The Ghost's Drum

(set: $LakeThought to 0)\ (set: $RuinsThought to 0)\ (set: $CaveThought to 0)\ (set: $LakeShadow to 0)\ (set: $RuinsShadow to 0)\ (set: $CaveShadow to 0)\ (set: $LakeEcho to 0)\ (set: $RuinsEcho to 0)\ (set: $CaveEcho to 0)\ (set: $LakeMist to 0)\ (set: $RuinsMist to 0)\ (set: $CaveMist to 0)\ (set: $LakeRainwater to 0)\ (set: $RuinsRainwater to 0)\ (set: $CaveRainwater to 0)\ ==><== ''The Ghost's Drum'' <== //A metaphorical exploration game about self-change and self-discovery// Scroll down for content warnings. [[Start Game->Intro]] Several scenes evoking drowning. Also, animal death (from the perspective of the animal).

The shadows of the valley seem clearer to you than the light. You slide across the forest and find the insects, mushrooms and other living creatures who strive in the dark. A whole hidden realm reside here, shy from the eyes of those who walk in the sunlight, and in a sense, secure. After all, the mountains themselves cast a protective shade over the entire Valley, encapsulating it in a cold but sturdy embrace. As invisible as some of them are, shadows inhabit the Valley with just as much legitimacy than the others forms, and in fact, they abound everywhere you look. The lake is a deep black pond, that look like it could swallow the world if it were to fall into it. Squeezed between the hills, the ruins sit in a more noticeable state of shamble than before, and yet still, shades congregate towards it. As for the cave, it is just as before, its veil stunning all perceptions, yet it feels inviting this time. From the mirror in the forest leaks an unknown thick black liquid, that collects on the grass underneath, yet leaving it unaffected. [[Inspect yourself in the mirror->Mirror Shadow]] (if: $LakeShadow is 0)[[[Explore the lake->Lake Shadow]]](else:)[[[Visit the lake again and remove some substance from your form->Lake Shadow]]] (if: $RuinsShadow is 0)[[[Explore the ruins->Ruins Shadow]]](else:)[[[Visit the ruins again and obtain substance->Ruins Shadow]]] (if: $CaveShadow is 0)[[[Explore the cave->Cave Shadow]]](else:)[[[Visit the cave again->Cave Shadow]]]

(set: $LakeShadow to 1)\ You slide towards the lake, its mere sight quickly filling your field of vision. Despite its stillness, it is like a giant wave, ready to devour you. Already you cannot tell your own dark body from the body of water, or even the distance separating you from it. Before you know it, you fall into the water. It is surprisingly warm, but you are unable to swim or to find any footing. You sink, and as the sky disappear from view, you lose track of where are up and down. Your left merges with your right as the water swirls around you. You do not need to breathe, but you feel substance leaving your body nonetheless. The deep water is heavier than anything else you have experienced, and you keep disintegrating, until finally nothing is left and you are light enough to pierce through the water and [[emerge back into the light.->Base Thought]]

You gaze into the mirror and find yourself to be a ''Shadow''. Your existence is qualified by an absence, and you slide across the ground to move from one corner of darkness to another, safe from the attention and dangers of the world. From there, you also observe a different perspective on what is around you, one less glamorous and more ugly, yet truer and closer in certain ways. You are the details left behind, the second silhouette. If you are satisfied with this form of existence, you can step into the mirror. [[Go back->Base Shadow]] [[Step into the mirror->End Shadow]]

(set: $RuinsShadow to 1)\ You slide into the ruins, following the trails of numerous other beings gathering there. But despite the presence of these, you find silence between the abandoned stones. There is just you and the plants and the insects that live of them and of each other. You move from wall to wall, sliding between the bricks from one old street to another, and into what is left of the buildings. You find objects left behind, containers such as jars, and decrepit wooden furnitures. Each of them, as banal as they look, tell a story, a life lived before. A shadow only exist thanks to what blocks the light. It is a detail born from existence, like the details of history, and you feel strenghtened by this kinship. You carry on the silhouette of solid forms, honoring them and forming a bond through the flows of time. [[You are reshaped by the murmurs of the future about the past.->Base Echo]]

(Set: $CaveShadow to 1)\ You answer the inviting atmosphere emnating from the cave and slide to its entrance. You don't hesitate before stepping inside, and you immediately feel at home. You embrace the darkness as it embraces you and move deeper into the tunnels, guided by your sense of touch. You can effortlessly slide on the rocky walls and even the ceilings, giving you a sense of complete freedom despite how narrow this underground space is. It wouldn't feel bad to stay here forever, quite the contrary in fact. The cave is a lot more comfortable than you would have expected. It feels right, like a natural habitat. Yet, this comfort is itself a form of stillness. You could sleep here, a thousand years long beauty sleep, and never evolve, never move. But your journey has not ended. So you tear yourself away from the welcoming darkness. [[Go back->Base Shadow]]

Glory and popular attention have never been your true goals. You find your home in the darkness, where the temperature is more comfortable and where you can hold close what and who matters to you. It is about you, a space you inhabit to be yourself, and not to conform. This territory is yours, whether it fills you with pride or a desire for atonement. You leave the Ghost's Drum, but not without a part of it following you, detaching itself from the core without harming it. Big or small, beautiful or ugly, remembered or forgotten, the part you take with you is now yours. One shade of existence added to the complex texture of your heart. With this, your journey continues on elsewhere. [[The End->Author]]

(set: $LakeThought to 1)\ You wander towards the lake, and once close to it, its shining stillness washes over you. From here, it is more like a sea, it would almost feel like a wall if you couldn't ride it effortlessly, lazily even. You are weightless and simply hover the water, free and affable. You would be scared of the unending horizon if this truly was the sea, but you can picture the other side of the lake without any trouble. Nothing holds you but yourself. The water doesn't even offer any reflection or judgement. You would be smiliar to a bird, if not for the fact that you are not bound to the earth like one. A true wanderer, or even, an adventurer. You can take in and enjoy the simplest things as you fly across the lake, admiring the fast moving shines in the clear blue water. A consequenceless activity you pursue until you finally grow bored of it. [[Go back->Base Thought]]

