Omar couldn't take his eyes off the screen. The pulsing colors, the clash of battles, the zombies moving almost lifelike—everything made his heart feel like it was inside the game. The ad wasn't just an advertisement. It was a promise of a whole new world he'd been dreaming about for months, maybe years.
He sat on his small couch, holding an old game that no longer entertained him. He stared at his parents with pleading eyes, silent but screaming inside: "This is it… the game I've dreamed about!"
His parents exchanged a quick, meaningful glance. Words weren't needed. His father raised an eyebrow, smiled, and patted his shoulder lightly. His mother whispered with a warm smile, "I know what's on your mind, little one. You worked hard this year—you deserve this."
Omar leaned forward, his heart about to jump out. Every night, he'd dreamed of this day, of holding the new Xbox he'd imagined for weeks. Even the commercial on the screen confirmed that this moment was near.
His father suddenly stopped at the electronics section entrance. There it was, on the shelf—the device Omar had only dared imagine in his dreams. Every detail, every light, every movement matched the ad perfectly.
"Ready?" his mother said, barely hiding her amazement and joy.
"Yes!" Omar shouted, his heart exploding with excitement, eyes sparkling like stars.
His father grabbed the console, placed it in the cart. Omar couldn't contain himself, leapt up, his laughter filling the air, pure joy and excitement. Gratitude mixed with astonishment, as if the whole world had stopped to hear it.
On the way home, Omar pressed the power button and explored the menu, imagining himself inside the game—running among zombies, fighting, surviving. Everything felt closer to real than ever.
Then everything changed.
A car came out of a side street, completely unexpected. Sunlight reflected off the glass, the driver's eyes widened in shock, and there was no time to brake. The crash came like lightning—metal colliding, glass shattering. Screams everywhere, the smell of light burning, a mix of pain and disbelief filled the car.
Omar felt something slip through his fingers, losing control of his own body. Everything blurred: the ad's colors, the car lights, his father's face, his mother's scream—all merged into a chaotic whirl.
Then—suddenly—absolute silence.
The air froze. The world stopped. Omar felt like his heart was floating somewhere unknown, suspended between reality and fantasy, between the game and real life. He didn't yet know that this moment—this laughter, this ad, this joy—was only the starting point of an adventure that would neve
r truly end.