Stars

You don't see anything at first, because your eyes are closed even though you're awake. The air around you is cool and crisp, it smells faintly of sage. The smell is familiar to you for some reason. You can't remember why. Your body feels heavy, but the ground beneath you is uncomfortable. Do you open your eyes? [[Open eyes]] [[Keep them closed]]

(set: $Stars to "no stars") You pry your eyes open, only to find that there is more darkness beyond your lids. You panic for a moment, thinking you may have gone blind, but in your panic you look up and see the sky. The stars gaze down upon you, bright and illuminating. They shine like the sky is made of diamonds, beautifully chasing away the darkness. Your eyes adjust to the light and soon the starlight makes everything look almost as bright as day. It's a different light though, like everything has been bathed in silver. You stand up. [[Carry on]]

You can't bring yourself to open your eyes, you allow exhaustion to settle over you and you drift back to sleep. You awake again several hours later. [[A Star Goes Out->Sleeping in]]

(set: $Stars to "one star") You decided to take those few hours for yourself, no one else was using them as far as you know. You open your eyes and see a world that is dark but for the light of the stars, a myriad of stars, more than could ever be counted. One of those stars has blinked out of existence. As you get to your feet you feel a weight in your pocket, you look inside and see $Stars. You also have the hours you took for sleeping. They are somehow tangible, you can carry them like an object. [[Carry on]]

You look around at the starlit world and take a breath, the scent of sage filling your nostrils. You are standing in the center of an empty street. Along the street there are a handful of buildings and a single small car. You can see a pawn shop, a coffee shop called Baxter's , and Underwood Dress Boutique . What do you do? [[Examine car]] [[Examine pawn shop]] [[Examine Baxter's]] [[Examine Underwood Dress Boutique]] [[Go down the street]]

You walk up the the car, you smell gasoline as well as sage. You see the driver-side window is rolled down all the way. You look inside and see a bag sitting in the passenger seat. It seems to be filled with miscelleneous items of some value, the driver probably took them here to be pawned. Do you reach into the car and take the bag? [[Take bag]] [[Leave bag]]

It's not a very nice pawn shop, but the door is unlocked. The bell jingles as you walk inside. You are greeted by the smell that all objects accrue when they grow old and it erases the comforting smell of sage. You're the only one here and the silence makes you hesitate. You see a handgun on the counter with some ammunition beside it. Do you take the gun? [[Take gun]] [[Leave gun]]

You enter the coffee shop, the faint smell of roasted coffee beans mixes with the smell of sage as you walk in. The place looks like it would be quaint in the right lighting, but with only the stars is looks ghostly. Out of instinct you sit at a table as though you're waiting for your order of black coffee with a dash of suger to be served. It will never come, you are alone. On the table in front of you there rests a wallet that you did not notice before. You open it and see the driver's license for a middle-aged woman, she is an organ donor. The wallet contains around forty-five dollars cash, some cards, a worn theatre ticket to Jekyll and Hyde the Musical, and a picture of a baby. Do you take the wallet? [[Take wallet]] [[Leave wallet]]

You walk into the colorful dress shop, the gowns are largely gaudy and bright. Walking through the shop is like walking through a flower garden if every flower was drowning in frills and fake gemstones. There is no scent of flowers either, only a plastic scent that stings your eyes, it does not pair well with the smell of sage. You find yourself chuckling at some of the frankly dizzying patterns, the countless scratchy sequins don't hold a candle to the stars outside. Something crunches under your foot, you look down to see an envelope. You pick it up and examine it, it's pink and the back only says To My One True Love in loopy cursive. You snort at the extravagence of what is clearly a love letter, it fits well with the dress shop you are in. Do you take the letter? [[Take letter]] [[Leave letter]]

You reach in, stretching your hand out and you take the bag. It's not too heavy and the contents aren't worth much, but it's yours now. [[A Star Goes Out->Appropriated Property]]

The bag doesn't belong to you so you decide to leave it there. [[Carry on<-Return to Street]]

(if: $Stars is "four stars")[(set: $Stars to "five stars")] (if: $Stars is "three stars")[(set: $Stars to "four stars")] (if: $Stars is "two stars")[(set: $Stars to "three stars")] (if: $Stars is "one star")[(set: $Stars to "two stars")] (if: $Stars is "no stars")[(set: $Stars to "one star")] A star in the sky blinks out of existence, making the world a little darker. You feel a weight in your pocket. You have $Stars. [[Carry on<-Return to Street]]

Which way will you go? [North]<somename| (click:?somename)[As you walk North you see gleaming eyes staring at you from the darkness, do you continue on to [[North Street]]? You cannot go back.] [South]<somewhere| (click:?somewhere)[As you walk south you see growling mouths frowning at you from the darkness, do you continue on to [[South Street]]? You cannot go back.] [[Carry on<-Return to Street]]

