Chapter Twenty-Four
The community center was bustling with people.
It smelled of turkey, glazed ham, stuffing, and baked rolls. Desserts lined one table, tempting passer-bys with pies, cakes, cookies, and other sweet treats.
The dinner started with Leah reading a prayer of thanksgiving from her Prayer Book, for anyone who wanted to participate. Then, the eating commenced.
Everyone wanted to participate in that .
“Hey, did you notice there’s always someone guarding the dessert table?” Eli said.
“Sure did,” Dylan said. “What’s that about?”
Eli grinned mischievously. “We’ve had some pie fights around here.”
Dylan didn’t doubt that for one second.
They went through the line, piled their plates high, and found seats. For the time, the rivalry was on hold as the Littles talked and laughed together. They’d renew the competitiveness once the big football game rolled around that afternoon. But for now, they were all content to eat and be thankful.
***
Thanksgiving lunch ended without a single pie being thrown into anyone’s face.
It was a record for Mountainville.
Dax hoped it was the start of a new tradition, too. Who knew with those Littles?
Folks lingered in the community center and talked. There was chatter about Christmas, which was only a little over three weeks away. The Littles were excited and already plotting how they’d snoop and find their gifts before the Big Day.
About ten minutes before four that afternoon, the Wildcats and Black Bears changed into their uniforms. They then met outside where the “field” had been erected.
It was a giant inflatable—a little over thirty yards long—with a green surface marked with white lines to mimic a football field. There were even inflatable goal posts in each end zone—sticking out of the ball pits. Besides the bouncy, squishy surface, there were other obstacles to affect the game: small inflatable blocks positioned at random intervals to breakup forward progress.
“It’s certainly not traditional football,” Dylan commented. “But I think we can win.”
Standing nearby, Natasha, speaking for the Bears, said, “Nope. We’ve got this. We’ve been practicing hard.”
“When?” Katie said. “Making glitter bombs takes a lot of time.”
“And I suppose you wouldn’t know who covered our houses in toilet paper last night,” Christopher chimed in.
The Wildcats didn’t say anything to confirm or deny their involvement.
Instead, Dylan said, “Let’s settle this once and for all. On the football field. Or the football bounce house. Whatever this thing is.”
By now, the crowd was starting to spill out of the community center, ready to see the big matchup. Bleachers had been wheeled out and folks found their seats, eager for a good game.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Dax said, using a mic that had been brought outside, along with a portable speaker. “Welcome to the first Annual Mountainville Classic!”
The crowd cheered.
Bo leaned in and spoke from the side of his mouth saying, “I thought it was the Mountainville Bowl.”
Dax shrugged. “I forgot what this thing is called. But does it matter at this point?” he whispered.
Bo shook his head.
Addressing the crowd again, Dax said, “We have the Mountainville Black Bears. And the Mountainville Wildcats. Let’s hear it for our teams!”
The crowd cheered again as the Littles climbed atop—rather ungracefully—the uneven surface of the “field.” They all had a hard time standing. Several slipped a few times.
Bo, wearing the black and white striped ref’s shirt he’d changed into, climbed up, as well. He took the whistle that hung around his neck and put it between his lips. He then held up his hands and Dax grabbed the official ball—an oversized, plush football—and tossed it to him.
He put it in starting spot. The teams lined up in the center, on either side of the ball, and took their positions.
Bo held up his hand, moved out of the way, then blew the whistle as he slashed his arm down.
And with that, the game was on.
***
Dylan got the ball first and drew his arm back, ready to pass.
He surveyed the field before him and saw his other teammates tangled up with defenders, all except Katie. Their eyes met. He nodded and then launched a missile that soared straight into her awaiting arms.
She turned and tried to power forward, but Christopher had gotten loose from his clash with Eli and leapt for her.
She managed to sidestep him at the last second, but on that bouncy surface, she lost her balance and tumbled down. The ball came loose. Natasha and Colt both dove for it, but their hands hit it at the same time, bumping it further along.
The crowd was roaring, many of them standing, looking for a good view of the mayhem.
More Littles joined the pile, trying to come up with the ball.
It was Stryker who emerged victoriously from the tangled mass. He powered down the rest of the field’s length and jumped into the ball pit in the endzone.
After that, Harrison—the Wildcats’ agreed upon kicker—sent the ball through the uprights to tack on an extra point.
The Wildcats had drawn first blood.
***
The Black Bears responded well to Stryker’s victory.
They came raging back, scoring two straight unanswered touchdowns with points after and then a field goal.
By the half, the Wildcats were down by ten.
Off the inflatable and in a huddle, drinking water, the team panted for a moment before Dylan said, “I’m sorry guys. I thought I could coach us to victory.”
“You’re doing great,” Eli said. “And in all fairness, this isn’t your typical game of football!”
“Thanks,” Dylan said. “But we need to make some adjustments. Stryker and Harrison, you two are the biggest, so it makes sense that you could power through. But those obstacles are giving you fits. Aurelia is good at jumping over them.
