The Game That Listens

This story starts with me. I purchase a game called Mario Kart: Super circuit. Well, as you can tell this game is a Mario game. The plumber from the Mushroom Kingdom who has to save the princess all the time. I got the game from Gamestation quite a while ago. The check out man handed me the game and I paid very little, as it is an old, pre-owned game. At the time I asked if the game was faulty and he replied with:

"Oh.. right. the game is in 100% working order."

So I bought the game and then he stopped me and said that the women who sent the game back said she loved this game but had to leave it as it creeped her out and she thought she was going insane! When she left the game the clerk said, "It also says T.G.T.L on the back."

I asked what that meant and then he said that he was never told and that I will never know. So I walked home and realized that the clerk said that the game nearly made the women insane! But I still played it. The game started as normal, played really well and other than the writing on the back was in good condition. So I was really happy I could play the game and not worry.

One time while I was playing the game, I played on Bowser's Castle 1 and was doing extremely well. So I started to mock the CPU (saying that they suck at the game and such.)

As I was just a boy my imagination was at its wildest. But when mocking the game I heard a little static and then heard a unexplainable noise and then the game froze, which threw me off a little. But as a kid I thought my imagination was getting the better of me, so I kept playing.

When I started the game the game still played normally and I wondered what went wrong. When I processed it with my young mind I thought the game was in a worse condition than I thought or it was just coincidence. But even my assumptions were wrong.

I didn't play the game until about a week later, forgetting about the "Coincidence" so I carried on with the game and as I said it played normally until I shouted at the game cause I lost a race I really needed to win. And then the game did the same as last time, gone all static and then froze. But seeing this was not coincidence I turned it off and then turned it back on straight away and this is what I regret. Because as soon as I turned it on the game showed a white screen.

Text AND a voice came out of my Gameboy. The text was black, mostly expected. The voice coming out of the speakers sounded like a calm woman. She said hi. I was extremely scared so I did not speak. The screen flashed red and her calm voice was broken into a horrible croaky voice which sounded like she had seen a child get murdered "Answer me!" She shouted.

So I said hi. Her voice then rumbled back into a calm voice and I talked to her extremely confused. At this time I was playing the game, I was on my own, I was to scared to move from where I was. After a while we talked for a bit and said that her name is Sandra. But called herself Tugtile (Tug-Tile) when in her demonic voice. When I got comfortable she told me somethings but extremely little information.

As I got used to talking to her, she suddenly stopped talking and all I could hear was ripping and tearing, no visual content. Suddenly the game's main screen showed Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad all sleeping... or dead... and the game blacked out.

I was of course watching without any movement; I was frightened. It then faded back to the white screen and I said after a few minutes.

"Hello?" There was no answer.

I decided to say hello again and then the game made a clicking noise and then showed Mario's head twisting.

Every time I said a word Mario's action differed. I said Sandra and Mario closed his eyes. I said hello again and then Mario opened them again. I then said hello for a final time and Mario smiled demonically. While spinning, this continued for a long time and then he started laughing maniacally.

I waited for a few more minutes but nothing but the sound of the static getting louder was heard. I turned off the Gameboy. As I sat frozen in place... thinking... staring into the blackness of the screen... I managed to turn on the Gameboy another time. It started normally. the game was back to normal. And has been fine since this moment in history. It still makes me freeze when I think about it. But luckily, It has never happened again.

The Aftermath
What happened after that day?

I had a few reoccurring nightmares every now and then. But that only happened for a week or two and then the nightmares left my system. I also did not play the game after testing one track for about 3 months. My memory of what I talked about to Sandra is quite weak. I think I got 6 questions but only remember 3. This is because I was scared by what happened at the end of my unbearable journey.

1: Q: who are you?

A: My name.... Sandra

2: Q: Sandra... What does T.G.T.L stand for?

A: The...Game...That...Listens

3: Q: Are you a real person, Sandra?

A: Of course, you are speaking to me now right, I may not be here with you but we still are talking.

This is all I remember so I am very sorry. But please be careful with what you buy. You never know what could happen.

Written by Brandon4437.