The Extraordinary Shed

It was a Wednesday afternoon full of gloom. It seemed that everything felt Kennedy's pain. The sky wept with tiny drops hitting softly on his umbrella. The clouds hid the sun and kept a dull grey tone.

Liam, Kennedy's brother wanted to make him smile. He tried to tell s joke, but Kennedy wouldn't laugh. As they walked through a large field Liam knew exactly what he could do to help his little brother feel better. The wide-open field was a great place to play and run. He looked around for something to use as a target.

There, about 100 meters away was a shed. Liam was confused because he and his brother passed through this field daily, but never noticed an old abandoned shed. Maybe it was there all along and they somehow passed it a thousand times on the way to and from school but never thought twice about it. It was just an old wooden shed.

Kennedy had a test that day and wouldn't tell Liam how it went. Liam assumed that it did not go well due to the note that was sticking out of Kennedy's backpack. Going home with a note like that would not be good. Their father demanded good grades at all times, no matter the circumstances. You would think that this one time would be different.

It had only been six weeks since the accident. Kennedy was no longer on crutches and was cleared for play, but was still feeling sad and didn’t want to go home for a little while. Liam understood his pain. It was a pain he had himself but chose to hide it. Liam was not just Kennedy’s older brother, but he was his protector. He was not going to let Kennedy down this time. He was determined to make him have fun a forget; even if it was just for a few minutes.

Liam knew that Kennedy would not turn down a challenge. He stopped walking, took a breath, and turned toward his brother. "Let me get that", said Liam right before he made a move. He snatched his brother's backpack off of his back in a quick swoop causing Kennedy to stumble in his step. Liam laughed at his brother and pushed his shoulder into Kennedy's frame causing him to stumble once again.

"Give it back", Kennedy said angrily. Liam continued to laugh and hop around with the bag keeping it away from his little brother. He noticed that Kennedy was not laughing. He took out some candy from his bag. Next, he took his brother’s backpack along with his own and placed them on the ground. "The first one to touch that shed over there wins this candy bar". Liam took off in a sprint. Kennedy realized that his brother wanted to race him. He didn't want to race, but he did want to claim the candy bar.

This was not a normal race for Kennedy. All he could think about was disappearing and avoiding going home. He hoped that the school did not call home to his dad. It was no way he would be able to make it there before he got home. Kennedy noticed that his brother was holding the candy. He figured that if he could win this race he could do anything, but he knew he would never win. Liam was two inches taller and had a longer stride. Plus there was over three years difference between the two of them. Kennedy would turn 14 on his next birthday and he hoped that he would have a growth spurt and be taller than his brother.

Off they ran as fast as they could. Liam was running slower than normal to give Kennedy a chance to win. Liam wanted to make his brother feel better and not worse by losing. Kennedy noticed the leeway that his brother was giving him and thought he could use it to his advantage and outrun his brother for the first time ever. Winning this race would make him king. Both brothers have been racing one another for a long time. Each time that Liam won he declared himself to be king. Kennedy was ready to win and take the title even if his brother was actually trying to let him win.

Mid stride, Kennedy could see the shed. He looked back and his brother was still running slower than normal. He was winning. His heart was racing. He tried not to focus on the outcome and just run as hard and as fast as never before. Kennedy smiled from cheek to cheek knowing there was no way his brother would ever win this race. He felt he had enough advantage to have a sure victory. He was overcome with excitement and ready to do his victory dance. His mind was now clear and focused with determination and drive.

Just then, Liam thought about losing. He did not like that idea. He knew he wanted to help his brother, but his pride needed to be coddled. He began to pick up his pace and made longer strides than before. He quickly started to catch up then pass Kennedy. His long legs made running easy for him along with his slender physique. As he passed his little brother, he turned around to face Kennedy while running backward. This wasn’t new to Kennedy. Liam would always tease his brother for being slow. Kennedy leaned forward and gave it all he had. He got closer, then was in arm's length of his brother. He pushed even harder. He knew this would be the time for him to take the crown.

Both brothers are beginning to get tired, but neither wants to give up. They were just inches from the shed. Kennedy felt as though he could just reach out and touch it. The boys continued to run fast and hard. Liam was totally consumed by his pride and refused to run facing the target. He had just a few more steps to go. It was as if he knew exactly how many steps it would take to make it to the finish line.

Kennedy yelled, “watch out”. As Liam turned around his face slammed right into the door of the shed causing the door to burst open. Liam was able to catch himself from falling inside by placing his hands on the door frame grasping the sides. His body pulled forward, but Kennedy was there to grab him and keep him from falling through. The door was opened, the brothers looked at each other with puzzled expressions. Astonished by the view Liam was speechless while Kennedy kept stumbling over saying the word "What".