Fantastic Football

• Ezekiel Chuka, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2017

This is my desire and if it’s taken away from me then I won’t have anything to do. This is a game – soccer and I’ve played it so much that I find everything else trivial. Now, after years of training, endless practice, failure and success, I’ve come this far. And it was all just to fail. But, I can redeem myself. I run down the uncomfortable field. Several defenders hurry into me and I foolishly trip on my own feet. I could have avoided that with a simple pirouette. At the end of the long, tiring match as I take off my socks and boots my teammate Riley walks up to me.
“You’re losing your game and our team’s suffering the consequences,” he mocked.
“I don’t know what’s happening! I tried a flick on them but it wouldn’t work!” I responded.
But I did know what was happening. I had stopped playing my best when I was rejected from my ‘dream team’ and despite them soon accepting more players, I didn’t feel up to it.
“Well then make it work! We have a match next Sunday and if you don’t play your ‘A’ game I’ll convince coach to boot you off the team!” Riley threatened.
He walked away with his unique stroll which said, ‘I lost because of him,’
I was familiar to this gait. I didn’t pay attention to his threats, after all I would be glad to leave this team. It was the worst team ever. But then again I was the worst teammate. I jogged into the park to practice, Unaware that someone was watching me. I did twenty juggles then I accurately shot the ball inside a tree, top-left corner.
“Try that with a bit more of a twist,” Whispered a familiar voice.
Despite not knowing the owner of this silent command, I juggled again and twisted my body and shot. The bull curled into a supernatural curl.
“Good job. Do that in a match and we’ll be winning again!” The voice announced.
I turned around; Coach Flake was there, grinning.
“Hey coach, I let the team down today, it’ll never happen again,” I promised.
“It doesn’t matter,” he replied, “Just don’t let it happen again.”
“Bye, I’ve got to go home now. I should take a rest, I need to get rest.” I explained.
The next game I was a bit better, I hit the crossbar. After that the season ended. I was just juggling the ball and Riley caught me in his eyeshot.
“Practicing I see! It’s not going to work, you’re the worst player on the team and coach is going to kick you off!” He snapped.
My heart shattered all that hard work, futile because of a crossbar shot.
“I’ll convince him to get you back on the team if you win a match 5 v1 against me!” he continued.
The match was horrible I lost 10-0.
So know I’m a coach for the Fantastic Footballers FC – My ‘dream team.’