Shaun Of The Wegs...

(Here’s a long story from Origins to keep y’all sated for the next few days…)

One of the funniest moments at Origins was also one of the most austere – and it wasn’t gaming based. In the movie Shaun of the Dead, Shaun and his group of hapless zombie-fearing heroes are cutting through backyards making their way to the safety of the Winchester (a local pub). As they round a corner, they come face to face with one of Shaun’s friends, who is also leading a troop of zombie-fearing heroes to another safe haven. Shaun and his friend compare their plans (of which Shaun’s is the lesser), and then both groups depart their separate ways. The brilliance of the scene is that as they depart, they pass each other single file – for every member of Shaun’s party, there is an exact same member in the other party. There’s the fat guy double, the girl with the artsy hat double, the Harry Potter dweeb double and the Mom double. It’s just brilliant…

Anyhow, it was the end of the convention, Sunday afternoon and we needed drinks and eats and drinks badly. So, me and the Wegshogs were taking a shortcut through this deserted elevated walkway. Destination, Max and Erma’s. We had taken this same walkway a couple nights prior at midnight and it was a creepy place. The enclosed overpass is a long, crooked corridor with lots of nooks. Its tinted windows give the hallway some kind of grey un-light. The various exits are hidden and you can walk right past them unaware. If this was NYC, the place would be a haven for the various urchins and a convenient urinal for the walking drunks post-last call… In fact, if this was in NYC, the walkway would be closed after sun-down. Growing up in the NYC area, you come to assess things this way. But this was Columbus, OH – there was naught to fear.

Until we rounded a corner and came face to face with a couple of gamers who popped up from a concealed flight of stairs. Instantly I recognized the two as our WittCon comrades – of all the places to meet folks you know! We quickly hailed each other and then compared our plans. Lionel and troop were heading back into the convention center to take one last look around, and we were heading to the pub for one last beer. As Lionel and his friend talked with me and Will, Sue and Bob had taken a step back against a wall. Suddenly, the wall opened and Bob let out a wee-girly scream. Ends up they were standing in front of some concealed elevator doors. Inside were the other two members of the WittCon party – Andy and Julia.

We all quickly exchanged greetings, talked excitedly about the con, wished each other well, and then went our separate ways. Me and the Weghogs went down the stairs to street level and the pub. Lionel and troop went onward to the convention hall. As me and Will hopped down the stairs, I turned to him and said, “You know that was the scene from Shaun of the Dead we just lived, right?”

From behind we could hear Sue laughing at Bob for his little elevator scream…

We laughed at the absurdity of it all. What were the odds of coming face to face with folks you know well in a city flooded with gamers? Especially in that deserted area? Just something that was meant to be… It was great seeing those folks one last time and saying farewell in person.

Perfect way to end the con.