Realistic Teen Witch Simulator

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<<set $checklist_firstlook to 0>><<set $altar to 0>><<set $robe to 0>><<set $wand to 0>><<set $candlered to 0>><<set $candleblue to 0>><<set $candlegreen to 0>><<set $candleyellow to 0>><<set $knife to 0>><<set $lighter to 0>><<set $fruit to 0>><<set $altarstone to 0>><<set $wandstone to 0>><<set $pentacle to 0>><<set $tablecloth to 0>><<set $search_firsttime to 0>><<set $wandstone_agate to 0>><<set $wandstone_citrine to 0>><<set $wandstone_quartz to 0>><<set $wandstone_tiger to 0>><<set $twigs to 0>><<set $hairtyes to 0>><<set $altarstone_agate to 0>><<set $altarstone_citrine to 0>><<set $altarstone_quartz to 0>><<set $altarstone_tiger to 0>><<set $dresser to 0>><<set $bookcase to 0>><<set $linen to 0>><<set $toilet to 0>><<set $medicinecabinet to 0>><<set $mirror to 0>><<set $hardware to 0>><<set $christmas to 0>><<set $fridge to 0>><<set $livingroom_firsttime to 0>><<set $christmastree to 0>><<set $tvstand to 0>><<set $woodpile to 0>><<set $pokerstand to 0>><<set $backyard_firsttime to 0>><<set $garden to 0>><<set $fakeritual to 0>><<set $ready to 0>><<set $bedroom_firsttime to 0>><<set $hallway_firsttime to 0>><<set $bathroom_firsttime to 0>><<set $garage_firsttime to 0>>It is Sunday, December 21st, 2003. The time is 10:16 PM. According to the prophecies (a TV weather report), the winter solstice will occur at exactly 11:04 PM. This will be your first celestial event since you decided to convert to Wicca seven months ago. You are 14. You need to prepare. [[Consult the checklist|Checklist]]

<<if $checklist_firstlook eq 0>>According to the ancient traditions credibly described to you in a paperback book you picked up at a New Age store in a strip mall, these are the materials needed to perform the dedication ritual for the winter solstice.<<else>>These are the materials needed to perform the dedication ritual. Checked items have already been obtained.<<endif>><<set $checklist_firstlook to 1>> 1. Altar <<if $altar eq 1>>✔<<endif>> 2. Altar covering <<if $tablecloth eq 1>>✔<<endif>> <<if $wand eq 1>>3. Wand ✔<<else>>3. [[Wand|Wand build hub]]<<endif>> 4. Robe <<if $robe eq 1>>✔<<endif>> <<if ($candlered eq 1) and ($candleblue eq 1) and ($candlegreen eq 1) and ($candleyellow eq 1)>>5. Candles x 4 ✔<<else>>5. [[Candles|Candles hub]]<<endif>> 6. Altar stone <<if $altarstone eq 1>>✔<<endif>> 7. Fruit <<if $fruit eq 1>>✔<<endif>> 8. Knife <<if $knife eq 1>>✔<<endif>> 9. Lighter <<if $lighter eq 1>>✔<<endif>> 10. Pentacle <<if $pentacle eq 1>>✔<<endif>> <<if ($altar eq 1) and ($tablecloth eq 1) and ($wand eq 1) and ($robe eq 1) and ($pentacle eq 1) and ($candlered eq 1) and ($candleblue eq 1) and ($candlegreen eq 1) and ($candleyellow eq 1) and ($altarstone eq 1) and ($fruit eq 1) and ($knife eq 1) and ($lighter eq 1)>><<set $ready to 1>>You've gathered all the materials. It is time to celebrate the winter solstice. [[Prepare the ritual circle|Ceremony begins]]<<else>>You need to gather all the prescribed materials before the ritual can begin. [[Search|Search hub]]<<endif>>

<<if $search_firsttime eq 0>>As it's a Sunday night, your siblings and mother are already asleep. You should move quietly to avoid waking them. Where do you search first?<<else>>Time is short. Where do you search?<<endif>><<set $search_firsttime to 1>> <<if ($altar eq 1) and ($robe eq 1) and ($pentacle eq 1)>><strike>Bedroom</strike><<else>>[[Bedroom]]<<endif>> <<if $candleblue eq 1>><strike>Hallway</strike><<else>>[[Hallway]]<<endif>> <<if $hairtyes eq 1>><strike>Bathroom</strike><<else>>[[Bathroom]]<<endif>> <<if ($fruit eq 1) and ($knife eq 1)>><strike>Kitchen</strike><<else>>[[Kitchen]]<<endif>> <<if ($lighter eq 1) and ($candlered eq 1) and ($candlegreen eq 1)>><strike>Living room</strike><<else>>[[Living room]]<<endif>> <<if $candleyellow eq 1>><strike>Garage</strike><<else>>[[Garage]]<<endif>> [[Backyard]] [[Review Checklist|Checklist]]

<<if $bedroom_firsttime eq 0>>Your own room seems an obvious choice. You already have a lot of witch-y stuff in here.<<else>>Your bedroom is your sanctuary. There should be several items useful for the ritual here.<<endif>><<set $bedroom_firsttime to 1>> <<if $altar eq 1>><strike>Check nightstand</strike><<else>>[[Check nightstand|Nightstand]]<<endif>> <<if $robe eq 1>><strike>Check closet</strike><<else>>[[Check closet|Closet]]<<endif>> <<if $dresser eq 1>><strike>Check dresser</strike><<else>>[[Check dresser|Dresser]]<<endif>> <<if $pentacle eq 1>><strike>Check desk</strike><<else>>[[Check desk|Desk]]<<endif>> [[Search elsewhere|Search hub]]

<<if $hallway_firsttime eq 0>>You slip quietly into the main hallway. Your mother and siblings are all sleeping in their respective rooms.<<else>>You are in the main hallway.<<endif>><<set $hallway_firsttime to 1>> <<if $bookcase eq 1>><strike>Examine the bookcase</strike><<else>>[[Examine the bookcase|Bookcase]]<<endif>> <<if $linen eq 1>><strike>Look in the linen cupboard</strike><<else>>[[Look in the linen cupboard|Linen cupboard]]<<endif>> <<if $candleblue eq 1>><strike>Check the top cupboard</strike><<else>>[[Check the top cupboard|Top cupboard]]<<endif>> [[Check the rest of the house|Search hub]]

