Specky Magee Read Free Page A

Lions, Collingwood and Sydney. Essendon, because if he wasn’t going to grow up to be a professional footy player, he would pursue a career as a fighter-bomber pilot. West Coast Eagles, because his grandfather lives in Perth, and he considers him to be pretty cool. Brisbane Lions because his school team are the Lions. And finally, Sydney because Robbo barracks for them; and Collingwood because of Danny.
    CHRISkicks : So what happens if two of your teams get in the Grand Final. Who do you go for then?
    FOOTYHEAD : I flip a coin to decide.
    CHRISkicks : That’s SO weird!
    ‘Simon! I need your help please!’ It was Specky’s mother calling for him. She always called Specky by his real name, Simon. Specky’s family members were the only ones to call him Simon. Everyone else, includingSpecky’s teachers, called him Specky—which he preferred.
    Specky said a hurried goodbye to his new online friend and logged off to join his mother. She was cleaning out her wardrobe.
    ‘Darling, I want you to take these boxes to the spare room. I’m making some more space here for my clothes. Thanks,’ she said.
    Specky obliged. Most of the heavy boxes were filled with general family memorabilia. While stacking the boxes away, Specky’s curiosity got the better of him, and he casually started to sift through them. He was especially interested in one box that was piled to the top with loose photographs.
    Specky chuckled to himself as he flipped through the images. In particular, a photo taken a year ago, showing Robbo, Danny and himself with birthday cake smeared across their faces. Specky remembered they’d had a huge food fight—it was full-on!
    Specky continued to sift through the photos until he stumbled onto something that caught his attention, exactly the same way the ‘Footy-blood’ newspaper article had done earlier in the day. But this time he wasn’t smiling. It was an old photograph of him when he was about twoyears old. Specky knew it was him, but he’d never seen any photos like this one! What made this picture stand out from the rest was how Specky was dressed. He was decked out from head to toe entirely in football clothing—Geelong Cats attire, to be exact. Specky was wearing a Geelong Cats beanie, scarf, jumper, and even baby football boots.
    This is so weird, thought Specky. He wondered why his mum and dad had dressed him up in footy gear if they hated the game so much. And why Geelong? They didn’t even know anyone from Geelong.
    Specky was totally baffled, but he was determined to find out the answers…

4 PHOTO BLUES
    Specky continued to stare at the photograph. He flipped it over, only to discover that there was something written on the back in pen. It read:
    Simon, 18 months old.
    Future footy champ and Cats supporter.
    But I don’t barrack for Geelong, thought Specky.
    He examined the handwriting. It didn’t look like his mum or dad’s. He wondered who could possibly have written it.
    Just then, Specky’s mum barged into the room. He hurriedly shoved the photograph into his back pocket.
    ‘I thought you were helping me!’ said Specky’s mother. She noticed the box filled with the family snapshots, and smiled. ‘Oh,that’s what you’re up to. You’re having a nostalgic moment, are you?’
    Specky looked up at her blankly. He was considering whether or not to ask his mother straight out about the strange photograph. But he didn’t know what to say, so he quizzed her with some lead-up questions instead, as if he were a lawyer on television.
    ‘Mum, do we have any relatives or friends in Geelong?’
    ‘No. Why?’
    ‘Just wondering. Do you or Dad have any friends who barrack for Geelong?’
    ‘You mean the football team?’
    Specky nodded.
    ‘No, we don’t. You know we don’t. What’s all this about?’
    ‘Um, nothing.’ Specky knew he would have to be more specific. ‘When I was a baby, how did you dress me?’
    Specky’s mother had a confused expression on her face. ‘What do you