Do you wanna play a game?

Tik, Tik, Tik

The hands on the old fashioned clock moved slowly.

Ambrose sat in the dark in the living room with the television on, but he was not paying attention to the sports highlights that filled the airwaves. Instead he stared off into the distance.

The nights had become colder as the winter solstice was quickly approaching. Another cold night in the house and in his heart. He had grown to hate winter.

He continued to stare off into the distance as the time ticked on.

"Are you coming to bed?" his girlfriends voice called from the other room.

Ambrose pretended he didn't hear her.

He was feeling more contemplative than usual and he just wanted to be alone. All alone in fact. He wished he hadn't agreed to let her move in. She constantly seemed to want different things than he did and she was always making plans for him that he had absolutely no interest in doing.

This time of year was always hard for him. She didn't even try to understand, and he had long ago lost all motivation to try and explain to her where he was coming from.

"Ambrose!" she yelled as she walked into the living room, turning off the tv.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"What are you doing? And don't say you are watching tv," she started with an accusatory tone. "I was talking to you. Why didn't you answer me?"

Ambrose sighed.

He had no energy to fight with her.

"You know I'm under a lot of stress at work" he finally said, "I'm thinking... I'm trying to find a new strategy."

She wasn't listening to him. She had heard this all before and she couldn't understand his need to "think".

"I'm cold." she said flatly. "Are you coming to bed or are you going to sleep on the stupid sofa again."

"I'm not tired yet and I have some important things to mull over." Ambrose answered.

"Fine." she said, "and by the way you should sleep on the sofa."

Ambrose didn't care. At this point he would much rather sleep out in the car.

*****

The next morning he woke to her banging things around in the kitchen. She was excessively loud and it seemed like she used every loud appliance in the house.

He pulled the covers up over his head and turned around on the sofa.

She wasn't currently working, so he didn't know why she was up at 6am, making as much noise as possible.

Luckily he had no specific time he had to arrive at the office. As long as he showed up with fresh new ideas and met his deadlines, his schedule was mostly flexible.

He was attempting to fall back asleep when he heard the blender for the third time.

Laying there with his eyes closed he imagined going back in time. Back to the time when life was more simple. When he felt like anything was possible. When he could go and come as he pleased, and sleep on the sofa without an interrogation.

As he started to imagine where he might be if he'd made a different choice those few years ago, his mind wandered over to "her", as it often did. He tried not to think of her at all. He couldn't change the past, even if he tried.

Feeling frustrated now he opened his eyes.

At that moment, his girlfriend whirled past him loudly clacking in her heels. She opened the door and a burst of cold air blew in. She was about to step outside and then she paused.

Silently wishing she would just leave without a word, he braced for some more accusations.

Instead her voice sounded surprised and a bit concerned.

"Umm, Ambrose, there is a strange box out here and a drone hoovering over it."

Ambrose got up, covering himself with the blanket as he walked over to the door to inspect the scene. She had backed away from the door and stepped back into the warm house.

Ambrose looked at the drone first. There it was, just hoovering over the package. It made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

He knelt down to see who it was for.

Ambrose

That was all it said. His name, clear as day, in the center of the box in bold ink.

"It's for me." he said.

"Great," she said, as she flipped her hair and walked out the door, side stepping the package and the drone.

*****

Ambrose sat on the sofa staring at the unopened package beside him.

When he lifted the box to bring it inside, he noticed there was an envelope taped to the bottom.

The note inside read:

Open if you dare

Open if you trust

Open upon arrival

Open IT you must

Ambrose sat there examining the note card. It was standard white cardstock with bold black italicized ink printed in common typewriter font. The message was aligned left on the note card. There was nothing else of significance.

Who would send such a cryptic note?

He placed the note beside him and put his head in his hands.

There was one person that came to mind who might enjoy this sort of game.

It couldn't be her.

She didn't know where he lived and he hadn't seen her in years.

"Damn it!" he yelled into the empty house.

He didn't have time for a trip down memory lane today. He stood from the couch and went to get himself ready for work.

*****

Later as he drove to work, he thought about returning the package to sender, unopened. However, there was no return address to be found and the drone that dropped the package on his doorstep had promptly departed the moment he lifted the box.

He didn't want to leave it sitting at home for his girlfriend to get curious about and open. With a cryptic note like that, he could only imagine what contents the box had in store for him.

He could just toss it over the bridge he thought. He did cross the river further up on his commute to the office. Then he wouldn't have to deal with the mysterious package at all.

That is exactly what he was going to do he decided. No package to deal with meant no additional stress to deal with. It was a win win.

