{(if: $sister is "brother")[(set: $She to "He")(set: $she to "he")(set: $Her to "Him")(set: $her to "him")(set: $Sister to $Brother)(set: $herself to "himself")(set: $girl to "boy")]
(else-if: $sister is "sister")[(set: $She to "She")(set: $she to "she")(set: $Her to "Her")(set: $her to "her")(set: $Sister to $Sister)(set: $herself to "herself")(set: $girl to "girl")]
}
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou've been having the same nightmare for several nights in a row. The nightmare takes you back to the morning when you and your $sister woke up alone in your parents' car, with no sign of your mother or father.
This incident occurred exactly one year ago, the day before your birthday. Eventually, you taught yourself not to think about it. You thought you had erased all memory of it and it had been a long time since you had thought about those terrible events, but for some reason, the nightmares began to haunt you again. Every day for a week now, you wake up in a cold sweat and look around, afraid that one of these mornings you won't see the familiar outlines of the furniture in your room and you'll end up back in that cursed forest.
Although everything ended well and you are back home with your parents, your subconscious is reminding you that the anniversary of your misadventures in the forest is approaching.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->7]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[I]]n the morning, the day before your birthday, you are awakened by your $sister's screams.
"Mom! Dad!"
The screams wake you, but you're afraid to open your eyes. A sense of déjà vu fills you and you squeeze your eyelids tighter, hoping that this nightmare will pass and the light of the coming day will wash away all your nightly fears.
You hear your $sister's sobbing voice, and you don't need to look at $her to know that $she's crying.
"This can't be! It can't be happening again!" Still with your eyes closed, you clench your fists tightly. "It's another nightmare," you repeat to yourself, but the sobbing doesn't stop.
You find the strength to open your eyes.
You look ahead and are speechless - it's just you and your $sister in the car. The seats in front of you are empty. You look back at $Sophie:
"Where are mom and dad?"
"How should I know? I fell asleep and when I opened my eyes a little while ago, they were gone.
It's happening again!
"We've been through it once, we'll go through it again!"
You touch the seat where your father was sitting, but it's cold, which means he's been gone a while. The same goes for where your mother slept last night. You look at your phone, but the battery is so low you can't even turn it on.
"Maybe they went to get help and decided not to wake us," your $sister suggests. "Let's wait in the car for them to come back."
"Don't you remember what happened here exactly a year ago?" you ask $Sophie.
"What are you talking about?"
Your thoughts rush chaotically through your head and your racing heart pushes the blood quickly through your veins, giving you no chance to calm down for a moment.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->11]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[I]]t's almost noon and your parents are still gone. While you're sitting in the car waiting for your parents to return, a plan begins to form in your head.
"Stay in the car. I'll take a look around," you tell your $sister after some hesitation.
"You're wrong if you think you're going to leave me alone in the car," your $sister replies angrily.
$She is right. It's dangerous to leave $her alone.
Nightmare or not, you don't want to repeat last year's adventures, so you take your sister with you, and instead of going through the woods, you decide to follow the road and ask for help from the first car you see.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->19]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]his is a strange place.
The silhouettes of the trees in the forest remain the same no matter how far you walk. The road also winds in the same direction. For the first time in your life, you feel like you're dreaming while you're awake. In this dream, you are going around in a circle and you can't find your way back home. The strangeness of this reality is confirmed after about half an hour of walking, when you and $Sophie end up back where you started - at your parents' car.
"That's impossible!" your $sister looks at the car.
You don't know what to say.
You come to the conclusion that you have no choice but to find a way through the forest, which, with its thin conifers, appears to be passable on foot.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->25]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[H]]olding your $sister's hand, you walk into the forest.
It is just the beginning of October, but you can already see the dry needles that have fallen from the tall pine trees scattered on the ground. The dry fall has taken its toll on the forest. With every step you take, you can hear the echo of broken twigs, leaves and needles crunching under your feet.
<img src="images/forest.png" class="centered-img">
Several times you are startled by a flock of ravens that, seeing a person in their territory, scatter across the sky with screams.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->encounter]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[A]]s you go up the hill, the trees really thin out, but you start to notice that it's getting quieter.
"Where have all the birds gone?" your $sister is voicing what you too have been thinking about.
You stop and look around.
You notice several stumps that at first glance appear to have been cut with a chainsaw. You approach the stumps and examine them. Traces of an axe. This means that there are people living nearby. As you survey the lone stump in the middle of a clearing, in the distance, from behind the trees, you hear a heart-wrenching scream.
(link: "☙ Frightened, you run in the opposite direction down the hill.")[(goto: "10")]
(link: "☙ There might be a person in trouble there. You decide to come to the rescue.")[(goto: "22")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[W]]hile walking down the hill, you look around, hoping to see something to indicate that human beings have passed through these lands. There are no footprints on the ground, no signs of a campfire, or any other indication that human feet have ever been here. This seems unusual to you because the area itself is not overgrown with dense vegetation, the trees are tall, and there is good visibility between them.
Last year, while you were traveling in this area, the map on your phone showed you a small town nearby, and it would be odd if the people of that town hadn't set foot in the nearby forest. You remember how your grandfather used to say that he and your grandmother used to go mushrooming in the nearby forest every weekend when they were younger.
As you are walking around thinking about this, you hear something fly past your ear, coming within inches. You turn around just in time to see an arrow flying in your direction. You are quick enough to react and manage to duck so that the arrow flies over you.
(link: "☙ 'Hey!' You yell at whoever is shooting at you, raising your hands to show that you are unarmed. 'Stop! We are lost! We come in peace!'")[(goto: "17")]
(link: "☙ You don't know who is trying to kill you, so you and your $sister run for your lives in the opposite direction of where the arrows are coming from.")[(goto: "24")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')["S]]top acting like a hero! I want to go home!" $Sophie doesn't like the fact that you're going straight to where that loud and long scream is coming from.
You hear it again, this time closer. You notice movement in the bushes and suddenly a huge moose appears in front of you. It sees you, but remains still. Its gaze lingers on your $sister for a second, but then it lifts its head, looks at you, and lets out that terrible scream again.
(link: "☙ You've heard all kinds of scary stories about moose attacking people and decide it's best to climb a nearby tree.")[(goto: "18")]
(link: "☙ You stand still and avoid making sudden movements or looking at the animal. The latter may be interpreted as aggressive behavior.")[(goto: "29")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou whisper to your $sister to climb the nearby tree. With slow movements you help $her to climb up and follow $her. The moose watches you for a while without moving, but then the branch under your left leg is no longer able to support your weight and breaks. You start to slide down.
At the last moment, before you fall to the ground, $Sophie catches you and you manage to hold on to the trunk of the tree. The moose doesn't like this sudden movement and starts to move towards you in a threatening way.
<img src="images/moose.png" class="centered-img">
Another moose squeals in the distance, possibly saving your life. The enraged animal runs away in the direction of the second scream. From countless hours of watching television, you remember that these animals fight over territory in the fall, and you are the last of their worries. The sounds they make are a warning to other male moose that this territory is already occupied.
(link: "☙ Shouldn't you wait a few minutes before coming down from the tree to make sure the moose isn't coming back?")[(goto: "6")]
(link: "☙ You have no time to waste! You must find help before it gets dark.")[(goto: "23")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[I]]n the distance, you hear another moose scream, which may have saved your life. The enraged animal flees in the direction of the second call. From countless hours of watching television, you remember that these animals fight over territory in the fall, and you are the last of their worries. The sounds they make are a warning to other male moose that this territory is already occupied.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->23]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou are worried that if you continue up the hill, you will run into this or another moose again. You realize that it might be safer to go back to the valley and walk down the hill.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->10]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou want to be sure the moose won't return, so you decide to wait before climbing down from the tree.
While your attention was focused on the elegant, yet fearsome animal a moment ago, you didn't have a chance to look around. Now, as you look up, you see a metal sphere floating in the sky above you. There are no other words to describe what is frozen in the air above your heads. It's about the size of a basketball and round like a ball, but it's close enough that you can tell for sure that it's made of some kind of shiny metal. You feel like the ball is watching you, but you can't see a window or a camera.
<img src="images/ball.png" class="centered-img">
The "thing" is frozen in the sky a few feet above you.
(link: "☙ It's made of metal, so it's man-made. You gather your courage and shout to the metal ball, 'Help! Help us!'")[(goto: "14")]
(link: "☙ You have never seen anything so strange - this metal thing hangs in the air, but it has no wings, no engine, or any other device to help it fly. This thing frightens you and you decide to break off a twig and throw it at the flying metal ball.")[(goto: "21")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]he strange metal sphere doesn't seem hostile, and you hope it will help you get out of this forest.
"Help! Help us!" You shout.
Your $sister chimes in with (if: $sister is "brother")[his](else:)[her] high-pitched voice.
When a small dot emerges from the center of the metal ball, a bright beam of purple light shines into your face, blinding you. The light dances across your face, studying you.
You do not dare to move.
(set: $copyright to "Katherina Maveti")
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->14A]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou break a twig from the tree and hit the metal ball with all your might. Your $sister tries to stop you, but $she's afraid of heights and the only thing $she can do is scream from where $she's holding on.
You throw the twig at the flying sphere and miss.
Suddenly, a bright beam of purple light shines into your face and blinds you as a small point emerges from the center of the metal ball. The light dances across your face, studying you.
You do not dare to move.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->14A]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou decide to walk up the hill - in the direction the flying ball went.
"I can't walk anymore! I want to rest! I'm hungry!" Your little $sister begins to complain after walking for no more than half an hour.
(link: "☙ You explain to $Sophie that you can't stop now. You have no food, and stopping now to search the forest for food will slow you down and yield no results.")[(goto: "do not stop")]
(link: "☙ Your $sister is still a child and it will be difficult to explain to $her that you don't know when you will be able to eat again. You stop by to take a break.")[(goto: "food")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou walk downhill for a while, but the more you walk, the more it seems that every few steps everything repeats itself. The trees seem the same, and the pebbles on the road you pass seem to be in the same place.
{(if: $mark is "take a few pieces of chalk")[
"Look, we marked that tree with my chalk!" your $sister notices the colorful sign you left on a tree.
After about an hour of walking, you feel like you are going in circles again.
When you reach the next tree with a chalk mark, you decide to draw another one on it, so that if you really are going in circles, you'll know it the next time you pass it. To your surprise, you pass this double marker a few minutes later.
]
(else-if: $mark is "tear a few pages from the notebook")[
"Look, it's a page from my notebook!" your $sister notices the piece of paper you left on the branch of a tree.
After about an hour of walking, you feel like you are going in circles again.
When you reach the next tree with a paper mark, you decide to put another one on it so that if you really are going in circles, you'll know it the next time you pass it. To your surprise, you pass through this double marker in no more than ten minutes.
]
(else-if: $mark is "take a box of jelly beans")[
"Look, these are my jelly beans!" says your $sister, noticing the colorful candies you left near a tree.
