Floodlights

Chapter 7

Black.

Bodies move. Heads swivel. Pull. Push. An alarming "Trevor's" shout merits a Dark Aged battle. Hearts sit at the back of the mouth as the ball is bulleted towards goal. The bar rattles and its reverberations shake through the defence. The ball still hangs in the air and temporarily becomes a chameleon in the floodlights as both the attack and defence stare making a perfect 'spot the ball' competition snapshot. Then a tall, dark, differently coloured jersey wearing player rises about the rest rising high like the racquet on an Andy Roddick serve. "Keepers" deafens the knights as the ball is clasped and plucked from the sky. As he lands an imaginary switch in the player's minds is flicked as those who had their backs to the walls now dart like arrows out of the box looking to hit their former attackers when they are thin in number. The ball follows them whistling through the air launched by the catapult arms of the keeper. The teen collects the ball and is running at full pelt. Three fights three as the teen just slides past his first defender and approaches the box. Two team mates pull up and look to lose their tight markers as the ball finds them. All eyes come on the striker as he has just a small opening to score. Breath stops. Adrenalin shoots through the striker's body closely chased by lactic acid set out of the traps by nerves like a greyhound closing home on a faux rabbit. His cocked leg fires. He shoots the ball goal ward. The light shines off the ball, flies up past the bar and out towards the dark wet track and into the darkness.

Crunch.

Black.

Matthew awakes again with a little mix of anger and disappointment at the 04:17 time on his alarm clock. Despite being happy and excited for the first time in years he can't believe that he is unable to rest and that the dream keeps haunting him. He grabs his journal switches on his light and slumps down, naked on top of his sheets with pen, to try to convince himself of his need for rest.

"Mayday Mayday"

"Please help! Help! I'm drowning all consumed.

I feel it on top of me, inside me and all around.

It's growing! And growing and will not stop!

In my stomach sloshing around

Flushing in my blood, in my ears as sound

My jaw has locked; my eyes fixed their view

I'm going down, sinking, submerged with all of you!"

"Help! Medicine, please push it all out!

Breathe clearly, without pressure, blowing free.

Swallow quick! Swallow quick! Please get inside

In my brain giving me life

Digested nerves, quicker these things are rife!

My legs are numb I'm ready to fly

My body's given now ready to buy."

Over the impending day's dreams and times at work, Matthew walks there trapped, suffocated screaming on the inside. There seems to be more people, themselves further irritated as they want to almost trample anything that gets in their way. They are quicker too leaving a weary Matthew slowly pondering to work: his mind and body programmed to go there, his heart wanting to not. The rain is still incessant as it seems to gather strength and a bawl with many thundery bellows. Work becomes more predictable and less productive with Jason's whines, Max's stalks and his job's needs.