So this happened about two weeks ago. Thanksgiving break of ‘01. A note on my desk with $300 to the side of it.

Hi, Dear! Happy Birthday.. Sorry we’re not here. We had to go on a business trip. I know, work really caught up with us this time. That's why we celebrated yesterday, just in case something like this happened. We will be back Saturday. If you ever need to call us, we will pick up the phone. If you have an emergency, call 911, and after that, go to a neighbor. $300 is a lot of money for four-and-a-half days. Spend some of it on needs (food, water, etc.), but also whatever you want.

Have Fun! Love you,

Mom

No sooner than I had entered the door of my house after getting off the bus, I was back out the door. I grabbed the $300 like a five-year-old grabbing candy out of a shopping bag. I knew what I was getting with the money before I even had it. An Xbox. I rode my bike all the way down to GameStop at a very brisk pace. I checked my pocket every 30 seconds or so to make sure the money was still in there. The wind was slow but steady. It was frigid, and the leaves had left the trees. Just before I got to Gamestop, it started to trickle a little. I knew very well my bike would be drenched by the oncoming rain outside, but there was nothing I could do about it but wait the rain out and hope it ended soon.

I was instantly greeted by shining neon lights and demo kiosks and shelves and shelves of games. Old games and new games. But right in the center, as if an angel had just landed on Earth from Heaven, an Xbox demo kiosk. An entire section for the system was surrounding it. After all, it had come out just five days prior. It was a majestic sight to see. Looking like the happiest human alive, I went up to the section. But then, sadness and disgust crept into my face as I saw the price. $300. I wondered if it was on sale or anything, to see if I could get money off. I just wanted an Xbox. Not a PS2, or a Gamecube. Quivering, I went up to the cashier.

“Hi, welcome to Gamestop. What can I assist you with?”

“Thank you.” Sweat dripped off my face in nervousness. “Would you happen to have a discount or sale on the Xbox?”

“Sorry sir. $300 only. $290 if you have the Pro Membership.”

“Aww.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry kid. You could get a Gamec-”

“No thanks. There has to be something. There just has to be.” I was practically pleading to him for a price cut.

“Well,” the Gamestop employee said, “There is one thing…” My eyes lit up like the neon signs surrounding me. “We have a used Xbox. It's a bit battered up, but I´ll give you a little sale on it for $200.”

“WOW! Thanks sir. I’ll take it.” And saying that was the worst mistake of my life. I signed a contract with the devil, and I was completely oblivious to it. But who wouldn’t be with a deal like that? I was quite possibly the happiest person on Earth at that moment. “Why is the price so low? The system came out five days ago!”

“Well, it’s pretty strange,” his voice darkened as he went to grab the Xbox from the back room. “People keep returning it for some reason. We just need to get rid of it.”

“Cool,” I spoke, ignoring how weird his explanation was.

“Are you gonna buy a game with this? The system comes with the power cables and a controller.” I almost forgot to buy a game. Close to crying of joy, I went over to the shelf. It towered over me with Xbox games. Of course though, there was only one game that caught my eye. Halo: Combat Evolved.

“I’ll have this one,” I stated firmly as I slid the game over to the cashier.

“Halo. That will be $260.00.”

I slid the three 100 dollar bills across the table. As he rang me up I blurted, “Really rainy out today,” to break the silence.

“ Yeah, it's gonna be one hell of a storm. Supposed to rain all week. It's supposed to get even worse by Friday.

“Wow,” I consoled as I grabbed the Xbox and the game off the counter. I realised that I couldn’t wait out the rain, and I didn’t have anyone to give me a lift. I would have to book it before it got worse. “Thank you so much,” I said to the cashier.

“You’re welcome,” he said to me. But the part that I remember the most is the last thing he said to me that rainy, dark evening: “Be careful out there.”

I pedaled on my bike home like a cyclist in Tour De France. I had my hood up, but I was still drenched. The Xbox was well encased in four layers of plastic bags that the cashier put the system in. I had the Xbox in my hands and on my shoulders. The rain turned from a moderate drip to a heavy Seattle shower. I knew as I was going home that I would not be able to ride anywhere for the next few days, leaving me stranded.  I nearly slipped and got carried away by the rain while pulling into my driveway. I practically bolted into the house, but not before locking my bike to the railing on our staircase leading up to the door using a bike lock with a key. Who knows what could happen to it if I left it unlocked. I kept the key in close proximity to me. I didn’t want my bike being locked to the railing for all eternity.

