tales for dreamers: snakes & ladders

This game of snakes and ladders is very easy to play. The snakes are friendly but the ladders can be slippery.

You don’t have to land at the base of the ladder to begin climbing to the top; you can simply begin to make your way up any time you come across one.

And neither will the snakes devour you and force you to slide down their tail. But they like being rewarded for good behaviour (they were trained by humans, what to do), so you’ll need to pat them on their heads and feed them their favourite foods. Mice, rats and such, you know.

You’ll have to keep everyone entertained. So sometimes, depending on where on the board you land, you’ll be asked to do silly stuff like stand on one leg or croak like a frog or sing like a blue whale. It won’t matter how well you perform; all that will matter is that you show up and do what is asked of you. There is no room for embarrassment in this game.

Watch out for that lone bee though. She usually does not sting (it kills her, you know) but she can get very mad if players don’t follow the rules and if she doesn’t get her turn. So even though there are no real rules in this game, just make sure she keeps getting a turn ever so often.

That’s it, really. And did I mention that the ladders can be slippery? They also have a tendency to move around. Sometimes they can fling you off the board to see how far they can make you fly.

Don’t fret, though. The snakes will come to your rescue; if they like you, they will extend their tails long enough to cushion your fall. Make sure you keep them well-fed. They like their meals delivered alive, not dead, you know.