[I am lying in bed, trying to rest. A comes along, having invented an adventure game, in which he creates quests in a fantasy world. I get coins and gadgets (his word) that I can use to complete quests, for which I will be rewarded with more coins and prizes]
A, after explaining the game to me: So, do you want to play?
Me: Sure.
A: Okay, just let me get a pen. [goes away, comes back] I brought 2, in case the first one runs out of ink.
[...well into the game..]
A: You find a baby mammoth.
Me: Oh, should I adopt the baby mammoth?
A: Isn't it obvious? Of course! Hold on. [draws mammoth] Ok! It costs 850 coins.
Me: I have exactly 850 coins left.
A: Lucky, right?
Me: Um. If I spend all of my coins on the baby mammoth, will I run into trouble later on?
A: Um, no ... you can get more coins when you find the golden crab and return it to its home.
Me: Oh, okay. Wait. I thought I found the baby mammoth. How come now I have to pay for it?
A: You found it at a tree that sells animals.
Me: A tree. That sells animals.
A: Yep.
Me: Is it a sentient tree?
A: Yep!
Me: Do you know what sentient means?
A: Nope!
Me: Okay. It means aware and thinking. ... all right, I will buy the baby mammoth.
[...later on ...]
A: [Whistling]
Me: What's that?
A: It's the wind.
Me: Brrr. Baby mammoth and I - I'm going to call him Tusky. Tusky and I should hide out and get warm. Do I have a tent or a sleeping bag or anything?
A: No ... but you don't need them.
Me: But it's a storm!
A, chuckling: It's not a storm! It's just, like, an Antarctica place. Remember, there was all that ice in the canyon, and you have a mammoth?
Me: Right. So we're warm enough?
A: Well, I think you know what your mammoth can do.
Me: ?
A: Isn't it obvious? He's shedding! You can use his fur to make a pillow.
Me: Right, obvious.
[...and even later...]
A: Okay, now you come to a beach. There's something about this beach.
Me, half asleep by now: Oh, I don't like the looks of this beach.
A: What? No! There's something good on the beach!
Me: Oh! Right! The golden crab!
A: Right.
Me: Do I have to catch it?
A: Obviously!
Me: Okay. I will make a net from the fur Tusky sheds. Have I seen the crab yet?
A: No, you have to find it.
Me: Can I hunt it? Does it leave footprints?
A: It's claws are gold, like, made of gold, so they're so heavy it can't lift them. So it drags them.
Me: Oh. Makes sense.
A: You see snail tracks. I mean, what LOOK like snail tracks.
Me: Okay, I follow the tracks. I see the crab! I throw the net!
A: You miss. He's too fast.
Me: With solid gold claws he can't even lift?
A: Well, he's just really small.
[I start to drift back off to sleep]
A: Okay! You caught him!
Me: Woot. What did I win?
A, chortling: No, no, you have to get him to his home first.
Me: Oooooh.
A: You look around. There is wood all over the beach. I think you know what to do next.
Me: Build a fire?
J, who has recently entered: No, you build a shelter!
A: No, a raft. Obviously.
Me: I think you need to cut back on your use of "obviously".
J: I think a shelter makes more sense.
Me: J, you're not the DM. A, I need to cross the water?
A: Yes, the golden crab lives across the water.
Me: Okay, I build a raft, lashing the pieces together with more of Tusky's fur.
A: Tusky is getting a little bald spot. You should put him in your backpack to keep warm.
Me: Okay.
[... I drift in and out of sleep...]
A: The mammoth keeps watch in the crow's nest.
Me: I built a raft with a crow's nest?
A: Yes!
Me: Wow. I'm good at building rafts.
J: It even has an elevator to get the mammoth up and down safely.
A: You're pretty much the best raft builder ever.
[And then I got the golden crab home safely and was rewarded with 500 coins and a laser sword. So, you know, regular Tuesday]
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