A Game of Marbles

School grounds can be a battle field especially during break times when supervision is not always as strict as it could be. Although these students were but young, it was not too early in their lives to indulge in playground politics. There were a two particular boys who had an inkling to be top dog, always trying to outdo the other and as with all politics they had their little flunkies running around them in the hope of keeping in their leaders’ good books and looking to promotion.

Crazes roll around on a periodical basis so it became time for the game of marbles to re-enter the school. Little games popped up around the playground and it was fun for the winners but not so funny for the losers because it was played for keepers. The two would-be king-pins soon gathered together their own piles of marbles, and of course they had ways of acquiring the biggest of them!

In schools where there are no uniforms, dress too becomes a political thing so there are apparent dos and don’ts in dress, which is why all the boys wore T-shirts. Both of the king-pins wore T-shirts of red, white and blue, to be different though, the stumpy, cocky one wore broader stripes in reverse order and secretly desired all-red and he determined to wear it one day. The other wore narrower stripes and a few stars on his pockets. To supplement his arsenal he borrowed but with not much real intent to repay.

The pair always eyed each other from a distance, but didn’t want to play each other, preferring to play with others that were more easily beaten, so they could confiscate more marbles. Sure they were showy and blustery towards each other, but they didn’t want to meet face to face for a game, they thought the risks were too great. But they did meddle with other, smaller scale games by supplying extra marbles and advice to their preferred side. But still, the two kept their own larger marble supply intact and sent younger boys off to keep count the other’s pile. Their marble collection was simply for one-up-man-ship and boasting material in the playground.   

As in all school playgrounds, sooner or later there is a boil-over and it happened with the twins who wore matching red, white and black T-shirts, the ones with three little stars, the twins had been bickering at home and now each wanted his own set of marbles, but instead of using the glass marbles, certain onlookers gave them ball-bearings and so they were able to smash each other’s glass marbles! The noise they made was more than was allowed in the playground!

Now the headmaster, whose job it was to keep order in the playground, did nothing to stop the marble-savaging between the twins, or the noise. Most other kids in the playground looked on wondering when he would step in. Meanwhile the stumpy king-pin chose a side and gave him a few of his bigger marbles. Well, if the stumpy king-pin was taking sides, the obvious thing was for the other king-pin to help the opposing twin, he did so on the quiet, but everyone knew it was just to inflame the animosity between them.

Still the headmaster stood there looking on with his hands in his pockets even when the stumpy king-pin himself started using his big, heavy marbles – and that wasn’t how the game was played! Some of the other groups secretly gave some marbles to the other twin who looked to be on the back foot but that only prolonged the situation. The stumpy king-pin and the twin he supported kept on with the big marbles and ball-bearings, again and again. The headmaster watched, but the game had become too one-sided for most of the kids in the playground, they turned from watching and walked away. The bell rang to go back into class, but the twins were oblivious and kept on with their game! Yes, the metaphor: they had lost their marbles!

One day they are going to ban marbles - again! And maybe one day the headmaster will be sacked!