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You pick up the crown of feathers, feathers that once belonged to a macaw parrot. They were hanging from a rusty nail by your desk.
"This is older than this house" you guess.
The only thing older than it is this land.
You pour water into your guampa and take a sip.
"It's too bitter"
You decide to leave the drink sitting on your desk. Maybe it will taste better later on.
[[Keep looking around->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]You remove a wooden jaguar mask from its hanging place. Its eyes glare, lips curled, showing tremendous fangs. It doesn't seem too pleased.
"This was a gift from my grandfather. The person who carved it used fire to burn in the details."
Saying that brings back memories from several years ago. Back when having grandparents was still relevant to you.
[[Look at other things near here->Take a closer look at the wall in front of you]]
[[See what the other walls have in store->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]You examine the map on your wall. It's of the South American continent and places of interest have been marked with tacks.
"Maybe some day I can go to Peru"
But first its best to find a way outIn the drawer you find a diary with your name written on the front. It's from an age long past, a more youthful time where you actually had time to scrawl your everyday routines into the paper.
"I was so immature back then."
All you see are entries and doodles about travelling with your grandma. It was quite an exciting year.
[[Look at other things around here->Take a closer look at the wall behind you]]
[[Keep looking through the trash->The trashcan]]
<<if visited ("The Note Reaction")>>
[[Flip to July 12th]]
<</if>>"..."
"..."
"..."
[[...?]]"Where are the doors? And the windows?"
"..."
"I guess this is one of those weird dreams again. But it feels too real. I can't wake up."
[[Time to get up from bed I guess]]The door and windows have disappeared. Strange. It is not often that one wakes up to the dematerialization of all possible exits. A most imminent fire hazard of sorts, it seems.
"This has to be one of those weird dreams..."
[[Think hard, really hard. And wake up.]]
[[Run into the wall. That should scare you into waking up.]]
[[Pinch yourself]]
"KORE!"
That felt real. The pain from running head-first into a wall was enough to knock you to the ground, but not enough to send you into a blackout.
The pain throbs in the center of your forehead.
[[Think hard, really hard. And wake up.]]
[[Pinch yourself]]
<<if visited("Pinch yourself", "Think hard, really hard. And wake up.", "Run into the wall. That should scare you into waking up.")>>
[[You rule out the possibility of this being a dream.]]
<</if>>
You find a fleshy spot on your arm and pinch your skin together as hard as you can.
It hurts.
You let go, and find that you're still inside the room as you were five seconds ago.
[[Think hard, really hard. And wake up.]]
[[Run into the wall. That should scare you into waking up.]]
<<if visited("Pinch yourself", "Think hard, really hard. And wake up.", "Run into the wall. That should scare you into waking up.")>>
[[You rule out the possibility of this being a dream.]]
<</if>>
You visualize yourself getting up and out of bed, opening the door, and walking out.
You open your eyes.
You're still inside the room.
[[Pinch yourself]]
[[Run into the wall. That should scare you into waking up.]]
<<if visited("Pinch yourself", "Think hard, really hard. And wake up.", "Run into the wall. That should scare you into waking up.")>>
[[You rule out the possibility of this being a dream.]]
<</if>>
This feels all too real. The wall, your flesh, the air.
You are present in this room and this room is present around you. You exist in the same space, even with the absence of exits and sunlight.
"I don't have anywhere to be right now, but I need to get out."
[[Scan the room.]]It's your room, same old four walls, same old...everything. Except the missing door and windows.
"This must be some kind of joke."
Could it be that your family decided to play a some type of deadly prank while you were sleeping? Remove the door and windows and seal the room shut?
"Wait."
You stop.
[["How am I breathing?"]]Odd. There are no exits yet you can breathe just fine. It must be one of those things that can never be properly explained with science or words.
You decide it's best to focus your energy on getting out rather than dwelling on the logistics of this scenario.
[[Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]
You walk forward and study the wall right before you for any hints of an exit, or any tool to possibly make one.
You see a wall of various portraits and one lone jaguar mask.
