The Fog

(if:(history:)contains "Death")[The fog has returned once more. You look left, right. There is only grey. Even the trees have been [swept away and erased.]<erased| ](else:)[The fog has arrived. You look left, right. There is only grey. Even the trees have been [swept away and erased.]<erased| ] (click:?erased)[The fog pours into you. Looking up, you see that even the sky is gone. [It’s all gone.]<gone|] (click:?gone)[(text-style:"blur")[You cannot see.]] (live: 12s)[(text-style:"blurrier")[You open your mouth and the fog pours in.]<grey| (show:?grey) (stop:)](live:16s)[[[Try again?|Fog]]<foggy| (show:?foggy) (stop:)]

(set: $hasBark to false)(set: $hasFire to false)(set: $hasPet to false) You are walking in the woods. The trees are quiet, dark things, and a thin fog has begun to slip in around you. The ground beneath your feet — pine needles, rotting loam— gives way with a soft [//chrrr-aach.//]<sound| (click:?sound)[If you can just keep [walking,]<walking|] (click:?walking)[if you can just keep walking,]<much| (click:?much)[it shouldn’t be much farther.]<last| (click:?last)[[(hover-style:(text-style: "smear"))[The fog moves, like it is the only living thing here.]<living|] [[Keep walking?|Clearing]]<continue|]

There is nothing to do but keep walking, even as your clothes grow damp in the humid twilight. The rough cloth weighs heavy on your shoulders. You are (link: "so tired.")[[doing fine.]<fine|] (click:?fine)[The woods stretch on as far as you can see. You keep walking. The breath in your chest marks a steady beat [even as your heart starts to race.]<race|(show: ?race)(stop:)] (click: ?race)[A prickling, wet cold spreads outward from the base of your skull. Down your [neck,]<neck|] (click:?neck)[shoulders,]<shoulders| (click:?shoulders)[arms.]<arms| (live: 17s)[There! A clearing!]<clearing| (show: ?clearing) (stop:)(click:?clearing)[You start (link:"walking faster.")[(link:"running.")[running as fast as you can.]<fast|] (click:?fast)[(transition: "shudder")[The feeling spreads.]<spreads|] (click:?spreads) [ Something is wrong.]<wrong|] (live: 33s)[[[Keep walking?|Monster]] [[Turn around?|Death]]<end|] (show:?end) (stop:)

Your legs burn as you run. At the edge of the clearing, the fog has rolled up as if forming a barricade. Raising an arm to shield your face, you plunge forwards. Gasping, you open your eyes. The fog (link:"is gone.")[(link:"is gone?")[surrounds the clearing as if forbidden to enter.]<forbidden] As you begin to catch your breath, you hear a gut-deep, squelching sound. You look: [[Left|Left]] [[Right|Right]] [[Down|Down]]

When you open your eyes, you see a thin figure at the edge of the clearing. The ground is shifting, shifting beneath you. A sound, almost a sigh, and you are buried up to (link:"the knee.")[the thigh.]<thigh| (click:?thigh)[You stop struggling and [begin to scream.]<scream|] (click:?scream)[The figure—a woman—is waving her arms in a furious pattern. She’s waving (link:"at something.")[(link:"at the trees.")[at you.]<you|]] (click:?you)[The woman yells back to you, a terrible sound. She raises both arms to the sky, then down [with a furious strength.]<strength| (click:?strength)[All around the clearing, [[trees begin to fall.|Running]]<trees|]]

You awaken to a warm green light and [a pounding headache.]<ache| (click:?ache)[Sunshine, genuine sunshine, filters in through a (link:"window.")[palm-leaf window.] [What is this place?]<question|] (click:?question)[Your (link:"head!")[head is wrapped in a [bandage]<bandage| made of (link:"an unfamiliar material")[curly, springy mosses.]<mosses|]] (click:?bandage)[You stand, [unsure what to make of your surroundings.]<unsure|] (click:?unsure)[(link:"The room")[The room seems to be (link:"carved ")[carved—no, worn?—]out of a living bloodoak tree. The walls are sticky to the touch with crimson sap.] (link:"The bed")[The bed is a nest of bobbing dandelions, seemingly undisturbed by your presence.]<dandelions| (link:"The chair")[The chair is a silver ivy, wrapped round and round itself to form a sturdy, easel-shaped seat.]<chair|] (click:?unsure) [[[Explore further?|Introduction]] [[Escape out the window|Path]]]

