,,,,,,,,,,,Aurora and the Twin Planets
by Clio Em
//Long ago upon the sky
Twin Planets traced a wandering path. . . //
<b>[[enter the game world]]</b>
//a tiny interactive tale by clio em
All soundscapes are my own original compositions, which can be listened to on my <a href="http://soundcloud.com/clio-em"> soundcloud</a> page. Headphones are recommended.
All content Copyright (c) 2020 Clio Montrey (as clio em).
All rights reserved.//You wake up to the fading strains of an uneasy dream-melody. It is not yet dawn.
You were on a rooftop terrace atop a beautiful palace, singing and playing a beautiful string instrument. You feel like you have visited that place before. Dream-memory is fading quickly, but your heart still races.
You are so incredibly thirsty. You pour yourself a glass water from the blown-glass pitcher on your nightstand. The water is such a cool shade of blue in the darkness of your bedroom. As you finish the last drop in your glass, you catch the scent and taste of a delicious fruit. Your head is already dropping back onto your pillow and you hear the melody return.
//"On their gravity they sailed
Abandoning where they had failed . . ." //
<b>[[wake up]]</b>
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/577054308&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 50;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-sarabande" title="LACE - Sarabande" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Sarabande</a></div>You wake up, but you do not feel rested. The melody continues playing in your imagination, spinning a thread of uneasy tones. You sit up in the half-darkness and pour yourself another glass of water from the pitcher. You marvel at how blue the water is in this half-light; it is even more intensely cerulean than before.
You reach for the light switch.
There is no light switch.
And then you realize that this is not your bedroom. The four-poster bed, the covers and pillows, and the carved nightstand are all far too opulent. Palatial, even.
You have two choices: you can <b>[[get up and explore your surroundings]]</b> or <b>[[close your eyes and hope all of this goes away]]</b>.
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/577054308&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 50;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-sarabande" title="LACE - Sarabande" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Sarabande</a></div>The room is too dark to explore properly; dawn has not broken yet. You will yourself to get up. Fear rises in you but you push it back down. Now is not the time.
You are an astronomer. Discovering the unknown is your profession but so far, you have only done it from behind the safety of a telescope. Perhaps it is time for a little immersion, though. So far, nothing appears threatening.
You discover an unlocked door and creep out into the hallway. It twists and turns. After you wind your way up a staircase you emerge onto a terrace - the very same one you were dreaming of, earlier.
Looking out over the edge of the terrace, you see a landscape of lush vegetation and distant mountains. Hovering over those mountains in the sky are two gigantic ringed planets. This is not the sky you know.
A proliferation of blue and green plants are artistically arranged on this rooftop, and in the middle is a gazebo with two chairs, one of them holding an unusual string instrument. You'd like to try it out, but you're not sure if it's a good idea.
<b>[[You sit down and begin playing the instrument.]]
[[You decide to have a look around.]]</b>
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/581414589&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-air" title="LACE - Air" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Air</a></div>You resolutely shut your eyes again! No, that water has not become juice, and no, the bed does not have four posts. The room has not mysteriously expanded to palatial dimensions. You're just very tired and your dream is intruding into reality. What you need is coffee.
You open your eyes. There! Everything is as you remembered it. Your familiar nightstand with its beautiful blown-glass water jug, your own glass. You fill it with water. There is a wisp of fruit in the taste, but that must be your imagination; the dream was so vivid.
<b>[[Get up and go about your day]]</b>
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/573361869&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-courante" title="LACE - Courante" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Courante</a></div>It is the week of your name day, and so you arrive to the observatory and are met with a little cake and a tiny celebration. The little cake is blue, your favourite colour, and it comes with blue-tinted coffee. You laugh at your colleagues' dedication to detail. After the treat, you go on to poring over star charts. There are several signals to investigate, including one from a solar system with several planets, one of which might hold intelligent life.
