moving house

Moving house. A short story by Lucy Ann Jones. [[Open up-> open up]]

[Moving house is utter bullshit.]<s1| (click: ?s1)[(replace: ?s1)[What? I didn't start this game with a swear. How [dare]<s2| you.]](click: ?s2)[Moving house is utter bullshit, though.] Here you stand, in front of your brand new door, of your brand new house, in.. the same old city. You jingle the keys around your pocket. You [[look around. ->look1]]

(set: $timewithbox to "1")Box firmly in your hands, you glance around the less obvious features of your new living room. There's a good few cabinets and end tables to rummage through, and from sight of the two porcelain peacock statues sat on the mantle piece- you have a feeling they're not empty. You [[check out a cabinet->look2]] You [[put down the box->putdownbox]]

{(if: $timewithbox is "0")[You plop the box down on the floor, dust your hands, and proudly pose. good job, you.](if: $timewithbox is "1")[Phew. You put down the box. That was getting heavy.](if: $timewithbox is "2")[Good choice. You drop the box on the floor and massage the parts of your fingers that have changed to a strained white colour.](if: $timewithbox is "3")[The box slams to the ground, and you barely manage to whip your hands out from underneath. God. If you'd held that thing any longer, your fingers might have snapped clean off.]} You take a breath, and look around. [[One box down.->predog]]

(set: $timewithbox to "2")You move over to a small cupboard in a TV stand to the left. Crouching down, you realise that you'll need hands to open the doors. You look down at the box in your hands. This is getting kinda heavy. Your fingers whine. You [[open the cupboard door with your teeth->look3]] You [[put down the box->putdownbox]]

You beckon the dog over with a combination of nonsense and compliments on its cute little face what a good nose you have c'mere little one ohmygod. Something jangles against its neck as it bounds towards you. You kneel down, and carefully bring your fingers behind the metal tag to better read it. [["Well, Hi there, Sparky!"->Sparky]] [["Champ, huh? Maybe you can help me out."->Champ]] No matter how hard you try, you [[can't pronounce the word on the tag.->BadDog]]

Sparky looks up at you with big blue eyes. He's neatly groomed a little chubby. Must be a neighbour's dog. "Sparky- Spaa-aarky?" You (link:"shelter the dog from the strange voice")[(set: $dog to "held")(goto: "SparkyNeighbour")] You [[look towards it.->SparkyNeighbour]]

Champ sizes you up, and lets out a low 'ruff' that kind of sounds like he's saying 'Yo'. Yo back at you, strong dog. Someone is marching [[towards you.->ChampNeighbour]]

(set: $timewithbox to "3")You're a genius! This is definietly something you want to do! Door to your house wide open, piles of your personal belongings outside, a heavy cardboard box in your hands, you decide to crouch down and open a small cupboard with your teeth. You're very excited. You get those pearly whites around one of the handles and- it pops off in your mouth. The door is unmoved by this display. You can't feel your fingers anymore. The box smiles up at you. You [[spit out the handle and stand up->look4]] You [[put down the box->putdownbox]]

You rise up to your full height. Your fingers gain +10 endurance each. That's right. This is a real game now. Hey, this box should be in your inventory by now. You could increase your DPS and get some sick crits with it. You [[pull up the box, ready to shove it into your back pocket.->break]]

(set: $dog to "bad")The dog looks up at you, sputtering over your tongue to say his name. You notice there is an extra eye hidden in the fur on his forehead. He blinks all three of them at you. It starts to rain. With every drop, the alley behind the dog reveals a dark shape, like watching a painting slowly reveal another image underneath. The clouds lighten up suddenly, your new neighbour looks down on you. They are a mass of what looks like several black cloaks draped over a human figure. Looking directly at the face area makes your head feel like TV static. HELLO, NEIGHBOUR. DO YOU NEED MY ASSISTANCE MOVING IN? I JUST RAN OUT OF SUGAR SO THIS COULD BE A.. MUTUALLY BENEFICAL AGREEMENT. You [[accept the help.->helpend]] You [[decline.->End]]

(set: $inwithoutboxes to "no")It's taken three..? four weeks of application forms and your parents signatures to get this place. You're not even sure you really need somewhere to live after all this faff. Dogs cope fine on the street, and they're super smart. You look up from the gravel you're kicking around on the pathway to your brand new scuffed front door. You [[go inside->goinside]] and take a tour. You [[look around->lookoutside]] outside a little more.(set: $seenboxes to "no")

