Euro 2020: A Ghost Story by Tom Palmer - Chapter Eleven - National Literacy Trust

Euro 2020: A Ghost Story by Tom Palmer
Chapter Eleven

With your guidance, Roy and Rocky Race had to decide what to do about Carlos Villar, the
ghost of the former South American footballer. Should they attempt to defeat him or,
instead, try to help him?
And – whichever option they chose – would it really help England beat Ukraine and reach
the semi-finals of the tournament for the third time?
Well, as you know from the result, you the readers sent Roy and Rocky to try and help,
not punish, Carlos Villar. Here’s exactly what your good sense and kindness led to…
It was hard to focus on Friday’s two quarter finals, Spain beating Switzerland and Italy
overcoming Belgium. That was because Rocky and Roy had another journey on their minds:
to a tiny football stadium in a small town in South America.
Galeano, the home town of Carlos Villar.
The sister and brother did their best to enjoy the Friday night matches and were sure to
send a ninth postcard to Dad, from Russia, remembering to say ‘Spasibo’ to the vendor at a
small booth near St Petersburg’s famous Hermitage Museum.

They were still disappointed that – although they would still be able to send Dad one more
postcard from London – they had missed the chance to send him one from Bucharest, the

© National Literacy Trust 2021. All text ©Tom Palmer [tompalmer.co.uk]. Roy of the Rovers appears courtesy
of Rebellion publishing. For more information on Roy of the Rovers, visit royoftherovers.com.
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eleventh EURO 2020 host city. And had, therefore, failed to keep their promise that he
would receive one from every venue.
With the help of Toby Morton, Rocky and Roy arrived in Galeano on Saturday, several hours
ahead of the quarter-final against Ukraine.
It was a small stadium with old stands and faded advertising hoardings. But the pitch was
immaculate: made for the beautiful game. Walking out of the stadium, they saw a handful
of low brightly-painted buildings.
Roy and Rocky had found a photograph of Carlos Villar online and began to walk round
Galeano asking people if they had heard of Villar and whether they could direct them to
where his grave was.
Rocky did the talking. She had learned Spanish at school and – although she found the
accents of the South American Spanish a little different – she managed to communicate
with a man selling flowers, a lady drinking coffee outside a café and a group of girls playing
football. She even managed to tell them what they were trying to do: remembering a man
who had once lived in Galeano.
‘Donde es la tombe de Carlos Villar, por favor?’ Rocky asked.
In the end, the girls led them to the cemetery, a mixture of small gravestones and larger
mausoleums, where families buried their dead.
Thanking the girls they followed their directions to his grave. Soon they stopped in front of a
small plot.
They could just make out some wording carved into the moss-covered stone:
                            Carlos Villar, 1945-1999
It was only then that they realised they were not alone in the cemetery. As well as the
young footballers, the flower seller and several other people had walked with them as the
South American sun cast shadows among the gravestones, interested in what these two
young English people were doing in their town, reflecting on the story that Rocky had told
them.
Roy put flowers on Carlos Villar’s grave. There was a long silence during which Roy tried to
think positive thoughts about the footballer he had read about in his Dad’s article. The
footballer who had left his home town and been forgotten.
He was pleased that, today, whatever Villar had gone on to do, at least some of the people
of Galeano had come to remember a long lost son of their town.
After they left the cemetery, Rocky and Roy returned to the small stadium. As they walked
towards Toby Morton, they saw a figure emerge from the now familiar clouds of billowing
smoke.

       © National Literacy Trust. All text ©Tom Palmer. Roy of the Rovers appears courtesy of Rebellion
       publishing 2021

Carlos Villar.
But it was a different Carlos Villar. His hair was dark. His posture strong and upright. He
looked young. And he was smiling, light emanating from his spirit.
‘Gracias,’ the ghost said. ‘Muchas muchas gracias. I renounce my wicked ways. And predict
that your team – England – will score an early goal. In each half.’
And that was it. He drifted across the stadium, seeming to merge with the pitch and the
stands and bright South American sky.

***

Exhausted, after what Roy and Rocky hoped was their last confrontation with Carlos Villar,
the brother and sister returned to England. Just as Denmark were finishing off the Czech
Republic in the first match on Saturday.
‘Job done,’ Roy smiled.
‘We’ll see,’ Rocky replied. ‘I’ll be interested to see what you do if Ukraine beat us.’
‘Hmmm. Where are we watching the match, anyway? In Rome or in our front room?’
‘Front room,’ Rocky said. ‘With Dad, yeah?’
‘100%,’ Roy agreed.

***

After the national anthems and the players taking the knee, Rocky and Roy sat either side of
Mum and Dad on the sofa. Three minutes in, Roy leaned across to his sister, as Raheem
Sterling seemed to be blocked off on the edge of the Ukraine penalty area.
‘So much for the early go…’
Then he saw Rocky and Mum leap in their air, Dad punch his wheelchair arm and heard
cheers coming through the open window from other families on their street.
‘It’s coming home,’ Rocky said. ‘Now we’ve sorted Villar. It’s coming home…’

***

        © National Literacy Trust. All text ©Tom Palmer. Roy of the Rovers appears courtesy of Rebellion
        publishing 2021

As the final whistle blew and they watched the England players embracing and applauding
the fans, Roy and Rocky looked into each other eyes.
‘Four-nil?’ Rocky gasped. ‘I can’t believe it.’.
‘We did it,’ Roy said. ‘We’re in the semi-finals.’
Rocky nodded. ‘One game from the final,’ she grinned. ‘And now that Carlos Villar is off our
back… I reckon we can get there and win it. Win the whole thing. And Roy?’
‘Yeah?’
‘You were right and I was wrong. Just for the record.’
Join Roy and Rocky later this week for the two semi-finals and see if England can go all the
way. Thanks for reading. And huge thanks to Levendale Junior School in Teesside for being
guinea pigs for this chapter. #UTB
Chapter 12 of EURO 2020 – a Ghost Story will be published on Wednesday 7th July.

          © National Literacy Trust. All text ©Tom Palmer. Roy of the Rovers appears courtesy of Rebellion
          publishing 2021