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The cars were bumper to bumper on the bridge, horns blaring and men sticking their heads out windows to yell expletives. One car, packed with a family and a handful of suitcases, was almost dead silent except for the faint sounds of Super Mario Brothers being played on a portable game console.
A [[father->Stu 7AM]] who leads his family into the unknown.
A mother who struggles to support herself while supporting her son.
A [[son->Tommy 7AM]] who grew up knowing only a dying world.
A [[grandfather->Lou 7AM]] who longed for the world of his youth for his family.
By 7 AM, you're already deep in your morning ritual. You sit in the same recliner you always sit in, watching the same morning news show you always watch, eating a grapefruit and two hard-boiled eggs. Some might see this as sad, but you find it comforting; oftentimes the best moments of your day are in this spot, as everyone else in the house begins to rouse, as Tommy complains about going to school, or pretends to be sick and asks for your help in accomplishing his caper.
As the house began to come alive with footsteps and voices, you finished your breakfast and prepared to take Tommy to school.
[[8AM->Lou 8AM]] “Tommy, it’s time to get ready for school!”
You groan and slowly open one sleepy eye. As you blink to gain focus, your mother become clearer. She was standing by your bedside waking you up for school as usual.
You shake your head, “I don’t want to go to school!”
She gently laughed, “Tommy, you know you have to go to school! You’ll get to see all your friends and teachers!”
You groan, “And they’ll give out more homework.”
His mother laughed again, “Come on sleepy head, get up! Breakfast is almost ready downstairs.”
She closed the door behind her as she left, leaving you staring at the ceiling of his room. You sigh, then get up and begin getting ready for the day.
[[8AM->Tommy 8AM]] [[8AM->Didi 8AM]] “Rise and shine, sir.”
A faint *tink* follows the tired voice telling you to wake up, with a kind of pep that’s the exact polar opposite of how you’re feeling right now. If you weren’t still three-quarters asleep you might be visibly annoyed.
The newest hire on the staff, who only came on after your team was moved to the Pentagon, dropped off a cup of coffee, black as pitch. She was dutiful and routine to a fault, remembering your coffee “preferences”. You hate it black but you’ve gotten into the habit of drinking it to wake you up with a one-two punch of undiluted caffeine and a disgusting taste.
“Thanks, Lisa,” you say in that post-yawn mid-morning stretch kind of way. It was another late-night at your office. Well, another all-nighter more accurately, or close to it before you gave in for a nap about an hour ago.
Beneath the coffee was a manilla folder containing your daily batch of news and memos in a mess of both classified and completely trite information.
Better get to it.
[[8AM->Stu 8AM]]
“Have a good day at school Tommy!” your mom calls as she rushes out the door. You look up from your breakfast and see Grandpa is getting his coat on to take you to school. After taking a final drink of orange juice, you grab your coat, put on your backpack and head towards the door where Grandpa is waiting, bemused smile on his face. Your school is only about a mile’s walk away, and with it being another beautiful 80 degree March day, you both decided to walk to school. Grandpa opens the door and heads out - you follow him.
Grandpa steps outside and shakes his head, “The world is a strange place.”
You raise your eyebrow, confused, “What Grandpa?”
Grandpa sighs, “We never had warm days like this in March when I was a boy. We had to wait until late May for days like this!”
You’re surprised - March wasn’t always this warm?
Grandpa sighs again, “Ah well, let’s get you to school.”
The two of you walk down the sidewalk, off for another day of school.
[[9AM->Tommy 9AM]] “Alright kids, it’s time to run the mile!” your gym teacher said.
While others groaned, you smiled. Running was one of your favorite things to do, it gave you time to think about nothing and just be by yourself. You lined up on the indoor track and took your mark.
“Go!” shouted your gym teacher.
You took off near the front of the pack. You weren’t the fastest runner in the group, but you also weren’t the slowest. As you rounded the first turn, you felt the world start to slip away, enjoying your moment alone.
[[10AM->Tommy 10AM]] You sat at your desk in class, watching a movie. It was another movie about planting and agriculture, which didn’t really interest you. It was a new class this year, and you weren’t happy you had to take it. You yawned, stretched in your desk and glanced up at the clock. You lived in DC, where did they think you’d be tilling a field?
