The Witching Hour

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<h1>The Witching Hour</h1> <h2>by Pearl Lee</h2> [[Start]]

It all started when you saw the box in the [[grass|find]].

Maybe it’s a primal part of our little monkey brains that compels us to open strange boxes we [[find|Tourist]].

A plain metal box, the type you’d use to carry fancy fountain pen, lying between the [[thistles]]. You're not superstitious, but you’d like to think you're the type of person that would [[be|grass]].

Not wanting to be a gawking tourist, you carefully nudge it towards you with your foot, bend down as if to tie your laces, then take it. You hurry over to under the bridge where you can open it in [[private]].

{(if:$item is 1)[It was worn and weighty, like a river rock. You shake it carefully; something inside rattled. You pop the lid open. You couldn’t believe your [[eyes|Box]].] (else:)[It was worn and weighty, like a river rock. You shake it carefully; something inside rattled. You pop the lid open. You couldn’t believe your [[eyes|Dancing Pie]].]}

{(if:$item is 1)["Old Car? No problem! Get your free appraisal today!” It is an ad. All that espionage and intrigue for some crappy auto services joint. It felt slightly sticky on the back. You flip it [[over|over 2]].] (else:)[It's an ad. All that espionage and intrigue for some crappy snack food. It felt slightly sticky on the back. You flip it [[over]].]}

<img src="https://s20.postimg.cc/u6gx1ze19/Card.jpg" alt="black card with white text which says the following:"> “Don’t speak. Don’t drink. Don’t touch.” Yikes, must’ve been one rough date. You slip the card and box into your pocket, you'll toss them next time you see a [[trash can|Room]].

You step back, something about this place gives you the willies. "Sorry, man. I don't." They give you a long stare, then shrugs, "There's always next time. But we both know that." Before you can ask them what they mean, they go back [[inside|willies]].

You turn up your collar and walk further down the [[canal|stairs]].

You take the drink, what could it [[hurt]]?

The rest of the night is a blur. You distinctly remember your companion not being much for [[conversation]]. <img src="https://s20.postimg.cc/jk9kmdiil/Pub_2.jpg" alt="Skeletal figure and a drink">

<p style="color:#1A9801;">"Drink more,"</p> she says as plies you with more alcohol, green as the eyes you are drowning [[in]].

[["DRINK!"|Drink aside 1]]

[[You can't breathe|Drink 2]]

[["Drink."|Drink aside 3]]

[["Drink"|Drink aside 4]]

[[You've never been happier|Drink 4]]

[[Drink|END 2]]

<h1>END 2: TIL THE LAST DROP</h1> <img src="https://s20.postimg.cc/x16j59fzh/END_2.jpg" alt="Person drowning in green water"> (set: $bottle to 1) [[Start Over|Begin 2]]

[[Her hair wraps around your throat|Drink 3]]

Your mind can’t get a grasp on their face. It was like trying to remember a dream while glaring at the Sun. <img src="https://s20.postimg.cc/6svefudvh/Pub_1.jpg" alt="Person with a glitched-out face"> “You got a pass?” Your thoughts snap to the card in your pocket. [[Give them the card|Card]] [[Don't give them the card|R3 START]] {(if:$box is 2)[[[Give them the box|OMG]]]}

They hold it up to the light. “Superstitious?” You shrug They scoff and hand it back to you, “Good enough city for it, I suppose.” And with a flourish they stepped aside and let you [[through|into the den]].

A wall of sound and humidity hit you as soon as you entered. The pub was packed, filled with more people than should’ve been possible, whose appearances you forgot as soon as you looked away. Then you saw [[her|Green Woman]].

You were picking through the wildflowers to add to your collection. Unfortunately, the canal was also a prime spot for either dog walking or [[vomiting|find]].

You go back up to your room. Edinburgh was beautiful, but you haven't yet fully embraced the joy of solitude. Personally, you didn't feel like dealing the hoardes of people who actually had friends and family to hang out with. You throw your jacket on your desk. [[THUNK|can]].

