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Welcome to the peaceful forest of Havenwood!
For the best immersive experience, use headphones to listen to [[this|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0szAwgybZs]] (links to youtube video).
Ready?
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Okay, there's one thing you need to know before you start:
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(shh! don't tell any humans... magical beings only!)
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Vampires don't actually get burned by the sun. Or turn to ash. They are just fine walking around in the daylight.
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It's better if humans continue to believe that myth.
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Okay, //now// you're ready!
[[Let's go!]]
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<<set $hasBlood to false>>
<<set $hasFlour to false>>
<<set $hasPumpkin to false>>
<<set $hasButter to false>>
<<set $hasSugar to false>>
<<set $hasEggs to false>>
<<set $hasHoney to false>>
<<set $hasSomeflour to false>>
<<set $hasOwlkicking to false>>
<<set $hasPie to false>>
<<set $hasCookies to false>>
<<set $hasCake to false>>
<<set $Time to 0>>You are a young vampire.
<img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DqDCsewUwAAkT-X.jpg:large" alt="An illustration of a cartoon female vampire." width="300" />
//(this is you)//
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You live in a large family, and have just become old enough to be responsible for bringing a dish to the big family reunion on Halloween night. Finally, a chance to show off your baking skills and make your parents proud!
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Having only just now finished the massive stack of homework your teacher assigned over the break, you have one day to create your dish. You set off on this crisp, autumn day to collect ingredients.
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[[The path you take is up to you!->the journey begins]]
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<</linkreplace>>\There’s a breeze carrying leaves through the woods, where you’ve lived your whole life. Many magical creatures live in this forest, either in cosy cottages like your family’s, or in the trees, or even underground. Today you have several people to visit on your hunt for the perfect dish. But first, you must decide what you’re going to bake:
<li>[[A cake of course! Only the most impressive will do.->cake]]</li><li>[[A pie. Kind’ve traditional but a good beginner’s dish.->pie]]</li><li>[[Blood cookies, based on an old family recipe.->cookies]]</li>
Excellent choice! It will take some skills perhaps a bit beyond your experience, but you’ll definitely be the talk of the party when you show up with this impressive dessert.
You take out a notepad and a pencil and start writing down the ingredients you’ll need:
<li>[[Eggs (the market)->Eggs (the market) morning]]</li><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) morning]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) morning]]</li><li>[[Honey (the beehive)->Honey (the beehive) morning]]</li>
With a full day of travel ahead of you, you begin planning out where you will go first.
<<set $hasCake to true>>A solid choice, indeed! You don’t want to risk being too ambitious with your first family reunion. You’ll let the grownups create the show-stoppers, while you surprise them with a seemingly humble yet delicious dessert!
You take out a notepad and a pencil and start writing down the ingredients you’ll need:
<li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) morning]]</li><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) morning]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) morning]]</li><li>[[Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch) morning]]</li>
With a full day of travel ahead of you, you begin planning out where you will go first.
<<set $hasPie to true>>If you’re going to impress the family on your first try, then faithful family recipes are the way to go! You remember your mother teaching you how to make them just right. Fond memories, indeed.
You take out a notepad and a pencil and start writing down the ingredients you’ll need:
<li>[[Blood (the human settlement)->Blood (the human settlement) morning]]</li><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) morning]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) morning]]</li><li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) morning]]</li>
With a full day of travel ahead of you, you begin planning out where you will go first.
<<set $hasCookies to true>>The market is busy on this cheerful Halloween day as animals and magical beings alike move from one stall to the next, chatting and bargaining and remarking on the lovely weather. You squeeze past them, instinctively wanting to stop and chat a well, but you’re on a mission!
You spot Mrs. Hen at a nearby stall, clucking with some of the other mothers as their chicks play nearby. You walk right up to the group and no one notices. Loudly, you clear your throat. Mrs. Hen turns and smiles.
“Hello, young lady. Lovely weather isn’t it?”
You nod obligingly, eager to buy some of her eggs and move on. Mrs. Hen doesn’t seem to pick up on this however, and continues with her small talk.
<li>[[A few minutes chatting with her won’t do any harm.->chat with hen morning]]</li><li>[[You don’t have time for this! Insist you skip the small talk and get down to business.->cut that chat morning]]</li>
You’ve never actually been to see the cows before. They live farther away, and you’ve heard from your older siblings that they can be ill-tempered. Still, you tell yourself these are just rumours and you can handle a few cranky old cows.
The barn they stay in is where they sell their butter from, prices displayed on a tall painted sign. You wonder perhaps if they got somebody else to paint the sign, considering it seems a bit difficult to write with hooves. You hear an impatient snort from behind and turn to see a cow returning from the grazing fields.
“What business?” she asks, not entirely paying attention to you. You only now realize how much bigger cows are than vampires.
<li>[[She seems pretty busy, maybe try asking someone else?->someone else morning]]</li><li>[[Be brave and ask her for some butter.->ask her morning]]</li>
You’ve visited the wheat fields that belong to the scarecrows many times, but always with your mother or older siblings. Now the tall figures with soulless button eyes seem… otherworldly, less friendly than you remember. They stand at the edge of their land, flannel arms leaning on fence posts. They are always grinning, so you cannot tell if they are actually happy to see you or not.
A smaller one seems to sense your nervousness and hops over the fence.
“Hi, I’m needing to buy some of your flour?” you ask.
The scarecrows continues to grin, “Greetings! What will you give us in return for a sack?”
<div class= scarecrow>You bite your lip, trying to remember what your mother told you about trading with scarecrows. Why, oh why, must your memory be fuzzy now?!</div>
<li>[[Pretty sure mother said giving them anything of yours was bad. Maybe you should try swiping some flour when they aren’t looking.->steal morning]]</li><li>[[It’s probably fine. Promise to give them your word.->pay morning]]</li>Bees are a cheerful bunch, if you can get them to stop long enough for a conversation. Far easier than coaxing a friendly discussion out of them, however, is talking about the one thing all bees live for: business.
As you near the tree with the enormous hive, you can hear a cacophony of buzzing. Hundreds of bees commute to and from their city. You see a sign pointing to a cottage nearby, where a gift shop proudly displays rows of honey, beeswax, and even honey-themed souvenirs. A gnome peers out from his place as the cashier counter, blinking expectantly at you and fiddling with his thick glasses.
“Welcome to the Havenwood Bee Colony’s Gift Shop! Take a look around, we’ve got just about any honey-related items you could want!” he recites.
<li>[[You’ve got time, and you’re pretty sure you saw a honey-themed cookbook off to the side. Couldn’t hurt to browse.->look around morning]]</li><li>[[Nope, you’re on a mission and you don’t have time to dawdle! Just honey, please.->get outta there morning]]</li>The market is busy on this cheerful Halloween day as animals and magical beings alike move from one stall to the next, chatting and bargaining and remarking on the lovely weather. You squeeze past them, instinctively wanting to stop and chat as well, but you’re on a mission!
The sugar fairies are difficult to find, primarily because they are mischievous little creatures. You find them hidden away in a smaller stall near the far end of the market.
They look at you with hungry grins, twinkling eyes never leaving your face. You clear your throat and say hello. They do not reply.
“I’m wanting to buy some sugar, please?” you ask nervously.
One of the fairies nods and holds out a tiny hand, “Payment?”
<li>[[Give them whatever they want->fate morning]]</li><li>[[Be wary: demand they define “payment”.->demand morning]]</li>
Pamela the Pumpkin Witch has always been a good friend, if a little alternative. You visit her regularly, what with witches and vampires tending to get along well. As you near her oddly rectangular house full of windows (“it’s modernist” she remarks one day over a bowl of frog stew), you begin to hear the sounds of singing. Smiling to yourself, you step up to the giant glass door, and as your feet touch the doormat a loud screeching sound announces your arrival. Several seconds later, Pamela opens the door.
“Hey there! What’s up?” she asks, a large grin spreading across her face.
“I’m needing to buy a pumpkin.”
Pamela nods and opens the door wider, motioning to usher you in. Normally you’d love to stay and chat, maybe try her latest recipe, but then you remember that your on a time limit.
<li>[[Pamela is your friend, of course you can stay and catch up on things. It’ll only be for a little bit.->go in morning]]</li><li>[[Unfortunately you really do have to keep moving. Politely turn down her offer but promise to come back soon.->pass morning]]</li>Humans have this tendency to ignore threats unless said threat is literally in the process of attacking them. Hence the legends that have spread... some assure themselves they are safe so long as they do not go out at night, or if they carry garlic, and then there are the humans who refuse to believe in vampires at all. It's all rather cute. So as you head to the human settlement - a walled crowding of unsanitary log houses - you grin at the anticipation of giving some unsupecting human a fright.
As luck would have it, a lone woodsman wanders through the tangled brush, busy with the task of gathering kindling. You swoop out of a nearby tree and yell "RAAAAAAAAA!"
The woodsman faints at the mere sight of you, and you neatly prick his neck, letting his blood collect in a glass jar you brought along. As soon as the blood reaches the correct measuring mark, you whip out a band-aid and head on your way. Just as you reach the edge of the clearing, you consider yelling for help, just in case no body comes running in time.
[[Call for help so the humans can take care of him. It's only fair.->call out morning]]
[[Nah, he'll be fine.->nah morning]]“I’ve been meaning to talk to your mom, get caught up, ya know. But I’ve just been so busy, what with my kids and all. I swear they're growing up so quick, seems like yesterday they were just hatchlings.”
“Uh huh.”
“I told Harold, Harold we need to get out more. Not to band rehearsal or parent-teacher meetings. We used to go to art exhibitions and classical music concerts, why don't we visit those anymore? But... you know, men: in one ear, out the other.”
