1# The Beginning
Narrated and Edited by Mike, original story by Inoue Takehiro.
He stared at the paper he pasted on the wall. Written, "I want to run faster than anyone else!" Thinking of the race, which falls next week. He had never told his father about his race in the school.
"Jim, can I come in?"
“Yes, dad.” James replied.
It was 5.20pm, time which he must sit on the seat and get his fingers on the keyboard. Before he could represent his class for the 100m races, he got to take his performance certificate exam at first.
“Jim… can you please pay a more time for your piano practice than racing practice at school?”
He kept silent, stared at the scores with his fingers dancing on the keyboards. He did not like to play piano. To be a pianist was not his dream, but it was his father’s one. He really wish that he was in the school, run as fast as he could…
“Look Jim, your performance is just 3 more days to go. Forget about your race next week, it is not important at all. You know, to be a pianist. The simplest thing that you must do is to spend your time as long as possible with the piano… You have the talent, so just keep up your work.”
“Alright dad… I’ll try my best…” He answered. Even though he got 100 reasons that he dislike being a pianist in his heart. But his father is the only one left for him, so he got to obey what his father wanted.
3 days after, James’s performance in the Grand Hall.
He sat down in front of the grand piano. At his right, there were hundred and hundreds of audiences. And not to forget, and also his father who hoped that he could play well for the performance.
James started to play, as commanded by his brain. He had practiced that song infinite time under his father’s guidance. What in his mind was not about the melodies, but instead he could not forget that he must practice as much as he could for the 100m races.
“Pak, pak, pak…” James’s legs were stepping the floor, like he was running. His act had freaked the audiences out. James’s father stood up and could not believe what happened on his son. His fingers were like programmed to play to the piano, but he could not stop his leg for not stepping. He could not resist. He did not want to play the piano, but he wanted to run!
4 days after the piano performance. At the field of Davis Secondary School, a 14-year-old young boy had broken his own record.
“Teacher, how fast was I? James gasped out.
“11 seconds and 21, excellent job James! You have run faster than your previous recorded time!”
James yelled in joy. He had won in his school’s race, and also qualified to represent his school for the final race. He had sworn in front of the paper he wrote, he wants to run faster than anyone else. The feeling of leaving others behind was the greatest thing that he could ever feel.
The final race was one more month to go. James stayed back in school daily for more practice. His father had finally understood what James wanted. And he allowed James to do what he wanted to do.
During the Mathematic class, James screamed out of the sudden.
“What’s wrong with you James? Dreamt that you lost in your final race?” The teacher asked sarcasticly.
James looked blurred, as he had just waked up from his nightmare. He dreamt that something was pulling his leg when he was running for the final race.
“Excuse me sir, I need to go to the toilet.”
In the toilet, out of a sudden James felt a strong pain at his right knee. The pain caused him fell on the floor. He was crying in pain until his teacher came to find him in the toilet.
The X-ray of James’s knee was out. Nothing suspicious. The doctor told to the teacher to have less running practice for James. And he was asked to stop running for 3 days. In fact, other than school practices, James did practices as well during the way back from school to home.
Every night James cried in pain with holding to his right knee.
“What’s wrong with me? Did I practice too much…?”Various questions appeared in his mind.
Each of every time before he practice in school, he needed to run to the toilet. Everyone thought that he had stomach ache. Actually James ran to the toilet to rest because he could not stand the pain of his knee. After he took pain killer, he went back for practice again.
In the end, James was in the stadium for the final race. Felt so proud to represent his school. Felt so happy if he could leave the others behind and run faster than anyone else.
“Ready… Set… Go!”
James began to run, just like a launched rocket onto the sky. He considered that was the very first time which he could ran that fast. He managed to be at the first of all 7 opponents. He maintained his speed. He was about to win the race because the end point was just metres away in front of him.
The feeling of overtaking the others was just indescribable. " I want to run faster than anyone else!" He had finally attained his dream. He was the fastest among all.
Suddenly, his right leg was like stepping into the mud. James stopped at 3 metres in front of the read line. The others overtook him. Tears flowing out from his eyes…
James, 14-year-old. Knee tumour.
The last time of his run had ended under the painful blue sky.