After about an hour of walking, you feel like you are going in circles again.
When you reach the next tree with jelly beans, you decide to put some more on top, so that if you really are going in circles, you'll know it the next time you pass it. To your surprise, you walk by the same tree a few minutes later.
]}
<img src="images/forest.png" class="centered-img">
Does that mean you've been going around in circles all along?
You don't understand what's going on here, but instead of continuing down the hill, you decide it makes sense to go back.
You head back up the hill.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->13]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[J]]ust as you are wondering how much longer you can keep going, you hear the sound of a tree breaking in the distance. Your $sister, who has been walking a short distance behind you until now, comes running up to you and grabs hold of your hand. You stop and look in the direction where the loud thud came from.
You head towards the direction of the sound with a slow step, careful not to make any noise.
<img src="images/hazmat.png" class="centered-img">
Soon, an interesting sight opens before you. Two men are standing near a fallen tree. One of them is holding an axe. What you find interesting, however, is that the men are wearing strange protective suits.
(link: "☙ At last, humans! You get up and run towards them.")[(goto: "33")]
(link: "☙ Although you are seeking help, the strange appearance of these people disturbs you, and you decide to wait in the bushes and see what happens next.")[(goto: "5")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou approach the two men without fear or hesitation.
The taller one notices you first:
"Stop! Don't move!" he shouts at you and you obey.
The two quietly discuss something, and finally the taller one continues:
"Listen carefully! This entire area is cordoned off because of a toxic chemical spill. Do not touch your face. You must follow us so that we can help you. Nod your head if you understand what I am saying."
You and your $sister nod, but before following the instructions, you ask the tall man:
"We're looking for our parents. They're probably still here, in the forest."
"That's not likely, boy. We've evacuated the whole area. They're probably among the people we've moved to safety. These chemicals cause hallucinations, so we need to get you out of here as soon as possible."
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->33A]]
You remain hidden in the bushes, carefully watching the actions of the men in hazmat suits. Despite the distance, part of their conversation reaches you:
"This is the last tree Riku could hide in. What do we do now?"
The second man's answer remains unclear to you, but the first man, obviously worried, continues:
"If we don't find it by tonight, it will claim another victim!"
You understand that the men are obviously looking for something dangerous. You decide to approach them and ask for help.
You emerge from the bushes and start walking toward them.
When he sees you, the second man, whose words you never got to hear, runs away. The first man takes a few steps back, clearly hesitant to follow his colleague's example, but stops.
"Don't come any closer!" He shouts at you.
You and your $sister obey.
"Help us! We are lost and looking for our parents," you explain.
"Don't come any closer!" The man in front of you shouts again.
"We are not a threat! We woke up in our car this morning, but our parents were gone, and we don't know where we are or how to get to the next town," you try to tell your story in one breath. "Don't be afraid of us! We need your help!"
You have barely finished your sentence when the second man appears from behind the trees. He holds a small metal ball in his hand, about the size of a golf ball.
"We have to take them with us. Otherwise, who knows how much havoc they can wreak here." He shows the ball to the first man, and you can see that it is glowing yellow.
After a moment of silence, the person who warned you to stay away motions for you to follow them.
(link: "☙ You don't like their strange behavior. You turn around and head back up the hill.")[(goto: "35")]
(link: "☙ Who knows how big this forest is. Without a map you will hardly be able to find anything. You decide to follow the men.")[(goto: "28")](size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou decide to follow the men.
The two strangers make no attempt to communicate with you, nor do they ask you any questions. From their conversations, you learn that one is called Terish and the other, the one with the metal ball, is called Phoenix. After about half an hour, you come out onto what used to be a paved road, now overgrown with grass. The men stop in the middle of the road.
You look around, but don't see a car or any other vehicle.
"Maybe they're waiting for someone," you think.
The metal ball that Phoenix is holding in his hand begins to glow yellow again. He motions for you to come closer.
You look around again, but there is no sign of any air or land vehicle approaching. You notice a fog descending towards the valley you came from. The sight of the tops of the conifers covered by the white blanket of fog is mesmerizing, but it is inexplicable why this sight frightens you.
The fog quickly approaches, and as it does, the sphere, which was glowing yellow before, first turns orange and then bright red. While this is happening, Phoenix does not take his eyes off the disappearing valley, and Terish's attention is focused on a crack in the asphalt.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->36]]
(if: $strength is 1)[(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou're still not sure if you're doing the right thing, but there's something about the way these people talk that you don't like. You yell to your $sister, "Run!" and together you run back to where you came from.
You are not even a few steps away when you see the small glowing ball flying in front of you.
"Don't be afraid!"
You hear a voice in your head.
"We want to help you."
"Did you hear that?" Panting, you stop and look at your $sister.
"Yes. What was that?"
The voice of the flying ball sounds in your head, insisting that you go back and follow the two men. It speaks so kindly that you find it hard to believe this little glowing ball would want to harm you.
You look back wondering if you should return.
]
(if: $strength is 0)[(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]here's something about the way these people talk that you don't like. You yell to your $sister, "Run!" and together you run back to where you came from.
Unfortunately, your $sister, who hasn't eaten all day, can't catch up with you. When you realize that $she is not behind you, you look back and see $Sophie leaning against a tree, trying to catch a breath.
The two men approach $her and you see them talking to $her.
"We mean you no harm. On the contrary, we are trying to save your lives. Follow us," the older man shouts at you.
You have no choice but to go with them.
]
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->28]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')["F]]inally!" Terish says with a sigh of relief when a rectangular opening appears in the road, right where there was a crack before. You look into it, but can't see anything except the few metal railings that descend into the darkness of this shaft. Terish is the first to descend, followed by his colleague, and in a moment only the soft red light of the metal ball remains visible in the center of this black hole.
When the men realize that you and your $sister are still standing on the road, the voice of Phoenix comes from the bottom of the shaft:
"Hey! Hurry up and jump in! We don't have much time."
You're not sure if this is a good idea. After all, you are already on some kind of paved road which, if you follow it, might lead you to a populated place nearby.
(link: "☙ You decide to stay on the road and follow its path.")[(goto: "50")]
(link: "☙ You follow the instructions of the men.")[(goto: "45")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou have no intention of following the two men into the unknown.
You stay above ground and decide to follow the curves of the road. It's still early afternoon, and you're hoping for a few more hours of daylight to either hitch a ride or reach the nearest town.
You can't help thinking that maybe you should have followed the men. "What did they mean by 'we don't have much time'?" you ask yourself.
Your $sister's voice interrupts your thoughts, "Is it going to rain?"
At first, this seems like a strange question, since there has not been a cloud in the sky all day, but now you look around and realize that the fog is descending over your heads.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->50A]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[N]]either option seems ideal to you, but you decide that being alone in the forest again is more dangerous than following Terish and Phoenix.
You are the first to descend into the hole in the ground, but your $sister is hesitant to follow you.
"I'm afraid of the dark!" $she mumbles.
"It's okay, I'm here with you!" You reassure her, remembering all the times you scared your $sister at home, in the dark, as a joke. "Nothing will happen to you!"
Reluctantly, $she agrees to follow you into the shaft.
The moment the four of you disappear below the surface, the light above you goes out. The metal cover closes the opening above your heads, and the walls of the shaft begin to glow with a soft white light. You look around, but you don't see a single light bulb. The walls of the shaft themselves are glowing. Below you, the two men continue their descent, and the small metal sphere is now dark again.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->45A]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou wait.
The room they leave you in is unlike anything you've ever seen before in your life. Its walls are completely covered with green moss. Your $sister especially likes the soft texture of the surfaces covered by this vegetation. There is a light coming from the ceiling, but you still don't know exactly what it is that is emitting it. There is no furniture in the room and you sit down on the floor. Just as your hand touches what you think is cement, the floor beneath you bends slightly and your hand sinks into it. You jump in surprise. You stomp your foot down, but your foot hits the hard surface and it hurts you.
You bend down and gently touch the ground again with your hand. It bends again, as if it were wet earth instead of cement. While you try to figure out what kind of magic this is, you don't notice that three metal spheres have appeared in the room. Two of the spheres are the size of basketballs, and the third, positioned between the two smaller ones, is the size of an open umbrella. All three are suspended in the air, equidistant from each other.
You flinch when you notice them.
The larger ball descends to your eye level. A sensation of warmth flows through your body. You know the heat is coming from the orb, but it looks metallically cold, at least at first glance.
"We're sorry you had to find us in such a terrible way," someone's words ring out in your head.
You look around, but there is no one else in the room but you and your $sister.
"You can stay here as long as you like."
You somehow know that the voice in your head is the voice of the big metal ball, but you have a hard time believing it.
"What is going on? Who are you? Where are we?" You don't have to say the questions out loud - the metal ball reads your mind.
Instead of answering, the ball continues, "You can also return to the surface if you wish. We'll teach you how to survive there."
"Who are you?" Your scream echoes through the room. "I don't understand a word you're saying!"
"We are the guardians of Earth. And you are outside of your reality. So are your parents."
It seems that the sphere decides that it is easier to explain with pictures than with words, and the image that the flying ball wants you to see appears in your mind.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->62]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou step forward and threaten to go back to where you came from if you don't get answers right away.
For the first time, Phoenix shows any kind of emotion - he actually laughs.
"As you wish, boy. We're just doing our job, and it doesn't involve interacting with other realities."
Phoenix turns around and the elevator door you came through opens again. Phoenix raises a questioning eyebrow.
(link: "☙ You decide it's worth sticking around.")[(goto: "53")]
(link: "☙ You, ostentatiously, take your $sister's hand and return to the surface.")[(goto: "48")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou see your parents. They are walking in the same forest you and your $sister were in. Just like you, they are going around in circles, unable to get out of this cursed place.
The next image is a frightening sight:
(text-style:"italic",)[A mist descends over the forest. A white, fluffy mist. You seem to be back in the forest. You hear the moose screeching again. It's close, but the fog is getting so thick that even if the moose were next to you, you'd have a hard time seeing it. The trees are no longer visible. You hear the crackling of dry twigs behind you.
You turn around, and the moment you do, you see the white mist around you turn into a black cloud.
It is getting dark and cold. You feel the mist fall on you, and you feel the cold breeze of something moving in the darkness. ]
You get chills and your pulse quickens...
The metal sphere brings you back to the room. Your heart is still racing, but now you know that the thing hiding in the forest is a deadly danger to your parents. You know that they are alive and still there.
"But what is that?" you ask.
"That is Riku. It's a forest spirit that hides in the trees. When it's hungry, it comes out, blends into the mist, and searches for people lost in the forest. We often send teams to destroy the trees where it used to live, because they become dangerous. Strange things begin to happen around them."
"What did you mean when you said we are outside of our reality?"
"Sometimes the different physical worlds mix and people from your world fall into ours. We try to help as much as we can, but our role is to maintain the balance of nature, not to help this or that individual. You have asked for help, so we will help you. But it is not our duty. Riku is not a part of our ecosystem, either. It also came here from another reality, and we don't know how to bring it back, but we don't know how to destroy it either."
