Glory in Full Vision

"Hello," said Plagran, unsure as to whether he would be able to win the competition. "Do you think I could have one more shot?"

"One more shot?" said coach Johnson. "What does that mean, 'one more shot?'"

That statement hit Plagran like a ton of bricks. He didn't know how much he needed it, how much time was slipping away. He swayed to the side, feeling as worthless as ever.

"What should I do? I mean, what do you think is going to happen?"

"You listen to me, kid. How did you get here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you drive here in your father's car?"

"Yes, but, what do you mean by that?"

"I mean...I mean I want you to go for a ride."

"A rough ride?"

"No, not a rough ride. Just go out. To the coast, maybe. Get some fresh air. Go to the beach. It'll still be here when you get back."

"You can't do that to me!"

"What?"

"You can't...I've been working for this my whole life. I gave up recitals and all kinds of birthdays for this. I slept in my shoes. I slept upside-down. Now you're telling me that..."

"Listen, kid, get lost. Come back when you're ready."

"I graduate next year. If I don't do this now, I'll never finish."

A few hours later, Pagran was driving to the Bay area. This wasn't the first time he had made the trip. He had always told his friends that he wouldn't wait to be told. That he wouldn't let time sneak up on him. The cherry blossoms blew in the wind as he streamed by in his classic Stingray. His dad had lovingly spent weekends and holidays under the hood, producing horses. Making gestures. Plagran would just have to wait and see.

When he made it to the coast, finally, he took his sword out from the back seat. Being double-edged as it was, it was a simple thing. A simple idea. An idea that one couldn't ignore. As he stood there on the coast, the sword in his hand, the warm air swirling around his fingertips and lifting his hair, he thought about his last joust. He'd been the favorite coming in. He was bigger, stronger, and a little quicker. Everyone had said to him, "Just take care of it. You know what to do." But it turned out that he couldn't take the heat. In one of the most low-stakes, guaranteed win scenarios one could find, he couldn't seem to catch a break. On the way in for the initial clash, his Mele, his robotic horse, tripped over a nut left on the ground. It wasn't the trip that took the horse down, but the nut got stuck in the horse's gears, forcing it hard into the ground and destroying Plagran's glory in full vision.

"I don't care what it takes," said Plagran as he stood there. "I will remember this little chat we had, coach Johnson. I will be victorious!"