Megafauna

You are dreaming of cement. Huge pillars of it, sculptures that twist and bend like living things, along with smaller, more geometrical pieces that dot the ground like abandoned toys or small mammals petrified with fear. The world around you is grey, but within that greyness is somehow more richness and emotion and life than any color you have seen before. [[explore the cement forest]] [[wake up]]

The next instant, you are awake. The dream is torn from your memory, and you are content. You are in the passenger seat of an [[dusty old car]]. It belongs to you, but your [[best friend]] is driving. In the back seat, your [[other friends]] stare out their windows and don't move. It is nighttime. You are on a two-lane road through a deep forest [[offer to drive]] [[try to go back to sleep]]

You walk forward, but you do not move. The grey beneath your feet is a perfect treadmill, keeping you in place no matter how fast or how desperately you walk. This does not bother you [[kneel down to look at the smaller pieces]] [[wake up]]

As you near the flat grey ground, the small, geometrical shapes skitter away from you. You don't know if they do it because of some magnetic force or because they fear you. You don't mind either way [[grab one of the shapes]] [[wake up]]

You grab the nearest piece, a small rectangle that is //just// to long to be a square, and in an instant you are connected to it, You know what it is and you feel what it is feeling and it is afraid. you have never felt such fear. You fall over, the treadmill of the world adjusting to your new position, you try to let go but you can't, you can't think, you cant //think//, You can't let go, you are afraid and you want to wake up, you are afraid and alone and you want to wake up, you want to wake up, your hand is shaking and if you could just wake up wake up WAKE UP WAKE UP **WAKE UP****WAKE UP**[[**WAKE UP**->wake up]]

He has short black hair and an easy smile. He hasn't shaved in a few days, and there are deep bags under his blue eyes. His name is Curly. [[continue->wake up]]

They are sisters, and but you couldn't tell by looking at them. One is tall and skinny with a round face and a pointy nose and eyes that gleam with intelligence. At a second glance, you realize that she is asleep. You call her Stick. The other is short, with frizzy hair and an pear-shaped frame. She wears thin, unassuming perscription glasses and her eyes are half closed, bored with the scenery outside her window. Her name is Rose. [[continue->wake up]]

You turn to Curly and ask if he needs a break. The bags under his eyes really are very pronounced. 'You don't mind?' He asks. Of course you don't, you reply. he pulls the car over to the side of the road [[get out of the car]]

You turn toward your window and close your eyes again. the car hums against your forehead, scraping against your thoughts like nails on a chalkboard. Your body aches for more sleep, but for your mind it may as well be mid day. [[offer to drive]] [[take a breath]]

You and Curly get out of the car. The night air is crisp and chilly, and the forest around you seems to go on forever. You stretch and take a deep breath, chasing away the last scraps of sleep that cling to you. Rose blinks into awareness the back seat. "Why are we stopping?" Curly circles around to the passenger seat and gets back in. "I'm tapping out," he says, and yawns. "Oh. Okay." Rose replies, and then goes back to looking out the window. You are about to get into the drivers seat when you think you feel some force tugging at your consciousness from the road behind you. [[look behind you]]

There are no lights along the road. You peer through the darkness, just barely making out the treeline on either side, off into what seems like infinity. For a second, you think you see something in the distance, something huge and black, not simply the darkness of the night but the true and terrible soul-extinguishing black of something that has been divorced from light for a long, long time. For a moment, you are afraid. [[get back in the car]] [[move closer]]

You sit down and buckle your seatbelt. Curly is already asleep next to you. "What was going on back there?" Rose asks. "You felt it too, right?" You tell her that you did feel it, and that you don't know what it was. She shrugs and goes back to staring at the window. You start the car back up and continue to drive through the corridor of trees. [[continue on->the car in the woods in the dark]]

You walk slowly to the back of the car and stare at the spot in the distance where you saw the huge thing. You can't see it anymore, but the fear lingers, just behind your ears. [[go back]]

As you turn around you catch another glimpse of the huge black thing, but as you snap your head to look at it, it is once again gone. You sigh and walk back to the front of the car. [[get back in the car]]

Snores from the back seat tell you that Rose has fallen asleep. You are alone in a car full of dreaming corpses. The road does not change, and neither do the trees, and neither does the dark. [[skip ahead]]

It is 4 hours later. Dawn is breaking. There is a rest stop ahead. Stick is awake. "Pull in there," she says. You pull in. (set:$offertodrive to true) [[get out of the car->the rest stop]]

