Death wasn’t so bad after all. By the time it came for her, Ethel Merriweather welcomed it with open arms. Quite literally. The Volkswagen beetle hit her while she was slowly crossing the street – her groceries flying out in every direction. All those years of playing “slug bug” with her nephews came back to bite her in the rump.

Contrary to what one might expect at Ethel’s age, she didn’t die immediately. She was rushed to the hospital for the third time this month. And this time, it would be the last. Which was fine by her. She was tired. Her body frail. Her arms and legs were not much more than flabby sticks. Her house in long disrepair after she couldn’t keep up with it. She had lived a good life. A rewarding one, despite all the challenges. She had married, grown old with her partner, raised children, and retired into a pleasant retirement. Anything beyond that was just a pain in the neck – her back especially had ached for years – and now everything was much worse after being hit by a blue bug.

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In the final month of her life, one of her young nieces had introduced her to video games to pass the time. A whole new world had opened up to her. One not constrained by physical limitations. Where she could make all the choices she wanted for herself. The ones that involved action and quick reflexes did not interest her. Instead, she latched onto games with management elements. Tending to a virtual garden and pixelated home was an enjoyable distraction and acceptable replacement as her real ones had sadly withered away. It was turning a new leaf on her life right before death.

This hobby continued into the final days of her life. Loved ones had visited often, but they couldn’t stay forever. There were times when she was left alone, when not even the nurses came by. Ethel Merriweather passed away in her sleep. A portable game system still clutched in her hands - a save screen for Animal Crossing still illuminating the dark hours in her hospital room.