You realize that you can no longer hear the sphere in your head.
You have to make a choice:
(link: "☙ Stay underground where it's safe.")[(goto: "47")]
(link: "☙ Return to the surface to find your parents.")[(goto: "68")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou return to the surface. It's still early afternoon, and you hope to have a few more hours of daylight to either encounter a car or reach a settlement.
The thought that maybe you should have stayed underground does not leave you.
"What did they mean by 'we don't have much time'?" you ask yourself.
"Is it going to rain?" your $sister's voice interrupts your thoughts.
At first, this seems like a strange question, since there has not been a cloud in the sky all day, but now you look around and realize that the fog is descending over your heads. This fog is strange. It's not completely white. There's something... dark about it.
As you stand on this grassy road, you realize that cars haven't driven by here in a long time, and probably won't anytime soon.
The mist surrounds you. You feel the water droplets melding with your skin. It's getting darker. The fog is so thick that you cannot see your $sister. Is it fog at all? You feel like you're walking in the rain - and there's water all around you.
You feel calm.
You understand that you are not just wet.
You are water. You are now part of the fog. Forever.
THE END
The terrible image of the black fog surrounding you is still imprinted in your mind. How can you help your parents? How could you fight this thing that even these fantastic creatures can't defeat?
You decide to stay underground.
You and your $sister spend the next two weeks in quarantine. The sphere explains to you that this is the only way that they can be sure that you are not a part of the black mist.
(set: $copyright to "Katherina Maveti")
When it's time to enter the main level, your old friends Terish and Phoenix are sent to guide you through the maze of tunnels.
Much to your surprise, there are about a hundred people living underground who have been rescued at various times by the flying orbs. Phoenix explains that the orbs actually have a body and the metal is just a protective shell.
A few months pass, and you and your $sister begin to feel comfortable down here, but you never receive any news of your parents' fate. It begins to become clear to you that it is unlikely that you will ever be able to see them again, and that it is unlikely that you will ever be able to return to your world.
THE END
You can't just leave your parents to fend for themselves! Now that you at least know what it is that you are up against, it will be easier for you to try to defeat it.
You ask the orb for help.
"Riku has been here for thousands of years. I had just been appointed to the position of 'Chief Guardian of the Northwest' when Riku appeared. It was clearly unaware of what had happened to it, and we tried to talk to it, tried to sympathize with it. But when it realized that there was no chance to go back, Riku decided that since it had no natural predators here, it could become the king of the valley. And so it did. Riku hides in the fog, so if you see a fog coming down, run as fast as you can. I can't give you any other advice, but we can teach you how to survive in the forest. The forest is full of food and water."
The next morning, just before he lets you return to the surface, Phoenix hands you something. You look at the object in his hands - it's the little glowing ball he always carries in his pocket.
"Take it, you'll need it. It will tell you how close Riku is. If it glows yellow - it means it's far away, orange - it's getting closer, and if it glows red - say your prayer, because Riku is very close".
Once again you find yourself standing on the grassy path. Where to?
(link: "☙ Walk through the forest again.")[(goto: "42")]
(link: "☙ Follow the road down into the valley.")[(goto: "58")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou enter the familiar forest again. For a moment you want to turn back and beg Terish and Phoenix to let you go back underground, but the image of your parents appears in front of you and you bravely continue.
The forest looks different today. You have the feeling that new trees have grown overnight - deciduous trees. While yesterday there were only pine trees, today you pass several maple trees. The further you go, the more you feel that this is not the same forest.
Suddenly, you hear familiar voices. Your $sister hears them too, and you both stop and look around.
"$Troy! $Troy!" it's your mother's voice, you're sure of it. She continues, "$Sophie, run! Save yourself!"
You notice that the ball in your pocket is now glowing yellow, which means the fog is getting closer. But where is your mother's voice coming from?
As you look around, it gets dark and you see the fog floating above you.
The sphere begins to glow orange.
You look up and are stunned - in the sky above you, you see the ethereal bodies of your parents floating in the air. They are already part of the mist. You try to call out to them, to tell them to come down to you, but the sphere is already glowing red, and the fog is getting so thick that even the silhouettes of the nearest trees are not visible anymore.
You feel a cold breeze behind you. You turn around. The last thing you see is Riku.
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou assume that if your parents had followed your logic, they too would have walked up the hill and reached this road. And having reached it, they would have continued along it in search of another inhabited place.
You walk for a while, but you keep seeing the same trees and bushes. "What in the world is happening here? We're going round and round again!"
You are wondering what to do when the phone in your pocket starts vibrating. Surprised, you take it out of your pocket, and even more surprised, you see that the battery is half full.
But how is that possible?
"Look, your other pocket is glowing!" your $sister points to the left pocket of your jeans.
Inside it, you find the small metal ball is pulsating blue.
"That’s odd. Phoenix didn't mention any colors other than yellow, orange, and red."
"Give me back the phone!" This request that comes from the sphere sounds directly in your head.
"How do you know it is a phone? You don't have any such devices here," you ask your questions aloud, even though you know the sphere is reading your thoughts.
"We're made from identical material, but it's so much more interesting. It knows so much about the other reality that I didn't know!" The voice of the sphere sounds excited as it says, "Yes, yes! I helped it restore its power."
It seems that the sphere now considers your phone its friend. Anyway, let it think what it wants, as long as it charges the phone's batteries.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->44]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou walk for a few more minutes, but once again familiar images change before your eyes. You hear your $sister laughing behind you. You turn around.
$Sophie, who does not fully understand the seriousness of what is happening, has been playing with a butterfly that sometimes lands on $her and then flies away. But as you watch $her play, you notice that when the butterfly flies back, it seems to disappear for a few seconds and then reappear.
<img src="images/butterfly.png" class="centered-img">
An idea occurs to you.
"$Sophie, come over here and give me you hand!"
Your $sister stops playing with the butterfly and walks over to you.
The two of you, holding hands, start walking backwards, facing where you've been walking so far. Your $sister thinks it's fun, but you're careful not to trip and fall because you can't see exactly where you're going.
It works!
Apparently, in this world, when something moves backward, it actually moves forward in space-time! That's why that butterfly disappeared from time to time!
As you move like this, you notice that you pass a small wooden box lying on the side of the road.
(link: "☙ You stop and open the box to see if there is anything valuable inside.")[(goto: "72")]
(link: "☙ You are not here to rummage through other people's belongings. You walk on.")[(goto: "59")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]our curiosity gets the better of you and you open the box.
"Wow! I missed you so much!" your $sister exclaims as $she reaches into the box and pulls out a jump rope.
You're not quite sure how your $sister's jump rope ended up in that box. Is it possible that your parents walked by and left the box? No, that's impossible, because the rope wasn't even one of the things your $sister took with $her on the trip.
"It's a rift in reality," the voice of the sphere sounds in your head again.
"But how does it work?" you ask, confused.
"Simple. Just think of something, visualize it clearly, and it will end up in the box. It just has to be small enough to fit inside, or nothing will come of it."
You decide to test whether the ball is telling the truth.
What do you visualize?
(link: "☙ Your dad's baseball bat. You might need it in the woods.")[(goto: "80")]
(link: "☙ A smartwatch. You've always wanted one, and now is the time to get it.")[(goto: "89")]
(link: "☙ Several packets of baking soda. You know that soda, in addition to neutralizing bad odors, also helps deal with excess moisture.")[(goto: "87")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[I]]t could be a trap. In this odd place, everything seems strange and dangerous. You walk past the box and continue on your way.
You look at the trees - they look different today. You have the feeling that new trees have grown overnight - deciduous trees. Where yesterday there were only pines, today you pass by several maple trees. The further you go, the more it seems that this is not the same forest.
It's already after noon when you decide that it's time for you to get some rest. You find a tree stump to sit on, put down your backpack, and take out the food the underground people have prepared for you.
"How much longer are we going to walk?" asks your $sister.
You answer honestly: "I don't know."
Just as you say these words, something sharp and cold touches your neck. You turn your head slowly. A six-foot tall elf is standing over you, holding a knife to your throat. Your $sister screams, but you aren't sure if it's because your life is in danger or because, for the first time in $Sophie's life, $she sees an elf that looks awfully tall and frightening.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->67]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')["G]]ive me that sandwich," the elf commands, and you slowly hand him the rest of the sandwich. He takes it and eats it with unbelievable speed.
"Do you have any more?" he asks with a sparkle in his eyes.
<img src="images/sandwich.png" class="centered-img">
You pull another sandwich out of your backpack, which also disappears quickly into the stranger's mouth.
Satisfied with his hunger, the elf-giant calms down a bit.
"Are you lost too?" he asks you.
"Yes. We're looking for our parents. They're around here somewhere, too," you answer, examining the stranger's clothes carefully.
"How long have you been here?"
"Since yesterday," you say, but you suspect that time passes differently here.
"I've been here all week. I'm Frank," the elf puts down his knife and extends his hand for a handshake.
"I am $Troy. Nice to meet you! Are you alone out here?"
You find the idea of an elf getting lost in the woods somewhat funny.
The stranger clearly reads your mind when he replies, "I am alone, yes. One moment I was dozing off on the set, and the next, here I am in this forest."
"So you're an actor?" Your $sister looks disappointed that the man in front of $her is only a human and not an elf.
He tells you that they had just finished shooting a scene when he decided to take a nap in his trailer. He woke up in the forest and there was no sign of the trailer or the camera crew.
As he tells you about his adventures over the past week, the orb in your pocket begins to glow yellow. You panic.
"We have to hide somewhere! The fog is coming!"
The man seems to understand the danger and tells you to follow him. You take a few steps and find yourself in front of a cave entrance.
Will you enter the cave?
(link: "☙ The fog can enter the cave and if you go in you will be trapped.")[(goto: "95")]
(link: "☙ You can't run through the fog. You need to find cover and this seems to be the only option you have.")[(goto: "82")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]he box is long enough for your father's baseball bat to fit in it. You close your eyes and picture it. For a moment, your mind goes back to the garage where your dad keeps his tools. You see the green, freshly mowed lawn in front of the house, and you feel sad at the thought of not knowing when or if you will ever get to go back there again.
You push those thoughts away and focus on the image of the bat. You open your eyes and look under the lid of the box. Oh, miracle! There is - your father's baseball bat! You close the box again, thinking about what else you could wish for that would be useful to you in this world, but the voice of the ball sounds in your head:
"The box can only grant one wish per day. If you want something else, or if your $sister wants something else, you'll have to wait until tomorrow."
These words from the sphere disappoint you. You wish it had warned you earlier. You take the box and the bat and move on.
As you walk down the road, you wonder how exactly this world works. If you go around in circles by walking forward, do you go back in time by walking backward, or do you move from one reality to another?
Your thoughts are interrupted by a rustling in the bushes. Quickly, you lift the bat, ready to defend yourself. A bearded creature that looks a lot like Bigfoot jumps out of the bushes.