The doors to the [[bathrooms]] are locked. The four of you stand there in the chilly morning air, wishing you had brought jackets on the trip. Curly has some change, and begins to fiddle with a [[vending machine]] so you can have a breakfast of chips and candy bars. There are some rickety port-a-potties leaning against the building. [[use the port-a-potty]] [[shit in the woods]]

You inhale, and when you exhale you are asleep. Simple as that. Easier than flicking a switch. This time, you dream about your home. Where you spent your childhood. It is the morning, and it is summertime. Your parents are at work. Your siblings are at school. You have the house to yourself. [[explore the downstairs->kitchen]] [[explore the upstairs->bedroom]] (if:$upstairs is "explored")[(if:$downstairs is "explored")[[[wake up->window]]]]

It is nearly twenty years old. It is a 5-seater sedan, with cloth seats and a musty, attic smell. It can keep a decent pace and can hold a tank of gas fairly well for its age. It is a good car. The radio doesn't work. The antennae snapped in half 3 years ago and no one bothered to fix it. [[continue->wake up]]

You are in your kitchen. You can smell something cooking in the [[oven]]. This is strange, because you are the only one home and you don't know how to cook. The refrigerator is covered in [[magnets]]. As you look closer, you realize that it is not a refrigerator at all; it is simply a large chrome rectangle. Oh well. [[Continue on->living room]]

You look into the oven. Inside is something dark black, not the black of carmelized juices or charred meat but the true and terrible soul-extinguishing black of something that has been divorced from light for a long, long time. You back away. [[continue->kitchen]]

At a second glance, you notice that the magnets have no shape or form or content, they are simply colorful blobs attached to the refrigerator for decoration. Try as you might, you can't remember what the blobs are supposed to be. A twinge of fear awakens within you. [[continue->kitchen]]

Another you is laying in your [[bed]]. They are reading a [[book]]. Hey, you say. Thats my bed. The other you looks up and shrugs. It does not move [[continue on->bathroom]]

There are [[chairs]], and a [[couch]] , and a [[coffee table]], , and a [[TV]]. Though you grew up in this place, you feel as if you've never been here before. (set:$downstairs to "explored") [[continue->take a breath]]

Both are wicker rocking chairs. One is smaller than the other, and bare except for a single small cushion. The other is large, shaped like a happy grandfather and piled with enough cushions to keep you warm and comfortable for a very very long time. [continue->living room]]

The couch is brown. It slumps in the middle. There is a light green cover over it, as there always is. Until you were 10, you thought that the cover was the couch, not there to protect it. [[continue->living room]]

The glass table and the wooden legs blend together seamlessly, without nuts or bolts or glue. You know that if you were to shake it, it would remain as sturdy as it would if it was real. [[continue->living room]]

The TV is perfectly smooth. You check the back and there are no screws, no ridges, no imperfections. It is a perfect rectangle of black glass. [[continue->living room]]

The bed looks real, more real than anything else in the dream. You can see the fabric's texture, make out the patterns on the blankets and the pillow, you can even see spots of rust on the metal frame. This bothers you deeply. [[continue->bedroom]]

The cover is red, and there are letters on it but no words. You can't tell if it is gibberish, or if it is another language, or if you can't read. [[continue->bedroom]]

The bathroom is small, with a [[mirror]] and a [[toilet]]. You remember there being a shower, but there is not a shower or a bathtub or anything beside the [[mirror]] and the [[toilet]] (set:$upstairs to "explored") [[continue->take a breath]]

The mirror is white glass. It reflects nothing. You tap it and it jiggles, like it is a pane of jello. [[continue->bathroom]]

The toilet is flushing. It doesn't seem to stop, nor does it seem to make a noise. The water funnels down endlessly into the abyss at the bottom. You do not like looking at it. [[continue->bathroom]]

Your face is pressed against the cold glass of the car window. You slowly sit up, blinking the sleep out of your head. Stick is driving now, Curly asleep in the back seat. "It's funny," Stick says. "I always thought you'd be a snorer." You ask her why she would think that. "I don't know." she gives a nervous giggle. "Something about your face." You laugh. [[look outside]] [[ask to stop]]

The sun is coming up. You can see through the trees now, see that they are alive and unassuming and not the wall of darkness that they were during the night. "I'm going to pull into this rest stop." Says Stick. you nod absentmindedly. (set:$trytogobacktosleep to true) [[the rest stop]]

You ask if you can stop. You say you need to use the bathroom. You don't know if you actually have to use the bathroom, but something tells you that you should stop. Stick nods "Me too. There's a rest stop coming up." (set:$trytogobacktosleep to true) [[the rest stop]]

They are old, and understocked. You see a few rows of candy bars, and some chips, and a single lonely packet of beef jerky, but for the most part the machines are empty.