The Valley feels constrained, as you bounce from one moutain side to another. But apart from these, there nothing that seems able to stop you from navigating this space at an elevated speed. You fly through the trees' leaves, slide effortlessly across the hills, and even ride over the water of the lake that shine with the reflection of the Summer sun. Because of your own speed, you only see a vague picture of the places you move through. The forest, the lake, the ruins. You almost forgot about the cave, but with the quick look you give it as you pass by, you only notice the general aspect of it like the rest. For a while, you almost don't notice that the sky and the mirror are now one. Resting above you all along. [[Inspect yourself in the mirror->Mirror Echo]] (if: $LakeEcho is 0)[[[Explore the lake->Lake Echo]]](else:)[[[Visit the lake again and remove some substance from your form->Lake Echo]]] (if: $RuinsEcho is 0)[[[Explore the ruins->Ruins Echo]]](else:)[[[Visit the ruins again and obtain substance->Ruins Echo]]] (if: $CaveEcho is 0)[[[Explore the cave->Cave Echo]]](else:)[[[Visit the cave again and obtain substance->Cave Echo]]]

You do not as much see the Valley as you imagine it in your mind. Protected from the waves of the White Sea and other blights beyond, the Valley is encircled by tall and impregnable silvery moutains with snowy tops. At their feet lays a paradisiac scenery of Spring. A great, blue lake extends over most of the Valley, separated from the moutains by hills covered with green forests. It is the peak of day, and where the clouds don't block the sky, huge rays of sunlights pierce through the gray shadows of the moutains and illuminate everything they touch. The lake shines like crystal, and in the trees you see little animals, revealed by the brightness of their red fur. Between a few of these hills rest the ruins of a village or town. Eroded stones and gray bricks, given a new life by the vegetation that now inhabits it, spots of moss and tortuous vines that give it personality and colours. Beyond the abandoned town, you also find the entrance of a cave in the roots of the mountains. It is a dark hole, entirely inscrutable from the outside. Finally, you find the anomaly in this coherent picture you have built in your mind. A frameless frame in the forest, tall and rectangular, hovering still just above the grass, its inside reflecting light and a million other concepts. [[Inspect yourself in the mirror->Mirror Thought]] (if: $LakeThought is 0)[[[Explore the lake->Lake Thought]]](else:)[[[Visit the lake again->Lake Thought]]] (if: $RuinsThought is 0)[[[Explore the ruins->Ruins Thought]]](else:)[[[Visit the ruins again->Ruins Thought]]] (if: $CaveThought is 0)[[[Explore the cave->Cave Thought]]](else:)[[[Visit the cave again and obtain substance->Cave Thought]]]

(set: $CaveThought to 1) You stare at the darkness of the cave for a little while before gathering the courage to wander in. It is not much better inside, and it's only thanks to your lack of physicality that you don't bump into any wall. You go deeper and deeper, until you picture nothing but darkness all around. You cannot smell, nor taste, and the only thing you hear is a small stream of water dripping somewhere in the distance. But this is what you needed, near silence, and only yourself to look at. It doesn't feel like time is passing either, so you stop, and start to contemplate. Your regrets, but also what you want to do better in the future. What you want to //be// in the future. As you face yourself in the darkness, you progressively become one with your environment. The darkness grows on you and [[you become the darkness.->Base Shadow]]

(if: $RuinsThought is 0)[You wander into the ruins and quickly find that a lot more things reside here than just stones and moss. ](else:)[You wander into the ruins and find the occupants you met on a previous visit. ] The flesh of the living may have left this place, or rotted in the earth in a new form, but they did leave many thoughts behind. They wander just like you, when they are not inhabiting the bricks or plants, but in either case, most of them don't seem to ever leave the ruins. And just like you, they observe the world and think about it. (set: $RuinsThought to 1) It is lively in a sense, a life found where none was expected. It fills you with excitement and you buzz around in the exchange of thoughts and ideas. Remnants of culture, tales and legends, followed by ancient philosophical debates enrich your mind. But eventually you realize that this is distracting you from your quest more than anything. You feel you should move on. [[Go back->Base Thought]]

You gaze into the mirror and figure yourself a ''Thought''. You are a wandering idea. A concept made of nothing else than itself. Void of any substance but thinking. You are lighter than air and freer than the wind. If you are satisfied with this form of existence, you can step into the mirror. [[Go back->Base Thought]] [[Step into the mirror->End Thought]]

You leave the Ghost's Drum and exit this step of your journey in the same form you came as. Perhaps realizing that this was the answer all along is what you gained from this journey. You think therefore you are. In an instable world and existence, there is one constant: your thoughts. You'll always be misrepresentated as the world look back on you. But regardless of world, regardless of body, regardless of personal change, you'll always be yourself. [[The End->Author]]

You gaze into the mirror and hear yourself to be an ''Echo''. You are moving sound and vibrating air, bouncing from one object to another, from one face of the world to another, whispered again and again from a mouth to an ear, every time slightly different. You are the rebirth of what is dead, but only for so long. If you are satisfied with this form of existence, you can step into the mirror. [[Go back->Base Echo]] [[Step into the mirror->End Echo]]

You'll always be one step behind, but it is a position that you find comfortable, or even simply accurate. You find help and guidance in the imitation of others. It is a mask that may not represent you, but works as an useful tool, invaluable even, for interacting with a world that care immensely about appearences. You leave the Ghost's Drum, but not without a part of it following you, detaching itself from the core without harming it. Big or small, beautiful or ugly, remembered or forgotten, the part you take with you is now yours. One shade of existence added to the complex texture of your heart. With this, your journey continues on elsewhere. [[The End->Author]]

