BACKSTORY:
I used to live with my dad, Daniel, in a big old house in the countryside. It was just the two of us, and our dog Rosie. Rosie was a beautiful golden retriever, with long silky fur and the sweetest disposition you could imagine. She was my best friend in the world, and I loved her more than anything.
My dad was a quiet, reserved man. He worked as a carpenter and spent most of his time in his workshop, building furniture and other things. He wasn't the kind of dad who played catch or took me to the park, but I loved him anyway. We had a simple life, and we were happy.
One day, when I was about twelve, my dad came to me with tears in his eyes. He told me that Rosie was sick, and that she might not make it. I was devastated. We took her to the vet, but there wasn't much they could do. Rosie's health declined rapidly, and soon she was too weak to walk or even eat.
One night, when I was lying in bed, I heard strange noises coming from downstairs. It sounded like someone was moving furniture around. I got up to investigate, and found my dad in the living room, rearranging the furniture. He looked up at me and said, "Rosie needs a place to rest. I want to make sure she's comfortable." I didn't understand what he meant, but I didn't question him. I went back to bed, feeling confused and scared.
The next day, when I went to check on Rosie, she was gone. There was no sign of her anywhere in the house. I asked my dad where she was, but he just looked at me sadly and said, "She's resting now, Sally. She's at peace." I didn't understand what he meant, but I didn't push the issue. I was too heartbroken to think clearly.
Years went by, and my dad and I grew apart. He became more and more distant, spending all his time in his workshop and barely speaking to me. I moved out as soon as I turned eighteen, eager to start my own life.
One day, many years later, I received a strange package in the mail. It was from my dad, who had passed away a few months earlier. It was a Dreamcast with a note written on it. It said "I'm sorry, Sally. I know I wasn't the best father, and I know I never told you this before, but I loved you and Rosie more than anything in the world."
Those were the words my dad would always say to me, and now, as I held the old Dreamcast console in my hands, I couldn't help but think about him and Rosie.
I decided to plug in the console and see if it still worked. To my surprise, it turned on and started playing a game I had never seen before. The graphics were crude and glitchy, but the sound was clear. As I played the game, I realized that it was about Rosie. It was as if my dad had made the game for her, as a way to remember her.
But as I played further, I started to notice something strange. The game wasn't just a tribute to Rosie. It was also a message from my dad, a message that he had left for me after he was gone. The game was full of hidden clues and puzzles, and as I solved them, I uncovered a dark secret.
My dad had never buried Rosie. Instead, he had kept her body in the basement, trying to find a way to bring her back to life. He had been experimenting with the Dreamcast, trying to use its technology to revive her. And somehow, it had worked. A week after Rosie died, he had found another dog that looked just like her and fudged up its appearance to make it look even more like Rosie. He had replaced her with the fake dog, hoping that I wouldn't notice.
But now, with the help of the game, I knew the truth. And as I sat there, holding the Dreamcast console and looking at the screen, I heard barking in the distance. It was Rosie's bark, unmistakable and clear. I looked outside and saw her, standing in the yard, wagging her tail and looking at me with those big brown eyes.
I ran outside, tears streaming down my face, and hugged her tight. She was alive, and she was with me again. And as we walked back into the house, I knew that we had to find out what my dad had been doing, why he had tried to bring Rosie back to life. Together, Rosie and I would solve the mystery and uncover the truth about my dad and the Dreamcast.
BACKSTORY 2:
My dad and I never had a chance to make things right between us, but receiving that package from him made me feel closer to him than I had in years. I knew he loved me in his own way, and that he had always cared for me and Rosie, even if he didn't know how to show it.
As I was going through the package, I noticed something odd about the Dreamcast console. It was hooked up to a strange device that I had never seen before. It looked like some kind of homemade transmitter or receiver, with wires and circuit boards all over it.
I decided to hook up the console and see if it still worked. To my surprise, it turned on perfectly. The game that was inside was one that my dad and I used to play together when I was a kid. It brought back memories of happier times, and I felt a pang of sadness knowing that I could never play it with him again.
As I was playing, I noticed something strange happening on the screen. The game was glitching out, and the sound was distorted. It was like the console was trying to tell me something.
That's when I heard Rosie barking in the other room. I went to check on her, and she was staring at the wall, barking furiously. I didn't see anything there, but I could feel a strange energy in the air. It was like something was trying to communicate with us.
That's when I remembered the other dog. The one that looked like Rosie, but wasn't her. I had gotten her by mistake, thinking she was Rosie. I had never been able to shake the feeling that something was off about her.
I decided to investigate further, with Rosie by my side. We followed the strange energy to the woods behind the house. That's where we found it.
The real Rosie’s Dead body. Well. Not really. But just bone. It had been years after she died. But I still cried. After a while I went back in the house I live. And I decided to play for a bit.