(link: "☙ You decide to swing the bat first before this thing attacks you.")[(goto: "69")]
(link: "☙ You decide to try to get a better look at him before using force.")[(goto: "94")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou close the box, close your eyes, and imagine the smart watch your mother has been refusing to buy you for so long. She keeps saying that it's too expensive, that the price isn't worth the quality, that you're paying extra just for the brand. But you want it so much!
You imagine it in the box and open the lid. Oh, miracle! Inside is the watch you've been dreaming about for so long. After placing the metal ball next to the watch to charge its battery, you sit back in front of the box and close the lid again. In your head you have a list of things your mother always said you didn't have money for, but now you can just imagine them and they will materialize before your eyes. Sunglasses, wireless headphones, virtual reality goggles, a light-up skateboard, a mini drone, two more pairs of sneakers, and many, many more items pop out of the box. Your $sister also joins the fun.
As the two of you take turns enjoying your new acquisitions, you don't notice that the sphere next to you has changed color from yellow to orange.
When it finally turns bright red, it is too late - a thick cloud descends upon you and envelops you.
Wet drops cover your body.
You see moisture covering the pile of toys your $sister just got.
A cold wind blows and you realize that you are doomed.
Soon you see the dark shadow of Riku in front of you.
THE END(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou close your eyes and imagine the huge box full of baking soda. $Sophie finds your choice strange. You don't know how long you have to stay like this, and after a while you decide it's time to lift the lid of the box. Oh, miracle! It's full of little packets of white matter! You close the box again, thinking about what else you could wish for that would be useful to you in this world, but the voice of the ball sounds in your head:
"The box can only grant one wish per day. If you want something else, or if your $sister wants something else, you'll have to wait until tomorrow."
The sphere's words disappoint you. You wish it had warned you earlier. You take the box and move on.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->87A]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[F]]rank doesn't wait for you to decide whether to run or not and quickly enters his cave. You, on the other hand, think that it would be best to run away.
You and $Sophie run forward. Soon you feel cold breeze coming from behind you. Something inside you tells you to look up.
In the sky above you, you see the ethereal bodies of your parents floating in the air. They are already part of the mist. You try to call out to them, to tell them to come down to you, but the sphere is already glowing red, and the fog is getting so thick that even the silhouettes of the nearest trees are not visible.
Did you really think you could outrun the fog?
You turn around. The last thing you see is Riku.
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou enter the cave and follow Frank. The heavy cloud of water covers everything outside. Not a single ray of sunlight can find its way through this thick blanket of water droplets, and even though it's daylight outside, it's dark inside the cave.
The sphere in your pocket turns orange.
Finally, Frank stops and tells you to wait here.
"How do you know about the fog when you've only been here a day?" Frank asks you.
You tell him your story, but you're also curious how he survived on his own, and how he knew the fog was dangerous.
Frank looks away as if he doesn't want you to see the tears in his eyes and says, "I wasn't all alone when I woke up. Maxi was with me. My dog. The fog took him. I've since learned that this thing, whatever it is, is dangerous."
Silence ensues. You don't know what to say, but you're glad that Frank is going to help you find a way out of this place.
"You know, I know where your car is." After a few minutes of silence, Frank says that he found a car with a flat tire nearby, but there was nothing useful for him in it except a warm blanket and a pillow. "Would you like to go back to the car?"
(link: "☙ Yes, you might find something useful there, now that you know what world you've entered.")[(goto: "92")]
(link: "☙ No point in putting yourself in danger. You decide to make camp here and look for your parents next week.")[(goto: "77")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[F]]rank leads you to where he thinks he found your car.
Even before you've seen the car, you recognize the place where your adventure began yesterday. The outline of your old trunk appears from behind the bushes. You spent so much time begging your father to sell it because it was at least ten years old. And now you are so happy to see it!
As you approach the car, you notice tools strewn across the road and the flat tire on the ground.
"But how..." you are about to ask Frank if he changed your car's tire, when you see the outlines of two people in the back seat. They're snuggled up and asleep, but you immediately recognize your dad's oversized work jacket.
"Dad! Mom!" you and your $sister yell at the same time.
Frank stands by and watches as you and your parents hug each other tightly. After the euphoria, the logical question is: "Where to now?
"We tried to drive down the road to the next town and get some help, but this car just keeps going around and around in a circle. We keep coming back to the same place," your father says, scratching his head.
"Have you tried going in reverse?" you ask.
You tell your father your theory that space-time moves differently here and decide to see if you're right. Frank happily jumps into the back seat of the car between you and your $sister.
Even though there are no other cars on the road, your father drives slowly because he is not used to driving in reverse for so long. After about ten minutes of driving, the metal ball in your pocket begins to glow yellow. This worries you because there is nowhere to hide. You see the fog getting thicker, but you encourage your father to keep driving.
The sphere turns orange.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->92A]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[W]]With Frank's help, you manage to make some furniture out of scraps and even install a sort of door at the entrance to the cave. The small sphere Phoenix gave you comes in handy as it recharges your phone's battery, allowing you to listen to music from time to time.
Days turn into weeks and weeks into months, but there is no sign of your parents.
After you have lost all hope of finding your parents, you make several unsuccessful attempts to find the entrance to the underground in order to return back there, but even these efforts are in vain. You can't even find your car, which Frank said he saw once. In this world, space and time do not go hand in hand, and if something was in a place yesterday, it is almost certain that it will not be there tomorrow. Knowing this, none of the three of you stray too far from the cave.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->77A]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou decide to stay put because you can't see which direction the fog is coming from, and even if you wanted to, you don't know which way to run.
You didn't accidentally wish for baking soda from the wish box. Now you have a chance to test your theory, but you fear that if you are wrong, you and your $sister will be doomed.
You sit with your back to each other and sprinkle the baking soda in a circle around you. You're just about done when the ball starts glowing orange. You look up and see the mist above your heads. For a moment you feel the urge to get up and run, but you hold back and stay where you are. Your $sister takes your hand and you whisper something to $her, placing a handful of baking soda in each hand.
The sphere is already glowing red, but even without it, you can feel Riku's presence. Its black shadow appears behind the trees and moves towards you. The fog around you thickens, but the baking soda ring absorbs some of the moisture and it doesn't reach you. You notice that and smile.
The closer the black fog comes, the colder it gets. The dark cloud of moisture creeps toward you, and in a moment, it is already in front of you.
"Now!" you shout to your $sister and open the wooden box in front of you.
Without delay, $Sophie throws the baking soda into the box, and the two of you watch in amazement as the black mist is instantly absorbed by the dry substance. When only a few small bits of the dark cloud remain in the air, you slam the lid shut.
The fog instantly dissipates and the sun appears again.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->84]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou quickly gather up your belongings, which are scattered on the meadow where you were eating your lunch a moment ago, and hurry to run. The ball in your pocket continues to glow yellow, even though you have covered a great distance in a few minutes. Out of breath, you stop and look around again. You see no fog. You squint and stare into the distance, but the horizon is clear and the sun is shining brightly.
"But why is this ball glowing?" You barely have time to think before it changes color to orange. Horror fills your heart. You know that Riku is nearby, but you don't know where to run because you can't see where the fog is.
Suddenly, the wind picks up and scatters leaves in the air. The gusts are so strong that even you find it difficult to stay on your feet. The sky darkens and you see the fog descending on you so quickly, as if it were looking for you. You hear the wind whistling in your ears, and in the twilight you see a black shadow emerge from behind the trees and move toward you. Cold drops cover your body. The fog becomes so dark that you cannot see your $sister, the trees, or the road. In a last-ditch attempt to escape, you lunge forward through the impenetrable fog, but you stumble and fall. The last thing you feel is the black fog seeping into every cell of your body.
You lose consciousness.
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')["W]]hat are we going to do now?" $Sophie asks.
"I don't know. But I think I know who can tell us."
The metal sphere agrees to take you back underground to deliver the box to the Chief Guardian of the Northwest.
You manage to reach the entrance to the underground city at dusk. No sooner has you approached the shaft than the lid opens, revealing the familiar face of Terish. Just like the last time you saw him, he's still wearing a protective suit.
The Chief Guardian of the Northwest welcomes you with honors. Apparently, the sphere in your pocket has already told of your adventures, and on the occasion of Riku's capture, a celebration is organized in your honor.
Riku will never hurt anyone again.
The very next day, the Chief, as you call him, informs you that your parents have been located, and a few hours later they are also brought underground by Phoenix and Terish.
You don't know how long you will stay in this world, but with your family by your side, you feel that you are happy here. You don't hide the fact that the wish-granting box helps with that.
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')["D]]ad!" your $sister runs out before you can swing the bat and throws $herself into the stranger's arms.
Astonished, you stay where you are. As you examine the man in front of you, a woman with an equally neglected appearance emerges next to him.
"Mom?" you exclaim in disbelief. After a second look, you recognize your parents, but you don't understand what happened to them. Realizing that you have finally found them, you hug them and they lead you to the cave where they live.
"All these months, we never lost hope that we would find you alive and well," says your father. "It was hard at first, but we got used to it. The cave we live in is very comfortable, you'll see!"
You listen in amazement to the story of how they tried to survive for months in the forest.
"But how is that possible? We've only been here since yesterday," you ask rhetorically, as if to yourself. In the past few hours, you've discovered that time passes differently here.
Your heart is filled with joy that your family is together again. You decide it would be safer to live underground with Terish, Phoenix and the others and ask the sphere to show you the way.
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]his is indeed Bigfoot! You don't know if he is hostile, and you stay with the baseball bat in your hand, making it clear that you'll defend yourself if he makes a wrong move.
The creature comes out of the bushes. The Bigfoot happens to be two heads taller than you. He extends his hand in front of him and you can see a couple of red round berries in it. Slightly bruised, the fruits in his palm look like bearberries. Your $sister, who is more curious and childishly reckless, reaches for the berries. The creature smiles at $her and $she laughs.
"Maybe he's not hostile," you think and put the bat down.
The three of you stand there for a few more seconds, neither of you daring to move. $Sophie, who has always had good manners, unlike you, opens her backpack and takes something out.
"Here you go!" $She smiles and hands Bigfoot a sandwich.
After sniffing it from all sides, the creature eats it in three bites with obvious pleasure. This peaceful exchange of food apparently means that you are now friends with Bigfoot, and you decide to try to communicate with him.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->76]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou want to find your parents' car and decide to ask Bigfoot if he has seen it. You start making faces, showing people driving a car and turning the steering wheel, but you realize that Bigfoot has never seen a car in his life.
"Show him a picture of the car." The sphere that has already scrolled through all the photos on your phone interrupts your thoughts again.
How did you not think of this before?!
You show the creature a picture of the car and it immediately understands what he is being asked to do. It motions you to follow him. After about an hour's walk through the forest, the outline of the car becomes visible in the distance. You and Sophie both thank Bigfoot before he disappears between the trees again.
