15. A Final Kick

A FINAL KICK 15 The monstrous jungle gym's wooden leg just missed the soccer ball! It slammed into the muddy ground. Sam stopped the ball with his foot. The jungle gym stomped toward Sam. SCHMACK! SQUASH! SMUSH!

The jungle gym's slide rolled out like a long red carpet. It snaked around, lashed out, and smacked the ground at Sam's feet. "Kick the ball, Sam!" Lucy shouted. "Hurry! I c-c-can't breathe!" Antonio called.

The wooden mouth above the slide was chomping open and closed. Wood splintered with every bite. Sam could tell that the school wanted to scoop him up with the tongue and swallow him whole. This is the moment! Sam thought. Sam pulled back his foot, eyed the soccer ball, and—

The ball soared through the air! It whizzed above the tongue. An instant later, the ball disappeared. It had flown directly into the monstrous jungle gym's mouth! "DIRECT HIT!" Antonio cried out. "NICE SHOT!" Lucy screamed. Sam caught his breath. For one moment, everything was quiet.

Then the jungle gym stumbled from side to side. The two windows above the slide bulged like eyes. The legs shook. The wood cracked. A long moan escaped from its mouth. The giant tongue slide flopped around. The monster was choking! It lurched forward, toward Sam. Sam stepped back.

And then, all at once, the huge structure became lifeless. The tire around Antonio loosened. The climbing net dropped Lucy to the ground. The wood settled. Even the fog began to clear. "Not bad for someone who's terrible at soccer," Antonio joked. But before Sam could reply, there was a KLANG!