Old Game

The Players:

The little red devil sits on your right shoulder. It has no gender, but for the purpose of this article, the little devil will be referred to as a "he." He is no more than 3 inches tall and wears a cute little red cape and a red leotard. Glued onto his headband are 2 pointy ears.

Attached to his tiny red belt is a little pointy tail, that drags along, behind him. He may or may not have a mustache and beard. It depends upon his age.  Little devils have been known to stand with their arms criss-crossed in front of their chest and sometimes, even, hang on your ear lobe.

On your left shoulder, you will find the little angel. Your angel has no gender, either, but let's refer to the angel as a "she." Having the same height as the little devil, she wears a flimsy, white nylon robe with a golden, braided belt on her waist. She is adorned by graceful white wings and a golden halo. She weighs less than that little red devil, so even when she sits, you cannot feel her. She is as light as air.

The Purpose of the Game: 

Each player gets the opportunity to develop YOUR character. Suggestions are made by each. They will whisper in your ear, so that as no one else hears what they tell you. You will be the only one that hears them. They can use any form of persuasion. They can play on your heartstrings or boast your  super-ego. They may present pure logic, or trickery and deceit..the choice is theirs. Sometimes, they may play on your 5 senses. This is allowed. They may use whatever skills and techniques which they have brought with them.

How To Play The Game:

The game begins as soon as a situation arises, to which, you are not certain as to "what to do." It is a question which you pose to yourself or a matter to which you must make a decision [upon].  Depending on which player you listen to and follow..that player is awarded a point. The little devil has been seen throwing back his little shoulders and grinning, when he has scored a point. The little angel has been seen smiling and floating above your shoulder, when she is awarded a point. 

As each player scores a point, the other player weakens. The more points scored, the stronger the player becomes. When the player is so weak, because it has scored very few points..it goes to sleep. It never disappears fully. It stays on the playing board (your shoulder) right until you 'throw in the towel.' The winning player, however, will grow. Yes, you heard me right. It will grow to become as big as you. At that point, it overtakes you and it becomes ONE WITH YOU.

Practice Round:

Situation: Your wife has just told you that her mother is expected to arrive, at your home, at 12 noon. She is described, by many, as a crabby old woman, who is only missing a broom. She is coming to see the kids, but really..who comes to see the kids at 12 noon? It is easy to believe that she is really coming to have lunch. She is also a talker. You can't bear to hear the story about her Alaskan cruise one more time! What do you do?

Little Devil Persuasion: " You have better things to do than be there watching her eat her bologna sandwich, and complain that the bologna was sliced too thin. Tell your wife that you promised your brother that you would be helping him build his deck today. If she gives you a hard time, just talk louder and be insistent that you 'promised', from last week! Sure, it's a lie, but you deserve better than this on your day off.!! What is it with these dames and their mothers?! Who wants to hang out with that witch, anyway?!"

Little Angel Persuasion: "The poor woman is a widow. Sure, she's coming at 12 noon for lunch. No one likes to eat alone! She won't stay too long. She plays cards at 2 o'clock on Saturdays, remember?! Your wife knows her mother talks a lot, but she will also realize how very fortunate a woman she is, to have an understanding husband like you. Stay home and be that man!"

Ready to play?