The kitchen tile is cool and sticky under your bare feet. <<if $fruit eq 1>><strike>Check the countertops</strike><<else>>[[Check the countertops|Counters]]<<endif>> <<if $fridge eq 1>><strike>Look in the fridge</strike><<else>>[[Look in the fridge|Fridge]]<<endif>> <<if $knife eq 1>><strike>Investigate the silverware drawer</strike><<else>>[[Investigate the silverware drawer|Silverware drawer]]<<endif>> [[Look elsewhere|Search hub]]

<<if $livingroom_firsttime eq 0>>As you creep toward the living room, your ears tune to the sound of breathing. Your little brother is sprawled out on the couch, deeply asleep and snoring softly. You proceed carefully. Of all your siblings, your little brother is the grumpiest when he first wakes up, and he also has no concept of an indoor voice.<<else>>Your brother is still asleep on the living room couch. Best to move quietly.<<endif>><<set $livingroom_firsttime to 1>> <<if ($candlered eq 1) and ($lighter eq 1)>><strike>Take a closer look at the fireplace</strike><<else>>[[Take a closer look at the fireplace|Fireplace general]]<<endif>> <<if $candlegreen eq 1>><strike>Inspect the couch end table</strike><<else>>[[Inspect the couch end table|End table]]<<endif>> <<if $christmastree eq 1>><strike>Examine the Christmas tree</strike><<else>>[[Examine the Christmas tree|Christmas tree]]<<endif>> <<if $tvstand eq 1>><strike>Check by the TV</strike><<else>>[[Check by the TV|TV stand]]<<endif>> [[Look elsewhere|Search hub]]

<<if $garage_firsttime eq 0>>You put on some good sneakers and slip out to the garage. It<<else>>The garage<<endif>> is crowded to bursting with everything from old toys to plywood scraps. You can barely get around in it without stubbing a toe or encountering a nail.<<set $garage_firsttime to 1>> Moving quietly in here might be tricky. <<if $hardware eq 1>><strike>Check your father's hardware shelves</strike><<else>>[[Check your father's hardware shelves|Hardware shelves]]<<endif>> <<if $candleyellow eq 1>><strike>Investigate the box of camping equipment</strike><<else>>[[Investigate the box of camping equipment|Camping box]]<<endif>> <<if $christmas eq 1>><strike>Sneak a peek at your Christmas presents</strike><<else>>[[Sneak a peek at your Christmas presents|Christmas presents]]<<endif>> [[Look elsewhere|Search hub]]

Your nightstand is the oldest thing you own, a piece of solid maplewood inherited from your grandmother. It probably has mystical energy, so you've converted it into a shrine of sorts, with your collection of rock crystals, incense, and assorted divination books. <<if $tablecloth eq 1>><strike>Table runner</strike><<else>>[[Table runner|Tablecloth]]<<endif>> <<if ($wandstone eq 1) and ($altarstone eq 1)>><strike>Wooden box</strike><<else>>[[Wooden box|Wooden box]]<<endif>> <<if $drawer eq 1>><strike>Drawer</strike><<else>>[[Drawer|Nightstand drawer]]<<endif>> [[Look somewhere else|Bedroom]] <<if ($tablecloth eq 1) and ($wandstone eq 1) and ($altarstone eq 1)>>[[Look at the nightstand itself|Nightstand examine]]<<endif>>

Minding the stuck casters which tend to grind and wake up the whole neighborhood, you slowly slide open your closet door. Your wardrobe is modest, mainly black T-shirts and bootcut jeans. It'll take you another decade or so to work up the nerve to wear skirts. In the far corner is a massive cloak your mom hand-sewed for you for a past Renaissance Faire. [[Take the cloak|Robe get]] [[Look elsehwere|Bedroom]]

<<set $dresser to 1>>The dresser is massive, painted white and bearing the scuffs of multiple moves. You don't like it, but it's yours. The bottom drawers are mainly filled with old T-shirts, while the others contain folded up underthings and socks. Nothing you can use here. [[Look somewhere else|Bedroom]]

Your desk occupies an entire wall of your bedroom, a scratched and worn former workbench you must've taken from your older brother at some point. It contains your massive CRT monitor and a lilac prebuilt PC tower, holding many fanfics. Resting atop the PC tower is your pentacle necklace, glowing softly under the blue case lights. [[Take the pentacle|Pentacle get]] [[Look somewhere else|Bedroom]]

The table runner on the nightstand is a small piece of navy blue fabric, about 9 inches by 12 inches. There is a large pentacle in the center done in sickly green-yellow ink, probably a printing error. It looks fancy enough. You could use it as an altar covering. [[Take it|Tablecloth get]] [[Leave it|Bedroom]]

The wooden box atop the nightstand is your mother's, carved with an intricate, abstract pattern and inlaid with mother-of-pearl birds. It looks ancient and powerful. It will be several years before you realize you can buy these for $10 at any department store. Inside the box is your collection of crystals and tumbled stones, purchased at New Age stores and museum gift shops. Any of these would probably be suitable for your altar, or as a component in your wand. <<if ($wandstone_agate eq 1) or ($altarstone_agate eq 1)>><strike>Examine the purple agate</strike><<else>>[[Examine the purple agate|Purple agate]]<<endif>> <<if ($wandstone_citrine eq 1) or ($altarstone_citrine eq 1)>><strike>Examine the citrine</strike><<else>>[[Examine the citrine|Citrine]]<<endif>> <<if ($wandstone_quartz eq 1) or ($altarstone_quartz eq 1)>><strike>Examine the quartz crystal</strike><<else>>[[Examine the quartz crystal|Quartz crystal]]<<endif>> <<if ($wandstone_tiger eq 1) or ($altarstone_tiger eq 1)>><strike>Examine the tiger's eye</strike><<else>>[[Examine the tiger's eye|Tiger's eye]]<<endif>>

<<set $drawer to 1>>The single nightstand drawer is filled with <strike>random junk</strike> assorted magical items, such as hemp bracelets and a leaf with an interesting pattern. None of it seems very useful for tonight's ritual, unfortunately. [[Examine the rest of the nightstand|Nightstand]]

