vicious in their bumps of the runners while others purely entertained them by running next to them.

Rumford felt a jolt of joy as he was leading the pack. This had never happened before. Billy was always the fastest. He did a quick jump of accomplishment when suddenly the landing took a turn for the worse on his left back leg. His scream echoed 10 blocks down and even alerted some officials who thought someone had been horribly mauled down. Billy also heard the scream.

His initial reaction was to lunge toward the noise hoping everything was okay. The other bulls passed Rumford by without even attempting to lift him up. His brothers were so far behind and honestly dragging their feet that they wouldn't reach him on time either. Billy saw Rumford and felt immediate sympathy and sadness over his brother's injury. He was also injured and knew the feeling all too well. Without thinking he rushed to his side and lifted him up. Rumford, although limping, realized with his brother's help he could continue as least for a couple more blocks.

The chants and screams unfolded as Billy with all his strengh carried his brother to the finish line. It was 10 more blocks than what they thought it would be. Rumford felt such happines that even on a bum leg he hugged Billy and told him he wouldn't have done it without him.

The festival ended and the whole family was back at home resting and indulging in celebratory food. Billy sat down admiring his family and saw the smile Rumford had bragging to his brothers that even with an injured leg he still beat them. It was then Billy knew this disease wouldn't bring down his world. In fact, it was an opening to what bright opportunities lay ahead for him. The Pamplonada would live on and Billy would become a coach for beginners that didn't know how to finish the race.

He used this as motivation and left his depression behind for when a door closes, a bigger one opens.