Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
Memories in the Trunk
A nostalgic search through a college trunk uncovers an old football team photograph. The photograph becomes the focus of attention and conversation.
Key Events
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Searching the College Trunk — A nostalgic person searches through an old college trunk.
Location: Unspecified setting
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The Old Team Photograph — An old photograph of a college football team is discovered.
Location: Unspecified setting
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The Photograph Draws Interest — The photograph catches another person's interest.
Location: Unspecified setting
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A Star Player Claim — The nostalgic person presents himself as the team's star.
Location: Unspecified setting
The Inflated Football Reputation
The photograph inspires a claim of former athletic greatness. Another person challenges that claim by recalling a much less impressive role as a water boy.
Key Events
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The Water Boy Rebuttal — A rebuttal claims he was only good at being the water boy.
Location: Unspecified setting
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A Challenge Is Accepted — The disputed athletic reputation motivates a demonstration.
Location: Unspecified setting
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Football Instruction Begins — An attempt is made to show another person how to play football.
Location: Football field
A Demonstration Unravels
An attempt to teach football exposes a lack of athletic experience. Dressing as a tackling dummy turns the demonstration into a disaster.
Key Events
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Athletic Skill Is Tested — The demonstration reveals that the instructor lacks experience.
Location: Football field
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The Dummy Disguise — The person dresses as a tackling dummy during the attempt.
Location: Football field
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Dummy Training Goes Wrong — The tackling-dummy plan leads to disaster.
Location: Football field
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The Ball Reaches the Mouth — The football becomes caught in the person's mouth.
Location: Football field
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The Repeated Mouth Mishap — The football gets caught in the mouth several times.
Location: Football field
The Ball and the Mouth
The football repeatedly becomes caught in the demonstrator's mouth. These escalating mishaps undermine the effort to appear skilled.
Key Events
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Another Attempt to Demonstrate — Despite repeated mishaps, the football demonstration continues.
Location: Football field
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The Field Goal Plan — A field-goal attempt becomes the next way to prove athletic ability.
Location: Football field
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The Nearby Water Spigot — The football is positioned unusually close to a water spigot.
Location: Football field
The Misguided Field Goal
A final field-goal attempt is made with the ball positioned close to a water spigot. The kick strikes the spigot, ending the demonstration in failure.
Key Events
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The Kick Begins — The person attempts to kick the football for a field goal.
Location: Football field
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The Spigot Is Kicked — The kick strikes the nearby water spigot instead of the football.
Location: Football field
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The Athletic Claim Collapses — The failed kick confirms the earlier criticism of the person's ability.
Location: Football field
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The Demonstration Ends — The disastrous football demonstration comes to an end.
Location: Football field
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The Water Boy Joke Prevails — The events support the claim that the person was better suited to being a water boy.
Location: Football field
A nostalgic Charlie is searching through his college trunk when he comes across an old photo of his football team which catches Junior's interest. Charlie passes himself off as the team's star but Bessie insists he was only good at being their "water boy". Charlie, determined to prove Bessie wrong, attempts to show Junior a thing or two about the game. But Bessie was right; Charlie isn't the most experienced athlete. He dresses as a tackling dummy which leads to disaster. He also gets the football caught in his mouth several times. Finally, he attempts to kick a field goal but the football has been set up a little too close to a water spigot and Charlie kicks the latter instead!