Through the Game Box

One day Carla sat playing a game with her little sister. Darla was only four, but she took the game - all games, very seriously, and played with the same earnest expression fixed on her face. To amuse her, Carla decided to pretend she was a figure inside the game - on the board, and hopped up from the chair. When Darla, whose turn it was, rolled a six, Carla jumped six times to the left. Instantly elated, Darla picked up the treasure card and read it aloud dictatorially, "Gain one bag of rubies."

Carla looked in her drawer and pulled out a small plastic bag of red sequins. "One bag of rubies!" she declared.

Carla thought it was great that no one had messed with Darla's imagination thus far. For herself, it had been a trying but monumental battle with the Greygrim when she was six. She had fought Greygrim all by herself - her adults had long since forgotten him, and were unable to see him even if they had had any will to fight. But Darla would have her.

"Now you have to roll the dice," Darla said in her small voice.

Carla did, she only rolled a one. She put the board down on the carpet and hopped on it. Instead of knocking over all the pieces, she landed with a solid thunk and found herself a little ways away from her sister's marker. Peering down at the board, she said, "I have to draw a Peril Card," and walked across the board to the black stack. Peril cards were dangerous, but also represented opportunity.