Previous Challenge Entry
Topic: Peer Pressure (07/05/04)
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TITLE: Changing the Direction of a Stream By Bruce Meyer 07/12/04 |
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"What???"
"That's what we call him- the King." Chad's face was flush, "He rules the field."
Philip and Chad watched as Sean maneuvered the ball across court toward the opposing goal. It seemed like the whole school had turned out for their first game, which made the stakes so much higher. Cheerleaders jumped up and down in a flurry of school colors jumbled with long, silky hair.
"Hey,” Chad suddenly turned to him, “Everyone goes down to the stream after the game. Want to come?"
This was Philip's first game as a freshman, spending it uneventfully on the stodgy player's bench. But out on the vibrant field, Sean faced down an opponent and skillfully passed the ball to a teammate. He seemed a fluid of motion, flowing down the field as he sprinted towards the goal. Philip glanced down at his own skinny body and wondered if he would ever play soccer like that.
"I can't-"
Suddenly the ball was launched high in the air, bounced off Sean's head, caught again with his feet and thrust into the goal. He, Chad, the bench, and the whole school erupted into cheers and shouts. After they had solidly won the game, they all swarmed out to the field and surrounded the players and Sean. Philip was caught with the flow, and didn't fight being pushed one way and then another with the crowd. When he caught sight of Alicia at the corner of the field, his heart pounded against the inside of his rib cage. But he noticed her eyes weren't on him; they followed Sean as he swaggered through his team members, clasping hands and sharing sweaty hugs.
"Hey- I knew you guys would win!" bellowed a voice out of the crowd. It was Jack, his best friend.
"PHIL- MAN!" resounded another voice behind him. Philip turned just in time to be seized by the exuberant Sean. "THIS IS OUR YEAR!"
"C- c- congratulations," Philip tried to say while being bowled over, awed that the champion would take any notice of him.
"Everyone goes down to the stream after the games," Sean said lowering his voice some. "The stream takes a bad turn- it's an EXCEPTIONAL time."
Philip looked between Sean and Jack and back to Sean again, torn. It seemed like hours before he could answer, "I- I'm going with my church group t- tonight."
Sean shrugged and ran off with fists in the air shouting, "PARTY AT THE STREAM!"
Phillip walked off the field with Jack in the other direction, kicking empty grass with his feet. That evening their group gathered to hear a speaker from a country in Africa he couldn't remember or even pronounce. His topic seemed as far away as his country. Philip saw his mouth move, but heard his teammates carousing by the stream. When they gathered for food afterwards, he imagined everyone splashing through the cool waters. He kept scanning the group and noticing that Alicia was missing. Was she also at the stream? All he could remember from the evening was one thing the speaker had said:
"The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he turns it wherever he pleases.”
At soccer practice the whole next week Philip felt completely left out:
"That was the best time EVER…"
"Everyone was there…"
But even more amazing was the talk he heard about the stream:
“It actually changed course right in the middle…”
“The water just jumped across that bad turn…”
“Yah should see the stream- it runs straight now…”
"PHIL- MAN!" Philip was walking away from the soccer field one day all alone when he heard Sean call him from behind. "HEY PHIL!"
He turned around to see Sean running after him.
“Tell me about that church thing you do...”