(set: $LakeEcho to 1)\ You bounce towards the lake, eager to ride the still water once again. This time, you try to take it slowly, and to enjoy the moment. You kick yourself off from one side of the lake with as little force as you can manage and fly above what usually feel like a puddle. Your trick seems to work as you quickly decelerate. You enjoy the new sensation that feels more like gliding, and try to observe the water or the reflections in it with more attention. But you still have trouble discerning any details, and before you know it, you realize that you are losing too much speed. You look forward, looking for the other side of the lake, which suddenly seems extraordinarily far, as if the lake had turned into the sea. Your form now touches the water, and in few seconds you lose what little speed you had left and fully land in the water and sink. It doesn't hurt, but you can feel something elevate itself from under you and pressing against you. A darkness emerging from the depths of the lake, hungry for some of your substance. [[What is left to you is reshaped in the same form as the intruder.->Base Shadow]]

(set: $CaveEcho to 1)\ You bounce towards the cave, and before you can muster any hesitation, you are already inside and spreading through the tunnels. The darkness has no hold on you, your vibration gives a new life to the cave. The narrow walls and ceilings make you bounce at a very quick pace and you very soon transform into a cacophony that makes the underground tremble. Numerous small animals flee to the exit, while streams of water splash around from the impacts of vibrating air and give a new texture to your sound. You form into a torrent of water drops, a humid cyclone swipping across the tunnels without any direction, until you reach the exit by happenstance, bringing a storm to the outside. Yet, in the open space, you quickly realize that you have less things to bounce off of, and that the water made you heavy, unable to reach any good landing point before [[you fuse with the slow moving humid air of the outside.->Base Mist]]

(set: $RuinsEcho to 1)\ You bounce towards the ruins and quickly find other bouncing sounds answering your call. The old, windy buildings are full of them, tales of a distant past made of loves and conflicts that still reverberate today. Some of them are but a whisperer, while other scream with joy or unending pain. In the distant, you hear the cries of a child, while the ghosts haunting a nearby tavern continue an eternal night of festivities. You take comfort in your own tale not being that different or weirder than any of those you encounter. Your curiosity grows with your courage, as you absorb more and more of the tales you hear. You feed your enthusiam until your form grows from the substance, and air is not enough to compose your body. You absorb the nearest thing, the humidity of the air, [[and slowly lift off from the sea of legends.->Base Mist]]

You inhabits the Valley, floating your substance in every nook and cranny, despite how little of it there is ultimately. Despite the season, the Valley has lost its colours and relying on one's sight only reveals the muted silhouettes of the most nearby objects. The forest has become a silent mystery, a natural labyrinth for those who do not have knowledge of its paths. The ruins are nearly invisible between the hills, and one has to go down all the way to the lake to see the frontier of its black water. The Valley has become your domain, with a few exceptions. The thick air of the cave seems to gently push you back, and the mirror, despite only having the form of a puddle on the ground, reflects a clear image like on sunny days. [[Inspect yourself in the mirror->Mirror Mist]] (if: $LakeMist is 0)[[[Explore the lake->Lake Mist]]](else:)[[[Visit the lake again and obtain substance->Lake Mist]]] (if: $RuinsMist is 0)[[[Explore the ruins->Ruins Mist]]](else:)[[[Visit the ruins again->Ruins Mist]]] (if: $CaveMist is 0)[[[Explore the cave->Cave Mist]]](else:)[[[Visit the cave again and remove a notable amount of substance from your form->Cave Mist]]]

You gaze into the mirror and find yourself to be ''Mist''. You are a cloud, stretching across the land, blinding the animals and adventurers who scurry in the area. Yet you are barely physical, composed of air and humidity, barely pushed by the breeze. You are everywhere, all the while it feels like you are nowhere. If you are satisfied with this form of existence, you can step into the mirror. [[Go back->Base Mist]] [[Step into the mirror->End Mist]]

You have the capacity to hide, but it's only so you may show to the world only which that you so wish. Truth is a concoction made of appearances and generalities, it will always be incomplete, and in that sense, always complete already. You are not paint, put over a blank canvas. The boundaries you set draw the outlines of the truth. To have the choice, the control, over what is seen makes the truth. There is only one truth, the one you chose. You leave the Ghost's Drum, but not without a part of it following you, detaching itself from the core without harming it. Big or small, beautiful or ugly, remembered or forgotten, the part you take with you is now yours. One shade of existence added to the complex texture of your heart. With this, your journey continues on elsewhere. [[The End->Author]]

(set: $LakeMist to 1)\ You move towards the lake and slide yourself over its flat, still surface. The gray colour of your cloud constrasts with the deep blackness of the water. You extend as far as you can, covering the horizon all over the lake. As you spread your influence over the area, you soon find a lone soul, a person on a barque, drifting on the water. Their trip across the lake has taken a turn with your sudden appearence. Now they look around, worry visible on their face and their trembling limbs. They can just see recognizable shadows in the smoke as their mind tricks itself. Even the small waves caused by the movement of their embarcation seem to create eerie noises in this atmosphere. Betrayed by their overbearing senses, the fear is imprinting a tale in their memory, creating a new legend. The thousands of times it will be repeated in the future fill you with new substance, strengthening your existence. But what the legend omits are the tears of the tricked individual, [[and a storm tears you apart from the inside.->Base Rainwater]]

