Monday, January 5, 2026

One Last Play: Part Zero: Chapter 1

 “Time for one last play!”

Coach Levitt looked up at the scoreboard.  A field goal wouldn’t be enough to win the game.  They would have to go for a touchdown.  Forty-seven yards was a lot of ground to cover, but he had confidence that his team could do it.  He signaled from the sideline and the quarterback nodded.  The crowd began to roar as the huddle broke, and the offense lined up behind the ball.

“Blue 42!  Blue 42!  Set, hut!”

The quarterback took the snap and rolled to his left, the defense dropped back to cover his receivers who were going deep.  His wide receiver crossed behind him and took the ball on an end-around, sweeping in the other direction.  He dropped back behind some blockers and saw the quarterback racing down the sideline as planned.  The receiver drew his arm back and let the ball fly.  It sailed down the field into the waiting arms of the quarterback who stumbled into the endzone, clutching the ball to his chest.

“Touchdown!  Bulldogs win!  Bulldogs win!”

The stands erupted with wild cheers, and the team emptied the benches and ran downfield, shouting and piling on the quarterback.  It was a few moments before everyone untangled themselves and noticed that the quarterback Brian Cook, wasn’t moving.  It wasn’t until he was loaded into the ambulance that it was determined that he had died.  What was deeply disconcerting, however, was that the apparent cause of his death was a bullet hole in his back.

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She Cooks: Author's Notes

·          After writing One Last Play , I wondered what major Emma might be pursuing.   I asked around and Psychology was a popular guess. ...