— "Night at the Pizzeria"

The smell of old grease and burnt cheese hung in the air of the run-down pizzeria. The fluorescent lights flickered at irregular intervals, casting strange shadows on the stained walls. The metallic sound of a malfunctioning soda machine completed the soundtrack of a place that no longer held the same luster as before.

Ozwald rested his face on his hand, staring at the cold slice of pizza he held between his fingers. The hardened cheese didn't appeal to him, but deep down, he knew he wasn't there for the food. Ever since that strange summer when he discovered the well in the abandoned restaurant, he hadn't looked at pizzerias the same way. There was something off about these places — something that always seemed to call him back.

As he let his eyes wander around the nearly empty room, he realized he wasn't the only one there that night.

At the corner table, a girl he'd never seen before was leafing through a notebook. Clara Reynolds, he remembered the name he'd heard at school — was new in town. Ozwald noticed she had an instant camera slung around her neck, discreetly snapping pictures of the broken machines, as if searching for something hidden.

Near the counter, absently wiping a table, was Ethan Blake, an older boy who sometimes helped out at the restaurant. He looked bored, almost defeated, but every now and then he'd cast suspicious glances at the switched-off animatronics on stage. It was as if he sensed they were watching him back.

Across the room, a middle-aged man — Mr. Daniel Moore— was trying to cheer up his daughter, Lucy, who was twirling a straw in her empty soda cup. Ozwald had never seen the man before, but something about the way he looked at the walls, the old signs, and the toys, conveyed more than just nostalgia. Lucy, for her part, seemed fascinated by the flashing lights, as if she could hear something the others couldn't.

Ozwald sighed and returned to staring at his cold pizza.

Ozwald: — "Great... all the weird people decide to come here today." —

It was then that he heard a loud beep. One of the arcade machines in the back of the pizzeria, which no one had turned on, turned on by itself. The screen glowed with flickering letters:

"PLAY AGAIN? — INSERT YOUR NAME."

The lights in the room flickered next. The wall clock stopped. The air grew heavy.

Ozwald looked back at the others: Clara took another photo, Ethan dropped the cloth he was holding, Mr. Moore stood up startled, and Lucy smiled in an almost… serene way.

The pizzeria looked the same as always, but in that instant, everyone knew something bigger was about to begin.

Note for Players: You can play Ozwald, a character from the scene, or an original character.