you carefully stick the little game cartridge into the console.

a little poly-rendered character rides across the screen on a horse.
the graphics are shitty. but they’re beautiful.
an all-too-familiar piano tune begins to fill the room.

• this was the first game your brother ever let you play.
• all you can do is sit.
• you can’t shut it off, but you can’t keep listening.
• you can’t even press play.