Anthem of a Spoon

I don’t think I’ve seen you here before. |what>[What, exactly, are you?] (click-append: ?what)[ Oh, you’re a HUMAN! A pleasure to meet you, good human. |who>[Who am I?]] (click-append:?who)[ I’m a Round-Top. I live here in the forest. |others>[The others?]] (click-append: ?others)[ They’re the Four-Pronged. See those prongs at the top? Yeah. I don’t have those. I’ve got a round top instead. [[Let's go exploring!->Training3]] ]

But I'm not interested in any of THAT! I really want to: [[Lift the steak to see what's underneath it->SteakChoice1]] [[Hear what sound the T-bone makes when I tap it->SteakChoice2]] [[Check out the lines of the steak to see what words they spell->SteakChoice3]]

I sneak myself half underneath it, and prepare to lift when- $MUspeak[[["WHAT ON EARTH are you doing?"->SteakChoice1A]]]

I study the steak for a minute or so, and then give it a tentative tap on its corner. $sound[CHINK!] Oooh, what an interesting sound! [[Intriguied, I tap again.->SteakChoice2A]]

I just don't get it. What is the joy in doing something that everyone else is doing? Over, and over, and over, and over again. Oh, wait. (click-append: "Oh, wait.")[We're moving on now. Master Utensil is dragging out the bag of peas now. Ugh.] (click-append: "Ugh.")[Skewering practice. Get some peas on your prongs, earn some scores, yada yada yada... I'm much more interested in finding out: [[What it feels like to jump into the bag of peas->PeaChoice1]] [[What colour the steak turns when I mash a pea into it->PeaChoice2]] [[Whether it is possible to balance a pea on my top->PeaChoice3]]]

Backing up, backing up. I need a run-up for this sort of leap. The trees begin to blur as I gather speed, before- $jump[OUMPH!] Wow, I'm flying, this is amazing, I can see everythin- $jump[[[CRASH!->PeaChoice1A]]]

Grabbing the nearest pea, I make a run for it. SMOOOOOSH! The steak barely changes colour, but small green tendrils are now stuck within the lines of the meat. It makes for a messy rainforest-style piece of art - not quite Da Vinci, but not bad for a five-second job. $MUspeak[[["WHAT are you doing?"->PeaChoice2A]]]

I scoop up a pea and watch it roll around for a moment. It's quite relaxing, really. Seeing which way it rolls, this way, that way. $sound[SHINK!] Suddenly, the pea is gone. Carefuly skewered by a utensil to my right, earning them a score of 6 stealth and 5 technique. Sigh. [[I wander out to the clearning, bored.->Training11]]

I wander up to the steak and have a look. Nope, nothing from this side. I'll try the other. Bingo! That looks like an "T", and that could be a "F", and that could be a lower-case "r", and that could be- [[Splat!->SteakChoice3A]]

I lay down in the clearing and stare up at the sky. The blue seems to stretch on forever. (click-append: "forever.")[ I look up at my smooth, rounded top. I’m different. Like a curved straw in a peg basket. I stand out for all the wrong reasons here. [[Maybe I could find a new place->Leave1]] [[Maybe I could find a better way to cope here->ForkLand3]]]

The world is so big. Perhaps, somewhere out there, there’s other lands. Other lands where I can fit in. There’s two paths I could take. (click-append: "There’s two paths I could take.")[ One leads high up into the |mountain>[mountains...] (click-replace: ?mountain)[mountains. They say utensils can be seen by everyone for miles and miles, and the view is incredible.] The other leads down into a labyrinth of mysterious |valleys>[valleys...] (click-replace: ?valleys)[valleys. They say there’s many hidden nooks and crannies which utensils can explore.] I think I'll take: [[the path up to the mountains->Mountains1]] [[the path down to the valley->Valley2]]]

A few days later... I've been travelling for a while now. The views remain as mind-blowing as ever. But I'm still no closer to finding a new place. And this bothers me. (click-append: "And this bothers me.")[ I think I'll: [[Keep following the path to the mountains->Mountains3]] [[Return to the Land of the Four-Prongs->ForkLand1]] [[Stay here a while->Stay here]]]

