This is Betty, the voicemail said. I got your number from Jess. Why weren't you in school today? Everyone missed you. Sorry, I meant everyone missed your noise. Mr. Lagerback taught coding today. Hope you'd show up tomorrow. Or would what stopped you from coming today stop you tomorrow? Pardon my eccentricity. Hey! Be safe, man! But see you."
John smiled and dropped the phone. He had some sandwich he was yet to finish waiting for him. He cleaned his right hand with a serviette, the very hand that held the phone, and set about to attend to the sandwich. He was really hungry, having spent a chunk of his time running errands. He munched the sandwich noisily and checked his phone for something. He dropped the phone afterwards and continued with his eating. Just today he received a savage opprobrium from Mr. Harper, the nosey neighbour. He was yet to understand why the man couldn't just mind his business for once. He wondered why he was always keen on criticizing and insulting people. He wondered if he would ever have the guts to put him in his place. Not like he was a coward, far from it. It had nothing to do with cowardice, but simply everything to do with his mood and readiness to vent his anger. He shook his head at the sound of Mr. Harper's voice and went to pick a pack of juice from the refrigerator nearby.
***
John sat in front of his computer. As a professional gamer, it was another day to win another bucks. He hit a button, and a message popped up on the screen: "Hey there! Sorry for the inconvenience, but we need to confirm you are not a robot. Select the squares with a cruise." This usually annoyed John, but today he was in a good mood. He shrugged and picked the squares with the cruise. But as soon as he submitted, a new task appeared on the screen: "Tell us exactly where you are hitting from – Room, Parlour, School, Café, etc". John chose Parlour. And as soon as he submitted, another message popped up: "Location, please." This hasn't been the case since he started playing online games. But he was in a good mood. He put his location and relaxed. Next, another task popped up: "Phone number, please." John shook his head and typed in his phone number. The next thing, he received a beep on his phone. He checked and saw a code. And when he looked at the computer screen, he saw a new message: "You are one step away from completing the whole process. Now put in the code." John hesitated for a brief moment before typing in the requested code. And when he was done, the user interface on his computer changed. Then a speeding vehicle passed before he saw his avatar as Player One. Then a question popped up: "Ready, Player One?" He picked yes. And that was it. The game began, and went by the name Josen.com. He was immediately introduced to the game's world called Universe 2.0. The main idea of the game was for players to be able to conquer as many beasts as possible and to be able to complete every task assigned to them. It was a colourful game in 3D glory and John felt he was in for maximum fun. The game's interface created a scene of warmth and had edges that had changing colours. This is the real definition of computer game, John thought. And as he played on, he heard:
🕸️ Congratulations!!! You just killed the Gumgum beast. Now collect the bounty and keep up the good work. Listen to the voice note below for directions. Good luck.
John rubbed his palm and continued. Everyone who knew him too well knew he loved video games. He positioned himself well and continued with the game, darting his eyes from corner to corner. He was also known to be an avid winner in complex games, so he believed he would progress extensively in no time. His evening alarm sounded and he quickly snoozed it effortlessly. He was already engrossed in the game. Running through the gated residential, he shot an ibid and went to burgle a pink bungalow. He found a pickaxe on the floor and smashed the door of the house. He dropped the pickaxe and ran in. His mission now was to steal the house owner's dollar stash. After going from room to room, he found the dollars stashed away in a hidden corner and began to leave the house immediately. His timer was already reading, and so he must leave the neighbourhood before his time runs out or face being nabbed. He came out of the house, knocked down a man on a motorcycle and sped away with the stolen bike. Luckily, he was able to make it out of the neighbourhood before his time reached the final second. He laughed and punched the air before hearing his mother calling him. He paused the game and went to answer his mom.
***
In school the next day, he met with Betty who was talking with a friend ten minutes to the first lesson.
"Hi, Betty," he said. "Can I have a word with you?"
Betty turned with a smile: "Oh, look who we have here! It's the noisemaker! Well, excuse me Amanda. Let me know what he's got to say."
"Alright." Amanda said.
"How are you?" John asked.
"I should be asking you that?" Betty said. "Why weren't you in school yesterday?"
"Something came up." John replied.
"Oh, really?! Something that justifies your missing Mr. Lagerback's class?"
"Sort of. Where is Jess?"
"Haven't seen her this morning." Betty replied. "Well, all your friends missed you."
"Including you?" John asked, nodding his head.
"No, I only remembered your noise. Now, go look for Jess. I need to finish my discussion with Amanda before it's time for Mathematics."
