What if ghosts played soccer? Jackson wondered, kicking his toy dragon across his room. He was going to play soccer with his team at school today, and he was very excited!
"Jackson, honey, time for breakfast!" Mom called from the kitchen.
Jackson zoomed out of his room, his robot arms whirring softly. He loved having robot arms! He imagined they let him fly all the way to the Robot Planet sometimes, but that was a secret.
After breakfast, Mom drove Jackson to school. School was big and bright, and Jackson loved running to his classroom. Today, though, they were playing soccer outside in the schoolyard!
"Okay everyone, gather 'round!" Coach Mark clapped his hands.
Jackson lined up with his friends. But something was strange. The air felt cold, even though the sun was shining.
"Alright team, let's practice passing!" Coach Mark tossed a soccer ball.
But before anyone could move, the ball floated up in the air! It spun around, then shot towards the goal...all by itself!
"WoooOOOooo!" A faint, spooky sound echoed around them.
The kids gasped. Jackson felt a shiver crawl up his spine.
"Did you see that?" whispered Emily, his teammate.
"Maybe it's a ghost!" whispered back Jackson, his eyes wide. He was a little bit scared, but mostly excited!
They watched as the soccer ball continued to move on its own, dribbling between cones and even doing a fancy foot trick!
"This is awesome!" exclaimed Lucas, another teammate. He ran after the ball, laughing.
Suddenly, a figure shimmered into view beside the goal. It was a boy, about their age, but he glowed with a soft, white light. He was wearing a tattered soccer uniform.
"Boo!" the boy said, grinning.
Some kids screamed, but Jackson took a deep breath. He remembered what his mom always said: "Even ghosts can be friendly."
"Hi!" Jackson called out. "Do you want to play soccer with us?"
The ghost boy blinked. "Play?" he echoed, his voice like the wind.
"Yeah!" said Emily, "It looks like you're really good!"
The ghost boy’s smile widened. "I used to love soccer," he whispered.
And with that, the ghost boy joined their game. He floated across the field, passing the ball with impossible speed. The kids laughed and shouted, their fear forgotten. The spooky sounds turned into happy cheers.
"This is the best soccer game ever!" Jackson laughed, kicking the ball towards the glowing goal.
After a while, the sun started to set. The ghost boy began to fade.
“I have to go,” he whispered, “but thank you for playing with me.”
"Maybe we can play again tomorrow?" asked Jackson.
The ghost boy smiled. "Maybe," he said, and with a final shimmer, he disappeared.
Jackson and his friends walked inside, still buzzing with excitement. Playing with a real ghost was the coolest thing ever!
That night, tucked into bed, Jackson told his mom all about the spooky soccer game.
“Sounds like you made a new friend,” Mom said, smiling.
Jackson, snuggling his toy dragon, knew that even spooky things could be fun, especially with friends. And he couldn't wait for another game with their ghostly teammate.
