Last Days of Summer

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''5 Days Until End of Summer'' This time of the day, the park is mostly empty. Just a few other children remain, clustered in twos and threes around the playground. There are even fewer adults, the parents with toddlers long since returning home for naptime. A bald man walks his dog past the playground, a younger man with red hair wanders deeper into the park, smoking his cigarette. Nobody is close enough to listen in on your conversation, but you still lean in closer as Summer drops her voice with the airs of a great secret. "Hey, did you hear? My dad says the stream that goes through the park runs all the way to the ocean!" [[Believe her|Believe]] [[Don't believe her|NoBelieve]]

"Really?" You gasp, eyes flying wide. You know ocean is somewhere nearby, but 'nearby' is a very relative term. "But it's so small!" "Well, that's what my Dad said! It gets bigger and bigger and then finally it goes into the ocean." Summer leans back, looking up to the sky. "I wish I could see the ocean one day." "Me too." You nod. It's starting to get windy, and you shiver a bit. "I bet it's really pretty." Summer's dog, Scruffy, is running around you. He comes over and sits down, looking at you expectantly. [[Pet Scruffy|Promise]]

"No way!" You scoff. "The stream's tiny, and the ocean is really, really big!" You throw your arms open to show how big it is. Not that you've ever seen it outside TV, of course. "No, my Dad said so! He always knows those things. It gets bigger and bigger and then finally it goes into the ocean." Summer leans back, looking up to the sky. "I wish I could see the ocean one day." "Me too." You nod. It's starting to get windy, and you shiver a bit. "I bet it's really pretty." Summer's dog, Scruffy, is running around you. He comes over and sits down, looking at you expectantly. [[Pet Scruffy|Promise]]

Scruffy grins as you scratch it behind the fluffy ears. Summer hums in thought. "Hey, you know what? We should totally make a promise!" "A promise?" You blink. "About what?" "Let's promise that we'll go see the ocean together! Before school starts again. There's a lot of days left, right?" "Okay!" It's an easy promise to make, even if you don't have any idea how you're going to get to the ocean. You always want to go with Summer. You shiver again as the wind picks up a little. As you look around, everyone else has already left the park, leaving the two of you and Scruffy alone. [[Leave the Park|Leave Right Away]] [[Talk for a bit|Stay a While]]

"Ugh, it's getting really cold." You stand up, hugging yourself. "Wanna go home?" "No, I'll play with Scruffy a little while longer." Summer smiles at you. "Let's meet up here tomorrow, all right?" "Of course!" With a smile and a wave, you head home. As you walk out of the park, you hear Scruffy barking. He must be really excited to play with Summer. [[Next day|4 Days Left]]

Even though it's getting cold, you decide to stay a little longer and talk with Summer. You keep talking about the ocean and how fun it's going to be to see it together. Scruffy is getting excited about something, though. At first he starts running around you again, then suddenly speeds off deeper into the park. "Scruffy!" Summer jumps up to her feet. "Do you need help?" You get up as well, ready to run. "No, if we both go, he'll think we're playing." Summer smiles, waving her hand at you as she turns to follow Scruffy. "See you tomorrow, right?" "Of course!" As you're leaving the park, you hear Summer calling for Scruffy. [[Next day|4 Days Left]]

The park is full of people when you arrive, thanks to the warm weather. You see Summer as soon as you get to the playground. She's sitting on the same bench as yesterday, waving at you. Scruffy's nowhere to be seen, though, even as you get closer. "Jessie!" Summer is waving at you as you get closer. "Come here!" "Summer!" You run closer and sit on the bench next to her. Weirdly, you could swear you can smell cigarette smoke on her. Maybe it's in the air? [[Ask about the smoke|Ask smoke]] [[Ask about Scruffy|Ask Scruffy]]

As you get home, your parents want to talk to you. They're both smiling, but you could swear your mom looks worried. "Hey, Jessie?" your dad asks. "You were at the park with Summer yesterday, right?" "Right!" You nod. "We were at the playground. Why so?" "Ah, we were just wondering." Your mom's smile is definitely strained. "You didn't see anyone, ah... strange while you were there, did you? For example, any adults you didn't know?" You think back. There might have been someone, but nobody you really remember. After a moment's thought, you remember, though. There was... [[An older, bald man|Witness Innocent]] [[A young woman with a dog|Witness Woman]] [[A young man with red hair|Witness Guilty]]

