Thunderbirds Are Go!
The Halloween Collection (2018 Edition)
By Lee Homer
Disclaimer: All rights reserved. The Tracy family return for the third installment of Halloween tales that have rocked International Rescue.
#3 The Game
Told by Gordon Tracy
I've taken a new hobby in my spare time which I didn't think I would stick with at first. I've recently taken an interest in board games as they remind me of the times we would play games during the wet months. I always found something quite nostalgic about them. When in between rescues, I'd often search the ad list pages for used or brand new board games that people would list for sale. I took a particular interest in strategy games in particular. You know, like Chess, Checkers, Battleship. That sort of thing. One day, I had stumbled across a seemingly basic ad for an old checkers board. It looked a little worn around the edges with an odd stain on it, but overall it looked intact. I browsed the listing for the seller's details, but all I could find was a basic address under the contact info. I checked it out and asked Grandma if I could take the jet out and fly there. She never really understood my fascination with them but allowed me to go and collect it anyway.
The address in question was at an old trailer park in a Middle American suburb. It was the sort of property you'd find nestled amongst the cattle farms and oil refineries that operated in the area. I arrived at the address but was met with a desolate silence. Where was everybody? Getting the impression that I had been duped, I took a chance and knocked on the door. It shortly opened, revealing a dark and musty interior. A frail old man appeared on the other side of the door. His milky eye peered behind the keychain.
"Can I help you?"
I smiled and greeted him politely. "Oh, Hi there. I'm the guy who called about the board game?"
The man looked at me up and down, before shutting the door on me. I heard him fiddle with the latch before opening it again. He stepped out onto the porch carrying a dusty wooden box under his arm.
"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into?" He huffed away he handed the board to me. "This is no ordinary Checkers board."
"How so?" I asked.
"This board is said to be cursed." He continued. "I've had to put up with it for nearly Twenty years and nobody would buy it from me. That's why it's going for free."
I didn't believe him. For all, I knew I was just dealing with a senile old man who loved to tell stories. He was being adamant though as he continued his wacky claims.
"I'm serious, boy. Just you be careful with that board. It's your responsibility now. I was too careless with it."
"Okay, well at least let me..."
Before I could say more, the man slammed the door on me, leaving there in bemusement. I returned to my rented car, placing the board on the passenger seat and set off for the airstrip. It wasn't until I got home, however, that the strangest part of this story happened.
Later the day, I had gone out on a rescue mission with Scott and Virgil. We had saved a nuclear plant from meltdown after a Tsunami hit it. It was really messy and exhausting work. All I could think about was that game board along with the crazy old man's story. I must have enjoyed his tale so much because all I wanted to do was play a game on it. As soon as we got home, I freshened myself up and made my way into the lounge. The board sat on the table where I had left it earlier. I opened the bag which had the playing pieces in it and placed them on the board. I decided to start an open game with myself, moving a black piece on the board. To my frustration, however, my next move was interrupted by another call from John. I was needed again. This time, a Cruise ship had sent out an SOS and it went unheard. So as you can imagine, Thunderbirds Two and Four were needed again. I left the board there and then with the pieces on it, hoping to finish the game later on.
It was dark by the time we returned home again. We were both tired and hungry at that point so my first trip was to the kitchen. I eventually returned to the lounge remembering that I still had a game to play. I approached the board. I couldn't believe it. Someone had made a move against me. One of the white pieces had move two squares against me. It could have been anyone. Scott used to love playing this game. Perhaps he saw the board and couldn't resist. Without thinking much about it, I made my move, taking out the white piece on the board, before returning to my meal. A few hours passed when the next incident happened. I was stargazing upstairs with Alan when I turned and asked him about the board.
"Say, Alan. Did you move a white piece on my checkers' board?"
He looked at me in puzzlement and replied. "No. I don't like board games. I've been in my room all night."
"Well, what about the others?"
Alan shook his head. "Scott is in his room, Virgil and Kayo are out to dinner and Grandma is asleep. Brains isn't here either. It beats me."
I couldn't understand it, but I knew that my brother was telling the truth. Suddenly, we both heard tapping coming from the board. Peering over the banister, our jaws dropped as a white piece moved across it on its own accord. It excited me. It's not every day that you'd find yourself playing checkers with a Ghost. I approached the board with anticipation. I wanted to see if I could toy with it and see what it could do. I made my play, taking out three white pieces with my piece then sat there calmly waiting to see what it would do next. Alan stayed upstairs and observed. The tapping returned seconds before another white piece levitated off the board. Sure enough, it made its move seemingly unaware of my next move. I wanted to cheat just to see how it would react. Alan had worked out my strategy rather quickly.
"Bro, don't do it. I know what you're up to. You don't know what could happen."
"Alan, it's only a game," I replied. "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"
Like a moron, I picked up my piece and slid it across the board. I placed it on top of a white piece and said: "king me."
A deadly silence filled the room. My unseen opponent didn't want to play anymore. Suddenly, the lights began to flicker. The board levitated off the table and flew into the glass panels behind me. Then as if things didn't get weird enough, the furniture began to move around us. The lights continued to flicker wildly, attracting the attention of my brothers. A violent gust of ice cold wind began to swirl above our heads.
Scott battled his way into the lounge only to witness the chaos that had unfolded.
"What the hell is going on here!?" He screamed.
"It's the game board!" I yelled. "It's caused all of this!"
"I told you not to mess with it!" Alan added as he clung onto the banister. "Now what do we do!?"
Scott didn't understand what was going on. "Do what!? What is all of this!?"
"The board is cursed!" I explained as the ice cold air filled my lungs. "It knows I've cheated and now... now it's pissed off!"
Scott glanced at the board which sat in a heap on the floor with the pieces strewn around it. "Get rid of it at once! Toss it in the ocean!"
How could have I been so pig ignorant? The old man was right. He experienced all this himself and now he had passed it onto me. I wasn't going to let this board terrorize anyone else. I battled the wind with all my strength until I reached the board. I grabbed it along with as many pieces that I could grab, and took it towards the beach. The activity began to die down as soon as I stepped over the threshold, leaving the room looking like a bomb had gone off inside. As I made it to the shoreline, I ripped the board in half before tossing it into the waves. The whole environment returned to its serene conditions. Everything resumed as it always did. As I stood there in thought, I tried to wrap my head around the whole event. I played a game with an unseen force. Worst of all, it knew that I had cheated against it. That's why it got angry.
I shortly quit my hobby and returned to the mundane video game trend with Alan. Perhaps I did play with a spirit. If that was the case then the dead don't like cheaters. If you ever come across a haunted or seemingly cursed game board, take my advice and don't buy it.