About Virgil Unplugs
by Amanda Steiger
49 pages / 10100 words
ISBN: 978-1-61040-106-7
Ebook zipped file contains -
html, lit, Adobe and Sony optimized pdf, prc, epub
Shy,
reclusive Virgil spends most of his time in a
virtual fantasy world known only as “the game.” When he meets Kiren, a
playful, kind-hearted elf with entrancing golden eyes, he remembers what it
feels like to truly connect with another human being. He wants to meet Kiren
in real life.
But for some reason, Kiren insists that they can’t meet, that a
relationship between them would be impossible outside of the virtual world
of the game. Determined to find out why, Virgil searches for Kiren himself.
Can a virtual love survive reality?
Sample
The campfire died down to a few low-burning embers as Arla and Sir
Michael drifted off to sleep. Virgil lay on his back, arms folded behind
his head as he stared up at the sky. Once his character fell asleep, he
knew, he would automatically blink out; no one wanted to waste time
being asleep within the game. Katy and Stan were already back in their
real bodies, in their real lives, going about their day while Arla and
Sir Michael slept. As if -- he thought suddenly -- as if their real
lives were simply the characters' dreams.
"Can't sleep?" asked a soft voice.
Virgil looked up to see Kiren sitting beside him, golden eyes catching
the moonlight. For a moment, his gaze lingered on Kiren's lips, and
warmth rose into his cheeks. Then he looked away, fidgeting. "No," he
murmured.
"Me neither."
Virgil looked up through the forest canopy at the long, shimmering
constellation known as the Dragon. Unlike the constellations of Earth,
it really looked like its name. The stars glittered like diamond dust on
black velvet, forming a serpentine shape with a fountain of smaller
stars spewing from its open mouth like flame. "Sometimes," he said, "I
find myself thinking of this world as if it were real. Do you think
that's crazy?"
"Not at all," said Kiren. "For all practical purposes, it is real."
Virgil sat up. "What do you mean?"
"Well... let's say I were to do this." He cupped Virgil's chin in one
palm, leaned forward, and kissed him.
Virgil's breath caught in his throat, and his lips tensed -- then slowly
softened, yielding to that gentle pressure.
When they separated, Kiren was smiling. Virgil stared at him,
breathless, his lips tingling. He touched them, dazed. His tongue crept
out to wet his lower lip, tasting a hint of something sweet and fresh,
something that could only be Kiren.
"Now," Kiren said, "you could argue that I didn't really kiss you, that
our bodies are miles apart and that it's just an illusion created by
electronic impulses traveling into our brains. But we both felt it. So,
if it was real for both of us, does it matter if it didn't physically
happen?"
"I guess not." Virgil ran his tongue over his lips again, then leaned
forward and slipped one hand around the back of Kiren's neck. The skin
was soft and warm, like living velvet. He closed his eyes as Kiren's
mouth touched his again. The tip of a tongue teased his lips, parted
them, and slid into his mouth. Virgil's heart thumped, and an electric
thrill raced down his spine as Kiren's tongue rubbed against his.
Warm, slender arms surrounded him and pulled him closer, then pushed him
gently down to the bedroll.