"You must play the game exactly how it is meant to be played..."

These words marked the beginning of an amazing adventure for me, one that I could never forget and probably one that most would never believe. Hell, I could hardly believe it myself. There was no denying that it happened, though. Even if it wasn't real…even if it was all in my head, I still experienced every moment…heard every sound and felt every emotion. And then, there was the memento, a physical piece of evidence that proved to me that my epic journey took place.

It was a cool autumn day when I discovered Gamers Unlimited, a small, privately owned store that stocked games for older consoles, one of which I possessed: the Playstation One (or just Playstation, as it was called before Playstation 2 arrived in stores). It was a one-story building located on the outskirts of town, set back a little from the road. The front of the store consisted of a glass door and a single windowed display to show off its wares.

Opening the door caused a high-pitched bell to ring, and walking inside, I could hear the creaking of the mildly sloping floor. The air smelled a bit musty, yet I could sense that there were several older tube-televisions turned on by that just-out-of-hearing frequency in the air. I recognized a few MIDI tunes that were playing, and these sounds brought me back to the good ole' days of gaming.

"We have the best game selection anywhere," I heard a man's voice say.

I looked around until I saw a man, probably in his 30's. His hair was blonde and well-trimmed, and his blue eyes peered out from behind a pair of thickly-rimmed glasses. He was average height and weight and dressed in a t-shirt and blue jeans. He looked vaguely familiar to me, but I couldn't place him. I chalked it up to déjà vu and walked over to where he stood.

"Do you carry Playstation games?" I asked him.

"Of course," he replied quickly, "Are you looking for PS2….PS3?"

I shook my head, anticipating some disappointment. There were very few stores that carried original Playstation games.

"No," I told him, "Just Playstation. Not PS1, 2, or 3…."

His tilted his head, giving me a minor smirk.

"Ahhh….the classic Playstation." The most peculiar expression washed over his face, and it made me a little uneasy. "So, you have an original Playstation."

I said nothing but just nodded.

"Yes, I have some Playstation games," he continued, "Were you looking for anything in particular?"

I don't know why I hesitated to answer. Perhaps it was that peculiar look, or maybe it was his familiar face. Whatever it was didn't seem to phase him because he patiently waited on my response.

"I'm looking for Final Fantasy games." I finally said.

"I see. A Final Fantasy fan." His eyes seemed to brighten. "Which one is your favorite?"

Without hesitation, I responded, "Seven."

"Then I have quite the treat for you," he grinned, beckoning me to follow him.

He lead me through a door with the label "PRIVATE" on it. As soon as I entered the room, I gasped. I just couldn't help myself. On each wall there were three shelves loaded with Playstation jewel cases. My eyes scanned over some of the names…Tetris…..Spyro…..Chrono Cross…..just a utopia of games that I had played when I was younger.

"I know. It's really something, isn't it?" he stated, seeing and hearing my reaction.

"It's incredible!" I agreed.

He walked to one of the shelves on the left and picked up a case, carrying it as gingerly as a mother would hold a newborn child. As he brought it closer, I could see the familiar graphics on the cover of the game…. Final Fantasy VII.

"Would you be interested in this?" he asked.

"Well, it depends on the price."

There was a long pause as he allowed me to gaze longingly at it.

"I'll tell you what," he finally said, "I'll give this to you for free if you answer a few trivia questions about Final Fantasy VII. And then you MUST play the game exactly how it is meant to be played, and you must play it all the way through."

I gave him a skeptical look, but he just maintained his eye contact with me. What was going on here? Why is he just going to give this game to me? What is his angle? Is he hitting on me?

"If I answer these questions and agree to play the game all the way through, you'll give me the game free?" I repeated disbelievingly.

He nodded. "And play it exactly how it is meant to be played," he added. What did that mean? Perhaps he was talking about cheat codes or changing the characters' names. I tried not to take offense to this because I had a strong aversion to cheaters.

"How will you even know that I've played the game all the way through?" I asked.

"I'll take you at your word." He simply stated.

I took a moment to wonder if he was playing the mother of all pranks on me, and I glanced around to search for hidden cameras. Finally, I said, "Okay then. Ask your questions."

"First question: Who is Marlene's father?"

I smirked, knowing this was a trick question.

"Dyne was her biological father. Barret adopted her after he thought Dyne died."

The guy laughed. "Correct! Great catch!"

I chuckled nervously.

"Second question:" he continued, "What rank in SOLDIER was Cloud?"

It was another trick question.

"Cloud was never in SOLDIER, but in his head, he was First Class." I said rather smugly.

"You're good." He praised. "And finally: What is the name of the race of people from which Aeris descends?"

"The Cetra or as Shinra calls them, the Ancients." I replied. "And it's Aerith...not Aeris."

He smiled broadly and handed me the game. When I tried to take it, he held on for a moment.

"Remember…" he told me, "You must play the game exactly how it is meant to be played, and you must play it all the way through."

I stared into those blue eyes, trying to figure out if he was a wacko.

"I will," I promised, pulling the game out of his grasp. As I looked at the pristine CD case, I couldn't help but think, "What the hell did I just agree to?"