You fall down on the Valley, in a million fragments that returns to the earth, before raising again. Torrents and storms have overrun the Valley, with streams flowing down the moutains and hills, reshaping the land by softening and tearing down the dirt. All the water end up one way or another in the lake, its stillness disturbed by small waves and pierced by the rain drops. All that flow to it congregate in this growing, wounded mass. The ruins stand under the assaults of elements, yet looking even more miserable than the rest of the time. As much of a roof it offers, it seems like an unsure shelter. Meanwhile, the cave's darkness does not stop the water that flows in its tunnel, but its interior remains inscrutable from the outside. From time to time, thunder cracks from the clouds, descending to light the whole Valley for a second at a time and ripping the horizon apart, revealing the mirror in this tear. [[Inspect yourself in the mirror->Mirror Rainwater]] (if: $LakeRainwater is 0)[[[Explore the lake->Lake Rainwater]]](else:)[[[Visit the lake again and remove some substance from your form->Lake Rainwater]]] (if: $RuinsRainwater is 0)[[[Explore the ruins->Ruins Rainwater]]](else:)[[[Visit the ruins again->Ruins Rainwater]]] (if: $CaveRainwater is 0)[[[Explore the cave->Cave Rainwater]]](else:)[[[Visit the cave again and obtain substance->Cave Rainwater]]]

(set: $RuinsMist to 1)\ You insinuate yourself into the ruins, bringing a gray veil over the dead city. Your presence does wonders to the atmosphere of the place, enhancing its aura of mystery by hiding the end of the streets and erasing landmarks from the horizon. A painter would make the most renown pieces of art from the scenery you have created. Yet, as you enhance what is already there, you do not truly change it, and by extension, neither yourself. The still city stay stuck in times past as you bury it in more shadows. Nothing is truly removed and nothing is truly added. The answer to the mystery you concocted is nothingness. [[Go back->Base Mist]]

(set: $CaveMist to 1)\ You push against the thick air of the cave entrance and insinuate yourself inside, slowly descending through the tunnels. As you float through and onwards, you realize it is not just the air. It is like the darkness itself is pushing back against your advance. You force your way through, almost entirely in reaction to the challenge that is presenting itself to you. But the darkness is thicker than water, and eventually you tire of this. There is nothing down here that must be worth the trouble. You try to direct yourself up towards the exit, but the spongy texture of the darkness is difficult to push aside from the bottom of it. It is heavy, a hundred times heavier than yourself in your current form. Before you know it, it creeps on you and take you down further, slowly swallowing you. You try to stir yourself away, in vain. [[You disappear into the darkness.->Base Shadow]]

You gaze into the mirror and find yourself to be ''Rainwater''. You are liquid falling down through the air and down to the earth, hitting with the full force of gravity despite only breaking and dispersing yourself onto the ground. You are a continuous cycle, an irregular but sometimes necessary step to help the land flourish. Melancholy may seem arbitrary, but the heart has its reasons. If you are satisfied with this form of existence, you can step into the mirror. [[Go back->Base Rainwater]] [[Step into the mirror->End Rainwater]]

The melancholy of rain can be beautiful, but that doesn't mean one should let themself, or others, drown in it. What has been broken before can never be rebuilt the same, but that truth only strenghtens you. You are not condemned to repetition. With the tears of rains comes the chance for change. You embrace your tears one day, and dry them the next. Rain is but one step of a cycle. You leave the Ghost's Drum, but not without a part of it following you, detaching itself from the core without harming it. Big or small, beautiful or ugly, remembered or forgotten, the part you take with you is now yours. One shade of existence added to the complex texture of your heart. With this, your journey continues on elsewhere. [[The End->Author]]

(set: $LakeRainwater to 1)\ You fall down on the lake, splashing again and again on the waves of the storm. You enjoy this adventure, this atmosphere of discord, and even more, being a //part// of it. No one is riding the waters today, no one besides you. The dark, thundering clouds, and the tumultuous 'sea' pierced by your thousand needles, are yours. You are the captain of the storm. But that might just be a dream. One from which you cannot awaken as reality already catches up on you. Entertained, you do not see time pass and the storm eventually diminish. The waves calm down and the last of your raindrops are absorbed by the lake. At the end of the tumult, [[you evaporate back to the air.->Base Mist]]

(set: $RuinsRainwater to 1)\ You fall onto the ruins, exhorting any inhabitant or passerby to rush inside for protection. Blue darkness covers the old town, with yellow lights emanating from the wooden windows, a moving painting born from the water that usually washes away. The Summer raindrops are fresh, and rather than threatening, they encourage the people to gather and stay closer for warmth. They whisper and exchange with excitation, and jump in attention when thunder cracks in the distance. Those that can sleep in this environment do so with the reinforced feeling of being protected by their home and neighbours. All in all, an entertaining and comfortable night is spent. [[Go back.->Base Rainwater]]

You roll down the bumps of the Valley, causing you to make little jumps as you go due to your momentum. You descend not just the hills, but also every rock or elevation of dirt that comes your way. They are a surprising amount of them, as the valley is far from being flat. Underneath the ground lays an entire kingdom of minerals that shapes the outside of it. This knowledge brings new significance to the earth one sees. The rocks that emerge from the dirt are like islands or icebergs with hidden faces, and while the trees lose their leaves with the coming of Autumn, they still grow their roots through this unseen kindgom. The human-made ruins have foundations too, literal and figurative, roots from a time where stone was placed upon stone to build with purpose. A shelter, near what used to be a pond, until cycle after cycle fed it and engorged it. The cave remains a mystery to you though, as its history shows it unchanged by the whims of time, and its deepest darkness is still inscrutable to your enlightenment. Said englightenment is the form the mirror is currently taking, resting inside your mind, and requiring you only to look into yourself. [[Inspect yourself in the mirror->Mirror Stone]] (if: $LakeStone is 0)[[[Explore the lake->Lake Stone]]](else:)[[[Visit the lake again and remove some substance from your form->Lake Stone]]] (if: $RuinsStone is 0)[[[Explore the ruins->Ruins Stone]]](else:)[[[Visit the ruins again and obtain substance->Ruins Stone]]] (if: $CaveStone is 0)[[[Explore the cave->Cave Stone]]](else:)[[[Visit the cave again->Cave Stone]]]

