The Magic Soccer Ball E-Book

Alfred Bekker

• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

„This ball is something special and I would prefer not to sell it, my boy.” Paul looked up to the strange man. He was very huge and thin. His face was wrinkled and he had no single hair on his head. He wore a leather coat reaching to the ground. From the beginning he gave him the creeps and Paul did not dare to visit him at his stand. He had never seen this man before at the flea market, and the articles he was offering were very strange, too.

Leseprobe

Alfred Bekker

The Magic Soccer Ball

BookRix GmbH & Co. KG81371 Munich

The Magic Soccer Ball

„This ball is something special and I would prefer not to sell it, my boy.”

Paul looked up to the strange man. He was very huge and thin. His face was wrinkled and he had no single hair on his head. He wore a leather coat reaching to the ground. From the beginning he gave him the creeps and Paul did not dare to visit him at his stand. He had never seen this man before at the flea market, and the articles he was offering were very strange, too.

He sold old dusty books forcing everyone to sneeze when opening one of these books. “The secrets of magic signs” was the title of one of the books offered by him, partly crumbled into dust.

Another one had the title “How to hunt vampires and werewolves”, placed between wooden plocks, silver bullets and lots of amulets and panted stones.

Besides, he was offering several skulls of apes and humans and the biggest collection of crystal balls Paul had ever seen.

But among all these articles there was also a soccer ball which attracted Paul’s attention – because the price was incredibly low – only one euro as written on the sign that the tradesman had put next to the ball.

One Euro – that was, exactly, the money left in Paul’s pocket. He had already spent the rest of his money. In his right hand, he was carrying a bag full of comic strips and furthermore, he had purchased a game for his Nintendo DS. It had been very cheap and he hoped that nevertheless it would be workable.

And now, this ball …

For a long, long time he had wished to possess a leather ball like that one lying on the trader’s table. And – not enough, it was even covered with autographs!

“Why are you waiting?”, the trader asked him. “Take the ball, touch it and then you will be sure that you can spend your last euro for this soccer ball, boy!”, he praised his merchandise.

Paul was totally surprised. “Why do you know that there’s only one Euro left in my pocket?”

The trader took the ball into his boney hands whose fingers were really long and thin like the legs of a spider. He passed on the ball to Paul who, therefore, was forced to put down his bag containing the coming strips. He then raised his shoulders and smiled. “Maybe I can read your mind”, he said and laughed in a very strange way.

Suddenly, he looked over to another boy who was loitering at the comic stand. This was Paul’s friend Tim who had not yet dared to come at the stand of the strange trader.

Actually, he had promised to accompany Paul, but that man really looked too frightening with the long coat and the bald head.

“Come on, boy”, the trader called him, “come closer, you don’t have to be afraid.”

Hesitantly, Tim stepped closer. Turning to Paul, the trader now asked: “What’s up now? Do you want the ball? 1 Euro – it’s really a moderate price.”

“Yes, that’s sure! I didn’t complain at all.”

“So what’s your problem? Why do you hesitate to buy it?”

“Nowhere else you will get such a ball”, Tim assessed. “If I had one Euro in my pocket, you wouldn’t get this ball, I swear!”

Paul looked over the spidery signatures on the leather.

“You will find all national players”, the trainer claimed.

“Also Lahm?”, Paul asked.

“Sure.”

“And Ballack?”

“Yes, Ballack too – if you want.”

“Show it!”

“You’ll find them”, the trader said with conviction.

Paul turned the ball in his hands and indeed he discovered the signatures of Philipp Lahm and Michael Ballack.