[[Check out the portraits->Portraits level 1]]
[[Examine the jaguar mask->The mask]]
[[See what the other walls have in store->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]You see your bed, still slightly messy from you getting up a few moments ago. You spot a calendar hanging on the wall your bed is resting against.
There doesn't seem to be anything of much use here. Or so it seems.
[[Examine the wall your bed is resting against->The calendar]]
[[Look underneath the bed]]
You see your closet and a chest, both closed shut.
[[Open the closet->Closet locked]]
[[Open the chest->The chest]]
[[See what the other walls have in store->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]You turn around to the wall behind you and see your workspace as you last left it; uncluttered and clean.
There's just a desk with a lamp on top, its matching chair, a trash can, and a bottle of water that you assume is lukewarm at worst. You remember spending many a night labouring over homework that was to be handed in the next day. You don't really like remembering those days.
Thank goodness that's all behind you.
[[Take a look at the desk's drawers->The desk]]
[[Look through the trashcan->The trashcan]]
[[Turn your lamp on->The lamp]]
[[Grab the bottle->The bottle]]
[[See what the other walls have in store->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]You look at the portraits.
There are pictures of people. You think. Maybe your vision is failing, but you swear that the images inside the frames are blurred, like a smeared painting.
You keep staring. You feel sick.
Better look at something else before you pass out for good.
[[Look at other things near here->Take a closer look at the wall in front of you]]
[[See what the other walls have in store->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]
<<if visited("See what July 12th says")>>
[["Is that a picture of the Falls?"]]
<</if>>You stand in the center of the room. In front of you is the wall where the door should supposedly be, but is not. The only thing there now are portraits hanging on rusted nails. To your left is your bed. To your right is a closet the same height as you and beside it, a large chest. Behind you is your desk with no more than two drawers, a chair, and a trashcan beside it.
[[Take a closer look at the wall in front of you]]
[[Take a closer look at the wall to your left]]
[[Take a closer look at the wall to your right]]
[[Take a closer look at the wall behind you]]You climb onto your bed to get a look at the calendar. The month says you're in December, but you don't trust that because the last time you ever put the calendar to use was over a year ago.
You never bothered to change it. Who needs to keep track of time anyway?
You climb down and leave the calendar where it is.
[[See what else is near here->Take a closer look at the wall to your left]]
[[See what the other walls have in store->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]
<<if visited("Flip to July 12th")>>
[[Flip calendar to July]]
<</if>>In the darkness and dustiness of the underneath of your bed, you spot a couple of forgotten objects.
You spot the vague outline of what appears to be a pile of clothes and another shadow belonging to a guitar.
[[Grab the clothes->Dance attire]]
[[Reach for the guitar->The guitar]]
[[See what the other walls have in store->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]You pull out a bundle of clothes. Upon closer inspection, they are clothes for a traditional style of dance you gave up years ago. The cotton top would be too small for your shoulders now, although you could get away with wearing the very long skirt.
Elastic waistbands are a blessing.
You would never wear this but you can't recall why you still keep it. There's a part of you that misses the art of dance.
But that's in the past.
You put back the clothes and with it, the memories.
[[Keep looking underneath the bed->Look underneath the bed]]
[[See what other things there are around here->Take a closer look at the wall to your left]]
[[See what the other walls have in store->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]It's a guitar.
One of the strings is broken and the others are out of tune, you find out after brushing your fingers against it softly.
When was the last time you even played this thing? It was probably in music class at school. You were the only one that played guitar. It made you feel unique and made you stand out.
And that's why you left it.
[[Put the guitar back->The Note]]
[[Keep looking underneath the bed->Look underneath the bed]]
[[See what other things there are around here->Take a closer look at the wall to your left]]
[[See what the other walls have in store->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]As you put away the guitar once more, its wooden body bumps against your bed's equally wooden frame.
You hear a light rustling noise.
Your curiosity is piqued and you pull out the guitar once more. The rustling noise seemed to come from its insides.
You peer through the hole in its middle and see a folded piece of paper on the inside.
