Chris stood before the bathroom mirror, still dressed in his $25,000 outfit. As he looked himself over, despite the glamor of his attire, he saw a face bleak with pain and despair, his eyes red from crying. His mood was even blacker than the suit he now wore, and he actually began to wonder if suicide wouldn't be better than what he was going through now.
Just then, Dave Berensen, the popular student body president, came into the restroom. Dave was liked and respected by virtually everyone at the university. While he was well-known as a devout Christian, Dave made a point of never trying to convert anybody or forcing his beliefs on anyone else. Even so, Dave did not hesitate for one second to make his feelings known, or to stand up for his beliefs, when he felt the occasion legitimately demanded it.
"Whoa! Awesome suit, Chris!" Dave exclaimed, looking his fellow resident over. "Where'd you get it?" he asked, as he relieved himself, then washed his hands at the sink. Chris grimaced, hesitated for a second, then said, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you!" in a voice made dull and flat with despair. "You just try me!" Dave shot back challengingly.
Again, Chris hesitated for a long moment. This brought a look of concern to Dave's handsome face. Then, shrugging his richly-clad shoulders, Chris muttered, "What have I got to lose?", and told Dave the whole story.
Dave's face went white with shock. "What did you say the name of that game was?" he asked with a sidelong glance. "The Game of Changes," Chris replied. "Why do you ask?" Dave's face turned grim as he explained. "Last summer, my younger brother and four of his best friends killed each other while they were playing a game by that name. Since then, there have been at least a half-dozen similar incidents in different parts of the country. My dad was a police officer before he entered the ministry, and his contacts in several police departments have told him they're positive that game is a channel for demonic influence. In effect, the players all come under demonic influence, and eventually come to hate each other so much that they wind up murdering each other! That's why they're urging students not to become involved with it, and they're searching for whoever is selling or distributing it, so that they can stop it from being distributed any further!"
Now Chris's face blanched. The prospect of himself and his friends all murdering each other terrified him. "Dave, what can we do?" he asked hoarsely. "Chris, you've got to destroy that game before it's too late--if it isn't already! You've got to gather all the game's components together--even the box the game came in--and burn them!" Dave replied firmly. "Nothing short of that will break the game's influence over you!"
Chris swallowed hard as he realized how much influence the game already had over himself and his friends. The very suit he was wearing, in fact, was proof of that influence. "Suppose--suppose the others won't let me destroy it?" he faltered. He then explained the transformations in his friends that had already taken place.
"Chris, that makes it all the more imperative that the game be destroyed NOW!" Dave replied forcefully. "But HOW?" Chris asked. "Where CAN we burn it without getting into trouble?" "There's a working fireplace in the big meeting room downstairs," Dave answered. "It's not being used right now, so I'm sure we can burn it there. I have some charcoal lighter fluid and matches we can use, because I occasionally use the fireplace myself--it has an iron grill that swings in and out for cooking hamburgers and hot dogs and the like. I'm sure no one will give us any trouble about our using it if I'm there."
Chris was almost convinced, but he was still hesitant about going back to his friends alone, even for the purpose of saving his friends' lives. "WIll--will you come with me?" he asked. "Of course I'll come with you!" Dave responded. "I wouldn't dream of having you do this alone--it's too dangerous!"
For a long moment, Chris was silent, as he weighed the terrible risks involved. Then, taking a deep breath, he nodded and simply said, "Let's do it, Dave--right now!" Dave nodded silently, then followed Chris back to the room where the others were gathered around the game board.