Court Catastrophe

    She had made a poor job of hiding the damage. There was nothing anyone could do to help her either. The only relief she had to aid her was the broom in the closet. So, begin to sweep she did. Left and right she made piles on the floor. Carefully navigating them as they grew more numerous.

    As she swept, she began to think about what went wrong. What could she have done differently to avoid such a catastrophe? "Stop doing this to yourself, Anne. You always do this to yourself." So, she continued to sweep. A maelstrom of sweeping prowess. What was once the remains of a cataclysmic destruction, was now a tempest of purity. No spot left unswept.

    And when the court had been fully swept up, it was time to mop. Mop like Anne had never mopped before. If sweeping the room was a dust storm, then her mopping was a hurricane of the ages. Water slicked the floor and drops flew everywhere. Eventually, the court began to shine like it did before.

    When the paramedics arrived, Anne directed them to the casualties. The poor kids. She knew they couldn't handle the pressure. They lay on the floor covered in residue from the damage. She should have spoken up. This is the same way her son went years ago.

    Eventually, the paramedics nodded to her. They would be ok.

    The clock was counting down, there was little time left. Fortunately the children stirred. Oh thank heaven Anne thought. The minister urgently returned to the court, not wanting to delay further. One by one the children approached the minister, hunched forward in lingering pain.

    "We applaud each and every one of your efforts, young ones!" the minister said in vain. The children could barely stand. Still, the clock continued to count down. The minister was beginning to sweat; he had little time left. "But there can be only one winner" he continued.

    "After significant deliberation, the judges have concluded that directly preceding the disastrous explosion, Adam 'Apple' McIntosh once again ate the most hot applesauce during our halftime show. Two point three gallons to be exact! And it's a lucky thing too. He consumed sixty percent of the total applesauce by himself. Had there been more remaining in the pot when it boiled over and exploded, it would have covered the entire arena, and let me tell you folks, we did not prepare a 'Splash Zone' for this basketball game!"

    The crowd chuckled as the children and attendees exited the court, making room for the players to continue the game. One by one the children made their way to the triage room for further examination. In the middle of the walkway, though, Adam McIntosh couldn't hold his stomach any longer. He spewed hot applesauce all over the floor, walls, and the other contestants, and for the first time since he sat down to begin the contest, smiled in wonderful relief.

    As Anne finished the last spots of the court, she saw the commotion, gave a sigh, and went to clean the walkway. "There's always something else to clean" she thought to herself.