My latest video game adventure!

Who picks Bowser's Castle from Mario Kart 64, anyway? My brother, apparently. I can't help but sigh. Not my favorite Mario Kart course ever, by any means. I take a deep breath and grip the Wii Wheel tightly, waiting for the inevitable: bumping into the corners of walls, falling off narrow bridges into lava pits...all this combined with insanely fast-paced action complete with red shells, banana peels, and lightning. Yep, just another typical race in Mario Kart Wii.

I rev up my vehicle (the Shooting Star) in time with the countdown. 3...2...1...and we're off! Without a speedy start, I end up in 9th place within seconds. Ah, well...I've got three laps in which to catch up. Besides, the worse you do, the more "pity items" you receive. I'm fortunate enough to snag a Bullet Bill right near the start: I find myself being rocketed right up to first place in no time at all.

The rest of the race turns into a kind of juggling act for the three leaders: myself (as Rosalina), my brother (Baby Luigi), and a computer-controlled Daisy.

It's the second lap. Baby Luigi slips up and runs into a side wall. I snatch the opportunity to move up to 1st place. He returns the favor when I fly off the next jump at an odd angle. Daisy bumps past me. After a turbulent second lap, I regain 1st place. The final lap proceeds so smoothly, I'm sure I've won. The final stretch is before me...

Then I hear it. The sound of something whistling over the heads of nearly every other competitor. It's coming. I can't stop it. The dreaded spiny shell. Its target is clear: me. I'm on my feet now, bouncing up and down, jaw clenched. I'm not going to make it. No way. Inches away from the finish line, I know the time has come. It's right behind me...now it's right above me...it slams down at precisely the same moment as the winning whistle shrieks. The two apocalyptic events aren't separated by even a fraction of a second. I'm the winner!