You decide to test your theory about driving backward, and even though you only have fully inflated tires, it should be enough for a while. You get into the car and start the engine. Although you know how to drive, it is difficult for you to drive backward for too long, so you drive slowly.
Suddenly you hear your $sister scream, "Fog!"
This frightening word makes you slow down a bit and look to the front of the car. You see fog descending and notice that the sphere in your pocket is glowing yellow again.
What are you going to do?
(link: "☙ You pick up speed and continue driving backwards.")[(goto: "88")]
(link: "☙ You stop. You close all the windows and wait for the fog to clear.")[(goto: "90")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou stop and tell your $sister to close the windows tightly.
You sit and wait.
You see the fog getting thicker in front of you and the sunlight disappearing completely.
The white color of the fog becomes more and more gray, until finally the gray turns completely dark. You are surrounded by a black fog. Suddenly you feel an icy breeze coming from the floor of the car. You look down and see no holes. However, the temperature inside the car begins to drop sharply, and drops of water begin to run down the windows.
The mist somehow seeps into the car and envelops you.
Strangely, the fear suddenly dissipates, replaced by a sense of contentment.
You close your eyes.
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]he fog is getting thicker, but you are gaining speed. The color of the ball changes to orange.
A few minutes pass and it flashes again. This time its light is red.
Riku is so close that you can feel the cold breeze even in the car, but just when you think you can't get away, the fog suddenly lifts and you see the sun again, and the silhouette of your house appears on the horizon. The moment you realize that you're back in your own world, you pull over to the side of the road and run to your house with your $sister.
The moment you reach the front door, your hand trembles as you grasp the handle. With a heart filled with anxiety, you swing it open wide.
You find your mother and father sitting in the living room watching TV. They do not pay any attention to you, because for them you were not absent at all.
You and $Sophie run up to them and give them a big hug.
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[A]] moment of silence ensues.
You look into the distance, but you do not see anyone.
Suddenly, the hiss of a flying arrow fills the air again. This time you don't see it in time and it hits you right in the heart.
The last thing you see is your $sister leaning over you, calling your name with tears in the eyes.
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[I]]t's very likely that whoever shot you mistook you for another person, but there's no time to explain.
"Run!" you yell to your $sister, and you both run to the nearby bushes. You duck when you see a third arrow coming at you. Whoever the archer is, he clearly has good aim.
You sneak into the bushes and from your cover try to determine where the arrows are coming from. In the distance, behind the trunk of a maple tree, you see the head of a man. You are defenseless, so you have no choice but to try to reason with this armed man:
"Hey! Stop! We come in peace!" you yell as loudly as you can for the person in the distance to hear you.
"We're lost! We're looking for our parents," $Sophie adds.
After hearing $Sophie's voice, the archer appears from behind the tree.
You are genuinely surprised to see the man who has been throwing arrows at you. He is wearing a simple tracksuit and a pair of sneakers that were probably white a long time ago. Well-groomed and clean-shaven, you would never have thought that a man looking like this could be shooting arrows at children. His weapon, on the other hand, looks primitive. In your world, in the reality from which you and $Sophie come, you have seen archery competitions, though not live, and you know that these weapons can be quite masterfully crafted. What the archer holds in his hand is a simple wooden branch with a thin cord attached to it.
(set: $copyright to "Katherina Maveti")
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->12]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]he man raises his hands in the air as a sign that he will not shoot. You don't know whether to believe him, so you stay hidden. The man walks toward you with a slow step and does not take his eyes off of the spot where you are hiding. When he gets a few steps away from you, you yell at him to stop.
"Who are you and why are you shooting at us?" You decide you need to get that straight before you let the stranger get too close.
"I thought you were vampires," the stranger replies.
You expected any other explanation but this one, but the archer doesn't seem to be joking. His face shows no emotion, though you could tell by the deep wrinkles on his forehead that the man before you had been through a lot.
"Let the $girl come out," the man calls in the same serious and monotonous voice.
$Sophie looks at you and asks for permission to do what the man asks. You nod to your $sister and $she appears from behind the bushes.
<img src="images/bowandarrow.png" class="centered-img">
"Come with me. It's not safe for children here," the stranger tucks his arrow behind his back and bends down to retrieve the arrows that almost hit you. "They are made of silver. They are valuable, I cannot leave them here," he explains.
(link: "☙ You have no other choice but to follow the man who shot at you a moment ago.")[(goto: "20")]
(link: "☙ You don't trust this guy. You decide to stay in the forest and continue down the hill.")[(goto: "3")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou follow the archer who introduces himself as Jean. He tells you that there is a settlement nearby where you can rest and get food and water.
"The vampires? They don't usually bother us during the day, but when we go into the forest to pick mushrooms, we carry silver arrows and holy water. They are more afraid of us than we are of them, but there have been cases where they have attacked humans."
One by one, twelve people join you as you walk through the forest toward the settlement. Most of them are dressed in long robes made of some coarse material. In their hands they carry baskets filled to the brim with mushrooms. Dressed in modern clothes - jeans and sweaters - two people in the group, like Jean, carry bows and arrows.
When you reach where Jean says the human settlement should be, a high stone wall appears in front of you. At the sight of a huge wooden gate, Jean shouts: "Coleen, open up!"
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->20A]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]he man warns you that the forest is full of vampires and that you won't survive a day without a weapon, but that doesn't bother you.
This man has obviously been living in this forest, far away from the civilized world, for far too long. He probably hasn't had contact with humans for a long time and for some reason his mind is making him see things that don't exist.
You continue down the hill. Twice you hear strange howling in the distance, but you decide it's probably a moose defending its territory. The proximity of this huge animal worries you more than the tales of vampires.
As darkness falls, you decide it's time to find a place to spend the night. You hope that if someone found your car abandoned on the road, or if your parents made it to the nearest town, they're already out in the woods looking for you. You are sure that if a rescue mission has been organized, you will be able to sleep in your own bed tomorrow at the latest.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->9]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[A]]lthough you wish you could find a cave to spend the night in, after some hesitation you decide there's nothing wrong with sleeping under the open sky.
You and your sister approach a tree and settle in comfortably at the base of its trunk, preparing to spend the night there. With the bright light of the full moon shining directly on you, it takes you a while to fall asleep. When you finally begin to drift off, one nightmare follows another.
In your last, most frightening vision, you find yourself struggling against a vampire that has sunk its teeth into the back of your neck. You try to pull away, but his poison has already mixed with your blood and you realize that it is pointless to fight.
You wake up drenched in sweat, only to find the vampire you fought in your nightmare standing next to you with your blood on his lips.
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]our gaze falls upon one of the shelves above Jean's bed. On the shelf are objects that do not fit the setting in any way - sunglasses, several clear plastic cups stacked on top of each other, and what you assume is a folded umbrella.
"What is this place?" You finally gather up the courage to ask.
"You're all surprised at first," Jean replies. "We couldn't believe it the first time either."
Jean sits down in one of the chairs and motions for you to join him at the table.
"It started about a year ago." Jean leans over the table. He seems to be talking to the animals in the corner, not to you. "We found a man in the forest. He seemed strange to us. He had strange clothes and strange tools. He said he got lost climbing a mountain. I don't know if that's true - we don't have any mountains here. But the man swore that one moment he was in the mountain, and the next he was lying on the ground in our forest with a terrible headache. Well, he lived with us for a few days and came to the conclusion that he had come from the future and we were in the past," Jean says, looks at you for a second and then looks away again.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->39]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')["H]]e didn't like it here. After a week, he decided there must be a time portal somewhere in the forest and went looking for it. We never saw him again. After him, there were two other women - a mother and a daughter - who we also found in the forest. They left to find their way home, and we haven't heard from them either. Each of them left something behind." Jean gestured to the shelf behind him. "We were beginning to think that people from the future would no longer visit us, when we met a couple in the forest yesterday." Jean stops and turns to you, "They must have been your parents."
You jump out of your chair.
"Where are they now?" You shout with excitement.
"I don't know, boy. We explained them everything. Maybe they thought we were crazy, like the two women before them. They didn't want to come with us. They stayed in the forest, determined to find you."
"We have to go back there! If they're looking for us in the forest, we have to go back there!" You are both happy and worried about your parents.
"Take your time, boy. It's getting dark, and there's a full moon tonight. They may be afraid of humans, but vampires won't miss an opportunity to drink the blood of two defenseless children."
You still don't believe in those vampire stories, but maybe you really should leave tomorrow morning. What are you going to find in the dark?
(link: "☙ You have no time to waste. You leave now.")[(goto: "31")]
(link: "☙ You decide to sleep here and leave with the first rays of the rising sun.")[(goto: "43")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou don't believe in those vampire stories. You know that your parents are out there looking for you. You decide to leave right away.
Jean helps you as much as he can - he prepares food and water for your journey, and also gives you a cross and holy water. You thank him for his hospitality and find yourself back on the other side of the settlement's protective wall.
You remember well the way you came and manage to follow it somewhat in the opposite direction, but when you get deep into the forest you no longer recognize the area and realize that you have lost your way. You reluctantly admit that Jean was right about wandering in the forest at night. Even though the moon is full, there is not enough light to walk around safely.
You decide it's time to find a place to spend the night.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->9]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou agree with Jean - you are children and you are not prepared to make it on your own in the forest.
For dinner, your host invites his neighbors, who are eager to meet you. From your conversations with them, you learn that they all genuinely believe that you are time travelers and question you about what the future holds. You are reluctant to answer their questions, still thinking of these people as one of those lost tribes that no explorer has yet reached, but by no means do you believe that you have accidentally gone back in time.
<img src="images/candle.png" class="centered-img">
As the dinner draws to a close, you notice that one of the women at the table is staring intently at you without looking away. You don't like the way she's observing you, and as you try to avoid her gaze, you realize that while everyone is busy clearing the table, no one sees one of the sheep walking casually toward the front door.
(link: "☙ Shouldn't you approach the woman and ask her why she's so interested in you?")[(goto: "43A")]
(link: "☙ Or maybe you should try to prevent the sheep from leaving the house?")[(goto: "sheep")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]he crowing of the neighbor's rooster wakes you up early in the morning, while it is still dark.
You've heard that life in the village begins at dawn, but you didn't realize how much work is done here before the sun has fully risen. Before they have even had breakfast, the people are tending to their animals - feeding them, watering them, collecting the eggs the chickens have laid, and also fetching water from the well to water their crops.
<img src="images/rooster.png" class="centered-img">
You thank Jean for his help and say goodbye to him. Before you leave, he gives you something he thinks you'll need - a jar of holy water, a bunch of garlic, and a pointed wooden stake. You accept Jean's gifts without questioning why you would ever need them.
Once you are back on the other side of the village gate, you head in the same direction you came from and after a few hours of walking, you reach the place where you met Jean. You keep on going and only stop when you hear the sound of a river rushing by.