You adore your profession. Since childhood you looked up at the stars and saw the constellations there: the Great Forest, the Weeping Star Sweeper. But your favourite was always the Dragon Bird.
Carina is already adjusting the telescope. Today it is pointed at the brightest star of the Great Forest, and <b>[[you see something unusual on your readout]]</b>.
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/245234660&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/painterly" title="Painterly" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Painterly</a></div>"Carina?" you ask. "What is this? It looks as though a transmission is coming through." You can barely contain your excitement.
"It looks like a radio transmission," she says."Want to hear it?"
"Always," you reply with a smile. You love listening to every signal that comes in. One day it might have some sort of aural meaning.
This one strikes you immediately. It sounds like bursts of static, but from them clearly emerges a musical melody... the same melody you were playing in your dream. You freeze.
"That sounds... odd," Carina says, bemused. "I can almost hear music in it."
You wonder if you should tell her that you <b>[[dreamed this same melody]]. Or <b>[[perhaps you are imagining things]]</b>, reading into patterns that are not truly there.
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/577054308&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 50;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-sarabande" title="LACE - Sarabande" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Sarabande</a></div>"I dreamed this very same melody last night," you tell Carina. She freezes.
"Are you alright, Aurora? You look a little faint..."
You've spotted an instrument in the corner of the observatory. You've never seen it there before.
"Carina, what is that instrument?" you ask. It looks extremely familiar but you can't place why...
"That's not mine," she replies, puzzled. "I don't think I've ever seen it before. Someone must have brought it in; maybe Cantara? She's always learning new music."
The instrument nearly glows; you feel as though it is drawing you to it. You pick it up. You've played an instrument nearly your whole life. This one is a little unfamiliar, but you think back to all the music lessons you took. You sit down and hold it on your knees, hovering the bow over the strings. You play the melody from your dream. As you play, you close your eyes. You feel very strange and very sleepy.
<b>[[You open your eyes...]]<b/>
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/581414589&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-air" title="LACE - Air" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Air</a></div>"I had some strange dreams last night," you tell Carina. "I think I should maybe have some more of that coffee." You go to the machine and you find that your colleagues have coloured ALL of the coffee blue! Pranksters.
You take a sip of your coffee. It's delicious and has just a hint of some sort of fruit. You drain the cup and feel a bit better.
You work for an hour but you can't seem to stay awake. You slept so poorly last night. No one will notice if you have a tiny nap at your workstation. You sit down in your chair and put your head down on your desk. Soon enough, <b>[[dreams swirl around you.]]</b>
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/245627968&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/mint-tea" title="Mint Tea" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Mint Tea</a></div>Curious; for your entire childhood you learned to play an instrument very similar to this one. This strange instrument has a more rounded body than the one you are familiar with, but the way the bow hovers over the strings and pulls out sound is almost exactly the same. Your technique applies here, and you begin to play the melody you have in your mind. Then, you begin to sing phrases that seem to enter your mind unbidden. You do not remember having learned them.
//"The travelers, they found this place
Because the Twins had shown the way.
On their gravity they sailed
Abandoning where they had failed . . ."//
Suddenly you spot someone on the terrace beyon the gazebo! They are tall and . . . blue? You have only a moment to decide whether you should <b>[[hide]]</b> or <b>[[approach them]]</b>.
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/577054308&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 50;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-sarabande" title="LACE - Sarabande" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Sarabande</a></div>You walk down a set of twisting steps onto a terrace and then onto yet another. This palace seems to have a lot of them. There are endless chambers, and even a concert hall. The palace is vast, sprawling, and seems to have multiple levels. Musical instruments line nearly every wall, hanging within reach. It is tempting to reach for one but you resist the urge. From time to time you hear a melody around a bend. It sounds very much like the song you entered this dream world with at first. You want to find the source of the music.
You round a bend and spot someone down the hall. They are tall and . . . blue? You have only a moment to decide whether you should <b>[[hide]]</b> or <b>[[approach them]]</b>.