“So, remember, you can throw laterals. Just make sure it’s not a forward pass once we’re beyond the line of scrimmage.” He looked at Katie and Stella. “I want double coverage on Natasha. She’s killing us.”
“You got it, Coach!” Katie said with a nod.
“What will you do?” Stella asked.
“I’ll try to cover as many of the others as I can, but I’ll pay special attention to Colt. He’s pretty good,” Dylan said.
The buzzer sounded and Dax made the announcement that halftime was ending.
“We got this,” Dylan said, holding his hand out. “Wildcats on three!”
The others stacked their hands on top of his, forming a tower, while he counted down.
“Wildcats!” they yelled.
The scrambled back onto the field for the second half.
***
The Black Bears came to play.
Leah got the ball, threw a lateral to Libby, who in turn threw one to Megan.
Megan jumped over a block, landed on her butt, but bounced right back up with athletic grace. In reality, it was more luck than anything else, but it sure looked cool to all the spectators.
The Black Bears now owned the game, being seventeen points ahead.
But the Wildcats turned up the heat upon receiving the ball back.
Katie caught the ball in her own end zone but managed a decent return, putting the spot in the center of the field. Once the ball was snapped, Dylan threw it to Aurelia.
She took off, avoiding Leah and Colt, and jumped up on top of one of the blocks. She wobbled but managed to stay upright and hold onto the ball—which was no small feat given the unsteady conditions. She looked over to see Stella on a block that was parallel with hers. She tossed the ball. Stella caught it, sprang off the block, did a mid-air somersault, and landed on her feet after a high bounce.
She took off running, but Michael was bound and determined to reach her. He did, but tripped, only able to grab at her ankles as she scampered away.
Next, Libby and Megan dove for her, but she stopped running, concentrated on bouncing, and got a good, high jump going.
What happened next became legend in Mountainville.
She jumped over her pursuers, soaring high into the air, momentarily looking at the crowd as she flew like an eagle.
Everyone hollered and clapped.
The cheers only grew louder when she landed in the ball pit in the end zone to put six more points on the board. On top of that, Harrison sent another kick through the uprights.
The Wildcats were mounting a comeback.
***
There was only ten seconds left on the clock, and the Wildcats were down by three.
They’d made an impressive run, rocking the Black Bears and stunning them into silence. Now, with possession of the ball, they had a chance to win it all. Or at least tie.
But they were still far away from the goal posts, so kicking a field goal wasn’t ideal. In normal football they would have been well within range. An easy shot. Not in this version, though.
The soft, plush ball didn’t go very far. And that uneven surface made kicking a chore.
If they were going to win, they needed a touchdown.
Standing behind Harrison, Dylan received the snap. It seemed as if time slowed. He was faintly aware of the seconds ticking off the clock. He needed to move fast, just in case they didn’t score on this down, to give them once more chance.
But that would be a tall order.
Black Bears were charging him from all sides. The Wildcats tried to block them, but Christopher and Leah were able to break through.
Dylan had to get that ball out of his hands fast.
He looked at Katie, but she was tangled up with Colt. Stella was tangled up with Libby.
Aurelia was down, too, and far away from the end zone. Stryker and Harrison had their hands full, having been tripped up by Michael.
There was no one to pass the ball to. He’d have to run. Time was running out. This would be the final play, unless he spiked the ball to preserve the clock. That didn’t seem like a good option, though. Then they’d have to rely on an iffy field goal, which would only tie things up if they made it.
No. This game needed to be won outright.
Dylan heard the roar of the crowd but tried hard to block it out. He needed absolute concentration. The world slowed down even more and the scene unfolded in slow motion.
He charged forward. The Black Bears realized what he was doing and all turned their focus on him. He jumped onto a block and then jumped even higher. He cleared Michael’s head by about three inches as he soared above him.
Dylan landed, bounced once, then again, even higher, using his momentum to hurdle over Leah who’d just dove into his path.
Colt and Christopher barreled toward him. Dylan juked to his left, jumped onto another block, and landed on his feet on the other side.
The end zone was so close! Maybe just six feet away or even less. He could almost taste victory.
But Natasha had other plans.
She came at him from the left. He registered the movement and adjusted his position. He held tight to the ball as he launched himself forward and stretched his arms out like Superman flying high over Metropolis. He left the surface just as she rolled to where he’d been. A split second before, and she would have most likely taken him out at the ankles.
Dylan kept flying past the inflatable pylon that marked the entrance of the end zone. He came to a stop smack in the middle, plunging into the balls, just as the clock ticked down to zero.
He stood up, the balls clacking loudly, and held his arms up high in victory. As he climbed from the pit, the Wildcats cheered as they rushed around him. A moment later, the Black Bears joined them, congratulating their friends on winning a fun game, and patting Dylan on the back.
Before he knew it, Dylan was hoisted into the air by the group, crowd surfing them while he laughed uncontrollably.
In the stands, Teagan was there, capturing the whole thing on video. It had been a long time since she’d seen her baby boy this happy.
Her heart was so full that it felt as if it might burst.
She also felt as if Mountainville might be home.