Image: “Super Mario Bros 2” from Nintendo.
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ON THE AUCTION OF SUPER MARIO BROTHERS 2
SHELLY JONES
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Mario dreams of a capitalist hellscape
saturated with ’80s nostalgia: Duck Hunt, Zelda, Qix, his own familiar red overalls. He bids in an online auction, blinks violently as the numbers escalate, towering upwards like vines to another dimension above. “Sold!” flashes across the screen before he can leap to action, fist stretched outward. $88,000 for an unopened cartridge: his life unlived. |
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Shelly Jones, PhD (she/they) is a Professor of English at SUNY Delhi, where she teaches classes in mythology, folklore, and writing. Her speculative work has previously appeared in Podcastle, New Myths, The Future Fire, and elsewhere. Find her on Twitter @shellyjansen.
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