Her heart as if raging seas clashed and eroded the land, trying to drain her confidence
away. Thump.thump.thump.…. bit by bit the footsteps, louder and louder, stepped into the
stadium. Stepping on to the stage for the finale. The darkness enveloped the space with only the vast screens attached everywhere facing different directions: sideways, forward,
backward..People sitting in the audience rows, holding up the color filled flags, red, white,
blue, and more splashed on the blank fabrics. The sounds of cheers exploded in the stadium interrupting the supposedly eerie darkness. The audience their face had been tinted with the color of their national flags, if not were covered from top to bottom by colors. People were in all sorts of positions, standing up, sitting down, holding flags but there was one aspect in common through the sea of people, hope, hope that was given to them when their country had reached to the finest of stage. Their eyes suffused with stars and their smiles mixed with excitement and anxiety. Piste- the stage of the final performance stood out from the ground. Straight above two rows of white light beamed on the piste. Everything else shaded away in the shadow, scorers, referees, coaches. It was only the fencers in the spotlight.

  Clashes of blades sound through the performance. Parries, disengages, feints. Beep...A
light sounded in the air, soon one scream pierced from the piste, only one light came up, it was hers. 14-14, one more point, she could afford to lose. Too much was put into her to
make it up to today, the support and the money. The bruises that were imprinted by the
weapon and multiple times a serious injury trying to stop her from reaching here. She,
however, overcame all of this, all of the problems. She climbed and gripped onto this
opportunity. Hearing the loud and probing chants that enclosed her, it was hard for her to
concentrate. She can't mess up now 'Engarde s'il vous plait,' the referee voice interrupted her thoughts. 'One last point' she thought, 'that's it, either win or lose.' 'Prez alle.' As soon the two words landed, she charged. She wanted to win it fast. Lunge. Missed. Retreat. Parry. Lunge. 'Beep' the crisp sound came, only one light came up. She turned around eyes shone searching for the light source.but it wasn't hers. Somehow, the light came up to the opponent's side. 'It can't be,' she refused to believe, her sword she felt was definitely on the opponent. how how did it not touch!' For a second tsunami of doubt and disbelief form vigorously in her heart destroying everything in its path. 14-15. She lost. Every little action after her loss dragged through her mind, the taking off the mask; shaking hands with the opponent;and the getting off the piste. The reluctance of turning her head and facing her parents and coaches was flooding in her mind. When she saw them, there wasn't any blame or anger on their faces.….instead were happiness and comfort, as if she did win the competition. Suddenly a force of wind held the
tsunami back. The wind wasn't cold or sharp yet it was strong and warm filling with nostalgia.

  She recalled when she was five sitting on the couch watching the Olympic for the first time and when she saw fencing, it enchanted her. How a sport could be so elegant but
aggressive at the same time. Afterward, the infinite begging to her parents sending her to
fencing lessons. Though she got infinite rejections from her parents. Additionally, the infinite reasoning of we can't afford it. Unwillingly, she started to give up on this dream. Until her seventh birthday, her parents blindfolded her and took her to first fencing lesson. She had less resources, less time, less chances than other students. Her uniform wasn't the best quality: her lessons were limited: her weapons weren't frequently replaced. She wasn't very talented brightest person in her club. The loop of riding the peak and down to the valley almost gave her future up. The countless times feeling no improvements were happening and standing on the edge of stopping penetrated her. The feelings of failure, depression, anxiety, jealousy form a circle around her, linked together trying to stop her from getting out, trying to blind her away from hope. She was lost amidst the chaos. The invitation of joining the national team broke her shielded cage. She still remembered the click into the email; the screams and jumping and hugging in the morning waking everyone up; the flashing smile lasting on her face for more than a week. Behind her back were her parents supporting her economically and emotionally; her friend comforting her when she was low; her siblings cheering her up using teasing. Although all this allegedly reassurance turned to pressures. She didn't want to disappoint them. Now the glistening smiles glowed on her closest's face, she broke down. All her imaginary pressure got released that second. She broke down not because she lost; she cried because she forgot how much time was lost with her closest; because she was busy trying to create success to make them feel proud of her. She was finally released from the lumbering pressure. The soft and soothing currents now came from the sea caressed the beach in her heart.