[[11AM->Tommy 11AM]] You sat at your desk, laughing with your friend Jimmy next to you.
“Tommy?” your teacher called your attention from the front of the room.
You immediately stopped talking, afraid you were in trouble. You looked up and saw the teacher with the class phone in her hand.
“It appears you’re leaving early! Pack your things and please head to the office, your grandfather will be there to pick you up soon.
You were both relieved and excited - you got to leave school a whole 4 hours early! You hurriedly stuffed everything in your backpack and waved goodbye to your friends as you left the room, headed for the office. You also found yourself wondering with Grandpa would be picking you up so early, he hadn’t mentioned anything earlier had he?
[[12PM->Tommy 12PM]]
[[Lou->Lou 12PM]] “Grandpa, I’m not complaining, but why did you take me out of school to go to the aquarium?”
Your Grandfather smiled down gently at you, and was unusually quiet, “All in good time Tommy, all in good time. Did you see the penguins over here?” he asked, gesturing towards the penguin exhibit.
You walk over towards the penguins, smiling slightly when you see them. You remember how you used to come here with your Mom and Dad when you were little.
You Grandfather sighs, “Listen Tommy, there’s something I’ve got to tell you.”
You silently shift your gaze to the man beside you, wondering what he’ll say next.
He sighs again, “I don’t know how to tell you this...but we’re moving.”
Your eyes go wide, “What? What do you mean we’re moving? When?”
“Today, we’re leaving today.”
You scan his face for traces of a joke but don’t find one - you’re really moving. As he continues to explain what’s happening, you shift your gaze back to the penguins swimming about in their exhibit. You find yourself jealous of the penguins and their simple life, and find it’s easier to watch them happily swim around while your Grandfather’s words fade into the background.
[[1PM->Tommy 1PM]]“Okay Tommy, it’s time to go home.” your Grandpa said, breaking you out of your trance. You unwillingly followed him out of the aquarium, and started walking on your route home. He spoke optimistically about how much fun this would be, but you knew he didn’t actually think that. It was crazy to think that home wouldn’t be home for much longer.
[[2PM->Tommy 2PM]]You sat on your bed, looking around it and realizing this was probably the last time you’d see it like this. Your mother walked into the room,
“Tommy! Why haven’t you started packing?”
You crossed your arms, sitting defiantly on your bed, “I’m not going Mom! My whole life is here, I’m not leaving because of Dad’s stupid job.”
She looked sympathetically at you then sat down beside you on your bed, “Honey, I know this is sudden, it’s hard for me too. But we’ll get through this, as a family. Just think, it’s a whole new adventure!”
You huffed, still not convinced.
“It’s a fresh start Tommy. You can have a whole new room, and paint it however you want!”
You perked up slightly at this, “Even red?”
She sighed slightly, “Yes, even red.”
You sat in silence for a moment.
“This is going to be a great opportunity. Your Dad works very hard, and this is a promotion to show how hard he’s worked!” she continued.
“But my friends are here.” you said quietly.
She wrapped her arms around you, pulling you close, “I know it’s going to be hard, but this is what’s happening. Now get to packing, you don’t want to miss something!”
She walked over to the closet and pulled out a few suitcases. “I’ll be back up with some boxes.” she said exiting the room.
You laid down on your bed and sighed, staring up at the glow in the dark stars on your ceiling.
[[3PM->Tommy 3PM]]You were trying to close your suitcase but it just wouldn’t budge. Finally after a great deal of struggling, you jumped on it, keeping the top down and were finally able to drag the zipper closed around the back. You sighed from relief and exasperation. You looked around your room, the cleanest it's looked in awhile really. Your family had helped a lot, but were also scurrying around to pack up the rest of their own things. Downstairs you heard your parents arguing over packing something, nothing too intense but they were both pretty quick to just leave it. You looked around the room, sighing when you realized just how much you'd be leaving behind. You'll be back for it some day.