(set: $CaveRainwater to 1)\ You drip down inside the cave, plunging into darkness by following a path already selected for you by the morphology of the tunnels. You just let yourself form a continuous stream going down and down, without breaking, tying together the exterior and the dark inside. With nothing to stop you, fearless, you descend endlessly, as if you were trying to reach the center of world. But as you stretch yourself over the tunnels' grounds and walls, as time passes with your expedition, it is not the darkness but the cave itself that takes hold of you. The stone adapt to you and start to absorb your liquid, but not with the purpose of trapping you. You become more solid. [[A lot more solid than before.->Base Stone]]

You gaze into the mirror and discover yourself to be a ''Stone''. You are a small rock, rolling and jumping from place to place. Your shape is stuck into place by the mineral composing you, and despite having a solid form, your means of interacting with the world are close to none. Your rough exterior doesn't fit the many smooth shapes of the Valley and you feel inadequate or marginal at times. You do not make a lot of noise either but you observe a lot, and think a lot. If you are satisfied with this form of existence, you can step into the mirror. [[Go back->Base Stone]] [[Step into the mirror->End Stone]]

Stillness and mutism make it difficult to express yourself but that doesn't devalue who and what you are. You absorb just as much as anyone what happens around you, if not necesserily in the same manner as your neighbour, and even if you do not voice them, your thoughts still flourish. The rigidity of your form is sometimes a cage, but it is a part of you nonetheless, in acceptance as well as in rejection. You leave the Ghost's Drum, but not without a part of it following you, detaching itself from the core without harming it. Big or small, beautiful or ugly, remembered or forgotten, the part you take with you is now yours. One shade of existence added to the complex texture of your heart. With this, your journey continues on elsewhere. [[The End->Author]]

(set: $LakeStone to 1)\ You roll towards the lake, fascinated by its deep blue colour and what must lie beneath it, at the bottom of the thick water. Rolling down faster and faster along a nearby slope, you decide to let your momentum take you a few meters away from the land as you slide off a rock. You plunge into the water, insensitive to its temperature or to the necessity to breathe. Your form is heavy enough to slowly sink and you let yourself go, patiently waiting as you let your weighty body take you down on this unusual trip. Some time passes, and the depths of the lake reveal themselves to you. Colourful species of fish moving as one in banks, along with other spoongy creatures that roam around or hide in strangely shaped coral reefs. You finally hit the underwater ground yourself, very softly, and sit here, unable to move. You don't mind it too much, as there is much to see even from this single spot. But slowly you sense yourself decaying, and after some time, [[you desintegrate into the water.->Base Rainwater]]

(set: $RuinsStone to 1)\ You roll towards the ruins, wanting to study the meaning behind the erected buildings that still stand today. Rolling down the old paved streets covered in vegetation, you observe the material used to make the bricks, and come to the interesting realization that these were carved in stone from the cave you have visited previously. The implications and questions that this suggest are numerous. In no time, you are lost in thought, mentally studying every possibility. It takes you a long moment to realize that while your mind was elsewhere, vegetation grew around you from the stone you where resting on, and has spread over. At this point, you have no room to roll or gain any momentum, and even the inside of your body are slowly digged into by a plant that flourish and tie you to the ruins, [[as if one brick was added long after it mattered.->Base Lichen]]

(set: $CaveStone to 1)\ You roll towards where the entrance of the cave is, and your momentum almost leads you inside immediately, but you still stop in front of it. You consider it with some prudence, but the inscrutable darkness, as suspicious as it is, is still the same as your previous visits in other forms. There is familiarity to it at this point. So you roll inside, and fall, and bounce, and fall again, before rolling some more. You eventually stop, deep inside the tunnels and darkness of the cave. Silence. Nothing comes to you, and after a while, you look around you, until you realize something you missed in previous explorations. The roof of the tunnel you are in is covered in small, shining blue crystal, almost white, like a crude representation of a night sky. You admire it for a while. [[Go back->Base Stone]]

The Valley itself is a cycle. As you expand on the bark of the trees, you observe the events of nature. The animals who are getting ready to hibernate, the ones who will stay awake and make provisions in their nests, or those who leave to migrate to warmer lands. The trees too have lost their leaves in preparation to the harsher conditions. But your own self is mostly unaffected. Rather, the trees shedding their leaves creates a situation to your advantage, as the lack of foliage allow you to see more of the sunlight. Next to you, the mirror has taken the form of a simple drop of sap from a tree, its golden colour shining under the sun. Down the hills, under you, the lake rests, its color slowly moving from its usual dark blue to a light purple. The ruins looks right at home in the autumnal scenery, with the red leaves bringing new colours to the gray stone and yellow vegetation. As for the cave, it is easier to find than ever, though the breeze that comes from it is fresher. [[Inspect yourself in the mirror->Mirror Lichen]] (if: $LakeLichen is 0)[[[Explore the lake->Lake Lichen]]](else:)[[[Visit the lake again->Lake Lichen]]] (if: $RuinsLichen is 0)[[[Explore the ruins->Ruins Lichen]]](else:)[[[Visit the ruins again and obtain substance->Ruins Lichen]]] (if: $CaveLichen is 0)[[[Explore the cave->Cave Lichen]]](else:)[[[Visit the cave again->Cave Lichen]]]

(set: $CaveLichen to 1)\ You grow towards the cave, extending over the rocky base of the moutains until you reach the entrance. You enter the dark and humid tunnel, descending down the walls. Before you make it deep down, you notice that they are more than animals who live down there. Other type of moss-like plants rest on the walls, and long, translucid vines travel across tunnels, like an otherwordly connection or guiding sign. In fact, you observe moths and other flying insects following them, although you are unsure if they are truly doing so with purpose, and are not just being attracted to the light. Small rodents feed on the other plants, or use them to make nests, spreading their seed by doing so. An entire ecosystem rests in the darkness of the cave. To many creatures, it is not a mystery, but a home. [[Go back->Base Lichen]]

