I remember the day
when Skittles became a part of my
heart and a sweet memory of a "war" that my son, Jared, once fought.
It all started innocently with
a couple of large bags of Skittles bought at Costco for Jared's thirteenth
birthday party. Skittles was Jared's favorite candy.
A bag of Skittles was opened
and placed in a bowl on the table in the basement, commonly called the
'dungeon'. I avoid the basement on a normal day. (There are
three bedrooms down there and as long as I don't spend time wandering around
looking at the mess the kids are making and what needs to be cleaned, I'm
stress-free.) The 'dungeon' is a place where fun activities, TV,
parties, and computer games are played.
A second bag of skittles was
strategically placed by the bookcase in front of the TV. This made
it possible for handfuls of Skittles to be popped in the mouth while laying
in a bean bag and watching TV.
No one really knows how
the Skittles war got started, or who slung the first Skittle.
It's rumored that someone found
a way to fling a Skittle, by way of rubber band, towards an unsuspecting
party goer. Although the first Skittle was harmlessly and lightly
flicked, no one expected the rampage that would soon follow. War
was declared within seconds!
Jared and Jonathan grabbed
a bag of Skittles and headed for
one of the bedrooms. According to Jonathan... "he (Jared) hid
behind a closet door and I was hiding behind him so he got hit first."
Since it was obvious that Jared
was going to be pelted helplessly if he didn't do anything to save himself,
Jared declared a skittles "attack" was in progress and jumped into the
challenge of the fight. The instant rule was, that there were no
teams, no alliances, no one "off limits" and TAKE NO PRISONERS!
Picture by Jonathan Watson
- South Carolina
Skittles began flying in all
directions. Red Skittles, Green, Orange, Yellow Skittles and Purple
ones. Skittles missiles down the hall, into the bedrooms, and all
over the Recreation room. And, if a boy dared to stick his head out
too far, he would be pelted with a colorful, and very hard, Skittle.
Brian grabbed a handful of
Skittles. After popping a couple of Skittles in his mouth, for energy
of course, he propelled some well aimed Skittles to his targets.
Jared fired back, and so did
Matt, Andrew, Mike, Beck and about a dozen other boys. Soon everyone
in the Skittles fight was in the heat of battle with all the party boys
throwing Skittles in all directions. The energy of a good Skittles
fight caused beads of sweat to form on the faces of the fiercest warriors.
There was a gauntlet of
boys dodging Skittles all over the basement.
Very few words were spoken,
other than, "Ah-ha, got you" or "Man, I'm gonna get you now!" Revenge
kept the fight going. Sweet Skittles in the mouth ...and pelted on
the arms, face and backs kept the war surging forward. A well aimed
Skittle hit on the face usually caused one word to be spoken, "Ow!"
Soon the instigators began
to tire and some even began to retreat. A few of the most brave even
had the nerve to hide in the storage rooms waiting for the right moment
to attack again, or take less hits, (...any excuse will do). But,
soon the Skittles began to run out.
Jared managed to grab the bag
of Skittles near the TV and run with it, throwing a few Skittles along
the way. Would there be enough Skittles to have one last effort to
get even? ...Would there be any left to eat later? Surely there
will be Peace again!
Some of the boys would not
be appeased. They began picking up Skittles off the floor and rugs.
They picked them from the book cases, in the chairs and behind the ping
pong table. One last 'charge' and one last laugh, "I got you good"
was the war cry!
No one knows how the battle
was decided, who won, who lost, or when it ended. This was a
war that all boys lose, and yet, all these boys were winners. It
was a Sweet (Skittles) battle, a battle that any adventurous boy would
be proud to serve in. Thankfully the casualties were low. No
one got hit in the eye and no one retreated or charged with leaving the
heat of battle. Loyal Birthday guests could now recuperate in the
softness of a beanbag while eating the remnants of Skittles found all around
them.
God Bless the USA, and Skittles!
**************************
Jared died three and a half
days after the Skittles war.
In the weeks after Jared's
death, I made a few trips down into the 'dungeon' and found the treasures
of the Skittles war all over the basement and some even years later.
Every time I would find a Skittle I would smile. This 'war' will
always bring me good memories. I will never forget the excitement
on all the boy's faces as they explained the adventure they had in the
basement.
I suppose some mothers might
of been upset that their basement was messed up with bright colored candy
littered all over the floor (and everywhere else you could imagine), but
I only wished I could have been there when they were having so much fun.
I'm sure I would have thrown a few skillfully aimed Skittles myself.
After Jared was buried and
a headstone was placed on the grave site, it seemed out of place to put
flowers on his grave site to honor him. Jared was never a big fan
of flowers. But, Skittles, this had meaning and good memories.
Jared and Skittles go hand in hand,
(or hand in mouth).
Every visit to Jared's grave
site brings a bag of Skittles placed thoughtfully over the base and top
of the headstone.
Sometimes the Skittles melt
and the stone will need to be washed the next day, but most of the time
the wind will gently blow the Skittles off into the grass or birds will
be attracted to the shape and color of the Skittles and they'll eat the
sugary treat. I can visualize a bunch of hyperactive birds eating,
gulping, flinging, fighting and even having a war over each Skittle they
take. The battle goes on.
Jared Smiles.
Jared's grave site in Ashton Idaho