[[4PM->Tommy 4PM]]As the car pulls away, you look out the back window, trying to keep your house in your vision for as long as possible. When it’s too far to see anymore, you slowly turn around, trying to silently engrain it in your head for the future. How in a matter of hours had everything changed?
[[5PM->Tommy 5PM]]The cars were bumper to bumper on the bridge, horns blaring and men sticking their heads out windows to yell expletives. One car, packed with a family and a handful of suitcases, was almost dead silent except for the faint sounds of Super Mario Brothers being played on a portable game console.
A father who leads his family into the unknown.
A mother who struggles to support herself while supporting her son.
A son who grew up knowing only a dying world.
A grandfather who longed for the world of his youth for his family.
[[6PM->Tommy 6PM]]You felt the bridge below you start to shake.
"Mom? Dad?" you ask worriedly.
"Stu!??" your mom asks, the worry parallel with your own.
"We need to get off this bridge, now!" your dad exclaimed, reaching to release his seatbelt.
As everyone struggled to get themselves out of the car, the crack in the bridge deepened. Everything happened so fast, that you didn't remember it breaking, but you felt the car beginning to plummet into the water below. Everyone in the car screamed. You kept trying to unbuckle your seat belt, trying to get out of the car, but knew at some point it was fruitless. Then just as you hit the water, everything went dark. You felt nothing. You were nothing.
[[Relive as another character->Opening]]
[[Credits->Credits]]You’ve finished reading through and sorting the majority of the folder’s contents. Mostly more raw data and departmental status updates. That’s pretty much all you do these days. Despite being the second largest and also the newest division at the Pentagon, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Disasters, all anyone under it ever did was receive, organize, and share a chaotic amalgamation of scientific studies and plans between other federal divisions.
You sigh and place the newest folder into the bottom drawer of your third file cabinet, having filtered out the ones that need to be sent off to someone else. Every time you go through this routine you can’t help but think how absurd it is that you even have file cabinets.
“Gwen.”
Your direct superior, Bruce Benoit, stepped halfway into the door frame into your office.
“It’s Stu,” you automatically reply. For almost as long as you’ve known him, you’ve had a bit of an in-joke with him where at your first encounter with each other, one tries to beat the other to the greeting first, calling the loser by their last name who then replies with their first name.
Bruce was here all night, too, that much was painfully obvious. But something seemed off in his expression.
“Defense wants you in the dark room. ASAP.”
You’re taken aback for a second. The dark room? What’s going on? You know that the “dark room” was lingo for a certain conference room a few floors and wings away from you, where there’s no way to look in, no surveillance, no trace of your entrance or presence there is left once you leave. Why is the department of defense calling you there of all places?
You lock eyes with Bruce as you find yourself jolted awake by the message before replying, “Got it”.
You take a long walk through various levels and different departments before reaching the defense section where the room lies.
[[9AM->Stu 9AM]] The meeting itself was, in all reality, relatively brief. But the enormity of its content felt like a weight that should have been thrust upon you with some more considerate deliberation.
You recount the events in your mind: A man you never met before - his eyes obscured by sunglasses despite being stationed inside - had opened the door into the dark room where you met yet another unfamiliar man waiting for you. This time sans the sunglasses. This man, foregoing introductions but confirming the authority in his standing just by being present in that room, then succinctly and flatly explained to you that you've been selected "for confidential reasons" to relocate with your family to a facility in Curtis, Nebraska. You were given a slip of paper with a phone number to call upon arriving in the state for further instructions and the precise location, and before leaving you were told to remember what you can only assume is some sort of cipher to remember when you arrive in Nebraska: "Star's Reach".
This wasn't a simple reassignment so much as an ultimatum. It was made clear that you had no choice but to follow these orders or you would be out of much more than just your work. You were to leave by "the end of the day", presumably midnight, today.
With that in mind from the outset, you're fairly quick to accept your fate. Perhaps it's for the best.
Now, you only fret on how to break the news to your family...
[[10AM->Stu 10AM]] You think of Tommy first. He would be in school right now, and Didi is at work. Lou, your father-in-law, will have to go get him. He's the first to call for sure.
