Instructions: Read the story and start writing a story, describing where, with whom and how you will spend your ideal 48 hours. The Big Win You are lying in your bed. It is not comfortable. It feels hard and lumpy. You cannot sleep. You are too cold. Throw off the blankets. No, pull them back up. You hear the noise of the traffic outside your window. You turn over again and again. The room is very dark. You wish you had someone to talk to. You have a hundred problems running through your head. Suddenly in the middle of this terrible night, the telephone rings. You reach out in the darkness tying to find the telephone. Ooops! You dropped it on the floor. Where is it? Oh, here it is. "Hello?" A man's voice says, "Congratulations!! This is the Big Win Show on T.V. You have just won all-expenses paid holiday anywhere in the world! Starting tomorrow at 8 o'clock in the morning you will be with any person you choose in any country or city you choose. You can stay for two days and do anything you like!" Unexpected Encounter N.Y. Doshisha International Jr/Sr High School, Kyoto, Japan

I couldn't say a word, at that moment, to what the guy actually told me over the phone. When I heard the news that I won the big show and could receive a splendid gift of two days vacation to anywhere I like with a person I like to go with, I really lost a word with a huge surprise. It was like a dream. I stood up there for a while. When I got my consciousness back, I answered to a guy on the phone. He told me to call back again in an hour to tell the place and the person to go with. I thought about it for a while, but I couldn't think of anywhere in such a short time. Then an idea came up in my mind. My friend Takayuki Okada wanted to go to Singapore so much to see his friend who had moved there a year and a half ago. He couldn't have much time to talk, so he always wanted to go to Singapore to see him. I would take him to Singapore where I haven't been yet, so I pretty much decided to do that for my big win. I called up the guy to tell my wish. I heard that our trip had already started. It means that I could catch the air plane tonight for Singapore and begin my holiday in the morning of 8 o'clock at Singapore tomorrow. That was very nice of them to have those system. Then I packed up my baggage and called up Okada about this prize. He got so excited about it and jumped around. We met soon later at my house. It was really great that we don't have to pay any fee. I called the taxi to Kansai International Airport. On the way to the airport, we talked to the driver about our prize. We couldn't just sit saying nothing with that surprising gift. When it was about five kilometers to the airport, the driver suddenly stopped the car. I wondered what happened. There was a traffic accident ahead. So we had to run to the airport from there. We were able to reach to the airplane by time. Unfortunately, because of the weather, the airplane had three hours of delay. There was nothing to do, so we slept till we got on the plane. After the few hours, we arrived to Singapore in the morning and this country was really hot. We thought it was very necessary to change our cloth like a summer. Okada was in full of expectation. However he had no information about his friend in Singapore, Umemoto. We heard a familiar sound. It was from those trees. We ran to the side of the trees and saw the entrance, which say Serangoon Tennis Garden. We went inside, from its atmosphere, it's place was having a tennis matches in every court. I went to see a bulletin board saying Singapore Junior Tennis Tournament under eighteen years old. We got really interested in those matches and wanted to see that tournament. I was looking at one guy who plays back hand very well. I was very impressed, because usually we all have more confidence in fore hand and trys not to use back hand. I can't go aggressive with my back hand either. He kept my attention. Okada told me that Umemoto was also a good player with back hand stroke. We went to see the bulletin board and it said that it was the day of doubles. At the right hand bottom corner, it said that there was still a black of one pair of doubles in that tournament because of default. Anyone under eighteen was able to join. It was for D block. At the bottom of D block, it was written BYE. We both thought that it is a great chance to join in this tournament. It's very important to experience many kinds of tennis to gain our skill. We didn't really have to think about Umemoto in mind at this time. Moreover, we looked forward to this tournament. We became serious for the tournament. We couldn't just play properly and lose in the first round. We went to the office and borrowerd rackets that were same as we use. Then our first round came. We played against Jong High School. They didn't have a strong shot that can make a point for the high establishment. However, they certainly gave us back the ball and that was kind of hard thing. Those kind of match makes the winner from strength and shots that doesn't miss. I had my volley in good condition and Okada's had his return well. It went very deeply in the opponent's court. We won for 6-2. It wasn't that hard to win the first round, but we can't be careless. We never had surplus. Then our second round came, it was going to be against the team for Mar Lion Tennis School, the famous tennis school in Singapore. One of them was lefty and I had hard time receiving that serve. Left handed player has their serve bouncing the opposite side from right handed player. I'm so undesirable for the left handed and it might be my biggest weak point. I had hard time making the return. Their serve always came to my back hand and I couldn't make the return. So we were down by 1-3. When we had short break at court change, we tried to settle down that we can't miss any more games. We would lose