by Terry Schott
“The honour is all mine, Lilith.” Lisa said. “I’m looking forward to discussing your player in some detail after the ceremony.”
“Oh, dear.” Brandon’s face looked pained. “I’m afraid we won’t be able to stay with you for the entire ceremony, Lisa. Today is a very busy day for us and we have dozens of appearances to make.”
Lisa looked disappointed, even though she’d been told this was the case. “Well, I suppose I will make the best of the time we have together, Brandon.” She smiled seductively at him. It didn’t hurt to let him know she was interested in him romantically, once again.
Brandon laughed. He admired her determination and made a mental note to have his assistant invite Lisa over for dinner. Perhaps it was time to reward her efforts with some private time. “Well, I hope it makes you feel special that we came to you first. You get the opportunity to ask the best questions before anyone else.” He placed his hand affectionately on her shoulder.
“I’ll make certain to take advantage of that, Brandon.” Her comment had more than one meaning, and her eyes hinted at something very specific.
“Well, then, let’s have a seat and get to it, shall we?” Brandon held Lilith’s chair as she sat down.
Chapter 47
Excuse me, sir. Do you follow the Game? Excellent. My friend here and I are having a discussion and we can’t seem to remember a very important detail. Can you tell us the name of the player who went on to become the Buddha? Surely you remember the Buddha? He was some Indian prince that helped change the world. Millions follow his teachings, centuries after his death. He must have been in the Game about 15 years ago? Right! The Buddha! Do you remember the name of the player who was Buddha? No? Hmm… that’s odd, neither can we.
Well, what about Jesus Christ? What was the name of the kid who played that avatar? I seem to remember it being a 16 year old girl…? No? Hmm. Yes, you’re right. There are Game historians who are supposed to know that stuff and keep detailed records of it.
Here’s the problem with that.
I am a Game historian, and I’ve searched for the colleague who knows these things…but that colleague doesn’t seem to exist.
Recent conversation on the street of the capital city of Tygon
Trew - 25
What a magnificent day!
Time just flew by. I remember waking up nervous, spending time with Dad and the guys, getting dressed… Going to the church and standing there by the preacher, still nervous. Then seeing Danielle enter the church and walk towards me… and no longer feeling nervous.
Now it’s 2 AM. The vows have been said, the meal served, the dances danced, the bouquet and garter thrown. Everything was perfect. It was a small crowd, but somehow I kept getting the feeling that millions of people were watching us. Maybe we’re popular in this game we’re living in and a big audience tuned in to watch us. That’s a nice thought.
Now the day’s over, just like that. The present has become just another memory of the past, and I’m lying here in bed with my gorgeous bride resting her head on my shoulder, savouring every detail so that it’s burned into my brain for as long as I can hold it.
“Great day, huh, babe?” she asks sleepily.
I kiss her forehead and close my eyes. “It sure was, Danni.”
“Quick, though,” she says.
I laugh. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
“So how do we top this, my love?” Danni asks.
I hug her close and bury my face in her hair. I can feel myself drifting off to sleep, but before I do, I say, “Oh, I’m sure we’ll think of something.”
****
The sky is clear and crisp, full of stars. Brandon stands in the cool night on the balcony of his penthouse, sipping a brandy and reflecting on the events of the day.
Lilith opens the sliding door and comes out to join him. “Well, today was a special day, Brandon.”
Brandon continues to look at the stars, “It certainly was, Lilith. The kids did extremely well. They’re naturals at entertaining the masses, even though they have no clue that’s what they’re doing.”
“Maybe.” Lilith said uncertainly. “You heard Trew… he felt like millions were watching.”
“Yes, but there’s no way he could know he was right,” Brandon said.
“Still, it was a great show for the world, and a happy day for our players.”
“And for us, too.” Brandon looked at Lilith and raised his glass in salute. “It’s nice to have a relaxing day. I don’t remember the last time so little went wrong.”
“The easy part is over now, Brandon.” Lilith said. “Our babies are all grown up and married. Now they start to really play the Game.”
“You look sad, Lilith,” Brandon said gently.
Tears came to Lilith’s eyes. Brandon walked over and took her in his arms. “I am sad,” she said. “It might be just a Game, but they come back changed, and most times it isn’t for the good. One child enduring lifetimes of pain and sorrow. I don’t think I can take it anymore, Brandon. This will be my last player sponsored, I think.”
“Mine too,” Brandon agreed, deciding now was not the time to tell her that the Game would soon end and there would be no more players sponsored.
Lilith buried her head in Brandon’s chest and sobbed.
“Lilith, what’s the matter?” he asked with concern.
“She didn’t have enough points to spend, Brandon,” she sobbed. “I hope she’s strong enough for what’s coming.”
Brandon understood, and held Lilith in his arms for a long time.
Chapter 48
This game we play is full of contrasts. It has to be. Being warm is much better if you have known what it is to be cold. The light is a welcome break from being surrounded by darkness. Earth is contrast. Nothing is bad nor good; things are just on one end of the spectrum or the other. Some periods in a person’s life are full of confusion, peril, and pain. Other periods are filled with times of clarity, safety and pleasure. I advise you to slow down and enjoy yourself when things are good. It can go on for years, but don’t waste one precious moment of the good times. Because the bad times come, and if you haven’t built up your reserves during the good times, you may not make it through the bad and into the next session of good.