[[Get the paper out->Cutting failed]]
[[See what other things there are around here->Take a closer look at the wall to your left]]
<<if visited("The mug")>>
[[Use the sharp edge of the mug to cut the strings]]
<</if>>You shake your guitar and try to get the paper out to see what it is. You can't even remember if it was you who put it there in the first place.
It's no use. If only you had something sharp to cut the strings with and get the paper. You'll never be using this guitar after all.
You think about smashing it open.
[[Let's not->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]You give opening the closet a try but find that it's locked. Weird.
It's almost as if whatever's in there must be of really high importance. Or maybe you never want anyone to see what's inside.
In any case, it's locked.
"I haven't opened this closet in some time. I think I might've left the key somewhere here..."
You ponder about the vague location of this key before diverting your attention away from this locked piece of furniture.
[[See what else is near here->Take a closer look at the wall to your right]]
[[Look at another wall->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]
<<if visited("The closet key")>>
[["Let's see what's in this closet"->Unlock the door]]
<</if>>
You open the chest. It creaks, revealing some clothes on its inside. You can smell a bit of a weird smell left behind by the mothballs you recently put in.
Recently. You make an observation.
"It's summer."
You take a look at the clothes inside the chest.
[[Grab the hat->The sombrero]]
[[Grab the poncho->Poncho not in season]]
[[See what else is near here->Take a closer look at the wall to your right]]
[[Look at another wall->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]
Resting on top of everything is a straw hat, weaved tightly to preserve its shape.
You place it on your head and find that its just the right size. You vaguely remember wearing it yesterday to shield yourself from the heat of the sun.
It was also one of the last memories you have of the last time you went outside before you became trapped in this room.
You put it back, already missing the warmth of the sun.
[[Keep looking through the chest->The chest]]
[[Look at what else is near here->Take a closer look at the wall to your right]]
[[Look at another wall->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]
You grab the poncho, feeling its tightly knit wool fibers. You stop and wonder how the vibrant colours were dyed into it.
"Dad gave me this not too long ago."
You put the poncho back before more memories of it come flooding back.
[[Keep looking through the chest->The chest]]
[[Look at another wall->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]
<<if visited("Is that a picture of me?")>>
[[It's really cold now, might as well wear it]]
<</if>>You step closer to your desk. There are scratches all over the surface from years of wear and moving. This desk was originally your sister's and is almost as old as you are.
"This needs a paint job badly."
[[Open the left drawer->The left drawer]]
[[Open the right drawer->The right drawer]]
You look down at the metal wire trashcan. Despite not having worked on any projects recently, you see various objects inside of it.
Namely a diary, a map, and a newspaper.
[[Salvage the newspaper->The newspaper]]
[[Grab the diary->The diary]]
[[Take the map->The map 1]]
[[Look at other things around here->Take a closer look at the wall behind you]]
You click the switch on your lamp but nothing turns on, even though you see it's clearly plugged in.
"Oh, I forgot to replace the bulb after it burnt out."
Something else to put on your to-do list.
[[Look at what else is near here->Take a closer look at the wall behind you]]The left drawer opens with a wooden creak, revealing a variety of textbooks on the inside.
You completely forgot these were even here. That's how long its been since you last opened this drawer.
All the books mainly concern themselves with film, history, and film history.
"I should sell these soon, probably."
The books remind you of a time when you were eager to learn. Now they serve as reminders of something that you'd rather not revisit.
[[Look at what else is near here->Take a closer look at the wall behind you]]
[[Open the right drawer->The right drawer]]
The right drawer opens after a bit of a struggle. The old wood has seen better days.
In it you find your old messenger bag, back when you went to class on a regular basis.
"I still have this? I swear I got rid of it a long time ago."
[[Look at what else is near here->Take a closer look at the wall behind you]]
[[Open the left drawer->The left drawer]]
<<if visited("The desk", "The diary", "The mask", "Dance attire", "The guitar", "The sombrero", "The lamp", "The newspaper", "Closet locked", "The right drawer")>>
[["I think I left the closet key in my old messenger bag"->"I never did open my bag"]]
<</if>>You revisit that old messenger bag that's been out of commission for some time.
