Traveller - L.W. Samuelson (free e books to read online TXT) 📗

was Tim able to stop them from scoring. Once, toward the end of their practice, Traveller screened Tim and Jesse drove to the basket for a lay up.
“Good job!” Jesse yelled patting him on the back. “That was bitchin’.”
They played until three o’clock in the afternoon. “We don’t want to tire ourselves out. Let’s go see a movie,” said Tim. “I’ll buy. You guys can pay me back when we win the tournament.”
There was a special movie at the Student Union theatre on Fridays. It cost a dollar for students with an acivity card, two dollars for guests. Tim paid the four dollars. Again, Traveller was moved by the human’s generosity. He said thanks so many times that Jesse finally had to tell it was okay, they were going to pay Tim back.
The movie started. Jesse had snuck the translator in so his alien friend could enjoy the show. The Man of La Mancha began with people in funny clothes fighting with each other. Traveller didn’t understand a lot of it, but he enjoyed the singing.
One song moved him to tears. It talked of fighting an unbeatable enemy, to fight for what was right, and to keep trying with your last ounce of courage. He would always remember two lines from the song:
“To be willing to march into hell
For a heavenly cause!”
The man singing it sang with the force of conviction. Traveller was inspired. I’ll get Lori some money if it kills me.

The movie ended at six o’clock. Traveller and Jesse piled into the back seat of Tim’s Volkswagon. They made it to the gym at six twenty, just in time to change into their gym clothes. The orange shorts that Traveller borrowed from Bill made his legs look blue but he didn’t care, he was going to win some money.
He had also used Bill’s activity card to enter the tournament. He had put one hand on the student checking IDs and then flashed the card. The guy looked bewildered for a moment before he said, “Okay, Tim. Your team’s registered.”
They were allowed a five minute shoot around before the game started. Traveller was under strict orders not to dunk it or show how high he could jump. They shot around for a while, the whistle blew, and the game began.
The other team got the ball first. Jesse stood at the foul line ready to pick their ball handler up, but the guy with the ball simply shot it from long range for a basket.
Jesse got the ball at half court. He drove to the basket off of Tim’s pick. When Traveller’s man switched to block him, he dumped the ball off to Traveller for an alien slam dunk.
“Way to go!” he heard Lori yell from the stands.
Jesse picked his man up farther out on the court. When the other player passed the ball, Traveller impelled into the passing lane, intercepted it, and then passed it to Tim underneath the basket for a lay up.
Traveller didn’t try to play offense for the rest of the game. He intercepted the ball or blocked shots totally frustrating the other team. There was no need for an inside outside game. Jesse and Tim scored off of Traveller’s defense. It took less than fifteen minutes to score the twenty points required to move on to the next round.
It would take the rest of the night to whittle sixty-four teams down to thirty-two. According to the brackets, their next game was scheduled for eight-thirty a.m. the next morning.
Lori met the boys as they were leaving the gym. “Great defense Traveller. All Jesse and Tim had to do was shoot a few baskets.”
“Thank you Lori,” he said with pride. “We’re going to win the tournament.”
“Don’t get too excited, Travis,” Tim cautioned. “We still have to win four more games tomorrow.”
“Will you come see, Lori?” Traveller asked. “I would like that.”
“Of course,” she answered. “Let’s go get something to eat. My treat. We’ll go to Burger King. Their Whoppers are on sale this week.”

