DT 01 "Caught"

Greed overcomes restraint in this opening chapter which explains just what the double trouble is.

PRESS CTRL = (EQUALS) TO INCREASE THE PAGE SIZE AND CTRL 0 (ZERO) TO RESET THE PAGE SIZE    DOUBLE TROUBLE       Want to read this in a different language ? Change the TO field to your own country and after going HERE D O U B L E   T R O U B L E (When one is not enough ...) © July 2016 Written by David Wicker Please do not reprint without permission   CHAPTER 1 - "Caught" * * * This chapter is Rated: EVERYONE I remember it all as if it was just a few days ago. Well, perhaps it was. I was all of 12-years old and me and my big sister, Stacy, were at a kid's pizza entertainment center called, "Polly's Pizza." It was like most of them, had rides, videogames, bad animatronic music band, mediocre pizza, and a pretty good sundae bar. For the logo they had a silly colorful parrot wearing a pirate's hat bursting out between the two words of "Polly's" and "Pizza." My sister was really good at those ticket-giving games. You know, the ones of skill, where you're not just shooting enemy jets out of the air like I was so good at, but actual Skeeball rolling into point cups. She passed by me with a whole mess of tickets floating out of her hand like party ribbons. I followed stealthily behind. Finally she arrived at the exchange counter where you could trade tickets for prizes. The proprietor there boggled his eyes at the mass of tickets. "Did you win all of these by yourself young lady ?" "Yessir. And I want THIS - and THIS - and THIS - and oh yeah, THIS !" she pointed out everything she could have. While a lot of it was candy, stickers, and little cracker jack prizes you can get from the gum machine, it was the last item was the one that held my interest. "Logic Gate." It was a handheld video game and the very name just tickled my intellect. The proprietor gave her a big bag with the "Polly's Pizza" logo on it to hold all her booty. She reached in, took out a caramel, unwrapped it, and started to chew it on her way back to the arcade. I knew an opportunity when I saw one. Her mouth would be so gummed up she wouldn't be able to reply. "Can I play that logic game ?" I asked her. "Mhrmrm..." she replied unintelligibly. "Is that a yes ?" "Brghoo !" "Thanks !" I started to reach for her bag to yank it out but she tightened her sharp fingernails on my arm causing me to retract it. "Oww !" I said holding my hurt wrist. Then she shifted the caramel to the other side of her mouth and spoke clearly, "I said NO you creep ! No, you can't play it. Win your own !" "That's not fair !" I said in defense. "Yeah well tough tiddlybums !" I didn't give up the chase though. At the last minute she realized she couldn't hold on to her gift bag AND play more ticket games at the same time, so she changed her mind and went over to where my Mom and Dad were sitting. In a fairly comfortable booth and a half-eaten pizza on the table. My Dad was strikingly handsome for his age. Brown hair with just a tint of gray, a beard of importance, and twinkling eyes. He held up a glass of watered down beer just starting to get a nice buzz. My Mom was a bit different. Looking very much like a BIRD with her long nose, she even had the demeanor of one, jerking her head to one side and the next to look in different directions. Dad told me years ago it was a 'condition' she had. She had very tight and short yellow hair that I thought looked just plain awful. Anyways my sister jumped into the spot between them and opened her treasure bag. * * * I salivated over the candy gorge but even more so of the hand-held video game. My sister seeing I was staring at the game, started it up knowing very well I was suffering watching. "Logic Gate !" the machine spoke in a friendly and inviting tone. "Solve the equation and free the trapped prisoner." "Level one. Left gate, number 3. middle gate, operand AND. Right gate, number 7 ... Is the key odd or even ?" "Fssh. Odd." my sister said and hit a button to signify this. There was an electronic cheer and the little illuminated figure of the prisoner moved slightly forward. "Level two. Left gate, number 4. Next gate, operand OR. Middle gate, number 7. Next gate, operand AND. Right gate, number 3 ... Is the key less than 5 ?" "True !" I squeaked out, unable to contain my excitement anymore. "Shaddup butt brain !" my sister barked across the table. My Dad put out a warning finger to me. "C'mon, David. Let your sister play." "But I wanna try it !" I said as if he could see my desire was greater than hers. "Maybe after your sister plays it for a-while, she'll get bored and give it to you." Oh no. That's not the way this worked. That's not the way ANYTHING worked between us. The MORE I wanted something the MORE my sister wanted it even more. It was only something I had no interest in did she give to me - with a wicked smile. It was a game with her. A mean, cruel, game. A bit of the other guests in the restaurant had turned their heads to watch the fracas. But I knew how to get the machine. I closed my eyes and thought about it. It's size, the smooth plastic, the color, the weight, the circuits, the display, the batteries, the buttons, even the sticker logo on the front. I bit my lip in deep concentration putting all of these elements together in my head. I could almost taste the device now. I opened my eyes in a flash and spoke, "It's mine !" Then I leaned way over the table touching my index finger to it. Suddenly there were two portable game machines. No flash of light, no sparkles, no passage of time, or anything else. It was just - now there were two machines and only just a moment ago there was only one. And both were on and both had the same display. I grabbed the 2nd one and ran off to the boy's bathroom to play it. It took a few seconds for people to react. One boy from a different family was watching the whole event pretty closely. "Where'd the second game come from ?" he asked out of curiosity. Dad slammed down his beer. "Oh hell, not again ! David !" he called and I only ran all the faster directly away from the sound of his voice. There was a great murmuring now from everyone who was watching. "How did he - where did that - there was only one ..." Dad seeing that it was more important to quell a mob of people who truly saw a bizarre miracle rather than rush off after me spoke in soothing tones holding his hands up for supplication. "It's a trick I taught him years ago. He likes the attention it gets him." For a moment that seemed to satisfy them and the group went back to their booths and tables to nibble half-heartedly on their cold pizza. But then they began to murmur again. Talking about what they saw. Then they cinched something was very wrong as the 2nd appearing game machine was somehow turned on and at the same level of play my sister was on. That wasn't a coincidence. Dad knew his explanation wouldn't hold them for very long. He had to find me and get me out of here - now ! As for me I was running, running RUNNING ! I saw a boy's restroom all the way in a far corner. I dashed inside and took the furthest toilet stall. Once there I sat down, turned off the power, hit the MUTE button, and turned it back on. My Dad wasn't quite as nimble or limber as I was. And he was a bit drunk to tell the truth which slowed him down slightly. He passed by many different kids. "Did you see a boy run by here ? No ? He's about this tall. He's got brown hair. He had a portable video game in his grip." "I saw 'em !" one little girl exclaimed suddenly. "Where ?" "He ran ta the boy bathroom." and she pointed. "You gonna spank 'im ?" Dad didn't answer but ran as fast as he could to the restroom in question. Back with me, I was already on level 3 of this amazing logic game. Suddenly I heard a weird but familiar deep voice above me. "It was only a matter of time before we meet again." In fright I started to jump up off the toilet seat when I was injected with something in my shoulder. Then I felt a delicious sleepiness and dizziness overcome me. I drooled from the corner of my mouth and slumped back on to the seat. Two sets of strong hands grabbed and supported me from falling while placing me in a wheelchair. Then I was surrounded by darkness. Dad burst open the bathroom door long moments later. "David !" he yelled. But I was nowhere in sight. He checked the stalls but they were all empty and I was nowhere to be found ... (to be continued) .. END OF CHAPTER 1 Return back HOME You are Earth Visitor #