''3 Days Until End of Summer'' Your parents still look awfully serious as you're eating breakfast the next day. As you're about to head outside, your mom calls after you. "Jessie?" "Yes, Mom?" You pause in the doorway. "Ah..." She wrings her hands, looking like she's not sure what to say. "Please stay in yard today." "But I was supposed to go to the park!" "Jessie!" You're not sure when your mom has last looked so serious. "I want you to stay home. ...Just for now, all right?" "...All right." There's not much to do in the yard, not really. Of course you have toys, but you've been playing with them all summer, and you'd much rather go out to the park to talk with Summer some more. After you've been kicking a ball against the fence for a while, you could swear you can hear a sound from the other side of the fence. [[Investigate|Talk Day 3]] [[Ignore|No Talk Day 3]]

"What's that smell?" You wrinkle your nose. Summer blinks, like she has no idea what you're talking about, then shakes her head. "Oh! Yeah, my uncle came over. He smokes a lot and it smells, it's really gross." Summer makes a face, then kicks her feet. "Hey, Jessie?" "Yeah?" "We're best friends, right?" [[Say yes|Say Yes]] [[Tease her|Say No]]

"Where's Scruffy?" You look around, wondering if he's going to run up from somewhere, barking at you. Summer blinks, like she hadn't even thought about it, then shakes her head. "Scruffy's back home. He got really tired yesterday, so he's resting up." Summer kicks her feet. "Hey, Jessie?" "Yeah?" "We're best friends, right?" [[Say yes|Say Yes]] [[Tease her|Say No]]

"Of course I am!" Summer smiles brightly. "And we'll be best friends forever, right? No matter what?" You smile and nod. "Forever." You talk about the ocean again. Summer can't seem to think about anything else, and her enthusiasm is pretty infectious. Before you know it, it's time to [[go home|Asking Questions]].

"Hm, no." You shake your head. "I think I like Tommy more." Tommy's the grossest boy in your class. He's always picking his nose, and both you and Summer try your best to stay away from him. "Hey!" Summer protests, nudging you. After some giggling, you nod. "Of course we're best friends!" "Right." Summer smiles brightly at you. "So... we'll be best friends forever, right? No matter what?" You smile and nod. "Forever." You talk about the ocean again. Summer can't seem to think about anything else, and her enthusiasm is pretty infectious. Before you know it, it's time to [[go home|Asking Questions]].

As you tell your parents about this, your dad nods. He definitely looks serious, now. "Right. Thanks, Jessie." When you go to your room, you hear your parents talking to each other, but their voices are too quiet for you to hear anything more. [[Next day|3 Days Left]]

You stop kicking your ball, listening. A moment later you hear the sound again, and go over to the fence. "Hello?" "Jessie!" "Summer?" You blink in surprise. "It's me!" You can't see Summer through the fence, but it's definitely her voice. "You didn't come to the park." "I'm sorry. My parents told me to stay home today." "That sucks." Summer sighs. "But you can still talk, right?" Of course you can. Even talking through the fence is more fun than playing ball by yourself, though you're not exactly sure why Summer won't just come to the yard. You keep talking to Summer until you have to go inside to eat. When you come back and try calling for her, there's no response. She must have gone home already. [[Next day|2 Days Left]]

You ignore the sound from the fence and continue kicking the ball. After a moment all you can hear is the thumping of the ball against the fence. You were hoping Summer might come to your house when you don't make it to the park, but you don't see her all day. In the end, you go back inside. It's no fun to play outside on your own. [[Next day|2 Days Left]]

''2 Days Until End of Summer'' Somehow, you're not even surprised when your mom asks you to stay home again. She looks even more serious now, enough that you don't even try to argue. It would be more fun to go to the park, but there's probably a reason why your mom looks so serious, almost sad. You try to occupy yourself again, playing around with your toys. It's not much fun, though, and you get bored soon. This time you're absolutely sure you hear something from the other side of the fence as soon as it happens. It's louder, now, and even though it doesn't quite sound like a voice, it sounds like someone is saying your name. <<if hasVisited("Talk Day 3")>>[[Go to the fence|Friendly Talk]]<</if>> <<if hasVisited("No Talk Day 3")>>[[Go to the fence|Angry Talk]]<</if>>

''Last Day of Summer'' When you go to the kitchen for breakfast, your parents are talking to each other. You can't quite make out the words, but it sounds like they're disagreeing about something. When you walk in, though, they both look at you and smile a little. "Ah, Jessie." Your dad is the one who speaks, your mother looking a little nervous next to him. "You wanted to go to the park, right?" "Yeah." You perk up. "Can I go today?" Your parents glance at each other, and then back at you. "Right. But promise not to go anywhere beyond the playground?" "And stay with other people!" Your mom looks awfully nervous. "Don't go wandering off on your own!" "Yes, mom." She's not usually this worried, but if it'll make her let you out, you'll promise whatever she asks. You're planning on staying with Summer the whole time, anyway. You wolf down your breakfast, and then rush outside. You pause at the door just enough to hear a couple of sentences, though. "Are you sure we really should let you go?" "They caught the bastard, right? And we can't keep her locked up home forever." That's clearly not for you to hear, not if your dad is using those words. Whatever they're talking about doesn't matter, not now when you can finally go out of the yard. You rush off. Summer must already be waiting. [[Go meet Summer|Last Park]]

