The family of four had finished dinner a few minutes ago, and the two girls, around the ages of five and three, were now sitting on the carpeted floor while their parents sat on the couch behind them, all with their eyes focused on the TV in front of them.
The television was playing the children's favorite shows, and the couple found joy in watching along with them. But an hour later, three out of the four individuals seated in front of the TV had fallen asleep.
Except for the five year old girl, who had picked up the remote and begun switching through channels to find something else to watch while the rest of the family slept. After a few minutes of searching, she was ready to give up, but just as she stopped, the TV landed on a sports channel, a replay of a swimming contest that had taken place a few days earlier.
Sora, the five year old girl found herself mesmerized by how elegant and pristine the entire sport looked. The sleek bodies cut through the water like arrows, each splash sparkling under the bright lights and in that moment, Sora thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen and she found herself wanting to do exactly what she was seeing on that TV, and so when her parents eventually woke up to take them to bed, Sora immediately pointed to the TV.
Sora: Mom! Dad! I want to do that!
However, her wish wouldn't be granted until a few years later after she had turned ten. After her tenth year old birthday, her parents surprised her that they had signed up for swimming classes so she would be able to fulfill the desire and dream she had been constantly telling her parents about for the last five years.
And so on her first day of her swimming lessons, she was the most excited child in that gathering which made the other kids wonder what was happening to her. Soon enough, everyone changed to their swimming trunks, wore their goggles and matched towards the swimming pool.
Since they were learning how to swim for the first time, they were required to stay in the shallow side of the water and learn the basics from the instructors who were there. This went on for the first week but by the second week, Sora was tired of the normal routine and so when no one was looking, she swam towards the deep end of the pool.
After she swam down a bit further , she turned and looked up at the sun from the bottom of the pool and she was amazed by the beautiful scenery that befell her eyes in that moment and the goggles she had on, made the entire experience more fulfilling.
As she continued to stare, a big smile appeared on her face as something had awakened in the mind of the young girl. She wished that she could stay and observe this moment forever but like every human being, she needed air to breathe and she was caught by the instructor the moment she came up to the surface.
Though he scolded her in front of everyone else, he also commented on how she was a "natural" considering that she had been the only child in that class that had gone to the deep end and didn't drown.
"If you're already doing this great at the age of ten, then who knows how good you'll be when you're all grown up?"
The years would go by and Sora would begin to participate in swimming competitions hosted by different schools across the country while also training and improving her skills at the same time. And in all those competitions she would always come out on top thereby solidifying the goal she had set up when she was five years old.
However….
*********
The alarm clock on Sora's bed side went off before Sora could go deeper into her dream. She stretched her hand and turned it off after a few seconds of the alarm ringing and then sat up on her bed immediately and looked out the window and saw that the sun hadn't fully risen up into the sky and then checked the time on her phone which showed that it was just 6:15 AM which meant that she could still squeeze in some practice time at the swimming pool at school before the bell would ring by 8 AM if she got out of bed right now.
This had been the routine she had been keeping up with ever since she started high school three years ago and she intended on keeping the tradition going till she graduated from high school next year. After all, the scholarship she was aiming for wouldn't just fall on her lap without her working for it.
Sora: Might as well get on with my day.
She immediately jumped out of bed, took a quick shower and put on her school uniform and brushed long navy blue. After which she went to her drawers and brought out her swimming trunks and stuffed them into her bag and slung it over her shoulder as she left her room and began her descent down the stairs and towards the front door.
But then the voice of her father stopped her just as her hand touched the handle of the door.
Mr Fujimoto: Sora, can you get over here? We need to talk.
Sora contemplated on whether she should ignore him or listen to him but then she reasoned that maybe he had something important hence why he felt the need to tell her now instead of waiting for another time. So she turned around and walked back to where she heard her father's voice from and she met him and her mother seated on the dining table near the kitchen.
Her father looked like what a person would look like if they woke up really early in the morning while her mother looked down and depressed and once Sora saw this, she knew that whatever they were about to tell her wasn't going to end on a good note.
Acknowledging this, Sora took her seat across the dining table from where her parents sat and waited for her father to speak.
Mr. Fujimoto cleared his throat, his hands clasped together on the table. For a moment, his eyes didn't meet Sora's.
Mr Fujimoto: So, you're going to your swimming practice again today?
Sora was puzzled by this because they should already know that she does this every morning so why would he be asking her this? And why couldn't he look her in the eye?
Sora: Yeah… yeah I am.
Her mother flinched at the response to that but her reason for doing that wasn't clear so at the moment, it didn't mean anything to Sora.
However her father continued speaking while subtly noticing how his wife was acting.
Mr Fujimoto: So Sora… there's something we want to talk to you about.
Sora: Well, yeah you said that already but you haven't said what you want to talk about yet…
Mr Fujimoto took a deep breath before he spoke again.
Mr. Fujimoto: Sora… you've grown into an incredible swimmer. From the moment you first touched the water, your mother and I knew it was something special. And these last few years, watching you compete & win… it's been one of the greatest joys of our lives.
Sora tilted her head.
Praise this early in the morning felt strange, and her mother's downcast expression only made her stomach twist tighter.
Mr. Fujimoto: But…
Sora: But…?
Mr. Fujimoto: We've been talking, and… we think it's time you stepped away from swimming.
The words dropped like stones into her chest. Sora blinked at him, certain she had misheard.
Sora: ...What?
The words replayed in Sora's mind over and over again in her mind as she tried to deny everything she had just heard. Why? Why would they want to take this away from her?
And the answer came as quickly as the question was asked.
Sora: Is this because of what happened to Naomi?
Mr Fujimoto turned his gaze to the portrait of his younger daughter which hung by the wall near the TV and the frame surrounding the picture was covered in artificial white flowers with green leaves on them. After staring at them for a moment, he turned back to face his daughter.
Mr Fujimoto: Yes… it's because of that.
Her chair scraped back against the floor as she stood to her feet, heat flooding her face and the room around them.
Sora: That's not fair… I only truly began this sport because you urged me to and now you're telling me to give it all up?!
Mr Fujimoto looked into his daughter's face as he knew she was right. She would have never gotten obsessed with swimming if they didn't sign her up for swimming classes back then.
Mr Fujimoto: We both know how hard you've worked for this but you have to understand the angle we're coming from. We don't want you to end up the way Naomi did…
Sora briefly recalled the memories of her younger sister before she spoke again.
Sora: But… I'm not Naomi…
Then suddenly without warning, her mother lurched to her feet, Her hand flew across the table and struck Sora's cheek with a sharp crack. The force staggered her backward, leaving a stinging heat blooming across her skin.
Mrs. Fujimoto: Don't you dare say that…!
For a heartbeat, the room went silent. Sora's father froze in his chair, his mouth half-open as if to speak, but no words came and Mrs. Fujimoto's hand trembled where it hovered in the air. Her lips quivered, her eyes wet and furious all at once.
Mrs. Fujimoto: Don't you dare speak about your sister that way…! Especially when…
Her husband immediately held her hand and gave her a look which stopped her from saying the words she was about to say.
As for Sora, she placed her hand on the cheek which her mother had just slapped and said nothing. Instead she picked up her bag which had fallen after her mother slapped her and made for the door and slammed it behind her as she made her way to school.