At night, you can turn on your phone and see the colored lights on the screen. You can play games—-games written by people you will never meet. A tiny flurry of human contact against the impeccable background of solitude and void.<<timedcontinue 7s>> \nYou sit on the steps of your trailer, with your back to the brightness of the car lot, clicking on links for hours.<<timedcontinue 3s>> \n<<insert "But only sometimes.">><<insert "\nAlright, most of the time.">>\nBut you do other things. [[You swear.|YouSwear]]<<endinsert>><<endinsert>>

When you got home, you took the crate <<continue>>into your trailer.<<endcontinue>>into your trailer and <<continue>>left it in the kitchen.<<endcontinue>>left it in the kitchen.\nThe crate <<replace>>did not make a <<print $tick>>ing sound.<<becomes>>//did not make a <<print $tick>>ing sound.// It made <<insert "no sound at all.">> Nothing made a sound except you, <<cyclinglink "breathing in." "breathing out.">><<endinsert>><<endreplace>><<timedcontinue 20s>>\n\n[[You cooked dinner.|CookDinner]]

You finish the pie and [[ask for the check.|AskForCheck]]

Without allowing another stray thought to wander through your mind and delay you, you <<continue>>grab the crate.<<endcontinue>>grab the crate and <<continue>>throw it in your trunk.<<endcontinue>>throw it in your trunk.\n\n[[You turn the ignition.|Ignition]]

All at once, the <<continue>>consequences.<<endcontinue>>//consequences.//<<timedcontinue 1s>>\n\nAll at once, you are <<continue>>no longer free.<<endcontinue>>//no longer free.//<<timedcontinue 1s>>\n\n<<continue>>It's all coming back around.<<endcontinue>>It's all coming back around.\n\n[[All at once.|AllAtOnce]]

You are playing a <<insert "game.">>\n\nThe text on the screen is about [[you.|HearSomething]]<<endinsert>>

The purple cloud, now floating over the heart of the city, reaches its tendrils in and out of buildings.<<timedcontinue 3s>>\nYou hear screams,<<timedcontinue 1.5s>> and [[gunfire.|OpenTheTrunk]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $default_text = '"Finally, some good news in this dreary world! At last, a reason not to kill yourself!"'>>\n<<set $letter_text = prompt('"Dear Resident," you wrote often...',$default_text)>>\n<<endsilently>>"Dear Resident," you wrote often, "Finally, some good news in this dreary world! At last, a reason not to kill yourself!"<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n<<if $letter_text eq $default_text>>You sent it out, and usually no one read it. But one time, one person read it, and they were surprised, and happy, because a reason not to kill yourself is a <<insert "nice thing to get in the mail.">>\nYou didn't know about that until you read it here, [[playing this game.|HadAFriend]]<<endinsert>><<else>>But then you would delete that and write "<<print $letter_text>>" instead, and it would be sent out, and it would not be read by [[any one.|HadAFriend]]<<endif>>

You drop a few dollars onto the check, place it back under the sugars, wait for the sound of swallowing, and <<replace>>leave the diner.<<becomes>>[[leave the diner.|LeaveDiner]]\n\nThe waitress nods as you leave, but not at you. She nods slowly and rhythmically to music only she can hear, her eyes riding the curved line of neon lights above the menu.<<endreplace>>

This game was created by <font color="#ce94cd">''Lady Murgatroid.''</font><<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nUsing <a href="http://twinery.org/">Twine.</a><<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\n<a href="http://commonplacebooks.com/welcome-to-night-vale/">Welcome to Night Vale</a> is written by ''Joseph Fink'' and ''Jeffrey Cranor,'' and narrated by ''Cecil Baldwin.'' It features music by ''Disparition.''<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nThe weather was 'You Don't Know' by <a href="http://mountmoon.bandcamp.com/">Mount Moon.</a><<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nMy thanks to <a href="http://cecilspeaks.tumblr.com/">Cecil Speaks</a> for the episode transcript.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nAnd my deepest thanks to ''<font color="#ce94cd">you,</font>'' for providing this game with a protagonist.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\n[[You can go back now.|ThisHasBeen]]

