It’s 2am on a school night and I should’ve been asleep hours ago. I hope mother doesn’t see the faint glow of the screen’s light under the bedroom door or there’ll be trouble. The Spectrum game is taking hours to complete; gold coins deviously hidden behind rocks and skulls. I’ve managed to find the rubber snorkel and navigate through the ocean to the second island, the lonely shopkeeper my only friend on arrival.

just one life…
struck down on the grave
by the pirate’s ghost

It’s 2am on a work night and I find the Spectrum emulator online; Treasure Island Dizzy my entertainment again. The hours of childhood frustration come back to me, though the holy bible provides protection from the pirate’s wrath this time. On the far island, the shopkeeper still dispenses boat parts to aid the escape from cartoon exile. But the morning’s coming and I’m struggling to…