Finally:

This is a story of childhood yearning.

When I was a kid, I got a board game called Oops and Downs for my birthday (or maybe it was Christmas). It was super fun and I loved playing it. Sort of like a 3D version of chutes and ladders, it featured a tiered board and playing pieces with holes so that when they went down the little "chutes", they made a whistling sound. Very entertaining. One day, I left it out under an open window and it rained (during the rainy season in Panama, so we're talking torrential rain). The game got soaked and I didn't discover it until much later. Needless to say, the board had pretty much disintegrated (as cardboard tends to do). We were unable to salvage it and all that was left were little plastic firemen and tubes.

The years went on and we were never able to replace it. Apparently, it was just a small, unpopular game that quietly disappeared into thin air. I searched for it for years. I couldn't even remember the name of it but I always thought of it and regretted my reckless actions that led to its untimely demise. Maybe it's because I only got to enjoy it for a brief time before it was destroyed. Maybe it's because it met such a violent end. I couldn't stop thinking of it.

In all the years I was looking for it, Google never gave me anything. My searching was in vain. And then one day, something turned up: a small image of a playing piece. I recognized it immediately. I disappeared down a rabbit hole and miraculously, tracked it down. I found one copy. Just one. And though it may have been more than I would usually spend on a little children's board game from the 90's, I pounced. I had searched for it for years and finally had it in my possession.

I know it's just a bunch of plastic and cardboard but somehow, I feel like a hole has been filled. I feel, in a small way, justified. I can stop looking. I can have a do over. It will be around for M to play and enjoy like I did. And you better believe I won't be leaving it out near any open windows.