Jack Sayv was bored. He had nothing to do on a rainy Saturday afternoon. He had played all his video games, watched all his movies, and read all his books. He wished he had something new and exciting to do.
He decided to check his mail, hoping to find something interesting. He opened his mailbox and saw a small package wrapped in brown paper. He didn't recognize the sender's name or address, but he was curious. He took the package inside and opened it.
Inside, he found an old cassette tape with a handwritten label that read "Play Me". He wondered what it was, and where it came from. He looked for a cassette player, and remembered that his dad had one in his basement. He went downstairs and plugged the cassette player into an old TV. He inserted the tape and pressed play.
The TV screen flickered and showed a pixelated title screen that said "The Lost Game". It looked like an old 8-bit game from the 80s. Jack was intrigued. He grabbed the controller and pressed start.
The game began with a simple text introduction:
"Welcome to The Lost Game, a game that was never finished, never released, and never played. Until now. You are the first and only player of this game. You have been chosen to explore its secrets, solve its puzzles, and uncover its mysteries. But be careful, this game is not what it seems. It is alive, and it knows you are playing. It will try to stop you, deceive you, and scare you. It has a story to tell, a story that no one has ever heard. A story of its creator, a story of his life, his dreams, his fears, his regrets. A story that you must discover, before it is too late. Good luck, and have fun."
Jack was amazed. He had never played a game like this before. He wondered who made it, and why it was never released. He decided to play along, and see what the game had to offer.
He pressed start again, and the game began. He saw a simple map of a town, with various locations to visit. He moved the cursor and selected the first location, a house. He entered the house, and saw a pixelated representation of a living room. He walked around, looking for clues or items. He saw a bookshelf, a sofa, a TV, a fireplace, and a door. He tried to interact with each object, but nothing happened. He decided to go through the door, and entered another room.
This room was a bedroom, with a bed, a closet, a desk, and a window. He saw a poster on the wall, with a picture of a spaceship and the words "Space Adventure". He guessed that this was the creator's room, and that he liked space games. He walked to the desk, and saw a computer. He tried to turn it on, but it was broken. He saw a note on the monitor, that read:
"I'm sorry, I can't finish the game. I don't have enough time. I don't have enough money. I don't have enough skills. I don't have enough hope. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Jack felt a pang of sadness. He wondered what happened to the creator, and why he gave up on his game. He wanted to know more, but he couldn't find any other clues in the room. He decided to leave, and go to another location.
He exited the house, and returned to the map. He saw that the house was now marked with a check mark, indicating that he had visited it. He moved the cursor and selected another location, a park. He entered the park, and saw a pixelated representation of a playground. He saw swings, slides, seesaws, and a sandbox. He walked around, looking for clues or items. He saw a boy and a girl playing on the swings. He tried to talk to them, but they ignored him. He saw a dog running around, chasing a ball. He tried to pet it, but it barked at him. He saw a bench, with a newspaper on it. He picked up the newspaper, and read the headline:
"Local Game Developer Dies in Car Crash"
He was shocked. He realized that the creator of the game was dead, and that he had died in a tragic accident. He wondered how long ago it happened, and if anyone knew about his game. He felt a surge of sympathy, and a sense of responsibility. He decided to continue playing the game, and honor the creator's memory.
He exited the park, and returned to the map. He saw that the park was now marked with a check mark, indicating that he had visited it. He moved the cursor and selected another location, a school. He entered the school, and saw a pixelated representation of a classroom. He saw desks, chairs, a blackboard, and a teacher. He walked around, looking for clues or items. He saw a locker, with a combination lock. He tried to open it, but he didn't know the code. He saw a chalkboard, with a math problem on it. He tried to solve it, but he didn't know the answer. He saw a student, raising his hand. He tried to talk to him, but he didn't respond. He saw a note on the teacher's desk, that read:
"Dear Mr. Smith,
I'm sorry to inform you that your student, John, has passed away in a car crash. He was a bright and talented young man, and he will be missed by everyone. He had a passion for video games, and he was working on his own game project. He showed me some of his work, and I was impressed by his creativity and skill. He told me that he wanted to be a game developer, and make games that would make people happy. He had a lot of potential, and I'm sure he would have achieved his dreams. I'm sorry for your loss, and I hope you can find some comfort in knowing that he was a good student, and a good person.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Jones"
Jack felt a wave of emotion. He realized that the creator of the game was a student, and that he had died young. He wondered what his name was, and what his game was about. He felt a connection, and a curiosity. He decided to keep playing the game, and find out more about the creator.
He exited the school, and returned to the map. He saw that the school was now marked with a check mark, indicating that he had visited it. He moved the cursor and selected another location, a cemetery. He entered the cemetery, and saw a pixelated representation of a graveyard. He saw tombstones, flowers, candles, and a gate. He walked around, looking for clues or items. He saw a grave, with a name and a date on it. He read the name, and recognized it. It was the same name as the sender of the package. He read the date, and calculated it. It was the same day as the car crash. He realized that this was the creator's grave, and that he had sent him the game before he died. He felt a shock, and a gratitude. He decided to finish the game, and thank the creator.
He walked to the grave, and saw a cassette player on it. He picked it up, and saw a tape inside. He pressed play, and heard a voice. It was the creator's voice, and he had a message for him.
"Hello, player. If you are listening to this, it means that you have played my game. Thank you for playing. Thank you for being the first and only player of my game. Thank you for giving me a chance to share my story with you. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you learned something from it. I made this game for you, and for me. I made this game to express myself, to escape from reality, to cope with my problems. I made this game to have fun, to create something, to leave something behind. I made this game to live, and to die.
I don't have much time left. I'm dying, and I know it. I have a terminal illness, and I have no cure. I have no family, and I have no friends. I have nothing, and I have no one. I have only this game, and I have only you. You are my only hope, and my only legacy. You are my only friend, and my only family. You are everything to me, and I am nothing to you.
But I don't mind. I don't expect anything from you. I don't want anything from you. I just want you to play my game, and to remember me. I just want you to know that I existed, and that I mattered. I just want you to know that I loved you, and that I still do.
Thank you for playing my game. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being my family. Thank you for being my everything.
Goodbye, player. Goodbye, friend. Goodbye, family. Goodbye, everything."
The tape ended, and the screen faded to black. Jack felt a tear roll down his cheek. He felt a sadness, and a happiness. He felt a loss, and a gain. He felt a love, and a hate. He felt everything, and he felt nothing.
He looked at the grave, and saw a flower on it. He picked it up, and smelled it. He smiled, and said:
"Thank you for making your game. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being my family. Thank you for being my everything.
Goodbye, creator. Goodbye, friend. Goodbye