Playing House

Playing House


“Lets play house,” she said.
And they did.
“Let’s play house with the neighbors, they’re playing house too.”
And they did. Soon every family in the neighborhood was playing house, except one. From that house came a child who didn’t like the game of house because no one ever stopped playing it.
He tried to talk to them with his voice but they didn’t hear.
He tried to talk with pranks & vandalism, but they didn’t understand.
After he gave up hope, he sat on the lawn and acted like he wanted to act, and played the games he wanted to play.
Soon the people around him stopped playing house for a moment and looked at how happy he was, doing what he wanted to do. They asked, “Why aren’t you playing house?”
“I have played house before but I like to play other things too.”
“What else is there but house?”
“There’s Individual, and Nature and Observer and many other games.”
“We only know how to play house.”
“I know,” he said. “I’ll teach you a new game if you want.”
“Please, we’ve been playing house so long, it would be nice to play something different.”
He reached into his pocket and produced a stainless steel pocket knife. “The game I’m going to teach you has different parts. One is called Stab.” He flicked open the knife and plunged it into the man standing in front of him. The women screamed as the man reeled backwards. “You don’t understand! It’s part of the game.”
“It looks so horrible.”
“It’s a lot of fun.” He bent down and pulled the knife from the man who was coughing up blood. He extended his hand to the woman. “Take the knife,” he said in an encouraging tone. She took the knife from his hand and turned to Sally Vickson. Sally had borrowed her good cookie sheet and never returned it. Sally screamed, “I don’t want to play!” and waved her hands in the air.
Not having much practice at the game, she drove the knife into Sally’s shoulder. Sally let out a moan of pain and disbelief.
“I missed” she proclaimed, Surprised at how challenging this new game was. “Do I get another chance?”
“Yes, you get as many chances as you like.”