Can Dreams Come True?

• Kristin Magarry, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2008

CAN DREAMS COME TRUE?

It was twilight. Tom could just make out the lights of the city twinkling in the distance. He was dreaming of having a cool, soothing bath to wash away the filth. His clothes were splattered with mud and drenched with sweat. Dirt and grime streaked his hair, and every bone in his body was aching. “Why am I doing this?” He said to himself. The chances of Australia winning the gold medal were small but Tom wasn’t going to give up now. This was his dream. He picked up his muddy ball, slung his hockey stick over his shoulder and walked slowly home.

He woke up early with sunlight streaming through his windows at the athlete’s village . He staggered out of bed and into the bathroom, where he splashed cold water on his face. He had barely been awake for two minutes and already his stomach was flipping like a pancake. He wiped his face and ambled down the stairs and sat down at the table with his teammates. He forced his breakfast down and went to pack his bag. The nerves in Tom’s stomach had doubled but a mixture of excitement and resolution stopped the nerves. He was going to play for the Gold Medal at the Beijing Olympics, and nothing was going to stop him!

The team bus stopped gracefully in front of the gates of the Olympic hockey stadium. The Australian Kookaburras stepped out and went to the change rooms to put on the green and gold colours of Australia. The team raced out onto the field. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric and the team could feel the tension on the air. The whistle sounded. The game had begun! In the first half, Tom was goalie. He dived and rolled and thwacked with his hockey stick and stopped every attempt. The first half ended with a spectacular save from Tom and the team jogged off the field. Neither team managed to score a point. Tom grabbed an icepack and put it behind his neck. You could almost see the steam coming off him. The whistle blew. It was time for the second half. This time, Tom was an attacker. Whenever the ball was passed to him, he tried in every way he could to get the ball into the net but the opposition goalie was very skilled and defended his goal until Tom was exhausted. In the last minute, the ball was passed to him. He quickly looked up at the crowd and saw a sea of green and gold. Somehow he was energized again. With the strength of all of Australia behind him Tom smacked it towards the goal. The goalie dived, and missed. The ball soared into the goal. The whistle sounded. They had won the gold !

Tom yawned as he awoke on his soft bed. He stopped mid-yawn. The flipping sensation in his stomach could mean only one thing. He hadn’t played yet! “ I sure hope dreams do come true,” said Tom as he went downstairs to eat breakfast with his team.

Kristin Magarry
Year 6
Beaudesert State School
PO Box 182
17 Tina St
Beaudesert 4285