Rules of the Game

I sat across from Him as He explained the rules of the "game" from His commanding post in a small, collapsible Scooby Doo chair. The Objective: Toss a small, partially deflated beach ball into a hand-held seed spreader without it bouncing out. The Prize: An empty and used Pez dispenser. The Catch: After each successful toss, the target would be moved back (the distances far from incremental) until it lay at the far end of the room. This was a daunting task, but any toss that was moderately close was "redirected" into the seed spreader by His closely poised hands and finished off by an exclamation of a job well done. Sure, I felt like a cheat, but what choice did I have with such a prize on the line. Besides, in the end, I succeeded in sinking the ball twice (at the two closest distances) without any assistance, so I told Myself I earned it, took the prize, and walked away a successful competitor.