The good match
Juno stood outside the feast counting her three errors. She had worked for years towards a match this clean and free. Her younger teammates were celebrating it. She warned her partner against complacency and began thinking about practice.
Above the radiant province, the great sun-ball dimmed. A child brought her a racket-shaped sunflower. “It closes at night whether you praise it or not,” he said.
Juno joined one dance, then another. She thanked her partner for the call that had opened the final rally. When he thanked her, she let the praise stand. The next morning she still wanted to train. She had more energy for it.
The next tournament
They lost badly. Juno tried to bring the feast back, asking everyone to smile and speak only of what had gone well. The flowers stayed closed.
Her partner wanted to be angry about a point they had thrown away. She listened. The disappointment took the place she had been trying to fill with celebration.
They named what had failed and returned to practice. When the sun came back, Juno stood beneath it with the others.