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  • Welcome to the Storyline Online, brought to you by the SAG Foundation.

  • I’m Kevin Costner. This is . . . Jillian Estell.

  • Were gonna read to you a book today and it’s called

  • . . . you might wanna show them the book, what’s it called?

  • It’s called Catching the Moon by Crystal Hubbard, illustrated by Randy DuBurke.

  • And it’s a story of a young girl's baseball dream.

  • Marcenia Lyle loved baseball. She loved the powdery taste of dust clouds as she slid through them.

  • She loved the way the sun heated her hair as she crouched in the outfield, waiting for fly balls.

  • And she loved the sting in her palm as a baseball slammed into it,

  • right before tagging a runner out.

  • If there was anything in the world better than baseball, Marcenia didn’t know what it was.

  • She dreamed of growing up to be a professional ballplayer, so she could play

  • all the time.

  • “I wish I knew why you liked baseball so much.” Mama sighed

  • as she gently washed Marcenia’s hair.

  • Marcenia shrugged. Mama often questioned Marcenia’s interest in baseball,

  • particularly when washing field dirt from her hair.

  • It’s just fun,” Marcenia said, giving her mother the same response she always did.

  • Playing dolls is fun,” Mama said.

  • Marcenia blew a puff of lather from her palm. “Not as much fun as baseball.”

  • After Marcenia crawled into bed, Papa appeared in the doorway.

  • What did you learn in school today?” he asked.

  • Ummm…” Marcenia thought for a moment. “Some history?”

  • hmmm”, Papa crossed his arms. “And how did your team do in the game after school?”

  • Harold got a triple in his first at bat, and Clarence tagged out two runners,”

  • Marcenia said eagerly. “I struck out my first time at the bat, but then I caught a deep fly ball

  • that would have scored the tying run for the other team if I’d missed it. We won, 11-10.”

  • Marcenia’s smile gleamed like the noonday sun as she shared the details of her victory.

  • We won the game,” Marcenia said once more.

  • And you also ripped another dress,” Papa said, dismayed.

  • Then he kissed Marcenia’s cheek and turned off the light, leaving her alone with the moonlight

  • and shadows and her dream of becoming a baseball player.

  • The tiny house was still.

  • Marcenia could almost hear her mother’s needle and thread moving through the fabric

  • as she sat at the kitchen table mending Marcenia’s dress.

  • After a while Marcenia heard Papa’s voice.

  • “I wish she would think about school as much as she thinks on baseball.”

  • She wants to be a ballplayer when she grows up,” Mama said with a sad chuckle.

  • “I just want her to be happy.”

  • Shell be what every other girl in this neighborhood will be,” Papa grumbled.

  • “A teacher, a nurse, or—“

  • “A maid,” Mama said softly.

  • “I’m going to score three runs tomorrow,”

  • Marcenia promised the darkness as she clapped her hands over her ears.

  • “I’m going to hit a home run too.”

  • Then next day after school, Marcenia went to the playground.

  • The other girls stayed on the hardtop to play hopscotch, jump rope, or jacks.

  • The boys were huddled at the mound, talking quietly.

  • They cast excited glances at the man who was watching the field from the bleachers.

  • Do you know who he is?” Harold asked Marcenia as she joined the group.

  • He tipped his head toward the man.

  • That there is Mr. Gabby Street. He’s running a baseball day camp this summer.”

  • Marcenia knew about Gabby Street. He was the manager for the St. Louis Cardinals.

  • He had led his Cardinals to the National League pennant in 1930,

  • and the Cardinals had topped that the next year by winning the 1931 World Series.

  • What’s he want?” Marcenia asked.

  • Kids for his baseball camp,” Harold said. “It’s going to be right here on this field

  • every day except Sunday. Sundays are game days.”

  • What is the cost?” Marcenia asked.

  • It’s free! It’s free!” said Clarence.

  • All you need is your own glove and baseball cleats,” Harold added.

