Amongst The Daffodils

{ The Sun was still asleep when Casimir (text-style:"fidget")[awoke]. The birds remained asleep under the Sun’s covers, shielding them from the early morning chill, but the want of worms would soon (text-style:"fidget")[wake] them. (live:5s)[ (stop:) (text-style:"fidget")[[Awake.]] ] } (text-colour:transparent)[$endingNum]

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color: red)) { Then he saw her: her tan ears (text-style:"sway")[dancing] in the wind with the (text-style:"sway")[daffodils] and the wall looming tall behind her. Hana sat right-side up at the base of the wall. She watched as Casimir lifted himself off the ground and (text-style:"fidget")[stepped back] so that he stood at the edge of the daffodils. She could (text-style:"fidget")[see] the hesitation, the (text-style:"fidget")[dilemma] in the stare he returned to her as he debated retrieving her or leaving her there. (live:12s)[ (stop:) { “(text-style:"bold")[Casimir], don’t go in the (text-style:"sway")[daffodils]!” His mother’s voice was calling to him. Somebody must have told her where he was and she raced to him. “(text-style:"shudder")[But Hana!] They threw Hana in there!” “I can make you a new stuffed animal. Now would you just come here, please?” (live:15s)[ (stop:) “(text-style:"shudder")[But that one won’t be Hana!]” Tears streamed down Casimir’s face. I can’t get a new bunny. (text-style:"shudder")[I need Hana.] Only she understands me and only she knows all the secrets I have told her, he thought. He turned from facing his mother to face Hana. She still sat there amidst the lemon-yellow sea. Her always smiling face looked scared somehow. Casimir took a step toward the (text-style:"sway")[daffodils]. (text-style:"rumble")[[>]] ] } ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color: red)) { Casimir could see no danger. It was just a (text-style:"fidget")[wall]. How dangerous could a wall be? He started climbing it. There was a (text-style:"fidget")[dilapidatedness] to it that allowed Casimir to climb it with ease. At the top of the wall, he paused and looked back over his shoulder. Tears streamed down his mother’s face making it glimmer with sadness. (text-style:"outline")[The Elders] now stood at the edge of the daffodils. (text-style:"fidget")[Their line was now a barrier]. (live:10s)[ (stop:) { “Good luck, and (text-style:"shudder")[farewell],” echoed their thirteen voices. But this time, their voices were laced with disappointment. Casimir couldn’t figure out why they would be disappointed or why his mother was acting like he was in danger. All he did was climb up the wall and everything seemed to be fine. (live:8s)[ (stop:) The (text-style:"buoy")[Sun] had gotten comfortable in his bed of clouds and was closing his eyes. The birds had joined him and were now (text-style:"fidget")[dead silent]. Shadows fell across the landscape. Hana still sat on the other side of the wall, ears slowly dancing in the wind. Casimir’s mother fell to her knees, sobbed into her hands. (text-style:"outline")[The Elders] held their positions at the edge of the (text-style:"sway")[daffodils], firmly maintaining their barrier. ] } ] } (set: $timer to 45) { (live: 1s)[ (if: $timer is 0)[ (stop:) (goto: "With the Man in White") ] (else: )[ (set: $timer to it - 1) (text-style:"rumble")[$timer seconds] ] ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color: red)) { But the longer Casimir kept looking at Hana as she sat there over the wall, the more (text-style:"shudder")[sinister] her smile seemed to look. It seemed as if something sinister was subtly pulling the edges of her smile into a (text-style:"shudder")[sneer]. Dread crept up his spine as he began to sense the danger that the Elders and his mom were warning him about. This wall, it does play tricks. (text-style:"shudder")[Something is wrong here. ] Fear filled him, urging him to back away. And he listened. He backed out of the (text-style:"sway")[daffodils], slowly at first. Once he was past the edge of the flowers, Hana was all of a sudden back (text-style:"sway")[amongst] them. (live:18s)[ (stop:) { The next moment, he feels his mom crashing into him, engulfing him in her embrace as her sobs drench his shoulder. “Oh Cas, you’re (text-style:"fidget")[safe]! Oh!” “She was right there… I almost had her…” Casimir mumbled, still trying to understand. “This wall plays tricks,” (text-style:"outline")[the Elders’] voices echoed. “We must go.” “Come on, Cas. Let’s go home.” (live:12s)[ (stop:) Casimir’s mom leads him home by the hand. (text-style:"outline")[The Elders] walk with them. The silence they walked through was heavy. The village folk watched them from afar but hid once they passed. They knew what happened. (text-style:"shudder")[Everyone knew now.] Casimir’s (text-style:"shudder")[empty] arms feel (text-style:"shudder")[weird] without Hana in them. He’d never been apart from her, never gone anywhere without her. That day his mom mentioned the other night had come. (text-style:"shudder")[He felt so alone.] ] } ] } (set: $timer to 60) { (live: 1s)[ (if: $timer is 0)[ (stop:) (goto: "Casimir Grows Up") ] (else: )[ (set: $timer to it - 1) $timer seconds ] ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color:yellow)) { The (text-style:"rumble")[fall] from the top of the wall to the ground was longer than Casimir had expected. Upon hitting the ground, he screamed, writhing in (text-style:"rumble")[agony], as a sharp (text-style:"rumble")[pain] surged through his body. Then it was (text-style:"rumble")[gone]; it had only lasted a few seconds. He got back to his feet, sprinted over to Hana through the (text-style:"rumble")[dead] grass that cracked beneath his feet, and hugged her (text-style:"flat")[close] to him once they reunited. (live:12s)[ (stop:) “What’s your name, kid?” A (text-style:"fidget")[voice] came out of nowhere. It wasn’t in Casimir’s head like the voices of (text-style:"outline")[the Elders]. Casimir looked around him and saw a man dressed in an (text-style:"fidget")[all white] suit and top hat standing next to him. He wasn’t a very tall man, rather kind of (text-style:"fidget")[stout] actually, but he seemed quite friendly. “Uh… Casimir.” “Why don’t we walk back to town, Casimir.” “But, I need to go back to—” ] } (set: $timer to 50) { (live: 1s)[ (if: $timer is 0)[ (stop:) (goto: "Man in White 2") ] (else: )[ (set: $timer to it - 1) $timer seconds ] ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color:blue)) { The (text-style:"buoy")[Sun] awoke. And with it the (text-style:"fidget")[birds]. A new day. Same routine, but no Hana. (text-style:"fidget")[No one] was by his side anymore, and he didn’t want anyone other than Hana. As was its routine, the (text-style:"buoy")[Sun] kept waking and waking and waking. And with it the birds, who would also turn in when it did. Casimir’s mother spent her evening making him a (text-style:"fidget")[new stuffed bunny], using what miscellaneous fabrics and buttons and thread she still had. It would still be a while before a trading caravan would arrive from inland. (live:10s)[ (stop:) { The months started (text-style:"fidget")[passing] and soon the years did too. Casimir and his mom went on with life, still carrying out their daily routine. But Casimir wouldn’t go out to play, preferring to go home to be (text-style:"fidget")[alone]. The new bunny kept collecting dust. The (text-style:"buoy")[Sun] awoke, and with it the (text-style:"fidget")[birds] like always. Casimir was now well into his second decade. Thus he was no longer going to the mill hut with his mother but (text-style:"fidget")[going] with the men to work the fields. The days were longer out in the Sun than in the mill hut, but he and the other kids were free to go once the Sun started to (text-style:"fidget")[set]. (live:15s)[ (stop:) “(text-style:"bold")[Hey, Casimir!]” A (text-style:"fidget")[voice] called after him one day as he was leaving the fields. Casimir stops and turns to see who the (text-style:"fidget")[voice] belongs to. One of the other boys who was also now working in the fields was jogging over to him. “You wanna come play ball with (text-style:"fidget")[us]?” [[Play with the other kids.]] or [[Go home alone.]] ] } ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color:green)) { “Sure.” (text-style:"italics")[Why not], Casimir figured. (live:5s)[ (stop:) { He followed the boy to the grassy courtyard at the center of the village. The (text-style:"fidget")[other boys] who were also working the field and some (text-style:"fidget")[kids] who were still working in the mill hut were all gathering and forming two teams. Once the teams were formed, the ball was (text-style:"fidget")[kicked] down the courtyard, and the game began. Casimir had never played this game before, the kids used to always bully him away. (text-style:"fidget")[He wasn’t very good.] But nobody seemed to care and they all had fun running up and down the field, chasing after the ball, and kicking it this way and then that way. (live:10s)[ (stop:) { The kids played until the (text-style:"buoy")[Sun] started slipping away to bed. All over them were panting and tired but happy. “Good game,” one of the kids said as they patted Casimir on the back. “See ya tomorrow?” (live:7s)[ (stop:) “Yeah.” A small (text-style:"expand")[smile] grew on Casimir’s face. It’d been so long since he last smiled and he had forgotten the(text-style:"fidget")[ warmth] of one. And for the first time since it happened, since he lost Hana, (text-style:"buoy")[he didn’t feel so alone]. ] } (set:$endingNum to 3) [[End]] ] } ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color: yellow)) { Nothing ever changed here. The (text-style:"buoy")[Sun] would wake and wake and wake without the birds and the city would lay dead. Then the sun would sleep again and again and again and the city would come to life. People (text-style:"fidget")[rushing] everywhere in their vehicles. Casimir watched both for he could not sleep. He missed his mother. He didn’t even get to hug her goodbye. (live:8s)[ (stop:) { The (text-style:"bold")[man in white] rarely came by. Sometimes (text-style:"bold")[he’d] even take him to get food like they did that first day, but Casimir always ended up eating (text-style:"fidget")[alone]. But still, he was afraid to try to escape. If he failed, he’d get the furnace like that other guy from before. (text-style:"fidget")[He didn’t want the furnace.] (live:8s)[ (stop:) The days (text-style:"fidget")[passed], and soon the months and years did too. There were no mirrors in his room, but Casimir could tell he had not aged. His hands were still those of a young boy. (text-style:"shudder")[He was stuck forever.] And, despite having Hana with him, would forever be (text-style:"shudder")[alone]. (set:$endingNum to 4) [[End]] ] } ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color: red)) { A (text-style:"shudder")[ditch] lined this side of the wall, stretching in either direction with it. Several (text-style:"shudder")[corpses] in various states of decay were sprinkled about it. One corpse looked only a few days old. (text-style:"shudder")[It was Casimir’s body. He never made it across the wall.] He remembered the excruciating pain he felt when he fell off the wall and how it dissipated so quickly; he never stopped to think about why it went away so quickly. Then it hit him. The fall from the wall was the dangerous thing his mother warned him about. (text-style:"shudder")[That fall was fatal.] (live:15s)[ (stop:) { The armed men were practically on top of Casimir by now. He didn’t want to go back, not after seeing what happened to that young man. Seeing how much (text-style:"shudder")[worse] the (text-style:"shudder")[furnace] was than this Hell was not something that he wanted to know. Casimir hugged Hana close to his chest, lovingly (text-style:"flat")[warping] her body one last time, before (text-style:"shudder")[tossing her away]. She landed on her side facing the wall, watching to see if Casimir’s plan would succeed. (live: 13s)[ (stop:) Just as the armed men were about to grab Casimir, he (text-style:"shudder")[dashed] toward the (text-style:"shudder")[wall] and climbed it. The climb was not easy; the wall was taller on this side than on the village side. He got to the top and paused for a breath, taking that moment to look behind him. The armed men would not pass the ditch. The (text-style:"bold")[man in white] glared at him from further up the path towards town, his clothes in disarray and his hair in a mess on his hat-less head. A breeze blew over the wall from the east, from over the direction of the village. Hana’s paw (text-style:"sway")[danced] in the breeze, wishing Casimir farewell. ] } ] } (set: $timer to 55) { (live: 1s)[ (if: $timer is 0)[ (stop:) (goto: "OG Ending") ] (else: )[ (set: $timer to it - 1) (text-style:"rumble")[$timer seconds] ] ] }

