Incredible Summer - Chapters 7 and 8

CHAPTER #7

How Things Turned Around

    The summer days moved on, and Barnaby's baseball skills continued to improve. Reggie was actually quite a good coach, and in the late afternoons you could see them working out long after the boy's team had quit for the day. Sometimes, when she could get away from the pet shop, Robin would come and watch, and usually she brought a pitcher of something cold to drink. These were good days for all three of them.
    One day Barnaby showed up with a new baseball bat. Uncle Al had made it with his woodworking tools, and positively guaranteed it had a thousand home runs in it. It felt good when Barnaby swung it in the shop, so he couldn't wait to try it out on the field. That afternoon he showed it to Reggie.
    "Isn't it neat?" he asked.
    "I'll say," said Reggie. "He made this in the wood shop?"     "Yeah. He just finished this morning. He didn't even have time to put a name on it."
    Just then Robin walked up. "Hey, is that a new bat?" she asked.
    "Yeah," Reggie said. "So new it doesn't even have a name."
    "It doesn't? Well, we can fix that," Robin said. She was pretty good at names. "How about Thunder?"
    Barnaby and Reggie just looked at one another. "That's a good name," said Barnaby.
    Reggie agreed. "Let's try it out," he said.
    Robin walked back to the bleachers to watch. Reggie picked up the bag of balls and walked out to the mound. "Okay, here goes," he said.
    The first pitch was right down the middle, but Barnaby missed it. "Keep your eye on the ball all the way till it meets the bat," Reggie instructed him. The second pitch was low and away, and Barnaby had to let it go by. "That's good. Don't swing at those," Reggie said. "Okay, here comes a fast ball right down the middle. Give it a ride."
    "Come on, Thunder," said Robin.
    Barnaby swung good and hard, and the ball climbed away like it was heading somewhere fast. Reggie watched it till it landed, then turned and whistled. "You know, you almost hit the com field. That was a pretty good shot."
    "Go Barnaby," said Robin.
    Barnaby looked down at the bat. "Maybe this bat really does have a thousand home runs in it," he said.
    "Watch out, after a hit like that the pitcher's liable to send you the old brushback pitch." He went into his wind-up and, without a lot of steam on it, playfully threw the ball in the general direction of Barnaby's baseball cap.
    Barnaby could have just stepped back, but he hit the dirt anyway, and laughed as he got up and dusted himself off. "You know what happens next," he said. "The batter gets up and hits the ball out of the park."
    "Let's see you do it," Reggie challenged him, and he sent another waist-high fast ball.
    Barnaby swung and connected, and you could tell from the sound this was another one to watch. Even Robin stood up to see where it was going to land.
    "I don't believe it," said Reggie. "You hit that fifteen rows deep in the cornfield."
    "Alright," said Robin. "Way to go, Barnaby!"
    Reggie looked at Barnaby as though he were trying to figure something out. "Do you think you could hit Farmer Johnson's barn out there?"
    "I don't know," Barnaby said. "Maybe if you pitch it a little harder I could."
    Barnaby touched his new bat to the ground and got ready to swing. But Reggie wasn't ready to pitch. He was still looking out at the barn.
    "What are you looking at?" Barnaby asked.
    "Do you see that window in the side of the barn?" Reggie answered. "Farmer Johnson made a promise once, years ago, that if anyone ever hit a ball far enough to break that window, he would build us two new dugouts and put a real fence around the outfield."
    "Do you think he still remembers his promise?" Barnaby asked.
    "I don't know," Reggie said.
    "Well, then, let's remind him," Barnaby said. "Pitch it in here good and hard." Reggie took aim and fired, but the long fly ball everyone expected was only a grounder.
    "It's a grounder to short," announced Reggie. "He scoops it up, fires to first, one away. Okay, next batter."
    Barnaby swung at the next blazing pitch, but missed it altogether.
    "You're thinking too hard," Reggie said. "Do you remember when you hit that one into the cornfield? How did it feel when you hit it?"
    "It seemed so easy and natural, like the bat did all the work."
    "That's right. You were relaxed," Reggie explained. "Now think that way again on this pitch."
    Reggie wound up and fired at the plate. Barnaby came around and there was that same magic again. The ball rose into the sky like it had a life of its own, and I'm not sure if it was the wind, or Reggie's extra energy pitching, or Barnaby's new-found confidence, but my guess is you already know where that ball came to rest. Sure enough, it was inside the barn with pieces of glass lying all around.
    Reggie stood transfixed as the ball drifted high over the outfield. Somehow he knew it had a chance. But not until the actual sound of a window breaking reached back across the summer afternoon, did he find himself again! And then-what a celebration broke loose.
    You should have seen it. They jumped up and down, and Robin gave Barnaby a big hug, which was a little of a surprise. Then she gave Reggie a big hug too, which really wasn't a surprise at all. Reggie and Barnaby were alternately laughing and hollering, and it was an ecstatic moment if ever there was one. It wasn't long before they realized they were the bearers of some exciting news. So they grabbed their belongings and took off for town as fast as they could go.
    One thing about small towns. News travels fast. But in this case, I think they set a record. It went like lightning through Benderburg. Everyone was talking at once. Uncle Al heard about it even before Barnaby arrived home for dinner, and orders for Thunder bats began arriving even from outside of town. And what a change for Barnaby! For the first time all summer, when his name was mentioned, nobody laughed.

Song 7 - Barnaby Did It!

You know that baseball field
    next to the Johnson place
You know those twenty-five rows of corn
    in deep right field (Uh huh)
You know that barn Farmer Johnson built
    with the little window in the wall
And all these years no one's been able to hit it
Well just this afternoon Barnaby did it!

