Josh and Johnny sat in companionable silence as they played the Wordscapes app on their phones. It was tournament time and although they were not in the same tourney room, they were competing for rankings in their respective games.

"Hah! I just took second!" Josh crowed as he waited for the ad to timeout so he could load a new puzzle.

Johnny groaned, "Ah, man. I got this guy ahead of me by thirty points. The only way I'm gonna catch up is if he takes a break for lunch."

They were playing the free version of Wordscapes which meant after every puzzle, they were treated to an ad selling the newest game, an incredible tool, or a clever tee-shirt. You had to sit there and watch the ad for the minimum of thirty seconds before you could cancel it and load a new puzzle.

Johnny set the phone down on the coffee table and flexed his fingers. The wise player uses ad time to relax and recharge before getting into the next puzzle. As he picked the device back up, he reflexively hit the "X" to remove the ad. Before it faded away he caught the image of an attractive blonde fanning a handful of cash. Then he was back in the game. He had dropped to fourth in the brief time the ad had run.

Twenty minutes of furious play later, the same ad came back. Johnny was still not any better than third place. He had just finished level 615 and was stretching when his eye was caught by the same attractive blonde. She was speaking directly into the camera. He could see her lips move but could not hear her. Curious, he took the sound off of mute. "...and our analysts are working night and day to find opportunities for you in this competitive world. We do the work, you reap the benefits."

"Have you seen this?" He held the phone up to Josh, who was furiously forming words with more than three letters. Josh barely looked up. "Cute. No. Need a four letter word that begins and ends with 'O'.

"Onto." Johnny touched the video and was instantly taken to the app spec sheet. There were four screens, each extolling the virtues of "The Tomorrow App". For only one dollar he could load the app that would essentially predict the future. Fame, riches, love interests, all could be his. Yeah, right. He switched back to the game and started level 616. Surprising himself, he sailed right through the level, making twelve extra words and scoring thirty-eight points. The next two levels went the same way. In three quick games, he jumped from fourth to second.

The blond was back. This time, she seemed to be talking directly to him. "So you've had some small successes. Maybe it was luck. Or maybe it was something else. Wouldn't you like the luck to continue? Buy our app. It's only a buck. What have you got to lose? Touch my hand." She reached out to him in the video.

What did he have to lose? Johnny touched her hand.

--to be continued--