This story was written for Pensitivity 101’s Three Things Challenge #341

Today’s threes Prompt’s are: Play, Sorry, Final
A Penalty Sting in the Tale
This was it; ninety minutes of solid football play time, plus another thirty minutes extra time had failed to separate the Broadland City U21 and Swansea U21 teams. They’d battled hard and neither team wanted to lose this the final match to decide the championship trophy.
Tied at two goals apiece, it had come down to a penalty shoot-out. One by one the players took turns to take kicks from the spot. Goalkeepers dived and the crowd roared. Then it was four goals each with one ball to play.
Captain Samuel Reed of Broadland City stepped-up and placed the ball on the white spot. Taking deep breaths, he absorbed the energy of the cheering crowd and calmed his thrumming heart.
“You got this, Sam!” yelled defender Blake.
“Course he has!” agreed striker Ronnie thumping his chest and saluting.
The referee wasn’t ready. He’d already told some Swansea players off for bad language and now he was chatting with the remonstrating rangy form of Lyle Jefferson the Swansea goalkeeper.
Samuel returned a salute to his team and smoothed his stylish brown hair. He knew the Swansea team were just trying to time waste and get into his head. Instead of being affected, he remained unfazed and as calm as he could manage. He gazed around at the fans; his vision came upon the dugout. There in the forefront was Manager Harold Wilson.
“Stay calm and think smart.” Was the message conveyed by him pointing to his temple and pressing a palm down toward the grass pitch.
Samuel nodded, his eyes rising to the executive box and a certain someone. Looking excited and nervous in her football shirt was Holly Ward. Holly gave him a reason to play again after an ankle injury almost stole his career. She was the only reason he had this all-important penalty to take now. The ball was going in the back of the net for her.
Holly was jumping about in suspense causing her yellow and green pigtails to dance around her head.
Still, the referee was dealing with the goalkeeper
Samuel ignored the interruption. He raised a finger, thumped his heart and pointed to Holly. ‘I love you!’ in any language.
She repeated the gesture and blew him a kiss.
“Sorry about all the disruptions, lad. You ready to go?” asked the referee.
“Yeah – let’s finish this!” Samuel replied setting his face with calm determination. He checked the ball and counted his steps backwards.
The referee blew the whistle.
Samuel felt a surge of adrenaline and bounded toward the ball. He raised his foot to strike, saw the keeper grab his neck in a panic, and ran past the ball. By the time he reached the goalmouth, Lyle was on the grass gasping for breath.
“What happened, man?” Samuel asked dropping beside him.
“Wa-sp.” The goalkeeper could barely breathe.
Samuel knew exactly what that meant thanks to his cousin being severely allergic to wasps and bees. “Ref! Get a trainer now. We need an epi-pen as fast as possible. He’s been stung by a wasp and is going into anaphylactic shock!”
“Roger that!” the referee began relaying information over his earpiece.
“Sorry, you got stung, mate. I need you to stay with me, okay.” Samuel saw the doughnut-shaped swelling and mass of red skin on his neck confirming the wasp sting. He rolled Lyle into the recovery position while watching for him to go into shock.
“I’m he-re. Sorry, I ruined your winning ki-ck.” Lyle managed.
“You think I was going to score then, hey?” Samuel said with a smile.
“Yo-u have an an-gel in the st-and. You ca-n’t miss.”
Samuel smiled toward Holly in the stand. “I can’t dis— Shit!”
Lyle convulsed, his body going into shock. Within a heartbeat, his breathing had stopped.
Samuel shoved him onto his back, opened his airway and began chest compressions as trainers arrived around him. “What took you so long!” Samuel remarked.
“Sorry, we don’t carry epi-pens in the kits,” said Broadland’s trainer Greg Charlton.
Samuel continued his chest compressions as he watched him whip the yellow tip of a plastic tube. He slipped a blue and white auto-injector from it and plunge the needle into the goalkeeper’s thigh. Samuel knew it contained epinephrine to counter the anaphylactic shock.
“Allow us,” said a green garb wearing St John’s Ambulance member taking over as his teammate wired Lyle to the stadium’s defibrillator machine.
Samuel stood up and shook his head as he wandered toward his team. He, never wanted things to go this way. Winning anything wasn’t worth somebody potentially dying.
“What happened?” asked Blake.
“Wasp sting.” Samuel took a bottle of water from a trainer’s tray.
“Now, what?” asked Shane a central midfielder.
“Well, it depends on what Swansea want to do. They have a replacement keeper, so they can play him to finish the game. I’m sure Harold won’t object under the circumstances.” Samuel looked toward the goal. He was relieved to see Lyle was awake. He was pale and groggy, but at least the epinephrine had saved him.
Almost fifteen minutes later, the whistle blew sending the fans into rapturous cheers. Samuel ran up to the ball and scythed it into the back of the net. He’d won the U21 Championship trophy for his elated team. Samuel loved winning matches and trophies, the best bit for him was always getting to hug Holly and be with his friends and family after the match. That’s why for him, the best of the day was knowing Lyle would recover and get to be with his family again too.
The End
I didn’t have a story for this prompt today and then this happened …

Yup a wasp nailed me right in the side of the knee! That hurt but thank you for the inspiration you rotten little git!
Thanks for reading my friends. As always there are more stories to be enjoyed (I hope) in the Short Stories and Short Stories 2 tabs. There’s also poetry here in Poetry Corner
Have a great day!
Very interesting story!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not a fan of wasps…….. I sat on one as a young child, got stung on the neck by one dropping out of the air conditioning at work, put my hand on another on the fence and one stung me on the back when i sat in the driver’s seat of my car. Luckily I don’t have allergies, but god it hurt!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wow! That was a lot of bad luck. They just mowed the grass on the field today. I was walking Lucy dog and I guest the little shits were still upset and so I got nailed. One tried to kill my camera too lol.
LikeLike
I was five for the first, the car was in 1991, the AC in 1998 and the fence in 2008. Ah yes, I remember them well!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes – yes you do lol. Well no more stings for you. that’s too many already!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I steer clear of the yellow and blacks, but talk to the bees and they don’t bother me!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bees are friendly souls. They’ll never sting unless really forced. I somehow got one under my shirt once. It never even consider stinging me and just seemed pleased when I let it go.
Wasps on the other hand seem to sting for the hell of it.
LikeLike
Wasps are anti social. Bees are precious, and both Hubby and I have saved a few.
You might enjoy this
https://pensitivity101.wordpress.com/2014/04/05/two-walk-friday/
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree, Thanks for the link.
LikeLiked by 1 person
you’re welcome
LikeLike
Ouch!! That’s a wicked wasp sting, my friend. I’m assuming you are all right. Great story, and it was cool to see Sam and Holly again. Wonderful storytelling, as usual. And a reminder…if one is allergic to bee stings, one should ALWAYS have an epi-pen handy!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Fortunately I’m not allergic, that was a meaty reaction though. Its already going down nicely thankfully.
It was the sting reminding me of Sam’s cousin in my series that gave me the story. so oddly I’m thankful to the wasp lol.
Epi-pens are a must for anyone with serious reactions for sure
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had an inkling that was Holly’s Sam, and I was right! A great story, even if it was inspired by a painful event. Well done!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you liked it. Sometimes even a bad event can ead to inspiration for a story.
LikeLiked by 1 person