Halloween in July

While we were packing yesterday I found some game pieces to a homemade Halloween safety game (that ended up in the trash). We were reading some of the cards and having a good laugh about them.

You didn't watch when crossing the street. OOPS! Go back 5 spaces

You ran out in front of a car because you didn't look. SQUISH!! Go back 8 spaces

You talked to 2 big spooks. They grabbed your candy and ran. TOO BAD! Go back 1 space

You left your sister behind. She was scared! Go back 5 spaces!

You went to the same house twice. That's not honest. Go back 5 spaces

Everything was seeming a little negative. And some pretty hefty consequences were being levied, considering these were the only two positive cards we found:

You said "Thank You" when given a treat. ALL RIGHT!! Forward 3 spaces

You used your flashlight because it was a dark night. THAT'S SMART! Go forward 4 spaces

"How are you supposed to win this game," I asked Andrew, "If you are moving back 5 to 8 spaces while only moving forward 3 or 4?"

"I guess you have to say "thank you" while holding a flashlight," he suggested.

He would think of a way to win the game. We played Zilch last night and he rolled three sets of 2 and then 1-6 twice. That's like 7000 points in one turn. He totally skunked me. It was definitely a thank you/flashlight combination that he pulled.

Before throwing the cards away I read this one to Andrew,

You started eating treats without looking at them. OH-OH! Go back 3 spaces

And then I added a worst-case scenario, kind of like the SQUISH on the card about crossing the street, "You didn't look at your treats so choked on a razor blade. Go back to start."

"Is that really a card?" Andrew asked, grabbing for the pile.

"No, but seriously how are you ever supposed to win the game? It just doesn't make sense."

"Maybe you're not supposed to win the game," said Andrew, "Maybe it's just supposed to scare the kids into being safe on Halloween."

So, remember, kids...