There is this one game. I don’t know if you know it, to my knowledge it isn’t widely recognised, and it seems kind of new anyways. It has a fairly plain name, like ‘Multiply them!’ or something.
The basic idea is simple - all the cards are divided between the players, as equally as possible. Then, one by one, everybody turns one card on their deck and puts it on the table. You should probably know that all the cards are two-sided, and there’s over a hundred of them. On the cards, there are colourful illustrations, but the game has a quite distinct colour scheme overall. No illustration is on one card only, because the idea is to match two to three of them. The players have to pay attention and, when they see two of the same illustration, touch the cards in question as fast as possible. The winner takes the pair. You can also steal or secure pairs, by finding the third one alike. I think you get the idea.
Someone in my family bought it a couple of years ago, maybe my mom. She probably saw it at a supermarket, and thought it would be fun to try out. We have played it a few times in the past without any problems. It can be a great way to spend some extra time, and my family tries to see each other during the weekends. It has a special way of exciting the players - you can notice your breathing speeding up, the aborted movements in fear of messing up, heartbeats going up, et cetera.
Yesterday was different, though. My little brother has never been a good sport, or even a decent loser. My mother, he and I were all playing together, the clock was nearing 10 pm. I was winning, because I have always been one to spot patterns and my reflexes aren’t too bad either, I guess. My little brother took it as a personal insult, and claimed that my mother and I were only stealing his pairs by touching them and the third cards with the same illustrations. This wasn’t true, and all that depends very much on the cards being turned, so… But he was adamant. Finally he threw the cards at us, and they got mixed up with all the ones on the table.
And that’s pretty much when my problem began. You see, I haven’t been able to stop touching the same patterns in different places since. I’m writing this at 3 am, and let me tell you, I am pretty much manic at this point. I can’t sleep, I have been hyperventilating for the last five hours, and I can feel my heart pulsating through my entire body. I don’t know what’s happening. I have gone through the house, tapping everything with the same shades, pictures or shapes as something else. Three times!
Currently my eyes are clenched shut. I have been writing in the dark for as long as I can remember (you know that fanfic with the tag “Author wrote this instead of sleeping”? That’s what I spent my teen years doing! But the lights had to be off to not raise any suspicions, so I got really good at knowing where each letter and other button was placed). And I’m rambling. I think this is what it’d feel like if you washed down a few caffeine pills with fifteen energy drinks.
It is taking huge self-restraint to be writing this right now, but I have to warn you: Do Not play this game if you cannot finish it.
The thought of taping my eyes shut has crossed my mind. But I can physically feel the matching, colourful illustrations all around me. Their hypnotic dance at the edges of my senses terrifies me.
I think I can feel the colours and patterns by now. They’re calling for me.
I don’t know how to stop them.