Emma and Karen’s Adventure
About Emma : Before Emma knew it, her purpose in playing soccer had changed from enjoying the sport to winning at it.
About Karen: Before Karen knew it, her purpose for singing had changed from enjoyment to winning chorus group competitions.
Both of these girls come to discover not only was life to be enjoyed, but that they should also enjoy being true to who they are.
This is the back ground of the song “My Voice is Beautiful.”
Emma and Karen’s Adventure
”Emma, soccer is a boy’s sport! Chose something else.”
How many times have people told me that?
But today, I know I’m going to come out on top.
Emma was sure of that.
She is a third year high school student.
Her team is in the regional finals.
The oppossing team has been the consecutive winner of the tournament over the past few years.
What we need to do is win this next match.
That is how Emma was feeling.
“The score is tied. We get this next point, and we win!”
It was Karen's voice. Karen, was her teammate, one year junior to her.
☆☆☆
(flashback scene)
A year ago, Emma did something ridiculous.
Emma had done a horrible thing to her friend Anna.
She tore a painting that Anna had worked on for a long time.
Even Emma didn't know why she had done it.
Though it was no way enough to justify such an action, she thought she may have done it out of envy.
At that time, you see, Emma no longer knew what she wanted to do.
She had begun to do what she thought she wanted to do, play soccer .
But Emma was feeling conflicted.
Winning had come to be the only aim of her team.
Many of the plays on the field she wanted to try were judged unnecessary and vetoed.
The priority of the team was clear: victory at any cost.
“In that case,” she thought, “I want to quit.”
The only trouble was that Emma’s mother wouldn't permit her to.
Emma's mother had been a famous volleyball player when she was a student.
"Emma, don’t quit. You have to stay with it- at least until you graduate."
"Look at all the effort you have already put into it. Don’t waste it. Keep on and you may someday become a pro."
Her mother was always saying these sorts of things .
It was then Emma began to understand why she tore Anna’s picture.
Why was it that I did that terrible thing to Anna last year?
In one way, I don’t want to know. Especially since I have been surpressing it until now.
Emma went on recalling what happened.
After school that day, I had a date.
A boy I liked had invited me to go out with him on our first date .
I was so happy that I would be going out with him and was preparing the clothes I would wear on it that morning.
I did that so when I got home from school, I could change clothes right away and go out. I had prepared my best clothes and I was ready to go.
That was a mistake.
That was because my mother came into my room and found what I had prepared.
She said "Emma, today is your soccer practice! What were you thinking, getting this outfit ready?”
Suddenly, there I was being scolded .
I don't even remember what I said to her.
I couldn’t believe it. but She ripped up my favorite clothes in front of me.
"What you have to do is work hard on your soccer. You are not going to miss practice for whatever it is you’ve been planning !"
Actually, the words she spoke hit me hard and I am not exactly sure I remember how she said it .
But, in any case, just because I had this terrible episode with my mother, that gave me no right to do what I did to Anna. I knew that I was doing wrong, but, even so, I couldn't apologize to Anna then.
☆☆☆
(game scene)
“The score is tied. We get this next point, and we win!”
Karen shouted.
A year ago Emma asked Karen to join the team, and that is why she was now.
Though she had never played soccer, Karen was quite athletic.
As the game was being played, and getting close to its end, Emma began to recall the day when she first met Karen.
☆☆☆
(flashback scene)
That had happened just one year ago.
It was when Emma had her first date with that boy. That date that did not go well.
Coming back from that ill-fated date, Emma went to the beach and sat down to rest. Tears ran down her cheeks.
She spoke outloud, telling to herself that she wanted to quit the team.
She slipped out of her shoes and took a step out on on the dry sand.
Before she realized what was happening her purpose in playing the sport because she enjoyed it had been changed. Now she played to win, no matter the cost.
"Losing is a disappointment, for sure. But are sports only about winning?”
Many of her teammates had already quit the team because they felt they could never be good enough to make the team a winning one.
Emma was in elementary school when a friend of hers introduced her to soccer and the joy of playing it.
But even that friend was among the teammates who quit. The girl who got Emma to start playing soccer was no longer on the team!
Emma opened her photo album which she had brought with her to the beach.
And, just then she heard someone singing.
She looked and saw that it was Karen, practicing her singing by the sea.
Emma felt something inside her begin to melt away as she listened to Karen’s song.
Something like a heavy burden that had restricted her, that had clogged her heart.
What a mysterious song!