The bathroom is right next to your bedroom and shared with your three siblings. It is always a mess. <<if $bathroom_firsttime eq 0>>You make sure to close the door completely before switching on the light.<<endif>><<set $bathroom_firsttime to 1>> <<if $mirror eq 1>><strike>Check the mirror</strike><<else>>[[Check the mirror|Mirror]]<<endif>> <<if $medicinecabinet eq 1>><strike>Look in the medicine cabinet</strike><<else>>[[Look in the medicine cabinet|Medicine cabinet]]<<endif>> <<if $toilet eq 1>><strike>Flush the toilet</strike><<else>>[[Flush the toilet|Flush toilet]]<<endif>> <<if $hairtyes eq 1>><strike>Check the bathroom drawers</strike><<else>>[[Check the bathroom drawers|Bathroom drawers]]<<endif>> [[Look somewhere else|Search hub]]

<<if $backyard_firsttime eq 0>>You slip through the cool-tiled kitchen to the glass sliding door leading out onto the back porch, opening it as slowly and soundlessly as you can manage. <<endif>>The family backyard is small and honestly not terribly well-maintained. To one side is an old-growth deciduous tree, still heavy with yellowing leaves. To the far side is your mother's garden.<<set $backyard_firsttime eq 1>> <<if ($twigs eq 1) and ($fakeritual eq 1)>><strike>Visit the tree</strike><<else>>[[Visit the tree|Tree]]<<endif>> <<if $garden eq 1>><strike>Take a look at the garden</strike><<else>>[[Take a look at the garden|Garden]]<<endif>> [[Walk through the open grass|Open grass]] [[Check the rest of the house|Search hub]]

<<set $tablecloth to 1>>You fold up the small table runner and stick it in your canvas bag. You now have the Altar Covering. [[Examine the rest of the nightstand|Nightstand]] [[Search elsewhere|Bedroom]]

Come to think of it, shouldn't the nightstand serve as a pretty good altar? You just need to relocate a few items onto your bed and you can haul it outside for the ritual. [[Choose the nightstand as your altar|Altar get]] [[Look for something else|Bedroom]]

The agate is a deep blue-purple, fading to a translucent gray at its tip. It is roughly pyramid-shaped with a good flat base. You consult your gem chart. Purple agate is a fire gem used in healing. It signifies intuition, confidence, and maturity. <<if $wandstone eq 1>><strike>Take the agate as a wand component</strike><<else>>[[Take the agate as a wand component|Wand stone get agate]]<<endif>> <<if $altarstone eq 1>><strike>Take the agate as your altar stone</strike><<else>>[[Take the agate as your altar stone|Altar stone get agate]]<<endif>> <<if ($wandstone eq 1) and ($altarstone eq 1)>>[[Examine the rest of the nightstand|Nightstand]]<<else>>[[Choose something else|Wooden box]]<<endif>>

The citrine is buttery yellow with glittering gold-white flecks. It is roughly the length of a small finger bone. According to your gem guide, citrine is an air elemental stone used to bring wealth and happiness. As a teenager, you are in short supply of both. <<if $wandstone eq 1>><strike>Choose the citrine as a wand component</strike><<else>>[[Choose the citrine as a wand component|Wand stone get citrine]]<<endif>> <<if $altarstone eq 1>><strike>Choose the citrine as your altar stone</strike><<else>>[[Choose the citrine as your altar stone|Altar stone get citrine]]<<endif>> <<if ($wandstone eq 1) and ($altarstone eq 1)>>[[Examine the rest of the nightstand|Nightstand]]<<else>>[[Choose something else|Wooden box]]<<endif>>

The quartz crystal is about two and a half inches in length, milky white with a slight translucence. Its size and shape make it very suitable for divination. You don't need to check your gem guide to know this gem is often associated with fire and the Sun, but can also be a water stone. You were born under both elements, so you've always felt strongly attracted to it. <<if $wandstone eq 1>><strike>Use the quartz crystal as a wand component</strike><<else>>[[Use the quartz crystal as a wand component|Wand stone get quartz]]<<endif>> <<if $altarstone eq 1>><strike>Use the quartz crystal as your altar stone</strike><<else>>[[Use the quartz crystal as your altar stone|Altar stone get quartz]]<<endif>> <<if ($wandstone eq 1) and ($altarstone eq 1)>>[[Examine the rest of the nightstand|Nightstand]]<<else>>[[Choose something else|Wooden box]]<<endif>>

The tiger's eye is about the width of a quarter and roughly cubic, tawny yellow terminating to a deep coffee brown at its base. Its color shifts as you turn it in your palm. Your gem guide says tiger's eye contains the powers of both the Earth and the Sun, meaning it can be considered both an earth and fire elemental stone. It is used to guard against psychic attacks. You are not sure what those are or how you would recognize one. <<if $wandstone eq 1>><strike>Select the tiger's eye as a wand component</strike><<else>>[[Select the tiger's eye as a wand component|Wand stone get tiger's eye]]<<endif>> <<if $altarstone eq 1>><strike>Choose the citrine as your altar stone</strike><<else>>[[Select the tiger's eye as your altar stone|Altar stone get tiger's eye]]<<endif>> <<if ($wandstone eq 1) and ($altarstone eq 1)>>[[Examine the rest of the nightstand|Nightstand]]<<else>>[[Choose something else|Wooden box]]<<endif>>

You must construct your wand from sacred materials before you can proceed with tonight's ritual. Checked items have already been collected. 1. Focus stone <<if $wandstone eq 1>>✔<<endif>> 2. Several pieces of wood <<if $twigs eq 1>>✔<<endif>> 3. Something to fasten it all together <<if $hairtyes eq 1>>✔<<endif>> <<if ($wandstone eq 1) and ($twigs eq 1) and ($hairtyes eq 1) and ($wand eq 0)>>You have acquired all the materials to make the wand. [[Craft the wand|Wand craft]] [[Back to checklist|Checklist]]<<elseif ($wandstone eq 0) or ($twigs eq 0) or ($hairtyes eq 0) or ($wand eq 0)>>You still require materials to complete the wand. [[Back to checklist|Checklist]]<<endif>><<if $wand eq 1>>Your completed wand resides in your canvas bag, ready to take part in the ceremony. [[Back to checklist|Checklist]]<<endif>>

<<set $altarstone to 1>><<set $altarstone_agate to 1>>You place the purple agate stone into your canvas bag. It feels faintly warm at your hip, but that could just be the canvas itself. You now have the Altar Stone. <<if $wandstone eq 1>><strike>Choose a wand stone</strike><<else>>[[Choose a wand stone|Wooden box]]<<endif>> [[Search nightstand|Nightstand]]

