Samuel's Angry Words

As they were playing together out in a field one Sunday afternoon, a group of little boys kicked a ball around and ran together. They had made small goals from sticks at each end of the playing area. Samuel, who owned the ball, was also the fastest player. He would run so fast that the others would struggle to keep up with him.

All was going well until Eli, one of the boys playing, accidentally kicked the ball and it hit Samuel in the face, causing him to fall down.

“Why did you hit me with the ball?” Samuel said angrily, holding the part of his face where he had been hit.

“I am so sorry,” Eli said, his voice full of worry. “It was an accident, I didn’t mean to.”

At this point, the playing had stopped, and all the boys gathered around Samuel, who was still holding his face because of the pain.

“Eli, go away! You will not play with my ball ever again!” Samuel said with such anger.

“I am sorry, Samuel,” Eli pleaded. “It was an accident.”

“He’s sorry, it was an accident,” the rest of the boys joined in, trying to show Samuel that indeed, it was an accident.

However, all this didn’t seem to change his mind. Samuel insisted that Eli would not play with his ball. Disappointed and sad, Eli decided to move away from the playing area and sat in the grass. Samuel then got up and asked the rest of the boys to continue playing with his ball.

They all continued playing, but this time, everyone was scared to play near Samuel. They all feared that if they accidentally hit him with the ball, he would chase them away too. So the game became a bit boring. It was like Samuel was playing all by himself.

One by one, the boys said they were done playing football. They joined Eli, who was seated on the grass. This happened until Samuel was all by himself. As he kicked the ball around, the other boys had an idea for a new game.

“Let's play hide-and-seek!” Abraham suggested.

“Great idea!” they all agreed.

Since he had suggested it, Abraham was the first to count while the others ran to hide. Being a field, there were so many places to hide: behind trees, large anthills, and even tall flowers. The thought of a new game, one that everyone could play together, had lifted their spirits.

The fun had started all over again, but Samuel was not a part of it. He still felt a little bit angry, but seeing his friends having fun without him made a strange, empty feeling grow in his chest.

“Can I join in too?” he asked Abraham, who had finished counting and was now searching for the others.

“You’ll have to ask the others as well,” Abraham answered.

Samuel sat down on the grass and watched as Abraham found everyone in their hiding spots. It looked like so much fun. When they had all gathered back, Abraham told them that Samuel had asked to join the game.

Everyone fell silent for a moment. They were still not happy with how Samuel had treated Eli earlier during their football game. After a short while, Eli stood up.

“Its okay, Samuel,” Eli said. “You can join us.”

Samuel was surprised. He had expected them, especially Eli to say no.

“Thanks,” Samuel mumbled, feeling a bit ashamed of how he had acted.

He joined the group, and the fun soon started again.

As the sun began to set, and it was time for everyone to go home, Samuel walked beside Eli.

“I’m really sorry I got so angry earlier,” he said quietly.

Eli smiled. “Its okay, Samuel. Everyone gets angry sometimes. The important thing is to try and make sure that you don’t say hurtful things when you are angry.”

Samuel nodded. He had learned that being angry could make you feel lonely, but being kind and saying sorry could bring you back to your friends.

The End.

If you enjoyed this story, you may also enjoy: The Joy of Forgiveness