Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Robert Cicconetti, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net 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 heroically wounded, his voice wavering from weakness. He had been propping himself against a tree to appear unharmed, but now he moved so that his braves could see he was pinned to the trunk by an arrow and could not walk. They cried out. He said, "Leave me and escape. But remember...." No words came, just the feeling of being what he was, a dying old eagle, a chief of warriors, speaking to young warriors who would need advice of seasoned humor and moderation to carry them through their young battles. He had to finish the sentence, tell them something wise. Ronny tried harder, pulling the feeling around him like a cloak of resignation and pride, leaning indifferently against the tree where the arrow had pinned him, hearing dimly in anticipation the sound of his aged voice conquering weakness to speak wisely of what they needed to be told. They had many battles ahead of them, and the battles would be against odds, with so many dead already.