Mosha in His Room

Mosha won't come out of his room
Because the princess needs him

Because she needs to be rescued
And the power of five
Is down again
Down for the unforeseeable future

Knock, knock, knock
Door opens, tray slides in
Tray is removed
Food is consumed
Play, play again

Mosha doesn't feel the knife wound in his back
Because he is too busy playing
Watching the power chips pile up
While he loses his energy
Because of a foolish battle he engaged in
With Mr. Twa, the demon catcher

Mosha wanted one of the demons
Because then he could defeat his friend Tosi
Who he's never actually met
And who lives in Osaka
Somewhere in a building
Eighteen stories high

Knock, knock, knock
Come out
No
Come out
No
Come out
No
Come out
No
Knock, knock, knock

He is always being interrupted, it seems

It seems that he is always being asked
To do things
To appear
To confirm
Things

His health, other things
His breath, he is breathing
He is fine

He's young

What's another day, hour, year
Tucked away in his room
Doing what he enjoys?

School has been completed
It was completed a year ago
Ahead of schedule
Which means he has a year to kill

And he is
He's doing just that

Yesterday he reached Level 11
And killed almost every guard
Except the one that was hiding behind the fake door
And that's how he got the knife wound
And it was foolish of him to get comfortable
Knowing he was playing Level 11
And that it wouldn't be completed so easily

It would take him months to get to Level 11 again

When he was killed, he threw his tray against the wall
And the door flew open

Enough
No
Enough
No
This is--
No
This--
Get out
This has to stop
Get out

Knock, knock, knock

He may be imagining things

His family
His interactions
His past
His room
His hands
His breath

All fictional, perhaps

They say if you sleep more than you're awake
What you dream will become what's real
And now Mosha plays all the time
So the play must be what's real

In which case he will live forever
Because the play can continue on and on
Indefinitely

Then he feels the pain in his stomach

Tosi has betrayed him

He is bleeding from his stomach
He is going to die
If he doesn't find the Healer chip

Knock, knock, knock

--all right in there?

He has to find it
The blood is pouring out
Other players are coming out like sharks
To watch him die
And steal from his pack
Because he has been a top player in the game
Even with the fall at Level 11

Knock, knock, knock

--open

He has to find Tosi

Tosi must have the Healer chip

Why did he trust him?

Why was he so stupid?

Knock, knock--

--you have to--

Perhaps the forest?

Perhaps that's where he's hiding?

Even with the stomach wound
And his back still aching
Mosha can search for a few hours

And Tosi has no stealth
He can be found

Knock--

--break it--

His hands are wet

--Knock--

--I said--

The room is spinning

--Knock

--Mosha!

He hasn't eaten

He hasn't eaten a thing in days

When the door comes down
All his friends, the players
They disappear

The light from the hallway hurts his eyes
And when he feels someone else touching him
He screams

'What is this?' he screams

Trying to see if Tosi
Is making a run for the door

He feels someone try to hold him
But he breaks free
And runs out the door

He goes down the hallway
Unfamiliar with this place
This place he used to know

He swears he can see Tosi
Running out the door
And so he follows him

But when he gets outside
The light stabs his eyes
And he falls onto the cold pavement
Digging at his eyes with his hands
Trying to find the place where it's burning

And he keeps asking--

'What is this? What is this?'

Not sure
If he even believes
The sound of his own voice