He picks up your call in short order and you take a breath to try to calm yourself before asking,
“Hey Lou, I know this is sudden, but we gotta’ go. I’ve been re-assigned, we’ve got to move out today. Can you go get Tommy from school? Try to break it to him easy, I don’t know how he’ll take it.”
This is so sudden, you're immediately afraid of the backlash and redirected questions you'll get from Lou. You two were on good terms, but to ask something like this out of nowhere warranted some emotional response if that's what was about to happen.
“Uh, yeah, sure thing Stu, I’ll go right away.”
You're taken aback at how quick he was to accept your word. You don't hang on it for long though, trying to maintain a level-head, you just thank your lucky stars.
“Thanks, Lou. Talk to you soon.”
“See you.”
He'll probably call Didi soon, he always lets her know everything he knows, but you should be the first to tell her. You're much more worried now, but you hit her number from your favorites in your contacts and ready yourself. Not for conflict but for consolation.
[[11AM->Stu 11AM]]
[[Lou->Lou 11AM]]
You quickly round up your belonging around your office in a hurry. Without thinking, you find yourself grabbing mostly picture frames, a few personal documents unrelated to work, a little popsicle house Tommy made for you during a craft event at his school. Looking at it all now, you sure have a lot of trite stuff covering the place.
"Hey Gw- Huh?" Bruce started to casually call out to you as he passed by your door before stopping himself and taking a step back, taking note of your frenzied pace. "Stu? What's going on?"
"I'm moving. I've been relocated and I have to get moving today," you say in a very frank tone.
"...come again? Where to? And why so suddenly? We were supposed to hit the Rep Bar tonight for a break." Bruce was surprised but he was trying to keep a lighthearted tone about the situation.
You kept going about packing, finishing up and grabbing the last essentials, namely your keys. "I honestly couldn't tell you, but I'm going to Nebraska. I'll call you when I get there."
"Nebraska?! Why in the world... Stu, what did they say to you in the dark room?"
"Something about 'Star's Reach', whatever that means."
[[12PM->Stu 12PM]] You place your briefcase and a stolen file cabinet drawer into your trunk, both stuffed to capacity as they were the only things you could rummage up to hold all the important stuff from your office.
You hesitate for a moment before getting into the driver's seat, looking at the Western-facing side of the Pentagon, taking one last look at your office. You swivel your head and glare in the opposite direction, where the future lies for you and your family, more than a day's drive away for sure. It's a particularly hot day out today, even for March. Being cooped up inside for so long almost made you forgot how the world feels now. And days like today make you remember how much better the world felt when you were a kid.
But those days are long gone. Now's not the time to be thinking about the world; your career and your family's well-being are at stake. You sit yourself in the driver's seat and start the engine.
[[1PM->Stu 1PM]] After finally getting through some midday traffic, you arrive back at home.
You take a moment to wait in the driveway and get one good uninterrupted look at the house. It doesn't look like anyone else is back home yet. You have no idea what's going to happen to it once you're gone, but for now you think you'll just lock up and figure it out once you're settled in at your new Nebraska position.
Actually, where will you go once you get there? It's not like you have any family or any places to stay that far out into the middle of the country. You more than enough money to hold out at a hotel or a motel somewhere for awhile, for sure, and you'll have plenty of time to figure that all out on the drive there.
For now, it's time to get packing. As you get out of your car, Didi pulls in behind you.
She looks at you with an exasperated expression and says, "So are we really doing this?"
[[2PM->Stu 2PM]] Everyone is home and moving about the house now. In what could only be described as the quickest emergency family meeting ever, you made sure to suggest to everyone to pack only what they absolutely need, as if you were all packing for a very long vacation. There was obviously no way you could move everything out in one car, so you could just take what you would all need for now and then you could come back for the rest later.
That's what you told them, anyway. Tommy might've believed it, even Lou, but Didi knew that was just for their sake in the first place.
As you sort through your closet, you find a photo album that you, Didi, and Tommy worked together on to organize and decorate when Tommy was in first grade. You stand staring at it for a second at some sort of a loss. Whatever it may be, you can feel yourself becoming emotional.
"Didi," you say quietly as you hear Didi make her way into the bedroom, "could you please go check on Tommy and make sure he's packing alright?"
