"I'm sinking to the darkest depth of the ocean." 

--

Oslo, Norway. GMT +2. 

11 p.m: I wonder if my family has already gone to bed. Looks like, because it's already 4 a.m there. 

12 a.m: *solving my exercises

...

3 a.m: *still solving my exercises 

3.30 a.m: too tired so time for bed, I looked out at the window, saw that everything was sleeping  

4 a.m: couldn't sleep, so I turned on my gaming mode, battling with my phone

4.10 a.m: *watching YouTube videos, games are fun but I wasn't in the mood

4.40 a.m: *staring at the ceiling

5 a.m: looks like I should skip sleeping for today, the night hadn't gone away but...

5.10 a.m: definitely

5.11 a.m: I don't want to though, it's gonna be a long day at university, I will sleep during classes

5.20 a.m: but I couldn't sleep... What should I do? Should I watch something? Or read something? 

5.30 a.m: *getting back on my exercises and solve extra exercises to get more points 

7 a.m: *washed my face and go to the basketball court

Well, I was playing alone, and not so alone because I had the ball with me. And to me, that was enough. Usually, at this time of the year, October, no one really plays outside anymore. And it gets much quieter on the streets, bikers, and walkers alike. It was 2 degrees Celsius at the moment. The dawn hadn't yet to arrive, so no wonder why the streets were still sleeping. Everything was at a freezing point, nothing actually moved around me, except the air. It was nice playing outside in August or in the summer generally. Since September, fewer people get their faces seen, and in October, it seemed to me that things prepare to go into long winter hibernation. 

 I was surprised myself because I didn't feel tired. At least, at this moment, It's kinda hot and I was sweating a bit. My scoring from the free-throw line was getting more precise. 

Students started to pass by the basketball court, so I prepared to leave. One last ball. 

"Hey! You're pretty good!" 

Oh. It was the high school boy who has been sitting on the bench near the court. He looked surprisingly funky and "rock" with the bright yellow hair, which didn't look natural one bit, I wondered whether he used the cheapest hair dye. Although it's quite common for nordmenn (Norwegian) to have blonde hair and blue eyes. 

"Oh? Is that so? Thank you! Takk*!"

*Takk: thank you in Norwegian

The high school boy stood up. He's pretty tall and slim, and I got to admit, his presence was pretty overwhelming and quite... like it's a bit difficult to explain, I found it dominant and low-key intimidating.  

"You're pretty tall too" he said to me with an admiring voice. 

"Well, yeah" I didn't really understand where this conversation was going and whether it's of any use to me. 

"Hmm, can I try one?"

The boy walked to me, leaving his bag behind. He didn't wear any coat, jacket, or sweatshirt. I'd always known that Norwegian people are famous for their monstrous endurance of the cold, even so, it's insane. 

"Sure!" and I threw the ball to him. He caught it cleanly. This guy knew what he's doing. 

He stood there in front of the free-throw line, his hand position was a bit odd to me, it's as if he was holding the ball at the bottom. If it were me, I would find it a bit unstable. His starting position was a bit weird because his feet were standing equally right at the line. 

3... 2... 1... and?!?

The ball went up in the air and... to the ground, bowing to the law of the mother gravity. It served Issac Newton's law of gravity well. 

Me "..." 

Him "..." 

I knew it when I saw his wrist bent down a bit, but the ball didn't reach anywhere near the backboard. The ball seemed heavy, and it didn't spin a single time. I should take back my early statement... maybe he didn't know what he was doing? 

"Nice try!" I didn't know what else to say, so I guessed I should say something encouraging. 

"You're funny" the high school boy broke into laughter. He came picking up the ball and asked me whether he could try one more time. I nodded, really didn't mind. 

This time, he took more time repositioning his body and paid attention to his hands position. 

Swoosh... The ball flew a nice parabolic curve, hit the middle screws between the backboard and the bucket, circling around and...??? 

And it landed on the ground. 

Basketball isn't as easy as people think it is. To shoot a ball, and nail it, it needs a bit more than animal instinct, I must say. Basketball is a pastime for only those who actually spend time playing 'round and 'round, and even when you gasp the idea and get the hang of it, it will go away when you stop horning it. It's like playing guitar, writing a poem, or watering a tree, once you stop practicing, you'll just suck at it, all of the reason to hate the sport. 

The boy picked up the ball, and before I could hear him asking, I asked. 

"You play any sports?" 

He smiled cheerfully. 

"I play volleyball" paused, and added "pretty good, humbly speaking" then he looked at me, laughed again "I do look like I'm pretty good with the ball, right?"

That was some youth power energy. 

"What's your name?" I asked him. 

