Raj and his parents stared at the card. It was completely blank aside from a date and an address. His father passed it back to him and Raj tucked it into his breast pocket.
"I don't know if this camp is a good idea," Raj's mum said on the drive home.
"Well, I don't see any downsides to it. It would be a great opportunity for Raj to improve. If he wants to break that national record, he's going to need all the training he can get," Raj's dad replied.
"It's free. You think anyone is going to give us anything for free?"
"Well, I –"
"And what about his heart? The doctor said he shouldn't overwork himself or his heart will give out," Raj's mum asked anxiously.
"Look, Raj is a strong boy. He can handle it. I think we should let Raj decide. He knows his body better than anyone else," his dad replied.
"Give me a couple of days to think about it," Raj interjected from the back seat.
Later that night, Raj lay awake in bed, fiddling with the card. While he thought the camp was a good idea, there was something unsettling about the man. Plus, his mum was right – nobody gives anything away for free.
Raj closed his eyes and tried to sleep. Unfortunately, all he could think of was the race and how he could have done better. All night long, he kept replaying it in his head, every stroke and the moment Putera overtook him.
Raj woke up the next morning tired and in a cold sweat. He trudged down the stairs and headed straight for the kitchen.
"I want to go to that camp," he announced to his parents.
Raj's parents drove him to the address on the card. It was a huge facility, about five storeys high, in a remote area outside Kuala Lumpur. His dad handed the card to the guard and they were ushered inside. They were led to a small room where his parents had to sign a waiver. After that, they handed Raj his things and said goodbye.
Raj felt excited. This would be his chance to finally grow as a swimmer. This would be his opportunity to beat Putera, and maybe even set a new national record.
There were nine other young swimmers. They were all taken to the gym where they met their coach – the same man who had handed Raj the card. He wore a light grey sweatshirt and a bright red whistle hung from a lanyard around his neck.
"Listen up!" he shouted, his voice echoing off the walls. "My name is Mr Lumon. Over the next three months, I will mould you and shape you into the best swimmers you can possibly be. All you need to do is give me 110 per cent every day. You are lucky to have this opportunity, so show it. Am I understood?"
A few of them mumbled "yes" while others nodded.
"I can't hear you!"
"Yes, sir!"
The first day was difficult for everyone. Lumon's first task was 200 push-ups. Everyone reluctantly dropped to the ground. After about 110 push-ups, Raj's arms started trembling. He was used to doing around 100 consecutive push-ups.
He looked at the other swimmers. Some were struggling like him.
Lumon walked up to him and snapped, "Did I tell you to slow down?"
"No, sir. I'm just a bit out of breath."
Each day, Raj pushed himself to do better but no matter what he did, he always came in last. After the first week, he was exhausted from the intense training schedule and fed up with losing.
He was ready to throw in the towel when there came a knock on his dorm room door. It was his coach.
"How are you holding up?" Lumon asked.
"I'm fine," Raj lied.
Lumon scrutinised his face, then pulled up a chair.
"I'm going to be very honest with you, kid. You are not good enough. I know it and you know it. You're not at everyone else's level."
"Yeah, I get that. Look, I'm sorry for wasting your time with this camp," Raj said, assuming he was about to be kicked out.
"You misunderstood. My time hasn't been wasted. You need to do so well when you leave here that more people will come to me for training. I want to help you. But you need extra help."
Lumon reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial.
"I have a solution for you."
This is an excerpt from The Record by Roshan Gowreesan. The story is part of Broken, a collection of short stories by young writers. Broken is priced at RM33.90 and is available at BookXcess outlets and on its website.
To give the younger generation a platform to express themselves, Twentytwo13 runs a dedicated space called Young Voices. Young writers aged 18 and below who wish to have their work published may submit their contributions to editor@twentytwo13.my.