You can feel yourself aging where you stand.
“So how’s your family been? Excited for the reunion tonight?”
“Yes, ma’am.” you respond, your mother’s voice coaching you on proper manners in the back of your head.
“Is this year the first time you have to bake something? Ooh, you’re good at cooking aren't you? That’ll be fun! Whatcha making, honey?”
“A cake.”
Mrs. Hen seems a bit skeptical, but quickly covers with a chuckle, “Ambitious little thing. Well, I suppose you need some of my eggs for that big cake you’re gonna make.”
You nod eagerly, and after paying she hands you a basket of eggs. Before Mrs. Hen can ask you more questions, you scurry off, waving goodbyes to the hens and their chicks before leaving the market to your [[next destination->Next Location morning]].
<<set $hasEggs to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>"I'm sorry, ma'am," you interrupt, "I've love to talk but I'm really busy today."
Mrs. Hen seems miffed at your sudden breach of societal scripts, and huffs, "Well, I suppose if you're //really// very busy. Tell your mother hello... and to teach you some manners."
"Yes ma'am." you wince, and pay her for some eggs. You then leave as quickly as possible, trying to focus on [[where to go next->Next Location morning]] instead of that terribly awkward interaction.
<<set $hasEggs to true>>You nod cheerfully and wander over to a shelf where cookbooks are displayed. They are all original bee-created recipes, transcribed by gnomes alongside cute illustrations. You can't help but be drawn to one with beginner-friendly recipes, and start dreaming of all the fun you could have experimenting with new creations.
You grab it and a jar of honey and walk back up to the register.
The gnome wraps them in bee-patterned paper and you place the parcel in your sack. You can't help but have a spring in your step as you head back [[out into the forest.->Next Location morning]]
<<set $hasHoney to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>"Just honey, please." you say, and the gnome grabs a jar, wrapping it with rote motions in bee-patterned paper.
You try to not look at the shelf full of cookbooks, forcing yourself to head back out of the gift shop and [[into the forest again.->Next Location morning]]
<<set $hasHoney to true>>"Oh, nothing, I'm fine." you quickly stammer.
The cow rolls her eyes and heads back towards the fields, "Whatever."
Sighing, you take tentative steps into the barn. It is dark, in a earthy sort of way, hushed and peaceful with shafts of light trickling down towards the hay-covered floor. You hear some shuffling to your right and turn to see a calf walking over to you.
"Hi, who are you?" she asks with a curious smile.
"I, uh, I'm a vampire."
She laughs, "I can see that. I mean who are you to us?"
"A customer?"
"Cool, follow me!" she says, leading you to the back of the barn where sticks of butter have been meticulously stacked. "You can put the money in the can over there."
There's a tin can hanging from the wall, and you shove the coins through the slot. You then pick up a stick of butter and place it in your sack.
"Thanks!" you say, smiling back at the calf.
"Yeah, no problem. I'm Milly, by the way. You can come around any time you like... and don't mind Hilda, she's always cranky like that."
You both giggle, as if sharing a secret. As a passing thought, you invite her over to your house any time, and with a wave goodbye you head back into the forest, towards your [[next destination.->Next Location morning]]
<<set $hasButter to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>"Oh... h-hello." you stumble, "I'm here to buy some butter."
The cow snorts and motions with her head into the barn, "This way."
You enter the barn and it is dark, in a earthy sort of way, hushed and peaceful with shafts of light trickling down towards the hay-covered floor. A calf peaks her head out to spy on you, then returns to her homework.
You follow the cow to a meticulously sorted stack of butter sticks, and she chews her cud while staring at you expectantly.
Nervously, you put some coins on the ground, not seeing any other place to put them. The cow rolls her eyes.
"Not there, stupid. In the can."
Oh. There's a tin can hanging from the wall, and you shove the coins through the slot. You then pick up a stick of butter and place it in your sack.
"Thank you!" you say, attempting to rescue the awkward situation with politeness.
The cow merely snorts again and heads out the way she came, leaving you to cautiously follow out, and back into the forest towards your [[next destination.->Next Location morning]]
<<set $hasButter to true>>Your mother's advice (or at least what you can recall of it) never let you down before. You sigh dramatically.
"Alas, I have forgotten to bring payment with me! Allow me to leave so I way return with a proper trade for your flour."
The scarecrows look to one another and mutter something. Then the young one looks back to you, "Agreed. Return whenever you wish with an acceptable payment, and in return you shall get your flour."
You thank them and make a show of leaving. When you are sure you are out of sight and they believe you have left, you make a wide bend around to the back of their farmhouse, where they keep their sacks of flour. You grab one and heave it over your shoulder, running for the cover of the trees.
"You! Stop!" a voice shouts from behind, and you run faster, diving into the bushes. Your sack snags on a branch and rip opens, spilling some of the flour onto the ground. You have no time to scope it up though, as the scarecrow is still chasing you. You hope the rest of the flour stays in the sack as you continue to run to your [[next location.->Next Location morning]]
<<set $hasFlour to true>>
<<set $hasSomeflour to true>>"I'll give you my word." you say with as much confidence as you can muster.
The scarecrows look to each other, whispering as they discuss the trade. Then the smaller one turns back to you again, "We accept your word."
For a moment nothing happens, so you open your mouth to ask, <<linkreplace "what next?">>but you cannot speak.<</linkreplace>>
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Thank you." the scarecrow says, "We will keep your word safe till we have need of it. Here is your flour."
You silently take the bag of flour and walk away, hoping the effect on your voice is temporary.
You pull out your list and decide [[where to go next.->Next Location morning]]
<<set $hasFlour to true>>You follow Pamela down the hallway to a large living room, where the cathedral-like ceiling echo a choir of bats (your cousins) who are reciting songs for tonight. From the sound of it, they could definitely use more practice. They spot you and abruptly stop, descending into a chorus of 'hellos' and 'how are yous'?
You smile and wave back, then turn to Pamela.
"So how've things been? The owls still getting onto you about your land?"
Pamela sighs, "Oh you know how it is, you take one dead owl's eyeball for a spell and suddenly you're so tied up in legal matters it's easier to just give them what they want."
"Oh no! You didn't sell the well too?"
She nods, "Whole kit and caboodle I'm afraid. I mean who am I going to go to for help? No body likes witches, you think they care if that well has been in my family for generations?"
You sigh in tired agreement. Witches, once human beings who were warped by the toll of magic on a non-magical creature, find themselves often in limbo. Not human and not magic. Just something foreign inbetween.
You smile sadly and hug her, "I'll talk to my grandpa about it, he'll show those owls a thing or two. If you mess with a witch you mess with the vampires!"
"Yeah!" "You bet!" "Darn right!" a choir of vampire cousins echo.
"Thank you." Pamela says softly. She wipes a tear quickly from her eye and then snaps her fingers, a freshly-picked pumpkin appearing in her arms. She hands it over to you.
"Uh, don't you want me to pay you?" you ask.
"You already are." Pamela smiles, "Getting rid of those pesky owls is more than enough."
As you leave, you must say goodbye to each and every one of your cousins (as per long-standing vampiric tradition). By the time you leave a whole hour has gone by. You frown, and hurry to your [[next location->Next Location morning]].
<<set $hasPumpkin to true>>
<<set $hasOwlkicking to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>You shake your head sadly, "Sorry Pamela, I'm on a tight schedule. Maybe we can talk later this week?"
Pamela frowns, then smiles brightly, "Sure, come over any time!"
She snaps her fingers and a freshly-picked pumpkin appears in her arms. She hands it over to you. You pay her quickly and then say goodbye, waiting at least long enough for Pamela to close the door before [[pulling out your list->Next Location morning]].
<<set $hasPumpkin to true>>You frown but agree to their terms, "Okay."
The fairies do not stop grinning, and the main one grabs up a bag of sugar and tosses it to you. As you catch it, you feel something in the wind shift, as if fate itself has turned onto a different road.
"Uh, so... I know I'm not supposed to ask but--"
"Then do not ask." the fairy says simply, "Pleasure doing business with you!"
You quickly leave, if only to get away from their beady eyes, shuddering as the wind picks up again. You pull out your list and focus on [[where to go next->Next Location morning]].
<<set $hasSugar to true>>You frown, "Define 'payment'."
The fairy tsks, "You're not supposed to ask those kinds of questions, you know that. Do you want the sugar or not?"
Left without much options, and sensing the fairies growing annoyance, you sigh and nod, "Fine."
The fairy grabs a bag of sugar and tosses it to you, but as you catch it the <div class= scarecrow>bag vanishes into thin air.</div> The fairies cackle.
"Hey!"
"Just playing with ya kid, relax!" the fairy snaps his finger and the bag returns to your hand. You clutch it tight, and as you leave you feel something in the wind shift, as if fate has turned onto a different road. You shudder and pull out your [[list of ingredients.->Next Location morning]]
<<set $hasSugar to true>>"Help! I've been attacked! Help!" you try to shout in a deep manly voice. It's not the most convincing performance but it seems to work, as you begin to hear sounds of yelling and several boots thundering your way.
You take one last look at the still unconscious woodsman, before [[scampering off into the brush.->Next Location morning]]
<<set $hasBlood to true>>You tuck the glass jar of blood into your sack and head off again, leaving the woodsman where he lies. As you head back towards the thick depths of the forest, you plan [[where to go next.->Next Location morning]]
<<set $hasBlood to true>>Well, that's one ingredient collected! Where to go to next?
