We used to love playing outdoor games with our two boys. One of our favourites was hide and not bother to seek, we would send them off to hide, and then not bother to go looking for them. Sometimes weeks would go by, but they always found their way home eventually.

Of course the above is in jest ! Below is one of my short story quizzes. As you read try and spot the different games etc hidden in the story. Answers at the end.
I really must apologise WordPress Editor has messed with all the spacing, and I don’t have time to try and rearrange.

The Unlucky Couple ?

        Ludo, considered himself the unluckiest man in the world, sometimes his luck was so bad he thought he would snap. Patience was a virtue though, and he was determined one day he would break the spell. He had made his home more or less accident proof. In the past he’d fallen over chairs, tripped over carpets, even fallen over the bin, he’d spent days thinking where could the bin go, so he wouldn’t fall over it again.He’d sealed every crack in his home because sometimes droughts blew bills and such behind radiators, and he ended up missing payments. Things still went wrong though, one day he got his hand stuck on a sticky old bad mint on the worktop.

       He was going out today, this didn’t happen often, and he had to walk everywhere because of his curse. He’d had a car when he was young, go faster stripes, furry dice and everything, but he had so many accidents he had to sell it, the payment never went through. The buyer though had got Ludo’s bank details, took all his money and nearly bankrupt him. Then he had a bike until he ran it into a wall, he wasn’t hurt but as he walked away, he felt something slide under his foot, ball bearings were everywhere, he fell, broke his collar bone and had to have an operation.

     Anyway today was going to be different, he’d got a date, he’d put on his new trousers, they were originally too big but he’d had darts put in, and now they were fine. Ludo set off on his date, he liked Rugby where he lived, it was a nice town, even though hairdressers seemed to have the monopoly over the shops. There were a few other shops, the pet shop for instance, they were having their roof done, in the window were some tiny snakes, he didn’t like snakes and ladders were something to be avoided. Next on the street was the card shop, he always bought his cards there. More hairdressers, then Cafe Polo, where two men sat over their coffee playing chess. He’d just crossed the bridge when a man on his way to the billiards hall, accidentally got his snooker cue tangled in someone’s bicycle wheel. The rider went over the handlebars, and went flying into the queue at the bus stop, knocking them over skittles. That could have been me thought Ludo. There was a woman standing outside the pub, she was obviously a bit tiddly she winked at him as he walked past, he got a lot of tiddly winks near that pub, Another hairdressers, then a magic shop the ventriloquist dummies eyes staring at him like marbles. 

     This was it, Dominoes Cafe! He went in, it was empty, where was Gen? He was a bit early, so he ordered a coffee and waited, and waited, no Gen.

Ludo wasn’t too upset, he was used to it what kind of a name was Gen Ga anyway, and what chance was there for two people both with the horrible curse of extreme bad luck. He was just leaving the cafe, when he noticed the flats across the road had been having their windows cleaned, they had one of those platform things, on a winch, and there Six floors up was Gen on the platform, waving frantically. It looked like she was on a diving board, but was frightened to jump into the pool. He ran across the road, narrowly avoiding a Volkswagen Golf, then realised a refuse collection lorry had pulled up right in front him, he ran round the back of it, the lorry was eating rubbish like a hungry hippo. Just to the right of the door to the flats sat outside the DIY shop, was a drunk, with a bottle of whiskey on the pavement, Ludo tripped one the bottle and it smashed, a shard of glass went in his foot, he had to hop, scotch whiskey was everywhere. He got to the door of the flats, it only opened with a code, he reached into a bucket of fire tools outside the DIY shop, and got a poker, he used it to pry the door open. Once inside he sat on the bottom step of the stairs and pulled the shard of glass from his foot. It still hurt when he put his weight on it, could only manage to scrabble up the first few steps, then he stood and started taking steps in two and threes, he managed fours once, but never got to fives. Ludo reached the door of the sixth floor flat that faced the right way, Stared at the combination lock, a mass of numbers, noughts and crosses. He’d still got the poker, he used it to force open the door. He ran through the small hall into the lounge, there was Gen right outside the window. He opened the window and helped her get in There  was a kind of crackle in the air , a change in the atmosphere, Ludo and Gen felt a tingle to their bones.

         The police arrived, Ludo and Gen were sure they were going to be arrested, that would be their luck, it would have to be jail for Ludo, a fine would have been a trivial pursuit, as he had no money. Instead though,  the police congratulated Ludo on his brave rescue. The lady owner of the flat was going to be furious thought Ludo, but she wasn’t, once she’d realised what had happened on return from her shopping trip, she offered the couple a cup of coffee, and said, don’t worry about the door, the insurance will cover it.

         They turned down the coffee, and made a trouble free return to their original destination of Cafe Domino. The proprietor having witnessed the rescue, offered Ludo and Gen, free coffee and a  meal, and led them to the best table in the cafe, from where he’d just ushered off two rather disgruntled customers, it was like musical chairs. They ordered gammon and chips, Ludo usually sent back  gammon because it was too tough, but this time it was perfect. The two sat at the little round table with the black and white checkers on the table cloth, and stared at each other, could it really be their curses were broken. 

       Ludo and Gen were the perfect match, they had an eventless courtship, and married just one year on, the wedding went perfectly. They had two children, a boy, and a girl called Wednesday, Wednesday had a habit of falling out of her pram and cot, and she was always losing her toys.

    The four played happy families ever after.

Answers

Ludo, Patience, Snap, Bingo, Badminton, Dice, Bankrupt, Football, Operation, Darts, Rugby, Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders, Cards, Polo, Chess, Billiards, Snooker, Bridge, Skittles, Tiddlywinks, Marbles,
Dominoes, Genga, Pool Golf, Hungry Hippo, Hop Scotch, Poker, Scrabble,
Fives, Noughts and Crosses, Musical Chairs, Checkers, Happy Families.
Trivial Pursuit, Back Gammon.

All words Meadowhead Bard.