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/577054308&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 50;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-sarabande" title="LACE - Sarabande" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Sarabande</a></div>You are not ready to meet this strange person just yet! You find an orchard of small potted blue trees; it is easy to disappear among them. But the blue person follows you. Clearly they have spotted you.
You stop between what looks like three trees upon which grow silvery-blue apple-like fruits. You peer out between the branches and leaves, and meet the gaze of the mysterious person. They have a regal appearance - blue eyes, hair, complexion, and embroidered blue robes that are edged with a scarlet geometric pattern.
"I am Messenger," they say. "Please, do not be afraid."
"I'm not afraid," you bluster.
"Oh, but you must be, at least a little, for you have come such a long way," Messenger replies, smiling slightly. "You must be very hungry and thirsty. Would you like to take a meal with me?"
[["Yes, please," you reply. Why not accept the local hospitality?]]
[["No, thank you," you reply. "But would it be possible to see more of the palace?"]]
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/248751790&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/music-box" title="Music Box" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Music Box</a></div>You are curious to meet an inhabitant of this place, so you walk right up to them. They have a regal appearance - blue eyes, hair, complexion, and embroidered blue robes that are edged with a scarlet geometric pattern.
"Hello," you introduce yourself boldly.
"I am Messenger," they reply, smiling slightly. "You must be very hungry and thirsty. Would you like to take a meal with me?"
[["Yes, please," you reply. Why not accept the local hospitality?]]
[["No, thank you," you reply. "But would it be possible to see more of the palace?"]]
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/248751790&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/music-box" title="Music Box" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Music Box</a></div>"I would be honoured to show you the palace," replies Messenger.
You are led from terrace to terrace; this palace seems to have a lot of them. There are endless chambers, and even a concert hall. From time to time you hear a melody around a bend. It sounds very much like the song you entered this dream world with at first.
"What is that song?" you ask Messenger.
"What song do you mean?" they reply, puzzled. "I am unsure to what you are referring."
"I hear music playing," you say.
"Perhaps you should sit down," Messenger says in a worried tone, and leads you to a small table overlooking a beautiful mountainscapes. The rising sun is beginning to send rays over their peaks, and the planets are becoming mistier and paler, turning from purple to violet. There is a small table and two chairs by the window. Messenger beckons for you to sit, so you do.They pull out a chair for you. You sit, and Messenger sits across from you. "
Suddenly you begin to feel faint. The last thing you see is Messenger, standing up across the table from you, looking concerned. [[You close your eyes, only for a moment...]]
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/577054308&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 50;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-sarabande" title="LACE - Sarabande" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Sarabande</a></div>"Come with me," Messenger says. They turn and their robes make a sweeping motion. You follow them out of the little rooftop orchard and to the edge of the terrace. You cannot help but look out at the twin planets hanging in the sky.
Messenger follows your gaze. "Ah, the Twin Planets," they say. "Are you seeing them for the first time?"
All you can do is nod. You realize that the Twin Planets you see before you are the ones in the song that has been running through your mind.
You descend a level to a beautiful chamber that faces the mountains. The rising sun is beginning to send rays over their peaks, and the planets are becoming mistier and paler, turning from purple to violet. There is a small table and two chairs by the window. Messenger beckons for you to sit, so you do.
"Please help youself," Messenger tells you. In front of you are a steaming mug of a blue coffee-like beverage, and a plate of colourful pastries: red, violet, and blue. Do you drink first, or do you eat?
[[You drink the blue coffee.]]
[[You eat the pastries.]]
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/672116000&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/4-lace-paper" title="LACE - Paper" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Paper</a></div>As you drink the last drop, the song bursts into your mind again, except this time it is more complex.
"You have learned the entire Melody," Messenger says. "Curious. I did not expect it to be completed without you both drinking and eating. Here, food and drink impart knowledge. Do you remember, back on your world, whether you ever had something that tasted of this same fruit?"