<<set $altarstone to 1>><<set $altarstone_citrine to 1>>You place the yellow citrine stone into your canvas bag. It feels faintly cool at your hip, but that could just be the canvas itself. You now have the Altar Stone. <<if $wandstone eq 1>><strike>Choose a wand stone</strike><<else>>[[Choose a wand stone|Wooden box]]<<endif>> [[Search nightstand|Nightstand]]

<<set $altarstone to 1>><<set $altarstone_quartz to 1>>You place the white quartz crystal into your canvas bag. It feels tingly at your hip, but that could just be the canvas itself. You now have the Altar Stone. <<if $wandstone eq 1>><strike>Choose a wand stone</strike><<else>>[[Choose a wand stone|Wooden box]]<<endif>> [[Search nightstand|Nightstand]]

<<set $altarstone to 1>><<set $altarstone_tiger to 1>>You place the mysterious tiger's eye into your canvas bag. It feels faintly dangerous at your hip, but that's probably your overactive imagination. You now have the Altar Stone. <<if $wandstone eq 1>><strike>Choose a wand stone</strike><<else>>[[Choose a wand stone|Wooden box]]<<endif>> [[Search nightstand|Nightstand]]

<<set $robe to 1>>The cloak is made from a sweltering vinyl material absolutely not suited for clothing. It feels like the stuff they make tents out of. However, it's navy blue and has sparkles, so you like it. It's too large to fold up into your canvas bag, so you lay it out on your bed to change into once preparations are complete. You have acquired the Robe. [[Explore the rest of the bedroom|Bedroom]] [[Look elsewhere|Search hub]]

<<set $pentacle to 1>>You take the necklace. The pentacle a small steel thing with a common stone set in the center, hung from a plain black cord. You purchased it in a fit of bravery at a Renaissance Faire earlier this year. You place it around your neck. You have acquired the Pentacle Necklace. [[Explore the rest of the bedroom|Bedroom]] [[Look elsewhere|Search hub]]

The fireplace is old red brick work, crumbly and ash-streaked, with a genuine fire pit burning genuine logs. It is possibly your mother's favorite part of the house and why she bought the place. <<if ($lighter eq 1) and ($candlered eq 1)>><strike>Check the mantle</strike><<else>>[[Check the mantle|Fireplace mantle]]<<endif>> <<if $woodpile eq 1>><strike>Inspect the wood pile</strike><<else>>[[Inspect the wood pile|Fireplace wood pile]]<<endif>> <<if $pokerstand eq 1>><strike>Have a look at the fire poker stand</strike><<else>>[[Have a look at the fire poker stand|Fireplace poker stand]]<<endif>> [[Look somewhere else|Living room]]

Most times of the year, every living room surface is stacked high with clutter, but your mother always insists on tidying up for the holidays. On the end table now is a framed cross-stitch, a ceramic statue of Santa Claus praying over the baby Jesus, and -- lucky for you -- a decorative green candle, perfect for marking the northern position of your ritual circle. [[Take the green candle|Candle green get]] [[Look elsewhere|Living room]]

<<set $tvstand to 1>>The tall wooden TV stand is indeed a mystical-seeming object, but there's nothing here that you need. [[Turn on the TV|Turn on TV]] [[Check elsewhere|Living room]]

<<set $candlegreen to 1>>Candles are for using, right? And you won't be burning it for very long anyway. You tuck the candle, complete with its crystal candle holder, into your canvas bag. You have acquired the Green Candle. [[Explore the rest of the living room|Living room]] <<if ($candlered eq 1) and ($lighter eq 1)>>[[Try another part of the house|Search hub]]<<endif>>

Your mom enjoys decorating the mantle for every season, but especially during the holidays. Right now there's a full ceramic nativity scene framed with a pair of tapered red candles. Below them hang the five carefully embroidered stockings for you, your mother, and your three siblings. <<if $lighter eq 1>><strike>Take the lighter</strike><<else>>[[Take the lighter|Lighter get]]<<endif>> <<if $candlered eq 1>><strike>Take the red candle</strike><<else>>[[Take red candle|Candle red get]]<<endif>> [[Look elsewhere|Fireplace general]]

<<set $woodpile to 1>>Come to think of it, you're not really sure where all this chopped wood comes from. Your desert-dwelling father, probably. He'd be a natural lumberjack if he wasn't so certain about being a prophet. <<if $wand eq 0>>Sometimes your mother keeps twigs and newspaper for kindling, but there's nothing here that would be suitable for your wand.<<else>>The wood smells nice, but unfortunately you have no use for it.<<endif>> [[Look at the rest of the fireplace|Fireplace general]]

<<set $pokerstand to 1>>Apart from the iconic fire poker itself you're not actually sure what the proper names for any of these tools are. There's a brush, a long-handled dustpan, and some terrifying pincher things you don't want to touch. The whole thing is pretty unstable and there's nothing here you can use for your ritual, so you leave it alone. [[Explore the rest of the fireplace|Fireplace general]]

<<set $lighter to 1>>The lighter is the long-necked utility variety, dusky maroon and grubby with fireplace soot. It feels light, but there should be enough fuel left to get you through the ritual. After switching the safety on, you stash the lighter into your canvas bag. You have acquired the Lighter. <<if $candlered eq 1>><strike>Take the red candle</strike><<else>>[[Take the red candle|Candle red get]]<<endif>> [[Examine the rest of the fireplace|Fireplace general]] <<if $candlered eq 1>>[[Explore the rest of the house|Search hub]]<<endif>>

<<set $candlered to 1>>Strictly speaking these candles aren't meant to be used, much less for pagan ceremonies, but you'll only be borrowing it for a little while. You stash it and its brass holder into your canvas bag. You have acquired the Red Candle. <<if $lighter eq 1>><strike>Take the lighter</strike><<else>>[[Take the lighter|Lighter get]]<<endif>> [[Check the rest of the fireplace|Fireplace general]]

You look into a large salad bowl on the counter, expecting the pile of absolutely inedible Red Delicious apples your mother often gets from an old neighbor. For better or worse, there are no apples. There is an old lemon, though. [[Grab the lemon|Fruit get]] [[Look elsewhere|Kitchen]]

