It’s mind-blowing when life imitates art, isn’t it? One minute we’re consuming content that has the ability to make us second-guess the way we perceive the world around us, and the next minute we find ourselves experiencing situations just like said art. Case in point: I feel like I’m living through a real-life version of 2005’s thematically dense action-adventure game Shadow of the Colossus because I just hit a moose with my Winnebago.

Granted, there were some key differences between my experience and that of the game, but I wholly believe them to be immaterial. For one, I did not slay numerous majestic beasts in my quest to bring a dearly departed woman back to life. Instead, I slammed my 1997 Winnebago Adventurer into one fucking giant of a moose as I crested a bend on Vermont’s Route 100 on my way to Stowe for a company retreat, but again, these are minor discrepancies. The crux of the game’s plot was clearly present in my situation; most notably the revelation that the main character is very much the bad guy, as I was navigating those roads far too fast and recklessly for either my or anyone else’s safety. That has to count for something, right? Also, I’m pretty sure the moose ended up dying, even if I can’t prove it because the poor thing limped into the woods right after I nailed it.

One thing we notice in Shadow of the Colossus is the physical deterioration of the main character as he kills the majestic idols, and let me tell you, if you think I emerged from that little altercation with the moose unscathed, you’ve got another thing coming. That antlered, lumbrous roadblock did a number on my driver’s side door, giving me one hell of a bruise on my left shoulder in the process. Now how is that for a similarity?

And how about this: in the game, the protagonist is given his mission of murdering the 16 colossi by a disembodied voice that slowly possesses the main character as he does its bidding. I mentioned before that I was on company time when I plowed into that moose, which is really the same thing if you think about it. We all know our jobs own us.

If you’re still not convinced, I’m not sure what more I need to tell you. I basically lived through a real-life experience of Shadow of the Colossus regardless of what you may or may not think, and if you don’t believe me, I won’t bother telling you about the time I painted a bunch of pictures before getting drunk and stumbling around my house like the protagonist in Layers of Fear.