Cliffhanger

Student Essay by Esther Hutchins

    Sometimes I wonder whether too many toys makes for a boring childhood. Could having too much to do hinder the healthy growth of imagination? Throughout my childhood, my siblings and I spent many afternoons and evenings playing a variety of games and challenges, often contrived by our older brother John. 

    A popular pastime of ours, a game creatively named ‘Cows,’ consisted of all of us tying one of our ankles to a rope handcrafted out of our dad’s jeans, standing in the middle of our front yard, and trying to get safely to the porch before Joshua, the wolf, could catch us. Oftentimes the activity ended with the devious rope tripping us, and we would all fall headlong into the grass. However, the holy grail of our self-invented games always remained one that took place on John’s bunk bed. It was  called ‘Cliffhanger.’ With half of the mattress propped precariously over the edge of the frame, all of us would hang on for dear life, attempting to counterbalance the mattress to avoid falling into the ‘black hole,’ where our brother awaited us as a lava monster. In reality, when we finally fell, we would always land safely on the bed below, greeted only by John, who would tickle us relentlessly until we gasped for mercy. 

    Oftentimes it is better for people to be bored occasionally and driven to venture beyond their usual entertainment fallbacks, such as devices, board games, or even books. Though I am aware that not everyone possesses the same love of adventure as I, I feel that it is important for any child, or even adult, to exercise creativity.