The game the next morning ended quickly. Traveller had sugar cereal for breakfast. He was all over the court blocking and stealing the ball or rebounding it off the backboard to pass it to Jesse for an outside shot. They doubled the other team’s score twenty to ten.
Their next game was at one-thirty in the afternoon. A victory would get them into the quarter finals. The team they were to play had three players that could shoot and handle the ball with skill.
The referee blew his whistle to start the game. The other team had watched Traveller play so they kept someone blocking him out from the other two players. They were up eight to four before Jesse dished off to Traveller for a dunk. A loud boing sound ensued with the metal rim echoing.
The alien caught on to the other team’s strategy. Now, instead of trying to steal the ball, he fronted the man he was guarding so he could double team whoever had the ball. It enticed the ball handler to throw the basketball to Traveller’s man going to the basket. The alien picked the ball off three times in a row, each time passing it to Tim breaking to the hoop. He laid each steal in for a lead of ten to eight. All three members of the other team became frustrated. It was like the tall bluish guy in orange trunks knew their every move. If one of them did get open, they missed horribly. They scored two more baskets before the thirty minutes ended. Jesse hit three outside shots for a final score of twenty to twelve.
Their semi-final game started at three o’clock. This team spread themselves out, quickly passing the ball to each other until one of them came open. Then they would drive to the basket. If Traveller came at them, they would pull up for a jump shot. Their strategy worked, but none of them could stop the alien from getting the ball inside for a short jump shot or dunk. The game ended with a score of twelve to twenty.
“We made it!” said Jesse when he swished the net with the winning basket.
“Boni bon bon,” said Traveller.
“One more game for the money,” said Tim.
No time limit was placed on the final game. The first team to twenty would win. The other team had an athletic guy on academic probation from the ISU baskeball team. He was six feet four inches tall, muscular, and fast. His name was Willy. He wore a headband to contain his Afro. His team mates were athletic Afro-Americans as well. This team had blown its way through the tournament.
The game started. Willy guarded Traveller as Jesse brought the ball up. He motioned with his eyes then lobbed the ball high. Willy caught Traveller’s wrist preventing him from getting the ball. It bounced off the backboard for one of the other team’s players to rebound it and make a lay up.
“Time out,” called Jesse. They huddled together at mid-court. “This is the time to play as a team. We use the inside out game, work the ball around, and play like we’ve never player before. These guys are good.”
Jesse brought the ball up. When he came off Tim’s screen, Tim rolled to the basket. Jesse passed it to him. When Willy came off Traveller to pick him up, Tim got the ball to the alien.
Traveller visualized himself making the basket. He followed the vision to score two points.
Now they played a strict man to man defense. Willy posted up by the key. Traveller kept one hand on his back. When the ball handler threw Willy the ball, Traveller knocked it to Tim who threw it to Jesse standing at the foul line. He tried a jump shot that bounced high off the rim. Traveller had Willy blocked out. He rebounded the ball and feinted like he was going to go up for a shot. With Willy off his feet, Traveller leaned into him, knocked him away, and scored.
With admiration Willy said, “Nice shot, honkie.” They shook hands briefly. In that brief encounter Willy experienced acceptance. He wouldn’t think about it until much later.
On their next possession Willy’s team missed a jump shot. Jesse rebounded the ball and cleared it. He drove to the basket. When two players from the other team collapsed on him, he passed the ball back out to Tim for a jump shot. The netting swished as the ball went through the hoop without touching the metal ring.
Willy took the ball out and threw it to his team mate standing in the back court. His team mate drove to the basket brushing passed Tim. Traveller made him pick up his dribble, but he dumped the ball to an open Willy who scored.
The game seesawed back and forth until the score was sixteen to sixteen when Willy posted up to catch the ball underneath the key. He dribbled left with Traveller guarding him. With a head bob he got Traveller to pause then he tried a hook shot. The ball hit high off the backboard but with a lucky bounce it went in.
“Eighteen to sixteen,” Jesse said looking at Traveller. “We can’t let’em score again or we lose. Come on Travis.”
Jesse cleared the ball. His opponent was smothering him so he passed it to Tim. Tim drove left but had to pick up his dribble. He was trapped in the corner, so he heaved the ball toward the basket in a desperate attempt to get it to Traveller. It arched high with Willy moving to get it. There was blue blur as the alien impelled past him. The audience gasped as Traveller suddenly appeared high in the air to snag the ball. He pivoted around Willy before he could react. The ball was dunked tieing the score at eighteen.
The students in the gym quit cheering. An eerie silence descended upon the gym as they watched the slightly blue guy in the orange shorts and white T-shirt jump higher and move faster than anyone they had ever seen before.
When Willy’s teammate caught the ball on the outside, he dribbled sideways with Jesse guarding him. Traveller was standing in the key when he impelled. Everyone watched as he disappeared and then reappeared with the ball in his hands. The crowd began to notice the bluishness of his skin and the unnatural way he moved.
Traveller held the ball high over his head with the guy he had stolen the ball from trying to get it back. The alien threw it to Jesse, who drove to the basket. Tim’s opponent picked him up while Willy switched to guard Tim. Traveller ran toward the foul line.
Jesse threw the ball as Traveller left his feet at the top of the key. He caught it, sailed high twisting full circle in the air and then dunked the ball for the win. The crowd gasped again. “That ain’t right,” Willy said. “He be doin’ things nobody can do.”
“Go get the money and let’s get out of here,” Jesse said to Tim. “Travis, go back to the apartment and meet us there. Don’t talk to anyone. Quickly. I’ll bring your clothes.”
Traveller could sense something was wrong so he did as Jesse asked. He barged through the people standing at the doors to exit the building. When he got outside, he broke into long Benwarian strides heading toward Lori’s.
Willy’s team gathered around Jesse. “That guy was a ringer. He was like a Harlem Globe Trotter. I’ll bet his not even a student here.”
“What do you mean? They checked everyone’s ID,”