To be continued…
He stared at the paper he pasted on the wall. Written, "I want to run faster than anyone else!" Thinking of the race, which falls next week. He had never told his father about his race in the school.
"Jim, can I come in?"
“Yes, dad.” James replied.
It was 5.20pm, time which he must sit on the seat and get his fingers on the keyboard. Before he could represent his class for the 100m races, he got to take his performance certificate exam at first.
“Jim… can you please pay a more time for your piano practice than racing practice at school?”
He kept silent, stared at the scores with his fingers dancing on the keyboards. He did not like to play piano. To be a pianist was not his dream, but it was his father’s one. He really wish that he was in the school, run as fast as he could…
“Look Jim, your performance is just 3 more days to go. Forget about your race next week, it is not important at all. You know, to be a pianist. The simplest thing that you must do is to spend your time as long as possible with the piano… You have the talent, so just keep up your work.”
“Alright dad… I’ll try my best…” He answered. Even though he got 100 reasons that he dislike being a pianist in his heart. But his father is the only one left for him, so he got to obey what his father wanted.
3 days after, James’s performance in the Grand Hall.
He sat down in front of the grand piano. At his right, there were hundred and hundreds of audiences. And not to forget, and also his father who hoped that he could play well for the performance.
James started to play, as commanded by his brain. He had practiced that song infinite time under his father’s guidance. What in his mind was not about the melodies, but instead he could not forget that he must practice as much as he could for the 100m races.
“Pak, pak, pak…” James’s legs were stepping the floor, like he was running. His act had freaked the audiences out. James’s father stood up and could not believe what happened on his son. His fingers were like programmed to play to the piano, but he could not stop his leg for not stepping. He could not resist. He did not want to play the piano, but he wanted to run!
4 days after the piano performance. At the field of Davis Secondary School, a 14-year-old young boy had broken his own record.
“Teacher, how fast was I? James gasped out.
“11 seconds and 21, excellent job James! You have run faster than your previous recorded time!”
James yelled in joy. He had won in his school’s race, and also qualified to represent his school for the final race. He had sworn in front of the paper he wrote, he wants to run faster than anyone else. The feeling of leaving others behind was the greatest thing that he could ever feel.
The final race was one more month to go. James stayed back in school daily for more practice. His father had finally understood what James wanted. And he allowed James to do what he wanted to do.
During the Mathematic class, James screamed out of the sudden.
“What’s wrong with you James? Dreamt that you lost in your final race?” The teacher asked sarcasticly.
James looked blurred, as he had just waked up from his nightmare. He dreamt that something was pulling his leg when he was running for the final race.
“Excuse me sir, I need to go to the toilet.”
In the toilet, out of a sudden James felt a strong pain at his right knee. The pain caused him fell on the floor. He was crying in pain until his teacher came to find him in the toilet.
The X-ray of James’s knee was out. Nothing suspicious. The doctor told to the teacher to have less running practice for James. And he was asked to stop running for 3 days. In fact, other than school practices, James did practices as well during the way back from school to home.
Every night James cried in pain with holding to his right knee.
“What’s wrong with me? Did I practice too much…?”Various questions appeared in his mind.
Each of every time before he practice in school, he needed to run to the toilet. Everyone thought that he had stomach ache. Actually James ran to the toilet to rest because he could not stand the pain of his knee. After he took pain killer, he went back for practice again.
In the end, James was in the stadium for the final race. Felt so proud to represent his school. Felt so happy if he could leave the others behind and run faster than anyone else.
“Ready… Set… Go!”
James began to run, just like a launched rocket onto the sky. He considered that was the very first time which he could ran that fast. He managed to be at the first of all 7 opponents. He maintained his speed. He was about to win the race because the end point was just metres away in front of him.
The feeling of overtaking the others was just indescribable. " I want to run faster than anyone else!" He had finally attained his dream. He was the fastest among all.
Suddenly, his right leg was like stepping into the mud. James stopped at 3 metres in front of the read line. The others overtook him. Tears flowing out from his eyes…
James, 14-year-old. Knee tumour.
The last time of his run had ended under the painful blue sky.
To be continued…
posted by Mike at 18:04
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