<<set $fridge to 1>>Midnight fridge raids are a celebrated family tradition in this household. Unfortunately, there's nothing in here to use for the ceremony. <<if $fruit eq 0>>Your mom usually keeps fresh fruit on the counter.<<endif>> [[Explore the rest of the kitchen|Kitchen]]

Working slowly, you slide the silverware drawer open by tiny increments, careful not to rattle its contents. Normally, there should be a big stack of steak and carving knives to the right of the organizer tray, but they all seem to be in the sink or the dishwasher tonight. There's a butter knife, though. <<if $fruit eq 1>>The lemon is squishy enough that it might be all you need.<<endif>> [[Take the butter knife|Knife get]] [[Look elsewhere|Kitchen]]

<<set $knife to 1>>You slide the ordinary steel butter knife out of the drawer and look it over under the moonlight. There are a few dried water splotches, but it's acceptably clean. You place it in your canvas bag. You have acquired the Knife. [[Search the rest of the kitchen|Kitchen]] <<if $fruit eq 1>>[[Look somewhere else|Search hub]]<<endif>>

<<set $fruit to 1>>The lemon is a little squishy under your fingers, so you make sure to handle it carefully. You wrap it in a bit of paper towel before sticking it in your canvas bag. You have acquired a piece of Fruit for your altar. [[Explore the rest of the kitchen|Kitchen]] <<if $knife eq 1>>[[Look somewhere else|Search hub]]<<endif>>

<<set $hardware to 1>>Your father doesn't actually live here and never has. He lives out in a desert communicating with God and periodically threatening to disown you. Your mom lets him keep his things here because God prevents him from getting a place with adequate storage, or something. It's all either electric screwdrivers or rusted-over sawblades and not of any use for you. [[Thanks for the bad memories, dad|Garage]]

Hidden third down in an unstable tower of cardboard boxes, you find one labeled 'camping.' You get a hunch and carefully extricate it from the stack. A minute later, after dropping the box right on your toes and fighting back a scream behind your teeth, you take a look inside. Loose tent poles, spools of fishing tackle, bug spray. And a citronella candle. It's not really suitable for a pagan ceremony but... You uncap the lid anyway and take a look. The wax smells like floor polish but it's a bright lemony yellow, appropriate to represent the eastern direction of your ritual circle. [[Take it|Candle yellow get]] [[Leave it|Garage]]

<<set $christmas to 1>>Just because you're a pagan doesn't mean you don't still want Christmas presents. Anyway, if your mom didn't want you peeking, she shouldn't have left out the ladder right below where she hid them in the rafters. You take a quick look with the aid of a halogen lamp. Gray dusted-over plastic packaging stares back at you, contents indistinct but unremarkable. Cheap. Generic-branded. A reflection of your family's reduced circumstances since your father left. Why did you even look? Now you just feel rotten inside. And you're no closer to being ready for the solstice. [[Look somewhere else|Garage]]

<<set $candleyellow to 1>>You snap the lid back over the citronella candle and stash it in your canvas bag. It's bulky and feels like you have a roll of duct tape at your hip, but it'll do the job, probably. You now have the Yellow Candle. [[Check the rest of the garage|Garage]] [[Explore the rest of the house|Search hub]]

<<set $bookcase to 1>>The hallway bookcase is actually part of your sister's bedroom set, but it didn't fit in her room. It's beautiful dark cherry wood and contains a full set of Encarta encyclopedias. Unfortunately, there's nothing you need to look up right now. [[Look elsewhere|Hallway]]

<<set $linen to 1>>The linen cupboard is full of sheets. <<if $robe eq 0>>You could possibly make one into a robe, but your mom would be upset.<<else>>If you didn't already acquire a robe, one of these might do. But probably the robe is better.<<endif>> [[Check somewhere else|Hallway]]

Above the linen cupboard is another storage cupboard, where your mom stores other things she can't bear to part with, like wicker easter baskets and unused photo frames. While carefully moving aside a dish made of carnival glass, you discover a blue votive candle. That would be perfect to mark the western position of your ritual circle. [[Take the candle|Candle blue get]] [[Look somewhere else|Hallway]]

<<set $mirror to 1>>You check your appearance in the mirror and immediately regret it. You don't like how you look. No one likes how they look when they're 14. [[Look somewhere else|Bathroom]]

<<set $medicinecabinet to 1>>There's nothing out of the ordinary in the medicine cabinet. Razors, cuticle scissors, tweezers, dust. Your siblings and you have learned to keep anything more personal than a stick of deodorant in a sock drawer. [[Look somewhere else|Bathroom]]

<<set $toilet to 1>>You flush the toilet. Quietly. [[Check the rest of the bathroom|Bathroom]]

The right-hand drawers contain rolls of toilet paper and spare towels. In the single left-hand drawer, you find your and your sister's hairbrushes, scrunchies, and a handful of rubber hair ties in various stages of disintegration. You could probably use some of the old hair ties for your wand. [[Take the hair ties|Hair ties get]] [[Leave them|Bathroom]]

You're not sure what species the tree is. It's not fruit-bearing. Because it's right up against the cement fence with your neighbor's backyard, it doesn't even offer much shade in summer. A pretty rude tree, if you're going to be honest. Still, you're a Wiccan now, so you should probably acknowledge it. <<if $twigs eq 1>><strike>Take a few twigs</strike><<else>>[[Take a few twigs|Twigs get]]<<endif>> <<if $fakeritual eq 1>><strike>Honor the tree</strike><<else>>[[Honor the tree|Fake ritual]]<<endif>> [[Explore other parts of the backyard|Backyard]]

<<set $garden to 1>>You wander toward your mother's fruit and vegetable garden. It's a modest patch of hard dark earth with a handful of withered tomato vines tied to the posts. Probably if you were doing this ritual in another season but winter, there might be something here that you can use. As it is, it just looks a bit sad. [[Explore the rest of the backyard|Backyard]]

This is a nice patch of yard about 10 feet square, fairly level. Pokey dried-out grass stabs at the soles of your feet. This would be a suitable site for your ritual. <<if $ready eq 0>>[[Come back later|Backyard]]<<else>>[[Place the altar|Ceremony begins]]<<endif>>

<<set $candleblue to 1>>You take the blue votive candle and tuck it gently into your canvas bag. You feel the ocean on your fingertips, but that could just be dust. You have acquired the Blue Candle. [[Explore the rest of the hallway|Hallway]] [[Look elsewhere|Search hub]]

