Round and Round by Andrew Grey Page B

know the water isn’t going to jump out and grab me, and there isn’t some monster under the water. For me the monster is the water.”
    “I’m not going to try to make you get any closer.” They followed the path around the lake, sun sparkling on the water. Angus tried to see it as Kevin saw it and really couldn’t. Most fears weren’t rational, but Kevin had a basis for his.
    “My dad sent me to a doctor who was supposed to cure me, and the same thing happened that did with the camp counselor, only all over his office.”
    Angus chuckled. Served them right. “Some people think they know best.”
    “They do. I’m mostly happy staying away from water. It isn’t like I miss swimming and long for it but can’t go near the water. It’s something that has bad memories for me.”
    “Let’s talk about something happier,” Angus said as they left the lake behind and entered the deep words.
    “Like what?” Kevin asked.
    “Your video game. It really seems cool. How did you get interested in creating them? I mean, there aren’t any video game companies around here.”
    “I’ve always been interested in computers. I’m really good with them. I understand them almost better than I do people. I’m a geek through and through.” Kevin stopped walking and Angus did the same. The air under the trees was still and moist. “I used to love video games as a teenager, but I was never very good at them. My hand-eye coordination really sucks. I’d put quarter after quarter in the machines and be dead in a few minutes. I got a Wii one year for Christmas. My dad got his hands on one by sheer luck, and he gave it to me. It was really nice of him. He got it because it was the hot toy that year, and he thought I’d really like it. But I wasn’t very good. I played a lot, hoping I’d get better, but it didn’t really happen. Eventually it sat there most of the time unless company came over, and then they’d kick my butt.”
    “Okay. I can understand that. But something obviously changed.” Angus took Kevin’s hand again.
    Kevin looked down at their clasped hands. “You don’t have to do that, you know. We are out in public.”
    “I’m not ashamed of you,” Angus said. “If people have a problem with me holding hands with you, that’s their problem. It was hard for me to come to grips with who I am, but once I did, I decided I wouldn’t hide. I figure if we don’t make a huge deal out of holding hands, then no one else will either.” Angus met Kevin’s gaze with a smile. “So tell me what made you decide to try making games.”
    “I started playing again with the guys. Jeremy is really good, and so is Tristan. They showed me some of their tricks and what exactly to concentrate on and what to ignore. Once I knew that, they started to make sense and we played a lot. Sometimes against each other, but always for fun. Then I started playing around with different graphics packages and found I could come up with some interesting things. When Zach’s Bull comic books started to take off, he and I sat down and developed the game. It turned out really well.”
    “So this is your first one?” Angus asked, his mind beginning to churn.
    “Yeah. But I have ideas for others. Why?”
    “How about a video game based on fires?” Angus said. “Say you’re in the building, it catches fire, and you need to get out. Or you can play the fireman, and he needs to get in and rescue the family. But what happens when they don’t get out is they all die and you get no points. Then you have to replay the same fire to move on.”
    “Where the player could be the firefighter?”
    “Sort of. What if you developed the program to act as a fire simulator, to help with decision making? Instead of doing it as a game, you make it a training tool. I’ve heard of a few of them, but in this area we have a few types of buildings that are particularly prone to fires that quickly grow out of control. State Street is block after block of old