Stationed cozy in his blue velvet chair in the middle of the forest, The Blue Tiger was reading a newspaper. Martha was especially moody today and refused to look back. Walking as you like was allowed, diagonally or sideways, but just not looking back. This was Martha’s new venture.

“What’s the point of looking back if all you need is right here, right in front of you,” she said capriciously, sitting at the paws of The Blue Tiger.

“But you are nowhere ahead, yet,” The Blue Tiger answered, picking up Martha’s tone and taking his eyes off the newspaper.

“I can’t stand it when you are right. Moreover, I feel bored. I think I’ll run away from you.”

 Martha got on her feet and stared at the newspaper that The Blue Tiger was reading. Without breaking away from reading, The Blue Tiger got a rolled-up joint out of the pocket of his beige trench coat and took a long slow whiff.

 “I’m gonna run. I’m expected there, you know, – ahead of me.” She sounded rather wayward.

“Martha, you won’t be able to escape from your own self. No matter how far ahead you run, you won’t make a single step away from yourself.”

“Here you are again,” and Martha stormed off.

She ran with all her might looking straight ahead. She made the full circle, just as big as the chain pinned at one end to her wing (which, as we remember, she had instead of her left arm), and at the other end to The Blue Tiger’s tail, allowed her.

“Don’t you think you’ve returned to your original place?” the Blue Tiger asked her, putting the newspaper away.

“I’m here just to catch my breath.”

“Well, well…” the Blue Tiger plunged into reading the sports page.

 Martha waited for another minute and a half to be noticed and took off at double speed.

After another circle was completed, she collapsed at the base of the blue velvet chair.

The Blue Tiger looked obliquely at her gasping and shaking.

“Don’t you think that the logic of your actions is broken?” he asked.

“It didn’t sink in yet. My head is spinning.”

“You were running for the new because you didn’t like the way it was. But you came back to where you were, to the old.”

“True. Absolutely foolish waste of time,” said Martha still a bit out of breath, “But what can I do? Here I am, – bored again!”

“It’s odd. In my opinion, you have concocted such an engaging distraction for yourself – running around in circles.”

“It’s all because of that stupid chain of yours on my wing. It makes me run from myself yet after myself. Besides, the circle is way too impeccable.”

“Will you try again?”

“No. I’d rather think about what can be done with the chain.”

“Isn’t that the very reason you lost your left arm?”

And right at this moment, Martha for the first time realized that the chain was pinned to her wing just with a gold safety pin.