21. THROW-AND-FIND

By the time I was ten, I had adapted almost every friendship activity there is into either a single-player format, or a format that supports two players, but one of them is a dog that hates games.

That’s how Shrimp Hide-and-seek was invented.

I also figured out how to play a crude version of tag by exploiting a basketball’s natural tendency to roll downhill.

A few years ago, I came across the official rules for an original game I created called Throw-and-Find. I don’t know how necessary it was to write down the rules for Throw-and-Find, but I did. You know—for the scenario where you remember your favorite game is Throw-and-Find, but you don’t remember the exact details of how to play.

Here are the official rules:

Maybe you think you want to find a potato today, but you’re wrong. Marbles are what you want to find. Or perhaps “(marbles)” is a friendly suggestion. It’s okay if you can’t think of anything to find… here’s an example to get you started!

Every direction. Throw those marble sonsabitches in so many directions you don’t know where’ta even START lookin’.

The exclamation point is heartbreaking. Are you ready, Scooter? Really, really ready? Ready to find some marbles? Okay… go get ’em!!

There was no points system, no strategy. I didn’t need them. I just liked finding things, but didn’t know anyone who would hide them for me.