Robert, the Video Game Boy: And the Story of How He Became Known as the Video Game Boy

By Manrique Easley

Eleven-year-old Robert Sampson loves video games more than anything else—more than toys, sports, candy, cakes, and pies. Most of the time, he only thinks about playing video games; he even daydreams about them during school.

But Robert’s life is turned upside down when his two cousins, eleven-year-old Jessica and nine-year-old Allen, go missing—an event that makes the national news. Their father, Robert’s uncle Theodore, has left also the area. Uncle Theodore is a video game designer, and while Robert and his mom are over at his uncle’s house, trying to figure out what happened, Robert finds a new video game and begins playing it. He soon learns that his cousins’ disappearance and this strange new game are connected in a way he could never have imagined. Now Robert must find a way to rescue Jessica and Allen, and the challenges he faces will change his life forever.

In this novel for middle readers, a boy discovers that a mysterious video game has caused his two cousins to vanish and sets out to save them from being trapped in the game.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jan 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9781532089930

Manrique Easley

(Stun) Manrique Easley currently works as a senior leader for a fortune 20 company. He is the author of 3 previous books. One of them being another children’s book called Robert, The Video Game Boy. He holds a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from the University of Memphis. He enjoys writing, sports, and spending time with his family.

Book preview

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CHAPTER ONE

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R obert was sitting in his fifth grade classroom. He was looking at the clock that was hung on the eggshell white wall above Mrs. Oakley. Mrs. Oakley was Robert’s fifth grade teacher. She was an older lady that rarely smiled. She always had her wire rim glasses sitting on the edge of her nose as if they were going to fall off of her. She was teaching the class a math lesson. If Robert was given a quiz at the end of the day on what she had just taught, he would have not made a grade higher than a D. He would have been lucky to make that because he was not paying attention to a word she was saying. Unfortunately for Robert, not paying attention to his teacher was not an uncommon thing for him. He had a bad habit of daydreaming about racing down the street or battling against some monster on some video game that he would run home to play every day when school let out, however, this time he had his mind on something more serious than a video game.

Robert had two cousins that lived in the next county over and they had been missing for two days. His cousin’s names were Jessica and Allen and they were brother and sisters. Jessica was 11 years old like Robert and Allen was 9. Robert was very close to his two cousins. He spent a lot of time with his cousins on weekends and holidays. Robert and his cousins would play all types of games together, but similar to Robert their favorite thing to do was to play video games. Their father was the brother of Robert’s mom. His name was Theodore Simmons and Mr. Simmons was Robert’s uncle. Robert’s uncle was divorced and he would keep his two cousins on the weekends. It was over the past weekend when his two cousins all of a sudden disappeared. There were not a lot of details surrounding the disappearance. It was like they were in the house and just all of sudden vanished. They had been missing now for two days.

The police had been searching all over the county for Robert’s two cousins and they had not been able to find them. The disappearance of Jessica and Allen had originally made the headlines on the local county news shows, but now the disappearance of them was the headline of all the national news shows. This meant that most of the people in the country now new about the disappearance of Robert’s two cousins.

It was almost time for school to let out for the day so Robert continued ignoring Mrs. Oakley. He couldn’t stop thinking about Jessica and Allen and the last time he had seen them. He had been over his uncle’s house and they had been over there as well and of course they had been playing video games together. As he thought about them, he looked at the clock waiting eagerly for the bell to ring to let the class out. Once the bell rung, Robert got his books and notepad together and stood up. He walked out of the room and started walking towards the school’s front door. As he was walking towards the door, Charles walked up beside him.

What are you going to do after school? his friend Charles asked him. Charles was one of Robert’s closet friends at school. Robert played with him a lot after school and they mainly played video games together.

I don’t know? Robert said, and as he said that he saw Diane standing over by her locker. Robert had a crush on Diane and he had this crush on her for over a year. Diane was in the same grade as Robert and she was in two of the same classes with him. Even though she was in two of his classes, he hadn’t ever talked to her that much. He would stare at her sometimes during class. When she looked at him while he was staring, he would turn away quickly and hope to himself that she couldn’t tell that he had been staring at her. He loved her long hair and he thought that she was very pretty. However, those were just the physical things he liked about her. He thought that she seemed liked a really caring person and that she seemed like she was really nice. To him, she seemed like someone that would take in a stray cat and or dog and really take care of it.

Why don’t you go over and talk to her. She is all by herself at the locker, Charles asked, and Robert had told Charles about his crush before and he was almost sorry he had.

Maybe one day I will, but not today, Robert said, and then he was bumped on the side of his body and it caused him to back up a couple of steps. He turned and looked to see who had bumped him and it was Big Derrick. Big Derrick was a bully and he seemed to be proud that he was a bully. He was on average 8 inches taller than all of the other kids and he weighed about 25 lbs more than any of them. For some reason he rocked and old style shag haircut, but no one was brave enough to make a joke about it. He liked to mess with Charles a lot because he was a very short and skinny kid similar to Robert and sometimes Big Derrick would mess with Robert too. Big Derrick was with his friend Tommy. Tommy was not as big as Big Derrick. He was average size, but he was a bully too and he new he had the protection of Big Derrick.

What’s up losers? Big Derrick said and he didn’t wait for an answer, but leaned close to Robert and looked him directly in the face. You need to stop looking at my girlfriend before I have to beat both of you down, Big Derrick said, and then he pushed Charles on the shoulder for no apparent reason and it caused Charles to stumble backwards. It was weird because he seemed to be mad at Robert and not Charles. Derrick and Tommy then walked over to where Diane was standing and Big Derrick started talking to her.

