Evolution

by Travis Bagwell

  And there it was. She could relax, but not if it came at the cost of study time.

  “Maybe you could also meet some other people,” her mother suggested gently. “Most of your friends don’t stop by anymore.”

  Of course not. Who would want to come over and study vocabulary words or do physics problems every evening, Eliza thought morosely.

  She realized that both of her parents were watching her, waiting for a reaction. She forced a small smile onto her face, pushing at her glasses again with her finger. “This looks fun,” she said, trying to put some enthusiasm into her voice. “Maybe I’ll try it out later tonight after I get done with my homework.”

  “About that,” her father said, glancing at her mother. “Why don’t you take the next couple weeks off from your studies? You’ve made a lot of progress, and it doesn’t hurt to take a break every once in a while.”

  Eliza glanced at her mother and noted the disagreement in her eyes. Was this something her father was pushing? Why? Regardless, she really didn’t want to argue. If she had an excuse not to work on these grueling exercises every day, she was going to take it.

  “Really?” Eliza replied. When her parents nodded in agreement, she continued, “Then maybe I’ll go set it up now. Thank you for the present.” She needed to leave quickly before they changed their mind.

  She picked up the box and started to lug it toward the staircase leading to the house’s second floor. As she made it to the stairs, she realized she wasn’t carrying a copy of the game. Maybe there had been another package she missed? Setting the box down carefully, she stepped quietly back toward the kitchen, her feet making barely a whisper on the hardwood floor.

  Her parents’ voices drifted down the hall, and Eliza stopped to listen. “This is a distraction, James,” her mother said. “This isn’t the time for her to slow down in her studies. The real exams are just around the corner.”

  A long silence followed before her father spoke. His normally deep, full voice sounded distracted. “I know, but you should have seen that kid that came in today. He tried to kill himself.” Another pause. “His parents were beside themselves. I saw them crying in the lounge.”

  “I… I know,” her mother replied. “But Eliza isn’t suicidal. She seems to be doing fine.”

  “Fine?” her father repeated. “You said it yourself. She has no friends. She doesn’t do anything but study. She has always been quiet, but lately she has almost entirely stopped talking to us.”

  This was met with another long silence as Eliza stood still and listened. “I’m not saying she is going to kill herself,” her father finally said. “But she doesn’t seem happy. What are two weeks in the grand scheme of things?”

  “I hope you’re right,” her mother replied. “Of course, I want what’s best for Eliza. That has always been the case.”

  Did her parents really think she was suicidal? Then she hesitated. If she were honest with herself, she had felt off these last few weeks. Or was it months? She hated the constant tests. She didn’t want to become a doctor. And yet there wasn’t really anyone to turn to. Her parents wouldn’t understand. She just felt… numb. The only times she felt more like her old self was when she was cooking or working in her garden.

  Eliza decided she didn’t want to hear any more. She retreated to the stairs and glumly plucked the box from the floor. A moment later, she entered her room and sat down heavily on her bed, her eyes lingering on the box beside her. She didn’t know what to think anymore. Maybe her parents were right. Maybe she needed a break.

  Acting on an impulse, Eliza began to unbox the equipment and set it up by her bedside. As she pulled out the helmet, a note fluttered out. Her father’s chicken scratch handwriting was scrawled across the paper. “I’ve already installed the game for you,” the note read. “You just need to open the door in the waiting room.”

  Eliza looked at the helmet in her hands, her fingers tracing the thick plastic. She had played a few video games – who hadn’t? But she had never really gotten sucked in. The games had always felt hollow and dull after a few hours.

  However, her classmates all said that Awaken Online was different. “Life-changing” was a word she had heard tossed around. She didn’t really feel either excited or nervous about playing the game, but she supposed she didn’t have anything to lose by trying.

  Tugging the helmet over her head, Eliza lay back on her bed. A blue screen immediately popped up in her field of view.

  System Initializing

  Scanning User...Please Wait

  She blinked, and when she opened her eyes, she was in a pristine circular white room. She stumbled slightly – disoriented by the change in perspective. Yet it only took her a moment or two to adjust to the change. She looked down at her arm in puzzlement. This was her digital body now? It felt oddly easy to control her movements.

  Eliza inspected the room, noting a single lone door standing across from her. She slowly walked towards it. As she approached, she could see that ornate scrollwork had been etched in the wood. Fantastic creatures and shining knights writhed across its surface.

  Her hand rested on the knob, and she hesitated one last time. She didn’t know what to expect or what she hoped to find. Was there even any point in trying this game? Maybe her mother was right – she should just log out and study. With a resigned sigh, she started to turn away. At that moment, the door creaked open slightly, light spilling through the crack.

  Then the world went black.

  Chapter 2 - Decisive

  Eliza blinked rapidly as blinding light flooded her vision. As her eyes adjusted, she realized she was standing in a fantastic garden. Sunlight streamed into the enclosure, gleaming off the emerald, dew-studded leaves of the hedges that ringed the courtyard. Rose bushes lined the space in neat rows and the pink, red, and white blossoms stood out vividly in the sunlight.

