The Shadow Quest

Michael Tanner

My name is Michael Tanner. I am writing this letter to anyone who will believe that I am not insane, despite me being in a mental institution.
I was only twelve years old when it happened. Everyone had there favorite game to play. The other kids liked all sorts of games, but me, I only played one game. It was called 'Story of Quests'. It was an adventure game where you played as a warrior who completed quests for his kingdom like helping the villagers with building houses or fighting against a horde of ogres. Every day I got home from school, I went straight on the computer to play it. It was my life. My parents even got concerned when I ate most of my meals while playing. I didn't know anyone else who played Story of Quests, and I couldn't talk to anyone about it, so I updated myself by looking at the forums.
I heard that a new boss was introduced, and if you beat him, the game goes to a bonus level where you can shoot ogres with a huge crossbow. I immediately started playing the game and I fought the new boss. I was impressed, because it took me a few tries to beat him, but I managed. When the boss died, I was expecting to be firing a huge crossbow, but instead, the screen went black. After a few seconds, the letters 'THE SHADOW QUEST' shone on the screen. It showed the player entering a cemetery. The whole color scheme was only black and dark purple. As I explored the cemetery, I heard shouts and screams, too muffled to be made out in words. I started to get fully immersed as if I was walking in the cemetery myself. I looked at the tombstones. They were covered in blood. The further I went, the blood turned into letters that spelled things like 'You shouldn't have come here' and 'Kill'. The screams in the background started sounding words like 'None succeed the Shadow Quest'. I came to a larger tombstone. On it it was a pictures of a face painted with blood. It looked like a normal stick figure face, only it was missing an eye. Right after that I felt and immense pain in my eye. Then I passed out.
I woke up in a hospital. My mom was there. She said that I supposedly gouged out my eye, yet I still have no memory of doing so. Mom gave me a mirror. I had a bandage wrapped around over my eye. I was so shocked that no words came out, but she also said she had a surprise. She gave me her laptop. I was so excited that I could at least play Story of Quests. Without any further questions, I started playing.
I was determined to get to to bonus level. I had to beat the boss again, but it didn't take as long as before. I was debating in my mind whether I hoped to go to the crossbow or to visit the cemetery again. Without any introduction, the game started with my player entering the cemetery. I tried sprinting through this part, but my character just went progressively slower. I was once again immersed in the game. I noticed nothing different from last time except that the big tombstone now had a picture of a man choking himself. The picture disappeared. As if I woke up, I saw myself getting choked with the IV cord. I was the one pulling the cord. The nurses were grabbing my hands and the cord. I wanted to let go but I couldn't. The doctor came in with a syringe. He poked it into my leg. I first felt dizzy, then I once again passed out.
I woke up in an enclosed room. The walls were painted grey. There were no lights, until one shone from the wall. It was a TV screen. First it crackled, then it showed a video. In the corner, it showed 'Hospital Footage, Patient: Tanner, Michael F.' and a hospital bed, with a boy and a laptop. The boy was me. I was playing Story of Quests. I remember at that moment, I just started playing the Shadow Quest. It showed me simply playing on the laptop. Then I got up. I was not moving at all. I then took the IV cord and immediately started choking myself. Only a few seconds later, the nurses ran in. I still only remember the nurses running in. Then I started asking questions. What happened to the bonus level? Was there something haunting about the Shadow Quest? Was it cursed to make me choke myself and gouge my eye out? I have been in here for three years since. I am still deemed suicidal. I have no other story. I only know what I saw. All I can say is to never enter the Shadow Quest.