Read Online Lucy Zeezou's Goal by Liz Deep-Jones - Free Book Online Page A

the air towards the upright corner of the net, beating our keeper, who was off his line. The ball hit the bar and then awkwardly dropped to the ground just a fraction off the goal line. Their substitute rushed in to finish it off, but Felix somehow managed to scoop the ball safely into his arms. How it didn’t go in I’d never know. It was a gallant effort. I think we all had our hearts in our mouths.
    With just a minute to go before the full-time whistle,Dylan made a break and off-loaded to Morgan, who danced his way past two defenders and into a gap. He raced towards the goal while I kept up with him.
    â€˜Go on, Morgan. Stay with him, Zeezou,’ Coach James roared.
    He made it to just metres outside the box as the defenders desperately snapped at his heels. I ran in behind him as he was about to shoot, ready to collect a possible rebound, while the keeper lunged forward in an attempt to stop Morgan’s shot. But instead of shooting, Morgan sent me a clever back pass. With the keeper out of position, it seemed an easy task to send the ball past him. I struck the ball, watching it go in the right direction, but in the process a wayward last-minute sliding tackle caused me to lose my balance. I fell on my back.
    I hadn’t seen him coming … the defender’s boots missed the ball and came crashing down on my head. All I could feel was heavy throbbing and then nothing. The next thing I knew, I was flying …
    â€˜Lucy, Zeezou, wake up, wake up.’
    â€˜Is she all right?’
    â€˜Oh no, the back of her head is covered in blood!’
    I could hear lots of voices, shouting and yelling instructions. And then, suddenly, I heard Harry’s voice.
    â€˜Lucy, you did it. You’re one of us. You’re a Lion, Zeezou!’

I was looking down a tunnel filled with an incredible light. I felt weightless and warm, drifting towards an enticing golden vision. Nothing else mattered and nothing else existed. I’d never seen or experienced anything like this before. I kept moving closer and closer to this inviting glow, until a soft voice roused my attention.
    â€˜Lucy, Lucy, wake up.’
    It gave me a sudden jolt, inviting me back to reality, but the sensation of being cradled in an out-of-this-world experience kept tempting me. It’s what I imagined floating and flying among the clouds would be like: weightless and free.
    A quavering voice kept calling me. ‘Lucy, please wake up. Come on. Wake up.’
    Whatever was happening was incredible. No one would believe me if I told them. They’d think I was nuts.
    I slowly opened my eyes. Everything was blurry and my head was banging with pain. The throbbing subsided for a moment when I locked onto Harry … it was an awkward moment.
    â€˜Oh no, Harry, the game. What happened? Where am I?’ I couldn’t believe how weak my voice sounded.
    Harry was relieved. ‘Lucy, you’re at your grandparents’ flat. Thank heavens you’re awake. I’m so sorry I was mean to you. I’m just not used to girls playing football. Your grandpa would have killed me if anything happened to you.’
    â€˜It’s okay, Harry. Do my parents know what happened? They mustn’t find out. Oh, my head is so sore. Did we win?’
    Harry broke into a smile. ‘Slow down! You took a hard knock from a nasty tackle. But we won, thanks to your last-minute goal.’
    â€˜The last thing I remember, we were on the football pitch and I was on the end of Morgan’s back pass,’ I muttered. I couldn’t believe how badly my head was throbbing. I realised I was stretched out on the lounge in my grandparents’ living room.
    Grandpa came in from the kitchen, holding out a cup of tea. Harry stood up anxiously. ‘Um, Mr Dib, I’ve got to head off. Take it easy, Zeezou. See ya!’
    â€˜Thanks Harry. See you at the Reg.’
    â€˜Grandpa, Mama doesn’t know what happened, does she?’ Tears