Checking the outer pockets, you feel something inside one of them.
"That's...weird. I don't remember keeping anything in here."
[["What could this be?"->The closet key]]You unfold the newspaper. It's quite thick for a newspaper.
"It's the weekend edition."
So it is. The headline reads FLASH FLOODS DESTROY HOMES and another EXTREME DROUGHTS KILL CROPS IN THE CHACO. How ironic.
"December 13th, 2014."
This newspaper was only from a few days ago but it's already outdated, so there's no need to keep it around. You throw it back into the trash.
[[Keep looking through the trash->The trashcan]]
[[Look at other things around here->Take a closer look at the wall behind you]]
You go to reach the map, but stop.
"That was an old grade 4 project."
You decide you don't want to look at your old work right now. Drawing wasn't one of your strengths back then. You don't want to remember that awful handiwork.
[[Look at what else is near here->Take a closer look at the wall behind you]]
<<if visited("It's really cold now, might as well wear it")>>
[[Take a look anyway]]
<</if>>"So this is where I put it"
It's the key to your closet. Now you can finally open it and see if there's anything inside it that you can use to escape.
[[Make your way to the closet->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]The closet doors unlock with a click.
"A box of junk."
The closet is all empty shelves, save for a cardboard box at the very bottom.
[[Pull out the box->The box]]
You pull out the box just enough so you can see what's inside.
You find a mug, a jar of Pajarito-brand instant cocido mix, a guampa with a bombillo, Kurupi-brand yerba mate, and a ñanduti cloth.
[[Grab the mug->The mug]]
[[Grab the jar of cocido->The cocido]]
[[Grab the guampa and bombillo->The guampa]]
[[Grab the yerba mate->The mate]]
[[Grab the cloth->The cloth]]
[[Go back to looking at other walls->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]It's just a plain bottle of water. You're not particularly thirsty right now, so you decided to leave it on the desk again.
[[Look at other things around here->Take a closer look at the wall behind you]]
<<if visited("The guampa", "The mate")>>
[["I guess this water should be ok to make some terere"]]
<</if>>You pick up a black mug. It's made of some kind of ceramic, you guess. On it is an engraving of a parrot.
"I got this back when I travelled to Brazil for winter break."
That was a long time ago. You were a small child and you remember being awed by the tremendous waterfalls and wildlife. Now it's all distant.
As you hold it in your hands, you notice it's missing a chunk on the edge.
"That looks pretty sharp, like it could cut something."
But what is there to cut?
[[Keep looking through the box->The box]]
You pick up the jar of instant cocido. It's been a while since you had any warm cocido.
"I drink a lot of coffee anyway."
It was not soon after you started pursuing higher education. Coffee slowly replaced cocido, even though you found it didn't have that much of a different effect on you. Both kept you concentrated. You can't find a good reason of why you completely ditched cocido for coffee.
Cocido tastes like a great combination of tea and coffee though.
Perhaps you could drink some now.
"Maybe some other time."
[[Keep looking through the box->The box]]You pick up the guampa and bombilla.
It's made from wood, although you remember guampas are also sometimes made of cattle horn and steel. The bombilla is still in pretty good condition.
You eye the yerba mate you saw in the box.
Drinking terere was always something you did with friends. You'd sit outside in a circle and pass the guampa around.
You can't remember the last time you did that. You could drink some now, but you would need some water first.
[[Keep looking through the box->The box]]You pick up a small bag of yerba mate.
You can't remember the first time you ever had a yerba mate infused drink. It's always been something that's been in your household for as long as you can remember.
You remember your grandparents being fiercely protective of it. Socializing with friends would not be complete without the presence of yerba mate.
You eye the guampa and bombilla in the box. If only you had some water, you would be able to fix yourself some terere to drink.
[[Keep looking through the box->The box]]You carefully pick up the ñanduti in the box.
Its incredibly finely made with a variety of colours. You still can't quite understand how all those colours can go into such fine fibres.
