Shelby's Shining Light

This is a super fun game that I like to play with my friend Laura:


I would play this game all day long if I could. But this is easier said than done.  That little light is sneaky, you see.  It tries to hide from me.  Laura has a special disk that she uses to coax the light into coming out to play.  But Laura also has funny rules about play time.  Sometimes she says:

"We can't play the shining light game now, Shelby.  It's dark out."

Or she'll say:

"It's too late, Shelby.  The shadows have gone."

Some days Laura refuses to bring her special disk outside at all.  She shakes her head and says:

"I'm sorry, Shelby.  It's overcast."

Once when Laura refused to play with me I tried to find that little light myself.  I looked everywhere for it and even dug deep down into the snow.

But it was no use.  I couldn't find the light anywhere.  It's really good at hiding and won't come out unless Laura uses her magic disk on it.

So I learned Laura's rules.  I learned the right times to ask her to come outside with me when I knew I could get her to help me find that light.  Then all the snow melted, and Laura said:

"We can't play the shining light game anymore, Shelby.  You won't be able to see it on the grass."

I didn't think that was right.  The light is sneaky, but I have good eyes.  I begged Laura to get her disk out anyway.

Laura shook her head.

I pleaded.

Laura said, "I'm sorry, Shelby."

I'm not ashamed to admit I cried a little.

"Next winter we'll play again," Laura promised.

I told her I wanted to play now.  The sun was shining.  The shadows were in all the right places.

Finally, Laura relented.  She got out her disk and she made my shining light come out to play.  And I could see it just fine!  I chased that light all over the grass, just like I used to chase it on the snow!  Fun!  (I have to remember to be patient and wait for Laura to coax the light back out of hiding when it disappears on me now, though.  Laura doesn't like me to look for it myself under the grass.)

When my new puppy friend Sam came to stay with us, I was eager to teach him the shining light game.  But the sky kept being cloudy.  It was cloudy and cloudy for two whole days!  Then, finally, the sun was shining today.  I made Laura get out of bed and get her disk and come outside to play with us.

Alas, Sam did not understand the game.  I did my best to teach him.  But Sam kept jumping at Laura's disk or, worse, jumping on me, instead of chasing the light.  So Laura put her disk away, and I took Sam and Laura and my Mum for a walk.  We went to the park, where we saw my friend Tabatha and her family.  Then, on the way home, Sam did a big stinky poop in The Scary Jesus Garden.