I descend into the valley. It grows colder and colder. (click-append: "It grows colder and colder.")[ It's so beautiful down here. I wonder why nobody from the Land of the Four-Prongs comes this way. There's so much to explore. Like this |tree>[tree] and all its |leaves>[leaves.] Some have |fallen>[fallen] to the ground and |cover>[cover the pathway.] ] (click-append: "colour.")[ It's like walking through |garden>[a secret garden.] [[Continue->Valley4]]] (click-replace: ?tree)[tall, sturdy tree] (click-replace: ?leaves)[sharp, glistening leaves.] (click-replace: ?fallen)[glided] (click-replace: ?cover)[cover the pathway in a soft blanket of colour.] (click-replace: ?garden)[a hidden treasure trove of greenery.]

Well, here I am. Back in the Land of the Almighty Four-Pronged. Everything looks pretty much the same as when I left, to be honest. [[Sigh.->ForkLand3]]

I look up at the sky. It seems to go on forever. (click-append: "forever.")[ Just like me. Forever searching. I mean, what was I thinking? I'll never find a place where I can be of use, of value, where I can contribute and have meaning. I'll always be looking. [[I'll never find that place I can call home.->FOREVER SEARCHING END]]]

It's been over a week now. I wonder whether I was a fool for embarking on such a journey. Ughhh. My body aches. My metal is all rusted. I can't go on much longer- GAH! LOOK! (click-append:"LOOK!")[ The forest is thinning out! I'm nearly at the top of the mountain! I can't give up now, I've come so far. [[Continue->Mountains4]]]

The trees are lessening, and are slowly being infiltrated by |shrubs>[undergrowth.] Their shadows |fall>[fall] across the gravel path as the sun fades from sight. (click-append: "the sun fades from sight.")[ The mountain looms above me as I creep deeper and deeper into the valley. I've been travelling for a while now, and still no closer to finding a new place. I think I'll: [[Keep following the path to the valley->Valley5]] [[Return to the Land of the Four-Pronged->ForkLand1]] [[Stay here a while->Stay here]]] (click-replace: ?shrubs)[a plethora of shrubs and grasses.] (click-replace: ?fall)[dance]

I can hear excited chatter ahead. Hope echoes through my metallic body as I near the peak. [[Perhaps this will be the place where I can finally call home?->ChopstickLand1]]

Here I go, along the path towards the mountains. They look so majestic and beautiful. You can see everything from this climb. Like, everything. (click-append: "Like, everything.")[ Like, I can see down to the forest in the Land of the Four-Pronged...] (click-append: "down to the forest in the Land of the Four-Pronged...")[ and that little path that leads off towards the valleys...] (click-append: "that little path that leads off towards the valleys...")[ and, even that abandoned shack that no Four-Pronged is allowed to enter, because reasons. I can see it all.] (click-append: "I can see it all.")[ I mean, I could really sit here and enjoy this view all day. But, I should keep moving. [[Continue->Mountains2]]]

A joyous, melodic rhythm sounds out across the land. Dun, da-dun, da-dun-da-dun, dun. (click-append: "Dun, da-dun, da-dun-da-dun, dun.")[ After the journey I've travelled, it seems too good to be true. I prepare myself for the let down, the sadness. Summoning my last shred of hope, I head in its direction. [[Continue->SpoonLand1]]]

|huh>[Eh?] (click-append: ?huh)[ I stare, confused, at what I see before me. [[What even is this?->ChopstickLand2]]]

... I...I am speechless... I don't believe it... (click-append: "I don't believe it...")[ There are utensils like me. All shapes and sizes. All like me. Singing a glorious anthem which fills me with hope. The words speak as if in my native tongue, despite the fact the language itself is completely foreign. [[Continue->SpoonLand2]]]

As the anthem plays out again, I notice the difference in atmosphere here. There is no urgency of completion, no hurry to achieve, no expectation of betterment and accomplishment. Here, it seems to be all about exploring. Investigating. Discovery. [[I feel at home.->SpoonLand3]]

I think I've found my place. FOUND MY PLACE ENDING. [[Return to start->StoryStart]]