He taps the table. Then, bringing his thick eyebrows together and pursing his lips, he leans down and taps the ground.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\n<<timedinsert 1s>>Tap <<gains>>tap <<gains>>tap.<<endtimedinsert>><<timedcontinue 4s>>\n\n[[You nod again.|NodAgain]]

You always cooked dinner.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nThe glow of your phone's screen wavered dim and bright in your peripheral vission, a message that was <<insert "there,">><<insert " and then wasn't,">> and that you could never quite [[read.|Wonder]]<<endinsert>><<endinsert>>

You can see it <<continue>>just above you.<<endcontinue>>just above you.\nMaybe if you <<replace>>tried very hard...<<becomes>>tried very hard, you could [[touch it.|TouchIt]]<<endreplace>>

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You decide instead, to go to the Moonlite All-Nite Diner, and [[have a slice of pie.|ToTheDiner]]

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A man slides into the booth <<insert "across from you.">>\n<<display 'ApacheDescription'>><<endinsert>>

To [[this game.|ThisGame]]

The <<insert "man">> who is not tall<<endinsert>> signals the <<replace "other man,">>man who is not short,<<endreplace>> and he walks past you, looks into your trunk, and nods.<<timedcontinue 4s>>\n\n"All caught up," says the <<insert "man">> who is not tall.<<endinsert>><<timedcontinue 3s>>\n\nThere is an unexpected [[click.|Click]]

Your fiancée abruptly gets back in the car.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>Neither of the men seem to notice <<print $lover_obj>>.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>One opens the crate with a couple quick taps, and pulls out of it an [[intricate miniature house.|MiniHouse]]

The wind is hot, like always, and smells like honey and mud.<<timedcontinue 3s>>\n\n[[Night is your favorite time.|Daylight]]

[[Neither do they.|NeitherDoThey]]

As you drive, you [[turn off the headlights|DarkRoad]] for a moment.

At that moment,<<timedcontinue 1.5s>> you feel again,<<timedcontinue 1.5s>> above you,<<timedcontinue 1.5s>> that planet of awesome size,<<timedcontinue 2s>> lit by no sun.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nAn invisible titan, <<timedcontinue 2s>><<timedreplace 2s>>all thick black forests.<<becomes>>all jagged mountains.<<becomes>>all deep turbulent oceans.<<endtimedreplace>><<timedcontinue 6s>>\n\nYou see nothing but the faint moonlight on your dashboard, but you know the planet is out there—-yawning in the unseen spaces.<<timedcontinue 7s>>\n\nThe moment [[passes.|MomentPast]]

<<timedcontinue 5s>>[[''//This has been your story.//''|ThisHasBeen]]

<<replace>>The crate—-<<becomes>>Well, it sits.<<becomes>>That's all.<<becomes>>On the kitchen floor.<<becomes>>[[That's all.|Warm]]<<endreplace>>

You order a slice of <<insert "strawberry pie.">>\n\nThe waitress indicates through words and movements that it will be brought to you [[presently.|Presently]]<<endinsert>>

A man rolls by on the ground, his eyes bleary and sightless, whispering the word <<replace>>mudwomb<<becomes>>//mudwomb//<<endreplace>> over and over. But you don't have the money to tip him, so you [[go inside.|InsideTheDiner]]

It does not appear to be difficult to open. All you would need to do is [[remove a few nails.|RemoveNails]]

Moving farther out, following the pull of the distant, uncertain moon, \nyou pass by the <<insert "car lot">>, where the salesmen have been put away for the night,<<endinsert>> and <<insert "Old Woman Josie's house">>, where the only sign that the unassuming little home could be a place of residence for angels is the bright halo of heavenly light surrounding it (and the sign out front that says //ANGELS' RESIDENCE.//)<<endinsert>>\n\nYou click on the word [[drive.|ClickDrive]]

