Letter to my children: The Green Glass Doors
/Dearest Beloveds,
The latest craze in the house is playing the game Green Glass Doors. What started out as a riddle to stymie us all has turned into a spelling game that travels with us everywhere.
Bean, you brought the game home from Flying Deer. We were sitting at the dinner table.
“Okay, here is a new game. I can go through the Green Glass Doors. And so can you Momma. But Dragon cannot.”
“Oh my gosh, Bean. I think we need more hints.”
“A balloon can go through the Green Glass Doors, but a lightbulb cannot.”
“A lightbulb cannot?”
This went on for a few days - until finally Bean explained the rules to us.
“The word has to have two letters that are the same in a row. They did it because green has two EEs. Glass has two SSes and doors has two OOs. So, they were like, okay, let us call it the Green Glass Doors - because if you look at the problem you can figure it out. If you look at it you can figure it out super easy.”
“Well, as long as you know how to spell it is super easy.”
“Yeah, once you know how to spell and you are like ten or fifteen, you can do it. But is a really cool riddle.”
It is a cool riddle that has permeated.
Walking through the garden, “Momma, trees can go through the Green Glass Doors!”
Reaching over to get the phone, “Momma, “Spam Risk” cannot go through the Green Glass Doors!”
“Oh that is lovely, but you know what can?”
“What?”
“Books.”
A big smile. “Oh, I would so much rather have books than spam. So spam risk and phones can’t go through the Green Glass Doors, but books can.”
Dragon interjected, “Can mangos?”
“No, but strawberries can, cherries can, blueberries can, apples can.”
“Pineapples can.”
“You know what else can’t?”
“What?”
“Ticks!”
“YAY!!”
Dragon looking at animal words. “Cheetah can go through the Green Glass Doors!”
“You are right Dragon. It can.”
He looked at the list again. “Kangaroo can go through the Green Glass Doors too! Momma! And rabbit!”
Dragon, you started wiggling with excitement, and looked again.
“Dragon, why is this so exciting to you?!”
“Momma, because I know it! Tee Du Dee Dooo.” Making silly noises you danced in a circle.
Driving through the village. “Speed can go through the Green Glass Doors!”
“So can hook!”
Later that evening, I was recounting this to your father. “They can spell all of those words?”
“Well, ‘speed limit’ is written in big bold letters for all to see. So is ‘Entering Red Hook’.”
“Fair enough.”
*Thank you Game Gal for the awesome rendering of the Green Glass Door!
