10. Boochi Tag

"Wwoww!" Balki stared with wide-eyed awe at the sunset. Swirls of peach and purple filled the sky, lighter around the tiny sliver of a sun on the horizon and darkening to an indigo blue overhead where a few assertive stars cried for attention. "Isn't that the most beautiful thing you ever put your eyes on?" There was no answer and he turned to his cousin.

Larry stared blankly into the fire. He wrung his hands absently and his jaw muscles pulsed. Balki could see the fear and anxiety in his friend's face.

"You know, this reminds me of the vacations my family used to take on Mypos. We would get up early in the morning and pack the oxcart. Then the whole family would meet at the crossroads and we would caravan thirty miles to the beach. We would set up camp on the sand and we would all swim and play in the ocean. When it got dark we would build a big fire and Mama would cook while Yaya told stories." He smiled fondly at the memory. "Mama used to say food tastes better when cooked on the beach.

"But the best part was after dinner when all of us joined in a big game of Boochi tag. Everyone played, even Mama and Yaya. We all had so much fun, just running and playing…" Balki looked over at his cousin to gauge his reaction

"I know exactly what you're getting at and forget it." Larry huffed irritably, still not taking his eyes off the fire. "I'm not in the mood to play any childish Myposian game. I've got to come up with a plan to get us rescued."

Undaunted by his cousin's vehement disinterest Balki reached over and with his index finger and casually tapped Larry on the top of his head. "You're it." A mischievous grin crawled across his face. He leaned close to his cousin's ear and whispered. "Boochi, boochi, boochi."

Larry cocked his head slightly in Balki's direction and glared at him out of the corner of his eye. "I'm...not...playing." He said seriously, drawing out each word.

"Well then you'll just have to be it for the rest of your life." Balki said matter-of-factly, knowing this bait had worked before.

"I think I can live with that." Larry said, rising and crossing to the pile of firewood. "I have a feeling that being 'it' will not, in any way, affect the quality of my life." He picked up a couple of pieces of driftwood and tossed them on the fire.

"Oh, I don't know, Cousin." Balki said, trying to sound serious. "Do you think you can handle the constant taunting?" His smile slid slyly back in place. "Boooochi, boochi, boochi."

"Sticks and stones may break my bones." Larry retorted, poking at the flames with a long stick as if the action served a useful purpose.

Balki's eyes widened, wondering at how quickly the conversation seemed to have U-turned. "Uuuh, this is true. But I don't see how that relates in any way to you're being it."

Larry gave a long-suffering groan and moved over to Balki. He had a feeling his cousin was not going to let up. "That has nothing to do with it. Because..." He placed what appeared to be a friendly hand on his cousin's shoulder then leaped suddenly away. "...I'm no longer it!"

Surprised delight exploded across Balki's face as he sprang to his feet. Larry ran around to the other side of the fire, keeping the flames between him and his cousin. "Boochi, boochi, boochi." He said smugly. Balki moved to the left and Larry sidestepped to the right, circling the fire several times. The stalking movement and the dancing orange firelight made them look like pacing tigers. Without warning Balki leaped over the small fire tagged his cousin and ran several feet before turning and throwing the 'boochi' taunt. Larry chased him a ways then made a wild leap, catching Balki around the ankles and sending them both crashing into the sand.

"You're it!" Larry cried triumphantly. But before he could even get out the first 'boochi' Balki gave him a gentle slap on the cheek and was up and running again.

"Not anymore!" Balki said shouted triumphantly as he raced away from the fire toward the grove of palm trees that skirted the beach.

Larry leaped up and followed him. They reached the tree line and Balki dodged behind the nearest palm and peeked out from behind it. "Boochi, boochi, boochi!"

"Ha!" Larry yelled as he thrust a hand toward Balki, only to have him dodge to the other side of the tree. He tried again, jabbing a hand toward his cousin, and again Balki jerked out of the way, using the tree as a shield. This repeated itself several more times. Then suddenly Larry let out a sharp pained cry and grabbed his hand.

Balki was instantly at his side. "What's wrong?"

"I think I got a sliver from this tree."

"Maybe I can get it out." Balki offered. "Where is it?"

"There." Larry said, holding his hand up for his cousin's inspection.

Balki frowned and took Larry's hand and brought it close to his face. "Where?"

"There!" Larry brought his hand up and tapped Balki on the end of his nose. He leaped back with a victorious laugh. "Boochi, boochi, boochi!"

Balki looked confused for a moment before realization dropped his jaw. "You tricked Balki!"

"You bet!" Larry shouted as he bolted back toward the fire. By the time he reached it he was breathing hard. He turned back hoping he could dodge his cousin's attack instead of out-running it. Balki, realizing his plan went into a stalking crouch that looked so silly it started Larry laughing. Balki stayed low to the ground as he advanced; ready to spring whichever way his cousin began to move. But Larry could scarcely stand he was laughing so hard. All he could do was take a step back for every one Balki advanced. The next step sent him tumbling backwards over the log of driftwood. He landed on his back in the soft sand, which made him laugh even harder.