(set: $RuinsLichen to 1)\ You grow towards the ruins, where vegetation and stone are essentially one, or rather form a cohesive whole. You feel right at home, next to the multitude of other vegetations who have settled here. It is quite a tempting prospect to do the same. To stop, breathe, feed and sleep, for a few days at a time, or longer. To end the journey here... But as you ponder these thoughts, night falls already as hours have strechted to seconds. You awaken to the presence of the inhabitants who have put up multiples torches around the buildings and streets to light their way. As a person passes near you, torch in hand, the flame licks you for a fraction of second and your entire body catch aflame in the next. You fall but never hit the ground [[as the night catches you.->Base Firefly]]

(set: $LakeLichen to 1)\ You grow towards the lake, seeking to learn more about it. You extend from tree to tree, rock to rock, until you get near the water. But this little journey abruptly ends here. You cannot live under water, or float on it. You are not coral, or any other type of living being you could strive underwater. The mysterious horizon of the lake is closed to you, despite your desires to explore it. The flat stillness of the water is like a frontier, a boundary that may not be breached. After a while, you come to accept this fact. [[Go back->Base Lichen]]

You gaze into the mirror and grow to become conscious of yourself as ''Lichen''. You are a fungus living in symbiose with algae or bacterias that nourish you. You grow everywhere and under many conditions, but always in this symbiose. Life just as civilization grow from cooperation and reciprocal support. An interdependent but resistant chain that holds through the tides of time and disasters. If you are satisfied with this form of existence, you can step into the mirror. [[Go back->Base Lichen]] [[Step into the mirror->End Lichen]]

By attaching yourself to others, you create new cycles. Your support grows in the hands of another, a contribution that moves on, gaining more substance, until it finds its way back to you and again. With every received attention, you gain the satisfaction of being able to give even more. Love is not simply the satisfaction of exchanges, as beautiful as it would already be if that were the case, but of growing together. You leave the Ghost's Drum, but not without a part of it following you, detaching itself from the core without harming it. Big or small, beautiful or ugly, remembered or forgotten, the part you take with you is now yours. One shade of existence added to the complex texture of your heart. With this, your journey continues on elsewhere. [[The End->Author]]

You smell the many odors of the Valley more than you see it. A million different scents find their way in the forest, tracks of animals, parfums of plants, and the humidity of the air that mostly comes from the lake. Even under the layers of thick water, you can sense the many animals that live under, fishes and other submarines creatures. They smell delicious. From the ruins comes something similar yet different in a particular way. An animal scent, yet attached to many others that aren't found anywhere else in the Valley. It leaves you with a wary feeling. Inversely, the scent coming from the cave seems similar to your own, and in this sense, welcoming. You find the mirror, back into a tall, rectangular shape, hovering still above the ground within the forest, clear of any dirtiness. [[Inspect yourself in the mirror->Mirror Beast]] (if: $LakeBeast is 0)[[[Explore the lake->Lake Beast]]](else:)[[[Visit the lake again and obtain substance->Lake Beast]]] (if: $RuinsBeast is 0)[[[Explore the ruins->Ruins Beast]]](else:)[[[Visit the ruins again and remove a notable amount of substance from your form->Ruins Beast]]] (if: $CaveBeast is 0)[[[Explore the cave->Cave Beast]]](else:)[[[Visit the cave again.->Cave Beast]]]

You gaze into the mirror and discover yourself to be a ''Beast''. You are a quadruped, furry animal with a big nose that allows you to catch many different and subtle scents. You feel fast and strong, making you one of the dominant predator of the forest. But even more than the capabilities of your physical body, you feel free like the wind thanks to the rawness of your instincts, and how quickly your body move to act on them without waiting for a mental approval. If you are satisfied with this form of existence, you can step into the mirror. [[Go back->Base Beast]] [[Step into the mirror->End Beast]]

What you feel is a part of you, regarless of how unseemingly it might look to the rest of the world. You do not repressed yourself, because that would just lead to more disarray. You embrace the unsightly part of yourself, before facing the expectations that fall on you, otherwise there cannot be growth. You leave the Ghost's Drum, but not without a part of it following you, detaching itself from the core without harming it. Big or small, beautiful or ugly, remembered or forgotten, the part you take with you is now yours. One shade of existence added to the complex texture of your heart. With this, your journey continues on elsewhere. [[The End->Author]]

(set: $LakeBest to 1)\ You trot towards the lake, letting the humid air guide you towards it. Along with your hunger. You can pratically taste your prey on your lips already. You pace accelerates a little, and once you get to the border of the water, you try to spy the fishes that you know reside under the thick, unscrutable water. When you catch their scent, you swing your paw into the water, troubling its usual stillness, but to no avail. The prey starts to move away before your paw even reach the surface of the water. After a few tries, you focus on a new tactic. You root yourself in place and stop moving a single muscle, waiting for the right opportunity for as long as it takes. When finally a fish approaches the surface, you strike on instinct and catch it, sending it flying on the ground, where you grasp it with your fangs before it tries to jump away. You wolf down your prey, enjoying the fresh and tasty meat. You are fulfilled, and you feel your stomach growing, [[along with the rest of your body.->Base Human]]

(set: $RuinsBeast to 1)\ You trot towards the ruins, wanting to scout the area and its strange scents. You stalk into the streets, laying low and paying close attention to your surroundings. Unfortunately, as you turn a corner, you spot one of the bipedal occupant walking against the wind and who spots you at the same moment. It shouts in alarm and you quickly retreats, but the hunters soon catch up to you in the forest. An arrow strike one of your legs and you attempt to run away from your exposed hiding spot, but you suddenly lose all strength and your body falls on the grass. Something burns the inside of your veins from where the arrow struck you, and you are barely conscious enough to hear the prayer delivered to you before the finishing blow. The hunters cut up your meat and leave your carcass to the rest of nature. Once the insects and little mammals of the forest are done with you, [[what is left slowly merge with the plants that grow on it.->Base Lichen]]