The river, which turns out to be closer than you think, is deep and its current - strong. You know you can't swim to the other side, so you keep walking along its banks. After a while, sensing that night is approaching, you start to get anxious because it looks like you will have to spend the night out in the open. Looking for a suitable place to rest, you notice something shiny in the grass.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->55A]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou nudge your $sister to wake $her and ask $her to get the wooden stake and holy water from your backpack, while you keep your eyes on the wind-swept branches of the trees in the distance.
A few minutes pass before you notice movement in the darkness again. The first thing you see emerge from the trees is a sleek top hat. Moonlight glistens in its satin ribbon. The owner of the hat takes a few steps forward, and a tall man appears at full height, dressed in a tailored black velvet coat almost to his heels.
"Stop where you are!" You shout hoarsely.
The man in black obeys.
"I can help you find your parents," he says.
As he speaks, you can see his sharp teeth gleaming under the brim of his hat.
"Excuse me? How..." You don't finish the sentence. You find yourself astonished, not so much at the fact that this person knows you're looking for your parents, but at the fact that you're even considering the possibility that he's a vampire.
You do not know what to do. You expected anything but vampires offering to help you. The person in front of you is waiting for your reaction.
(link: "☙ You don't believe him. Jean was right, and now you see that you have only one chance if you want to live until morning. You step forward and drive a wooden stake through his heart.")[(goto: "78")]
(link: "☙ Should you keep talking to him? He may actually know where your parents are.")[(goto: "65")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou squint and strain your vision to see exactly what is hiding behind the tree. The full moon shines brightly, but the dense crowns of the trees cast a thick shadow on the ground. You blink, and when you open your eyes again, you think you see a moving shadow again. This time it is hiding behind another tree - closer to you.
"Nobody moves that fast," you think. "I just blinked!"
Even though you think your mind is playing tricks on you, you try not to blink for as long as possible.
And yet, you blink again.
This time, the shadow has hidden itself behind the tree that you were sitting next to.
You turn around, but it's too late - the vampire sinks his teeth into your neck. You try to get away, but his poison has already mixed with your blood, and you realize that there is no point in fighting - you are already one of them.
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou can't risk your $sister's life or yours. Jean warned you about these creatures, but you didn't believe him, and now you have to fight for your life.
The vampire is too far away from you, and if you try to attack him now, he will simply run away. You take a slow step forward.
"Don't do this, son," the vampire warns you, apparently reading your thoughts.
(set: $copyright to "Katherina Maveti")
For some reason, his gaze draws you in - you feel as if he's hypnotizing you. You force yourself to look away, and with a swift movement you reach out to him and drive the wooden stake into his chest.
"$Sophie, holy water! Quickly!" You tell your $sister.
$She runs to you and pours the contents of the flask onto his still body. The moment the drops of water touch the vampire's skin, long black feathers sprout from it, and in a moment, a flock of ravens flies out from under his coat. Stunned, you watch as the birds fly away, leaving only the vampire's hat and clothes on the ground.
You stay awake for the rest of the night, and with the first rays of the morning sun, you make your way back to Jean's house.
The midnight horror convinces you of the existence of vampires and you decide to seek refuge in the village.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->86]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]es, Jean did warn you about the vampires in the forest, but how could you believe his words?
Reason prevails in you, and you don't let fear blind you.
"How do you know about our parents?" you ask.
The person in front of you seems to be smiling at you. You don't like that.
"You are one of the few people who dare to speak to me. They spoke with me too."
"What does that mean? Where are they?" You don't like his last words.
He takes a step forward.
"Stay there! Don't come any closer!" You yell angrily, waving the wooden stake in your hand. The man stops.
"I see you carry a weapon, which means you come from the village." These were more thoughts spoken aloud than attempts at conversation. "And even though you know who I am, you are standing here negotiating with me."
"I have no idea who you are!" You shout again.
"Ah! You know, but since we come to your world so infrequently, the very idea of our existence is unthinkable to you. We are an afterthought, part of an urban legend. A fairy tale."
There is a moment of silence, then the man continues.
"This is not our world either. We are from another time and place. And even though humans believe we feed on human blood, we don't."
"//Vampire//!" is all you can think, and for some reason it doesn't scare you or make you run away. You have the feeling that this man's gaze hypnotizes you.
"If only more people were as smart as you," the vampire continues his monologue. "Most people shoot first and ask questions later. I want to help you return to your reality."
"How can you help us?" You ask in unison with $Sophie.
"I am the one responsible for you being here. When we pass from one time to another, a time rift remains for a while in the place from which we passed. It closes on its own, but if a person or other living thing had passed through it before it closed, then they would have followed me through time. This is what happened to you and I apologize. Let me help you return home."
You hesitate.
(link: "☙ You agree to let the vampire help you.")[(goto: "74")]
(link: "☙ You refuse to trust a vampire.")[(goto: "81")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[E]]ven though it's coming from the mouth of a vampire, what he's saying doesn't sound completely meaningless. You are now sure that the world you are in is not your world. You don't know if the distance to home is measured in miles or years.
You accept the stranger's help.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->74A]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')["Y]]eah, right!" you reply, having found the courage to confront this madman. "I don't believe in vampires or that we've been transported to I don't know what universe you are in. We found our mother's earring, which means our parents are nearby. I advise you to leave us alone or I'll serve myself with the wooden stake as well as with my fists!"
The man in the black coat says nothing. He just touches his hat with his hand, bows almost imperceptibly, and disappears into the darkness.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->81A]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[O]]ver the next few days, Jean organizes a group of people to help find your parents, but the search is unsuccessful. You are certain that your mother and father are somewhere in the forest, but as you continue to search for them, you find no sign of a campfire or any other sign of human presence.
Each time you return to the village without making any progress, your hope of seeing your parents again fades and you gradually stop trying. A few more weeks pass, during which you rarely venture outside the walls of the fortified settlement. The locals encourage you and occasionally join the search, but the weeks turn into months and the months turn into years.
You become one of them, a local, and gradually the memories of that other world you came from disappear into the depths of your consciousness.
THE END
You are on your own again.
You have no other choice - you've decided to trust the vampire, so you have to wait for him. He had the opportunity to attack you and kill you, but he didn't, and that makes you believe him.
After a couple of hours of waiting, you look up at the sky, where the position of the sun tells you that it must be around noon. Out of boredom you look around you, curious about your surroundings. Your $sister, who is younger than you, is determined to stay where the vampire told you to wait for him. There is nothing interesting for $her in this world and $she is looking forward to going back home.
In the distance, down the slope you are standing on, you can see a meadow, which instead of being covered with grass, looks completely white.
(link: "☙ You walk over to it to find out what it is.")[(goto: "91")]
(link: "☙ You suppress your curiosity and stay where you are.")[(goto: "fear")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[I]]n the middle of a forest that is otherwise full of yellow, green, and orange, it is unusual to see such a strange patch of white. Fall is here and you know it is too early for snow.
Sophie is taking a well-deserved nap, and it feels wrong to wake her up.
(link: "☙ Should you tell your $sister where you are going?")[(goto: "85")]
(link: "☙ Or should you let $Sophie sleep? You figure you'll be back before $she notices you're gone.")[(goto: "96")]
(if: $medicine is true)[(link: "☙ Or maybe you want to take your $sister with you?")[(goto: "91A")]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[W]]hen the last rays of the sun disappear behind the horizon, the vampire reappears as promised and invites you to follow him.
You tell him about your adventures and about the white meadow that sparked your curiosity earlier. The vampire just laughs and tells you it's a good thing you didn't go there: "Those are quicksands, son. They have killed many animals and people."
Startled by his answer, you realize how close you came to death today.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->79]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]he moon lights your path again.
"Then what do you feed on if not human blood?" you know that your question may remain unanswered, but you decide to satisfy your curiosity anyway.
"That we feed on blood, we feed," the vampire answers without turning to you. "But not human. Cattle mostly."
That's it, he doesn't say another word for the next two hours until you reach a brightly lit clearing.
"I was up to here. I apologize again for causing you so much trouble, but we don't like to stay long in one world or another."
He points with his finger and you see the road you came from and your car on it, glistening in the moonlight.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->79A]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou wake your $sister and show $her where you are going. $She is, as expected, against you leaving, but between coming with you and waiting where the vampire told $her, $she chooses the latter. You leave your $sister upset and go downhill.
Going down the slope is easy. It even seems to you that there was once a trodden path here, leading to the white meadow. The sun has begun to sink toward the horizon, but the birds are still singing happily, and you walk, full of energy, forgetting your problems for a moment. When the terrain becomes flat, you lose sight of the white meadow, but you know which way to go, and you keep walking.
You walk like this for a few minutes until you get worried because you think you should have reached the meadow by now, but the grassy path still leads you forward. You look back, but because of the tall trees, you can't see the peak you just descended from, where your $sister is waiting for you.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->85A]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou try to get away, but the ground has a firm grip on you and won't let go. The more you move, the deeper you sink.
You have to stop moving or you'll sink faster. But what can you do? Your hands are still above the ground, but you don't know how long that will last.
You start screaming. You scream at the top of your lungs, but no one answers your call for help.
Again you feel the earth slowly swallowing you up. It's getting dark and despair fills your heart.
Will this be the end for you?
Will you never see your parents again?
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->73A]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou don't want to wake $her. Besides, you know $she'll object to you going far away from where the vampire left you.
Going down the slope is easy. It even seems to you that there was once a trodden path here, leading to the white meadow. The sun is high in the sky, the birds are singing happily, and you walk, full of energy, forgetting your problems for a moment. When the terrain becomes flat, you lose sight of the white meadow, but you know where you are going and you keep walking. You walk like this for a few minutes until you get anxious because you think you should have reached the meadow by now, but the grassy path still leads you forward.
You look back, but because of the tall trees, you can't see the hilltop you just came down from, where your $sister is waiting for you.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->96A]]
What is your name? (input: bind $Troy, "Troy")
You have a (cycling-link: bind $sister, "sister", "brother"). What is their name? (input: bind $Sophie, "Sophie")
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->1]]
<img src="images/top.png" class="center">
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou decide to follow them. The men, despite their protective suits, keep their distance from you. After no more than ten minutes of walking through the forest, you come out onto a paved road. On one side of the road are several large tents, with people in white hazmat suits going in and out. That's where you're headed.
As soon as you cross the threshold of one of the tents, you see your parents sitting on the floor in one of the corners.
"Mom, Dad!" you run to them, but the people in white stop you.
"You have to go through disinfection first," a man in a hazmat suit points to some equipment in front of you, but you are reassured that whatever happens from now on, at least you are still together, you are a family again.
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]his fog is strange. It's not completely white. There's something... dark about it.
As you stand on this grassy road, you realize that cars haven't driven by here in a long time, and probably won't anytime soon.
The mist surrounds you. You feel the water droplets melding with your skin. It's getting darker. The fog is so thick that you cannot see your $sister.
Is this fog at all? You feel like you're walking in the rain - and there's water all around you.
