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A game began early in the empty universe. Two young spirits with different approaches agreed to compete. Spirit chose goodness as his winning strategy; Fighter preferred to use chaos instead. Their game field would become the earth. As fireflies watched, Spirit began to create his contestants: mice and then men. Fighter quickly found a way to tamper with Spirit’s human creation. A storm was what Fighter used for that dirty job. Spirit didn’t notice what happened, but an enterprising mouse did.
Pleased with his apparent handiwork, Spirit promised not to coach his players. Fighter had no qualms at spreading lies and chaos among people to defeat his opponent. The game is now half over, and most of Spirit’s good intentions have not yet materialized. The game ball is in chaos. Fireflies and mice decide to intercede on behalf of goodness. Two kings and queens, with their own mutual desire for a son, will provide the one who becomes the hero of the game.
The author utilizes two writing styles within this book. The beginning and end sections are poetic―rhyming stanzas meant to be read like rap lyrics. These sections provide an overview of the game from each spirit’s perspective. The main story is enchanting prose that records the game according to the players’ views and introduces unlikely heroes whose motivation will be love. With Flores’ masterful use of the metaphor, even a young reader can’t miss noticing similarities to the creation story of the Bible. The author also uses personification and her own artwork to populate this fable with characters. The majority of readers, young and old, will root for Spirit’s team to be victorious in the next part of the game to be chronicled.
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