Published: October 03, 2008 08:32 pm            

2008 Register-News Halloween Story Contest

Write your own ending to this story in 250 words or less and send it to the Register-News for a chance to win tickets to the Jaycees House of Horrors.

Mail your submission to: Jeremy Hall, Register-News, 911 Broadway, Mt. Vernon, IL, or e-mail it to:jeremy.hall@register-news.com

Entries must be received by 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17.



The sight of a cursor racing across the screen of a monitor made Daniel feel alive. The 17-year-old about to start his senior year of high school spent nearly all of his summer time in front of the computer. He had even taken to falling asleep in the chair at his desk.

There was FaceBook, the music sites, chat rooms and games. Daniel had given up playing baseball last summer after he truly discovered the Internet.

Henry and Phyllis Walker had noticed a change in their son as he matured into adulthood. He became less sociable and preferred time alone in his room to attending family get-togethers or even meals, for that matter. But his grades never slipped and he had qualified for an academic scholarship at State University. So they let him have his space.

Monday, Aug. 8, started as any other day for Daniel. He awoke in his chair, worked out the kink in his neck created by sleeping upright and slowly gained his footing. After walking through the empty house to retrieve a bowl of cereal, Daniel plopped back down into his chair and reconnected to his instant messenger.

While replying to the messages apparently sent after he fell asleep some four hours ago, a single message struck him as odd.

“Come on in,” read the subject line.

Curious, Daniel clicked to open the message and his world went dark.

Then more darkness. For what seemed like an eternity Daniel felt alive but with no bearing about himself.

Slowly, colors began to appear before his eyes. He saw his chair, his bed and the window beside it. He was looking at his room from inside the computer.

Daniel turned around and saw a plethora of intertwining cables. And they were large enough to walk on if he so chose. He turned back around and reached for the opening containing his bedroom.

Thud.

His hand was stopped at the screen.

A combination of amazement and bewilderment overcame Daniel as he pondered his next move. Actually being inside the Internet was something he was most certain none of his FaceBook friends had experienced. Yet he did not want to venture from the opening into the real world.

Daniel pondered his options and then decided to ...

        

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