"Alright, see you later."
"See you later, John." Betty said and returned to her waiting friend.
***
At home, immediately after having his meal, John went back to his game. With great joy, he immersed himself in Universe 2.0 and hoped to outdo himself. Having stolen the stash of cash, he was instructed to have some new clothes from a nearby boutique. He used the map on the right corner of the screen and found the boutique. On entering the boutique, the computerized voice said:
"Beware of the naked man who offers you clothes."
He chuckled and walked slowly through the boutique, checking out suitable clothes in the process. He bought a nice khaki and changed into it. He left the boutique and found a man trying to escape with his stolen motorcycle. He knelt immediately and targeted the man's neck, shooting him dead.
"It is right to get angry when a thief steals from a fellow thief, right?" the computer asked, putting a big question mark over his head. This annoyed John till he realised it was still a game after all. He picked up the motorcycle and drove towards downtown, speeding to evade the cops after him. He succeeded in getting away from the cops before pausing the game to do his homework.
***
At night, around nine p.m., he succeeded in passing twelve levels with the computer shouting: Hurray!! Hurray!!! You are doing well! Now is not a better time to slack; keep playing. He smiled at his achievement and continued. The game was becoming more and more interesting to him. He decided it was worth all the attention and time he could sacrifice. And so he played till it was midnight, till he reached the stage described briefly with such words:
Welcome! This is the most difficult stage of the game. It is also the rate-limiting step. It gets virtual from here. Pick a game character and pay attention to instructions. Good luck.
Tired from playing for long hours, he closed his laptop and went to sleep. He yawned and stretched himself on his bed, kicking his third pillow down. He rubbed his eyes and zoomed off with his snores.
In the morning when he woke up for school, he felt so tired and restless. He, however, forced himself up on his feet and began to prepare for school. He didn't want to miss school for any reason. He brushed his teeth quickly and took his bath. He rushed his breakfast and dashed off for school. He didn't feel like waiting for the school bus and so boarded a commercial transit. He arrived at school sleepy and tired. His legs felt wobbly like he would slump in any moment. Every now and then, he rubbed his eyes with hopes of staying awake. He tried to avoid Betty and Jess, and even Timothy the class jester. He just didn't have strength to stomach any of their eccentricities. He just wanted to be left alone. He was feeling sick and tired. He managed to stay awake throughout the first lesson. But for the subsequent lessons? He slept and even drooled. Mr. Lagerback, the principal, punished him by asking him to lie in his office. And of course, he slept comfortably under punishment. When Mr. Lagerback wanted to know what his problem was, he lied about being bitten by a swarm of tse tse flies. He was taken to the clinic where he spent the rest of the day, sleeping. When the bell for school dismissal rang, he was woken up by the nurse who couldn't wait to lock her door and head for her kid's school. John rose and hurried to pick his bag from his class.
***
Immediately he reached home, his curiosity got a better part of him and he returned to the game. You are here, the computer said. Better late than never. Now pick a character who is going to be your partner in crime. Two of you will agree on everything and disagree on nothing. In a situation where the discord is minimal, the person with more professional statistics influences the outcome. Now, without much ado, select.
John, out of all the characters and for reasons best known to him, selected a character called Ißdu. A character described as: mysterious, full of surprises and with a strange sense of fashion (he was even wearing a tutu when he selected him).
Alright, the computer said. Your partner is a real player who lives at the other side of the imaginary. This looks like a perfect match and things are getting a little spicy here. Not everyone makes it to this stage. You are a champion, John. Now you may proceed, but read the rules carefully. And never push a friend off a cliff, because you might just be falling with him to die while he survives. Good luck.
John shrugged and began to read the rules. The rules looked simple and yet complicated. But one thing that was clear to him was that he was embarking on a mission with his partner Ißdu. He read the last rule before going to the refrigerator for a glass of cold water. When he returned, he moved his cursor to the "Start" icon. He contemplated for a moment before clicking on it. A myriad of codes flashed onto the screen and disappeared before he saw the so-called Ißdu smoking a cigar while telling him how happy he was to be playing with him. When he was done talking, John found himself in a black car with the so-called Ißdu (this time he was wearing a yellow shirt and white shorts). Let's go, chummy! Ißdu said before the car sped off.
"Where are we heading?" John typed.
"Oh, John! We are heading north. We are going to see a friend who will give us classified information. Relax, bro. It's legit. Trust me! Check the map from time to time, you are not about to get lost."
"Alright." John typed. "But who are you?"