You settle down for the night. Or at least you try to. The beds aren’t the comfiest, but it wasn’t helped by the intense itching you felt in your fingers and back. Was it ticks? Was it the box? Were there ticks in the box? Can you get ticks from a box? You glance out the window. Light already. If theres one thing you missed about home, it was having more than three hours of [[darkness]].

You tip your jacket upside down over your bed. Something weigthy plops onto the mattress. Oh yeah. The box. [[Toss it|No Box]] [[Keep it|Yes Box]] {(if:$item is 1)[[[Put it back in your pocket|Pocketed]]]}

[[The smell of peat gets stronger|Drink 1]]

[["Drink!"|Drink aside 2]]

Whatever. You decide to do what you usually did when you were restless: go for a [[walk]].

The wind whipped along the pathway, chilly from the rain earlier. It stirred up the black water in the canal that ran alongside the road. You were weighing your chances of getting dragged in an alley and [[murdered|grave robbing]] when you saw [[it|Pub]].

She smiles at you. All teeth. All a little bit too long. She was the most beautiful woman you've ever seen. <img src="https://s15.postimg.cc/llwhieocb/Eyes_1_copy.png" alt="A collage of a green eye"> Her eyes shine like emeralds. Or leaves. Or whatever deeply green thing that exists or would ever [[exist]].

You're not sure if you go to her or vise versa, but her face suddenly fills your vision. Everything else just fades into the background. Her fingers drift to your shoulder without touching it, like smoke on water. Something felt off, but you couldn’t put your finger on what. You were suddenly all too aware of the card in your [[pocket]].

<p style="color:#1A9801;">“Would you like a drink?”</p> Her breath smelled earthy. Like uprooted grass. Your tongue felt heavy in your mouth. Something cold is pressed into your hands. A small shot glass, filled with a liquid so green it seemed to glow. So small, so insignificant. You'd probably not even feel it. [[Take the drink|R2 START]] [[Don't take the drink|R1 START]]

"Sorry," you mumble, taking a step back. Nothing in her expression changes, but you see her eyes harden. <p style="color:#1A9801;">“Come back again when you’re ready to have fun.”</p> She kisses you above the eyes and pressed a small object into your palm. With a smile, she pushes you through the door, where the black waters now waited for [[you]].

You jolt awake. Daylight cuts through the darkness. Your face tingles where she kissed you, like a slap, but your hand is [[empty]].

You reach around for your glasses, but felt something ice cold and hard. You pick it up: a key. The scent of pond scum faintly permeates the air. You look out of your bed. Sopping footprints that were too long to be any humans led out your locked [[door|key]].

It’s been a week since then. Every 3 AM since, you’ve heard sounds outside your door. Gurgling, creaking, soft shuffles. Innocuous. [[Insidious|Sleep]].

<h1>END 1: UNDER LOCK AND KEY</h1> [<img src="https://s20.postimg.cc/bhbeb6fyl/END_1.jpg" alt="Key in a footprint-shaped puddle">] (set: $key to 1) [[Start Over|Begin 2]]

<h1>The Witching Hour</h1> <h2>by Pearl Lee</h2> [[Start]] (set: $item to 1)

You dance six of the five dances you know. Your head spins and your feet throb, but you just can't stop [[dancing|SNAP 1]].

[[//CRACK//|SNAP aside]]

[[//SNAP//|SNAP aside 2]]

[[Your heels fly off you shoes|SNAP 2]]

[[Your laces split, frayed and worn|SNAP 3]]

[[//POP//|SNAP aside 3]]

[[Your ankles dislocate|SNAP 4]]

[[//SCRAPE//|SNAP aside 4]]

[[The stumps of your legs scratch against the dance floor|dancing queen]]

You've never felt so [[alive|END 4]]

<h1>END 5: DISCO INFERNO</h1> <img src="https://s20.postimg.cc/z54fgbmx9/END_4.jpg" alt="Discarded white and red shoes"> (set: $dance to 1) [[Start Over|Begin 2]]