You feel calm.
You are not just wet—you are water.
You are now part of the fog.
Forever.
THE END
(set: $copyright to "Katherina Maveti")
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]he shaft turns out to be not as deep as you first thought, and after a few more steps you all find yourselves in a small room. Terish and Phoenix turn to face one of the walls of the room. A door opens in the wall, revealing an elevator behind it.
You all enter it in silence.
The elevator moves so imperceptibly that you cannot tell if you are going up or down. You assume that you have descended, because when the door finally reopens, there is no sunlight pouring in. On the contrary, there is a corridor in front of you, the walls still glowing with a soft white light. The metal sphere flashes on and off again. This time the light is blue. Terish and Phoenix look at each other without saying a word.
"We'll leave you here. Someone will come to help you soon," Terish says as he leads you to a room at the end of the corridor. On the threshold of the room, you can't help but ask the question:
"Who are you? What is this place?"
"I told you to wait here," Terish replies monotonously.
(link: "☙ You don't like his answer. You are not prisoners. You have rights and no one can just tell you what to do. You demand answers or you're going back where you came from!")[(goto: "32")]
(link: "☙ Even though you want to know what's going on here, you decide to wait and see what happens next.")[(goto: "53")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou haven't moved a step when you hear your $sister's voice beside you, "I'm hungry."
You know that if you don't stop to eat something, $Sophie can keep whining until you give in and $she gets what $she wants. In fact, you are hungry as well, so you decide to take a break.
When you take out the sandwiches Terish has prepared for you, you notice that the metal ball is glowing yellow. You look around but see no mist. You don't like that, because if mist descends on you now, you have nowhere to hide. You look around nervously and your $sister notices.
(set: $copyright to "Katherina Maveti")
"Should we run?" $she asks, reading your thoughts.
What do you do?
(link: "☙ You run as fast as you can.")[(goto: "75")]
(link: "☙ You remain still.")[(goto: "93")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[O]]ne morning you are awakened by a voice in your head. The metal sphere glows pink.
"Get out," it says softly.
You get up and stick your head out of the cave door. The sun is shining brightly outside, but when you look around you see nothing interesting.
"Do you want to show me something?" you ask.
"Can't you feel it?" the ball asks cheerfully, but you give a negative nod.
(set: $copyright to "Katherina Maveti")
"Riku is gone! Like all living things, its time on this earth has come to an end."
Although your joy is great, the fact that Riku is no longer a threat does not change your way of life much, but at least from now on you will no longer be afraid of this beautiful natural phenomenon - the fog.
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')["D]]ad, drive, don't stop!" you and your $sister shout.
Red.
Riku is so close that you can feel its cold breeze even in the car, but just when you think you can't get away, the fog suddenly lifts and the sun's rays appear above you again. The outlines of tall buildings appear on the horizon.
"We did it! We escaped!" Frank cheers, and you can see tears of joy in his eyes.
Your $sister chirps enthusiastically, "Hooray!"
The car drifts happily toward the approaching city.
In the euphoria of the moment, no one notices that the sphere in your pocket continues to glow red...
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]he wooden gate lifts and lets the group through. The settlement consists of only a hundred houses. You have no idea what kind of place this is - the streets are unpaved, the houses are clearly built in the 14th or 15th century, but apart from being old, they do not seem to have been well maintained. There are no street lights, and the entrances to most of the houses have old garden lanterns, the kind you see for sale in the antique shops.
<img src="images/town.png" class="centered-img">
Jean opens the door of his house and invites you inside. You gasp in surprise as you enter, feeling slightly disappointed at what you see. Jean's home is a single large room with a high ceiling. To say that it is sparsely furnished would be an exaggeration - there is a table with three chairs in the middle of the room and a bed against the wall. But what surprises you the most is that in addition to Jean's home, this is also the home of a cow and three sheep. These animals are lounging comfortably at one end of the room, observing you with a look of utter indifference. Everything seems so primitive that you cannot help but feel that you have fallen back into the Middle Ages.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->20B]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')["M]]om's earring!" your $sister immediately recognizes the silver ornament you pick up from the ground. "We're on the right track!"
Despite the good news, you decide to stay here until morning. If your parents were here earlier today, then they're close by, but it's hardly wise to wander around in this unfamiliar area in the dark.
For the night you find shelter under a tree, but the sound of the wind in its leaves keeps you awake. You manage to drift off several times, but strange sounds in the distance wake you up repeatedly. When your sleep is disturbed once again, you see a shadow moving between the trees.
Your blood runs cold. It seems to you that a person is hiding behind the tree not far from you.
(link: "☙ You pull the wooden stake from your pack.")[(goto: "70")]
(link: "☙ You wait in place to see what or who is hiding behind the tree.")[(goto: "64")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou spend the rest of the night awake. You are not sure that the danger has passed, but then you have time to think about your next actions.
The earring you found clearly means that your parents are nearby, but your midnight encounter leads you to believe that there are people with nefarious intentions roaming these woods. You decide that it would be best to return to the village in the morning and ask Jean to organize a search party for your parents. You believe that he will agree, and so you expand the search area with more people.
That's what you do.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->86]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[H]]e leads you through the forest until you reach the edge of a hill. Tired from the long walk, you don't notice how the sun's rays have turned the horizon a pale orange.
"We will continue after sunset," the vampire says to you.
You resist your first impulse to protest this unnecessary break, but then you remember that the sun causes vampires burns and searing pain, and they can only roam the earth under the cover of night.
"Wait for me here. I'll be back as soon as the sun sets," he says, disappearing into the shadows of the trees.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->74B]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]here, in the car, you spot two silhouettes. Your $sister rushes towards them, screaming happily.
"Drive fast and only forward. The portal will be closing soon," are the vampire's last words before he disappears back into the darkness.
You follow your $sister and soon find yourself in the arms of your parents. You have so much to tell each other, but first you have to get out of this place.
As the vampire told you, you drive as fast as you can and after a while you see the lights of the big city in the distance. You are already home.
(set: $copyright to "Katherina Maveti")
Somewhere behind you, staring at the disappearing headlights of your car, the vampire is waving at you. He knows, however, that this will not be your last encounter with him.
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou take a few steps to the side to look around, but except for trees and bushes that look exactly the same, you see no sign of getting any closer to where you're going.
You decide to return to the path, but panic as it disappears somewhere in the thicket. Finally, you see the white meadow you've been walking towards so confidently. Up close, it looks more yellowish than white. As you take a few more steps forward, you suddenly feel an invisible force pulling you to the ground. You look down at your feet and are horrified.
Quicksand!
You try to move away, but the ground has a firm grip on you and won't let go. The more you move, the deeper you sink.
You look around, but there is not a soul alive in this forest, and the only person who could help you was your $sister. You should have told $her where you were going. The earth keeps pulling you down.
It doesn't give you a chance to call for help.
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou take a few steps to the side to look around, but except for trees and bushes that look exactly the same, you see no sign of getting any closer to where you're going.
You decide to return to the path, but panic as it disappears somewhere in the thicket.
Finally, you see the white meadow you've been walking towards so confidently. Up close, it looks more yellowish than white.
As you take a few more steps forward, you suddenly feel an invisible force pulling you to the ground. You look down at your feet and are horrified.
Quicksand!
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->73]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[A]]nd just as you have almost given up hope, you hear your $sister's ringing voice in the bushes:
"There he is, I see him!"
In the twilight of the evening, you can make out the outline of the vampire that $Sophie has brought with $her. The vampire finds a long branch, which you grab with all your might, and soon you are back on solid ground.
You can't believe how close you came to dying. Without scolding you, the vampire simply says, "Let's move on," and turns around, expecting you to follow him.
You walk through the forest again, but this time you follow the vampire without hesitation. After saving your life once, you refuse to believe that he could hurt you in any way.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->79]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]his lasts for a few seconds, and when the metal ball decides it's gotten enough information from the contours of your face, it does the same to your $sister. As the sphere illuminates $Sophie's face, you get a better look at the flying sphere. Its surface is smooth, and except for the small tip from which the bright purple beam of light emanates, there is no gap or other opening in the metal. Whatever it is, its sole purpose seems to be to blind people with bright light.
To your surprise, after it finishes studying your faces, the metal ball rises into the air and quickly flies away.
Once again on your own, you must decide what to do. Flying metal spheres clearly indicate the presence of intelligent beings somewhere nearby. You must find the town or village where they live before it gets dark.
Where to?
(link: "☙ Despite this strange encounter, you continue up the hill.")[(goto: "27")]
(link: "☙ You do not like whatever is happening here. Trying to avoid another interaction with that flying metal thingy, you change direction and head down the hill.")[(goto: "4")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[A]]fter a few minutes in the woods, you come to an opening where you can see that you have two choices before you - up the hill or down the hill, but before you make your choice, you notice a trail of blood in the grass.
"We are in the woods after all," you think to yourself. "Animals fight and kill each other here."
The trail of blood drops leads you to a meadow where you see movement in the distance.
(link: "☙ If there is an injured animal, perhaps you should go and try to help.")[(goto: "helper")]
(link: "☙ If there is a predator that has caught its prey, it is better to get as far away from this place as possible. ")[(goto: "continue walking")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou cautiously approach the opening in the forest. The blood trail disappears here, but the familiar sound of a hooting owl reaches you. You look around and finally notice the injured bird. It lies on the ground, its brown and gray colors blending with the fall colors of the grass.
You walk up to the bird, and although it is afraid of you, it doesn't move, or maybe it can't. As you approach the owl, you make sure to blink slowly so that the bird understands that you are not an enemy and will not try to attack it.
"$Sophie, look around for other animals. We don't want to be here if whatever hurt the bird comes back."
The owl doesn't take its eyes off you.
You crouch down to the bird and see that its wing is wounded, but the wound is not caused by another animal. The bird's wing is tangled in metal wire. The only thing you can do under the circumstances is to try to gently untangle it and bandage the wing.
You pull the water bottle out of your backpack and carefully take the bird's wing in your hand. The owl looks at you without blinking. It seems to understand that you're not going to hurt it. You rinse the wound and rip a strip from the bottom of your T-shirt to bandage it. You leave the bandage loose so that the owl can tear it off on its own when its wing begins to heal.
Knowing that there is nothing more you can do for the bird, you pick it up in your arms and carry it up high - to the branch of a nearby tree, so that no other predator can catch it. You stand there for a moment, watching as the bird settles on the branch, and you say goodbye to it.
(set: $helper to true)
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->where to]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou don't want to disrupt the lives of the animals in the forest. Whatever happened here is none of your business. In fact, you have bigger problems to think about - you yourself are lost.
Avoiding the meadow, you continue your way into the forest.
(set: $helper to false)
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->where to]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[I]]t occurs to you that it may be a long time before you meet another person on the road, so now is the time to think about what you're going to eat.
You stop in search of something edible.
Around you there are only pine trees and low bushes with small fruits of different colors. Despite the hunger you feel, common sense still prevails and you stop yourself from tearing off and trying one of these otherwise tempting looking berries.