"Come on, you know me already. My name's Ißdu and I am playing the game with you. Relax, bro. It's legit."
"Are you real?" John typed.
"One hundred percent. But it all depends on how you choose to see it."
"I don't understand." John typed.
"Well, I can be real and I can be unreal. As far as this game is concerned, I am unreal."
"So when do I meet the real you?" John typed.
"When we leave Universe 2.0. But relax, bro! Everything's legit."
"Okay." John typed.
"Fine. We are almost there. Can you see that with the map?"
"Yes." John typed.
"That's cool. Let's get this info. What do you say?"
"Let's get it."
"Alright, John. We gon get it."
The car pulled over in front of the house and two of them stepped down. Ißdu, with his big boots, swaggered to the bumper of the car and whistled before calling out to his friend: Hey, Tim Shawnk, it's what it is! Come hollering!
John stood and watched till someone emerged from the house, bouncing with an envelope. Hey, Ißdu, never thought you'd be here this soon. But it's all good. You gon get the package.
"Fo'shizzle my nizzle." Ißdu said and caught the flying package before dodging gunshots from Tim Shawnk instinctively. "Get in the car, John!" he shouted, taking a bullet in his arm. Luckily, they managed to get away.
***
"What's in the package?" John asked, while nursing Ißdu's wound.
"Information that will lead us to a cave, we need to retrieve a certain treasure."
"What? If I may ask." John typed.
"It's a good thing, relatively. It's relative, it's a treasure, it's a social construct."
"I don't understand."
"Well, some things are better not understood. Hurry, we need to leave for the cave." Ißdu said and began to look around. "What do you say?"
"Okay." John typed.
The game immediately moved them to another scene where they were shown standing in front of a cave.
"Do we go in now?" John typed.
"Yes. But before we go in, I must tell you that we are going in to retrieve the skull of Amontnagog."
"What's the skull of Amontnagog?" John typed.
"It's like a social construct. It has something to communicate to us. There are codes written on it that if decoded will reveal some withheld secrets."
"I don't like how creepy this is sounding. I don't want to play anymore." John typed.
"Come on, John, it's legit."
"I don't want to play, period."
"Alright. You have a brain and you should use it anyway. Let's check the statistics." Ißdu said with a shrug.
The computer revealed the statistics on a board amidst an undefined drawing:
IẞDU. JOHN
Stunts Pulled: 80%. 65%
Risks Taken: 90%. 80%
Goals Reached: 99%. 99%
Madness Displayed: 75%. 59%
Eagerness to Continue: 100%. ___
"Well, John, you can see I am in charge here. So I'm just calling the shots. I'm going in with or without you, bro. That skull of Amontnagog must be retrieved."
"Alright. Good luck." John typed and watched his partner enter the cave with a glowing lantern.
"Yeah, fo'shizzle my nizzle." Ißdu said and disappeared into the cave.
And while John waited for the return of Ißdu, he realised it was already late evening and paused the game for house chores. He realised he was sweating really bad, and also realised he needed to ask if anyone has ever played the new game. He left the game and dashed off.
***
When he returned to the game in the night, he returned with a cup of coffee. He just knew he needed to find out what this game was all about. He stretched his arms in readiness for the impending adventure. He tapped the keys of his keyboard and activated the game with enthusiasm.
"Hey, John, don't be lousy. Where have you been? I came out of the cave looking for you. I got the skull of Amontnagog, look! Now, let's get outta here."
"Alright." John typed and they were shown running through a narrow bushy path. They came out onto the road and stole a car. They began, immediately, to get away.
"Be checking the map." Ißdu said.
"Okay." John typed. "Keep moving, but we must take the road on the left. The road is the safest to our destination. No cops on duty."
"No, John. We are not going back to where we left off from. We are heading to St. Lucy's."
"Why, man?" John typed.
"Because that's where we gon read the codes. That's where we're going to settle things."
"Alright. Whatever, man."
"Yeah! And remind me to wear some tutu when we get there."
"That's crazy, man." John typed.
"Yeah, I know. I am crazy and loving it."
"Which grown man wears a tutu?" John typed.
"Ißdu. That's the answer, John. Ißdu."
"Ha ha." John typed before realising they were already close to St. Lucy's.
"We are close, John." Ißdu said.
"Yeah, I know. Good job with the driving." John typed.
"Thanks, Johnny. Now let's go read the skull of Amontnagog."
