2 Zeke at the Bat

Two Zeek at the bat. "IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE, ZEKE," Harris said. "I'll hold up my glove. You try to throw the ball into it." Zeke stood across the yard from Harris. He threw the ball. It sailed over Harris's head and landed in a neighbor's yard. "Good try!" Roxy said, trotting over to the ball. "Now try catching."

She tossed the ball softly over to Zeke. He stuck his glove out too late and the ball bounced past him. He ran after it and picked it up. Now throw it to me," said Roxy holding up her glove. Zeke unleashed another throw. This one landed across the street. "I don't know if I can do this," he said sadly.

"All it takes is practice," Harris said. "Let's keep trying." Zeke's next few throws went onto the roof of a house, bounced off a tree, and splashed into a neighbor's swimming pool. "Practice, huh?" Zeke said, fishing the wet ball out of the pool. "Practice," Harris replied, smiling.

They walked back over to the yard. Zeke took a deep breath, reared back, and fired the ball right into Harris's mitt. "That's it!" Roxy cried. "Now you're getting it!" Zeke's next throw flew perfectly into Roxy's glove. "You see?" she said. "You're picking this up really fast!"

But Harris wasn't so sure. Zeke may be an alien, but no one could improve that fast. Zeke might be using his powers to control the movement of the ball, he thought. In a game, something like that would be cheating. Let's try batting next," Harris said, hoping he was wrong about Zeke using his powers. He crouched down into a catcher's position.

Zeke picked up Roxy's new bat and took a couple of practice swings. Then Roxy threw a pitch. Zeke swung early and didn't come close to hitting the ball. It landed in Harris's mitte "Follow the ball in, Zeke," Roxy said. "Then time your swing." Roxy threw another pitch. This time Zeke swung too late. Harris could see the frustration on Zeke's face.