Tilt

Con's. I think the name was short for Connie. Pinball machines, pool tables, steamed hot dogs, and a smooth, not so frothy root beer were inside. Guys working things  out between themselves happened out the back door. As a kid, I feared walking in the front door would eventually lead to the dreaded walk out the back door. As much as I liked the dogs and beer, at 12 I knew I didn't like the idea of being punched bloody. Fearing what could be, kept me away from pinball. That's OK. Life lets you play for free. Sometimes you're the flipper, sometimes the bumper, and maybe mostly the silver ball.

The playing field is cluttered with bumpers, pitfalls, flippers, lights, bells, success, failure, and a Tilt walk  of shame when you're caught cheating. The game always ends the same way no matter what you score; the ball is buried in a hole and the lights flash Game Over. High Score? So what. It won't last. The same ball that rings up success after success, is launched repeatedly by flippers, bumpers, and spring loaded catapults. The ball has no direction of it's own...except down with gravity.

Pinball is a metaphor of life. Launched down a tube, the human ball (Orb) enters the world of good and bad with no ability to choose this or that. Rapid fire bumpers ring up success. Quick rejections from flippers sends Orb from here to there. The world calls to Orb, "Over here! Snap. No Over There. Snap. Not here stupid, get out! Snap. Faster! snap. Slow down. Snap." All games end with Orb more or less losing momentum and falling into the abyss. A flailing attempt by the flippers can't catch Orb when he's done for good. Cheating to nudge Orb on a different course with a hip to the machine is caught and the player is called out TILT!! The bells go quiet. No buzzer. No lights. Orb falls helplessly to the pit. All players know how to get a little more out of life by nudging. If you're not caught, you didn't cheat. Points scored in the gray area of fair count. TILT isn't all bad...it shows you tried to push the limit. You're allowed a couple of Tilts before the game shuts down on you for good. Everyone gets the benefit of the doubt for a little while. Every champion finishes with Game Over. When the last ball drops off of the inclined board it hits the bottom of the dark hole with a sterling silver thud. You know it's over. Your score flashes. The lights go off. NEXT PLAYER Up.