(set: $inwithoutboxes to "yes")(set: $seenboxes to "no")(if: $seenboxes is "yes")[You open the door, scuffle your feet on the mat and walk in, leaving the boxes outside.](if: $seenboxes is "no")[You open the door, and walk inside your new place.] The front door leads straight into the living room. its wide and pretty empty save for an old armchair, a cabinet and a mirror, hooked up just above the fireplace. BANG You turn around. One of the bags you've lugged here has fallen over outside. Shit. [[better get sorting those out.->lookoutside]]

(if: $inwithoutboxes is "no")[The outside of the house is pretty cute. You're hidden down a thin alley here, but the other residents have grown healthy plants with shiny looking leaves up the cracks and breaks in the walls. There are pots of flowers in front of every door here but yours. There's a well-used doormat, thick with mud, and a stick of beachwood outside yours. As well as the boxes and bags your parents dropped off.](else:)[You stand in the open doorway, and look down at the boxes with big sad eyes. They all look equally heavy and awkward to carry. There's an box that reads 'caution: fragile'. You have to tilt your head to read it while its all dropped on its side on like that.](if: $inwithoutboxes is "no")[(set: $seenboxes to "yes") You forgot about those. shit, you forgot this house doesn't have any of your possessions at all inside and that you'll have to work very hard all day to make it comfortably livable.] You groan... then you [[pick up a box and open the door.->boxdoor]] (if: $inwithoutboxes is "no")[and ignore the pile of stuff, [[going into the house stag->goinside]].]

(set: $timewithbox to "4")After five minutes of scruggling around with your aching arms and fiddling about with your knees, you get to something similar to standing. The box has gained five pounds. He starts blaming it on the Holidays. The joints at your shoulders start sending letters to your fingers' next of kin. You should put the box down. You [[keep exploring!! no time for safety!! adventure game!!->look5]] You [[put down box->putdownbox4]]

"what a good decision." You think to yourself, all in lower case, just like that, as you put the box down. You're sure that if you'd held that box for just a passage longer, something really big would have happened. Maybe your fingers would have broken, or your back would have cracked in half. Maybe something would have jumped out, told you about a secret map hidden in the hills and set you off on a valiant quest, and you'd meet a cute girl at the end and wear lots of diamonds together. But, no, no. Safety first. It's funny for a while, clicking the option the game points you away from. What's better than finding all the angry little comments put in by the writer! Nothing. But let's not take it too far. Not all the way. That's you. You never go the whole way. Let's not finish what we started here, and instead get on with the story. Unless..... you want to [[pick up the box again->boxagain]]?

No. That would be silly. [[Continue->predog]].

You lift up the box with your knees, and head(if: $seenboxes is "no")[back] into the house. (set: $timewithbox to "0") After butt-bouncing the door open (if: $seenboxes is "no")[again] and staggering in, you realise you're just doing menial chores inside a video game.(click-replace: "just doing menial chores inside a video game")[having so much fun? in a twine? just so much fun] (click: "just so much fun")[The living room is still pretty cluttered with the previous tenants' stuff. Not that it matters, maybe you could sell some of this junk so you can replace it with your own, fresher junk? You [[have a look around->lookbox]] like the sneaky, sneaky second hand salesman you are. You [[put down the box->putdownbox]] you're carrying, first.]

(set: $fingers to "broken")SNAP. Your fingers snap off. They, and the box hit the floor. One large thud followed by a soft scatter. You bring your hands to your face, and grimace. Your pinky fingers and thumbs survived, at least. You make a note of that in your new journal and quest log you just invented because you thought this game wasn't exciting enough. Not Sierra enough. Just [[get back on the critical path, please.->predog]]

(if: $timewithbox is "0")[The living room is filled with cupboard and side tables ready to be opened. Looking at the odd trinkets scattered around the room already, you have a feeling they won't be empty.](if: $timewithbox is not "0")[There's plenty to root around in the living room. You could have another look at the TV stand, or rummage through those strange trinkets on the mantel.] But, I guess your personal belongings are still outside, and if this game were [set in England]<s13| (click:?s13)[(This game is set in England)] leaving them there would be practically begging the Eldritch God of raining all the time to rain now, and all the time. You [sigh, and walk back outside.]<s667|(click:?s667)[<big><big> arf arf! arf! arf arf arf!!!</big></big> No-one freak out. You [[call the dog over->dog]] You [ignore the dog]<s666|(click:?s666)[ ...like fuck that's an option. You [[call the dog over.->dog]]]]

