“The Mysterious Game” is a suspenseful short story written by Navika Ghosh, a Class V student, about a strange video game that mysteriously appears on her tablet and rewards her with real money.
It was a warm Sunday afternoon. The sky was clear, the birds were chirping, and the fan above my head was spinning lazily. I lay on my bed, feeling relaxed and happy. My favourite pillow was under my head, and I was busy playing a racing game on my tablet. The sound of cars zooming filled the room.
“Zoom! Zoom!” I whispered, pretending I was the driver.
I had no homework, no tuitions, and no plans. Just me and my video games. Perfect!
Suddenly, something strange happened.
My game froze. The screen went black for a moment. I tapped it. Nothing. Then, without any warning, a new game appeared on the screen. I had never seen it before. The icon was glowing — a bright cube of green and blue, spinning slowly. The name of the game was… well, actually, there was no name. Just the glowing icon.
“Huh? What’s this? I didn’t download anything,” I said to myself.
I looked around. My little sister was asleep, and my parents were in the living room watching TV. No one had touched my tablet. I had not clicked on any ads or visited any game store that day.
I was curious. I touched the icon.
At first, nothing happened. Then slowly, a message appeared on the screen:
“Welcome to World Builder. Enter at your own risk.”
I giggled. “At my own risk? What does that even mean?” I said, rolling my eyes. I was only eight and a half, but I had played lots of games before. I thought it was just for fun.
The game opened.
It looked like Minecraft or Roblox. Everything was made of colourful blocks. I could see trees, buildings, roads, animals, and even little people walking around. It was like a small world where you could build anything — houses, cities, farms, even entire countries!
“Ooooh! This is cool!” I said, eyes shining with excitement.
I started playing. I built a small hut, then a farm, and slowly an entire village. I placed people in the village and gave them jobs — farmers, shopkeepers, doctors, and even teachers. It felt like I was the boss of the world. I could make rivers, mountains, and even snow.
But something felt… different.
The people in the game would look up at me, almost like they were alive. They would wave or smile or even frown if I destroyed something. That had never happened in any other game.
Still, I played. Hours passed.
Then, something even stranger happened.
A red light flashed on the screen. Loud beeping sounds started.
“Warning: Every block has a price.”
“Huh? A price? But it’s a game!” I said aloud.
Then suddenly, the screen glitched again. And a voice whispered, very softly but clearly:
“You’ve earned your first reward. Check your father’s phone.”
My heart skipped a beat. I paused the game and ran to the living room.
“Papa! Can I see your phone, please?” I asked.
My father looked confused but handed it to me. As I took the phone, I noticed a new message had arrived.
Bank Alert: ₹80,000 has been credited to your account.
“What?!” My father shouted, grabbing the phone from me. “Who sent this?”
My mother came running too. “What’s going on?”
I was jumping with excitement. “Mumma! Papa! I think I earned it from the game! It said I earned a reward, and now you got the money! Isn’t that amazing?”
My parents looked at each other, then at me. Their faces were not happy. They looked… scared.
“Navika,” my mother said slowly, “what game were you playing?”
I showed them the tablet. The screen now just had the glowing cube and the words:
“Thank you for playing. Return soon.”
“Turn it off!” my father shouted. “Turn it off right now!”
He took the tablet from my hand and powered it down.
“But why? I didn’t do anything wrong,” I said, confused. “I was just building a village. And we got money!”
“This is not a joke, Navika,” my mother said, sitting me down. “You are too young to understand. Some games are not really games. They might be traps. This one somehow sent money to our account. It could be dangerous.”
“But the game said it’s not a scam!” I protested.
“Even if it said that, we can’t trust it,” my father said firmly. “Games don’t give real money. Something strange is going on.”
I felt tears forming in my eyes. “I didn’t mean to do anything bad. I just thought it was fun…”
My mother hugged me gently. “We know, sweetie. You didn’t do it on purpose. But from now on, no unknown games. Promise us.”
I nodded. “I promise. I won’t open that game again.”
That night, I couldn’t sleep properly.
I kept thinking about the game — the glowing cube, the tiny people waving at me, the strange whispering voice. And where did the ₹80,000 really come from? Why did it choose me?
The next morning, my father called the bank. They said the money had come from an unknown sender with no clear account. When we tried to open the game again, it had disappeared. The icon was gone. No app. No history. Nothing.
It was like the game had never existed.
From that day, I named it The Mysterious Game.
I told my friends at school, but no one believed me. Some laughed. Some said I had a dream. But I know what I saw. I know what I played. And I know what happened.
Even now, sometimes, when I play on my tablet, I wonder — will that game appear again?
Will the glowing cube return?
I’m scared… and also curious.
Because that game was not just a game.
It was watching me.
And maybe… just maybe… it still is.
Sometimes the most colourful games hide the darkest secrets. And sometimes, what looks like a reward… might come with a cost.
The End.
