It was two in the morning, but the sun was still shining brightly over Tromsø. Polly the parrot flew over the colorful wooden houses of the Arctic city. She had never seen anything like it before.
"Look at that!" Polly said to herself as she landed on a lamppost. "It's the middle of the night, but it looks like day!"
Near the harbor, hundreds of people were gathering. They were wearing running clothes and getting ready for something special. Polly flew down to see what was happening.
She landed on a table where volunteers were giving out race numbers. An older woman with gray hair was arguing with a young man.
"What do you mean my plan won't work?" the woman said angrily. "I've run seventeen marathons. I know what I'm doing!"
The young volunteer looked nervous. "Ma'am, the midnight sun affects people differently. The constant light can change your sleep patterns and—"
"Sleep patterns!" she interrupted. "When I trained for the Boston Marathon, we just ran."
Polly looked at the woman's race number. Her name was Astrid Lindberg, and she was 67 years old.
"Excuse me," Polly said. Both people jumped when they heard her speak. "Are you running the Midnight Sun Marathon?"
Astrid stared at the talking parrot. "Yes, I'm running. I've been training all winter for this race."
"Is this your first time running under the midnight sun?" Polly asked.
Astrid's angry expression softened. "Yes. I've lived in Tromsø for forty years, but running 42 kilometers in this light is different. It plays tricks on your mind."
Polly could see that Astrid was worried about something. "What's really bothering you?"
Astrid was quiet for a moment. Then she sighed. "This is my last chance to qualify for Boston again. Next year I'll be in a different age group. I want to prove I can still do it."
"Well," Polly said, spreading her wings, "maybe you need a pacing partner who understands that experience matters."
Astrid smiled for the first time. "A parrot as my running partner? Why not? This is already the strangest marathon I've ever done."
Just then, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Runners, please go to the starting line. The Midnight Sun Marathon begins in thirty minutes!"
