have you ever played with mud?

children in days of yore were so inventive in coming up with games of their own. there might be no tangible gains whatsoever in winning but it was the enjoyment of it that mattered. we enjoyed playing a game because it provided us a chance to hone our skills. it also made us think of how to improve on our technique and to make sure we got it right everytime. it did not have to benefit us materially or financially.

like this game we played, using mud to make a shallow dish. we used the yellow clay to mould a dish to fit into our palm. the base of the dish was flat. this game was usually played between two contestants; however, we would accommodate more. in the case where we had four contestants, then we could pair up and played as two teams.

the objective was to throw the mud dish onto the floor so that the impact would cause the base to burst. the winner of the game was the one who managed to get the base of his dish to open up. in the case where both dishes were broken, then the one with the bigger crack won.

so, when we moulded the dish, we did not wet the side as much as the base. this was to ensure that the whole dish did not collapse when hurled onto the ground. there were some who believed that if you thinned the base, it would burst easily on impact.

you would not think that anyone would cheat when it came to playing this game. yes, there were dishonest ones. these were those frustrated ones who could not achieve any 'break through' with their mud dishes and who then resorted to cheating. they would use their finger to poke the base just before the throw.

in those days, we had not known or heard of meliodosis - the disease that is caused by playing in the mud or being in constant contact with mud. so, we played without fear.