Back in 1991 the world was introduced to one of my personal favourites: ‘Gods’. In this amazing game you took control of Hercules on the search for immortality, collecting diamonds and killing all manner of demons along the way. It was superb. I remember the font, the art, the music and sounds, the level design, and I also remember Fred. For those of you who have never experienced this gaming gem, Fred was among a number of annoying flying demons whose sole purpose was to prevent you from reaching your goal. Boy, did he succeed. Several times. But where is Fred now?
Upon completion of Gods, Fred found that the demand for his kind was slim. The majority of offers were for productions of The Wizard Of Oz. Fred took a few of these jobs on as he was a huge fan of the film and knew the part inside out. This didn’t end particularly well however. One of the productions was for a Primary School and Fred fears children. In hindsight this probably wasn’t the best job for him to take. On show night, Fred’s fears took control and he began a panic attack which included copious amounts of squarking and flapping. During the mayhem his talons got caught up in a young girls hair and she was lifted 25ft into the air. I won’t go into details as she was just an innocent child, neddless to say it ended with a collapsed stage, a fallen strip-light and a small fire. Oh and a funeral.
Fred evaded any charges and has never been the same again; he can’t even watch Wizard of Oz anymore. In an attempt to rectify this tragic mistake and gain some peace, the flying demon ironically turned to…God! He now runs and operates his own church in the depths of the New Forest. If you are passing, be sure to say hello and listen to a surmon or two.