Module 1:

Virtual Realities
Flicker Fade Gone
by Carljoe Javier
SHORT BIOGRAPHY
 CarljoeJavier was born on September 7,
1981.He graduated high school from
Victoria School Foundation on 1999.he got
his BA in English Studies and earned his
undergraduate in Creative Writing at the
University of the Philippines, Diliman. He is
currently taking his MA in Creative
Writing at the same University.
CARL JOE JAVIER
About the Author
 Mr. Javier is a very talented and accomplished writer.A
fellow for fiction at the UP and Dumaguete National
Writer’s Workshops. Mr. Javier’s stories have appeared
in the Philippines Free Press and the Philippine
Graphic. He already won various awards such as the
Amalia Lapena-Bonifacio Award and the Supernatural
Story-Writing Contest sponsored by UP’s institute of
Creative Writing.
FLICKER FADE GONE
The book entitled “ Flicker Fade Gone” by
Carl Joe Javier, has the connection of fantasy
and reality, on this story it will enable you to
realize what is the difference and how the
fantasies to the reality. The story give us
lessons that we should remember and apply to
our life. This is the summary of the story.
 A seven years old boy with his father is
walking along the street. All stories were
brightly lighted, except for the one store that
was dark black and has blinking and flashing
lights. Bombs, shot of a pistol, booms and
pops is heard as they pass by. They went to the
store. The store were full of boys, playing
arcades. His father brought him a chair were
he can stand to reach the keyboard.
His father plays space invaders. But he died quickly. His
father put a new quarter ,but he died again and then
another set of the game. On his last game the slot
jammed . So . His father went to the storekeeper. The
storekeeper wore a nylon necklace and keys hanging on it.
The storekeeper take the necklace off and put the keys
into the hole and fix, the machine started up again. He
could still remember the machine and what he felt when
the game started the main controls all the game, power
and pleasure to his hand or on that necklace with keys.
The only thing he could’nt remember was the man looked
like.
 Then that night, the boy use to dream a disappearing.
He’s facing the mirror and trying to disappear. First,
he used to stare at his reflection at the mirror and then
he imagine that his reflection disappear. That was no
longer there. But his mother caught him staring at the
mirror. His mother asked him why he’s staring at the
mirror and when he try to explain that he wanted to
disappear, he was brought him by ear and his mother
him to forget that foolishness. His parent sent him out
of the house to play with the neighborhood’s kids.
But he never play with them because they were load,
ready, and rough, and push him away to the ground
and made fun on his hoody.
 Thebumb him or just leave him ahead of his
house. The boy just waits for his mother to
work some chores for him to grab the mirror
without noticing him. Then his father brought
him to the arcade game again where he found
the world that he was destined to inhabit. He
play again, gun’s shot has rhythm. While he
was playing, the machine him to the other
places, other world where he can be another
person and he made him different people.
As he watch the light of the
shots from the gun and feel
himself slowly fading to the
screen. He always play arcade
in few years.
Questions
1. Could you relate to the
protagonist? Why or why not?
Yes, because sometimes what the
story that the protagonist has is
related to what does the story I’ve
carry on.
2. Why did the boy disappear
at the end of the story?
 Because they don’t want the girl to
blame them for what they really did..
To just escape from the reality.
3. Did the ending surprise
you? Why or why not?
 No, because instead of not fading, the flicker got fade .
 He watched himself fading away, disappearing. And when se
sew that the game was started, he used to play. Every time he
play, he doesn’t feel blank. When he’s playing the arcade, he
couldn’t feel useless anymore. Then the one morning, the
guard found a gun hanging to its arcade machine and a copy of
master key was stuck to the machine’s slot. The guard thought
that the employee from the night shift just forgot it so he
returned it to the owner of the arcade. The owner asked the
guard if he notice the late shifter and the guard said that he
didn’t.
4. Why does the story seem to
say about the difference
between living and existing?
 Because existing is when you exist
and living is when you live a life.
 Living means that you are living your

life , while existing is just being a

live
5.Why did the boy end up the
way he did?
Becausepeople change, that’s
why they change, suddenly
they don’t want to be blame.
6. There are two central
symbols in the story. What are
they? What do they mean?
 Fantasy- mean imagining things.

 Reality-
mean the quality or state of
being real.
7. What is Toadstool? What
does the codename “Princess
Toadstool” allude to ?
 Toadstool – is a spore bearing fruit of a
Fungus typically in a rounded cap form in a
stalk. They are a variety of poisonous and
inedible kinds of mushroom.
 Princess Toadstool is also Princess Peach of

whom Mario is always rescuing. Princess

Peach Toadstool is appeared in both the game
and the movie released in Japan.
8.Explain the significance
of the title?
Flicker: glow in an unsteady way
Fade : to disappear gradually
Gone : no longer existing
9. Does the boy in the story
remind you of anyone? Does it
seem to be a commentary on
certain kinds of people?
 Yes, because sometimes it makes me
curious why I have to go to school learn
somethings. But then I suddenly realized
that it is all important to go to school
everyday to have a better future.
10.Princess Toadstool does not
fall in love with the narrator.
What does this tell us about
the difference between fantasy
and reality?
 Princess toadstool does not fall in
love with the narrator.
 Fantasy is something that is produced

by the imagination.
 Reality is something that exist

independently from the mind.