"Sure thing, dear."
[[3PM->Stu 3PM]]
[[Tommy->Tommy 3PM]]Everything was just about packed by this point. Lou finished up with the lightest load by far; he didn't need much more besides some clothes and a book or two. Didi said Tommy was almost done himself, and she was having trouble deciding on which
[[4PM->Stu 4PM]] You finish packing the last bit of luggage in your trunk, having filtered out the last batch of unecessary cargo and ready to hit the road.
You take up your position in the driver's seat and start the ignition. As the car pulls away, you glance at the house through your mirrors, trying to keep your house in view for as long as possible. Inevitably you take a turn out of the neighborhood and head for the highway, trying to silently engrain that last view in the reflection in your head for the future. How in a matter of hours had everything changed?
[[5PM->Stu 5PM]] The cars were bumper to bumper on the bridge, horns blaring and men sticking their heads out windows to yell expletives. One car, packed with a family and a handful of suitcases, was almost dead silent except for the faint sounds of Super Mario Brothers being played on a portable game console.
A father who leads his family into the unknown.
A mother who struggles to support herself while supporting her son.
A son who grew up knowing only a dying world.
A grandfather who longed for the world of his youth for his family.
[[6PM->Stu 6PM]] Suddenly, you start to feel the car shaking.
"Mom? Dad?", Tommy says in the most nervous tone you've ever heard him.
"Stu!??" says Didi as she looks at you in a panic. You're not sure what's happening, no one in the car is certain, that much is obvious, but you know one thing for sure.
"We need to get off this bridge, now!" you say firmly as you try your best to sound calm, but you feel just as scared as Tommy sounds. You reach to unbuckle your seatbelt but before you know it, there's a loud crashing sound outside and the entire car is in freefall.
From there things begin to blur. You see a mass of stone and water and metal out in front of your windshield and hear a cacophony of indiscernible noise.
You remember looking at Didi, Tommy, Lou.
In an instant you feel the need to and yet struggle to formulate your final thoughts. Yet in the face of the end, all that comes to mind are the final words of the main in the dark room from earlier this morning.
"Star's Reach."
And there was nothing.
[[Relive as another character->Opening]]
[[Credits->Credits]]You grab your coat and escort Tommy outside, to be quickly met by the harsh rays of the sun. I was March, early March at that, and yet it was very warm, around 80 degrees. It wasn't like this when you were a child- you'd oftentimes still be getting snow in April, with Easter eggs tucked away in snow drifts.
“The world is a strange place, Tommy.”, you say to the boy, putting your hand on his shoulder.
“Why's that Grandpa?” Tommy asked, as inquisitive as always.
“Sometimes, things change. Things you don't want to change end up changing and things you want to change just stay the same. The world is going to throw a lot of stuff at you Tommy, it's important to 'just roll with it', as we used to say.”
Tommy chuckled. “OK Grandpa, whatever you say.”
The two continued their walk to the school, chatting away happily.
[[9AM->Lou 9AM]] You drop Tommy off at school without issue and enjoy your walk back home, trying to push your troubled thoughts away and just enjoy the day. It was difficult, however; it wasn't just the heat that was different. Many of the different species of birds you saw when you were younger no longer lived here, and the Potomac river was much higher than it used to be, despite the dams and reservoirs they put in place.
When you come home, the house is quiet. You don't like the house as much when it's quiet- it feels eery, with none of the elements that make it a home. You plop down in your recliner and turn on the T.V. To make things feel more lively- it usually helps. Daytime television is still awful though- at least that hasn't changed, you think with a small smile.
[[10AM->Lou 10AM]] Your phone began to vibrate on the table. It was rare to get a call these days, folks almost exclusively texted now, so getting a call was something of note. You pick up the phone and check the caller- the name “Stuart” emblazoned the screen. You tried to recall, but you can’t distinctly recall a time in which Stu ever called you. A tinge of anxiety ran through your heart.
“Hello? Stu?” You answer.
“Hey Lou, I know this is sudden, but we gotta’ go. I’ve been re-assigned, we’ve got to move out today. Can you go get Tommy from school? Try to break it to him easy, I don’t know how he’ll take it.” Stu replied. There seemed to be an anxiousness in his voice that you had not heard before.