(set: $dance to $dance + 5){ (if:$dance <= 20)[[[DANCE|R4 START]]] (else-if:$dance <= 35)[[[KEEP DANCING|R4 START]]] (else-if:$dance <= 55)[[[NEVER STOP DANCING|R4 START]]] (else:)[[[NEVER STOP|Dance]]]}

You enter into a dark room, surrounded by various objects. ** A locked, black chest ** A stone basin filled with green liquid ** A chipped and stained block of stone ** A cremation urn ** A pair of dancing shoes //What do you have to offer me, mortal?// Her deep voice booms all around you. You think for moment, then slip your hand into your pocket. {(if:$key is 1)[[["A key."|Key Room]]] (else-if:$bottle is 1)[[["A bottle."|Bottle Room]]] (else-if:$rock is 1)[[["A missing piece."|Rock Room]]] (else-if:$ash is 1)[[["Some ash."|Ash Room]]] (else-if:$dance is 1)[[["A dance."|Dance Room]]] (else:)[[["What?"|What?]]]}

You unlock the black chest and find a dead [[fish|Wish]].

Upon further inspection, one of the shoes is missing a heel. You slip it back into place. The shoe glow red-hot and afix themselves onto your feet. Oddly enough, they feel perfectly [[fine|Dansy Pants]].

Nothing. You don't know how you even got here. You look around and see you're contained in a roughly rectangular black box, surrounded by white words. You feel your story coming to an end. "This isn't how it was supposed to be." You say, discovering that this was probably the first time you've ever had dialogue this whole [[game|??? END]].

You empty the bottle into the emerald-green liquid. It swirls, then turns [[golden|Wish]].

You insert the bloodstained piece of cobblestone into the block. It glows then becomes whole again, as if it had never broken. The dark seam of your blood is just another vein in the [[rock|Wish]].

A pub underneath the bridge. Hanging over the water was a sign: <h2 style="color:#990000;"><center>The Kelpie’s Cave</center></h2> A wood-cut engraving of a morose black horse hung below it. The wind didn’t seem to affect the sign at [[all|Notice]].

Truth be told, your general impression of Edinburgh is that though it had a deep history of murder and death, but it is relatively quiet now. From what the internet told you, grave robbing was the most common crime [[here|walk]].

Why you hadn’t noticed earlier was beyond you. A bridge pub is pretty hard to miss. You should be more suspicious, but frankly your ass is about to fall off with how cold it is and you are a sucker for theme [[pubs|Bouncer]].

There is a bouncer at the [[door|Dream boy]].

You reach the end. Nothing here except for docked boats and sleeping [[ducks|Up]].

<h1>END 3: STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN</h1> <img src="https://s20.postimg.cc/elm27tza5/END_3.jpg" alt="A bloody chunk of rock"> (set: $rock to 1) [[Start Over|Begin 2]]

The urn is made of old, tarnished metal. You lift the lid: there are fragements of bones sitting at the top. You pour the ash [[inside|Wish]].

A sharp gust of wind slaps at your back from down the canal. You shiver. Was it just you, or was it getting colder? You hear the faint thrum of music in [[distance|Follow]].

You follow a path away from the canal. Sleek glass and steel give way to crumbling, brick and mortar as you go further down this road. The thrum of music gets louder as you [[approach|Lights]].

The first thing that strikes you as you enter is that, despite being absolutely packed with dancing people, no one actually seems to touch you. The air was heavy and sickly sweet with a familar yet unsettling smell. [[Leave]] [[Stay]]

You are again overwhelmed with the sense of unease. Something was very, very wrong [[here|stumble]].

It was probably just the decades of spilled drink soaked into the dance floor. Speaking of which. Your favorite dance song starts playing. You know, the one with the (either: "deep bass", "Gregorian chants", "good beats", "ska interlude")? You take to the dance [[floor|R4 START]].

You make your way back towards the door. The music stops. <img src="https://s20.postimg.cc/h2xtf4e1p/Dance_RUN.jpg" alt="Many staring eyes"> The patrons' stares burrow into your back. The smell [[intesifies|Scream]].