A group of sticks approaches me and start talking. $C1speak[“Hello! What’s your name?”] $C2speak[“How’d you get here?”] $C1speak[“My name’s Geraldine!”] $C3speak[“I’m Augustus!”] $C2speak["Where do you live?"] $C1speak[“Have you been to the Wizard’s Den?"] $C3speak[“Do you know how to play Escape the Sink?”] $C1speak[“What’s your favourite dishwashing liquid?”] [[Continue->ChopstickLand3]]

I can't stay here. I think I'll: [[Backtrack and take the path to the valley->Valley2]] [[Go back to the Land of the Four-Pronged->ForkLand1]] [[Stay here a while->Stay here]]

The Four-Pronged are familiar to me. They seem to tolerate me as one of their own. |right>[I mean, it could be worse, right?] (click-append:?right)[ But, I have a COMPLETE lack of interest in everything we do here. It's so boring. I mean, who REALLY wants to see how many pasta strands a utensil can swirl in one go? |anybody>[Anybody?]] (click-append:?anybody)[ Apparently, everyone else in this land. Sigh. This isn't fun. I need to change that. [[Maybe I could try to be like the others->ChangeToFork1]] [[Maybe I could try just being okay being me->StayASpoon1]]]

I wander through the town. Everywhere I see four-pronged utensils achieving, accomplishing, doing. *Maybe that's the key.* I need to do the things the other utensils do. (click-append: "I need to do the things the other utensils do.")[ But, have you seen a utensil with a smooth, rounded top TRY to skewer a pea lately? I would melt from the shame, if that were possible. [[Hmm..."melt"...I wonder...->ChangeToFork2]]]

I wander through the clearing. Surely, there's things I can do here, as myself. |surely>[Surely?] (click-append: ?surely)[ I can scoop water from the lake, which could...uh... I'll come back to that one. OOH!] (click-append: "OOH!")[ I could dig a new hole...for, all those things, we have here, that need holes. You know? I'VE GOT IT!] (click-append: "I'VE GOT IT!")[ I could fling peas at a steak and watch them smash and create beautiful art! On second though...maybe I'll revisit the first two... [[A few months later->Being me 1]]]

I mean, any utensil will tell you - melting is an excellent means of metal modification. [[I'm going to head to the campfire->By the fire]]

The fire crackles before me as I contemplate what I'm doing. |ready>[Am I really willing to do this?] (click-append: ?ready)[ All I've ever known is what it's like to have a smooth, rounded top. I mean, I may not even LIKE having four-prongs. It'd be...weird.] (click-append: "It'd be...weird.")[ But, for functionality's sake - I mean, I should try to improve myself so I can fit in with the Four-Prongs. |right>[Right?]] (click-append: ?right)[ I think I'll: [[Create some prongs for myself->Yes I should do this]] [[Stay as I am->No I should not do this]]]

I stick the branch towards the fire. YEOUCH! It's alight! (click-append: "YEOUCH! It's alight!")[ I carefully manoeuvre the branch around my top, moulding out some prongs. When I am done, I carefully put the branch out and sit down to look at myself.] (click-append: "look at myself.")[ I AM NO LONGER A ROUNDED TOP. I sit there a while and let this sink in, before getting up and heading for [[sleep.->End with no meaning]]]

No. No matter how functional I would be, there's no guarantee I would enjoy it. I'm not taking that risk. I get up from the fire and head for sleep. [[A few weeks later...->Being me 1]]

Weeks pass. Each day, I go into the forest with the other utensils and we train. Steak stabs, pea skewering, pasta twirling. The whole works. (click-append: "The whole works.")[ I can perform these skills as well as any other four-pronged utensil now. Functionally, I am one of them.] (click-append: "I am one of them.")[ But, I still don't get it.] (click-append: "I still don't get it.")[ |why>[How is this important?]] (click-append: ?why)[ |why2>[Or interesting?]] (click-append: ?why2)[ |why3>[Or in ANY way, useful?]] (click-append: ?why3)[ There's no meaning for me here.] (click-append: "There's no meaning for me here.")[ END WITH NO MEANING. [[Return to start->StoryStart]]]

The other utensils pretty much leave me to do my own thing. Which is...kind of nice, I guess. I mean, I'm not practicing skills I have no interest in anymore. I get to do what I want. I scoop water out of the lake, to |see>[see what it does on land.] (click-append: "painting.")[ I dig all these holes to see |what>[what dirt looks like underneath the surface.]](click-append: "underground.")[ But, in the grand scheme of things...it all seems pretty pointless. STILL DIGGING FOR MEANING ENDING. [[Return to start->StoryStart]]] (click-replace: ?see)[see it splash across the ground like an abstract painting.] (click-replace: ?what)[what mysterious patterns are made by the layers of dirt hidden deep underground.]

