Chapter 1: Riddles
"Since boredom advances and boredom is the root of all evil, no wonder, then, that the world goes backwards, that evil spreads. This can be traced back to the very beginning of the world. The gods were bored; therefore they created human beings.
----Soren Kierkegaard
A boy of around sixteen or seventeen got up from the ground and dusted himself off. He wore jeans, what a plain T-shirt, and for some reason, no sock. He was about six and a half feet, and about 185lbs. He shielded his eyes from the sudden burst of light. His white sneakers squeaked against the strangely clean floor.
"Man, this joke ain't funny." When he reached for the door he extended his hand to turn the door knob, but stopped when he saw the rings. They were Navy Blue. "What the hell was this!? Why are they my favorite color?" The boy began to realize that this was not a joke. The only person he had ever told his favorite color to was best friend, Brad. This was getting creepy. The boy then opens the door to find a room similar to the one before it, except for the darkly tinted wind to the left side of the room. He walked in and the door automatically shut.*
"Ah yes, Mr. Brad Smith." said the voice. "You are a very interesting character. A very comedic person I see. You seem to be more on the justice side of things and would rather have yourself in danger than family and friends. You have a crush on a girl named Marsha, but you do not have the courage to say anything about it. Home schooled in New York, Long Island, and some of the local punks hate the fact that you stay at home all day, so you have to watch your back when you go out, and you wish to work for Nintendo. There is more, but that would just be beating a dead horse. I am glad that you can join me as a player of this game."
Brad looks around to see if anyone is around but only sees the intercom in the top, right side corner of the room. "This is not funny!!! Let me out of here."
"When you play with an attitude like that, of course it will not be funny. It all depends on your point of view. Besides, this is supposed to be a thrilling game, not a funny game. Now, here is the first part of your game. Solve this riddle."
What is greater than God and more evil than the devil? The poor have it, the rich need it and if you eat it you'll die. What is it?
"Oh, and like I said before, this would not be too much fun if it was only you at stake. Take a look at the window to the left." Brad turns and faces the window. A light from inside turns on and reveals what is hidden. There was a woman with mid-back length brown hair wearing a pair of plain jeans and shirt protecting her eyes from the light.
"Mom!!!" Brad runs towards the window and starts to pound on it. "What have you done to her?"
"Nothing…yet. It all depends on you and your answer. If you get it right, nothing happens to her and she is free to leave and you get to get a little prize, but if you get it wrong, the hidden guns will end her life. Now please your answer."
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Another boy, about seventeen or eighteen, is in a similar situation. His room is exactly the same as Brad's. He gets up off the ground and checks to make sure he is alright. His red, shoulder length, hair dangled in front of his green eyes as he moved around. He had a black shirt with Batman's logo on the front. His dark grey jeans were held up with a black belt, which had a lion-shaped belt buckle, and had a chain with a FMA pendant attached to it. His black trainers with green writing on the side stood out against the squeaky clean floor.
"Man, I do not have time for this. What kind of game is this?" The boy runs a hand through is hair and then examines the rings on his fingers. They were a forest green. With a sigh, the boy walks over to the door and turns the handle. After he walks into the next room, the door automatically closes behind him.
"Well hello Mr. Shauny Takei. Yet an….Oops. Almost let something that you do not need to know yet slip. How absent minded of me. You are quite the thinker Mr. Takei, trying to become a Cognitive Therapist at seventeen? You even got accepted into Empire State University. Very Impressive! You are willing to sacrifice yourself for those close to you and only really get into a conversation if you are interested in it. Your father has passed away, I am sorry to hear. You in enjoy drawing, video games, and…OH, creative writing. I am glad to meet another person who enjoys the art. Well now, it is a pleasure to have you participate in this game with me. I do hope you enjoy it."
Shauny looks around for the person that speaking to him, but only finds an intercom in the top-left corner of the room and on the opposite side, there is a darkly tinted window. "Who and where are you?"
"This is not the time to be asking questions." replied the voice. "This is the time for answers. Here is a little riddle for you to think about, but…before you answer, be sure to remember that if you get it wrong, one of those ring will heat up and burn through your finger."
Touched by fire, I am bright.
Constant use changes my height.
Alive at night, out all day,
Use me too much and I will disappear. What am I?
"Let us not forget what I said earlier. This would be boring if it was only you playing, right? Please, look to your right at the tinted window please." A light turns on inside to expose a girl, a few years younger than Shauny, with waist length red hair, green eyes, and wearing a dress with many vibrant colors covering her eyes from the sudden rupture of light. A look of shock appears on Shauny's face.
"Why is my sister here?" With a sigh, the voice answered very disappointedly.
"Because, this game would not be fun if it was only you. Every game if a lot better with more people. If you only have one or two, the game ends way too quickly. Now, your answer please."