Reviews

[M.R Steiner]

well, I went to chuckie cheese when I went to Virginia once, and that never happened to me. the bad games and crappy animtronics did but I never won a prize that bad a*s.

just chimining in my amateur opinion, pinches of salt are in alignment if you know what I mean :)

you have the whole family back and forth dynamic down that's for sure. I take it you have a sister, either way well done.

good cliff hanger at the end. and the mysterious logic game had be thinking of those old Tiger electronic games, but ya know, cursed, and not in a fun way.

language wise. everyone's voice was well defined, knew where I was the whole time, which I can chock up to your strong narrative and geography of the event.

would love to get your opinion on something Ive been working on, I'll add a link.

it's a scifi/fantasy hybrid, called 'you are the first'

http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/couincilmanZero/1865278/

[dw817]

I apologize for not getting to this sooner. Holidays can be maddening ! :D

Curiously I did have many Tiger Electronic games and prior to that, TOMY.

http://bit.ly/2id7tJB

I will certainly review your writing after I get this one posted. Will both both be today.

[Pryde Foltz]

I used to love Skee Ball too ... it was really the only arcade game that interested me. Loved the descriptions and character colour to this one, David:)

[dw817]

Hi Pryde. Thanks ! I should post a new chapter on the morrow. Was a very long dream indeed.