Every day, all the utensils go into the deep, dark forest for training. Where we learn all the things we'll need to one day compete in...the Almighty Tournament for Utensil Supremacy! (click-append:"the Almighty Tournament for Utensil Supremacy!")[ Yawn. I start to walk. (click-append:"I start to walk.")[ To be honest, I find it quite boring. (click-append:"To be honest, I find it quite boring.")[ Doing the same thing, (click-append:"Doing the same thing,")[ over and (click-append:"over and")[ over. (click-append:"over.")[ All for the sake of... (click-append:"All for the sake of...")[ achievement. (click-append:"achievement.")[ Sigh. (click-append:"Sigh.")[ [[I wonder what we're doing today.->Training5]]]]]]]]]]]

I can see Master Utensil dragging out a massive T-bone steak from the Storage Tree. She's beckoning us all over. I move closer. (click-append:"I move closer.")[ $MUspeak["Form a line, tallest to shortest."] Sigh. (click-append:"Sigh.")[ We're doing Steak Stabs again. [[Continue->Training6]]]]

Steak stabs are these ridiculous things where each utensil stabs themselves into a giant slab of T-bone steak, over and over, and over again. It's super important. You get points for: (click-append: "You get points for:")[ $MUspeak[(link: $SS8)[(link: $SS7)[(link:$SS6)[(link: $SS5)[(link: $SS4)[(link: $SS3)[(link: $SS1)[(link: $SS2)[(link: "butterflies caught using a net")[$SPspeak[See, just like they said, all the "important" stuff. [[You finished?->Training7]]] (print: "butterflies caught using a net")] (print: $SS2)] (print: $SS1)] (print: $SS3)] (print: $SS4)] (print: $SS5)] (print: $SS6)] (print: $SS7)] (print: $SS8)]]]

I hastily shuffle out as Master Utensil looms over me. $MUspeak["That is not what we're doing here! Understood? Go to the back of the line, and stop messing about!"] I slink to the back, eyebrows drooping as the other utensils stare with judgment, contempt and exasperation. [[Continue->Training8]]

$sound[CHIIIINK!] The sound is louder now, and more hollow. I leap upon the steak. I'll try tapping it from a different angle now! $MUspeak[[["GET DOWN FROM THERE!"->SteakChoice2B]]]

A large, silver prong is now protuding out of the potential "W". I look up, confused, and see another of the utensils is practicing. $MUspeak["Entry score 7, angle score 5, depth of stab 4. Overall, mediocre at best! Back of the line!"] Sigh. They've ruined my word. [[Continue->Training8]]

Ashamed, I climb down from the steak. Master Utensil's eyebrows are furrowed and she shoots a powerful glare. $MUspeak["This is NOT a time for making music! Understood?"] I nod. Her outrage is clear. I go hide in the crowd and wait for things to change. [[Continue->Training8]]

I collided with the bottom of the bag. Unfortunately, my aim still needs some work. Regardless, a great avalanche of peas descends and I'm soon floating along in a sea of green. They feel so wrinkly and slimy on my metal. I wonder if this is what the ocean is like? Master Utensil glares at me and jerks her head in the direction of the clearing. Translation: [[get out.->Training11]]

A bunch of the other utensils are staring at me. They look angry. It's Master Utensil who's spoken though. $MUspeak["Do you realise peas are a scarce resource until next month? We CANNOT waste them on silly things like that!"] She gestures angrily towards the clearing. I silently slink out of the forest. [[Continue->Training11]]

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I'll always be forever searching. FOREVER SEARCHING END. [[Return to start->StoryStart]]