"Raymond's Run" is Toni Cade Bambara's short story about a young girl named Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker and her brother Raymond. Hazel has a couple of nicknames, including Squeaky, because she has a squeaky voice, and Mercury, because she is fast, like quicksilver when she runs.

In the first person point of view, Hazel dictates quite a bit of information about herself, her neighborhood, her brother, and other children as she walks down the street with her brother, Raymond. She is six years old and she loves to run. In fact, she takes her running very seriously and prides herself in being the fastest runner in her age group and in her neighborhood. She admits, however, that her father is the one person who is faster than she is, although, she says that is a secret.

Hazel walks with Raymond, making certain that he stays...