"My name is Erik! Nice to meet you! What 'bout you?" 

"Jay. Okay, Erik! I'll show you how to shoot a ball in a basketball game, do you have some time before class?" 

"Really? Awesome, Jay-senpai*! Onegaishimasu*!" 

*senpai: a Japanese informal way to address someone who is older/senior in school, business, and all kinds of social settings.

*Onegaishimasu (Japanese): (simply) please.

Oh... What in the world...?!? This guy probably thought I was Japanese or some sort. Or at least, into Japanese culture, which made my brain hurt a little bit. I didn't understand Japanese animes, mangas or the likes, even though I was very much forced into watching all kinds of anime movies when I was a bit younger. But man, whatever. 

"Your coordination is good" 

Erik grinned happily and set his body position into a volleyball's basic setting move. 

"I'm a setter" 

"Figured" 

"..." 

The boy didn't failingly smile at me, I wondered whether it was me or him actually the weird guy standing here. What was so fun? 

"That sure helps a lot, being a setter. It's just that the ball here is a bit heavier than that of volleyball's. So stability I think, is what you need. Hmm, the way I'm holding the ball is a bit more like... hmmm, my hands are 90 degrees as opposed to each other. So the ball will be more stable on my hands, and enhances precision." 

"Hm, what else, is that don't send the ball like your first try, make the curve, in a way that it will stop at peak right in front of the bucket and fall, like your second try, a parabolic curve is always the best, at least, for me" 

Then I looked at him, who was still listening attentively. 

"Anyway, you're a setter, just feel the ball and send it there as if your team's spiker is gonna get it! Just relax a bit, your hands look pretty stiff. Go, try" 

Third try. 

The ball went up in the air, and... went down through the bucket. 

I always liked the sound of the ball fitting so neatly in the bucket. It whoosh-ed and bang-ed, down the ground. Clean shot. 

"Nice kill" 

"Thank you, Jay-senpai! Woah, basketball has its own pleasure!!! This is so amazing!" 

I know right. The sensation of touching the ball, the feeling of scoring, hi-fives, sweats, training, laughs, are the familiar things you'd get to see often on the court. I sat down by the side court and looked at the backboard. I asked myself, why was it, that I played basketball, that I still play. 

"Try a few more times if you want" I told him. It's about time I should leave, and I wanted to be a bit less sweaty. 

"How long have you been playing basketball?" 

I was a bit startled when the schoolboy sat down next to me. Up close, his eyes are more of a green color than blue. 

"Hm, I'd say, around 15 years?" 

"You really look like you have been playing with it since birth, Jay-senpai! Pretty fun, isn't it?" 

Jay-senpai again? 

Is basketball fun? I don't know. I just don't want to lose. Losing means I don't get to play on the court again. The bitterness of losing would eat up my balance, and without doubt, throw me off my feet. Was it 4 years ago? Or 5? Ah, I didn't even remember it, what a joke. 

"I don't know... Is it?" However, once in a blue moon, I used to enjoy it. 

"You're good at it, so it's fun, at least, for me, it's really satisfying watching you playing and shooting the balls" the schoolboy laughed, he raised his hands like he was about to shoot a ball.

"..." 

"Almost all of your balls score, and the sound of it, like whoosh-kinda sound when the ball goes through the net, ah no, not the net hahaha, the bucket, is satisfying. It's like, I was thinking to myself, whether you could make it, baaaang badaaaang, and the ball was in the air, and yessssssss! Score! Must feel amazing!" 

I didn't really get what is baaaang badaaaang, but his emotions shook me up. Has it always been like this the whole time? I mean, basketball, has basketball been like this because it actually sounded kinda fun, in his words. 

Was the morning wind a bit colder making me feel a bit out-of-the-ordinary me? Was the sky bluer than it normally was? Was the court bigger? Was it a bit hotter just now? I felt like I was sitting on my high school's basketball court. I was taken aback by how vivid the basketball court was, with the sun setting down on the other side of the horizon, just me and the ball, and the wind, the court, the emptiness. Then I looked at my feet, covered with a big white bandage. The humiliation. 

I nodded. 

"I feel it too, sometimes" 

I laughed at myself. Look at me, a pathetic jerk, pitying himself from time to time. I tried to run away, and things just weren't much different from back then. It seemed to stay unchanged, I was just on the other side of the globe, the environment is different, the weather is colder, and my surrounding certainly isn't familiar, still the roads but not the same roads, people but not the same people, noises but not the same language. Another course of life, where I have not had any memories of it, nor seen what the future holds. 

"Jay-senpai, can I join you again tomorrow?" 

"Sure"

I'm Jay. Vietnamese. 23 years old. 2nd-year medical student at Oslo University.