Short Story (serialised): The Big Game

           “Hello, I’m Kurt Providence. Welcome to the Dante Hyperdrome for our live telecast of the eagerly awaited Universal Basketball League final between the Jumping Jehovahs and Satan’s All-Stars. All the hot basketball action coming your way soon, live and exclusive, on Trinity Channel’s Wide Universe of Sports. I’m joined by my co-host, Murray Destiny, the man who calls ‘em as he sees ‘em.”

            “Hi, Kurt. What a crowd in the ethereal bleachers today! We’re talkin’ mega-people and mega-atmosphere!”

            “Murray, many people are saying that God’s team is a clear favourite.”

            “God is fielding a strong team. No one would deny that Michael, Gabriel, Sariel and Raphael are all major league archangels with millennia of on-court experience.”

            “And on the bench the Jehovahs have two dynamos drafted from the Royals: Solomon, a real thinking player, and David whose breathtaking shots toppled the Goliaths.”

            “The Jehovahs have played some righteous ball all season, but I don’t agree with those pundits who say Satan’s team are has-beens. Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot and Idi Amin have all been through career troughs recently, but their statistics are on the board and any of them could cause a major upset.”

            “They’d be looking to sharpen their form with up-and-comers like Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein on the bench, snapping at their heels.”

            “Yes, there are contenders and pretenders, but I think experience will tell today.”

Part Two continues tomorrow

The Big Game was first published in The West Australian newspaper and was reproduced in the short story collection, Aotearoa Sunrise.

For more information: www.biggerthanbenhurproductions.com