David at the arcade [https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F659b403e-06b8-44b2-9ae4-6e5a46e2d38f_1024x1024.jpeg]

Is there anything as magical as standing alone among rows of silent video games and pinball machines, each flashing their seductive lights, beckoning your pocket change?

David thought not.

The Arcade was closed. The space would soon be filled with chatter and bells and the smell of popcorn. Although each machine stood silent, the lights on each display flickered and pulsed with potential.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

David’s eyes rested on a few specimens. One machine, outfitted with rifles, boldly declared in faded letters on its side to be CHEKHOV’S GUN. Further away, a pinball machine flashed its image of playing cards and dice. The glowing letters proclaimed: PASCAL’S WAGER.

Dominating the most distant corner, a pyramidical structure joined ceiling to floor. According the multicoloured display of lights along two of its sides, this was ROKO’S OBELISK. A neon sign near the top of the structure taunted, DO YOU DARE PLAY?