The <<insert "man">> who is not short<<endinsert>> steps up to you, puts a knife against your throat.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>Nobody <<cyclinglink "says" "does">> anything.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>Your fiancée shakes <<print $lover_poss>> head.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>><<print $lover_poss_cap>> eyes are <<replace>>empty.<<becomes>>broken.<<becomes>>[[gushing.|Phone]]<<endreplace>>

Every day except Sunday you drive out into the sand wastes, and there you find two trucks. \n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>You move wooden crates from one truck to another while a man in a suit silently watches. \n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>It is a different man each time. \n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>Sometimes the crates //<<cyclinglink $tick "tick" "creak" "whisper">>// \n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>Mostly, they do not. \n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>When you are done, the man in the suit hands you an amount of cash, also different each time, and [[you go home.|BestJob]]

You <<replace>>hate<<becomes>>//hate//<<endreplace>> invisible pie.<<timedcontinue 3s>>\n\nHe looks at the pie for a long time, and then lets his breath hiss out slowly through his nose.<<timedcontinue 4s>>\n\n<<cyclinglink "Они придут снизу. Пироги не помогут." "They will come from below. Pies will not help.">><<timedcontinue 3s>>\n\n[[He leaves.|ApacheLeaves]]

But then <<replace>>an impulse<<becomes>>an //awful// impulse<<endreplace>> came over you, \nand for no other reason that you are trapped by the freedom to do anything in life you <<insert "took one of the crates,">> and [[put it into your trunk.|TakeCrate]]<<endinsert>>\n<<set $have_crate = true>>

[[You can't think of a time you have //ever// been happier.|NeverBetter]]

''//This has been A Game About You.//''\n\nThe author takes this chance to wrap up a few loose ends—-[[credits,|Credits]] [[disclaimers,|Disclaimers]] [[cute pictures of cats,|CuteCats]] [[and arguably even cuter pictures of other cats.|CuterCats]]\n\nBut this game, //this entire game,// told [[just one story.|OneStory]]

and eventually you ended up in <font color="#ce94cd">Night Vale,</font> and you [[stopped driving.|StopDriving]]

[[Your heart pounds.|Pounding]]

You drive past the <<replace "Moonlite All-Nite ">>Moonlite All-Nite—-still aglow and full of people slowly eating what sounds good only late at night—-<<endreplace>>and <<insert "Teddy Williams' Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex">>; which has taken to not only locking but barricading its doors at closing time.<<endinsert>>\n\n[[You keep driving.|KeepDriving]]

"How did you find me?" <<continue>>you ask.<<endcontinue>>you ask.\n\n"There's this game--we found it online.<<timedinsert 2s>> It lists everything you do.<<gains>> We finished it hours ago, actually."<<gains>>\n"We were waiting for you to catch up."<<gains>> says <<insert "one of the men">>, the one who is not tall.<<endinsert>><<endtimedinsert>><<timedcontinue 10s>>\n\n"Oh," <<continue>>you say.<<endcontinue>>you say. "That makes sense."<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\n"You have the item?" the <<insert "man">> who is not tall<<endinsert>> asks.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\n[[You say nothing.|SayNothing]]

''It is the best job you've ever had.''<<timedcontinue 5s>>\n\nExcept today<<timedcontinue 1s>> . <<timedcontinue 1s>> . <<timedcontinue 1s>> . <<timedcontinue 1s>>it was [[different.|Different]]

<<revision asshole>>What an <<revise asshole "asshole">> that guy is!<<becomes>>[[What an //asshole// that guy is!|FinishPie]]<<endrevision>>

[[''//It is a game about you.//''|GameAboutYou]]

It's <<replace>>warm.<<becomes>>warm, warmer than the air around it.<<endreplace>>\n\n<<timedcontinue 2s>>It smells <<replace>>sharp and earthy.<<becomes>>sharp and earthy, like freshly ground cinnamon.<<endreplace>>\n\n<<timedcontinue 2s>>And when you put your ear against the rough warm wood, you hear a <<replace>>soft humming.<<becomes>>soft humming—-an indistinct [[melody.|Melody]]<<endreplace>>

<<replace>>You are alone.<<becomes>>Just you.<<becomes>>And the desert.<<becomes>>You stop the car and [[get out.|GetOut]]<<endreplace>>

And you were pleased, because you always wanted to play a game about <<continue>>yourself.<<endcontinue>>//yourself.//<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nGoodnight, <font color="#ce94cd">Night Vale.</font><<timedcontinue 2.5s>> Goodnight.