  Eliza looked up, covering her eyes to blot out the sun. She could see puffy white clouds drifting languidly through the crystalline blue sky. Insects chirped happily inside the garden and the warm sunlight lingered on her skin. Rubbing her arm, she realized that she could actually feel the sensation, her sense of touch almost indistinguishable from real life.

  “This is a game?” she whispered to herself.

  After she had a chance to collect her thoughts, Eliza inspected the courtyard more closely. The rigid branches of the rose bushes had intertwined to form a flat table-like surface above each of the rows. On these tables rested all manner of objects. Although, Junk might have been a more accurate description. Eliza strolled down the nearest row, eying the tables skeptically. A sword. A handkerchief. A harp. A lamp. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the motley collection.

  After walking up and down several of the aisles, Eliza finally came to a stop. What was she supposed to do in this garden? What was the point of this?

  “There really isn’t much of a point to anything, is there? Silly question if you ask me,” said a voice. Eliza jumped in surprise and whirled, trying to find the speaker.

  “But, of course, you didn’t ask me, did you?” the voice continued with a note of amusement. Eliza could distinctly hear that the voice came from the end of the row of bushes. Stepping forward carefully, she peered around the edge of the table.

  A young man lay on the ground, his eyes closed. He must have been in his mid-twenties. Thick stubble covered his chin, and his clothes appeared to be made of a chaotic collection of multi-colored rags. Rough sandals adorned his feet, and their straps crisscrossed up his calves. The man’s head rested against an enormous woolen object that looked distinctly like a pillow. Eliza couldn’t help but think that he looked like one of the people in her history books – particularly from the 1970s. He looked a bit like either a hippie or, quite possibly, a homeless person. She couldn’t decide which.

  “It’s rude to stare,” the young man said without opening his eyes.

  “I…I’m sorry,” Eliza replied.

  “It’s even mo
re rude to judge someone you’ve just met,” he continued, peaking at her with one half-lidded eye.

  “But I didn’t…” Eliza trailed off and then realized she hadn’t actually spoken. She had only been thinking he looked homeless. The Hippie had also picked up on her thoughts earlier when she had wondered about the point of the garden.

  “Wait. Can you read my mind?” Eliza asked in confusion.

  “Such as it is, I suppose. I’ve never given it much thought,” he said, yawning widely. “If not for you thinking so loudly, I would have continued to nap here.”

  “Um, well… I’m sorry?” Eliza replied, unsure if it was even something she should be apologizing for. The man must be part of the game world if he was able to pick up on her thoughts. She glanced around at the garden. “What is this place?”

  “Great question. This is a garden,” the Hippie replied with a deadpan expression

  Eliza just stared at him for a few seconds before trying again. “What I mean is where is this garden located? Are we in the game?”

  The hippie sighed and looked at his fluffy black pillow mournfully. “I guess a nap is out of the question now. That second question is a tricky one. Isn’t everything a game? Or a test or a quiz or a trial?” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Life’s a game I suppose. We just don’t understand the rules. Deep, huh?”

  “Are you being deliberately difficult?” Eliza asked, exasperation coloring her voice.

  A wide smile crept across the Hippie’s face. “Not deliberately, no. You’ll just have to accept that it’s part of my nature.”

  He stretched his arms over his head and then looked at Eliza appraisingly again. “In this case, the rules are simple. Pick an object. Any object.” He waved at the rows of tables behind Eliza dismissively.

  “To what end?” Eliza inquired. She wasn’t sure she understood the point of this game – if that was even what this was about.

  The Hippie rubbed at his chin. “Now that’s another good question. I think there’s some significant disagreement about the answer. Live for the sake of living? Seems a bit circular to me. Life is the pursuit of happiness? That one seems rather vague. What is happiness anyway? I’ve asked the Gambler many times, and he refuses to give me a straight answer.”

  He sighed wistfully before continuing. “Then there’s spiritual and religious interpretations. But I understand there’s some disagreement there. Or maybe it’s all just a big toss-up.”

  The Hippie shook his head. “Seems like there are too many options and no clear answers. See? This is why I choose to nap. Much more comforting than all of these pesky questions.” The hippie turned to his pillow and asked, “Wouldn’t you say, Fluffy?”

  Eliza was just about to ask another question – this time focused on the young man’s sanity – when she saw the pillow move. It rose onto four legs and turned to face the Hippie, its sleepy eyes observing him carefully. Eliza immediately realized she was looking at a sheep. A very black sheep.

  The sheep – whose name must be Fluffy – let out a bleat and licked the Hippie’s face. “See!” the Hippie said to Eliza, “Fluffy always enjoys our naps. Much more relaxing than these in-depth philosophical questions you keep asking.”

  The sheep then shuffled over to Eliza and inspected her carefully. She reflexively reached out a hand and petted him absently as she looked at the pair in confusion. What on earth was going on here? Was she really playing Awaken Online? Who was this crazy young man and his black sheep?

  She tried to collect her thoughts. She was just starting the game, so this must be some type of initiation or starting area. She had heard enough from listening to her classmates to know that the character creation in the game was a little unusual.

  “If I choose an item from the garden, then I can leave?” Eliza asked carefully. Maybe if she completed whatever this was, she could move on to the real game.