You toss it into your trash. What a waste of time. Probably wasn't even real [[metal|Rest]]. (set: $box to 1)

You toss it onto your desk. Even if was a piece of junk, at least it'd make for a semi-decent [[story|Rest]]. (set: $box to 1)

Never know when you need a old-ass [[box|Rest]]. (set: $box to 2)

<img src="https://s20.postimg.cc/u6gx1ze19/Card.jpg" alt="black card with white text which says the following:"> “Don’t speak. Don’t drink. Don’t touch.” Yikes, must’ve been one rough date. You notice something else rattling around at the bottom of the [[box|Items]].

{(if:$key is 1)[A key.] (else-if:$bottle is 1)[A small vial of green liquid.] (else-if:$rock is 1)[A small, stained piece of rock.] (else-if:$ash is 1)[A baggie of ash.] (else-if:$dance is 1)[A broken heel of a shoe.] (else:)[Nothing, trick of the light.]} Weird. You slip the items into your pocket, you'll toss them next time you see a [[trash can|Room]].

The bouncer gives you a hard stare. At least you assume so. Their dark glasses make it difficult for you to tell where they're looking. "Follow me." You [[do|Follow Them]].

You manage to keep up, despite the throngs of people in your way. How can such a small place contain so many people? You follow the bouncer through a small, old door tucked behind a [[counter|Steps]].

What you initially saw of the pub is just the surface. It actually contains several floors, each more rowdy than the next, all spiraling further down underground. You struggle to keep up, as your guide not so much //walks// down the steps as they do //fly// [[down|Down 1]].

And down. Past a score of beautiful men and women yelling at a football match playing on a flat screen. Dappled grey and white fur coats hang off the backs of their [[seats|Down 2]].

And so you continue. Until you reach the [[bottom|Stop]].

And down. Past a group of, what you assume are, wolf-masked men playing poker, surrounded by buckets of fish. One slams his card onto the table and howls [[happily|Down 3]].

And down. Past a single, old woman hunched away from you, scrubbing at a wash tub between her feet, an beat-up box of Borax by her side. She sits up, pulling a garment out of the frothy water. It looks remarkably like the jacket you're [[wearing|Bottom]].

You've left the sounds of revelry far above you now. The bouncer leans next to a dark, oak door. They huff impatiently, muttering something under breath about [[mortals|offering]].

"Well, do you have the offering?" You think back to what you found in the box earlier. "Yes?" They nod, "You're ready to see her, then." They open the door, and you are [[engulfed|The Offering]].

//I accept your offering, mortal. What is it that you wish for?// [[To forget]]

END ???: THIS GAME IS BORKED

//Intriguing. But forget what, exactly?// [[The Truth]]

(set: $groove to $groove+1){(if:$groove <= 6)[You do the [[(either: "Charleston", "Cha Cha Slide", "Mambo", "Cupid Shuffle","Shopping Cart", "Robot", "Worm", "Twist", "Macarena", "Hustle","Running Man", "Whip", "Monster Mash", "Creep", "Lawnmower")|Dansy Pants]]] (else:)[[[Until you just can't dance anymore.|Wish]]]}

Surrounded by a high, dark fence in a flat expanse of land is a large, stone house. Technicolor lights flash through the narrow, barred windows. As you approach, the main entrance creaks [[open|Eurodance]].

The area is immediately flooded with the sounds of revelry and Eurodance remixes of early 2010 American pop songs. The thrall of the music is too much for you. You enter into the [[dance club|songs]].

The voices start out as whispers. Then grow into a cacophany of howling //come back// //COME BACK// //<h2>COME BACK</h2>// //<h1>COME BACK</h1>// You [[run]]

You feel a sharp pain in the back of your neck as something grabs the collar of your jacket. You rip yourself away and bolt [[outside|cacophany]].

The cacophany of voices pursue you as you fly down the [[road]].

You now turn over and close your eyes. You don’t want to know where this key belongs, but you're even more afraid of what would happen if you threw it [[away|END 1]].

You must've travelled a lot farther than you remembered. The familiar twinkle of city lights stretches far below you down a steep hill. The sky is slowly brightening. You spot a long, narrow stone stairway wind down the slope. The howling gets closer. [[Run down the steps|Fall]] [[Go slow|Slow]]

You'd be damned if you stick around with these creeps any longer than you have to. You run as fast as you can down the [[steps|Slippery]].