(set: $CaveBeast to 1)\ You trot towards the cave to inspect it. You sniff the entrance, looking for anything suspicious, before entering the premise. Your nose, just as your eyes guide you in the darkness. Far from hindering you, it rather protects you. The cold stone, rather than a prison or a trap, feels more like a roof to you. It is the perfect place for a nest. Cozy, walled, and hidden from the sight of indesirables. Here, you can make a place for yourself and the selected few close to you. But first things first, you baptize the place by taking a good sleep in it. You have well deserved the rest on your journey. You let yourself relax and doze off, only waking a long time after, and well-rested. [[Go back->Base Beast]]

Winter has come to the Valley. A white layer of snow covers everything on the horizon and every inhabitant of the Valley leaves noticeable tracks behind as they navigate the forest. Following those, you meet friendly hunters who are part of the tribe living in the ruins. They offer you clothings and other necessities, seemingly unsurprised by your lack of anything. They seem to be well experienced with the Valley as they invite you to the ruins to have a meal and talk about your own experiences as courtesy for their help. Before leaving, the hunters give a tour of the Valley, describing how they can't catch fish in the thick ice of frozen lake, but make up for it by skating on its surface as entertainement. They warn you of the mirror though, a particular part of the ice that rests in the middle of the lake. Those who gaze into it sometimes leave without ever returning. They also advise you against exploring the cave deep in the forest. The 'Cave of Cycles' they call it. Its darkness swallow people whole, they say, or at the very least, reduce them to an unrecognizable form. [[Inspect yourself in the mirror->Mirror Human]] (if: $LakeHuman is 0)[[[Explore the lake->Lake Human]]](else:)[[[Visit the Inscrutable Lake for a ride again->Lake Human]]] (if: $RuinsHuman is 0)[[[Explore the ruins->Ruins Human]]](else:)[[[Visit the Eternal Winter Tribe in the ruins again->Ruins Human]]] [[Enter the Cave of Cycles and remove almost all of the substance from your form->Cave Human]]

You carefully walks to the center of the lake, where you find a particular reflective surface different from the regular ice. You gaze into the mirror and see yourself to be a ''Human''. You are a bipedal creature wearing clothes and tools. You can both feel the world through each of your senses and think about it deeply. But you are more aware of your limits than ever, along with a desire to grow and improve when you know full well that you will never be perfect. You are whole yet forever incomplete. If you are satisfied with this form of existence, you can step into the mirror. [[Go back->Base Human]] [[Step into the mirror->End Human]]

You will forever be incomplete, but this also mean that you will always have something to learn, to explore, to discover, or someone to meet. You will never see the entire world, see the end of world, or by extension, the end of your journey. But this only makes you immortal. Civilization will grow even from deadlocks such as does the Eternal Winter Tribe, and your own journey is only beginning in the immensity of the universe. You leave the Ghost's Drum, but not without a part of it following you, detaching itself from the core without harming it. Big or small, beautiful or ugly, remembered or forgotten, the part you take with you is now yours. One shade of existence added to the complex texture of your heart. With this, your journey continues on elsewhere. [[The End->Author]]

Despite the warnings, you make your way to the cave, and after some apprehension, you enter it, determined. You keep one hand on the wall to guide yourself in the dark tunnel and walk with mesured steps. But it doesn't take long before you suddenly trip, as the ground has vanished from under your extended feet. In fact, the rest of your body never hits the ground either and you fall for what feels like eternity. If anything catches, it is darkness itself, which sticks to and crawls on your body, until you feel entirely covered, as if you were sinking into the sea. You continue to fall despite the seemingly thick substance that embrace you, until finally you lose consciousness and [[wake some time after.->Base Shadow]]

(set: $RuinsHuman to 1)\ You answer the invitation previously given to you and hail the inhabitants of the ruins as you enter the streets of the old, decrepit town. The tribe that lives here are not the original inhabitants who built the stone buildings you soon learn, further evidenced by the mix of architectures at the center of the town, where the streets made of bricks have been repaired or rearranged with wood from the forest's trees and thick clothes made from animal hides through a long and complex process, as you also learn. The people are friendly and happy to offer you a meal along with all these information about their culture, though they do seem expectant of you, eager to hear of what you have been through in this Valley. Grateful, and enjoying the change of pace, you tell them of your experiences as various forms and they listen diligently, with a clear and sincere interest. Later, you learn that this tribe is composed of many people who, like you, entered this Valley with some goal in mind, but who then decided to stop and live in the form of people, together in this eternal winter. You think about this for a while, but ultimately decide that you must continue your journey. [[Go back->Base Human]]

(set: $LakeHuman to 1)\ You walk to the lake, where you find members of the tribe who are skating on the hard surface of the frozen lake with special boots crafted for this sole purpose with the help of sculpted horns attached to the leather. It is mostly children around, who seemingly perceive this activity as a game while adults are a little more apathetic about it and make use of their boots as a traveling method across the lake. One of the adult teaching the children offer to show you as well. You are given a pair close to your size and you put them on before following your instructor on the ice. It doesn't take you long to assimilate the basics and you let go of your instructor's hand to move around a bit on your own. You try to not collide with any of the excited children who are relatively inattentive to what is around them, and you enjoy the ride. After a while, you come back and give your pair of boots back, thanking your instructor for the initiation. [[Go back->Base Human]]

