Rory’s Day We Didn’t Win
Rory’s team lost, and Rory feels like stomping. But there’s a surprise at the end.
Rory wanted to win more than anything. He practised every day. He even slept with the football beside his pillow. Today the Sky Wolves were playing the Maroon Mighty.
The game was tough. Rory ran and ran, and Pippa did too. But the Maroon Mighty were just a little bit better. When the whistle blew, the score was 5-3. The Sky Wolves had lost.
Rory’s face went hot and red. He threw down his gloves and stomped across the grass. ‘It’s not FAIR!’ he said. Stomp, stomp, stomp.
Then he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Iris from the Maroon Mighty. Iris held out a hand. ‘Good game,’ she said. ‘You ran so fast. I could hardly keep up.’
Rory looked at the hand. His cross feeling started to fizzle like a bubble. He took a breath and shook it. ‘Good game,’ Rory said quietly. ‘You played really well.’
Afterwards, both teams sat together on the grass eating a big orange slice. Pippa told a silly joke about a football that wanted to be a pumpkin. Everyone laughed.
That night, Rory was still a bit sad. But he also felt proud. He had done his best and been kind. And tomorrow, he would get a new chance to play.
The little lesson
Losing is part of playing, and kind words make any game a good one.
Let’s talk about it
- How do you feel when you lose a game?
- What kind thing could you say to someone who won?
Finish stories to collect Rory as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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