No One Wins In Tug Of War

In the end there can be no winner. Inside the mind there is a game being played, a game of "Tug of War"— one side pulls — the other tugs. Push and shove.

"Here are more files" complains Ms. Fidget "We don't have room, but does she care?" Ms. Fidget dances around nervously waving the files around in her hands. "She isn't the one that has to live inside here!"

Concern steps forward.

"That's not necessarily true Ms. Fidget." Concern explains, "She tries so hard because she wants to be noticed, all of her life she has only wanted her mother to be proud of her. One word of praise is all she has hoped for. All those awards, but her mother has never attended one ceremony. So she reaches out a little farther — aims a little higher — hoping for a glimmer of a glimpse from her mother — but nothing ever materializes."

"You would think she would just give up. Seems hopeless to me," remarks Sir Narcissus.

"She would never deliberately do that," Reason explains, "she inherited that stubborn streak from the grandmother she loved so much. She made a promise to her that she would finish school, and she wanted her to finally rest and be with the grandfather she misses. She kissed her goodbye tenderly, and held her hand as her life slipped away. She will keep the promise she made that day no matter how difficult it is for her. Keeping her word to the grandmother so dear to her is more important than any pain life can throw at her.

"That's all good and noble of her, but where does she expect us to live if she keeps cramming all this useless information in here? She doesn't give the builders time to build new synapses," complains Sir Narcissus.

"I've got an idea, I'll teach her to give us all this information all at once!" Sir Narcissus smiles proudly as he pushes the files into different slots.

Concern looks extremely concerned. Hope doesn't look hopeful at all. Ms. Fidget begins wringing her hands.

"OVERLOAD! OVERLOAD! OVERLOAD!" The warning begins to echo loudly inside her head.

"Now you've done it, she is going to be pissed," comes the voice of Reason, "Look at her — lying there on the sidewalk in the middle of the campus. Sir Narcissus, you should be ashamed! "

"Well, she said she was tired, what better way to take a nap?" Said Sir Narcissus, "Besides, she was crowding our space with all this unnecessary stuff, I had to put a stop to it! "

"She works so hard, Sir Narcissus, why do you wish to make her look so foolish?" Is the question of Concern, "Look at her lying there on the ground. "

"She is filling this space full of nonsense, her mind is full of dreams. What use is this senseless information to anyone?", complains Sir Narcissus, "How am I to flourish in this type of atmosphere?" He smiles at himself fondly as he gazes into the metallic walls within her mind.

At that moment Ms. Fidget comes running inside. "Oh dear! Oh dear! The files in room four are flying all around, what do I do? "

"We need to get the files back in order." Sincerity cries out.

"She is laughing out loud at the crowd," speaks out Concern.

"At least she isn't afraid of the crowd today," speaks the voice of Reason.

"Hopefully she can recite her poems at the poetry reading clearly — it's too bad her mother didn't bother to show up." Hope chided in.

"In all sincerity, her mother just doesn't care!" Sincerity put her two cents worth in.

"Well she's laughing for a change," Concern informed the others.

"Oh dear! What happens if we don't get these files back in the right order?" Ms. Fidget asks as she wrings her hands.

"Oh my, that is a problem," agreed Concern.

"What difference does it make?" responded Sir Narcissus, "She always says she wants to be different. I say, lets mix them up real good and make her real different! That ought to be good for a laugh! "

"Sir Narcissus!" Reason scolded.

"I was just trying to be helpful," said Sir Narcissus.

"Then go help Ms. Fidget put those files back in their proper order!" commanded Reason.

"Sometimes I worry if she will make it. She dreams so high," wonders Hope.

"What other way will her mother notice?" speaks the voice of Reason, "She must capture the moon, when she can offer the moon as a prize then her mother will be proud and she will be the worthy daughter, and can sit by her side. Until then she dreams of ways to outsmart the moon. "

Just at that moment Ms. Fidget came running in.

"The files are jammed! We need to move the files in room six to room four, but they are jammed," explained Ms. Fidget.

"This isn't good," replied Concern, "She can't do her studies under these conditions. "

"All her thoughts will be blocked, nothing will process," explained Reason.

"Look at her, she is so confused," pointed out Concern, "She is crying. "

"Isn't there anything we can do?" asked Hope.

Push and Shove — Tug and Pull.

There she sits, staring out of two blue globes that once watched the world with wonder — playing with a pretty red curl coiled around her finger.

The rope snapped.

No one wins in the game of Tug of War.

Property of Joy Elaine -- Novemeber 2000