BACKSTORY FINAL 2.5
After playing on the Dreamcast for a while, I started to get tired. I decided to take a nap and save the rest for tomorrow. I put the console away and went to bed.
The next day, I woke up early and eagerly pulled out the Dreamcast to continue playing. But when I turned it on, something strange happened. Instead of the usual game menu, there was a message on the screen that read, "Rosie is waiting for you."
I was confused and a little freaked out. How could Rosie be waiting for me on a video game console? But I couldn't resist the urge to find out what it meant. I selected the only option on the screen, which was "Play Now."
The game started up, but it wasn't the same game I had been playing before. It was a weird, surreal world filled with strange objects and colors. And there was Rosie, running around on the screen, wagging her tail and barking happily.
I was overjoyed to see her again, even if it was just a digital version of her. I played the game for hours, exploring the strange world and playing with Rosie. It was like she was really there with me, and I felt like I was a kid again, playing with my beloved dog.
Eventually, I had to turn off the console and go to bed. But I couldn't wait to play again the next day. Little did I know that things were about to get much stranger and much scarier than I could have ever imagined.
MAIN STORY
Hello, my name is Sally. I used to love my Dreamcast console, but that all changed one fateful night. It was a stormy evening, and I was feeling a bit down. I decided to fire up my old Dreamcast console to try and cheer myself up with some of my favorite games.
As I played, everything seemed fine at first. But after about 30 minutes, I experienced a strange bug. It wasn't anything major, just a small glitch that briefly interrupted my game. I didn't think too much of it and continued playing.
But then, a few hours later, things started to take a turn for the worse. My Dreamcast suddenly crashed, with a message appearing on the screen that read, "Alert, CPU temperature was over 70." Before I could do anything, it shut down completely.
I tried to restart it, but instead of taking me to the main menu, it brought up a screen I had never seen before. It was a Safe Mode screen enabler, and I was given no other option but to enable it. It was 2:35 AM, and I was starting to get a little spooked.
The Dreamcast showed a "Dreamcast: Safe Mode initiation" screen, and I felt a chill run down my spine. The console was detecting that it was reaching highly unsafe temperatures, which could cause severe damage to it. I pressed "A" to continue, not knowing what else to do.
The console then started running a series of tests. First, it played the Dreamcast logo theme for a sound test, but it sounded all wrong. Parts of the music were missing or cut off, and the sound systems were completely damaged. I pressed "A" to continue to the next test.
The next test was a render loading test, which showed the Dreamcast logo, but it looked wrong. Some squares were not completing the image, and some squares were even missing. Then the screen glitched, and the results came up as "<render_diagnosis_result>."
As the tests continued, the console started producing more and more smoke, and the temperature kept climbing higher and higher. A final warning screen appeared, telling me to pull the plug to turn it off or a fire would start. But just as I unplugged the console, it turned back on, displaying the same final warning screen. I was panicked and had no choice but to emergency shut it down.
The console recommended that I be ready to call 211, as it was about to burst into flames. As a loading bar appeared, it completed only a fraction of a percent before the screen cut out and went back to the Dreamcast logo. The console was producing more smoke, and I could hear a glitchy booming noise playing in the background. Then the logo glitched, and the squares appeared more. The temperature was at 101 degrees, and then the screen went black.
The only thing left was the Dreamcast logo, but it was more distorted and glitchy than ever before, with a default faint profile picture behind it. Then it said "Fatal Error," and the console burst into flames. I managed to put the fire out, but the damage was done.
The next day, when I woke up, I found my Dreamcast covered in my dog Rosie's bleeding head. I started to mourn the loss of both my Dreamcast and my beloved pet. She was my everything from my childhood, why did she have to die now? But then, the head carried a note that read, "Why else would the bug be a picture of your dog appearing for a mili-second?"
I remembered that my dog, Rosie, had been feeling ill, throwing up and coughing up bits of blood. The vet found something strange inside of her. It was a metal piece that seems to be a knife.
She also consumed a squirrel and threw it out.
ENDING
As I looked up at the sky, tears still streaming down my face, something miraculous happened. The clouds parted, and a single beam of light shone down upon me. And in that moment, I felt a sense of peace and comfort that I had never experienced before.
I knew then that my beloved dog was finally at rest, free from pain and suffering. And even though I would miss her every day, I took solace in the fact that she was now in a better place.
As I stood there, gazing up at the sky, I felt a sense of joy and happiness wash over me. It was as if my dog was telling me that she was okay and that she would always be with me, no matter what.
And so, with a smile on my face and a heart full of love, I said goodbye to my dear friend, knowing that she was at peace and that our love would live on forever.
I have captured some audio from the recording. I might upload it to my YouTube account when I make one.