You could never find a place for it so it went into this box. You're glad it's still as good as new since it's such a well-made ñanduti.
You try and recall the story of the ñanduti. Something about a spiderweb and some lovers in a jungle. It was a story that was told to you in grade school so it's a bit foggy. Maybe once you get out of this room you can look up what that story was.
[[Keep looking through the box->The box]]It's been such a long time since you drank any terere, you try and remember what your parents did to prepare it.
"Leave the bombilla inside the guampa."
"Then pour the yerba mate in, about 3/4 ways."
"Pour water in, but not so much that it floods the guampa."
[[That sounds about right->The guampa - bitter]]"Hopefully this'll do."
You press the sharp edge of the mug against the strings and push as hard as you can to cut the strings.
"WOAH!"
You did it a little too hard and sent the mug flying across the room. It shatters into several pieces. You look down and see that at least you managed to wear down the strings enough to break them apart.
"Well, at least now I can cut them with my fingers."
You tear the rest of the string off with your fingers in order to get the mysterious note.
[[Reach in->The Note 2]]You unfold the note, which has been folded over several times. Whatever is written on the inside must be fairly important. At least you hope so. You had to break a guitar to get it after all.
You read the note.
"To my favourite granddaughter,
Your guitar-playing skills make me so happy. It brings me joy to see you play alongside your classmates, not to mention you're the only guitar player, so that makes you even more special.
I hope you always keep playing the guitar for me. I especially like your rendition of Recuerdos de Ypacarai.
Love,
Grandma
P.S. Remember July 12th? That was when we spent the day in Brazil. I got you a parrot mug and ever since then you refused to use any other mug but that one! Hopefully I can give you a new one soon."
[[...->The Note Reaction]]You put the note down.
Maybe that's why you put that note in there in the first place. Along with the guitar.
July 12th. You try to remember that day, but it was a long time ago, so all the details aren't clear, just general feelings you felt that day. Mainly happiness and excitement. That was the first time you ever travelled to a different country.
It was winter break, but where you live it's never quite winter, is it?
"Maybe I wrote down something in my diary about it."
[[Go to the centre of the room->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]You flip to the page of your diary that details the trip you took to Brazil with your grandma.
You mainly skim through it, as a lot of it is just drawings of koatis.
You read a passage.
"Winter break is over soon, but I don't want it to be over yet. Maybe if I flip my calendar to December, it'll fast forward time and it'll be summer again and I won't have to go back to school."
You think about that for a second.
"Fast forward time..."
It'd be a fantastic twist if your calendar could somehow alter the fabric of space and time. Right?
[[Where was that calendar again?->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]The calendar was all the way at December, so you flip through several pages before you come to July.
You brace yourself for any immediate time travel sideeffects.
"Nothing."
Well, if you had windows you could take a look outside to see if summer had suddenly turned to winter. As far as you can tell, time is still going normally.
"It does feel a little bit colder than before though."
[[Read what this July calendar says]]
The picture for the month of July is of the Jesuit Ruins. You remember you actually visited them but you were really young, probably not even 5 years old yet, so you barely remember anything. You just remember going down a set of stairs with your mom. Maybe you should visit again now that you have a better understanding of history and colonization.
You stop thinking about the past and look through the month's dates. You had circled the weeks of July 8th to 25th with red marker and big red letters that read WINTER VACATION.
"Wow, this calendar really is old. And here I thought it was only a year old."
[[See what July 12th says]]You take a look at July 12th. It was a Friday, a perfect day to embark on a cross-country trip to Brazil.
"Trip to Iguazu waterfalls with grandma."
That was the date said.
Some memories start flooding back. You remember you and your parents let you go alone with your Grandma to see the Iguazu falls for a day. You took an overnight bus that dropped you off at the falls, then took the same bus to come back home. You remember seeing plenty of koatis and how your grandma kept telling you to be careful of them. Those animals are capable of stealing food faster than you can say "chake!".
"I wonder if we took any pictures."
Photographs are outdated as a result of our electronic era, but they <i>were</i> a thing back then. You wonder if you framed any pictures of that day.
