Danny in a Newfangled World

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Chapter One

Danny Gets Bored

Danny Lenesky loved to play video games.  They were as important to him as pizza was to parties, cannon balls to pools, and nose-picking to his little brother.  In fact, there were no worse words in the whole world than “Danny, turn off the computer!”

Danny called it the Mom Bomb.  She dropped it regularly and he was never prepared.  That’s why he could never surrender without a fight.

“Aaaaaw, I’m not finished my game, Mom!” he would bellow.

“Just turn it off.”

“But, Mo-o-o-om.”

“Off, young man!”

They would toss words back and forth like a ping pong ball until Danny finally followed her orders.  His parents just didn’t get it.  Didn’t they see that there was nothing more important to Danny than knowing how to slide faster, smash harder, bounce higher, and think quicker than ever before in each game he played?  His friends were in awe of him.  His enemies were jealous of him.  The only other kid in class that came close to such fame was Trey who recited the alphabet to the tune of his flatulence.

It was hilarious, Danny agreed.  But even a melody of farts didn’t interest him if the computer was on.  He had only one thing on his mind.  Winning every game he played.  The downside was that he’d become so good that he’d mastered all of the games he knew.  He would love to find new games, but there was one person blocking his way.  Mom Lenesky. 

“Stay in the safety zone,” she said.  The safety zone was a bunch of web sites that she called danger-free.  Danny called it Blah-Land.  He was ready to try something new.  If only she’d let him.

Then one day, Danny’s world turned upside down.  It all started with two words that slipped from his drooping lips.

“I’m bored.”

 He covered his mouth.  Had he actually said that out loud?  Danny couldn’t believe it.  How had it come to this?  Boredom was supposed to happen at other times, like during spelling tests or while watching Teletubbies with his little brother.  But playing video games?  Never!  How had his favourite thing in the whole world suddenly become as unappealing as a box of raisins at Halloween?  He had to take action.  

“Can I please go to other sites?” he begged his mother as she whisked past the room.

“Nope.  But you can pick up the dirty socks in your room.”  She offered.    

Danny pretended he didn’t hear her and fell silent while she walked upstairs.  He propped his elbows up on the desk to stare at the computer screen.  What now?

“Well, I guess I could just turn the computer off,” he said.

Then he shook his head.  How could he even consider such an idea?  And then what would he do?  Polish his Lego…  Count the books on his shelf… Sit on his basketball and stare at the road?  No.  It was no use.  There just wasn’t anything interesting to do.  It was video games, or nothing.  That’s just the way it was.  

“Don’t do it,” croaked a voice.

“Huh?” Danny looked around.  Who said that? 

“Mom? Was that you?”

She didn’t answer.  She was probably too busy making a list of chores for him to do.  He stared at the screen.  The opening scene for the game Road Rider splashed across it.  He moved the mouse to hit Play, and then stopped.  He was sick of that game, too.  He rolled the arrow over Shut down and was about to click on it when something caught his eye.  In the bottom right corner of the computer screen a small blue button flashed.

Chapter 2

A Little Button into a Big World

The button blinked.  He leaned in very close and read its small print.

“Do I dare… what?” Danny asked.  He clicked on it.  A new button appeared, with words as tiny as fruit flies.  Danny ran to his dad’s bedroom and found his magnifying glass.  Holding it a few inches from the letters, he read:

Go inside a computer?  Awesome!  Of course he would. Wouldn’t any kid?  Duh, yeah!

He clicked the button.  The screen turned black and enormous red letters flew like wild bats at him:

H-O-L-D   O-N!

Danny’s butt ejected out of his seat and he rushed head first into the computer screen and through a hallway that twisted like a serpent.  Red and yellow lights flickered while the sounds of special effects exploded in his ears – kablam, beep, splat, pow, zoink, boing, ding-ding-ding – until he landed SMACK on a dirt bike. 

The coloured lights must have blinded him, because all he saw was a silvery haze.  He panicked. 

“I’m blind!  I’m blind!” He screamed. 

He shut his stinging eyes and rubbed them with his knuckles.  When he opened them again, the haze had disappeared and Danny discovered he was in the middle of an arena.  He looked around.  Cheers rang out from the stands where faceless fans glowing like light bulbs bounced up and down in their seats. 

A black paved driveway led out of the arena and into a forest.  Way in the distance was a massive grey wall that stretched so far up into the sky that if there had been a moon up there, the wall would certainly have reached it.  Danny trembled with excitement just thinking about the exploring he had ahead of him.  He clasped his hands together.  Clank!  His hands were shiny and hard as glass.  In fact, his entire body was.  It was like he was covered in armour. 

“Wicked!” he yelled, clicking his fingers against his cheeks.  Clank-clank-clank.

A rumbling sound came from behind him.  Danny turned to see a biker drive up to his side. 

“Say your prayers, dude!” the driver yelled. 

His helmet read Phantom and he looked like one, too.  He was ghostly white and was dressed in a purple and pink jumpsuit.  A shot sounded and Phantom took off.  The race was on!

Danny pushed his motorcycle forward with his feet and cranked up the engine with a twist of his handlebars.  He bent his head low and whizzed up behind Phantom where the trail made a sudden turn.  Danny skidded off the track but straightened his bike just as he was about to crash into a tree.  Phew… That was a close one!  Phantom was still ahead, disappearing down a mountainside. 

As Danny edged toward the top of the rocky mountain, his bike sputtered and slowed… Put-put-put-put.  His gas meter read empty.

“Aw, come on!” he cried, “I need to fill up!”

Just then, he noticed a glassy red globe spinning in the sky.  Danny putted toward it and pressed the ‘jump’ button on his dash.  His bike sprang into the air and smashed the globe.  Red jelly bits splattered all over him.  When he landed, the gas meter was full and his bike lurched ahead so fast that his legs flew off the bike and wagged behind him like a dog’s tail. 

The path down the mountainside was littered with fallen trees, flat tires, jagged rocks, and rusted nails.  He zigged and zagged the track like a pro once he got the hang of it.  He’d played this game many times before at home and remembered it well.  He could probably even do it with his eyes closed, but thought it best not to try. 

He caught up to Phantom quickly.  They were neck and neck as they climbed the last ramp that rose like a tower into the sky.  Danny inched ahead at the top then sprung off the edge and sailed across the air.  As he approached the ground, he tilted his front tire up then landed on the pavement to pass the finish line first.  Swirling ribbons danced all around him as Danny raised his arms in victory.  He got off the bike and ran toward a sign that read EXIT with an arrow pointing at a door.  He couldn’t wait to see what came next.  He pushed the door open and blazed through.