I Was Playing Galaga

I was playing Galaga last night and I was in my zone. I had just enough focus on my ship that I could see both the bullets and the bugs coming at me while moving my ship back and forth out of harm's way and blasting away at the buzzing insects. Yea, that zone. I had just gotten to stage two, so things weren't really that intense, but I was settling in nicely despite a band playing “Walk This Way” and two drunken dudes cursing over a foosball game.

“You make that look so easy,” a young voice pierced my Shield of Don't Bother Me. The waitress behind me smiled. I knew this because I saw her reflection on my screen a nanosecond before my ship was blasted by two torpedoes and a giant blue bug. I watched in despair while the metal pieces of my ship burst into flames and a mushroom of black smoke and orange embers blossomed from it.

I was pissed, but I forgave her. It's not like she did it on purpose. So, I got back into the game with one of my three remaining ships and made it into the tunnel ray of the green spider. My ship twirled to an alien beat before the spider took it to the top of the screen as a captured vessel. I was moments away from the challenge stage where I get to blast all the bugs with my newly acquired double ship, but first I had to kill the spider and take back my captured vessel.

The challenge stage is an awesome experience with double ships, even more awesome with triple ships, increasing your odds of hitting your targets. But I wasn't there yet. I had to get my double first. I shot one bullet at a time, careful not to blow away the payload. Aim. Fire. Got it! The rewarding tune played by the arcade game sang into my ears and my captured ship spun about before it finally rested itself beside my active vessel. I was ready for the challenge stage.

"Oh my gosh. Look, it's Galaga!" I looked back behind me and there stood this rather large drunk woman, beer bottle in hand. "Ain't played that in years."

I heard the familiar crash and burn, not only once, but twice. Both ships gone. I didn't have to look back at the game to know this, but if the look on my face told that woman anything, it was that I wasn't in any kind of mood to discuss my precious game with her.