Over the next few days, I convinced myself that he was just an overly avid gamer and that he must really love Final Fantasy VII. The questions he asked were easy enough for a hard-core fan, but just difficult enough to weed out those whom he might consider unworthy. The more I thought about the conversation, the more unnerved I became. And that last condition….

(You must play the game exactly how it is meant to be played, and you must play it all the way through.)

What the hell was that all about? Of course I intended to play it all the way through, regardless of the number of times I had already played this game. Did he mean all in one sitting? Because there was no way that was happening. I liked to take my time and explore every aspect, even though I had previously done this on many occasions.

Even while I was at work at the club, I couldn't get the conversation out of my mind. His insistence that I "play the game exactly how it is meant to be played" both intrigued me and creeped me out. What would happen if I didn't play it that way? I even went so far as to wonder if there was some kind of hidden camera inside the jewel case, but I laughed it off as utter paranoia.

When I repeated the conversation to one of my gamer friends, Alec, he informed me that the whole conversation was reminiscent of the movie, Pleasantville, and I chuckled to think of it. He was either pulling my leg, or he was a complete nut job. Like I would start the game and be magically transported to Midgar, only to meet Cloud Strife and the gang.

...How cool would that be...

And then, after a few days of trying to make sense of it all, the man's face would appear somewhere and tell me that I was special.

"Skye, the guy sounds like a nut job," Alec chuckled, "but nut job or no, sounds like you made off with a sweet deal.

"Yea, you're right," I agreed.

Still, I refrained from using the game right away, and I admonished myself for entertaining the notion…even for a second. Twenty-four hours later, I ceremoniously opened the case and removed the first disc, taking a moment to examine it. There was nothing remarkable about it, nor did it shimmer with an other-worldly quality. It was just a Playstation disc, one side painted with the logo and the other side glossy silver.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," I scolded myself out loud, "Just put in the disc."

I snapped it into the console and slowly closed the lid, gently pushing until I heard the click. Grabbing my controller, I reached for the power button, and admittedly, I felt some apprehension. My flat screen TV came to life with the Playstation logo and then, finally, the Sony logo. The music filled the room through my high-definition surround-sound speakers, and despite being slightly nervous, I reveled in the melody. At last, I saw the words: "NEW GAME" and the word "Continue?" underneath that.

"Here goes," I mumbled, pressing the "OK" button for the new game selection.

Once the cinematics began, I started to relax. I'm not sure what I had expected to happen, but whatever it was, it never did. I played for about 20 minutes, working Cloud through the first AVALANCHE mission and successfully blowing up the Mako reactor. I was very thorough, collecting everything from every place. I kept the names of the characters, as I had always done. After the scene on the train, I went to the nearest save point and turned off the game. I would pick it up again after work tomorrow when I had more time.

As I crawled into my bed, I laughed at myself for allowing this guy to freak me out. Reaching for the light, I had one final thought: What a weirdo….

That night, I dreamed that I sat in a small boat that was floating on an ocean of black water. All around me was nothing but darkness. I could see the boat and myself perfectly even with no source of light, but beyond that was a void. I tried to look into the water, but I saw only the water….nothing underneath it...not even a reflection of myself. Slowly and with some trepidation, I reached out to touch the water.

My hand sunk into it, just as it would into regular water, but when I tried to pull it back, I couldn't. I felt a jab of fear rip through my chest as I realized that my hand was stuck. I continued attempting to wrench myself free, but my efforts were in vain. I could feel my breaths quicken and the panic setting in. With my other hand, I grabbed my arm just above the water line and kept pulling, but the more I pulled, the more my hand would sink beneath the surface.

After one more mammoth yank, my second hand became submerged. I gasped and tried to scream, but no sound came out. I could hear my frenzied heart pounding in my ears, and now I was aware of some unknown force pulling me into the water….slowly….yet steadily. The fear took hold of my senses, and I struggled with all my strength. Opening my mouth, I let out another silent scream, wildly flailing to free myself by any means. When the boat finally capsized, I felt myself dip below the surface of the water…

…and I awakened, panting and in a cold sweat. I gasped deeply and sat up in my bed, looking around my room. It was still dark outside, but I could just make out some outlines of furniture. I reached for the lamp on my night stand, but it wasn't there…nor was the night stand. As my eyes began to adjust to the dark, I swung my feet out of the bed and set them on the floor. Instead of my plush carpeting, I felt a cold, wooden floor.

...What the...

I stumbled out of bed, which I was just realizing was incredibly uncomfortable, and searched for some kind of light switch. I drew my hands along the walls of the small room and finally happened upon my target. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, but once they did, I got a good look at the room.

It was like a small box, the room in which I now stood. There was a single light on the wall opposite me and what looked like a little foot locker…

a chest…it's a chest

…on the floor in front of the bed.

...Am I still dreaming?...

(Nope. You're not dreaming!)

On the left side of the room was a crooked wooden door, and I hurried to open it and walk through it.

Outside, it was brighter, but the light was not natural. The houses were extremely small, like the one I had just exited, and built with what appeared to be scrap planks of wood and metal. There were no paved streets or traffic signals; no cars or transportation of any kind could be seen. Buildings were crammed together and interconnected by poorly constructed piping. Right next to the building I had just exited loomed one larger house with a sign on the front, and as soon as I saw the words, my mouth dropped open. It read, "Tifa's 7th Heaven."