<<set $twigs to 1>><<if $fakeritual eq 1>>Having made a hopefully appropriate introduction, you wander closer to the tree to see whether some suitably-sized twigs have fallen recently.<<else>>You wander closer to the tree to see whether some suitably-sized twigs have fallen recently.<<endif>> You pick up a couple, but you need more if you want to make a wand from it. You reach up to the lowest-hanging bough, which you can barely touch by standing on your toes. You feel along its branches until you find a handful of firm, relatively naked ones of the right width and break them off as politely as you can. You have acquired the Wood for your wand. [[Explore the rest of the yard|Backyard]] <<if $fakeritual eq 0>>[[Say a belated prayer to the tree|Fake ritual]]<<endif>>

<<set $fakeritual to 1>>You have no idea what you're doing. Your book doesn't exactly describe the proper way to greet a tree, or if you're even supposed to greet it. Surely the ancient druids were up to their ears in trees and couldn't stop to say hello to each and every one. But you feel like doing something. You dip into a short bow, more like a curtsey, and murmur something uncertain about dryads and thanking the tree for its gifts and blessed be and all that. <<if $twigs eq 0>>Afterward, you feel like a real dork, but you tell yourself it's probably more appropriate to say something before you steal bits off a living organism. [[Take a few of its twigs|Twigs get]] [[Explore the rest of the yard|Backyard]]<<else>>Afterward, your ears feel a bit hot. Maybe you should've done the whole greeting thing before taking some twigs off. Well, too late now. <strike>Take a few of its twigs</strike> [[Explore the rest of the yard|Backyard]]<<endif>>

You return to your room and lift the nightstand-now-altar into your arms, marveling at how heavy it is even absent its drawer and books. Its edges dig into your fingers as you slowly, carefully carry it out to the backyard. When you reach the patch of open grass, you ease the altar down and wiggle its position until you find a suitably level spot and it is facing approximately north-ish. This done, you head back to your room one final time, to don your heavy but sparkly cloak and to gather your canvas bag of materials. [[Complete the altar|Prepare the altar]]

Taking the utility lighter in hand, you return to the eastern position of your circle. You struggle with the igniter for a few moments before remembering you left the safety on. After you succeed in getting a spark, you crouch down in the grass to light the citronella candle. As the fire blackens the wick and catches, the wax releases a burst of sickly-sweet artificial chemical smell. There is an invocation your book recommends here, but you're worried about how your voice will carry, so you speak it in your mind instead, concentrating on the growing flame. 'I consecrate this candle in honor of the sylphs, elementals of air.' [[Light the next candle]]

You press the rounded tip of the butter knife against the skin of your overripened offering. The lemon feels soft and uncomfortably fleshy in your palm, dribbles of house-warmed juice rolling down onto your hand as you manage to cut through the rind. Maybe you should've left the paper towel under it. The lemon's too soft to cut a proper section out of, but you make a suitably sized hole in its side, and hold it over the pentacle at the center of your altar while trying not to drip onto the table runner. The knife's purpose complete, you set it aside and consult your book again. [['I offer you this bounty of the earth, O Triple-Goddess...'|Read script 4]]

You flip open your well-thumbed how-to guide of celtic magic to the page you marked with a 'sample invocation' to perform at the winter solstice. Holding the page up to the light of the moon (and ample city light pollution), you raise your wand with your right hand and begin to read in the tiniest, quietest voice your intense nerves will allow. [['Welcome, spirits, to this longest night...'|Read script 2]]

[[Cut the circle]]

'I bid farewell to the sylphs of the east.' You blow out the citronella candle, its emergency yellow glow fading out to a dull ember. You go to the southern position and do the same. 'I bid farewell to the salamanders of the south.' 'I bid farewell to the undines of the west.' 'I bid farewell to the... gnomes of the north.' You return to the eastern position and extend your butter knife/improvised athame over the line of your invisible circle. [[Cut the circle|Cut the circle 2]]

<center>THE END [[Credits]]</center>

You clear the nightstand's surface and relocate any books stored on its bottom shelf. It's now ready to move. <<set $altar to 1>>You have acquired the Altar. [[Explore the rest of the bedroom|Bedroom]]

<<set $wand to 1>>You arrange the twigs together in a bundle, snapping off any tiny remaining side branches and leaves, and use the hair ties to bind them together. This done, you take the <<if $wandstone_agate eq 1>>purple agate<<endif>><<if $wandstone_citrine eq 1>>citrine stone<<endif>><<if $wandstone_quartz eq 1>>quartz crystal<<endif>><<if $wandstone_tiger eq 1>>tiger's eye<<endif>> and carefully wedge it between the prongs created by the ends of the twigs. You use another hair tie to help hold it in place. You have obtained the Wand. You stow it respectfully in your canvas bag with your other materials. [[Return to checklist|Checklist]] [[Continue search|Search hub]]

<<set $wandstone to 1>><<set $wandstone_agate to 1>>You place the purple agate into your canvas bag. It feels faintly warm at your hip, but that could just be the canvas itself. You now have the Wand Stone. <<if $altarstone eq 1>><strike>Choose an altar stone</strike><<else>>[[Choose an altar stone|Wooden box]]<<endif>> [[Search nightstand|Nightstand]]

<<set $wandstone to 1>><<set $wandstone_citrine to 1>>You place the yellow citrine stone into your canvas bag. It feels faintly cool at your hip, but that could just be the canvas itself. You now have the Wand Stone. <<if $altarstone eq 1>><strike>Choose an altar stone</strike><<else>>[[Choose an altar stone|Wooden box]]<<endif>> [[Search nightstand|Nightstand]]

<<set $wandstone to 1>><<set $wandstone_quartz to 1>>You place the white quartz crystal into your canvas bag. It feels tingly at your hip, but that could just be the canvas itself. You now have the Wand Stone. <<if $altarstone eq 1>><strike>Choose an altar stone</strike><<else>>[[Choose an altar stone|Wooden box]]<<endif>> [[Search nightstand|Nightstand]]

<<set $wandstone to 1>><<set $wandstone_tiger to 1>>You place the mysterious tiger's eye into your canvas bag. It feels faintly dangerous at your hip, but that's probably your overactive imagination. You now have the Wand Stone. <<if $altarstone eq 1>><strike>Choose an altar stone</strike><<else>>[[Choose an altar stone|Wooden box]]<<endif>> [[Search nightstand|Nightstand]]