: : Timer (set: $timer to 10) { (live: 1s)[ (if: $timer is 0)[ (stop:) (goto: "put next passge name here") ] (else: )[ (set: $timer to it - 1) You have $timer seconds ] ] } : : Time Delays { appears first (live:3s)[ (stop:) appears after time ] } : : Sequencial time delays { appears first (live:3s)[ (stop:) appears second { appears second (live:3s)[ (stop:) appears third ] } ] } : : Keeping track of # of visits :: Start How many times has the passage "Another Passage" been visited? (str: visits) :: Another Passage

{ Casimir (text-style:"fidget")[sat] up and hugged the stuffed bunny that lay next to him. “Good morning, Hana,” he whispered to her. But her unresponsive body made no reply. (live:3s)[ (stop:) “(text-style:"bold")[Cas], come and eat. We need to leave soon.” Through the darkness he could see the gentle shadow of his mother putting together some breakfast. [[Go eat breakfast.]] ] }

{ They ate their bland but filling meal in the black silence of the morning. There wasn’t much to talk about since nothing new ever happened in the village. News rarely came from inland. (live:5s)[ (stop:) { After eating, Casimir and his mother went off to the mill hut. By this time, the (text-style:"fidget")[birds] were searching to satiate their wants, but dawn had not yet broken. Casimir’s mother and the others were at the other side of the hut tiresomely grinding grain into flour. The fathers worked in the field growing the grain. (live:10s)[ (stop:) By the time the (text-style:"buoy")[Sun] peeked through the hut’s window, salty sweat streamed down the mothers’ faces. Casimir and the other village children worked at filling boxes with flour that would be carried inland by the caravan that would come every other moon cycle. They worked silently. Hana sat on the floor next to Casimir who petted her every so often. ] } ] } (set: $timer to 55) { (live: 1s)[ (if: $timer is 0)[ (stop:) (if: visits is 2) [(goto: "End of Day 2")] (go-to: "End of Day") ] (else: )[ (set: $timer to it - 1) $timer seconds ] ] }

As (text-style:"buoy")[the Sun] started setting, the children were released to go play. They grabbed a ball and went to the grassy courtyard at the center of the village. [[Play with the other kids?]] [[Do your own thing?]]

{ After hugging his mother a quick goodbye, Casimir, with Hana in his arm, follows the other kids out to play. He (text-style:"fidget")[follows] them out to the grassy courtyard in the middle of town. They are kicking the ball around. There were clear teams, one was kicking the ball in one direction and the other was kicking the ball in the other. It went back and forth and back and forth until finally, one team gets a handle on it and drives it all the way to one end of the courtyard. “Win!!” The team shouts, excited at their success. The teams took a moment before starting the next round. So, Casimir took the moment to (text-style:"fidget")[approach] one of the teams. (live:12s)[ (stop:) { “Hey, can I play with y’all?” A (text-style:"fidget")[smirk] came to the kids’ faces as they all stop and turned toward him. “Well, that depends,” one of them finally says. Casimir looks at them with a (text-style:"fidget")[blank expression]. “Only if you let me put your stuffed animal to the side.” The kid reached his hand out. “Her name’s Hana, you know.” Casimir glares a little at them but he doesn’t want to make them too mad. They wouldn’t let him (text-style:"fidget")[play] with them if he did. The kids chuckle amongst themselves. “Ok then, only if you let me set (text-style:"italic")[Hana] to the side.” He reaches his hand out once more. Casimir looks at the kid for a moment. He hugs Hana tightly before handing her to the kid. The kid held her in his hand for a moment as his grin (text-style:"fidget")[widened]. (live:15s)[ (stop:) Then, the kid turns around in a quick motion and (text-style:"rumble")[hurls Hana] toward one end of the courtyard. “(text-style:"shudder")[Hana, no!]” Casimir screams as he tries to run and catch her. But just as he’s picking up speed, another one of the kids (text-style:"fidget")[trips] him. He lands on the dusty ground with a (text-style:"rumble")[thud]. He can hear the kids laughing at him. “Maybe don’t bring your stupid stuffed animal if you want to play with us.” The kid who threw Hana yells back at him as the group walks away. They’re all still laughing; so is the other team. (text-style:"shudder")[They are all laughing at him]. Casimir gets up, tears running down his face. He runs over to Hana and picks her up, brushing the dirt off her limp body. “I’m sorry Hana,” he says to her before running home. ] } ] } (set: $timer to 70) { (live: 1s)[ (if: $timer is 0)[ (stop:) (goto: "Playing With kids, continued") ] (else: )[ (set: $timer to it - 1) $timer seconds ] ] }

