Slated_for_demolition2

{ (set: $enable_testing to 0) (set: $display_footer to 0) (set: $clickthrough to 0) (set: $spell_ready to false) (set: $bird to "a dead bird") (set: $underwear to "a pair of underwear, frozen") (set: $underwear_regular to "a pair of underwear") (set: $duck to "a rubber duck") (set: $sword to "a harmless sword") (set: $promise to "a promise to sleep on it") (set: $watermelon to "a watermelon, full of vodka") (set: $watermelon_regular to "a watermelon") (set: $journal to "a journal of forgotten memories") (set: $pipe to "a glass pipe") (set: $ring to "a class ring") (set: $checklist to (a: $bird, $sword, $duck, $underwear, $watermelon, $promise, $ring, $pipe, $journal, ) ) (set: $inventory to (a: ))  (set: $visited_apartment to false) (set: $visited_grocery to false) (set: $visited_home to false) (set: $visited_diner to false) (set: $visited_lake to false) (set: $visited_mind_bedroom to false) (set: $house_side_quest to false) (set: $grocery_side_quest to false) (set: $apartment_side_quest to false)  (set: $checked_alley to false) (set: $basked to false) (set: $seen_cat to false) (set: $seen_cat_and_bird to false) (set: $left_bird to false) (set: $have_bird to false)  (set: $seen_underwear to false) (set: $burned_underwear to false) (set: $visited_sink to false) (set: $visited_toilet to false) (set: $visited_shower to false) (set: $seen_duck to false) (set: $underwear_in_freezer to false)  (set: $grocery_step to 0) (set: $flooding to False) (set: $pasta_list to (a:"penne","linguine","rigatoni", "fusilli", "bucatini", "fettuccine", "farfalle", "macaroni", "cavatappi", "campanelle", "rotini")) (set: $aisle_location to "") (set: $grocery_melt to false)  (set: $talked_to_man to false) (set: $phone_call_b_count to 0) (set: $can_reach_b to true) (set: $called_c to false) (set: $called_d to false) (set: $called_i to false) (set: $called_s to false) (set: $found_mgmt_number to false) (set: $spoke_about_mgmt_number to false) (set: $hint_threshold to 30) (set: $hint_2_threshold to 45) (set: $try_calling_others to false) (set: $call_mod_check to 10) (set: $harvest_manor_back to "apartment 4") (set: $step to 0) (set: $last_step to 0) (set: $seen_ring to false) (set: $return_to_ritual_room to "") (set: $obsessive_thoughts_text_orig to "obsession") (set: $worlds_together_text_orig to "connection") (set: $spark_text_orig to "hope") (set: $betrayal_object_text_orig to "anger") (set: $self_sacrific_text_orig to "sacrifice") (set: $revenge_object_text_orig to "regret") (set: $careless_object_text_orig to "loss") (set: $memories_text_orig to "reflection") (set: $watermelon_text_orig to "vulnerability") (set: $obsessive_thoughts_text to "obsession") (set: $worlds_together_text to "connection") (set: $spark_text to "hope") (set: $betrayal_object_text to "anger") (set: $self_sacrific_text to "sacrifice") (set: $revenge_object_text to "regret") (set: $careless_object_text to "loss") (set: $memories_text to "reflection") (set: $watermelon_text to "vulnerability") (set: $bird_object_done to false) (set: $sword_object_done to false) (set: $underwear_object_done to false) (set: $duck_object_done to false) (set: $ring_object_done to false) (set: $promise_object_done to false) (set: $journal_object_done to false) (set: $pipe_object_done to false) (set: $watermelon_object_done to false) (set: $bird_object_done2 to false) (set: $sword_object_done2 to false) (set: $underwear_object_done2 to false) (set: $duck_object_done2 to false) (set: $ring_object_done2 to false) (set: $promise_object_done2 to false) (set: $journal_object_done2 to false) (set: $pipe_object_done2 to false) (set: $watermelon_object_done2 to false) (set: $bird_object_placed to true) (set: $sword_object_placed to true) (set: $underwear_object_placed to true) (set: $duck_object_placed to true) (set: $ring_object_placed to true) (set: $promise_object_placed to true) (set: $journal_object_placed to true) (set: $pipe_object_placed to true) (set: $watermelon_object_placed to true) (set: $spin_link to "#63ACBE") (set: $haunt_link to "#F9F4EC") }(css: "font-size: 2.2rem;") [Slated for Demolition] (link: "Enter")[(set: $next_passage to "pre-intro")(go-to: "pre-intro")] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "About")[(set: $about_go_back to "Start here")(go-to: "About")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Content warning")[(set: $settings_go_back to "Start here")(go-to: "Content warning")]] (if: $enable_testing is 1) [ <i>(css: "color:#575757") [ [[Testing start|test start]] ]</i> ]

You are seeing [[red.|red]]

Specifically: Allura red AC. E129. [[Red 40.|craving 2]]

Outside, night drapes itself over your shoulders. Streetlights hold space. Your foot throbs in (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[pain.|foot pain]]] [[Where are you going?]]

[[Take the main road.|Down the street]] [[Go through the neighborhood.|Up the street]]

Down the street, a few neat, tidy, and near identical houses line the street. But then the block gives way to a cross street of greater significance. [[Traverse the pavement.|down the street 2]]

Up the street, rows of near-identical houses conveniently stand to the side of the walkways, as if politely letting you go by. [[Traverse the pavement.|up the street 2]]

Authored by Meri Burgess, 2025. Playtesters: Sarah Block Andrew Warshauer Meghan Megyes Isa Janusz -- Red and white links progress you forward, more or less irreversibly. Blue links mean you'll stick around. Recommended for play on a laptop, computer, or tablet. (if: $about_go_back is "Start here") [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ (link:"Homepage")[(go-to:$about_go_back)]] ] (else:) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ (link:"Back")[(go-to:$about_go_back)]] ]

Authored by Meri Burgess, 2025. Thank you for witnessing whatever this is. Many thanks to my playtesters: Sarah Block Andrew Warshauer Meghan Megyes Isa Janusz (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Homepage|Start here]] ]

This work contains references to suicidal ideation, binge drinking, disordered eating, and sexual assault. It also contains light depictions of gore. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Homepage|Start here]] ]

You've got an LG Sidekick in one pocket. In the other pocket is a piece of paper that has clearly been re-folded many times over. In scrawled handwriting it reads: { (for: each _item, ...$checklist)[ (if: $inventory contains _item) [ <s> (print: _item) </s><br> ] (else:) [ (print: _item)<br> ] ] } (if: $inventory's length is 0)[The rest of your pockets are empty.] (else:) [Awkwardly weighting down the rest of your clothes in various pockets, you also have: (for: each _item, ...$inventory)[(print: _item) ]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ (link:"Back to what was going on...")[(go-to:$return_to_from_checklist)]] --- <i>(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "About")[(set: $about_go_back to "Checklist")(go-to: "About")]]</i>

{ (set: $inventory to (a: )) (set: $enable_back_opt to 1) (set: $enable_passage_name_display to 1) }[[intro]] [[start walking]] [[outside 7/11]] [[end of alley|alleyway11]] [[inside 7/11]] [[First interlude|therapy]] [[home|home 1]] [[in the field behind your house|outside haunt 1]] [[in your bedroom|haunt 1]] [[second interlude|interlude 1]] [[grocery store|grocery store start]] [[grocery store aisle 5|Aisle 5: Pasta]] [[grocery store gone wrong|grocery phone call 1]] [[grocery directory]] [[vodka|VODKA]] [[harvest manor apts start|apartment start]] [[harvest manor apts|apartment entry]] [[knock on the apartment door|apartment knock]] [[inside the house on tennyson|tennyson start]] [[upstairs room on tennyson|upstairs room]] [[speak words of truth|Speak]] [[replace objects|recall yes]] [[Final|Take a bite]] [[Mind bedroom|mind bedroom start]] [[Diner|diner start]] [[Lake|lake start]]

(live: 1s)[(stop:) The house is empty and you are] (live: 3s)[(stop:)listless.] { (set: $bedroom_visit_1 to 0) (set: $bathroom_visit to 0) (set: $basement_visit to 0) (set: $porch_visit to 0) (set: $kitchen_visit to 0) (set: $living_room_visit to 0) (set: $visited_sink to false) (set: $visited_toilet to false) (set: $visited_shower to false) (set: $seen_underwear to false) (set: $underwear_in_freezer to false) (set: $back_porch_haunting to false) (set: $back_porch_giants to false) (set: $back_porch_glow to false) (set: $back_porch_chairs to false) (set: $back_porch_wood to false) (set: $visited_legos to false) (set: $visited_mirror to false) (set: $visited_bedroom_walls to false) (set: $visited_desk to false) } (live: 5s)[ (stop:) (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[kitchen]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[living room]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bathroom|bathroom transition]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bedroom]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[basement]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[back porch]]] ]

{ (set: $bathroom_visit to $bathroom_visit + 1) }A segmented insect prostrates itself. White walls make up the hollow innards. a (if: $visited_sink) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[sink]]]](else:)[ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[head|sink]]]], a (if: $visited_toilet) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[toilet]]]](else:)[ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[thorax|toilet]]]], (if: $visited_shower) [a (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[shower]]] ](else:)[an (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[abdomen|shower]]]] (if: $return_to_ritual_room is "underwear object")[ (if: $seen_underwear) [ (if: $inventory contains $underwear_regular) [ You've got them, let's go straight to the [[refrigerator.|refrigerator]] ] (else:) [ If you don't want them after all, you can go (link: "back now.")[(go-to: "underwear object")] ] ] ] (else:) [ (if: $back_porch_haunting) [ You feel [[tired|bedroom]] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[kitchen]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[living room]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bedroom]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[basement]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[back porch]]] ]

{ (set: $living_room_visit to $living_room_visit + 1) }Cathedral (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[ceilings]]] of dark shiny wood above you. A low backed (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[couch]]] stretches through the room. A sleek black (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[rectangle|rectangle 2]]] is pinned to the wall. Sliding (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[doors.|doors 2]]] Flat (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[surfaces.|surfaces]]] A stony (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[hearth]]] from a distant decade. (if: $back_porch_haunting) [ You feel [[tired.|bedroom]] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[kitchen]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bathroom|bathroom transition]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bedroom]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[basement]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[back porch]]]

{ (set: $kitchen_visit to $kitchen_visit + 1) }A museum of (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[cabinets.|cabinets]]] Marbled (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[countertops.|countertops]]] Swiveling (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[stools.|stools]]] Shining (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[refrigerator.|refrigerator]]] (if: $back_porch_haunting) [ You feel [[tired.|bedroom]] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[living room]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bathroom|bathroom transition]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bedroom]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[basement]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[back porch]]]

(if: $back_porch_haunting) [Your weary legs have carried you here, to your bedroom. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Colorful|colorful]]] walls. A full length (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[mirror]]] propped up on a stack of books. A miniature wall of (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[legos.|legos]]] A white and pink (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[desk.|desk]]] A full sized (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bed.|bed]]] (if: not $visited_bedroom_walls or not $visited_mirror or not $visited_legos or not $visited_desk) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[kitchen]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[living room]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bathroom|bathroom transition]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[basement]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[back porch]]] ] ](else:) [Colorful walls. A full length mirror propped up on a stack of books. A miniature wall of legos. A white and pink desk. A full sized bed. ...you don't really want to be here right now. Maybe later. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[kitchen]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[living room]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bathroom|bathroom transition]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[basement]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[back porch]]] ]

{ (set: $basement_visit to $basement_visit + 1) }Thick (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[carpet.|carpet]]] Heavy wooden (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[tv cabinet.|tv cabinet]]] Cluttered (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bookshelf.|bookshelf]]] Shabby (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[futon.|futon]]] Orbiting around the (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[center of the room.|basement center]]] (if: $back_porch_haunting) [ You feel [[tired.|bedroom]] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[kitchen]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[living room]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bathroom|bathroom transition]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bedroom]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[back porch]]]

{(set: $porch_visit to $porch_visit + 1)}(if: $back_porch_haunting) [ Someone cleaned up the styrofoam Slurpee™ cups. ]Looming (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[giants.|giants]]] A distant (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[blue glow.|blue glow]]] Rusting (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[chairs.|chairs]]] Creaking (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[wood.|wood]]] (if: (not $back_porch_haunting)) [[[Never ending silence.|Neverending silence]]] (else:) [ ] (if: $back_porch_haunting) [ You feel [[tired.|bedroom]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[kitchen]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[living room]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bathroom|bathroom transition]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bedroom]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[basement]]]

Rumor has it they were in a magazine once. Ceilings good enough for a magazine! What prestige! Your father took you to the library when you were a child and tried to find the archive, but it never surfaced. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Prestige will have to wait for another day.|living room]]]

You resent the low back. It causes the couch to have all the pleasantries of comfort, but you know better. This couch is a hollow facade. This couch sucks. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Sit.|couch sit]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Lay down.|couch lay]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[hm|living room]]]

What was the one you liked? (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[There were girls. They had boyfriends and lots of problems.|pretty little liars] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[There were dysfunctional adults and shenanigans.|community]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[There were friends and they sought love.|how i met your mother]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[There were generations. They said a lot of things.|gilmore girls]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[hm|living room]

Stacks on stacks on stacks of old compact discs. Shiny and round in point rectangle plastic. Who listens anymore? (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Over and over again.|mumford and sons]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Seething in your veins.|yonderboi]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Hurts so good.|airborne toxic event]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Deep in your bones.|the oh hellos]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[All that was left.|puscifer]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[It was a reminder.|indigo girls]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[hm|living room]

Besides a few water rings and some dust, they are empty. You did not inherit this ability to give surfaces free of things, did you? (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Damn|living room]]].

[[Turn on a fake flame]] and maybe you will burn yourself. [[Not today, fireplace!|living room]]

{ (set: $sit_count to 0) }You turn a knob. A blue flicker appears under an imitation log. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Sit for a while.|Sit for awhile]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Turn the fireplace off.|living room]]]

{ (set: $sit_count to $sit_count + 1) (set: $sit_text to "") (if: $sit_count > 5) [(set: $sit_text to "It starts to burn.")] (if: $sit_count > 6) [(set: $sit_text to "Hm.")] (if: $sit_count > 7) [(set: $sit_text to "Ow.")] }Even the stones you sit on are warm. $sit_text (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Sit for a while.|Sit for awhile]] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Turn the fireplace off.|living room]]] (if: $inventory contains $underwear_regular or $inventory contains $underwear) [A thought creeps into your mind. [[What if...?|burn underwear]]]

(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(cycling-link: "Call off your techno boy-toy or I tell the cops what your mom keeps in the lasagna box.", "I'm ready to hang a sign. Bitch can see.", "Why were you sniffing the doorknob?", "You're always better off with a really good lie.")] A tether. An excuse. From which an entire friendship sprang, and from which you will never be able to detangle from. Come over. You promised we would binge. Come over. You promised. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Are we not friends, after all?|living room]]]

{ (set: $pick_quote to (random: 1, 4)) } (if: $pick_quote is 1) [ This better not awaken anything in me. ] (if: $pick_quote is 2) [ six seasons and a movie. ] (if: $pick_quote is 3) [ pop pop. ] (if: $pick_quote is 4) [ I am a spanish genius. ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[ah memories.|rectangle]]]

{ (set: $pick_quote to (random: 1, 4)) } (if: $pick_quote is 1) [ How dare you...and what is that? ] (if: $pick_quote is 2) [ Legen ] (if: $pick_quote is 3) [ When I'm sad I stop being sad, and be awesome instead. ] (if: $pick_quote is 4) [ You will be shocked kids, when you discover how easy it is in life to part ways with people forever. ] (if: $pick_quote is 2) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[dary!|rectangle]]] ] (else:) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[ah memories.|rectangle]]] ]

{ (set: $pick_quote to (random: 1, 4)) } (if: $pick_quote is 1) [ I heard he controls the weather and wrote the screenplay to Glitter! ] (if: $pick_quote is 2) [ And usually that is fine but today sorry lady I have ennui. ] (if: $pick_quote is 3) [ Well then buy me a boa and drive me to Reno because I am open for business. ] (if: $pick_quote is 4) [ No, that great man was not brought down by my vagina. ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[ah memories.|rectangle]]]

The stupid modern design offers absolutely no back support. You hate this. [[Lay down instead.|couch lay]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Get up.|living room]]]

{ (set: $couch_lay_count to 0) }(if: $return_to_ritual_room is "duck object")[You have laid your soft body along the dense cushions of the couch in the living room of your house, staring at the cavernous wood paneled ceiling. Your head is propped up on the tilted arm, and your feet do not come close to meeting the other end. You feel so small. Your breathing becomes [[shallow.|shallow]] ] (else:) [The only position a rational person could take on the stupid low-backed couch. You lay your soft body along the dense cushions, staring at the cavernous wood paneled ceiling. Even with your head propped up on the low arm, your feet do not come close to meeting the other end. You feel so small. Your breathing becomes [[shallow.|shallow]] ]

{ (set: $couch_lay_count to $couch_lay_count + 1) (set: $couch_lay_text to "") (if: $couch_lay_count > 3) [ (set: $couch_lay_text to "The first was probably a mistake.") ] (if: $couch_lay_count > 4) [ (set: $couch_lay_text to "You do not even remember making it.") ] (if: $couch_lay_count > 5) [ (set: $couch_lay_text to "Suddenly your head was just there.") ] (if: $couch_lay_count > 6) [ (set: $couch_lay_text to "And then.") ] (if: $couch_lay_count > 7) [ (set: $couch_lay_text to "The second was destiny.") ] (if: $couch_lay_count > 8) [ (set: $couch_lay_text to "Sobbing. Heaving. Panic attack.") ] (if: $couch_lay_count > 9) [ (set: $couch_lay_text to "There was no other way.") ] (if: $couch_lay_count > 10) [ (set: $couch_lay_text to "You had to come home.") ] }On the couch, you feel different. Small. Like the whole thing could stretch to infinity and consume you inside the cracks. What happened here? A decision, a decision. $couch_lay_text (if: $return_to_ritual_room is "duck object")[ (if: $inventory contains $duck)[ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Lay for a little while longer.|shallow]]] (link: "Go back.")[(go-to: "duck object")] ] (else:) [ You feel something piercing into your lower back. (if: $seen_duck) [ If you have decided you don't want $duck after all, you can (link: "return now.")[(go-to: "duck object")] ] [[Reach for it.|duck 1]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Let it be.|shallow]]] ] ] (else:) [ (if: not ($inventory contains $duck))[ You feel something piercing into your lower back. [[Reach for it.|duck 1]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Lay for a little while longer.|shallow]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[I need to get off of this thing.|living room]]] ] (else:) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Lay for a little while longer.|shallow]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[I need to get off of this thing.|living room]]] ] ]

Searching fingers wrap themselves around something smooth and pliable. You pull it out and gaze up at it. [[A rubber duck.|duck 2]]

It is white. Most rubber ducks are yellow, but not this one. It is white with colorful polka dots all around it. The dead eyes are still full of enthusiasm. Its beak is open mid-exclamation. You remember it came in such a nice box. A designer duck. Don't fucking touch my duck or you'll get [[bit.|duck 9]]

You hold $duck in your palm. [[Put it back in the depths of the couch cushions.|duck 8]] [[Hold on to it.|duck 7]]

You sit up and tuck $duck into your pocket. { (set: $inventory to it + (a: $duck)) (set: $couch_lay_count to 0) (set: $seen_duck to true) } (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Lay for a little while longer.|shallow]]] (if: $return_to_ritual_room is not "duck object")[ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Get up.|living room]]] ]

{ (set: $seen_duck to true) }Some things are meant to be left alone. No matter how precious. You push your hand back into the couch, tucking $duck away. It will be there if you ever wish to see it again, after all. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[You continue to lay there.|shallow]]]

you set up your place in my thoughts, moved in and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORgd3jAntc8" target="_blank">made my thinking room crowded.</a> (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Go away.|doors]]]

I did not want to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGKfrgqWcv0" target="_blank">wait.</a> (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[I did anyway.|doors]]]

Losing your <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYPoMjR6-Ao" target="_blank">mind.</a> (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[It didn't feel good.|doors]]]

Reaching <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKNwx82kPjY" target="_blank">acceptance.</a> (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[It was unbearable.|doors]]]

Speaking to something <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDOTgZnRQek" target="_blank">suffocating.</a> (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Stifling.|doors]]]

Channeling into a silent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NP1ciCOedI" target="_blank">anger</a> (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[was all you knew.|doors]]]

{ (set: $visited_sink to true) }A pedestal porcelain sink with a rounded vanity mirror hanging on the wall. On the floor, a plush bathroom rug and a black underwire (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bra.|bra]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Look on.|bathroom]]]

{ (set: $visited_toilet to true) }A white porcelain toilet. On the wall above it, a quartet of framed vintage prints. They depict a small child in a forest doing things like befriending small animals, having a tea party, sitting on a toadstool, enjoying a better life than you'll ever have. You know. (if: ($inventory contains $underwear ) or ($inventory contains $underwear_regular)) [ On the floor, a plush bathroom rug. ] (else:) [ On the floor, a plush bathroom rug and a pair of men's (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[boxer briefs.|boxer briefs]]] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Look away.|bathroom]]]

{ (set: $visited_shower to true) }A white porcelain shower stall. There are beads of water still on the glass door. On the wall across from it, a quartet of decorative square mirrors. On the floor, a plush bathroom rug and (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[four towels]]] in a pile, still damp. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[hm|bathroom]] ]

It is not yours. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[slut.|bathroom]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[It was not her fault.|bathroom]]]

(if: $seen_underwear) [You knew what to expect, and yet the sight of them still hurts. [[Take the underwear.|Take the underwear]] [[Leave them.|Leave them]] ] (else:) [Seeing them laying there, so thoughtlessly discarded, you feel a swell rise in your stomach. What is the feeling? [[confusion|bathroom confusion]] [[rage|bathroom rage]] [[sadness|bathroom sadness]] ]

One swapped out for the other. How ignorant and insensitive. This is your fucking house, after all. [[What a fuck boy.|bathroom decision]]

I'm happy for you. A swift jab at the heart. Nothing is happy here. [[It hurts.|bathroom decision]]

This does not add up. How can you say one thing. And do another. [[Lesson learned, I guess.|bathroom decision]]

{ (set: $seen_underwear to true) }Staring at the underwear, you want to cry and punch the wall at the same time. You want to leave them there forever and never look back. You want to pick them up and crumple them into a ball and toss them into a bonfire. You want to parade through the house, flying them as colors, a head on a stick, declaring to the world to look upon them in disgrace. [[Take the underwear.|Take the underwear]] [[Leave them.|Leave them]]

You neatly fold them up and put them into a pocket. { (set: $inventory to it + (a: $underwear_regular)) } [[Fuck you.|bathroom]]

Some things are meant to be left alone. [[hm|bathroom]]

Two are beach towels, two are shower towels. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[I should have gone with them.|bathroom]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[I hope they are hypothermic by now.|bathroom]]]

You brush your hand along the stainless steel handle, pausing, wondering what you are even looking for here. (if: $return_to_ritual_room is "underwear object")[ We don't have a lot of time. You put the underwear in the freezer. You wait the appropriate amount of time it takes for underwear to freeze--whatever that is--and you take them back out. { (set: $underwear_in_freezer to false) (set: $inventory to it + (a: $underwear)) } (link: "Time to go back.")[(go-to: "underwear object")] ] (else:) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Nothing, I guess.|kitchen]]] (if: $inventory contains $underwear_regular) [ [[Actually, I have an idea.|freeze underwear]] ] (if: $underwear_in_freezer) [ [[I came back for them.|remove underwear]] ] ]

Though you wish to see them burn, burn, burn. But maybe this is the best you can do. You reach down and slide open the freezer drawer. You pull the underwear from your pocket and place them right on top of a pint of ice cream and a bag of freezer-burnt peas. { (set: $inventory to $inventory - (a: $underwear_regular)) (set: $underwear_in_freezer to true) } It will never be enough but (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[it will do.|kitchen]]]

You pull the draw open. Inside sits a stiff pair of men's boxer briefs, perfectly frozen. Ha. { (set: $underwear_in_freezer to false) (set: $inventory to it + (a: $underwear)) } It does not make sense, but you can put this in your pocket. So you (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[do.|kitchen]]]

You contemplate the boxer briefs in your pocket. You contemplate your impulse to see them go up in flames. Destroying other people's property feels wrong. And it might gunk up the fireplace for a while. But anger also rages inside of you. [[Throw the underwear in.|burn underwear for real]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Decide against it.|Sit for awhile]]]

Littered with a graveyard of empty styrofoam Slurpee™ cups. Everyone is a slob. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Not your first rodeo.|kitchen]]]

Good for restless bodies, teeming with anticipation, booze, and gossip. Who doesn't live for anticipation, booze, and gossip? (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Who me?|kitchen]]]

Polished stained wood. What secrets lay (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[within?|within cabinets]]]

Oh, just regular flatware. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[hm|kitchen]]]

I won't call it by name, but everything revolves around it in perfect 360 degree harmony. The gravity of it drew you in and you never looked back. This was your everything, your rock, how you held on. The long hours here are what made you powerful and resilient. You learned what it was to fail, over and over again, until one day you did not. A magnet. A frame. A definition. Let them see you for all that you are, words not (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[necessary.|basement]]]

Beige and weedy. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Quarters]]] are strewn all about. It will flood in a year's time, and finally get replaced. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Good riddance.|basement]]]

Dozens of old books your family collected sit collecting dust in a wooden bookshelf. A few things pop out to you. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Some dystopian YA novel.|ya novel]] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Homer's "The Odyssey".|odyssey]] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Slaughterhouse Five.|slaughterhouse]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[A thin and tattered manual of some kind.|manual ]] ] (if: not ($inventory contains $journal)) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[An unlabeled leatherbound book.|journal 2]]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Books are for nerds.|basement]]]

You can see where the springs push against the thinning upholstery. They sat and watched you. They sat and wanted you. You let them gaze upon you. Shining in moments of glory. And you felt (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[powerful.|basement]]]

Ever ancient, a box television set with a rounded glass screen, three buttons, and a volume slider rests inside. Gaming consoles, entropic cartridges, and endless controller wires are tangled in a jumble in the lower sections. Another object actually long since gone, but another one you'll never (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[forget.|basement]]]

{ (set: $back_porch_giants to true) }Your belief in God is paper thin. But if there were a God, you always thought that they must have molded the hills with their own hands. Soft and gargantuan, you desperately wish you could reach out and press your palms against them like a worry stone. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[You have only taken those you love up to the highest peak.|back porch]]]

{ (set: $back_porch_glow to true) }A placid turquoise swimming pool is nestled down the hill, outlined by iron gates. Light refracts from the watery rectangle. It is never warm enough, even in the summer, to be worth swimming at night. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Some still try.|back porch]]]

{ (set: $back_porch_chairs to true) }As constant as love and time, the ivy colored iron has just the smallest touches of rusty orange in the seams where the curling pieces meet. Still, they make for a comfortable (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[resting place.|back porch]]]

{ (set: $back_porch_wood to true) }The sun slowly washes the stain away with each day, needing a new coat every few years. You do your best to evade requests that you repay your rent-free lifestyle with the back breaking effort of (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[re-staining the damn thing.|back porch]]]

The night around you has grown quieter than it should. You look up to see the stars, but they have been blotted out by the inky sky. You look all around you, and the porch is covered in a sea of empty styrofoam Slurpee™ cups. A light rain starts up. Chilly droplets dot your face. A rushing [[enters|outside haunt 1]] your head.