The water is served in a cone-shaped flower, and it is cool against your lips. Your headache (link:"pounds.")[(link:"throbs.")[fades gently away.]<fade|] (click:?fade)[You look down. (link:"Instead of your blood and fog-soaked clothes,")[Instead of your blood and fog-soaked clothes, you are wearing a long tunic of [clean, soft fiber.]<clean|] (click:?clean)[You’ve been traveling [alone for so long,]<alone| you bite back a sudden blur of tears.] (click:?alone)[[[Walk outside?|Outdoors]]]]

(if:(history:) contains "Path")[You have returned to the forest path once more.](else:)[] The sun glints over your shoulder. A narrow path winds through the woods, and you follow it. The trees are not as quiet here, and you swallow against the doubt in your chest. There is only forward, only you and your steps and the fading light. (if: $hasBark is false)[It's probably time to [[return to Eleanor.|Outdoors]]] Up ahead, the path branches in two. [[Turn left?|Sundial]] [[Turn right?|Cave]]

As you reach for the door, a curtain of feathered willows, [you hear steps approaching.]<steps| (click:?steps)[“Pardon,” says a soft voice, so different from the terrible yell in the clearing. You step into the hallway and are now face to face with her, the rescuer. [[You ask her:]<question|] (click:?question)[(link:"Where am I?")[“This is my home. A bit strange, I know. They’re so happy now,” she says, gesturing to the plants around her. “I listened to them for many years, and one day, they started to listen to me.”] (link:"Who are you?")[[“Me? I’m nobody. I was a mother, but my children are grown. I was a wanderer, but now I’ve been everywhere. I suppose you could say l'm retired. Oh, ha! My name. Eleanor. Please, call me Eleanor.” “You must have a terrible headache,” she says. You nod, and she hands you a tall glass of water. “Meet me in the light once you’re feeling better, friend.] [What is your name?”]<name| (click:?name)[(set: $name to (prompt: "Your name, please:", "Frances Spayne"))(text-style:"fade-in-out")[(print: "$name")] “Well then, $name, see you shortly.” [[Continue|Lessons]] ]]]]

Eleanor smiles. [It’s an infectious smile,]<smile| and you watch as the willow boughs reach towards her in response. (click:?smile)[“There’s this poet I read a long time ago, $name,” she says, “who had this [saying:]<saying|] (click:?saying)[‘Whatever [souls]<souls| are made of, yours and mine are the same.’”] (click:?souls)[[[You smile back at her.|Lessons3]]]

In the distance ahead, you see a large object glinting in the fading sunlight. Cautious, [you take care to walk quietly]<quiet| as you approach. (click:?quiet)[It is a ruin. A dull metal shape eight paces across that emanates age, wealth, [power.]<pwr|] (click:?pwr)[The sun shifts, and you understand immediately. You are looking at a [sundial.]<sundial| At its base lies an inscription in a curled and illegible script.] (click:?sundial)[[Your heart pounds.] (if: $hasBark is true)[The bark around your chest tightens, two, three, four.](else:)[] (if: $hasFire is true)[The flames in your hands flare towards the script as if pulling you towards it.] (else:)[The script is reaching out to you, somehow.] [[Touch the script|Script]] [[Go back|Path]]]

[The fog has returned.]<fog| (click:?fog)[You look left, right. There is only grey. Even the trees have been swept away and [erased.]<erased|] (click:?erased)[The fog [pours into you,]<pour|](click:?pour)[ but this time, you breathe it in.]<in| (click:?in)[(if: $hasBark is true)[You clutch the throbbing band around your heart and exhale. The fog expells. Your breath is strong in your chest.](else:)[You struggle against it as it pushes at your lungs.] (if: $hasFire is true)[You raise your hands and the fire flares above your head. The fog burns like kindling, wicking away and away.](else:)[You wish you had a weapon, something to fight the fog away. Alone, you, $name, are not strong enough.]] (live: 10s)[(if: $hasFire + $hasBark + $hasPet is true)[It is inside you, but it does not define you. You scream like a wild thing, first from fear. Then, from joy.]<joy| (else:)[[[Run!|Path]]]] (live:13s)[(if: $hasFire + $hasBark + $hasPet is true)[You stand to your feet and keep walking. //The end.//]](else:)[](show: ?keep)(stop:)

