The Pond

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/pond.gif" width="800px"> A fisherman sits in front of a pond. His line doesn't seem to be catching anything in particular, and the prospect this pond has any kind of fish in it is dubious at best. What will you do? [[> Speak to the fisherman->Speak to the fisherman]]

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/fisherman.gif" height="800px"> He makes a vague grunt at your greeting. [[> Ask about the pond.->Ask about the pond.]]

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/fisherman.gif" height="800px"> He says it's the same as usual. Fish are lacking around these parts. Again, you doubt the idea that there are fish at all in a pond so small. Who are you to judge, though? You're no fisherman, after all. [[> Inspect the pond for yourself.->Inspect the pond for yourself.]] (if:visits is not 1)[[[> Pick up a fishing rod next to the fisherman and ask for some bait.->Pick up a fishing rod next to the fisherman and ask for some bait.]]]

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/pond.gif" width="800px"> You walk past the fisherman and gaze into the pond. The water is clear. The pond is only a few metres wide, and barely deep at all. There's no fish as far as you can tell, and no movement at all in the pond. His line doesn't even cause any ripples in the water. It's like the whole world is completely still. What's the deal? [[> Tell the fisherman there are no fish in the water.->Tell the fisherman there are no fish in the water.]]

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/fisherman.gif" height="800px"> The fisherman is tired of your shit. He retrieves the rod out of the water and reminds you he is the fisherman here, and whether or not there are fish in this water is irregardless of your opinion. Besides, he says, it's all a matter of perspective--whether or not there are fish in this pond don't detract from his being a fisherman. Right, you say, just like you being a smartass doesn't detract from his being an idiot. He snaps the rod in half and slides the sharp end clear through your eyeball. GAME OVER. [[How about we go back a few steps?->Ask about the pond.]]

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/shittyrod.gif" width="800px"> He reluctantly gives you a conservative handful of worms and lets you use the rod. You cast your line into the water. Just like the fisherman, your line makes no ripples. You become keen to the fact that there is no wind in this place, and better yet, no sound to it, either. The world seems still. You are convinced there are no fish in this pond, and yet now that you have assumed the position of the fisherman, a small kind of belief is beginning to form in the deeper reaches of your mind. The pond is delightfully artificial, and you begin to take a kind of pleasure in it. Are you exerting yourself on it, or is it beginning to take you in, and you're drowning without realizing? The gravity of these thoughts alone begin to take you deeper, deeper, deeper... [[> ...->...]]

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/fish.gif" width="790px"> Suddenly something tugs at your line. In your trance a fish that shouldn't exist has now appeared. The fisherman makes a noise, and you can't tell if he's happy or just jealous you're going to be putting food on the dinner table tonight. Your wife will be so happy, but you can't even recall her face right now. It's something that's revealed to you in tandem with this fish's rising to the surface of the water, where it transcends from an idea to a tangible resource of survival. The excitement starts to get your blood pumping, even if the surface of the water hasn't visibly changed at all. You know this fish is going to pop out of it, and it's going to be so tasty. You start salivating. Your mind skips ahead three steps between the catching of this fish and its cooked flesh on your plate. Finally, the non-descript fish that could be anything at all pops out of the water. It does not resist, and seems dead on arrival. Suddenly the fisherman begins to speak real actual worlds, instead of the vague grunts you've received until now. [[> Speak to the fisherman.->Speak to the fisherman.]]

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/fisherman-happy.gif" height="800px"> "Boy howdy! If it ain't a level 51 tuna you got right there! The wife'll be pleased, won't she? Say, though, you're not from around these parts, though, are ya?" He flashes a toothy grin. How will you respond? [[> Ask about "these parts."->Ask about "these parts."]] (t8n-arrive:"slide-left")[[> Tell him your wife is the most beautiful woman on the planet.->Tell him your wife is the most beautiful woman on the planet.]] [[> Stay silent.->Stay silent.]]

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/fisherman-happy.gif" height="800px"> He says it's a small fishing town, and all their industry is localized to this tiny pond. The pond provides endlessly, he says, and they are grateful. He mentions that they don't get visitors often, perhaps once every few years. Since the fire, he tells you, there's not been much in the way of tourism around here. Just the usual kids who like to mess around under the bridge. Otherwise it's just old me doing my fishing, he says. There's a sad look in his eye. Maybe you shouldn't have broached this topic, but how would you have known it would've invited the wistfulness of an old man chasing a memory that could never be fulfilled? It seems familiar to you somehow. Old men are all the same, you think. They long for things that can never be replaced, but refuse to accept the state of affairs. They fester and perpetuate their own demise. After a certain point, they slap on an artificial "THE END" to their lives, and then slowly await their deaths, staring into ponds like this hoping for their reflection to be one of a younger man. The disappointment they feel everyday when they remember that magic isn't real and time is linear (at least for them) fills them with an infinite sadness. This old man doesn't feel anything like that though. He just feels the way he does because that's how he feels. Your thoughts project on to him and he seems real, though, because he might as well be. Too many thoughts now, though. [[> Ask about the fire->Ask about the fire]] [[> Ask about the kids->Ask about the kids]] [[> Tell him to suck it up->Tell him to suck it up]]

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/fisherman.gif" height="800px"> He stands up. He walks over to you, and you feel so nervous you let out a little fart. He's taller than you thought. He gets right into your face and asks you a question: "You got proof to back up that kind of ludicrous talk, sir?" He asks this in the most threatening tone known to man. The sir is appended to the end facetiously, and all three letters of it pierce through your ears like a taunt, a call to arms, but all you can do is hope you don't shit your fucking pants right now. You're not used to situations like this. You meagerly hand him a photograph you find in your pocket, and the fisherman spends a long time inspecting it. MY GOD, you're going to shit your pants. You just know you will. The shit is coming out now, holy fuck. He looks at the photograph and then looks back at you. He looks at the photograph again and pulls it closer to his face. Then he looks back at you. Then he looks at the photograph again, and then this silly charade repeats a few more times. He says: "var wife not found," and then breaks his fishing rod in two, sliding the sharp end through your eyeball and clean through your gray matter. GAME OVER. [[Let's not talk about wives.->Speak to the fisherman.]]