(set: $LakeStone to 0)\ (set: $RuinsStone to 0)\ (set: $CaveStone to 0)\ (set: $LakeLichen to 0)\ (set: $RuinsLichen to 0)\ (set: $CaveLichen to 0)\ (set: $LakeFirefly to 0)\ (set: $RuinsFirefly to 0)\ (set: $CaveFirefly to 0)\ (set: $LakeBeast to 0)\ (set: $RuinsBeast to 0)\ (set: $CaveBeast to 0)\ (set: $LakeHuman to 0)\ (set: $RuinsHuman to 0)\ Beyond the White Sea, and a forest of dead trees, you wandered. Not quite with a clear goal, yet led by one obsession. It opened the path among the noises, a guide in the darkness. You avoided being caught by famished souls, looking for substance, just like you. The realm of the dead is not which you walk, only the formless. And your destination is not a stop, but a step. A change waiting to occur. But to enter the Ghost's Drum, the valley of forms, means that you can only leave with your transformation achieved. [[Enter the Valley->Base Thought]]

Night has fallen on the Valley and has yet to make way for dawn. There is no moon or stars in the sky, only darkness covers the Valley. In the near silence, every little noise sounds important or dangerous. You fly around at a medium pace while emitting golden yellow light around your small form. You circle around the trees, illuminating pieces of bark as you go. You find the border of the lake by hovering just over the ground. Your light is unable to pierce through the dark water, creating a strange visual effect, where your glow suddenly ends in a straight line, or as straight as the side of the lake is. Thanks to your little light, you also find your way to the ruins, from which noises seem to come regurlarly, along with the lights coming out of windows and backyards. Past it, you make out the entrance of the cave by circling it. Your glow does seem to penetrate its darkness, like the rest of the night. Finally, you look up at the sky one more time and notice the mirror, its circular and reflective surface standing where you would expect the moon to be, only visible from the right angle when it reflects the lights coming from the ruins. [[Inspect yourself in the mirror->Mirror Firefly]] (if: $LakeFirefly is 0)[[[Explore the lake->Lake Firefly]]](else:)[[[Visit the lake again->Lake Firefly]]] (if: $RuinsFirefly is 0)[[[Explore the ruins->Ruins Firefly]]](else:)[[[Visit the ruins again and obtain substance->Ruins Firefly]]] (if: $CaveFirefly is 0)[[[Explore the cave->Cave Firefly]]](else:)[[[Visit the cave again->Cave Firefly]]]

You gaze into the mirror and find yourself to be a ''Firefly''. You are a small flying insect that glows in the darkness, pushing it back despite your size. You fly fast enough, and you leave a golden tray behind you, making you look like a sword or thunder as you cut through the dark. You cannot vanquish the night by yourself, but it can never do the same either. If you are satisfied with this form of existence, you can step into the mirror. [[Go back->Base Firefly]] [[Step into the mirror->End Firefly]]

Even if the night never seem to end, even if its darkness grow thicker as the hours pass, you will not give up on dawn. You are a light in the darkness, sharing, guiding, fighting, sheltering, or simply, living. Sometimes, you may flicker, but this is only more encouragement to shine brighter onwards. You leave the Ghost's Drum, but not without a part of it following you, detaching itself from the core without harming it. Big or small, beautiful or ugly, remembered or forgotten, the part you take with you is now yours. One shade of existence added to the complex texture of your heart. With this, your journey continues on elsewhere. [[The End->Author]]

(set: $LakeFirefly to 1)\ You flutter over the lake, hovering over the water and illuminating the water surface. The water still refuses to reflect your light, but you do not give up. You fly onwards, seeking to explore the entire lake if necessary, to find something different, something that is opened to your light. You zip around, wandering without looking in any precise place. Somehow, you do notice differences here and there in the texture of the water. But you are pretty sure that you end up circling the whole lake, without finding any spot that reflect your light. You eventually give up on the lake. [[Go back->Base Firefly]]

(set: $RuinsFirefly to 1)\ You flutter towards the ruins, where the other lights reside. Flying through the streets, you find the center of the commotion. Lanterns are scattered all around a plaza where the inhabitants are gathered for what looks like festivities. They are like giants to you, dark silhouettes that try to shoo you away if you approach too much, or point at you with beatitude. But giants are not the sole inhabitants here. There are other animals, such as other living lights like yourself, circling around in a tempting dance. You hesitate a little, hovering at a distance and observing from a corner, until you finally jump into the fray. Taking part in the dance quickly feels liberating, and you enjoy yourself for a while. You lose track of time and [[dawn finally shines on the Valley.->Base Beast]]

(set: $CaveFirefly to 1)\ You fly towards the cave entrance and slowly flutter inside, staying close the walls to see where you are going. It is a careful process, as your glow does not emit very far from your body. Step by step, you make it deeper into the tunnels, where the darkness grows thicker, almost more aggressive. But you notice that your own glow is gradually burning harder too. The reach of your light expands, and you are able to move faster through the cave. You expose the paths in front of you, making your choices clearer, and you unravel the particularities of the stone, along with the few plants and animals nested here. You feel like a true explorer now, capable of opening the futile gates behind which petty secrets lie. [[Go back->Base Firefly]]

Thank you for playing The Ghost's Drum! I hope you found some meaning in this little experimentation of a game, along with the ending that felt adequate to you (or maybe you didn't, but that might be a valid feeling as well). Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts if you so wish. Or even a donation if you feel this was worth the price of a coffee (though to be honest with you, I don't actually like coffee). This game was made for Rainbow Jam 2017 (link: "(link)")[(open-url:"https://itch.io/jam/rainbowjam17")] with the theme Spectrum. After an evening of brainstorming, I settled on the idea of a spectrum of forms, where the player would take the role of various and gradually less abstract forms, transforming themself and the world around them, leading to a little exploration game. This has allowed me to try out something new with Twine in the form of a very circular narrative structure, though you tell me if it was fun or interesting in any way. If you wish to replay from the beginning, [[click here to go back to the title screen->Title]]. Please note that this will reset all indicators of previously explored areas!