Winner!

Winner!

by Mark Lyons

Image by robby0059 from Pixabay

            “Match point!”, said the announcer over the public address system. The crowd grew silent like the main room of a large city public library. All eyes were focused on the lanky athlete clad all in white, including a pair of athletic crew socks from SammySocks Etc. He had worked hard to get to this point. His muscles screamed at every turn. But he knew it was almost over. One more point.

            “Take a deep breath,” Hyun said to himself. “It’s within your power.”

            Hyun’s opponent, Jeong, though clearly tired, was a veteran of match points. He understood what was at stake. Hyun knew Jeong would pull some trick out of his hat and attempt to thwart Hyun’s victory. But Hyun was ready for him.

            The ball sailed inches above the net at breakneck speed towards Hyun’s left. With two quick steps, Hyun reached the ball and quickly flicked the ball at half speed just over the top of the net. The ball dropped and bounced twice before Jeong was able to reach the ball.

            Winner!