<<if $hasBlood is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) noon]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) noon]]</li><li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) noon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasHoney is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) noon]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) noon]]</li><li>[[Eggs (the market)->Eggs (the market) noon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasPumpkin is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) noon]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) noon]]</li><li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) noon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasFlour is true and $hasPie is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) noon]]</li><li>[[Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch)->Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch) noon]]</li><li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) noon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasFlour is true and $hasCake is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) noon]]</li><li>[[Eggs (the market)->Eggs (the market) noon]]</li><li>[[Honey (the beehive)->Honey (the beehive) noon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasFlour is true and $hasCookies is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) noon]]</li><li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) noon]]</li><li>[[Blood (the human settlement)->Blood (the human settlement) noon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasSugar is true and $hasPie is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) noon]]</li><li>[[Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch)->Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch) noon]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) noon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasSugar is true and $hasCookies is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) noon]]</li><li>[[Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch)->Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch) noon]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) noon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasButter is true and $hasCake is true>><li>[[Eggs (the market)->Eggs (the market) noon]]</li><li>[[Honey (the beehive)->Honey (the beehive) noon]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) noon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasButter is true and $hasPie is true>><li>[[Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch)->Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch) noon]]</li><li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) noon]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) noon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasButter is true and $hasCookies is true>><li>[[Blood (the human settlement)->Blood (the human settlement) noon]]</li><li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) noon]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) noon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasEggs is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) noon]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) noon]]</li><li>[[Honey (the beehive)->Honey (the beehive) noon]]</li>
<</if>>You’ve never actually been to see the cows before. They live farther away, and you’ve heard from your older siblings that they can be ill-tempered. Still, you tell yourself these are just rumours and you can handle a few cranky old cows.
The barn they stay in is where they sell their butter from, prices displayed on a tall painted sign. You wonder perhaps if they got somebody else to paint the sign, considering it seems a bit difficult to write with hooves. You hear an impatient snort from behind and turn to see a cow returning from the grazing fields.
“What business?” she asks, not entirely paying attention to you. You only now realize how much bigger cows are than vampires.
<li>[[She seems pretty busy, maybe try asking someone else?->someone else noon]]</li><li>[[Be brave and ask her for some butter.->ask her noon]]</li>You’ve visited the wheat fields that belong to the scarecrows many times, but always with your mother or older siblings. Now the tall figures with soulless button eyes seem… otherworldly, less friendly than you remember. They stand at the edge of their land, flannel arms leaning on fence posts. They are always grinning, so you cannot tell if they are actually happy to see you or not.
A smaller one seems to sense your nervousness and hops over the fence.
“Hi, I’m needing to buy some of your flour?” you ask.
The scarecrows continues to grin, “Greetings! What will you give us in return for a sack?”
<div class= scarecrow>You bite your lip, trying to remember what your mother told you about trading with scarecrows. Why, oh why, must your memory be fuzzy now?!</div>
<li>[[Pretty sure mother said giving them anything of yours was bad. Maybe you should try swiping some flour when they aren’t looking.->steal noon]]</li><li>[[It’s probably fine. Promise to give them your word.->pay noon]]</li>The market is busy on this cheerful Halloween day as animals and magical beings alike move from one stall to the next, chatting and bargaining and remarking on the lovely weather. You squeeze past them, instinctively wanting to stop and chat as well, but you’re on a mission!
The sugar fairies are difficult to find, primarily because they are mischievous little creatures. You find them hidden away in a smaller stall near the far end of the market.
They look at you with hungry grins, twinkling eyes never leaving your face. You clear your throat and say hello. They do not reply.
“I’m wanting to buy some sugar, please?” you ask nervously.
One of the fairies nods and holds out a tiny hand, “Payment?”
<li>[[Give them whatever they want->fate noon]]</li><li>[[Be wary: demand they define “payment”.->demand noon]]</li>
Pamela the Pumpkin Witch has always been a good friend, if a little alternative. You visit her regularly, what with witches and vampires tending to get along well. As you near her oddly rectangular house full of windows (“it’s modernist” she remarks one day over a bowl of frog stew), you begin to hear the sounds of singing. Smiling to yourself, you step up to the giant glass door, and as your feet touch the doormat a loud screeching sound announces your arrival. Several seconds later, Pamela opens the door.
“Hey there! What’s up?” she asks, a large grin spreading across her face.
“I’m needing to buy a pumpkin.”
Pamela nods and opens the door wider, motioning to usher you in. Normally you’d love to stay and chat, maybe try her latest recipe, but then you remember that your on a time limit.
<li>[[Pamela is your friend, of course you can stay and catch up on things. It’ll only be for a little bit.->go in noon]]</li><li>[[Unfortunately you really do have to keep moving. Politely turn down her offer but promise to come back soon.->pass noon]]</li>The market is busy on this cheerful Halloween day as animals and magical beings alike move from one stall to the next, chatting and bargaining and remarking on the lovely weather. You squeeze past them, instinctively wanting to stop and chat a well, but you’re on a mission!
You spot Mrs. Hen at a nearby stall, clucking with some of the other mothers as their chicks play nearby. You walk right up to the group and no one notices. Loudly, you clear your throat. Mrs. Hen turns and smiles.
“Hello, young lady. Lovely weather isn’t it?”
You nod obligingly, eager to buy some of her eggs and move on. Mrs. Hen doesn’t seem to pick up on this however, and continues with her small talk.
<li>[[A few minutes chatting with her won’t do any harm.->chat with hen noon]]</li><li>[[You don’t have time for this! Insist you skip the small talk and get down to business.->cut that chat noon]]</li>Bees are a cheerful bunch, if you can get them to stop long enough for a conversation. Far easier than coaxing a friendly discussion out of them, however, is talking about the one thing all bees live for: business.
As you near the tree with the enormous hive, you can hear a cacophony of buzzing. Hundreds of bees commute to and from their city. You see a sign pointing to a cottage nearby, where a gift shop proudly displays rows of honey, beeswax, and even honey-themed souvenirs. A gnome peers out from his place as the cashier counter, blinking expectantly at you and fiddling with his thick glasses.
“Welcome to the Havenwood Bee Colony’s Gift Shop! Take a look around, we’ve got just about any honey-related items you could want!” he recites.
<li>[[You’ve got time, and you’re pretty sure you saw a honey-themed cookbook off to the side. Couldn’t hurt to browse.->look around noon]]</li><li>[[Nope, you’re on a mission and you don’t have time to dawdle! Just honey, please.->get outta there noon]]</li>Humans have this tendency to ignore threats unless said threat is literally in the process of attacking them. Hence the legends that have spread... some assure themselves they are safe so long as they do not go out at night, or if they carry garlic, and then there are the humans who refuse to believe in vampires at all. It's all rather cute. So as you head to the human settlement - a walled crowding of unsanitary log houses - you grin at the anticipation of giving some unsupecting human a fright.
As luck would have it, a lone woodsman wanders through the tangled brush, busy with the task of gathering kindling. You swoop out of a nearby tree and yell "RAAAAAAAAA!"
The woodsman faints at the mere sight of you, and you neatly prick his neck, letting his blood collect in a glass jar you brought along. As soon as the blood reaches the correct measuring mark, you whip out a band-aid and head on your way. Just as you reach the edge of the clearing, you consider yelling for help, just in case no body comes running in time.
[[Call for help so the humans can take care of him. It's only fair.->call out noon]]
[[Nah, he'll be fine.->nah noon]]You nod cheerfully and wander over to a shelf where cookbooks are displayed. They are all original bee-created recipes, transcribed by gnomes alongside cute illustrations. You can't help but be drawn to one with beginner-friendly recipes, and start dreaming of all the fun you could have experimenting with new creations.
You grab it and a jar of honey and walk back up to the register.
The gnome wraps them in bee-patterned paper and you place the parcel in your sack. You can't help but have a spring in your step as you head back [[out into the forest.->Next Location noon]]
<<set $hasHoney to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>"Just honey, please." you say, and the gnome grabs a jar, wrapping it with rote motions in bee-patterned paper.
You try to not look at the shelf full of cookbooks, forcing yourself to head back out of the gift shop and [[into the forest again.->Next Location noon]]
<<set $hasHoney to true>>Two ingredients down! Where to go to next?
<<if $hasHoney is true and $hasFlour is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Eggs (the market)->Eggs (the market) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasHoney is true and $hasButter is true>><li>[[Eggs (the market)->Eggs (the market) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasEggs is true and $hasHoney is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasEggs is true and $hasFlour is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Honey (the beehive)->Honey (the beehive) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasEggs is true and $hasButter is true>><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Honey (the beehive)->Honey (the beehive) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasFlour is true and $hasButter is true and $hasPie is true>><li>[[Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch)->Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasFlour is true and $hasButter is true and $hasCake is true>><li>[[Eggs (the market)->Eggs (the market) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Honey (the beehive)->Honey (the beehive) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasFlour is true and $hasButter is true and $hasCookies is true>><li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Blood (the human settlement)->Blood (the human settlement) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasFlour is true and $hasBlood is true>><li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasFlour is true and $hasPumpkin is true>><li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasSugar is true and $hasFlour is true and $hasPie is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch)->Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasSugar is true and $hasButter is true and $hasPie is true>><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch)->Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasSugar is true and $hasFlour is true and $hasCookies is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Blood (the human settlement)->Blood (the human settlement) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasSugar is true and $hasButter is true and $hasCookies is true>><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Blood (the human settlement)->Blood (the human settlement) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasSugar is true and $hasBlood is true>><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasSugar is true and $hasPumpkin is true>><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasButter is true and $hasBlood is true>><li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasButter is true and $hasPumpkin is true>><li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) afternoon]]</li><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) afternoon]]</li>
<</if>>“I’ve been meaning to talk to your mom, get caught up, ya know. But I’ve just been so busy, what with my kids and all. I swear they're growing up so quick, seems like yesterday they were just hatchlings.”
“Uh huh.”
“I told Harold, Harold we need to get out more. Not to band rehearsal or parent-teacher meetings. We used to go to art exhibitions and classical music concerts, why don't we visit those anymore? But... you know, men: in one ear, out the other.”
You can feel yourself aging where you stand.
“So how’s your family been? Excited for the reunion tonight?”
“Yes, ma’am.” you respond, your mother’s voice coaching you on proper manners in the back of your head.
“Is this year the first time you have to bake something? Ooh, you’re good at cooking aren't you? That’ll be fun! Whatcha making, honey?”
“A cake.”
Mrs. Hen seems a bit skeptical, but quickly covers with a chuckle, “Ambitious little thing. Well, I suppose you need some of my eggs for that big cake you’re gonna make.”
You nod eagerly, and after paying she hands you a basket of eggs. Before Mrs. Hen can ask you more questions, you scurry off, waving goodbyes to the hens and their chicks before leaving the market to your [[next destination->Next Location noon]].
<<set $hasEggs to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>"I'm sorry, ma'am," you interrupt, "I've love to talk but I'm really busy today."
Mrs. Hen seems miffed at your sudden breach of societal scripts, and huffs, "Well, I suppose if you're //really// very busy. Tell your mother hello... and to teach you some manners."
"Yes ma'am." you wince, and pay her for some eggs. You then leave as quickly as possible, trying to focus on [[where to go next->Next Location noon]] instead of that terribly awkward interaction.
<<set $hasEggs to true>>"Oh, nothing, I'm fine." you quickly stammer.
The cow rolls her eyes and heads back towards the fields, "Whatever."
Sighing, you take tentative steps into the barn. It is dark, in a earthy sort of way, hushed and peaceful with shafts of light trickling down towards the hay-covered floor. You hear some shuffling to your right and turn to see a calf walking over to you.
"Hi, who are you?" she asks with a curious smile.
"I, uh, I'm a vampire."
She laughs, "I can see that. I mean who are you to us?"
"A customer?"
"Cool, follow me!" she says, leading you to the back of the barn where sticks of butter have been meticulously stacked. "You can put the money in the can over there."
There's a tin can hanging from the wall, and you shove the coins through the slot. You then pick up a stick of butter and place it in your sack.
"Thanks!" you say, smiling back at the calf.
"Yeah, no problem. I'm Milly, by the way. You can come around any time you like... and don't mind Hilda, she's always cranky like that."
You both giggle, as if sharing a secret. As a passing thought, you invite her over to your house any time, and with a wave goodbye you head back into the forest, towards your [[next destination.->Next Location noon]]
<<set $hasButter to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>"Oh... h-hello." you stumble, "I'm here to buy some butter."
The cow snorts and motions with her head into the barn, "This way."
You enter the barn and it is dark, in a earthy sort of way, hushed and peaceful with shafts of light trickling down towards the hay-covered floor. A calf peaks her head out to spy on you, then returns to her homework.
You follow the cow to a meticulously sorted stack of butter sticks, and she chews her cud while staring at you expectantly.
Nervously, you put some coins on the ground, not seeing any other place to put them. The cow rolls her eyes.
"Not there, stupid. In the can."
Oh. There's a tin can hanging from the wall, and you shove the coins through the slot. You then pick up a stick of butter and place it in your sack.
"Thank you!" you say, attempting to rescue the awkward situation with politeness.
The cow merely snorts again and heads out the way she came, leaving you to cautiously follow out, and back into the forest towards your [[next destination.->Next Location noon]]
<<set $hasButter to true>>Your mother's advice (or at least what you can recall of it) never let you down before. You sigh dramatically.
"Alas, I have forgotten to bring payment with me! Allow me to leave so I way return with a proper trade for your flour."
The scarecrows look to one another and mutter something. Then the young one looks back to you, "Agreed. Return whenever you wish with an acceptable payment, and in return you shall get your flour."
You thank them and make a show of leaving. When you are sure you are out of sight and they believe you have left, you make a wide bend around to the back of their farmhouse, where they keep their sacks of flour. You grab one and heave it over your shoulder, running for the cover of the trees.
"You! Stop!" a voice shouts from behind, and you run faster, diving into the bushes. Your sack snags on a branch and rip opens, spilling some of the flour onto the ground. You have no time to scope it up though, as the scarecrow is still chasing you. You hope the rest of the flour stays in the sack as you continue to run to your [[next location.->Next Location noon]]
<<set $hasFlour to true>>
<<set $hasSomeflour to true>>"I'll give you my word." you say with as much confidence as you can muster.
The scarecrows look to each other, whispering as they discuss the trade. Then the smaller one turns back to you again, "We accept your word."
For a moment nothing happens, so you open your mouth to ask, <<linkreplace "what next?">>but you cannot speak.<</linkreplace>>
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Thank you." the scarecrow says, "We will keep your word safe till we have need of it. Here is your flour."
You silently take the bag of flour and walk away, hoping the effect on your voice is temporary.
You pull out your list and decide [[where to go next.->Next Location noon]]
<<set $hasFlour to true>>You follow Pamela down the hallway to a large living room, where the cathedral-like ceiling echo a choir of bats (your cousins) who are reciting songs for tonight. From the sound of it, they could definitely use more practice. They spot you and abruptly stop, descending into a chorus of 'hellos' and 'how are yous'?
You smile and wave back, then turn to Pamela.
"So how've things been? The owls still getting onto you about your land?"
Pamela sighs, "Oh you know how it is, you take one dead owl's eyeball for a spell and suddenly you're so tied up in legal matters it's easier to just give them what they want."
"Oh no! You didn't sell the well too?"
She nods, "Whole kit and caboodle I'm afraid. I mean who am I going to go to for help? No body likes witches, you think they care if that well has been in my family for generations?"
You sigh in tired agreement. Witches, once human beings who were warped by the toll of magic on a non-magical creature, find themselves often in limbo. Not human and not magic. Just something foreign inbetween.
You smile sadly and hug her, "I'll talk to my grandpa about it, he'll show those owls a thing or two. If you mess with a witch you mess with the vampires!"
"Yeah!" "You bet!" "Darn right!" a choir of vampire cousins echo.
"Thank you." Pamela says softly. She wipes a tear quickly from her eye and then snaps her fingers, a freshly-picked pumpkin appearing in her arms. She hands it over to you.
"Uh, don't you want me to pay you?" you ask.
"You already are." Pamela smiles, "Getting rid of those pesky owls is more than enough."
As you leave, you must say goodbye to each and every one of your cousins (as per long-standing vampiric tradition). By the time you leave a whole hour has gone by. You frown, and hurry to your [[next location->Next Location noon]].
<<set $hasPumpkin to true>>
<<set $hasOwlkicking to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>You shake your head sadly, "Sorry Pamela, I'm on a tight schedule. Maybe we can talk later this week?"
Pamela frowns, then smiles brightly, "Sure, come over any time!"
She snaps her fingers and a freshly-picked pumpkin appears in her arms. She hands it over to you. You pay her quickly and then say goodbye, waiting at least long enough for Pamela to close the door before [[pulling out your list->Next Location noon]].
<<set $hasPumpkin to true>>You frown but agree to their terms, "Okay."
The fairies do not stop grinning, and the main one grabs up a bag of sugar and tosses it to you. As you catch it, you feel something in the wind shift, as if fate itself has turned onto a different road.
"Uh, so... I know I'm not supposed to ask but--"
"Then do not ask." the fairy says simply, "Pleasure doing business with you!"
You quickly leave, if only to get away from their beady eyes, shuddering as the wind picks up again. You pull out your list and focus on [[where to go next->Next Location noon]].
<<set $hasSugar to true>>You frown, "Define 'payment'."
The fairy tsks, "You're not supposed to ask those kinds of questions, you know that. Do you want the sugar or not?"
Left without much options, and sensing the fairies growing annoyance, you sigh and nod, "Fine."
The fairy grabs a bag of sugar and tosses it to you, but as you catch it the <div class= scarecrow>bag vanishes into thin air.</div> The fairies cackle.
"Hey!"
"Just playing with ya kid, relax!" the fairy snaps his finger and the bag returns to your hand. You clutch it tight, and as you leave you feel something in the wind shift, as if fate has turned onto a darker road. You shudder and pull out your [[list of ingredients.->Next Location noon]]
<<set $hasSugar to true>>"Help! I've been attacked! Help!" you try to shout in a deep manly voice. It's not the most convincing performance but it seems to work, as you begin to hear sounds of yelling and several boots thundering your way.
You take one last look at the still unconscious woodsman, before [[scampering off into the brush.->Next Location noon]]
<<set $hasBlood to true>>You tuck the glass jar of blood into your sack and head off again, leaving the woodsman where he lies. As you head back towards the thick depths of the forest, you plan [[where to go next.->Next Location noon]]
<<set $hasBlood to true>>The market is busy on this cheerful Halloween day as animals and magical beings alike move from one stall to the next, chatting and bargaining and remarking on the lovely weather. You squeeze past them, instinctively wanting to stop and chat as well, but you’re on a mission!
The sugar fairies are difficult to find, primarily because they are mischievous little creatures. You find them hidden away in a smaller stall near the far end of the market.
They look at you with hungry grins, twinkling eyes never leaving your face. You clear your throat and say hello. They do not reply.
“I’m wanting to buy some sugar, please?” you ask nervously.
One of the fairies nods and holds out a tiny hand, “Payment?”
<li>[[Give them whatever they want->fate afternoon]]</li><li>[[Be wary: demand they define “payment”.->demand afternoon]]</li>You’ve never actually been to see the cows before. They live farther away, and you’ve heard from your older siblings that they can be ill-tempered. Still, you tell yourself these are just rumours and you can handle a few cranky old cows.
The barn they stay in is where they sell their butter from, prices displayed on a tall painted sign. You wonder perhaps if they got somebody else to paint the sign, considering it seems a bit difficult to write with hooves. You hear an impatient snort from behind and turn to see a cow returning from the grazing fields.
“What business?” she asks, not entirely paying attention to you. You only now realize how much bigger cows are than vampires.
<li>[[She seems pretty busy, maybe try asking someone else?->someone else afternoon]]</li><li>[[Be brave and ask her for some butter.->ask her afternoon]]</li>
Pamela the Pumpkin Witch has always been a good friend, if a little alternative. You visit her regularly, what with witches and vampires tending to get along well. As you near her oddly rectangular house full of windows (“it’s modernist” she remarks one day over a bowl of frog stew), you begin to hear the sounds of singing. Smiling to yourself, you step up to the giant glass door, and as your feet touch the doormat a loud screeching sound announces your arrival. Several seconds later, Pamela opens the door.
“Hey there! What’s up?” she asks, a large grin spreading across her face.
“I’m needing to buy a pumpkin.”
Pamela nods and opens the door wider, motioning to usher you in. Normally you’d love to stay and chat, maybe try her latest recipe, but then you remember that your on a time limit.
<li>[[Pamela is your friend, of course you can stay and catch up on things. It’ll only be for a little bit.->go in afternoon]]</li><li>[[Unfortunately you really do have to keep moving. Politely turn down her offer but promise to come back soon.->pass afternoon]]</li>You’ve visited the wheat fields that belong to the scarecrows many times, but always with your mother or older siblings. Now the tall figures with soulless button eyes seem… otherworldly, less friendly than you remember. They stand at the edge of their land, flannel arms leaning on fence posts. They are always grinning, so you cannot tell if they are actually happy to see you or not.
A smaller one seems to sense your nervousness and hops over the fence.
“Hi, I’m needing to buy some of your flour?” you ask.
The scarecrows continues to grin, “Greetings! What will you give us in return for a sack?”
<div class= scarecrow>You bite your lip, trying to remember what your mother told you about trading with scarecrows. Why, oh why, must your memory be fuzzy now?!</div>
<li>[[Pretty sure mother said giving them anything of yours was bad. Maybe you should try swiping some flour when they aren’t looking.->steal afternoon]]</li><li>[[It’s probably fine. Promise to give them your word.->pay afternoon]]</li>Humans have this tendency to ignore threats unless said threat is literally in the process of attacking them. Hence the legends that have spread... some assure themselves they are safe so long as they do not go out at night, or if they carry garlic, and then there are the humans who refuse to believe in vampires at all. It's all rather cute. So as you head to the human settlement - a walled crowding of unsanitary log houses - you grin at the anticipation of giving some unsupecting human a fright.
As luck would have it, a lone woodsman wanders through the tangled brush, busy with the task of gathering kindling. You swoop out of a nearby tree and yell "RAAAAAAAAA!"
The woodsman faints at the mere sight of you, and you neatly prick his neck, letting his blood collect in a glass jar you brought along. As soon as the blood reaches the correct measuring mark, you whip out a band-aid and head on your way. Just as you reach the edge of the clearing, you consider yelling for help, just in case no body comes running in time.
[[Call for help so the humans can take care of him. It's only fair.->call out afternoon]]
[[Nah, he'll be fine.->nah afternoon]]Bees are a cheerful bunch, if you can get them to stop long enough for a conversation. Far easier than coaxing a friendly discussion out of them, however, is talking about the one thing all bees live for: business.
As you near the tree with the enormous hive, you can hear a cacophony of buzzing. Hundreds of bees commute to and from their city. You see a sign pointing to a cottage nearby, where a gift shop proudly displays rows of honey, beeswax, and even honey-themed souvenirs. A gnome peers out from his place as the cashier counter, blinking expectantly at you and fiddling with his thick glasses.
“Welcome to the Havenwood Bee Colony’s Gift Shop! Take a look around, we’ve got just about any honey-related items you could want!” he recites.
<li>[[You’ve got time, and you’re pretty sure you saw a honey-themed cookbook off to the side. Couldn’t hurt to browse.->look around afternoon]]</li><li>[[Nope, you’re on a mission and you don’t have time to dawdle! Just honey, please.->get outta there afternoon]]</li>The market is busy on this cheerful Halloween day as animals and magical beings alike move from one stall to the next, chatting and bargaining and remarking on the lovely weather. You squeeze past them, instinctively wanting to stop and chat a well, but you’re on a mission!
You spot Mrs. Hen at a nearby stall, clucking with some of the other mothers as their chicks play nearby. You walk right up to the group and no one notices. Loudly, you clear your throat. Mrs. Hen turns and smiles.
“Hello, young lady. Lovely weather isn’t it?”
You nod obligingly, eager to buy some of her eggs and move on. Mrs. Hen doesn’t seem to pick up on this however, and continues with her small talk.
<li>[[A few minutes chatting with her won’t do any harm.->chat with hen afternoon]]</li><li>[[You don’t have time for this! Insist you skip the small talk and get down to business.->cut that chat afternoon]]</li>You nod cheerfully and wander over to a shelf where cookbooks are displayed. They are all original bee-created recipes, transcribed by gnomes alongside cute illustrations. You can't help but be drawn to one with beginner-friendly recipes, and start dreaming of all the fun you could have experimenting with new creations.
You grab it and a jar of honey and walk back up to the register.
The gnome wraps them in bee-patterned paper and you place the parcel in your sack. You can't help but have a spring in your step as you head back [[out into the forest.->Next Location evening]]
<<set $hasHoney to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>"Just honey, please." you say, and the gnome grabs a jar, wrapping it with rote motions in bee-patterned paper.
You try to not look at the shelf full of cookbooks, forcing yourself to head back out of the gift shop and [[into the forest again.->Next Location evening]]
<<set $hasHoney to true>>“I’ve been meaning to talk to your mom, get caught up, ya know. But I’ve just been so busy, what with my kids and all. I swear they're growing up so quick, seems like yesterday they were just hatchlings.”
“Uh huh.”
“I told Harold, Harold we need to get out more. Not to band rehearsal or parent-teacher meetings. We used to go to art exhibitions and classical music concerts, why don't we visit those anymore? But... you know, men: in one ear, out the other.”
You can feel yourself aging where you stand.
“So how’s your family been? Excited for the reunion tonight?”
“Yes, ma’am.” you respond, your mother’s voice coaching you on proper manners in the back of your head.
“Is this year the first time you have to bake something? Ooh, you’re good at cooking aren't you? That’ll be fun! Whatcha making, honey?”
“A cake.”
Mrs. Hen seems a bit skeptical, but quickly covers with a chuckle, “Ambitious little thing. Well, I suppose you need some of my eggs for that big cake you’re gonna make.”
You nod eagerly, and after paying she hands you a basket of eggs. Before Mrs. Hen can ask you more questions, you scurry off, waving goodbyes to the hens and their chicks before leaving the market to your [[next destination->Next Location evening]].
<<set $hasEggs to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>"I'm sorry, ma'am," you interrupt, "I've love to talk but I'm really busy today."
Mrs. Hen seems miffed at your sudden breach of societal scripts, and huffs, "Well, I suppose if you're //really// very busy. Tell your mother hello... and to teach you some manners."
"Yes ma'am." you wince, and pay her for some eggs. You then leave as quickly as possible, trying to focus on [[where to go next->Next Location evening]] instead of that terribly awkward interaction.
<<set $hasEggs to true>>"Oh, nothing, I'm fine." you quickly stammer.
The cow rolls her eyes and heads back towards the fields, "Whatever."
Sighing, you take tentative steps into the barn. It is dark, in a earthy sort of way, hushed and peaceful with shafts of light trickling down towards the hay-covered floor. You hear some shuffling to your right and turn to see a calf walking over to you.
"Hi, who are you?" she asks with a curious smile.
"I, uh, I'm a vampire."
She laughs, "I can see that. I mean who are you to us?"
"A customer?"
"Cool, follow me!" she says, leading you to the back of the barn where sticks of butter have been meticulously stacked. "You can put the money in the can over there."
There's a tin can hanging from the wall, and you shove the coins through the slot. You then pick up a stick of butter and place it in your sack.
"Thanks!" you say, smiling back at the calf.
"Yeah, no problem. I'm Milly, by the way. You can come around any time you like... and don't mind Hilda, she's always cranky like that."
You both giggle, as if sharing a secret. As a passing thought, you invite her over to your house any time, and with a wave goodbye you head back into the forest, towards your [[next destination.->Next Location evening]]
<<set $hasButter to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>"Oh... h-hello." you stumble, "I'm here to buy some butter."
The cow snorts and motions with her head into the barn, "This way."
You enter the barn and it is dark, in a earthy sort of way, hushed and peaceful with shafts of light trickling down towards the hay-covered floor. A calf peaks her head out to spy on you, then returns to her homework.
You follow the cow to a meticulously sorted stack of butter sticks, and she chews her cud while staring at you expectantly.
Nervously, you put some coins on the ground, not seeing any other place to put them. The cow rolls her eyes.
"Not there, stupid. In the can."
Oh. There's a tin can hanging from the wall, and you shove the coins through the slot. You then pick up a stick of butter and place it in your sack.
"Thank you!" you say, attempting to rescue the awkward situation with politeness.
The cow merely snorts again and heads out the way she came, leaving you to cautiously follow out, and back into the forest towards your [[next destination.->Next Location evening]]
<<set $hasButter to true>>Your mother's advice (or at least what you can recall of it) never let you down before. You sigh dramatically.
"Alas, I have forgotten to bring payment with me! Allow me to leave so I way return with a proper trade for your flour."
The scarecrows look to one another and mutter something. Then the young one looks back to you, "Agreed. Return whenever you wish with an acceptable payment, and in return you shall get your flour."
You thank them and make a show of leaving. When you are sure you are out of sight and they believe you have left, you make a wide bend around to the back of their farmhouse, where they keep their sacks of flour. You grab one and heave it over your shoulder, running for the cover of the trees.
"You! Stop!" a voice shouts from behind, and you run faster, diving into the bushes. Your sack snags on a branch and rip opens, spilling some of the flour onto the ground. You have no time to scope it up though, as the scarecrow is still chasing you. You hope the rest of the flour stays in the sack as you continue to run to your [[next location.->Next Location evening]]
<<set $hasFlour to true>>
<<set $hasSomeflour to true>>"I'll give you my word." you say with as much confidence as you can muster.
The scarecrows look to each other, whispering as they discuss the trade. Then the smaller one turns back to you again, "We accept your word."
For a moment nothing happens, so you open your mouth to ask, <<linkreplace "what next?">>but you cannot speak.<</linkreplace>>
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"Thank you." the scarecrow says, "We will keep your word safe till we have need of it. Here is your flour."
You silently take the bag of flour and walk away, hoping the effect on your voice is temporary.
You pull out your list and decide [[where to go next.->Next Location evening]]
<<set $hasFlour to true>>You follow Pamela down the hallway to a large living room, where the cathedral-like ceiling echo a choir of bats (your cousins) who are reciting songs for tonight. From the sound of it, they could definitely use more practice. They spot you and abruptly stop, descending into a chorus of 'hellos' and 'how are yous'?
You smile and wave back, then turn to Pamela.
"So how've things been? The owls still getting onto you about your land?"
Pamela sighs, "Oh you know how it is, you take one dead owl's eyeball for a spell and suddenly you're so tied up in legal matters it's easier to just give them what they want."
"Oh no! You didn't sell the well too?"
She nods, "Whole kit and caboodle I'm afraid. I mean who am I going to go to for help? No body likes witches, you think they care if that well has been in my family for generations?"
You sigh in tired agreement. Witches, once human beings who were warped by the toll of magic on a non-magical creature, find themselves often in limbo. Not human and not magic. Just something foreign inbetween.
You smile sadly and hug her, "I'll talk to my grandpa about it, he'll show those owls a thing or two. If you mess with a witch you mess with the vampires!"
"Yeah!" "You bet!" "Darn right!" a choir of vampire cousins echo.
"Thank you." Pamela says softly. She wipes a tear quickly from her eye and then snaps her fingers, a freshly-picked pumpkin appearing in her arms. She hands it over to you.
"Uh, don't you want me to pay you?" you ask.
"You already are." Pamela smiles, "Getting rid of those pesky owls is more than enough."
As you leave, you must say goodbye to each and every one of your cousins (as per long-standing vampiric tradition). By the time you leave a whole hour has gone by. You frown, and hurry to your [[next location->Next Location evening]].
<<set $hasPumpkin to true>>
<<set $hasOwlkicking to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>You shake your head sadly, "Sorry Pamela, I'm on a tight schedule. Maybe we can talk later this week?"
Pamela frowns, then smiles brightly, "Sure, come over any time!"
She snaps her fingers and a freshly-picked pumpkin appears in her arms. She hands it over to you. You pay her quickly and then say goodbye, waiting at least long enough for Pamela to close the door before [[pulling out your list->Next Location evening]].
<<set $hasPumpkin to true>>You frown but agree to their terms, "Okay."
The fairies do not stop grinning, and the main one grabs up a bag of sugar and tosses it to you. As you catch it, you feel something in the wind shift, as if fate itself has turned onto a different road.
"Uh, so... I know I'm not supposed to ask but--"
"Then do not ask." the fairy says simply, "Pleasure doing business with you!"
You quickly leave, if only to get away from their beady eyes, shuddering as the wind picks up again. You pull out your list and focus on [[where to go next->Next Location evening]].
<<set $hasSugar to true>>You frown, "Define 'payment'."
The fairy tsks, "You're not supposed to ask those kinds of questions, you know that. Do you want the sugar or not?"
Left without much options, and sensing the fairies growing annoyance, you sigh and nod, "Fine."
The fairy grabs a bag of sugar and tosses it to you, but as you catch it the <div class= scarecrow>bag vanishes into thin air.</div> The fairies cackle.
"Hey!"
"Just playing with ya kid, relax!" the fairy snaps his finger and the bag returns to your hand. You clutch it tight, and as you leave you feel something in the wind shift, as if fate has turned onto a darker road. You shudder and pull out your [[list of ingredients.->Next Location evening]]
<<set $hasSugar to true>>"Help! I've been attacked! Help!" you try to shout in a deep manly voice. It's not the most convincing performance but it seems to work, as you begin to hear sounds of yelling and several boots thundering your way.
You take one last look at the still unconscious woodsman, before [[scampering off into the brush.->Next Location evening]]
<<set $hasBlood to true>>You tuck the glass jar of blood into your sack and head off again, leaving the woodsman where he lies. As you head back towards the thick depths of the forest, you plan [[where to go next.->Next Location evening]]
<<set $hasBlood to true>>Only one ingredient left!
<<if $hasHoney is true and $hasFlour is true and $hasEggs is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) evening]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasHoney is true and $hasButter is true and $hasEggs is true>><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) evening]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasEggs is true and $hasFlour is true and $hasButter is true>><li>[[Honey (the beehive)->Honey (the beehive) evening]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasHoney is true and $hasButter is true and $hasFlour is true>><li>[[Eggs (the market)->Eggs (the market) evening]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasFlour is true and $hasButter is true and $hasSugar is true and $hasPie is true>><li>[[Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch)->Pumpkin (the pumpkin patch) evening]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasFlour is true and $hasButter is true and $hasSugar is true and $hasCookies is true>><li>[[Blood (the human settlement)->Blood (the human settlement) evening]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasFlour is true and $hasBlood is true and $hasSugar is true>><li>[[Butter (the cows)->Butter (the cows) evening]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasSugar is true and $hasButter is true and $hasPumpkin is true>><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) evening]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasSugar is true and $hasButter is true and $hasBlood is true>><li>[[Flour (the scarecrow farmers)->Flour (the scarecrow farmers) evening]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasButter is true and $hasBlood is true and $hasFlour is true>><li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) evening]]</li>
<</if>>
<<if $hasButter is true and $hasPumpkin is true and $hasFlour is true>><li>[[Sugar (the market)->Sugar (the market) evening]]</li>
<</if>>You’ve never actually been to see the cows before. They live farther away, and you’ve heard from your older siblings that they can be ill-tempered. Still, you tell yourself these are just rumours and you can handle a few cranky old cows.
The barn they stay in is where they sell their butter from, prices displayed on a tall painted sign. You wonder perhaps if they got somebody else to paint the sign, considering it seems a bit difficult to write with hooves. You hear an impatient snort from behind and turn to see a cow returning from the grazing fields.
“What business?” she asks, not entirely paying attention to you. You only now realize how much bigger cows are than vampires.
<li>[[She seems pretty busy, maybe try asking someone else?->someone else evening]]</li><li>[[Be brave and ask her for some butter.->ask her evening]]</li>You’ve visited the wheat fields that belong to the scarecrows many times, but always with your mother or older siblings. Now the tall figures with soulless button eyes seem… otherworldly, less friendly than you remember. They stand at the edge of their land, flannel arms leaning on fence posts. They are always grinning, so you cannot tell if they are actually happy to see you or not.
A smaller one seems to sense your nervousness and hops over the fence.
“Hi, I’m needing to buy some of your flour?” you ask.
The scarecrows continues to grin, “Greetings! What will you give us in return for a sack?”
<div class= scarecrow>You bite your lip, trying to remember what your mother told you about trading with scarecrows. Why, oh why, must your memory be fuzzy now?!</div>
<li>[[Pretty sure mother said giving them anything of yours was bad. Maybe you should try swiping some flour when they aren’t looking.->steal evening]]</li><li>[[It’s probably fine. Promise to give them your word.->pay evening]]</li>Bees are a cheerful bunch, if you can get them to stop long enough for a conversation. Far easier than coaxing a friendly discussion out of them, however, is talking about the one thing all bees live for: business.
As you near the tree with the enormous hive, you can hear a cacophony of buzzing. Hundreds of bees commute to and from their city. You see a sign pointing to a cottage nearby, where a gift shop proudly displays rows of honey, beeswax, and even honey-themed souvenirs. A gnome peers out from his place as the cashier counter, blinking expectantly at you and fiddling with his thick glasses.
“Welcome to the Havenwood Bee Colony’s Gift Shop! Take a look around, we’ve got just about any honey-related items you could want!” he recites.
<li>[[You’ve got time, and you’re pretty sure you saw a honey-themed cookbook off to the side. Couldn’t hurt to browse.->look around evening]]</li><li>[[Nope, you’re on a mission and you don’t have time to dawdle! Just honey, please.->get outta there evening]]</li>The market is busy on this cheerful Halloween day as animals and magical beings alike move from one stall to the next, chatting and bargaining and remarking on the lovely weather. You squeeze past them, instinctively wanting to stop and chat a well, but you’re on a mission!
You spot Mrs. Hen at a nearby stall, clucking with some of the other mothers as their chicks play nearby. You walk right up to the group and no one notices. Loudly, you clear your throat. Mrs. Hen turns and smiles.
“Hello, young lady. Lovely weather isn’t it?”
You nod obligingly, eager to buy some of her eggs and move on. Mrs. Hen doesn’t seem to pick up on this however, and continues with her small talk.
<li>[[A few minutes chatting with her won’t do any harm.->chat with hen evening]]</li><li>[[You don’t have time for this! Insist you skip the small talk and get down to business.->cut that chat evening]]</li>
Pamela the Pumpkin Witch has always been a good friend, if a little alternative. You visit her regularly, what with witches and vampires tending to get along well. As you near her oddly rectangular house full of windows (“it’s modernist” she remarks one day over a bowl of frog stew), you begin to hear the sounds of singing. Smiling to yourself, you step up to the giant glass door, and as your feet touch the doormat a loud screeching sound announces your arrival. Several seconds later, Pamela opens the door.
“Hey there! What’s up?” she asks, a large grin spreading across her face.
“I’m needing to buy a pumpkin.”
Pamela nods and opens the door wider, motioning to usher you in. Normally you’d love to stay and chat, maybe try her latest recipe, but then you remember that your on a time limit.
<li>[[Pamela is your friend, of course you can stay and catch up on things. It’ll only be for a little bit.->go in evening]]</li><li>[[Unfortunately you really do have to keep moving. Politely turn down her offer but promise to come back soon.->pass evening]]</li>Humans have this tendency to ignore threats unless said threat is literally in the process of attacking them. Hence the legends that have spread... some assure themselves they are safe so long as they do not go out at night, or if they carry garlic, and then there are the humans who refuse to believe in vampires at all. It's all rather cute. So as you head to the human settlement - a walled crowding of unsanitary log houses - you grin at the anticipation of giving some unsupecting human a fright.
As luck would have it, a lone woodsman wanders through the tangled brush, busy with the task of gathering kindling. You swoop out of a nearby tree and yell "RAAAAAAAAA!"
The woodsman faints at the mere sight of you, and you neatly prick his neck, letting his blood collect in a glass jar you brought along. As soon as the blood reaches the correct measuring mark, you whip out a band-aid and head on your way. Just as you reach the edge of the clearing, you consider yelling for help, just in case no body comes running in time.
[[Call for help so the humans can take care of him. It's only fair.->call out evening]]
[[Nah, he'll be fine.->nah evening]]The market is busy on this cheerful Halloween day as animals and magical beings alike move from one stall to the next, chatting and bargaining and remarking on the lovely weather. You squeeze past them, instinctively wanting to stop and chat as well, but you’re on a mission!
The sugar fairies are difficult to find, primarily because they are mischievous little creatures. You find them hidden away in a smaller stall near the far end of the market.
They look at you with hungry grins, twinkling eyes never leaving your face. You clear your throat and say hello. They do not reply.
“I’m wanting to buy some sugar, please?” you ask nervously.
One of the fairies nods and holds out a tiny hand, “Payment?”
<li>[[Give them whatever they want->fate evening]]</li><li>[[Be wary: demand they define “payment”.->demand evening]]</li>You nod cheerfully and wander over to a shelf where cookbooks are displayed. They are all original bee-created recipes, transcribed by gnomes alongside cute illustrations. You can't help but be drawn to one with beginner-friendly recipes, and start dreaming of all the fun you could have experimenting with new creations.
You grab it and a jar of honey and walk back up to the register.
The gnome wraps them in bee-patterned paper and you place the parcel in your sack. You can't help but have a spring in your step as you head back [[out and towards home.->Finished]]
<<set $hasHoney to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>"Just honey, please." you say, and the gnome grabs a jar, wrapping it with rote motions in bee-patterned paper.
You try to not look at the shelf full of cookbooks, forcing yourself to head back out of the gift shop and [[towards home.->Finished]]
<<set $hasHoney to true>>“I’ve been meaning to talk to your mom, get caught up, ya know. But I’ve just been so busy, what with my kids and all. I swear they're growing up so quick, seems like yesterday they were just hatchlings.”
“Uh huh.”
“I told Harold, Harold we need to get out more. Not to band rehearsal or parent-teacher meetings. We used to go to art exhibitions and classical music concerts, why don't we visit those anymore? But... you know, men: in one ear, out the other.”
You can feel yourself aging where you stand.
“So how’s your family been? Excited for the reunion tonight?”
“Yes, ma’am.” you respond, your mother’s voice coaching you on proper manners in the back of your head.
“Is this year the first time you have to bake something? Ooh, you’re good at cooking aren't you? That’ll be fun! Whatcha making, honey?”
“A cake.”
Mrs. Hen seems a bit skeptical, but quickly covers with a chuckle, “Ambitious little thing. Well, I suppose you need some of my eggs for that big cake you’re gonna make.”
You nod eagerly, and after paying she hands you a basket of eggs. Before Mrs. Hen can ask you more questions, you scurry off, waving goodbyes to the hens and their chicks before leaving the market to [[head home->Finished]].
<<set $hasEggs to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>"I'm sorry, ma'am," you interrupt, "I've love to talk but I'm really busy today."
Mrs. Hen seems miffed at your sudden breach of societal scripts, and huffs, "Well, I suppose if you're //really// very busy. Tell your mother hello... and to teach you some manners."
"Yes ma'am." you wince, and pay her for some eggs. You then leave as quickly as possible, trying to focus on [[getting back home->Finished]] instead of that terribly awkward interaction.
<<set $hasEggs to true>>"Oh, nothing, I'm fine." you quickly stammer.
The cow rolls her eyes and heads back towards the fields, "Whatever."
Sighing, you take tentative steps into the barn. It is dark, in a earthy sort of way, hushed and peaceful with shafts of light trickling down towards the hay-covered floor. You hear some shuffling to your right and turn to see a calf walking over to you.
"Hi, who are you?" she asks with a curious smile.
"I, uh, I'm a vampire."
She laughs, "I can see that. I mean who are you to us?"
"A customer?"
"Cool, follow me!" she says, leading you to the back of the barn where sticks of butter have been meticulously stacked. "You can put the money in the can over there."
There's a tin can hanging from the wall, and you shove the coins through the slot. You then pick up a stick of butter and place it in your sack.
"Thanks!" you say, smiling back at the calf.
"Yeah, no problem. I'm Milly, by the way. You can come around any time you like... and don't mind Hilda, she's always cranky like that."
You both giggle, as if sharing a secret. As a passing thought, you invite her over to your house any time, and with a wave goodbye you head back into the forest, towards [[home.->Finished]]
<<set $hasButter to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>"Oh... h-hello." you stumble, "I'm here to buy some butter."
The cow snorts and motions with her head into the barn, "This way."
You enter the barn and it is dark, in a earthy sort of way, hushed and peaceful with shafts of light trickling down towards the hay-covered floor. A calf peaks her head out to spy on you, then returns to her homework.
You follow the cow to a meticulously sorted stack of butter sticks, and she chews her cud while staring at you expectantly.
Nervously, you put some coins on the ground, not seeing any other place to put them. The cow rolls her eyes.
"Not there, stupid. In the can."
Oh. There's a tin can hanging from the wall, and you shove the coins through the slot. You then pick up a stick of butter and place it in your sack.
"Thank you!" you say, attempting to rescue the awkward situation with politeness.
The cow merely snorts again and heads out the way she came, leaving you to cautiously follow out, and back into the forest towards [[home.->Finished]]
<<set $hasButter to true>>Your mother's advice (or at least what you can recall of it) never let you down before. You sigh dramatically.
"Alas, I have forgotten to bring payment with me! Allow me to leave so I way return with a proper trade for your flour."
The scarecrows look to one another and mutter something. Then the young one looks back to you, "Agreed. Return whenever you wish with an acceptable payment, and in return you shall get your flour."
You thank them and make a show of leaving. When you are sure you are out of sight and they believe you have left, you make a wide bend around to the back of their farmhouse, where they keep their sacks of flour. You grab one and heave it over your shoulder, running for the cover of the trees.
"You! Stop!" a voice shouts from behind, and you run faster, diving into the bushes. Your sack snags on a branch and rip opens, spilling some of the flour onto the ground. You have no time to scope it up though, as the scarecrow is still chasing you. You hope the rest of the flour stays in the sack as you continue to run back to [[your home.->Finished]]
<<set $hasFlour to true>>
<<set $hasSomeflour to true>>"I'll give you my word." you say with as much confidence as you can muster.
The scarecrows look to each other, whispering as they discuss the trade. Then the smaller one turns back to you again, "We accept your word."
For a moment nothing happens, so you open your mouth to ask, <<linkreplace "what next?">>but you cannot speak.<</linkreplace>>
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"Thank you." the scarecrow says, "We will keep your word safe till we have need of it. Here is your flour."
You silently take the bag of flour and walk away, hoping the effect on your voice is temporary.
Now that you have everything, you head [[back home.->Finished]]
<<set $hasFlour to true>>You follow Pamela down the hallway to a large living room, where the cathedral-like ceiling echo a choir of bats (your cousins) who are reciting songs for tonight. From the sound of it, they could definitely use more practice. They spot you and abruptly stop, descending into a chorus of 'hellos' and 'how are yous'?
You smile and wave back, then turn to Pamela.
"So how've things been? The owls still getting onto you about your land?"
Pamela sighs, "Oh you know how it is, you take one dead owl's eyeball for a spell and suddenly you're so tied up in legal matters it's easier to just give them what they want."
"Oh no! You didn't sell the well too?"
She nods, "Whole kit and caboodle I'm afraid. I mean who am I going to go to for help? No body likes witches, you think they care if that well has been in my family for generations?"
You sigh in tired agreement. Witches, once human beings who were warped by the toll of magic on a non-magical creature, find themselves often in limbo. Not human and not magic. Just something foreign inbetween.
You smile sadly and hug her, "I'll talk to my grandpa about it, he'll show those owls a thing or two. If you mess with a witch you mess with the vampires!"
"Yeah!" "You bet!" "Darn right!" a choir of vampire cousins echo.
"Thank you." Pamela says softly. She wipes a tear quickly from her eye and then snaps her fingers, a freshly-picked pumpkin appearing in her arms. She hands it over to you.
"Uh, don't you want me to pay you?" you ask.
"You already are." Pamela smiles, "Getting rid of those pesky owls is more than enough."
As you leave, you must say goodbye to each and every one of your cousins (as per long-standing vampiric tradition). By the time you leave a whole hour has gone by. You frown, and hurry [[home->Finished]].
<<set $hasPumpkin to true>>
<<set $hasOwlkicking to true>>
<<set $Time to $Time + 1>>You shake your head sadly, "Sorry Pamela, I'm on a tight schedule. Maybe we can talk later this week?"
Pamela frowns, then smiles brightly, "Sure, come over any time!"
She snaps her fingers and a freshly-picked pumpkin appears in her arms. She hands it over to you. You pay her quickly and then say goodbye, waiting at least long enough for Pamela to close the door before [[heading home->Finished]].
<<set $hasPumpkin to true>>You frown but agree to their terms, "Okay."
The fairies do not stop grinning, and the main one grabs up a bag of sugar and tosses it to you. As you catch it, you feel something in the wind shift, as if fate itself has turned onto a different road.
"Uh, so... I know I'm not supposed to ask but--"
"Then do not ask." the fairy says simply, "Pleasure doing business with you!"
You quickly leave, if only to get away from their beady eyes, shuddering as the wind picks up again. You pull out your list and focus on [[getting back home->Finished]].
<<set $hasSugar to true>>You frown, "Define 'payment'."
The fairy tsks, "You're not supposed to ask those kinds of questions, you know that. Do you want the sugar or not?"
Left without much options, and sensing the fairies growing annoyance, you sigh and nod, "Fine."
The fairy grabs a bag of sugar and tosses it to you, but as you catch it the <div class= scarecrow>bag vanishes into thin air.</div> The fairies cackle.
"Hey!"
"Just playing with ya kid, relax!" the fairy snaps his finger and the bag returns to your hand. You clutch it tight, and as you leave you feel something in the wind shift, as if fate has turned onto a darker road. You shudder and head back [[home.->Finished]]
<<set $hasSugar to true>>"Help! I've been attacked! Help!" you try to shout in a deep manly voice. It's not the most convincing performance but it seems to work, as you begin to hear sounds of yelling and several boots thundering your way.
You take one last look at the still unconscious woodsman, before [[scampering off into the brush towards home.->Finished]]
<<set $hasBlood to true>>You tuck the glass jar of blood into your sack and head off again, leaving the woodsman where he lies. As you head back towards the thick depths of the forest, you head [[back home.->Finished]]
<<set $hasBlood to true>>You put your last ingredient in your sack and rush home.
<<if $Time gte 2>>You rush into the kitchen to find several family members have already begun cooking. The air is humid with steam and there is little room to work. If only you'd made it back earlier! You elbow your way into some counter space, then hastily spread out your ingredients and begin.
<<else>>You arrive home to find the kitchen still empty; your older family members haven't started cooking yet. You sigh in relief as you now have time to carefully follow instructions for your new recipe. You lay out your ingredients and begin.
<</if>>
<<if $hasSomeflour is true>>You are halfway through baking when you realize you don't have the amount of flour the recipe requires. You search the rest of the kitchen and there is none extra to be found. You will have to hope the flour you've got will still work. You wait for [[the oven to finish->sad-looking dish]].
<<else>>The baking process goes smoothly as you have enough of everything you need. You hope you followed the recipe right as you wait for for [[the oven to finish->happy dish]].
<</if>>
<<if $Time gte 2>>Between the missing flour and your rush to finish in time, your dish looks a little... deflated. There is no time to fix it though, so you half-heartedly bring your desert out onto the big table, where the reunion is starting.
<<else>>Due to the missing flour your dish comes out looking a little... deflated. But you have enough time left to decorate the top so your creation doesn't look as lumpy. You are just putting the final touches on when you hear the reunion beginning. You sneak in and place your dish on the desert table.
<</if>>
Your grandpa stands up and delivers a speech about traditions and the holiday -- so basically the same one he gives every year. The crowd claps as he sits down and cues the choir to start singing. You wince at their attempt to sing Halloween carols, before joining the line of folks getting food. At the end of the tables you seen your desert, waiting for the [[verdict of your family members]].<<if $Time gte 2>>In your rush to finish in time, your dish looks a little... haphazard. There is no time to fix it though, so you hurriedly bring your desert out onto the big table, where the reunion is starting.
<<else>>Thanks to not having to hurry the baking process, you can put carefull attention and detail into your dish. You are just adding on the final touches on when you hear the reunion beginning. You sneak in and place your dish on the desert table.
<</if>>
Your grandpa stands up and delivers a speech about traditions and the holiday -- so basically the same one he gives every year. The crowd claps as he sits down and cues the choir to start singing. You wince at their attempt to sing Halloween carols, before joining the line of folks getting food. At the end of the tables you seen your desert, waiting for the [[verdict of your family members->verdict good]].<<if $hasCake is true>>Your cake slumps in comparison to some of the other masterpieces older family members have created. Their's twist and tower over yours, but those who try your dish comment that it tastes pretty good. You accept their compliments while inwardly wishing you could vanish into thin air.
<</if>>
<<if $hasPie is true>>Thankfully, there aren't too many pies at the feast and so those who do want pie don't really notice that their choice in desert is a little flatter than usual. Several people comment that it tastes pretty good, which you respond to with nods of thanks. Not the way you wanted this reunion to go, but at least you got most of it right. <</if>>
<<if $hasCookies is true>>The blood must offset the flatness of the cookies because no one seems to notice. Your hope that a family tradition would be a hit at the party was correct, and the cookies are quickly snapped up. You accept the compliments you get with a blush, and while this wasn't the way you wanted the reunion to go, it still went fairly well.
<</if>>
As the reunion begins to settle down someone lets the choir go get their food, replacing their voices with cheesy dance music. This is usually when you slip out before your parents can rope you into an embarassing dance with them. But this year you [[decide you are going to stay]], at least so you feel more like one of the grown ups. <<if $hasOwlkicking is true>>From across the room, you see your Grandpa chatting with some of the other old folks. You remember your promise to Pamela and scurry over, taping him on his shoulder.
He smiles up at you, "Well lookey here, my favorite granddaughter! How's the reunion going?"
"Good," you say, "Actually, I was wondering if you could do something for one of my best friends?"
Grandpa nods, listening carefully.
"My friend Pamela, she's been having some trouble with the owls. They forced her to give up her land, even a well that's been in her family for generations."
"Well now that's just not right." a great-uncle grumbles, and the others agree, "Darn right!" "And they call us blood-suckers!" "You mess with a witch, you mess with the vampires!"
"Sure, I can do that. Scare 'em off." Grandpa assures, winking with a mischevious grin, "Why owl-kicking was a favorite past time of ours when we was your age, 'aint that right?" The others agree.
You thank him profusely and leave with a spring in your step now that you've made sure Pamela will get her well back.
<<else>>There aren't too many others at the reunion your age, so you settle on hanging out with some of your cousins, who have returned to their normal vampire form. They've started up a game of Humans and Vampires just outside the house, the whole gang of youngins swarming through the tall grass as fireflies float by.
"RAAAAAA! I've got you human!" a cousin shouts at another, tackling them. The 'human' fakes a dramatic death, before jumping back up. You can't help but smile, and feel a tug on your sleeve. You look down to see a vampire showing off her fangs.
"You be a human and I be a vampire, okay?" she asks, peering up at you.
Well, who are you to deny the child some fun. You agree to play along and immediatly start running around the yard as the vampire chases you. And if you happen to slow down a bit near the end to let her tackle you then no body has to know.
After awhile you actually do become tired, and leave with a wide grin on your face.
<</if>>
As the grownups begin passing out alchoholic beverages later into the night you and the rest of the younger vampires head off to bed (or at least to pretend to go to bed). You head [[up the stairs]].<<if $hasCake is true>>Your cake stands proud alongside the others and several people have already taken a slice by the time you get there. Some of your family comes over to compliment you, which you accept with a blush. The cake may have been a risky choice, but you've made a good first impression and that is more than enough of a reward!
<</if>>
<<if $hasPie is true>>There aren't too many pies at the feast so your pie has been picked cleaned before you even get to it. Several people comment that it tastes really good, and you can't help but feel your smile grow as the night goes on. You made a solid choice with the pie, and have made a great first impression!
<</if>>
<<if $hasCookies is true>>Your hope that a family tradition would be a hit at the party was correct, and the cookies are quickly snapped up. You accept the compliments you get with a blush, and feel especially honored when you overhear someone say the cookies are just as good as the ones your mom makes. This was a good first reunion dish!
<</if>>
As the reunion begins to settle down someone lets the choir go get their food, replacing their voices with cheesy dance music. This is usually when you slip out before your parents can rope you into an embarassing dance with them. But this year you [[decide you are going to stay]], at least so you feel more like one of the grown ups. You sink into your comfy bed and watch the moon through your window until you drift off to sleep, knowing that no matter how you did with your desert, you still got to enjoy the comfort of family.
The fireflies dance outside, the wind rustles through the tall grass, and the world settles into another calm Halloween night.
Thank you for playing, hope you enjoyed!
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