August 12, 2026
Dear Journal,
Today was one for the record books!
This morning started quietly enough. Peanut was stretched out on the couch enjoying a nap, Kiwi was practicing his "sports announcer voice" from the top of the bookshelf, and the Quackers were playing a very serious game of "Who Can Splash the Biggest Puddle."
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Company!" I barked.
Standing on the porch was our good friend Gracie, her tail wagging a mile a minute.
Just as we welcomed her inside, a familiar cool breeze drifted through the room.
"The Ghost of Maybelline has arrived!" Kiwi proclaimed dramatically.
Maybelline floated in with her usual warm smile.
"I heard someone mention basketball."
Kiwi's eyes lit up.
"Not just basketball..."
He flapped his wings excitedly.
"...WVU COLISEUM BASKETBALL!"
Well, that settled it.
Off we went!
When we arrived at the WVU Coliseum, we stood in amazement.
The enormous arena stretched high above us.
The polished hardwood floor gleamed under the bright lights.
Blue and gold seats surrounded the court like a giant sea of Mountaineer pride.
Kiwi flew to center court and spread his wings.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," he announced at the top of his lungs, "welcome to the First Annual Lucy and Friends Invitational!"
The echo made it sound surprisingly official.
We divided into teams.
Team Blue
Team Gold
- Peanut
- Gracie
- The Other Quacker
Maybelline volunteered to be the referee.
"It's hard to argue with a ghost referee," Peanut observed.
She was absolutely right.
The opening tip was...
...interesting.
Kiwi tried to jump for the ball.
Instead, he accidentally landed on top of the basketball.
It rolled across the court with Kiwi riding it like a rodeo champion.
"I MEANT TO DO THAT!" he yelled.
Peanut dribbled like she'd been secretly practicing for years.
Left paw.
Right paw.
Spin move.
She glided down the court with incredible grace.
"I watch a lot of sports," she admitted.
Gracie was unstoppable on defense.
Every time Lucy tried to drive to the basket, Gracie politely—but firmly—blocked the path.
"Nothing personal," she smiled.
"It's just good defense."
The Quackers turned out to be amazing passers.
One would catch the ball with his wings.
The other would immediately quack for a pass.
Soon they had developed an entire offense based almost entirely on synchronized quacking.
Even Maybelline applauded.
Then came Kiwi's greatest moment.
He flew toward the basket carrying the ball.
"This is for the highlight reel!"
He attempted a spectacular slam dunk...
...and completely missed the hoop.
The basketball bounced off the backboard...
Hit the mascot logo at center court...
Rolled between Gracie's legs...
And somehow bounced perfectly into the basket anyway.
Kiwi landed with both wings raised.
"I CALCULATED THAT!"
Nobody believed him.
But the basket counted.
By halftime everyone was exhausted.
Lucy had scored six points.
Peanut had eight.
Gracie had several impressive rebounds.
The Quackers had somehow accumulated four assists and three technical fouls for excessive celebrating.
Kiwi insisted he'd scored at least fifty points.
The official scorebook disagreed.
Then our noses all twitched at exactly the same moment.
"Do you smell that?" I asked.
"HOT DOGS!" barked Gracie.
"PRETZELS!" quacked the Quackers.
"BUTTERED POPCORN!" Kiwi shouted so loudly the rafters echoed.
Peanut simply smiled.
"I was hoping someone would notice."
Without another word...
...we all marched toward the concession stand.
The friendly concession workers laughed as our unusual group approached.
Soon we had gathered quite a feast.
Warm buttery popcorn overflowing from giant tubs.
Fresh hot dogs with mustard and ketchup.
Huge soft pretzels sprinkled with coarse salt.
Massive cups of ice-cold soda nearly as tall as Kiwi.
Kiwi disappeared headfirst into the popcorn bucket.
Only his little green tail feathers stuck out.
Every few seconds a muffled voice came from inside.
"Best...day...ever!"
Lucy carefully enjoyed a hot dog while trying not to get mustard on her fur.
Gracie folded her pretzel in half before eating it.
"Much easier this way," she explained.
Peanut sipped from an enormous soda.
"I regret nothing."
The Quackers discovered that popcorn tossed into the air is much more fun than popcorn eaten normally.
Soon they were performing synchronized popcorn catches that would have impressed circus performers.
Maybelline floated nearby, smiling as she watched everyone enjoy themselves.
She couldn't eat, but she loved seeing all of us laughing together.
"Seeing everyone happy fills me up," she said softly.
For a moment, we all smiled.
Then Kiwi emerged from the popcorn bucket wearing it like a helmet.
"I am now Captain Popcorn!"
The serious moment didn't last very long.
Before heading home, we gathered at center court for one final team photo.
The bright lights reflected off the polished hardwood.
The blue-and-gold seats stretched endlessly around us.
For just a moment, it felt like we'd played the biggest basketball game in Mountaineer history.
As we walked toward the exit, Kiwi looked back at the court.
"You know..."
"What?" I asked.
"We should probably stick to basketball."
"Why's that?"
"Because if we try hockey next..."
He looked over at the Quackers.
"...they're going to think they're professionals."
The Quackers looked at one another.
"Quack."
"Definitely professionals."
Everyone burst into laughter all the way back to the car.
It wasn't about who won.
It wasn't about the scoreboard.
It was about spending another wonderful day together, making memories we'll never forget.
Until next week, dear Journal.
With happy paws, proud feathers, synchronized quacks, full bellies, and one smiling ghost,
Lucy 🐾
