Ona

Level 5

Ona thanked her friends. She reached out to pluck a feather out of the dress worn by the queen of the forest fairies, the last in a long parade of strange little creatures. “I have many great memories of this world. I feel…happy about Loaf and his adventures. He is the last registered player to visit the game world.”

“I’m here too.”

“Loaf registered your player first, then created his profile in the guild hall.” Ona lifted a stone from the ground, a piece of the broken tower. “I have a lesson about friendship.”

The forest fairies laughed as they ran down the hill at sunset, vanishing in the tall grass near the edge of the forest.

“Sure, but an explanation about why I’m here would be great.”

Ona removed two long ribbons from her hair and tied the feather to one end of a broken tree branch and the rock to the other end. She handed the branch to me like it was a sacred object. “The feather and the rock are the same.”

The branch slipped from my hand, with the heavier side dropping to the ground.

Ona said, “The feather and the rock are the same.”

I held the branch with a tighter grip, attempting to balance the weight through the virtual reality connection to the world, but the rock fell to the ground.

Ona sighed, then pulled my hands closer to the side with the rock, the heavier end, and smiled when the branch was balanced.

“The feather and the rock are the same. The lesson is to hold onto both, to balance the friendship.”

I looked at the red knight, who was ignoring the contest. “Hey, red knight, are you paying attention over there?”

The red knight was silent, watching the virtual world star field rise over the mountain.

I turned to face Ona. “Interesting lesson and one I’ll remember, but are you the Feather or the Rock?”

“I am Ona.”

I said, “Is the rock a burden?”

“The rock is the one who needs more attention, the feather is light, but always there. The Crystal Breakers have one mind, all were programmed for a certain task, but the players can rebuild the world.”

I said, “Are the two opposites? The Rock and the Feather?”

”The picnic is a time to reflect, not question. The world is a lesson in relationships and cannot be won alone. I must go, your friends have wandered deep into another level and require my help.”

I said, “Take me with you.”

Ona said, “The red knight is a feather.”

I said, “She looks like a rock to me.”

Ona said, “And your friends in the cave are the rock.”

“I want to log out of the game, please restore the menu option”

Ona said, “And what about your friend?”

“Leaf needs to succeed on his own.”

Ona said, “I understand.”

The option screen restored the game close button. I hesitated for a moment, and realized it was too late. “I need to stay…”

The red knight jumped with a fist in the air, yelled “Hurrah!” then ran down the hill into the tower. “Future husband!”

Ona sighed, “I think you will be pleased with your decision.”

The red knight climbed the hill minutes later. The armor plating was removed, and she looked proud of the long red dress, lined with silver threads.

I watched her approach with little interest. “Hi,” I said barely looking up from a plate of cheese and crackers.

The red knight said, “I need to marry the heir to castle Bromme!”

“Good luck, have a nice wedding.” I said, drinking a strange bubbling fruit juice from a small cup.

Ona said, “The stars look bright tonight.” She looked up as the sky quickly turned dark. “Be brave, a hero, please go on a date with the red knight.”

“No.”

The red knight said, “The rightful heir to our greatest castle is NO hero. The scheming little Source Aura took his friend into the caverns and he did nothing to stop her. The game needs a brave player, not a cheese and cracker eating good for nothing…”

Ona said, “His friend Loaf is our best hope to revive interest in the game!”

I checked for the menu options. I decided to leave the game world behind and save my friend.

The red knight leaped through the air with stunning speed and wrapped her arms around me. “Wait!” 

I pushed her away.

The red knight released her grip and wandered off.

Ona said, ‘The Source Aura is a high level player of the game. She found the secret to decoding game errors, and changing the game at will. She does as she pleases. I think she is the reason the game is still online. It can be hard to let go of absolute power. I suspect the woman is one of the original programmers of the game.”

“Huh?” I fell back onto the hard rocky ground of the hilltop. I realized the woman had lost her footing and was rolling down the hill, laughing.

Ona covered her eyes and giggled. “The red knight was once the most serious and frightening soldier in the kingdom. I think you make the red knight…happy?”

“Loaf talked me into playing this game. Oh well, too late for a change of heart.” I stood up and followed the red knight, a woman with no cares in the world. “Hey, wait for me!”

Ona smiled. “Level 6.”

© J. Bateman

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