What colour is your dream? By: Keira He

Everyone around him said that people should have dreams and strive to achieve them. “What is my dream?” Three-year-old Xavier ponders this question every day. However, what he doesn’t know is that one day in the foreseeable future, he will come up with an answer to that question.

On his fourth birthday he was given a basketball as his birthday present. He is very fond of this gift that he can hardly tear away from it. Every day after school, he likes to play basketball in the courtyard behind the house for at least two hours. It was already dark and silent all around, with only the shadows of the leaves swaying on the ground, accompanied by a rustling sound. Nevertheless, he is not the least bit afraid, as his beloved basketball seemed to dispel all the darkness and fear he feels.

He gradually became engrossed with bouncing the ball. One day, he implores his mother, “Can you enroll me in a basketball course? I literally want to learn to play basketball. Please mum,” pleaded Xavier. His mum knows how much he loves playing basketball so that she agrees with him.

“I want to be a professional basketball player,” he is firmly determined. This small dream sprouted in his heart. It’s like a beam of light shining into his little world, guiding him to strive forward. During every basketball class, he conscientiously follows the teacher’s instructions and completes his tasks. After the class, he still stays in the gym to practice what he has learned in the class. Although he has been exhausted when he goes home, he enjoys the pleasure of what playing basketball brings him. If you ask him what colour his dream is, he will not hesitate to answer that it is yellow. It is as yellow as the shining sun.

He takes basketball lessons for a few years, but he gradually becomes not contented with what he learns now as there is not enough relevant resources in his city. He is quite distressed by the situation he faced; however, he has no idea of what to do to change it.

“My dad told me that there is a basketball camp in our city which will be held in this summer. The coach in that camp is famous and very experienced. Will you attend that?” a friend in the basketball course offers.

“Of course!” Xavier blurted out.

Time files and summer is coming. Xavier spends his whole summer in the basketball camp. He learns a lot of skills which he never knew before, and he feels that every day in the camp is fulfilling. However, the summer holiday is almost over and he will soon be finished with this wonderful experience. On the last day of camp, the head coach met with him privately.

“After this period of observation, I have found that you have a great talent and potential on playing basketball. Now there is an opportunity for you to train with a basketball club on a long-term basis.” The coach mentioned.

Oh! It is a chance that is literally attractive. However, many additional factors must be considered. “I think I can’t make decision now,” replied Xavier, “I need to talk with my parents.”

Xavier brings this surprised news to his parents. His parents are extremely concerned that he can’t take care of him well independently as he is just an adolescent. Xavier tries his best to persuade them and promises that he will call them every week. Ultimately, his parents granted his plea because they’d like to support Xavier in pursuing his dream.

The day of separation is soon approaching. At the airport, her mother hugs him and was trembling as she tries to hold back her tears. His father pats him on the shoulder and tells him to train hard in order to live up to their expectations. He says goodbye to his parents and embarks on a journey in pursuit of his dream.

It isn’t until the entrance to the club that he realizes that everything is true. This is the first step towards being able to achieve his dream—being a professional basketball in China’s top basketball league.

After settling down, he begins to train in accordance with his coach’s instructions. Day in, day out, he doesn’t complain about the tedious training. Every time he wants to give up, the strongest desire in his heart keeps persisting him to go on. It is because his dream is like the orange sun at noon that is hotter and emits a brighter light.

Due to the rapid development of the internet, he is exposed to online games by chance. He finds that they are a novelty. Initially, he only intends to play the games as a hobby that would enable him to relax in his spare time. Yet, he doesn’t know since when he can’t seem to separate himself from the game. Every time he trains, it is as if there is a magnet in his mind that keeps him deeply obsessed with the game.

Gradually, he felt as if he no longer loved basketball as much as he did before. He spent his days thinking about how he could get good at video games, even staying up late into the night to complete the tasks in the game.

“Xavier, what are you doing? How can you keep making these stupid mistakes!” The coach roared.

Xavier bristles and feels unconcerned by the coach’s criticism. Anyway, I’m so talented that it doesn’t matter if I’m not too diligent in training.

Unfortunately, a teammate who is always jealous of his talent viciously injures him during a training session. It was even difficult for him to prove that the teammate had deliberately hurt him.

The team doctor tells him he would need at least three months to recover from his injury. Oh god! It’s all because of me that I should not have been addicted to games. How could I forget the reason I came here in the first place, which is to follow my basketball dream! What can I do now?

 He is not only ashamed of his carelessness because of the video games but is also very furious and helpless about his injury. He feels the beam of light that have pointed him forward have vanished and his dream turns black with it. He considers it is hopeless for him, grieving over his injury every day.

His coach finds out that he is not in the right state. Therefore, his coach secretly calls his mother to the club. On the one hand it is to keep his mum accompany and to enlighten him through his difficulties so that he could have hope for the future again. On the other hand, the coach would like to help him to quit his internet addiction through his mum.

With the support of his coach and mother, he steadily comes out of his pessimistic state and curbs the internet addiction completely. At the same time, his best friend, Ray, helps him collect the evidence. Xavier submits the evidence to the club. As the result, that player is punished accordingly.

Everything seems to be going in the right direction. Three months seem to have passed in a blink of an eye with mum by him side. Perhaps because of this change in mindset, he soon recovers fully and devotes himself to basketball training. His passion for basketball now burns like a fire in his soul.

Xavier knows that he has delayed training because of his injury, which is why he pushes harder than anyone else every day. He cannot count the number of sunrises he has seen and is the last to leave the stadium every night.

Where there is a will, there is a way. The coach has always seen his efforts and he is promoted to the youth first team. After this, he even doubled his efforts as he knows he is the youngest in this team. Shortly thereafter, he grows to be superior to all his teammates.

In his nineteenth year, he is finally enrolled into the CBA and become a professional basketball player — fulfilling the dream he has cherished for 15 years.

Success always belongs to those who endeavors to achieve their dreams.

Image reference: 51Yuansu.(2022) Basketball hand-painted. Available from：https://www.51yuansu.com/bg/vvvqwosmue.html[Accessed 9th May 2022].