Tashi If we play any more Monopoly I may have to kill one of you.

Happy Mark You’re just mad because you wanted to be the top hat.

Happy Jake And my top hat is kicking all y’all’s asses.

Tashi No I care not about top hats. I am just sick of this game.

Angry Mel But why?

Tashi I was not at first. Four hours ago. Then I was happy. Four hours ago.

Happy Mel So you’re saying it’s been four hours?

Tashi Of playing Monopoly.

Jake We could stop playing…

Mark But then what would we do?

Tashi Not play Monopoly anymore?

Happy Mel We could play charades.

Jake Not after last time.

Mark Is it my fault you couldn’t guess onomatopoeia?

Happy Jake Yes!

Tashi Perhaps we could just not play games? Why are we playing so many games? I have not played this many games since I was five.

Happy Mel Games are fun!

Tashi For a while.

Mark Don’t be a party pooper, ‘Tashi.

Tashi Oh, I do not mean to be but my party is quite pooped.

Jake Well it is three in the morning…

Mel Wow, it is.

Tashi And we have to get up early to start home tomorrow.

Mark Fine, bed it is.

Happy Mel But I’m not tired yet! Hmmm. We could…

Tashi Go to bed?

Happy Mel Or we could play tag.

Tashi Or go to bed?

Happy Mel Or poker!

Tashi Or go to bed?

Happy Mel Or yahtzee!

Tashi Or go to bed?

Mark Besides we don’t have yahtzee.

Happy Mel Yahtzee!

Tashi Or we could go to bed?

Sad Mel Or we could go to bed.

Mark I gotta say, once I stop and think about it, sleep would be good.

Tashi Thank you.

Jake Hmph. I was hoping for yahtzee.

Happy Mel Yahtzee!

Mark C’mon guys. ‘Tashi’s right. We should go to bed.

Sad Mel Awww, all right.

Jake I guess we should.

Tashi Good night, dearlings.

Mark Night guys.

Jake Night John boy.

Happy Mel Night Lucian!

Happy Jake Lucian?

Happy Mel I couldn’t remember any other Waltons characters.

Jake Man, they really went to bed.

Mel We should, too.

Jake Yeah I guess.

Mel Well, thanks again for, you know, my butt, Jake.

Happy Jake Your butt existed without me!

Happy Mel You know what I mean.

Jake Yeah. No worries, Mel.

Mel Thanks anyway.

Jake What was that for?

Mel What?

Jake The kiss?

Happy Mel I was thanking you, silly head.

Jake Oh.

Mel I mean if you’d rather…

Jake Uhm, Mel…

Mel Yeah…

Jake We should probably stop and go to bed.

Mel Uh huh.

Jake No, I meant, I mean, uhm, I…

Happy Mel Shut up, silly head.

Happy Jake Can we at least go to your room, then?

Happy Mel Uh huh.

Jake I mean just… in the living room… and if they wake up and…

Happy Mel Shut up, silly head.

Happy Jake Uh huh.

TO BE CONTINUED