(link-reveal: "Welcome.")[
(link-reveal: "We've been expecting you.")[
(link-reveal: "Welcome to this world.")[
(link-reveal: "Some say this place is haunted.")[
(link-reveal: "That's why they sent you.")[
(link-reveal: "You are a paranormal investigator.")[
(link-reveal: "You are an excavator.")[
(link-reveal: "You are an exhumer.")[
(link-reveal: "You are a knife.")[
[[You are a museum visitor.->answer]]
]]]]]]]]](if: $encounter is >=1)[(display: "mainalt")]
(else:)[You close the heavy door behind you. Ahead is complete darkness. You navigate to the flashlight application on your phone and tap it on. With the aide of the light, you peer around and make out your surroundings.
You are in a hallway with four doors. One to the left, one to the right, one dead ahead. Oh, and the exit behind you. But it isn't time to leave just yet. You are on a mission tonight.
[[Investigate left->garden]]
[[Investigate right->kitchen]]
[[Investigate ahead->bedroom]]](if: $encounter is >= 5)[A coldness sweeps through your bones. You know in your heart of hearts: your time here ends.
[[Accept your fate->die]]]
(if: $encounter is < 5)[Through the door lies a murky landscape. The omnipresent darkness of the hallway bleeds into the new space ahead. The light from your phone catches a few dark silhouettes. You glimpse a barren tree branch, a sprawling tomato plant, and a crowded bar and barstools at the end of the room. You glance down, and see your shoe smush grass underfoot.
You think this might be a garden, but as you take another step into the room, your foot finds hardwood. Wherever you might be, this place resists simple definition. The air tastes hot and thick on your tongue, and you feel a prickle on the back of your neck.
(set: _encounter to (random: 0,2))[
(if: _encounter is 0)[You are approached by a ghost!
[[Approach the ghost->judy]]
]
(if: _encounter is 1)[You are approached by a ghost!
[[Approach the ghost->connie]]
]
(if: _encounter is 2)[You are approached by a ghost!
[[Approach the ghost->rusty]]
]]](if: (history:) contains "judy")[A presence approaches, and retreats. You shiver, and get the feeling you've met this ghost before. You must try again.
[[Adventure again in the garden->garden]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]]
(else:)[(set: $encounter to $encounter + 1)<img src="https://sophia.smith.edu/arx340-rtibbitts/wp-content/uploads/sites/392/2019/04/judy.jpg" width="527" height="319" alt="Judy">
The ghost introduces herself as Judy. She leaves you with these words:
"I figured out once that I'd spent over two years inside hospitals. My official diagnosis is paranoid schizophrenia. I'm into taking responsibility for my own craziness, because if you don't, then you have an absolutely wonderful excuse for being crazy the rest of your life.
My being a Lesbian - it's so very comfortable, it's who I am and that in no way can be called crazy."
(if: $encounter is >= 5)[A coldness sweeps through your bones. You know in your heart of hearts: your time here ends.
[[Accept your fate->die]]
]
(if: $encounter is < 5)[The ghostly images vanish. There is work left to do.
[[Adventure again in the garden->garden]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]
]](if: (history:) contains "rusty")[A presence approaches, and retreats. You shiver, and get the feeling you've met this ghost before. You must try again.
[[Adventure again in the garden->garden]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]]
(else:)[(set: $encounter to $encounter + 1)<img src="https://sophia.smith.edu/arx340-rtibbitts/wp-content/uploads/sites/392/2019/04/rusty.jpg" width="469" height="319" alt="Rusty">
The ghost introduces herself as Rusty. She leaves you with these words:
"In a bar, if you're scared to meet people, all you have to do is get to the pool table. Pool is a poetic game and it's one of the few games that I play. I play chess and pool. I don't have time for games, because I have to play games all day long. I sell office supplies. And I can't be Rusty in that store, I have to be Mary Ellen. Pool is a way to relax and calm down."
(if: $encounter is >= 5)[A coldness sweeps through your bones. You know in your heart of hearts: your time here ends.
[[Accept your fate->die]]
]
(if: $encounter is < 5)[The ghostly images vanish. There is work left to do.