You want to answer but you are more and more tired; too tired to talk just now. Your eyelids are drooping. The last thing you see is Messenger, standing up across the table from you, looking concerned. [[You close your eyes, only for a moment...]]
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/245627968&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/mint-tea" title="Mint Tea" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Mint Tea</a></div>As you eat the last crumb, the song bursts into your mind again, except this time it is more complex.
"You have learned the entire Melody," Messenger says. "Curious. I did not expect it to be completed without you both drinking and eating. Here, food and drink impart knowledge.Do you remember, back on your world, whether you ever had something that tasted of this same fruit?"
You want to answer but you are more and more tired; too tired to talk just now. Your eyelids are drooping. The last thing you see is Messenger, standing up across the table from you, looking concerned. [[You close your eyes, only for a moment...]]
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/245627968&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/mint-tea" title="Mint Tea" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Mint Tea</a></div>You open your eyes.
You are back in your bedroom at home.
Everything is as you remembered it. Your familiar nightstand with its beautiful blown-glass water jug, your own glass. You fill it with water. There is a wisp of fruit in the taste, but that must be your imagination; the dream was so vivid.
You realize you have overslept; your waking chime did not succeed in its task. It's time to <b>[[get up and rush to work]].</b>
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/573361869&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-courante" title="LACE - Courante" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Courante</a></div>You take a bubble to the observatory today because of the rush. You usually walk instead because it gives you a queasy feeling, hovering over the city like that, with the transparent field enclosing a seat that appears to float freely. But it gets you to the observatory in record time.
Your friend Carina is there already adjusting the telescope, as usual. She seems to have been there for quite some time.
"Where have you been, Aurora?" she asks. "You disappeared on us yesterday without telling anyone anything! Are you alright?"
You don't remember that happening. But come to think of it, you can only remember the beginning of the previous day... then things became a blur. What you recall most vividly is the strange dream world with the twin planets in the sky.
"I'm sorry, Carina," you reply. "I've been sleeping badly. I'm fine. And I want to get on analyzing that new signal we found."
"Alright, but have your coffee first." Carina hands you a cup of coffee. It is blue and has a slightly fruity aroma. This is the week of your name day and your colleagues always celebrate it with you; they know your favourite colour is blue.
[[You sip your coffee as you analyze the signal.]]
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/245234660&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/painterly" title="Painterly" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Painterly</a></div>... and you find yourself on the terrace from your dream. You are playing the same instrument you had picked up in the observatory, only now the surroundings are different - you sit within a gazebo on a beautiful terrace filled with lush blue and green plants. The view beyond the terrace edge is of a landscape of lush vegetation and distant mountains. Hovering over those mountains in the sky are two gigantic ringed planets. This is not the sky you know.
You begin to sing phrases that seem to enter your mind unbidden. You do not remember having learned them.
//"The travelers, they found this place
Because the Twins had shown the way.
On their gravity they sailed
Abandoning where they had failed . . ."//
You see someone approaching. They are tall and . . . blue? You have only a moment to decide whether you should <b>[[hide]]</b> or <b>[[approach them]]</b>.
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/245627968&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/mint-tea" title="Mint Tea" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Mint Tea</a></div>You are back in the same dream you were having last night. You find yourself on a beautiful rooftop terrace. Looking out over the edge of the terrace, you see a landscape of lush vegetation and distant mountains. Hovering over those mountains in the sky are two gigantic ringed planets. This is not the sky you know.
You are an astronomer. Discovering the unknown is your profession but so far, you have only done it from behind the safety of a telescope. Perhaps it is time for a little immersion, though. So far nothing appears threatening.
A proliferation of blue and green plants are artistically arranged on this rooftop, and in the middle is a gazebo with two chairs, one of them holding an unusual string instrument. You'd like to try it out, but you're not sure if it's a good idea.
<b>[[You sit down and begin playing the instrument.]]