You continue towards the eyes, they glare at you through the darkness, sinister and hungry. They are all unique, some do not even come in pairs. They stare you down, the many thousands of eyes with slitted, rectangular, and round pupils lined by purple, green, and yellow irises. Some even weep, blood red tears streaming downing faces of nothingness. You take a deep breath, the faint smell of sage calms your pounding heart slightly. They speak to you, the voices seem to come from nowhere and everywhere. A million voices of a million kinds, it's like silk and sandpaper to your ears. "We have not gazed upon anything for millenia. Give us something to percieve. We need five things to satiate our sense of sight, or we will cut you to pieces and find something inside you." You reply: (if: $Stars is "five stars")[(display: "End Five")] (if: $Stars is "four stars")[(display: "End Four")] (if: $Stars is "three stars")[(display: "End Three")] (if: $Stars is "two stars")[(display: "End Two")] (if: $Stars is "one star")[(display: "End One")] (if: $Stars is "no stars")[(display: "End None")]

We have You continue towards the mouths, they bare their teeth at you as you approach. Some grin, others sneer, many grimace, and some snarl. The various mouths are all framed by multitudes of grotesque lips. Some thick and red, others thin and black, a few yellowing and cracked. The teeth are not all human, sharp wolf-like canines and jagged shark's teeth snap at you side by side. Many are drooling thick streams of saliva or blood. You take a deep breath, the faint smell of sage calms your pounding heart slightly. They speak to you, the mouths moving and making sound, but they hover in the air as though they are attached to nothing. The millions of voices of all kinds, some roaring and some muttering, blend together into a single cacophonic scream. "We have not tasted anything for millenia. Give us something to eat. We need five things to satiate our stomachs, or we will tear you apart and consume you." You reply: (if: $Stars is "five stars")[(display: "End Five")] (if: $Stars is "four stars")[(display: "End Four")] (if: $Stars is "three stars")[(display: "End Three")] (if: $Stars is "two stars")[(display: "End Two")] (if: $Stars is "one star")[(display: "End One")] (if: $Stars is "no stars")[(display: "End None")]

You pick up the gun and load it as though you've done it a thousand times, though you can't remember if you have. It's heavy and cold in your hand. This weapon is yours now. [[A Star Goes Out->Loaded Larceny]]

You don't have any use for a gun, and it would probably be more dangerous to take it than to be unarmed. [[Carry on<-Return to Street]]

(if: $Stars is "four stars")[(set: $Stars to "five stars")] (if: $Stars is "three stars")[(set: $Stars to "four stars")] (if: $Stars is "two stars")[(set: $Stars to "three stars")] (if: $Stars is "one star")[(set: $Stars to "two stars")] (if: $Stars is "no stars")[(set: $Stars to "one star")] A star in the sky blinks out of existence, the world is a bit darker now. You feel a weight in your pocket. You have $Stars. [[Return to Street->Carry on]]

[[No Stars in the Sky<-"I have all you wish"]]

You lay out everything you have. The gun, the wallet, the bag of trinkets, the love letter, and, somehow, even the hours you took to sleep. "We are satisfied." The voices say, and they recede into the darkness with your items. You are left intact, your body whole... ...But as you turn around you can see nothing but darkness. There is no starlight, you have taken all the stars for yourself, they are heavy in your pocket but give off no light. You can see nothing, the faint smell of sage that comforted you is gone, the world is only darkness and nothingness without the light of the stars. You remain, but there is no world to remain in. THE END [[Replay?->The Awakening]]

[[A Star in the Sky<-"I have most of what you wish"]]

[[Some Stars in the Sky<-"I have some of what you wish"]]

[[Most Stars in the Sky<-"You may take what I have"]]

[[Stars in the Sky<-"I have something"]]

[[A Sky Full of Stars<-"I have nothing for you"]]

You lay out the four items you obtained. "Not good enough." The voices growl. You feel an excrutiating pain in your chest as your heart is ripped out by some invisible force. The agony is beyond description, for it is not just the beating muscle that is being wrenched from you, but also the very essence of warmth and love within you. You fall back, a gaping hole in your middle. The voices recede into the darkness with your heart and items, laughing. You are amazed that you do not die. As you lay there, empty in your body and your soul, your eyes turn to the sky and see that there is only one star left. You took all but one star, the world is dim in it's singular light, but it remains and you remain with it. But without your heart, it means nothing to you. THE END [[Replay?->The Awakening]]

You lay out the three items you collected. "Not nearly good enough." The voices snarl. You suddenly feel as though your arms and legs are being grasped by some invisible force while the rest of your body is held still. You scream as the pressure and pain increase, you beg for it to stop, but it does not. Your limbs tear from your body, you are drawn and quartered, leaving you as nothing but a torso. You have never known a pain so great. Your mind cannot accept the absence of these limbs, but they are not there. Yet you do not die. The voices recede into the darkness, cackling, taking your arms, legs, and items with them. You can only weep and lie there helplessly, staring at the sky. Through your tears you can see a handful of stars where there used to be many. The sky is still lit, though it is not bright. You can still smell the sage, though you can also smell your own blood. You remain, a fraction of yourself, the stars and sage remain, also a fraction of themselves. Nothing is whole and nothing will be again. THE END [[Replay?->The Awakening]]

