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Stutter Step: A Novella — John Lutz
A Short Story by John Lutz
Excerpt
EDDIE HAYES SLOWED ALMOST TO A STOP AFTER THE FOOTBALL WAS SNAPPED, THEN SPRINTED DOWN THE SIDELINES, WHIRLED AT the fifty-yard line, and there was the ball. Willard, the quarterback, had made a perfect pass, and all Eddie had to do was reach out and pluck the ball from the air as if he were picking fruit. He tucked the football beneath his arm as he spun back toward the opposing team's goal line and broke into a run.
The defensive end hadn't been entirely fooled, and Eddie glimpsed him in the corner of his vision, closing in fast for the tackle. That was when Eddie executed his favorite football maneuver, the stutter step. Maybe he liked it because he stuttered himself when he talked, and this was almost like making his halting speech physical in a way that could win football games and acceptance with his classmates. The stutter step was kind of like taking a quick stride and a half without speeding up, keeping your feet going faster than you were, so that on videotape it looked a little like a momentary fast-forward. Eddie was good at it. He broke stride just enough to throw off the defensive end's timing, changed direction, and felt arms slip around his right thigh, then slide down and away. He pulled free and was running full tilt again toward the goal line.
Excerpt
EDDIE HAYES SLOWED ALMOST TO A STOP AFTER THE FOOTBALL WAS SNAPPED, THEN SPRINTED DOWN THE SIDELINES, WHIRLED AT the fifty-yard line, and there was the ball. Willard, the quarterback, had made a perfect pass, and all Eddie had to do was reach out and pluck the ball from the air as if he were picking fruit. He tucked the football beneath his arm as he spun back toward the opposing team's goal line and broke into a run.
The defensive end hadn't been entirely fooled, and Eddie glimpsed him in the corner of his vision, closing in fast for the tackle. That was when Eddie executed his favorite football maneuver, the stutter step. Maybe he liked it because he stuttered himself when he talked, and this was almost like making his halting speech physical in a way that could win football games and acceptance with his classmates. The stutter step was kind of like taking a quick stride and a half without speeding up, keeping your feet going faster than you were, so that on videotape it looked a little like a momentary fast-forward. Eddie was good at it. He broke stride just enough to throw off the defensive end's timing, changed direction, and felt arms slip around his right thigh, then slide down and away. He pulled free and was running full tilt again toward the goal line.
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