Ben's breath was harder than usual; his heart pounded faster, and his limbs weak. He slowed down on speed, and like a leaf without weight, he felt himself collapsing to the ground. That was the moment he realised that his blind ambition had messed with his dreams of being the best athlete in the regional school competition. He looked around trying to catch a glimpse of the foreign scout but his eyes failed him as they gradually closed and with breath weaker than the evening shadow he cried
"What have I done to myself?"
He was the fastest sprinter in his school, the best his school ever produced and he dominated in every competition, always clenching the gold medal.
"A born natural" his coach and teammates will call him with so much admiration and joy.
But Ben wanted to be faster. He wanted to win the competitions by a bigger time frame other than a few seconds. He craved it so badly in the upcoming regionals, especially with a foreign scout coming to their school.
"More hard work and training", his mum and friends advised. So he trained harder than any athlete in school, pushing his heart and muscles to the limit. His coach and peers feared that he might be overtraining, but during the first lap of the competition, he won by a bigger time.
But Ben thought there was more to it than just hard work and training. He wanted more seconds, more time.
Then he heard of the little whispers, a performance enhancement drug for athletes known as 'boosters'. Driven by his reckless ambition, he started researching for the drugs. He found it on the Internet with an enticing inscription.
'known for helping athletes' it read.
Ben, at first, couldn't bring himself to order the drugs. He had fears that it might jeopardise his chances and his health, but after gruelling training and with a little improvement with his time, his quest increased more.
He got home and, with shaky hands, placed orders for the boosters.
Just on the morning of the finals the ordered drug arrived. And Ben didn't hesitate to pop a pill. Hoping that it would help his career just as the inscription on the bottle read.
But instead of making him the fastest. Ben laid on the floor in a career-defining race. While others ran to the finish line of the finals, he lay there on the track, unconscious of his surroundings and fighting to catch his breath and save his life. His blind ambition has ruined him.
He woke up to find himself in the hospital bed with his mum beside him. He had defeated death from the drugs but lost in a race he had been training so hard for. He wept bitterly as his mum tried consoling him.
"The doctor told me what happened. And I found the boosters. Why son, why?" His mum cried.
"I'm sorry, mum", Ben apologised, feeling guilty for ruining his career and putting his mum through pain. "I only wanted to be the best" he added
"You were already the best, son", his mum cried, holding his hands and looking him in the eye.
Ben looked away; he felt ashamed of himself. "Will I ever run again? Or have I ruined my life?" He asked.
His mum sniffed hard and wiped her tears "The doctor says you're very lucky you got the side effects on the first dose. Which means your body rejected it immediately and the drug hasn't eaten deep into your body." She sniffed again. "So yes, you'll run again but maybe not soon. Maybe next year"
Lucky for Ben, he found himself at the tracks again. But after two years of healing, rehabilitation and therapy. This time he worked hard without any boosters and in the finals. He ran again and won the gold medal for his school.
He was scouted and taken to represent his state in the national championship. Though he didn't win, it was the start of something big for him.
