Hall spent a frustrating day at school, thinking about RandomizarBian and the weird OTHER WORLDS site. There was no point trying to find out more about it until he got home. The school ran an internet filter that blocked games and didn’t allow messaging apps on school devices.

It was so annoying.

He slowly struggled through the day, impatience building and building. When the end of school chime sounded, Hall bolted … something he didn’t often do.

He was huffing and puffing by the time he got home. Despite being out of breath, he raced up the stairs to his room, two at a time. Dumping his schoolbag in the corner, he plonked himself onto his chair and booted up.

No messages.

Hall tried to contact RandomizarBian.

No response.

Where is he? wondered Hall. He’s always there. Always!

Hall had never met this guy, and even though he was his greatest online nemesis, he still considered RandomizarBian a friend.

Hall often wondered what RandomizarBian was like in real life. Was he anything like the avatar he used? Or was he, like Hall, hiding behind a persona that was nothing like the real person?

But it didn’t really matter … did it?

Whatever he was like in the real world, in the online world RandomizarBian was Hall’s friend. He was reliable. Always there for him when he needed to escape the real world and play. Always … until now.

Had something happened? Or had Hall’s win during their last game upset him?

Hall tried to put all this out of his mind by focusing on OTHER WORLDS. He scoured online for information. The search term brought up mostly information about NASA and space research. Nothing about the OTHER WORLDS site and the stories mentioned on it. If it was a game, it wasn’t one people were talking about.

Next, Hall got onto the gaming chat groups and asked questions.

No one had heard of OTHER WORLDS.

No one knew why RandomizarBian was not responding to messages.

So it’s not just me. What is going on? thought Hall. Are RandomizarBian’s silence and this strange website linked?

Hall went back to the OTHER WORLDS site. The more he read, the more convinced he was that it was a mysterious game. And the more determined he became to work it out, play it and win.

The site had a contact email address. So he decided to send a message. But what should he say?

Should he email for game instructions?

No. He got the feeling that working things out was part of the experience. So he typed …

Wanting to enter another world and play. Where can I find a key?

Later that afternoon a reply arrived …

This is not a game.

Hall continued to send messages to RandomizarBian and search for mentions of OTHER WORLDS over the next couple of days.

Then on Saturday morning he headed off to PlayTime.

PlayTime was a strange little shop, down a dingy alley in the local shopping strip. It sold computer games, as well as board games and card games. There was a large trestle table at the back of the shop where customers could try out various games on display.

The sound of laser-fire blasted through the shop as he entered. Hall didn’t react. He was used to the bizarre sounds that were triggered by opening the door. Each week, Max would try out a new sound. Last week it had been a choir of cats meowing the Pokémon theme. Most shops just had a doorbell or buzzer, but this wasn’t like other shops; and Max wasn’t like other shop owners.

Hall had no idea what Max’s surname was. He was just Max, or GameLord online. He was tall and gangly, with curly blond hair that stuck out from beneath a backwards baseball cap, and a thin, wispy beard. He looked like he was in his thirties. And he did not look like a lord of any sort.

‘Yo, Awesome Hall-dude.’ Max waved from behind the counter.

Hall got straight to the point. ‘I need to ask you about something.’

‘Shoot!’

‘Do you know anything about an online game called OTHER WORDS?’

Max scratched his whiskered chin. ‘Not offhand. It’s nothing I’ve ever played. But my knowledge, while mighty and impressive, is not all encompassing. So I could, you know, check the database for you?’

‘Thanks.’

Max tapped at the laptop on the counter. He squinted at the screen, then shook his head. ‘Sorry, Hall-dude. Nada.’

‘I don’t suppose you know what’s happened to RandomizarBian?’ asked Hall.

‘What do you mean?’

‘He hasn’t been answering messages. And he hasn’t been on the chat groups. And he’s not been challenging me like he normally does.’

‘Sorry. No idea. I don’t even know who he is in real life. RandomizarBian has always been a bit of a mystery.’ He waggled his fingers in front of his face in what he must have thought was a mysterious way. It wasn’t.

Hall nodded. He was running out of ideas. Maybe he should show the site to Max and see what he made of it.

‘Got something new on the back table,’ said Max, breaking into his thoughts.

‘Huh?’

Hall looked to the rear of the shop. The boards, handheld devices, war-gaming figurines and cards that were usually set up for customers to play with had all been pushed aside into an unruly pile. On the end of the table was something new.

It was a sleek, shiny, black processor box with a screen and keyboard. Next to it was a VR helmet and a pair of data gloves.

‘Wow!’ breathed Hall. He’d had a few goes of virtual reality before, when he’d attended a big gaming expo at the Exhibition Centre. Unfortunately, he’d never got a decent shot at it, because there was always a time limit due to the number of other people wanting to have a turn.

‘Wanna give it a go?’ asked Max.

All thoughts of the website and his missing rival disappeared. It was as if the technology was calling to him, enticing him over.

But it was more than that. He had a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. Like hunger. But not for food.

‘You bet!’ Hall almost ran to the table. He picked up the helmet and examined it. The inside was padded in thick black foam, with gaps on either side for the speakers. Rather than goggles, the helmet had a visor-screen. There were no wires to connect it to the computer.

‘Wireless,’ explained Max, coming to stand beside Hall. ‘Pop it on with the visor up.’

Hall lowered the helmet onto his head. The foam seemed to move around and expand until the helmet was snug. It was surprisingly comfortable. Then he realised he couldn’t hear anything. Max was talking, waving the gloves around. Then Max fiddled with the computer.

‘Sorry about that.’ Max’s voice burst through the helmet speakers. ‘Forgot to switch on the sound.’ He held up the gloves. Silvery threads of wire were woven through the back fabric. They stretched as Hall put them on, then tightened into a perfect fit.

‘Fits like a glove,’ joked Hall.

‘I’m loading up your usual avatar, Awesome Hall-dude,’ said Max. ‘Lower the visor.’

Hall detected excitement in the shop owner’s voice. Maybe he was expecting Hall to buy the VR set-up after he tried it out.

Fat chance, thought Hall. It probably costs, like, a bazillion dollars.

Besides, there was no way his mum would spend more money on more games.

Hall lowered the visor and the foam shifted, blocking out the last stray bits of light from his surroundings.

‘Okay. Here we go,’ said Max. ‘Go forth and be awesome!’

With a rush of noise and blur of light, Hall was standing in another world.