The light from my SMG, lit up the screen, with my trigger-happy finger on the RT button. My victory was imminent, yet my health bar tinted my view red with blood. I was being ambushed.
Breaking the laws of physics, I jumped into the sky and through my rapid fire, I shared my bullets with the enemies, “Die! Mother-father! Die!”
“Is that how you greet us these days?” My mommy always entered the house first.
“I wasn't speaking to you,” I quickly realized that I had forgotten honesty wasn't always the best policy - “Hey, watch your tongue, young man!” the following parent said - especially if there was room for misunderstanding. “No Dad, I didn't mean –”
“Did you just say no to me!”
It got worse with every passing split-second.
As I focused on my parents, I was dying in the game, and if I focused on the screen, I would die in real life.
Then and there, I was fatefully reminded that pros and cons came with every video game.
The fact that mine had an online mode where I could shoot people - probably half my age - dead, and feel full-on-satisfaction from it, was legendary.
However, the counter fact: that I couldn't pause the game to explain Gamerology to my parents, sucked!
As much as I didn't agree with it, I understood it though. In war, one couldn't tell the enemy to stop shooting because one needed a bathroom break
A sacrifice had to be made.
I chose my avatar.
“Go put on the kettle, sweetheart,” my mommy told my dad.
If looks could kill, he would have left a murder scene for my mommy to clean up.
“I’m sorry . . .” I said the first chance I got, “I didn't mean it like that . . .”
“I know,” she said, softly. “Just please be careful with your words next time.”
“I will . . .”
I turned to the screen and saw that my avatar was lying on the ground, staring at me. I betrayed him. Traded his life for mine.
How could I ever call myself a soldier?
My mommy took a few seconds to admire how short my attention span was. She got up after messing my already messy hair. “I love you, son,” her parting words.
“Love you too, mommy,” a reaction more than anything.
. . .
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One Terrible Day (Short Stories)
Historia CortaJason finds himself in the police station after his ex-girlfriend is run over by a bus. A man struggles to tell his date what he does for a living. A rich man can't seem to understand why women only date him for his money, so he asks Siri. These are...
