Flash fiction

The Game

The Game

My hand on the TV remote pressed the channels restlessly till I found the one I was searching for. It was a basketball match being played between the ‘bulls’ and the ‘bears’ in the state capital. This was the deciding game for the coveted President’s Trophy.

The match was exciting, filled with thrilling points. Both the sides played well till almost to the finish. Five minutes before the end, a foul occurred.  The ‘bulls’, as a result, were given the chance to make that last goal crucial for their win.

Everyone watched that last vital throw. The player stilled, and so were the spectators in the stadium. The tall guy with a look of concentration and steadiness stretched his hands forward. The ball was seen flying above and falling towards the hoop. It touched the rim just a fraction. I held my breath, and so seemed the audience. It could be in or out during that one or two seconds of time. It felt an eternity before the ball fell in. There was a unanimous sigh of relief, I was sure. Then I saw people cheering the winners. I shouted ‘hurray’.

I found myself holding on to that remote as though my life depended on it. God! I was so happy.

A week later:

We received a parcel from the sports association. Our eyes lit up when we saw what the object was. It was a beautiful picture frame with the photo of the winning team of that memorable match.

The man who made that all-important goal was seen holding up the shining trophy. He was the captain of ‘bulls’, my big brother!

We displayed the photo frame on the top shelf in the living room. A proud family we were!

Word count: 293

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