Janet Fisher, janetfi@hotmail.com
Kat went down
the stairs to the basement, shivering slightly at the temperature difference. Ryan was sitting at the opposite end
with his back to her, wearing only shorts, with a tiny space heater humming on the
carpet at his feet.
Looking at him
now, she had to smile. He
was in front of four computer monitors, each displaying the view of four characters
that he was playing in an online role-playing game called Everquest.
He was the guild leader, and had headphones on to communicate
with his other guild members. Kat knew the guild members alternated
calling each other by their real names and their character’s names, even in person, like at the subdued parties that everyone though were raucus.
Ryan’s attention
was consumed, tapping away on four keyboards, each propped up on stands made by
LEGOs. She had heard that Everquest
has been the cause of several divorces in the
EQ Haiku
Can an online
game
Be as momentous
as time?
I’d rather play
life
She had read
it out loud to him, once. He loved
being teased, and he loved to take the micky out of her too.
How different sarcasm was, when delivered with a good nature.
Even honest criticisms became funny.
Such a change from what she was used to.
Ryan Haiku
My new loving
man
Making me resent
my old
Conceded friendships
“I know you’re there,” he said, not even having looked behind him. He didn't need to. She was ghostly reflected in all of the monitors.
Kat snickered and ran up behind him,
slipping her hands around his middle and kissing his neck.
“Did you build those Lego stands?”
“Yup,” he said, loosening her grip so that he could turn around.
“You’re such a geek!” she said, her voice
muffled now that he was pressing her face into his chest.
Kat clung to him on her knees while he swiveled slightly in his chair,
rocking the both of them. Kat looked at the Lego stands. “You never do anything by the book, do
you?” she said.
“God hates functional fixedness.” He smiled.