Lost and Found Ch 1

8:00 PM. Nine-year-old Danny grabbed the controller and booted up the gaming system in his room.  Ever since Josh announced at school that he had reached level 20, Danny looked forward to getting past level 5 of “Star Blasters”.

“Hold on there, Buddy,” his father said as he entered the room.

“What is it, Dad?” he answered while getting ready to play.

“You forgot something.”

“I cleaned up and got all ready for bed.”

“And what else are you supposed to do?”

“Uh …” Danny ran his hand over his crew cut brown hair and tried to think. He had survived another weekly Friday family fun night. He was a good sport during all three rounds of Go Fish, even though he didn’t win any of them. He suffered in silence through the dumb princess movie is six-year-old sister chose.

“You didn’t say goodnight to your Mom and me.” His father smiled.

Danny breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “Oh.” His father leaned down and Danny wrapped his arms around his neck and his father returned the hug by wrapping his arms around his son’s waist and lifting him. “Night, Dad.”

“Goodnight, Danny. I love you.” He put Danny down. “Your mother is saying goodnight to your sister.”

He went to six-year-old Emily’s room where the door was slightly open. He poked his head in and listened to his mother saying, “You can play with your dolls or look at books quietly in your room for thirty minutes, and then lights out.”

He said, “I’m just coming to say goodnight.” He walked in. “’Night, Em.”

“’Night, Danny.”

“Goodnight, Danny,” his mother said and held her arms open wide. Danny returned the hug, “I love you.”

“’Night, Mom, love you, too.” On his way back to his room, he found his father standing in the doorway.

“Excuse me.”

“Please?”

“Please.”

His father stepped aside and Danny took up his favorite gaming position—cross-legged in front of his TV with a pillow on his lap to rest his arms. Each Friday, after family fun time, Danny and his sister Emily were allowed to stay up an additional 30 minutes. When his parents entered the room, he had already started playing.

“Danny?”

“Uh-huh,” Danny replied without taking his eyes off the TV.

“Only thirty minutes, remember? If you stay up too late, you’ll be too tired to help with the yard tomorrow and you’ll have your gaming system taken away again.”

“Mhmm.”

His father cleared his throat.

Danny glanced at him. “I mean, yes, sir.”

His parents went to their bedroom and Danny played his game. He maneuvered his spaceship around asteroids, meteors and alien ships while collecting tokens, located containers and discovered hidden power-ups and unlocked bonuses. Mesmerized by the action on the screen, his body swayed as if he were in the cockpit.

A half hour passed and at 8:30 Danny’s parents returned. While he listened to them remind Emily to put her dolls to bed, close her books and turn off her light, he formed his reply.

“Danny.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s been thirty minutes,” his mother said.

“I need to find the last container.”

“Danny,” his mother said more sternly.

“I have to find the last container to finish the level. If I don’t finish, my game save and I’ll have to play the whole level over again.” His eyes remained focused on the screen.

“How close are you to the end?” His father asked.

“I’m almost there.”

“Let’s let him finish the level,” his father said to his mother.

“All right, Danny, you can finish this level and then you need to go to bed. Understand?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

He heard his parents return to their room and smiled to himself. The truth was, he could quit and save without finding the last container. He soon found the final piece, waited while the system saved his progress, and began the next level. The clock showed nine-o’clock. After a full hour of gaming, his eyes were getting tired, his fingers and hands started to hurt, he was getting thirsty, his neck was getting stiff … but he didn’t care.

A door opened and he checked the clock: 9:30. He held his breath as the wheels in his head spun an excuse.

“What are you still doing up?”

“It’s you,” he exhaled when he saw his sister in his doorway.. “What are you doing up?”

“I have to go to the bathroom. Why are you still playing? Weren’t you supposed to go to bed a while ago?”

“I was finishing a level.”

“You’re gonna get in trouble.”

“Mom and Dad are probably asleep. Josh plays whatever he wants, whenever he wants. I bet he gets to stay up all night.”

“Josh? The one down the street? I didn’t think you liked him.”

“I don’t like him because he always beats the game before I do. So, I’m trying to get ahead of him for once.”

“But Mom and Dad don’t let you stay up all night. They’ll catch you and you won’t be able to play video games anymore.”

“IF they catch me.”

“They’re Mom and Dad. They always catch you.”

“I’ve finished that level now anyway, so I’m NOT playing anymore.”

“Are you going to bed now?”

“After I download this new game.”

“You’re not supposed to download games without Mom and Dad’s permission.”

“I just got a message about a brand new game called Lost and Found—“lose yourself in the game of a lifetime as you find the greatest treasure of all.” It can download overnight while the controller charges.”

“You’re not supposed to waste electricity by leaving your game on all night.”

“The battery is getting low. The controller has to charge so I can play tomorrow.”

“Well, maybe if you hadn’t played so long tonight, the battery wouldn’t be so low.”

“You better get to the bathroom before you have an accident. Mom and Dad would be really mad if you had an accident because you were arguing with me.”

“When they find out you left your game on all night—“

“Even if they did, Dad will understand the controller needed to charge. They’ll only find out if you tell on me. You’re trying to get me in trouble like you always do.”

“You’re the one who doesn’t want to follow the rules. You’re always breaking them.”

“I don’t break the rules, I just bend them a little. Everybody bends the rules sometimes.”

“I don’t.”

“Aren’t you “Little Miss Perfect,” “Little Miss Goody-two-Shoes.”

“Hey!” She stomped her foot.  The machine beeped and buzzed and the blue screen glowed brighter and brighter, surrounding them with a blinding white light.

“Hey, look—,“ but before Danny finished his sentence, he was overcome by a floating sensation as though the floor fell away and he was lifted by an unseen force. “Emily—?” he called but couldn’t hear his own voice over the deafening roar in his ears. ‘Aaahhh’ he groaned as the pressure in his ears increased as he felt like his head was being squished. He felt himself pulled toward the machine as though sucked by a huge vacuum. ‘What’s going on? I can’t breathe!’ He tried to reach for his throat, but found his body wouldn’t respond. A second later, the pain in his head and the pressure in his ears disappeared and he hit a solid, flat surface.