Excerpt from Earth book called- ‘The Game Is Life’
George Knight (avatar)
Brandon called the meeting to order, and the team sat quietly in their chairs. There was no scrambling for last minute updates, or whispers to get details for Brandon when he called for them. It was a calm time for their players. The team had enjoyed the break in stress for the past few days.
Michelle stood up and walked to the front of the room, smiling and looking relaxed, as if she had actually gotten a few hours’ sleep lately.
“What details do you have for us, Michelle?” Brandon asked.
“Everything is quiet and normal, Brandon,” Michelle said. “Our newlyweds have settled into their new home and careers with no excitement or incidents. They are active in their community, and everything indicates they are still madly in love with each other.”
“How long have they been married now?” Lilith asked from the opposite end of the table.
“Three years,” Brandon said, looking to Michelle for confirmation which she gave by nodding her head.
“That makes Trew 28, and Danielle still 27.” Lilith said. “No babies yet?”
Michelle smiled, “No babies in the past three years, but that’s why we’re all here today, Lilith. To celebrate the announcement of Danielle being pregnant.”
Everyone in the room smiled, a few people gave little cheers, Brandon and Lilith became very intent on the news, sharing a glance and nod during the brief outburst of the team. When silence returned Brandon spoke up with a smile. “This is wonderful news. How far along is she?”
Michelle called up a chart on the screen beside her. “A few weeks. She’s taken the test and the two of them know. It’s too soon for them to share it with
their families yet.”
Brandon nodded. “This is truly wonderful news. Let’s all keep a close eye on this development, please. I also want to know what player ends up getting this avatar. It’s going to be an expensive life to buy into, let’s make sure the player buying in is worthy.”
The rest of the meeting was very uneventful. Danielle was running her own alternative medicine practice and enjoying phenomenal success. Trew was working as a middle sales manager for a large multinational company, leading a team of twenty employees. Thankfully, he was home almost every night and their relationship was not suffering due to their jobs. Both of them were happy and fulfilled; everything was terrific.
As the meeting let out, Brandon asked Michelle and Nadine to stay behind. Lilith remained also.
“Michelle, you’re Zack’s Right Hand, and Nadine, you’re Alexandra’s. The two ladies nodded. “Tell me the challenge we face with this pregnancy.”
Nadine’s face was serious. “The odds of this baby being born are slim to none.”
Michelle looked alarmed. “Why?”
Lilith spoke up. “Because having a healthy child involves spending points in luck. Significant points. When a player chooses to be a female avatar and have children, they must spend credits on luck for a successful birth. To not do this almost guarantees no births.”
“Alexandra didn’t spend a single point on that.” Nadine said sadly. “She didn’t have enough points for even the basics, let alone having a child.”
“That’s right,” Lilith agreed. “She was fine with that, because the odds of her hooking up with Trew or any other suitable mate were just as remote. She had no credits to spend in romance, either.”
“Ladies, let’s focus on the positive for a minute.” Brandon held up his hand. “If memory serves me correctly, this girl didn’t have credits to spend on one of the best Eternals in the Game, either. Yet he walked her down the bloody aisle on her wedding day.” Everyone nodded silently. “And you just said she didn’t have a chance to find love, either, based on the credits she spent. Someone show me a loveless Danielle, please, because all I see is an avatar that has one of the best relationships on Earth at this moment in time.”
Lilith sighed. “Okay, you’re right, Brandon. She’s not having a normal play with the credits she has invested. Perhaps the baby will be fine.”
“That’s a better attitude, thank you.” Brandon said. “But,” he smiled, “Just to be on the safe side, let’s put a few support players in place, in case things don’t go as positively as we know they will.” He handed Michelle a tablet with a list of players currently in the Game and available, to ‘coax’ into key support roles.
“Here’s what must be done,” Brandon said. “Twenty-four hour monitoring and support until this baby is born. At the slightest sign of a problem we go into extreme crisis mode. We will do everything we can to make sure the kids stay safe, and they have a beautiful little baby born to them. Sound reasonable?”
“Absolutely.” The ladies all nodded in agreement.
“Okay, then. Let’s get to work,” Brandon said.
“I want Angelica in on this, too, please,” Lilith said.
“Agreed,” said Brandon. “It can’t hurt to have Eternals keeping an eye out as well.”
Chapter 49
The master computer, which I call God, speaks to us all the time, but almost no one can hear it. I don’t think it’s the fact that we’re too busy to listen (although often we are). I think it’s that we don’t understand how the communication is coming to us; we don’t recognize that someone is actually speaking to us. It’s also an escalating form of communication. At first you can hear God in the way the wind blows, or in the strange silence that comes over a busy park for just a brief moment and then is gone. Most of you will laugh at me and that is why you will never fully communicate with your God, because you can’t accept the first steps towards the larger ones. When you’re petting a cat and its eyes focus on something behind you, then it gets strangely calm and starts to purr even louder. You think about a friend you haven’t heard from in years, and then you see them in a crowded restaurant soon after. If you are able to sense the presence of your Creator at these moments, you become ready to handle more direct contact as time goes by. If you practice enough, then perhaps when the more direct communication arrives, you are able to participate and truly interact with the Divine. When grave trouble finds you — and make no mistake, it will — it is very comforting to be able to communicate with your God. Sometimes it is the only thing that can save you from madness.
