Notes For All Chapters English Literature Class 10
Introduction
“Virtually True’ is all about computers, video games, virtual reality, 3-D/three dimensional techniques etc. This all is interwoven around the story of Sebastian Shultz, in relation to the video games. It is interesting to read ‘Virtually True’ in the light of modern fiction having the latest gizmos.
Newspaper article on Sebastian Shultz
There appeared a newspaper article with a title. It was : MIRACLE RECOVERY, Sebastian Shultz, a 14 year-old school boy from south London, awoke yesterday from a coma. The doctors feared that it might last forever. The reader of the newspaper was an old woman. The narrator Michael felt that it couldn’t be Sebastian Shultz whom he had met. He started reading the article.
Shultz’s coma and miracle
Six weeks ago Shultz had been badly injured in a motorway accident. His condition on arrival at hospital was critical but stable. The doctors informed his parents that he was in coma. His mother Mrs. Shultz said in a press conference that he needed a miracle to happen. The miracle had happened. The narrator wondered how.
Of computers and other gadgets including video games
The narrator Michael dug his memory and saw that Sebastian had been in a coma for all the time. He felt nervous as to how it had happened. One month before, the narrator and his father had spent the entire Saturday afternoon at the Computer Fair. His dad being crazy after computers had bought all the latest gadgets like CD ROM, printer, modem, scanner, video games like Tornado, MeBabash, Black Belt, Kyrene’s Kastle. The narrator had also played all of them. The narrator’s dad had bought other gadgets like virtual reality visor, and glove interactive psycho-drive games. Some video games were new.
Narrator’s playing Wildwest’ video game
At home the narrator started playing the video game ‘Wildwest’ in 3-D. He was striding down the dusty track through the centre of the town. A sheriff’s badge was pinned to his shirt. As he burst through the swing doors of the saloon all glared at him. As he strode over to the bar he heard a loud crash. As he spun around he saw Black-Eyed Jed, the fastest gun in the west in a silhouette. Jed warned him that he must leave the town at once. He slammed the saloon door. Jed had already left. He wanted to know his score.
Second sheriff enters, game is over
The narrator had played the game with confidence. But with the entry of the second sheriff the game had become more complicated. The second sheriff asked the narrator who he was and asked him to follow him. They ran past men and doors and ended up back in the saloon. But he dived through the window, sat on a horse and asked the narrator to follow him. When the narrator asked him who he was, he didn’t reply. A gunshot was heard and the second sheriff slumped back. There came a message : GAME OVER. The narrator had scored 21,095.
Another 3-D Video game
On the printout the narrator saw the figure of the second sheriff. This time he wore jeans and a sweatshirt. At the bottom there was a message : I’m stuck. Please help to retrieve me. Try ‘Dragonquest’. Sebastian Shultz. The narrator could play the game as suggested next morning only. He found himself walking through the massive doors of the dragon’s castle lair.
About the second game and the next
The aim of the game was simple. He had to rescue the fair princess Aurora from a wicked dragon and collect the wicked’s treasure. The narrator had reached the imprisoned princess who cried to take her away from all that. He heard another cry from a second knight for rescuing him. He, at once, recognised him as ‘Sebastian.’ Sebastian was going to escape with the help of the princess’s long plaits when the dragon appeared. The narrator and the dragon got involved in the chase. Very soon the dragon was upon Sebastian. The narrator swung his sword to prevent the dragon to take over Sebastian, but couldn’t. The game was over with an invitation to play another game ‘Jailbreak’.
Rescuing Sebastian Shultz
The narrator was determined to rescue his cell mate Sebastian Shultz. He asked Shultz if he had a plan for the rescue. With the help of skeleton swipe-card they were out of the cell. Guards, dogs, sirens etc, chased them. When they were on the roof, Sebastian asked there must be a helicopter there. The next moment there were guards and dogs. Sebastian took a step ahead but he had fallen on the concrete floor. The game was over.
Failure at the game and loss of Sebastian
The narrator looked for the results at the printer tray. But there was nothing. He had failed the video game and in Sebastian’s rescue. The scenes began to fade in his memory. Then it came to him that Sebastian Shultz was the game. He went to various games but never met Shultz again.
Another try for Sebastian’s rescue
There was a message from Sebastian for another try. It suggested that the narrator should go into ‘Warzone’ and have another try. The narrator found himself in a city without windows and with holes due to machine guns fire. Bombs exploded. The narrator and Sebastian had to make it to the helicopter together. They tried to run through tank fire etc. Sebastian shouted ‘a Jeep’ and both jumped in it. It was being followed by a tank.
How Sebastian is rescued
Sebastian braked the jeep but it spinned and he was thrown into the air. He tumbled round and round closer to the helicopter. The narrator pulled him up when he fell down with a thud. He had finally rescued Sebastian Shultz. He had hit the jackpot scoring 40,000,000. He now knew that Sebastian Shultz didn’t exist like the human beings.
Narrator’s search for the MIRACLE RECOVERY
The narrator was curious to know more about the MIRACLE RECOVERY story. He learnt that Sebastian had been playing the same psycho-drive games as he himself had been playing. He thought that if Sebastian had been plugged into the computer when he had banged his head, the computer might have saved his memory in its own. He remembered the reply of Shultz’s family about the stealing of the lot of stock on some games. They had ended up at the Computer Fair.
All about virtual truth via 3-D
The narrator checked his e-mail and found one from Sebastian. He clicked and read it. Sebastian had thanked him for saving his life. He saw that it was a real message from the real Sebastian Shultz. He understood that whatever he had described was true-virtually.
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