[[Adventure again in the garden->garden]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]
]](if: (history:) contains "connie")[A presence approaches, and retreats. You shiver, and get the feeling you've met this ghost before. You must try again.
[[Adventure again in the garden->garden]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]]
(else:)[(set: $encounter to $encounter + 1)<img src="https://sophia.smith.edu/arx340-rtibbitts/wp-content/uploads/sites/392/2019/04/connie.jpg" width="326" height="475" alt="Connie">
The ghost introduces herself as Connie. She leaves you with these words:
"There is a disabled closet as well as a Lesbian closet. It was an easy transition for me to come out as a Lesbian because I always had to be a really strong woman. Somehow I felt that women who know what their oppression is about would see beyond disability - that higher consciousness would carry over. Now I don't think so. People will say, 'Here, let me help you.' Sometimes disabled people don't need help. The major thing is not to think you know how to help someone without listening to her."
(if: $encounter is >= 5)[A coldness sweeps through your bones. You know in your heart of hearts: your time here ends.
[[Accept your fate->die]]
]
(if: $encounter is < 5)[The ghostly images vanish. There is work left to do.
[[Adventure again in the garden->garden]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]
]](link-reveal: "Hello $name.")[
(link-reveal: "Do you remember the deal you struck?")[
(link-reveal: "You are a paranormal investigator, and a museum visitor.")[
(link-reveal: "You are a witness, and a voyeur.")[
(link-reveal: "You saw people. Not ghosts. Not stories.")[
(link-reveal: "You know so little about these people, and yet you looked at them anyway. Did they even ask you to?")[
(link-reveal: "You reduced the yawning totality of their lives to thin and cutting slivers of narrative and image. Anything you gleaned from your encounter is imbued with your own biases, your own stories, your own ghosts.")[
(link-reveal: "No one could possibly learn anything about anyone in such a state. Not even you, $name.")[
[[Would you like to try again?->landing page]]
]]]]]]]](if: $encounter is >= 5)[A coldness sweeps through your bones. You know in your heart of hearts: your time here ends.
[[Accept your fate->die]]
]
(if: $encounter is < 5)[You walk past the threshold into a wall of muggy heat. The atmosphere almost chokes you, and you cough into the crook of your elbow, raising your flashlight with the your other hand. The light of your phone catches a few features in the enveloping dark: a checkered floor streak with scuff marks which lead to a wood chair, a cavernous ceiling framed by cupboards, cabinets, and counters, a stubbornly burning oven tucked in one corner.
You think you might be in a kitchen, but as you take a step to investigate further, the walls blur and melt away, and the oppressive heat flares again. You watch the furniture mix and match itself, cabinets hopping down and chairs dissolving into the tiled floor. Wherever you might be, this place resists simple definition. You feel a cold sweat break out over your body, and a prickle at the back of your neck.
(set:_encounter to (random: 0,2))
(if: _encounter is 0)[You are approached by a ghost!
[[Approach the ghost->beverly]]
]
(if: _encounter is 1)[You are approached by a ghost!
[[Approach the ghost->dot]]
]
(if: _encounter is 2)[You are approached by a ghost!
[[Approach the ghost->pagan]]
]](if: $encounter is >= 5)[A coldness sweeps through your bones. You know in your heart of hearts: your time here ends.
[[Accept your fate->die]]]
(if: $encounter is < 5)[The door opens to more pitch blackness. You fumble with your phone, sweeping the room with your flashlight. The shadows fill the space like liquid, quickly filling and refilling the track left by your light. You can't make out much, but in one corner, there is a rectangular shape that reminds you of stumbling to sleep at midnight. The opposite corner holds another shape - this one has several repeating bars, and seems to be the source of a quiet wailing.
You sway on your feet, blinking against the darkness. This is no time to sleep, even if you are in a bedroom. When you open your eyes and look again, the bed and the cradel have switched, and the crying grows louder. Wherever you might be, this place resists simple defintion. You feel a prickle at the back on your neck, and steel yourself for what lies ahead.
(set:_encounter to (random: 0,2))
(if: _encounter is 0)[You are approached by a ghost!
[[Approach the ghost->denyeta]]
]
(if: _encounter is 1)[You are approached by a ghost!
[[Approach the ghost->julie]]
]
(if: _encounter is 2)[You are approached by a ghost!
