config.style.page.verticalAlign: "top"
config.style.page.color: "white on red-5"
config.style.page.link.font: "underline"
config.style.page.link.color: "yellow-4"
config.style.page.link.lineColor: "yellow-4"
config.style.page.link.active.color: 'green-6'
config.style.page.link.active.lineColor: "green-6"
playtesters: 'Kirk Damato and Susan Cheng'
--
[align center]
{embed image: 'watermelon thumbnail.jpg', alt: 'Watermelon Juice'}
[[Begin game->start]]\
[[Switch to light mode->Light title page]]\
[[About]]config.style.page.header.font: "16"
config.style.page.header.link.font: "small caps"
config.style.page.footer.font: "16"
config.style.page.footer.link.font: "small caps"
config.style.page.style: "none"
config.body.transition.name: "none"
config.header.center: "_Watermelon Juice_"
config.footer.left: ""
--
A month ago, I was crying in the car on my way to the airport, wondering if I was making a huge mistake.
{reveal link: '...', passage: '1'}
config.style.page.color: "black on white"
config.style.page.link.font: "underline"
config.style.page.link.color: "red-4"
config.style.page.link.lineColor: "red-4"
config.style.page.link.active.color: 'green-4'
config.style.page.link.active.lineColor: "green-4"
--
[align center]
{embed image: 'watermelon thumbnail.jpg', alt: 'Watermelon Juice'}
[[Begin game->start]]\
[[Switch to watermelon mode->Title page]]\
[[About]]
[continue][align center]
{embed image: 'watermelon thumbnail.jpg', alt: 'Watermelon Juice'}
written by Sarah Willson\
for the {link to: 'https://itch.io/jam/single-choice-jam-24', label: '2024 Single Choice Jam'}
playtested by {playtesters}
{back link, label: 'back'}
config.footer.left: "[[back->start]]"
--
I can feel my language skills improving, too. I’m doing well on the vocab quizzes, and I can understand almost everything the teacher says. I’m even starting to memorize the subway announcements. Maybe those aren’t so useful in everyday conversation, but hey, you gotta start somewhere.
{reveal link: '...', passage: '3'}
And it turns out I really like it here. The people are so nice and patient with me. The mountains are gorgeous, and the city has so much to see. The food is cheap and plentiful. And the fruit is amazing! Bananas, grapefruits, guavas, pineapple...I never had fruit like this back home.
[[>|4]]config.footer.left: "[[back->2]]"
--
Anyway, I guess I have a couple hours before I need to catch the bus home. What should I do this afternoon?
{reveal link: '...', passage: '5'}
But today, I’m feeling good. I saw some cute dogs on the bus ride this morning, found a new breakfast at the 7-Eleven, and I think I’m finally making friends at the Mandarin Language Center. Actual friends for life? I don’t know yet. But it’s nice to have someone to eat lunch with after class, even if it’s hard to communicate with each other.
[[>|2]]I could go to the library and read some more of that novel, but it’s in English, so that wouldn’t really help with my studies.
{reveal link: '...', passage: '6'}
I could go walk around the underground mall, but I’ve already been there twice this week.
{reveal link: '...', passage: '7'}Come to think of it…I could go to that fruit juice stall outside of school. Usually I get a friend to order for me, but I think I can do it myself now. I’m getting pretty good at Chinese!
[[>|8]]config.footer.left: "[[back->4]]"
--
All the fruit looks so good! There’s an older woman taking juice orders today, not the young guy who’s usually here. But it’s okay. I already know what I want, I just have to figure out how to say it…
{reveal link: '...', passage: '9'}
[[Please give me a cup of watermelon juice.]]\
[[A cup of watermelon juice, thanks.]]\
[[Can you make me a watermelon juice?]]\
[[I like watermelon juice.]]\
[[Watermelon juice, one cup.]]\
[[I’d like a cup of watermelon juice.]]\
[[Could I trouble you to prepare a cup of watermelon juice for me?]]\
[[May I order a watermelon juice?]]\
[[Give me watermelon juice.]]\
[[(order in English)]]\
[[(point at the watermelon)]]\
[[(just walk away)]]config.footer.left: "[[back->8]]"
--
"Please give me a cup of watermelon juice," you say to the woman behind the counter.