His girlfriend? When did Diane become his girlfriend? I don’t think she is his girlfriend. I think he is just saying that, Charles said, and he rubbed his shoulder and looked over at Big Derrick talking to Diane.

I don’t know if he is telling the truth or not, but I hope that a girl like Diane wouldn’t like a bully like him, Robert said, and as he said that he looked towards the front door of the school and he saw his mom standing at the front door. She was standing there with the principle of the school which Robert had not determined yet if he liked the principal or not. Mainly because he felt that bullies like Big Derrick should be kicked out of school and he wondered why the principal had not kicked him out yet. Robert started wondering why his mom was standing there with the principal. His mom very rarely picked him up from school because he usually rode the school bus home from school.

Do you want to play some video games after school? Charles asked, changing the subject from Diane and Big Derrick as the two of them lingered in the hallway.

No, I don’t think I will be able to. My mom is here, Robert said, and motioned his head towards his mom.

Why is your mom here? Charles asked, and he looked at the front door.

I don’t know, but I have a feeling that it is about my two cousins, Robert said, and continued walking until he got up to his mom and the principal. Initially, he thought his mom was up there about his cousins. He then started thinking that he might be in trouble since his mom was standing by the principle, but he couldn’t think of anything that he had done recently to get himself in trouble. In the past year he had only gotten in trouble once. That was when Mrs. Oakley had called his mom and told her that Robert was day dreaming too much in class and wasn’t paying attention to the lessons that she was teaching. Robert started thinking that maybe Mrs. Oakley had called his mom again about him not paying attention in class again. He then thought again that maybe his mom was there because she had some bad news about his two cousins. This made him feel real nervous and scared and his heart started beating real fast.

Hi mom, what are you doing here?

I am here to take you home, Robert’s mom said, and smiled and rubbed her hand gently across Robert’s cheek.

Why are you taking me home today? You don’t ever take me home. Has something bad happen happened with Jessica and Allen?

No, but the story of them being missing has been all over the news and there were a lot of reporters outside of my job. They wanted to ask me a lot of questions. There are a lot of reporters outside of your school right now wanting to take pictures of you and wanting to ask you questions, Robert’s mom said, and she was a tall lady with long black hair that went several inches pass her shoulders. Robert was her only child. Robert’s mom worked in a corporate office for a big time clothing store that sold fancy women clothes. She got discounts on the clothes so she was usually very nicely dressed.

Why do they want to talk to me? I am only a kid.

Yes you are baby and that is why I am here and we are not going to answer any of their questions. We are going to walk out and go directly to the car. Let me do all of the talking. Okay baby.

Okay, Robert said, and wished to himself that his father was there because he always made him feel safer. His father was a construction worker. He spent a lot of his time on the road out of town. He hadn’t been able to come home for over a week.

Robert’s mom grabbed his hand and the principal opened the door for them and they walked out of the building. As soon as the doors opened, the lights of the flashbulbs and the tv cameras hit Robert’s face. All he could hear were reporters calling out his name and all he could see was tape recorders, microphones, and picture and tv cameras.

Robert over here! Robert! What do you think happened to your two cousins? one reporter screamed out, and Robert just looked at the reporter and followed his mom as she guided him through the reporters.

Robert! Robert! Have you or mom heard from your uncle since yesterday? Do you think your uncle has something to do with the disappearance of your two cousins? Do you think your two cousins are still alive or do you think they are dead? another reporter asked, and Robert could tell that this question upset his mom and she couldn’t keep her silence anymore.

All of you reporters ought to be ashamed of yourselves asking these types of questions to a young boy. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. He is a kid. What are you guys doing?

Okay, Mrs. Sampson, one reporter said, and he must have started feeling bad about questioning an 11 year old. Have you heard from your brother within the last 24 hours? The police think his disappearance is suspicious and they are trying to get in contact with him. Do you think your brother has anything to do with the disappearance of your nephew and niece? they asked Robert’s mom, calling her by her last name.

No, I don’t think my brother had anything to do with the disappearance of my nephew and niece because I know my brother loves his two kids and he would never harm them, Robert’s mom said, and by this time they had reached the car. Robert’s mom opened the car door for Robert. He got in the car and then she walked over to the driver’s side of the car and opened her car door and got in. While she was doing this, the reporters were still shouting out questions to her, but she didn’t say anything back to them. Once Robert’s mom was inside the car, she took a deep breath. She looked over to make sure that Robert had his seatbelt on. He did and then she put her seatbelt on and they drove off. As they drove away, the cameramen aimed the cameras at them. Robert tried to count how many reporters and cameramen were out there and he counted 20. He wasn’t sure if he counted correctly because counting heads in a swirling mob was difficult.

Are you okay, Robert’s mom asked when they’d put a safe distance between them and the repporters

Yeah, I guess I am.

You don’t sound okay. Go ahead and tell me what is wrong, she said, and glanced over at Robert and rubbed her hand on Robert’s cheek.

Do you think we are going to find Jessica and Allen soon?

I hope we are baby. I really hope we are.

That reporter asked me if I thought they were dead. Do you think they are dead or do you think they are okay? Robert asked.

Baby, that reporter was wrong for asking that. No baby I do not think they are dead and I do believe that they are okay. I just hope we find them very soon, Robert’s mom said, and he could tell that she felt bothered about what had just happened.

Why were the reporters asking about Uncle Theodore? Do they think Jessica and Allen are with him or do they think he did something bad to them?

I don’t know what the reporters are thinking. I don’t know what the police are thinking, but I do know my brother. I know he wouldn’t ever put Jessica and Allen in danger.

Have you talked to Uncle Theodore today? Robert asked, and he was still wondering