It was Monday night, calm once again after the commotion that had taken place earlier in one of the city's shopping malls. Francesca lay awake after a nightmare in which she saw herself as a puppet, trying to choose her own path, only to be restrained by her puppeteer.
Tired of lying in bed, she got up, changed into her training clothes, gathered what she needed, and went out for a run. Though the night was brightly lit by the moon, Francesca felt as if someone was watching her. She stopped after her ninth lap around the lake at the central park. It wasn't even three in the morning. Sitting down in the very spot where she had once seen the man performing those graceful movements, she gazed at the moonlight reflected on the water.
At the height of that peaceful silence, she heard the sound of someone climbing down from a tree.
She turned—and there he was. The same figure she had been thinking about. Even without seeing his face, she recognized the messy hair and the same clothes. She straightened herself quickly, determined to speak with him.
Francesca: "Excuse me… umm, who are you?"
???: "Nothing more than a person walking the same road we all do—what we call life." (He dropped his backpack to the ground.)
Francesca: "Okay… Could you tell me what it was you were doing yesterday?"
???: "Just calm movements. Mastery over everything that happens, living in the present. Now that I've answered your question, you'll answer mine: why are you here?"
Francesca: "I couldn't sleep, so I decided to make the most of my time. You know, even though it looks strange for a grown man like you to be talking to a girl like me at this hour… I feel like I can trust you."
???: (smiling) "You're certainly dedicated—and trusting. What sport do you play?"
Francesca: "Tennis. And I'm really good."
???: "Is that so? Then you won't mind playing against me."
Surprised by the question, Francesca agreed but warned him that the tennis courts wouldn't open until six in the morning. He simply pointed toward a clearing and declared it "the court."
Francesca handed him a racket and asked, "Have you ever played before?"
Calmly, he replied, "No. I've never had the chance. But I'd like to try."
With that, he tied a rope between two trees to serve as a net.
Before they began, Francesca set her condition: "Alright. We'll play to six sets. If I win, you'll tell me your name."
Her opponent nodded silently. The game began. Francesca served with power, but the supposed beginner returned the shot instantly. Fifteen–love. She tried to steady herself, but from then on, nothing worked. In just half an hour, she had lost six sets to zero, unable to return a single ball.
Frustrated, Francesca shouted, "You said you'd never played before!"
The man said nothing. He untied the rope, packed it away, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and began to walk. Francesca hurried after him, yelling:
"Answer me! And don't come out with some cryptic 'life lesson' either, understood?"
He gave her a light tap on the head, enough to calm her, and finally spoke:
"I've never played tennis before. But this game is similar to what I do every day. By the way, my name is Jayden."
Francesca nodded and then asked eagerly, "Could you give me some advice on how to do those movements you did? I don't want to dedicate myself to it, but I think it would help in my matches."
Jayden didn't answer. He just kept walking until they reached a river. Sitting down, he finally said:
"You want to learn those movements, huh? Then you'll need to find calm."
Doubtful, she asked, "And how do I find that?"
With firm, serene conviction, he replied: "You must swim across this river. When you find me again, you'll have your answer." He rose and began walking.
Francesca accepted the challenge, taking off her sweatshirt. "I hope this isn't just a trick to see me changing clothes," she muttered.
"Just swim," Jayden answered.
And so she dove in, pushing herself upstream against the current. After nearly three hundred exhausting meters, she finally spotted him again—but not before facing one last obstacle: a strong, though not very high, waterfall.
"Please tell me making it this far is enough," she begged.
Jayden looked at her calmly. "Come on. It's only a waterfall. When you climb it, I'll accept you as my student."
Nervously, she pressed on. But when she tried, the attempt failed, and the current dragged her down into the depths.