Child's Play: The Forty-Third Hunger Games

Chapter 15

Mati Berlin

"Why do cows moo?" I asked my friend Filly.

"Because they're hungry?" she asked.

"No, because their horns don't make noise!" I said. She made that exhalation of breath people make when a joke is beneath their notice but they can't help but find it a little funny.

"What do you call a cow with two left legs?" I asked.

"I don't know if I should guess," she said.

"Lean beef," I said.

"We're supposed to be feeding the animals," she said, but she was smiling.

"I am! I can pour corn and tell jokes at the same time. I'm very talented," I said. I pretended to dutifully do my chores while I built up a proper interval between jokes to maximize the humor.

"Hey," I said on the way back to her house.

"What?" she asked, already tilting her head back in anticipation of my wit.

"What do you call a cow with no legs?" I asked.

"What?" she asked.

"Ground beef," I said. That one got her. Whether it was the persistence or the sheer silliness, she burst out laughing.

"That is the dumbest joke in history," she said.

"You're the one laughing at it," I said.

"Maybe I'm the dumb one," she said.

"That would explain why you're friends with me," I said.

"Great minds think alike?" she asked.

"No, opposites attract," I said. I bolted ahead as she pretended to chase after me.

Life didn't have to be terrible in Panem. We didn't have much food and we worked all day and everything sucked, but that didn't mean it was terrible. We didn't have much food, but that meant I never got fat. We worked all day, but that meant I could think of jokes all day. And if work was easier, I couldn't be such a slacker. Everything sucked, but that meant my jokes looked less sucky by comparison. So basically Panem was paradise. I would have hated it if I'd actually had good jokes.

We definitely didn't have it as bad as we could have. We were hungry here, but people usually didn't starve. Whenever the Games came on, I could see the Tributes from Eleven and Twelve were skin and bones. I was surprised a lot of them didn't die before they got to the Arena. The fact that someone else had it harder was a horrible selfish reason to be happy, but there wasn't much happiness to grab hold of in Panem.

It was a long walk all the way back from the stockyards. That meant I had a lot of time to tell jokes.

"Hey, what kind of poultry tells jokes? Comedihens."

"Why did the lamb call the police? He got fleeced."

"What do you give a sick horse? Cough stirrup..."

Orland Corrado- 18

I could be quiet when I was dead. Life was short, especially in Panem. I could die any day from an overzealous Peacekeeper's bullet or because a cow fell on me. I preferred to take the risks I chose and live my uncertain life to the fullest.

Days started earlier for us than for Peacekeepers. We had to be up before the sun rose to take care of all the chores. I usually got up even earlier than that so I could finish the morning work and still have time to practice before everyone else got up. It wasn't very hard to make some extra time, since riding a bull only took twenty seconds at best.

Some people preferred to practice with smaller or hornless bulls unless they were in actual competitions, but not me. Having the real thing meant I had to learn quick and always stay sharp, as sharp as Tor's long, curved horns. He always looked mad, but I suspected he enjoyed the sport as much as I did. While I was trying to fall off as slow as possible, he was trying to throw me off as quick as possible.

Bull riding was all about time, so it was funny that I lost track of it, especially on Reaping day. My mother had to holler from inside the house that it was time to go. I ran off without checking on her again. We already said goodbye, and if she saw me, she'd make me change clothes. I was wearing my torn-up, faded bull-riding outfit, and I was covered in dirt.

I sprinted out of my way to catch up with my friends. Usually we were quiet on our way to the Reaping, but this was our last year. There was a nervous energy among us all. We only had one more day to last, and the chances were as low as always. We were almost done with it all.

"I found another competition," I started. Roxie pretended to smile. I knew she didn't like me doing something so dangerous, but she tried to keep it to herself.

"It's one of the best I've ever seen," I said. I felt dirty giving her hope. She probably thought if I won enough money I'd stop riding.

I felt even dirtier the more I thought about it. My father used to be a bullrider, but he stopped once he started raising a family. If I stuck with my sport, I wouldn't be home much with them. I'd be riding the circuit and practicing all the time. We lost plenty of riders to mistakes or accidents. I'd been there when some of them died. It was a dangerous, likely short life, and it hurt my family more than it hurt me. It was a big decision, and I didn't know what to do.

Jayman sent me a basic form, so here's Mati! Mati is average height with long auburn-red hair. she dresses brightly and has a wide smile that often covers her face. shes pretty, but not "stunning" Now the floodgates are loosed and I can update!