There was an eerie difference in sound from outside. Outside, the rain was pattering down so hard you couldn’t hear someone next to you. But the inside was quiet. It was dark and unsettling. I turned on the lights and lit up the house. I suddenly felt more comfortable. I was home. My shoulders untensed. I had an Xbox that was just waiting to be plugged in. I threw my coat off and got on pajamas that would be comfortable to sit in for the next few days. I plugged the Xbox into the socket on the wall. Few things fit so perfectly together. It fit in like a lock and a key. Like bread and butter. The perfect combination. I plugged the Xbox’s composite cables into the back of the TV and plugged the controller into the console. I switched the TV input to three. I put my finger over the power button, and with incredible enthusiasm, pressed it.

The power button lit up green and the Xbox sounded like a car starting up. It was very loud at first and then quieted down. Then, its signs of life. A weird green blob moving around in the center of the screen. It was dark around the green ball. A bunch of bars were surrounding the ball. It looked like some crazy science experiment. Then the ball started to contort and shift with weird noises accompanying it, and suddenly, the Xbox logo. That must have been the start up intro, I thought. At this point, the Xbox had quieted down and wasn’t making any more weird buzzing noises from inside. The logo faded away and revealed the same green ball with the Xbox logo engraved into it from before. It was moved to the side though, with menu options extending out of it. It had options for memory, music, Xbox Live, and settings, but there was no “load disc” option like on my DVD player. So I just opened the CD tray and set the Halo disc into the tray. It slid into the Xbox like a slice of butter sliding along a slice of whole wheat bread. That worked, because the Xbox menu faded away slowly. My eyes lit up as I saw the logo appear on a wide space like background. “HALO” it projected onto the screen.

So many options were there right off the bat. Campaign, Multiplayer, Profiles, Settings, Credits, and Quit. Of course, all I wanted to play was the campaign mode. All I could play was campaign mode because I didn’t have Xbox live. And boy, was I in for a trip. What a fantastic game. I started playing at 8:00, but that time became 12:00 quickly, and I wasn’t even halfway through the game! I knew I was getting tired though and that I ought to go to bed, so I called it a night. I saved and pressed the power button off. The Xbox disk drive slowed down until it came to a stop. Satisfied with my Xbox, I brushed my teeth and turned all of the lights off. The Gamestop employee was right. It’s gonna be one hell of a storm. I set the key to my bike lock on my dresser and softly pressed my finger to the light switch.

I awoke the next morning to the pattering on my window. It was hailing like hell raining down on us. The hailstones were the width of 50 cent coins. With one quick glance, I saw that the neighbors that were away and would have to deal with a smashed car windshield. The forecast was for more rain coming when the temperature rises on Friday. I knew that the power was going to go in and out, meaning Halo was going to be harder to play.

Bones cracking, I got up and looked at the clock: 11:00. Holy crap. I guess I really needed the sleep. I waltzed over to the kitchen at a slug’s pace and made breakfast, but not before noticing that the key to the bike lock was no longer on the dresser. In fact, it was nowhere to be seen. Dad is gonna kill me, I thought. Anyway, it’s time to make waffles. Except apparently it wasn’t time to make waffles because the power went out mid-way through toasting them. I considered my options, but only for a moment. I suddenly heard a strange noise from in the living room. A loud short buzzing noise, then the sound of fans. I dashed to the living room like a cheetah hunting a zebra. The green light of the Xbox was on. I turned on the TV, and sure enough, there it was in all its glory. The Xbox logo, staring right back at me.

I had so many questions and no answers. Maybe there’s something wrong with the power button. Maybe that’s why people were returning it. Well, I don’t care. I’m not returning this any time soon, I thought. But there was clearly something wrong. There should have been no way that the Xbox was working. There should have been no way the TV was working. But I didn’t care. The people who returned this were too cautious. This is epic! I convinced myself. I played Xbox for a little and then got bored. I was stuck on a level. I spent an hour or two trying to beat it, but it wasn't worth it in the end. No progression, so I shut it off.

I, for once, turned the system off even when it would be fine to continue playing it. I assaulted the umbrella open and waltzed around for a while, but then a particularly big-sized hailstone (gold ball sized) smashed through the umbrella and hit me on the head. It was a mad dash to get back into the house and not get clonked in the head again, but I made it back inside unscathed. So much for that. I guess I’ll call up Mom, I thought. I hadn’t talked to her since Tuesday morning. So I picked up the phone and rang her up. She picked up instantly.

