Numinous
Chapter 1 – The Field
It is the summer of 1968 and a boy, just turned eight years old, is given permission, for the first time, to leave the confines of his modest semi-detached home and walk with his younger brother and his football to a field. This field is not just any field because this field is The Field, and it will be centrestage for many years. It might be a short walk along a quiet residential road in a small town but this is where his adventures begin.
When he arrives, he discovers, to his astonishment, that this field is full of boys, of all ages, playing football. This is a revelation. He has unexpectedly come upon a great place of congregation for footballers. Where have they come from? What has happened to their parents? And then, as he is standing behind jumpers that double up as goalposts, one of the older boys says that he can be on one side and his younger brother can be on the other. And they’re away.
By the time he is walking home, something has changed. A spirit of optimism and independence has come upon him. This footballing thing belongs to him. He can see it now. He will always go to the field. There will always be boys in the field playing football. And he might become the best footballer in this field, in this town, and in this country. In fact, as he lies in bed at night, he begins to consider the possibility that he might one day be called upon to play in an inter-planetary tournament. It might fall to him to take the deciding penalty in the cup final for the entire universe. He had best keep practising.
In his more wakeful moments, he acknowledges to himself that he might do no more than play right midfielder for Chelsea in the First Division. He’s a realist. But a boy can dream and he knows that the more he thinks about this dream, the more he can visualise it, the more likely it is to come true. He has a responsibility to himself, and quite possibly the world, to daydream, to picture exactly how he will snake through the Venusian defence to slot home the winning goal against the alien goalkeeper. A lot is hanging on this.
This footballing world is his home for the next six years or so. It helps that he is good at the game. He is one of the best footballers in his school year. This is reflected in a much-loved nickname bestowed upon him by his peers. He is no longer an unglamorous Archer but a much more glorious Archie, like the famous Archie Gemmill. In fact, a lot like the Derby County star, diminutive but gutsy and skilful. A true name has been dredged out of the spirit world of football and fallen upon his shoulders.