This was not the first time the children played this game, not the first time the game was named and the possibilities of what was, what is, and what could be fragmented reality into multitudes. It was not the last time the game was played, either, despite the rule that one should not play the game whilst also in the game.
“Once you give something a name, it has power” the man warned them. “Have fun, but be intentional and careful with your words. They will cause the destruction of her.”
In order to beginning the game, you need a “host”, a sapient lifeform, as well as a “name”. The children thought about their names, choosing to go with the wild and whimsical. “I am Reality.” the first boy declared. “I am Imagination, but you can call me Imagine for short!” The second boy spoke. “I am Dream.” The small girl giggled. “And I am Human.” I added, not a player, but both the “host” and the “her” that will be destroyed. The children sneered at me. You are also Love, a voice told her, imperceptible to the other children. Do not forget that.
DON’T YOU KNOW WE HATE HUMANS?! They seemed to shout, though no sound could be heard. They had moved on to the second phase: initial powers. They got to assign a power to themselves using each letter of their name.
“Imagination picked a strong name for a good start, don’t you think?” The man smiled at me. We are angry at each other – he is angry at me for being so closed-minded and selfish, not wanting to share my body readily with anyone who wanted it. I am angry at the loss of autonomy, loss of freewill. Being in abusive relationships has taught me that it’s useless to talk back. “Don’t you forget that this is what I feel like you deserve.” He snapped at me, his tone cold and harsh. I will not forget.
All 3 of the children picked “Animals” for their A. The man grinned. “Now, Animals is a fine start. But you can’t all have exactly the same thing, so we will mix it up a bit. Reality has an uncanny understanding of Animals and can talk to them. Imagination can appear in animal form. Dream can control animals, only while dreaming from an animal’s perspective.” The children thanked the man, and thought long and hard about what their powers could mean, and how to use them.
“I just realized something!” Dream exclaimed. “She is a human, which means she is animal. Our powers should work on her!” She stamped her feet in excitement, Reality grinning. “Maybe we can test out our powers on her for a while.” He said. They looked to Imagine. “Remember what the man said,” he warned. “We need to be careful with her, especially while she is the host.” They nodded in agreement. The game could be compromised if they didn’t keep me safe.
The man smiled a small and sly smile in my direction. He is also a player, though his name is REDACTED. As such, his powers remain for the most part unknown.
And, there is another, watching the game, already forgotten by most, though present prior to the game starting. You need a “host”, but you also need a neutral party to oversee the game and step in if things get out of control. The neutral party had already stepped in, reminding me of my secret name, the one given to me by them themselves. Though there would be many more names to come.
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