{ Casimir didn’t go with the other children and instead walked west a half-mile out of the village to where the (text-style:"sway")[daffodils] grew. Amongst them, a few feet in, stood a stone wall that stretched on north and south to what seemed the end of the world. They continued to grow alongside it. It was there before (text-style:"expand")[the Elders] existed and it’s said that (text-style:"expand")[they] were the ones who planted the daffodils long ago. (live:15s)[ (stop:) Casimir wouldn’t get any closer to the wall than the edge of the (text-style:"sway")[daffodils]. “(text-style:"bold")[Don’t] go near the wall, Casimir,” her stern voice echoed in his ears. “And never ever go closer than the daffodils, or else something terrible will come.” The petals of the (text-style:"sway")[daffodils] brushed up against his legs as they danced in the wind; their dance possessed an air of innocence, like that of a bumble bee. They all (text-style:"sway")[danced], the whole troop of flowers, as the wind rolled over the landscape towards the south. Hana swayed slightly, her weight being too heavy for the wind to entice her to dance, as she hung from Casimir’s hand. (text-style:"fidget")[[Sit down?]] ] }

{ As Casimir was about to (text-style:"fidget")[sit] down in the grass beneath him, a (text-style:"fidget")[blackened hand] so cold he could feel it through his sleeve, gently gripped his shoulder. (text-style:"fidget")[He froze.] He knew who the hand belonged to. (live:8s)[ (stop:) { A tall, black figure clad in heavy, black robes that dragged behind it stood behind Casimir. Its face, shrouded in the darkness of the robe’s hood, looked down at him with bright white stars placed where its eyes should be. (text-style:"expand")[An Elder.] (live:10s)[ (stop:) It (text-style:"fidget")[gently] moved its cold hand from his shoulder to his back. Casimir could feel the cold but the tenderness of its touch, a fatherly sort of touch, kept it from feeling intolerable. (text-style:"outline")[The Elder] turned to face the village and guided him back there with a gentle push. It walked Casimir to the door of his hut and waited, patiently, (text-style:"fidget")[silently], there with him until his mother came home. ] } ] } (set: $timer to 50) { (live: 1s)[ (if: $timer is 0)[ (stop:) (goto: "Punishment") ] (else: )[ (set: $timer to it - 1) $timer seconds ] ] }

