"How is the field today, honey?" The wife asked her husband who just came back from his tiring work with his son for the day. Yesterday their potato fields were destroyed by an animal. Judging from the tracks left by the savage beast they assumed it was a boar. And the boar, they tend to come back.

She waited for her husband's answer nervously as these potatoes were their only source of income for this year. They also planted cabbages and tomatoes but had not much luck with them. So the potatoes were their only hope.

The husband caught his breath first as he fanned himself with his hat before he hung it on the door.

The husband answered in a ragged voice, "The bastard got us again." It was filled with anger and helplessness.

He threw himself onto a chair and asked his wife for a glass of water. Out of breath, he could not even say it out so he waved his hand and fingers. Married for 20 years, his wife knew exactly what he meant and brought a glass to the table.

Soon their son followed into the house with a shovel in one hand and a toolbox in another. A young man yet he was also drenched in sweat after hunting the boar for a whole day and reinforcing the fence around the field when they could not get it.

The moment he was inside, he dropped the toolbox and ran to his only joy, the newspaper.

"Oh_ it is here," shouted the boy cheerfully.

Since young, unlike the other boys in their village who loved playing football or hunting with their fathers, he enjoyed reading.

Every day when he reached home from the field, he read the newspaper before doing anything else. Although the newspaper was out in the morning, it reached their distant village only at noon so he never got to enjoy it at morning tea like everyone else.

He sat opposite his father and read the headlines.

Seeing how his son's face lit brighter like a sun over a newspaper made him angrier. He gulped down his glass and said mockingly, "Great. Here I am worrying about how to fill our stomachs for next year while my sophisticated son read some news from big cities and worries about the whole nation."

The lad heard his father but he chose not to. He kept reading the front page in full focus. The mother glared at the father to stop bothering her son. He had helped his father without complaints so she believed he deserved some self-time.

"Right. It is better. These crops are getting worse every year. Become a writer and get some money for us. At least it won't be eaten by a boar."

His father continued grumbling. The mother gave him another glare from the stove while she prepared dinner. The man stopped and tore a bite from a loaf of brown bread his wife put on the table for dinner.

"So what's new today," asked the father to his son.

"The Goli arrested a businessman from our country again." The boy replied.

"*Urg* these bastards. They are doing it again. Didn't they arrest some good workers last week? Why can't they let hardworking men provide for their families for god sake?"

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"They also arrested some businessmen last year," added the boy.

"Hell. What is the reason this time?"

"Our man found an oil field worth millions at the border and the Goli said they own it."

"Damn black gold, they sure are convenient to run everything today so."

"And it is big this time. The man arrested, Frederick Roger, is I think the brother-in-law to our prime minister," the boy told his father. He read the exact words from the paper, "The foreign minister denounced the latest aggressive act from Goli as savagery and uncivilised, and request the release of all Davians arrested or there will be serious consequences."

The boy assumed the scope this time is worrisome considering the man arrested was from the top brass. His father concurred with him. The man sighed deeply as he mumbled dejectedly, "It was already bad enough with the drought. If they closed the border again, our potatoes will drop in price."

"Or there could be another war like five years ago," the boy revisited his memory while he was in middle school.

It started when a top brass was found dead in Goli. The Davian government accused Goli of assassinating a Davian official and started a war. Luckily the third nation reported the death was natural and ended quickly.

Since the atmosphere turned gloomy at the table, the mother switched the conversation to light up the room again.

"Don't be so down for something that hasn't happened yet. Goli has been doing that for some time and nothing happened. Our government will make some deal and it will end. So Vicka, my boy, tell me some local news. Is there anything interesting?"

Vicka was the boy's name. He turned the paper to the last page and read an article. "An inter-village football cup will be held to choose athletes for the regional team."

"Oh_some good news. I suppose Dickson and Clooney will be thrilled to hear that. Will they take part?"

"I believe so. It is eight hundred for first place."

That night, his father did not talk much after the dinner. He had too much to think about how to deal with the boar. Should he ask the hunting party from the village or hunt alone so that he does not need to split? He was sure the money from crops alone would not be enough for next year.

While his mother who was a bright person kept talking the same old jokes to lighten up the mood.

The next day his father asked for a hunting party with Vicka's closest friends, Clooney's and Dickson's fathers. Six of them hunted the boar quietly so that the other villagers would not notice. However, they failed to find the boar after the whole day. Though good news was the fence Vicka and his father built did keep the beast away from crops.

On their way back, Clooney and Dickson asked Vicka, "Hey, you heard about the football cup? Why don't you join us as the keeper?"

The sudden proposal from his friends baffled him. He was stunned by the ridiculousness. They knew he do not like football. He had only played once at middle school and never again.

"Are you serious?" He asked his friends. They nodded.

"You are the tallest in our village so_ we already discussed it with the team too."

"Stop messing with me. You all know I can't play."

"We are serious. Others who can play are out of the age limit. We only have ten so we need you. You are the most suited among those who can't play. Don't worry. All you need to do is block with your body. And I doubt you would even touch the ball considering how good we are." Clooney told him while laughing.

Vicka looked at them. They seemed serious. They were quite confident in their skills and so should they. At school, they and the boys from their village were the best.

Since the reward money might relieve his family's financial crisis so he decided to give it a try.

"I am in."