As he approached the bridge, he started to think about what might be in that unopened box.

Could it really be from her?

It didn't matter, he concluded.

Ambrose pulled his black sports car over on the shoulder as soon as he approached Rip Van Winkle Bridge. He quickly got out of his car, letting the door close behind him. He then walked around to the passenger door and paused before reaching in and retrieving the box from where it sat on the passenger seat.

As he walked along the corridor overlooking the Hudson River, his mind returned to thoughts of her. Maybe he should open the package he mulled. What if whatever the package contained was exactly what he needed somehow. She did have a way of knowing him best. She somehow always said the right thing, even if it was something he didn't think he needed to hear. She genuinely cared about him, he had finally realized, when it was entirely too late to make amends.

And that is the exact reason he was there overlooking the Hudson at this very moment in time.

Too complicated.

Best to get rid of the package.

He walked briskly now. Determined to rid himself of the package and the past.

He had come to terms with her memory forever haunting him, though he had desperately tried to forget her.

The thoughts further fueled his determined walk down the corridor.

Cars were zipping by as he walked. Every other person going about their normal day as he now stood at the center point of the bridge on the right hand corridor.

He placed the box down at his side.

"Wow", he mused aloud, "It's so beautiful here."

He had moved several states over to start fresh in the big city, well adjacent to the big city, but he had yet to fully explore the area. He enjoyed hikes and exploring nature. Another thing he didn't have in common with his current partner.

He stood there now with both hands on the rails as he leaned slightly over the railing looking down at the water.

He kinda felt like he should say something.

Like a speech.

Or quote some piece of literature and make it poetic.

Like she would.

He smiled at this thought.

That is exactly what she would do. Find some clever quote that would somehow magically fit this moment. She'd recite it in perfect memory, as if she were on stage performing her very own play. Then she'd giggle and make a quip about him contributing to the moment with his own speech of sorts.

She would make the moment magical.

That is what he missed the most about her.

She could make any bad situation better and boring ones, an exciting adventure.

For a moment he could see it all.

Her standing next to him, smiling and giggling.

He could almost hear her giggle.

Almost feel her standing next time him.

Frustrated with the onslaught of emotions he still felt for her, he moved back from the railing, glared down at the box and decided if he didn't throw the box over immediately, he might never find the courage to do so.

Ambrose first reached into his coat pocket and retrieved the notecard and envelope. Carefully removing the note card from the envelope that held it's words, he took a deep breath and read it out loud for the first time. Starting to feel his mind drifting back to her he grabbed each end with his gloved hands and started to rip the note in half, but then he stopped...

He quickly re-folded the note and put it back in the envelope. This time putting the note in the inner pocket of his coat.

Now for the box.

Ambrose bent down.

Lifting the box slowly, he prepared to toss it into the water.

Feeling like he was being watched, he quickly glanced around.

There was no one to be seen. Just the mad rush of cars hurrying to their destination.

Ambrose looked down into the vast depth of water beneath him.

He lifted the package over the railing.

As he was about to let go...

He suddenly heard this loud buzzing sound as the drone flew straight up towards him, startling him, and knocking him backwards onto the ground.

The box falling at his side.

Ambrose sat up bewildered.

The drone hoovered right beside him.

Ambrose looked from the box to the drone and back to the box.

"Pick up the box." Directed the drone.

"No way!" Ambrose countered, as he stood. He gave the box on the ground a final look and started walking back to his car.

There was that loud buzzing noise again!

Ambrose didn't bother to turn and look. Instead he took off running towards his car.

Faster he ran.

Louder the buzzing became.

Scared now, he lunged for the door handle of the passengers side as it was the first thing he could reach in order escape the stalker drone.

Gasping for breath as his heart ponded quickly in his chest, he sat there in the passengers seat trying to recover from this unexpected turn of events.

As he did this, the drone slowly rose up peeking at him from his drivers side window.

Taunting him.

Daring him to make a move.

Ambrose kept his eyes glued to the drone.

He watched it rising... so slowly... terrified of the fate it would bring...

He wanted to shut his eyes.

As the drone was about eye level to his slouched position on the seat, it paused, hoovering now.

"Open the window," directed the drone.

Ambrose knew the drone wasn't going to go away. At this point if it was going to shoot him, the window wouldn't provide much protection.

Though that be true, he still did not make any moves to open the window.

The drone rose a bit further.

Ambrose moved to cover his eyes with his hand as if to block something that may be directed his way.

