Danger Defying Delightful Delilah Delahussey

This story is from his latest, a children’s book entitled FROM A TO Z, TO YOU FROM ME

In the town of Dippitydoo, Delaware, lived a delightful girl named Delilah Delahussey. All the girls loved her, but the boys were jealous because she was so athletic. With unlimited endurance and strength, she could outrun everyone--boys and girls, and on the basketball court, her teammates watched in awe as she made the longest shots, which always went straight into the basket. When she entered the tenth grade, her height had jumped from under five feet to over six feet, and her strength had increased tremendously.

During the first class meeting, the teacher announced that all boys who wanted to try out for the football team should report to the coach’s office. When Delilah asked if she could join them, everyone laughed. A girl playing football? No way. Delilah ignored their negative attitude. When she strode into Coach Delbert Dempsey’s office, everyone--even the coach--gasped. “Football is not a girl’s sport,” he snorted. Staring defiantly at him, she replied, “Give me a chance. I’ll prove I am more qualified than any of these boys.”

Shrugging, Coach Dempsey issued her a uniform and helmet. During calisthenics, when no boy could do more than fifty pushups, Delilah did one hundred. In weight lifting, she raised 200 pounds over her head; no boy exceeded 100 pounds. But her running ability erased all doubt from the coach’s mind. When the hopefuls gathered on one end of the football field, and the whistle blew, no one had even reached the 50-yard line before Delilah crossed the goal line. The boys were embarrassed; the coach was thrilled.

“Delilah,” Coach Dempsey said, “You are on the team. Please remain after everyone else is gone. I want to see how well you toss a football. After showing her how to grasp the ball, he told her to throw it toward an X mark sixty yards downfield. Her first toss flew the full distance and landed squarely on the X. Coach knew who his quarterback would be.

Delilah led the team to the conference championship, and her teammates loved her. She was a leader--strong, fast, smart, and most of all, delightful. After graduation, she joined the Air Force and became a fighter pilot. Her instructor was so impressed with her flying skills that he suggested she volunteer for a dangerous mission: ascending in a helium-filled balloon to an altitude of twenty miles and jumping out. Without a second thought, she took the challenge.

At twenty miles above earth, Delilah placed her life in God’s hands and jumped. Soon, the speedometer on her wrist indicated that she was traveling straight down at a rate of 714 miles per hour, while the temperature gauge registered 100 degrees below zero! Delilah had no communication with the ground, but when she was 14,000 feet above the target zone, the parachute opened, and she floated gently to earth.

Unhurt, she stood before the cheering crowd as they shouted a name she would never forget: Danger Defying Delightful Delilah Delahussey.

NOTE: Jimmy Reed is a retired college professor and author of several books. This story is from his latest, a children’s book entitled FROM A TO Z, TO YOU FROM ME. Each story in the book maximizes the use of an alphabetical letter, enhanced by alliteration and assonance. The book is available on Amazon, or can be purchased directly from the author. His email address is jimmycecilreedjr@gmail.com.

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