(if: $dog is "held")["Oh, hey. Sparky." A man holding an empty collar in one hand looks at you cradling his dog in your arms. There's a few seconds where you clutch tighter on the pup, and his owner stares at you. Sparky doesn't stop smiling. ... "You found him!" Your neighbour tries after a minute or so of silence, your eyes fixated right on his. ".. Thanks!" Sparky eventually jumps from your grip and to the man's feet.] "Hello, boy." Sparky's owner, your new neighbour, is an average height man. Clean shirt, clean fingernails, boring haircut. He ruffles Sparky's fur, and slips a collar over his neck. "He loves meeting people." The man smiles with fake white teeth. "You must be the new guy on the block!" He looks around at the amount of boxes still left outside your house. "Need help carrying these in?" You [[accept his help. You're all about getting Good Endings in video games.->helpend]] You [[decline. You can you this yourself.->End]] (if: $fingers is "broken")[(Plus, the fingers broken from your left hand are decorating the floor inside.)]

Your new neighbour helps you move in. It gets finished pretty quickly, and they even offer you a warm drink once everything is inside. (if: $dog is "bad")[They present it to you cupped in their boney hands- steaming black goo dripping down onto your new carpet.] The house doesn't look half bad. (if: $fingers is "broken")[You swept your broken fingers up and popped them in a nice vase on the fireplace hearth. You consider painting little sunflowers on the bruised nails.](else:)[You flop onto the couch and sigh. It's jarring, seeing all your things here and not back where they used to be. You haven't quite accepted they're not, as if everything is here and back home sat on your mum's shelves at the same time. It's not a horrible feeling, though.] (if: $fingers is "broken" and $dog is "bad")[However, everything does seem a bit.. off. The clock on the mantel jutters forward every few minutes, keeping time on its own terms. Your posters flop down in all four corners, but still stay to the wall. The shoes you kicked off, and your brand new rug, hover slightly in the air. You relax regardless. and you [[never have to clean the floor again.->Fin]]](else:)[You look out the window onto the small alley, filled with potted plants and pebbledashery. Maybe you're not adult enough to live in a place like this yet... but you have a sneaking feeling no-one on this street really wanted to upkeep petunia pots on a backstreet. A flyer for a nearby pizza place comes through your door on top of an important letter from your letting agent. You [[order a large, stuffed crust.->Fin]]]

You wave politely at your new neighbour, and go back inside, closing the door on the remaining boxes. You fall on the couch with a big frumph.. (if: $fingers is "broken")[You look over to your missing fingers, scattered on the floor by the TV stand...](else:)[You're exhausted.. after all that work, the house doesn't even feel like yours yet..] (if: $dog is "bad")[.. and there's a looming shadow outside your door. You can see the alleyway shift and change outside your window. You pull the blinds to.](else:)[..but, the neighbours don't seem too bad. That's a plus, you sigh.] (if: $fingers is "broken" and $dog is "bad")[To calm down after this strange day, you rummage around until you find your old speaker set, turn it on, and lie on the floor. Two tracks later, and you notice movement in the corner of your eye. A figure is pushing through the wall. You turn in your seat to see the head of your new neighbour poking through the concrete. <large>AWFUL SORRY TO BE A BOTHER, FRIEND. BUT CAN YOU [[TURN DOWN THAT NOISE, PLEASE.->Fin]]</large>](else:)[Today has been long. You'll call some friends in the morning to help you out. For now, you curl up, and fall asleep. Just as you pass out, you [[feel more at home than you have all day.->Fin]]]

A tall, beefed out lady appears, head tilted back, arms crossed, and a small, squishy banana shaped chew toy in her hand. It makes a faint squeee noise as she passes it down to Champ. It is the best day of Champ's life. "Hey there. You new here, yeah? Cool." She glances at the stack of boxes still by your front door. "You need a hand?" You're pretty mesmerised by this woman. Her arms are bigger than your head. You [[accept, and fumble about the entire time wondering if its even worth you picking anything up at all.->helpend]] You [[decline, kind of. You just kind of stare, enamoured until she leaves.->End]]

[[The end.->ThankYou]]

This adventure has a few different endings and branches you can explore, so give it another go if you have a spare minute. Let me know what you thought, I'm @lucyannjo on twitter. Thank you so much for reading!