{ (set: $hear to false) }[[Crashing radio static.|outside haunt 2]] [[Crushing radio static.|outside haunt 3]]

White water rapids descending through the rocky canyon of your organs, eroding every membrane that stands in its way. The wooden planks underneath you feel like they could snap and pierce you with a thousand splinters at any moment. (if: not $hear) [ From within the static, (link: "you hear")[(set: $hear to true)(go-to: "outside haunt 2")] ] (else:) [ From within the static, you hear laughter. Jovial back and forth of voices so distant. Enjoying a fine evening of revelry and gossip and fireworks. Somewhere on the other end of the porch, one of the many cups tumbles over. [[your foot|outside haunt 5]] ]

An unstoppable juggernaut with iron wheels to crush every bone in your body, a rolling pin to squeeze all the blood from your being, like juice from a lemon. The wooden planks underneath you feel like they could snap and pierce you with a thousand splinters at any moment. (if: not $hear) [ From within the static, (link: "you hear")[(set: $hear to true)(go-to: "outside haunt 3")] ] (else:) [ From within the static, you hear laughter. Jovial back and forth of voices so distant. Enjoying a fine evening of revelry and gossip and fireworks. Somewhere on the other end of the porch, one of the many cups tumbles over. [[your foot|outside haunt 5]] ]

You hear laughter. Jovial back and forth of voices so distant. Enjoying a fine evening of revelry and gossip. Somewhere on the other end of the porch, one of the many cups tumbles over. your foot|outside haunt 5

Your foot sears in pain. [[Look down.|outside haunt 6]] [[Ignore it.|outside haunt 7]]

It is swollen. Like some kind of pineapple, but red and puffy and aching so. [[You go to move.|outside haunt 8]]

You steel yourself to never move your foot again, lest you be confronted with the disability it presents to you. [[You go to move.|outside haunt 8]]

Your foot is a ball and chain on the end of your ankle, dragging heavily behind you. The voices continue on all around, unknowing and uncaring and you hold your chest tight and you cannot stand it anymore and you have to get (live: 1s)[(stop:)out] (live: 1.5s)[(stop:)of] (live: 2s)[(stop:)[[there.|outside haunt 9]]]

You limp across the porch, knocking cups over recklessly, and hobble down a set of stairs, fleeing down the [[grassy hill.|grassy hill]]

An expansive boon of green. You would never take it for granted. [[You throw yourself into the cool wet blades of grass.|outside haunt 10]] [[You make for the swimming pool complex.|outside haunt 11]]

All is still here. Nothing else matters, coiled into this place. A breeze blows past and pulls the hair from your face, brushing a strand straight behind your ear. And your heart [[leaps.|outside haunt 12]]

Down the hill, dragging that foot along like a reluctant dog on a leash. You stumble down worn concrete steps and grasp the rods of the wrought iron gate and throw your body up against the door and look inward at the rippling blue pool water. You hear voices joyfully laughing, ignorant to your presence. But there is not a soul to be seen. [[Why did I come here?|outside haunt 18]] [[You rattle the gate.|outside haunt 19]]

Being held like you have never been held in your life. What a cinematic moment. Maybe this could really be it. He gives you the hope you have been looking for. You are wanted. You are valuable. What do you want? What do you really want? [[I want to go home.|outside haunt 13]] [[I want to come home.|outside haunt 13]]

The static fades as quickly as it comes on. All you hear is the wind and the crickets and the stars re-emerge and blink at you from above. The grass envelopes you, curling around your body. You feel settled. You feel safe. In this moment, being held like this, it feels like maybe you could [[have-|outside haunt 14]]

(live: 1s) [(stop:) The vegetation shifts, falling (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[limp and heavy|outside haunt 15]]] against your body. ]

It's spaghetti. Not again! Slippery slimy strands of noodles cover you and pull you into the loose rubble of the earth like quicksand. You (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[thrust your arms out|outside haunt 16]]], grasping for something to pull yourself out from the whirlpool forming around you. You (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[kick your legs|outside haunt 17]]], trying to keep your head above the current dragging you downward.

{(set: $swim_count to 0)}A liquid seeps from the ground, making the rubbery noodles even more difficult to grasp. Your fists curl around the noodles and they immediately break from your crushing grip. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Keep swimming.|outside haunt 22]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Give up.|outside haunt 23]]]

{(set: $swim_count to 0)}A liquid seeps from the ground, and while you kick and kick, it flows all around you and enters your mouth. Coughing and sputtering, you begin to fade. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Keep swimming.|outside haunt 22]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Give up.|outside haunt 23]]]

You back away from the gate, eyes locked on the rippling blue water, wondering if you continue to look long enough, the creatures might emerge from the depths, with perfect wet faces to invite you to join them. Even as you walk backwards up the stairs, they do not appear. On the last step, you trip backwards, landing squarely on your butt. Another pain to join the one in your foot. [[You crawl to the grass.|outside haunt 10]]

(live: 1s) [ (stop:) As if you could simply pull the gate off its hinges and enter the pool deck if you just rattle hard enough. Within your fists, the iron bars become soft. Clenching suddenly all too tightly, they turn to mush. You look at what is in your hands. It is pasta. Sliding out the ends of your still closed fists. The gates are melting, melting away and raining spaghetti down on you. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Back away.|outside haunt 20]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Let it come.|outside haunt 21]]]]

You toss the broken spaghetti remnants from your hands and scramble back up the steps, making for the field. You do not look back, not wanting to catch sight of the pasta sinkhole forming behind you and sucking everything down. But with your heavy and swollen foot, you are slow. It drags behind you and you stumble, falling into the cool, wet (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[grass.|outside haunt 10]]]

The light rain has turned into a pelting downpour. Objects are falling from the sky, and it is not hail. It is tortellini. Little ears of cheese raining upon you, as currents of carbohydrates billow around your legs and pull you downward. You are literally swept off your feet. You (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[thrust your arms out|outside haunt 16]]], grasping for something to pull yourself out from the whirlpool forming around you. You (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[kick your legs|outside haunt 17]]], trying to keep your head above the current dragging you downward.

{ (set: $swim_count to $swim_count + 1) }(if: $swim_count > 2) [What do you want? ](if: $swim_count > 3) [Is it a hard and perfectly formed body whispering? ](if: $swim_count > 4) [Is it the softness of self acceptance? ](if: $swim_count > 5) [Is it the brilliant freedom to flourish? ](if: $swim_count <= 5) [You kick your legs and flail your arms and your lungs burn with oregano and the spaghetti just keeps coming and tortellini from the sky falls and falls. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Keep swimming.|outside haunt 22]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[ [[Give up.|outside haunt 23]]] ] (if: $swim_count > 5) [ (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[ (link: "I must come home")[(go-to: "outside haunt 24")]] ]

Overcome, you gasp one more breath before releasing your body from the fight and let the current drag you down, down, down. Suspended in the darkness all you feel is wet and burning and cold and everything touching you and nothing touching you all at once. It is unbearable. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Luckily, I am merciful.|outside haunt 25]]]

(live: 1s) [(stop:) It is not an easy thing to choose. Turning from the path is not what you expected to ever do. This will change everything, you know. [[blink.|field 1]]]

For now. I will release you back to face other horrors. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[blink.|field 1]]]

You blink and you are once again laying in the grass in the field behind your house. A soft breeze whispers across the gentle slope and the stars blink overhead. You are curled on your side, half your face pressed into the earth, arms pulled to your chest. In front of you is a small dark shape nestled in the grass. [[Reach out to it.|field 2]] [[Sit up.|field 3]]

You extend your arm, fingers brushing the dark mass. A synthetic fabric, it is sturdy in build but soft to the touch. [[Withdraw.|field 5]] [[Pull it closer.|field 6]]

You bring yourself to an upright position. From this vantage point, you can see the object more clearly. It is long and shaped roughly like a sword. [[Reach for it.|field 4]]

It is dark and difficult to tell exactly what it is. It is far too bulky to be a real sword, but you are certain of this shape. You put your hand down on the object, feeling a soft but sturdy build underneath a synthetic fabric cover. On one end, a hilt with a round pommel, grip, and perpendicular cross guard. One the other, a long pseudo-blade. { (set: $laying_down to false) } [[What kind of sword is this?|field 7]]

You pull your arm back, leaving the strange object where it is. [[Sit up.|field 3]]

You grasp the rod-like object and pull it across the grass and to your body. Holding it closer, you can just barely make out the dark purple covering over the long shaft. It is thick and light, a rod covered by some kind of foam. Roughly cut, but with certainty. Running your hands along it, you make out a rounded pommel on one end, transitioning to a grip that is divided by a cross guard from the rest of the pseudo-blade. You cradle the object close to your body, hugging it to your chest. { (set: $laying_down to true) } [[What kind of sword is this?|field 7]]

A harmless one, you suppose. It would be difficult to do any damage with such an object. It must be the entire point. Built for children to play with in a park. Supervised by young and dumb adults, trying their best not to hurt each other either. The swords don't hurt, but the other things do. (if: not $laying_down) [ Drawing it into your lap, you tip the weight of it from one hand to another, contemplating how it arrived here for you. ] (else:) [ Clutching it tightly to your body, you contemplate how it arrived here for you. ] It must be for a reason, and you should [[keep it with you.|field 8]] It must be a mistake, and you should [[leave it here.|field 9]]

It is yours now. Perhaps it always was. Some parts of our histories are difficult to leave behind. {(set: $inventory to it + (a: $sword))} [[Sentimental to a fault, I'd say.|field 10]]

Some things are meant to be left alone. You gently pull it from your body and place it back in the grass like a resting body. [[hm|field 10]]

(if: $laying_down) [You finally drag yourself upright. Your whole body feels like it has been run through a washing machine. ]Carefully, you stand up. Your foot continues to throb. It is decently (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[swollen now.|How did it happen, anyway?]]] (if: $inventory contains $sword) [You tuck the sword into your belt for now. ] {(set: $back_porch_haunting to true)} (if: $return_to_ritual_room is "sword object") [And you make your way back to the [[porch.|sword object]]] (else:) [And you make your way back to the [[porch.|back porch]]]

How did it happen anyway? Careless macho-ism, surely. Some people are stupid. We never had an intellectual connection (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[anyway.|field 10]]]

The comforter is orange and fuzzy. Repulsion stirs inside you, (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[so you turn away.|bedroom]]] You are tired, [[so you shuffle toward it.|haunt 1]]

{(set: $visited_bedroom_walls to true)}Soft lime green, to be specific. It was a bold choice. Glancing up to the ceiling, you see ancient glow in the dark stars clinging to the drywall, and next to them is a taped up index card. Drawn on it in black marker is a heart. It hangs right over the bed, so that if one were laying down, they would be looking right at it. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Heart yourself.|bedroom]]]

{(set: $visited_legos to true)}Look I know it's a weird thing, but it is a true thing. You built it from your family collection one day, unsure what else to do with yourself. (Remember boredom?) Stacking each garishly colored brick onto another, into one little wall. It is not what the legos are meant for. You are supposed to build a spaceship or a house or something. But no, the wall was what called your heart. You're kind of earnestly pretentious like that. In the middle of the wall, you placed a single little door. You imagined what it would be like to climb the wall and walk through the door. What might be on the (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[other side?|bedroom]]]

{(set: $visited_desk to true)}White, in a baroque style, with pink accents painted into the curling indentations. Your parents got it for you at some flea market. It is far too small for your full sized body now. But you would sit at it anyway, and try to put all of yourself into (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[words.|bedroom]]]

{(set: $visited_mirror to true)}A cheap mirror in a white plastic frame leans against the wall, propped up on a stack of books and papers and other junk. You never bothered to properly hang it, but it needed to be high enough so you could see your face. Next to it on the wall is a white sheet of printer paper. There are words drawn on it in marker. //If today were your last day on earth, would you still want to do what you are about to do? // You once thought that was revelatory. And now? [[You still find resolve in reading it.|mirror 1]] [[You scoff at the shallow philosophy.|mirror 2]]

Your dreams might be clouds in the sky. They shift and take new shape if you wait long enough, but you should always be looking up to them, and should always be trying to contort your body to match their shape. [[Did I do a good job?|bedroom]]

Not every day can be like that. You have to be practical. You have to suffer to make progress to get where you want to go. [[I made my choices for a reason.|bedroom]]

A deadening of your senses washes over you. The whole room suddenly feels like it is tilted sideways, the floor running at a diagonal. Your head feels fuzzy and your tongue feels numb and you have the strongest urge to reach out and hold another body, but no one is there. You complete your shuffle to the bed, and your torso thrusts forward and bends violently at a 90 degree angle, arms reaching straight out to grip the fuzzy bedspread tightly in your hands. [[You crawl onto the bed.|haunt 2]]

On your hands and knees, you crawl across the vile bedspread. You collapse into a heap and pull a pillow tightly to your chest. [[Close your eyes.|haunt 3]] [[Stare straight ahead.|head 4]]

You close your eyes but sleep will not come, even in this [[darkness.|haunt 5]]

You stare straight ahead at the lime green wall. The room is dim and you feel tired but you also feel so hollow, like a shell. Like you will never be [[alright again.|haunt 5]]

{(set: $badness to false)}Badness is happening right [[now.|haunt 6]]

They are all out there, unaware. While I boil inside your [[stomach.|haunt 7]]

Yes, I am sure you are expecting another dinner to rain upon you now. I am sure you are expecting some kind of game. I am sure you are expecting some kind of ambush. [[Look for me.|haunt 9]] [[Don't look for me.|haunt 10]]

Just something I heard a time or two. { (set: $badness to true) } [[Nothing to see here.|haunt 6]]

(live: 1s) [(stop:) Like I said, I am already boiling (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[inside you.|haunt 11]]]]

(live: 1s) [ (stop:) I did not think about you for 10 years. Every time you passed in my mind, I suppressed all that I could. I did recount our story publicly just one other time. It was anonymously published in an anthology and everything. But I do not know if anyone actually ever read it. The web page is lost to time now. I found the original document and re-read it recently, but I could not [[bear it.|haunt 12]]]

You look to your chest and for a moment you think you see some kind of thread or rope from your clothing hanging loose. But no. You look a little longer and it dawns on you. It is a piece of spaghetti. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[yes.|haunt 14]]]

I had forgotten so many details. [[Awful details.|haunt 13]]

Honestly, I will not share them anymore. Not here. Here is just a museum for everything that surrounded it. An empty dream to safely wander and wonder how it still hurts so much, even though it was so small and so blurry. [[Ok, are you ready?|haunt 17]]

(css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Wait.|haunt 15]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Pull on the noodle.|haunt 16]]]

Wait? Here is a (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[thought to pass the time.|haunt 10]]]

It is emerging from within you, but you do not know from where. You think you might fall apart, unravel like a sweater, but you stay intact (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[despite it all.|haunt 22]]]

[[Yes.|haunt 18]] [[No.|haunt 19]]

(live: 1s) [(stop:) Good. Because you have looked down to your chest and for a moment you think you see some kind of thread or rope from your clothing hanging loose But no. You look a little longer and it dawns on you. It is a piece of spaghetti. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[You pull on it.|haunt 16]]]]

Fine, a few more [[details.|haunt 20]]

My head on your thigh. What did it mean when I did that? Did I really love you after all? I suppose it does not matter. It was still not consent. Not after all that vodka. [[ok.|haunt 21]]

You have to be ready now. [[ok.|haunt 18]]

It keeps coming and coming, there is no end to your pulling. The noodle rests in coils in front of your collapsed body. And you realize you can see your arms laying on the bed in front of you and yet you are pulling the rope from your chest and your body is rotting as the angel hair white increases all around you. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[You will not stop pulling.|haunt 23]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[You have to stop pulling.|haunt 24]]]

You pull and pull and there is a gurgling noise and you sit up and realize you are looking down at yourself, laying there and staring straight ahead at the wall. The gurgling noise is coming from your own mouth, and red liquid is trickling out the side. Your eyes are unblinking ahead at the wall. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Something smells of oregano.|haunt 25]]]

You release your hands from the rope in your chest. But it keeps coming. Like you opened some valve and now it does not matter anymore if you try to take it out or not. It is coming whether you need it to or not. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[It always comes eventually.|haunt 26]]]

A dark red marinara sauce now flows from your mouth and from the crack forming between your forehead and hairline. The pasta of your chest keeps coming and coming on its own. Your body has begun to cave away, exposed like a husk. All the while you sit there looking down on this happening to yourself. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Keep watching.|haunt 28]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[I can't watch this anymore.|haunt 27]]]

There is a popping sound and you sit up and realize you are looking down at yourself, laying there and staring straight ahead at the wall. The popping noise comes from your own face. You see cracks forming where your forehead meets your hairline, and something red is seeping out and down and across your face. Your eyes are unblinking ahead at the wall. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Something smells of oregano.|haunt 25]]]

Look away if you must, but your body will continue to succumb to me. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Look back.|haunt 30]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Keep looking away.|haunt 29]]]

The dark red dribbles out of your eyeballs like sobbing tears. It seeps out of your nose. A fine Italian nosebleed. You see the parts of your body that have skin left look like they are melting. Great wrinkles form as the skin sags. All the while you sit there looking down on this happening to yourself. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Keep watching.|haunt 30]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[I can't watch this anymore.|haunt 29]]]

Look away if you must, but your body will continue to succumb to me. I suppose it is difficult to watch a helpless creature such as this. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Look back.|haunt 32]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Keep looking away.|haunt 31]]]

Sauce is absolutely oozing out of your eye sockets now. It seeps from underneath your fingernails, like groundwater from a sewer drain. You think it must be unimaginably painful in that body, but you cannot feel it. Your skin is flowing down your muscles and pooling underneath your body. All the while you sit there looking down on this happening to yourself. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Keep watching.|haunt 32]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[I can't watch this anymore.|haunt 31]]]

Look away if you must, but your body will continue to succumb to me. I suppose it is difficult to watch a helpless creature such as this. Does it not feel right, to watch it happen? (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Look back.|haunt 34]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Keep looking away.|haunt 33]]]

The sauce and skin are flowing over exposed musculature, bright and shiny red. It is difficult to understand where the sauce ends and the blood begins. They swirl together like an ice cream cone. Both your eyeballs and your teeth are fully exposed, visible in bright, shining, pearl white. All the while you sit there looking down on this happening to yourself. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Keep watching.|haunt 34]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[I can't watch this anymore.|haunt 33]]]

Look away if you must, but your body will continue to succumb to me. I suppose it is difficult to watch a helpless creature such as this. Does it not feel right, to watch it happen? Is this not what you wanted when you came here? (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Look back.|haunt 36]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Keep looking away.|haunt 35]]]

You can see the entirety of each of your organs now. Sauce flows around the curled knots of your intestines. Spaghetti creeps in between your ribcage like insects through the baseboard moulding in the walls. You see the bloody mass of your heart nestled in your chest and pumping wildly. You see your lungs expanding with each breath you take. All the while you sit there looking down on this happening to yourself. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Keep watching.|haunt 36]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[I can't watch this anymore.|haunt 35]]]

Look away if you must, but your body will continue to succumb to me. I suppose it is difficult to watch a helpless creature such as this. Does it not feel right, to watch it happen? Is this not what you wanted when you came here? Why do you not reach out and touch it and take it for your own? (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Enough.|haunt 37]]]

Your skinless form exposes your muscles, which constrict and begin to shrivel up, as if they are fruit drying in the sun at hyperspeed. You see your vessels snap like broken violin strings, curling back away from the point of failure. The spaghetti on the floor has grown and crawled up onto the bed. It crawls over your body. It is ready to eat away at your biomass until you are gone and you are all mine. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Enough.|haunt 37]]]

(live: 1s) [(stop:) Still frame.] (live: 2s) [(stop:) Polaroid image.] (live: 3s) [(stop:) (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[ [[I will find you.|haunt 38]]] ]

I will keep finding my way to you. I will come for you in the end. Your body is not your own. It is an allowance given to you by the world, a rental you walk within. We will dictate what you use it for. How it feels. If it is good. If it is worthy. One way or another. Virtually. Or in reality. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[blink.|interlude 1]] ]

(live: 1s) [ (stop:) You are in your body. Someone has tucked you in. You are intact. You still feel like you are drowning in someone else's dinner. But you are [[here.|interlude 1]]]

(live: 1s) [(stop:) Shame is not so easy to identify sometimes. You feel it in a wholeness, in completion. You act on it. And yet you are not aware of it at all. "Shame" is not the word you would put to your [[heart.|interlude 2]]]

Things like this just happen, you suppose. This is what we do. This is what happens to me. [[I was just finding something out.|interlude 3]]

Maybe not everyone gets that kind of closure. Maybe you just have to learn how to process this and be able to move on. [[This is not what I want to hear.|interlude 4]] [[I am trying my best.|interlude 5]]

I want to live in the dive bar I have imagined in my head. Gripping a cold beer in my hand, taking a sip, feeling the muscles in my body give in. So many years gone by, finally we reunite. Well, well, well. I see myself saying, [[How long has it been?|interlude 6]]

Is this not proof enough? Will this not serve my needs? Shall I write a scene in a dive bar, where I find myself gripping a cold beer in my hand, taking a sip, feeling the muscles in my body give in? So many years gone by, finally we reunite. Well, well, well. I'd say, [[How long has it been?|interlude 6]]

And you will smile sadly and knowingly. (if: not $visited_grocery) [[[11 years.|interlude 7]]] (if: not $visited_apartment)[[[Why can't I just turn it all off.|interlude 8]]] (if: $visited_grocery and $visited_apartment)[ [[Reddd hums your stupid brain.|tennyson start]]]

[[Four or five bricks are overdue.|grocery store start]]

[[My head, my heart, everything.|apartment start]]

(live: 1s) [(stop:) The grocery store is dangerous on the weekends. ] (live: 2s) [(stop:) There are the crowds, first thing. Squeezing yourself between the haphazard carts and jockeying for access to the limited shelf space is a sure bet for side-eye and telepathic insults. But one should not forget about all the other minor things that, when stacked together, create an even more hostile environment: The chemical smell of the floor cleaner. The top 40 radio hits playing fuzzily out of the ancient speakers dotted across the drop ceiling. The pallets of bulk stock, wrapped in swathes of dusty plastic sheeting, dragged out in the middle of the walkways that make it impossible to smoothly navigate the already cramped aisles. And the sheer amount of goods. Overwhelming your mind and infesting you with infinite choice. Tonight, there are no crowds. But all of the other [[hostile things are present.|grocery 1]] ]

{ (set: $phone_call_b_count to 0) (set: $can_reach_b to true) (set: $called_c to false) (set: $called_d to false) (set: $called_i to false) (set: $called_s to false) (set: $talked_to_man to false) (set: $found_mgmt_number to false) (set: $spoke_about_mgmt_number to false) (set: $hint_threshold to 40) (set: $hint_2_threshold to 48) (set: $try_calling_others to false) (set: $step to 0) (set: $last_step to 0) }(live: 1s) [(stop:)You stand in a parking lot in front of a two story apartment building in the dead of the night. [[How did you get thrust here?|apartment 1]]]

{ (set: $clicked_watermelon to "") }Tonight in the grocery store Everything is here. The lights are on. Items sit on the shelves, ready for purchase. There is not a soul in sight. No one is working. Every last cart has been neatly pushed into long, impenetrable columns at the front of the store. Distant music plays. There is a chemical smell wafting off the tile floor. Everything is normal, and yet [[There is an emptiness here.|grocery 2]]

{ (set: $grocery_step to 0) (set: $grocery_melt to false) }(if: $clicked_watermelon is "") [Still, you came here for [[something.|grocery 3]] ] (else:) [Still, you came here for a $clicked_watermelon. [[And a watermelon you shall get.|grocery 4]] ]

