I Block a Soccerball with My face

I block a soccer ball with my face.

By Mordecai J Banda

Standard Five in Chesa Private Primary school. It wasn't anything special. Two groups of kids to haphazard to actually be called teams. The heights and ages are all mismatched, especially here in Malawi, were opportunities are different.

Anyway, i am a kid at the time, and i didn't have such grand thoughts. All i want to do is not embarrass myself as a defender on my side of the team. That day's game is particularly grueling, exciting, and I'm running around for once, not so lazy, and expecting balls to come my way, just not the way it did.

There is this boy named Gideon, his bad in class due to psychological ailments, but otherwise he is an awesome football player, and it is him that starts the deadly play leading to that moment in time...

The ball was flicked to another striker... Tom, i think, then to Blessings. The ball was just coming through every opening, and it looked pretty bad. I exaggerate my position as a right defender, staying far right than necessary as the ball comes in place. The striker shot a killer ball, and the goal keeper could only deflect it, falling way off the center of the goal, leaving it utterly exposed. All defenders are hopeless, they have been beaten.

I see the ball bounce back to the striker. I know a shot has been set up. I don't actually feel these things, its just a dreadful instinct. I swear the whole place is quiet. I swear it again and again. There was nothing else, i even utterly forgot the face of the striker. The half flat soccer ball has landed on his feet, and i have hopped to the left, calculating better than most days doing math. The ball flies, i remember the black school shoe that hit it, and then-

BAM!

The ball hit my face, i can't believe how instantaneous the ball goes from that foot to my face. Its too fast and amazing to comprehend. I'm in a sort of blank out, the pain is major around my eyes and teeth. Thank goodness its not a hard, inflated ball.

I have landed on my rump, there is shuffling, loud noises, and then someone is pulling me up, and i can here them calling my name. They're impressed with me.

"Morde! Morde! Morde!" And on and on and on it goes. The pain subsides in the good feeling residing in my stomach. For once on the football field i am a hero, and this is another moment. When people are just cheering on and on for me, before the match continued again, and i wasn't so special for much longer. At least we won in the end, and i saved our team one goal.

Word Count: 462 Timeframe: 20 something seconds