Balki grinned. He knew he had him and moved in slowly.

"No wait!" Larry managed to say through the giggles and gasps for breath. "Wait, it's not fair."

"On Mypos we have a saying." The immigrant said smugly. " 'Bonki yiko smoochi konko miko Boochi'. It says: 'All's fair in love and Boochi Tag.'" As he stepped over the log his foot caught on it for scarcely a moment. But it was enough to throw him off balance and send him sprawling in the sand beside his cousin.

They both burst into complete hysteria, feeding off one another's laughter until tears streamed down their cheeks and their sides ached. After a few moments it died down to a few sparse chuckles and ended with one synchronized sigh.

They lay there for a long while, side by side gazing into the now ebony sky, the softly lapping waves and the crackling fire the only addition to the companionable silence.

"Look at that!" Larry finally whispered. The awed reverence in his voice was unmistakable.

"What?"

"Look at the stars."

"Which ones?"

"All of them. There are so many!"

"You bet your bibibabkas! I tried to count them one night while sleeping out with the flock. I got to three thousand four hundred and twenty five before I lost count."

"I've never really stopped to look before."

Balki turned his head to gaze at his cousin in surprise. "You've never see the stars?"

"Oh, I've seen them. But…" He gave a soft shrug and turned to Balki. "…I've never really looked. You know what I mean?"

Balki's face turned serious. "That's sad Cousin. Although, I guess I can understand. There aren't as many stars in America as there are on Mypos."

Larry propped himself up on his elbow. "what do you mean?"

"Well, back home we have stars like this." He made a wide gesture encompassing the twinkling sky. "But when I come to America everywhere I am going, New York, Chicago, Madison Wisconson, when I look up at night there are hardly any stars.

"That's because—"

"You know why I think that is?" Balki rolled onto his side and copied his cousin's posture, propping himself up on one arm. "On Mypos the stars make it light at night so travelers can see. But in America there are lights everywhere and people can see fine at night. So the stars go someplace else where they are more needed."

Larry smiled softly at the explanation. For someone who didn't know the science involved Balki had come fairly close to the truth. "Chicago may not have many stars but it's home."

Balki nodded. They both sat quietly for awhile, both thinking of home.

Larry heaved a sad sigh. "Chicago…I wonder if we will ever see it again."

"Of course we will, don' be ridiculous!" Balki just couldn't understand why his cousin was so negative. In all his experiences things had always turned out for the good. He had had a wonderful, tranquil life on Mypos. And then he was able to move to America and had been so generously taken in by his cousin who had quickly become the best friend he had ever had. He now had a job that not only allowed him to work side by side with his cousin but it also paid minimum wage! Even when things went wrong, like their ski trip, everything always ended happily. After all, they had a grand old adventure and they had the chance to get to know the girls better. Everything would be fine with this problem too. They had plenty of food and water so all they had to do was wait to be rescued. He didn't know when that was going to happen but he was sure it would be soon.

Larry frowned a bit. He didn't understand his cousin at all. Larry was a realest. He saw things the way they were and didn't try to sugar coat reality. He wanted hope as much as the next guy and would hold onto it as long as he could and he would, of course try his hardest to produce a good outcome. But when things were hopeless there was nothing he could do but admit defeat. But his cousin just didn't get it. It seemed that Balki was always looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. No matter what they went through he always saw something good in it. He was always convinced that everything would turn out for the better. Larry knew better. His life had always been hectic and riddled with disappointments and failures. They were going to come and you couldn't change that. So why did Balki insist on deluding himself with false hope? "Balki, I don't understand how you can be so optimistic."

Balki smiled a bit self-consciously. "I don't mean to brag but I did pass my eye exam with fading colors."

Larry shook his head at the misinterpretation. "I mean how can you be so positive when our odds of getting rescued are around a million to one?"

"Well at least that's a little odd. A million to one is better than a million to none."

He supposed Balki was right about that. A small chance was better than no chance at all. But their chance of rescue seemed microscopic to him. "Balki, I have been racking my brain for hours now and I haven't been able to come up with a way to get us safely off here."

Balki sat up and yawned. "That's because you're tired." He reached over, grabbed both life jackets and handed one to Larry who stared down at it in confusion. "We've had a tough day." He set his in the sand, lay back down and rested his head on it.

Larry followed his lead and lay down in the soft sand using his life preserver as a pillow.

"Just relax and let Princess Riva take you away. Tomorrow we'll think of something." Balki closed his eyes and shifted a bit to get more comfortable, obviously ready to get some sleep.

Larry sighed. Maybe everything would seem better tomorrow. "Goodnight, Balki."

Balki didn't open his eyes as he replied: "Goodnight, Wednesday."