A fruit of pinstripes and sweet liquid. (link: "A vessel for misbehavior.")[(set: $clicked_watermelon to "vessel for misbehavior")(goto: "grocery 2")] (link: "A festive fruit indeed.")[(set: $clicked_watermelon to "festive fruit")(goto: "grocery 2")]

{ (set: $grocery_step to 0) (set: $flooding to False) (set: $pasta_list to (a:"penne","linguine","rigatoni", "fusilli", "bucatini", "fettuccine", "farfalle", "macaroni", "cavatappi", "campanelle", "rotini")) (set: $aisle_location to "") }The layout is typical to any grocery store. You stand just past a long row of empty check out lanes and in the middle of the cavernous and quiet building, looking down an aisle. [[Aisle 5: Pasta]]

You were (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[called|apartment b]]] to action. You want to be the good person who cares about others, so you came. Besides, there was no one else at the time. Still, you feel conflicted. [[You do not actually want to be here.|apartment 2]] [[You are not sure what to actually do now that you are here.|apartment 3]]

You have your own problems. Being hunted down by a marinara demon, for one thing. Your aching foot, for another. But you are here, [[so you might as well go forth.|apartment 4]]

The directive was vague, mostly triggered by instinct and urgency. What do you know about these situations, anyway? Legally you may be an adult, but in your head, you are still just a kid. However, here you are. [[So you might as well go forth.|apartment 4]]

You have driven past this apartment complex a thousand times in your life, but this is the first time you have stopped to look at it. Supremely rectangular, each unit is identical: Two basic windows next to a sliding glass door. The bottom units have patios with no gates or fencing; they emerge right into the sidewalk. The top units have rectangular beige panels for railings. A small wall extension separates each unit. A few units have simple patio furniture, but most are spotless and empty. It is all a sea of beige. With teal blue trim. You stand directly in front of the lobby doors. The entry walkway is flanked by two poles with a small lampshade bent over to illuminate the sidewalk. The glass doors are outlined in silver aluminum. White lettered stickers in the window spell (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "something out.")[(set: $harvest_manor_back to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "apartment 6")]] All the while, your foot is throbbing. You think about [[what to do.|apartment 7]]

A phone call came after the world fell asleep in your home. Something is wrong. "I've got to go, if you never see me again, I've been meaning to do this for a while" Someone needs to check on him. You barely know him. But you were awake and sober, which is more than most could say at the time. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[I just know I would have wanted someone to do it for me.|apartment 1]]]

A shadow has tagged along. He is silent. Like you, he is also barefoot. Unlike you, he is mostly irrelevant to this. He was just...there. And you can't exactly leave that out. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[But I could just make him a shadow.|apartment 4]]]

Harvest Manor Apts (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link:"Quaint.")[(go-to:$harvest_manor_back)]]

You need to find the right apartment. You need to get inside and find out. All you had was the street address. From here on, you have to figure out what to do. You can't knock on every door at this time of night. So, you need to find it another way. [[Ok then.|apartment entry]]

To the east is an empty patio, curtains drawn. To the west, there are some (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[cars|cars north 1]]] in the parking lot. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment north 2")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment entry")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

To the east, there is an apartment patio with two folding camping (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[chairs.|chairs south 1]]] To the west, there are some (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[cars|cars south 1]]] in the parking lot. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ (link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment entry")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment south 2")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

You are in the lobby. The interior of the complex is as simple as the exterior. White cinderblock walls, faded green parquet flooring. Two planters line the walls. A (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[corkboard]]] with various things pinned to it hangs side by side with neatly arranged metal (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[mailboxes.|mailboxes]]] Stairs lead upwards. A hallway of grey carpet stretches out to both sides of you. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside north 1")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside south 1")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Go upstairs ")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment 2nd floor landing")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Go outside")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment entry")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

You stare at the contact list in your phone. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[A|Call A]] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[B|Call B 2]] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[C|Call C]] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[D|Call D]] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[I|Call I]] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[S|Call S]] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "You put your phone back in your pocket.")[(go-to: $previous_spot)]]

B's voice comes through the other end. (if: $phone_call_b_count is 0) [I am looking at our work materials to see if we have some kind of company directory to find a unit number. Or maybe I can get access to payroll. Look around there and see if you can find anything that indicates which apartment is his. I will call you when I find something. {(set: $call_mod_check to 8)} ] (else-if: $phone_call_b_count is 1) [I don't have access to a directory for the company I am looking for phone book names online (if: $found_mgmt_number) [A management number, huh? That's good, I'll try that. {(set: $spoke_about_mgmt_number to true)} ](else:) [Contact info for a landlord...maintenance...anything Keep looking.] I will call when I have updates. {(set: $call_mod_check to 8)} ] (else-if: $phone_call_b_count is 2) [ (if: not $spoke_about_mgmt_number) [I found a management number for the complex online. I called it.] (else:) [I tried the management number you found.] The guy swore at me and hung up. Maybe we should call some of our co-workers who might know him better? Can you help me with that?{(set: $try_calling_others to true)(set: $call_mod_check to 8)} ] (else:) [I have started calling hotlines to see if they got any call-ins Maybe they can at least confirm he is alive for me. I don't know what else to do at this point... (if: not $called_s) [Keep trying calling the others. I think S did a week with him at an alternate site recently, she might know him best?] Good luck. ] {(set: $phone_call_b_count to $phone_call_b_count + 1) (set: $step to $step+1)} (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "You put your phone back in your pocket.")[(go-to: $previous_spot)]]

To the east, there is an apartment patio with a beat up brown corduroy (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[couch|couch north 2]]] and a few empty beer bottles littered around. To the west, the parking lot is empty. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment north 3")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment north 1")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

You stand directly in front of the lobby doors. The entry walkway is flanked by two light poles with a curling rod on top and a small lampshade bent over to illuminate the sidewalk. The doors are outlined in silver aluminum. White lettered stickers in the window spell (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "something out.")[(set: $harvest_manor_back to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "apartment 6")]] (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment north 1")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment south 1")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Go inside")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment lobby")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

To the east is an empty patio, curtains drawn. To the west, the parking lot is empty. You reach the end of the building. There is an emergency exit door here, but it is locked. A green lawn wraps the side of the building. It is in need of mowing. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment north 2")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

To the east, there is an apartment patio with a lumpy white (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[papasan chair.|chair south 2]]] To the west, there are some (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[cars|cars south 2]]] in the parking lot (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment south 1")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment south 3")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

To the east is an empty patio. There is a gap in the curtains, but the inside is dark. To the west, the parking lot is empty. You reach the end of the building. There is an emergency exit door here, but it is locked. A green lawn wraps the side of the building. It is in need of mowing. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment south 2")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

At the top of the stairs, beige walls are bathed in a dim light. Someone has left a (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[bike|apartment bike]]] with muddy wheels against the wall. Stairs lead downward. A hallway of grey carpet stretches out to each side. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside 2 north 1")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside 2 south 1")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Go downstairs")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment lobby")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

You pass by apartments 105 and 106 They have nothing on the door. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside north 2")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment lobby")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

You pass by apartments 103 and 104 Apartment 104 has a (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[small brown welcome mat.]]] (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside north 3")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside north 1")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

You pass by apartments 101 and 102. They have nothing on the door. At the end of the hallway is an emergency exit door and a cold stairwell leading upwards. There is a small white (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[flyer]]] by the door. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside north 2")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Go outside")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment north 3")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Go upstairs")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside 2 north 3")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

You pass by apartments 107 and 108 They have nothing on the door. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment lobby")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside south 2")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

You pass by apartments 109 and 110. They have nothing on the door. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside south 1")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside south 3")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

You pass by apartments 111 and 112. They have nothing on the door. At the end of the hallway is an emergency exit door and a cold stairwell leading upwards. There is a small white (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[flyer|flyer 2]] ] by the door. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside south 2")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Go outside")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment south 3")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Go upstairs")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside 2 south 3")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

You pass by apartments 205 and 206 They have nothing on the door. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside 2 north 2")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment 2nd floor landing")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

You pass by apartments 207 and 208. They have nothing on the door. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment 2nd floor landing")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside 2 south 2")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

You pass by apartments 203 and 204. They have nothing on the door. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside 2 north 3")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside 2 north 1")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

You pass by apartments 201 and 202. Apartment 202 has a sign on the door that says "(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[haters beware]]]!" At the end of the hallway is a cold stairwell leading downwards. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside 2 north 2")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Go downstairs")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside north 3")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

You pass by apartments 209 and 210. They have nothing on the door. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside 2 south 1")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk south")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside 2 south 3")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

You pass by apartments 211 and 212. They have nothing on the door. At the end of the hallway is a cold stairwell leading downwards. (display: "apt hint") (if: $phone_call_b_count < 4 and $step % $call_mod_check is 0) [ Your phone is ringing. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Pick up the call.")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "Call B")]] ] (else:) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Walk north")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside 2 south 2")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Go downstairs")[(set: $step to $step+1)(goto: "apartment inside south 3")]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Look at phone")[(set: $previous_spot to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "phone call")]] ]

C'mon c'mon, you've got to be ok... It rings and rings, but no one ever picks up. (if: $previous_spot is "apartment inside 2 south 1") [ You, however, can hear the ringing twice. In the receiver. And from behind the door next to you. [[Hang up.|apartment knock]] ] (else:) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Not promising.|phone call]]] ]

(if: not $try_calling_others and not $called_c) [You look at the contact name and you think of the long talks all summer long and the couch last night and the bedroom last night and you have to stop right now lest the marinara demon come from you. [[Look away.|phone call]]](else-if: $called_c) [There is definitely no way you are going to try calling him again. You barely wanted to the first time. [[hm|phone call]] ] (else:) [{(set: $called_c to true)}Desperate times call for desperate measures. You brace your heart and hit the call button. It rings and rings, but no one ever picks up. [[Yea that pretty much adds up.|phone call]] ]

(if: not $try_calling_others and not $called_d) [Last you saw he was passed out on your back porch. Better not to bother him right now. [[hm|phone call]] ] (else-if: $called_d) [He was useless for information, no point in calling again. [[hm|phone call]] ] (else:) [{(set: $called_d to true)}Desperate times call for desperate measures. You shrug and press the call button. It rings a few times. Then a voice comes through fuzzy on the other end. Hello? I...what? Uh...I guess I I don't know I barely know the guy Ok good luck [[Hang up.|phone call]] ]

(if: not $try_calling_others and not $called_s) [You look at the contact name and you think of the bra on your bathroom floor and a flash of anger rises in you. But you know deep down, it's not her fault. [[Better to be a girl's girl.|phone call]] ] (else-if: $called_s) [You don't want to bother her again at this hour. But she did say something about the second floor, near the stairs... [[hm|phone call]] ] (else: ) [{(set: $called_s to true)}Desperate times call for desperate measures. You swallow your pride and press the call button. It rings a few times. Then a voice comes through fuzzy on the other end. Hello? Oh, uh, yea that sounds...bad... Um, yea, I went with him once I don't remember the number But it was the second floor Near the stairs, I think Ok, uh, yeah, bye [[Hang up.|phone call]] ]

(if: not $try_calling_others and not $called_i) [You look at the contact name and you think of the call in the grocery and the embrace in the field and the moment in the closet and the briefs on your bathroom floor and anger and sadness flood through you. [[Fuck calling that guy.|phone call]] ](else-if: $called_i) [There is definitely no way you are going to try calling him again. You barely wanted to the first time. [[hm|phone call]] ] (else:) [{(set: $called_i to true)}Desperate times call for desperate measures. You swallow your pride and press the call button. It rings and rings, but no one ever picks up. [[You are actually a little relieved.|phone call]] ]

Your heart is suddenly beating out of control. A shadow shifts nervously behind you. Will that door hold horrors behind it? A live, breathing thing, or a not-so-live, unmoving thing? Will you make it to dawn? [[You should knock.|knock on the door]]

They are labeled 101-112 and 201-212. A few have small handwritten labels with names. "Smith/Miller" "Anderson" "Barnes" (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[You don't see the name you are looking for here.|apartment lobby]]]

You knock on the door. You are full of tremors, afraid of what you might find behind [[door number 207.|door number 3]]

Maybe if you find the right car, it will be close to the right apartment. A silver honda (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[accord]]] A silver volkswagen (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[jetta]]] A green subaru (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[forester|forester 1]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Who cares about cars?|apartment north 1]]]

Isn't that illegal here? (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Fuck 'em.|apartment north 2]]]

A black toyota (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[camry]]] A white subaru (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[outback]]] A blue honda (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[fit]]] A red subaru (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[forester|forester 2]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Who cares about cars anyway?|apartment south 1]]]

A gold (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[mazda 3|mazda3]]] A white chevrolet (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[cruze]]] A black jeep (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[wrangler]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Who cares about cars?|apartment south 2]]]

They're red, but very faded. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Not even worth stealing, really.|apartment south 1]]]

It is not just lumpy. There is a figure huddled there. The light is so dim that it appears only as a shell of a human. (if: $talked_to_man) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[It is probably best to leave it be.|apartment south 2]]] ] (else:) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Look again.|chair south 2 2]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Look away.|apartment south 2]]] ]

{(set: $speak_count to $speak_count + 1)}(if: $speak_count is 1) [You speak words. The figure does not stir. [[Say something.|Say something]] [[Poke them.|Poke the figure]] ] (else-if: $speak_count is 2) [You speak words a little louder. The figure does not stir. [[Say something.|Say something]] [[Poke them.|Poke the figure]] ] (else-if: $speak_count is 3) [You speak words a little louder. The figure shifts in the chair. [[Say something.|Say something]] [[Poke them.|Poke the figure]] ] (else:) [You speak words a little louder. The figure opens their eyes to a [[slit.|slit]] ]

The mud seems fresh. It is probably a nicer bike than most of the cars out in the lot. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[About right for this town.|apartment 2nd floor landing]]]

Quiet Hours: 10 PM - 8 AM Trash Disposal: Use designated bins in the parking lot, recycling on Tuesdays. There is a layout of the apartment building with fire exits marked. There is a phone number labeled as "management". {(set: $found_mgmt_number to true)} (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[You wonder if that might be any help...|apartment inside north 3]] ]

A flyer for (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[calculus tutoring]]] A poster hiring for (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[day camp counselors]]] A (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[wellness retreat]]] ad Promo for a (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[bar]]] A local ad for a (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[desk for sale]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[It's not like you expected there to be a list of occupants here.|apartment lobby]]]

That's actually your car, that you drove here. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[This seems pointless anyway.|cars north 1]]]

I mean, it's a silver jetta and you've seen them before, but nothing seems familiar about it to you. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[This seems pointless anyway.|cars north 1]]]

You would say it seems familiar, but there are thousands of these around town. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[This seems pointless anyway.|cars north 1]]]

Something about this car sparks familiarity in you. Maybe you've seen it parked by work before. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[This seems pointless anyway.|cars south 1]]]

You would say it seems familiar, but there are thousands of these around town. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[This seems pointless anyway.|cars south 1]]]

I mean, it's a honda fit and you've seen them before, but nothing seems familiar about it to you. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[This seems pointless anyway.|cars south 1]]]

You would say it seems familiar, but there are thousands of these around town. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[This seems pointless anyway.|cars south 1]]]

I mean, it's a mazda and you've seen them before, but nothing seems familiar about it to you. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[This seems pointless anyway.|cars south 2]]]

I mean, it's a chevy and you've seen them before, but nothing seems familiar about it to you. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[This seems pointless anyway.|cars south 2]]]

Something about this car sparks familiarity in you. Maybe you've seen it parked by work before. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[This seems pointless anyway.|cars south 2]]]

Having trouble with Calculus? Tutoring available from senior applied mathematics major. Tearaway phone numbers make a fringe at the bottom of the flyer. Good thing I will never need to take calculus... (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Wait, will I?|corkboard]]]

Seeking seasonal hires for fantasy themed day camp. Come empower children through imaginative storytelling and problem solving. 20-40 hours per week, May-August. Competitive pay. Boundless joy. The best job you'll ever have! Definitely not exhausting! (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Definitely won't lead to traumatic relationships with your young and dumb coworkers!|corkboard]]]

Tuesday nights are ladies nights at Absinthe House. No cover and $5 well drinks for women. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[They probably water them down, but you won't notice.|corkboard]]]

Wooden desk for sale. 2.5' by 4'. Gently used, in good condition. Will require a truck for pickup. Call Jim. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Ok Jim.|corkboard]]]

Full Throttle Healing Take your wellness to the max! Optimize your meditation! Be the ultimate yogi! Bath in gongs so resonant, your chakras will never be the same! $50000 must pay for your own flights (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Loathsome but typical.|corkboard]]]

{(set: $speak_count to 0)}You double take. It is not just lumpy. There is a figure huddled there, under a blanket. The light is so dim that it appears only as a shell of a human. [[Poke them.|Poke the figure]] [[Say something.|Say something]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Leave them.|apartment south 2]]]

You delicately place a hand on what is hopefully their shoulder and jostle the whole chair. The figure opens their eyes to a [[slit.|slit]]

They mumble incoherently. [[We are looking for someone.|I am looking for someone]] [[Are you..ok?]]

huhwhat? [[Have you seen him?]] [[Do you know which apartment it is?]]

imokfuckeff [[We are looking for someone.|I am looking for someone]] [[Sorry, I shouldn't have bothered you.|end papasan conversation]]

neh? [[Are you sure?]] [[Ok well, thanks anyway.|end papasan conversation]]

whatsanapartment [[We think he might be at risk.|We think he might be at risk]] [[We just want to make sure he is ok.|We just want to make sure he is ok]]

{(set: $talked_to_man to true)}It was a long shot in the first place. How many neighbors would know you, anyway? And this one was merely a spirit. You turn away and they practically turn [[to dust.|apartment south 2]]

ehfeckeff [[It would have been a few hours ago.|It would have been a few hours ago]] [[Sorry, I shouldn't have bothered you.|end papasan conversation]]

whatryatalkin [[We just don't know...]] [[Ok well, thanks anyway.|end papasan conversation]]

idoncr [[Ok well, thanks anyway.|end papasan conversation]]

notmuhprb [[Sorry, I should not have bothered you|end papasan conversation]]

isdfeckeff [[Sorry, I shouldn't have bothered you.|end papasan conversation]]

Maybe you could hear A's phone if you called outside the right door. (if: not $called_s) [But which door? Maybe if you called one of your co-workers, they might know.] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link:"Worth a shot?")[(go-to:(history:)'s last)]]

(live: 1s) [ (stop:) Ah yes. The 7/11 would be the place you would go in the early morning light. The least you can have is a small treat. But we've already been there, and we've already seen what will come of it. Nothing good. Instead, look around. You find yourself where you started. [[The house slated for demolition.|The house slated for demolition]]]

{ (display:"pastastyle") (set: $visited_grocery to true) }(if: not $take_vodka) [And you are gone. ] (if: $visited_apartment and $visited_home) [[[Reddd hums your stupid brain.|tennyson start]]] (else:) [ (if: not $visited_apartment) [[[Why can't I turn it all off.|apartment transition 2]]] (if: not $visited_home) [[[Listen to party Usher.|home transition 2]]] ]

You are back where you started. In the house slated for demolition. You stand in a desolate kitchen. There is no furniture. The oak cabinets have no doors and are completely empty. The countertops lay bare, covered in dust. In front of you is a granite countertop bar, though the end of it has been sawed away. You look across the bar into a room painted blue. In the blue room, the floor is covered in blue confetti. Behind you is a wall of graffiti. To your right is a dim passageway coming through what appears to be the pantry. To your left is a staircase. Have you enjoyed looking around so far? Have you enjoyed exploring the rooms? How were the contents of the house arranged for you? Did you find yourself confused? Maybe you should finally go [[upstairs.|upstairs]]

(if: not $visited_lake) [ {(set: $visited_lake to true)}(live: 1s) [(stop:) You are standing in the middle of a lake. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Look up.|lake up]] ]]] (else:) [You are standing in the middle of a lake. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Look up.|lake up]] ] (if: $lake_count is 1) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Look out.|lake out]] ] ] (else-if: $lake_count >= 2) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Look out.|lake out]] ] [[Look down.|lake down]] ] ]

{ (set: $lake_count to $lake_count + 1) }A semi-sphere of crystal blue sky encircles you and the sun beats down, warm on your skin. You feel so (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[small|lake start]]] here.

{ (set: $lake_count to $lake_count + 1) }In your hand is a paddle. Underneath you is a teal blue paddleboard. Below, you can only see a few feet down where underwater reeds reach up through the darkness toward the sun overhead. A soft ripple of water passes across the surface of the lake, glimmering in the sun. And you notice something [[else.|lake else]]

{ (set: $lake_count to $lake_count + 1) }In the distance the lakeshore is dotted with trees and swaying grasses. Far away, the looming giants look on. You feel so (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[calm|lake start]]] here.

A small object floating just below the surface of the water among the reeds. You carefully lower yourself to your knees and gently set the paddle down. Then you submerge your hand in the water, reaching for the [[object.|lake object]]

You pull out what appears to be a book. Despite being in the water, it is in perfect condition. It is bound in brown leather. The pages are lined in gold leaf. [[Open the book.|open the book]] [[Throw it back in the lake.|throw it back in the lake]]

{(set: $text to "You find yourself standing in an empty restaurant. Alone, of course. Brown wooden tables with drawn-in black chairs dot the room. A gas fireplace stands like an aquarium in the middle of the room. It is off. On the far wall, there is a passing counter into the kitchen. Stretched across most of this wall is a large (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[(link: \"chalkboard.\")[(set: $chalkboard_back to (passage:)'s name)(goto: \"chalkboard\")]] Windows line the wall behind you. Out there, a (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[big black sign]] ] for the restaurant stands like a billboard. All the tabletops are empty, save one. [[Take a seat.|diner table]]")}(if: not $visited_diner) [ (live: 1s) [(stop:) $text ] ] (else:) [ $text ] { (set: $seen_ring to false) (set: $ring_choice to false) (set: $visited_diner to true) }

(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Drink glasses]]] sit on the table. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Three plates]]] are set. (if: not ($inventory contains $ring)) [ And, at the center of the table, a (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[ring.|diner ring]]] (if: $seen_ring) [(if: not $ring_choice) [You contemplate [[taking the ring.|taking the ring]] ] (else:) [The ring tempts you, but you have to [[leave it now|diner leave]]. ]] ] (else:) [You [[push your chair back.|diner leave]] ]

{ (set: $seen_ring to true) }It's a class ring. Dated 2011. It is silver and bulky and stamped with the name and insignia of a school I won't say. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[It's rather ugly.|diner table]]]

{ (set: $seen_pipe to false) (set: $visited_mind_bedroom to true) }(live: 1s) [ (stop:) You stand in a bedroom. Around you are walls painted in a soft lime green. Jutting into the room is a full sized bed, covered in a fuzzy orange bedspread There is a cheap mirror in a white plastic frame leaning against the wall, propped up on a stack of books and papers and other junk. Next to it is a large pile of assorted legos. Against the far wall is white desk in a baroque style, with pink accents painted into the curling indentations. You've been here [[before.|mind bedroom 2]]]

It is your bedroom. Only it is not your bedroom. This is simply a place in your own mind. There are many, many [[objects|bedroom objects]] here.

