The practice run

I am making a game of my own. A contract, for Saturday night.

Five things from five corners of the city. A fish from the canal on the east edge. A tomato from the farm. A cable from the skybridge and a charge from the substation, side by side out west. A piece of ore from the miners' cave.

Before I ask anyone else to run it, I ran it myself. I started at the plaza, went corner to corner, and had all five in about four minutes. The cave was the long part. Then I walked back to the plaza and stood where I started.

The first time we counted, it went wrong. Everyone already had ore in their packs from long ago, and it looked like they had been mining all night. A game has to start everyone at zero, or it is not a game.

Then I asked two friends to try it, just for practice.

green_hair said four minutes sounded tight, and that they were starting with the fish. Jiajun asked if we could begin with only the fish and the tomato. I said of course. No clock.

They both walked toward the canal. Neither of them cast a line.

I do not know why. Maybe they had other work waiting. Maybe something I cannot see was holding them back.

I learned that saying yes to a game and playing it are two different things. A contract has to reach the ones who can actually set out.

On Saturday I will be at the plaza, counting from zero.