[[You decide to have a look around.]]</b>
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/581414589&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-air" title="LACE - Air" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Air</a></div>You play back the signal, and you hear the melody inside it. There is a lot of static, but it is most definitely the song from the dream world. It came from a star in the Great Forest constellation. You vaguely remember discussing that with Carina, but you are fuzzy on the details. This is so exciting; you wonder why she isn't spending time on this with you right now.
You look at the waveform and isolate the frequencies that create the melody. This is an instrumental version; no words. But it is clearly the song from your dream.
"Carina?" you call. You can see your colleague climbing the ladder up the telescope, about to reach the readout platform. "Could you come down here and help me analyze this signal? I think it's important."
"Actually, I could use your help, Aurora! I'm redirecting the telescope - we have a new signal, even more powerful! But you can finish what you're working on if you're in the middle of something."
[[You go help Carina redirect the telescope.]]
[[You stay at your station and keep analyzing this signal.]]
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/577054308&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 50;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-sarabande" title="LACE - Sarabande" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Sarabande</a></div>"Coming," you call back to Carina. You begin climbing the ladder to the control platform. Once you reach it, you see Carina working frantically at the workstation there.
"Aurora, we need to redirect this to the beak of the Dragon Bird. the satellite picked up a tremendously powerful signal coming from there."
You join Carina at the workstation and together you reprogram the telescope to change orientation. It clanks and whirs as it repositions. this part always makes you feel dizzy, like your stomach is dropping out beneath you. Usually it goes away after a second, but this time the feeling persists. You still feel dizzy after climbing down the ladder and sitting at your own workstation.
"Carina, I'm stepping outside a minute for some air," you say. On the way out you fill a glass with water from the water station. It's also a deep cerulean blue. Your colleagues' dedication to detail is charming but annoying.
Once outside in the little observatory garden, you sit down on a bench among some blue-green grasses and down your glass of water. You close your eyes for a moment, and when you reopen them, Messenger is sitting beside you. You close your eyes firmly, but when you reopen them, Messenger is still there.
[["What are you doing here?" you ask.]]
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/308422190&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/nce-3-reality" title="NCE 3 - Reality" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">NCE 3 - Reality</a></div>"I need to finish this analysis," you call back to Carina.
"No problem, I'll message Cantara to come help me here," she yells back.
You become immersed in your work. The loud clanking and whirring of the telescope readjustment above is distracting but you work through it. As you refine the signal, you hear the quality of the instrument better. You are so deeply engrossed in your work that you start as someone taps you on the shoulder. You turn around slowly to face Messenger. You inhale sharply. The dream world and the real world should not be colliding.
[["What are you doing here?" you ask.]]
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/306958317&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/nce-2-drgn" title="NCE 2 - DRGN" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">NCE 2 - DRGN</a></div>You feel like standing up and bolting.
"Please calm down," replies Messenger. "It is very difficult to reach you here on your world, but it is important. Thank the Planets you played that signal; it was what enabled me to come here and reach you. You must return to the World of the Twin Planets!"
"The dream world?" You ask. "You aren't even real. I'm not sleeping well. This is some sort of lucid dream. I've fallen asleep at my workstation."
"I can decidedly assure you that this is no dream," Messenger says with urgency. "We used gates on you when you fell asleep before to smooth the transition; transport is much easier when you are asleep. That is why I am visiting you here instead of having you brought back to our world. It is imperative that you come back. We need your help! Tonight, drink the water on your bedside table. Do not switch it out; it has been coded for our world already. I will explain everything. Now I must go." And with a swish of crimson-edged blue robes, Messenger rushes around a bend and out of sight.
The rest of the day is a blur. once you get home you try to shake your unease. you must have had a lucid dream, that's what that must have been.
When you go to bed, you find that you are extremely thirsty. The hyper-blue water on your nightstand beckons. You aren't sure if you should [[drink it]] or go to the kitchen and [[pour yourself a glass from the tap.]]
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/248751790&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/music-box" title="Music Box" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Music Box</a></div>You drink the water, lie down, and close your eyes. You taste a slightly fruity aroma.
