"Catch!" Tom the tiger called, throwing the ball towards Sabi.
"And what game shall we play?" Sabi asked curiously as she caught the ball.
Tom thought. "I don't know. Anything you can think of. You can play anything with the ball. But I would choose something simple. We tigers aren't very good with the ball. We've got big paws, and it's hard to catch the ball. Sometimes we even puncture it with our claws."
Sabi smiled. "You know, I don't enjoy catching the ball either. I don't have such strong and dexterous hands. And sometimes when I catch the ball in my arms, it feels like my hands are two snakes gripping the ball. And I'm afraid of snakes!"
Tom laughed till his whiskers jumped. "So what do you suggest?"
"How about football? That's played with your feet. We don't need any catching there. Unless one of us is the goalie," Sabi suggested.
But Tom shook his head. "No, I don't want to be a goalie. You want to be a goalie?"
"No way! I sure don't want to!" Sabi quickly replied. "Then we can just pass the ball around. What do you think?"
"That sounds great! That would be fun!" Tom agreed enthusiastically.
But Sabi suddenly looked mysterious. "Tom, now I'm going to test you on something. Don't you agree?"
Tom rolled his eyes at her. "You'll try? Of what?"
"I'll test you to see if you know all the ball sports I'm going to tell you. How about that?"
"I wonder if I'll know them all. Then start!" Tom challenged her.
Sabi took a deep breath and began: "Baseball, basketball, beach tennis, bandy hockey, handball, lacrosse, and soccer."
Tom thought for a moment, then replied, "One thing I know for sure - I may have heard of or seen bandy hockey, but I'm not at all sure now. And I don't know soccer at all. Is that a ball sport too? You're kidding me, right?"
Sabi smiled. "Pretty good, Tom. But I believe you'll understand bandy hockey and soccer too. Bandy hockey is played by the boys on our field. It's similar to ice-hockey, but instead of skates they have boots and instead of a puck they play with a ball. And soccer? That's really kind of a little joke. Soccer is football. Everywhere in the world they call it football, but in the US and Canada they call it soccer."
Tom frowned, but then laughed. "Oh, so you're kidding me? Okay, I like that. Just wait till I catch you!"
They both laughed and looked forward to seeing what other games they would play together.
"Catch!" Tom the tiger called, throwing the ball towards Sabi.
"And what game shall we play?" Sabi asked curiously as she caught the ball.
Tom thought. "I don't know. Anything you can think of. You can play anything with the ball. But I would choose something simple. We tigers aren't very good with the ball. We've got big paws, and it's hard to catch the ball. Sometimes we even puncture it with our claws."
Sabi smiled. "You know, I don't enjoy catching the ball either. I don't have such strong and dexterous hands. And sometimes when I catch the ball in my arms, it feels like my hands are two snakes gripping the ball. And I'm afraid of snakes!"
Tom laughed till his whiskers jumped. "So what do you suggest?"
"How about football? That's played with your feet. We don't need any catching there. Unless one of us is the goalie," Sabi suggested.
But Tom shook his head. "No, I don't want to be a goalie. You want to be a goalie?"
"No way! I sure don't want to!" Sabi quickly replied. "Then we can just pass the ball around. What do you think?"
"That sounds great! That would be fun!" Tom agreed enthusiastically.
But Sabi suddenly looked mysterious. "Tom, now I'm going to test you on something. Don't you agree?"
Tom rolled his eyes at her. "You'll try? Of what?"
"I'll test you to see if you know all the ball sports I'm going to tell you. How about that?"
"I wonder if I'll know them all. Then start!" Tom challenged her.
Sabi took a deep breath and began: "Baseball, basketball, beach tennis, bandy hockey, handball, lacrosse, and soccer."
Tom thought for a moment, then replied, "One thing I know for sure - I may have heard of or seen bandy hockey, but I'm not at all sure now. And I don't know soccer at all. Is that a ball sport too? You're kidding me, right?"
Sabi smiled. "Pretty good, Tom. But I believe you'll understand bandy hockey and soccer too. Bandy hockey is played by the boys on our field. It's similar to ice-hockey, but instead of skates they have boots and instead of a puck they play with a ball. And soccer? That's really kind of a little joke. Soccer is football. Everywhere in the world they call it football, but in the US and Canada they call it soccer."
Tom frowned, but then laughed. "Oh, so you're kidding me? Okay, I like that. Just wait till I catch you!"
They both laughed and looked forward to seeing what other games they would play together.