  “Yep. Just pick an object.” Then the young man hesitated. “There was something important about the item, though.” After a moment he shrugged. “It probably isn’t a big deal. Let us know when you’ve made your selection!”

  Fluffy licked Eliza’s hand appreciatively and then lay back down. The Hippie rested his head back against the sheep’s stomach, and the pair promptly closed their eyes. Within seconds, she could hear a soft snoring sound coming from the two of them.

  Eliza closed her eyes too – except she was attempting to suppress her frustration. She took a deep breath and then glanced around the garden. Apparently, she needed to pick an item. She began walking back between the rows of tables and re-examined the objects that littered their surfaces in large piles.

  From the Hippie’s ramblings, she was guessing that the items were important. They probably determined how she would start out in the game world. A sword for a fighting character, woodworking tools for a crafter, etc. Although she saw a number of items that made her think twice about her hypothesis. For example, she found a spoon on one table – just a spoon. On another, she found a small pocket watch. That punched some holes in her theory, but it was the best she had to go on.

  Eliza spent a considerable amount of time walking between the tables and examining each object carefully. After what felt like hours, she was rewarded with a blue skill notification:

  New Passive Skill: Identification

  You have spent a long time looking at various items. And we mean a long time. The result is that you are better able to observe the traits of objects you find. At higher levels, you may be able to discover hidden traits of items and monsters.

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 1

  Effect: Allows the user to identify unknown objects or reveal hidden information. Higher levels increase the information that is revealed.

  The skill was interesting, but it didn’t help with her current problem. She had no idea which object to pick. None of the items appealed to her. They were all either silly, useless, or felt like they would come with tradeoffs. Uncertain what to do, Eliza made her way back to the corner of the garden where she had found the Hippie.

  She discovered him still nestled up to Fluffy, a little drool pooling at the corner of his mouth. Eliza coughed to try to wake the man. When that didn’t work, she coughed a little louder. Still nothing. Then she sighed and sat down with her back to one of the hedges that ringed the garden. Her thoughts were somewhat morose. Even in a game, she had no idea what she wanted to do.

  Her gaze drifted across a nearby rose bush. The leaves of this shrub were beginning to turn brown and looked dry. She plucked a leaf, pressing it between her fingers. It promptly crumbled under her touch. Then she stuck her finger into the soil beneath the plant and noticed it was extremely damp.

  She glanced at the Hippie. “You’re over watering your garden,” she muttered. “This plant looks like it has root rot.”

  The young man’s eyes shot open, and he sat up. “You know what? That’s a great point. Are you a gardener yourself?” Fluffy stirred restlessly and then glared at the Hippie with an accusing expression.

  Eliza looked at him in surprise, taken aback by his reaction. “I-I guess so. I have a small garden of my own.”

  The young man looked at her carefully. “Interesting. Interesting. You know what? You would be perfect.”

  “Um. Perfect for what?” Eliza asked cautiously.

  The Hippie spread his arms wide. “For my trail of course! Wait, no. That’s not it. Road? Boulevard? Aisle?” He glanced at his sheep. “Do you remember, Fluffy?”

  The sheep gave the Hippie a long-suffering look and bleated softly in response.

  “Ahh, I’ve got it. My path.”

  “What about your path?” Eliza asked in confusion.

  “You would be perfect for it,” he replied with a wave of his hand. “Didn’t I say that?”

  She suppressed another sigh. “No. I mean yes. You did, but what is your path?”

  “The Path of Water, of course,” the Hippie explained with a wide grin. He scooted around so that he was sitting beside
her, and then nudged Eliza with his elbow conspiratorially. “It’s supposed to be a secret, but it’s about acceptance.”

  Eliza started to ask him what on earth he was talking about and then just shook her head. It wouldn’t help to keep asking him questions when she knew he was incapable of giving her a straight answer.

  “Uh, I think I’m okay,” she said and started to edge away from him.

  “You’re better than okay!” the Hippie replied. “Here, I’ll show you!” With a wave of his hand, a notification abruptly appeared in Eliza’s vision.

  Quest Completed: Initiation

  You have shown yourself to be a thoughtful and complex thinker. You were also nice to Fluffy and provided invaluable gardening advice. However, the test administrator noted that you are a little indecisive, so he is going to help you out with that.

  Your alignment has been set to True Neutral

  You have been awarded +5 to Willpower

  You have been awarded +5 to Intelligence

  Path of Water Unlocked

  Attention of the Great Black Sheep

  Eliza just stared at the prompt, not certain how to respond to the strange prompt. She had gained the attention of the “Great Black Sheep?” Was that this strange homeless man beside her or Fluffy? Or both?

  “I don’t think you understand,” Eliza began. “I don’t really…”

  The Hippie interrupted her, “This is a great honor. You should be honored. Shouldn’t she, Fluffy?” The sheep snorted and didn’t bother looking up this time. “See, Fluffy approves too!”

  “But I don’t…” Eliza tried again.

  “…know how to get started. Don’t worry! I’ve got you covered.” With that, the young man waved his hand and the game world around Eliza began to disintegrate. “Toodles!” He called out before the world went dark again.