[[Approach the ghost->lynne]]
]](if: (history:) contains "beverly")[A presence approaches, and retreats. You shiver, and get the feeling you've met this ghost before. You must try again.
[[Adventure again in the kitchen->kitchen]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]]
(else:)[(set: $encounter to $encounter + 1)<img src="https://sophia.smith.edu/arx340-rtibbitts/wp-content/uploads/sites/392/2019/04/beverly.jpg" width="471" height="285" alt="beverly">
The ghosts introduces themselves as Beverly and Barbara. They leave you with these words:
Beverly: "Being a Lesbian has released a lot of energy for me. The movements I'm a part of - the Black feminist movement and the women's movement - have given me a place to put that energy. The existence of the Lesbian community, a community that defies man-made boundaries, is extremely important to me. I especially cherish my unique identification with Black Lesbians both present and past, here and in all the places we find ourselves as African women."
Barbara: "After years of constant work, I'm feeling good that we finally have a viable Black feminist movement. We're just beginning to comprehend all the things it means to be Black and female and Lesbian in America. What bothers me most is that racism in the women's movement and homophobia in the Black community are, after white-male patriarchy, the forces most likely to choke Black feminist struggle."
(if: $encounter is >= 5)[A coldness sweeps through your bones. You know in your heart of hearts: your time here ends.
[[Accept your fate->die]]]
(if: $encounter is < 5)[The ghostly images vanish. There is work left to do.
[[Adventure again in the kitchen->kitchen]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]
]](if: (history:) contains "dot")[A presence approaches, and retreats. You shiver, and get the feeling you've met this ghost before. You must try again.
[[Adventure again in the kitchen->kitchen]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]]
(else:)[(set: $encounter to $encounter + 1)<img src="https://sophia.smith.edu/arx340-rtibbitts/wp-content/uploads/sites/392/2019/04/dot.jpg" width="298" height="413" alt="dot">
The ghosts introduces herself as Dot. She leaves you with these words:
"I'm 57 and I came out when I was five. I've never had any regrets about being gay and I've never hidden it. I've got an attitude where if somebody doesn't want my talent, they can go to hell. I'm a good cook. I want to open a gay restaurant of my own with all gay people working there. Why should somebody spend gay money and give it to straight people?"
(if: $encounter is >= 5)[A coldness sweeps through your bones. You know in your heart of hearts: your time here ends.
[[Accept your fate->die]]]
(if: $encounter is < 5)[The ghostly images vanish. There is work left to do.
[[Adventure again in the kitchen->kitchen]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]
]](if: (history:) contains "lynne")[A presence approaches, and retreats. You shiver, and get the feeling you've met this ghost before. You must try again.
[[Adventure again in the bedroom->bedroom]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]]
(else:)[(set: $encounter to $encounter + 1)<img src="https://sophia.smith.edu/arx340-rtibbitts/wp-content/uploads/sites/392/2019/04/lynne.jpg" width="533" height="348" alt="lynne">
The ghosts introduces thesmelves as Lynne, Susie, Melanie, and Jamey. Lynne and Susie leave you with these words:
Lynne: "Somehow there has to be a consciousness in the gay community - and it's growing - that childrne are a community's collection responsibility, because traditional mothering is much too isolated and painful."
Susie: "Sometimes being with womyn who don't have kids is real hard. Womyn talk about matirarchy and revolution and then ignore the kids - it's so bizzarre. The kids are the revolution to me. When Melanie and Jamey grow up, they are going to be powerful womyn that we can't even imagine."
(if: $encounter is >= 5)[A coldness sweeps through your bones. You know in your heart of hearts: your time here ends.
[[Accept your fate->die]]]
(if: $encounter is < 5)[The ghostly images vanish. There is work left to do.
[[Adventure again in the bedroom->bedroom]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]
]](if: (history:) contains "denyeta")[A presence approaches, and retreats. You shiver, and get the feeling you've met this ghost before. You must try again.