that much if we miss another game. I decided to make first serve and connects to first volley and get the point by porch. We didn't want the long rally, because we still need to get six straight games to win. Then it worked a bit but still down by 4-5. If we miss the next game, we lose and that gave us a lot of pressure and the opponent got the match point. That made us on fire, that we can play well and the important part. They hit the serve and I gave a return to straight and made a point. Then after another two points, we made a game and tied up to 5-5. A stream came on us and won that match for 7-5. After that, we were so tired from that much. We almost lost that and from that fear, we settled down and had some tears. However in another moment, it changed to a confidence and reality about what we're doing. I noticed that we need to find Umemoto and that was the all purpose of coming here at Singapore from that winning prize. We promised that when this tournament is over, we would go find Umemoto the rest of our holiday. Then refree came and told us that our semi-final was going to start. We went into the court and since it's the semi-final, there are many people around the court for the audience. I couldn't have time to see the opponent's name but they are wearing a uniform of Singapore Japanese School. I strongly believed that I could win. It was lucky of us that we can play against Japanese. We have pretty much experience in Japan. We wished in our mind to win this and go to the final. We talked very seriously how we play. We decided to aim their back hand persistently. It started from my serve and it went center which is their back hand. It was nice serve for doubles but they hit the ball with back hand and they made a shot straight through the volley person and lost the point for return ace. We again thought that its the semi-final level and its going to be a heavy match. Okada and I had pretty much confidence on our fore hand and we hit the ball really hard but they gets all the ball and we have long rally with strong heavy ball. It took away our strength a lot and those heavy ball gives big burden. Semi final was harder than what we actually thought. The score now is up by 3-2. It's is good head start. We felt how one point have big part and connects to a game. One miss was very big in this match. Then there mood changed like becoming serious that they are thinking about losing if the game goes this way. They might not played the best and felt the resistance. We had decided to hit the ball that is at our strongest level and keep hitting to their back. However it was totally wrong for them to give a ball to their back hand. One of them had really good back hand and they made so many shot from his back hand straight. Even if we can read where they hit, our body doesn't follow their shot. It was like a cannon. Then Okada felt something incompatibility. My shot went up a little and grazed his cap and it flew up. Okada saw his face and thought that it is Umemoto that we came to see. It seemed that Yamaguchi already knew who we are, but it's still in the middle of the match. We tried not to tremble and concentrated so much, but his back hand was stronger than we thought and couldn't really handle it. However from the audience's loud voice, the match keeps heating up. Okada's return like a gun shot and my flat serve keeps in deeper to the service line and made even some aces. Both of our fore hand is up to high level stroke and it was very excited game like a explosion. We went into tie break and when we had return, I heard a weird sound from Okada. His string break. It was the worst thing that can never happen. He went to get another racket but it's late to get used to that. We lost the game for 7-6. 7-4 in tie break. When the match was over, I saw them holding up their racket and throwing up in the air. It made me feel that I could be done better than I actually did. I felt very regrettable. We shook hand and it ended the match. Also, I finally met Umemoto. It was lucky thing and miracle that we met him by a chance. I told him about our winning prize and that we came to see Umemoto. We said that it was a big surprise but could be Umemoto was the one who might got surprised the most, because we knew that we came to see him but he was just happened to be there and its in tennis tournament. He kept his back hand very well and heard that it's his weapon. After another half an hour, we both had another last match. Umemoto for final, but he lost for 4-6. Okada and I had another much to make a third place and we won that for 6-3. Then the tournament was over. Twenty minutes later we were called to the office for announcement of the winners. "The first place, Kevin McCarthy and Andrew Sudden from Hanover High School. The second place, Umemoto and Senda from Singapore Japanese High School. The third place, Yamada and Okada from general participation." We did really well for third place, but wanted to win for first place. What the most thing that we felt happy was about seeing Umemoto that our purpose have been done this moment. Tennis wasn't the thing we had to do but it helped us overall. We didn't have to go look for him on the next day. Also, I wasn't that sure that I could really find him on the next day. World is really big. On the next day, we went over Umemoto's house and had fun. Then came back to Japan when that day was over. It was very long trip, but actually it was only two days. We had captured many things in our mind from this all trip. The Big Win gave us the greatest holiday and reminds us every night for our treasure. - THE END - Child Research Net would like to thank the Doshisha International Junior/Senior High School and Nobuto Yamada, student and author, for permitting reproduction of this article on the CRN web site.

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