The Game

Some games aren't meant for children.

Alone in a park and under a tree, The Young Man was fairly inconspicuous. If you dared to play The Game, you had to make sure no one ever found out. The Game was turning people against each other and everyone was wary. An alert sounded on his phone. He looked up to see the few people that were also in the park receiving the same alert. Local authorities were asking for any information on the book to be brought forward to police. T he Young Man refocused his attention back to what was in his hands. The little black book had a slight shine and the leather felt smooth. A deep breath was taken and a decision was reached. He was a broke college student and he needed the money. He was going to play despite the risk. He opened the smooth cover and saw a blank page. Slowly, words began to appear.

"Do you want to play The Game?"

His hand was shaking as he brought a pen out of his backpack. He wrote a single word in response,

"Yes."

The first question appeared immediately and as he read it he felt his breath catch. He answered the question truthfully. One word appeared in response,

"Correct".

At the appearance of the second question The Young Man grew agitated. He drew his hands through his hair, pulling as he went. Suddenly he jumped up, gathered his things and threw the book in the trash can before he exited the park.

Days would pass before the book would be held again.

--------------------

It was late evening when the book was rescued from the inevitability of the dump. The Woman was rummaging through the trash when she spotted the leather book. She removed it from the can and wiped it down. Her eyes seemed to widen before she pocketed it carefully. After she had made her way back to her makeshift home she sat underneath a street lamp and began running her hands over the binding and cover. The books leather was smooth and glossy despite having been in the trash can. She opened the cover to find a blank page. She received the same invitation as her predecessor. With no writing implement she simply answered,

"Yes".

As she did, the word appeared on the page.

Fear ripped through her as The Woman suddenly felt the book being pulled from her hands. In the darkness, she saw a figure looming over her. Being enthralled in the book she hadn't noticed anyone approaching. She fought, kicking and screaming as she clutched to the book as tightly as possible. She wrenched herself free of the would be thief and began running as fast as her legs would allow, stopping only when her lungs were on fire and her heart felt in danger of exploding.

When she was sure she wasn't being followed she made her way to an underpass. Now sitting, The Woman took a deep breath and opened the book again. The invitation and reply were still there as well as a new question. Her face was held in shock. The Game knew everything about you, even things you did your best to forget. In a quiet voice she answered. Then another question appeared. Through tears she answered again. The questions asked her to answer truthfully to the most shameful secrets she had held onto throughout her life. With the appearance of the final question The Woman began sobbing. All of her regrets and failures bubbling to the surface and spilling out through her tears. Her answer was a whisper and the response was a single word,

"Correct".

The Woman sat in her sorrow until through bleary eyes she saw the page go blank before new words were formed. She had won the game and now had to decide what to do with her winnings. Being homeless, she could really use the $20,000 prize. She instructed the book on what to do with her winnings and laid down exhausted. Sleep quickly overtook her. In the morning she woke to find that the book was gone. She searched but it was nowhere to be found. Giving up on the book, The Woman lumbered toward the local mission and a warm meal, preparing herself for another day of life on the streets.

--------------------

With it being her day off, The Young Woman had slept in. She casually made her way down the stairs toward the coffee machine. Sitting on her porch in the warmth of the summer sun she decided to go through her mail. The large coffee coated the porch as the cup smashed into many pieces. The Young Woman didn't notice. She was spellbound by the large envelope of money that had been placed in her mailbox. Reading the few words on the envelope didn't take long but she stared at them anyway. Anger then sadness marked her face before The Young Woman slowly pulled the envelope containing the bundle of money close to her chest. In a cautious voice she said,

"What kind of game are you playing with me?"