[[Adventure again in the bedroom->bedroom]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]]
(else:)[(set: $encounter to $encounter + 1)<img src="https://sophia.smith.edu/arx340-rtibbitts/wp-content/uploads/sites/392/2019/04/deneyta.jpg" width="459" height="274" alt="denyeta">
The ghosts introduce themselves as Denyeta and Darquita. Denyeta leaves you with these words:
"I thank the kind spirits and Goddesses for a beatuiful daughter, womyn-child. Darquita Sharleen has always been a very happy child, especially when she awakens in the morning, always with a smile. It's like having the sun shine on me every morning. She is a child of the world. I want her to listen, learn, and experience from her womyn-folks because they have stories to share with her."
(if: $encounter is >= 5)[A coldness sweeps through your bones. You know in your heart of hearts: your time here ends.
[[Accept your fate->die]]]
(if: $encounter is < 5)[The ghostly images vanish. There is work left to do.
[[Adventure again in the bedroom->bedroom]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]
]](if: (history:) contains "julie")[A presence approaches, and retreats. You shiver, and get the feeling you've met this ghost before. You must try again.
[[Adventure again in the bedroom->bedroom]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]]
(else:)[(set: $encounter to $encounter + 1)<img src="https://sophia.smith.edu/arx340-rtibbitts/wp-content/uploads/sites/392/2019/04/julie.jpg" width="526" height="319" alt="Julie">
The ghosts introduce themselves as Julie, Jinny, and Jinx. They leave you with these words:
Julie: "Both Jinny and Jinx are my lovers, but they'renot lovers with each other. Jinx and I had no plan to fall in love. When you have a stable relationship like the one Jinny and I had for 22 1/2 years, at age 50 - Jinny was 56 and Jinx was 49 - upsetting the whole apple cart is not the wisest thing to do."
Jinny: "I was basically pretty monogamous and it upset me a lot."
Jinx: "I think monogamy is a very bad trip. I think being shackled to one person always would be the most boring thing in the world."
(if: $encounter is >= 5)[A coldness sweeps through your bones. You know in your heart of hearts: your time here ends.
[[Accept your fate->die]]]
(if: $encounter is < 5)[The ghostly images vanish. There is work left to do.
[[Adventure again in the bedroom->bedroom]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]
]](if: (history:) contains "pagan")[A presence approaches, and retreats. You shiver, and get the feeling you've met this ghost before. You must try again.
[[Adventure again in the kitchen->kitchen]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]]
(else:)[(set: $encounter to $encounter + 1)<img src="https://sophia.smith.edu/arx340-rtibbitts/wp-content/uploads/sites/392/2019/04/pagan.jpg" width="563" height="411" alt="Pagan">
The ghosts introduce thesemlves as Pagan and Kady. They leave you with these words:
Pagan: "I had the dream American home in the suburbs with the cars and the garden and three children. I thought I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, but I felt like a miserable failure anyway. And then I started reading all that feminist literature."
Kady: "When we moved into this house together, Pagan had been cooking for her family for 25 years and so she wouldn't cook at all. I cooked the first dinner and the frozen vegetables were still icy when we bit into them. 'Tastes fine to me,' she said."
(if: $encounter is >= 5)[A coldness sweeps through your bones. You know in your heart of hearts: your time here ends.
[[Accept your fate->die]]]
(if: $encounter is < 5)[The ghostly images vanish. There is work left to do.
[[Adventure again in the kitchen->kitchen]]
[[Adventure elsewhere->main]]
]](set: $name to (prompt: "What is your name?", ""))
(set: $encounter to 0)
It is a pleasure to meet you, $name.
[[Now. Let's begin.->outside]]You return to the hallway. Your previous adventuring seems to have disturbed other spirits. You can hear the slow creaking of movement behind the walls.
There are stories yet to uncover.
(if: (history:) contains "garden")[[[Return to the garden->garden]]](else:)[[[Investigate the left room->garden]]]
(if: (history:) contains "kitchen")[[[Return to the kitchen->kitchen]]](else:)[[[Investigate the right room->kitchen]]]
(if: (history:) contains "bedroom")[[[Return to the bedroom->bedroom]]](else:)[[[Investigate the room at the end of the hallway->bedroom]]]You stand before a weathered wooden house. Its edges have grayed with age. Its front steps are wide and smiling. Your intuitive sense for the paranormal tips you off: there is something inside.
[[Enter the home->main]]