Mermen: A Short Dirk Prologue

Ressy

Personal Analysis: General

Weekly Challenge #3 August: Prompt: OC playing favourite game.

Summary: How Dirk started playing Harvest Moon. Takes place after chapter 7 (the dinner scene). so some spoilers ahead!

TW: Mentions of childhood physical abuse.

For most people, reminiscing is enjoyable.

Not for me.

Evie was at my house. In my room. Playing games with me.

I've never had that before, not once.

She loves 'Harvest Moon'. I do too, I had fun, but... I couldn't stop the memories from coming back.

...

"I found another controller. Can I play too?"

My voice was so high-pitched then... I was so small.

I remember Pete glaring at me in the dark room. The sounds of screaming escaped the TV and echoed in the basement game room.

"You want to play 'Call of Duty' with me?" Pete gave me that cunning grin he always did, "where did you even find that controller?"

I was so. Fucking. Innocent. "Under the stairs!"

"Cause I put it there." Pete grabbed a cushion off the couch and threw it at me with enough force to knock me over, "idiot!" He screamed in my face.

I fell to the floor, the carpet burned my arms, and the controller in my hands went flying.

Pete jumped off the couch and picked up the controller. He tossed it to the highest shelf in the room. My little arms could never reach, and I knew if I tried—he'd beat my ass before I laid a finger on it.

I still tried to play with him. It would always result in bruises—sometimes blood.

One day he pointed to a closet, "pick out a system in there if you want to play so bad, and leave me alone!"

I sorted through the mass amount of cords. There were only old gaming consoles, and by old I meant ancient. Some of these were from when my oldest brother was young.

I took them, I knew Pete would have no interest in the outdated machines. I took a box of old games, and set them up in my room.

I tried to make my room my safe haven, it never was, of course, Pete would always find a way to get in.

I did as best I could, I would make forts on my small couch, and play the old games into the night.

I avoided the 'cute' games for a while, but then... they started calling me.

I loaded the one labeled 'Harvest Moon' and I instantly fell in love.

I made my own world. For once I felt happy. My farm and my animals, I had a few characters, I was playing as a girl and my husband was helping me water the crops—when Pete stormed in.

"What the fuck are you playing?"

Pete must have been what... ten at the time? He already had a foul mouth.

"Harvest Moon!" I was always so nice. The little sliver of hope said if I stayed nice... maybe my brother would change, maybe he would play with me.

"Looks girly." Pete's expression turned to disgust.

"I like it." I went back to playing.

Pete suddenly threw himself into a run, he went to the wall and grasped the cord—

"No! I haven't saved!"

He pulled it out of the wall. My screen went black.

Pete tossed the cord to the ground, "play something that's not so gay."

He left.

I reloaded my save. And kept playing.

Days later, I ran home from school. Hopped to my gaming area, and turned on the TV.

When I opened my game—everything was gone.

New Game

New Game

New Game

The empty save files left me frozen in place. My town... lost. My chickens... gone... My husband who would water my flowers... gone. At first, I thought my game was corrupted, but then—

I heard Pete's low laugh behind me, I slowly turned my head. He was leaning against my doorway with his arms crossed.

"Dad says you're not allowed to play girly games. So I did you a favour and deleted everything—"

All I saw was white, and I threw myself at him with all the strength my little body could muster.

We rolled on the floor punching and kicking. Pete was bigger than me, he always overpowered me—but at this moment I didn't care.

All I wanted was for him to feel all my hate and frustration.

"That's enough!" Pete screamed, he grabbed my hair and pulled.

My scalp burned, it hurt so much I couldn't make out audible words.

He started dragging me out the door and into the hallway, I kicked and screamed but he was so much stronger.

I knew at that moment...

I was going in the cupboard again.