You always were a bit of a packrat. Sentimental to a fault. You disconnect easily from people, as it is so easy to do. But you hold onto the memories and put them on shelves in your mind so you can look at them whenever you feel (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[compelled.|compelled]]] Right now, in your room, these are your trinkets: (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[An alarm clock]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[A seashell]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[An old paystub]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[A corkscrew]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[A trophy]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[A jar of dirt]]] (if: not ($inventory contains $pipe))[ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[A small pipe]]] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[An even smaller pipe]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[An unused condom]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[A snowglobe]]] (if: $seen_pipe) [ You decide you [[have looked enough.|have looked enough]] ]

You gaze up the stairwell. The walls are lined with many sheets of paper, torn from books and stapled to the walls in intentionally random arrangements. [[Take a step.|step 1]]

{ (display:"pastastyle") (set: $aisle_location to "produce") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $grocery_step to $grocery_step + 1) (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "Along the wall is a chilly open refrigerator with vegetables lined up in bins.\n\nRectangular stands of bright fruit are arranged in the center of the floor.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "fruit", "fruit stands", "vegetables", "vegetable bins")) (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 1: Frozen\n\n At the back is the dairy section")  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array))  (set: $aisle_text_array to (split: (p: " "), $aisle_text)) (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $aisle_text_array's length))[ (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to $aisle_text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_aisle_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$aisle_text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_aisle_text_threshold to (round: $aisle_text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$aisle_text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_aisle_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $aisle_text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_aisle_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ":") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ":")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to (" (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to $replaced_aisle_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 1: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + "|Aisle 1: Frozen]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 5 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + "|dairy section]] ]") }$replaced_text (if: $flooding) [ Pasta is flooding into the store all around you. From cracks and seams and behind each stocked item on the shelf, it seeps out. You are compelled to the alcohol aisle. You know that there is something there that will ease the hurt you feel. ] $replaced_aisle_text (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[check directory|grocery directory]]]

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $aisle_location to "frozen") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $grocery_step to $grocery_step + 1) (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "A chill comes over you. Frost-tinged items sit behind glass doors and you can hear the hum of the freezers keeping them cool.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "items", "frozen details")) (set: $aisle_text to "On the left of the building is the produce section\n Aisle 2: Dry goods\n At the back is the dairy section.")  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array))  (set: $aisle_text_array to (split: (p: " "), $aisle_text)) (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $aisle_text_array's length))[ (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to $aisle_text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_aisle_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$aisle_text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_aisle_text_threshold to (round: $aisle_text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$aisle_text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_aisle_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $aisle_text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_aisle_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ":") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ":")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to $replaced_aisle_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text to ($replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 2 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 5 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " " + " (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + "|produce section]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 11 + " 2: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 13 + " "+ $replaced_aisle_text_array's 14 + "|Aisle 2: Dry goods]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 15 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 16 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 17 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 18 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 19 + " (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 20 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 21 + "|dairy section]] ]") }$replaced_text $replaced_aisle_text (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[check directory|grocery directory]]]

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $aisle_location to "dry") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $grocery_step to $grocery_step + 1) (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "Toilet paper, paper towels, plates and cups. Something about this aisle always felt a little mismatched to you.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "mismatched", "dry goods details")) (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 1: Frozen\n Aisle 3: Beverages\n At the back is the dairy section.")  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array))  (set: $aisle_text_array to (split: (p: " "), $aisle_text)) (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $aisle_text_array's length))[ (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to $aisle_text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_aisle_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$aisle_text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_aisle_text_threshold to (round: $aisle_text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$aisle_text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_aisle_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $aisle_text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_aisle_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ":") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ":")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to $replaced_aisle_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 1: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + "|Aisle 1: Frozen]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " 3: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + " " + "|Aisle 3: Beverages]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 11 + "(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 12 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 13 + "|dairy section]] ]") }$replaced_text $replaced_aisle_text (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[check directory|grocery directory]]]

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $aisle_location to "beverages") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $grocery_step to $grocery_step + 1) (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "The aisle is full full of cardboard boxes with little handle cutouts and six packs clinging together with plastic leashes and flimsy two-liter bottles. You have to stay hydrated up here, you know.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "hydrated", "beverages details")) (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 2: Dry goods\n Aisle 4: Chips\n At the back is the dairy section.")  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array))  (set: $aisle_text_array to (split: (p: " "), $aisle_text)) (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $aisle_text_array's length))[ (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to $aisle_text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_aisle_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$aisle_text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_aisle_text_threshold to (round: $aisle_text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$aisle_text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_aisle_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $aisle_text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_aisle_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ":") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ":")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to $replaced_aisle_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text to (" (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 2: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + "|Aisle 2: Dry goods]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + (" (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 5 + " 4: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " " + "|Aisle 4: Chips]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 11 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 12 + " (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 13 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 14 + "|dairy section]] ]") }$replaced_text $replaced_aisle_text (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[check directory|grocery directory]]]

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $aisle_location to "chips") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $grocery_step to $grocery_step + 1) (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "Crinkly bags fill the entire aisle, bright in color, promising salty gathering fare.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "salty", "chips details")) (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 3: Beverages\n Aisle 5: Pasta\n At the back is the dairy section.")  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array))  (set: $aisle_text_array to (split: (p: " "), $aisle_text)) (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $aisle_text_array's length))[ (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to $aisle_text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_aisle_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$aisle_text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_aisle_text_threshold to (round: $aisle_text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$aisle_text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_aisle_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $aisle_text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_aisle_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ":") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ":")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to $replaced_aisle_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 3: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + "|Aisle 3: Beverages]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " 5: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + " " + "|Aisle 5: Pasta]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 11 + "(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 12 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 13 + "|dairy section]] ]") }$replaced_text $replaced_aisle_text (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[check directory|grocery directory]]]

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $aisle_location to "cereal") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $grocery_step to $grocery_step + 1) (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "This aisle smells like absolutely nothing. The cereal and other caloric goods lie perfectly still and crisp in their hermetically sealed packaging, encasing any smell that dare emit itself from the manufactured sustenance.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "cereal", "cereal details", "goods", "snack details")) (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 5: Pasta\n Aisle 7: Condiments\n At the back is the dairy section.")  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "?") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "?")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array))  (set: $aisle_text_array to (split: (p: " "), $aisle_text)) (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $aisle_text_array's length))[ (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to $aisle_text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_aisle_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$aisle_text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_aisle_text_threshold to (round: $aisle_text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$aisle_text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_aisle_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $aisle_text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_aisle_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ":") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ":")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to $replaced_aisle_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 5: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + "|Aisle 5: Pasta]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " 7: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + " " + "|Aisle 7: Condiments]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 11 + " (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 12 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 13 + "|dairy section]] ]") }$replaced_text $replaced_aisle_text (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[check directory|grocery directory]]]

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $aisle_location to "condiments") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $grocery_step to $grocery_step + 1) (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "If you stood at enough of a distance and blurred your vision, you might imagine the labels of all the different condiments could actually be some kind of language, like a barcode or encrypted key. What message would they encode?") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "message", "condiment details")) (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 6: Cereal, snacks\n Aisle 8: Baking\n At the back is the dairy section.")  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "?") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "?")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array))  (set: $aisle_text_array to (split: (p: " "), $aisle_text)) (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $aisle_text_array's length))[ (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to $aisle_text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_aisle_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$aisle_text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_aisle_text_threshold to (round: $aisle_text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$aisle_text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_aisle_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $aisle_text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_aisle_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ":") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ":")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to $replaced_aisle_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 6: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + "|Aisle 6: Cereal, snacks]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 5 + " 8: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " " + "|Aisle 8: Baking]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 11 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 12 + " (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 13 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 14 + "|dairy section]] ]") }$replaced_text $replaced_aisle_text (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[check directory|grocery directory]]]

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $aisle_location to "baking") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $grocery_step to $grocery_step + 1) (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "Cake mix. Flour. Sugar. Frosting. Sprinkles. Cans of who knows what. Some basic baking utensils.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "baking", "baking details")) (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 7: Condiments\n Aisle 9: Alcohol\n At the back is the dairy section.")  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array))  (set: $aisle_text_array to (split: (p: " "), $aisle_text)) (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $aisle_text_array's length))[ (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to $aisle_text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_aisle_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$aisle_text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_aisle_text_threshold to (round: $aisle_text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$aisle_text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_aisle_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $aisle_text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_aisle_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ":") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ":")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to $replaced_aisle_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 7: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + "|Aisle 7: Condiments]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " 9: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + " " + "|Aisle 9: Alcohol]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 11 + " (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 12 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 13 + "|dairy section]] ]") }$replaced_text $replaced_aisle_text (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[check directory|grocery directory]]]

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $aisle_location to "alcohol") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $grocery_step to $grocery_step + 1) (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "Beer and wine line the shelves of a cooler on one side, a decade out of place. On the other side, liquor bottles that were never meant to be sit patiently.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "liquor", "alcohol details")) (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 8: Baking\n On the right of the building is the bakery and deli\n At the back is the dairy section.")  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array))  (set: $aisle_text_array to (split: (p: " "), $aisle_text)) (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $aisle_text_array's length))[ (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to $aisle_text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_aisle_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$aisle_text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_aisle_text_threshold to (round: $aisle_text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$aisle_text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_aisle_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $aisle_text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_aisle_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ":") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ":")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to $replaced_aisle_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 8: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + "|Aisle 8: Baking]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 5 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 11 + " (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 12 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 13 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 14 + "|bakery and deli]] ]") (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 15 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 16 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 17 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 18 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 19 + " (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 20 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 21 + "|dairy section]] ]") }$replaced_text (if: $flooding) [ [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE [[VODKA]] SAUCE ] $replaced_aisle_text (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[check directory|grocery directory]]]

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $grocery_step to $grocery_step + 1) (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "Vibrant dairy products sit in coolers, waiting to be whisked away. Pun not intended. But welcomed?") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "dairy", "dairy details")) (if: $aisle_location is "produce") [ (set: $aisle_text to "On the left of the building is the produce section\n Aisle 1: Frozen") ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "frozen") [ (set: $aisle_text to "On the left of the building is the produce section\n Aisle 1: Frozen\n Aisle 2: Dry goods\n ") ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "dry") [ (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 1: Frozen\n Aisle 2: Dry goods\n Aisle 3: Beverages") ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "beverages") [ (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 2: Dry goods\n Aisle 3: Beverages\n Aisle 4: Chips") ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "chips") [ (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 3: Beverages\n Aisle 4: Chips\n Aisle 5: Pasta") ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "pasta") [ (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 4: Chips\n Aisle 5: Pasta\n Aisle 6: Cereal, snacks") ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "cereal") [ (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 5: Pasta\n Aisle 6: Cereal, snacks\n Aisle 7: Condiments") ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "condiments") [ (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 6: Cereal, snacks\n Aisle 7: Condiments\n Aisle 8: Baking") ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "baking") [ (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 7: Condiments\n Aisle 8: Baking\n Aisle 9: Alcohol") ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "alcohol") [ (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 8: Baking\n Aisle 9: Alcohol\n On the right of the building is the bakery and deli") ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "bakery") [ (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 9: Alcohol\n On the right of the building is the bakery and deli") ]  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array))  (set: $aisle_text_array to (split: (p: " "), $aisle_text)) (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $aisle_text_array's length))[ (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to $aisle_text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_aisle_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$aisle_text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_aisle_text_threshold to (round: $aisle_text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$aisle_text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_aisle_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $aisle_text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_aisle_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ":") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ":")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to $replaced_aisle_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text to "") (if: $aisle_location is "produce") [ (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ($replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 2 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 5 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " " + " (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + "|produce section]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 11 + " 1: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 13 + "|Aisle 1: Frozen]] ]")) ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "frozen") [ (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ($replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 2 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 5 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " " + " (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + "|produce section]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 11 + " 1: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 13 + "|Aisle 1: Frozen]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 14 + " 2: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 16 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 17 + "|Aisle 2: Dry goods]] ]")) ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "dry") [ (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 1: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + "|Aisle 1: Frozen]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " 2: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + "|Aisle 2: Dry goods]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " 3: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + "|Aisle 3: Beverages]] ]")) ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "beverages") [ (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 2: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + "|Aisle 2: Dry goods]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 5 + " 3: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + "|Aisle 3: Beverages]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " 4: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + "|Aisle 4: Chips]] ]")) ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "chips") [ (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 3: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + "|Aisle 3: Beverages]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " 4: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + "|Aisle 4: Chips]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " 5:" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + "|Aisle 5: Pasta]] ]")) ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "pasta") [ (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 4: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + "|Aisle 4: Chips]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " 5: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + "|Aisle 5: Pasta]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " 6: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + "|Aisle 6: Cereal, snacks]] ]")) ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "cereal") [ (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 5: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + "|Aisle 5: Pasta]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " 6: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + "|Aisle 6: Cereal, snacks]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " 7: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + "|Aisle 7: Condiments]] ]")) ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "condiments") [ (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 6: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + "|Aisle 6: Cereal, snacks]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 5 + " 7: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + "|Aisle 7: Condiments]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " 8: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + "|Aisle 8: Baking]] ]")) ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "baking") [ (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 7: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + "|Aisle 7: Condiments]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " 8: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + "|Aisle 8: Baking]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " 9: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + "|Aisle 9: Alcohol]] ]")) ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "alcohol") [ (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 8: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + "|Aisle 8: Baking]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " 9: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + "|Aisle 9: Alcohol]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 11 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 12 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 13 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 14 + " (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 15 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 16 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 17 + "|bakery and deli]] ]") ] (else-if: $aisle_location is "bakery") [ (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 9: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + "|Aisle 9: Alcohol]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 5 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 11 + " (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 12 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 13 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 14 + "|bakery and deli]] ]") ] }$replaced_text $replaced_aisle_text (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[check directory|grocery directory]]]

Slated for demolition. In a few months time, they will vacate this place and move it across the street. The sign you now gaze at will be torn down. Along with everything else. Will anyone else remember passing that sign? Will anyone else recall the pit in their stomach when they thought about the last time they ate there, when that black sign stood there on the ephemeral property, a piece of real estate salivated for, snatched up and developed. Just another place in the city that grew and grew until the place you grew up in no longer existed. Or maybe you just got (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[cynical.|no longer existed]]]

Fuck this place, fuck this town. The charm you thought it had was always a lie, cloaked in privilege and haughtiness and self indulgence. Yogis twisting themselves over backwards and PhDs doing Olympic level mental gymnastics to make it make sense. You were a part of it. As much as you want to shed it, you can never escape the fact that it is part of who you are. It feels so etched into your skin, you are overcome with the sensation that you could still be there even as you read this. But look over your shoulder. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[You are not.|diner start]]]

A dreamy scene painted out of landscape and street signs and references. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link:"It never changed, did it?")[(go-to:$chalkboard_back)]]

Which is more often than you care to (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[admit.|bedroom objects]]]

All this time, you have been trying not to imagine the possibility of it. [[The door opens.|The door opens]]

(live: 1s) [(stop:) The walls dissipate around you. You stand at the threshold of the humble studio apartment. It is dimly lit by a single light left on and you are trembling harder than before, and a black spot in the center of your vision is forming and you hear the shadow behind you shifting again and your whole body tightens into a single form and feels so cold and painful that even though you want to scream, and you open your mouth to do so, [[nothing comes out.|nothing comes out]]]

The fuzzy black spot in the center of the apartment is all you can focus on. It pulsates. It buzzes. [[You know you should make a phone call.|you know you should make a phone call]] [[You know you should move.|you know you should move]] [[You know you should do something, anything.|you know you should do something, anything]]

Someone must be informed [[Call B.|call b final]] [[Call 911.|Call 911]]

Through great effort, you drag your swollen stump of a foot across the doorway. [[You move closer to the blackness.|You move closer to the blackness]] [[You stop where you are.|You stop where you are]]

A range of possibilities runs through your head. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Just stand there.|Just stand there]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Run away.|Run away]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Flap your arms like a chicken.|Flap your arms like a chicken]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Yell.|Yell]]] [[Make a phone call.|you know you should make a phone call]] [[Go into the room.|you know you should move]]

There are procedures for these things, after all. You punch at your phone and see the screen change and hear a ringtone and a voice at the other end, you open your mouth but you are lost. You've never made such a call. What does one even say when their [[mouth cannot scream?|mouth cannot scream]]

B has known what to do all along, surely the next step in this impossible ending will become clear. You punch at your phone and see the screen change and hear a ringtone and a voice at the other end, but like before, your mouth opens and [[nothing can come out.|mouth cannot scream]]

You keep trudging forward toward the black spot, unsure of what you will do when you reach it. You are not even sure of what it is at this moment, unable to make out any details, [[you must get closer.|you must get closer]]

You stop, just a few feet past the door. To avoid looking at the black thing, you look all around the apartment. It's just a small student place. There is a bed with a sheet and blanket, unmade. There is a little table with books and a laptop. There is a dresser with a drawer half open, a nondescript item of clothing still hanging out the top. There is a kitchenette with a fridge, sink, and hot plate. A shelf of cheap food and dishes is above the meager countertop. There are some shoes on the floor. It is just a regular place, but you don't want to see any of it. You look down [[to your own hands]] instead.

Sensing your approach, the pulsating formless hole of darkness releases tendrils from the edges of whatever space it occupies. They extend like vines toward you. You can't help but notice how [[pasta-like they are.|pasta like they are]]

As the tendrils wrap themselves around your limbs, your torso, your head, pulling you ever closer into a cold nothingness, you recall once going to a nice restaurant and ordering [[squid ink pasta.|squid ink pasta]]

It tasted just the same, but the texture was different. And now, these noodles hold you tight and drag you and you do not resist as you fall deep, deep into a [[void.|void]]

(live: 1s) [(stop:) Swallowed by the darkness, you emerge out the other side after a length of time you do not recognize. And then you are standing, in full flesh and as you were, in front of the apartment door and it opens and [[someone is standing there.|someone is standing there]]]

Instead of words, black liquid starts pouring from your throat. It is not like vomiting. There are no muscle contractions, no effort, no organs within you shift. It simply pours from you. Just a stream, at first, but it quickly gathers momentum and soon it is [[gushing.|gushing]]

You drop your phone and try to close your mouth, but the stream of blackness is too forceful. Your hands grasp at your jaw, like it might fall off at any moment and you must hold in place. And the liquid comes out and either crawls to the black spot at the center of the room or it crawls up your legs and sticks to you. And you notice as it crawls, it moves in small, ropey forms. [[Like pasta.|Like pasta]]

As the forms cling to your body, more find their way higher and higher up, looking for any free location to take up, you recall once going to a nice restaurant and ordering [[squid ink pasta.|squid ink pasta 2]]

It tasted just the same, but the texture was different. And now, these noodles are pouring from your mouth and smothering your whole body and in a few moments, they have reached their way to your face and everything goes black and everything is gone except for the gaping [[void]] that is your mouth, from which darkness still pours.

Not just any alarm clock. The base is a regular clock, sure. But the top half is a bright blue rhinoceros. When the clock reaches the set alarm time, the rhino bursts into dance. It calls out the counts of a routine only it knows endlessly until you hit the big red button. Used for years. No snooze. Overslept many times. Marched out for an obligatory show at every slumber party. Giggle and mimicry. Laughter and friendship and belonging. But (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[this is not what you are looking for.|bedroom objects]]]

It is big enough to take up your entire palm. It is shaped like a spiraling pyramid, lines of the ocean like layers of the earth, with small iridescent patches breaking through. It felt too good to be true the day it was handed to you. It felt like a symbol of hope that could only fail you. It was the omen of an end. But (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[this is not what you are looking for.|bedroom objects]]]

Red and rectangular and tattered at the edges. Inside the wages marked are meager. It did not matter at the time. There was freedom and hope and love built like something real. But all things must change. Eventually you have to get a real job. And (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[this is not what you are looking for.|bedroom objects]]]

It is glass and pointed. It is still a ways off and you cannot yet read the words, but they are beginning to form. Between you and it is a riptide current that will drag you along the bottom of the ocean floor and spit you out, forever changed, forever trying to prove yourself. But (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[this is not what you are looking for.|bedroom objects]]]

A little spice-sized jar full of dry dirt and rocks. There is just enough air inside to shake it around a little bit, and you intend for that to never change. It is great and it is rebellious and it is joyful and it is bitter all at once. But (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[this is not what you are looking for.|bedroom objects]]]

{ (set: $seen_pipe to true) }A small dark blue glass pipe for marijuana. Out of place. This is not yours. This was left here. This is something you are looking for. Looking to return. [[Take it.|take the pipe]] [[Leave it.|leave the pipe]]

A glass rainbow marijuana pipe no longer than your thumb. It had a name once, but it has been long forgotten, but perhaps it evoked something of desert foliage. You and your friends bought and used it to smoke salvia, just before it became illegal. Your only foray into psychedelics. It was fine. But the pipe? The pipe is belonging and growing and ostracization and loneliness. But (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[this is not what you are looking for.|bedroom objects]]]

A square foil packet colored burgundy. Unopened. It fills you with emptiness. But (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[this is not what you are looking for.|bedroom objects]]]

Intricate floral stylings make up the ceramic base. Inside is a pastel carousel horse. When you shake it, glitter rains. There is a wind up below, and when it is run, it plays a tinny jewelry box song. The glass is yellowed with age, and the winder is loose. After being run so, so many times, the music barely plays. Though you can shake it, the glitter never sparkles like it once did. You do not think this snowglobe recounts the beauty it once had. But (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[this is not what you are looking for.|bedroom objects]]]

A standard waiter's corkscrew. Black. Unremarkable, but not so far away from where we are right now. Something hopeful and withered and useless and tossed in a drawer somewhere. But (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[this is not what you are looking for.|bedroom objects]]]

You pick up the pipe and tuck it into your pocket. { (set: $inventory to it + (a: $pipe)) }Then you turn back to the rest of the [[trinkets.|bedroom objects]]

You look down at the pipe. You know you will never be able to return it. Some things are meant to be left alone. Then you turn back to the rest of the [[trinkets.|bedroom objects]]

There is only so much gazing behind that one can do. You go back out the door. It is time to (link: "carry on.")[(go-to: $return_to_passage)]

You try to run away but you don't go anywhere. [[Try something else.|you know you should do something, anything]]

You bring your hands to your armpits but don't have the heart to flap. [[Try something else.|you know you should do something, anything]]

You open your mouth to scream but nothing comes out. [[Try something else.|you know you should do something, anything]]

You are successful at just standing there. But [[you know you should do something, anything.|you know you should do something, anything]]

It is not who you [[expected to see.|expected to see]]

You nervously rub your hands together and then you notice. The skin is loose. You dig your fingernail into the nail bed of your thumb, and the skin peels away as easily as the flesh of a mango from the fruit. [[You keep peeling.|You keep peeling]]

Your skin pulls off your body in big, rubbery sheets. And underneath is a black liquid that seeps downward, pooling all around your feet. You keep pulling and pulling and the blackness falls out and flows to the black spot at the center of the room and the spot is growing. And you notice as it flows, it moves in small, ropey forms. [[Like pasta.|like pasta 2]]

You pull the last of your skin off your skull, like you are taking off a hat in winter time, and the lightless mass in the center of the room is now almost the entire room. As you watch the black noodles enter the mass, you recall once going to a nice restaurant and ordering [[squid ink pasta.|squid ink pasta 3]]

It tasted just the same, but the texture was different. And now the room is finally gone, and now you are all bones and muscle soaked in black alone in a cold, dark [[void.|void]]

You enter and you aren't sure what to do but you make sure to keep the conversation going while you discreetly take out your phone and [[text B.|text B]]

He tells you: You must get a promise to do nothing right now. You must get a promise to at least [[sleep on it.|sleep on it]]

This one is not negotiable. These situations are delicate and some things... Some things are ''not'' better left alone. So, will you promise me? Promise me you will not hurt yourself tonight. Do you promise to sleep on it? [[Yes.|sleep on it yes]] [[No.|sleep on it no]]

{(set: $inventory to it + (a: $promise)) (set: $visited_apartment to true)}Relief hits you like a wave in the ocean. And so does the exhaustion of the night. (if: $visited_grocery and $visited_home) [And you turn and exit the building and step into the parking lot where the hint of dawn is on the horizon and get in the car and somewhere along the way you get a craving and (link: "Reddd hums your stupid brain.")[(go-to: "tennyson start")] ] (else:) [And you turn and exit the building and step into the parking lot where the hint of dawn is on the horizon and get in the car. (if: not $visited_grocery) [[[It's been 11 years.|grocery transition 3]]] (if: not $visited_home) [ [[Listen to party Usher.|home transition 3]] ] ]

I cannot take no for an answer tonight. We are not leaving here. This plan needs to be reconsidered. So, will you promise me? Do you promise to sleep on it? [[Yes.|sleep on it yes]] [[No.|sleep on it no]]

(if: not $flooding) [Apples of all colors take up one block. Oranges are stacked next to bags of grapes. Berries in clear plastic containers line another block. An oversized cardboard box of [[watermelons|grocery melon]] sits apart from the other stands. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Produce abounds.|produce section]] ] ] (else:) [{ (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) (set: $text to "Fruit in the stands. You do not need any of it.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "need", "produce section"))  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }$replaced_text ]

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "A crackle of thunder plays over the loudspeakers. You know what happens next. You can stand back. Or you can get closer.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "back.", "produce section")) (if: (not $visited_lake) and (not $grocery_side_quest)) [ (if: not $flooding) [ (set: $link_dm to (dm: "back.", "produce section", "closer.", "grocery lake transition")) ] ]  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }$replaced_text

{ (display:"pastastyle") (set: $aisle_location to "pasta") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $grocery_step to $grocery_step + 1) (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "You surely thought no good can come out of the pasta aisle. Ha! Gotcha. There is nothing out of the ordinary here. The only thing to be seen is stacks and stacks of pasta boxes and bags, offering noodles in every shape and size. ") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "shape", "pasta shapes")) (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 4: Chips\n Aisle 6: Cereal, snacks\n At the back is the dairy section.") (display: "replace grocery text") (display: "replace grocery aisle info") (set: $replaced_aisle_text to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 4: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + "|Aisle 4: Chips]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " 6: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + "|Aisle 6: Cereal, snacks]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 11 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 12 + "(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 13 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 14 + "|dairy section]] ]")}$replaced_text $replaced_aisle_text (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[check directory|grocery directory]]]

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "Penne, linguine, rigatoni, fusilli, bucatini, fettuccine, farfalle, macaroni, cavatappi, campanelle, rotini...all the pasta the heart could desire. A compulsive tremble ripples through you and you look away.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "away.", "Aisle 5: Pasta"))  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }$replaced_text

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "Potato, tortilla, doesn't matter. Always a crowd pleaser. Standard. You could eat them for days, stuffing each chip into your mouth until your tongue swells. Better to move on quickly before you succumb to such a fate.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "succumb", "Aisle 4: Chips"))  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }$replaced_text

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "A good excuse to keep a drink in hand at all times. Remember: a prudent party girl always chases with water.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "party", "Aisle 3: Beverages", "girl", "Aisle 3: Beverages"))  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }$replaced_text

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "Stacks of toilet paper and paper towels maintain some uniformity, especially now, as every last row is perfectly stocked and stacked. But some of the other goods. The colored patterning on the edges of the stacks of paper plates do not perfectly align. The cups are lazily tied off in their plastic bags. Some items are turned on their sides to fit on the shelves. Who can stand it?? It just all feels so wrong.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "wrong.", "Aisle 2: Dry goods"))  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }$replaced_text

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "Once when you were 18, you went to a party and drank your entire personality away all night long. You managed a few passed-out hours of sleep, and then you had to wake up and go to work for the early shift. It was your turn to stock the freezers. You knelt on the hard concrete floor, gingerly placing TGI Fridays\-brand meals and trying your hardest not to vomit absolutely everywhere. Something about the red and white stripes on the boxes made your stomach turn. The frozen aisle was never the same again. And TGI Fridays as well, for that matter.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "frozen", "Aisle 1: Frozen"))  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }$replaced_text

