Dennis and Larry were best friends. They were neighbours, went to the same school and were also in the football team. Both loved sports and attended a lot of matches together. It was Christmas Eve and both the boys had gone with their parents for a midnight mass. The mass ended quite late in the night. Dennis and Larry decided to walk back home as they thought it would be fun in the wee hours. “May we walk home, mother?” asked Larry, when his parents were getting back into their car. “I guess so. But come back home straightaway. Do not loiter around,” she said. Even Dennis’ parents agreed to his suggestion and both the boys started their 10-minute walk back home. “Let’s just take a peek at the football stadium,” said Larry, as they passed by the stadium. “Yes, why not?” said Dennis, equally excited.
The Strong Wind
As the boys entered the stadium, they were slightly ruffled by the pitch darkness. Most of the lights in the stadium were off, and it was dimly lit at just one or two places. The boys then entered the ground and started running around here and there. They imagined they were kicking a ball and made the victory sign. “Someday, I hope to play a match here,” said Dennis. “Yes, yes. We should play together,” said Larry. Suddenly, strong winds started blowing. The trees around the stadium made strange rustling sounds and it started echoing in the stadium, scaring the boys. The winds were so strong that dust started swirling around them and they had to close their eyes really tight to ensure that no particles went inside them. Larry started running towards a corner of the stadium. Dennis tried to follow him, but he could not see properly, as he had to keep his eyes shut.
Larry Disappears
Finally, when Dennis could open his eyes a bit, he realised that Larry was not anywhere. He tried to call out to Larry but did not get any response. “Larry, please come out, wherever you are,” said Dennis, almost on the verge of tears. In the meantime, what had happened was that the strong winds had pushed Larry towards a corner of the stadium. Larry had also been blinded by the dust, so he did not realise where he was going. When the dust, finally settled down, Dennis could see Larry. Larry was standing close to a large tree, which had deep green and wide branches that looked ominous in the dark. “Why are you going there? Please come back here. That tree looks really scary,” cried out Dennis. However, Larry seemed to have forgotten about Dennis. He did not even respond to his calls.
Larry Forgets Everything
Dennis tried hard to get Larry’s attention but he just did not seem to listen. Then something strange happened. Two branches from the tree reached out and picked Larry up. They then hurled Larry far into the air. Dennis gasped. Larry flew some distance into the air and then dashed into the wall of the stadium. He then fell to the floor. Dennis hoped that Larry had not hurt himself too much. Five seconds after he had touched the ground, Larry got up and ran out of the stadium door. “Larry, Larry,” called out Dennis, but his friend just ran out, leaving him behind. Terrified, Dennis, too, ran out of the stadium, all the while praying and shouting. He saw Larry entering his home and was relieved. The next day, when Dennis asked Larry about the incident in the stadium, he did not remember anything. “Did we walk home together?” Larry asked.
