The Idol

By I. Seymour Youngblood

The impact was brutal. He turned his head and tried to grab one of Gage's meaty legs, but all he caught was a knee to the chest. His shoulder felt as if it had been ripped from its socket. His lungs burned. Luke wound up on the ground in a contorted, pretzel formation. His fingers tingled. His head throbbed and stars burst across his vision.Luke was brave and heroic and possessed strong character — none of which make him a good football player like his legendary father. Bigger guys like the insufferable Gage Knox make mincemeat of him in practice, and his coach calls him a “waste of space.” All that changes when, Luke finds an ancient Incan artifact. Suddenly, it is as if he is invincible, immortal — and there isn’t anything he can’t do when fear of pain and death are removed. But when the people begin falling ill to a strange, new disease, Luke has to decide whether his newfound immortality is from something sinister within...The Idol!

• Language: English
• Publisher: I. Seymour Youngblood
• Release date: Aug 17, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370452293

I. Seymour Youngblood

Author Dr. I. Seymour Youngblood became obsessed with the macabre early in life. In his youth, he performed experiments on small, defenseless , forcing them to watch episodes of Barney & TeleTubbies for days on end and then documenting which ones cracked first. His findings were published in Lil' Psychopath Quarterly. After college, he applied to YELL! Medical School, where he graduated Magna Scream Loud-y. While psychiatry initially intrigued him, Seymour grew tired of helping people. He asked himself how could he influence children's lives, but for the worse? Naturally, he became a principal. At Pfearville Junior High, home of the Ravens, he documented the oddities he saw everyday & titled his papers "The Raven Archives". These are those tales...

Book preview

The Raven Archives...

The Idol

by

Dr. I. Seymour Youngblood

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2015 by Dr. I. Seymour Youngblood

All Rights Reserved.

To my son, Luke:

The world is an amazing place,

especially to those of us who are slightly strange.

Chapter One

Crunch Time

"Football doesn't build character.

It eliminates the weak ones."

-Darrell Royal

Now, some of you won’t make the team, and that’s because you don’t deserve to make it. Football isn’t for everyone. Some of you just don’t have what it takes. Football takes brains and guts and courage and teamwork and dedication, but above all, football takes heart. You’ve got to have heart. You’ve got to be rough. Are you rough?

YEA!

You’ve got to be tough. Are you tough?

YEA!

I can’t hear you. Are you tough?

YEA!

He pulled up his shorts then adjusted his cap. His chest puffed out like a rooster ready to crow. You’ve got to have a hunger inside of you. Are you ladies hungry?

YEA!

He stood in front of Gage Knox and bent forward, their noses nearly touching. You’ve got to be hungry! Are you hungry, Knox?

I’m hungry.

I said are you hungry, Knox?

Gage screamed, I’m hungry!

Out of the corner of his mouth, Carter said, He’s always hungry. They should get a booth at McBurgertown and split a shake—two straws.

The boys around Carter all snickered and giggled. Luke was one of them. When Coach Linrock lifted his head, Luke knew he was looking at him. Like a bear that’d caught a glimpse of a salmon, Coach Linrock lumbered toward his prey.

Is something funny, Williamson?

No, Coach, Luke answered without hesitation. He knew he was in trouble, and making matters worse, he had a smile on his face that he couldn’t remove. He thought of every unfunny situation imaginable: his father walking around the house in his tighty-whiteys, his grandmother’s dentures, the time he got a piece of metal in his eye and had to have it scraped out. Unfortunately, the smile wasn’t going anywhere.

Well, why are you laughing? You know what? I like a good laugh. Tell me what’s so funny, Williamson. Make me laugh.

Luke could see his reflection in Coach Linrock’s mirrored sunglasses. Carter always joked about wanting to make a pig face or pick his nose when staring into the glasses. Carter never did it and Luke would never consider it, but at that moment, the worst possible moment, Luke saw more than just himself. He saw Coach Linrock and Gage splitting a milkshake. He tried to stymie the smile, but like a forest fire during an August draught, it was only going to grow.

Look at you, Mr. Funnyman, you're still laughing. Coach Linrock's nose was now touching Luke's facemask. I want to laugh just like you. I know I'll be laughing when those corn-fed boys from Devil's Bend come in here looking to stomp your brains out. I know I'll be laughing when that big ol' linebacker from Hellebore crushes you because he's working at getting better and you're here giggling like girl at a slumber party.

The rest of the team broke into laughter.

And I know I will definitely be laughing when the Zipperson twins from Hemlock Pass run you over on their way to yet another touchdown, but I don't want to wait until the game. I want to laugh now, Williamson. Tell me what's so funny. Tell me what is so hilarious that it disrupted my practice?

Luke's face was coated in the coach's hot breath and specks of spittle.

