Keeper Of The Field

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Jimmy was part of a poor family . There were lots of kids in Jimmy's
family but not a lot of work for his Mum and Dad who had tried very
hard to put food on the table . Now and then a days work came along
that brought in just enough to keep them from being evicted from their
little home .
In Jimmy's house there were no comforts . No television or chocolate
treats for him . The things that most people took for granted were out
of reach for Jimmy and his family . Yet Jimmy never complained . He was
content with the little he had in life . The thing that sustained him
was his love for football .
Since he was old enough to kick a tin around the cinders pitch Jimmy
was totally consumed by the game .

The cinders pitch was Jimmy's second home .
Originally the football pitch was build for the steelworks factory team
.
Brookfield United . What a team they were . The pride of the district
.
People sat on the factory walls each Sunday watching them . The
sidelines were packed with supporters . The noise of the crowd could be
heard for miles around . Each result was a winning one for Brookfield .
The talent in the side was huge and some of the players even went on to
play for professional clubs . Three of them had trials for the country
and one actually was picked as a substitute for an International match
.
Those players who had made a name for themselves never forgot were they
came from . They might have taken the boy from Brookfield but they
could never take Brookfield from the boy .

Times had changed though since the steelworks closed and slowly the
town shut down . People started to leave in search of work else where
.
Those who remained hoped that it would get better . It never did
.
The school had just enough numbers to receive Government funding
and
most of the students were as poor as Jimmy and his family . Nobody ever
got teased for not having shoes to wear . Nobody was made to feel
inferior if their clothes had holes . Every one was in the same boat
.

These days the cinders pitch was used to host the local school boy
competition . Every Sunday Jimmy would go to play football against the
visitors on the old cinders pitch at the end of the town . Jimmy
sometimes scored a few and once was asked to play for another school
team but his heart was for one team only the Brookfield Boys .

After each game the lads stayed back and shared a few jokes .
One day Jimmy kept them all going and said

"During the week I had an offer from United . I had to refuse them
because
they could never afford me . Anyway I've got a better offer from a
bigger team and I'm going to say no to them as well ."

Everyone had a laugh and then they said goodbye and made their way back
home .It was Jimmy's turn this week to take the ball home . After the
pitch was deserted Jimmy had space to juggle the ball and do a few
tricks .
Weaving in and out with mean body swerving with the ball no more than
an arms length away . Then he would crack the ball into the empty net
and throw his arms up in the air . He could almost hear the crowd go
crazy and shout his name . At ten years of age Jimmy played with the
greatest players of all time and in his imagination he had won a dozen
world cups and every other club competition known .He dreamt of
greatness and the dream remained alive for as long as he had the ball
at his feet . Sprinting across from the cinders pitch to the old
factory wall Jimmy would play out each game plan then on and on he ran
until it was almost dark . He reached out and shook the hands of
invisible players who of course respected him immensely . Jimmy was the
only superstar on the field and everyone knew that . He acknowledged
the applause from the stands and then put the ball under his arm and
started to leave the field .

"Let me see you dribble again ."'
Said a voice .

"What . Who said that "
Jimmy asked .

"Here can you bend the ball son ."
Came the reply .

Jimmy spun around and saw a man standing on the sidelines .
Full of confidence Jimmy threw the ball into the air trapped it with
his hip and ran towards the sideline .
"Watch this mister "
Said Jimmy .
He changed direction and with the outside of his right foot connected
briefly with the left face of the ball that spun like a top into the
back of the net .

"Now do it with your left foot ."
The stranger said .

"Sure .But you'll have to do keeper ."
Jimmy replied .

"Right you be son "
He answered .

The stranger made his way over to the goalposts and spat on his hands
and then rubbed them together .

"It's a penalty for me mister ."
Said Jimmy as he carefully placed the ball on the spot .

"You'll have to do something special to put the ball past me son "
.

"The something special I'll do mister ."
Said Jimmy who took three steps back behind the ball . He picked his
spot with extreme concentration and thought about every day he went
without TV and chocolate . He thought about all the times he went to
school in bare feet and he thought about his Mum and Dad who spent day
after day looking for a job that didn't exist and then he approached
the ball with his fire in his belly and the wind at his back . He
connected with the ball like it was part of him . Like a bullet fired
from a gun the ball exploded from the outside of his left foot and
curved almost forty five degrees into the top corner of the net .

"Ok its in the net ."
said the keeper .

"The kick it back mister . I win and you loose ."
Jimmy replied .

"If you want your ball then go and get it yourself ."
said the stranger .

Suddenly the ball disappeared and Jimmy looked on and saw what looked
like a door open in the middle of the goal.

"What's going on ?"
Jimmy asked .

"That's where all lost balls go Jimmy . That is the balls that get past
me . So then you may enter and find your treasure there . Trust me .
Its ok . "

"Who are you Mister ?"
Jimmy asked .

"I am the keeper of the field ."
came the reply .

Jimmy walked into the net and through the door . On the other side he
discovered another world . Children with kites and balloons chased the
wind that blew fairies from Glen to a distant castle . The castle had a
sunset behind it and a path to the castle shimmered in the fading
twilight .

Some of the children ran past Jimmy and said ,
"Hurry up then or you'll not get in ".

Jimmy ran along with them until they were inside the Castle Toran
.
Jimmy was surrounded by children who said ,

"The keeper told us that it's your turn to get a wish . What do you
want "

"I just wish I could have my ball back ."
Jimmy replied .

All the children started laughing and pointed to a door in the castle
.

"What's in there ?"
Jimmy asked .

"That's where everything lost is found ."
They said .

Jimmy bounced his way in through the door . On the other side of the
door was a huge room filled with balls of every shape size and colour .
There were balloons, coins , kites, keys and toys . There was letters
and cards and hats
and coats . There was everything you could ever imagine that had been
lost at some time or another . Jimmy just stood there and sighed
.
Then from out of no where his ball rolled over to him . He lifted it
and ran for the door . As soon as he opened the door Jimmy was back
again on the cinders pitch .

The keeper stood there and said ,
"So you got your ball back than Jimmy ."

"I sure did ."
came the reply .

"If its ok I want you to play for a major football club . The contract
has been made up . All it needs is your parents permission and you are
set up for life ."
The Keeper handed Jimmy the contract and told him to post it once his
parents had signed it .

Jimmy was so excited that he did a back flip and ran all the way home
.
Jimmy went on to become one of the greatest football players the world
has ever seen . As the highest paid player ever to have kicked a ball
Jimmy was regarded by many as the biggest marvel sport had ever seen
.
He played for club and country and went on to manage the club in his
retirement .

Jimmy and his family were very rich and with the money he had made
Brookfield was now a thriving community once again . Many of the
industries Jimmy's family owned and the workers were happy there
.
New schools were built and new shops . The only thing that never
changed was the cinder pitch . It was Jimmy's request that it should
never change .
The old goalposts and nets were never touched and no one ever asked why
.

Jimmy kept the secret of the keeper of the field and the cinder pitch
still remain s there to this very day .

The End

By Paul McCann