A nonfiction piece by Jason Branch, sophomore Psychology Major
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I moved my piece to the orange cream square, rolled the dice again, picked up a card.
I moved my piece to the blueberry square, next to the sugary gumdrops and chocolate truffles. I asked Greg in another room what his move was. He didn’t answer.
I rolled the dice again, I moved my piece to the cherry red square. CJ wasn’t home.
I picked up a card, moved my piece back to the blueberry square. One, two... eleven squares until I can take a shortcut through the Peppermint Forest. I
roll, I move five paces forward, my Yellow Man’s plastic arms seemingly reaching for the blueberry square ahead, depthless eyes looking up at me, and
his practiced, unmoving smile a fitting company to the two-dimensional board.
My brothers’ Green Man and Blue Man were still all the way back at the start. The Red Man was still in the box, assigned to no one.
I rolled the dice again, one-two-three-four, and I can finally take that shortcut, landing on the pink peppermint square, and I draw a card.
I roll the dice, draw cards, move square by square. I reach comforting Nana’s Nutt House. Roll the dice, draw cards. Licorice Lagoon was miles behind, I barely stopped to say hello at the Lollipop Palace.
I land six squares forward, setting my Yellow Man’s feet on another blueberry square. I skip over the scary cherry red X square to the groovy grape safe space.
I moved my piece to the groovy grape square between more gumdrops and the Frosted Palace.
My piece was the only one to move in the game, both of my brothers’ pieces sitting in shared silence, watching my piece jump from square to square.
Only a few more turns to go before I win.
Three turns pass: I roll an unlucky one, then a disappointing four. The next roll doesn’t matter, because there I am at the Rainbow “END”... King Kandy’s Castle, sweet and topped-off and extravagant delicacies adorning the sugar cookie walls. King Kandy and his cotton candy white beard welcome me– or
rather, my Yellow Man.
Greg’s Green Man and CJ’s Blue Man were out of sight.
I won.
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