You want to ask where this is coming from so suddenly, but you can hear in Stu's voice that this is urgent and he needs an urgent answer back.
“Uh, yeah, sure thing Stu, I’ll go right away.”
“Thanks, Lou. Talk to you soon.”
“See you.”
[[11AM->Lou 11AM]]
[[Stu->Stu 11AM]]What to do first? Obviously you have to pick up Tommy, but does Didi know? Did Stu tell the school?
You decided first to ring up the school- they should know you're coming. You don't do a good job of hiding your concern, and the woman on the line seems to notice. “Is everything alright?” she asks.
“Yes, everything is fine, nothing to worry about. I'll be there soon.” You grabbed your coat and set out. This time, the walk to the school was less pleasant. Your mind twisted and turned with anxiety, asking yourself endless questions, each one more somber than the last- no more wistful thoughts about the old times.
Once you arrived at the school, you take a moment to compose yourself. It really wasn't a big deal, you thought. Families move all the time, especially for business, and Stu lives for his work- this was all very much within the realm of normal.
Tommy bolted out of class, clearly excited at the prospect of leaving school early. “Before we go, I have a call to make. Just stay here with Ms. Petunia while I step outside for a minute, OK?” You gesture Tommy towards the receptionist and step outside to call Didi. You tell her everything Stu told you, you tell her you've got Tommy and everything is completely fine. She seems surprised, but takes it well, better than you expected. “Please, break it to Tommy easy.” She requests.
“Sure thing, Didi.” You say, unsure of exactly how to do that. But you may have an idea.
[[12PM->Lou 12PM]]
[[Tommy->Tommy 12PM]] As you paid the woman for two tickets to the aquarium you couldn't help but notice how much more expensive the aquarium had gotten. Back in your day you could pay $20 and have a whole day of fun! But that wasn't important right now.
You and Tommy visit a number of different animal enclosures while you try to figure out how to tell him he's going to have to leave his home and all his friends, and you don't even know exactly why. As you came to the penguin enclosure, you realize that you're quickly running out of time and have to just... tell him.
“Tommy, there's something I have to tell you.”
Tommy remained silent.
“Well, you see Tommy... we're movng. That's why I had to come take you out of school.”
Tommy was clearly surprised. “What? Where are we moving? Why? When?”
You scratch your head. “Uhh, we're moving today, that's why I came to get you. You can talk to your parents when we get home, OK?”
Tommy bore a crestfallen expression, looking out at the penguins, swimming in their pool and sliding on their bellies. You let him watch them for a few more minutes before you tell him it's time to go, as much as you'd like to just stay and watch the penguins, too.
[[1PM->Lou 1PM]] The walk home wasn't as fun as it was this morning. You tried your best to lighten the mood.
“Hey Tommy, what time did the man go to the dentist?”
Tommy continued walking in silence.
“Tooth hurt-y.” You laugh, nudging Tommy's shoulder. “Tooth. Hurt-y. Ehhh? Ehhhhh?”
Tommy chuckled. It was about the best you could hope for with such a bad joke. “You know Tommy,” you say, “I don't think it will be so bad. Just think of it as an adventure! You're like Frodo, or Luke! Well, hopefully it won't go exactly like their adventures, but it will definitely be an adventure!”
Tommy didn't seem quite as hopeful.
[[2PM->Lou 2PM]]
[[Tommy->Tommy 2PM]] It was only once you got home that it really hit you. Tommy quickly absconded to his room and you were left in the entryway, taking note of everything that you were leaving. It wasn't just a house, or things, it was all the memories you made there. You remember the time Didi and Stu got Tommy a trike and he refused to go anywhere if he wasn't on his trike, even going so far as to ride it into the house and tear ass past you through the living room while you were sitting in your recliner and didn't know what blur just sped past you. You quickly and subtly wiped the beginnings of a tear from your eye and looked around, making sure nobody caught you.
[[3PM->Lou 3PM]] You'd think that at the end of your life you'd own a lot of things, but the opposite was true. After so many years most things lost their allure and you saw no need for them, keeping only the things that meant something to you.