You'd rather not take your chances, this situation is precarious enough as it is. You carefully make your way down the steps, doing your best to ignore the tugging and screeching at your [[back|downtown]].

The steps are a lot more slippery than they [[look|Down]].

//[[CRASH|Crash]]//

//[[THUD|Thud]]//

//<h2>[[BANG]]</h2>//

[[<h1>CRACK</h1>|END 3]]

You eventually make it to the bottom of the hill, the screams and clutching dying away as daylight [[broke]].

You take out your phone and call a [[cab]].

<h1>END 5: ASHES TO ASHES</h1> <img src="https://s20.postimg.cc/be51y7ufx/END_5.jpg" alt="A skeletal hand on the back of a bloodied coat"> (set: $ash to 1) [[Start Over|Begin 2]]

You scratch the back of your neck. it still stings from when you got grabbed. You feel something come off underneath your nails: Dried blood, and a bit of chalky powder. You pull off your [[jacket|whatever]]

An ashen white handprint is burned into your collar. You try to brush it off, to no avail. You huff and shrug your jacket back on. Whatever. It's been a long [[night|END 5]].

You wanted to forget all of it: The mistakes that you had made. The people you abandoned. The memories of that one, fateful [[day]].

You were in love. But neither of your parents approved of your union. So you decided to run away [[together]].

It was a short [[story]].

A popular Asian confectionary that is not usually known for being animate. Also, buy Orion, not Lotte. It may be cheaper, but the taste is not as [[good|story]].

//One day it wanted to go to the beach. It had heard that there was gonna be a major dance party there later that day. So it boarded a bus and went on its merry [[way]]. //

You should've been more specific. But how were you supposed to know they didn't know which 12 0'clock to come [[by]]?

By the time you had come to your rendezvous location, you could feel that something was wrong. You ran up and down the beach for what seemed like all night. And then you saw it: <img src="https://s20.postimg.cc/dnokvaqvh/Ocean_View.png" alt="A circular photo of the ocean"> A dark shape in the [[water]].

You swam towards it as quickly as you could, fearing the worst, and dragged the figure back towards the [[shore]].

You didn't bother to see who you grabbed until you reached dry land. Dragging the both of you out of the water, you finally see who it [[is|Whodunnit]]. (set: $key to 17)

It was the dancing Choco Pie. <img src="https://s20.postimg.cc/62q5dig31/Choco_Pie.jpg" alt="A dancing Choco Pie with wiggly noodle limbs"> [[The End|Begin]] (set: $key to 0) (set:$bottle to 0) (set:$ash to 0) (set:$rock to 0) (set:$item to 0) (set:$box to 0) (set:$dance to 0)

//Choco Pie was very excited. So it did what it did when it felt any sort of emotion: Dance. It danced so hard that it shook the [[bus|Cliffside]].//

//Now in order to get to the beach, this bus had to drive along a somewhat narrow road beside the edge of a cliff. You could see why Choco Pie's dancing would be a [[problem|Stop 1]].//

//The driver chided it, "Choco Pie, stop that dancing immediately or else you'll tip us over!" Choco Pie retorted, "No man, I can't stop!" and began to dance even [[harder|Stop 2]].//

//The bus teetered even more precariously towards the edge of the cliff. The bus driver, pleading this time, said, "Choco Pie, please. If you keep dancing like that, you'll tip us over!" Choco Pie yelled, "No man! Can't stop, won't stop!" and began to dance even [[harder|Stop 3]]//

//At his wits-end, the bus driver yelled, "If you don't stop dancing right now, I'm gonna stop this bus and throw you into the ocean!" Choco Pie screamed, "Never!" and danced as hard as it [[could|Drowned]].//

//So the bus driver stopped the bus and threw Choco Pie into the [[sea|Box]].//

//There once was a dancing [[Choco Pie]]. It loved to dance so much that it would do it no matter [[what|Bus]].//