Alberto Monnar

The Final Shot


This game; the pressure, the future, it’s all in my head

I look up and there’s 10 seconds left     
The fans, my fans, people who have always been there for me are all here
Then I look up and there’s 9 seconds left 
Dribbling the ball, our team loosing 
With the team depending on me, on this final shot
Once again I look up and there’s 8 seconds left 
Passing half court noticing the ball is 42 feet away from the rim
Then again I look up and there’s 7 seconds left
Sweat dripping down my face, heart stomping, down by 2 there’s only one thing to do
Then the crowd starts yelling
Saying the final seconds which is down to only 6
Either win to succeed or tie to go to overtime, feelings telling me to win it now
Now a shout of 5 is coming from my teammate on the side of me         
With my choice on my mind and the three point line right in front of me I start my set
Now crowds from all over the gym – screaming out 4 
To more sure I get my clear shot I start to pump and 2 people on the court tell me its time to shoot
Then looking at the time clock 
Telling me there’s 3 seconds left
Silence, stares, fingers crossed, all you can see in this exact moment
With the seconds only down to 2
Bouncing from the rim, everyone out of there benches, bodies on the floor, a second away from a win 
Now as time feels forever with one second left I noticed something
With my eyes closed not knowing what happened I start feeling hands on me
With the time down to zero and a game won by 1, crowd cheering, tears dropping,
Buzzer beating, all I know is that I made the final shot 
Alberto Monnar

 

                             

 

http://www.authorsden.com/albertomonnar

 

 

"The most incredible day of my life was the day I was born."   Alberto Monnar


Alberto Monnar 

Written by Alberto Monnar
Edited by Linda Franklin
 Illustrated by Ken Nebel
(Paperback - Aug 22, 2008)

Maggie : The Girl Who Only Loved Herself

Written by Alberto Monnar  Illustraterd by Ken Nebel

Maggie never shared or helped anybody. But one day it all changed. Read some more and find out what or who changed her life.

“Maggie, wake up!” her mom said from the kitchen. "It’s time for school." Maggie was really mad because she had no friends, and her dad was out of town. When Maggie went to eat breakfast, her mom asked her if she had slept well. Maggie never answered her.

 

A few minutes later Maggie heard the bus. Her mom always gave her a ham and cheese sandwich. “Hurry, the bus is leaving, Maggie, go!” said her mom. When she got on the bus there were two kids named Jake and Philip, and they looked at her with strange faces. They were mad at her because she would always make fun of them. Maggie would always tell them that their hair was messy, that they were too fat, or that their glasses were too big.

 

When they got to school she looked angry and aggravated. On the first day of school she had told the teacher that she wanted to sit away from all the nerds, and that she was too beautiful to sit with them. Everyday she was very mean to everyone. She was even nasty to her fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Jenny. The next class that Maggie went to was her favorite class, which was math. She was the smartest in her class, so she felt too smart next to the other kids. Math class was the only class that Maggie was actually good at. It would always make her feel good.

 

Two hours later it was P.E. She was also good at P.E. She was the fastest one in her class. But every time they would have to run she would make fun of the other kids. Her coach was named Mr. Williams, but everyone called him Coach Williams. He was not too happy about this.

Lunch was next. She always sat by herself because she didn’t let anybody sit next to her. She called it the popular table. She was the only popular one because she was the only one who sat there. When it was time to leave, Maggie’s mom went up to Mrs. Jenny and asked her if Maggie did well today, but Mrs. Jenny said, “No,” in a polite way.

 

After school when Maggie and her mom got home, Maggie’s mom told her that they were going to meet her great-grandma. Maggie had never seen her great-grandma before. In the car Maggie wanted to find out if her great-grandma was beautiful or not. When they got there, Maggie couldn’t believe her eyes. She saw the ugliest person ever. At least that is what Maggie thought at the moment. Her great-grandma was a little upset because she had heard some nasty things about Maggie. She asked Maggie to sit and talk with her on the couch.

At first Maggie was a little nervous because she had never had an actual conversation with anyone. Maggie’s great-grandmother was very wise and told Maggie many things that made a difference.

 

Maggie said to her, “I am so sorry.”

Then her great-grandma replied to her in a soft voice, “It is okay, child.”

Maggie and her great-grandma had the longest conversation in their lives, especially Maggie. Her great-grandma didn’t look so ugly to Maggie anymore. Maggie started seeing things differently from that moment on.

 

When her mom called her to leave, Maggie said bye to her great-grandma and gave her a big hug. Maggie’s mom was so surprised when she saw Maggie and her great-grandma hugging each other.

 

In the car Maggie’s mom asked Maggie a question and Maggie answered her question for the first time. Maggie’s mom felt like the luckiest mom in the world. Something the great-grandma had said to Maggie made a difference in her attitude. Maggie changed her attitude from very bad to very good.

 

A month later Maggie was getting along with everyone and she had nearly 15 friends, including the nerds. The popular table no longer existed so Maggie and her friends moved to that table.

 

At night she heard knocking on the door. When she went to open the door it was her dad; she had not seen him for almost a year. Maggie really never talked to her dad either, so when she went to give him a hug, her dad was so happy he started crying. Maggie’s dad said to her with tears coming out of his eyes, “I missed you, cupcake!”

 

The next morning Maggie saw her parents crying. Maggie said to them, “What is wrong?” They replied, “Your great-grandma passed away.” From that day on, Maggie never forgot that one special day she had with her great-grandma.

 

Alberto Monnar