People around the world take backyards for granted, or in this case your best friend’s back yard; I am not one of these people.  Fortunately for me, I grew up in a town where there was nothing to do I spent time in a backyard inventing new games, destroying your bodies, or just relaxing with friends.  I have a great yard full of stories, but none of them can compare to Tyler’s backyard.  You name it it has happened there.  Motorcycle crashes, body fluids ejecting out of people left and right, and wildfire sized bonfires.  There are too many stories to remember, but I am going to try my best to tell the best ones.

H.O.R.S.E is a basketball game where people do trick shots and other people shoot to match them; if they can’t match them they get a letter until they spell out horse.  One day, while we were playing horse,  there was a dumpster in Tyler’s yard because they were clearing debris out of the house.  This dumpster happened to be right on the playing grounds for our game causing the most challenging game, of horse to ever be played.  They were remodeling the house due to a breakout fire one night.  For this game, we had three people playing: another good friend, named Matt, Tyler and I.   The game was coming down to the wire, balls being launched from sniper distance trying to knock people out of the game.  When it was my turn to control the fate of the game, I had the perfect plan of attack.  I had been thinking moves before about a legendary shot that would be talked about for centuries.  Standing on top of the cement steps, my friends had no idea what was going to happen.  Sadly neither did I, what I thought was going to be an awesome victory for me, turned out to be a better thing to see for my friends.  I start my motion to throw the ball in when all of a sudden I run out of cement footing.  The ball starts bouncing down the steps.  I took a different course, my knee was the first to take a punishing hit from the hard rock.  As I continue falling, my head and elbows get scratched up.  I every hit hurting a little bit more knowing the horse championship belt won’t be won by me this day. 
Now onto my favorite story ever to happen on the grass covered memory gold mine.  Late summer nights in this yard were different than anywhere else.  It was a spot where we put our bodies to the limits and friendships to the test.  Each night the game changed, some nights it was manhunt, others it was basketball games until the golden sun rose, but this night it was frisbee.  Our favorite way to play frisbee was the game 500.  There is two people doing whatever it takes to get the frisbee, while another  person throws the frisbee to them calling out the number amount they get if they defeat their opponent.  These games would go on for hours.  We would have to take our shirts off because we didn’t want to ruin them with grass stains and blood.  Unfortunately, we stained our knees and elbows with grass and, stained the grass with our blood.  Around one in the morning, we all decided to get a drink of water to fuel our dehydrated, worn out bodies.  Glass after glass, ice cube after ice cube, you could feel the energy come back to these zombie looking bodies.  I made the poor decision of drinking enough water to bring a beached whale back to life.  Mid-game of the next match something didn’t feel right inside.  The running mixed the constant diving on the grown made my stomach the true opponent in this game. 
“I’ll be right back” I said trying to run as far away as I could until I blew like confetti.
“What’s wrong with him?” Matt questioned Tyler seeing if he knew something Matt didn’t,
I didn’t make it twelve feet before that water made a U-turn and came back up my throat.  I have been sick a lot in my life, but this was the most I’ve ever thrown up.  It was as if a dam had just been broken down, it was all water.  After that I felt great.
“Alright so what’s the score?” I questioned them like nothing had happened, their faces more confused than someone about to take the SATs without studying. 
“Are you ok?” Matt asked, not knowing why my body just ejected enough water to fill a bathtub.
“Really dude?  You had to do it on my yard?” Tyler filled in as he walks back to his position for the game.
I shrugged at the whole conversation and went back to the game.  The sun rose that morning with me in dead last for most wins that night.  I didn’t care who won, I made more memories with my best friends and that's all I cared about.
For the last story, I saved the grossest one.  I mentioned that we played manhunt, this is just a fast paced hide and go seek.  Our home base for this game was a post in the furthest corner of the yard.  We had forgotten that there was a dead deer by it for the past couple of days.  After the usual “Not it” to see who seek first I took my hiding spot.  Seeking first would be Matt, this whole situation being unfair because Matt was the fastest and I was sadly the opposite.  I had the perfect spot, deep inside this magnificent shrubbery.  After ten anxiety filled minutes pass, I see Matt, our eyes lock and he takes his first step.  I take off,  cutting my face as I throw myself out of the thorn filled bush.  It didn’t affect me, my strides were quick and long.  I was closer to safety than Matt so I had a chance.  Dirt kicking up everywhere as the race went on.  Like a cheetah chasing a much slower victim, Matt began to come within diving distance.  The post was coming quickly, I just needed to pull through for these couple strides.  I reached with all my heart and smacked the pole right before Matt’s fingers got hold of me.  I did forget about one thing though.
“DEER,” I shouted at the top of lungs while gravity did it’s job and brought me to the inevitable. 
I lie there covered in week old deer blood with just my victory to keep me from going crazy.  The deers broken rib punctured my right arm causing me to lose blood at a substantial rate.  I got up and walked patiently inside the house.  It’s good I picked a best friend who’s mom is a nurse.
Backyards are place to enjoy days that can be spent outside and stain the grass with your stories you make with the people you're with.  They don’t need to be your own backyard, just any place where a memory can be made.  I don’t take a backyards for granted because I know what great times can be made in them, and I don’t take friends for granted because you always need someone make those memories with you.