<a href="http://commonplacebooks.com/welcome-to-night-vale/">Welcome to Night Vale</a> is the intellectual property of ''Joseph Fink'' and ''Jeffrey Cranor.'' I make no claim to have written the text of this game--only altered and adapted it. This game is fan-made and not for profit. \n<<continue>>Don't sell it.<<endcontinue>>Don't sell it.\n<<continue>>Don't say you made it.<<endcontinue>>Don't say you made it.\n<<continue>>And please don't sue me.<<endcontinue>>And please don't sue me.\n\n[[Thank you for your time.|ThisHasBeen]]

<<cyclinglink "Вы в опасности," "You are in danger,">> he says, <<cyclinglink "Они идут." "They're coming.">><<timedcontinue 3s>>\n\n[[You nod.|Nod]]

[[You set your phone in the cup holder with fumbling hands.|DroppedPhone]]

"I think my pie is here now," you say unnecessarily, as the pie is quite visibly placed in front of you.<<timedcontinue 3s>>\n\nYou <<revise pie "did not order">><<revision pie>> <<becomes>> did not order <<endrevision>>invisible pie.<<revision pie>> <<becomes>>\n\n<<display 'ThoughtsOnPie'>><<endrevision>>

[[Your story, at last.|YourStory]]

You recognize him vaguely, although he looks considerably different now. It is that man who appeared to be a Slavic origin, but dressed in an absurd caricature of an Indian chief and called himself the <<continue>>Apache Tracker.<<endcontinue>>Apache Tracker.\nExcept now, it's difficult for you to miss, he has actually transformed into a Native American.<<timedcontinue 3s>>\n\nYou wonder if the pie will [[get there soon.|ApacheTracker]]

And <<replace>>the town<<becomes>><font color="#ce94cd">Night Vale</font><<endreplace>> is behind you, and you are out in the scrub lands and the sand wastes.<<timedcontinue 4s>>\n\nBy the road you see a man, holding a cactus in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other. He shakes both at you as you pass, and howls.<<timedcontinue 4s>>\n\n[[And then...|Alone]]

You had a friend,<<continue>> and time passed...<<endcontinue>> and then a <<cyclinglink $lover "girlfriend," "boyfriend," "lover,">><<continue>> and time passed...<<endcontinue>> and then a fiancée—-[[the same person.|SamePerson]]\n

Life<<continue>>—-bleary, washed-out—-<<endcontinue>> snaps back into <<continue>>focus.<<endcontinue>>focus.\nThe white text on your phone still glows, and <<continue>>every message in this world has a meaning.<<endcontinue>>//every message in this world has a meaning.//\nIt all makes sense and you are finally being [[punished.|Punished]]

Daylight brings only a chain of visual <<continue>>sensations.<<endcontinue>>sensations, none of which cohere into meaning for you anymore.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nLife has become <<replace>>out of focus.<<becomes>>[[free of consequence.|TurnOffHeadlights]]<<endreplace>>

You pass by <<insert "City Hall">> which, as always, is completely shrouded after dark in black velvet.<<endinsert>>\n\n[[You drive on.|DriveOn]]

And you [[pass|TheDiner]] a man waving semaphore flags indicating that the speed limit for this stretch is 45.

Lady Murgatroid

You <<continue>>wondered<<endcontinue>>wondered how long it would take them to miss the crate.<<timedcontinue 3s>>\nYou <<continue>>did not wonder<<endcontinue>>did not wonder who <<revise known "they">><<revision known>> <<becomes>>//they// <<endrevision>>were.<<revision known>> <<becomes>>\nSome mysteries aren't questions to be answered, but just a kind of opaque fact—-a thing which exists to be [[not known.|NotKnown]]<<endrevision>>

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''//This game is about //''<<continue>>''//you.//''<<endcontinue>>''//you.//''\n\nYou didn't always live in <font color="#ce94cd">Night Vale.</font> You lived somewhere else, where there were more <<continue>>trees,<<endcontinue>>trees, more [[water.|DirectMail]]\n

A pair of headlights, a pair of eyes, and two shaky hands, [[speeding through the silent town.|Speeding]]

It has grown <<continue>>warmer.<<endcontinue>>warmer—-even hot.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\n[[It is still not <<print $tick>>ing.|StillNotTicking]]

You moved the crates.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>The man in the suit, a stranger, watched.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>But then, <<continue>>as had never happened before,<<endcontinue>>//as had never happened before,// the man in the suit recieved a [[phone call.|PhoneCall]]

<<silently>>\n<<endsilently>>''//"This is a game about you,"//''<<timedcontinue 3s>>\n\nsaid the text on the screen.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nAnd you were pleased, because you always wanted to play a game about [[yourself.|Welcome to Night Vale]]

<html><IMG SRC="http://oozie.org/wp-content/wallpapers/2013/10/Black-Cat-Background.jpg" width="800" height="600"></html> \n\n[[Wow, what a cute cat!|ThisHasBeen]]

Behind you, you see helicopter searchlights sweeping down onto your trailer.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nThere are sirens.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nA purplish cloud hangs over the town, glittering occasionally as it rotates.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\n[[The whole works.|WholeWorks]]

''//This is a game about you.//''<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nYou live in a trailer, out near the car lot, next to Old Woman Josie's house. Occasionally she'll wave at you on her way out to get the mail or more snacks for the angels. Occasionally, you'll <<insert "wave back.">>\n\nYou're not a terrible neighbor, [[as far as it goes.|AtNight]]<<endinsert>>

You sit on the worn, ripped, naugahyde seat of the booth. You pull out your phone, and play a [[simple text game.|Game]]

The <<replace>>hours<<becomes>>//hours//<<endreplace>> that must have been spent building it!<<timedcontinue 2s>>\nEvery detail is accounted for!<<timedcontinue 2s>>\nInside the house you think you <<continue>>see...<<endcontinue>>see, <<continue>>for a moment,<<endcontinue>>for a moment, lights<<timedcontinue 1s>> and movement.<<timedcontinue 3s>>\n\n"Undamaged," says the <<insert "man">> who is not tall.<<endinsert>><<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\n[[You beam at him.|BeamAtHim]]

You glance at the screen, and the text says:\n\n<font color="#ce94cd">''You set your phone in the cup holder with fumbling hands.''</font><<timedcontinue 3s>>\n\nThen, after a pause, it reads:<<timedcontinue 3s>>\n\n[[Where to now?|WhereTo]]

The game describes all of this as it happens. You can look down and [[read it.|Read]]

[[''//This game about you.//''|AboutYou]]

[[You reach up...|ReachUp]]

You drove [[a long time,|ALongTime]]

Before you start your car, the game offers you a link to the [[weather.|Weather]]

And then you hear <<replace>>something else,<<becomes>>a guttural howl out of the desert,<<endreplace>> and you know that the crate's absence has been [[discovered.|Discovered]]

<<silently>>\n\n<<if $lover eq "girlfriend,">>\n<<set $lover_subj_cap = "She">>\n\n<<else if $lover eq "boyfriend,">>\n<<set $lover_subj_cap = "He">>\n\n<<else if $lover eq "lover,">>\n<<set $lover_subj_cap = "They">>\n\n<<endif>>\n<<endsilently>><<print $lover_subj_cap>> cooked dinner sometimes, but sometimes you cooked.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\n[[You often touched.|OneDay]]\n

