The Soul Game by K.T. McQueen
Soul Game Sunday is a selection of short stories, art, poetry, creativity, and little extras, for the upcoming novel The Soul Game. You can get involved by sharing your sins on Twitter & Instagram with the hashtag #SoulGameSinner
Soul Game Sunday: I Choose Blue
Some things come to you when you most need them. Some say just believing a thing is already yours manifests it. But this…game…came into my life when I was weak. Disguised as something I could use to improve my situation. Just like so many other self-help books on the market. I’ve read plenty of them, trying to sort my life out. Ignoring the advice of friends and family in favour of this guru or that.
How could I have been so stupid? It’s taken everything from me. Everything.
Sure I have all the money I could ever want, but what is that truly worth without friends and family to enjoy it with? Without the woman I have loved for half my life?
A huge house, vast open gardens, staff who move through the property like ghosts. Whatever car I want, technological advances way before they’re available to the public. Parties that fill the house with noise, laughter, music -but all of it empty happiness. They’re not my friends. They don’t know me. I don’t them.
A bed warmed by a woman I don’t remember the name of come morning. Advisers, business partners, endless followers on social media. I wanted an easy solution and the book appeared. Offering me the world in exchange for ten day’s effort. That was it, ten days following a set of simple tasks. Simple tasks that hold more weight than I ever imagined they could.
And how can a book take your soul? It’s just a book!
I was so down, depressed, at the lowest I could remember being my whole life. Things weren’t going to plan at all. And then this book appeared. I say appeared, but someone actually gave it to me. Slid it across my desk, tapped it twice, and then turned back to their own work. All very hush hush.
It looked like any other book you might find in the self-help section, except for the warning. But it wasn’t a proper warning, more like one of those ‘expect to have to go buy new clothes’ warnings on the front of diet books. I wasn’t thinking straight.
I didn’t even hesitate when it offered me the chance to stop reading and go about my regular life as if I’d never seen the book. But something about the promises it held seemed easy. Ten days wasn’t long and if it didn’t work, well then, I could try something else.
The fire crackles just beyond my feet where they lay on the expertly covered, excessively overpriced, foot rest. Waves crash against the shore of my private beach under the winter sky. Drinks are delivered and empties removed. Music plays on the Sonos. The book sits by my side, on the high gloss wooden end table, waiting. I’ve convinced five others to play. So I can play again, for a different gift. I’m hoping for true love. But I can barely muster the energy it takes to complete each task.
Continuing to play The Soul Game | Soul Game Sunday
Each player chooses a colour, but before they begin playing they have no idea what life gift they can expect to receive. They just have to believe that their instincts will pick the right colour. But with the life gifts on offer you wouldn’t go wrong with any colour. And once you’ve played and won you can encourage others to play. If you get five new people to read and play The Soul Game you can play again for a different colour – until you have all of them, if you like.
And with only ten tasks to complete, one a day for ten days, you can be sure you’ll receive your life gift just as soon as you’re done. Of course, if you fail to complete a task, or even attempt it, you won’t get a gift at all. In fact, you’ll get something much, much worse. So make sure you stick to the rules when you play: The Soul Game.
Horror and Fantasy Author – Also writing as K.T. McQueen. Love Western Horror, cowboy boots, my cactus Collin, & my Demon Cat.
Moths – I hate moths, the way they flutter at your face!