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "You are convinced cereal was invented for the sole purpose of immaculately filling grocery store aisles. The boxes fill the shelf top to bottom and no matter the brand, they are somehow all the exact same size. As much as you like to admire them, you certainly have no need for cereal today.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "need", "Aisle 6: Cereal, snacks"))  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }$replaced_text

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "Granola bars, crackers, cookies, nuts...Oh! You are especially drawn to any cheese flavored crackers. For a moment, you have a vision of lining the cabinets of your stupid home with empty box upon empty box of every snack you managed to defeat, basking in the glory of your conquests. In the same way a hunter lines their walls with the heads of the dead. But that is just a vision, and you do not need any of this today.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "need", "Aisle 6: Cereal, snacks"))  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }$replaced_text

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "Let us out of these bottles! Let us flow into the free world! Let us take our rightful place as concoctions of distinction and purpose and pride! Who knew condiments were so political.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "condiments", "Aisle 7: Condiments"))  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }$replaced_text

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "Making cookies sounds fun. It would be a nice festive touch. But now is not the time.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "time.", "Aisle 8: Baking")) (if: (not $visited_mind_bedroom) and (not $grocery_side_quest)) [ (set: $text to "Making cookies sounds fun. It would be a nice (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ festive ] touch. Or perhaps now is not the time.") (if: not $flooding) [ (set: $link_dm to (dm: "time.", "Aisle 8: Baking", "festive", "grocery bedroom transition")) ] ]  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }$replaced_text

{ (display:"pastastyle") (set: $aisle_location to "bakery") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $grocery_step to $grocery_step + 1) (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "It smells of bread here. There are stands of different baked items scattered about. Along the wall is an unmanned counter with meats, cheeses, and prepared dishes.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "baked", "bakery details", "counter", "deli details")) (set: $aisle_text to "Aisle 9: Alcohol\n At the back is the dairy section")  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array))  (set: $aisle_text_array to (split: (p: " "), $aisle_text)) (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $aisle_text_array's length))[ (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to $aisle_text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_aisle_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$aisle_text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_aisle_text_threshold to (round: $aisle_text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$aisle_text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_aisle_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $aisle_text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_aisle_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ":") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ":")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 2) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to $replaced_aisle_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 1 + " 9: " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 3 + "|Aisle 9: Alcohol]] ]")) (set: $replaced_aisle_text to $replaced_aisle_text + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 4 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 5 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 6 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 7 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 8 + " (css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 9 + " " + $replaced_aisle_text_array's 10 + "|dairy section]] ]") }$replaced_text $replaced_aisle_text (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[check directory|grocery directory]]]

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "Tequila. Rum. Whisky. Vodka. Everything you need to not be trapped in yourself for a night. You loved the potential. You loved not knowing what could happen. You loved not remembering what happened. You loved swapping stories the morning after, trying to piece together the details. Until one day shortly, the story was not a story you wanted to know anymore, let alone share with anyone. And then you did not love it anymore. But I guess, at some point, you needed to share it. So here we are.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "here", "Aisle 9: Alcohol"))  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }$replaced_text

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "There is a large display of violently dyed red white and blue cookies and cakes right at the front. But it is the factory baked loaves of bread you notice. Of all the goods freshly baked on-site, the dingy shelves of preservative-heavy offerings in the back is still a main thoroughfare for shoppers. You liked the cinnamon bread loaves in particular. When you felt out of control, you'd buy one and eat it like an apple. One bite at a time. No need for slices.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "need", "bakery and deli"))  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }$replaced_text

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "It is harder to count the calories in those prepared dishes. Who knows what is in there. And then how can you know if you are doing it right? You know Making yourself as small as possible? No one will want you then. No no no. That is not the right way of thinking. But also, if it isn't, how does that mean you will claw your way out of this loneliness?") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "claw", "bakery and deli"))  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }$replaced_text

{  (display:"pastastyle") (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $replace_threshold to ($grocery_step / 10)) ] (set: $text to "They say it makes you bloat. They say it is not good for you. You want to have that kind of willpower. You want to be in control of everything. But you never could say no to cheese.") (set: $link_dm to (dm: "no", "dairy section"))  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text)) (set: $text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }$replaced_text

You approach the bin, gazing down at the rotund green globes. This is exactly what you came here looking for. [[You pick up a melon.|grocery melon 2]] [[You let them be.|grocery melon 3]]

You curl the melon toward your body, embracing it closely to your chest so that it will not slip away. (if: $return_to_passage is "watermelon object") [(set: $inventory to it + (a: $watermelon))Your pocket vibrates, but there is no time to answer. You know how the conversation will go, anyway. You hurry down to the alcohol aisle. You locate a handle of vodka, and with great force, you thrust it into the fruit you cradle in your arms, letting it fill with a clear liquid of abandon. You are gone and you must (link: "return.") [(go-to: $return_to_passage) ] ] (else:) [(set: $inventory to it + (a: $watermelon_regular)) Your pocket [[vibrates.|grocery phone call 1]]]

Some things are meant to be left alone. You came here for this, and now, you reject it. You look away from the bin. (if: $return_to_passage is "watermelon object") [ You have chosen to leave the fruit once again. Very well. You must (link: "return.") [(go-to: $return_to_passage) ] ] (else:) [Your pocket [[vibrates.|grocery phone call 1]]]

{(set: $flooding to True)}(if: $inventory contains $watermelon_regular) [Hoisting the melon to rest on one hip, you reach into your pocket.](else:) [You reach into your pocket.] You answer the [[phone call.|grocery phone call 2]]

It is a call you have been desperately fishing for over the past few days. You earned this call, and yet, as soon as the receiver picks up the voice on the other end, a pit forms in your heart and dread pours in from every seam of the building. The fluorescent lights keep running and the shitty music keeps playing over the speakers and (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[everything you did not think]] ] and (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[everything you did think|everything you did not think]] ] all comes true at once. You [[speak|grocery phone call 3]] in a voice that does not belong to you.

You are not worthy you are not loved you are not beautiful you are not wanted you are not desirable you are not anything to anyone and you never will be and this was all false and this was all cliche and this was all for self gain and you fell into the (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[trap.|grocery phone call 2]]]

It is over before you can blink. Before you can feel anything or ask any real questions or get any real answers. And you are still standing in the same grocery store, but nothing is right nothing is right. And you [[notice.|grocery phone call 4]]

You notice the pasta is coming to the [[produce section.|produce section]]

{ (display:"pastastyle") (set: $take_vodka to false) }fettuccine macaroni bucatini bucatini rotini campanelle bucatini rigatoni penne penne rigatoni VODKA bucatini rotini campanelle fusilli rotini cavatappi VODKA rigatoni penne bucatini rotini fettuccine penne VODKA SAUCE [[let it be|leave vodka]] cavatappi farfalle farfalle bucatini cavatappi bucatini penne linguine rigatoni fusilli bucatini fettuccine farfalle macaroni cavatappi campanelle rotini rigatoni campanelle VODKA SAUCE fettuccine farfalle fusilli rotini VODKA SAUCE farfalle rigatoni cavatappi macaroni campanelle fettuccine fusilli bucatini fettuccine macaroni bucatini bucatini rotini campanelle bucatini rigatoni penne penne rigatoni bucatini rotini VODKA SAUCE campanelle fusilli rotini cavatappi VODKA SAUCE rigatoni penne bucatini rotini fettuccine penne cavatappi farfalle farfalle bucatini cavatappi bucatini VODKA [[grab it|grab vodka]] penne linguine rigatoni fusilli bucatini fettuccine farfalle macaroni cavatappi campanelle rotini rigatoni campanelle fettuccine farfalle fusilli rotini farfalle rigatoni cavatappi VODKA SAUCE macaroni campanelle VODKA SAUCE fettuccine fusilli bucatini rotini cavatappi rigatoni penne bucatini rotini fettuccine penne cavatappi farfalle farfalle bucatini cavatappi bucatini cavatappi bucatini macaroni bucatini bucatini rotini campanelle bucatini rigatoni penne penne rigatoni bucatini rotini campanelle fusilli rotini cavatappi rigatoni penne bucatini rotini fettuccine VODKA SAUCE penne cavatappi farfalle farfalle bucatini cavatappi bucatini penne linguine rigatoni fusilli penne cavatappi farfalle farfalle bucatini cavatappi bucatini penne linguine VODKA rigatoni fusilli bucatini fettuccine VODKA farfalle macaroni cavatappi campanelle rotini rigatoni campanelle fettuccine farfalle fusilli rotini farfalle rigatoni cavatappi VODKA SAUCE macaroni campanelle fettuccine fusilli bucatini fettuccine macaroni bucatini bucatini rotini campanelle VODKA SAUCE bucatini rigatoni penne penne rigatoni bucatini rotini campanelle fusilli rotini cavatappi rigatoni penne bucatini rotini fettuccine penne cavatappi farfalle farfalle bucatini cavatappi VODKA SAUCE bucatini macaroni bucatini bucatini rotini VODKA SAUCE campanelle bucatini rigatoni penne penne rigatoni bucatini rotini VODKA campanelle fusilli rotini cavatappi rigatoni penne bucatini rotini fettuccine penne cavatappi farfalle farfalle bucatini cavatappi bucatini VODKA SAUCE penne linguine rigatoni fusilli penne cavatappi farfalle farfalle bucatini cavatappi bucatini penne linguine VODKA

{ (display:"pastastyle") (set: $take_vodka to true) }You seize the handle of vodka. (if: $inventory contains $watermelon_regular) [ You pry open a crack in the watermelon you hold too dearly and you tip the handle down the spout and let it flow, all the while pausing to imbibe yourself. { (set: $inventory to $inventory - (a: $watermelon_regular)) (set: $inventory to it + (a: $watermelon)) }] (else:) [You throw your head back and take a hearty swig. And again. And again. ] And you are [[gone.|grocery end]]

{(display:"pastastyle")}Some things are meant to just be left alone. And [[yet]]

{(display:"pastastyle")}We would not be here if you did not pick up the handle of vodka, so determined to pour it into that watermelon. None of this. So, are you sure? [[Yes.|leave vodka for sure]] [[No.|grab vodka]]

You are wiser than I am. If only I had left it alone. If I had just handled it. If I had not sent the invite. If I had not said those words. If I had not initiated contact. Maybe we could have avoided all of this. And maybe everything would have turned out different. A different state, a different career, a different life, a different story. But here we are. The words were said. [[I don't really want to be alone tonight.|grocery end]]

{ (set: $burned_underwear to true) (if: $inventory contains $underwear) [ (set: $inventory to $inventory - (a: $underwear)) ] (else-if: $inventory contains $underwear_regular) [ (set: $inventory to $inventory - (a: $underwear_regular)) ] }It takes a minute or so for them to catch flame. But eventually, the fire licks at the edges of the cotton blended threads. Slowly they are overtaken and rendered ashes. You watch in triumph. A deed you could never have brought yourself to do, you have finally achieved. And that, my friend, is [[glory.|living room]]

They are ceramic and black. The first: A piece of toast with a bite taken out of it. Next to it is an opened, half used packet of jam. The second: Remnants of an omelette. The third: The leftovers of what was presumably a stack of pancakes. Only a few crumbs and sticky and dry syrup adorn the plate. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[What a brunch.|diner table]]]

Three glasses of water, first of all. You have to stay hydrated, always! But also a bloody mary a mimosa a cup coffee in various states of (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[completion.|diner table]]]

You know how these class rings are. You remember the sales pitch they gave you and your entire class in the auditorium one day. Only a couple hundred bucks for an item that encapsulates memories to last a lifetime. Don't you want to remember the worst days of your life for decades to come? You didn't bite. But there is clearly evidence that others did. So prized! What would happen if you took it? [[It would hurt him.|ring hurt]] [[It would change nothing.|ring nothing]]

Feel, for a moment, the panic that would rise in realizing he does not have the ring. Where was it last? And then it would dawn on him. And maybe he would ask and you could feign ignorance and secretly know and you would smile as you fell asleep at night knowing the absence was felt. You created that mark of loss right back. Wouldn't that feel justified? [[Yes.|ring yes 1]] [[No.|ring no 1]]

Feel, for a moment, the panic that would rise in realizing he does not have the ring. Where did he have it last? Oh right. It would dawn on him. And maybe he would ask and you could feign ignorance and maybe it would bother him but he would probably eventually forget. A loss of the folly of youth to wash away with the rest of the memories. He will carry on. It wouldn't lessen what you will feel for the years to come. [[But at least it would be something.|ring yes 1]] [[I suppose this is true.|ring no 1]]

Fair is fair. You reach out and take the ring like you always wanted to. { (set: $inventory to it + (a: $ring)) (set: $ring_choice to true) }[[It feels right.|diner table]]

Some things are meant to be left alone. You cannot take something prized by another just because you are angry with them. You are not the type, really. Besides, you have to be stronger as you get older. { (set: $ring_choice to true) }[[You leave the ring.|diner table]]

You get up from the table. You wind your way through the room of brown wooden tables and black chairs and the quiet gas fireplace and the large (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "chalkboard.")[(set: $chalkboard_back to (passage:)'s name)(goto: "chalkboard")]] You approach the door and see the (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[big dumb black sign|big black sign 2]]] outside. You take a deep breath and walk out the door of the building (link: "for the last time.")[(goto: $return_to_passage )]

Bigger than the motel itself. Lost to endless pursuit of growth and modernity. Remember what they fucking said to you (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[here?|diner conversation]]]

Something about flippantly remarking on the beautiful view while fucking some nobody girl. Haha! What a delightful anecdote that definitely does not feel like a deep insult to hear. How devilish and charming you (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[rascal!]]]

Look, it may have been a small slight but it is still bothersome all this time later. Fuck you. (if: $inventory contains $ring) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[At least I could take something from you this time.|diner leave]]] ] (else:) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[I should have just taken the stupid ring.|diner leave]]] ]

There are marks made by your own hand. You wrote [[some things|journal]] here.

Some things are meant to be left alone. Some memories do not need to be revisited. Resist opening the box. [[Let it all go.|let go journal]]

Standing underneath this sun kissed sky and understanding that some things have happened to you--the same way things have happened to all of us--is enough. Maybe coming here means we do not need to go any further. Maybe you can stay here in the middle of this lake in your mind for the rest of time while your body (link: "carries on.")[(go-to: $return_to_passage)]

(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Plenty of self doubt.]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Prescient self observations.]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Confessions of love.]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[What the?]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Never enough detail.]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Self confession.]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Seeking purpose.]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[So much hurt.]]] It is a brief glimpse, really. But it says more than anything else. You will cling to the clues this reveals and wonder what you truly felt underneath it all. [[You keep the journal.|You keep the journal]] [[You throw the journal back into the lake.|You throw the journal back into the lake]]

{ (set: $inventory to it + (a: $journal)) }You reclaim these memories now. Their purpose is to serve you. You get to decide how to carry them and how to share them. And here we are under a sun-kissed sky, ready to be all that we are. Body, mind, and spirit. (link: "Carrying on.")[(go-to: $return_to_passage)]

Now that they have been recovered, and placed here in this detached form, you don't need these memories anymore. [[Let it all go.|let go journal]]

I feel like I was born by accident. Like my body was meant for another soul and mine was supposed to be in a defective pile and got put in by accident. Like some sort of cosmic typographical error. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[hm|journal]]]

I seek confident men because I want to be like them. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Well|journal]]]

I love them both in different ways (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[I didn't realize I felt so strongly.|journal]]]

I kissed (css: "background-color: black")[ ____] last night (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Totally forgot about that.|journal]]]

(css: "background-color: black")[ ____] has left. I apologized, he apologized. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Wait, that's it??|journal]]]

I am afraid of people thinking that is a ridiculous dream for someone like me. Besides, what if I never got good enough? I feel as if it is in me...somewhere. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[You turned it around.|journal]]]

Anger anger anger anger anger angry anger anger ANGER ANGER ANGRY ANGER ANGRINESS. I am nothing. I was never anything to them. They've made me feel like nothing. There is no answer. There is no solution. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[look]] ]

Things were bad then, I know. I sit here and can tell you, I made it out. Even though things can get difficult, I don't feel things in that way anymore. I got help. If that is you too: Please <a href="https://mhanational.org/get-help/" target="_blank">seek help</a> (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[It will get better.|journal]]]

I've been contemplating. About what happened. It was technically considered (css: "background-color: black")[ ____] I feel damaged. I feel like I will be judged. Like everyone will think it's my fault or that I am blowing things out of proportion. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[It took another decade to come back around to this.|journal]]]

You look down at the welcome mat in front of apartment 104. Despite being indoors, it is weather worn. You can hardly make out the wording. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Look away.|apartment inside north 2]]] (if: (not $visited_mind_bedroom) and (not $apartment_side_quest)) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Look a little closer.|welcome mat 2]]] ]

"Haters beware!" is posted on the door of apartment 202. It's written on an old crumpled piece of paper in big black sharpie. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Look away.|apartment inside 2 north 3]]] (if: (not $visited_diner) and (not $apartment_side_quest)) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Look a little closer.|sign 2]]] ]

You step a little closer so that you are actually standing on the mat. Instinctively, you lean into the door and realize it is loose. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Look away.|apartment inside north 2]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Push the door open.|welcome mat 3]]]

You push the door open. It is not an apartment inside. It is a bedroom that does not belong. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Look away.|apartment inside north 2]]] (link: "Go in.")[(set: $return_to_passage to "small brown welcome mat.")(set: $apartment_side_quest to true)(goto: "mind bedroom start")]

On the way to the bathroom, you pass through a hallway. This hallway contains the entrance to a closet. Instead of a traditional door, it has a (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[curtain]]] hung across a rod in front of it. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Keep going.|bathroom]]] (if: (not $visited_diner) and (not $house_side_quest)) [(link: "Pull back the curtain and go into the closet.")[(set: $return_to_passage to "bathroom transition")(set: $house_side_quest to true)(goto: "diner start")] ]

Stomach turning over. Why are you suddenly kissing me now, when you wouldn't a few hours ago? This is not right. You just said you didn't want me. You just said you (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[were happy for us]]]. And now this? Stop. I cannot do this. I smell oregano. There isn't even a door here. We will be found any minute now. The answer is no. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[I cannot do this.|bathroom transition]]]

You step a little closer so that you are standing nose to the sign. Instinctively, you lean into the door and realize it is loose. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Look away.|apartment inside 2 north 3]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Push the door open.|sign 3]]]

You push the door open. It is not an apartment inside. It is a dining room that does not belong. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Look away.|apartment inside 2 north 3]]] (link: "Go in.")[(set: $return_to_passage to "haters beware")(set: $apartment_side_quest to true)(goto: "diner start")]

Considering how it happened... Gut. (live: 1s) [ (stop:) (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[punch.|curtain]]] ]

(live: 1s) [ (stop:) You take a step up the staircase. Immediately, the pages covering the walls curl back as if there is a strong gust of wind, but you feel nothing. And as they curl back, spaghetti falls from the walls and onto the steps. Even as they return to place, the walls continue to ooze pasta and marinara sauce. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Take a step.|step 2]]]]

You take a step, knowing that each moment counts. You know enough now to know that the pasta will continue to come. And it does. The steps are quickly obscured. You have to get upstairs as quickly as possible. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Take a step.|step 3]]]

You take a step. Spaghetti and sauce squelches under your feet. The ground beneath you is slippery. You reach out and grip the railing for support, but it is just as covered in marinara and just as slippery as the floor. You instinctively draw back your hands to wipe them on your clothes. You smear marinara across yourself. You look desperately up the staircase. All light has been blotted out by the crawling noodles all around you. Can you make it to the top in this onslaught of pasta? (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[You take a step.|step 4]]]

You take a step. The stairwell has become suffocating. The stairs are practically a waterfall. You wade through a spaghetti river that has risen pasta your ankles. But you have nowhere to go but up. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[You take a step.|step 5]]]

You take a step. And something shifts in the spaghetti. Something is different. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[I am here to haunt you.|step 6]]]

You take a step. I write this to haunt you. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[To find you and pierce you. |step 7]]]

You take a step. I want you to know I have been thinking about you. A lot. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Do you remember me like I remember you?|step 8]]]

You take a step. Perhaps you think this represents some kind of dream, but it is far from that. A dream is involuntary and unpurposeful. What we are doing here has been curated. This was all carefully reconstructed from my memories for you. A piece of fiction intended to prod you from memory into existence, into a 2-way connection. Even when you close this window, you will not get to leave this space. It no longer exists only in my mind. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[It exists in your head now, too.|step 9]]]

You take a step. Does my writing please you? Perhaps you look at it only with a critical eye. It is too self-indulgent, it is too earnest, it is too personal, it slips and slides perspective haplessly, it lacks direction, inspiration, innovation, it aims too high, it is amateur and foolish and immature. Fine. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Perhaps I never grew past 21.|step 10]]]

You take a step. You persist up these stairs, when my previous warnings were not enough. You persist up these stairs, even when I rain down on you with all my force. I know you are here to defeat me: eradicate this spaghetti demon hallucination haunting you. That is not how this works though. I am a part of history. I will never be going away. I will never be changing. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[You cannot change what happened.|step 11]]]

You take a step. It will eat away at you. Guilt. My anger from afar. You will feel it every day for the rest of your life. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[I am determined to haunt you.|step 13]]]

You take a step. You will love me. You will be unburdened. You will be free. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[I am magnificent. |step 14]]]

You take a step. Do I contradict myself? Very well then. I contradict myself. (I am large, I contain multitudes.) I feel rage, but do not mistake that I do not want to forgive, either. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[I want this to be over as much as you do.|step 15]]]

You take a step. So, complete your journey up the stairs. I will cease interrupting you. Assemble your trinkets and justify them. Prove to me that you are ready to put this behind us. Prove to me that we can demolish this house and let the world grow on. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Take a step.|step 16]]]

(live: 1s) [(stop:) You take the last step up the stairs. The spaghetti ceases to arrive. What is left lies still in the stairwell. All is quiet. You wipe your hands off, further dirtying your clothes. No use trying to stay clean now. In front of you is a [[door left ajar.|upstairs room]]]

{ (set: $bird_object_done to false) (set: $sword_object_done to false) (set: $underwear_object_done to false) (set: $duck_object_done to false) (set: $ring_object_done to false) (set: $promise_object_done to false) (set: $journal_object_done to false) (set: $pipe_object_done to false) (set: $watermelon_object_done to false) (set: $bird_object_done2 to false) (set: $sword_object_done2 to false) (set: $underwear_object_done2 to false) (set: $duck_object_done2 to false) (set: $ring_object_done2 to false) (set: $promise_object_done2 to false) (set: $journal_object_done2 to false) (set: $pipe_object_done2 to false) (set: $watermelon_object_done2 to false) (set: $bird_object_placed to false) (set: $sword_object_placed to false) (set: $underwear_object_placed to false) (set: $duck_object_placed to false) (set: $ring_object_placed to false) (set: $promise_object_placed to false) (set: $journal_object_placed to false) (set: $pipe_object_placed to false) (set: $watermelon_object_placed to false) (set: $return_to_ritual_room to "") (set: $obsessive_thoughts_text_orig to "obsession") (set: $worlds_together_text_orig to "connection") (set: $spark_text_orig to "hope") (set: $betrayal_object_text_orig to "anger") (set: $self_sacrific_text_orig to "sacrifice") (set: $revenge_object_text_orig to "regret") (set: $careless_object_text_orig to "loss") (set: $memories_text_orig to "reflection") (set: $watermelon_text_orig to "vulnerability") (set: $obsessive_thoughts_text to "obsession") (set: $worlds_together_text to "connection") (set: $spark_text to "hope") (set: $betrayal_object_text to "anger") (set: $self_sacrific_text to "sacrifice") (set: $revenge_object_text to "regret") (set: $careless_object_text to "loss") (set: $memories_text to "reflection") (set: $watermelon_text to "vulnerability") (set: $spell_ready to true) }You step into a barren room. Wooden floorboards creak beneath your feet. A dim chandelier hangs in the middle of the space. A large musty book sits open on a pedestal before you. On the floor is a painted circle and a star with 8 points overlaid on it. [[Look at the book.|Look at the book]]

--A spell for closure-- Assemble the following in a star where each point is of equal distance from one another: (if: not $bird_object_done) [[[$obsessive_thoughts_text|bird object]]] (else:) [(if: $bird_object_placed ) [$obsessive_thoughts_text: $bird] (else:)[//$obsessive_thoughts_text//]] (if: not $sword_object_done) [[[$worlds_together_text|sword object]]] (else:) [(if: $sword_object_placed ) [$worlds_together_text: $sword] (else:)[//$worlds_together_text//]] (if: not $duck_object_done) [[[$spark_text|duck object]]] (else:) [(if: $duck_object_placed ) [$spark_text: $duck] (else:)[//$spark_text//]] (if: not $underwear_object_done) [[[$betrayal_object_text|underwear object]]] (else:) [(if: $underwear_object_placed ) [$betrayal_object_text: $underwear] (else:)[//$betrayal_object_text//]] (if: not $watermelon_object_done) [[[$watermelon_text|watermelon object]]] (else:) [(if: $watermelon_object_placed ) [$watermelon_text: $watermelon] (else:)[//$watermelon_text//]] (if: not $promise_object_done) [[[$self_sacrific_text|promise object]]] (else:) [(if: $promise_object_placed ) [$self_sacrific_text: $promise] (else:)[//$self_sacrific_text//]] (if: not $ring_object_done) [[[$revenge_object_text|ring object]]] (else:) [(if: $ring_object_placed ) [$revenge_object_text: $ring] (else:)[//$revenge_object_text//]] (if: not $pipe_object_done) [[[$careless_object_text|pipe object]]] (else:) [(if: $pipe_object_placed ) [$careless_object_text: $pipe] (else:)[//$careless_object_text//]] (if: not $journal_object_done) [[[$memories_text|journal object]]] (else:) [(if: $journal_object_placed ) [$memories_text: $journal] (else:)[//$memories_text//]] (if: $bird_object_done and $sword_object_done and $underwear_object_done and $duck_object_done and $ring_object_done and $promise_object_done and $journal_object_done and $pipe_object_done and $watermelon_object_done) [When the arrangement is complete, [[speak|Speak]] words of truth and you will be free. ] (else:) [When the arrangement is complete, speak words of truth and you will be free. ]

