I’ve been trying all morning to get this old game controller working. It’s one of those wired ones with the plastic buttons and a chunky thumbstick. I remember mom bringing it home for me years ago, but now the right button keeps sticking when I try to play Sonic’s New Stages Unveiled on my dad’s computer. I’ve got to fix it before school starts back up again.

I’m using an old multimeter to check each wire and connection. The red light flashes occasionally at a specific point, which means there might be a short or broken circuit. I carefully cut the wire there, strip the ends, and try to solder them together with my tiny soldering iron. It’s not easy—my hands are always shaking from excitement.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the right button clicks smoothly. I test it out, running through a level, feeling the rush of speed and the jump, the spin dash, and the floating rings. It works! I’ve got to get this back to my room before mom notices and confiscates it for “cleaning.”

Now that Sonic’s New Stages are working, I can’t wait to show everyone at school how much better they are than the old ones. Maybe next time, I’ll try to convince dad to buy a new controller—I’ve already saved up enough allowance money.