Two Years Later

13-year-old Jamal Farouk was engrossed in his favourite game. Barely old enough to play League of Legends, the Syrian American boy had quickly risen through the ranks, dedicating several hours every day to improving his Champions.

The teenager's excitement grew as his team (the red one) drew closer and closer to victory. Killing enemy minions, turrets and dragons, they were moving up the lanes into Blue Team's territory.

Jamal's Champion was at the forefront of the battle. He charged ahead, ready to deliver the killing strike to the opposing Nexus…

Attempting to Reconnect, read the pop-up on the screen.

"Oh, come ON!" screamed Jamal. He couldn't believe his Internet connection would drop out at such a crucial moment!

Furiously, he stormed downstairs, trying to see what the matter was with his router. To his surprise, he found his mother, Susan Farouk, unplugging the device from the mains and putting it under her armpit.

"What are you doing, Mom?" demanded the boy.

Susan shook her head. "I've let this go on for too long, Jammie," she said disappointedly. "You promised me you'd limit your screen time to two hours a night, something you seem to have forgotten."

Jamal fumed silently, knowing that she was right.

"Seeing that you can't control yourself," said his mother, "I've disconnected the Wi-Fi so that you can get some sleep. Go on now and get changed into your jammies – it's way past your bedtime."

Unhappily, the teenager turned around and headed back up the stairs. It just wasn't fair, he thought. Why couldn't his mother see how much online games meant to him? Ever since his father had left them and returned to Syria, gaming had been his primary means of escapism.

Jamal got changed, brushed his teeth and climbed reluctantly into bed. How prematurely the evening had ended; his mind was still in the virtual battlefield, where he'd been so close to achieving victory. Alas, without a working Internet connection, it was useless to try again.

A sudden green flash across his desktop screen caught his eye. Jamal squinted. Was that a trick of the light, the result of a passing car, perhaps? The young boy was about to roll over in bed when the computer screen came to vivid life.

Curiously, Jamal climbed out of bed and walked over to his desk to investigate. Instead of League of Legends, the desktop monitor displayed the name of a game he'd never heard of before: JUMANJI.

A game for those who seek to find a way to leave their world behind, read the accompanying blurb. Jamal was intrigued – that was certainly a fair description of him. Wanting to know more, he clicked on the 'Enter' button below the title.

He was redirected to a menu which read, Choose your Path. On it were listed several character classes, including Saboteur, Treasure Hunter, Botanist, Survivalist and One-Man Army. Jamal grinned. Naturally, he gravitated towards the most bad*ss option on the list.

He hit Select and was immediately brought to the sign-in page. WELCOME TO JUMANJI, read the heading. Begin?

Jamal shrugged. What could happen? He brought his cursor over the pop-up and selected Yes.

Loud drum beats suddenly began to play in his room, and Jamal found himself thrust into a world of bright sunlight.

Jumanji claims another victim! Who will little Jamal become? Stay tuned and find out!