The Person Controller

“Urrrrrggggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!” said Ellie. And lifted the Controller up in the air, with both hands, as if she was going to smash it down hard on the floor of the playroom. Fred, who hated the thought of anything breaking – and who was still, as he always had been as a toddler, a little scared of loud noises – held up his hands to stop her.

And it was then that the Controller – and Fred’s bracelet – lit up.

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“Uh-oh,” said Ellie.

“Oh-uh,” said Fred.

Her hands were in the air. So were his. The Controller and the bracelet were close to each other. Something about this closeness must have had an effect because the blue lines on the Controller were suddenly pulsing. As was the blue light on the bracelet.

“That’s … good … isn’t it?” said Ellie, bringing the Controller back down again.

“Yes,” said Fred. “I think so.”

Ellie pointed the Controller at the screen. The game options were up: FIFA. Street Fighter. Super Mario. Minecraft. But the device wasn’t lighting up any of the boxes with the game icons in them. She held it closer, towards Mario. In desperation, she started pressing the buttons and toggling the control stick randomly.

“It’s not working, Fred! It’s still not working!”

“What’s happening?” shouted Fred suddenly. “Ellie? What’s happening?”

Ellie looked round. Fred was crouching on the window ledge. Luckily, the window was shut.

“What are you doing there?”

“I don’t know,” said Fred.

“You don’t know what you’re doing there?”

“Well, I’m crouching. What I mean is I don’t know how I got here.”

“Fred. Don’t be stupid! You must have climbed up there …”

“I didn’t climb. I jumped!”

“What do you mean you jumped? In one go?”

“Yes.”

“Without falling off?”

“Yes.”

Ellie stared at him. The window was about a metre off the ground.

“Are you sure?”

“Ellie. I was just standing there. Next to you. You were looking at the screen. And fiddling with the Controller. Next thing I knew I’d jumped up here.”

Ellie stared at him some more. Then she noticed something: the blue light on the Controller in her hands, and the blue light on the bracelet around her brother’s wrist, were pulsing in time with each other. Perfectly in time with each other.

So she said, “Say that again.”

“Next thing I knew I had ju—”

“No – before that.”

Fred frowned. “You were looking at the screen …?”

“No, in between that and the jumping bit …”

Fred frowned again. “You were … fiddling with the Controller …?”

Ellie nodded slowly. “I was, wasn’t I …” she said and not like it was a question. She nodded again. “Fred? Can you just … prepare yourself? I’d like to try something.”

“Prepare myself? In what way …?”

“I dunno. Just … make ready.”

Fred had no idea what that meant. But he took a deep breath and said: “OK.”

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Ellie was the more confident twin. She’d always been the one to make decisions, the one who knew what was what. She was more grown-up, more likely to understand stuff that Fred didn’t, quite, yet.

But although she was acting like she knew what was what here – taking control, telling Fred to make ready, all that – she didn’t really understand what was going on. She didn’t really think that Fred had got up on to the window ledge in the way her brain was telling her he must have. And she didn’t really think anything was going to happen when she pointed the Controller back at Fred and flicked the control stick downwards, while pressing the emerald button.

But it did.

Fred’s legs extended, and he jumped gracefully off the window and landed back on the floor of the playroom.

“Oh. My. God,” said Ellie.

“You see!” said Fred. “That’s what happened before! Only in reverse. And … wwwwooaargggh!!!”

Ellie, who had been smiling in amazement while Fred was speaking, had moved the control stick of the Controller in a circle.

Which had led to – or, if not, it was a really remarkable coincidence – Fred spinning round in a circle.

Then, gaining in confidence, Ellie pressed the ruby button and flicked the control stick up at the same time. Leading to Fred – while saying “AAARRGGGHHHH!!!!!” – jumping up in the air and doing a perfect somersault back down again.

Once he realised he was fine and hadn’t broken anything, Fred, breathless and wide-eyed, said: “Ellie! What’s happening?”

“You see that bracelet you’re wearing?”

“Yes.”

“I think it’s paired with the Controller. I think it pairs … you with the Controller.”