The Trade - Do You Want to Play? | ✔️

Part 4 of 5

The next day at school, you keep your app pulled up, careful to log every step you take. During lunch, you eat the turkey and Swiss your mom packed as you make continuous laps around the slow-moving cafeteria crowd, keeping a close eye on your progressing distance. Your cluster of friends watch with bewilderment from their seats, but eventually get bored and turn away, rolling their eyes.

It doesn't matter what they think; they just don't understand. They'd given up on Monsuta GO months ago. But you're a firm believer in perseverance, unlike some lazy people you know, and you don't need their prissy judgements weighing you down. Your sights are set on the grand prize, and you won't stop until you win. It won't be long now. Within a matter of days, that Loknes will be yours.

After school, you rush home and finish your homework, then race out the front door to proceed with your march, following the same monotonous loop around the leaf-covered neighborhood.

The wind isn't as vigorous as the night before, making your trek a little easier to bear. When you approach the billowing pines where the mysterious Monsuta Stop had appeared, the one you'd spun to collect your coveted golden egg, it's not there — just as you figure it wouldn't be. Somehow, that strange little man had made the blue globe appear and then disappear all at once, like a magician entertaining patrons at a county fair. Here one minute and gone the next. If you'd blinked too slowly you would have missed it entirely.

An eye-catching orange sunset tells you its time to head home. As you turn onto your street, your mind skims over the man's bizarre request for a trade.

Would he actually reappear when the egg is ready to hatch? How would he even know when, or where you'll be? You smile and shake your head, amazed by your own naivety. He can probably locate you through your phone's GPS, and obviously has access to your Monsuta GO account. Technology is such a wonderful thing! You can't imagine living without it. How your parents survived their teenage years still boggles your mind.

But that leaves you with another question. What should you trade?

Something of value that you take for granted every day.

Sighing, you mentally sift through the contents of your bedroom, the numerous articles of clothing and personal possessions piling high in every available space. What exactly is he hoping to receive? And more importantly, would it mean you'd have to clean? There had to be a way around that.

The obvious items are out. Your cell phone, for starters. Sure you might take it for granted, but if you gave it away you wouldn't be able to finish the game. And besides, how would you communicate with your friends? He didn't honestly expect you to give up texting, did he?

There's your laptop, but you need that for school work. Not to mention the trouble you'd get into when your Mom and Dad discovered it missing. The diamond studs your grandparents had given you two birthdays ago are also out of the question. Protectively, your fingertips hurry to your ear, giving the translucent round gem a twist.

After dissecting the rest of your belongings, you give up. You'll deal with the trade later, right now you need to get home. Dinner's probably waiting and your mom will throw a fit if you're late again. Heart racing, you barrel through the front door, tossing out apologies as you go. She gives you a look, one that says, You're not playing that stupid game again, are you? but continues stirring the spaghetti sauce as she hands you four plates.

"Enough's enough for one night," she says disapprovingly, the corners of her mouth pulling down. "It's time to set the table."

You grab one last glance at the golden egg before turning off the app, and can't help but smile. 3.3 kilometers down. Not too bad for one day. And tomorrow you vow to do even better.