Would you like to play with music on?
[[Yes|start][$playMusic to true]]
[[No|start][$playMusic to false]]
<<set $touched = false>>
<<set $licked = false>><<cacheaudio "bgm" "https://file.garden/arWwLzUoVeI8IzJj/twine-song.mp3">><<if $playMusic>>\
<<audio "bgm" play loop>>\
<</if>>\
A hollow doorframe sits in an empty void.
[[Knock]]
[[Inspect Door]]
<img src="images/door.png" width="400">The door slowly creaks open, letting out a whining groan as it's old hinges press against the frame. You call out to anyone who may be behind the door.
"Hello?"
But no one answers. You [[enter|Enter]] through the door.
<img src="images/door-open.png" width="400">You cannot make out its material, although it seems thin. You can hear a faint murmur through the other side.
[[Back|start]]
<img src="images/inspect-door.png" width="400">What is beyond the door seems empty. On the ground, there lay [[small muddy imprints|Inspect Floor]].
<img src="images/footsteps.png" width="400">Upon closer inspection, you discover the tiny markings are what seems like footprints, dotting the floor till no end. Although, these markings look like no creature you've ever seen. A strange curiosity brews inside you.
<<if $touched == true>>\
Touching the footprint left muck on your delicate fingers, you look around for a place to [[wash|TowardsHose]] your hands.
<<elseif $licked == true>>\
Licking the footprint left a bitter taste in your mouth, you look around for a [[snack|GardenPlant]] to cleanse your palate.
<</if>>\
<<if $touched == false and $licked == false>>\
[[Lick]]
[[Touch]]
<</if>>
<img src="images/footprint.png" width="400">Blegh!! Gross, the imprints were left by muddy feet. The inside of your mouth tastes like your mother's garden, for better or for worse.
<img src="images/footprint.png" width="400">
<<set $licked = true>>
[[Back|Inspect Floor]]Interesting, you streak your fingers against the imprint and notice its coagulated nature. It reminds you of the way soft earth felt back home.
<img src="images/footprint.png" width="400">
<<set $touched = true>>
[[Back|Inspect Floor]]You walk away from the footprints towards a flat endless plane. You instinctively put your hands in your pockets yet remember to remove them immediately as to not dirty your clothes. After all, you know regular detergent rarely ever gets this stuff off.
Whilst walking, you can't help but notice a thin black snake meandering its way in the [[distance|GardenHose]].
<img src="images/hose1.png" width="400">Are you really the type to cleanse your palate? What for?
Perhaps it is just the rumbling of your tummy that aches to get a snack. It is this hunger that prevents you from walking further. Lazily, you just sit here and stare at the [[ground|Sitting]].
<img src="images/dirt1.png" width="400">The snake does not seem lost, it knows its way around. Curling up and about, ending its journey into a [[valve|Valve]].
<img src="images/hose2.png" width="400">Nothing much happens, sitting isn't the most exhilirating sport, yet it is quite fun in its own right. The dirt beneath your feet enjoys sitting still as well. You continue to sit [[alongside her|DirtClump]].
<img src="images/dirt2.png" width="400">You stare in wonder as the ground beneath your feet shifts sands and wades earth to [[hug|Sprout]] you.
<img src="images/dirt3.png" width="400">Although not every embrace is in the form of a tight hold or a soft kiss. Nevertheless, it fulfills the empty part of you at that moment. It feels warm and smells like home. You let go, and in her kindness, she offers you [[fruit|Take Fruit]].
<img src="images/tomato2.png" width="300">Its flesh is sweet but hard to bite in to, like a small stone made of syrup. Yet strangely, it is just the way you like it.
//[[End]].//A shoddy iron valve is built into the mechanism, small regions of rust scatter its otherwise rugged surface. It seems hard, but not impossible to [[turn the valve|TurnValve]].
<img src="images/valve.png" width="400">Your noodle arms pose little strength against the age of this machine, yet as soon as you lift your hands off the latch, the valve turns by itself, letting water flow in a steady stream to the palms of your dirty hands. Once all the dirt is washed off, you stuff your cold clammy hands into the warmth of your pockets.
<img src="images/washhands.png" width="400">
The feeling brings you calm, and with it, you decide to continue your [[play|ContinuePlay]].
And although, intrapersonal interactions were never really your thing, you decide to be extra careful this time. Though it doesn't matter, here valves turn by themselves.
//[[End]].//inspired by <a href="https://ifdb.org/viewgame?id=h8hfxg25ol44mc7x">Demonstration by Marion Zhuravlev</a> and <a href="https://frogmen.itch.io/brain-surgery">Brain Surgery by q1</a>.
Last Updated: Friday, 25-Sep-26 16:02:42 UTC
<a href="https://roshi404.neocities.org/">Home</a>