[[Look for the pictures in the room->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]Despite your motion sickness, you get close to one of the picture frames to study it further. Perhaps you're in need of a visit to the eye doctor. Prescription glasses wouldn't hurt.
It's a picture of the Iguazu Falls. There's a bit of water on the lens of the camera, making the picture a bit foggy.
[[Is that a picture of me?]]It's been a while since you saw a picture of yourself at that young age.
You're inside a parrot sanctuary with a macaw parrot perched on your shoulder. It's trying to eat the pins in your hair.
You start feeling really cold for some reason.
"Hey, maybe it's finally cold enough to wear that poncho."
[[Go look for that poncho->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]You pull out the poncho, which is quite long and drags a bit on the floor. You push your head through its opening.
"This is really warm."
The poncho fully clothes you, covering your body all the way down to your knees. You usually only saw musicians wear these.
Well, you almost became a musician once.
Looking at all these things from your past make you feel a bit nostalgic. Maybe taking a look at some of your old projects would be fun. Didn't you make a map in grade 4?
[[See what old projects you have->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]You gather the courage and open up the map.
In it you see a drawing of what appears to be South America. The top right corner reads SOCIAL STUDIES MAP ASSIGNMENT.
All the countries have been crudely drawn out and are mostly inaccurate. No way Bolivia is that big and Peru that long.
[[You flip the paper around to see if there's anything else on the back->The map 2]]"0412"
That's all you see in the corner of the paper written in what appears to be crayon.
As you hold the map, you spot the terere you made from before still sitting on your desk.
"That must be well-steeped by now."
[[Put the map down and take a sip]]You give the drink another try.
"It's refreshing, just like terere should be"
Good terere comes with time.
Good terere also reminds you of good times.
[["I think I want to look at more pictures now"]]Drinking terere gives you more courage to keep looking at those portraits from before. Suddenly, remembering the past isn't so stressful anymore.
[[Gaze at some more frame pictures]]You look at the wall of framed pictures to get a better look at them.
[[Look at the photo of your dad at a reserve]]
[[Look at the photo of your great-great-grandmother]]
[[Look at the photo of your dog]]You take a look at a photo of your dad standing in front of a building of what you remember was a reserve he worked at several years ago. Also in the picture are residents of the reserve standing beside your dad. They are all smiling.
[[See the other pictures->Gaze at some more frame pictures]]It's a very old black-and-white picture of your great-great-grandmother who's name you can't recall. Your mother put her portrait in your room after you insisted on it. You can't quite remember why.
All you know of her is that she is your great-great-grandmother, daughter of an indigenous woman, thus, indigenous herself.
"I wanted to know where she's buried."
That's why you insisted on her portrait being here.
Her grave is unmarked and forgotten, as are many graves like hers.
[[See the other pictures->Gaze at some more frame pictures]]
<<if visited("Look at the photo of your dad at a reserve", "Look at the photo of your dog")>>
[[Pick up the frame and study it in closer detail]]
<</if>>It's your dog, Bonifacio. Or was. You remember he died right as you were going into high school. He was a dog that lived on your father's farm so you never saw him a lot.
But he always remembered who you were every time you visited.
[[See the other pictures->Gaze at some more frame pictures]]
You pick the frame up for further inspection. The photo is quite old so some details have been worn down by time.
As you take it off though, you notice something else behind it.
There's a small safe door coming from the wall. From the looks of it, it's sealed shut with a combination lock.
[[Go back and see where the number for it could be->Stand in the center of the room, examine your surroundings with closer detail]]
[[Try and crack the code->The lock]]<<set $password = prompt("What's the code? It has to be at least 4 numbers")>>
<<if $password is ("0412")>>
[[The lock opens.]]
<<else>>
The lock doesn't open. [[Try again->Pick up the frame and study it in closer detail]]
<<endif>>The door to the safe opens with a soft click.
You stick your head in to see what's inside. It's been such a long time since you took a peek that you have no idea what could be inside.
