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Jimmy Three-arms
By Max Sandberg
Of course, after the incident, none of them wished they had met him, but at the time, heseemed like one they 'ought not to mind of, but to feel sorry for, which was how people generallytreated him. Jimmy Three-arms they called him one day..."Yeah, you. Jimmy Three-arms. I want you on my team.""Forget him, Joe. He wouldn't be no good anyway. Just looka him. No-un could catch withthat thing.""But think if he could. Come on. Our team -- right outfield," responded Joe.Jimmy lugged himself over. No-un could catch with that thing ringing through his ears. He'dshow them -- a little extra weight meant nothing. A sound, the ball went flying straight for him inthe outfield. He caught it easily, maybe even lazily. Jimmy'd caught dozens in the park during hisfree time. No different now."See, that's why we got him. Maybe slow, but sure can catch. Nice catch, Jimmy," praised Joe.Two innings later, Jimmy got up to bat.
Three strikes means three chances. One of these should work.
The first ball, Jimmy tried right handed, but it felt too awkward to hit. The second ball, he tried lefty, but again, couldn't get enough power.
Why do I have to be so weak?
Jimmywondered now.
Could it possibly work; my third arm? I have to try so they won't hate me for losing.
At first, the pitcher hesitated, as if not sure where to throw the ball. He ended up closinghis eye.
C’mon arm, don’t fail me now.
Jimmy Three-arms took his bat back.- - - - - - 
 
Jimmy opened his eyes. The ball had gone out of the park, but so had all the kids. He onlyclosed his eyes for a minute.
“I knew I shouldn't have used it," 
he whispered to himself.
Why dothey always run?
Then he noticed someone left trampled into the ground from the stampede thatmust have occurred near the gate. Jimmy carefully approached him, sure not to scare him by putting on his trench coat over his stomach. The kid looked pretty bad; he called the hospital.- - - - - -"Are you awake? Good, he's waking up! Someone call the doctor.""Where am I? Gah, not you. Get me away from that freak," yelled presumably the kid."What seems to be the problem? The patient is awake?" quite obviously the doctor asked withsome concern."How did I get here? Did it bring me?" hissed the kid."
What's wrong with him? I saved his life. Why doesn't he
accept me?" argued possibly Jimmy,most likely in a corner. “
 I didn’t save his life, I caused this.”
"Jack, do you have some problem with this kid?" came a stern voice, implying the father, soyou don't have to get confused."Dad, this kid was the one who put me in here. Which reminds me, how long have I beenhere?""I believe I can answer this,” came a profound voice. “Jack, you've been in a coma for eightyears. As unfortunate as it is, it means you will never get a future as a working man. You'll haveto go through high school as an adult and everyone will look at you funny. You must never giveup though. Just because you’re an adult without experience doesn't mean you can't go onlearning and living. You just need more of a push than some other people," but by the end, he letout a short burst of laughter. "No, really it has only been two weeks, so you missed a baseballgame."
 
At this, the dad got up and stared down Jimmy in the corner before advancing menacingly.
 I thought as much. I'm out.
Jimmy, like a wild animal, jumped up and ran out of the buildingwithout a sound for all his mass to produce."Why did you do that? You scared him off," came another voice, which then must have beenthe mother, came deduction."I know, but you know we can't afford this. We aren't rich, Jane.""Let's just be thankful Jack is alive, John, and don't go hunting this kid down," worriedlytalked John out of threats of Jimmy came Jane."I guess you're right, but if I ever see that other kid again, I'm going to... cut of his third arm."- - - - - -Jimmy Three-arms didn't really live in a home. He walked back to a garbage pile every night,lying on old blankets with holes so he would at least look decent. If it was raining that night,he’d sleep in a tree or use it for a shower. Jimmy had a home once, a long time ago, but one dayhis mother threw him out for fear of him and told the father Jimmy was dead. Afterward that,Jimmy would only come up in a conversation every once in a while. "It was congenital. Wedidn't do anything wrong," they would say. But in their mind, there slowly crept a fear andknowledge that it couldn't have been congenital. A month after the accident, she blamed thefather. “Don't matter too much now, 'cause young Jimmy's dead. In fact, I’m leaving,” so endedthe argument.There seemed a problem; one last thing to take care of that Jimmy forgot to do before he gothome. Then, off in the distance, there came a line. Hard to tell the distance from the night,Jimmy kept forward, but with more caution, expecting. The line seemed not to be moving, soJimmy relaxed. There materialized an object which flew through the night air and struck Jimmyin the stomach. Bending down, Jimmy saw it was a baseball and knew.
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