<<set $hairtyes to 1>>You select three mostly-intact white rubber hair ties and place them in your canvas bag. You have acquired a Binding Material for your wand. [[Continue searching the bathroom|Bathroom]] [[Search somewhere else|Search hub]]

According to your book, it is customary to have four colored candles marking the cardinal directions of your ritual circle. Checked candles have already been acquired. 1. Yellow Candle (East, Air) <<if $candleyellow eq 1>>✔<<endif>> 2. Red Candle (South, Fire) <<if $candlered eq 1>>✔<<endif>> 3. Blue Candle (West, Water) <<if $candleblue eq 1>>✔<<endif>> 4. Green Candle (North, Earth) <<if $candlegreen eq 1>>✔<<endif>> <<if ($candleyellow eq 1) and ($candlered eq 1) and ($candleblue eq 1) and ($candlegreen eq 1)>><<set $allcandles to 1>>You have gathered all the candles. [[Return to checklist|Checklist]]<<else>>You haven't yet gathered all four candles. [[Return to checklist|Checklist]]<<endif>>

<<set $christmastree to 1>>Christmas trees are pagan, right? So in a way you're being appropriately pious by stopping to admire the tree for a moment. Every year your mother weaves what seems like several miles of small multicolored lights around every branch, creating a luminous, enchanted fire hazard. Unfortunately there's nothing on the tree you can use. <<if $wand eq 0>>The branches are too soft for your wand and anyway, there isn't a single one that doesn't have some bauble hanging off it.<<endif>> [[Look somewhere else|Living room]]

NO. [[Wow, OK. Nevermind.|Living room]]

You slip through the hallway once more, ceremonial cloak making a decidedly un-stealthy fwip-fwip-fwip sound as you creep past the living room where your brother sleeps and into the kitchen. You steal a glance at the clock above the microwave: it is just turning 11:00 PM. The solstice occurs in four minutes. You pass through the kitchen into the backyard where your altar stands ready. You empty the canvas bag's contents onto its surface and begin to organize them. [[Arrange the altar]]

You unfold the cloth table runner and lay it out over the surface of the altar, much as it was back in your room with its pentacle pointing upright. North. Under the moonlight, its greenish misprinted star seems to shimmer an appropriately mystical white. Onto your altar you set out the rest of your tools: the knife sits to the left of the pentacle while the sacrificial lemon sits off to the right. Your <<if $altarstone_agate eq 1>>purple agate<<endif>><<if $altarstone_citrine eq 1>>citrine<<endif>><<if $altarstone_quartz eq 1>>quartz crystal<<endif>><<if $altarstone_tiger eq 1>>tiger's eye<<endif>> focus stone you place at the very center of the star, under which you place your newly crafted wand with its <<if $wandstone_agate eq 1>>purple agate<<endif>><<if $wandstone_citrine eq 1>>citrine<<endif>><<if $wandstone_quartz eq 1>>quartz crystal<<endif>><<if $wandstone_tiger eq 1>>tiger's eye<<endif>> stone. [[Draw the circle]]

Your book recommends drawing the circle in chalk or salt, but you know your mom would probably not be too happy to find a big salty mess in her yard. You settle for drawing the circle in your mind's eye as you walk its length clockwise from the east, arranging the candles at the cardinal-ish directions. [[Light the candles]]

Straightening your knees with a faint pop which won't worry you for another decade or so, you walk to the southern position and repeat the lighting for the red tapered candle, after ensuring its brass holder is properly level. 'I consecrate this candle in the honor of the salamanders, elementals of fire.' [[Light the next candle|Light the next candle 2]]

You repeat the movement at the western position of the circle. The flame, reacting to the dust on the wick, sputters and stretches up in a wriggling tail dissipating into black smoke. You imagine that you hear the ocean. 'I consecrate this candle in the honor of the undines, elementals of water.' [[Light the next candle|Light the next candle 3]]

Finally you move to the northern position. As you ignite the lighter, its glow illuminates the edge of your mother's vegetable patch, presently unvegetable'd. 'I consecrate this candle in honor of the gnomes, elementals of earth.' [[Return to the altar]]

You return to the altar and review your preparations. Everything seems in order. It is (roughly, probably) 11:04 PM, December 21st, 2003. You are ready. [[Begin the ceremony|Read script]]

'Blessed is the Sun King, gone to Emania. He emerges anew from the cauldron of rebirth. With him, we ring in the coming of the new day.' You frown at the page. You needed a cauldron and a bell for this invocation, apparently. It wasn't listed in the materials list. This is what you get for not rehearsing this in advance. Feeling eyes on you -- maybe the old tree swaying gently behind you, or a neighborhood cat; you hope it's not a light-sleeping sibling peeking out a window -- you press on. [['The Three Aspect Goddess gives birth once more to the Dawn Child...'|Read script 3]]

'Tonight I stand before the cauldron of rebirth--' You wave your wand vaguely at your cauldron-less altar, trying to manifest one through your spiritual will. '--knowing I too must one day pass through its depths and be born anew. I give tribute to the Three Aspect Goddess.' You perform a small juggling act for a few moments, tucking the book under an arm and setting the wand aside so you can grab the slightly squishy offering and your impromptu ritual athame. [[Perform the sacrifice|Cut fruit]]

'To the Maiden Aspect, may your seeds of joy and new beginnings take root in me. To the Mother Aspect, may the gifts of your strength allow me to bring my goals to completion. To the Crone Aspect, may I learn from your wisdom and come to understand that which I do not yet know.' You scan ahead slightly. More mention of the bell you don't have. You decide to just take the lemon with you as you walk around the ritual circle, starting from the east again. [['Rejoice, O Spirits of Air...'|Read script 5]]

'May the sylphs of the east welcome the Dawn Child.' The citronella candle's flame flutters near the edge of your robe. You'll take that as acknowledgment. You walk to the southern position of the circle, streaks of lemon juice now sliding down your forearm under the robe. [['Rejoice, O Spirits of Fire...'|Read script 6]]

'May the salamanders of the south welcome the Dawn Child.' The red tapered candle is looking a little slanted. You crouch to right it, making sure it's properly secured in its base. A drop of wax lands painfully onto your thumb and you fail to suppress an 'ouch.' You'll take that as a sign the fire elementals are getting impatient. Rising and padding toward the western part of the circle, you're grateful that you can say this next part without glancing much at your book. [['Rejoice, O Spirits of Water...'|Read script 7]]