Emma spoke to Karen. It was the first time she ever had.
“What kind of song is that? Where can I get a hold of it?”
Emma continued asking Karen to teach it to her.
A few weeks passed.
Emma went to a coffee shop that Karen had told her about. Here, again was that the song. She was surprised.
One of the singers in the group that was performing at that coffee shop was Anna.
The next day Emma gathered up all her courage and went to Anna and apologized.
“No one should ever do anything like what I did to you.
I want to start anew- I want to be reborn this day.”
☆☆☆
(game scene)
“The score is tied. We get this next point, and we win!”
Karen shouted.
Emma thought, “Yes, if we can get one more point, we will win.
The game was nearing its end.
We have but three minutes to score to win this game.
But if the score remains tied and we go into overtime, we won’t have a chance.”
The reason being that Emma's team’s soccer was playing like a beginner .
The regular goalkeeper had been injured in the the game and was taken out. Her replacement was sent into the match, but she had little experience.
The team that they were playing against was a strong opponent. Should the game go into extra time, there is no telling how many points they could score.
☆☆☆☆
(flashback scene)
Karen recalled that a little over year ago her attitude toward singing had changed.
Karen who had been singing since she was little girl always loved it and joined choirs and such. But her feelings had changed over time.
They changed from enjoying performing into a need to show others that her singing was better than everybody else.
She felt that this was a tragedy. When had things changed?
Yes, it was when she was a junior high school student. It was when she got fed up with always performing for the “reputation”of the school, or the “reputation” of the choir.
It was then Karen happened to hear “ the song” which Anna and her friend Yuria sang. The name of it was “Enjoy & Love.”
“If joy does not come to me from my singing, what could possibly motivate me to improve it? Why should I compete to win in singing?
This song... This song has brought me back to that which is the most important.”
Karen started singing seriously again.
And she also found another song which she wanted to sing.
The name of that one was "My voice is beautiful."
It was the song that Emma heard Karen singing when they were at the sea.
And that is how the two met.
☆☆☆
(game scene)
The game is on. The ball is passed from Emma in a play where she was to pass it to Karen, who was in position to make a goal.
The goal seemed to be a sure thing, except for the fact that her pass was intercepted by the other team. Karen did not get a chance to make the shot. They stole the ball when Emma passed it.
Emma’s mind went back to that nagging question.
"It is no fun to lose, that is for sure.
But is winning all there is to sports ?"
“Play for enjoyment!”
Yes, this thought nagged Emma.
"I understand that we should play for the fun of the game, but losing it not fun.
What is fun, anyway? I am having trouble in understanding that.
☆☆☆
Another opportunity to score and win came to Emma's team.
All were running towards the opponent's goal. She thought,
"This is our last chance."
Karen was to shoot after receiving Emma's pass.
Emma was sure that this strategy had a chance to work.
But, today at least up to now the set up and execution of this play ended in failure after failure.
"I want to win!
But what will I do if this play fails again?"
Tension ran through Emma's body.
Emma thought, “I will depend on my heart’s intuition to decide on which play to use.
Should I pass to Karen and give her the chance to make the shot, or, should I make the shot myself?
Or, perhaps, I should pass the ball to a different team mate?
I’ll follow the intuition of my heart.”
Emma understood something very important then, and she also came to a new understanding of her feelings.
☆☆☆
The team players executed the play perfectly.
And just as they had planned it, the ball came to Emma.
Emma said to herself, "what shall I do? What am I saying?
I know what to do. ”
She kept on running.
" ‘What if I fail?’
I’ve got to get over fearing failure. If not, I will never enjoy playing this sport.
‘But.... If I fail?’
Forget that I must not be hindered by my fear of failing.
Just make a play, any play!
That is what I should do!
I can’t play as I should fearing failure.
Failure for me is failing to enjoy the game.”
Suddenly Emma started to see clearly the situation around her .
She also saw what seemed to be a clear path to make a goal.
Emma thought, “Karen could catch my pass.”
Emma saw in her mind’s eye the way to the goal.
Though Karen wasn't in position for the play yet, Emma, without even signaling her, kicked ball as if she were there.
The next moment,
Emma looked and saw Karen had run into position.
The ball seem to flow to Karen and was ready to be kicked with her right foot.
Karen shot it with all her might.
The ball hit the net and shook it hard.
The time ran out.
The game was over. Karen's and Emma's team had won.
Fins
Written by Shun Shinning
Illustrated by Serori
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