The Project Gutenberg EBook of Games, by Katherine MacLean

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Title: Games

Author: Katherine MacLean

Illustrator: William Ashman

Release Date: March 27, 2010 [EBook #31798]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from the March 1953 issue of Galaxy. Extensive
research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this
publication was renewed.

games

By KATHERINE MacLEAN

It is a tough assignment for a child to know where a
daydream ends and impossibility begins!

Illustrated by ASHMAN

* * * * *

Ronny was playing by himself, which meant he was two tribes of Indians
having a war.

"Bang," he muttered, firing an imaginary rifle. He decided that it was
a time in history before the white people had sold the Indians any
guns, and changed the rifle into a bow. "Wizz_thunk_," he substituted,
mimicking from an Indian film on TV the graphic sound of an arrow
striking flesh.

"Oof." He folded down onto the grass, moaning, "Uhhhooh ..." and
relaxing into defeat and death.

"Want some chocolate milk, Ronny?" asked his mother's voice from the
kitchen.

"No, thanks," he called back, climbing to his feet to be another man.
"Wizzthunk, wizzthunk," he added to the flights of arrows as the best
archer in the tribe. "Last arrow. Wizzzz," he said, missing one enemy
for realism. He addressed another battling brave. "Who has more
arrows? They are coming too close. No time--I'll have to use my
knife." He drew the imaginary knife, ducking an arrow as it shot
close.

* * * * *

Then he was the tribal chief standing somewhere else, and he saw that
the warriors left alive were outnumbered.

"We must retreat. We cannot leave our tribe without warriors to
protect the women."

Ronny decided that the chief was her