[["What's that?"]]In the compartment you find an assortment of objects you never remember being in the possession of.
There is a parrot feather headdress, a parrot tail, and a small pouch filled with...something.
[[Grab the headdress]]
[[Grab the parrot tail]]
[[Grab the pouch]]You grab the headdress. Or is it a necklace?
"It could be either I guess."
The feathers are attached to string that is untied, so if it's meant to be tied around the head or around the neck would be up to the wearer's discretion.
The presence of this artifact puzzles you, almost to an infuriating extent.
"First the door and windows are missing, now this randomly shows up. This isn't mine."
[[Put it back and look at what else is there->"What's that?"]]
<<if visited("Grab the headdress", "Grab the parrot tail", "Grab the pouch")>>
[["This is all garbage. I better get rid of it now before I forget."]]
<</if>>You reach for the parrot tail. It's been neatly cropped and the colours in the feathers are as vibrant as ever.
You remember your dad telling you that having a parrot's tail is a symbol of good luck.
You also remember your grandfather conducting a paye ceremony using a parrot's tail to bless the house.
"I never owned a parrot tail. That was never mine."
[[Put it back and look at what else is there->"What's that?"]]
<<if visited("Grab the headdress", "Grab the parrot tail", "Grab the pouch")>>
[["This is all garbage. I better get rid of it now before I forget."]]
<</if>>You grab the small pouch. It's knitted with the same tight fibers your poncho is made of, and just as colourful. Its opening is secured by string, which you loosen to see what's inside.
"Herbs."
You can't identify what herbs they are. They definitely don't smell like yerba mate. Maybe it's for one of those weird paye sessions your grandfather did once.
[[Put it back and look at what else is there->"What's that?"]]
<<if visited("Grab the headdress", "Grab the parrot tail", "Grab the pouch")>>
[["This is all garbage. I better get rid of it now before I forget."]]
<</if>>Frustrated, you reach in to grab all the objects and throw them all in the trash.
"I don't understand what's going on anymore. Everything I keep finding seems to be some kind of cryptic symbol."
You make your way over to the trashcan, ready to fling everything in.
"I don't know what to believe anymore."
[[Throw everything away for good]]You drop all the objects into the trashcan.
Except...
[["What?"]]They disappeared mid-air. None of them are in the trashcan.
You look over your shoulder, to the safe.
"Could they have..."
[[Run over to the unlocked safe]]You rush back to the safe to see if the objects have somehow magically teleported themselves back.
"It's locked again."
[[Unlock it again]]<<set $password = prompt("What's the code? It has to be at least 4 numbers")>>
<<if $password is ("0412")>>
[[The lock opens once more.]]
<<else>>
The lock doesn't open. [[Try again->Run over to the unlocked safe]]
<<endif>>The door to the safe opens with a soft click, just as it did before.
You stick your head in and are mortified to see that the objects are there, as they were before.
"What's going on?"
[[Grab the headdress again]]
[[Grab the parrot tail once more]]
[[Grab the pouch like before]]You grab the headdress again. This time you are more convinced that it goes on your head and not around your neck.
"Still the same."
You wonder who this belongs to. Or belonged to.
"The only thing I can think of is that my dad somehow got it as a gift from the people at the reserve he used to work at."
But you wouldn't know that.
[[Double-check the other objects->The lock opens once more.]]
<<if visited("Grab the headdress again", "Grab the parrot tail once more", "Grab the pouch like before")>>
[[Lock the door for good]]
<</if>>You reach for the parrot tail, again. This time you take in the textures of the feathers. They brush your fingertips ever so lightly.
You imagine this would've probably been hanging in your family's living room. What with it being a symbol of luck and all.
[[Double-check the other objects->The lock opens once more.]]
<<if visited("Grab the headdress again", "Grab the parrot tail once more", "Grab the pouch like before")>>
[[Lock the door for good]]
<</if>>You grab the small pouch once more.
You open it and breathe in the smell of the herbs.
"It's ka'a he'e".
[[Double-check the other objects->The lock opens once more.]]
