A Second Wind
S
Rob McCorkle
white. There stood the players, dirty, tired, and ready to put an end
to their three-hour struggle. The end of the game was near.
The batter trudged away in defeat soon after the umpire
declared his fate. He made his way past his teammates and sat back
down on the bench. He took off his helmet and began rubbing his
temples.
“Dammit,” he said with a sigh.
fell on deaf ears and the player continued to sulk. Only two players
did not join the teammates in their wound-licking: one took his
stance and readied himself to bat, and the other walked out of the
dugout to begin stretching.
Isaac Strom stood outside the dugout and stared blankly
at the sky, forgetting where he was. The black sky had no stars
visible, and the moon was hidden. Only the quickly moving clouds
swirled freely. The absence of the moon disheartened Isaac. Looking at the moon always put him at ease.
“Strike one!”
Isaac blinked and remembered what he was doing. He
tated as a sudden pain erupted in his lower back.
“Not again,” Isaac moaned. Isaac played all kinds of sports:
soccer, basketball, tennis, golf, football, rugby, and any sport he
while playing rugby a few years back. A player he did not know
stepped on his back. He did not breathe a word of his troubles to
his friends or coach, and even hid it from his parents because he
fully went away. Pushing through the pain, he began his stretching
routine, and the stabbing sensation dulled.
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