The port-a-potty knocks you back with its smell. The bluish liquid of the toilet does little to conceal the smell of shit, instead twisting it, enhancing it into something industrial and rotten. Oh well, you think. When you gotta go, you gotta go. [[Close the door]]

You walk into the woods surrounding the rest stop. You reach an appropriate distance for privacy, find a sturdy tree that you can lean on, then you drop your pants, squat down, and defecate. [[finish up]]

There are two buildings, one for men and one for women. They are connected by an overhang

You wipe your ass with a leaf. You really wish the bathrooms were open. You stand upright and pull your pants up. Halfway through the motion, you realize something is watching you. Your eyes move to the right, and you notice a Moose. It is huge, bigger than any other moose, almost as big as the trees. It is standing maybe 50 yards away, watching you intently. The Moose has patches on its face and sides that are colored the glowing white of the moon, but the rest is an oppressive, suffocating black. (if:$offertodrive is true)[This is the thing you saw on the road.] (if:$trytogobacktosleep is true)[This is what you dreamed about, cooking in the oven.] [[approach]] [[run]]

You pull your pants up. The Moose does not move. You take a hesitant step forward. A split second later, the Moose does the same. You realise that the moose is not really as big as it first appeared, it simply does not adhere to perspective. As you get closer to it, it remains the same size in your eye. [[Speak to it]]

You pull your pants up and make a break for it. a few yards into your escape, you trip on a root and fall on your face. You flip around to see that the Moose is still there, watching you curiously. You notice that the Moose seems to have grown as you ran from it, as if it does not conform to the rules of perspective. [[Speak to it]]

Hey, you say. It doesn't respond. You didn't know what you expected. (set:$shitinthewoods to "true") [[walk back to the car]]

The rest of your friends are back at the car already. (if:$shitinthewoods is true)[Stick must have used a port-a-potty.] (if:$usetheportapotty is true)[Stick must have gone in the woods.] You get into the passenger seat, next to Curly, who has elected himself the driver for the next leg of the ride. (if:$offertodrive is true)[You don't mind. You know that Curly likes to drive.] (if:$trytogobacktosleep is true)[You think that he might need a bit more rest, but Curly was never really one for sleep.] [[ask about the Moose]]

The instant the door shuts, you are no longer in the port-a-potty. The smell has vanished. You look around, and can't tell where you are. It is not dark, at least you don't think it is, but none of your senses can determine what is around you. It is as if the fabric of reality has been translated into a language that you don't understand. [[scream]] [[collapse]]

You yell as loud as you can, but you can't hear yourself. This must be a dream. This doesn't happen. You take a breath and scream louder, and louder. 'Stop.' A few yards away is suddenly a moose. It is the size of an elephant, and while it has patches on its face and sides that are colored the glowing white of the moon, the rest is an oppressive, suffocating black. (if:$offertodrive is true)[This is the thing you saw on the road.] (if:$trytogobacktosleep is true)[This is what you dreamed about, cooking in the oven.] [[calm down]]

Your legs buckle, you fall down, and you don't know if you land on the ground or keep falling. It is deeply disorienting, and tears form in your eyes. This can't be real. You must be hallucinating. 'Calm Down.' A few yards away is suddenly a moose. It is the size of an elephant, and while it has patches on its face and sides that are colored the glowing white of the moon, the rest is an oppressive, suffocating black. (if:$offertodrive is true)[This is the thing you saw on the road.] (if:$trytogobacktosleep is true)[This is what you dreamed about, cooking in the oven.] [[calm down]]

In an instant you are calm. The moose nods at you, and suddenly you are outside of the port-a-potty. Oddly, you no longer need to use it. (set:$usetheportapotty to "true") [[walk back to the car]]

So, you say, Did any of you see anything strange while I was shitting? "Strange like what?" asks Curly. Like a massive black and white moose, you reply. There is silence. "No, I don't think so," says Curly (if:$shitinthewoods is true)["Maybe don't shit in the woods next time," says Stick.] (if:$usetheportapotty is true)["Those porta potty fumes must have really gotten to you," says Stick.] You laugh, and don't bring it up again. [[skip ahead->countryside]]

