Game Over. Retry?

• Sarah Hector, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2018

Ella couldn’t believe her eyes, that poor child. If she didn’t freeze and had grabbed him, he wouldn’t of ran out in front of the car. It was her fault! She could've stopped him! But she didn’t...

That afternoon, Ella sat on her bed on her phone. She didn’t speak, she didn’t eat. She only remembered the dead body of a four year old. Being fifteen, Ella shouldn’t of had to see that. It was horrible. She played a game on her phone, it was a brand new game that she got earlier today, it came up as a suggestion to play, she had nothing else better to do so downloaded it. She sat on her bed like a sloth, staring emotionlessly into her phone. Suddenly in game she died, her mouth cursed but no words came out. ‘Game over. Retry?’ Came up on the screen, Ella sighed and looked out her window, it was dark.
“One more game” She managed to say before clicking ‘Okay!’
Suddenly without warning, she blacked out. Only to be woken by her morning alarm.
“I must of dozed off, I can’t really remember anything after pressing ‘Okay’” She yawned and rubbed her head, thinking nothing of it. It was Friday, school time...

“I loved it! It was an amazing movie!” Stephanie excitedly said to Ella, who felt really puzzled, they had this conversation yesterday,
“Uh didn’t you talk about that yesterday?” Ella then said, receiving a confused look from Stephanie,
“I only watched it yesterday, which was Wednesday remember?” She stopped and looked at her best friend wondering if she was crazy or having serious deja vu,
“Its Friday today….” She then said, still totally confused,
“No its Thursday silly” Steph giggled, before turning down an alley,
“See ya tomorrow when its FRIDAY” And with that, Stephanie disappeared into her yard.

‘Wait, if today is Thursday, then that means the little boy will get run over in front of me! I have to stop it!’ She thought to herself before running to the crossing where the crash happened, she had one chance, one chance to save a life that had barely begun. She felt so sure that she needed to do this, she was determined. She was given this chance so she would use it. Behind her was a giggling boy with a mother on her phone, they kept walking to the crossing. Ella prepared herself for what was gonna happen next. The boy would run. And she was correct, the little boy picked up speed, as he came close Ella grabbed his collar and pulled him back, the same car that had hit him, shot past. A sudden gasp from his mother came from behind her,
“Oh thank you so much!” She exclaimed, obviously joyful. Ella did it.

It was true, anyone can do anything if they are determined enough to do so. Ella looked at the app on her phone. The game that saved a life. She held her phone up and whispered,
“Thank you so much”