Carol hit the shuttlecock across the net.  
“Twenty-one to nineteen,” she said, grinning at her dad.  
The game was over, and Carol won. Badminton has always been her thing, and the court her dad built in their garden witnessed her talent ever since she was 10. 

Sweat was dripping down Carol’s face, the sun was setting, and badminton tryouts were upon her. The sound of the rackets hitting the shuttlecock echoed in the silence of a cold evening of November and the fresh smell of autumn leaves lulled by the wind created a tranquil aura. The shrill sound of the clock, so high-pitched to sound like a moan, marked 8 p.m. That meant it was time to return inside. The chilly wind struck Carol’s face like a sharp veil and shivers began to run through her body, that felt more and more weak. “A month ago, you couldn’t have beaten me that fast. I can’t believe how much you improved, Cookie!” her dad said, reminding the girl, also called Cookie by her closest friends and family, that it was time for her to take a break and rest. Reluctantly, Carol chose to listen to him as chills started to run across her body. 

It was 2 a.m. when Carol woke up, her throat feeling like it was on fire and her head spinning like a mill wheel.  Her eyes were watery, her nose stuffy, and her throat sore. Everybody else was sleeping and the sound of the rain crashing on the roof of her room kept Carol awake for way too long. She was never the type of person who makes a scene about things, she prefers to stay silent and solve problems on her own. This time, though, the fear of missing Badminton tryouts took over and the weakness started to spread all over Carol’s body, which felt like it could collapse at any moment. She always had some special connection with her dad and, ironically, it was like that night he sensed her pain. Before Carol could even bring the situation into focus, her dad was already in her room to check on her. It did not take long for him to realize what was going on: Carol had a cold, the day before Badminton tryouts.  

Falling asleep had never been so hard for Carol. A storm of thought and mixed feelings invaded her brain, marking the beginning of a vicious cycle that lasted until the morning, contributing to her dizziness and general weakness. Her dad insisted that she stayed home from school that Friday. From her room’s window Carol could see the sun dazzling the faces of passers-by, all of them smiling for the blessing of such a beautiful sunny day.                    

It was 6 p.m., an hour before Badminton tryouts, when Carol realized giving up was the only option she had. The hope of feeling good again was slowly fading away. When she got up after spending the entire afternoon resting in bed, her legs trembled as if they were made of pudding, her cheeks were red as freshly picked cherries and her head was spinning like a ferries wheel. Her bubble of numbness was popped when her dad knocked on the door, asking Carol how long it would take for her to be ready.  
“Dad, I don’t really feel like going to the tryouts,” said Carol, sighing.  
“Why is that?” 
“There’s no chance I will ever make the team! I sneeze every couple minute and I can barely stand up without feeling like I’ll faint at any moment.”  
“I don’t recognize you anymore, Cookie. Where is the strong and independent young girl that I raised to chase her dream?” 
“But dad,” said Carol with tears in her eyes, “I feel like a failure already, I don’t want to be humiliated in front of everyone.” 
“Your grandfather always told me that “All we have is now” and it took me years and lots of experience to realize how true these words are,” said her dad, while a slight grin approached his face.  
“You see, Cookie, things won’t always go the way we would want them to. Can you imagine how boring life would be? You need to take risks, or you will lose your chance because courage does not always mean success. Courage is persevering and putting all your efforts into making a dream come true, even without the certainty it will.”  

Tears started welling in Carol’s eyes and the numbness she was feeling slowly started to fade away. Her dad was right, and she knew it. She could not miss this opportunity, especially because it meant disappointing her dad, who proved to her how deeply he believeds in her. “She’ll go far in the badminton world,” her elementary school coach told her dad watching Carol hit a clear high and to the back of her opponent’s court in her first school competition. Despite that she was in High School now, she knew she had the skills and support needed to make the team.  

In the blink of an eye, Carol and her dad were in his car heading to Brookswood Secondary School for badminton tryouts. When they entered the school gym, the usual sweaty smell and the repetitive sound of rackets hitting the shuttlecocks brought Carol back to reality and the sudden realization that time had come caused goosebumps all over her body. The number of people present was incredible: boys and girls of all grades were ready to give their all to reach the same goal, making the team. An unnerving anxiety started to attack Carol but, before she could even realize it, her dad’s arms wrapped her in a warm hug. He could tell at a glance that something was wrong and nobody better than him ever knew how to reassure her.  
“You’ve got this, Cookie,” he whispered at her hear with a smile on his face. 
“Thank you, dad, your support matters more than anything else to me,” Carol said grinning at him while walking towards the centre of the gym for the warmups.  

The jumping jacks, high knees, and burpees made her weakness disappear, giving her the charge to show the coach what she is capable of doing. Everybody was quickly assigned to a court to play 1 VS 1 and they only had one hour the prove they deserve to be part of the team. It was an easy scheme: whoever won the match had to move to the right while the other player had to move to the left. 

Carol didn’t lose a single game and, when the time was almost up, she found herself playing a very strong opponent. An enthusiastic crowd immediately surrounded the court causing the pressure on Carol to rapidly raise as she was one step away from the certainty of realizing her dream.  

The match seemed to be going by very quickly even though to Carol it felt like lasting forever. The sore arms and sweaty hands weren’t the only signs of her fatigue because by the time a tie was reached Carol started to feel as if her legs weren’t strong enough to keep her standing up.  
“Twenty to Twenty,” the coach screamed, and right at that moment, when the instinct to give up began to take over, Carol recognized a voice coming from the crowd.  
“To me you already won, Cookie,” her dad said with that same smile he gave her before the warmups. It was that smile, sincere and proud, that made the girl realize that all she had was that moment. It took her a few seconds to get the situation back into focus. She hit a clear high and to the back of her opponent’s court making the shuttlecock land just inside the baseline. Carol won a point, the last one. The crowd started to cheer for her and, as if to wake her up from a trance state, her dad ran towards her, and he picked her up in a strong hug like he always did when she was little. Everyone around them applauded at such an emotional moment, but one applause distinguished in the crowd: that of the coach.  
“Your discipline and skill in this sport are impressive and you’ve been able to prove this to me in only an hour,” the coach said with a grin on her face. “Nobody more than you deserved to be part of this team, which is why you’ll also be our captain!”  

Carol couldn’t believe it: all her efforts were rewarded and, despite encountering some difficulties on the way, her strength, and the support she received from the people that loved her made her dream come true. With a beaming smile on her face Carol looked at her dad, who whispered at her hear:  
“I always knew you could make it, Cookie!”