A time of wonderment

This cover was the same one that graced my family's board game back in the eighties.
Looking at more recent covers; the players have gotten far more attractive. 

Back in the late eighties, my family lived in Tennessee. It was only for a short time and we all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when we relocated out of the south. My own personal disdain in this Southern state was odd because the two years we lived in Knoxville held a lot of wonder. We had woods for a backyard with vines perfect for swinging, a swimming pool that would collect a whole range of fascinating animal cadavers, a jetted bath tub that created bubbles so abundant they touched your chin and game nights that featured the board game, Clue. I loved the game; its colorful cast of murder suspects/detectives, the game board that featured the interior of a very posh and expensive looking mansion and lethal weapons that were game pieces. When my game piece landed in one of those fancy rooms, I felt a thrill announcing my accusation of who did in Mr. Body in that particular room and with what weapon. As the x's multiplied on my sheet of suspects, murder weapons and rooms, so did my excitement because soon the truth of what cards lay in that tiny golden envelope would be revealed.
My love of Clue expanded to include the movie, the video game and some of the books. But then my fascination just stopped and the board game collected dust on the top shelf of the closet.
My family didn't play the game anymore until my mother decided it was time pull the board game off the shelf, blow the dust off the box and play it after Thanksgiving dinner. The whole family- Mom, Dad, my sister, niece and newphews- crowded around the table to solve the classic who done it mystery. My family's history with this game came full circle; Mairen, Connor and Colin are all around the same age my sister and I were when we first fell in love with Clue. And similar to the two of us, they seemed too seemed to feel a thrill when their plastic pawns plopped down into one of those rooms, ready to make an accusation and move on step further to solving the crime.
It was my niece who solved the mystery that night. She beamed with pride and I fully admire her skills in deduction. It was just like old times; the wonder still exists.