British Bulldog
Chris Miller always won. Whether it was football, basketball, or an argument, I never saw him lose
– not until the day Merryn joined the regular Friday night game of British Bulldog in my yard.
Chris always decided who played. He was bigger than the rest of us, and no-one argued with him. Merryn was only about average height, but we all knew from the school sports that she was fast and strong.
“You just can’t, and that’s it,” said Chris. “No girls. That’s the rule.”
Normally that would have been it. End of story. Chris would just turn away and the other person would back down. Not this time, though. Merryn just glared at him without blinking. We couldn’t believe it. It was one of those really still summer evenings where you can hear your own breathing if everyone stops talking. No-one was talking now. It was funny how alike they looked just then. Merryn’s hair was longer and darker than Chris’, and her nose and chin were a different shape, but the look on their faces was the same. Exactly the same.
In the end we just started the game without anyone saying anything. Neither Chris nor Merryn backed down, and everyone got into position like we always did. Except this time we knew it was going to be different.
Illustration by Louise Prout.
– not until the day Merryn joined the regular Friday night game of British Bulldog in my yard.
Chris always decided who played. He was bigger than the rest of us, and no-one argued with him. Merryn was only about average height, but we all knew from the school sports that she was fast and strong.
“You just can’t, and that’s it,” said Chris. “No girls. That’s the rule.”
Normally that would have been it. End of story. Chris would just turn away and the other person would back down. Not this time, though. Merryn just glared at him without blinking. We couldn’t believe it. It was one of those really still summer evenings where you can hear your own breathing if everyone stops talking. No-one was talking now. It was funny how alike they looked just then. Merryn’s hair was longer and darker than Chris’, and her nose and chin were a different shape, but the look on their faces was the same. Exactly the same.
In the end we just started the game without anyone saying anything. Neither Chris nor Merryn backed down, and everyone got into position like we always did. Except this time we knew it was going to be different.
Illustration by Louise Prout.
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Publication History"British Bulldog" was published in 2001 in Playing to Win as part of the Longman Thrillogy series, edited by Paul Collins and Meredith Costain.
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