Excerpt from Earth book called ‘The Game Is life’
George Knight (avatar)
Trew - 29
I have a ritual for leaving my work behind me when the day is done. I get in my car and tell myself that I’m done with work. Then I make the drive home, listening to the radio or a book on tape — nothing to do with sales — and I just slowly let it all go. All the stress and hustle and bustle of the day, I let it slowly seep out of my body and drop onto the road behind me. By the time I get home, I’m ready to walk through the door devoted to my dear pregnant wife and the life that we’ve built together.
It’s a nice life. I’m making a six figure income and learning a lot about people and how they think. Danni is also making a six figure income and helping people feel better each and every day with her own spiritual healing centre. Most of the time we just get up and go about our daily routine; every so often I feel like I’m in a daze, or sleepwalking. Is this what life is meant to be? Danni feels the same way, but it seems that this is what society wants from adults. The time to run around and play is gone. But that doesn’t even sound right, does it?
I think we’re getting bored with this… niceness. This safe routine. But I think we’re both accepting it because that’s the best environment in which to bring up a baby. Once she or he gets here, our lives will be focused on her or him. For the next 20 years (or our entire lives, according to Dad), this little bundle of joy will be the centre of our universe, and I can’t wait!
I think being a parent and helping to guide a young soul through this world will be one of the best things I ever do. Just a couple months now and the baby will be here. It’s gonna be awesome.
I open the front door and immediately something doesn’t feel right. It’s too quiet. Usually I can hear the television, and Danni yells a greeting from the kitchen where she’s already started dinner. Tonight it’s silent. Maybe she’s working late, or went to her mother’s place for a visit… her mom is really excited about the baby, and as the date gets closer she’s spending more time over there.
I look to the left of the door and see Danni’s work materials sitting by the door. She’s here — why can’t I hear her? “Danni!” I call out, “Where you at, babe?”
I walk quickly down the dark hallway towards the bedroom. Maybe she’s exhausted and decided to grab a little nap. The bedroom’s empty, but I know she’s here. The silence doesn’t feel right. I run to the kitchen, calling out her name again.
I round the corner and look into the kitchen. I don’t see her here. I flip the light on and walk around the centre island towards the sink. My foot hits something and I look down.
Oh, Christ.
She’s lying there on the floor, pale as a ghost and not moving. She’s curled up into a tight ball. Oh, God, please be okay.
“Danni!” I yell and drop to my knees. She’s so cold! I put my head to her mouth and hear a slow, faint breath.
I’m already dialing 911. I don’t know what to do. Please don’t die, Danni! Damn it, please don’t die!
I’m in hell.
Chapter 50
I don’t get too upset about what happens to players inside the Game. I mean, it’s just a game for our entertainment, right? Yes, I guess they do remember feeling all the pain and joy they experience while playing.
No, I never considered how that might affect them once they come out of the Game. But it’s not real, so what’s t
he big deal? Those kids are lucky. When I went to school I had to sit in a classroom and was bored out of my mind! I’d love to just plug in and go having fun adventures for years and years.
Hmm… but what if I had a life where I just did the kind of things I do now? And then I had to do it over and over again?
I never really thought of it that way. I guess it could be pretty bad, but still better than failing out, right?
Well, if a player gets stuck in that type of loop, I just stop following them and tune in to someone more exciting.
Me? I work at the computer chip facility, on the line. No, I guess my life wouldn’t be too exciting to follow, but what can I do? It’s not just some fun Game for me to play. If it was, I think I’d take more risks and go for the exciting stuff.
Interview with a local Game fan
“What’s the diagnosis?” Brandon asked.
The room was silent. No one looked up from their tablets. Some of them were crying.
Brandon wanted to scream at them to calm down and act like the professionals they were, to earn their pay for a change and deliver him a miracle. They had no idea what was really on the line here — that would give them something to really be upset about. But he knew losing his composure would get them nowhere.
He spoke in a compassionate, gentle tone. “Michelle, what’s the diagnosis?”
Michelle remained sitting. “Doctors give her a few days, weeks at the most. There is no detectable brain function. She’s dead, by the definition. There’s no hope, Brandon.”
Brandon knew she wasn’t dead. If she was ‘dead by the definition,’ then the game would be finished, and over a billion children would be lying dead on their Game tables all over Tygon. “It’s important that no one pulls the plug on her. Do we all understand this? Angelica, tell me there is no danger of that happening.”
“We’re safe in that regard, Brandon,” Angelica said, reclining in her chair beside Lilith at the other end of the large table. “Three Eternals are within twenty feet of her; either Raphael or Stephanie are in the room at all times. No one is pulling a plug.”