Description
Benny Washington, unable to relate to his distant father, and wracked with guilt over the recent death of his mother, seeks solace in best friend Peter Hall, comic books, and ballet-a passion he and Peter share. When Benny learns on the Internet that a machine accidentally delivered to his house is a way to talk with God and desperate to apologize to his deceased mother, he decides to use it. Alongside Peter, Peter's older sister Emma, and Fremond-a boy with a crush on her, Benny makes contact with an entity that claims to be God. Instead of contacting Benny's mother, the entity escapes the machine and takes refuge inside a computer game developed by Benny's father. The game, set in a virtual San Francisco, allows the creature to move freely about the real city and attack people at will. With the aid of the mysterious Mr. Yang-the intended recipient of the package, Benny's dad, and SFPD Detective Amy Wong, the kids set out to track the creature. Deducing that it wants Benny above all else, they concoct a risky plan to trap it, with Benny as bait. When the plan goes horribly awry, Benny realizes that sacrificing himself may be the only way to save his family and friends. (This book is an adaptation of my screenplay of the same name that won 1st Place in the 2017 Scriptapalooza Competition. The screenplay remains, as yet, unproduced.)
Prologue