Eleanor closes the gap between you in [one long stride.]<stride| (click:?stride)[She [begins to hum,]<hum| a warm buzzing that transforms into a haunting song.] (click:?hum)[With a long finger, she touches the center of your chest. Her song grows louder—now, it becomes a grieving wail [that splits the very air.]<air|] (click:?air)[Your ears hurt terribly, but you don't dare to move.]<dare| (click:?dare)[After an eternity, or perhaps an instant, it is finished. A leathered bark has grown around your chest in [a thin band.]<band|] (click:?band)[You reach up to tear it away, but Eleanor stops your hand. Her eyes pierce yours.<gift| (link:"This is my gift to you.") [This is my gift to you, she says. "It will [keep the fog at bay,]<bay| but only for a time."]] (click:?bay)[Your breath pounds in your chest. The bark breathes with you, alive despite its separation from its source. "To walk freely in these woods, you will need [more than I can offer you.]<more| (click:?more)[Follow the path. Do not look back and [do not give up."]<up|]] (click:?up)[You stand transfixed as her body stretches, melts to meet the ground beneath her. With a flash of root and vine, she is gone. (set: $hasBark to true) [(if: $hasFire and $hasPet is false)[[Continue?|Path]]](else:)[[[Go on?|Final]]]]]

All around you, trees are crashing down, each landing against the silt with [a muted thunder.]<thunder| (click:?thunder)[[With a strength you do not have, ]<free|] (click:?free)[[ you claw free.]<free2|] (click:?free2)[You are running. Your broken body is forgotten as you run towards the woman who is stretching her arms towards you.] (live: 11s)[The edge of the clearing draws closer — you are mere paces away when (link: "the earth opens beneath you")[you are falling headfirst.]<falling| (show: ?falling) (stop:)](click:?falling)[The woman is standing over you [[as everything fades|Bungalow]]<fades|]

The outline of a cave yawns wide before you. [Shadows]<shadows| spill from its mouth, growing (link:"taller")[deeper] in the twilight. (click:?shadows)[(link:"Your shoulders hunch.")[Your [whole body]<body| tingles with dread.]] (click:?body)[(if: $hasBark is true)[The bark ring around your chest buzzes softly, matching the rhythm of your heart. You feel emboldened and continue.] (else:)[Night is coming. With nothing but your tunic on, you shiver.] [[Continue into the cave|Cave Interior]] [[Go back|Path]]]

The last of the sun fades behind you as you step carefully into the cave. Something drips beside you, spawning a chorus of echoes. Right as the darkness grows absolute, you strain to see (link: "ahead into the distance.")[a glimmer of blue light.] (link:"Keep walking.")[ As you approach the source, you see that it is not one, but thousands of tiny lights embedded in the walls of the cave. The lights pulse and flicker, and all of a sudden you can see (link:"them")[the books. [[[Approach the books?|Library]] ][[Go back?|Cave]]]]

A cathedral opens up before you: shelves jutting out of the limestone stretch as far as the eye can see. A [faint blue glow]<glow| from the floor and ceiling illuminates the hall. (click:?glow)[(if:$hasBark is true)[The bark around your chest offers a slight squeeze. You take heart and confidently approach the nearest shelf.] (else:)[You can't seem to stop shivering. Desperate in the gloom, you approach the nearest bookshelf.] When you look closer, you notice [something strange.]<strange|] (click:?strange)[The books are made of stone.]<stone| (click:?stone)[All of them.]<all| (click:?all)[They are carved directly out of the cave walls. You (link:"pull")[(link:"claw")[tear your fingernails]], [trying]<try| to [[pry the books free.|Books]] [[Go back|Cave Interior]]]

You are alone here. Away from the trees, you have no weapons, nowhere to hide. The wall of fog waits at the edge of the clearing. It [rolls,]<rolls| (click: ?rolls)[crests,]<crests| (click: ?crests)[roars.](live: 7s)[ The clear air is cold in your throat.]<air| (show: ?air) (stop:)(live: 9s)[[[Back|Monster]]<back|] (show: ?back) (stop:)

The fog-riddled forest surrounds you on all sides. It’s growing dark. The clearing is empty save a thin scattering of ash-gray grasses, more dead than alive. [[Back|Monster]]

The silt is sucking at your ankles. Your left foot [slips,]<slips| (click:?slips)[is swallowed.] (live: 4s)[Your right foot is gone too. A gritty pulp surrounds both ankles, [trapping them firmly in place.]<trapping| (show: ?trapping)(stop:)] (click:?trapping)[You plunge both hands into the ground, (link:"trying")[trying desperately]<trying| to free yourself.] (live: 15s)[Alone under a dead sky, you are sinking. [[Continue?|The Stranger]] ]<sinking| (show: ?sinking)(stop:)

(set: $hasBark to false)(set: $hasFire to false)(set: $hasPet to false) (link:"The garden is an extension of the house.")[The house is an extension of the garden.] The bloodoak branches, vines, and flowering creepers weave together in a wild, seamless manner that robs words like [“inside” and “outside” of their meaning.]<inside| (click:?inside)[It is already late afternoon, and Eleanor is sitting nearby on an enormous toadstool. Eleven similar, smaller toadstools form a circle together, and you feel led to: [[Run away?|Path]] [[Sit with her?|Lessons 2]]]