{ Soon Casimir’s mother walked up, her tired feet dragging behind her. When she saw (text-style:"outline")[the Elder], she perked up, straightening her spine and picking her feet up more so that they didn't drag. She stopped in front of the Elder and Casimir. (text-style:"outline")[The Elder], its (text-style:"fidget")[icy hand] still pressed against Casimir’s back, pushed him forward toward his mother. He brought Hana to his chest and hugged her (text-style:"flat")[tightly]. (live:15s)[ (stop:) { “Tell her where you were, Casimir.” (text-style:"outline")[The Elder’s] voice (text-style:"fidget")[echoed in his head]. It was a deep and slightly harsh voice but it wasn’t threatening. “I-I was by the wall.” “(text-style:"bold")[Casimir!]” his mother cried. “You know how dangerous it is to be out there!” She hugged him. “You could have (text-style:"fidget")[died!] You know the kind of tricks that wall can play.” Without letting Casimir go, she looked up to (text-style:"outline")[the tall black figure] (text-style:"fidget")[looming over them] in the darkness, its (text-style:"fidget")[star-like eyes] watching patiently. “Thank you, Elder, for keeping my boy safe.” It nodded its head once before (text-style:"sway")[gliding] off into town. (live:20s)[ (stop:) “Mother, you’re (text-style:"flat")[crushing Hana].” Casimir was still hugging the stuffed rabbit to his chest. “Come inside, it’s time for bed,” said his mother. “What about dinner?” “None for you, not after what you did.” [[Tomorrow]] ] } ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color: red)) { When it came time for the children to go out and play, Hana followed Casimir to the (text-style:"sway")[daffodils] and to the stone wall. (live:7s)[ (stop:) “How can a wall and some flowers be so (text-style:"fidget")[dangerous]?” Casimir asked Hana, holding her in front of him. “Flowers are harmless and the wall looks pretty run down.” Hana said nothing and her stuffed body just sagged in his hand with her button eyes looking at the wall. Casimir pulled her in and hugged her (text-style:"flat")[tightly]. Her soft, (text-style:"fidget")[lifeless embrace] soothed his (text-style:"fidget")[anxieties]; she always brought him comfort when he was scared or confused. ] } (set: $timer to 25) { (live: 1s)[ (if: $timer is 0)[ (stop:) (goto: "The Bullies Return") ] (else: )[ (set: $timer to it - 1) $timer seconds ] ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color:yellow)) { “(text-style:"rumble")[No.]” The (text-style:"bold")[man in white] prevented him from turning to look at the wall. “There’s no (text-style:"rumble")[need] to (text-style:"rumble")[worry about] the (text-style:"rumble")[wall].” (live:8s)[ (stop:) { As they walked, a grand metropolis emerged from the trees. Strange buildings stood so tall they seemed to cause the (text-style:"buoy")[Sun] discomfort as he slept. Flashy, moving objects on wheels raced in every direction along long gray paths. Lights illuminated the entire place, so much so that there was almost no need for the (text-style:"buoy")[Sun] to (text-style:"fidget")[wake up]. Casimir took everything in, eyes wide with awe and fascination. The (text-style:"bold")[man in white] led him up into the tallest building. One could see the entire metropolis from the top, a sea of flares glaring in the night; Casimir had never been so high off the ground. The (text-style:"bold")[man] sat down behind a large (text-style:"fidget")[cluttered] desk. Casimir stood in front of it. (live:15s)[ (stop:) “It’s not often that we get a (text-style:"shudder")[kid], you know.” The (text-style:"bold")[man in white] flopped down on the leather chair and started rummaging around in the desk in front of him. “Usually, we get (text-style:"fidget")[old folks] and the occasional (text-style:"fidget")[middle-aged adult] and (text-style:"fidget")[teenager].” He found the cigar that he was searching the depths of his desk for, clipped the tip off, and lit it. “Umm—” ] } ] } (set: $timer to 50) { (live: 1s)[ (if: $timer is 0)[ (stop:) (goto: "Man in White 3") ] (else: )[ (set: $timer to it - 1) $timer seconds ] ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color:yellow)) { Some armed men burst into the room dragging a younger man with them. “We caught him trying to salvage his (text-style:"rumble")[lover’s bones] by the (text-style:"rumble")[wall],” they reported. The (text-style:"bold")[man in white] drew a long breath from his cigar. Everyone was silent. An (text-style:"fidget")[anxiety] hung in the air along with the smoke. Why it was so (text-style:"fidget")[tense], Casimir didn’t know. The (text-style:"bold")[man in white] let out the smoke with a big sigh. “Messing about by the (text-style:"rumble")[wall] are we now.” A (text-style:"fidget")[hideous smirk] stretched across his face as he stood up from his chair and strutted over to the younger man. (live:18s)[ (stop:) { “No no, I wasn’t. I-I don’t know what they are talking about.” Casimir could tell that this man was (text-style:"rumble")[scared] and he was starting to get (text-style:"rumble")[scared] for him. “You know keeping those (text-style:"rumble")[bones] won’t bring him back. He was predestined to go (text-style:"fidget")[elsewhere], so elsewhere he (text-style:"fidget")[went].” “Y-yes , I know that. I-I just (text-style:"fidget")[miss] him dearly.” (text-style:"buoy")[Tears] streamed down the younger man’s cheeks. Tears trickled down Casimir’s cheeks too. Hana’s body (text-style:"flat")[warped] a little as Casimir held her close to him. “Argh, why are you crying too!” The (text-style:"bold")[man in the white] had seen Casimir’s tears. (live:18s)[ (stop:) “I miss my mother. I want to go (text-style:"rumble")[home].” “(text-style:"bold")[Casimir], (text-style:"rumble")[this is your home now!]” The sheer anger in the (text-style:"bold")[Man’s] voice frightened Casimir; his tears didn’t dare leave his eyes. The (text-style:"bold")[man] turned from Casimir to the armed men who still had the younger man firmly in their grasp. “Take him to the (text-style:"rumble")[furnace],” he ordered. ] } ] } (set: $timer to 60) { (live: 1s)[ (if: $timer is 0)[ (stop:) (goto: "Man in White 4") ] (else: )[ (set: $timer to it - 1) $timer seconds ] ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color:yellow)) { Casimir had never seen a $firstmeal before. * Casimir took a bite and suddenly was (text-style:"wavy-underline")[overwhelmed] by the (text-style:"wavy-underline")[savory] flavors of the dish. It was much (text-style:"wavy-underline")[better] than the food he ate back home. He continued to (text-style:"wavy-underline")[indulge] in this (text-style:"wavy-underline")[delicious] food, but he couldn’t help but notice that something was missing. All the workers were gone now as if they were done working, which seemed odd to Casimir since the (text-style:"buoy")[Sun] was (text-style:"fidget")[wide awake] now. Even the (text-style:"wavy-underline")[man in white] had left. Casimir