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A man in his later thirties picked himself off the floor. He wore black shoes and fabric pants with a belt, a white button up shirt with a gray trench coat. A shoulder gun holster could be seen as he got up, but the gun was now missing, and a watch peeked out of his right sleeve. He examined the rings on his fingers. A pain shot through his body as he saw the elegant green rings, the color of his wife's eyes. Tears began to build up in his eyes. He slumped against the wall and slid down.
"Mr. Arthur Douglas, please continue to the next room." said the voice from the intercom. Arthur considered ignoring the order, but after a moment he got back up and slowly moved to the door. He turned the knob and entered into the next room. As the door automatically closed behind him, he examined the room. There was an intercom in the top-left corner and a tinted window to the right.
"I am glad you have decided to precede Mr. Douglas. I did not want to have to activate one of the rings so soon. Moving on, you have quite a sad story Mr. Douglas. Your wife and two were murdered while you were away investigating another case…"
"Don't you dare talk about my family as if you know them!!!" shouted Arthur.
"Please, do not interrupt while someone is talking. Now where was I? Ah yes, your occupation. You were quite the private detective, until the unfortunate tragedy with your family. Since then, you have shut yourself away from the world and drown yourself in alcohol. Quite disappointing really."
"Shut up! You do not know anything!" roared Arthur.
"And I said not to interrupt someone while they are talking. If you do so again, I may accidently activate one of those lovely colored rings of yours. Continuing, the only people that actually have a role in your life now are Jessica Neil, an ex-student of yours that is now taking care of you, and your landlord that constantly annoys you for rent that you fail to pay. In your spare time, which you seem to have a lot of, you drink, quite a lot I might add, read, complete brain teasers, and origami. Very strange hobbies for a person like you. Your brother, Steve Douglas, and sister, Sister Mary Mason, constantly worry about your health and try to stay in contact with you. If it was not for Ms. Neil, they would never know how you were doing. You are ambidextrous, but prefer your right hand. A very interesting person. It is now time for the game to start. Please answer the following riddle."
I am an insect, & the first half of my name reveals another insect. Some famous musicians had a name similar to mine. What am I?
"And as I have said before, this game would be very boring if it was played by you alone. So in order to make this more interesting, I have brought someone you know along for the ride. Look at the window please." Arthur moves to the window and a light turns on inside. A man a few years younger than Arthur is sitting in the middle of the room with his eyes closed because of the light. A raged and surprised look appeared on Arthur's face.
"Steve!! What have you done to him you sonofa…"
"Enough! I will not tolerate any more of your delays Mr. Douglas! Give me your answer or I will activate not only one of your rings, but the wires that will slice your brother into cubes! Your answer please."
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A man of about 28 is leaning against the wall in deep thought. He had short, spiky black hair with rough stubble for a beard. He wore black hiking boots, tattered jeans, with an empty gun holster on the side, and a black skin tight shirt. His usual Kevlar vest, black, steal reinforced gloves, and gun were missing from his body. His sharp blue eyes scanned the room he was in. It was nothing special. It was white and extremely clean. He then examined the rings around his fingers. They were swirling colors of blue, gold and red. He stared at them for a while as if remembering something. He then got off the ground and calmly walked to the door and opened it. He walked into a room very similar to the previous room. Everything was the same except the tinted window to the right and an intercom in the upper-left corner of the room. The door shut behind him as he entered.
"Hello Mr. Frank Flynn. It is a pleasure to have someone of your caliber participating in the game. You are quite the character. A US Military Sniper at twenty-eight. You were nearly beat to death by Butch Brando, who is currently on the run from the police because of a murder. You have seen much death throughout your journeys and faced many other life threatening situations. Being a sniper, it is expected. You are in touch with reality and are very cynical towards other people who talk dreams and fantasies, and despise cowards. You are quite an admirable role model and I thank for the service you have provided to the United States."
"What do you want?" asked Frank as he scanned the room. "Where is the rest of my stuff?"
"Only a game Mr. Flynn, only a game. As for your stuff, it will be returned to you if you complete the game. Speaking of which, I need to give you your riddle. Let us see, which to use? Ah, I like this one."
How much dirt is in a hole 5-feet deep and 3-feet wide?
"But, like I said before, this game would be no fun with only you playing. Games are always better with more people. Please, take a look into the window." As Frank walks up to the window, a light turns on in the room behind the window. A woman with long black hair and slender figure was shielding her eyes from the sudden burst of light. Frank clenched his hands into fists, but kept his mind clear and alert.
"I suppose you will let my mother live if I answer the riddle correctly?"
"Quite right. I am impressed you were able to grasp the idea of the situation so quickly. I suppose it should be expected from someone of your background and I am sure you know what is going to happen if you get the riddle wrong as well. I am beginning to take a liking to you Mr. Flynn. I wonder how you will react to the other rooms. Oops! There I go again, talking about stuff that does not need to be said yet. So, what will your answer be Mr. Flynn?"
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