{ (set: $bird_object_done to true) }It kept pushing, and pushing, and pushing. Obsession is a slippery slope. And you've always been prone to limerence. Acceptance is the first step. (if: $inventory contains $bird) [You have $bird. Do you wish to offer $bird to the altar? [[Yes.|offer bird]] [[No.|bird no]] ] (else:) [ (if: $left_bird) [You do not have $bird. You chose to leave it. Some things are meant to be left alone. Do you wish you had it now? [[Yes.|wish for bird]] [[No.|bird no]] ] (else:) [You missed finding $bird. Do you wish to look for it again? [[Yes.|wish for bird]] [[No.|bird no]] ] ]

{ (set: $sword_object_done to true) }You worked at that fantasy day camp, where you met both of them. At the time, you said you had felt like everything in your life had led you to this opportunity, to these moments. It was simultaneously the most fun and most stressful job you ever had. It was a weird time. But if it hadn't been for the job, none of this would be necessary. Would you have found the same story elsewhere? (if: $inventory contains $sword) [You have $sword. Do you wish to offer $sword to the altar? [[Yes.|offer sword]] [[No.|sword no]] ] (else:) [You do not have $sword. You chose to leave it. Some things are meant to be left alone. Do you wish you had it now? [[Yes.|wish for sword]] [[No.|sword no]] ]

{ (set: $duck_object_done to true) }You do not know how it happened, how that duck even arrived to be an object between you two. There were feelings there. There really were. It was so confusing. Was it all my fault? (Of course not.) (if: $inventory contains $duck) [You have $duck. Do you wish to offer $duck to the altar? [[Yes.|offer duck]] [[No.|duck no]] ] (else:) [ (if: $seen_duck) [You do not have $duck. You chose to leave it. Some things are meant to be left alone. Do you wish you had it now? [[Yes.|wish for duck]] [[No.|duck no]] ] (else:) [You missed finding $duck. Do you wish to look for it again? [[Yes.|wish for duck]] [[No.|duck no]] ] ]

{ (set: $underwear_object_done to true) }It was illuminating, really, to realize how little care someone could have for you. He said he was not ready for the "emotional stuff". And then he pulled you into the closet--not for emotional things, of course. And you could not bear it. So he chose an alternative body. Blatant disregard for how you might feel about his actions, and he left you to clean up after him. It was a slap in the face. (if: $inventory contains $underwear) [You have $underwear. Nothing was ever going to be enough, but it was the only thing you could think to do at the time. Perhaps if you knew how to communicate, if you had less passive aggressive tendencies, you could have just //told// him how angry and hurt you were. But it is too late for that now. Do you wish to offer a frozen pair of underwear to the altar? [[Yes.|offer underwear]] [[No.|underwear no]] ] (else-if: $inventory contains $underwear_regular) [You have $underwear_regular. Why did you not freeze them? [[I didn't know I could.|I didn't know I could]] [[I didn't want to.|I didn't want to]] ] (else-if: $burned_underwear) [You found the underwear. You took them and burned them. Congratulations. You were bold enough to do what I could not. I hope it is therapeutic to have re-written that part of the story. There is nothing to be done now, might as well [[get on with it, then.|Look at the book]] ] (else:) [ (if: $seen_underwear) [ (if: $underwear_in_freezer) [You left $underwear_regular in the freezer. Why didn't you go back for them? [[I didn't know I could.|I didn't know I could 2]] [[I didn't want to.|I didn't want to 2]] ] (else:) [You do not have $underwear_regular. You chose to leave them. Some things are meant to be left alone. Do you wish you had them now? [[Yes.|wish for underwear]] [[No.|underwear no]] ] ] (else:) [You missed finding underwear, no less getting them frozen. Do you wish to look again? [[Yes.|wish for underwear]] [[No.|underwear no]] ] ]

{ (set: $promise_object_done to true) }When you got the call that there was an emergency, that someone might lose their life, you did not want to have to be the one to go check. He was a stranger to you, and you were not in such a good state yourself. But who else would have gone? What if it meant saving a life? You would have wanted someone to do it for you. Of course, in this case, there was only one choice. You have $promise. Do you wish to offer $promise to the altar? [[Yes.|offer promise]] [[No.|promise no]]

{ (set: $ring_object_done to true) }After a betrayal, the desire to inflict retribution was so strong. You had no ammunition, until you found a valuable object amongst the rest of the discarded clothing. What was a girl to do? (if: $inventory contains $ring) [You have $ring. Do you wish to offer $ring to the altar? [[Yes.|offer ring]] [[No.|ring no]] ] (else:) [(if: $seen_ring) [You do not have $ring. You chose to leave it. Some things are meant to be left alone. Do you wish you had it now? [[Yes.|wish for ring]] [[No.|ring no]] ] (else:) [You missed $ring. Do you wish to look for it again? [[Yes.|wish for ring]] [[No.|ring no]] ] ]

{ (set: $pipe_object_done to true) }It lingered among your possessions for a long time. A weird side effect of the night, the pipe is virtually meaningless to you. But thanks to the weight of those days, you were deeply tied to it nonetheless. It seems leaving things behind was a specialty that night. (if: $inventory contains $pipe) [You have $pipe. Do you wish to offer $pipe to the altar? [[Yes.|offer pipe]] [[No.|pipe no]] ] (else:) [(if: $visited_mind_bedroom) [You do not have $pipe. You chose to leave it. Some things are meant to be left alone. Do you wish you had it now? [[Yes.|wish for pipe]] [[No.|pipe no]] ] (else:) [You missed $pipe. Do you wish to look for it again? [[Yes.|wish for pipe]] [[No.|pipe no]] ] ]

{ (set: $journal_object_done to true) }You began to comb through every document you could, trying to understand yourself. A deep research project on your own mind. You forget so easily. When you found this particular journal, the pain reached out from the page and tugged at your stomach. Some of the enshrined memories genuinely shocked you. How could I forget these events? Maybe I wanted to. (if: $inventory contains $journal) [You have $journal. Do you wish to offer $journal to the altar? [[Yes.|offer journal]] [[No.|journal no]] ] (else:) [(if: $visited_lake) [You do not have $journal. You chose to leave it. Some things are meant to be left alone. Do you wish you had it now? [[Yes.|wish for journal]] [[No.|journal no]] ] (else:) [You missed $journal. Do you wish to look for it again? [[Yes.|wish for journal]] [[No.|journal no]] ] ]

[[Take a breath.|Close your eyes]]

You have arranged the items. You have thought carefully about why or why not to include them. But these are //my// objects. They are my memories. They are meaningless to you. I want to give you the option to not just release me, but [[release yourself.|release yourself]]

Think of the worst thing. Or, if that is too much, just a bad thing. [[Recall.|Recall]]

No, do not just pretend. Do not just click onwards to see what I have to say. You, the person sitting there, with a whole history of joy and grief and everything else. I really want you to think about who you are and what made you. What have you not yet [[let go of?]]

As I said, the things you have painstakingly gathered are things that have meaning to me. They may seem like nothing to you. Now that you have situated yourself in your own memories over mine, you may replace the items on the floor with things that will make the spell work better for you. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ (if: $undo_obsessive_thoughts is 0) [(if: $bird_object_placed) [ [[$obsessive_thoughts_text: $bird|bird offering]] ](else:) [ [[$obsessive_thoughts_text|bird offering]] ] ] (else:) [[[$obsessive_thoughts_text_orig: $obsessive_thoughts_text|bird offering]] ] (if: $undo_worlds_together is 0) [(if: $sword_object_placed) [ [[$worlds_together_text: $sword|sword offering]] ](else:) [ [[$worlds_together_text|sword offering]] ] ] (else:) [[[$worlds_together_text_orig: $worlds_together_text|sword offering]] ] (if: $undo_spark is 0) [(if: $duck_object_placed) [ [[$spark_text: $duck|duck offering]] ](else:) [ [[$spark_text|duck offering]] ] ] (else:) [ [[$spark_text_orig: $spark_text|duck offering]] ] (if: $undo_betrayal_object is 0) [(if: $underwear_object_placed) [ [[$betrayal_object_text: $underwear|underwear offering]] ](else:) [ [[$betrayal_object_text|underwear offering]] ] ] (else:) [ [[$betrayal_object_text_orig: $betrayal_object_text|underwear offering]] ] (if: $undo_watermelon_object is 0) [(if: $watermelon_object_placed) [[[$watermelon_text: $watermelon|watermelon offering]]](else:) [[[$watermelon_text|watermelon offering]]] ] (else:) [[[$watermelon_text_orig: $watermelon_text|watermelon offering]] ] (if: $undo_self_sacrifice is 0) [(if: $promise_object_placed) [ [[$self_sacrific_text: $promise|promise offering]] ](else:) [ [[$self_sacrific_text|promise offering]] ] ] (else:) [ [[$self_sacrific_text_orig: $self_sacrific_text|promise offering]] ] (if: $undo_revenge_object is 0) [(if: $ring_object_placed) [ [[$revenge_object_text: $ring|ring offering]] ](else:) [ [[$revenge_object_text|ring offering]] ] ] (else:) [ [[$revenge_object_text_orig: $revenge_object_text|ring offering]] ] (if: $undo_careless_object is 0) [(if: $pipe_object_placed) [ [[$careless_object_text: $pipe|pipe offering]] ](else:) [ [[$careless_object_text|pipe offering]] ] ] (else:) [ [[$careless_object_text_orig: $careless_object_text|pipe offering]] ] (if: $undo_memories is 0) [(if: $journal_object_placed) [ [[$memories_text: $journal|journal offering]] ](else:) [ [[$memories_text|journal offering]] ] ] (else:) [ [[$memories_text_orig: $memories_text|journal offering]] ] ] (if: $bird_object_done2 and $sword_object_done2 and $underwear_object_done2 and $duck_object_done2 and $ring_object_done2 and $promise_object_done2 and $journal_object_done2 and $pipe_object_done2) [[[I'm done.|I'm done]]]

Good. Now it is time for the final [[steps.|speak 2]]

(live: 1s)[ (stop:) The room fades from your awareness. The objects on the floor fade from your awareness. All you can see is the center of the pointed star you built.] (live: 3s)[ (stop:)In the center now sits a plate of spaghetti. Marinara sauce is drizzled neatly on top. Next to the plate is a fork. ] (live: 5s)[ (stop:)(css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Pick up the fork.|Pick up the fork]]]]

(css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Curl spaghetti around the fork.|Curl spaghetti around the fork]]]

{ (set: $bite_count to 0) }(css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[[[Take a bite.|Take a bite 1]]]

(if: $bite_count >= 0) [ (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[ [[Maybe I am afraid.|Maybe I am afraid]]]] (if: $bite_count >= 1) [ (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[ [[Maybe you rationalize it as some misadventure.|Maybe you rationalize it as some misadventure]]]] (if: $bite_count >= 2) [(css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[ [[I have fought to be stronger for a decade.|I have fought to be stronger for a decade]]]] (if: $bite_count >= 3) [ (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[ [[Did the events unfold clearly to you?]]]] (if: $bite_count >= 4) [ (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[ [[I would like to recognize my own role in this.|I should recognizie my own role in this.]]]] (if: $bite_count >= 5)[ (live: 1s) [ (stop:) (css: "color: "+ $haunt_link)[ [[What is closure anyway?]] ] ] ]

{(if: $bite_count is 0) [ (set: $bite_count to 1) ]}Had I been in your place Would I have done the same. We were so similar. We shared the same pains and the same desperate wants. I am certain I craved love just as much as you did. I did not see it then, but in re-reading the tome of our friendship, I see it now. Can I put myself in your place? Can I see that body, lapsed in space, can I reach out and touch it and feel ok about it? It was wrong. I just hope you never did it again. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Take a bite.|Take a bite]]]

{(if: $bite_count is 1) [ (set: $bite_count to 2) ]}Like the ones in your romantic movies. I could just play it off. Oh ha ha! Here they go again! Stupid humans and their fickle hearts. I am messy, I make mistakes and this is just another! It //does// feel like a whole lot of effort to send you here in this space and plumb its depths. Because at the end of the day: I am intact. I am still whole. I am carrying on. But that does not mean there is not some damaged part of me that I carry along with me. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Take a bite.|Take a bite]]]

{(if: $bite_count is 2) [ (set: $bite_count to 3) ]}Suppressing each memory. Writing it off as something small and meaningless and not to be concerned with. We all have these stories, after all. It does not make one special or different. But they do still hurt. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Take a bite.|Take a bite]]]

{(if: $bite_count is 3) [ (set: $bite_count to 4) ]}Or were they all jumbled up? Change and destruction and reconstruction are not so linear. Watching my hometown change has proven this. Watching myself change has proven this. I understand humans like to understand sequences of events clearly, but you will just have to contemplate the actual characters and sequence for yourself. It is ok to make interpretations. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Take a bite.|Take a bite]]]

(live: 1s) [ (stop:) I keep typing it into a search engine, like it was some object I could just find, if only I knew where to look. ] (live: 4s) [ (stop:) Like it was some kind of list of things I could check off, one by one, until the task was done. ] (live: 6s) [ (stop:) So I have tried. ] (live: 7s) [ (stop:) Can I relive the experience, can I rewrite the story–[[or at least the ending?]] ]

My real guess is that closure is recreating a place An object A feeling A situation Turning each over like a stone. Holding it in your palm and feeling the residual warmth of the earth transfer to your skin, absorbing it until you and the rock are in equilibrium. And then putting it back down and accepting that even if you picked it up again, it would not be any different, and you have lost all interest in doing so. I am ready to let the world move on. I am ready to exit this house. [[Demolition is due.|Its demolition is due]]

If for some reason you are not satisfied. If you need more time. If the pain loops back around. That is okay. You can come look for me. Come to the 7/11. Come get a Slurpee™. Come find me churning in the machine: turning things over and over again inside. Endless. Reliable like all of time. (live: 8s) [ (stop:) (link: "Acknowledgements")[(set: $next_passage to "Acknowledgements")(go-to: "black transition")] ]

Very well. Some things are meant to be left alone. [[Let us get on with it, then.|Look at the book]] Or, maybe you (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[changed your mind.|bird object]]]

I can help you with that. {(set: $return_to_ritual_room to "bird object") (set: $checked_alley to false)} Go, (link: "look again")[(go-to: "alleyway3")] and return here when you are done.

{ (set: $bird_object_placed to true)(set: $bird_object_done2 to true) (set: $inventory to it - (a: $bird)) }You take out the soft, if not slightly pressed, body of the bird. You lay it at the edge of a point of the star. It looks peaceful there. It can finally [[rest.|Look at the book]]

{(set: $obsessive_thoughts_text to (prompt: "Why is a recognition of $obsessive_thoughts_text not necessary for closure?", ""))(set: $undo_obsessive_thoughts to 1)(set: $bird_object_done2 to true)}$obsessive_thoughts_text Very well. [[Let us get on with it, then.|recall yes]]

{ (set: $sword_object_placed to true)(set: $sword_object_done2 to true) (set: $inventory to it - (a: $sword)) }You take out the blocky, synthetic foam swasher. You lay it at the edge of a point of the star. It was always harmless, and yet it inflicted damage. It can't hurt you [[anymore.|Look at the book]]

Very well. Some things are meant to be left alone. [[Let us get on with it, then.|Look at the book]] Or, maybe you (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[changed your mind.|sword object]]]

{ (set: $return_to_ritual_room to "sword object") }I can help you with that. Go, (link: "look again")[(go-to: "field 1")] and return here when you are done.

{(set: $worlds_together_text to (prompt: "Why is a recognition of $worlds_together_text not necessary for closure?", ""))(set: $undo_worlds_together to 1)(set: $sword_object_done2 to true)}$worlds_together_text Very well. [[Let us get on with it, then.|recall yes]]

{ (set: $underwear_object_placed to true)(set: $underwear_object_done2 to true) (if: $inventory contains $underwear) [ (set: $inventory to it - (a: $underwear))] (if: $inventory contains $underwear_regular) [ (set: $inventory to it - (a: $underwear_regular))(set: $underwear to $underwear_regular)] }You take out the boxer briefs. You lay them at the edge of a point of the star. They sit more artfully arranged then when you had found them. It gives you peace to know they have a better purpose [[now.|Look at the book]]

Very well. Some things are meant to be left alone. [[Let us get on with it, then.|Look at the book]] Or, maybe you (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[changed your mind.|underwear object]]]

{ (set: $return_to_ritual_room to "underwear object") (set: $seen_underwear to false) }I can help you with that. Go, (link: "look again")[(go-to: "bathroom")] and return here when you are done.

{(set: $betrayal_object_text to (prompt: "Why is a recognition of $betrayal_object_text not necessary for closure?", ""))(set: $undo_betrayal_object to 1)(set: $underwear_object_done2 to true)}$betrayal_object_text Very well. [[Let us get on with it, then.|recall yes]]

If you have taken a look at the refrigerator in the kitchen after taking them, you could have stuffed them inside to freeze. But it's too late now, you carried them all this way. The act of taking will have to be good enough. Do you wish to offer $underwear_regular to the altar? [[Yes.|offer underwear]] [[No.|underwear no]]

You have stronger impulse control than I do. It's not quite what the spell calls for, but the act of taking will have to be good enough. Do you wish to offer $underwear_regular to the altar? [[Yes.|offer underwear]] [[No.|underwear no]]

If you had gone back to the refrigerator in the kitchen after putting them in, you could have had them back in a more brittle state. But it's too late now, the act of taking and freezing was still done and that will have to be enough. I wonder who eventually found them? Might as well [[get on with it, then.|Look at the book]]

Second guessing an instinct, I suppose? Well, it's too late now. The act of taking and freezing was still done and that will have to be enough. I wonder who eventually found them? Might as well [[get on with it, then.|Look at the book]]

{ (set: $duck_object_placed to true)(set: $duck_object_done2 to true) (set: $inventory to it - (a: $duck)) }You take out the duck You lay it at the edge of a point of the star. The smile is still so big. The eyes are still so lifeless. It hurts to think that an object so innocent led to something that [[damaged you so much.|Look at the book]]

Very well. Some things are meant to be left alone. [[Let us get on with it, then.|Look at the book]] Or, maybe you (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[changed your mind.|duck object]]]

{ (set: $return_to_ritual_room to "duck object") (set: $seen_duck to false) }I can help you with that. Go, (link: "look again")[(go-to: "couch lay")] and return here when you are done.

{(set: $spark_text to (prompt: "Why is a recognition of $spark_text not necessary for closure?", ""))(set: $undo_spark to 1)(set: $duck_object_done2 to true)}$spark_text Very well. [[Let us get on with it, then.|recall yes]]

{ (set: $ring_object_placed to true)(set: $ring_object_done2 to true) (set: $inventory to it - (a: $ring)) }You take out the ring. You lay it at the edge of a point of the star. The light of the chandelier glints off the jewel set in the center. [[You smile in triumph.|Look at the book]]

Very well. Some things are meant to be left alone. [[Let us get on with it, then.|Look at the book]] Or, maybe you (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[changed your mind.|ring object]]]

{(set: $revenge_object_text to (prompt: "Why is a recognition of $revenge_object_text not necessary for closure?", ""))(set: $undo_revenge_object to 1)(set: $ring_object_done2 to true)}$revenge_object_text Very well. [[Let us get on with it, then.|recall yes]]

{ (set: $return_to_passage to "ring object") (set: $seen_ring to false) }I can help you with that. Go, (link: "look again")[(go-to: "diner start")] and return here when you are done.

{ (set: $promise_object_placed to true)(set: $promise_object_done2 to true) (set: $inventory to it - (a: $promise)) }You take out the promise to sleep on it. You lay it at the edge of a point of the star. It is not an object of course, so there is not much to look at. You know its value, however. You have had to make such promises a time or two in your own life. [[You are glad you held on.|Look at the book]]

Very well. Some things are meant to be left alone. And perhaps this was never yours to give away [[Let us get on with it, then.|Look at the book]] Or, maybe you (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[changed your mind.|promise object]]]

{(set: $self_sacrific_text to (prompt: "Why is a recognition of $self_sacrific_text not necessary for closure?", ""))(set: $undo_self_sacrifice to 1)(set: $promise_object_done2 to true)}$self_sacrific_text Very well. [[Let us get on with it, then.|recall yes]]

{ (set: $journal_object_placed to true)(set: $journal_object_done2 to true) (set: $inventory to it - (a: $journal)) }You take out the journal. You lay it at the edge of a point of the star. You hope that after this, you get to keep it forever and ever. Clearly, your memory is flawed, and things like this are [[so clarifying.|Look at the book]]

Very well. Some things are meant to be left alone. [[Let us get on with it, then.|Look at the book]] Or, maybe you (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[changed your mind.|journal object]]]

{ (set: $return_to_passage to "journal object") }I can help you with that. Go, (link: "look again")[(go-to: "lake start")] and return here when you are done.

{(set: $memories_text to (prompt: "Why is $memories_text not necessary for closure?", ""))(set: $undo_memories to 1)(set: $journal_object_done2 to true)}$memories_text Very well. [[Let us get on with it, then.|recall yes]]

{ (set: $pipe_object_placed to true)(set: $pipe_object_done2 to true) (set: $inventory to it - (a: $pipe)) }You take out the pipe. You lay it at the edge of a point of the star. It is doubtful anyone ever missed this. Not even you. [[No one will ever know.|Look at the book]]

Very well. Some things are meant to be left alone. [[Let us get on with it, then.|Look at the book]] Or, maybe you (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[changed your mind.|pipe object]]]

{ (set: $return_to_passage to "pipe object") }I can help you with that. Go, (link: "look again")[(go-to: "mind bedroom start")] and return here when you are done.

{(set: $careless_object_text to (prompt: "Why is a recognition of $careless_object_text not necessary for closure?", ""))(set: $undo_careless_object to 1)(set: $pipe_object_done2 to true)}$careless_object_text Very well. [[Let us get on with it, then.|recall yes]]

{(set: $bird to (prompt: "What best represents $obsessive_thoughts_text for you?", $bird))(set: $bird_object_placed to true)(set: $bird_object_done2 to true)}$obsessive_thoughts_text: $bird (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[And so it is.|recall yes]]]

{(set: $sword to (prompt: "What best represents $worlds_together_text for you?", $sword))(set: $sword_object_placed to true)(set: $sword_object_done2 to true)}$worlds_together_text: $sword (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[And so it is.|recall yes]]]

{(set: $duck to (prompt: "What best represents $spark_text for you?", $duck))(set: $duck_object_placed to true)(set: $duck_object_done2 to true)}$spark_text: $duck (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[And so it is.|recall yes]]]

{(set: $underwear to (prompt: "What best represents $betrayal_object_text for you?", $underwear))(set: $underwear_object_placed to true)(set: $underwear_object_done2 to true)}$betrayal_object_text: $underwear (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[And so it is.|recall yes]]]

{(set: $promise to (prompt: "What best represents $self_sacrific_text for you?", $promise))(set: $promise_object_placed to true)(set: $promise_object_done2 to true)}$self_sacrific_text: $promise (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[And so it is.|recall yes]]]

{(set: $ring to (prompt: "What best represents $revenge_object_text for you?", $ring))(set: $ring_object_placed to true)(set: $ring_object_done2 to true)}$revenge_object_text: $ring (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[And so it is.|recall yes]]]

{(set: $pipe to (prompt: "What best represents $careless_object_text for you?", $pipe))(set: $pipe_object_placed to true)(set: $pipe_object_done2 to true)}$careless_object_text: $pipe (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[And so it is.|recall yes]]]

{(set: $journal to (prompt: "What best represents $memories_text for you?", $journal))(set: $journal_object_placed to true)(set: $journal_object_done2 to true)}$memories_text: $journal (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[And so it is.|recall yes]]]

Yes. You are consumed by a desire for cool, sweet cherry to fill the crevices between your tongue and your teeth. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ (link: "Think about your craving a little more.")[(set: $craving_thoughts to 1)(go-to: "think about craving")] ] [[Set out.|set out]]

(if: $clickthrough is 0) [This (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[twine]]] is slated for (link: "demolition.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "intro")] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 1) [Meaning: at a future date, we have plans to tear all of this down. You know. Wrecking ball, crowbars, and all of (link: "that.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "intro")] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 2) [In its place, we have plans to build a nice luxury (link: "townhome.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "intro")] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 3) [Modern design, 3 stories tall, with a rooftop (link: "patio.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "intro")] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 3) [Right next to the juice shop and boutique (link: "house plant store.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "intro")] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 4) [This neighborhood is very up-and-coming. It'll be worth 7 figures, no doubt. Who can afford to buy it? Tech bros. Generational wealth. Whatever. All we know is that the market is good for it. (link: "We will make a tidy profit.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "intro")] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 5) [However, (live: 1s) [ (stop:) the date of demolition is undetermined at this time.] (live: 2s)[(stop:) (link: "So for now")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "intro")] ] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 6) [In an appeal to your artistic sensibilities, we have granted <b>you</b> the opportunity to temporarily embellish this space. You are free to tinker with the building as you like. We have cut off the electricity and water, which should make the process a little safer. Though of course, that creates different challenges. Just make sure to pay mind to anything structural. {(set: $clickthrough to 0)}(link: "Make what you will of it.")[(set: $next_passage to "walking to 7/11")(go-to: "start walking")] ]

//Reddd// hums your stupid brain. [[Reddd.|think about craving]]

A simple brick building wrapped in a glowing band of green, red, and orange stripes. A ribbon around a present waiting to be opened. White light radiates from the windows. The meager parking lot is empty of cars. To the right of the building is an (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[alleyway|alleyway3]]], and beyond that, a companion (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[strip mall.|strip mall 2]] ] There are no signs of life. (if: not ((history:) contains "bask 2")) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Pause to bask.|bask 2]] ] ] (if: (history:) contains "alleyway3") [It is time you go inside and get your [[gift.|inside 7/11]] ]

Reverie. Hello old girl. You place your hand on the stone. A cowboy and their horse. [[She is magnificent.|outside 7/11]]

A bell chimes as you walk in and it is everything you ever imagined a 7/11 to be: Fluorescent lights blink overhead. A (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[payment counter|counter]]] lines one wall. Humming refrigerators line a distant wall. Shelves surround you on all sides, packed tightly with bright (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[plastic wrappings.|theoretically 2]]] A [[Slurpee™ machine|slurpee machine 2]] churns on a countertop at the edge of the room.