You lay out the two items you took. "We need more!" The voices screech. In the blink of an eye you feel your arms and legs cleaved from your torso, you fall to the earth with a scream of pure anguish, but the scream is cut short. You feel your breath leave you as an invisible force tugs at your lungs. Your ribs are parted with agonizing slowness and your lungs fly from your body as though they were never attached to you. Your mouth hangs open soundlessly. It is more pain than you think you can bear as you fall to the ground, limbless and breathless. Yet you do not die. The voices recede into the darkness, laughing hysterically, taking with them your arms, legs, lungs, and items. You lie there, unable to move without your limbs, unable to find comfort in the scent of sage without your lungs. You mouth at the air like a fish, too in shock to do much more. The stars hang above you like a diarama, though they are less numerous and brilliant than before. You took some for yourself and left the sky with less. Now you both have less than when you began, but the sky is at least nice to look at now that you cannot do much else. THE END [[Replay?->The Awakening]]

You lay down the one item you have. "No! No! Useless! Pathetic!" The voices cry. Out of nowhere you feel a sharp pain in your neck, like an impossibly sharp wedge being driven into you. You scream as you realize that this force is seeking to sever your head from your body. You claw at your own neck, stumbling about in horror and desperation, looking for an escape. You do not find it. In a swift motion accompanied by a wet sound your head seperates from your shoulders, your screams stop, your stumbling stops, your clawing stops, it all stops except for the fearful darting of your eyes and the gaping of your mouth. You watch helplessly as your body is dragged away into the darkness along with the one item and the voices that laugh mercilessly at you. You are nothing but a head, but you are turned up toward the sky, you can see the gorgeous stars, almost completely whole but for the small piece you took. There is as much of you left as you took from the sky, you are even now. The stunning stars calm you somewhat. You can aslo still smell the sage, and it comforts you just a tiny bit. At least you have majority of the beauty of this world left to keep you company. THE END [[Replay?->The Awakening]]

You have nothing to give the voices. "Fool! We will destroy you!" Comes their deafening reply. True to their word you feel your entire body light up with pain, like every one of your cells is being torn in a different direction. You scream, but you are only able to do so for a moment as your mind is wrenched from your body, you can now gaze upon everything you were. Your body is limp and cold without you in it, and from where you are it seems like an abstract concept that it was once you. Now you are nothing but what you think might be a soul, you cannot feel the air, you cannot move the world around you, you cannot exist in the way you did. The voices recede into the darkness with your body and enraged howls. However, you do not die. You can still see, though without eyes it is as though the visible world is part of you, the scent of sage is part of you too and it makes you feel peaceful. You look upward and see the sky, perfect, untouched, absolutely mesmerizing. You feel the starlight become part of you, and you too become beautiful and begin to emit a soft light. Somehow, you sense yourself move and you are among the stars alongside the billions of people that came before you, all of you, together, make the starlight. You are a star, you have lost all you were, but the sage and the starlight remain and you remain as a part of them. You are content. THE END [[Replay?->The Awakening]]

You pocket the wallet, whoever it belonged to isn't here and you may need it for something later. It feels wrong sitting by your hip, but it, and everything in it, are yours now. [[A Star Goes Out->Identity Thief]]

You set it back down on the table. You aren't going to take someone's wallet even if they aren't around, they keep everything they need in there and you can't use it. [[Return to Street->Carry on]]

(if: $Stars is "four stars")[(set: $Stars to "five stars")] (if: $Stars is "three stars")[(set: $Stars to "four stars")] (if: $Stars is "two stars")[(set: $Stars to "three stars")] (if: $Stars is "one star")[(set: $Stars to "two stars")] (if: $Stars is "no stars")[(set: $Stars to "one star")] A star in the sky blinks out of existence, the world is a bit darker now. You feel a weight in your pocket. You have $Stars. [[Return to Street->Carry on]]

You could do with a laugh. You rip open the envelope and pull out the letter. It's the same cursive on flowery paper and it goes as follows: My Dearest Darling Beautiful Hanna I Love you so much more than I can-a Tell you in just a few poems, But I have to try, that's why I wrote 'em I hope you can understand why I adore you, and when I come over don't lock the door anymore. Please, I'm on my knees. I think you are perfect, I want to bask in your light (not in a wierd way) So won't you please grant me a date tomorrow night? Love, Luis. You fold the ridiculous poem back up and put it in your pocket. It was definitely worth it, now this terrible poem is yours. [[A Star Goes Out->Lifted Love Note]]

This letter isn't your business and to you, it's useless. You set it on a table. [[Return to Street->Carry on]]

(if: $Stars is "four stars")[(set: $Stars to "five stars")] (if: $Stars is "three stars")[(set: $Stars to "four stars")] (if: $Stars is "two stars")[(set: $Stars to "three stars")] (if: $Stars is "one star")[(set: $Stars to "two stars")] (if: $Stars is "no stars")[(set: $Stars to "one star")] A star in the sky blinks out of existence, the world is a bit darker now. You feel a weight in your pocket. You have $Stars. [[Return to Street->Carry on]]