Loyal and Neutral are playing musical chairs along with Angry, Stupid, Selfish, and Mean. (Kind & Giving were playing, too, but naturally they were the first two out.)
The music stops and the scrambling starts. Stupid gets hit with an unseen elbow and calls out, “Ow! That was mean!”
Mean snaps back, “Wasn’t me, but I wish it was!” Selfish tries to straddle two chairs at once and is disqualified.
The music starts again: more jabs and jostling, and this time, Loyal takes an elbow from Angry, who gets a high five from Mean, who gets a meaningful look from Loyal, all of whom are watched impassively by Neutral.
By the time the music ends, Stupid has forgotten the rules and freezes in place. “Not it!” he cries. “Simon says ‘not it!’” Stupid is eliminated from the game.
It’s down to Angry, Mean, Loyal, and Neutral. The music runs for longer this time. The four players circle the chairs slowly, watching one another warily, ready to pounce.
When the music stops, a melee ensues as everyone dashes for a chair. Loyal finds herself between Neutral and Mean. If she goes for the chair to her left, Neutral will be closer to a seat. If she takes the one on the right, Mean will. Remembering the elbow jab and the high five, she drops into the left-hand chair. Neutral throws himself into the one beside it.
Mean pivots and lunges for the last chair, along with Angry. Angry, a fraction of a second faster, gets it. Mean fumes, his lip curling with spite. “You don’t deserve it, you know. I just let you have it.” He stalks off.
The music starts again. Loyal, Neutral, and Angry follow one another around and around and around. When it stops, Angry suddenly hooks his leg around the front of Loyal, tripping her and sending her tumbling. Loyal rolls over and looks up, wincing. The last two chairs are taken. Angry looks angry about it, somehow. But Neutral is placid, unbothered, mute.
Loyal gets to her feet, shaky and bruised. When the music starts one last time, Neutral and Angry stand up, ready to play on. But Loyal just limps off, not looking back.
”Where are you going?” calls Neutral. “The game’s not over!”
But Loyal doesn’t need to play anymore. She already knows who lost—and it wasn’t her.