You could hear chaos throughout the rest of the house; Didi pleading with Tommy to start packing, clothes being thrown about into and out of luggage, repeated trips up and down the stairs. You felt an obligation to help, but at the same time, you didn't want your last memories of your home to be ones of stress and discord. It was selfish, sure, but you needed this brief time of tranquility and reflection, tucking away your memories into a suitcase with fondness.
You made sure to grab your Nintendo 3DS mobile console and put it in your coat's pocket. Stu always poked fun at you for it, mostly just for holding onto something so dated, but you maintain that there is still nothing better for long road trips.
[[4PM->Lou 4PM]]
[[Stu->Stu 4PM]] The familiar sounds of Mario made the trip more bearable. It was easier not to think about everything going on when you're concentrated on getting all the secret coins in every level. They weren't much of a secret to you because you'd gotten them all six times over since you'd gotten the game almost 60 years ago, but it was still a welcome distraction.
You asked Tommy if he'd like to play, but he didn't seem to be in the mood for games. Seeing him dour broke your heart, but you knew he'd be over it soon enough. Acclimating to a new place takes a while, but he's a good kid and he'll make friends in no time.
Unfortunately, you got distracted thinking about Tommy's future and died to a simple Goomba. You can't help but shake your head and laugh- that may be the first time you ever actually died to a Goomba. I guess it's never too late for new things.
[[5PM->Lou 5PM]] The cars were bumper to bumper on the bridge, horns blaring and men sticking their heads out windows to yell expletives. You could even see and hear a chopper flying overhead- what exactly was going on?
“Does anyone know what's up with this?” You asked, hoping Stu or Didi might have an idea as to what was going on.
Neither of them did, however, mostly shrugging and grumbling. As if today weren't stressful enough, you thought.
Traffic turns even monks into fucking assholes, you thought. Your dad would say that a lot- he didn't handle himself well in traffic.
[[6PM->Lou 6PM]] And then you felt it as much as you heard it- an overwhelming cracking sound, where every bone in your body rattled. It didn't take long to see what had happened: the dam, just a few hundred yards from the bridge, had completely collapsed. An enormous torrent of water rushed through and over it, coming straight for the bridge.
You see Tommy to your side call out to Didi and Stu. You see the panic hidden in Stu's face. There was only one way this was going to happen.
You didn't have a lot of time to think- the entire bridge was in shambles well before the full force of the unleashed water made it there.
The car was brushed away like lint, falling unceremoniously into the tumultuous river below, as did every other car on the bridge, each and every one devoured by the flood in a scene of unspeakable carnage.
A ringing noise supplants all the chaos in the background. You didn't last much longer. You had a good life. For a brief final moment, you feel thankful that you at least won't have to watch the world change for the worse any more than you already have, and that Tommy won't have to be the one to face it.
[[Relive as another character->Opening]]
[[Credits->Credits]][[8AM->Didi 9AM]] [[8AM->Didi 10AM]] [[8AM->Didi 11AM]] [[8AM->Didi 12PM]] [[8AM->Didi 1PM]] [[8AM->Didi 2PM]] [[8AM->Didi 3PM]] [[8AM->Didi 4PM]] [[8AM->Didi 5PM]] The cars were bumper to bumper on the bridge, horns blaring and men sticking their heads out windows to yell expletives. One car, packed with a family and a handful of suitcases, was almost dead silent except for the faint sounds of Super Mario Brothers being played on a portable game console.
A father who leads his family into the unknown.
A mother who struggles to support herself while supporting her son.
A son who grew up knowing only a dying world.
A grandfather who longed for the world of his youth for his family.
[[6PM->Didi 6PM]] [[Relive as another character->Opening]]
[[Credits->Credits]]NMD 443 - Digital Narrative 2 - Joline Blais - Spring 2017
Twine exercise: a prologue to "Star's Reach" by John Michael Greer.
Story by Kathryn Galley (Tommy), Colbey Fogg (Didi), Ethan Crooker (Lou), and Austin Haughton (Stu). Twine design by Austin Haughton.