Aim To Engage 2019

VR Prompt- Goggles

I closed the door, effectively shutting out my parents' yelling. I took a deep breath, switched on my VR goggles, and slipped them over my head.

My world was transformed from the dull grey of reality to the bright colors of what many wished was reality. I looked around me and pushed forward on my hand controls.

My family was too poor to buy any of the things where you could stand up and walk or any of that stuff, so I settled for my hand controls, anything to escape my reality is good enough.

I was heading toward my usual hang out place when the illusion was broken. Something crashed against my door and it broke, it was loud enough to be heard through my headset. I turned up my volume and the bustle of virtual people filled my ears again.

I walked into the hang out and strolled over to my friend's avatar. Their name is Sulla, what I know of them is good and I don't necessarily like anyone else here enough to trust so, I picked Sulla and we have hung out ever since.

"Bro!" Sulla's voice filled my ears, the game had live audio. I clicked a few buttons and my avatar quickly did ASL to respond.

I figured out a while ago that my parents could still hear me when I talked on my headset, so I switched my controls to a more silent option.

"How are you my main bro?"

"Good good, are you ever going to actually talk to me or are you like, actually not able to speak?" I considered answering, I didn't want to talk about my parents right now, so I brushed off the question and walked over to a game console. I motioned to it and Sulla shrugged, they walked over and then we both clicked the start button.

Our avatars were transferred into the game. It was a first person shooter type of game.

Me and Sulla rocked the game for a while and we were on the last level when someone ripped my headset off. I cried out as the headphones ripped out of my ears.

My mother was there she was yelling and crying and my dad was in the hallway screaming at her.

I tried to back into the corner of my room as reality came crashing back in on me. My mother caught me though and roughly pulled me to my feet.

"What do you think you're doing? You are always slinking away with this stupid headset! Avoiding your problems!" Her voice was a high screech and it felt like a burn.

"You need to learn how to be a man, and not run away to something fake!" My father yelled, he entered the room and walked toward my slightly broken but repairable VR headset. He stomped on it and it broke. He walked over and slapped me across the face.

"Join reality kid! You'll never make it if you're always running away!"