'May the undines of the west welcome the Dawn Child.' The blue votive at your feet has settled its flame now that the dust has burnt off, its fire now a shy and steady bead of purple against the dark grass. In your hand, the lemon is feeling pretty soggy and unpleasant. You decide to move along to the northern position of the circle. [['Rejoice, O Spirits of Earth...'|Read script 8]]

'May the--' You hesitate for the smallest of moments, squashing down your mental image of these creatures which is definitely wrong and shouldn't feel as silly to you as it does. '--May the gnomes of the north welcome the Dawn Child.' You return to the altar and gently place the lemon at the center of your pentacle, after setting the wad of paper towel down first. Your sticky left hand you'll just have to suffice with shaking a few of the droplets free and trying to touch as little as possible as you transfer the book over to it, taking up your wand again in your right. [['Hail, Old Gods of the Woods. Hail, Three Aspect Goddess...'|Read script 9]]

'May your divine will bring light from the darkness and new life from the cauldron of rebirth. I give you honor...' [[Trail off|Hesitate realization]]

You don't feel a divine presence. You don't feel salamanders and undines and gnomes and sylphs wandering the edges of your invisible, imagined ritual circle. You don't feel watched over by goddesses or sun kings. You feel stunted and closed off from a vast universe of greater things, born too wrong to appreciate them. [['...I...'|Hesitate 2]]

This is how it's always been for you. This is how it was when you tried your father's religion. This is how it was when you read about Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Taoism. Like you're a rock lying at the bottom of an ocean of life you can't even perceive. If you have such trouble believing in even one god, how are you expected to believe in many? [[I don't know.|Hesitate 3]]

Maybe this is just pride. Normal teenage contrarianness. A craving for difference lacking a real spiritual hunger to fill. You push through the rest of the invocation. [['...I give honor to the Old Gods and ask your blessing.'|Read script 10]]

'...Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again. Blessed be.' You lower the book onto the altar. It thumps unnaturally loud to your hearing, ears stinging from the chill or something else. You rest the wand atop the book and grab the butter knife, going one last time to the eastern position of the circle. [[Send off the spirits|Cut the circle]] [[Just blow it out|Bad end]]

You can't keep up the pretense anymore. You blow the candle out without sending off the air spirits, then do the same for the remaining three candles. Your imagined ritual circle becomes de-imagined. [[Clean up|Clean up bad end]]

You gesture a quick, surgical stroke in the air just above the imaginary salted line. You can fantasize, if you like, that the spirits in the circle are dissipating, ancient energies melting away into the night like steam. [[Time to clean up|Clean up]]

You return the citronella candle to the garage, the green and red candles to the living room, the blue votive to the hallway cupboard. You slip the knife into the sink and the gouged lemon into the garbage disposal. You wash your hands. You haul the altar back to your bedroom, where it becomes a nightstand once more. You hang your robe back up in the back of your closet. You let the wand remain how it is, resting atop the nightstand with the other recently shifted clutter. You'll organize everything in the morning. [[Take the pentacle necklace off]] [[Go to sleep wearing it]]

You slip the necklace off over your head and wind its cord around the steel pentacle charm, setting it atop your computer tower beside your alarm clock. [[Sleep|Sleep no pentacle]]

You climb into bed with the pentacle still hanging from your neck. It feels unnaturally cool against your skin, and digs into your chest a little when you roll onto your side. You decide that you should feel accomplished, even if it all turned out a little awkward. After all, you're only a novice. No coven. No friends with whom to discover this all together. Next year, you say to yourself, you'll at least try to have the script memorized in advance. [[Sleep|Sleep with pentacle]]

You climb into bed as you are, lumpy and unmagical and frustrated. It is 11-something PM, December 21st, 2003. Your mother and siblings are all asleep, cloistered in their respective rooms. Except for your little brother, who is still stretched out on the living room couch under the glow of your mother's beloved fireplace. You can't help feeling a tiny bit envious. Maybe he had the better idea in the end. You close your eyes. [[Dream|GOOD END]]

It is 11-something PM, December 21st, 2003. A Sunday. Around you, in the other rooms, your mother and siblings are sound asleep. Maybe. The winter solstice has passed. In a few hours the sun will come up. You are still 14. [[Dream|GOOD END]]

<center>CREDITS</center> Written by <a href="https://twitter.com/KrisLigman">Kris Ligman</a> in Twine 2. Special thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/Videlais">Dan Cox</a> and the <a href="https://twinery.org/cookbook/">Twine Cookbook</a>. This is a (mostly) autobiographical story about the author's specific experience as a teenager and should not be taken as a general critique of all pagans everywhere. You do you. The book featured in this game is based strongly on <a href="https://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780875421360">Celtic Magic by C.J. Conway</a>, which is still in circulation today. The ritual invocation featured is also based on one found in the book. [[Back to start|Intro]]

You return the green and red tapered candles to the living room, since they are most likely to be missed. You slip the knife into the sink and the gouged lemon into the garbage disposal. You wash your hands. You haul the altar back to your bedroom, where it becomes a nightstand once more. You drop your robe onto the floor. The citronella candle and the few other materials can wait till morning to get put back in their proper places. You leave the book on the corner of your desk. [[Take the pentacle necklace off|Take the pentacle off bad end]]

You slip the necklace with the pentacle charm off over your head. Usually you would wrap it neatly and return it to its spot atop your computer, but for tonight you just drop it amongst the rest of the clutter stacked onto your nightstand. You climb into bed, head buzzing with any number of self-criticisms, the loudest among them being that you're 14 and not a genius. A huge offense. Beyond your door, nestled in their respective rooms (or on the couch), your family probably sleeps on. What could keep them up at night, when they have everything figured out? It's only you who has a problem. It's only you who has ever had this problem. You're sure of it. [[Sleep|Sleep bad end]]

You close your eyes. At least one part of that invocation you read was undeniably true: the sun will be up soon, and the next night will not be as long as this one. [[Dream|Dream bad end]]

<center>THE END [[Credits]]</center>

You suddenly feel hot again. No, you feel prickly all over. You feel painfully aware that you are a misshapen 14-year-old standing in their backyard in a silly hand-sewn robe holding a wand made out of twigs and reading out of a book you got at a strip mall. [[Um...|Hesitate]]