You gotta be kidding! No, it's true.
    I gotta go see for myself
They say that Barnaby signed the ball
    and it's now on Farmer Johnson's shelf
This ain't no tall tale, and I ain't spinning
    no yarn (no yam)
I tell you Barnaby broke the window
    in Farmer Johnson's barn - Hey!

You know that baseball field
    next to the Johnson place
You know those twenty-five rows of corn
    in deep right field (Uh huh)
You know that barn Farmer Johnson built
    with the little window in the wall
And all these years no one's been able to hit it
Well just this afternoon Barnaby did it!

Did you say Barnaby? Yes, it's him.
    Farmer Johnson's barn? No way!
I bet those boys on the baseball team
    will sign him up today
This ain't no tall tale, and I ain 't spinning
    no yarn (no yarn)
I tell you Barnaby broke the window
    in Farmer Johnson's barn - Hey!

You know that baseball field
    next to the Johnson place
You know those twenty-five rows of corn
    in deep right field (Uh huh)
You know that barn Farmer Johnson built
    with the little window in the wall
And all these years no one's been able to hit it
Till along came Barnaby
    It just had to be Barnaby
        With a name like Barnaby
Barnaby did it... Barnaby did it...
Barnaby did it... Barnaby did it!

CHAPTER #8

In the Bright Morning

    The boiling hot days of July finally gave way to the boiling hot days of August. Except for the fact that everyone turned over a new page on their calendars, you might not have even noticed the difference. But there was a difference in the mood around town, for the big game was coming up soon - the boy's team against the girl's team, the Benderburg August Spectacular.
    Actually, most years it didn't live up to its name. For the girls it was just another routine win, while for the boys it was just another disastrous loss. Still, everybody pretended it was going to be a close game anyway, so usually everyone had a great time up until the actual game itself. But this year the story was already heading in a different direction. For one thing, Barnaby was now on the boy's team, and just the fact that he had hit the barn raised the tension in town several notches. All the dads and grandpops were hoping for a big win this time around, and posters started showing up in shop windows a couple weeks in advance.
    The girl's team was practicing with even greater intensity, and surprisingly, the boy's team managed to get in a few real practices, leaving Robin to walk the dogs alone, which shocked Robin quite a bit, and left the dogs wondering what on earth had happened.
    So the big day got bigger and bigger, and when it finally arrived, everyone was on edge. Uncle Al had an extra reason to be excited. He was demonstrating the WompEm Machine for a big company president in another town. Then he was coming back by train for the afternoon game. What a great day it was going to be!
    Actually, I should let you know that Uncle Al's train was going to get back rather late - in fact, about nine o' clock that night - but he didn't know that, of course. He was busy fixing breakfast at the start of an awesome day, and he was fixing an awesome breakfast.

(Uncle Al - in his house) "Barnaby! Breakfast coming up!" (Mrs. Banks - in the Banks home across town) "Jennifer! Robin! Breakfast! "

Song 8 - Breakfast On The Day Of The Big Game

(UncleAl)
Since today is the day of the great big game
And you need some nutrition inside
I'm gonna fix you a breakfast worthy of the name
So you'll take your challenge in stride
And when the pitcher looks in
And gives it a spin
You'll give the ball a ride
"Ha, ha. I can see it now. "

(Mrs. Banks)
Since today is the day of the great big game
And you need some nutrition inside
I'm gonna fix you a breakfast worthy of the name
So you'll take your challenge in stride
And when a long fly ball
Sends you back to the wall
You'll catch it leaping high
"That's right, Jennifer. I can see it now."

(UncleAl) I just know you're gonna win I can feel
    it in my bones. The pitch is coming in

(Mrs. Banks) You're running like the wind

(Uncle Al) You hit the ball a mile

(Mrs. Banks) You track it down with style

(Uncle Al) The crowd begins to shout

(Mrs. Banks) The umpire says "You're Out!"

(Uncle Al) And that's the play that wins the game -
    I'm telling you

(Mrs. Banks) You're gonna win the game

(Both) "But not without your breakfast"

(UncleAl) "You'll need vitamins... minerals... protein... carbohydrates... And a big tablespoon of Cod Liver Oil"

(Barnaby) "Oh No!"

(Uncle Al) "To lubricate those joints"

(Barnaby) "My joints don't need any of that stuff"
    (Cough, Splutter, Cough)

(Uncle Al) "How do you feel now?"

(Barnaby) "Terrible"

(Uncle Al) "Just finish your breakfast and you'll feel fine"

(Uncle Al and Mrs. Banks)
Cause today is the day of the great big game
And you need some nutrition inside
I'm gonna fix you a breakfast worthy of the name
So you'll take your challenge in stride
I'm gonna fix you a breakfast worthy of the name...

(Barnaby, Robin, Jennifer) "I'm finished now"

(Both) "Good." So you'll take your challenge, take your
    challenge Take your challenge in stride

(Both) "Good-bye. See you at the game.
    I just know you're gonna win!"

    With Jennifer waving goodbye to Dad, Mom, and Robin, and Barnaby waving to Uncle Al while holding his wonderful bat, Thunder, they each headed out the doors of their respective houses, and headed for each team's morning meeting place. The sun was bright and the air was just a little cooler than predicted, which was good news for those who expected to spend half the day outside. Since most of Benderburg fell into this category, you couldn't ask for a better day.
    The field fairly sparkled with its new dugouts and fine outfield fence. Mr. Johnson had indeed remembered his promise, and after seeing how good it all looked, he was doubly glad he offered the challenge in the first place. He had a new window in his barn too, with a new reward for anyone who could break it again, but he hadn't decided what the reward would be yet. So all was in place, and the clocks in town slowly ticked away the minutes of a perfect morning.