John had wanted to type something else, but his laptop suddenly shut down leaving him cross. He hit the ebony table on which he placed his laptop and sighed. He plugged the laptop's cord into a socket and went to lie down. And that was how he slept till the following day which was a Friday. He woke up strong and dressed for school, hoping to remember he must ask if anyone has ever played Josen.com.
***
When he returned from school, he ruminated over the essence of the novel game plus the fact that no one in his class had played the game yet. He promised to send the game to Jess who showed keen interest. In the interim, he must continue from where he stopped. He had wanted to open his laptop, but decided to check his phone first. He saw twelve missed calls. The number was strange to him and he wondered who it could be that called him this much. He decided to return the call and so dialled the number.
"Hello," he said.
"Hello." the voice from the phone replied. "I'm Ißdu from Josen.com. You need to make a trip to the nearest mountain within the next five days so you could be told the meaning of the code and the important secret it holds. We already know your location and the mountain nearest to you. One of our representatives will be with you whenever you get there. Good luck."
"Wai...wait!" John shouted. But the so-called Ißdu had already hung up. He immediately knew he was in trouble, trouble with a capital T. All because he chose to download a seemingly harmless game. He slumped into a seat and tried to figure out what to do. He was clearly confused. Who could this Ißdu be after all? he thought. Hope I haven't jeopardised my life in the name of game, he thought further. All the hotness of the afternoon seemed to be growing in his head. He went for a glass of cold water and returned with a plan.
***
The next day, he set out for the nearest mountain. The bushes leading up to the mountain were green and full of life. It was the best time of the year, the best of all seasons. He walked himself into a broad path where he wouldn't have to hurt his soles with numerous stones strewn everywhere. On reaching the foot of the hill, he heard someone speaking from somewhere above him.
"Hey, John! Come over here!" a man from the mountainside shouted. "You made it in the end. "Come over here; I have been waiting for you like forever. Eek, you are a terrific lad!"
Quickly, he informed Jess with the Bluetooth on his ear that he had seen someone that might be Ißdu on the mountain. He told her to send help if need be. Hearing something and looking across his shoulder, he saw a mountain lion walking towards him. Grave fear took over him. And while he tried to back away, he tripped and fell. And slowly came the puma. And just when the thing wanted to pounce on him, an arrow struck through its body leaving it sprawling on the ground.
"Aaaaah!" John screamed.
"It's nothing to worry about." the man said. "I've got the situation under control. Nice meeting you, John."
Rising to his feet: "Who are you?"
"Well, John, don't be in a hurry to know everything. But you should know that I am one of the creators of Josen.com. We programmed the game for a purpose. You are a smart kid though."
"What do you want from me?" John asked.
"It would do both of us a lot of good if you can desist from asking too many questions. But anyways, I'd like you to know that I am Ißdu."
The announcement left John shocked.
"I don't understand. You are Ißdu?"
"Yes. Don't worry, I'll be explaining a lot of things to you. Come with me."
John hesitated for a while before agreeing to walk with the muscular man. "Tell me about the skull of Amontnagog."
"I'll, John. Just relax. You see, we created the game to recruit intelligent minds to work for our intelligentsia. We need people who can help us nab internet fraudsters and scammers. We created a certain domain that records each player's moral obligation and perseverance. We know how complex life is, so we created a complex game. And just like it is with life, the best will always win. You are not the first person succeeding in impressing us, but you are one among the few. We want to employ you and we want to train you more. We are hiring young and fresh talent. We will be flying you to our headquarters in Geneva. But first of all, you are going to have no choice but to eliminate friends who mean the most to you."
"I don't understand." John said. "Eliminate them, how?"
"Oh, far from it. We are not asking you to kill anyone. We mean you must say goodbye to them."
"I will think about this." John said.
"Good. You have a brain, so use it. Nobody must know about the codes on the skull which we will be explaining to you. Your monthly stipend will be ten thousand pounds. The job is all yours, just think about it. There are two sides to everything, as there are two sides to a coin. Your only wish should be to land on the better side."
"Okay."
"Cool. See you when I see you." the so-called Ißdu said. "We will be waiting for your reply."
"Alright. Goodbye for now." John said and began to run, a mixture of happiness and confusion in his head. And while he ran, he wondered why the so-called Ißdu wasn't wearing a tutu or any of his many eccentric clothes; and why he was even running in the first place. "This is strange, this is strange." he kept saying to himself.
POSTSCRIPT:
And when he reached home that evening, he received a message that read,
"DAY 1:
You have been inducted into the Sigma Sigma Confraternity. This is Ißdu, the unreal. You are dead."