On the Ball(Annie Frame) On the Ball.

Tom James didn’t have many friends, in fact he could count them on one hand. Flynn Smith and Gregg Wyatt didn’t seem to mind the varied personality Tom had and if anything they encouraged him to be happy in his own skin. The only place Tom felt truly at ease was on the footy pitch in the centre of the local park. Whenever he was there he felt free as a bird. No adult telling him that he had to be this or that. The elation that filled him when he whacked the ball into the middle of the goal made him feel ten feet tall, until he returned back to the materialism of life and was made to conform to whatever the agenda dictated. If it wasn’t for his two buddies his life wouldn’t be worth much. Even his mum and dad struggled to accept his behaviour and since the doctor with the big nose and silly looking spectacles had told them that he had ADHD things had been worse. It wasn’t a crime that he didn’t fit in with the world that people had created. Nor was it a crime that he reacted badly to the hemmed in society most endured listlessly.

The sun was out and so were the three teenagers. The pitch was waiting for their arrival and Tom’s senses immediately savoured the sweet smell of nature’s magic. The trees rustled in the gentle wind as he kicked the ball towards Flynn who was grinning from ear to ear. “Over here!” shouted Gregg, wanting to be involved. It wasn’t long before the trio were engrossed in their football skills until the ball landed back at Tom’s foot. As it did a feeling of dread swept through him and the game felt like a million miles away as did his two pals. He bent down, picked up the ball, held it in his hands and scoured the area to see what was out of sync. It didn’t take long for his intuition to spot the problem.

The pretty little girl stood at the side of the park bench while the twisted old man held out a claw like hand filled with sherbet bon-bons. At first she hesitated, but the sinister figure duly urged her to take them. Tom had never doubted his inner reserves and didn’t now. His mind was screaming in his head, “Do something!” Newspaper headlines yelling abduction flashed in his minds eye, like yesterdays news. The eerie silence sliced into the moment as the little girl accepted the sweeties. Tom methodically held the ball in both hands pulled back his leg, aimed his foot and slammed it into the ball. It wasted no time and flew off into the intended direction, missing the little girl by inches and slamming hard into the target.

The spell woven instantly broke bringing the child to her senses. She dropped the sweeties that should never have been accepted and ran away crying. The stranger raised his head and made eye contact with the person that had lost him a victim. Tom held his gaze and recognised malice and spite with all the trimmings. A tender fire burnt deep inside Tom’s bones while scorching the observer who readily dropped his darkened eyes from the illuminated view. Tom watched evil leave empty handed with a jaw that was probably broken. After he’d left Tom retrieved the ball, glanced at his friends who were bemused by the string of events. “It may have been her Granddad.” said Flynn. Gregg smiled and retorted “Tom knows the score.” Tom nodded, kicked the ball straight into the net and said it is now 1 nil! No one noticed the transparent wings gently nestled on the back of the angel who had no intention of fitting in with a world that man’s ego had created.

Annie Frame, Copyright November 4, 2012

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