The chirping of cicadas boiled the midsummer to a boil, and in the autumn when I was twelve years old, half of Jie Zhiyuan's world collapsed.
In the final point of the Provincial Youth Volleyball Championship, she took off, waved her arms, and smashed the ball with smooth movements. She looked like "born on the court" in the words of the coach. But the moment he landed, there was a clear and ear-piercing bone cracking sound from his right ankle, instantly piercing the cheers of the entire audience.
Comminuted fracture.
The doctor's words were as light as a feather, but so heavy that they could crush a person's life: "In the future, I will not be able to jump at high intensity or change directions violently. Professional volleyball... Will be impossible."
That day, the light of solution disappeared.
She was once the most promising volleyball prospect in the province. She touched the ball at the age of six and already stood at the top of the youth group at the age of twelve. Her jumping, touch and intelligence were all top-notch. The coach told everyone that this child would join the national team in the future. She poured all her time, all her love, and all her pride into the volleyball.
But injuries burned everything to ashes.
After returning home, she locked all her volleyball-related things into cardboard boxes and stored them deep in the attic. Certificates, team uniforms, worn volleyballs, and a stack of stadium photos were all covered in thick dust, as if they were burying a shameful and desperate past. She began to close herself off, not talking, going out, or laughing. She suffered from insomnia all night long. When she heard the word "volleyball," she would tremble all over. In severe cases, she would have hallucinations - whistles, severe pain, teammates' exclamations, and the coach's regretful eyes, all replayed in her mind.
Her parents took her to hospitals across the country, and the psychological diagnosis read: post-traumatic stress disorder, accompanied by acute anxiety and mild delusional tendencies.
The doctor said: "She is trapped in the past and needs someone who can really pull her out."
This period of hardship lasted for six years.
In the past six years, Jie Zhiyuan has become a shadow. Silent, cowardly, inferior, and sensitive, he always lowers his head when walking, avoids the playground, avoids sports students, and avoids anything that may awaken pain. She thought she would huddle in the darkness forever, until the first year of high school started, and the wind carrying the scent of locust flowers blew the mulberry trees in front of her.
Purpose: Redemption among girls