. David Cunliffe

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

There’s a lot of work to be done. going straight down the middle. I couldn’t catch up, and fell further and further behind. Back to Coronet Peak. I had unfinished business. I wrapped my red scarf around my neck and waited until the kid showed up again. ‘‘You and me,’’ I said, pointing two fingers at my eyes and then in his direction. He said, ‘‘You sure about this?’’ I said, ‘‘I lead from the front, and I’m absolutely confident I have the policies and the plan to win.’’ One final race at Coronet Peak. A crowd had gathered. Word had got around. I spent the morning trying out a few practise runs with the support of the Labour caucus. David Parker had some good ideas but then Trevor Mallard started talking. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and we flew in my chief of staff Matt McCarten. He brought with him the left-wing blogger, Martyn Bradbury. I didn’t realise things were that desperate.

But then Russell Norman arrived, and Winston Peters showed up. They brought initiative and experience. Someone in the crowd took a poll to see who they thought would win. I announced, ‘‘I have the support of my whole team, we’re a united team, and we’re going forward to win this race.’’ The results of the poll suggested my team’s chances would gain an immediate lift if someone else in the team was racing.

‘‘Well,’’ I said, ‘‘but what about the other team?’’ The kid had brought along Colin Craig. A murmur ran through the crowd. David Seymour arrived, and started talking. The temperature dropped.

I looked at the kid. A shadow fell over his face.

Dotcom had arrived.