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/fisherman.gif" height="800px"> And so you enter a kind a of stasis. Your thoughts reach an impasse. No matter how much you consider the situation, it cannot react to you. Your thoughts alone have no power. You absolutely must enforce a kind of agency on this pond before it can exert its agency onto you. This is the kind of relationship between the pond and yourself. [[> Sit a bit longer.->Sit a bit longer.]]

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/fisherman.gif" height="800px"> It was a few years ago now, he tells you. Arson, he thinks. The official cause was never discovered. The old lumber mill burnt down, and with it was any dreams of their town reaching any sort of industrial prosperity. People just gave up after that, and entered this kind of loop. This kind of repetition. You know how it is. The stage is set. You can feel the breeze now. The water ripples. The clouds begin to move, and you can feel the earth spin beneath your feet ever so slightly. It's a nice day. [[You close your eyes.->You close your eyes.]]

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/fisherman-happy.gif" height="800px"> Oh, they're just ruffians who like to play under the bridge, he says. He basically says the same thing twice. He either doesn't want to talk about it or doesn't know anything about it more than that. But he quickly disproves this by saying he worries about his grandson who spends too much time with them. You tell him it's probably fine. [[> Ask about other things.->Ask about "these parts."]]

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/fisherman.gif" height="800px"> You tell him old men are the scourge of the earth, and that he should be thankful this pond bothers rendering him fish every damn day. What the fuck does he have to complain about? He's healthy, he eats well, and the town is prosperous. What is he really so excited to return back to? Industrial stability? A stable line of "progression," whatever that means? What a boring old crone. He snaps the fishing rod in half and slides it straight through your eyeball. GAME OVER. [[> Let's stop being mad about old men.->Ask about "these parts."]]

Ohhhh yes... You're feeling it now. You're feeling what the gods before you have called "agency." The world is now your fucking oyster. Anything can happen. It's alive beyond your control. You know this to be true because it said so on the back of the box. Sit back and let the objectives roll in. You're really enjoying it now. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yep. Actually this is pretty fucking boring. [[> Maybe you should talk to him after all.->Speak to the fisherman.]]

The world goes black. Time passes, and you're not sure how long. Who's there? Sounds are replaced by other sounds, and the world spins, even though you can't see it. The pond's smell disappears. You're alone now. You hear a sound. [[> Wake up.->Wake up]]

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/pond-fire.gif" width="800px"> Mayhem. The forest burns. The pond is still. The fisherman is holding his grandson in his hands. He turns to you and says: "Oh, it's you, thank god! Call the sheriff. My grandkid, the damn fool, he's got a hook in his eye. Call a doctor, call anyone, I don't think he can hear me anymore!" You move toward the fisherman. You come close to the child. The fisherman seems like he expected you to do this, and he passes the child to you. It's a young boy, and a hook has gotten caught just under his eye, seemingly from trying to swim under the bridge. You are no doctor. At the same time, you're able to remove the hook seamlessly and without issue. [[> Examine hook.->Examine hook]]

<img src="https://falions.net/1jam/key.gif" width="800px"> It's not a hook. It never was a hook. This is a key. A key can open many doors, both real and otherwise. You place the key in your inventory and hand the boy back to the fisherman. The fire stops. The boy is happy. The fisherman is happy. The pond is full of fish. The world is still once again. A key is the goal here. You made it! Congrats. [[> Claim your victory.->Claim]]

<br><br><br> (text-style: "shudder")[ YOU WILL NEVER BE ABSOLVED (after:5s)[YOU CAN SEEK OUT THE ENDS OF THE WORLD, BUT YOUR GUILT WILL NEVER LEAVE.] (after:10s)[BECOME ONE WITH IT.] (after:15s)[BECOME ONE WITH IT.] (after:20s)[BECOME ONE WITH IT.] (live: 20s)[(go-to: "Claim 2")] ] <audio src="https://wielant.net/speakbg.mp3" autoplay="autoplay" loop></audio>

(live: 20s)[(go-to: "Claim 3")] (text-style: "shudder")[ THIS WORLD IS NOT FOR YOU. (after:5s)[AND AT THE SAME TIME, IT IS IN ITS TOTALITY, FOR YOU.] (after:10s)[BECOME ONE WITH IT.] (after:15s)[BECOME ONE WITH IT.] (after:20s)[BECOME ONE WITH IT.] (live: 20s)[(go-to: "Claim 2")] ] <audio src="https://wielant.net/speakbg.mp3" autoplay="autoplay" loop></audio>

(live: 20s)[(go-to: "end")] (text-style: "shudder")[ EAT SHIT. (after:5s)[DIE.] (after:10s)[BECOME ONE.] (after:15s)[BECOME ONE.] (after:20s)[BECOME ONE.] (live: 20s)[(go-to: "Claim 2")] ] <audio src="https://wielant.net/speakbg.mp3" autoplay="autoplay" loop></audio>

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