The drone moved closer to the window, raised an "arm" and tapped the window with such precision to shatter it into tiny pieces with the glass falling down around the window sill.

The drone rose quickly now.

Ambrose peaked past his hand, loosening his defenses, there was nothing that could help him now.

As it rose it made a harsh shrill buzzing sound.

Exposing the fact that it carried the box with it.

Ambrose stared as it dropped the box directly into the drivers seat.

"Open it." the drone directed, then instantly disappearing.

Ambrose, now feeling like the drone was a worse fate, decided to open the box.

Still running on adrenaline, he tore into the box, tearing off the top flap.

Ambrose now leaned over the seat peering into the box.

"What is it?" he asked aloud.

This somehow seemed to "wake" it.

Great Ambrose thought to himself.

Another drone!

But it did not look like a drone and it was not able to move itself.

It was circular. Antique looking, but also very futuristic in it's detail and in terms of technology.

It powered on as it sensed him.

Ambrose was afraid to pick it up.

The ornate device was fully on now, and had several holographic features that became available.

"Hello Ambrose", it said in a British woman's voice.

"Umm, hi," replied Ambrose, "What are you?"

"Do you mean to ask my purpose?" said the voice.

"Sure." he replied.

"I have been sent to watch you. I've been watching you for years in fact. I know all your secrets."

"Okay," Ambrose managed to finally say

Aggressive flying drones, ancient futuristic relics, he was sure now that he was in trouble, he had no doubt it knew his secrets.

*****

Almost an hour later, Ambrose was still sitting in his passenger seat parked at Rip Van Winkel Bridge.

He wanted to cry.

He wanted to scream.

Part of him wanted to drive his car over the bridge.

How had his life been minimized to this moment?

He had just finished viewing some very solid evidence, that he had in fact, been watched for several years now.

Gripped by anxiety, he took took his gloves off, to wipe the sweat from his hands.

Finally he spoke.

"What do you want?" he asked the relic.

"I want to play a game," the voice said, "Do you wanna play a game?"

"Not really," Ambrose choked, "but I'm guessing I don't really have a choice in the matter."

"We always have a choice," replied the voice, "So what will it be?"

"Yes," he said defeatedly, "Let's play."

"Okay, now here are the rules." the voice started, "As an exchange to erase the sins of the past, I am offering you a deal. I ask you questions and you tell me the truth. For every truth, one of your transgressions gets abolished. Do we have a deal?"

"Deal," agreed Ambrose immediately.

He was anxious to get this over with.

*****

After answering at least 100 of her questions truthfully, he began to grow weary.

"Are we almost done?" he asked, "I really need to get to work."

"You mean that corrupt job you can't stand?" laughed the voice.

This startled him.

"New game!" the voice announced.

A holographic screen light up in front of him.

"What am I seeing?" Ambrose asked.

The holograph zoomed in and the "screen" became clearer.

It was her!

"Tell me about her," the voice said.

"No," Ambrose answered, "She has nothing to do with anything. Leave her out of it."

The voice laughed.

The image on the screen changed.

Now he was seeing her in what looked like real time.

Ambrose sat up quickly and leaned forward to see what was happening.

Then suddenly it hit him.

This was happening now!

The drone was there watching her.

"What do you want?" yelled Ambrose, scared and angry now. "Tell me what you want!"

"I want you to tell the truth." said the voice, "but since you can't, I'll give you an incentive to do so."

Ambrose watched as the drone lit up red on the screen.

"She has 10 hours to live," The terrifying voice now said. "Your move."

Ambrose watched as the hologram disappeared and the relic powered off.

He didn't have her number anymore, and even if he did, he was certain she wouldn't answer.

He ran his fingers through his hair as he often did when he was stressed.

In that moment, he knew what he had to do.

He got out of the passenger seat, ran to get in the drivers seat, tossed the box and relic into the passenger seat, then quickly turning the car on and punching the gas, he made a U-turn across all lanes and sped towards West Virginia.

*****

He drove straight, with no stops other than necessary stop lights and stop signs.

He pulled onto her dirt drive 8 hours later.

As he pulled up to her house, he slowed down a bit. He was leaving a trail of dust as he rushed to reach her.

He got out of the car and ran to the door.

Pounded on it frantically.

There was no answer.

He looked around desperately.

Her car was in the drive.

He knew where to find her.

He took off running through the woods behind her house.

*****

Finally he reached the spot, where she was sitting by the grave.

She didn't look up, but he knew she could sense his presence.

He walked closer.

She stood, turned and looked at him.

"Can we talk?" he finally managed.