SHARON: I’m here at the baseball field in White Pines, getting ready to introduce Jordan Jenson, who happens to be in the middle of pitching practice. ‘Sup, Jordan?
“Whoa! What the …” Jordan halts a pitch in mid-air. “Oh, no, not now, my game’s gonna start in twenty minutes.”
SHARON: This won’t take long, Jordan. Five minutes tops.
Jordan snorts. “Five minutes too long.
SHARON: As my granddaughter says, ‘suck it up, buttercup’. First question: Obviously, you like sports, what don’t you like?
“Does Amanda Sault being on my Timekeeper team count?”
SHARON: Your five minutes just turned into ten.
Jordan throws the ball into his mitt a tad too hard. He winches. “Okay, okay, I’ll play nice. I don’t like having to wear this thing all the time.” He reaches down his purple jersey to pull out a light blue stone dangling on the end of a glittering necklace.
SHARON: Details, please. What exactly is that thing?
“It’s called a Babel necklace. Every Timekeeper needs one to time travel. The stone acts like a cell phone to summon us for a mission. First it glows, and then it vibrates, giving off a warm, tingly feeling that radiates throughout my entire body.”
SHARON: What’s not to like about that?
Jordan adjusts his baseball cap. “It’s kind of embarrassing when it goes off. It’s like the stupid stone has no sense of timing and summons at the worst possible times – like during track and field practice or when I’m about to pitch a game. Only my Coach understands.”
SHARON: Wait …your coach knows about you being a Timekeeper?
Jordan rolls his blue eyes. “No. I’m talking about the Coach in my head.”
SHARON: That makes perfect sense. Do you see dead people too?
Jordan’s cheeks turn red. “I knew you wouldn’t understand. Most people don’t.”
SHARON: Sorry. I’ll play nice too. Could you shed some light about the Coach in your head?
Jordan looks around, making sure we’re alone. “Promise you won’t tell anyone?”
SHARON: Scout’s honour. (I even flash him the appropriate three-finger sign)
Jordan sighs. “I really don’t know where to start. I’ve been hearing his voice ever since I can remember. It just comes to me. I decided to call it the ‘Coach’ because it’s kind of like my mentor. It believes in me, says the right thing at the right time. You see, ‘Coach’ cuts through the crap, tells it like it is and helps me out when things get tough. I listen, decide, and then make my play. It works for me, and has gotten me through some jams.”
SHARON: Gees, where can I get me a Coach like that?
Jordan smirks. “You’ve probably got one. You’re just not listening hard enough.
SHARON: Are you being smart with me, young man?
A full blown smile lights up Jordan’s tanned face. “Hell, no, that’s Drake’s department!”
SHARON: Is now a good time to tell you I was never a scout?
No comments:
Post a Comment