“Hi, Dear! How’s it going? Are you well fed?”

“Hi Mom. Yes, I’m well fed.”

“I miss you, Honey. Me and Dad will be home soon enough. Just you wait.” I contemplated telling her about the hail storm, but in the end I decided I would.

“Did you see the hail storm on the news, Mom? It’s a big one. The power is cutting in and out.”

“Yes, I did, Dear. Are you okay? It’s supposed to warm up tomorrow.”

“Yes, Mom, I’m okay. I have to go. The power will go out at any minute. Love you.” That was a white lie. The power could go out any time, but I also wanted to go to sleep.

“Okay. Sleep well, and remember.”

“Remember what?”

“Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! Bye, love you!”

“Bye, Mom. Love you too.”

And just like that, I woke up to Thanksgiving. I had to run. It was a long trip of going to the supermarket. It thankfully stopped hailing. Of course, that’s because the temperatures rose, and therefore the rain was going to start up even harder at 11:00. Getting my clothing on felt like I threaded the needle after a knockout punch, except the clothing was the thread, I was the needle, and the knockout punch was an eight-hour sleep. Just barely awakened, I hopped on the bike and rode as fast as I could. The extra ten dollars I still had were in my back pocket. I ran through the isles like a child desperately trying to find its mom in the supermarket after losing her. I grabbed a pound of pork off the shelf. I got five different packets of Ramen off the shelf. I also got some spices to add to them. I finally got home and tiredly stepped in, creating a small puddle in our entrance way.

My stove only had two burners, so this was going to take a while. I had it all. Maruchan, Nongshim Shin, Sapporo Ichiban, Top Ramen, and Jinjja Jinjja; only the best Ramen. Then I cooked them all up. I heard a slight buzzing noise in the living room, but it was probably nothing.

Let me tell you, cooking two batches of different Ramen for almost an hour is no easy task. But I got it done. Once one batch was done, I poured it into the bowl. Along the way I cooked the pork, julienned it, and slid it in in between layers of soup. I also occasionally sprinkled in some of the herbs and spices. In the end, I had an orange soup with all different colors of noodles and some pork sprinkled in. This was going to be the best soup I had ever had the grace to put in my mouth, and I could freeze it when I inevitably didn’t eat it all. I got a bowl and a ladle and spooned the Ramen mix in. I took a bite. Then I took a sip. This is the greatest food I’ve ever made. It was so good, I got another bowl, and another bowl, until a third of the ramen noodles were gone.

I was so full, I thought I would go to bed, sleep 14 hours, and wake up the next day with diabetes. Luckily, the Ramen was somewhat healthy thanks to the pork. It wasn’t traditional Thanksgiving food, but it sure was something. Well that was swell, I thought. Then I heard a loud thunk in the living room. I walked in to find my Xbox splayed out on the floor as if it moved itself. But that would never happen, I said to myself in my head. It’s just not possible. I picked it up and put it on the shelf. I was going to go and play on my bulky computer upstairs. But just as I left the room, I heard it. The buzzing of the disk drive, and the fans. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

This time I didn’t even bother turning on the TV. I pressed the power button with the might of Zeus. At this point I should have been getting scared, or called my parents. But I was more annoyed because it kept turning on. I thought it was all just a coincidence. I thought maybe the Xbox was on the edge of the table. Maybe there's just something wrong with it that makes it keeps turning itself on.

I should have known better. Despite it being clear what I should have done, I did the opposite. Without thinking twice, I walked up to my bedroom and hopped on my computer. I loaded up GTA 3 and waited on the splash screen. The splash screen was boring, like watching the DVD player splash screen for an hour without taking your eyes off of it. Will it hit the corner? Will it not? I don’t care. I want to watch a movie, not a DVD player splash screen.

But before I finished my off-topic thinking, I unfortunately realised the game never loaded because the power went out again. That time I believed was probably going to be for good, or at least until the rain was out of town. But the rain wasn’t getting better. In fact, it was getting worse. I went downstairs and saw it again. The TV was on. So was the Xbox. Oh great. Maybe we had a generator and I didn’t know about it. I simply couldn’t believe that it was possessed. It’s not a poltergeist, I stated firmly to myself. I switched the TV input to cable and watched cartoons for about an hour until I almost fell asleep. But then, the dreaded, BEEEEEEP. BEEEEEEP. There is nothing more scary at night than a blue screen with white text, or so I thought. “Flash Flood Warning,” it stated firmly in bold white letters on the CRT.

