Lioness

FLASH FICTION: Dream big, play bigger

Photo by Nik on Unsplash

Maisie was only six years old. Yet she knew, with the unwavering certainty of youth, exactly what she wanted to be when she grew up. A footballer. A Lioness. A future captain who would lead her team to World Cup victory.

From that day when she first kicked a football around the back garden with Dad, Maisie’s sole focus in life was to train hard, make the starting eleven, and score tons of goals. Thanks to her steely work ethic and abundance of natural talent, Maisie soon became the star player at Chummington Athletic, and was lauded as one of the best strikers in the league, with many medals and trophies to prove it.

Maisie was also the lone girl on the team. Not that she saw that as a major block to achieving her dream, because Dad always told her that everyone is equal, no matter what.

Unfortunately, the other parents didn’t share his egalitarian vision for grassroots football. There were stage whispers along the sideline about how Maisie’s presence on pitch detracted from the boys’ efforts to shine. Dark muttering in the carpark about potential safeguarding issues and the changing room arrangements at away matches. A motion to eject Maisie from the team was put forward by stealth, seconded, and voted upon at an emergency meeting of club officials.

Dad was the person tasked with delivering their verdict.

Afterwards, Mum suggested that Maisie could take up a new hobby. She thought ballet would be nice for a change and bought her a Sugar Plum Fairy costume to sweeten the deal. Maisie wore it on Christmas morning just to be polite, but was back in her replica England kit by turkey time.

That evening, they were all slumped in front of the telly – with Mum offering her scathing assessment of a disgraced former MP’s attempt to execute a Botafogo correctly during the Strictly Come Dancing festive special – when Dad’s phone suddenly gave a blast of the Match of the Day theme tune.

He scrolled up and down through the message several times, his face running the gamut of emotions from confusion to sheer delight. Then, without warning, he leapt from his seat, scooped Maisie into his arms, and whirled her around.

“What’s up, Dad?” she asked once her feet were safely back on the carpet.

“It’s not good news, I’m afraid,” he replied deadpan, trying to suppress a huge grin at Maisie’s evident confusion.

“It’s great news!”

Apparently, the manager of Marchfield Rovers had heard on the grapevine that Maisie was currently a free agent, expressed his opinion that this situation was an utter disgrace slash potential human rights violation, and invited her to come and play for his team, which had a policy of welcoming both boys and girls.

“A real-life Christmas miracle,” Dad declared, before bursting into tears.

Mum sighed, realising this turn of events meant she would never fulfil her own dream of watching Maisie dance in a gala performance of The Nutcracker. Then she quickly pulled herself together, planted a smile on her face, and turned to her family with an extremely important question.

“So, shall we turn off this rubbish dancing and watch Bend It Like Beckham instead?”