General
At last it stopped. Everything stopped. No movement. No sound. Only smell. The truck cab filled with the dry smell of dust and the stomach-churning stench of gas.
Everything was hazy, seen through a blanket of dust and smoke. "Rusty?" Katie said, "You okay?"
"Uh, yeah, I think so. We gotta get out of here."
Katie undid her seatbelt. "Emily?"
There was no answer.
Max put his hand on Sam's shoulder. "C'mon. You're not giving up already, are you?"
"Already?" said Sam. "I've tried everything! It's hopeless."
"You haven't tried everything. Have you talked to the clowns yet? You'd be a natural with them."
"Thanks a lot."
The ball hit the road and the game was on.
Once the game started, time stopped for me.
For all of us.
We played. And played. And played.
And were they good! I never saw a pro handle a puck the way these kids handled an old red ball.
"Marcus, come meet my cousin Shelley," Kyle called. Marcus walked over slowly. "Hi," he muttered. He looked at Shelley. "How old are you?" "I'm eight," said Shelley. "I'm ten," said Marcus. "You're just a kid." "I am not a kid," Shelley declared. She decided she did not like Marcus very much. She wished he would get back in his car and go home.
