The mind of a seven year old is a delightful and maddening thing. They understand stories, but not plot. They understand game rules, but don’t bother thinking about the long term effects of those rules. Their approach to creating order from chaos is to add more chaos. I think they see it as a full-circle sort of concept—just keep piling it on! I watch Lyd getting mired in rules and plot twists that are convoluted, shape-shifting and they move in a pattern that is nearly impossible to discern.
My God I Love that little girl!

“Hey there Lyd! Whatcha doin’? Playing a game of Snakes & Ladders?”
“No. This is Bad Guys & Night Guards. I’m calling them ‘Bad Guys’ because ‘Villains’ is rude.”
“Well that’s considerate of you. Never realized it was derogatory. It’s a new game?”
“Yup”
“Cool!” (Did I just hear Admiral Akbar in the background yelling “It’s a Trap!”?) “How do you play it?”
“The Night Guards defend the Black Jaguar, the Bad Guys want to take the Black Jaguar.”
“So what is this Black Jaguar?”
“You can’t see it, it’s on square 100.”
“Sure. Okay. So which ones are Night Guards and which ones are Bad Guys?”
“It changes. If you land on a black square, you’re a bad guy. If you land on a white square, you’re a night guard.” Staring at the board, “These squares aren’t actually white, they are wood-colored.”
“That’s actually kind of intriguing. So, how does the game start?”
“The red piece, this one, is the leader, he yells ‘scatter!’ and all the pieces have to scatter in all directions. This game has no cards, and no dice!”
“Uhm….okay! So what’s stopping everyone from simply scattering all the way up to the Black Jaguar?”
“Dad” (one long, slow, blink, she gives me a look that is patronizing and full of pity. Speak louder, speak slower, maybe the ape needs a crayon to take notes). “The bad guys can’t go for the Black Jaguar if the night guards are looking. They can only move when the night guards are looking away”
(Rubbing my temples. Stop asking questions Brooks!) “But, how are you supposed to know? I mean these game pieces don’t have faces! You know what? Never mind that for now. I actually have a different question. So…what determines who scatters and in what direction?”
“With dice.”
“With dice? Wait. Didn’t you just say there were no dice?”
“Yeah, but I changed my mind just now.”
“Yeah…”
“And everyone has to fight the pythons. Everyone, Dad.”