Chapter Thirteen - GameStop: The Quest for the Digital Spud

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

GameStop: The Quest for the Digital Spud

ON THE WAY to the koi pond, I pass GameStop.
My feet betray me.
They turn into the store like they have a side quest.

Inside, it smells like plastic cases, Mountain Dew, and discontinued dreams.

Two teenagers are arguing about frame rates.
The manager is wearing a cape.
He doesn’t work at a Renaissance Fair—this is just who he is now.

I start browsing used games.
Half of them are just slightly different versions of Skyrim.
One is labeled:

POTATO SIMULATOR 2013: THE FRYENING.

It’s $3.99.
And something in my soul says "yes."

The moment I pick it up, the TV on the wall glitches.
It flashes images—real quick—like subliminal advertising for a conspiracy no one’s ready for.
A potato.
A factory.
A barcode that reads “Awaken.”

I look around.
No one saw it.
The manager is now whispering to a Funko Pop.

I take the game to the counter.

The kid behind the register scans it, squints, and goes:

“We’ve been waiting for you.”

Then he hands me a real potato.
Like, just pulls it out from under the desk.
Wrapped in tinfoil.
Still warm.

“Your next clue is inside.”

I open the tinfoil.
Nothing’s inside.
But written on the foil is a single phrase:

"Koi don't forget."