RELEASE DATE: 15 January 2023
Ninety-six-year-old Tilly’s great grandchildren insist she try something new to keep her brain active. The cute little virtual game Hero’s Journey seems harmless enough. And Tilly quite enjoys catching butterflies and swapping gifts with another player, Anubis.
A sweet boy. Silly. But sweet. Even if he enjoys sending her souls in a rather competitive fashion. Even if he says there’s only one soul that he really wants… A heart-warming story with a delightfully satisfying resolution, if you love soulmate stories, don’t miss Anubis Has Sent You Six Souls!
Anubis has sent you Six Souls
Tilly adjusted her bifocals and looked down at the game. Ninety-seven on Thursday and the grands kept insisting she should try something new. Well, great-grands. Her Charlie was seventy-three this May, and his boy Carl was fifty, and his youngest daughter, Ava was two years out of college with a baby boy named Davis.
Davis wasn’t a family name, and Tilly had pointed that out. But Ava said he was named after a book character and that sort of thing was all right nowadays. Tilly tried not to fuss too much. The children did right by her, calling after church every Sunday. Seeing to it that she had her groceries every Tuesday by 2pm. Tuesday had been grocery day since she started doing the shopping for Momma when she was 11.
‘Course, that had been during the depression. They’d had chickens in the backyard and that big black lab named Lucifer because her Pappy thought it was a funny name for a hunting dog. Pappy had never been quite right in the head. And dead now for, oh, she could hardly remember. Seemed like ages since she laid her grandfather to rest. Her grandmother had lasted longer, rest her soul. Mommy and Daddy had gone the same year, him with lung cancer and her of a bad heart.
Her Willard had been dead sixteen years now, come November.
ANUBIS HAS SENT YOU SIX SOULS!
The little black screen in her lap beeped as a small cartoon heroine waved her sword. The little girl wasn’t wearing very practical clothes, all shiny and such, but the Grands said that was the style. Algae-based glitter in lotions. Adjusting her bifocals again, she looked at her options. That boy, Anubis, had been her first friend on Hero’s Journey, the virtual game where you saved cities by collecting lost souls and bringing them home.
Little Ava said it was a calming sort of thing that involved working with friends.
Tilly couldn’t say she quite cared for the monsters in the mountains or the music in the pubs, but she was happy running the girl with the name GrandTilly around the fields to touch butterflies.
ANUBIS HAS SENT YOU SEVEN SOULS!
Pressing the button on the left, she looked at her inventory and selected a nice gift.
GRANDTILLY HAS SENT ANUBIS THREE CAKES!
There was another ping and a flashing blue box in the right corner.
Tilly touched it and the avatar of Anubis appeared with a black and gold jackal mask that looked like one she’d seen at the museum in Cairo when she went there—when was it now?—must have been after grad school. Forty years ago? Maybe only thirty. Still, it was a very good likeness.
ANUBIS: How are you?
GRANDTILLY: good u
GRANDTILLY: ?
ANUBIS: Very good. I made you a present at the soul forge.
GRANDTILLY: that’s very kind of u
ANUBIS HAS SENT YOU THE MASK OF ANPUT!
ANUBIS HAS SENT YOU THE KNIVES OF ANPUT!
GRANDTILLY: Thank You.
ANUBIS: I thought you might like them for tonight.
GRANDTILLY: tonight
GRANDTILLY: ?
ANUBIS: There’s a soul festival tonight on the game.
GRANDTILLY: o
ANUBIS: The reapers are coming.
GRANDTILLY: i see
ANUBIS: We’re supposed to protect our cities.