was (text-style:"fidget")[alone]. He had (text-style:"fidget")[never] eaten (text-style:"fidget")[alone] before; his (text-style:"fidget")[mother wasn’t] sitting there across the table sharing this meal with him. He could only (text-style:"fidget")[wish] that she was. He hugged Hana close to him as tears trickled down his cheek and onto her soft, plushy forehead. (live:15s)[ (stop:) { The (text-style:"bold")[man in white] returned not long after Casimir finished his sandwich. He gripped Casimir’s hand and led him back to the building. There was a room about halfway up the building that was to be Casimir’s; everything in it was (text-style:"fidget")[white]: the bed and sheets, the curtains, the walls, and even the toys. The window had a great view of the city, which lay (text-style:"fidget")[dead] now as if it were the middle of the night. “You can play with (text-style:"wavy-underline")[anything] in here,” said the (text-style:"bold")[man in white] (text-style:"fidget")[coldly],” but don’t leave this room.” He left and Casimir, who was wondering how a man with such warm and soft hands could be (text-style:"fidget")[so cold], was all (text-style:"fidget")[alone] again. (live:15s)[ (stop:) { Casimir had never seen (text-style:"wavy-underline")[so many toys] in his life: round balls that bounced, human figures whose arms you could move, and small versions of the large objects on wheels that could race around too. It was a (text-style:"wavy-underline")[while] before Casimir and Hana had played with each one. It was quiet. There was no traffic during the day and the (text-style:"fidget")[birds never woke], almost as if they were dead. When the (text-style:"buoy")[Sun] would start getting ready for bed and the traffic started picking back up, thoughts of his (text-style:"fidget")[mother] and how much (text-style:"fidget")[he missed her] crept into Casimir’s head. It was then that he hugged Hana the (text-style:"tall")[closest]. (live: 15s)[ (stop:) [[Accept lonely life.]] or [[Try to go home.]] ] } ] } ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color: red)) { “I want to (text-style:"shudder")[go back home], Hana. I don’t like it here. It’s too (text-style:"shudder")[lonely],” he told her. The city lay (text-style:"fidget")[dead] beneath Casimir’s window; nothing stirred, no one even snored in his sleep. Casimir laid on the stark white bed, whose rough sheets made sleep a hard task, as an idea wandered into his head. (text-style:"italic")[Escaping wouldn’t be that hard.] The (text-style:"shudder")[man in white] wasn’t watching him and everyone was asleep at this time, noon time. He would just have to (text-style:"fidget")[outrun] the (text-style:"shudder")[man in white’s] men in order to avoid the younger man’s fate. He sat up on the bed. Hana sat upright beside him, seemingly eager to hear Casimir’s escape plan. (live:5s)[ (stop:) { Casimir stayed there a moment. He remembered the way back to the wall, it wasn’t a complicated route. He took a deep (text-style:"expand")[breath] and held it for a few seconds. The silence was no longer oppressive but now hopeful. He let the breath go. He had made up his mind: (text-style:"italic")[I’m coming home Mother. He got up off the bed and took Hana by her sewn, little paw.] (text-style:"fidget")[Click.] The doorknob let itself be turned; it wasn’t locked. Casimir walked down the hall and made his way to exit the building, taking care to make sure his footsteps didn’t break the still (text-style:"fidget")[silence] and attract attention. When Casimir reached the entrance, the doors slid open and he dashed through, Hana flailing behind him. (live:10s)[ (stop:) “(text-style:"rumble")[CASIMIR!]” The (text-style:"bold")[man in white’s] voice (text-style:"rumble")[murdered] the still silence of the city. (text-style:"bold")[He] and his men would be on Casimir’s tail soon. Casimir kept running, (text-style:"shudder")[forcing] his legs to keep going as the cramps of exhaustion crept up. He had never ran so much, but now was no time to slow down. No time to look back to see how close the (text-style:"shudder")[armed men] were from him. He got out of the city to the dead field of grass the (text-style:"shudder")[wall] stood in, stagnant grass crunching beneath his feet. Casimir could hear the armed men, their armor clabbering about them, they (text-style:"shudder")[weren’t far] behind. He ran toward the wall; he didn’t make it before he (text-style:"shudder")[froze] at the sight he saw there. ] } ] } (set: $timer to 50) { (live: 1s)[ (if: $timer is 0)[ (stop:) (goto: "Casimir Learns the Truth MiW") ] (else: )[ (set: $timer to it - 1) (text-style:"rumble")[ $timer seconds] ] ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color:gray)) { “Oh, uh… (text-style:"fidget")[no],” Casimir said, shrugging off the question and turning to leave. (text-style:"italic")[Why risk getting bullied again like before? It’s because of them Hana is gone and I’m alone]. He walked home, eyes cast down. It would be a while before the (text-style:"buoy")[Sun] started going to bed and thus a while before his mom would be home to make some dinner. He didn’t want to (text-style:"fidget")[wait] at home alone, so he settled on going for a (text-style:"fidget")[walk]. (live:10s)[ (stop:) { The evening was (text-style:"sway")[breezy]; the wind carried the first light chills of autumn. Soon, the wind would carry in the winter and everyone would retire from their work for the season. The village streets were (text-style:"fidget")[empty]. Casimir could hear those still working in the field, those still at the mill hut, and the (text-style:"fidget")[laughter] from the kids playing in the courtyard. He (text-style:"fidget")[walked] aimlessly, letting his feet take him wherever while his mind was elsewhere. That slight (text-style:"shudder")[sinister smile] Hana had while she was across the wall still (text-style:"fidget")[haunted] him. He could still see the stitches of her mouth curving up slightly, invoking a dread in him— (live:15s)[ (stop:) { Something (text-style:"sway")[yellow] caught his eye, pulling his mind back to the present. His feet had walked him to the daffodils, to the wall. They seemed so calm as they (text-style:"sway")[danced] in the wind, but still, fear rose in him. He looked out at them for a moment. The daffodils, beautiful in the (text-style:"buoy")[Sun’s] fading light. The wall, dark and ominous. And Hana, right where she landed that day years ago, her ears (text-style:"sway")[dancing amongst the daffodils]. But Casimir didn’t (text-style:"fidget")[dare] move any closer. Instead, he sat in the grass, watching the Sun set behind the wall. Despite everything, the daffodils were beautiful, even as the night’s darkness shrouded them. (live:15s)[ (stop:) After a while, a (text-style:"oultine")[coldness] grew, making pushing up goosebumps on the back of Casimir’s neck. It grew stronger as if something was coming closer. He turned to look. [[>>>]] ] } ] } ] }