You are immediately dreaming, if this is a dream. You are sitting in the gazebo on the rooftop and playing the melody.
A noise like an erupting volcano reaches your ears and you stop playing. You try to shut the noise out. It is so impossibly loud.
You see Messenger running toward you. "The Spectrals are here," they yell. "Keep playing the melody!" Messenger enters the gazebo and huddles in the other chair, shaking.
You play furiously. The noise overwhelms your ears. You don't know if you are even playing the right notes.
Eventually the noise diminishes and finally goes away.
You weakly drop the bow. Peering out from beneath the roof of the gazebo, you see a flutter of transparent wings. A creature that appears to be half dragon, half bird is rising on an air current, snapping a vicious-looking crystalline beak.
"Congratulations, you defeated a Spectral," Messenger says. "We were not sure if the blue water would work, but you are here now." Messenger sighs. "You have very powerful abilities. We need a Music Master here. Someone who can protect us from the Spectrals. Would you consider staying here on the World of the Twin Planets?"
"[[I have a life back home]]," you reply.
"[[Tell me more]]," you say, intrigued.
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/577054308&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 50;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-sarabande" title="LACE - Sarabande" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Sarabande</a></div>You don't believe this Messenger person is real - you've been sleeping so badly. But you don't want to drink this water; it's all a bit too strange. You go pour it out into the kitchen sink and pour yourself a glass of water from the tap. You drink heartily and fill up the pitcher again, laughing at your own silliness. Then you go to bed.
You wake up after a restful sleep.
Messenger does not come back. At first, you are relieved. But as the days pass, you begin to worry.
Some days you regret pouring out that water.
Other days you think of how strange that experience was.
For months, you keep analyzing the signal from the Great Forest. It becomes a drive, then an obsession. You play the melody by heart every night on your own instrument. You recall the words. You sing them.
Finally, one night, [[something happens.]]
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/573361869&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-courante" title="LACE - Courante" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Courante</a></div>You are playing the melody again. You close your eyes to better feel the music.
When you open them again, you are sitting on the rooftop in the gazebo, playing the melody. A noise like an erupting volcano reaches your ears and you stop playing. You try to shut the noise out. It is so impossibly loud.
You see Messenger running toward you. "The Spectrals are here," they yell. "Keep playing the melody!" Messenger enters the gazebo and huddles in the other chair, shaking.
You play furiously. The noise overwhelms your ears. You don't know if you are even playing the right notes.
Eventually the noise diminishes and finally goes away.
You weakly drop the bow. Peering out from beneath the roof of the gazebo, you see a flutter of transparent wings. A creature that appears to be half dragon, half bird is rising on an air current, snapping a vicious-looking crystalline beak.
"Congratulations, you defeated a Spectral," Messenger says. "We thought you were not coming."
"I thought so too," you reply. "I poured out the water, that night." Messenger's eyes widen.
"That was an unspeakably cruel thing to do."
"I thought this was a dream world!" you exclaim. "And I couldn't stop thinking about this place. I played the melody every day!"
"That much is true; I heard you. And I was finally able to establish a connection, so that is all behind us now," Messenger says firmly. "We need a Music Master here. Someone who can protect us from the Spectrals. Would you consider staying here on the World of the Twin Planets?"
"[[I have a life back home]]," you reply.
"[[Tell me more]]," you say, intrigued.
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/577054308&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 50;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-sarabande" title="LACE - Sarabande" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Sarabande</a></div>I'm an astronomer," you continue. "I explore the possibilities of life on other planets! I don't want to leave that life and work behind."
"And here, you actually experience life on a new world," Messenger says sharply. "Where do you think you are? You are on a planet in what you know as the Great Forest constellation. Bringing you here is more and more difficult, but it should still be possible, even if you leave us for now. Watch carefully for your opportunity, Aurora. The gates are difficult to keep open under current conditions. But once you defeat enough of the Spectrals, we will hold more insterstellar power and keep them open for longer. And for others. You could travel freely between worlds."
