Paint Ball Pandemonium

When my sons were 11 and 8 we went to the Bloomberg company picnic on Roosevelt Island in New York. We always went on the first ferry and the event was so huge Willie Wonka’s factory would have been a bitter disappointment in comparison. Some years they had ice skating in June and carnival rides, mini golf, games and loads of free food. This year they also had paint ball, so we immediately got in line. The kids wouldn’t go if i didn’t. accompany them, so I went too. When we went in there were a few other dads along with a couple dozen kids. We were divided into teams and soon all the dads on the opposite team had been hit and eliminated, and the kids on that team were cowering so i decided to give myself up. I stepped out from my hiding place but no one shot me, so I walked and then ran toward the enemy team. I suppose I failed to realize the effect on the kids of having a very tall man dressed in full camouflage gear including a dark mask charging them while waving a paint ball gun in each hand (one of my sons was tired of carrying his) and yelling. I thought they would just shoot me. I don’t think up until that time I had ever witnessed something that could be described as pandemonium. Some of the other team members screamed and ran or toward the exits, many of those who were sitting or kneeling fell face first shaking, one chubby kid backed up faster and faster until he fell backward and hit the ground which made his gun go off and a paint ball exploded on my mask, i was hit right between the eyes and my “surrender” was over.