“I have an idea,” Dennis said, and he quietly discussed it with the other two.
The three boys went outside. Dennis started using chalk and setting up roadblocks with saw horses and other stuff from the family garage. When he was done, they all stood while Dennis explained the rules.
“This is a simple relay race.” He started. “Two teams of two. You’ll start by doing this hopscotch, then you have to crab walk through the grass, then jump OVER the sawhorse, then run around this pole three times, then go back through it to tag your team member.”
Marcus looked at the course. He knew he’d be better at some parts, like crab walking and running around the pole, since his size and limber body were cut out for those tasks. The older boys would have a lot less trouble with the saw horse than him, which worried him a bit.
“It’ll be Oliver and I versus Marcus and Benji. And of course, there is a reward: the container full of 8 years of Marcus’ life. Winners get to hold it for a while, and no one is allowed to tell Marcus’ mom.”
Suddenly, it became real. Oliver being in charge of the container was one thing, but what if Dennis was in charge of it? What would he have to do to get it back?
Before they knew it, Dennis was yelling GO as Benji and Oliver raced each other through the course. Marcus could tell that Benji was giving it his all, as he made it back to tag his teammate first.
“Go little dude! You can do it,” Benji said.
Grateful to be paired with a kinder member of the crew, Marcus took off through the course. He deftly hopscotched and crab walked, but he was truly screwed when he got to the sawhorse. He just couldn’t get over. And of course, Dennis jumped over with one swoop, and was already on his way back by the time Marcus had gotten a leg up to the top.
“I won! Hehe!” Dennis said! “Hand over the container.”
Oliver pulled the container out of his backpack and gave it to Dennis to boast over.
“You know, I’ve read about this stuff.” Dennis started in, speaking directly to Marcus. “Once it congeals don’t you have to spread it all over your body in the shower to get the years back?”
“Yes,” Marcus said, gritting his teeth over how this game had gone.
“Hehe neat,” Dennis said. “You know, I bet I could do the same thing, except with your years, not mine.”
“No, what? What are you saying?” Marcus started to yell in his high voice.
“Relax little dude,” Dennis replied. “I won’t use it all. Half at most. You like being this age, I thought?”
“It was just for a little while!” Marcus said, beginning to whine.
“Okay, well, maybe it’s just for a little longer. I can bump myself from 15 to 18 and you can stay at 15! Nothing wrong with repeating high school! You could keep being the quarterback then, well, once you’re a junior or senior again. Haha!”