Then, it happened. A sudden surge of water. It swept the leaves away in a matter of seconds. I couldn’t believe it. The roads suddenly became river rapids. It was raging. It wasn’t raging on the house, but anything in the road was swept away instantly. Well, I guessed I would have to wait it out. There was no way that I could call anyone either. The phone wouldn’t charge. It was dead. I should have realised that it was clearly no coincidence. But I wouldn’t let the thought process get to me.

I went back to the room to see the input changed to three, and there it was, again. As if looking me right in the eyes, the Xbox logo menacingly popped on the screen with the normal disturbing menu music to accompany it. I just didn’t care. I was tired, and I was ready to go to bed. I switched the power of the TV off and pressed the power button on the Xbox one last time. Running quickly up the stairs, I jumped into my bed and covered myself with all of my sheets. I had a hard time forgetting what I just saw. It was as if it was scraped into my mind. But I got over it and fell asleep.

But not for long. A loud thunk against the hardwood floor followed by non-stop rumbling woke me up in a sweat. The power was still out, and my alarm clock said it was 2:00 AM. The alarm clock was never wrong. I strutted down the stairs like a young child home alone at night. I had a flashlight in my hand, and my hand was shaking, making the light shake around as well. The sound got louder as I got closer. I peeked in to see the last thing I wanted to see that night.

My stomach coiled up in my body as I saw the Xbox shaking around on the floor. It was an otherworldly thing to see, and not in a good way. I wanted to believe that I wasn’t seeing what I was seeing, but it was undeniable what was right in front of me all along. There was no going back. Visibly shaking, I walked over slowly in an attempt to press the power button to off for the final time. The closer I got, the more the Xbox shook. The closer I got, the more scared I was. It seemed like an eternity.  I moped over to the Xbox until my finger was on the power button. So close. But then it stopped shaking. I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my arm, followed by a shattering sound. I screamed in pain and looked down at my arm. A shard of the Halo disc was lodged in my forearm. The disk drive of the Xbox was open. The Xbox just attacked me.

I was desperate at this point. Anything to make it stop. I went over to the wall plug and tugged with with the force of 100 men, but it was useless. The plug wouldn’t unplug. The Xbox was seemingly furious due to this and began to shake even more. Genuine fear crept onto my face as I made a mad dash to the stairs. I ran up the stairs, but not before looking behind myself one more time. I wish I didn’t do that.

I saw something that night. Something awful. The Xbox bulged on one side, then the other sides, then the top burst open. Something crawled out of my Xbox that night. I don’t know what that something was, but I know it wasn’t human.

And then, just for a moment, it locked eyes with me. The eyes were eyes of fury, anguish, and anger. And they were coming right for me. With pure fear lathered all over my face, I dashed to the stairs. The door wasn’t an option due to the floodwaters getting higher. I lunged my body into the bedroom and hid in the closet. But I knew that wouldn’t work. It would find me. This is the end for me, I thought. It set the whole thing up. From the floodwaters to the phone not charging to the missing key. And then I let out a tear. Just one at first, but in a matter of seconds I was bawling. I thought about many things. But mostly all of the times I had to get rid of the Xbox, and think that maybe it was even somewhat possesed. But then I realised. My family needs me. I'm not dying like this. Not without an attempted escape.

Without a second thought, I made my move, practically zipping from one end of my room to another. I opened the window and was ready to jump out, but I heard a door open just before I did. There it was. It glared at me in the eyes, with no mercy, but it was too late for the creature. With determination in my eyes, I jumped out the window and barreled toward the raging river below. And then, silence.

And here I am now, in my room typing this on my laptop. I woke up on Sunday in the hospital to find my parents awaiting me. Apparently I almost drowned, but I miraculously survived. I didn’t tell my parents, or anyone, what happened. They wouldn’t believe me.

If you’re reading this, I don’t want you to make the same mistakes that I did. It's been a week since I woke up in the hospital. It was tough recovering from the stress from Thanksgiving break, but I coped well. Also, if you’re wondering about my video game stance now, I am switching to Nintendo. I must confess that I told my parents I don’t know where the money went, and they let me go out to buy a Gamecube, prepackaged with Super Smash Bros. Melee. So here I sit. I wonder if maybe that creature helped me in a way that I needed. I feel a little safer. I always look twice to make sure that something’s safe enough.  But then again, maybe I'm crazy. One day it might come back. But by then, I’ll be ready.

-Enzo McLauchlin