The Game (29 page)

  “You’re kidding, right?” I ask him. “John, there’s no way you took a job as a car salesman just to sell this new vehicle, is there?”

  John shrugs. He’s a medium-built man just a bit shorter than me, about 5 foot 10 inches. Short cut brown hair, friendly eyes and a comfortable manner about him. His energy is pure and friendly, if you believe in that type of thing, which I do. My wife’s a Reiki master who deals with energy all the time.

  “I never sold cars before this, Trew. When I was 39, my life was in great shape. I was approaching 40 and it looked like I was going to avoid the mid-life crisis so many of my friends seemed to be experiencing. It turns out that life had other plans, I was downsized from my job, my personal life was turned upside down on its head, and I wasn’t sure what to do. Then I saw the commercial for this new car and it just came to me. ‘Why don’t I give that a try?’ I said to myself. So three months ago I took a job selling cars and here I am in front of you today.”

  “That’s very interesting,” I say slowly. “I wasn’t looking for a car. Perfectly happy with mine, then a couple months ago I saw the advertisement for this one and thought, ‘I should really look at buying that car.’ I kept putting it off, and then today, 60 kilometres from home, I was driving by and something just made me pull in to take it for a test drive. Now here I am, buying the darn thing from you.”

  “Well, maybe it has nothing to do with the car,” John says with a smile. “Maybe it was all the supercomputer’s big plan for you and I to meet each other.”

  I feel the glow, the golden tingle in my heart that over the years indicates the universe is giving me a direct message. “What supercomputer is that, John?” I ask.

  John laughs and waves his hand dismissively. “It’s nothing, Trew. I just read a book a long time ago and it stuck with me. It said we live in a computer simulation. A lot of people think I’m a crackpot, but the idea really resonated with me. If I had a religion, it would likely be something that preached that message. I could get behind that.”

  My ears are ringing hollowly as I ask him, “A book written by a man named George Knight?”

  His laugh disappears and his eyes get serious, “Yeah. ‘The Game Is Life’ by George. You read it?”

  I nod. “I did read it many times. A religion, huh?”

  John nods. “Well, yeah. That’s what I always used to say. I was lucky to read it before it was published. About three quarters of the way through, I said, ‘George, this would make a very cool religion…”

  My skull tingles even more. “You
knew
George Knight?” I ask.

  “Yeah, we were very good friends. I’m surprised you read that book, Trew. It didn’t sell very many copies. I always wanted it to do well for him. Sad life he had at the end. Poor guy.”

  It’s like I’m in a daze. I can’t believe what’s happening to me. “John? How would you like to cut out early and let me buy you dinner?”

  He smiles at me. “You drive?”

  “Of course.”

Chapter 56

  It is with deep sadness that we learned our beloved Danielle won't be able to have children. The young couple handled the news as well as can be expected, and they have spent the past few days coming to terms with the tragic news. On the positive side of things, Danielle has made a full recovery, thanks to the strange man who walked into her hospital room and miraculously healed her.

  On a separate note, digital downloads of the Earth book “The Game Is Life,” written by the avatar George R. Knight, are topping the charts in the real world. The little book about the Game has sold over two million copies in the last two weeks on Tygon. Who profits from these sales? George R. Knight was the avatar of Zack, so naturally all profits will go to him and his sponsor Brandon Strayne. It looks like Zack is doing well not just inside the Game this play, but also on Tygon as well.

  Join us tomorrow for all day extensive coverage of Zack’s current avatar’s birthday. How will Trew spend his 30th birthday? No one knows for sure, but don’t miss a second of the day.

  Game News at a Glance

Trew - 30

  What an incredible day.

  My best birthday yet.

  I lay back in bed and list the day’s events in my mind.

1. Breakfast in bed, served to me by my lovely wife, followed by a relaxing drive to see my parents and have lunch with them.

2. On the way back, on a whim, I stop into a car dealership and buy my birthday gift.

3. I meet a stranger and it turns out that he knew George Knight, the author of the book that’s changed our lives and the way we truly see the world. Then I get a chance to take him out for a coffee and find out things about George that I’ve always wondered, but never thought I would learn.