Summer lets go of your hands and steps away, not saying anything. You get a weird feeling about it all, and suddenly, going home feels like the right thing to do. You smell the cigarette smoke before you hear anything. Of course, by the time you hear anything, there is already a hand grasping on your wrist, much larger than Summer's hand. You try to get free but the grip on you is strong, the scent of cigarattes overwhelming you as you struggle. It hurts, your wrist hurts so badly, except suddenly there's a hand grasping on your shirt and you're lifted into air. Your feet are dangling off the ground, if only for a moment. The next second you're plunged down, down, deep into the cold water of the stream. The water's clear but you can only barely make out the silhouette of someone crouched over you, sunlight lighting up the messy hair in a red halo around their head. The water, you find, is cold, yet somehow it makes your lungs burn as you gasp uselessly for air. Not that you have the strength to do so for long, your ears humming with the rushing water, everything around you fading into cold darkness. You don't know if the water will take you all the way to the ocean. You suppose you will find out. ''Silent Stream End''

Summer's smile is bright as the sun as you agree, and somehow her hands feel warmer now. "I knew it!" She's smiling, and it almost looks like her whole face is glowing. "We're best friends, after all!" "Of course we are." You smile back at her, feeling awfully light for some reason. It's almost like you're walking on clouds. "Come on, then!" Summer tugs at your hands, still smiling as she walks backwards, coaching you along. "Let's go!" "Right away?" Even as you ask the question it feels stupid, really, of course it's right away, there's no point in waiting. Summer is here, after all, and it's the last day before school, and you made a promise and you should never break your promises. The water is rather cold as you fall in, but that's all right, because Summer's hands are warm in yours. You will always be warm, now. ''Best Friends End''

You barely manage to say no when Summer's face changes. It's not even just that she's not smiling anymore; no, there's something entirely different about her now. Something... ugly. "So you break that promise too," she hisses, and the hands holding yours are even colder. "Always, always, always breaking promises!" "Summer, stop that." You're getting frightened by her behavior, and try to take your hands away. However, her grip on you is too strong. You can't understand how her hands could be so strong, or so icy cold. "You promised!" She's practically shrieking now, her voice so high it makes your ears hurt. "You promised, promised, promised!" She's pulling you along and you stumble, unable to draw away. You're too focused on looking at Summer, though, as you don't notice you've come to the bank of the stream before you lose your footing. For a moment the only certain thing you can feel is Summer's hands, still holding onto you, as cold as the water that closes up around you. No matter how you kick and struggle, Summer holds on, dragging you deeper. You're not sure the stream even goes this deep. As you manage one last glance up, you see the flickering glow of candles through the water. Then that, too, is swallowed by darkness. ''Scorned End''

Summer isn't coming back. Your parents sit you down that night and tell you the news, but somehow, you already knew it. The only thing you don't know whether it's really Summer you have been talking to these last few days, or something else entirely. It's going to be lonely, going back to school without Summer. Maybe your parents will go with you to bring her a candle, to say goodbye. You don't forget Summer, of course, even as autumn turns to winter and spring and the weather gets warm again. There's no playing with Scruffy in the park, no whispered conversations on the playground, but you keep thinking of her all the time nevertheless. Your parents try to keep you occupied, and for the first time in your life, they take you to the ocean. It's just as big and pretty as you always imagined, stretching out to the horizon, and as you stand on the beach the waves tickle your feet. If you close your eyes, you could swear you can hear the waves whisper goodbye. ''Summer's End''

School starts the next day, but Summer doesn't come. It's strange, not having Summer sitting next to you in class. You have a new teacher, a nervous-looking young woman. She introduces herself, but you don't catch her name, too worried about where Summer is. Maybe she's angry with you for not going to the ocean with her? Then the teacher says something that catches your ear. "I'm afraid something very sad has happened." You're not terribly sure what happens next. You hear the teacher speaking, you must have, because you can remember later that she said strange things, impossible things. You must have started crying at some point because your face is wet when you get home, not that you have any idea how you got home, either. Your mom is hugging you tight, murmuring something into your hair, but you can't hear her. Summer isn't coming to school. Summer isn't coming home, either. You can never go to the ocean with Summer, or play with Scruffy in the park, or do anything else with either of them because they are gone, gone, gone. Summer is gone. As you cry yourself to sleep you wonder if it's cold to sleep in the ocean. ''Lonely End''

