Miss Scissors: Reading Is The Key Part 1

[The following will be based upon my real-life participation in Bookcrossing' Oct.-Nov. read-a-thon. It is inspired somewhat by, but not affiliated with, the Saw movie series. There will be multiple parts to this, one for each day of the read-a-thon until November 5 or until I fulfill the 24-hour reading goal whichever comes first. In the comments, I will be sure to post the "real-life" version of the story.]


(It's a late Thursday night. ModMouse wakes up in an unfamiliar but well-furnished house.)

Modmouse: Where am I?  (Hears a laugh.) What was that? Who's there? (She looks around and sees nobody, then shrugs.) Well, I don't remember coming here, so I better get out. (Walks up to door only for it to turn out that she can't open it.) What the-? (Sees that the door is surrounded by 24 locks.)

(The TV in the living room turns on, showing Molly the Doll, voiced by Miss Scissors. Molly the doll is in a black dress and has black hair.)

Molly: Hello, ModMouse. I see that you're awake.

ModMouse: What are you? One of those talking dolls?

Voice:You don't know me, but I know you. I want to play a game.

ModMouse: Why does that phrase sound so familiar?

Molly: Earlier this year, you have started taking part in Bookcrossing's read-a-thons, but you never fulfilled the read-a-thon goal of 24 hours of reading in a week. Though some of this has been justified, much of the time that could have been spent on the read-a-thon has been spent on frivolous activities. By allowing this to happen, you have done an injustice not only to your conscience but to anybody who visits your reading blog as the only final report they receive from you regarding your read-a-thon participation is that of failure. If you are not careful, you could very well lose readership as a result. I am going to teach you the importance of meeting goals if not for your own sake then for the sake of those to whom you are accountable.

ModMouse: I know I keep messing that up, but it's not like my life depends on it.

Molly: In this case, it will. The object of the game is to disable all of the 24 locks on the door, but this can only be done with the stack of books available to you, which are on the dining room table.

ModMouse: Okay, so I have to hit the locks with the books. Sounds simple enough, not that I know what this has to do with read-a-thons. (Modmouse picks up a book and bangs one of the locks with it several times.) Okay, this doesn't seem to work.

Molly: I knew you would try to physically undo the locks with the books. However, that is not how you disable the locks.

ModMouse: But if I'm not supposed to hit the locks with the books, then how AM I supposed to use the books to get out of here?

Molly: Each lock on the door represents an hour of reading. When you begin to read, you activate the timer on a lock, which will indicate how many minutes you must read before the lock is disabled. After one lock has been disabled, it will open, and the timer on another lock will be activated. As you can see, all but one book has a lock on it. (ModMouse looks at the book in her hand that doesn't have a lock on it and looks up to see that the other books in the room have locks on them.) After you have completed said book, it will disappear and another book will be unlocked and so on and so forth. You may pause your reading at any time if necessary. However, pausing the reading will pause the timer as well, which will restart when you start reading again. Do you have the discipline to accumulate enough reading time to disable the locks before the clock strikes midnight on the next Thursday night? If you do not, any locks that remain active at that time will release a poisonous red gas, symbolizing your failure. If I were you, I wouldn't put it off at all. In fact, I'd do this as though my life depended on it. The game begins when the clock strikes midnight. Read or die. Make your choice. (TV turns off.)

ModMouse: O-kay. I'm getting a little freaked out here. (Attempts to open the door herself once again along with trying to destroy the locks with the books and other objects. She gives up and sits down.)

(Clock strikes midnight. The timer on one lock shows one hour.)



Will ModMouse fulfill the 24 hours of reading before it's too late, or will it be "game over"?

TO BE CONTINUED…