Not an avatar. A shadow. Taller than the buildings. It stood at the edge of the map, facing away. Its nameplate read: — and below it, a status: Last seen: 2003-01-15 .

A response appeared instantly, as if the server was right there in the room with him.

Mark never played another online game. He never told anyone the full story. But sometimes, late at night, his computer would wake on its own. The screen would glow green for a second. And in the chat box of a game that never existed, a single line would appear: