Tiim eo Ekāāl an Samuel
Ļaddik ro jet remaron̄ ke kar bar leļo̧k juon an iien?
Kar jibbon̄tata in juon Jādede. Samuel ekar jijet ilo tābōļ in jikin m̧ōn̄ā eo im kalimjōk booļ in cereal eo kijen. Ekar jab wōr an kōņaan m̧ōn̄ā.
“Baba?” ekar kadikdik wōt an ba. “Em̧ōj aō ukōt aō ļōmņak. Ijjab kōņaan etal ippan im miiti tiim in basketball eo aō rainin
“Ijeļā ke epen n̄an āinwōt juon ajri eo ekāāl, ak konaaj kōm̧m̧an m̧ōttam̧,” Baba ekar ba.
“Ejjab, ejjab meņņe … ij inepata wōt kōn ta eo renaaj ļōmņak.”
Baba ekar jijetļo̧k itūrin. “Meļeļein ta eo kwoj ba bwe ta eo tiim eo am̧ renij ļōmņak kōn juon rikkure eo ekāāl eo ewōr juon wōt pein?”
Samuel ekar ļōtak kōn ejjeļo̧k pā anmiin̄. Pein anmiin̄ eo an ekar bōjrak wōt ilo jikulelein pein.
“Innā,” Samuel ekar ba. “Kōnke rejjab jeļā kajjeō, remaron̄ ļōmņak bwe ajri eo juon wōt pein eban ikkure basketball.”
“Remaron̄ ļōmņak menin, ak kwoj juon rikkure eo eļap an em̧m̧an. Im etal n̄an iien ekkatak ko renaaj jipan̄ eok em̧m̧anļo̧k am̧ ikkure,” Baba ekar ba kōn juon mejen ettōn̄dikdik. “Itok ļo̧k. Bōke jersey eo am̧ im nien dren eo am̧. Jān etal im miiti tiim eo am̧.”
Samuel ekar bōk kutuwōn. “EM̧M̧AN.”
Iien eo wōt ej deļo̧n̄e gym eo, coach eo ekar etal n̄an ippāer
“Iakwe ijo! N̄a Coach Monroe Kwe eo juon ian rikkure ekāāl.”
“Aaet, n̄a Samuel.”
“Kōmij m̧ōņōņō bwe komaron̄ pād ilo tiim in amim,” Coach Monroe ekar ba. “Jemoot im kwaļo̧k kajeem̧ n̄an ļaddik ro jet.”
Jema ekar jijōt ilo jeia eo. Samuel ekar bōke bo̧o̧l eo nejin im ļoore coach eo an.
“Ikōņaan kwaļo̧k kajjeen Samuel, rikkure eo ad ekāāltata,” Coach Monroe ekar ba. Jejjo iaan ļaddik ro rekar jeaaļ e kōn peir. “Kōm elikkuun jeram̧m̧an bwe komaron̄ m̧ōkajtok n̄an game eo am jinountata. Ij ļōmņak jenaaj juon tiim eļap an em̧m̧an, im enaaj juon iien ikkure eļap an em̧m̧an!”
Coach Monroe ekar kōjan̄ waijōļ eo an, im tiim eo ekar jinoe kōm̧m̧ane m̧akūtkūt in kōmālmel ko. Samuel ekar loe an jejjo iaan tiim ro an kalimjōke ilo an ekāke im joļo̧k bo̧o̧l eo kōn wōt juon pā ituanbwijmaron̄. Ekar kajjeon̄ men bwe men eo en jab kapok e.
Ilo juon iien kakkije jān ikkure, juon ļaddik ekar jijōt tūrin Samuel ilo jeia eo. “Iakwe, n̄a Jackson. Ekar ta peim?
“Ejjeļo̧k. Ekar baj wōt jān ke ikar ļōtak,” Samuel ekar ba.
“Ijjan̄in kar lo juon armej ej ikkure bo̧o̧ļ m̧okta kōn juon wōt pā,” Jackson ekar ba. “Kolikkuun m̧ōkade.”
Samuel eka ettōn̄dikdik. “Kom̧m̧ool.”
Coach Monroe ekar kōjan̄ waijōļ eo an bar juon alen. “Kōn minit ko 30 āliktata, jenaaj ikkure juon ikkure in kōmālmel.” Ekar likūt ļaddik ro ilo ruo tiim. Samuel ekar m̧ōņōņō bwe Jackson ekar pād ilo tiim eo an.
Kōn m̧ōttan wōt juon minit ilo ikkure eo, tiim ko ruo rekar juon wōt aer nōm̧ba ilo point. Juon iaan tiim ko an Samuel ekar jibwe bo̧o̧l eo im kalimjōk ipeļaakin n̄an pukot juon n̄an leļo̧k bo̧o̧l eo n̄ane. Samuel ekar epaake, pojak n̄an bauri bo̧o̧ļ eo. Bōtaab ļaddik eo ekar joļo̧k bo̧o̧l eo n̄an Jackson.
Jackson ekar bōk jejjo būn̄tōn ko. Innem ekar loe Samue im joļo̧k bo̧o̧ļ eo n̄ane. Samuel ekar bauri bo̧o̧ļ eo, oktak, im joļo̧k n̄an bāājkōt eo.
Swish! Bo̧o̧ļ eo ekar drelo̧n̄ ilo iien eo wōt Coach Monroe ekar kōjan̄ waijōļ eo. Tiim eo an Samuel rekar lem̧ōņōņō ippān doon.
“Eļap an em̧m̧an am̧ joļo̧k bo̧o̧ļ eo,” Samuel ekar ba n̄an Jackon ilo aer etetalļo̧k n̄an jeia ko.
“Eļap an em̧m̧an juut eo,” Jackson ekar ba. “Ļaddik ro jet renaaj ekkatak bwe juon pā ebwe n̄an ikkure basketball.”
Samuel ekar ettōn̄dikdik im high five e Jackson. Ekar wōr juon an en̄jake bwe Coach Monroe ekar jim̧we. Ej bojen juon tiim em̧m̧an, im juon iien ikkure em̧m̧an.
Kōmeļeļe ko jān Sandra Eide