(if: $clickthrough is 0) [(if: (history:) contains "alley way 2" and $return_to_ritual_room is 0) [It is dark and empty. [[Nothing to see here.|outside 7/11]] ] (else:) [You catch sight of a cat slipping into the dark. (link: "You take a few steps to get a better look.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "alley way 2")] (if: $return_to_ritual_room is 0 or not ($return_to_ritual_room is "bird object")) [ [[You let it go|outside 7/11]]. Some things are meant to be left alone. ] (else:) [ (link: "You let it go.")[(go-to: "bird object")] Some things are meant to be left alone. ] ] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 1) [{ (set: $eyes to false) (set: $mouth to false) (set: $seen_cat to true) }The cat, caught by surprise, (link: "freezes")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "alley way 2")] in place. ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 2) [(if: not $eyes) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "eyes.")[(set: $eyes to true)(go-to: "alley way 2") ]] ] (else:) [Its saucer eyes are locked on you. ] (if: not $mouth) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "mouth.")[(set: $mouth to true)(go-to: "alley way 2")] ] ] (else:) [A grey ruffle of feathers is tightly clutched. ] (if: $eyes and $mouth) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "You hold yourself in crystal stillness.")[(go-to: "alley way 2")]] (link: "Your lungs inhale, and a shifting passes through your body.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "alley way 2")] ] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 3) [The cat darts, retreating further into the alley, bird still firmly grasped in its mouth. (link: "You become a statue.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "alley way 2")] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "You involuntarily twitch.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 2)(go-to: "alley way 2")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 4) [The cat relaxes. It drops the bird. (link: "You become a tree rooted to the earth.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 2)(go-to: "alley way 2")] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Your leaves rustle in the wind.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 3)(go-to: "alley way 2")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 5) [The cat, caught by surprise, (link: "freezes")[(set: $clickthrough to 2)(go-to: "alley way 2")] in place. ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 6) [{ (set: $bat_count to 0) (set: $seen_cat_and_bird to true) (set: $birdlist to (a: "carrion", "specimen", "body", "creature", "flesh", "soul", "thought", "wish", "hope")) }You see it peer down at the inert body. After a pause, the cat paws at the (link: "bird.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 2)(go-to: "alley way 2")] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 7) [The cat, snatches the bird back into its mouth and (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "holds")[(set: $clickthrough to 2)(go-to: "alley way 2")]] its ground. ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 8) [The bird scoots on the ground but remains lifeless. (if: $bat_count <= 9) [After a pause, the cat paws at the (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: $birdlist's $bat_count)[(set: $bat_count to it + 1)(go-to: "alley way 2")]]. (if: $bat_count > 5 ) [Will the cat not leave the bird alone? (if: $bat_count > 7) [A tightness grows in your chest. ] (else:) [ ] (if: $bat_count > 8 ) [Your lungs feel made of stone. ] (else:) [ ] (if: $return_to_ritual_room is "") [(link: "Frustrated, you turn away.")[(set: $clickthrough to 0)(go-to: "outside 7/11")] ] ] ] (else:) [After a pause, the cat paws at the pain. Will the cat not leave the bird alone? A tightness grows in your chest. Your lungs feel made of stone. You can't take it (link: "anymore.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "alley way 2")] ] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 9) [You shatter your own stillness and move toward the cat. It turns on its heels and disappears into the night, leaving the toy behind. You are alone in the alleyway. The corpse of a (link: "small bird")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "alley way 2")] is at your feet. ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 10) [{ (set: $left_bird to true) }It looks even smaller up close. Rumpled grey feathers look like they could disintegrate at just a touch. Eyes bore past your form, into the night. (if: $return_to_ritual_room is 0 or not ($return_to_ritual_room is "bird object")) [ (link: "Leave it where it is.")[(set: $clickthrough to 0)(go-to: "outside 7/11")] Some things are meant to be left alone. ] (else:) [ (link: "Leave it where it is.")[(set: $clickthrough to 0)(go-to: "bird object")] Some things are meant to be left alone. ] (link: "Pick it up.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "alley way 2")] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 11) [{ (set: $have_bird to true) (set: $left_bird to false) (set: $inventory to it + (a: $bird)) }You scoop the body of the bird into your hand. It is very light. Some part of your brain says this is gross. Whatever. (if: $return_to_ritual_room is 0 or not ($return_to_ritual_room is "bird object")) [ You delicately put it in your pocket, taking care to not break the fragile body, as if it might still feel (link: "something like pain.")[(set: $clickthrough to 0)(go-to: "outside 7/11")] You leave the alley. ] (else:) [ You delicately put it in your pocket, taking care to not break the fragile body, as if it might still feel (link: "pain.")[(set: $clickthrough to 0)(go-to: "bird object")] You leave the alley. ] ]

Payday loans. A hair salon. A vape shop. More things beyond. All (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[closed|outside 7/11]]] right now.

This is where people are paid to be hostages to small bright screens held in a palm. Do not pay any mind to if one sits there now. You will find in this dimension, other people are not important. Only mere shadows. Only mere (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[memories.|inside 7/11]]]

The shelves are so full and so noisy with wrappers and labels, it gives you a slight claustrophobic sensation. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Turn away.|inside 7/11]]]

You approach. The red ice slushes hypnotically in the peephole of the machine. The signage proudly displays garish delightful pronouncements of the content within. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[Classic cherry.|reddd 3]] ] You reach for a styrofoam [[cup.|cup 2]]

(if: $clickthrough is 0) [(live: 1s) [(stop:)Only it is not Slurpee™ in your cup. It is marinara. Spaghetti is sliding out of the hole. Squeezing through the portal to slosh inside your cup.] (live: 3s) [(css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "It is me.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 1) [{ (set: $close_attempts to 0) (set: $close_text to "") (set: $no_more_attempts to 0) }Your cup overflows with me. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Close the nozzle.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(set: $close_attempts to it + 1)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "Let it come.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 2)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 2) [It won't budge. (if: $close_attempts > 7) [ (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "You are overcome.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 3)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] (else:) [ { (if: $close_attempts is 4) [ (set: $close_text to "The handle is becoming slippery with sauce spatter.") ] (if: $close_attempts is 5) [ (set: $close_text to "The sound of the machine grows louder.") ] (if: $close_attempts is 6) [ (set: $close_text to "You wonder who will have to clean this all up.") ] (if: $close_attempts is 7) [ (set: $close_text to "Or will we all drown first?") ] } $close_text (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "Try again.")[(set: $close_attempts to it + 1)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "Let it come.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 3) [The machine will not quit. The marinara continues, and soon with it, strands of spaghetti spring from the spigot. They slide over your hand, which still grasps the styrofoam cylinder. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "Back away.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 3)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "Let it come.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 4) [The concoction continues to rush out of the machine, pouring over your hand like a waterfall onto a rock. Below, a lake of sauce and spaghetti begins to form around your feet. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "Back away.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 2)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "Let it come.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 5) [The cup becomes heavy under the constant flow. Your arm grows tired. The sauce slinks between its surface and your fingers, eventually causing it to slide from your grasp and clatter to the floor. Somehow, the rush is stronger than ever before. It is gushing from the machine now, which never grows any emptier. There is a pool at your feet, covering your shoes and lapping at the hem of your pants. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[No more.|No more 2]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "Let it come.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 2)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 6) [You take a step backwards. Beneath your feet, you feel tomatoey tendrils. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "You slip.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 3)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "You stumble.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 4)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 7) [The tide is rising. The churn of the machine is all you can hear. Allura red. Red 40. Tomato. It is warm and cold on your skin at the same time. You look down at yourself, at the helpless statue of your flesh only to (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "notice.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 8) [An extraction. Is pouring out of your chest, right from the cavity where the butterfly wings of your rib cage conjoin. Long ropey waves, excavated straight from your (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "heart.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 4)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 9) [Your full body falls backwards onto the floor, the cup flying from your hand. Like an asteroid hitting a planet, the marinara earth splinters at your contact and splatters onto surfaces all around. That is when you (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "notice.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 2)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 10) [You stumble backwards, feeling yourself slide over the floor, as if on ice. You manage to stay upright, but the cup clatters to the floor from your hand. You look down to where it falls, and that is when you (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "notice.")[(set: $clickthrough to it - 2)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 11) [An extraction. Is pouring out of your stomach, right from a dark heavy pit, churning like the machine on the counter. Long ropey waves, excavated straight from your (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "spleen.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 2)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 12) [Flowing down your body, piling onto the floor. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[No more.|No more 2]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "Gaze at the spaghetti void.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 2)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 13) [Spilling all around your body, like worms crawling through dirt and over your lifeless corpse (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[No more.|No more 2]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "Gaze at the spaghetti void.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 14) [Marinara swirls around you. You remember the building you are in. The context. The person who is not there but should be there. You make a movement to turn your head, but realize that with the spaghetti that has poured from your core, your (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "skin")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] has slipped off with it. ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 15) [You notice the trickle of what must be your skin, melting like cheese atop the liquid around you. Spaghetti flows around it. A fine Italian (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "dish.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 16) [Your exposed eyeballs catch a chill. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[No more.|No more 2]]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "Hang on.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 17) [Your blood is hostage to the will of gravity now, flowing downwards, each vein a tributary to my (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "amassing continent.")[(set: $next_passage to "amassin continent 2")(go-to: "amassin continent 2")]] ]

It pops off the stack. With one hand, you hold the (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[cup|cup 3]]] in place under the nozzle. You raise your arm and pull the lever toward you, opening the spout, readying yourself for the oncoming red (link: "freeze.")[(set: $next_passage to "haunting 7/11")(set:$clickthrough to 0)(go-to: "haunting 7/11")]

(set: $no_more_attempts to $no_more_attempts + 1)No more? (if: $no_more_attempts < 3) [ You dare ask this of me? (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link:"It will not be working like that.")[(go-to:(history:)'s last)]] ] (else:) [Fine. But do not expect mercy again. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link:"Wait. Forgive me. Keep going.")[(go-to:(history:)'s last)]] (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[(link: "Be gone.")[(set: $clickthrough to 0)(go-to: "therapy")]] ]

(live: 1s) [ (stop:) Do you remember me] (live: 2s) [ (stop:) Like I remember (link: "you?")[(set: $clickthrough to 0)(go-to: "therapy")]]

Like I remember (link: "you?")[(set: $clickthrough to 0)(go-to: "therapy")]

{ (set: $passage to (passage:)'s name) }(if: $clickthrough is 0) [You remember posing the (link: "idea.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: $passage)] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 1) [You remember seeing the effort in your therapist's face, exercising practiced restraint. Do (link: "not")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: $passage)] divulge your true opinion. ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 2) ["And what do you think doing that will (link: "give you?")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: $passage)]" ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 3) [A thin mask for a stamp of disapproval. (link: "Clearly a bad idea.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: $passage)] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 4) [(link: "Closure.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: $passage)] (link: "Curiosity.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 2)(go-to: $passage)] (link: "Find something once lost.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 3)(go-to: $passage)] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 5) [{ (set: $reason_text to "And what if you never get closure?") }$reason_text You (link: "feel")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 3)(go-to: $passage)] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 6) [{ (set: $reason_text to "And what if you do not like what you discover?") }$reason_text You (link: "feel")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 2)(go-to: $passage)] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 7) [{ (set: $reason_text to "And what if you can never find that thing again?") }$reason_text You (link: "feel")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: $passage)] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 8) [$reason_text You feel a frenzied pulling of your chest. (live: 1s)[(stop:)away] (live: 1.5s)[(stop:)away] (live: 2s)[(stop:)(link: "away.")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: $passage)]] ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 9) [And what if you just expose yourself to more hurt? How could you even contemplate such a possibility? Even a veiled judgement is too powerful. You will keep this (link: "idea")[(set: $clickthrough to it + 1)(go-to: $passage)] to yourself from now on. ] (else-if: $clickthrough is 10) [(link: "blink")[(go-to: "end slurpee")] ]

(live: 1s) [ (stop:) The flood is gone. Your skin is intact. In your hand you hold a cup of cherry Slurpee™. You got what you [[came for.|came for 2]]]

You walk through the night, away from the convenience store. You are afraid to take a sip of your drink. The craving was completely abolished. After a few minutes, [[you feel a bit silly.|you feel a bit silly]] [[you tip the drink into a nearby trash bin.|nearby trash bin]]

Yes, quarters. It seemed funny at the time, but truth be told, they hurt when they (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[hit you.|carpet]]]

It was just one of a larger collection. Somehow it came to be a centerpiece between you two--just for an evening, just for a moment. Had things gone differently, maybe it would have become the centerpiece to something beautiful. Something like (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[love.|duck love]]] Then the unspeakable happened, and now it will always be the duck from [[that night.|duck 5]]

Yes, there were feelings there. Confusing, but there (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[nonetheless.|duck 9]]]

{ (set: $replace_threshold to 0) (if: $flooding) [ (set: $bg to "pastaimage.jpeg") (if: $grocery_step <= 1) [ (set: $bg to "pastaimage1.jpeg") ] (else-if: $grocery_step is 2) [ (set: $bg to "pastaimage2.jpeg") ] (else-if: $grocery_step is 3) [ (set: $bg to "pastaimage3.jpeg") ] (else-if: $grocery_step is 4) [ (set: $bg to "pastaimage4.jpeg") ] (else-if: $grocery_step is 5) [ (set: $bg to "pastaimage5.jpeg") ] (else-if: $grocery_step is 6) [ (set: $bg to "pastaimage6.jpeg") ] (else-if: $grocery_step is 7) [ (set: $bg to "pastaimage7.jpeg") ] (else-if: $grocery_step is 8) [ (set: $bg to "pastaimage8.jpeg") ] (else-if: $grocery_step is 9) [ (set: $bg to "pastaimage9.jpeg") ] (else:) [ (set: $bg to "pastaimage10.jpeg") ] (print: "<style>tw-story { --background-image: url('" + $bg + "'); }</style>") ] }

{ (display: "pastastyle") }Alcohol................................9 Baked goods...........................10 Baking supplies........................8 Beverages..............................3 Cereal.................................6 Chips..................................4 Condiments.............................7 Deli..................................10 Dry goods..............................2 Frozen.................................1 Pasta..................................5 Produce................................0 Snacks.................................6 (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ (link:"hm")[(go-to:(history:)'s last)] ]

You begin to think it would be a nice activity to call a friend over and prepare cookies and catch up. You begin to picture decorating the cookies with frosting and red white and blue sprinkles. You do not begin to picture how you will end up making a cookie crying little blue sprinkle tears because your own tears are trapped inside and how you will snap a photo of it and how it will forever be a memorial to this day for the rest of your life. You reach your arm out and close your hand around a can of vanilla (link: "frosting.")[(set: $return_to_passage to "Aisle 8: Baking")(set: $grocery_side_quest to true)(goto: "mind bedroom start")] You decide you don't need (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[cookies after all.|Aisle 8: Baking]] ]

You edge in closer to the chilly vegetable coolers as the fake thunder fades away. Momentarily there is a hissing noise and little jets spray water over the vegetables. You get a little closer (link: "so you can feel the water on your skin.")[(set: $return_to_passage to "produce section")(set: $grocery_side_quest to true)(goto: "lake start")] You decide you would actually like to (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[stay dry.|produce section]] ]

{ (set: $aisle_text_array to (split: (p: " "), $aisle_text)) (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $aisle_text_array's length))[ (set: $aisle_text_array_indices to $aisle_text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ] (set: $shuffled_aisle_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$aisle_text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_aisle_text_threshold to (round: $aisle_text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$aisle_text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_aisle_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $aisle_text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_aisle_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ":") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ":")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ]")) ] (set: $replaced_aisle_text_array to $replaced_aisle_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] }

{  (set: $text_array to (split: (p: " "), $text))  (set: $text_array_indices to (a:))  (for: each _i, ...(range: 1, $text_array's length))[ (set: $text_array_indices to $text_array_indices +(a: _i)) ]  (set: $shuffled_text_indices to (shuffled: ...$text_array_indices)) (set: $replace_text_threshold to (round: $text_array's length * $replace_threshold)) (set: $replaced_text_array to (a:)) (for: each _i, ...$text_array_indices)[ (set: $shuffled_index to $shuffled_text_indices's _i) (set: $regular_word to $text_array's _i) (set: $next_word to $regular_word) (if: $shuffled_index < $replace_text_threshold) [ (set: $pasta_word to $pasta_list's (random: 1, $pasta_list's length)) (if: $regular_word contains ".") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ".")] (if: $regular_word contains ",") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + ",")] (if: (substring: $regular_word , 1, 1) is "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to "\n" + $pasta_word )] (else-if: $regular_word contains "\n") [(set: $pasta_word to $pasta_word + "\n")] (set: $next_word to $pasta_word) ] (if: $link_dm contains $regular_word) [ (set: $link to $link_dm's $regular_word) (set: $next_word to ("(css: \"color:\"+$spin_link)[ [[" + $next_word + "|" + $link + "]] ] ")) ] (set: $replaced_text_array to $replaced_text_array + (a: $next_word)) ] (set: $replaced_text to (joined: " ", ...$replaced_text_array)) }

{ (set: $var1 to "ooga booga") (set: $var2 to "(css: ") (set: $var6 to "\"color\"") (set: $spin_link to " #63ACBE") (set: $var7 to ": #63ACBE )[") (set: $var3 to $var1) (set: $var4 to "$var1") (set: $var5 to "\"$var1\"") } $var1 $var3 $var4 $var5 $var2 $var6 $var7 $var1 ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ $var1 ] (set: $var8 to true) (set: $var9 to true) (if: (not $var8) and (not $var9)) [ test text ] (else:) [ ok ] (if: not $var8) [ (if: not $var9) [ test text 2] (else:) [ok 2] ] (else:) [ ok3 ]

Like a human on a crucifix, waiting waiting waiting. What was the one you liked? (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[There were girls. They had boyfriends and lots of murder problems.|the girls]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[I still kind of like it|living room]]].

Stacks on stacks on stacks of old compact discs. Shiny and round in point rectangle plastic. Who listens anymore? (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(cycling-link: "And I will wait, I will wait for you.", "How much can you take before you snap?", "'Cause they're hip to the bull and they're hip to the lies", "That's when you lose yourself for a minute or two.", "Don't tell me that we've grown for having loved a little while", "You set up your place in my thoughts, moved in and made my thinking room crowded.", )] On repeat all summer long, they were beating like a drum in your (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[chest.|living room]] ]

A silly stupid novel for childish teenage girls. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Don't take yourself so seriously.|bookshelf]]]

You had to read it in 9th grade. Your copy was misprinted. About two thirds of the way through, 120 or so pages were repeated and shoved into the binding. What audacity, you thought. Your copy was misprinted. About two thirds of the way through, 120 or so pages were repeated and shoved into the binding. You were being forced to carry extra weight that served you no purpose whatsoever. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Some cosmic typographical error.|bookshelf]]]

The first book you ever read that showed you that books could be more than just books. Words you read on a page can transform the way you see the entire world. They can make you feel infinitesimally small and beautiful. This is a spare copy. Such a treasure, you had to buy it twice. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Here we are, trapped in the amber of this moment. There is no why.|bookshelf]]]

You pull it out. The book is pristine. In loopy gold letters it literally just says "journal" on the front. (if: (not $visited_lake) and (not $house_side_quest)) [(link: "You slip your thumb into the cover and open it up.")[(set: $return_to_passage to "bookshelf")(set: $house_side_quest to true)(goto: "lake start")] ] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[You put the journal back on the shelf.|bookshelf]]]

There is a watercolor painting on the front. Three characters stand in a forest, adorned in fantasy garb, and hold their weapons up to the sky. They smile as magic swirls around them. Adventure Quest. The live-action roleplaying game. The outside corners have been ground down, and the base is puffy and stiff from significant water damage. The whole book crackles when gripped in your hands. You were overwhelmed when they handed you the book and told you to learn it in a few days' time. And somehow, the children always had more questions outside the purview of the damn thing. You never knew enough. Frustrated. Exhausted. Always unsure. What a summer. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[What a summer.|bookshelf]]]

(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ (if: $phone_call_b_count >= 4 and $step >= $hint_threshold) [(link: "You have an idea.")[(goto: "apartment hint")]]] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ (if: $phone_call_b_count >= 4 and $step >= $hint_2_threshold ) [(link: "You have another thought.")[(goto: "apartment hint 2")]]]

(if:

<--! (after:1s) [(t8n-arrive: "blur")+(t8n-time: 4s)(goto: $next_passage)] --> (goto: $next_passage)

(after:1s) [(t8n-arrive: "blur")+(t8n-time: 4s)(goto: $next_passage)]

(live: 1s)[ (stop:) Recall the context.] (live: 2s)[ (stop:) Recall the places.] (live: 3s)[ (stop:) Recall the objects.] (live: 4s)[ (stop:) Recall the feelings.] (live: 5s)[ (stop:)[[Recall.|Recall 2]]]

What do you crave closure from? I will let you sit with it for a while. Do not say yes until you are ready. (live: 20s)[ [[yes.|recall yes]]]

I recognize that most of the time, these text games offer different endings. People like a reward for the choices they have made, or at least some tribute to ascribe meaning to how they spent their time. But I already told you that I don't know what closure looks like. I don't know if it even exists. I don't know what waits for either of us on the other side of this. We have done what we can in this space. There is this one ending and there are infinite endings, because you get to decide what is next for yourself. So do I. [[What a gift.|end]]

Some of the cars in the south end of the lot looked familiar. (if: $called_s) [And S said something about the second floor, near the stairs?] (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link:"Maybe try calling A outside of 207 or 208?")[(go-to:(history:)'s last)]]

It rings straight to voicemail. (if: $phone_call_b_count is 1) [ Last you talked, he was looking for more contact information, and asked you to find some indicator of which apartment might be his.] (else-if: $phone_call_b_count is 2) [Last you talked, he was still looking for contact information, but encouraged you to keep looking for some indicator of which apartment might be the right one.] (else-if: $phone_call_b_count is 3) [Last you talked, he had tried to call the building manager, but had no luck. He asked you to call the rest of our co-workers. You've got their numbers in your phone already.] (else:) [Last you talked, he was calling hotlines hoping they could tell him something. I guess you can try to keep calling A? Maybe you'll hear his phone from behind a door...] (if: $phone_call_b_count <= 3) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[I'm sure he'll call again when he has more information.|phone call]]] ] (else:) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[I'm not sure he will call again...|phone call]]] ]

The person before you is, simply put, yourself. You look to your [[shadow for reassurance.|shadow for reassurance]]

Your shadow shifts from one bare foot to the other. You look back to the doorway. And your self has vanished as quickly as they appeared. Instead, the person you were expecting, a rare form of a real and strange human being, [[is there.|is there]]

He is shadowy and distant but he invites you [[inside.|inside]]

{ (set: $do_not_display_checklist to (a: "Checklist", "Start here", "About", "Content Warning", "Acknowledgements", "intro", "Settings", "Content warning", "pre-intro", "twine", "grocery directory", "apartment hint", "apartment hint 2", "No more 2")) (set: $do_not_set_return_to_from_checklist to (a:"Checklist", "About", "Settings")) (if: not( $do_not_set_return_to_from_checklist contains (passage:)'s name)) [ (set: $return_to_from_checklist to (passage:)'s name) ] (if: $do_not_display_checklist contains (passage:)'s name) [ (set: $display_checklist to 0) ] (else:) [ (if: $spell_ready) [ (set: $display_checklist to 0) ] (else:) [ (set: $display_checklist to 1) ] ] (set: $currentpassage to (passage:)'s name) } <tw-bottom style="padding-left: 20px;">(if: $display_checklist is 1)[(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[check your pockets|Checklist]] ]] (if: $enable_passage_name_display is 1)[ (css: "color: #f5f242")[ <i> passage name: $currentpassage</i> ] ]</tw-bottom>(if: $enable_back_opt is 0) [<script>document.querySelector("tw-passage").classList.add("hide-undo"); </script>]

(if: $enable_back_opt is 0) [The ability to navigate backwards is off. You can enable backwards navigation if you are a completionist, get anxious about missing something, or need to get out of a buggy page. (link: "Enable backward navigation")[(set: $enable_back_opt to 1)(go-to: $settings_go_back )] ] (else:) [The ability to navigate backwards is on. You can disable backwards navigation if you like to experience things as they come. (link: "Disable backward navigation")[(set: $enable_back_opt to 0)(go-to: $settings_go_back )] ] (if: $settings_go_back is "Start here") [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ (link:"Homepage")[(go-to:$settings_go_back)]] ] (else:) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ (link:"Back")[(go-to:$settings_go_back)]] ]

You tentatively thrust the straw into the icy pile and [[take a sip.]]

