Jeff Wysaski
My grandpa and I played the Silent Game all afternoon. And no matter how many times I challenged him to a rematch, he always won. It wasn’t until later that I realized what his winning strategy was: death.
I think Texas Hold ‘Em would be more interesting to watch on TV if, instead of the winner earning all the poker chips, he earned his freedom from a locked box filled with angry raccoons.
With my sister still stuck way back in the Candy Cane Forest, I successfully emerged from Gum Drop Mountain. Mom entered – “Alright you two, off with your clothes and into the tub.” “Aww mom,” I whined. “No complaints,” she replied. “It’s Sunday and I need to give you both a good scrubbing.” “Do we have to do it together?” my sister asked. “Yes!” she replied. “Honestly, you both have been so argumentative ever since you graduated college. Now march!”
We made a good team. He spent his time working on the “Across” questions of the crossword, and I spent my time watching the girls’ locker room through the hole in the wall.
“How about Stratego?” he said, pulling the box from the closet. “Is that the one where each player is given a knife, stripped naked, and forced to kill or be killed in a barbaric battle royale?” I asked. “Um, no,” he said with a twinge of revulsion. “Oh,” I replied. “Well, can we play that one instead?”
Chinese checkers is pretty much the same as regular checkers. Except, instead of using two colors of flat wooden pieces, they use dog meat.
——
If you liked this post, then you may also like: