Start of a transcript of Digit A dripping-wet curiosum by Joey Acrimonious Release 1 / Serial number 220401 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib 6/12N) Remember: ABOUT, CREDITS, and HELP are always available. Identification number: //A2D8264B-B1AA-46C4-894F-8E285B854AA3// Interpreter version 1.3.5 / VM 3.1.2 / Library serial number 080126 Standard Rules version 3/120430 by Graham Nelson Reactable Quips Edited version 10/171116 by Michael Martin Quip-Based Conversation Edited version 5/171116 by Michael Martin >restat Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >restart Are you sure you want to restart? yes Digit is an adults only adventure featuring depictions of: -Sexual activity -Kinky play involving consensual hypnosis If this doesn't interest you, or if you are not of legal age to view such material, please do not proceed. Proceed (yes/no)? >yes Awesome. Once we get started, consider typing ABOUT to read some short remarks on the story; CREDITS to see the credits; and HELP to see some common commands and tips. Outside the house now.Digit A dripping-wet curiosum by Joey Acrimonious Release 1 / Serial number 220401 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib 6/12N) Remember: ABOUT, CREDITS, and HELP are always available. outside Evie's house I jogged up in front of my best friend Evie's house: the world's smallest mansion on a little hill overlooking the road. A gull was standing on the roof, looking every which-way as if something amazing was happening all around it. This was going to be a special day. We were going to the Fruit Festival, after all. Mental checklist time. My clothes were cleanish, my boobs were sweaty (god damn it was a hot one today), and my bag was right where I left it - in my hand. I stuck my nose down the collar of my tee, and decided that I smelled acceptable. Finally, I felt the back of my shirt, right between my shoulder blades. Well, it was dry there when I left the facilities at the field, so I felt like I deserved a pass on that one. Beyond the house, the sun was hanging a little low in the sky; behind me, the coastline was bathed in orange-pink. By the time I looked back, the gull was staring at me. Hmm... it might have already been staring at me. >* interesting opening! Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >about Digit is an interactive short story, and not much of a game at all - I think of it as being somewhat adjacent to the walking simulator genre. There is no meaningful branching nor any very entertaining puzzles. Rather, my goal was to present interactivity in a way that buttresses the narrative, helping the player to feel more connected to the world and its characters without presenting too many obstacles. I make no claim about whether or not I have succeeded in this goal. >credits Digit was written by Joey Acrimonious for Spring Thing 2022. It makes use of Basic Screen Effects by Emily Short, and Reactable Quips/Quip-Based Conversation by Michael Martin. Cover image is the original work of Joey Acrimonious, featuring the Shadows into Light font (free for personal use) by Kimberley Geswein. Much thanks to the incomparable Dr.McNastyPhD for testing, feedback, and support. >help There are a few commands that you'll need. The most common ones by far are EXAMINE (or X) and TALK. Other commands are also necessary, but I believe they will become apparent when they become relevant. If you're ever unsure how to proceed, try talking, or examining anything that is present. To see a review of your surroundings, type LOOK. >l outside Evie's house A huge black walnut tree towered over the yard. I was pretty sure Evie's house was blue, but who could tell for all the ivy? I stood on the sidewalk by the front steps, thinking I was ready to go inside, probably. >x gull It eyed me with a peculiarly animal mix of imperiousness and paranoia, or so I imaged, as if to ask why I hadn't gone inside yet. >* imaged -> imagined Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >x ivy It clung to the side of the house in thick sheets. >take ivy That was hardly portable. >cut it Cutting it up would have achieved little. >* default responses take me out of the character a little, but the others that are changed are gooed! You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >* I like the gull description Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >x sidewal I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x sidewalk I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x steps I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x house I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >l outside Evie's house A huge black walnut tree towered over the yard. I was pretty sure Evie's house was blue, but who could tell for all the ivy? I stood on the sidewalk by the front steps, thinking I was ready to go inside, probably. >x tree As I passed the black walnut tree in the yard, I smiled at its wild-looking limbs, grasping in all directions, ending in spindly twigs. Its fruit hung plump and green, but those were only the husks. The walnuts were inside. Last fall, Evie and I collected some of them and made a pie! Well, Evie mostly made the pie, because she's good with things like that. But I totally helped. Maybe we would do the same thing this year, I hoped, in a few months. >x walnuts As I passed the black walnut tree in the yard, I smiled at its wild-looking limbs, grasping in all directions, ending in spindly twigs. Its fruit hung plump and green, but those were only the husks. The walnuts were inside. Last fall, Evie and I collected some of them and made a pie! Well, Evie mostly made the pie, because she's good with things like that. But I totally helped. Maybe we would do the same thing this year, I hoped, in a few months. >take walnuts That was hardly portable. >i I was carrying: my phone my bag (closed) my tee (being worn) a shorts (being worn) >x phone My cell phone was ancient - from before touch screens stopped being a thing. >turn on phone It wasn't something I could switch. >* huh, is this the future? You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >x tee A soft, plum-colored tee shirt. >x short I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x shorts A pair of short denim shorts. >x me I was a bad bitch, what else is there to say? >x bag A beat-up old duffel bag. >open it I opened the bag, revealing my softball uniform. >x unifor I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x uniform Stained with dirt from today's game. >* I can type Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >in Evie's house I let myself in, as usual. The inside was slightly less scorching than outside - slightly. The windows were open, the curtains ebbing and flowing gently. From the entryway, I spotted Evie's housemates sitting at the dining room table, enjoying some beers over a game of some kind. >talk Evie's housemates - Brian, Rob, and Jackie - were mostly engrossed in their board game. [1] "Hey, guys!" [2] "How the hell are ya?" >1 "Hey, guys!" "Hey, Sirin," said Brian. Rob gave me a brief nod, staring intensely at the board. Jackie raised her beer in acknowledgement. [1] Ask about their game. [2] Ask if they've been to the Fruit Festival. >1 "What's that?" I asked. "Ah, this is Architects of Kazan. It's kind of a?" he trailed off. "...Well, it's European." I looked over the board, which seemed to be some kind of strange geometrical map covered in little wooden goats. Hmm. "Neat." [1] Ask if they've been to the Fruit Festival. >1 "So, have you guys been to the Fruit Festival?" "I haven't. Rob and I were thinking we might go over tomorrow." "I was there earlier," Jackie remarked. "Scored this sweet - here, let me see if I can find it?" She dug around in her backpack to produce a bottle of fancy-looking golden murk, which she held up proudly. "Dandelion wine! You know how hard to find this shit is?" "No," I said. "How hard to find is it?" "Like? kind of hard." I gave a hearty thumbs-up. "Nice!" "Mmm hmm." She went back to considering the game. Brian waved me closer. He only began to whisper after a furtive glance around the table, ensuring that the others were totally engrossed in the goat trade. "Is, uh. Is everything all right? You know." His voice dropped to where he was just mouthing the words. "With Evie." "Yeah," I whispered back. "She's fine. Really." He raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "I just hope she knows, ya know, she can hang out with us whenever she wants. And not just on board game night. I think we'd all like that." "She knows," I told him. "Good," he said, as we each gave a mildly awkward smile to the other. Brian was a sweet guy, but he didn't know Evie the way I did. Speaking of which - as fun as it always was to chat up this crew, I remembered that my friend was waiting for me. "See you later, guys!" I gave them a big wave before heading up the stairs. Knock, knock. I heard her say something that was probably "Come in." Evie's room The room was full of so many plants. Between them and the kitchenette, I didn't understand how Evie managed to keep everything so neat and clean. Her bed occupied the center of the room, with a stately desk and an enormous bookshelf nearby. Evie was here, looking cute as a button with her fluffy hair. "Hey, Evie!" I burst into my best friend's room with perhaps a bit too much excitement, probably bouncing up and down more than I should have been. She looked up from her desk and softly giggled at me, looking like a total cutie, as usual, with an emery board in hand. She pointed to the door behind me, smiling patiently. Oh, right. She kept on giggling as I flailed my arm behind my back, trying to grab the door handle without having to take my eyes off her. I watched her put the file away and uncap a bottle of cuticle oil, brushing it onto her fingers. And, at some point, I found the door handle. Finally I tugged it completely shut - it fit very snugly against the foam soundproofing that was all around the door frame. Hell, Evie was stronger than she looked, otherwise she'd never be able to shut this thing by herself. I had to put my body weight into it. When Evie finally spoke, I realized she had been waiting for me to finish, which was just like her. "Hey, Sirin." She was smiling calmly, but warmly. "It's good to see you." Her voice was as light as air. As I was drawn closer, I could see her smooth, shiny nails. "Hmm," I said, in mock appraisal. "Your nails are short but very elegant. Just like the rest of you!" "I am not short!" I stepped closer, partly because I wanted to hear her better, and partly because I just wanted to. She stood and craned her head to look up at me with the same modest little grin as usual, and I noticed that she was wearing a summer dress I hadn't seen before. Evie's room The room was full of so many plants. Between them and the kitchenette, I didn't understand how Evie managed to keep everything so neat and clean. Her bed occupied the center of the room, with a stately desk and an enormous bookshelf nearby. Evie was here, looking cute as a button with her fluffy hair. >x dress A short summer dress, black with a colorful floral print. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. >* description of the room printed twice for some reason? Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >x plants There were so many houseplants in here. How did Evie keep them all alive? The most eye-catching one of all was a brilliant red fuchsia. >x fuchsia There were so many houseplants in here. How did Evie keep them all alive? The most eye-catching one of all was a brilliant red fuchsia. >take it That was hardly portable. >smell it The floral aroma pervaded the whole room. >* nice! Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >l Evie's room The room was full of so many plants. Between them and the kitchenette, I didn't understand how Evie managed to keep everything so neat and clean. Her bed occupied the center of the room, with a stately desk and an enormous bookshelf nearby. Evie was here, looking cute as a button with her fluffy hair. >x bed The bed was plush and enormous. Even with the heap of pillows on it, it was easily large enough to fit three Evies more than comfortably. Or one of Evie and one of me. Well, that was silly. What was I thinking? >look under bed I found nothing of interest. >x desk This giant wooden desk looked like it weighed more than Evie and I combined, and was probably older than any living person. Her tiny laptop was sitting in the middle of it, looking downright silly by contrast, and a wastebasket was on the floor next to it. >x laptop I took a peek at Evie's laptop. A newish machine, it had electrical tape across the built-in webcam. On the screen was a webpage with what looked like some kind of story: HOMO ILLUMINATUS The shocking true story of how I wired my housemate's faux Tiffany lamp directly to my onboard power supply while she was away for the weekend. I didn't really get it. >* amusing! Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >x basket I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x wastebasket Evie's room, for the most part, was amazingly clean and tidy. The wastebasket was the one exception. Stacked high with empty noodle wrappers and ice cream pints, it wasn't emptied as often as it could have been. >empty it Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >* ah well Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >x bookshelf The bookshelf was ordered alphabetically, with no distinction between fiction and nonfiction. It looked like most of them were fantasy novels, including one large collection of titles by someone with a name that I think might have been Samoan? >read books The bookshelf was ordered alphabetically, with no distinction between fiction and nonfiction. It looked like most of them were fantasy novels, including one large collection of titles by someone with a name that I think might have been Samoan? >take books That was hardly portable. >l Evie's room The room was full of so many plants. Between them and the kitchenette, I didn't understand how Evie managed to keep everything so neat and clean. Her bed occupied the center of the room, with a stately desk and an enormous bookshelf nearby. Evie was here, looking cute as a button with her fluffy hair. >x evie My best friend. She was moving about the room, preparing to head out. >x hair The funny thing about Evie was that she had a head of hair that perfectly suited her - soft, shortish tufts that you just wanted to squish your face into. Or was that just me? >x dress A short summer dress, black with a colorful floral print. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "You look nice!" [2] "Your hair is so fluffy!" [3] "Your desk is something else." [4] "What's this HOMO ILLUMINATUS thing?" [5] "Looks like you might need to empty the wastebasket soon." [6] "Who's this author?" [7] "You have so many plants." [8] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "You look nice!" I said. "And the dress is nice, too." "Mmm." I bent a little to give her a big, friendly squeeze while she put her arms around me with all the strength of a gentle breeze. When we parted, she was smiling just a little more broadly than before, and that made me happy. "Someone's friendly today," she remarked. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "Your hair is so fluffy!" [2] "Your desk is something else." [3] "What's this HOMO ILLUMINATUS thing?" [4] "Looks like you might need to empty the wastebasket soon." [5] "Who's this author?" [6] "You have so many plants." [7] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Wow!" I said, my eyes no doubt twinkling with excitement. "Your hair is so fluffy! Can I touch it?" "Um?" I patted her on the head, feeling the softness of her hair. It fluffed out into voluminous curls. Short yet elegant. Then, I remembered. "An angora goat!" "Hmm?" "Remember last week I was trying to tell you what your hair is like? I was like, not an alpaca - not a sheep - but I didn't know what to call it? I figured it out! It's like an angora goat." "It is not!" She tried to stifle a laugh as she protested. "And you shouldn't just? touch people like that." "Do you want me to stop?" She didn't answer, but I saw that her face was getting a little red. That was one of Evie's many amazing skills - the ability to blush, lots. "Ah, sorry." I withdrew my hand. "It's fine." She picked up her shoulder bag from the desk and started poking through it. It gave her something to look at other than me. "So, how did your game go?" Great. A change of subject. I proceeded to tell Evie how our pitcher got lost on the way to the vending machine; how I went on to score the first run after tripping and sliding right between the third baseman's legs; how we were down by four runs going into the final inning; how a pissy goose stole the ball? At some point Evie started giggling, and I stopped long enough to become aware of my own arms gesticulating wildly. "Eh? Did I say something funny?" "No," she replied. "I just enjoy seeing you so happy." "Ah." I stared out the window, suddenly conscious of myself again. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "Your desk is something else." [2] "What's this HOMO ILLUMINATUS thing?" [3] "Looks like you might need to empty the wastebasket soon." [4] "Who's this author?" [5] "You have so many plants." [6] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Your desk is something else. Where did you get it?" She shrugged. "It came with the house. It was impossible to get it out - it doesn't fit through the door." "It was your aunt and uncle's, then? I wonder where they got it." "I think it's always been here," she said without skipping a beat. "The house was probably built around it." >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "What's this HOMO ILLUMINATUS thing?" [2] "Looks like you might need to empty the wastebasket soon." [3] "Who's this author?" [4] "You have so many plants." [5] Ask her about board game night. [6] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey, Evie," I asked, "what's this HOMO ILLUMINATUS thing?" "Oh, uh... it's just something I was reading. Never mind it." She reached over and closed the browser. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "Looks like you might need to empty the wastebasket soon." [2] "Who's this author?" [3] "You have so many plants." [4] Ask her about board game night. [5] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Looks like you might need to empty the wastebasket soon," I remarked. "Mmm... you said the same thing last week." "I'm not wrong, though." "No, you're not wrong." >x laptop I took a peek at Evie's laptop. A newish machine, it had electrical tape across the built-in webcam. Her wallpaper was an illustration of the entire cast of Sailor Moon. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "Who's this author?" [2] "You have so many plants." [3] Ask her about board game night. [4] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Who's this author?" I asked, pointing out the collection of books I'd noticed. "The name sounds Samoan or something." "Maybe it is, but according to the blurb, he's from New Jersey." "Dirty Jerz," I said, rubbing my chin. "So these are what, fantasy novels?" "You could say that." >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "You have so many plants." [2] Ask her about board game night. [3] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "You have so many plants," I said. "How the heck do you deal with them all?" "I like my plants," Evie said. "They're very lively." "Hmm... okay." "I especially like this one," she said, pointing out the red fuchsia with its many brilliantly-colored flowers. "It reminds me of someone special." "Oh? Who's that?" She gave me a playful poke on the shoulder - god her smile was precious. "My best friend," she said. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] Ask her about board game night. [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey, Evie. You know your housemates are playing Architects of? some place?" "Kazan." "You ever play with them?" "A couple of times." She spoke a little softly - as she always did - and I found myself leaning in closer, listening more closely to her, as I always did. Evie wasn't like my other friends. She was the only one who could make me hold still for a moment. I liked that about her. "You could hang out with them more often if you wanted to. I'm sure they'd be willing. Er, they'd like that. Definitely." "I know. Brian always invites me. He invited me today. I mean, we're going to the Fruit Festival today. But as for the other times, well?" She shrugged. "You know, if you decide to join them again sometime, you can feel free to call me up. I'd like to play with you guys." "Thank you." She showed me her modest little smile. I knew she was happy just being who she was. I didn't feel like she was lonely. But I also knew that when she wanted to push her comfort zone, I was the one she looked to for help. So I liked to put the option out there when I could. I was pretty sure that I was her only friend. She began to put on her shoes - a pair of flats. Next to them on the shoe mat, I noticed a pair of slip-ons I didn't think I'd seen before. >x slip-ons I was pretty sure I had never seen Evie wear these before. >x flats I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] Talk about our love lives. [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey, Evie," I said. "You ever get... not lonely, but - lonely? Being by yourself, that is." "I enjoy my alone time," she replied. "Ah, well, what I meant was - not being in a relationship with anyone." She chuckled. "Like I said, I enjoy my alone time." "Wish I had that attitude," I sighed. "I haven't been with anyone since Reg and I broke up, and honestly, it's kind of wearing on me." "You never talked much about the breakup," she said gently. "You can, if you want to." "Oh, it wasn't a big deal. It's not like we were ever super close. I mean, I liked him, of course. He taught me a lot of things. And the sex was incredible." "Mmm?" she said, noncommitally. "Oh yeah. Did I ever tell you how it went? The breakup?" "Mmm," she said, with the kind of inflection that definitely meant no. "Well, after we got our degrees, he was like, 'I'm going to work for a startup in Oregon, you wanna come with me?' And I was like, 'I wanna stay here.' And's that's how it went. We still talk sometimes. He tells me about how he lost his job and started fucking a millionaire. I tell him about my adventures managing the donut shop." "Mmm," she said with understanding and sincerity. "I dunno. It's fine. It just feels weird being single..." I trailed off. "And honestly, I dunno what he ever saw in me. We were from two different worlds." "You have a lot to offer someone, Sirin," Evie said. "But I think the more important thing is being able to love yourself." I nodded. That was a good way of thinking about it. "I'm going to use the bathroom real quick," she said. "Then we'll go?" "Sure thing," I said. Lucky. Evie's bedroom had a private bathroom attached. There was nothing like that in my family's box. >l Evie's room The room was full of so many plants. Between them and the kitchenette, I didn't understand how Evie managed to keep everything so neat and clean. Her bed occupied the center of the room, with a stately desk and an enormous bookshelf nearby. Evie was here, looking cute as a button with her fluffy hair. >x bathroo I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x bathroom I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >in I couldn't go that way. >talk to evie I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x evie I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >l Evie's room The room was full of so many plants. Between them and the kitchenette, I didn't understand how Evie managed to keep everything so neat and clean. Her bed occupied the center of the room, with a stately desk and an enormous bookshelf nearby. Evie was here, looking cute as a button with her fluffy hair. >z Time passed. Finally, Evie emerged from the bathroom. "Shall we go?" she asked. [1] "Sure thing." [2] "One sec." >1 On the way out, we waved at the housemates before stepping into the hot evening. outside Evie's house A huge black walnut tree towered over the yard. I was pretty sure Evie's house was blue, but who could tell for all the ivy? Evie was here, gazing somewhat around the yard and somewhat at her feet. The sidewalk was to the north. >* Seems like Evie was still in the room when she was meant to be in the bathroom? Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 I decided not to say anything to Evie at that moment. >n As we walked out of the yard onto a shadeless stretch of sidewalk, the sun hit me in the eyes, and I looked down. Evie was wearing a pair of flats that I was pretty sure I had seen plenty of times before. Ah - that reminded me. cracked sidewalk The sidewalk was full of cracks and lumps where roots were growing underneath it. I watched a dude walk past with a tiny bichon frise. "That's my guard dog," he said, smiling as he passed. Evie was with me, walking tenderly, as if she feared she would injure the sidewalk by stepping on it too hard. >x flats I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x feet I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >l cracked sidewalk The sidewalk was full of cracks and lumps where roots were growing underneath it. Evie was with me, walking tenderly, as if she feared she would injure the sidewalk by stepping on it too hard. >x sidewalk I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x lumps The largest roots had practically torn the sidewalk right up. >x roots The largest roots had practically torn the sidewalk right up. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] Ask about the slip-ons in her room. [2] Ask her about the Fruit Festival. [3] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Oh. Hey, Evie," I said. "Are those new slip-ons I saw in your room?" "Hmm?" She looked up when I broke the silence. "On your mat. There was a pair of shoes I've never seen you wear before?" "Oh. Those are my dancing shoes." She dropped this truth upon me like a bag of bricks. "What?!" I said, throwing my arms around in a way that was definitely normal and didn't make me look like a crazy person at all. "Mmm? What do you mean?" "I didn't know you danced!" "Oh," she looked away, "that's because I only do it when no one's around." "...Can I see you dance sometime?" "Hmm? probably not." I hung my head but did not protest, gracious in my defeat. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] Ask her about the Fruit Festival. [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "So," I said, "are you looking forward to the festival?" "I'm looking forward to going there with you." I could barely hear her over the sound of the pebbles I was kicking across the sidewalk. I slowed down and waited for her to catch up. "Thanks for making time for me," she continued. "I know you have a lot of other things on your plate." I shrugged. "I've always got stuff going on. But, you know, when we hang out, I feel like I can kind of let a lot of that go and just focus on one thing." "What thing is that?" I looked over to the rooftops of the houses we were passing. There was a gull standing on top of someone's gable. The same one from before? I felt like it was looking at me. "Oh, I don't mean any one thing in particular. Just, you know, one thing? generally." "Mmm." You don't get to judge me, bird. You're a bird. "So you're looking forward to the festival too, then?" Evie asked. "You know it! It's nice to do something a bit more relaxing," I said. Evie smiled warmly in response. "That's funny. I was actually thinking this was the most exciting thing I've done in a while." I gave her a gentle thump on the back. "Well, that's fine, too! Let's make this the most exciting Fruit Festival ever - a Fruit Festival you won't ever forget!" "Thanks, Sirin. You're kind." "Eh? Hmm? What are you thanking me for?" "For being my friend, I guess." "Well, shit. You don't have to thank me for that. I'm your friend because I want to be." "I mean it, though. I really enjoy? you know." She gestured at me. "My shirt?" "No." God damn where did she learn to smile so sweetly. "Spending time with you." "Uh. Are you sure? "Cause it's a really nice shirt," I said. "It has this soft fabric that feels really good to run my hands over, and the color is just neutral enough to go with a lot of different things." I looked down and started smoothing out my shirt. Why did Evie get like this sometimes? So? serious? Personal? You know - I want you to know, I'm not so much for the mushy talk. I wouldn't take that from just anyone. "You're pretty funny, you know," she said with a little chuckle. "Eh, I try." "But, you know, you don't have to be coy." "I don't know what you mean," I replied, cool as ice. Probably. "Alright." Evie and her damn words. I was gonna get her for that. >l cracked sidewalk The sidewalk was full of cracks and lumps where roots were growing underneath it. Evie was with me, walking tenderly, as if she feared she would injure the sidewalk by stepping on it too hard. My phone dinged. Shit. It was probably my dad. >x phone Yep, it was my dad. "I talked to Babaie again. I think he is ready to forgive you if you apologize." I shot a quick text back. "I didn't do anything wrong." I only had to look at the dots for a few seconds before he replied. I knew what he was going to say, anyway. "It's not about who is right and who is wrong. Everyone has to make sacrifices to get along." Yep. You know what? Not now. Not here. I put my phone back in my pocket. "Everything alright?" Evie asked. "Just fine," I said. Oh, thank fuck. Here came something else to think about. It was a dog. An excited dog! A very excited dog, dragging a leash behind him. His fur was kind of poofy and curled. Possibly a doberdoodle? He was drooling from both sides of his mouth. "Oh my god!" I hollered. "Cute!" "Uh, I don't know about that," Evie said, her voice wavering. "It's fine, he's friendly!" I play-rastled the extremely good dog to the ground, petting him all over as he flopped around and generally acted like a doofus. "Aren't you, boy? Aren't you?" "It looks dangerous," Evie said from some distance away. "Oh, no, he's a good boy! Look - there's nothing to stop you from petting him if you want." "I'm not really a dog person," she said from behind the closest telephone pole. "He's so soft though! His hair is almost as fun to touch as yours." I laughed as the dog hopped all over me, banged his nose into my crotch, and tried to hump my shoe. When he tried to move toward Evie, I grabbed his collar and kept having fun with him, not letting him move an inch. "He's friendly!" "It looks kind of crazy," Evie said from behind a different, farther-away telephone pole. "Of course he is! He's a dog! Look, it's fine, you just have to let him get to know you." When I looked up from petting him, Evie was peering wide-eyed at the dog from just a little ways down the sidewalk. I gestured at him. "Look how friendly he is!" Evie got a little closer. The dog rolled around on the sidewalk like an absolute buffoon, batting his tail furiously against the ground. He was so cute. "Uh, I'm not so sure about that," she said from behind me. "Look, it's fine." By the time Evie stepped up next to me, he was starting to tire out, and reacted by quietly drooling on the ground in satisfaction when she bent to give him a little tummy rub. She was way more gentle than she needed to be. But I could see that she was smiling. "Well? What do you think?" I asked. "I think you're reckless," she said, smiling even wider. "And I think you're enjoying yourself." I was enjoying myself, too. Although at this point, just watching Evie pet the dog was more fun than anything else. It wasn't long before a man came running down the same side street, out of breath, but totally relieved when he saw Mr. Good Boy. He apologized half a million times for letting him get away. No harm, no foul, I said. I did most of the talking - Evie had suddenly become very interested in inspecting the cracks in the sidewalk. Finally, he and the dog went, and Evie and I kept on our way. "You know," I said, "I think you are a dog person, after all." "I really don't think so." But she was still smiling. "How about cats?" "I guess I like them more." "Well, in that case, maybe next we should find you a nice pussy to touch." "Ah!" she laugh-snorted. "Don't say it like that!" She gave me a little smack on the shoulder. >l cracked sidewalk The sidewalk was full of cracks and lumps where roots were growing underneath it. Evie was with me, walking tenderly, as if she feared she would injure the sidewalk by stepping on it too hard. >n I wandered randomly around the area, before coming back. >x evie My best friend. She was walking alongside me. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "You wanna take the scenic route?" [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "You wanna take the scenic route?" Evie nodded with her trademark placid smile. I led us down a footpath, which ran down a hill to the waterfront promenade. As it approached the horizon from behind a fluffy cloud, the evening sun bathed the sky in peachy hues - but damn, it was still a hot one. Not far from where we were standing, gentle waves were breaking on the shore, caressing the rocks with a quiet murmur. A light seabreeze ruffled my hair. It felt cool against my sweat. It was nice. The promenade was a place I often came to jog, but it felt totally different being here now with Evie. footpath The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, the coastline strewn with rocks. Evie was here, looking out over the water with me. >x sea Calm waves were breaking against the rocky shoreline. Beyond, the sea stretched to the horizon, reflecting the pinkish light of the evening sun. >x rocks The shore was lined with large rocks, while the path was lined with smaller pebbles. I spotted a small stone by the path that was beautifully smooth and round. It reminded me of a softball in miniature. >x stone A wonderfully smooth and round stone, the kind I just wanted to throw. >take it I took the stone. Its heft was just perfect for throwing. >throw it I swung my arm back, and with a mighty step forward, hurled the stone into the waves. It made a satisfying splash, but failed to skip - as expected. "Nice throw," Evie said. "Eh." I shrugged. "I was trying to skip it. Never could get the hang of that." Evie chuckled for a moment. "It's easy, when you know the method. Want me to show you?" "Yeah. Teach me your ways." She looked around for a moment, before picking up a small rock and handing it to me. "When you skip a rock, you want to pick one that's as flat as possible, with as smooth a surface as possible. The idea is to maximize the surface area that touches the water." She came up behind me, putting her hands on my arms to pull me into position. "You want to get low to the ground, like this," she said, pressing herself into my back and pulling my hand down. "You want to toss the rock at the smallest possible angle to the surface of the water." "Uh huh." "Then when you throw it, you don't need so much force. Keep your feet flat and just sway, like this." I actually had to remind myself to relax so that she could move me the way she wanted - she was so soft. "And then, you toss it like this." She ran me through the motions a few times. Finally, I threw the rock - it sunk into the water immediately. "It'll be hard to get a good skip today," she said. "It's best when the water is completely calm. Want to try again?" She found another rock for me, this one more triangular in shape. "This is a very good rock," she explained, "because you'll be able to control it better. Get a good grip on this part, slide it into your finger like this... good, and try to put a spin on it." I gave the rock a toss... and it skipped... and skipped... and skipped... five times in total! "Sweet!" I said. "Wow. That's... you're really good at this! The most I've ever gotten is two." "What? I thought you were an expert!" We both had a good laugh. "Only in theory," she said. I picked up a few rocks of my own and tried throwing them. One of them got three skips. It was fun. >x evie My best friend. She was standing by me as I looked out over the ocean. >l footpath The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, the coastline strewn with rocks. Evie was here, looking out over the water with me. >* nice updating of descriptions Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "I really needed this." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Thanks, Evie," I said, tossing another rock. "I really needed this." She just watched, saying nothing. "I've kinda had a rough couple of days. Is it alright if I bitch about it now?" "You can vent as much as you want to," she said. Two skips. "Thanks. Thing is, I don't really get along with my grandfather. No one does, really. It's this... whole big thing." Four skips. "Anyway, he slapped me yesterday." Zero skips. "So I slapped him back. And, uh." Evie wrapped her arms around my stomach, buried her face in the back of my shoulder. "Hey, uh. Thanks." "..." "It's not that big a deal, really." "It is a big deal," she whispered, pulling back. I sighed. "Look, I'm over it." Zero skips. "It doesn't matter. I don't give a shit about that old bastard anyway. I don't care what he thinks of me." Zero skips. "I'm probably gonna have to move out, though. It's either that or kiss the old bastard's ass." "Sirin..." "It's not a big deal. My dad has a friend at the Housing Authority. He says I can get a box of my own, no questions asked." Zero skips. I sighed, again. "Thing is, I can live on my own. My grandfather can't. So I really shouldn't complain." Zero skips. "I've never lived alone before. Even in college, I always had roommates. It's kind of stupid for someone my age, but I don't know if I really want to. I've always... I've always relied on my family." "It's not stupid," Evie said. Zero skips. "I wish my father had my back more. That's what sucks the most. Because I do love him." I shrugged. "Honestly, I don't even know what I'd want him to do. Eh. It is what it is." "Sirin." I looked back to see Evie wiping her eyes. "Honestly, I feel a lot better now. Thanks for letting me vent. Sorry if I, uh... fucked up the mood." "No," she said. "No, it's fine. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help, okay? You can always stay at my place if you want to." "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." I rubbed my fingers together. They were covered in dirt from the rocks. "Let's get cleaned up, alright? There's a water fountain up ahead." footpath (by the fountain) The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, a water fountain nearby. Evie was with me. >x fountain A public water fountain that we could use. >use fountain I wet my hands and found that the water felt damn good - and refreshingly cool. After washing my hands clean, I took a good, long drink, surprising even myself at how thirsty I was. I raised my head to see Evie watching me patiently. As I stepped aside so that she could take her turn, I caught sight of something so beautiful, so exquisite, that I simply could not let it pass me by. It was the back of Evie's neck, moist with little beads of sweat, bent slightly as she reached for the button on the fountain, blissfully unsuspecting of her friend's sinister intentions. The moment was ripe. It had to be now. Before I even knew what I was doing, some primal, intuitive part of me had already begun to act. My timing was flawless. At the very moment Evie touched the button, I pressed my cold, wet finger against the back of her neck. "Eep!" She jumped at my touch, and I couldn't help but start laughing. Evie just looks so cute when she's startled. She looked back at me, trying to seem stern for about half a second before she broke into a smile of her own. "You shouldn't do things like that," she said, though it was hard to take her seriously as she fought back a giggle. "Oh? You look downright pleased about it," I said, still with a semi-maniacal grin. "That's because you were laughing so much," she said, finally managing to stave off the giggles by looking down at her feet. "Is that so?" "Mmm." I shifted in place. After a moment, she turned back to the fountain, and I looked out over the sea. "Hey, Sirin?" I heard her voice behind me, blending into the soft lapping of the waves and the running of the fountain. "Yeah?" I called back. "That was funny." "Ah, well? I try." "You know, I always have so much fun with you." "That's sweet of you to say." "I'm? sorry if, you know, I don't have the same energy you do." "I don't know what you mean," I said. "Mmm. I'm not spontaneous like you are. I certainly couldn't play jokes the way you do. So I'm glad you're here, sharing that energy with me." The fountain stopped, and I heard her coming closer to me. There she went being sappy again. I didn't dislike it. Damn it. "Hey, Evie?" "Yeah?" she replied, from right behind me. "I like you just the way you are," I said. For a moment, neither of us said anything. What else needed to be said? "Hey, Sirin." "Yeah?" I finally turned to face her, just in time to catch two handfuls of water directly in my face. I jumped back from the shock of the splash. Once I processed what had just happened, I saw her staring at me, wide-eyed, red-faced. Naturally there was only one thing to do in this situation. I started laughing my ass off. Then Evie started smiling, and giggling, and soon she was laughing her ass off too, and we were both laughing so hard that we must have looked like complete maniacs to anyone who happened to be passing by, and I for one laughed so hard that I almost peed. But damn it felt good. When I could breathe again, I gave her a whack on the shoulder. "You tricky bitch! That was a damn good one, though." "Y-yeah? well, you know. I try?" She grabbed her elbow as her voice trailed off into nothingness. I felt the water soaking the front of my shirt, some of it running all the way down to my shorts. It was actually pretty refreshing on a scorching day like this. I appreciated it. I knew it wasn't easy for Evie to do that. Even so, I was so going to get her for that. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. >l footpath (by the fountain) The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, a water fountain nearby. Evie was with me. >drink water I wet my hands and found that the water felt damn good - and refreshingly cool. After washing my hands clean, I took a good, long drink, surprising even myself at how thirsty I was. I raised my head to see Evie watching me patiently. As I stepped aside so that she could take her turn, I caught sight of something so beautiful, so exquisite, that I simply could not let it pass me by. It was the back of Evie's neck, moist with little beads of sweat, bent slightly as she reached for the button on the fountain, blissfully unsuspecting of her friend's sinister intentions. The moment was ripe. It had to be now. Before I even knew what I was doing, some primal, intuitive part of me had already begun to act. My timing was flawless. At the very moment Evie touched the button, I pressed my cold, wet finger against the back of her neck. "Eep!" She jumped at my touch, and I couldn't help but start laughing. Evie just looks so cute when she's startled. She looked back at me, trying to seem stern for about half a second before she broke into a smile of her own. "You shouldn't do things like that," she said, though it was hard to take her seriously as she fought back a giggle. "Oh? You look downright pleased about it," I said, still with a semi-maniacal grin. "That's because you were laughing so much," she said, finally managing to stave off the giggles by looking down at her feet. "Is that so?" "Mmm." I shifted in place. After a moment, she turned back to the fountain, and I looked out over the sea. "Hey, Sirin?" I heard her voice behind me, blending into the soft lapping of the waves and the running of the fountain. "Yeah?" I called back. "That was funny." "Ah, well? I try." "You know, I always have so much fun with you." "That's sweet of you to say." "I'm? sorry if, you know, I don't have the same energy you do." "I don't know what you mean," I said. "Mmm. I'm not spontaneous like you are. I certainly couldn't play jokes the way you do. So I'm glad you're here, sharing that energy with me." The fountain stopped, and I heard her coming closer to me. There she went being sappy again. I didn't dislike it. Damn it. "Hey, Evie?" "Yeah?" she replied, from right behind me. "I like you just the way you are," I said. For a moment, neither of us said anything. What else needed to be said? "Hey, Sirin." "Yeah?" I finally turned to face her, just in time to catch two handfuls of water directly in my face. I jumped back from the shock of the splash. Once I processed what had just happened, I saw her staring at me, wide-eyed, red-faced. Naturally there was only one thing to do in this situation. I started laughing my ass off. Then Evie started smiling, and giggling, and soon she was laughing her ass off too, and we were both laughing so hard that we must have looked like complete maniacs to anyone who happened to be passing by, and I for one laughed so hard that I almost peed. But damn it felt good. When I could breathe again, I gave her a whack on the shoulder. "You tricky bitch! That was a damn good one, though." "Y-yeah? well, you know. I try?" She grabbed her elbow as her voice trailed off into nothingness. I felt the water soaking the front of my shirt, some of it running all the way down to my shorts. It was actually pretty refreshing on a scorching day like this. I appreciated it. I knew it wasn't easy for Evie to do that. Even so, I was so going to get her for that. >* Ooops, probably shouldn't be repeatable! You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >throw water at evie (first taking the water fountain) That was hardly portable. >* ah well Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >i I was carrying: my phone my bag (open) my softball uniform my tee (being worn) a shorts (being worn) >x tee A soft, plum-colored tee shirt. >l footpath (by the fountain) The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, a water fountain nearby. Evie was with me. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] Continue down the promenade. [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 We walked on, and I admired the scenery. The vast ocean. The trees which lined the promenade. The remains of a narrow-gauge railway which ran alongside the footpath. The side of Evie's face. I decided not to say anything to Evie at that moment. footpath The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, the coastline strewn with rocks. Evie was here, looking out over the water with me. Soon, we could see the tents of the Fruit Festival in the distance. Evie was looking down at her feet again as we walked. >* redoing the location description again seems unneeded? Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. >l footpath The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, the coastline strewn with rocks. Evie was here, looking out over the water with me. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] Tell Evie that she doesn't have to push herself. [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey, Evie." "Yeah?" "I'm not the best with words." She looked up at me with a soft grin, but I swear there was a hint of mischief in her eye. She knew. She knew that she'd drawn me in. Now I was actually going to say something serious. "It's like, uh? you don't have to push yourself, you know? I meant what I said earlier, that I like you just the way you are. Like, we could just turn around right now if you wanted to." "Did you think I wanted to go to the festival just for your sake?" The bluntness of her words was softened by the playful smile she showed me. "Not everything revolves around you, Sirin." "Okay, okay. Good!" "I want to eat fruit." "Good! So do I." "So everything's good." "No. I mean, yes. Um - I mean, I wanted to say - look, I warned you I'm not the best with words. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I just? hope you know that? I kind of look up to you." I shifted my hands around, not sure how she'd respond to that. "Hey, Sirin." "Yeah?" "You're like, four inches taller than me." "Okay, now you're the one who's being coy. You know what I mean." "Do I?" "You do." "Maybe I do." She looked away, but I could tell she was hiding a big, fat grin. "Maybe I just want you to say it again." "Oh, I see. Because you like having your ass kissed a little bit." "No, I just like hearing you say silly things. It's funny." "It's not silly." "Mmm?" I stopped walking. "It's not silly. Hey." She looked up at me. "I really do see you as a role model," I said. "You're cool, and you know what you want, and you do your own thing, and you don't need anyone." Evie shook her head. "I do - " "You are!" I insisted. "You really are cool." Evie just gave one of her noncommittal gestures, and kept walking. I followed. Fruit Festival A throng of people was milling about the various booths, sampling the goods. The scent was incredible! Evie looked a little less comfortable, but she was doing alright. It wasn't long before we came to the Fruit Festival, set up in a parking lot near the harbor. Same as every other year, really: some entertainers, a few tents with some events going on in them, but mostly a lot of farmers and businesses with booths to sell fruit. And fruit-based prepared foods. And fruit-adjacent produce. I wanted to eat all the things. At one of the booths, we got a couple slices of carrot cake that came on a plate. After wolfing them down, we went around and started getting more stuff to carry around on the plate, picking at some of it as we meandered around the fair. >* Wait, carrots aren't fruit! I call foul You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >l Fruit Festival A throng of people was milling about the various booths, sampling the goods. The scent was incredible! Evie looked a little less comfortable, but she was doing alright. >x throng I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >smell A thousand - okay, well, maybe a couple dozen - different aromas wafted forth from the various booths. Everything smelled delicious. >x people I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x booths I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x goods I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x What do you want to examine? >evie My best friend. She was going around the Festival with me, looking at this and that. >talk to evie Evie was probably listening. [1] "Hey, Evie." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey, Evie," I said, but then realized she wasn't next to me. I turned and saw her eyeing the sign in front of one of the larger tents. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. >l Fruit Festival A throng of people was milling about the various booths, sampling the goods. The scent was incredible! Evie looked a little less comfortable, but she was doing alright. >x tent I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x sign THE GREAT JANKINI COMEDY STAGE HYPNOSIS According to the sign, the next show would be starting in a few minutes. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] Suggest going in the tent. [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey," I said, "that looks fun." "It? might be interesting." "Let's go! Come on!" We entered the tent and took some seats, sliding between a few folks to reach the middle of the tent. The place was pretty packed. The hypnotist was off to the side of the stage, having a smoke, wearing the kind of goofy getup that I thought only existed in vintage cartoons. tent Under the tent, a small crowd was gathered in an array of foldup chairs to watch The Great Jankini. After a few minutes, he came to the stage. "I am the Great Jankini, and, uh, here's what I do. I have the power of mesmerism! It's true! After 150 hours of training at the Oxford County Mind-Brain Institute, I have the ability to hypnotize anyone, anywhere, anytime. So, who'd like to volunteer?" Evie was gnawing on her lip. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. >x jankini A showman in a ridiculous getup. >l tent Under the tent, a small crowd was gathered in an array of foldup chairs to watch The Great Jankini. >x tent I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x crowd I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x chairs A bunch of foldup chairs for the audience. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] Ask if Evie is thinking of volunteering. [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey," I whispered to her. "You wanna go up?" "Oh, no, I couldn't." Just as well - some other woman was already coming to the stage. "We have our volunteer, ladies et cetera. And, uh, what's your name?" "Bridgette." "Alright, Bridgette, that's great. Go ahead and take a seat, please." He produced a piece of lint from his pocket and held it up for the audience to see. "Now I'm going to ask you to look at - oh, hell." I chuckled along with a couple other people from the audience as he tossed it away and pulled out a pocket watch instead. Evie wasn't laughing, but she was watching intently. "Now I'm going to ask you to look at this watch. Watch the watch as I let it swing back and forth. Don't move your head, just follow it with your eyes. Yeah, just like that." I noticed that he was holding the watch above the lady's eye level, so she had to look up at it. "Yeah, don't move your head. Your eyes are straining, aren't they? It takes so much energy to keep following the watch all the way up here. Yeah, it just takes all your energy, doesn't it?" "Uh, I guess." "That was a rhetorical question, sweetie. Okay, okay, good. So uh, you can just, you can notice that the rest of your body is getting relaxed and limp, because it's taking all your energy just to focus on this watch. All that energy is just draining out of the rest of your body. And your feet are totally relaxed now, so totally relaxed that you couldn't even move your toes if you tried. Isn't that right?" The volunteer gave a kind of embarrassed smile. "Uh, sure, right." "Okay, right, of course it is. You don't have to take your shoes off and show us, we'll just take your word for it. Okay, good. And now, your legs, too?" While the hypnotist kept on with his schtick, I looked around at the other members of the audience. Their faces ranged from bored to kind of amused. I, for one, was just happy to be here with Evie. >undo tent [Previous turn undone.] >volunteer Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >stand I decided not to say anything to Evie at that moment. But I wasn't in anything at the time. >volunteer Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >stand But I wasn't in anything at the time. >l tent Under the tent, a small crowd was gathered in an array of foldup chairs to watch The Great Jankini. >raise hand Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >u I couldn't go that way. >stand on stage I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >* would be nice to be able to try to volunteer Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] Ask if Evie is thinking of volunteering. [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey," I whispered to her. "You wanna go up?" "Oh, no, I couldn't." Just as well - some other woman was already coming to the stage. "We have our volunteer, ladies et cetera. And, uh, what's your name?" "Bridgette." "Alright, Bridgette, that's great. Go ahead and take a seat, please." He produced a piece of lint from his pocket and held it up for the audience to see. "Now I'm going to ask you to look at - oh, hell." I chuckled along with a couple other people from the audience as he tossed it away and pulled out a pocket watch instead. Evie wasn't laughing, but she was watching intently. "Now I'm going to ask you to look at this watch. Watch the watch as I let it swing back and forth. Don't move your head, just follow it with your eyes. Yeah, just like that." I noticed that he was holding the watch above the lady's eye level, so she had to look up at it. "Yeah, don't move your head. Your eyes are straining, aren't they? It takes so much energy to keep following the watch all the way up here. Yeah, it just takes all your energy, doesn't it?" "Uh, I guess." "That was a rhetorical question, sweetie. Okay, okay, good. So uh, you can just, you can notice that the rest of your body is getting relaxed and limp, because it's taking all your energy just to focus on this watch. All that energy is just draining out of the rest of your body. And your feet are totally relaxed now, so totally relaxed that you couldn't even move your toes if you tried. Isn't that right?" The volunteer gave a kind of embarrassed smile. "Uh, sure, right." "Okay, right, of course it is. You don't have to take your shoes off and show us, we'll just take your word for it. Okay, good. And now, your legs, too?" While the hypnotist kept on with his schtick, I looked around at the other members of the audience. Their faces ranged from bored to kind of amused. I, for one, was just happy to be here with Evie. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. >l tent Under the tent, a small crowd was gathered in an array of foldup chairs to watch The Great Jankini. >x bridgette I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x jankini A showman in a ridiculous getup. >x stage I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] Mention how cheesy this is. [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 Leaning over to her, I whispered, "This is pretty cheesy, huh? Huh?" "Shh," she replied, never taking her eyes off the performance. "Ah, sorry." Up on the stage, the hypnotist had finished relaxing his volunteer's legs, arms, stomach, ear lobes, and whatever other body parts I hadn't really paid attention to. "So, uh, your body is totally relaxed now. And now it's time for your eyes to relax too. Your eyes are so tired - so tired - that you just can't keep them open any more. Uh, you just can't keep them open any more? yeah, you can't keep them open any more." He waved his hand around in mock impatience. Finally, Bridgette closed her eyes, looking like she was trying not to make her smile too obvious. "The power of hypnosis, everybody!" He gave an exaggerated flourish to light applause. "Now, Bridgette," he continued. "Now that we've totally relaxed your body, we're going to relax your mind as well. And I want you to, uh? I want you to, uh?" He made a show of pulling up his sleeve and reading some notes written on his forearm. "Ah, I want you to imagine that you're standing at the top of a flight of stairs, and at the bottom of the stairs is a bed." "Why is there a bed at the bottom of the stairs?" Bridgette asked. "Oh shit, it, uh? it was a rhetorical question." "But you didn't ask a question." "So I didn't. Anyway! Stairs. Bed. I'm going to count down from one to ten. I mean, I'm going to count up from ten to one, and with each number just imagine that you're taking a step down the stairs. And with each step, you can just notice that your mind is becoming more and more relaxed, like you're just drifting off to sleep. What you're doing is entering the state of deep relaxation known as trance. And when we get to zero, you'll fall onto the bed and go completely to sleep, just like that. Okay, good. Ten? nine?" Suddenly Evie was leaning heavily on my shoulder. I looked and saw that her eyes were closed. >x evie My best friend. She was slumped on my shoulder, drooling on my shirt. >wake evie That seemed unnecessary. >out But I wasn't in anything at the time. >talk to evie Evie was sitting with her eyes closed, her mouth slightly ajar. [1] "Are you alright?" [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey. Are you alright?" I whispered. Evie said nothing. I gave her a little nudge, to no reaction. Was she okay? I watched my friend's chest rise and fall - she was breathing fine. Her face didn't look distressed at all. She just seemed like she was? sleeping. She couldn't be? >x evie My best friend. She was slumped on my shoulder, drooling on my shirt. >save Ok. >talk to evie Evie was sitting with her eyes closed, her mouth slightly ajar. [1] Is she hypnotized? [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey, Evie. You didn't... get hypnotized by that, did you?" Evie responded only by letting a single drop of drool fall onto the plate of treats. She totally did, didn't she? I had to bite my knuckle to stifle a laugh. This was too good! This was actually amazing! Then I noticed the plate leaning heavily to one side of Evie's lap, so I took it for safe-keeping. Up on the stage, the hypnotist was carrying on his act. >l tent Under the tent, a small crowd was gathered in an array of foldup chairs to watch The Great Jankini. >x jankini A showman in a ridiculous getup. "And, now, I'm going to ask you some questions. And without waking up, you're going to answer them honestly. No matter what I ask, you will be compelled to answer - you won't even care if it means spilling your deepest, darkest secrets in front of a crowd of total strangers! So... what did you have for breakfast this morning?" The woman visibly giggled, but kept playing along. "Oat - uh, oatmeal. With peanut butter." "English muffin," Evie faintly mumbled into my shoulder. Oh my god. This was too good. I don't think I paid any more attention to the show at that point. I was just watching my adorable best friend leaning on me, breathing gently, mumbling something in a soft wavering voice that probably only I could hear whenever the hypnotist asked a question of the volunteer on stage. Just sitting there, asleep, resting her head on my shoulder. She was so goddamn cute that I could barely stand it. "And? wake up!" The hypnotist clapped his hands. "Let's hear it for Bridgette, everybody! And remember, I also do bachelor and bachelorette parties, although for that, they call me The Great Mankini." As the audience began to applaud, Evie slowly lifted her head off my shoulder, leaving a little wet spot on my sleeve, and we looked at each other. "Um." "Hey, you might want to... uh?" I gave my cheek a tap. "Oh." Evie got the picture, and quickly wiped the drool off her face, looking away. "Are you ready to go?" she asked. "Mmm hmm." I followed her out of the tent, grinning from ear to ear. "That was really something! I can't believe you actually, you know, went under like that." Meanwhile, Evie was carefully studying the tops of her shoes as we walked along. "Did people?" she began softly. "Were people looking at me?" I shrugged. "Not really." "No?" "Maybe one or two." "Oh? ah, jeez?" Reddening with embarrassment, she continued to do research for a master's thesis on her shoes. But she kept walking. >l tent Under the tent, a small crowd was gathered in an array of foldup chairs to watch The Great Jankini. >* Thought we were out of the tent Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] Suggest finding a place to sit and eat the rest of the treats. [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey," I said, holding up the plate, "do you wanna find someplace to sit and eat the rest of these?" "Mmm." A slight nod. She walked. I followed her. We walked, and walked, and walked some more, out of the fair, back up the footpath. Finally, we reached a bench and sat. I put the plate in my lap. Before us was the wide expanse of the briny depths, and behind us, the sun beginning to set. I wanted to ask Evie about what had happened to her. I wanted so much to ask about it that I felt like the question was hanging in the air between us. She was quiet, still looking at her shoes. Was I going to push her into talking about something that embarrassed her this much? No. I was going to make myself talk about literally anything else. footpath (on the bench) The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, the coastline strewn with rocks. Evie was here, sitting on the bench with me. >undo tent [Previous turn undone.] >i I decided not to say anything to Evie at that moment. I was carrying: a lavender blueberry pierog a pickled rhubarb a chocolate-covered wild strawberry my phone my bag (open) my softball uniform my tee (being worn) a shorts (being worn) >* oh, we do have the treats, awesome! You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >x strawberry This wee little strawberry packed a scent far stronger than its size would suggest. >x rhubarb Powerful and tangy, it was a cool summertime treat. >smell strawberry Intensely sweet and bright, I couldn't help but smile at the scent. >smell rhubarb So sour! >* that sounds good Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >x pierog Apart from the richness of the butter and a faint sweetness, I couldn't discern the scent of the contents of the pierog. >smell pierog So rich! >eat t I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >eat it As delicious as that looked, I didn't want to hog the last of the treats for myself. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] Suggest finding a place to sit and eat the rest of the treats. [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey," I said, holding up the plate, "do you wanna find someplace to sit and eat the rest of these?" "Mmm." A slight nod. She walked. I followed her. We walked, and walked, and walked some more, out of the fair, back up the footpath. Finally, we reached a bench and sat. I put the plate in my lap. Before us was the wide expanse of the briny depths, and behind us, the sun beginning to set. I wanted to ask Evie about what had happened to her. I wanted so much to ask about it that I felt like the question was hanging in the air between us. She was quiet, still looking at her shoes. Was I going to push her into talking about something that embarrassed her this much? No. I was going to make myself talk about literally anything else. footpath (on the bench) The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, the coastline strewn with rocks. Evie was here, sitting on the bench with me. >l footpath (on the bench) The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, the coastline strewn with rocks. Evie was here, sitting on the bench with me. >i I was carrying: a lavender blueberry pierog a pickled rhubarb a chocolate-covered wild strawberry my phone my bag (open) my softball uniform my tee (being worn) a shorts (being worn) >xevie Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >x evie My best friend. She was sitting on the bench next to me. >give rhubarb to evie Evie didn't seem interested. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "Hey, Evie." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey, Evie. I've had fun today," I ventured. "Mmm," she nodded slightly. "Thanks for coming with me." "Mmm." She cleared her throat. Finally, she completed her research on her shoes and looked up at me. "Hey, Sirin. I've had fun today too. Um, can I? tell you something kind of personal?" "Yeah. You can tell me anything." "And you won't tell anyone else, alright?" I shook my head. "Absolutely not." "And you'll be cool about it even if it's weird, right?" "Look, I'm a certified freak. Weird? I don't know the meaning of the word. Try me." I smiled at her, and she briefly considered beginning a new dissertation, this time on my shoes. "It's fine," I said. "You can tell me if you want to." She looked me in the eye briefly, before the magnetic pull of my chin drew her away. "I like being hypnotized." "Oh," I blinked. "..." >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "Is that like a hobby of yours?" [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "I never knew that about you. So is that like a hobby of yours?" "Uh, no. When I say that I like it, I mean?" She took a moment to fish up the words, then lowered her voice. "It's kind of my thing, you know?" I waved my finger at her in a gesture of supreme assurance. "Oh, I totally get you," I said, having absolutely no idea what the difference was between a "hobby" and a "thing." "Ah." "Well, that's cool! That's not weird. I mean, I never heard of anyone, you know, doing that as a hobby, er, a "thing." But it's not weird." "Mmm. Ah? thanks." "I think that's cool." "Mmm." "And you know what? You're good at it. Like, I was wondering how you, uh, you know, fell asleep or whatever back there." "Practice," she said. "I'll bet! That was pure skill, you have a real skill." "Ah," she said, smiling awkwardly. I didn't really have to scratch my neck. But I did anyway. >l footpath (on the bench) The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, the coastline strewn with rocks. Evie was here, sitting on the bench with me. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "Hey, Evie." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey, Evie," I said, a little more quietly. "I'm really curious about this. I'd like to talk more about it. Is that alright?" "I, um? I was kind of wanting to ask the same question. Yeah. Yeah, it's okay with you if we talk about it?" "Yeah!" "And it won't be weird?" "Oh, it's the weirdest fuckin" thing in the world." She busted out into a cute little laugh. "Stop!" she said, giving me a little smack on the shoulder. "Alright, alright! It's only a little weird." "You said it wasn't weird." "Hmm? I contain multitudes." "Is that right?" "It is. Okay, so, like, how does this work? Where do you go to get hypnotized?" "Internet. There are lots of resources for that. You know, people share audio files and scripts - like, just scripts written in text." God damn. The sound of Evie talking about something that excited her - I didn't know, until that moment, how much I needed that in my life. "A lot of the time I like to download scripts, edit them how I like, and run them through a text-to-speech program. Lately I've been writing some of my own. Mmm? sometimes I've tried recording myself, but I don't know how I feel about that. I don't really like my voice that much." I'm not sure that I was really getting everything she was talking about, but there was one thing I knew for certain. "You have a really nice voice." "Mmm? I don't think so. I like your voice better. You have a confident voice." "Your voice is plenty confident." "It definitely isn't." "There! It is." "Agree to disagree?" She smiled gently, and I could no longer argue. "Well, whatever you say." >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "What's it like?" [2] "Do you have to follow orders?" [3] "Do you remember what happens?" [4] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Okay, so - this might be a dumb question, but, well - what's it like? Being hypnotized." "That's not a dumb question. You know, sometimes I ask myself the same thing? I mean, I know what it's like, but I wonder about how to describe it. There are lots of different ways it can be experienced." Her eyes bored into me with an intensity I'm not sure I'd seen from her before. "When I go into a really deep trance, it really is like going to sleep, but I know that I'm sleeping. I get to experience what that feels like. Do you ever? like, wake up in the morning, and realize that you were really enjoying yourself right before you woke up?" "I think so. You mean like having a good dream? Yeah." "Yeah, it could be that. Or even no dream at all, but just enjoying the feeling of being asleep and the way things work differently when you are." As Evie kept telling me about her non-weird non-hobby, she just got more and more into it. I'd never seen her this worked up about anything. God, she was precious. "There's this release. I don't feel anxieties or inhibitions when I'm hypnotized. There's a peace, and a? clarity." "Wow. I didn't realize there was all that to it." Evie splayed her hands, then shook her head. "That's only the beginning. There's so much? sensation, or experience, that I don't even know how to put into words." >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "Do you have to follow orders?" [2] "Do you remember what happens?" [3] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "What about, like, orders? If someone tells you to do something while you're under, do you have to do it?" "Well?" she mulled it over. "I can become suggestible. I can easily go along with things. But there's more to it than that. There's this? openness that comes with being in trance. There's all these things, feelings, thoughts, reflexes, ways of thinking and feeling and perceiving, that can be? touched, in ways they can't normally be touched." Was she running out of breath from all that? It looked like she was breathing kind of heavily. "What if someone tried to make you do something you really don't want to do?" "I would wake up immediately," she explained. "Safety first." "How do you do that?" "Training." >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "Do you remember what happens?" [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Do you remember what happens while you're hypnotized?" "In a light trance, yeah. If I go deeper, it can be? dreamlike? You know, it's possible to remember a dream, especially if you want to. But it's also possible to let it slip away. It's like that." "Huh. Interesting." The moment passed, and silence followed. Evie looked down, almost as if she was embarrassed that she'd actually talked about her own interests for once. "Thanks," she finally said. "You know. For letting me talk about this." "I was the one who asked you to talk about it!" "Hmm? no, you weren't." "Oh, right." I started to chuckle, and soon she did, too. It was good. Being here, talking with her. It was good. But I felt like I wanted something more? Oh, of course. I had yet to get her back for throwing that water in my face. But now I had a plan. Way to go, Sirin. You have a plan. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] Ask how deep she went at the show. [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey, Evie. How deep would you say you went back there, at the fair?" "Kind of deep. It was good." "The hypnotist wasn't even serious, though." "No, but the hypnotist is only half of what makes it happen. I'm always serious about this. And I felt safe, because you were with me." "There you go again with that sappy stuff." She shrugged. "I'm always honest about how I feel." "Oh, is that so?" She gave the most noncommittal shrug I'd ever seen in my life, smirking as if she'd said the most amusing thing in the world. "Mmm? you have a point, though," she continued. "That hypnotist wasn't serious." Was that a little mischief in her eye? "No, he wasn't." "Not at all. I bet anyone could do it better if they tried." She hid a sheepish grin behind her hand. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "I bet I could." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "I bet I could." Her eyes widened. So did her grin, until it could no longer be hidden behind her hand. "You could try, if you wanted." Bingo. My plan worked. It was my plan, wasn't it? "Okay! Let's try it. So, uh? how do I do it?" "Do you remember how the stage hypnotist started his act?" "Yeah." "That was a combination of two pretty classic inductions that are pretty easy to do. One of them is called progressive relaxation - that's where you just kind of walk a person through visualizing how the different parts of their body are becoming relaxed." "Uh huh." "Then the other one is eye fixation, which is the oldest one in the book. You ask the person to focus on looking at something, generally something that makes their eyes tired. A spiral works great for that. Or just anything held in a position where they have to strain their eyes up to look at it. And you keep suggesting that their eyes are getting more and more tired, and that they'll be so relieved and relaxed when they close. Hmm? either of those would be a great starting place." "What about that bit with the counting?" "That's called a deepener. It's something that often goes after an induction to really sell the idea that the person is hypnotized. Counting down is a pretty good thing to include, because, you know, it has a kind of symbolic? weight. And any kind of metaphor that a person can visualize is good. Like, how the guy talked about going down a flight of stairs toward a bed? I mean it was silly because those things don't really go together, but other than that, it works. Like the symbolism works. You know?" "I one hundred percent get it," I said, nodding in a gesture of supreme confidence, wondering how in the world I was going to wing this. But there was no way I was going to back out now. >l footpath (on the bench) The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, the coastline strewn with rocks. Evie was here, sitting on the bench with me. >x bench A simple wooden bench. On the bench was Evie. >l footpath (on the bench) The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, the coastline strewn with rocks. Evie was here, sitting on the bench with me. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "Are you ready?" [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Okay. Are you ready?" "Wait. You want to do it here?" "Sure. Why not?" She looked around, at the few people strolling up and down the footpath. Oh. Right. "Hey," I suggested, "you want to go back to your place instead? Come on." "Um. No? I think we can do it here. If you want to." She kept glancing at the people walking nearby. "I really don't mind going back to your place. It won't be very private here. Are you okay with that?" "I think it's? fine." For my part, I must have looked skeptical. "It's really fine," she said. "I'd like you to do it to me. You know? here. As long as you're sure that you want to." "Sure, I'm sure." "Mmm." >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "Look into my eyes." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Alright? then. I'd like you to look at me straight on, just keep your head level. Yeah, just like that." I sat up as straight as I could. "And now, without moving your head, look directly into my eyes." She looked up to meet my gaze. Maybe not super far up, but the angle was only part of what was going to make this work. Evie had never maintained eye contact with me for more than two seconds before. There was no way she'd be able to keep this up for long. Hell - she was blushing already. "Good," I said, in the most calming voice I could effect. "And as you look deep into my eyes, notice that you will begin to feel a little sleepy." I couldn't blame her for blushing. By how hot I had suddenly started to feel, I think I was, too. But she kept staring into my eyes intently. "Staring into my eyes is making your eyes so tired," I continued, "that they keep feeling heavier and heavier, as you feel more and more sleepy." She just kept staring at me with a blankish look on her face. I didn't realize it was going to be this hard. How long had I been looking into her eyes? A few seconds? A minute? If this kept up, I was going to be the one who had to look away. "And your eyelids are getting so heavy that you can barely keep them open. And when you close them, you will feel this great sense of relief, uh, a sense of relaxation that spreads throughout your whole body." As her eyelids began to flutter, I could feel my chest doing something similar. I was really doing this. I didn't know exactly what I was doing to my friend, but I was really doing it. "And when that happens, it means you will be hypnotized." I didn't know if I wanted to keep staring into her fluttering eyes or tear myself away immediately. But neither of those were what she had asked for. "You want that, don't you? Go ahead and close your eyes now." As she did, I could see the change in her body right away - the way she sank down in her seat and the muscles of her face became perfectly still. Her head tilted a little to one side, but not too far. She looked comfortable. Her hands just kind of laid on her lap. The only movement was the slow, subtle rise and fall of her chest. She looked cute this way. She looked happy. >l footpath (on the bench) The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, the coastline strewn with rocks. Evie was here, apparently hypnotized. >x evie My best friend. She was sitting on the bench next to me, in a trance. >wake evie That seemed unnecessary. >talk to evie Evie was sitting with her eyes closed, her mouth slightly ajar. [1] "Are you ready to go deeper?" [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey, Evie. You can talk, right?" "Yes," she said, barely audibly. The word slid out of her just like one of her slow breaths. "Are you ready to go deeper?" "Yes." So - the next step. I didn't know what I was doing. But when I looked down at my lap, I realized I had a tool I could use. I wouldn't be able to do a countdown from ten though, because there were only three things left on the plate: a chocolate-covered wild strawberry, a slice of pickled rhubarb, and a lavender blueberry pierog. "Okay. Good. Now? you know what's going to happen to you. You're going to go down into that deep, dreamy sleep that you like so much. All you need is a few key ingredients, and I'm going to feed them to you. I'm going to count down from three, and with each number I'm going to feed you something that will push you deeper into that state. You're going to love eating each of these treats, because you know what they're going to do to you, and you want that so much. And when we reach zero, you will be deeply asleep, just like you wanted." >give pierog to evie Evie didn't seem interested. >* aww Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >talk to evie Evie was sitting with her eyes closed, her mouth slightly ajar. [1] "This is a wild strawberry." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 The first thing I picked up was a tiny, roundish strawberry, half-covered in dark chocolate. Despite its size, it had a very strong and sweet aroma. "This is a wild strawberry," I said. "It is so sweet that it will fill you with pleasant feelings. Such pleasant feelings, there won't be any room left for any kind of worry or anxiety or any other negative thought when you eat this strawberry." I brought it to her lips, and she did the rest. "Three." As she bit down on the strawberry, I thought I saw the corners of her mouth turn up just a tiny bit. I felt like she was happy. She was so happy that she didn't have to show it with a smile, I thought. I knew I had made the right call. Food always makes a person feel good. And that was the goal here, right? To make Evie feel good. Oh. Right. I still had to get her back too. "How was the strawberry, Evie?" She whispered something so faintly that I could only make out the last of it. "Further." "What was that?" "You can go? further." Something about the way she said it made me feel? I don't even know what. Or maybe it was just the heat. The setting sun was right upon us. It was natural that I'd be sweating. >talk to evie Evie was sitting with her eyes closed, her mouth slightly ajar. [1] "I'm going to feed you a piece of rhubarb now." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 I picked up the second treat from the plate - a thick slice of pickled rhubarb, topped with a plain yogurt. As I did, a few people were walking right past us, talking loudly. "Hey lady," called one seemingly intoxicated guy who happened to look in our direction. "Is your girlfriend alright?" His friends hustled him away pretty quickly. When I turned back to Evie, she hadn't moved an inch, but she was blushing furiously. With? embarrassment? She shouldn't have been feeling anything like that under hypnosis. But maybe she just needed to go deeper. It was embarrassment, right? "How do you feel, Evie?" "Good." "That's good. I'm going to feed you a piece of rhubarb now. It will be sour and tangy. When you eat it, all of your inhibitions will just melt away, and you'll be completely at ease, completely open and receptive to anything I tell you. Two." She chewed on the rhubarb. When her lips parted again, I could see that her mouth was glistening. The sour treat must have made her salivate a lot. Her tongue sat under a pool of saliva that slowly leaked out, moistening her bottom lip. I watched as a little trickle of drool spilled over and ran down to her chin. Her saliva would probably be sweet and tangy, like the rhubarb. I glanced around. There were still as many people walking along the path nearby. Some of them looked like they were glancing over at us, but they didn't seem interested in what we were doing. I could? I could taste it if I wanted to, I thought. Evie wouldn't stop me. I could lick the drool right off of her chin. I wiped the sweat from my face. Was I okay? What silly thoughts I was having. Maybe the heat was getting to me. A droplet fell from her chin onto her dress, landing right in her lap. That was kind of funny. >l footpath (on the bench) The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, the coastline strewn with rocks. Evie was here, apparently hypnotized. > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. >l footpath (on the bench) The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, the coastline strewn with rocks. Evie was here, apparently hypnotized. >x vie I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >x evie My best friend. She was sitting on the bench next to me, in a trance. >x drool I wasn't too interested in that, actually. >* Seems like we actually are! Hmm... no, that's definitely not what I did. >talk to evie Evie was sitting with her eyes closed, her mouth slightly ajar. [1] "There's one more treat for you." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 There was only one item left on the plate, a little dumpling slathered in melted butter. I picked it up between two fingers, not caring about the grease that began to run down my hand. It had stayed surprisingly warm - thanks to the heat, I guess. "H-hey. Evie. There's one more treat for you," I said, my hand shaking a bit as I raised it closer to her waiting lips. "This is a lavender-blueberry pierog. I don't really know what it tastes like, but we're going to find out. Once you eat it, you'll do anything I say. And you'll let me do anything I want to you." I, uh, had to cover all the bases. Because I still hadn't figured out exactly how I was going to get her back. And that was definitely still a thing. I took a deep breath, steadying my hand so I could press it smoothly against her lips. "One." The moment as she took the pierog into her mouth seemed to last forever. Was she being slow on purpose? To tease me? No. There was no way she could have known how I was looking at her, how I was feeling as her warm, soft breath brushed against my fingers. It slid in, leaving behind a sheen of melted butter that dribbled down her chin, mingling with her drool. She closed her mouth and began to chew, slowly, and I took my hand away, slowly. I tilted my head a little to get a better look at the side of her face, the workings of her jaw. I watched the subtle contractions of her throat as she swallowed the food. Then her lips parted again, and her breath rolled out, carrying with it the herbal scent of lavender - deep, earthy, and sweet. It was different than I expected, prickling my nose with an almost minty tang as I breathed in her warm breath. I never knew lavender was so complex, so pleasing. I tasted it on my lips. And I thought about tasting it on her lips. And when did - when did my face get so close to hers? > It's okay, I'll wait for you to think of something. >l footpath (on the bench) The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, the coastline strewn with rocks. Evie was here, apparently hypnotized. >x evie My best friend. She was sitting on the bench next to me, in a trance. >kiss evie Kiss Evie? Uh... I moistened my lips and pressed them against hers. She just... let me. She didn't react at all. >kiss evie Kiss Evie? Uh... I moistened my lips and pressed them against hers. She just... let me. She didn't react at all. >talk to evie Evie was sitting with her eyes closed, her mouth slightly ajar. [1] "Jeez, Evie." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 She just sat there, her head facing me. Totally expressionless, totally still except for the subtle expansion and contraction of her chest. Like a doll. I could? I could do anything I wanted to her. She would let me. That's what it meant when she ate the pierog. I reached out a hand and held it next to her face. Slowly, gently, I touched her cheek. Evie is an amazing person. It was amazing how quickly she could become red. Embarrassment? No, I didn't think that was what she was feeling. And the sun on my skin - I didn't think that was all I was feeling either. I understood, by then, what she meant when she said this was her thing. I traced my finger across her cheek, down to her jaw, across to her chin. No reaction. "Jeez, Evie," I whispered. "You've really made a mess of yourself." No reaction. I brought my finger to the drool and butter on her chin and tried to gently wipe it off, but only smeared it around a bit. So I pressed harder, turned my finger around, in order to wipe it up. It wasn't a perfect job. But I pulled my finger away, now covered in the fluids that had been dripping down her chin. And she hadn't reacted to me doing this at all. I held my wet finger in front of my face and watched it glistening in the evening sun. Then I studied Evie's face. Her eyes were completely shut, as they had been this whole time. She wasn't about to open her eyes, not unless I told her to. She was asleep. I looked at my finger. To be without inhibition - that was one of the things Evie said she liked about being hypnotized. I could get that. I felt like I knew Evie pretty well. I could see how she would want that, to be without inhibition for a little while. I could see the appeal in that. Because I was feeling kind of weird right then. >kiss evie Kiss Evie? Uh... I moistened my lips and pressed them against hers. She just... let me. She didn't react at all. >talk to evie Evie was sitting with her eyes closed, her mouth slightly ajar. [1] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now, because I'm going to lick my finger instead. >1 I looked at my finger. Was hypnosis contagious or something? Because I was thinking of things I thought I wouldn't normally think of. But Evie would let me do anything right then. She wouldn't mind what I was thinking of doing. She would understand. If she knew. Which she wouldn't. I licked my finger clean. Just with the tip of my tongue, at first. But that wouldn't be enough to get everything. So I took a few deeper licks, gathering up all the? all the stuff that was on my finger. The warm, decadent butter. The ever-so-slightly sweet, rhubarb-flavored saliva. So it would be clean. And then we sat for a long time. And I shifted in my seat. >talk to evie Evie was sitting with her eyes closed, her mouth slightly ajar. [1] "Hey, Evie." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey, Evie," I whispered. "Do you want to wake up now?" "No." "What do you want?" "Zero," she whispered. Oh. Right. We never got to zero. There weren't enough things on the plate. I always did suck at math. Silly. Damn it. What was I even doing? She wanted to count down to zero, but we had nothing left to feed her. Shit. What was I doing? I looked at my finger. It was covered in my spit, and whatever was left that I'd wiped from Evie's chin. It would taste good. What was I doing? >talk to evie Evie was sitting with her eyes closed, her mouth slightly ajar. [1] "Evie." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Evie," I said. "I'm going to put my finger in your mouth." So. This was what I was doing, huh? "And when I do, you are going to fall so deep, just like you wanted." I put my finger to her lips, and she opened up. "Zero." The inside of her mouth was so hot, so much hotter than I expected and - holy fuck she was doing it. She was curling her tongue all around me and sucking on me. She was actively doing it. She was nibbling on me and wrapping me all up in the hot, wet suction of her mouth. She was gently pantomiming the act of eating my finger. And I let her. For a long time. "You look so silly, Evie," I whispered, finally. "You've got my finger in your mouth. Do you know that?" She answered with a little moan that just - god damn. "I've? I've played a pretty good prank on you, Evie. This was to get you back for that water you threw on me. You're such a mess right now, you know? slobbering all over my finger." I gave it a little tug back, but she didn't let go. "Evie," I whispered. "I'd like you to stop eating my finger now." I took it back, pulling a trail of warm saliva out of her mouth that arced downward and ended up falling between us. I wiped my finger on my shorts. >talk to evie Evie was sitting with her eyes closed, her mouth slightly ajar. [1] "It's time to wake up now." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >2 I decided not to say anything to Evie at that moment. >l footpath (on the bench) The footpath snaked by the edge of the sea, the coastline strewn with rocks. Evie was here, apparently hypnotized. >x evie My best friend. She was sitting on the bench next to me, in a trance. >talk to evie Evie was sitting with her eyes closed, her mouth slightly ajar. [1] "It's time to wake up now." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "It's time to wake up now," I whispered. Her eyes fluttered open, and she was still in the same position as when we started. She was looking directly into my eyes again. "Sirin. I need to go home. Will you come with me?" Evie's room I didn't really care about the room. I was focused on Evie. Evie led me into her room. She paused by the door and closed it behind me. "So, uh." I wasn't sure what to say. I wasn't sure how she felt about what I'd done to her, now that she was awake. Or whether she could tell how it affected me. "I had a good time today. With you." "Mmm." She stared out the window, at the wall, at her plants and all her other things, at everything except me as she went and sat on her bed, using her toes to slide off her flats. I wanted her to say something, but the longer I waited - just standing there, silently, looking at her - the more I felt like I wanted to jump out of my own skin. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "Should we... call it a night?" [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Should we? call it a night?" She finally looked up at me, and I saw heat and need painted across her face. "Please, don't?" From halfway across the room, I could hear her breathing as she found support on her big pile of pillows. It was only in between ragged breaths that she managed to get out a sentence. "Please don't leave me like this?" She trailed off, running her fingers along the hemline of her dress. My lips were trembling. I swallowed the saliva in my mouth so I could speak. Even then, I could only speak softly, the way she always does. "Like what?" It wasn't that I didn't know what she meant. Seeing how she was, I could no longer pretend not to. She looked down at her hand, and so did I, the way her fingers just kind of fiddled with her dress. The way each one of them was moving, her hand gently shaking in a steady rhythm - bobbing with each heartbeat. The last of the sun's rays were casting their light through the window, playing across half the room, and half my face. I wanted to pull the shades for relief, just a little bit of relief. Plenty of days this summer, I'd been out there playing softball in the midday heat, the sun right overhead. But this was hotter than any of those days, so hot I felt like I could barely move. I swallowed the contents of my mouth. I opened my mouth to speak, only to stand transfixed at the sight of her fiddling with her dress. Finally I licked my lips and summoned just enough of my voice. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "Show me." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "You can show me if you want." She spread her knees and began to pull up her dress, all the way up to her waist. I stared at the dark, moist spot in the center of her panties, the way it ran down between her legs, and I shifted a little, afraid for the first time of the possibility that I might start to leak through to my own shorts. Something was wrong with my body, the way it was acting. I needed to get to the bathroom, to clean myself up. This was not how women made me feel. Evie's fingers began to lightly tug and play with the frilly edge of her panties. I think she was looking at me. "Can I??" I swallowed. "Yeah. You can show me." As she raised her legs and pulled her panties off, they peeled away from her swollen lips. All around them, her pubes were dark and slick with a wetness that was leaking from inside her. As her panties turned out, I saw the gusset, soaked completely through, trailing a tendril of moisture from her body. I stole a glance at her face. It was the face of my friend, the face I knew. Shy. Self-conscious. Bright red. And brave. Her eyes met mine, and I'm sure they stayed on mine when I looked back down at? her. "So? that's how you are, then." "Mmm." I stared between the legs of my best friend, spread out on the bed, showing herself to me. I'd been attracted to lots of people before. Men, that is - I liked men. I had a boyfriend until last year. We fucked all the time. I liked it. I'd fucked other guys in my life, too. It was fun. I liked to fuck men. I took a step closer, to see her better, and I felt my body as it moved. But I had never felt it like this before. I never felt my heartbeat in my fingertips and the tips of my toes before, just from being close to someone. I never felt like I was going to burn up before just from wanting someone so badly. This was not how anyone made me feel. And I never, never thought that my best friend would be the one who would make me feel this way. Was I in love with Evie? I shut it out. I couldn't consider that. But, was I? always kind of in love with Evie? I was having crazy thoughts. I wasn't thinking straight. And I didn't know what to do. So I asked my friend for help. "Uh, what should - is there something - what? would you like me to do?" She spent a few moments staring at me, trailing her eyes over my body before she decided. And when she did, she spoke firmly, but quietly. She always spoke quietly. Always drawing me in, making me listen, making me focus on her and her alone. "I want you to watch me masturbate." I was spellbound. I didn't know what to say. So I nodded. She began to touch herself. It was slow at first - stroking through her lips, pressing on her clit. Yes. This was okay. I could do this. Of course I could. That was Evie lying on the bed there, starting to pleasure herself. That was Evie. Anything she could have wanted from me, I could do. And I liked the way she was looking at me. Yeah. This was what I wanted. She had these wet, plump pussy lips and I imagined myself squishing them between my fingers. >l Evie's room I didn't really care about the room. I was focused on Evie. She was touching herself, her pussy fully exposed to me. >x evie My best friend. She was blushing furiously, and her eyes did not leave me. >touch evie I ran a hand down Evie's leg, and she shivered in pleasure. >kiss evie I leaned in close and gave Evie a little kiss. "Haah..." she moaned. "Yeah, I like that... >x me I was a bad bitch, what else is there to say? >i I was carrying: my phone my bag (open) my softball uniform my tee (being worn) a shorts (being worn) >remove tee I wasn't about to do that right at that moment. >x pussy Her outer lips were plump, her inner folds moist and dark. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "You're very pretty." [2] Tease her. [3] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >2 "Jeez, Evie," I said. "For someone as small as you are, you sure have a pair of big, fat pussy lips." She took a sharp breath. I peered closer, the earthy scent of her sweat and her genitals hanging in the air near her. Fuck, she smelled delicious. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "You're very pretty." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "You're very pretty," I said. She gave me a precious smile. "Ah? am I?" "Yes," I blurted out. As she pressed a couple of fingers into herself, she pushed herself onto them, pushing herself ever so slightly forward and ever so slightly upward - offering herself for my gaze. With her other hand, she was rubbing her thigh, just lightly rubbing up and down. Fuck. I wanted to take her hands away. I wanted to do this for her - to lick her, to suck her, to give her the pleasure that she wanted. But that wasn't what she had asked for. I never asked her for this, never asked her to make me feel this way. I was so gonna get her for this. >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "Hey, Evie." [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey, Evie," I said softly, finding myself closer to her bed now. "You look like you're enjoying this." She nodded, staring at me with wide eyes. She wanted to hear what I'd say next. She totally did. "You're good at touching yourself. I bet you do it a lot." A little moan escaped her lips. "Y-yeah," she admitted. "Yeah, I do." >talk to evie Evie was listening. [1] "What do you think about when you masturbate?" [2] Actually, don't say anything to Evie right now. >1 "Hey, Evie," I said softly, and I think her legs started to tremble a little more, the closer I got to her bed. "What kinds of things do you think about when you masturbate?" "Lots of things?" she said. She wasn't smiling any more. But her eyes, staring into my own, held an intensity that I could only begin to grasp. I began to climb up at the foot of her bed, her legs spread apart right before me, the most intimate parts of her body right in front of me. "Sometimes," she whispered, "I think about you, Sirin." She paused, bringing her hand up to hide her mouth just a moment before letting it go back down to her pussy. "A lot of the time." I saw her swallow, slowly. "I like you like that," she said. "Why didn't you tell me?" "Because I'm shy." I tried to effect a mean, teasing smirk which probably grew into something more like a giddy smile. "You don't look very shy right now, though. With your dress hiked up, and your legs spread, so I can see you rubbing your pussy." "Ah?" The way she was looking at me was? new. Or was it? Was it me who never really saw it? Or did I really not know - "Sirin," she said, with just enough volume to be heard over the quiet, wet friction of her rubbing herself. "Did you really not know? "Wha - what?" "How I felt about you." "I? didn't? Maybe?" She just smiled, making a sound that was halfway between a moan and a quiet chuckle. Her legs were shaking, her breathing heavy. "I'm, I'm gonna cum. Sirin. I? want? will you please do that thing you did earlier?" "You mean hypnotize you?" "There's not time for that. I just want you to? I want you to? aah?" I watched her face flush with pleasure as she licked her lips. "Put your finger in my mouth." "You're? you're a little freaky, aren't you, Evie?" "Please!" My friend stared at me with wide, pleading eyes, as if she was asking me for the world. And I'm sure she knew. She knew I would have given it to her. When Evie looked at me with those eyes full of lust and need, there was absolutely no way - no force in this universe, or any other, that could have kept my finger out of her mouth. As she sucked and tongued, I felt her orgasm, the contractions pumping through her with a strength that I didn't know existed in that small body of hers. I guess there were a lot of things I still had to learn about my best friend. She moaned softly, and I felt that in my finger, too. I loved that - not just the sound, but the knowledge that she was sharing her pleasure with me. We looked into each other's eyes, sharing the moment. Finally, she released me. As I took my finger back, she lightly held it with both hands and licked it clean one last time. I sat there on the bed, looking at her as she looked back at me. "Hey, Evie," I said. "Yeah?" "You just got your pussy juice on my hand." She just watched, smiling, as I brought it to my mouth and tasted. With a giggle, she reached for me, and pulled me down next to her. There was nowhere in the world I'd rather have been. We stayed like that for a long time. "Hey, Sirin. Did you enjoy the show?" "Yeah. You, uh... you showed me a lot." I took her hand in mine as we laid together. "This is all kind of new to me. I think... I think I never really realized the kind of feelings I have for you, or I wasn't ready to admit it. I guess what I'm trying to say is, uh, I kind of feel the same way about you that you do about me." Evie grinned wickedly. "You know what, Sirin?" She pulled me a little closer with her free hand, stroking down the hairs on the back of my neck. "You're good with words." I snorted. "Don't make fun of me!" "I'm not," she said. "I liked what you said. Really." The room was getting dark, now. The sun had set. "It's getting late," she said. "Would you like to spend the night?" "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that," I replied. This was all so new to me - this side of Evie, and this side of myself. But I felt confident now. What I felt for Evie - trust, desire, and everything else - it made me confident that I could go anywhere with her, regardless of which one of us was leading the way. "But the night's still young," she said. "We could have a lot more fun, if you want to..." "Yeah," I replied. "Yeah. I can dig it." *** The End *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or read the EPILOGUE? > epilogue The sun was shining, and my fuchsia was happy. I was sitting at my desk, thinking of - well, you know who. Sirin. The things I'd like to say to her. The things I'd like to do with her. The things I just liked about her. And I was so excited, because a lot of those thoughts were closer to reality now than they had ever been before. There was a little knock at my door. Brian. "Evie," he called through the door. Amiably, as always. "Just wanted you to know we're doing another board game night tonight. You're always welcome to join us." "Hang on a minute," I called to him, about as loudly as I was capable of. I think he was surprised when I opened the door. His feet looked surprised for sure. Brian was huge. He was a giant. He must have been, because he was so much taller than me, and I am not short. There was something I thought about telling him for a long time. A little thing, but it would be something I enjoyed. I had been afraid to say it before, but I could be brave now, I thought, as I began tilting my head up. Finally I forced myself to at least glance at his face. "Hey. I don't know if you know this, but I'm really glad that you always invite me to board game night. So please don't stop." "Oh. S-sure. Of course." I realized that I was hiding my mouth behind my hand. But that was okay. "I won't be joining you guys tonight, because I'd rather stay here and touch myself." I'm not sure how he reacted to that, because his feet didn't really give much of an indication. But I gave him a friendly wave as I shut the door. As I sat back at my desk, I looked at the new wallpaper on my laptop. Sirin and me, in my bed, this morning. Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or read the EPILOGUE? > quit