4. I spend the evening with my remarkable wife. This year I’m blessed and thankful that Danni is alive, healthy, happy, and still madly in love with me. I don’t know how I’d live without her, and I’m thankful that I don’t have to find out. Most people take so much for granted, but not me. Not ever.

  That was my 30th birthday. If anyone was watching me play this game today, then I hope I gave them a good time. If no one’s watching me, well, that’s okay too.

  “Today was the best, babe,” I say. “Thank you so much.”

  Danielle snuggles into the crook of my arm as we lay in bed getting ready for sleep. “I’m glad you had a good day, love. Thirty’s a big one.”

  She sounds so serious. “Nah, 30 isn’t such a big number. The odds are great that I’m not even half old.”

  “What do you mean?” she asks.

  “I’m thirty today,” I say. “If I double my age, I get the number 60. I have an excellent chance of still being alive at 60, so I’m not even half of the total age I’ll live. I have a lot of time left to live, which is great!”

  Danni looks at me with a blank look. After a couple minutes she shakes her head. “That made some kind of sense to you, didn’t it?”

  I laugh. “Yeah, it did. I’m just saying it’s good to be young with a lot of life left in front of me.”

  “Okay,
that
I can understand,” she says.

  We lie there for a few minutes, enjoying the silence and each other’s company. I start to drift off to sleep when she says something I don’t catch.

  I open my eyes again. “What was that, babe?”

  “I said, I have one more present for you.”

  I turn to face her and smile playfully. “Well, all
right!
” I pull her close to kiss her.

  She kisses me back, but I can tell there’s something serious she wants to talk about, so I sit up and look her in the eye. “Okay, Danni, what is it?”

  “Her,” Danni says. “I need to tell you about the time I spent with God when I almost died.”

  That gets my attention. It’s been weeks and Danielle has avoided this conversation, saying that she would talk about it when the time was right.

  Danni begins to speak, surprising me right from the start. “God’s name is Sylvia and she told me she’s been communicating with you for many, many years, Trew.”

  I lay silently and listen. A few moments into the conversation we both get out of bed and go downstairs to sit at the kitchen table.

  The next two hours pass in a blur. Eventually she stops talking and sits quietly across from me.

  All I can say is “Wow.”

  “Yes,” she nods.

  “So it’s time,” I say.

  “So it would seem,” she says calmly.

  “And you don’t think it’s crazy?”

  “I think it’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard,” Danni says.

  “It’s going to work, you know?”

  Danni gets up and walks over to my side of the table. She sits on my lap and hugs me tight. I can feel a warm wetness on my neck. She’s crying. “I know it’s going to work, sweet man. It feels like this is what we were put on the planet to do. Do you know how to get things started?”

  I nod, still hugging her. “I’ve been thinking and studying and planning this for a long time, Danni. Just waiting for a sign. I guess this was it.”

  “I guess so,” she says. “Well, from what Sylvia asked me to do, it looks like I’m going to be part of this and very busy. I’m pretty scared. She’s given me a tall order, especially at my age.”

  I laugh. “You’re younger than me! And you’ve always been fit and active. It’s a great way to get the world’s attention, to prove to them that it really is all a game.” I tenderly wipe the tears from her eyes. “Are you sorry you married me?”

  Danni laughs and slaps my shoulder. “No, I’m not sorry I married you! If I hadn’t, I’d likely be doing something crazier.”

  I nod in agreement. “You were always an adventurous girl. This idea is just another boring day at the office for you, babe.”

  She laughs.

  “It’s settled, then,” I say. “We’re going to start spreading the word and sharing the message.”

  “Everyone’s going to think we’re crazy, Trew,” Danielle says.

  I grin at her. “I sure hope so. Everyone thought Columbus was crazy when he said the world was round.”

  “At first.”

Chapter 57

  Earth has been a real mess since the 30th anniversary celebrations began. As a result of so many players entering the Game in such a short time period, Earth is extremely overpopulated. Add to that the fact that Mainframe allowed most players to be born in civilized countries, and the result is a severe stress being placed on the planet and its inhabitants.

