Donovan pushed the aged white stone rook seven spaces forward across the gigantic chess board sitting in the center of a majestic lush green garden maze.

A black stone bishop on its own slid across the grass diagonally from the left side threatening his exposed King piece with a….“Check!” A detached voice echoed loudly throughout the garden.

Donovan never played chess before and was wishing he would have paid attention to the many times his Grandfather spoke of his early days playing chess matches in tournaments. He never thought it such an important game compared to the video games he normally played. But now, in this certain predicament the lessons would come in handy.

He dug into his jeans pocket pulling out a crumpled paper with the foreboding note in scratched pencil.

“Beware of the checkmate lest you be lost in the labyrinth.”

Donovan longed to be back in his warm bed, shielded by his favorite Chicago Cubs blanket. A gift from his Dad before he passed from an unexpected cancer strike.

He just had to be too curious when a mysterious package showed up one day at his door with a message inside: “Play me.”

In that moment, he tested fate, finding himself frighteningly inside the intriguing video game within seconds. Now arriving to the center of a maze of clues along the way to guide his path, this was the final clue. An older man with a smooth wooden cane handed it to him along the way with a twinkle in his eye before he vanished. Recognizing the dilemma, he knew if he didn’t checkmate, he may never go home.

Only four pieces remained on the board including two kings, a bishop, and a rook.

Thankfully Donovan observed the mysterious moves of the pieces as they moved on their own to learn how each could move and luckily was playing the game correctly by mirroring them. But any wrong move and it would be over. He might be over forever.

Donavon moved his king one space to the left to clear himself of the check. The bishop chased his King for a few more rounds, till he backed him into a corner. The rook could not move in that direction!

“Checkmate!” The deep bellowing voice yelled and the ground shook underneath his feet.

“Oh no! I’ve lost!!” Donavon began to run into the maze as the pieces of the chess board slid in a chase after him.

“I’ve read books like Alice in Wonderland! But this is a nightmare!! Please wake up! I have to be dreaming!! Wake up Donovan!! Wake up!!!”

He ran through the labyrinth as fast as he could slamming into walls of tall hedges until….into a black hole he fell…