Disclaimer : I don't own anything from Jumanji.

The name I gave you

The local news report was passing on television. Alex wasn't really paying attention. The sound and the image were playing in the background. Snippets of information were reaching him as he was focused on the difficult task of giving his son Andy his dessert.. ...She is the fourth student of Brantford's high school declared missing... He sighed in defeat. The apple compote was almost everywhere but in his son's mouth. ...The teenage girl was trekking alone in the North Mountains for few days... As he lifted his head, Alex's look caught the TV just in time to see a familiar face. He felt his blood turning cold.

On a red coloured background, a big portrait of a smiling Bethany was occupying the screen with the word "missing" written in caps. He realised his hands were shaking as he tried to raise the volume with the remote.

- "This case may not be related to the paranormal disappearance of three other students in a park this afternoon." Said the male journalist to his feminine colleague.
- "Indeed." She replied. "Several witnesses have report the same observations. The teenagers seemed to have been absorbed by their phones." Alex gulped as the journalist emphasized the last part of the sentence.
- "Absorbed?"
- "Yes. The police is investigating on that case as some raw footages of the event have been uploaded on several video platforms and are buzzing right now. We don't know for sure if that's real, but the first testimonies are concurring."

As the reporter spoke, the picture changed to a shaky cam recording. The sound was a bit saturated as people screamed around the camera, but Alex could hear a distinctive drum beat in the background. Also, even with the unfocused images, he recognized the three teenagers. He watched with dread their frames distorted slowly as they were sucked into their phone. That moment he knew that probably the same had happened to Bethany wherever she was. Suddenly he realised that he could be the next one, that Jumanji would call him back too. Or, worst, put his family in danger. His heart raced.

- "...The police have declared that some evidences seem to have been concealed. The four students' phones, found on site, seem to have been infected by the recent virus that paralysed several Brantford's companies a few days ago. The phone data have been encrypted so they cannot be collected by the authorities. For the moment, no track of investigation is preferred."
- "It seems that a lot is happening these days at Brantford..."

Alex stared blankly at the screen. He wasn't listening anymore. He was still lost in his thoughts when his wife, Elena, entered the room.

- "Bethany is waiting for her daddy goodnight kiss. She... Alex? Are you ok?" Asked the brunette with concern when she saw his face. "You're as white as sheet." She turned to the TV as the journalists were repeating the same last news. "Poor kids. That staging is sick." - "Staging? It was filmed in a park full of people. I don't think they can have faked the testimony of so many." Again, the portrait of the four missing students was displayed on the screen.

At that very moment, Alex wanted to explain everything to his wife. But all was rushing back in his mind and he couldn't find a way to tell the truth without her thinking he was mad.

- "Anyway... That story just moved me. I thought about our children..." He concluded with a sad smile.
- "I'm sure the police will find the people behind that. I hope they will find the kids safe and sound." She hugged him tenderly before adding to his ear: "Your daughter is waiting. I'll take care of Andy." She smiled when she witnessed the multiple streaks of compote around the baby. "Look at that mess."

She raised her hands in an ironically gesture of defeat that made him laugh.

###

Alex stopped in front of the door. The name of his daughter was written with colourful pieces of wood.

- "The girl that saved my life..." He murmured as he touched the letters.

It was quite a very long time since he had been that scared. Jumanji was coming back in his life in an unexpected and cruel way. Those teenagers belonged to the past but without them he wouldn't have the life he enjoyed today. And even if, from the group, Bethany had been a lightning bolt love in his youth, she had such an impact on him for the brief moment they met.

Thanks to her he was alive, and her support made everything possible. He remembered the emotion he had when he met her in flesh few months ago. Of course, as the time had passed, he didn't have the same feelings that he had back then in the game, but he was quite moved.

- "Daddy? Are you there?"

The little voice cut his thoughts. Alex finally pushed the door and entered his daughter's bedroom.

- "Hi there princess."
- "Daddy!" Exclaimed the little girl. "Kiss me goodnight." She said with an innocent grin.
- "Sure." Delicately, he replaced the cover over her. He sat on the corner of her bed and then landed a kiss on her forehead. "Daddy is watching over you. Sleep well." Bethany gripped her teddy. "Goodnight little fairy." He simply added before switching off the light on the bedside table.
- "You don't tell me stories?" Even in the dark he perceived her disappointed pout.

He closed his eyes and sighed. What could he tell her? At the moment, he had nothing in his mind except Jumanji. He heard the door creak, so he turned round. In the frame, against the light of the corridor, there was his wife. Alex put his head in his hand.

- "Is everything ok?" Asked Elena as she entered the room. She put a hand on his shoulder. Alex shacked slowly his head in a negative way, but he smiled at her. He sighed deeply and finally said for both his wife and daughter:
- "Daddy has a story. This one is for the whole family."
- "Alex?"

With a single movement of the head, he invited his wife to join him. She sat in front of him on a tiny children chair. He smiled. The dim light coming from the corridor was just enough to light the faces of everyone. He began to talk in a calm and slow-paced voice.

- "I will tell you a rather strange story." He eye-locked with his wife. "A long time ago, there was a boy who had a magical game. He didn't know it was magic until he played it. And the day he did, he found himself literally absorbed by the game. He was sent into a beautiful but very dangerous jungle. To return in the real world he had to win the game, but he quickly found that he couldn't do it all alone. So, he stayed hidden and tried to avoid perils as much as he could. Because inside the game time was different and the boy didn't age, and years passed without him noticing.
But one day, four other kids found the game and were trapped just like him. The boy found them, and they quickly became friends. They joined forces to defeat the game. As they progressed the challenges became harder and harder and, at some point, the boy almost lost his life. He was saved by one of the four kids." Alex looked at his daughter and smiled. "Her name was Bethany."
- "Oh! That's my name." Exclaimed the little girl. She looked up at him with big eyes.
- "Yes. And that girl became special to him and during their journey they got closer." His wife frowned but didn't say a word. "Finally, the kids beat the game and they were all released. But when the boy returned into the real world he found that he was alone. He was back the exact same day he had begun the game, so the kids that helped him weren't there. They weren't even born."
- "They were from his future?" Asked the little girl.
- "Exactly." Replied Alex looking back at her.
- "So, was Bethany?"
- "Yes, so was she." He turned back to his wife. "At first he was sad because he knew that he may never see her back but as time was passing by it became less painful. Years later, he felt in love with a woman that became his wife. The first child they had was a girl. He chose Bethany as a name to honour his lost friend." Alex found it hard to finish his sentence without a tremor in his voice, but he managed to keep it smooth.
- "I like the story." Bethany said.
- "Great." He replied. "Now, it's time to sleep." He got up and laid a kiss on her forehead. Without a word, Elena did the same.
- "Goodnight." Said the little girl as her parents were leaving the room.

The brunette closed partially the door behind them. She gave Alex a quizzical look. He knew that a long conversation was ahead, but it was the moment to tell the truth to his loved one. Jumanji was a part of his life he couldn't ignore anymore. He silently invited her to follow him.

For those who read 7um4n71, initially the 5th chapter was to be cut in 2. This OS was right in between those two parts, but it was a little bit too different so I preferred to extract it.

I hope you liked it!