  Not enough schools for the children; not enough food for everyone. Not nearly enough jobs or housing or any of the creature comforts that the civilized areas have become so used to.

Crime, deaths, along with any other types of violence and mayhem you can imagine.

  The masses are hungry, depressed and desperate.

  Although it’s been difficult for avatars, it’s been excellent for Game fans. We have never had so much excitement to witness on such a scale before.

  It’s incredible drama, and the Game’s fan base continues to grow at record breaking speed daily.

  Don’t feel bad for all the sadness and pain, folks. Many of the players are earning a lot of credits as they participate in these scenarios.

  Remember, it’s all just a Game.

  30th Anniversary Game Update

  “Good afternoon, everyone,” Brandon said. “I came as soon as I received the newest rankings. Many of you have seen this type of shift before, but some haven’t. Let's discuss where Trew is right now in the Game, and what the current situation means to the big picture.”

  Brandon paused to look around the table. Some faces appeared mildly concerned, but most looked extremely worried. Brandon couldn’t blame them; each person here had their life savings invested in this play. Failure would lead to internment in the labour camps for some; others would be lucky and merely find themselves in a deep hole of financial loss that would take them years to dig out of. Brandon nodded at Michelle and she stepped forward.

  “Thanks, Brandon. Good morning, everyone.” Brandon could see her smile was slightly strained, but she was hiding it well. “As we are all aware, Trew has dropped in ranking. As of this moment he is ranked number 6,065.” Michelle stood silently for a moment to let the number register with everyone, then continued. “He’s been number one for most of his play, and this drop is significant. Please let me summarize where Trew is in the Game at the moment, then I’ll open up the floor for any comments, concerns, or theories regarding how we might be able to help in getting him back up to number one.”

  Michelle typed some commands on her tablet and the large screen beside her displayed a myriad of statistics and graphs detailing Trew’s last few years in the Game. “Trew is now 35, still married happily to Danielle. On his thirtieth birthday the two of them decided to go ahead and try to form a faith-based movement. The message they are sharing with the world is that Earthlings are computer generated avatars being controlled by players in another reality. We know this has happened before in the history of the Game, but it looks like our boy has been better at communicating and getting others to subscribe to his theories than ever before.”

  She pointed at a portion of the screen that showed Trew standing on a stage, hundreds of people in the crowd all listening with rapt attention. “Although it is by definition a religion, they are calling it a movement. At this time in Earth’s existence, it’s a movement that’s growing fast. They call their movement ‘The Game Is Life,’ to pay respect to the little book written years ago by George R. Knight, Trew’s last avatar. Sales of that book are exploding both on Earth and, of course, on Tygon, and Trew is using it as a means to introduce the theory in an organized way to new people.”

  “Why is their movement being received so well, Michelle?” Brandon asked.

  “Three main reasons,” Michelle said. “First, because Trew is keeping it very simple, but focused. His entire premise is: ‘If we are living in a computer simulation… then this is the explanation for this phenomenon, or that force of nature, or that spiritual philosophy, et cetera.’ He is able to look at the world and his surroundings and explain everything he sees from the perspective that it’s all a computer simulation. Secondly, Trew and Danielle have the Gift and are using it prove to the world that miracles can happen, and ‘magical’ things can be accomplished. They started off doing it on a small scale, but they’ve also managed to pull off a few larger ones. The more they practice, the better they are getting at it.”

  Brandon smiled. “That seems to be the way with everything. What’s the third reason for their success in an arena where so many seem to fail?”

  Michelle tapped her finger at another picture on the screen. “Raphael. When he first appeared on the scene as Danielle’s protector, those of us who knew him were very surprised. For a thousand years inside the Game he was one of the top ranked Infernals; most of us actually thought he had won the leadership title of Satan a couple hundred years ago, he was that high up. Then we were afraid he was still an Infernal and was working on Danielle to bring her to power with the intent of causing mischief in the world. It soon became obvious that he had switched over to the Eternal side once again. We hoped he would just be her protector, but it looks like he’s bringing his considerable experience to the table and helping Trew.”