You have made it out of the woods and are now driving through a wide open farmland. The [[fields]] stretch for miles in front of you, terrifyingly open in contrast with the terrifying claustrophobia of the trees. There are 3 [[cows]] watching you from their pasture, next to a crumbling, abandoned [[barn.]] [[talk to Curly]] [[talk to Rose]] [[talk to Stick]] (if:$talktocurly is "true")[(if:$talktorose is "true")[(if:$talktostick is "true")[[[keep on driving]]]]]

The fields are filled with grass, the tilled rows barely visible under the slow march of nature. Whoever owns this land has not been paying it much attention. [[continue->countryside]]

The cows have a feral look to them. One is huge and muscular, the other two are nearly emaciated. Were you more superstitious, you might think they were some sort of omen. But you are not more superstitious, and you barely even notice. [[continue->countryside]]

The elements have knocked the barn on a 45 degree angle to the ground. It is being held up by wooden supports, but even those seem like they're increasing in age. You think it might be better to just let the barn collapse and build a new one, but it's not your farm. [[continue->countryside]]

Hey Curly, you say. You remember that kid we used to hang out with in middle school? David? Curly thinks for a second, then chuckles. "Oh yeah," he says "What happened to that guy? Rose pipes up from the back: "He moved up north, I think" Curly looks over at you. "What made you think of him? [[He was always talking about how his uncle had a farm, and let him shoot guns when he visited. This place made me think of that.]] [[why did we stop hanging out with him?]]

You turn to the back seat, where Rose is looking out the window again. She does not blink, but neither does she look strained. If you didn't know her, you might think she was dead. So. you used to make this trip a lot? You ask, looking back at Rose. She doesn't respond. Rose? you say. She blinks and looks up. "Oh. Sorry. Yeah, we would go up every weekend in thesummer when we were kids. [[that's a long trip to take every weekend.]] [[why'd you stop?]]

You turn back to talk to Stick. "Mooses, huh?" she says, before you can open your mouth. She smiles a close-lipped grin. [[Yeah. It was big. And sentient, I think]] [[I probably just haven't been sleeping well.]]

"Yeah," Curly says, ambivalently. "I know it was middle school, but that guy was always bragging about shit like that. Got on my nerves." [[I thought it sounded kinda cool.]] [[Is that why we stopped hanging out with him?]]

Curly frowns, and thinks for a second. "Shit," He says after a minute. "I don't remember. It wasn't because he moved, that happened later." [[I think it was something to do with those manhunt games we used to play after school.]] [[I hate it when you forget things like that.]]

Curly chuckles again. "When you were in middle school, or now?" [[Middle School]] [[Now]]

Curly shrugs. "I don't remember. Could be." He takes a hand off the steering wheel to scratch the back of his head. "If we were hanging out with him right now and he kept talking about that shit, I'd definitely stop hanging out with him." [[We should shoot him a message when we're done with this.]] [[He's probably got all new friends at this point. Weird to think about.]]

Curly laughs again "Classic." He pauses. "Man, we were fuckin squares in middle school." You laugh. Who wasn't? You reply. (set:$talktocurly to "true") (set:$curlyrep to "normal") [[continue->countryside]]

Curly glances at you. He is grinning, but doesn't laugh. "Alright, man. You do you." (set:$talkedtocurly to "True") (set:$curlyrep to "bad") [[continue->countryside]]

Curly smiles, this time a little melancholy. "Yeah," hey says. "That'd be fun." (set:$talktocurly to "true") (set:$curlyrep to "good") [[continue->countryside]]

"So do we." Curly looks at you and shrugs. "Thats how life goes." (set:$talktocurly to "true") (set:$curlyrep to "normal") [[continue->countryside]]

"THAT was it!" Curly slaps the steering wheel for emphasis. "He kept lying about whether or not he was out. I got so mad." He pauses. "Man, thats a dumb thing to never talk to a person again over." [[It was middle school. It doesn't really matte.r]] [[We should shoot him a message when we're done with this.]]

Curly nods. [[I mean, this guy was one of our best friends. And now we barely remember him]] [[Never mind.]]

"I guess not." Curly shifts position and keeps his eyes on the road. (set:$talktocurly to "true") (set:$curlyrep to "normal") [[continue->countryside]]

Curly sighs. "That's life, I guess. You don't remember the womb either, and that used to be your whole world." You think that seems fair. (set:$talktocurly to "true") (set:$curlyrep to "normal") [[continue->countryside]]

"Yeah." Curly keeps his eyes on the road. (set:$talktocurly to "true") (set:$curlyrep to "bad") [[continue->countryside]]

She shrugs. "We had ways of making it feel short." [[why'd you stop?]] [[What, like staring off into space for hours on end?]]

"I don't know." Rose's eyebrows crease. "I guess we just got too old. We'd have practices and rehearsals on the weekends, and so we stopped going up as much. Then we stopped. I don't think it was conscious at all. Life just got in the way." [[It must feel weird going back.]] [[It happens. No use complaining about it.]]

She blinks. "Have I been doing that?" "You do that all the time," Stick butts in. "Oh." Rose smiles self consciously. "I'm just thinking about stuff, I guess." [[Don't worry. I'm just messing with you.]] [[I'm sure you are.]]

Rose's self conscious smile turns into a relieved grin, and she lets out a small laugh. "I know." (set:$talktorose to "true") (set:$roserep to "good") [[continue->countryside]]

Rose blushes, and goes back to looking out the window. After a couple of seconds you turn back around and face the front, feeling vaguely like you did something wrong. (set:$talktorose to "true") (set:$roserep to "bad") [[Continue->countryside]] ]]

She nods. "Yeah. It feels like we're bringing an astronaut to ancient egypt. Not bad, per se, just... I don't know. Really weird." [[You gotta work on that metaphor.]] [[I get the feeling.]]

Rose frowns. "I'm not complaining. I'm just saying... I don't know. Stuff happens." [[I know. Sorry.]] [[Yeah. Happens to all of us.]]

Rose blushes self consciously. "Well excuse me, then." She says. You laugh. (set:$talktorose to "true") (set:$roserep to "normal") [[continue->countryside]]

Rose nods and goes back to looking out the window. (set:$roserep to "normal") (set:$talktorose to "true") [[continue->countryside]]

"Its okay." Rose gives a brief smile and then goes back to looking out the window (set:$talktorose to "true") (set:$roserep to "good") [[continue->countryside]]

Rose turns away from you. "Sorry," she says. Stick gives you a dirty look. (set:$talktorose to "true") (set:$roserep to "bad" [[continue->countryside]]

She leans forward. "How could you tell? did it talk?" [[Yeah, it told me that it loved to watch me shit]] [[Maybe. It was just kind of a feeling I had.]]

"No shit," Stick says. "None of us have. We've been sleeping in this peice of shit." [[point taken.]] [[she's not a peice of shit!]]

Stick leans back and gives you a look that says, //Come on. You're better than that.// You give a weak chuckle to fill the air. She rolls her eyes "Hey, if you don't wanna talk about the moose just say so." [[I just don't know if it was real or not]] [[It was just a little rattling is all.]]

"God, I love this shit." Stick leans back in her seat, putting her feet up so that they rested on either side of Curly's head in front of her. He flinches when he notices them, but doesn't make her move. "So, do you think it was real?" She stares at you, almost unblinking. [[I think I do.]] [[Nah, it can't be.]]

She shrugs. "Who cares if it was real or not?" You sit back. Maybe she's right. (set:$talktostick to "true") (set:$stickrep to "normal") [[continue->countryside]]

She gives a small, pitying smile, the type your 2nd grade teacher used to give you when you scraped your knee on the playground. "That sucks," she says. (set:$talktostick to "true") (set:$stickrep to "normal") [[continue->countryside]]

Her grin widens. "This trip is gonna be //weird//, isn't it?" You smile back and nod. (set:$talktostick to "true") (set:$stickrep to "good") [[continue->countryside]]

Stick expels an exaggerated sigh. "You can't play me like this." She says. You smile. Maybe I'll see an elephant next, you say. Stick rolls her eyes. (set:$talktostick to "true") (set:$stickrep to "normal") [[continue->countryside]]

"Nah," she says. "I'm just giving you a hard time. This car is great." [[No, you were right. I need to get rid of it.]] [[It's lasted a while, at least.]]

Stick smirks. "She?" [[Shut up. You love this car.]] [[Maybe you should get your own car before you start throwing stones, huh?]]

She smiles softly. "Yeah, I do." (set:$talktostick to "true") (set:$stickrep to "good") [[continue->countryside]]

She chuckles. "Like you'll ever stop driving me places." You nod. You probably won't. (set:$talktostick to "true") (set:$stickrep to "good") [[continue->countryside]]

Stick looks at you like you just threatened to eat a child. "You wouldn't," she says. You shrug. I might, you say. (set:$talktostick to "true") (set:$stickrep to "bad") [[continue->countryside]]

She shrugs. "What more could you want?" You think. I guess thats the big one, at least, you say. (set:$talktostick to "true") (set:$stickrep to "normal") [[continue->countryside]]

At first you think that you aren't dreaming, that you are simply fast asleep. But with a jolt you become aware of yourself, floating gently in a dark, mulitcolored miasma. [[look up->look]] [[look down->look]]

You realize that you have no frame of reference for 'up' and 'down.' You do not have a body in this dream, you are simply you, stripped of form and physicality. There is something nearby. You can feel it. [[look around]]

You shift your perception and suddenly you are staring into a huge eye, big enough to swallow the you and your friends and the car and not even notice. You realize that it is the Moose. END, it says. [[arrive]]

Curly is shaking you awake. The car is stopped. It is dark out. [["Where are we?"]] [[get out]]

"We're at the house," Curly says, bags in his eyes, "C'mon. Get up." [[get out]]

You open the door, and are hit by a wave of chilly air that tastes of salt water and acorns and fish and sap and a million other things. It is a cloudy night, and the only light comes from the small cottage in front of you. It is one floor, and clearly not built to be lived in year-round. It isn't winter though, so you should be fine. The light from the windows cast a light on the forest surrounding you, as well as the small waves of the ocean that lap against the sides of the house like a hungry dog. You can hear Rose and Stick inside, breathing in the memories of their old vacation home. [[Look back where you came]] [[go inside the house]]

You can make out a dirt driveway, and trees on either side, but everything else is pitch black. There is no movement. [[go inside the house]]

You step through the screened in porch and through the doorway, which Rose and Stick have left open for ventilation. The interior of the cottage looks like it hasn't been changed since the 1950's, with aging appliances and colorful wallpaper. The entire house is 4 rooms: to the left of the entrance is a [[bathroom->cottage bath]], and next to that is 2 bedrooms. The rest of the house is one long room, with a [[kitchen->cottage kitchen]] area near the door and a neat little table. Out overlooking the ocean are two big floor to ceiling windows that take up most of the wall. Stick is standing in front of the windows, staring motionless at the dark [[water]]. [[go to Stick]] [[go to the bedroom]]

You move to stand right next to Stick, mirroring her thoughtful stare. "I didn't give this enough credit when I was younger." She says. [["What do you mean?"]]

You go into the bedroom next to the bathroom. Rose is inside, changing the sheets on the two twin beds. She doesn't see you come in. [["Do you need help?"]] [["Where am I sleeping?"]]

"I mean that this is scary as fuck." She gestures at the gentle waves lapping against the side of the house. "It feels like the sea could swallow the whole house up with out a moment of hesitation." [["Great. I'll be awake for a while now."]] [["Nature's like that."]]

She gives a thin smile. "You'll manage." [[go to the bedroom]]

She shrugs. "So?" You don't have a response. [[go to the bedroom]]

Rose looks up. "Oh no, I'm almost done." she tucks the last corner in and stands up, looking over her handiwork to make sure that there isn't a fold out of place. [["Where am I sleeping?"]]

"You and Curly are in here." She stands back and admires her handiwork. "This was Stick and I's room growing up." [["Don't you want to stay here then?"]]

"No, we'd rather have you two in here than in our parents room." She hesitates. "No offence. I'm not saying you'd wreck the place, its just- it feels better this day." [["Damn, okay."-> act 3]] [["No, I get it."-> act 3]]

She yawns. "Well, I'm headed to bed. You should go check on Curly, make sure he hasn't fallen asleep in the car." She leaves the room. [[check on curly]] [[go to sleep]]

You walk outside to find Curly, slumped back in his seat, dead asleep. You jostle him awake. "C'mon," you say. "We have beds now." He nods groggily and walks with you back to the house (set:$curlyoutside to "false") [[sleep]]

If Curly want's to sleep outside, that's his business. You collapse onto the bed, and soon you are asleep. (set:$curlyoutside to "true") [[sleep]]

It is a cramped little bathroom, though it has everything you could need. the mirror is speckled around the edges, and the bathtub has some stains, but there are no issues that 10 minutes of cleaning wouldn't fix. [[continue->go inside the house]]

The ocean is calm, black, and right outside. It must be high tide, because if it were any higher it might break the window seals. [[Continue->go inside the house]]

The kitchen is a table, a sink, and an oven/stove combo, all lines up in a row. It clearly hasn't been used in a while. [[continue->go inside the house]]

You are shaken awake some time later by Stick. It is still night time. You open your mouth, but Stick puts a finger to her lips. Something is wrong. Stick gestures for you to follow, and walks out of the room. [[follow her]]

(if:$curlyoutside is "false")[Curly and Rose are huddled in the middle of the living room, looking around warily. Curly brandishes a poker from the fire place.] (if:$curlyoutside is "true")[Rose stands in the middle of the living room, looking around frantically. Her eyes dart from window to window, wide with fear.] (if:$curlyoutside is "true")[[[Where is Curly?]]] (if:$curlyoutside is "false")[[["Whats going on?"]]]

The countryside begins to blend together, cows and barns and fields and solitary trees all passing by in a blur, losing individuality and purpose and suddenly you are asleep again. [[Dream]]

DONT DELETE, BUGS OUT OTHERWISE [[keep on driving]]

As the words come out of your mouth, Curly runs through the front door and slams it shut. "Holy shit, do you see what's out there?" he says, wide eyed and disbeleiving. [["Whats going on?"]]

Stick points out the window. At first all you see is blackness, the dark of the wilderness at night, and then suddenly there is a hoof, blacker than the night, belonging to a creature larger than the cottage. The Moose has caught up to you. [["Thats the moose from my dream."]]

Stick grins, but this time there is a twinge of fear behind it. "It sure is big, huh?" There is a splash from outside as the moose dips its feet in the water as it paces around the house. Rose jumps. "Can you make it go away?" she asks. [["I can try."]] [["I don't think it wants to hurt us."]]

You take a ginger step toward the window, peering into the darkness beyond. [[stop]]

Rose gulps. "Then why does it look like its looking for a way in?" [[stop]]

The air is suddenly charged with static, making the hair on your arms stand on end. You look around. Your friends are frozen in place, stoney and unmoving. As you watch, the color drains from them and they are left grey, like a picture from a black and white camera. You turn back toward the window and find the Moose a foot away from you, clipping through the walls and ceiling of the room like they don't exist at all. It looks down at you with a mix of curiousity and pity, and you are scared. Down to your bones, you are paralyzed with fear. [["what do you want?"]] [[try to run->failure]] [[try to charge it->failure]]

Your time is up. I am here to take you back. The Moose says the words directly into your head, making your temples ache and your eyes water. [["What do you mean my time is up?"]] [["Back where?"]]

You can't move through the fear. If you run the Moose will catch you and if you charge the Moose will catch you and no matter what you do the Moose will be there and you'll be helpless and your friends will be gone and why can't you move why can't you just fucking MOVE- Calm. The Moose says the word and suddenly the thoughts scatter from your brain like frightened mice. [["what do you want?"]]

You have gone as far as the road goes. In front of you is the chaotic cold and the road behind you has already been travelled many times before. There is nothing left for you here. The Moose's glowing eyes seem to gradually grow in brightness as he speaks, before fading back into the soft white of the moon. [["What does that mean?"]] [[Look toward your friends]]

Where you started. The Birthing Place. The Dam. The Parking Lot. This time, every phrase is spoken at once, flowing through you, a sensation that you don't quite have the words for. [["Oh. Why didn't you just say so?"]] [["I don't know where that is."]]

You are afraid. You need not be afraid. I have not followed you out of rage, or revenge, or petty hunger. I am here because your time is spent. You are spent. [["I' m spent?"->"What do you mean my time is up?"]] [["What are you?"]]

The moose looks at you, and for a second you think that it is taken aback. Then it speaks. No. You wouldn't. I forget how fleeting memory is in this place. It sighs, or at least whatever it does fills the same communicative space that a sigh would. You will remember when I take you back. [["What about my friends?"->Look toward your friends]] [["What are you?"]]

The moose looks at you, almost surprised. Is it not obvious? You have spent too long here. Do not resist this, neither of us truly wants that. [[Is that a threat?]] [[Where would you take me?]]

Curly, Stick, and Rose remain petrified, looking more like very convincing sculptures than real people. They will stay, The Moose says. This is their place. [["And it's not mine?"]] [["Why me and not them?"]]

You call me Moose. This suffices. [["Can't you just explain what's going on?"]]

We do not threaten. [["We? Are there more of you?"]]

