Stobelight Spotlight

I grew up in a neighborhood in Midway called Null Addition.  In the eyes of an adult it was great property on the river with huge backyards, yet it was still far enough away from the railroad tracks.  However, it was an entirely different world to us kids growing up there.  Huge yards, railroad tracks, a small wooded area, and a river created the perfect recipe for adventure.  We created games and acted out various scenarios all day, but when it started to get dark, it was time for spotlight.

I was 4 or 5 years younger than the youngest players, and probably 10 or more years younger than the older ones, so Helen and Jeff didn't let me play.  I was occasionally allowed to sit outside on the porch and "help" the big kids count.  So, night after night I would watch as all of the kids in our neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods would dress in black, navy, and camo and gather on our front porch, which was always home base.  They would set the boundaries and go over the rules, then stand in a circle, turn on the flashlight, and spin it around.  Where the flashlight pointed when it stopped marked the person that was "It."  Everyone would scatter to hide, and the person that was "It" would sit on the porch and begin counting.

I wanted to play so badly, and before each game I begged and begged to play with the big kids.  I think they all had made a secret deal with my parents because none of them really wanted to watch me.  They all wanted to concentrate on finding their amazing hiding spots, which our dog, Pokey, usually gave away.  If someone was in a tree, he would sit under the tree looking up at them.  If someone was hiding under or behind an object, there Pokey sat, staring away.  When Helen and Jeff wanted all of the kids to go home so they could go to bed, they would send Pokey out with a bright, red, blinking, strobe light clipped to the collar around his neck, so he would give away all of the hiding spots.

One night Helen and Jeff had a new idea for the light.  They decided that I could go out and play spotlight if I wore the light around my waist.  I was SO excited.  I ran to my room and put on my black pants, shirt, and old play tennis shoes, then they strapped a belt around my waist, clipped on the light, and turned it on.  It was like Rudolph's nose, blinking a bright red.  Helen and Jeff instructed Pokey to watch me and stay with me.  I went into the dark, and just as they had hoped, no matter where I hid, the red light flashed, and Pokey followed close behind.  So while they always knew where I was, unfortunately, so did everyone else.  I was too scared to hide alone, so I tagged along with Tara, Beth, or Christi.  While most of the "Its" weren't mean enough to spotlight me, I was giving away hiding spots!

Tara, a very serious spotlighter, was not pleased!  She was not very fond of being caught, and was usually a very good hider, which is precisely why I hid with her!  She helped me climb trees, standing under me and shoving my butt up into the air until I could swing my leg over a branch.  She was very patient at first, but she just couldn't take the light anymore.  The next round she made me lay on my stomach in the grass, so the light wouldn't be visible.  As I laid there in the cold, wet dew of the grass, I started contemplating whether or not this "spotlight" was for me.  I started to lift my head, and Tara snapped "DON'T MOVE!"  I quickly buried my face in the ground, but then I felt something.  I don't know what it was, but I didn't like it!  I tried to move my head to the side, but it followed, and I laid there in panic, contemplating how mad Tara would be if I got up and ran!  Just then Tara jumped to her feet and said "Let's go!"  It was lucky for me because I had already made the silent decision to high-tail it out of there!  Tara was much, MUCH faster than me, but this time I was keeping up, and Pokey was close behind!  As soon as my foot touched home base, I unstrapped that belt, letting the blinking light fall to my feet, and swatted at my face and body to make sure whatever that awful creature was didn't come with me.  I announced that "I QUIT," and marched into the house, slamming the door behind me.

Looking back, I have to appreciate everyone that played with us for being such good sports.  I know it had to be SO annoying, but I never begged Helen and Jeff to play spotlight after that.  I had learned my lesson, and I had also decided that spotlight just wasn't my cup of tea.  I would play occasionally when I was a little bit older and Toni would come down to play, but by that time most of the kids were in high school and college, and had lost interest.  I can't say that I was that heartbroken about it!