When he didn't answer, Coach Linrock said, I can wait all day. Heck, I'm fine with standing here all week doing nothing if that's what it takes. No need to practice. We can just get dressed and stand here until you tell me what's so funny. Is that what you want? Or better yet, maybe you want the rest of the team to do pushups until you tell me what’s so funny. Is that it?

Luke heard the growls and rumblings of the other boys. Some promised him bodily harm if he didn’t confess.

Finally, knowing he was going to get in trouble, Luke said, When you asked if Gage was hungry, I thought 'Gage is always hungry.'

There were chuckles and giggles from the rest of the team, especially those around Luke.

Coach Linrock stood erect, towering above them like a drill sergeant. He looked across the faces of Pfearville Ravens Middle School football team. He did not smile. His chin came to rest on his chest as he returned his glare to Luke. Is this a game to you, Williamson?

Well, football is a game, so I guess the answer is, yes? Luke thought.

Let's play a game. It’s a game I like a lot. Coach Linrock blew his whistle. Two lines. Tackling drills. Knox down there. Williamson down there. He pointed at the opposite ends of the line. Your story didn't make me chuckle, but I still feel like laughing. Tossing a football to Gage, Coach Linrock took a step back. Watching you tackle always makes me laugh, Williamson.

Luke swallowed hard. Gage was the biggest person on the team and a bully to boot. He would love to crush Luke. Thankfully, Luke was extremely quick. Whenever Gage tried to catch him and deliver a wedgie or a Wet Willy or an atomic carpet rub, Luke's swiftness managed to evade his tormenter's wrath. There would be no running away this time. He could see the ferocity in Gage's chubby, angry eyes. This was going to hurt.

The whistle blew.

As if his feet were tied to railroad tracks, Luke stood stationary as the tormenting locomotive bore down on him. He wondered if his friends had any regrets about Luke's impending demise or were they simply relieved that it was not them? Luke thought he heard Carter whisper, Sorry, but he was not certain.

The impact was brutal. He turned his head and tried to grab one of Gage's meaty legs, but all he caught was a knee to the chest. His shoulder felt as if it had been ripped from its socket. His lungs burned. Luke wound up on the ground in a contorted, pretzel formation. His fingers tingled. His head throbbed and stars burst across his vision.

"Holy cow! That was textbook how not to tackle. Williamson, if you do that again, it might kill you."

Might kill me? I'm alive? Are you sure?

"Your father was the best football player I ever coached, and you are living proof that the apple does indeed fall far away from the tree—very far. Good thing for you, football also needs scorekeepers, benchwarmers, and cheerleaders. Now, get up and run a lap for terrible technique and think about which one of those you want to be, Coach Linrock ordered. He blew his whistle. Next two: Leeland and McNamara."

The sun was blocked out by the large shadow cast by Gage Knox. He stood over Luke and through his mouthpiece mumbled, Nice work, worm. Laugh at me again and I won't go easy on you. He spiked the ball on Luke's stomach.

Uff! Luke doubled over into the fetal position, clutching his stomach.

Coach Linrock blew his whistle again. Hurry up, Williamson. Get your worthless carcass out of the way of my tackling drills.

Coach?

What is it, Leeland?

I'm just gonna go ahead and run a lap too. I have worse technique than Luke.

Leeland, why are you even out here?

"When they said 'football,' I thought they meant European futball. You know, soccer. I assumed, incorrectly I might add, that we would be learning how to Bend It Like Beckham, but right now the only thing getting bent are Luke's bones."

Leeland, you are an absolute waste of space. Two laps for you and take Williamson with you.

Carter leaned over and helped Luke to his feet. You can thank me later, he whispered.

The boy's feet barely rose as they slowly made their way around the track. They didn't want to run too fast and finish before the tackling drills were over. Even tackling dummies have feelings. There was an art form to pretending to run without actually running. Mostly a lot of arm motion.

What are we doing here?

Luke didn't answer.

Why did I let you talk me into signing up for football? We should have just done choir like Ira, Abe, Michael, and everyone else with more than half a brain. It's not like Gage and Drew are going to pick on us any less now that we are playing football.

It'll be good for us. It'll make us men.

How does getting crushed and yelled at make us men? You forget, my mom's a drill sergeant. I get plenty of this at home. You're only here because of your dad.

No, I'm not.

Your dad isn't making you play? Yeah, right?

Luke dropped his shoulders. Okay, he knows. When I told him I was trying out he told me I didn't have to do it. He said, 'Football isn't for everyone.'

Your dad is quoting Linrock? That's rough. Carter stopped. You know he's talking about us.

I know. I wanted to prove him wrong.

"Are you kidding me? We're here because you wanted to prove your dad wrong? First