You have been haunted ever since by how <<replace>>easy<<becomes>>//easy//<<endreplace>> it was to walk away from your life, and how <<replace>>few<<becomes>>//few//<<endreplace>> the repercussions were.<<timedcontinue 2.5s>> \nYou never heard from your fiancée or your job again.<<timedcontinue 2s>> \nThey <<insert "never looked for you,">> which doesn't seem likely,<<endinsert>> or maybe it's that in <font color="#ce94cd">Night Vale,</font> <<continue>>you cannot be found.<<endcontinue>>//you cannot be found.//\n\n<<replace>>The complete freedom.<<becomes>>The lack of consequence.<<becomes>>[[''It terrifies you.''|TerrifiesYou]]<<endreplace>>\n

A Game About You

You [[drove instead.|DroveInstead]]

Pebbles crunch in the sand in response to your movement.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>White text blinks across the screen of your phone, clutched absently in your hand.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>The headlights illuminate only a few stray plants, and the wide dumb eyes of some nocturnal animal.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>Looking back, you see the bulge of light that is your [[Night Vale.|LookingBack]]

Several buildings are on fire. Crowds of people are <<insert "floating in the air">>, held aloft by beams of light<<gains>>, struggling feebly against a power they cannot begin to understand<<endinsert>>. The ground <<continue>>shifts.<<endcontinue>>shifts, like it was startled.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nIt's so quiet, when it [[finally comes.|FinallyComes]]

The Moonlite All-Nite is radiant green, a slab of mint light in the warm darkness. You squint when you see it, like it <<replace "hurts your eyes.">>hurts your eyes, but it does not hurt your eyes.<<endreplace>><<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nYou park near the [[front door.|IntoTheDiner]]

You don't know, but you [[go there anyway.|GoThereAnyway]]

Your eyes wander up and you see above you the dark planet of awesome size, \n<<continue>>perched in its sunless void.<<endcontinue>>perched in its sunless void.\n\nAn invisible titan, <<timedreplace 3s>>all thick black forests.<<becomes>>all jagged mountains.<<becomes>>all deep turbulent oceans.<<endtimedreplace>><<timedcontinue 9s>>\n\n<<continue>>A monster.<<endcontinue>>A monster.\n\n<<continue>>Spinning.<<endcontinue>>Spinning.\n\n<<continue>>Soundless.<<endcontinue>>Soundless.\n\n<<continue>>Forgotten.<<endcontinue>>Forgotten.\n\n[[//It's so close now.//|SoClose]]\n

The Apache Tracker smells of potting soil and sweat. He leans across the table and touches your hand lightly.<<timedcontinue 3s>>\n\nYou do not pull the hand away, because you know there will be [[no consequences|NoConsequences]] for any of this.

<<silently>>\n\n<<if $lover eq "girlfriend,">>\n<<set $lover_poss_cap = "Her">>\n<<set $lover_subj_do = "She does">>\n<<set $lover_says = "she says">>\n<<set $lover_poss = "her">>\n<<set $lover_obj = "her">>\n\n<<else if $lover eq "boyfriend,">>\n<<set $lover_poss_cap = "His">>\n<<set $lover_subj_do = "He does">>\n<<set $lover_says = "he says">>\n<<set $lover_poss = "his">>\n<<set $lover_obj = "him">>\n\n<<else if $lover eq "lover,">>\n<<set $lover_poss_cap = "Their">>\n<<set $lover_subj_do = "They do">>\n<<set $lover_says = "they say">>\n<<set $lover_poss = "their">>\n<<set $lover_obj = "them">>\n\n<<endif>>\n<<endsilently>>One of the rear doors of the black car has opened, and your fiancée has stepped out.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>><<print $lover_poss_cap>> eyes are wet.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>><<print $lover_subj_do>> not appear to have aged, but <<continue>>then,<<endcontinue>>you cannot remember how long it has been.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>Could it have been <<cyclinglink "last week?" "yesterday?" "this morning?">>\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>Or was it <<cyclinglink "ten years ago?" "twenty years ago?" "a century past?">><<timedcontinue 5s>>\n\n[[You do not know.|Why]]

So desolate.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nAnd so impossibly, terrifyingly dark.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nAnd that day, you [[did not go home.|Didn'tGoHome]]

By the time the man came back from his phone call, you were done with your job.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>He gave you the <<insert "money">> (it was nearly five hundred dollars today, the second highest it had ever been)<<endinsert>> and you [[drove home|GoHome]] with the crate in your trunk.