As the (text-style:"buoy")[Sun] started setting, the children were released to go play. They grabbed a ball and went to the courtyard. [[Play with the other kids?]] [[Go to Wall Again]]

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color: red)) { “Look who still talks to his (text-style:"italic")[bunny]!” A loud high voice interrupted Casimir’s hug. He turned to see who it belonged to. Behind him stood the other village children. They had followed him to the wall. “Better yet, look who’s out by the (text-style:"shudder")[wall] again. Didn’t (text-style:"outline")[an Elder] catch you out here yesterday? You must be an (text-style:"fidget")[idiot] to come back!” (live:2s)[ (stop:) { (live:8s)[ (stop:) Tears filled Casimir's eyes, (text-style:"blur")[blurring his view of the others.] He never knew how to handle being treated like this. His mother always told him to be (text-style:"bold")[brave], (text-style:"fidget")[but he didn’t know what that meant]. He hugged Hana closer to him, (text-style:"flat")[warping] her shape a little. ] } ] } (set: $timer to 20) { (live: 1s)[ (if: $timer is 0)[ (stop:) (goto: "The Bullies Return 2") ] (else: )[ (set: $timer to it - 1) (text-style:"rumble")[$timer seconds] ] ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color: red)) { When the sound of someone lunging towards him reached his ear, the world was already (text-style:"buoy")[falling] around him in slow motion. Hana was no longer returning his hug. Where could she have gone? He hit the ground, (text-style:"sway")[daffodils danced] all (text-style:"rumble")[around him]. One of the other kids stood above him, his mean face illuminated by the Sun, who watched from the other side of the (text-style:"rumble")[wall]. (live:10s)[ (stop:) Casimir, in (text-style:"rumble")[panic], looked around for Hana, turning his head every which way. The kid who had pushed him down must have snatched her from him and (text-style:"rumble")[threw her] off somewhere; that same kid ran back to join the others, who stood there for while, mouths hanging open in shock, before dashing back to town. ] } (set: $timer to 35) { (live: 1s)[ (if: $timer is 0)[ (stop:) (goto: "Confrontation") ] (else: )[ (set: $timer to it - 1) (text-style:"rumble")[$timer seconds] ] ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color: red)) { “(text-style:"bold")[Casimir!] Don’t take another step,” shrieked his mother. Casimir looked back at her. He could see her angry yet (text-style:"fidget")[frightened] face. Behind her he could see (text-style:"outline")[the Elders] lining up into a line of black, all thirteen of them. Their star-white eyes were all fixed on him. They moved (text-style:"fidget")[closer] and (text-style:"fidget")[closer]. (live:8s)[ (stop:) { The (text-style:"buoy")[Sun], who was yet again preparing to sleep but still spectating, shined over the wall and behind Casimir. The (text-style:"fidget")[shadows] he cast only emphasised the expression on his mother’s face as they filled the crevices created by her (text-style:"shudder")[panic]. He turned to face Hana again and started to take another (text-style:"shudder")[step] closer… (live:10s)[ (stop:) “If you go, there will be (text-style:"shudder")[no return].” (text-style:"outline")[Thirteen] deep, harsh sounding voices (text-style:"fidget")[echoed] in his head and stopped him from taking a step. They weren’t threatening but they were firm. Casimir looked behind him again to see that (text-style:"outline")[the Elders] now stood only a few feet behind him, a line of blackness accented by their star-white eyes. They (text-style:"fidget")[loomed] over him, despite being as far as they were, and they all spread out their arms in (text-style:"fidget")[assurance]. (text-style:"rumble")[[>>]] ] } ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color: red)) { “Come back to the village. Your mother can make you a (text-style:"fidget")[new bunny],” (text-style:"outline")[the Elders’] voices echoed. (text-style:"italic")[But that bunny would not be Hana], thought Casimir. He looked from (text-style:"outline")[the Elders] to his mother, who looked more (text-style:"fidget")[horrified] now than frightened, back to Hana, and then back to (text-style:"outline")[the Elders]. (text-style:"fidget")[He had made up his mind]. (live:10s)[ (stop:) { Casimir dashed into the (text-style:"sway")[daffodils] and tried to grab Hana. When he reached for her, what he grasped wasn’t her plushy body— he grasped (text-style:"outline")[air]. (live:15s)[ (stop:) (text-style:"shudder")[Where is she?] She was just right here? He looked up at his surroundings searching for her. Then he spotted her ear (text-style:"sway")[dancing] in the wind. She sat, right-side up, on the (text-style:"shudder")[other side of the wall] in a field of grass so dry it only cracked as it tried to dance in the wind. Her sewn-in mouth smiled at him, (text-style:"fidget")[enticing] him to come over. She seemed like she wasn’t in any danger. (text-style:"rumble")[[Go over the wall.]] or (text-style:"buoy")[[Step away from the wall.]] ] } ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color:yellow)) { “(text-style:"rumble")[No], anything but that! (text-style:"rumble")[Please] let me go,” begged the younger man. “You know I can’t do that.” (live:7s)[ (stop:) { The (text-style:"italic")[man in white] watched as the armed men dragged off the younger man, whose (text-style:"rumble")[screams] seemed to echo throughout the whole building, slowly fading the further away he was dragged before abruptly stopping. The (text-style:"italic")[man] had stood there listening with his eyes closed and his mouth turned up into a (text-style:"rumble")[grin] of amusement. He drew on the cigar for a moment before letting out a ring of smoke. (live:15s)[ (stop:) { “You hungry, kid? What'd you wanna (text-style:"fidget")[eat]?” (dropdown: bind $firstmeal, "hot dog", "pizza", "tacos") (live: 6s)[ [[Go eat.]] ] } ] } ] }