"Summer?" Of course it's Summer, who else would it be? "Jessie!" Summer sounds happy to hear from you. "Are you stuck home again?" "Yeah." After a moment, you add, "Sorry." "No, it's okay. We can still talk, right?" You do, too. Summer's talking mostly about the ocean and how magical it's going to be. You have no idea if you can even go to the ocean, school will start again and for now you're stuck at home. It's fun to talk about, though, it's always fun to talk with Summer, and time passes faster than you realize. Summer's gone again by the time you get back from lunch, and you wait a moment to see if she'll be back. There's no sign of her again, though, and eventually you get tired of waiting around. [[Go inside|Mother Crying]]

"Oh, so now I'm good enough to talk to?" You are startled by the angry voice. It's Summer's voice, you're sure about that, but you don't think you've ever heard her sound so angry, definitely not at you. "Summer? What are you talking about?" "You didn't come to talk to me yesterday!" "I couldn't! My mom told me to stay home!" "You still could have!" Summer's yelling now. "You promised, and you broke your promise!" "I didn't mean to!" You feel like crying. "It wasn't my fault!" "Well, you broke your promise anyway!" Summer says some more things, all of them angry, but you can't listen anymore. You run away from the fence, and don't go back. Not that there's much of other places to go. [[Go inside|Mother Crying]]

You're about to head to your room, but you hear a strange sound from the living room. Sneaking closer, you realize that your mom is sitting on the couch. She's crying. You're not sure if you've ever seen your mom crying, it feels wrong, it doesn't even feel real. After a moment you sneak away to your room, not sure what else you could do. You still wonder why your mom would be crying, though. What could have happened? <<if hasVisited("Witness Woman")>>[[Next day|Last Day - Yard]]<</if>> <<if hasVisited("Witness Guilty")>>[[Next Day|Last Day - Free]]<</if>> <<if hasVisited("Witness Innocent")>>[[Next Day|Last Day - Free]]<</if>>

You head to the yard when your mom asks you to, trying not to feel too disappointed to be stuck home again. Of course, just like you expected, you haven't been outside for longer than a moment when you already hear a voice calling to you from the other side of the fence. "Summer?" You inch closer. "I'm sorry I couldn't come to the park again." Summer doesn't seem to even hear you, though, speaking impatiently. "You need to come to the park today." Her voice is urgent as she speaks, and it's making you feel a little off balance. "Come on, your parents won't even notice!" You pause to think about it. On one hand, you haven't been to the park in days, and you promised Summer. On the other hand, your mom told you to stay home. "Well?" Summer's voice is getting louder. "Come to the park with me!" [[Refuse|Lonely End Pre]] [[Agree|Last Park]]

"Ah." Summer looks disappointed, but she lets go of your hands anyway. "You really won't come?" "I'm sorry." You're not sure why you have a weird feeling about this, but you can't shake it. "No, it's okay." She smiles, though she looks sad at the same time. "I... you should probably go home, now." "Right." You hesitate, though. Somehow Summer looks so very lonely here in the clearing, with candles flickering next to her. "Ah. Talk to you tomorrow?" Summer doesn't answer, just smiles sadly. As you turn to go, though, you're sure you can hear her whisper goodbye. When you glance back over your shoulder, she's gone already. [[Next Day|Summer's End]]

You almost expect Summer to get angry when you refuse, but instead she falls entirely silent. You wait a moment, but there's still no response. "Summer?" She doesn't respond, not even when you call for her again. It's not the silence of someone who's pouting, either. Even if you can't see through the fence, somehow you know she's not there anymore. No matter how you wait, Summer doesn't come back. [[Next Day|Lonely End]]

Summer is quiet as she leads you through the playground and deeper into the park, into the small clearing with a stream running through it. For some reason there are candles set on the edge of the stream, flickering in the hint of a breeze. It registers to you as strange, but your attention is more on Summer. Summer is acting odd. She walks over to the candles but doesn't comment on them, and you're not actually sure if she's looking at the candles or the stream beyond them. As you walk closer, though, she turns around to look at you. "Jessie?" Summer gives you a strange look. It's almost like she's trying to see right through you. "We're best friends, right?" "Of course," you reply. "Best friends forever." Summer reaches forward to take your hands. For some reason her hands are awfully cold. "Will you come to the ocean with me?" [[Agree|Best Friends End]] <<if hasVisited("Angry Talk")>>[[Refuse|Scorned End]]<</if>> <<if hasVisited("Friendly Talk")>> <<if hasVisited("Witness Guilty")>>[[Refuse|Summer's End Pre]]<</if>> <<if not hasVisited("Witness Guilty")>>[[Refuse|Silent Stream End]]<</if>> <</if>>