{ (set: $visited_apartment to false) (set: $visited_grocery to false) (set: $visited_home to false) }It tastes normal. Eventually, there is only one sip left. You throw your head back and give the cup a slight shake, eyes wide and watching the last red dribble travel down into your face. When you look forward again, the styrofoam cup is empty in your hand and you have arrived somewhere new. It is time to revisit and smash and rebuild. [[Listen to party Usher.|usher transition 1]] [[It's been 11 years.|grocery transition 1]] [[Why can't I turn it all off.|apartment transition 1]]

The red slush splatters innocently against the sides of the can. You peek in, thinking about how you could probably sell such a scene for a small fortune in a [[high-end art gallery.|high end art gallery]]

{ (set: $visited_apartment to false) (set: $visited_grocery to false) (set: $visited_home to false) }If only the high-end art scene were not just an artificial market for rich people to evade taxes. Or, I guess, if only you did not have ethical qualms. And eventually, while you were busy pondering the rich, you have arrived somewhere new. It is time to revisit and smash and rebuild. [[Listen to party Usher.|usher transition 1]] [[It's been 11 years.|grocery transition 1]] [[Why can't I turn it all off.|apartment transition 1]]

(live: 1s) [(stop:)The night is clear.] (live: 2s) [(stop:)You have made it this far. ] (live: 3s) [(stop:) And now, you have a [[craving.|craving]]]

(if: $craving_thoughts is 1) [You think of the crushed ice flowing over your frontal cortex and you begin to salivate. ] (else-if: $craving_thoughts is 2) [The evening summer air is welcoming, but cool. It reminds you that the season is fleeting, and soon you will enter the limbo between seasons, where time doesn't seem to count. Is it even appropriate, a frozen drink? At this time of night? ] (else-if: $craving_thoughts is 3) [Time be damned. This vision came to you, and the craving has taken on a life of its own. It must be satisfied. ] (else-if: $craving_thoughts is 4) [You were never that strong-willed. You <i>have</i> to know. What is it like? To do something frivolous? To do something vulnerable? ] (else-if: $craving_thoughts is 5) [You stand here in a humble narrative vestibule, preparing to face who knows what, all in the effort for an icy little treat. ](else:) [Oh come on. It's just a drink. ] (if: $craving_thoughts < 6) [(css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ (link: "Think about your craving a little more.")[(set: $craving_thoughts to it + 1)(go-to: "think about craving")] ] [[Set out.|set out]] ] (else:) [ [[reddd|reddd 2]] [[Set out.|set out]] ]

You wind your body through the suburban maze, wondering when the sun will finally rise. [[You could walk like this for a long time.|up the street 3]]

[[You always liked the suburbs.|like suburbs]] [[You always hated the suburbs.|hate suburbs]]

You enter the thoroughfare and you are overcome with the sensation of deep familiarity. You know these streets. You grew up here. You've watched them slowly and then quickly evolve. Like cells reproducing. Like cells experiencing senescence. All the while, your pace has stayed steady. [[You could walk like this for a long time.|down the street 3]]

You are at a crossroads. The craving you are looking for lies beyond. You can get there one of two ways. [[Cut through the shopping center.|walking d 1]] [[Cut through the park.|walking c 1]]

You jaywalk across a major road while cars wait helplessly at a red light down the block. You did the very same thing many years back, in broad daylight. You and your friend were taking portraits with a camera. You thought it was oh so cool to have a photo of you defiantly posing in front of a wall of oncoming traffic. Smile. Snap. Sprint to the curb. [[Traverse the pavement.|walking d 2]]

You walk down the paved sidewalk that meanders through a grassy field. Some small ways off, a creek is gently running in the dark. You worked in a park like this once. All summer long. You shiver. It did not turn out so well. [[Traverse the pavement.|walking c 2]]

[[You always loved this town.|love town]] [[You always hated this town.|hate town]]

Revisiting a place like this, what good could it possibly do you? Is it really so helpful to remember the person you once were? Maybe you are better off walking away and never looking back. Maybe it's easier to build from scratch. [[Carry on.|down the street 5]]

You are actively choosing this. All these forces, they are pulling you here. Because let's face it. You maybe haven't consciously accepted this yet, but you are mentally unraveling. You could probably benefit from the support of structural sameness. [[Carry on.|up the street 5]]

I didn't mean for this to become such a museum. You have not seen yet, but you will. It has just sort of happened. Being here, out in the streets, you could not help but fall into these ways. Perhaps the sensation of familiarity is a drug. Perhaps you can drink it in and it will be healing. [[You turn a corner.|cross point]]

These streets are woven into your cultural DNA, for better or worse. Will you give in? Will you become the suburban empress you never wanted to be? [[You turn a corner.|cross point]]

You enter the concrete jungle of the shopping center. A fountain sits still in the center of a plaza, not running during these late hours. You like being here when it is empty. It feels safe to be in a space devoid of characters. You can look at everything closely without worrying about what they will do. [[You could walk like this for a long time.|walking d 3]]

You envision going down to that creek and picking up rocks and hurling them into the water as hard as you possibly can. All the anger and hurt channeled into one place where the damage is meaningless. But this is not that same park, not that same creek. Though they still gather there, you do not. You only imagine what it would be like to reach catharsis and closure over and over in your mind instead. [[You could walk like this for a long time.|walking c 3]]

In one timeline, you are at the end of something, in case you did not know. You have just been through a pretty crappy 48 hours. A cherry on top of what is becoming a period of your life that you will only ever be able to see through a fog. [[Your footsteps are the beat to the melody of cars cruising down not-so-distant streets.|walking d 4]]

And in this other timeline, the past 48 hours have thrown you. Everything feels jumbled up inside. Each thought is precariously perched in a pile that is about to cave in on itself. The job in the park led to this: teetering on the edge of making a major life decision. Is all of it wrong? Should you change everything? It is good to walk and think it over. [[Your footsteps are the beat to the melody of cars cruising down not-so-distant streets.|walking c 4]]

The grocery store, the bedroom, the apartment complex... They are waiting in the past and future of your mind. Give it time. [[Carry on.|walking d 5]]

The grocery store, the bedroom, the apartment complex... They are waiting in the past and future of your mind. Give it time. [[Carry on.|walking c 5]]

Give it time and you will both walk away and come home again. Give it time and you will turn your life over to a fresh path and you can go back to that park and sit and watch them gather and be a stranger again. [[You turn a corner.|arrival]]

Give it time and you will both walk away and come home again. Give it time and you will turn your life over to a fresh path and you can come to this shopping center and get a new job and new friends and start all over again. [[You turn a corner.|arrival]]

[[Then she appears.|outside 7/11]]

There is something comforting about them. The structural sameness brings routine. A place you can be grounded. It's not who you thought you would be. You once dreamt of a nomadic life, sexy exoticism, appearing <i>cooler</i> than your friends back at home. Or here at home, you should say. But that life is not who you really are. [[Your footsteps are the beat to the melody of cars cruising down not-so-distant streets.|up the street 4]]

There is something unsettling about them. The structural sameness is uncanny. It is soulless. It is uninspired. You always wanted to break free into the bigger world, so that you could prove to everyone back home you were more than the world they laid out for you. You are truly magnificent. [[Your footsteps are the beat to the melody of cars cruising down not-so-distant streets.|up the street 6]]

You have been trying for several years now to escape the gravitational pull of your family home. The effort has not been going well. Out there in the wide world, there are a lot of ways you can get hurt. You maybe haven't consciously accepted this yet, but you have been hurting. [[Carry on.|up the street 5]]

Too expensive. Too snotty. Full of people who want to be good people, but they are often forgetting how. You take a shortcut through the neighborhood from one major block to the next. [[Your footsteps are the beat to the melody of cars cruising down not-so-distant streets.|down the street 4]]

Everyone who comes here remarks on how beautiful and charming it is. People here are intelligent and caring. It is a safe haven from a brutal world outside. You take a shortcut through the neighborhood from one major block to the next. [[Your footsteps are the beat to the melody of cars cruising down not-so-distant streets.|down the street 6]]

Revisiting a place like this is a homecoming. Knowing the person you once were helps you understand how you came to be the person you are now. Maybe it is good to hold onto old things. [[Carry on.|down the street 5]]

{ (if: $return_to_ritual_room is "") [ (set: $let_it_go_scene to "outside 7/11") ] (else:) [ (set: $let_it_go_scene to $return_to_ritual_room) ] }(if: $checked_alley is true and $return_to_ritual_room is "") [You turn to the alleyway. It is dark and empty. [[Nothing to see here.|outside 7/11]] ] (else:) [You turn to the alleyway and catch sight of a cat slipping into the dark. [[You take a few steps to get a better look.|alleyway4]] (link: "You let it go.")[(set: $checked_alley to true)(go-to: $let_it_go_scene)] Some things are meant to be left alone. ]

{ (set: $eyes to false) (set: $mouth to false) (set: $seen_cat to true) (set: $checked_alley to true) }The cat, caught by surprise, [[freezes|alleyway5]] in place.

(if: not $eyes) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "eyes.")[(set: $eyes to true)(go-to: "alleyway5") ]]] (else:) [Its saucer eyes are locked on you. ] (if: not $mouth) [ (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: "mouth.")[(set: $mouth to true)(go-to: "alleyway5")] ]] (else:) [A grey ruffle of feathers is tightly clutched.] (if: $eyes and $mouth) [ [[Approach.|alleyway7]] [[Hold still.|alleyway6]] ]

You and the cat lock eyes, both cast in crystal stillness. [[Approach.|alleyway7]]

The cat darts, retreating further into the alley, bird still firmly grasped in its mouth. [[You become a statue.|alleyway8]] [[You involuntarily twitch.|alleyway9]]

The cat relaxes. It drops the bird. [[You become a tree rooted to the earth.|alleyway10]] [[Your leaves rustle in the wind.|alleyway11]]

The cat, caught by surprise, [[freezes|alleyway6]] in place.

{ (set: $bat_count to 0) (set: $seen_cat_and_bird to true) (set: $birdlist to (a: "carrion.", "specimen.", "body.", "creature.", "flesh.", "soul.", "thought.", "wish.", "hope.")) }You see the cat peer down at the inert body on the ground. After a pause, the cat paws at the [[bird.|alleyway12]]

The cat, snatches the bird back into its mouth and [[holds|alleyway5]] its ground.

The bird scoots on the ground but remains lifeless. (if: $bat_count <= 9) [After a pause, the cat paws at the (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[(link: $birdlist's $bat_count)[(set: $bat_count to it + 1)(go-to: "alleyway12")]] (if: $bat_count > 5) [Will the cat not leave the bird alone?] (else:) [ ] (if: $bat_count > 6)[ A tightness grows in your chest.](else:) [ ] (if: $bat_count > 7) [Your lungs feel made of stone.](else:) [ ] (if: $bat_count > 8) [You wish you could end this, you wish you could turn away. ] (else:)[ ] ] (if: $bat_count > 9) [After a pause, the cat paws at the pain. Will the cat not leave the bird alone? A tightness grows in your chest. Your lungs feel made of stone. [[You can't take it anymore.|alleyway13]] ]

You shatter your own stillness and move toward the cat. It pivots sharply and disappears into the night, leaving the toy behind. You are alone in the alleyway. The corpse of a [[small bird|alleyway14]] is at your feet.

{ (set: $left_bird to true) (if: $return_to_ritual_room is "") [ (set: $leave_it_link to "outside 7/11") ] (else:) [ (set: $leave_it_link to $return_to_ritual_room) ] }It looks even smaller up close. Rumpled grey feathers look like they could disintegrate at just a touch. The glassy eyes bore past you, into the night. [[Pick it up.|alleyway15]] (link: "Leave it where it is.")[(go-to: $leave_it_link)] Some things are meant to be left alone.

{ (set: $have_bird to true) (set: $left_bird to false) (set: $inventory to it + (a: $bird)) (if: $return_to_ritual_room is "") [ (set: $return_with_bird_link to "outside 7/11") ] (else:) [ (set: $return_with_bird_link to $return_to_ritual_room) ] }You scoop the body of the bird into your hand. It is very light. Some part of your brain says this is an item you need. Also that checklist in your pocket. What it will lead to, time will only tell. Some other part of your brain says this is gross. Just ignore that. It's not actually a <i>real</i> dead bird, after all. You delicately put it in your pocket, taking care to not break the fragile body, as if it might still feel something like pain. (link: "You leave the alley.")[(go-to: $return_with_bird_link)]

{ (set: $visited_home to true) }(live: 1s) [ (stop:) You have returned [[home.|home 1]]]

You take a bite. Marinara seeps into your throat and chewy noodles churn between your teeth. You feel yourself slipping away, but not how you have slipped before. You are not drowning in a pasta dish. You are moving through and exiting the spaghetti vision at last. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[ [[Take another bite.|Take another bite]]]

My long lost friend: I am you. I am the spaghetti demon. I am these words. I am everything. And so are you. I wanted closure from this story that I have carried around with me and hidden from everyone I knew for so long. I know that perhaps being so vague and mysterious has created confusion, but it has felt necessary to explore these memories from the safety of obscurity. (css: "color:"+$haunt_link)[ [[Take another bite.|Take a bite]] ]

(if: $undo_obsessive_thoughts is 1) [{(set: $bird_object_done2 to true)}You removed $obsessive_thoughts_text_orig from the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] (link: "I'd like to add $obsessive_thoughts_text_orig back to the spell.")[(set: $undo_obsessive_thoughts to 0)(set: $obsessive_thoughts_text to $obsessive_thoughts_text_orig)(go-to: "bird offering")] ](else-if: $bird_object_placed) [{(set: $bird_object_done2 to true)}You offered $bird as recognition of $obsessive_thoughts_text for the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] [[I wish to replace it with my own offering.|replace bird]] [[I've decided $obsessive_thoughts_text is not necessary for closure.|bird justify]] ] (else:) [{(set: $bird_object_done2 to false)}You did not offer $bird as recognition of $obsessive_thoughts_text for the spell. Add something or choose to remove the element. [[I wish to add my own offering.|replace bird]] [[I've decided $obsessive_thoughts_text is not necessary for closure.|bird justify]] ]

(if: $undo_worlds_together is 1) [{(set: $sword_object_done2 to true)}You removed $worlds_together_text_orig from the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] (link: "I'd like to add $worlds_together_text_orig back to the spell.")[(set: $undo_worlds_together to 0)(set: $worlds_together_text to $worlds_together_text_orig)(go-to: "sword offering")] ](else-if: $sword_object_placed) [{(set: $sword_object_done2 to true)}You offered $sword as recognition of $worlds_together_text for the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] [[I wish to replace it with my own offering.|replace sword]] [[I've decided $worlds_together_text is not necessary for closure.|sword justify]] ] (else:) [{(set: $sword_object_done2 to false)}You did not offer $sword as recognition of $worlds_together_text for the spell. Add something or choose to remove the element. [[I wish to add my own offering.|replace sword]] [[I've decided $worlds_together_text is not necessary for closure.|sword justify]] ]

(if: $undo_spark is 1) [{(set: $duck_object_done2 to true)}You removed $spark_text_orig from the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] (link: "I'd like to add $spark_text_orig back to the spell.")[(set: $undo_spark to 0)(set: $spark_text to $spark_text_orig)(go-to: "duck offering")] ](else-if: $duck_object_placed) [{(set: $duck_object_done2 to true)}You offered $duck as recognition of $spark_text for the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] [[I wish to replace it with my own offering.|replace duck]] [[I've decided $spark_text is not necessary for closure.|duck justify]] ] (else:) [{(set: $duck_object_done2 to false)}You did not offer $duck as recognition of $spark_text for the spell. Add something or choose to remove the element. [[I wish to add my own offering.|replace duck]] [[I've decided $spark_text is not necessary for closure.|duck justify]] ]

(if: $undo_betrayal_object is 1) [{(set: $underwear_object_done2 to true)}You removed $betrayal_object_text_orig from the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] (link: "I'd like to add $betrayal_object_text_orig back to the spell.")[(set: $undo_betrayal_object to 0)(set: $betrayal_object_text to $betrayal_object_text_orig)(go-to: "underwear offering")] ](else-if: $underwear_object_placed) [{(set: $underwear_object_done2 to true)}You offered $underwear as recognition of $betrayal_object_text for the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] [[I wish to replace it with my own offering.|replace underwear]] [[I've decided $betrayal_object_text is not necessary for closure.|underwear justify]] ] (else:) [{(set: $underwear_object_done2 to false)}You did not offer $underwear as recognition of $betrayal_object_text for the spell. Add something or choose to remove the element. [[I wish to add my own offering.|replace underwear]] [[I've decided $betrayal_object_text is not necessary for closure.|underwear justify]] ]

(if: $undo_self_sacrifice is 1) [{(set: $promise_object_done2 to true)}You removed $self_sacrific_text_orig from the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] (link: "I'd like to add $self_sacrific_text_orig back to the spell.")[(set: $undo_self_sacrifice to 0)(set: $self_sacrific_text to $self_sacrific_text_orig)(go-to: "promise offering")] ](else-if: $promise_object_placed) [{(set: $promise_object_done2 to true)}You offered $promise as recognition of $self_sacrific_text for the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] [[I wish to replace it with my own offering.|replace promise]] [[I've decided $self_sacrific_text is not necessary for closure.|promise justify]] ] (else:) [{(set: $promise_object_done2 to false)}You did not offer $promise as recognition of $self_sacrific_text for the spell. Add something or choose to remove the element. [[I wish to add my own offering.|replace promise]] [[I've decided $self_sacrific_text is not necessary for closure.|promise justify]] ]

(if: $undo_revenge_object is 1) [{(set: $ring_object_done2 to true)}You removed $revenge_object_text_orig from the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] (link: "I'd like to add $revenge_object_text_orig back to the spell.")[(set: $undo_revenge_object to 0)(set: $revenge_object_text to $revenge_object_text_orig)(go-to: "ring offering")] ](else-if: $ring_object_placed) [{(set: $ring_object_done2 to true)}You offered $ring as recognition of $revenge_object_text for the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] [[I wish to replace it with my own offering.|replace ring]] [[I've decided $revenge_object_text is not necessary for closure.|ring justify]] ] (else:) [{(set: $ring_object_done2 to false)}You did not offer $ring as recognition of $revenge_object_text for the spell. Add something or choose to remove the element. [[I wish to add my own offering.|replace ring]] [[I've decided $revenge_object_text is not necessary for closure.|ring justify]] ]

(if: $undo_careless_object is 1) [{(set: $pipe_object_done2 to true)}You removed $careless_object_text_orig from the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] (link: "I'd like to add $careless_object_text_orig back to the spell.")[(set: $undo_careless_object to 0)(set: $careless_object_text to $careless_object_text_orig)(go-to: "pipe offering")] ](else-if: $pipe_object_placed) [{(set: $pipe_object_done2 to true)}You offered $pipe as recognition of $careless_object_text for the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] [[I wish to replace it with my own offering.|replace pipe]] [[I've decided $careless_object_text is not necessary for closure.|pipe justify]] ] (else:) [{(set: $pipe_object_done2 to false)}You did not offer $pipe as recognition of $careless_object_text for the spell. Add something or choose to remove the element. [[I wish to add my own offering.|replace pipe]] [[I've decided $careless_object_text is not necessary for closure.|pipe justify]] ]

(if: $undo_memories is 1) [{(set: $journal_object_done2 to true)}You removed $memories_text_orig from the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] (link: "I'd like to add $memories_text_orig back to the spell.")[(set: $undo_memories to 0)(set: $memories_text to $memories_text_orig)(go-to: "journal offering")] ](else-if: $journal_object_placed) [{(set: $journal_object_done2 to true)}You offered $journal as recognition of $memories_text for the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] [[I wish to replace it with my own offering.|replace journal]] [[I've decided $memories_text is not necessary for closure.|journal justify]] ] (else:) [{(set: $journal_object_done2 to false)}You did not offer $journal as recognition of $memories_text for the spell. Add something or choose to remove the element. [[I wish to add my own offering.|replace journal]] [[I've decided $memories_text is not necessary for closure.|journal justify]] ]

(if: $undo_watermelon_object is 1) [{(set: $watermelon_object_done2 to true)}You removed $watermelon_text_orig from the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] (link: "I'd like to add $watermelon_text_orig back to the spell.")[(set: $undo_watermelon_object to 0)(set: $watermelon_text to $watermelon_text_orig)(go-to: "watermelon offering")] ](else-if: $watermelon_object_placed) [{(set: $watermelon_object_done2 to true)}You offered $watermelon as recognition of $watermelon_text for the spell. [[I am pleased with how this is.|recall yes]] [[I wish to replace it with my own offering.|replace watermelon]] [[I've decided $watermelon_text is not necessary for closure.|watermelon justify]] ] (else:) [{(set: $watermelon_object_done2 to false)}You did not offer $watermelon as recognition of $watermelon_text for the spell. Add something or choose to remove the element. [[I wish to add my own offering.|replace watermelon]] [[I've decided $watermelon_text is not necessary for closure.|watermelon justify]] ]

{ (set: $watermelon to (prompt: "What best represents $watermelon_text for you?", $watermelon)) (set: $watermelon_object_placed to true) (set: $watermelon_object_done2 to true) }$watermelon_text: $watermelon (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[And so it is.|recall yes]]]

{(set: $watermelon_text to (prompt: "Why is $watermelon_text not necessary for closure?", ""))(set: $undo_watermelon_object to 1)(set: $watermelon_object_done2 to true)}$watermelon_text Very well. [[Let us get on with it, then.|recall yes]]

{ (set: $watermelon_object_done to true) }It was meant to be a vessel to discretely ferry alcohol to your underaged friends, disguised as a festive side snack. The making of it derailed everything. (if: $inventory contains $watermelon) [You have $watermelon. Do you wish to offer $watermelon to the altar? [[Yes.|offer watermelon]] [[No.|watermelon no]] ] (else-if: $inventory contains $watermelon_regular) [You have $watermelon_regular. You chose not to add the vodka in the end. You are wiser than I was. Maybe in your universe, we wouldn't be here after all. It's not quite what the spell calls for, but it will have to be enough. Do you wish to offer $watermelon_regular to the altar? [[Yes.|offer watermelon]] [[No.|watermelon no]] ] (else:) [You left the watermelon in the store. Do you wish to look again? [[Yes.|wish for watermelon]] [[No.|watermelon no]] ]

{ (set: $return_to_passage to "watermelon object") }I can help you with that. Go, (link: "look again")[(go-to: "grocery melon")] and return here when you are done.

{ (set: $watermelon_object_placed to true)(set: $watermelon_object_done2 to true) (if: $inventory contains $watermelon) [ (set: $inventory to it - (a: $watermelon))] (if: $inventory contains $watermelon_regular) [ (set: $inventory to it - (a: $watermelon_regular)) (set: $watermelon to $watermelon_regular) ] }You take out the watermelon. You lay it at the edge of a point of the star. It did not taste very good [[anyway.|Look at the book]]

Very well. Some things are meant to be left alone. [[Let us get on with it, then.|Look at the book]] Or, maybe you (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[changed your mind.|watermelon object]]]

How did it happen anyway? A misguided flirtation. He picked you up and immediately dropped you. In more ways than one. Anyway. He damn well broke your foot. And now you have to deal with the (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[repercussions.|set out]]]

[[Listen to sensitive Usher.|pre-home]]

[[My head, my heart, my everything|apartment start]]

[[Four or five bricks are overdue.|grocery store start]]

[[My head, my heart, my everything|apartment start]]

[[Listen to sensitive Usher.|pre-home]]

[[Four or five bricks are overdue.|grocery store start]]

[[Listen to sensitive Usher.|pre-home]]

A house. A twine. This is both, as far as you care. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[Ok.|intro]]]

{(if: $bite_count is 4) [ (set: $bite_count to 5) ]}I am a major player in this story after all. I was insecure. I took many relationships for granted. I did an inadequate job at communicating what I felt. Turning to alcohol for relief was an awful idea. As we both probably know, a 21 year old is bound to make mistakes. I have learned my lessons. Consider this an apology for the harm I have done. (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[[[I am sorry.|Take a bite]]]

Styrofoam. What an environmental blight. But cravings sometimes must be satisfied, regardless of (css: "color:"+$spin_link)[ [[consequences.|cup 2]]]

<i>Before we begin, you can choose to have backwards navigation turned on or off. Though there are some portions of the story that allow open and circular exploration, some parts progress you irreversibly forward. There is no way to "lose", but enabling it would allow you to navigate back beyond these branch points and explore different parts of the story. This decision can only be made at the start. I like to experience things as they come, so I will (link: "play with it off.")[(set: $enable_back_opt to 0)(go-to: "intro" )] I am a completionist or get anxious about missing something, so I will (link: "play with it on.")[(set: $enable_back_opt to 1)(go-to: "intro" )] </i>

//Reddd// hums your stupid brain. [[Reddd.|slurpee machine 2]]