A flash of impatience spikes through your mind, but it disapates almost before you can sense it. Back. The Start. Come. Please. [["Can't you just explain what's going on?"]]

It is yours. But not in the same way. [["Can't you just explain what's going on?"]]

They belong to this place. You do not. Now come. [["Can't you just explain what's going on?"]]

No. We are all here. [["Can't you just explain what's going on?"]]

There is a long moment. The Moose does not move or speak, and you begin to suspect that whatever is affecting your friends also has the Moose in its grasp. But then all of the Moose's muscles move at once and it kneels to the ground, seeming to bow before you. Its antlers expand toward you, like drops of water moving across a countertop. They stop inches from your face, and hover there, as if waiting for permission. [[Confirm entry]]

You give a slight nod, and the antlers rush forward, flowing through your eyes and ears and mouth and over your skin and lips and hair and suddenly you are back in your childhood home, and you are a child, and you are sitting at the dinner table with your entire family, and you are three years old and playing with a ping pong ball that you found on the floor earlier that day, and it goes into your mouth and suddenly you can't breathe, you try to cough and you can't, you try to scream and you can't, your family rushes toward you as your vision dims to black and you don't understand what is happening and- [[next]]

And now you're fifteen and you and Curly and Rose and Stick just spent the night breaking into Curly's parent's liquor cabinet. You walking home with Rose, but that's not her real name, and you've never been drunk before and you're not sure if you feel good or just weird, but you love your friends and you love being young and you don't notice the headlights coming until it's too late- [[next->next2]]

You're forty years old and you've been married to Stick for 15 of them, even though her real name is something else, and you know that she's having an affair, and you don't blaim her, your career is going nowhere and you're a boring person to be around for more than a few hours at a time, a terrible spouse and a terrible parent and a waste of space and you swallow the pills without even thinking, lie back in the bed you share and close your eyes and wait for it to go away and [[next->next3]]

You're eighty years old and Curly is there with you as your body fails, reminding you that Stick has been dead for ten years, over and over every time you ask, and eventually he just starts telling you that she's on her way, and you wait for her, you know you can just wait for her, if you can hold on for just a few more minutes you know that you'll see her before you go, and you can die with a smile on your face, and [[End]]

The antlers rush back from your face and the moose stands back up. It looks down on you, waiting for you to say something. You look up. Your friends are gone. The house is gone. all that's left is the sea and the night and the road behind you. [[Which one was true?]]

If the Moose could shrug, it would. All of them, somewhere. It doesn't matter. [["It does to me!"]] [["I guess not."]]

Please. Do you know how many times we have done this? We have done this eight thousand, nine hundred and fifteen times. You do not see reason, and I am forced to reset and try again. Do you want that? The past few days, filled with dreams and empty conversations and waiting, to be the rest of your existance? The Moose sounds angry, but somehow you are no longer afraid. [["No."]] [["Doesn't sound so bad."]]

The moose hums, giving off the feeling of a proud smile, like that of a grandparent who just met their child or a teacher who's student just passed a test. At Last, it says. [[Go with the Moose]] [["I'm not going with you"->"It does to me!"]]

You reach a hand out, and suddenly you are the Moose, seeing through its eyes and walking with its hooves, and for a moment you are floored by the mundanity of the experience, you are inhabitting this majestic creature and yet you feel as neutral as can be. [[Walk out into the ocean]] [[Walk back down the road.]]

You take a step into the water, and another, and another, and feel the soothing cold and healing salt lap against you body. You feel parts of you sloughing off into the water, and with each chunk that floats away, you feel cleaner and calmer and safer and soon you feel nothing at all END

Then come with me. You will feel better. You will never be scared or tired or out of place again. [[Go with the Moose]] [["Let me see what you showed me again."]]

Very Well, says the Moose. We will go again. [[Home]]

You are about to step out into the ocean when you look back. The road stretches back behind you, going on forever. Maybe you missed something on the way. You stretch your neck, feeling the glorious weight of your antlers and the glorious weight of your hooves on the glorious rocky shore, and you bound off down the road, eager to explore. END

Very Well. The Moose kneels down, and its antlers envelop you once more. You are in the moose, and frames of life fly by you in a colorful maelstrom. [[Leave->"No."]] [[Reach out and grab a memory]]

You grab a shred of memory, and are instantly transported into it. You are seventeen years old. You are at the park with your friends. Curly and Stick play basketball, both sweating and yelling, while you and Rose relax on a bench. The sun is out. The world lies ahead of you. You are alive. END

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