<<if visited("Grab the headdress again", "Grab the parrot tail once more", "Grab the pouch like before")>>
[[Lock the door for good]]
<</if>>You push the safe's door shut with a click.
"Well, I guess that's that."
[[You turn around]]"What the-"
The floor around you has caved in. You immediately flatten yourself against the wall behind you, consumed by the vertigo of the endless abyss forming around you.
You look around the room. Everything else has disappeared.
[[It's just you, this small piece of floorspace, and the safe]][[Unlock the safe.]]<<set $password = prompt("What's the code? It has to be at least 4 numbers")>>
<<if $password is ("0412")>>
[[The lock disintegrates.]]
<<else>>
The lock doesn't open. [[Try again->It's just you, this small piece of floorspace, and the safe]]
<<endif>>Strange. It seems to be dematerializing just like the rest of the room did.
As did the door. And the windows.
[[Take the headdress]]
[[Take the parrot tail]]
[[Take the pouch]]You take the headdress. It belonged to a cháman. You know this because now you remember your father telling you so. Maybe at one point this belonged to a cacique who's bones are buried beneath your feet.
"Probably."
You feel the blood of your ancestors flowing through your veins.
[[Take something else->The lock disintegrates.]]
<<if visited("Take the headdress", "Take the parrot tail", "Take the pouch")>>
[[Jump down into the abyss->...]]
<</if>>You take the parrot tail.
You think that if you were to do a paye, this would most likely be what you'd use as the ceremonial artifact. But you would never do a paye anyway.
You remember that a long time ago paye wasn't the name of the ceremony, but the title of the cháman who conudcted the ceremony. Misinformation has permeated your vocabulary.
You feel the blood of your ancestors flowing through your veins.
[[Take something else->The lock disintegrates.]]
<<if visited("Take the headdress", "Take the parrot tail", "Take the pouch")>>
[[Jump down into the abyss->...]]
<</if>>You take the pouch.
These were used to collect herbs, as you remember your mother telling you. They are probably still used, by people who have survived and hang on to a culture infected by colonialism.
You feel the blood of your ancestors flowing through your veins.
[[Take something else->The lock disintegrates.]]
<<if visited("Take the headdress", "Take the parrot tail", "Take the pouch")>>
[[Jump down into the abyss->...]]
<</if>>[["¿Moôpa nde róga?"]]
[[You try to forget all the memories you spent the last while remembering]]You stop.
You remember your indigenous great-great grandmother. You assume that if she's watching you, she must be ashamed of you for forgetting all about your roots.
While her indigeneity is what led to her unmarked grave, she left behind a family that would tell stories about her.
[[Unless you'd like to be the axe that cuts down the tree]]The dark abyss still envelopes you.
"What the..."
In your hand is the parrot tail. You don't remember bringing this with you at all. Or maybe you just instinctively grabbed it. Either way, you hold onto it tightly.
[[Apologize profusely]]
[[Take deep breaths]]
[[Cry]]
You begin apologizing in the depths of the endness darkness. You can hear yourself saying the words.
You wonder if your great-great grandmother can hear you.
[[Cry]]
[[Take deep breaths]]
<<if visited("Cry", "Apologize profusely", "Take deep breaths")>>
[[Call out->Wake up]]
<</if>>You begin crying. It usually doesn't solve things but it feels good to cry.\
[[Apologize profusely]]
[[Take deep breaths]]
<<if visited("Cry", "Apologize profusely", "Take deep breaths")>>
[[Call out->Wake up]]
<</if>>You breathe in and breathe out. Somehow there is still air. You're glad at least that still exists in this space.
[[Apologize profusely]]
[[Cry]]
<<if visited("Cry", "Apologize profusely", "Take deep breaths")>>
[[Call out->Wake up]]
<</if>>[[¡Ahase ógape!]]You call out. It's been ages since you last used that language. You're surprised you even remember anything about it.
Alright.
[[Go home]]<span class="myimage">[img[http://i62.tinypic.com/2z3t736.gif]]</span>
[[Become trapped in the plane of uncertainty once more->The Start]]