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color: white)) { Casimir hopped down on the other side of the wall, his (text-style:"fidget")[feet] landing amongst the (text-style:"sway")[dancing daffodils]. The (text-style:"buoy")[Sun] pulled up its covers for the night. Darkness enveloped the land and the village as the (text-style:"fidget")[birds sang] their evening lullabies. (live:10s)[ (stop:) { A (text-style:"shudder")[cold, uneasy tingling] spread throughout his whole (text-style:"shudder")[body]. It wasn’t a pain but rather an intense shiver. He noticed his hands. (text-style:"shudder")[They were cold, dark hands]. When he looked up, (text-style:"outline")[the Elders] stood there in front of him, no longer forming a barrier but something more pleasant. They all reached out (text-style:"sway")[their cold, dark hands]. (live: 10s)[ (stop:) (text-style:"sway")[“Welcome,” echoed their voices. “We’re sorry.”] ] } (set:$endingNum to 1) [[End]] ] }

{ It’s not until after dark that Casimir’s mom comes walking up the path, her feet dragging with fatigue. As she gets closer to their hut, she sees Casimir in tears by the door, (text-style:"fidget")[clutching] Hana so closely her body (text-style:"flat")[deforms]. “Aw, sweetie, what’s the matter?” She sits next to him, putting her arm around his shoulder. (live:10s)[ (stop:) { “Why are they so mean, Mama?” Casimir sniffles. His breath catching on itself ever so often. “Who, Cas?” “The other kids, they are always so mean to Hana and me.” “Oh, Cas, you have to be strong. You can’t let them get to you.” She hugs him closer. “Maybe it’s time to start doing things on (text-style:"italic")[your own], without Hana. You're going to have to (text-style:"fidget")[leave her behind] and let her rest one day, Cas.” (live:10s)[ (stop:) Casimir didn’t say anything. He stayed there in his mother’s embrace, feeling her warmth and Hana’s softness. (text-style:"italic")[Hopefully, that day never comes], he thought to himself. “Now,” said his mom with a start as she moved to get back up, “how about some dinner?” ] } ] } [[Tomorrow]]

(enchant: ?Page, (text-color:gray)) { (text-style:"outline")[An Elder.] “You know, you shouldn’t be here,” its (text-style:"fidget")[voice] echoed. “I know…” Casimir turned back towards the wall. A moment passed. “Why is she still there?” (text-style:"outline")[The Elder] sat next to him. He was surprised; he hadn’t thought their long black forms were (text-style:"fidget")[capable] of sitting. (live:7s)[ (stop:) { “This wall stretches on (text-style:"fidget")[forever] on either side. You won’t ever find the end of it for there is none. It is the boundary between our realm and the one on the other side. “There’s a (text-style:"bold")[man], a being, that rules over that other realm. A (text-style:"bold")[greedy man] who wants more than the natural flow of people to his side. He’s made it so that this wall takes on his greed. It plays tricks to (text-style:"shudder")[entice] people over, especially when given something like your Hana.” (live:8s)[ (stop:) { Casimir took a moment to understand this. “So, Hana is gone?” “Yes.” A (text-style:"fidget")[sorrow] hid in its echoey voice. “How do you know? I can see her, she's right there.” “I, too, once had a Hana that I couldn’t live without. I went over and managed to get back, (text-style:"fidget")[but it cost me my life and her].” A moment passed. “(text-style:"outline")[We all] had a Hana.” (live:12s)[ (stop:) They sat there in (text-style:"fidget")[silence] for a while. The air around (text-style:"outline")[the Elder] was cold but it wasn’t uncaring. There was a warmth to it. The Sun had gone to sleep now; the night covered everything. Casimir’s mom should be home now. (text-style:"outline")[The Elder] placed its (text-style:"fidget")[icy, black hand] on Casimir’s shoulder, “(text-style:"outline")[We] are here for you. (text-style:"sway")[You aren’t alone.]” (set:$endingNum to 2) [[End]] ] } ] } ] }

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[(text-style:"sway")[Fin.]]