  • Marcenia could hardly contain her excitement.

  • She would do anything to be one of the players in Mr. Street’s camp!

  • That afternoon Marcenia played with purpose.

  • She scooped the grounders, catching them into her body to make sure they didn’t bounce away.

  • She slid into second, keeping so low she wouldn’t be tagged.

  • She kept her eyes on each pitch, waiting for a good one to send over the fence.

  • She scored three runs just like she wanted and hit a homer.

  • When Mr. Street approached the players after the game, Marcenia crowded in close so he could see her.

  • “I just saw some good ball,” Mr. Street said, smiling.

  • Who wants to come to my baseball camp and really learn to play this game?”

  • Every hand went up.

  • Mr. Street shook them all. He shook Marcenia’s hand last.

  • Youve got a good arm, little miss, and you run fast,” he said.

  • But I don’t take girls in my camp.”

  • Marcenia looked down so no one would see her disappointment.

  • She began striking dust from her dress.

  • Hey, Marcenia’s been playing ball with us since we were little kids,” Harold told Mr. Street.

  • She’s the only player we got who ever steals bases,” Clarence said.

  • Marcenia was pleased that her friends had come to her defense,

  • but Mr. Street didn’t change his mind.

  • As she walked home, she thought about how those very same boys had teased her

  • when she first started playing baseball with them.

  • Then when they saw she could run, hit, and throw as well as they could,

  • the teasing stopped. They had let her play.

  • Marcenia decided to give Mr. Street a reason to change his mind.

  • Everyday Marcenia played baseball, and everyday Mr. Street refused to invite her to his camp.

  • Then came a day when Marcenia got tired of hearing him say, “I don’t take girls in my camp.”

  • That day, when she was on third base in the ninth inning of a tie game,

  • Marcenia decided to take the biggest chance in all baseball. She decided to steal home.

  • When the pitcher drew back his arm to throw the ball to Harold,

  • Marcenia launched into motion.

  • The catcher snared the pitch in his glove and ran toward Marcenia to tag her out.

  • Marcenia doubled back toward third. When the catcher threw the ball back to the third baseman,

  • Marcenia turned and bolted toward home plate. As the ball sailed above her head,

  • Marcenia pumped her arms and knees harder.

  • With the ball speeding toward home, Marcenia dropped her weight and slid into home plate.

  • She had stolen home and scored the winning run!

  • While her teammates celebrated their victory,

  • Marcenia planted her hands on her hips and faced Mr. Street.

  • “I am a baseball player,” she said. “I want to learn to play this game as well as I can.

  • May I come to your camp?”

  • Well, little miss, if you can steal home, you can probably do anything you set your mind to,”

  • Mr. Street said. “You can come to my camp as long as you have your equipment.”

  • When Marcenia told her parents the good news about the camp that evening,

  • her father was not pleased.

  • “I don’t like you acting like such a tomboy,” he said with a snap of his evening paper.

  • Besides, you know we don’t have money to spend on—“

  • The camp’s free!” Marcenia said excitedly.

  • Equipment isn’t free,” Papa said.

  • “I have a glove,” Marcenia said. “Harold gave me his old one.”

  • Youll need cleats, and we don’t have money for those,” Papa added.

  • So unless youre prepared to get them yourself, I think youll have to forget about that camp.”

  • With another snap of Papa’s newspaper, Marcenia felt her dream move out of reach.

  • Mr. Street was at the field the next time Marcenia played.

  • Before the game, she mustered all her strength to keep from crying.

  • Mr. Street,” she said, “I can’t come to your camp.

  • I don’t have cleats and my father says we can’t afford them. But thank you for inviting me.”

  • Although she was sad, Marcenia played as well as she always had.

  • She loved baseball too much not to play with her heart.

  • Unable to sleep, Marcenia gazed through her window at the full moon glowing in the sky.

  • It was so round and bright, like a brand new baseball.

  • She reached to the floor and took up her baseball glove.

