Mmm, we have this thing in my group of friends at school called 'The Game' and the way you lose the Game is by thinking about the Game. So, the only way to not lose the Game is to never think about the Game, but by not thinking about it, you think about it. For some reason I thought about it and wrote this.

I think I accidentally threw in some Clockwork Orange slang.

The Game

Everyone is standing an' giggling an' pushing each other around 'cause they are all scared, an' they don't want any of the others to know it, but they all are. I'm scared too, an' I'm not even playing.

We're all huddled together in the school yard, an' it's real, real, cold 'cause both the suns have already set.

None off us are supposed to be here, no one of us are supposed to play the game. I never can. I just stand here, hugging my arms real close to myself an' watch it all happen.

I know the game by heart, we all do.

Luke Skywalker is the bravest an' he always volunteers to go first. He stands in the center of the misshapen circle an' counts to ten in his head, but I can see his lips silently whispering the words.

Biggs is playin' as Vader, 'cause he got caught last time. It's so, so, dark outside that no one can see too good. That only makes it scarier, an' I'm already too scared. I can hear Biggs heavy breathing and can only barely make out the tall shadow of him prowling 'round and 'round the circle like a bounty hunter getting ready to strike.

"Ani! Ani! Who can it be?" They all shriek that in unison and I pull my tunic and coats tighter round my body trying to keep me warm.

No one knows who started the game; we've all been playing an' watching people play it for as long as we all can remember.

"The Tusken in the cave, the wind in the tree." The hardest part about bein' Ani is that you have to make that up on the spot and it's gotta rhyme, that's the rule. One time Triska said "tea," and everyone started to laugh so hard that we all had to go home 'cause no one was scared no more.

"Ani! Ani! Who can it be?" If you aren't Ani or Vader, you don't say that, though one time Tank was playing Vader, and he said it too, but he said it real low and real scary like so that everyone could hear him, that time Triska cried and said she was never gonna play the game again. You gotta creech it together, but no one really does, everyone starts and stops at different points, but it's okay 'cause we all know what they meant...

Fixer's eyes are shut tight and I can tell he's real scared. Fixer always shuts his eyes and sometimes I wonder if he's scarder than me, but then I 'member that at least Fixer plays the game, so he's obviously braver than he looks.

Biggs is really good at making breathing noises. It keeps sending chills down my spine and I get all these little goose bumbies even though I'm wearing two coats and a tunic.

"Ani! Ani! Who can it be?"

Luke likes to take real long to answer. Jema thinks it's because he likes to make everyone scarder while they wait for him to answer.

I think he just can't think of any good words that rhyme.

I missed what he said last, but I know he said something because all the Younglings, that's what the people standing 'round in the circle are called, are creeching out again.

"Ani! Ani! Who can it be?"

No one knows who 'Ani' is, but we're all used the name, we've heard it as long as we've hard of the game, and that's for as long as any of us can remember. Ina thinks that it was a pretty girl, 'cause Ani is a girl's name.

I think it got picked cause it sort of rhymes.

Everything has gotta rhyme.

"Ani! Ani! Who can it be?"

"The bantha in the stall, the fishes in the sea!"

None of us know when he's gonna say it, so we're all just waiting, even Vader is waiting.

Everything depends on Ani. If you have a good Ani then you'll have a good game, if you get a bad one, they can ruin the whole game.

"Ani! Ani! Who can it be?"

"The Hutts in the city…" he takes a long breath an' we all know it's coming now, but we can't help but get scared anyway.

"Me!" Luke bellows that out real deep and loud like and all the Younglings scream real, real loud. So loud that it hurts my ears. Biggs and Luke start to run and catch them, them still screaming 'cause they're scared and Luke and Biggs tryin' to keep it that way.

Witch got caught first. She's a pretty good Ani, she comes up with the rhymes real quick like and Catcher has got really real dark skin and hair and he always wears black stuff, even during the day with both the suns are high up in the sky, I heard he came from a hotter planet, but I'm not sure how anything can be hotter'n Tatooine.

This round'll be short because mommies and daddies start to worry and will be here soon if we don't hurry home.

"Ani! Ani! Who can it be?" Witch is not like Luke, she's scared with Catcher all invisible and panting so loud that I think he's behind me.

"It's me!" Everyone shrieks but Luke. He's not scared; he kinda stands and waits for Catcher and Witch to get closer to him.

No one catches Luke Skywalker when he doesn't want to be caught so that he can be Ani or Vader again, not even Cullem. An' Cullem's faster'n everyone else.

I can tell he doesn't want to be caught this time, because he waits 'till Witch is almost touching him but spins an' almost runs away a little, but only far enough to be out of reach.

No one can catch Luke when he doesn't want to be caught, no one. I bet not even Ani and Vader.