Another disappointing game! At 12, having played since 6, Rory knew he’d never hit a home run. His younger brother, Ben, achieved many. Rory overheard friends and family compare him unfavorably. Still, his dad had taught good sportsmanship.
During a particularly disastrous game, Rory struck out twice. So, he practiced hard for his school’s jazz concert.
He listened to the greats: Coltrane, Getz, Cannonball. At least Grandma always attended.
The auditorium packed, Rory stood. His solo!
Such sweetness arced over the conductor, the audience, and beyond, into the night, lingering amid bravos.
“You, Rory, just hit a home run!” Grandma said.
Great story. You are correct, everyone can hit a home run – it just may be that not everyone recognizes THE home run.
Excellent story!
Thank you. Hope it’s encouraging.
A lot crammed into 101 Words. Good plotline. You made us feel a lot of sympathy for mc.
Great story!
Really, really good story.
This is perfect.
I enjoyed your story, particularly thinking of Rory listening to some of the jazz greats. I liked Grandma always attending Rory’s concerts, and dad emphasizing “good sportsmanship.” Your use of the verb “achieved” [i.e., Ben’s home runs], however, was a clanger for me. I understand you were you avoiding repeating “hit” from the prior sentence. But from Little League to the Big Leagues, a baseball fan never says “achieved,” homers. I think you needed to use a baseball action verb [e.g., “belted,” “smacked,’ “cracked,” “stroked,”]. Also, I wanted to know what musical instrument Rory played.