"I give you watermelon juice?" She scowls. "You don't want to pay?"
"I don't pay... I don't mean..."
Oh no, you need to make yourself clear fast—there's no time to look for the right words. Quickly you take out your wallet, count out a few coins, and hand them to the cashier.
The scowl clears her face. "Watermelon juice, right? It's our specialty."
A minute later she hands you a frosty cup of juice, full to the brim.
"Sorry," you say. "Thanks."
"No need. Come back next time!"
She must have seen you scrambling. She probably sees it all the time, since the shop is so close to the language center. And she didn't hold it against you. The people here really are nice.
And the juice, as always, is delicious.
[align center]
**THE END**config.footer.left: "[[back->8]]"
--
"A cup of watermelon juice," you say—quickly adding, "Thanks."
"Are you American?" asks the cashier.
"That's right," you say.
And just like that, you have your hands around a tall cup of cold, fresh watermelon juice. That was easy!
Maybe later you'll tell your family back home how you ordered something on your own for the first time. Or maybe by the next time you talk to them, so much else will have happened that it won't even seem like a big deal anymore.
Either way, now you can feel how much more you're capable of. You've got a taste of the future, and there's a lot more you'd like to do out here, now that you know you can.
[align center]
**THE END**config.footer.left: "[[back->8]]"
--
"Can you make me a watermelon juice?" you ask the woman behind the counter.
She says "yes," along with something else you don't quite understand. But it must have been a question, because she's waiting for you to say something.
"Watermelon juice," you say again.
She looks at you. "Watermelon?" You nod. She nods. And a minute later, you're hurrying back to campus with a fresh cup of watermelon juice.
Well, that was awkward. You don't know if you can go back to that juice stand again after such an embarrassing exchange. Or should you go back as soon as possible so you can redeem yourself?
You can think about that another day. For now, you've got yourself a treat, and you're going to enjoy it.
[align center]
**THE END**config.footer.left: "[[back->8]]"
--
“I like watermelon juice,” you say, pronouncing each tone as clearly as you can.
...oh no. Did you just say “I like” instead of “I’d like”?
The cashier smiles at you. "One watermelon juice?" she asks, and you nod. She turns away to make your drink, and you hear her mutter something to herself. Was it about you? Probably not, right?
She's still smiling when she turns around and hands you your juice. "Thank you," she says. "Come back next time."
They say making mistakes is the fastest way to learn, so at this rate, you'll be fluent before you know it. Maybe you won't get it right next time either, but at least you won't make the same mistake again.
And anyway, this watermelon juice was worth it.
[align center]
**THE END**config.footer.left: "[[back->8]]"
--
"Watermelon juice, one cup," you say casually.
It's not the sentence structure you learned in class, but you've heard other people order that way, and it gets the job done. The woman behind the counter nods and quickly blends some watermelon and pours it into a cup, which she hands over to you.
It was that easy.
You've got what you came for, and it feels pretty great. It's a nice day for a walk, so you decide to explore the little shopping area outside school while drinking your watermelon juice.
As you stroll, you notice that your shoes are falling apart from all the walking you've been doing lately. You totally need new shoes. Maybe now that you've leveled up in speaking, you're ready for your next challenge: the department store.
[align center]
**THE END**config.footer.left: "[[back->8]]"
--
"I'd like a cup of watermelon juice," you say with as much confidence as you can muster. The woman behind the counter nods, and a minute later she hands you your drink.
"Your Chinese is very good," she says.
"Thanks," you say.
You sit down on a nearby stool with your cup of watermelon juice. The color is beautiful, and it smells so sweet. Even though no one was here to see it, you feel a swell of pride at buying your own drink for the first time.
It's the best watermelon juice you've ever had.
[align center]
**THE END**config.footer.left: "[[back->8]]"
--
"May I order a watermelon juice?" you ask the woman behind the counter.
