By Nathan

"Are you sure you don't wanna play, Bess?", Dan asked with a grin as they got ready to select teams for their weekly ball game.

Bess sighed and gave Dan a glare. "Yes Dan, I am quite sure. I'll just stay here and cheer you on."

"Come on Dan, we're starting." Nan called out. " Let the princess be. She wouldn't want to spoil her beautiful dress, would she?"

Dan laughed as he ran out to join the others. Bess never played games like ball with them. At least nowadays she would come out to watch them play instead of staying cooped up in the house.

"Everyone ready?" Franz shouted. He was, as usual, the referee. " Let's go!" He tossed the ball to Emil.

Finding Dan blocking his way, Emil threw the ball to Nat, who was promptly brought down by Nan. She wrenched the ball from his grasp as Nat lay on the ground, all the breath knocked out of him.

Grinning, Nan ran for the line and scored the first touchdown. Bess and Jo cheered from the porch.

Helping Nat to his feet, Dan grinned at him." I always suspected that Nan bowled you over. Guess this was just a little more proof."

"I could have one hand tied behind my back and still do better than that!!" yelled Emil." Come on Nat, you gotta try harder."

"Just leave him alone, all right", Nan jumped in angrily, protecting her best friend."I could have taken you down just as easily. Come on, who's starting next?"

Kneeling down with the ball, Dan passed it to Nan, who ran some way with it. She passed it to Billy, who threw it back to Dan. A couple of passes later, Dan had scored their second touchdown.

Looking at Bess, Jo smiled. "Looks like you favourite team is winning." she said with a sly grin. Bess stared back with wide eyes, pretending she didn't have the faintest idea what Jo was talking about.

"Mornin' boys" Nick walked up to the playing group.

"Nick, will you play with us?" Nat shouted. "Come in our team, we really need you!"

"Okay, guess ah could play for a while." Nick joined the group as Emil's team cheered.

Putting on her most innocent smile, Bess remarked, " I think, Aunt Jo, that we will be supporting different teams for the rest of the game."

"Quite right, my dear. I think we should also cheer separately, if you don't mind." replied Jo with equal candor.

Right at that moment Nat, given a pass by Nick next to the line, scored the first touchdown for his team. Involuntarily, Jo jumped up cheering and clapping with such zest that all the players stopped to stare at her. She blushed and quickly sat down.

Soon, both the teams were dead equal.Two minutes remaining and everything to play for.

"This is it, boys." Franz shouted. " The team that gets a score on this ball, wins." He tossed the ball into the air.

Using the advantage of his height and superior reach, Nick grabbed the ball before anybody else could. He threw it to Tommy who was standing ten metres away. Tommy was unable to latch onto the ball and it fell to the ground.

Very quickly Nan rushed up and picked the ball. Seeing that Dan was much nearer the line than she was, she passed it to him, the throw landing perfectly in Dan's open hands.

"Way to go, Nan." Bess shouted from the porch. She was on her feet trying to make out what was going on, through the flying dust and the mob that was now converging on Dan.

X-ray vision would have been needed to make out what happened next, as Dan broke out from the midst of the crowd and started running towards the line. Nick was the only person in the way.

"Yes Dan, come on, you can do it." Bess screamed." Run, just five seconds left."

Zooming past Nick's outstretched arms, Dan leapt for the line and scored the winning touchdown, a split-second before Franz yelled " Time" and the entire winning team erupted in whoops of joy.

THE END