[“I don’t know how you came to those woods.” Her face grows grave, but her voice is [strong and even.]<strong|] (click:?strong)[[“Few make it out of there alive.]<alive| Even those that do, often find themselves returning."] (click:?alive)["That fog,” Eleanor pauses, [as if deciding something.]<asif|] [(click:?asif)[“//It touches everything. Everything.//”]]<everything| (click:?everything)[You must look confused. She continues. “Even now, (print:$name), you aren't free. [You carry the fog inside of you."]<fog|] (click:?fog)[Your heart sinks. [She's right.]<right|] (click:?right)[(text-style:"blur")[A thin film hovers at your periphery. You can [feel ]<now|the thick weight of it in your lungs, in your arms.]] (click:?now)[[[Thank her and leave|Path]] [[Stay for a bit longer|Gift]]]

(if:(history:)contains "Red")[You pick up the black book, curious whether it will teach you something, too.] (else:)[You pick up the black book.] With a [scratching of stone,]<scratch| you open the cover. (click:?scratch)[The book is written in a language unknown to you. In the dim light, you squint at the curved script. It is completely unintelligible. [[Put the book down.|Books]]]

(if:(history:)contains "Black" or "Red")[You pick up the second book, hoping this one will be in a language you can read.] (else:)[You pick up the grey book.] Its cover slides against your fingers, slick with [some form of moisture.]<fog| (click:?fog)[As you pry the cover open, [sickness]<sick| clenches your stomach.] (click:?sick)[[Fog]<f| pours forth from the book.] (click:?f)[You shut the cover, but [[it will not stop.|Death Indoor]]]

You pick up the red book, dry and [almost warm]<dry| under your hands. (if:(history:)contains "Black")[You hope this book will be in a language you can read.](else:)[You hope this book will give you something, anything to make this cave hike worthwhile.] (click:?dry)[The cover opens with [a loud //crack.//]<loud|] (click:?loud)[Fire [blasts]<blast| out of the book and you yell.] (click:?blast)[Instead of burning you, the fire parts around you like water. You feel it, warm but not hot [against your skin.]<skin|] (click:?skin)[You slam the book (link:"closed,")[closed, then yell again.]<again|] (click:?again)[Tiny fires [dance]<dance| on your palms.] (click:?dance)[You clench your hands closed, and the fires [die.]<die|] (click:?die)[[When you open them again, the fire returns. The glow, so bright against the dim cave, banishes your fear.]<glow| (set: $hasFire to true) [(if: $hasBark is true)[The bark around your chest pulses in time with the fire, and you recognize that this too is a gift. Perhaps not from Eleanor, but a gift all the same.]<gift|(else:)[]] [(if: $hasBark and $hasPet is true)[[[Exit cave.|Final]]<final|](else:)[[[Leave cave.|Path]]]]]

[The fog pours into you. Looking up, you see that even the ceiling is gone. [It’s all gone.]<gone|] (click:?gone)[(text-style:"blur")[You cannot see.]] (live: 12s)[(text-style:"blurrier")[You open your mouth and the fog pours in.]<grey| (show:?grey) (stop:)](live:16s)[[[Try again?|Fog]]<foggy| (show:?foggy) (stop:)]

You approach the [script.]<script| (if: $hasFire is true)[The flames in your hand dance high, blowing towards the sundial as if to draw you closer.] (else:)[You feel drawn closer for reasons you cannot explain.] (live: 6s)[(text-style:"mirror")[The road is long on broken feet The sun shines not for long But heed these words: you need not walk alone.<pet|]] (show: ?pet)(stop:) (live: 10s)[The road is long on broken feet The sun shines not for long But heed these words: [you need not walk alone.]<alone|] (show: ?alone) (stop:)(click:?alone)[With a metallic (link:"creak")[//crunch,//] a [small fox]<fox| appears.] (click:?fox)[His fur is [golden]<golden| in the fading afternoon.] (click:?golden)[(if: $hasBark is true)[The bark pulses around your chest as if in recognition of a friend. [[Turn back?|Final]] [[Invite the fox to come with you?(set: $hasPet to true)|Path]]](else:)[A pool of doubt floods your chest. This is dangerous—you should: [[Turn back?|Final]] [[Invite the fox to come with you?(set: $hasPet to true)|Path]]]]

(text-style:"smear")[''Fog''] (live:2s)[//an interactive allegory by Emily Dardaman//<show| (show: ?show) (stop:)] (live:5s)[[[Start|Fog]]<fog| (show:?fog) (stop:)]