She looks a little confused. "You just tell me what you want, and then I'll make it for you. Would you like papaya milk? Grapefruit juice? Mango juice?"
You nod, and she starts preparing a drink for you. Mango juice. It's not what you wanted, which means in that sense you failed. But when she hands it to you, it smells really sweet and delicious, so you can't feel too bad about it.
As you sip your mango juice, you think back on what just happened. It seemed like she only partly understood you. Did you say the wrong fruit name? You were trying to be polite, but maybe you confused things a little by falling back on English sentence structure?
Some questions can never be answered. Fortunately, you don't feel like dwelling on it too much when you have this cold, refreshing drink to enjoy.
[align center]
**THE END**config.footer.left: "[[back->8]]"
--
"Give me watermelon juice," you say. Wait, you should make sure to say "please"—but that goes at the beginning of the sentence. What are you supposed to do now?
The woman behind the counter frowns at you. Maybe you didn't ask very politely? But she turns around without a word and starts throwing watermelon in a blender, so it seems like you got your message across.
You make sure to say "thank you" as you pay for your order, and she gives you a nod before moving on to the next customer.
So that could have gone better. But you know what? Nothing bad happened, and you ended up with some delicious watermelon juice. Technically you’re better off than you were before.
And next time you'll definitely remember to say "please."
[align center]
**THE END**config.footer.left: "[[back->8]]"
--
Maybe it's easiest if you don't try to use your Chinese. What if you embarrassed yourself or messed up your order? Instead, you point at the watermelon on display behind the plexiglass window, and the woman behind the counter throws some in a blender and starts making your drink.
You count out some coins to pay (it's a little more expensive than you thought it would be) and sit down on one of the stools nearby to enjoy your drink.
As you stir your juice, you notice it looks a little different than usual. It’s awfully pale. And as you start to take a sip, you realize: it’s watermelon milk. Why did she make you watermelon _milk_? This isn't what you wanted.
You could drink it anyway, or you could bring it home to see if anyone there wants it. Throwing it away would be a waste, and going back for another drink would make you feel even worse. At least you have nowhere else to be, so you've got time to decide what to do.
Would this have gone better if you actually tried speaking Chinese? You'll have to find out next time.
[align center]
**THE END**config.footer.left: "[[back->8]]"
--
Buying a drink should be simple, so why does it feel so hard right now? You know the grammar. You know all the words. But what do normal people say when they order food and drinks? All the options are swirling together in your mind. And people are lining up behind you, looking at you, so you decide to just walk away.
It's fine. You weren't that thirsty anyway. And you can always come back another day, when you're feeling more confident.
Before you know it, you're back at the library. Hopefully reading some more of your novel will cheer you up.
[align center]
**THE END**config.footer.left: "[[back->8]]"
--
"Could I trouble you to prepare a cup of watermelon juice for me?" you ask with a smile.
"So polite!" says the woman behind the counter. "Wait just a moment."
You're always careful to be polite. You don't want to seem demanding, and you don't want people to think less of you because you're still learning the language. Your friends think it's overkill, but no one else seems to mind, and you find it easier than speaking casually.
"Thank you," you say as the woman hands you a cup of beautiful, bright red watermelon juice.
"Thank you," she says.
"Thank you," you say again.
Okay, maybe that was overkill.
[align center]
**THE END**config.footer.left: "[[back->8]]"
--
Is it possible this cashier can speak English? The guy who usually works here understands some, so maybe she does too. What a relief it would be if you could order a drink without risking mixups or embarrassment!
"One watermelon juice, please," you say (in English).
"What?" says the cashier (in Mandarin).
So much for that idea. You need to shift gears quickly, but all the words swimming in your head are in English.
Finally the cashier points to a sign above her head. The characters are all easy ones: it says "watermelon juice." You instinctively say "yes!" in English.
She holds up a cup of watermelon chunks with a smile and gets to work. While you wait for your drink, you rehearse your response in Mandarin: "Thank you."
That took longer than it probably needed to, but you got your watermelon juice in the end. "Thank you" was something, but next time you'll have the guts to use your words from the start.
[align center]
**THE END**