You take another look around you and slap your hand on your forehead. The food is literally rolling on the floor!
"$Sophie, collect as many pine cones as you can and bring them to me," you urge your $sister.
After a few minutes, a small pile of pinecones appears in front of you. You skillfully pick them up one by one and pound them into a rock. The seeds fall out and you and $Sophie eat them for lunch. You put the few remaining seeds in your pocket.
"I just hope we'll have something more delicious for dinner," you mutter to yourself.
(set: $strength to 1)
You continue up the hill.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->13]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]he hike up the hill is exhausting and after a few minutes both you and your $sister start to get out of breath.
The water bottle you carry with you is only half full.
(set: $strength to 0)
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->13]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]our $sister's whisper wakes you up: "$Troy, don't freak out and don't make any sudden moves."
You open your eyes and, still half asleep, can't understand why your $sister is standing a few feet away from you, staring at your shoes without blinking. You look down at your feet with your eyes wide open. There you see the greyish-green body of a snake that is slowly moving toward you.
You freeze in fear.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->snake]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[T]]here is little this woman can do to harm you. As soon as everyone starts to leave the table and go their separate ways, you walk up to the woman.
"I saw you watching me during dinner," you tell her.
A slight smile appears on her face.
"You are observant. That's a good quality in our world."
She falls silent, but you say nothing - she still hasn't explained why she's so interested in you.
"When I see you, time travelers, I keep thinking..." Here the woman stops and looks around to make sure no one can hear her. "I wonder if I should come with you. The world you come from sounds so... carefree." She looks over at one of the sheep in the room, chewing peacefully on something, oblivious to the humans. Then she looks at one of the men who is just about to walk out of the house. "But I can't leave Paul, my husband. And he likes it here."
The woman's smile is gone, and you can see sadness in her eyes. You decide to reassure her by saying, "You know, maybe our world has more technology, but yours has more humanity. You're happy here, don't seek happiness elsewhere."
The smile returns to her face. She leaves the house for a moment and returns shortly with a red metal box in her hand. A white cross is painted on the box.
"These are medicines. The box was left to us by other time travelers. I think you'll need it."
The woman bows slightly as she hands you the box. You accept the gift and bow to her as well.
(set: $copyright to "Katherina Maveti")
After all the adventures of the past day, you fall asleep surprisingly quickly. Even though you and your $sister are sleeping on a bed of hay tonight, it has been a long time since you have had such a restful and deep sleep.
(set: $medicine to true)
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->55]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou jump off the table and quickly head for the door. The sheep, frightened by your sudden movements, jumps out with greater speed. Jean, who had been talking to his guests, also goes to the door.
"What happened?" he asks with a smile on his face.
"I was trying to keep the sheep from leaving the house, but I think I achieved the opposite - it ran away," you look at Jean guiltily.
Unexpectedly, he bursts into a hearty laughter.
<img src="images/sheep.png" class="centered-img">
"Have you never seen a sheep in your life?" he asks you, still chuckling. "Even if it wants to go outside, it won't go very far without its friends to accompany it. They are herd animals. It's probably tired of listening to our nonsense and decided to get some fresh air." With these words, Jean returns to the house, and after a while, the sheep appears at the door too.
After all the adventures of the past day, you fall asleep surprisingly quickly. Even though you and your $sister are sleeping on a bed of hay tonight, it has been a long time since you have had such a restful and deep sleep.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->55]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[I]]f your $sister wakes up and you're gone, $she'll be terrified, but you also don't want to leave $her here alone, because who knows what other dangers this forest holds.
You gently tap $Sophie on the shoulder and $she wakes up. After you tell $her about your plan to wander through the forest, $she doesn't wait for you to ask $her to join you - $she insists on coming with you.
Going down the slope is easy. It even seems to you that there was once a trodden path here, leading to the white meadow. The sun is high in the sky, the birds are singing happily, and you walk, full of energy, forgetting your problems for a moment. When the terrain becomes flat, you lose sight of the white meadow, but you know where you are going and you keep walking. You walk like this for a few minutes until you get anxious because you think you should have reached the meadow by now, but the grassy path still leads you forward.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->91B]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[A]]s you advance, you begin to wonder if coming here was a terrible decision. You stop and look around.
Your $sister, who has been walking behind you, decides to sit down on the ground and says, "We are lost. I know you know it, but you don't want to admit it."
$She is wrong. At least for now, you know, or at least you think you know, how to get back on track. However, you are beginning to feel that continuing to wander in the woods might be the biggest mistake you could ever make.
Suddenly, $Sophie jumps up from where $she is sitting and starts screaming. You look at $her in disbelief, not understanding what has happened to $her, but your gaze falls on the spot where $she was sitting.
"Poison ivy!" No sooner have you guessed why your $sister is screaming in pain than you drop your backpack to the ground and pull out the first-aid kit you were given in the village earlier. You put on the rubber gloves and take $Sophie's hand. With quick movements, you wash the reddened area with water and apply some calamine lotion.
If you hadn't encountered this evil plant yourself a few years ago, you wouldn't know anything about poison ivy, and that knowledge is now helping to ease your $sister's pain.
After the pain subsides a bit, your $sister asks you to go back to where the vampire left you.
"It's dangerous here. I want to go home!"
Once again, it is time for you to make a decision:
(link: "☙ You've come a long way, and it would be foolish to give up now.")[(goto: "91C")]
(link: "☙ Maybe the white meadow is already close, but you don't want to risk your life or $Sophie's lifeanymore.")[(goto: "91D")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[A]]s much as you don't want to, you know the best thing to do is return to the hilltop and wait for nightfall. And so you do.
When the last rays of the sun disappear behind the horizon and, as promised, the vampire reappears and invites you to follow him.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->79]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')["Y]]ou're fine! We have to find the meadow," you tell your $sister.
$Sophie says nothing and follows you down the path.
The feeling of being close to the meadow turns out to be deceptive again. You take a few steps to the side to look for another path through the woods, but apart from trees and bushes that look exactly the same, you see no sign of getting closer to where you're going. You decide to return to the path you were following, but panic when it also disappears somewhere in the thicket.
Finally, after probably another half hour of walking, you see the white meadow you've been walking towards so confidently. Up close, it looks more yellowish than white. As you take a few more steps forward, you suddenly feel an invisible force pulling you to the ground. You look down at your feet and are horrified.
"Quicksand!" you yell, horrified.
You try to move away, but the ground has a firm grip on you and won't let go. The more you move, the deeper you sink.
$Sophie watches in horror as your body is swallowed by the white sand. $She looks around, hoping to find a branch long enough for you to reach, but there is nothing but short, broken branches.
"We should have stayed up on the hill and waited for the vampire to return," you think to yourself before the sand swallows you completely.
THE END
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou find yourself curious about the place - Jean, his settlement, the forest and its people, but more than anything, you want to find your parents and go home.
You stare into the distance for a while, but instead of looking for more adventures, you decide to take a nap to regain your strength for another overnight hike.
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->Ophidiophobia]]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]ou're not sure where you want to go, but you know you need to find a higher ground where you can see what's around you. You also need something to mark the places you've already passed.
With no other alternative, you (cycling-link: bind $mark, "take a few pieces of chalk", "tear a few pages from the notebook", "take a box of jelly beans") from your $sister's backpack and use them to mark your path.
Where to now?
(link: "☙ In the distance, up the hill, the trees become sparser and you'll have a chance to look around.")[(goto: "16")]
(link: "☙ Going downhill may lead to another road, or perhaps to a river.")[(goto: "10")]
(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[F]]rom a very young age, your greatest fear is being bitten by a snake. Whenever they show snakes on TV, you always look away, and now that the snake is coming towards you, when it's at your feet and you're in a semi-recumbent position and you can't move, now there's no way to escape.
<img src="images/snake.png" class="centered-img">
(if: $helper is true)[You think about your $sister and what will become of $her if something happens to you and you can't continue. You remember your parents and it breaks your heart that you may never see them again.
All these thoughts go through your mind very quickly and just when you are ready to accept your fate, a shadow flies past your eyes and in a second the snake is gone. This scene unfolds so quickly that you don't get a chance to understand exactly what has happened.]
(if: $helper is false)[You don't take your eyes off the snake, and the snake doesn't take its eyes off you. You wonder how long you can stand like this, each of you afraid to move.
"Something's wrong," you think.
"Oh my God!" you hear your $sister's voice again. "There's another snake behind you!"
This is turning out to be your worst nightmare. And if you tried, you couldn't think of anything more terrifying. Two snakes!
"Wait a minute," you exclaim, "It's not looking directly at me! It's looking to the side!"
Very slowly and carefully you turn to your left, and out of the corner of your eye you see the other snake, also standing upright beside you, but looking not at you, but at the other snake.
]
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->snake is gone]]
(if: $helper is true)[(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')[Y]]our $sister, who has been watching from a distance, quickly runs up to you and points to the neighboring tree: "Look! It's that owl! The same owl we saved!"
The owl you rescued yesterday is perched on one of the neighboring trees. It is looking at you as it swallows the snake that was about to attack you a few seconds ago.
For a moment, you wonder if it is really the same owl, but then you notice the remnants of the cloth you used to bind its wing.
<img src="images/owl.png" class="centered-img">
You smile.
The owl, apparently sensing that you are safe, flaps its wings and flies off, circling above you and Sophie one last time.
](if: $helper is false)[(size:3)[(font: 'Almendra SC')["T]]hey're not even looking at me! Maybe they haven't even noticed me!"
Only now do you realize that these snakes are probably on alert because one has entered the other's territory. You don't know if you're right, but you stand still to see what happens next.
Suddenly, in a flash, the snake that had been standing confidently at your feet jumps at the other snake to your left.
Taking advantage of the situation, you don't stand still either. You jump up quickly and run to your $sister.
When you're far enough away from them, you turn to see what's happening behind you. A terrifying sight unfolds in front of you: the two snakes have intertwined their bodies and are twisting and turning, trying to overpower each other. You don't want to find out how this fight will end, so you and Sophie quickly move away from the reptiles.]
[[<img id="move" src="images/arrow.png">->83]]
<dvi id="footer">[ ]<footer|</div> (if: not ((passage:)'s tags contains "menu"))[(set: $lastpassage to (passage:)'s name)](unless: (passage:)'s tags contains "Start")[<small>{(link: "SAVE")[(if:(save-game:"Slot_1"))[Saved.](else:)[Your game could not be saved!]]}|{(link: "LOAD")[(if: (saved-games:) contains "Slot_1")[(load-game: "Slot_1")](else:)[No saved games found.]]}|{(link-repeat: "RESTART")[(if: (confirm: "Are you sure?") is true)[(reload:)]]|<a href="https://www.katherinamaveti.com" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;" class="website-link">CONNECT WITH ME</a>}</small>](else:)[(link: "SAVE")[(save-game:"Slot_1")[Saved.]]]