Assistant Coach Emily Van Winkle burst into the side door of the farmhouse, sending the chickens pecking about on the kitchen floor squawking and scattering. “Mike! Turn on the news! It’s happening.”
Head Coach Mike Van Winkle looked up irritably from his laptop, where he had been researching the effects of curdled milk on the human immune system. “What is it?” he asked as he reached for the old A.M. transistor radio sitting on the counter top beside him.
“Just listen,” said Emily.
There was a static crackling as Van Winkle adjusted the dial to his favorite radio news station. “Breaking news tonight,” stated an announcer’s somber voice. “In the Middle East, tensions are escalating, while right here in America, the devastation of Hurricane Helene is being felt far and wide.”
Mike Van Winkle gripped the edges of the kitchen table, and stared at Emily. “The second sign. And the third.”
“Yes,” exclaimed Emily. “It’s just as you predicted!”
“Where’s my almanac?” Mike said, and began looking hurriedly through a pile of old pamphlets and parchments, all of which were covered in strange symbols and drawings of demonic figures done in red ink. “Where’s my farmer’s almanac?!?” he repeated, now shouting, and Emily helped him find it amidst the mess of papers. She handed it to him, and stood back, holding her knuckles to her mouth in worry as Mike began frantically flipping through the pages until he found what he was after.
“Here it is.” He began reading, “The first sign warns of a drought, followed by four days of rain.” The Van Winkles looked outside. The rain was coming down steadily, as it had for the past three days, offering the brittle yellow farmland a respite from the months-long drought that had been ongoing through the late summer. Van Winkle continued. “The second sign,” he said, “warns of an uprising in the Holy Land.” Mike stared at Emily, a look of comprehension and horror frozen on his face.
“Keep going,” said Emily, her voice now shaking.
Mike turned the page and read, “The third sign will arrive in the form of an eye, and it will wreak havoc on the land and sea.”
“The hurricane!” said Emily. “It’s just as it was written! Keep reading. Tell me, what is to come next?
Van Winkle turned back to the almanac and read, “The fourth sign will arrive when two runners take first place.”
“Does that mean?" said Emily as her voice trailed off.
“Yes. It’s time for the Darby Dash. Let’s go!”
And POW! They were off, towards Hilliard Darby High School, where the two-mile Darby Dash was to be held. The Van Winkles arrived before the team, and helped them unload the tent. Camp was made, and the boys and girls teams took off for a quick warm-up before the race.
But freshman Andrew Doll grew circumspect. He had seen the strain in Coach Mike Van Winkle’s eyes. Had noticed the knowing glances that Mike and Emily Van Winkle shared as they scoured the entry times for all of the runners at the meet. Andrew had listened attentively to all of Van Winkle’s sermons, and he felt like something big was about to happen. He wondered if it would be the UFO disclosure about which Joe Rogan was constantly pestering his guests. Or maybe the Van Winkles had finally discovered the secret chemical process of turning silage into gold. Andrew wasn’t sure, but he couldn’t distract himself now. It was race time.
The boys stood at the start of the Open Race, for what would be two miles of sheer speed. The gun sounded, and POW! They were off, running on the same course that they would face in a few weeks’ time at the District Meet. Zeke Gingerich bolted to the front of the pack, and soon, it was clear that he would take home the title of first place, leading the boys’ team, which would finish in 3rd place overall. Full results below:
1st—Zeke Gingerich—10:35
11th—Andrew Doll—11:24
17th—Daniel Thomas—11:32
18th—Bryce Nisly—11:34
19th—Brady Adams—11:35
27th—Nicholas Johnson—11:53
43rd—Noah Thorley—12:20
44th—JJ Miehls—12:20
56th—Elton Bailey—12:37
90th—Triton Rhodes—15:40
After the race, Coach Emily Van Winkle ran up to her husband’s side. “It’s happening. Zeke won the race.”
“Yes. The first shoe has dropped,” said Mike. “Now we just have to see if the girls have an answer.”
And, in fact, at that moment, the girls were lining up at the start line for what would prove to be a challenging run. Sophomore Sadie Miller was tightening up her shoestrings. “I don’t know,” said Sadie, “I feel like there’s a lot on the line today. For some reason, it’s like, the fate of the world depends upon how we perform out here. I just hope I have what it takes to be competitive.” Nearby, Coach Van Winkle stood, thumbing through the worn pages of his Farmer’s Almanac. Droplets of sweat appeared on his brow and he was animated with a nervous energy. The gun sounded and POW! They were off.
The race progressed slowly and it seemed that no athlete wanted to take the lead. They disappeared into the woods and no one could tell how the order was shifting in the dim shadows of cover. Coach Van Winkle closed his eyes and whispered a prayer. “Please…please Rogan…allow a Panther to win...” And then, just when the crowd was about to burst in anticipation, the first runner emerged. It was Sadie Miller! And she was flying, as if assisted by some supernatural force. Full results below:
1st—Sadie Miller—13:10
2nd—Mara Vicari—13:18
8th—Mollie Thrush—13:57
11th—Hannah Niehaus
12th—Hadley Premuda
13th—Elizabeth Philippo
16th—Evie Reidman
24th—Avery Thorley
43rd—Prairie Bailey
47th—Corinna Seabourn
54th—Lanay Sommers
Back at the team camp, the Panther athletes reconvened and discussed the races. But Coach Emily Van Winkle was thinking about something else. She motioned Mike to come over to her, and she whispered, “The fourth sign has passed. Check your almanac. What is the fifth sign? We need to be vigilant.”
Mike searched the pages of the book, until he found what he was looking for. “It says that a child will taste the hand. What could that possibly mean?”
“Mike! Look!” Emily pointed at the tent, where little Vivienne Van Winkle was playing with freshmen Corinna Seabourn, Hadley Premuda, and Lanay Sommers. The older girls were holding their hands out, ostensibly so that Vivi could try slapping at them. However, rather than slap at the hands outstretched before her, Vivi lunged forward and licked the palm of Corinna Seabourn.
“Gross!” exclaimed Corinna as she recoiled.
“What is wrong with your daughter?” asked Hadley, looking over at the Van Winkles in horror.
“Something wrong, you know what I’m saying? Something wrong with that,” said Lanay as she shuddered.
“No,” said Mike Van Winkle, beaming with pride at his adorable daughter. “There’s nothing wrong with that at all. It’s the fifth sign. Now let’s hit that cool down. There are still two signs left…we must be ready for whatever is to come.”