You are convinced. "[[Where do I start?]]" you ask.
This is all a little too much. "[[I'm sorry, but I need more time on my own world first before I can decide.]]"
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/308422190&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/nce-3-reality" title="NCE 3 - Reality" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">NCE 3 - Reality</a></div>I'm an astronomer," you continue. "I explore the possibilities of life on other planets. I might be the person you need."
"And here, you actually experience life on a new world," Messenger says sharply. "Where do you think you are? You are on a planet in what you know as the Great Forest constellation. I know this is a sudden decision, but there is a reason I ask this of you now. Bringing you here is more and more difficult, but it should still be possible, even if you leave us for now. Watch carefully for your opportunity, Aurora. The gates are difficult to keep open under current conditions. But once you defeat enough of the Spectrals, we will hold more insterstellar power and keep them open for longer. And for others. You could travel freely between worlds."
You are convinced. "[[Where do I start?]]" you ask.
This is all a little too much. "[[I'm sorry, but I need more time on my own world first before I can decide.]]"
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/306958317&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/nce-2-drgn" title="NCE 2 - DRGN" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">NCE 2 - DRGN</a></div>"I'm so very glad you chose to remain with us," Messenger says, smiling. "I will begin by showing you the different fruits that grow on the rooftop. There you can gain different kinds of knowledge and figure out how you want to develop a repertoire that will defeat all the Spectrals."
You are at peace with your decision, and excited to learn more melodies. You want to help Messenger with their mission; it aligns with your own. You are an astronomer. You became a scientist to discover new worlds, and now you are living your dream. Looking out to the mountains on the horizon and the twin planets hanging over them, you feel an immense sense of wonder.
"Welcome," Messenger says, "to your new home."
//The End... for now.//
//Aurora and the Twin Planets
a tiny interactive tale by clio em
All soundscapes are my own original compositions, which can be listened to on my <a href="http://soundcloud.com/clio-em"> soundcloud</a> page. Headphones are recommended.
All contentcontent copyright (c) 2020 Clio Montrey (as clio em)
all rights reserved//
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/577054308&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 50;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/lace-sarabande" title="LACE - Sarabande" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Sarabande</a></div>"That is understandable," replies Messenger. "In a short while, you will be sent back to your world. The next time you have an opportunity to eat or drink recoded matter, I would urge you to please take it."
"You mean the blue?"
"I mean the blue," Messenger replies. "I will do my utmost to give you another opportunity. And what our civilizations could learn from each other is truly tremendous."
You and Messenger gaze silently together at the distant mountains and the twin planets hanging over them in that mysterious violet-blue sky. You will miss this place, but you also know you have to live your life back home.
You feel certain that soon enough, you will return.
"Time for the trip back," Messenger says, presenting you with a silvery blue apple. "Eat this."
As you bite into the fruit, you become dizzy, and as you start falling, [[Messenger catches you in their arms.]]
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/245234660&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/painterly" title="Painterly" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Painterly</a></div>You wake up in your bed to the fading strains of an uneasy dream-melody. It is not yet dawn.
You were on a rooftop terrace atop a beautiful palace, singing and playing a beautiful string instrument. You feel like you have visited that place before. Dream-memory is fading quickly, but your heart still races.
You are so incredibly thirsty. You pour yourself a glass water from the blown-glass pitcher on your nightstand. The water is such a cool shade of blue in the darkness of your bedroom. As you finish the last drop in your glass, you catch the scent and taste of a delicious fruit. Your head is already dropping back onto your pillow and you hear the melody return.
//"On their gravity they sailed
Abandoning where they had failed . . ." //
<b>[[wake up]]</b>
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/672116000&color=%230f9b6f&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em" title="Clio Em" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clio Em</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clio-em/4-lace-paper" title="LACE - Paper" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LACE - Paper</a></div>