men on birthday

You were an ordinary student, eagerly awaiting summer break. The last bell had long since rung, your textbooks had been shelved, and all that lay ahead was the sea, the sun, and your birthday.

When the day finally arrived, your parents gave you presents early in the morning. Everything was wonderful... except one thing.

"My gift will be special," my sister smiled mysteriously. "But you'll receive it a little later."

The next day, the whole family headed to the sea. You rented a large, cozy cottage near the beach and spent almost the entire day in the water.

In the evening, when your parents were still swimming, your sister came up to you.

• Let's go. Your gift is ready.

She blindfolded you and carefully led you somewhere. You walked for several minutes until she finally stopped.

• Open up.

You slowly removed the bandage...

It was a completely alien cottage.

There was a strange silence inside.

Four young men sat at a large table. A board game lay in front of them, but no one was moving the pieces anymore.

All four of them raised their heads at the same time…

…and silently looked straight at you.

You already wanted to turn to your sister and ask:

— What's going on anyway?

But she was no longer there.

Only a fading voice could be heard from the street:

— Happy birthday. This is my gift. Figure it out yourself from now on.

The door closed behind her.

Silence fell over the room again.

After a few seconds, one of the guys lazily leaned back in his chair, grinned, and broke the silence:

— Well... the gift has arrived. Who will be the first to explain to him/her why it's not so easy to leave here now?