  • She put it on and punched the pocket, as if the moon would drop into

  • it like so many fly balls had before.

  • Marcenia wondered sadly if Papa was right. Maybe girls didn’t grow up to be ballplayers after all.

  • But playing baseball was her dream, and Marcenia couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

  • The next day after school Marcenia was the first one at the playing field.

  • Mr. Street was already there, and he waved Marcenia over.

  • Youre a good ballplayer, Marcenia,” he said. “I want good ballplayers for my camp.”

  • He handed Marcenia a box, and he watched as she opened it.

  • Her eyes widened as she pulled out a shoe with each hand.

  • These weren’t just any shoes. These were real baseball cleats!

  • Thank you, Mr. Street!” Marcenia was so excited she could barely squeeze out the words.

  • She hugged the shoes to her chest. They were even better than stealing home!

  • Don’t you have a game to play?” Mr. Street said, nodding toward the field.

  • Yes, I do!” Marcenia replied happily.

  • Her fingers flew as she unbuckled her street shoes and laced on her new cleats.

  • They fit perfectly. She ran in them. She jumped in them.

  • She caught and slid in them. And she hit a home run in them.

  • After the game they boy rushed to Mr. Street, talking over one another about the game.

  • Marcenia lingered at home plate. She stared at her feet, proud of the new scuffs and smudges on her shoes.

  • They had been a little stiff at first.

  • But now that she had played a good game of baseball in them,

  • the cleats were exactly the way she wanted them to be.

  • Mr. Street excused himself from the crowd of boys.

  • “I look forward to seeing you in camp,” he said to Marcenia.

  • She gave him a hopeful smile, but Marcenia knew she still had one more person to convince

  • before she could officially accept Mr. Street’s invitation.

  • She ran home and waited anxiously for her father to return from work.

  • As soon as her father arrived, Marcenia showed him her new cleats.

  • Now, Marcenia, wherewhere did you get thosewhere did you get those shoes?”

  • Papa asked sternly. “Mr. Street gave them to me,” Marcenia said.

  • He wants me to come to his baseball camp.”

  • Papa looked down at Marcenia’s baseball cleats,

  • which were already scuffed and dusted with field dirt.

  • You must be a pretty good ballplayer for an important man like Mr. Street

  • to buy you those shoes,” he admitted. Then he smiled.

  • You know I don’t like charity, but I reckon we can’t give those shoes back in this state.

  • I’ll have to thank Mr. Street for his generosity when I take you down to that baseball camp.”

  • Marcenia could hardly believe her earsPapa had agreed!

  • Her chest filled with joy and she threw her arms around her father, hugging him hard.

  • Youll see how good I am!” she cried.

  • Marcenia felt as proud and happy as if she reached right up in the sky and caught the moon in her glove.

  • She was on her way to becoming a real baseball player. She would make her dream come true.

  • Good story. It’s a great story.

  • You know what’s great about this story is it’s also, it’s also true.

  • This little girl is real and grew up to be a professional baseball player.

  • Dreams are, dreams are important. And sometimes you can find dreams in books.

  • That’s what makes this story so special, you know. It’s important to dream.

  • You can be a lot of things in your life, not just a baseball player,

  • but you can also be the person who wrote this book someday.

  • You can be a doctor. You can be a lot of things.

  • That’s what I love about books, you know, they take us to a place.

  • We can read them in a car. We can read them in our room.

  • You know, books can take you around the world and you never leave your house.

  • When I think of a lot of the great things that have come to be in my life,

  • a lot of them have come from books just like this.

  • I think if you start reading as young as you guys are, youre gonna have a really great life.

Welcome to the Storyline Online, brought to you by the SAG Foundation.

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B1 中級 美國腔

追月》由凱文-科斯特納和吉利安-埃斯特爾朗讀。 (Catching the Moon read by Kevin Costner and Jillian Estell)

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    Anbe2623 發佈於 2021 年 01 月 14 日
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