You wrote direct mail campaigns for companies, [[selling their products.|SellingProducts]]

One day, you were walking from the glass box of your office to your old Ford Probe, and a [[vision|Vision]] came to you.

[[You can't stop smiling.|Smile]]

The knife presses harder against your throat, but it [[doesn't hurt.|Doesn'tHurt]]\n

<h1 style="color: #ce94cd;">Welcome to Night Vale</h1><<timedcontinue 2s>>\nYou clicked on the purple word to [[play.|Play]]

You <<continue>>open the trunk.<<endcontinue>>open the trunk, and <<continue>>lay one hand on the crate.<<endcontinue>>lay one hand on the crate.\n\nIt pulses with some kind of <<continue>>life.<<endcontinue>>//life.//<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\nStill no <<print $tick>>ing, though.<<timedcontinue 3s>>\n\n[[You look back.|LookBack]]

It had taken you no time to get back home.<<timedcontinue 2s>> Now that you think about it...<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n\n<<replace>>Were there any other cars on the road?<<becomes>>Where did all the cars go?<<becomes>>The man with the semaphore flags explaining the speed limit—-<<gains>>[[he wasn't there either.|HeartPounds]]<<endreplace>>

<<continue>>"Why?"<<endcontinue>>"Why?" <<continue>><<print $lover_says>>.<<endcontinue>><<print $lover_says>>.\n\n<<continue>>"Why?"<<endcontinue>>"Why?"\n\n\n<<continue>>//"Why?"//<<endcontinue>>//"Why?//\n\n\n[[You don't know what to say.|WhatToSay]]<<endinsert>>

Which brings us to [[now.|Now]]

You <<insert "turn your headlights back on">>, and all you see is a <<insert "road.">><<insert "\nJust asphalt.">>\n[[Just that.|SpeedLimit]]<<endinsert>><<endinsert>><<endinsert>>

You see the black car long before it arrives.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>It comes to a halt nearby and two men step out.\n<<continue>>~ * ~<<endcontinue>>[[You don't run.|Don'tRun]]

You saw above you a planet, of awesome size, lit by no sun. An invisible titan, <<timedcycle 3s>>all thick black forests.<<becomes>>all jagged mountains.<<becomes>>all deep turbulent oceans.<<endtimedcycle>><<timedcontinue 9s>>\n\n[[//It was so far away.//|SoFarAway]]

"Check please," you <<continue>>say.<<endcontinue>>say, whispering it into your drinking glass as is custom, and then lifting the tray of sugar packets to <<continue>>find it.<<endcontinue>>find it, filled out and ready to be [[paid.|PayCheck]]

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You have a [[new job|NewJob]] now.

[[''//A story about you.//''|AStoryAboutYou]]

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<html><IMG SRC="http://www.olivewhite.com/blog/wp-content/gallery/fonds-d-ecrans/2010_05_1024x768.jpg" width="461" height="346"></html> \n\n[[Wow, what a cute cat!|ThisHasBeen]]

"Yes, sir!" he said, and "No, sir!"<<timedcontinue 2s>>\nAlso he made hawk shrieking sounds.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\nIt wasn't terribly interesting.<<timedcontinue 2s>>\n[[You moved crates.|MovedCrates]]

<<playbgm kiioXXocPHU>><<timedcontinue 130s>>The crate is in your kitchen, where you left it, and you get down on your knees to [[embrace it more fully.|EmbraceCrate]]

[[You do not open it.|DoNotOpen]]