More Than a Game

By: Fiorenzo Arcadi, Toronto Hockey Repair

I noticed the symbolism of that single ray of light from above. There was still hope.

The whistle blew and the smoke from the engine filled our lungs. We were facing a two day journey to reach our destination With no food or water, our strength would be significantly diminished when we faced our foes on the ice. Our will to play for our freedom would have to outweigh the pangs of hunger. United in survival, we knew we would play the game of our lives however haggard and demoralized. The train lurched forward.

One of the team, Samson stood up. The boxcars vibration and swaying made it difficult for him to maintain his balance. He stumbled a bit. He faced his teammates and spoke with an urgency in his voice.

"We have to win this game. They promised us our freedom if we won. Unlike all of the others, they chose us to compete. It is a privilege that they chose us. We are different. Our road is different from the others. They promised us ice like a sheet of glass, boards of solid birch, and skates of the finest steel with leather boots. If we show them we can play with our hearts and win with our minds, they will look at us as human, their equals."

Paul and Andrew nodded in agreement. The rest of the team seemed dispirited, but reluctantly agreed with Samson's assessment.

John was crouched against a wall. He raised his head and said "We are made of the same flesh and have the same blood flowing in our veins. Maybe we can show them that all men are the same."

Sean mumbled something about all men not being created I equal. His voice became clearer and louder. "All men are different. He held up his hands and told the team that these are the shackles that make us different. Different men and races differ in a variety of ways, almost as profoundly as those of animals in different cages. You must learn at your own costs what a human heart can endure without breaking. There are deeds that men do that make no sense and then you can have suffering which has no tongue to speak for them. We are dealing with a nation fully armed, that speaks one language, obeys one leader, reads one newspaper. They are united among themselves by a common hatred of us which makes them co-operate more willingly. Sure we are privileged to have this game with them, but fool's tongue is long enough to cut his own throat Remember, all fools are slaves. Are we communities, but they don't exist any more. This nation decided that force and force alone shall decide whether justice and peace shall reign the affairs of men."

Sean looked Samson squarely in the eye. "I want to live as much as you do, but show me how my ultimate fate is different from that of my and friends."

Samson was shaking. Four of the players next to Sean.

Samson spoke to rally everyone to play. "I want to live. Life is miserable and painful to endure. Pain in itself is an evil. But in order for us to live, we must live with pain. We must look away, turn our our heads from the pain of others. to live is not to die. They promised extra rations, more than our brothers. Our quarters were fit for us to live in harmony. We each had a bed to sleep in. Remember, they were good to us, even though evil surrounds us. This country invented not only the good but also the evil in the world. Ask ourselves, what is life? It is a gracious gift, even more valuable in its worse nature. All I ask is that we play the game. I make no apologies for wanting to live. I was born without knowing why. I have lived without knowing why. And I will be damned if I die because they think they are a breed than us."

Steve moved towards Samson. His voice started low, filled with rage and conviction. "I am sickened by the fact that my freedom is destroyed. The moral tragedy that exists in our world is not that every man shall be on the same level as everyone else, but it becomes a trap, a means of destroying the very things that we believe in. Any nation that appeals to passion and prejudice creates its own breed of people, that distinguishes them from others. I would rather die than to win the desire of our foes. You ask yourselves, why this nation has failed? Man failed in body, spirit and mental habit. All of their beliefs died when they surrendered to one. Resentments are aroused when doubts are cast upon us as part of the human race. All nations cling to an excuse that distorts the truth to justify any belief in particular. It was September when their leader said the great strength of a totalitarian state is that it forces those who fear it to imitate it. I have a hard time understanding why men are confused by false teaching in regard to national honour." Steve burst into tears and wailed at Samson. "I cannot play the game. My world died long ago."

Samson drew alongside. He spat the word 'coward' at Sean. He pointed at Sean and said "You are trying to undermine my authority. I am the captain of this team. The decision to play this game is mine. The will of this team is mine. You are stirring up a war between me and my teammates so that you may require a new captain. You are trying to destroy me and leave me along at the mercy of the enemy. This team has to have a strong need for an authority which you can admire, which will make us conquer our enemy. This world is a monstrous falsehood of confor- mity. They foster and impose their common mind to stifle our will to live."

Samson looked at his teammates and said. "This game holds the last thread of hope for our existence. The last struggle to exist. We all know what evil is, no matter how worshiped it may be, we will have a clear conscience to wrestle evil to the ground if we play the game and win." He started to sob and fell to the floor and begged his teammates to reconsider.

Sean approached Samson and put his hand on his shoulder. "We will not play the game, and you are coming with us."

Samson threw himself on Sean, gripping his neck with his powerful hands. His teammates jumped in, imploring him to release Sean. The train suddenly stopped with a screeching sound. Samson released Sean and raced to the door. "We will not let them open the door until we agree to play the game."

Outside we heard grumbling that the door was jammed. Orders were given for more men to help pry the door open. Sean wrapped him arms around Samson's neck and jerks his head back- ward and whispered "This world is a decaying corpse. We will fight them with words and song and a story that this generation represented a stage in the history of the human spirit. We will play the game, but not here. In the future. In our destiny. In the idea, whatever it is, we will go forward, play the game and win. But not under these conditions. Your parents told me that the only person they could ever love in this world was you. They said everything in this world is broken. The future is gone. Love is gone. Even the past seems like a joke, it is gone too."

A look of acceptance flickered across Samson's face as he realized that the hope for playing the game still existed. Samson looked at Sean and nodded in agreement. The team stood single file behind Samson. Samson released the door and it slid open.

The single ray of light was now a flood. They were herded along, but instead of fear, there was acceptance and pride. The bright light seemed to beckon them. They knew they were to follow the light.

Sean was the first to walk into the dressing room. Peeling off his mask, the sweat poured down his face. His teammates followed him in. Sean started to strip off his gear and looked around at his teammates and in awe said "the ice was like a sheet of glass."

Steve nodded and pointed at his feet. "Our skates are made of the finest steel with leather. boots."

Samson smiled and said "the boards were made out of solid birch. Just like we were promised."