Errand Run

(enchant: ?Link, (t8n-depart: "dissolve"))[You forgot to check the time on your way out, but your shadow's gotten long the way it does around 4PM.] (click: ?page) [ It used to be bright as day in here, fluorescent lights a white so harsh they could burn holes in your retinas — at least, that's what your brother (link-style: (text-color: white) + (hover-style: (text-colour:red)))[(link: "sobbed.") [(link: "screamed.") [claimed.]]]] (click: ?page) [ But the whole store must be suffering from some quasi-terminal electrical issue. That'd explain the dead lights, the AC, the automatic doors you had to (link-goto: "shove your way through.", "Dairy Cont'd")]

(enchant: ?Link, (t8n-depart: "dissolve"))But what do you find instead? (click: ?page)[Neither apples, nor bananas; neither cucumbers, nor ghost peppers — but rows upon rows of empty crates.] (click: ?page) [ "Just my luck," you grumble. Suppressing a twinge of irritation, you weave between the maze of wooden crates until you come across a half-torn bag of shriveled onions.] (click: ?page) [ You cradle them in your hands. The sign on the crate reads "$2 for 1, $3.29 for 2." Too bad these were the last of the onions. You hesitate, fingers splayed across the peeling skin, and ] (click: ?page) [(link-style: (text-colour:red) + (text-style:"fidget") + (hover-style: (text-colour:red)))[(link:"THEYRE JUST ONIONS FOR GODSSAKE (text-style:'blur')[but your ] //mind is a bullet a knife slicing splitting s u n d e r i n g //(text-style:'smear')[each precious layer ghostprickleof ](text-style:'blurrier')[tears in your eyes—]")[come to a decision:]] (click: "decision") [ (link-style: (text-colour:white) + (text-style:"none") + (hover-style: (text-colour:white)))[(link: "You put the onions in your shopping basket.")[(set:$money to it - 2)(go-to:"You put the onions in your shopping basket.")] [[You put the onions back where you found them.]]]]]

(enchant: ?Link, (t8n-depart: "dissolve"))You can't help it; your mom //definitely// taught you better than to waste money on sugar and fried shit, but (click: ?page) [(link-style: (text-colour:white) + (text-style:"fidget") + (hover-style: (text-colour:red)))[(link: "IT'S NOT LIKE SHE'S HERE NOW, SO GET A //FUCKING GRIP//—") [god knows you need the pick-me-up.]]] (click: ?page) [ Still, you can't help but wonder whether the universe is on your mom's side because there's nothing on the chipped shelves — well, not unless you count the little bits of white dust accumulating like dandruff on scalp...] (click: ?page) [ And the two crumpled packs of cinnamon-flavored gum on the topmost shelf.] (click: ?page) [ You drag over an overturned display and go up on your tippy toes to read the blood-stained sign. Each pack of gum costs $1.99. "1.99," you mouth the words. You wrinkle your nose. But it's not as if beggars can be choosers.] (click: ?page) [ Or can they?] (click: ?page) [ [[You leave the packs of gum where they are.]] (link: "You take one pack of gum.")[(set:$money to it - 1.99)(go-to:"You take one pack of gum.")] (link: "You take both packs of gum.")[(set:$money to it - 3.98)(go-to:"You take both packs of gum.")]]

"Fuck it," you mutter. (click: ?page) [ So now you're down to $$money. Big whoop. Sunlight streams through the rust-smeared windows and pools at your feet. You should probably get some chicken to go with those onions. (click: ?page) [Maybe you'll whip up a stir-fry, pawn your leftovers off on Mrs. Browning. She (link-style: (text-color: white) + (hover-style: (text-colour:red)))[(link: "never noticed") [won't notice they're a day old.]] (click: "old") [Or maybe she will, but she just won't care.]]] (click: "won't care") [ "If I had a daughter, I'd want her to be just like you," Mrs. Browning always says. Never mind that she already has two of her own.] (click: "two") [ You readjust your grip on the rubber-padded handles and start wending your way around piles of broken glass.] (click: "wending") [ Not towards the freezers, as you know you should—] (click: "freezers") [ It's the [[holy land]] that's calling your name.]

(text-style: "fidget")[I mean, it's not as if you need more reasons to cry—] (click-append: "I mean, it's not as if you need more reasons to cry—")[ Just kidding, of course!] (click-replace: "I mean, it's not as if you need more reasons to cry—")[You are so, //so// happy.] (click-replace: "Just kidding, of course!")[Honestly, you can't remember a time in your life when you were so (text-style: "tall") + (text-colour: red)[HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY.]] (click: "HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY.") [ There's even a skip in your step when you leave the empty crates behind, and would you look at that August sunlight, streaming through the rust-smeared windows? Beautiful, no notes — "You've gotta learn to stop and smell the roses" — that's what Mrs. Browning always (link-style: (text-color: white) + (hover-style: (text-colour:red)))[(link: "used to say") [says, but let's get a move on, eh?]]] (click: "eh?") [ You sidestep a pile of broken glass, give the bills in your pocket a reassuring pat, and hightail it over to the [[holy land]].]

(if:$money is 16.01)[Which means you've still got $(round:$money), so what the hell were you even worrying about? You laugh, and it echoes in the vast emptiness of the store, lingers long after you make it [[back the way you came]].] (if:$money is 18.01)[Which means you've still got $(round:$money), so what the hell were you even worrying about? You laugh, and it echoes in the vast emptiness of the store, lingers long after you make it [[back the way you came]].] (if:$money is 20)[Which means you've still got $(round:$money). You laugh, and it echoes in the vast emptiness of the store, lingers long after you make it [[back the way you came]].] (if:$money is 18)[Which means you've still got $(round:$money), and there ain't nothing left to do but double [[back the way you came]]!] (if:$money is 14.02)[Which means you've still got $(round:$money), so what the hell were you even worrying about? You laugh, and it echoes in the vast emptiness of the store, lingers long after you make it [[back the way you came]].] (if:$money is 16.02)[Which means you've still got $(round:$money), so what the hell were you even worrying about? You laugh, and it echoes in the vast emptiness of the store, lingers long after you make it [[back the way you came]].]

(enchant: ?Link, (t8n-depart: "dissolve"))(if:$money is 20)[//WOW//, your shopping basket is like //so// empty you're almost afraid the void will like consume you.] (click: ?page) [ OMG, just kidding, //of course//! ] (click: ?page) [ Look at you, Little Miss Self Control! You're still at $$money!] (click: ?page) [ Good //lord//, you're gonna have a blast in the [[Dairy]] aisle!] (if:$money is 18)[So you're still at $$money. Not too shabby! But who knows? Maybe you'll find some hidden gems in the [[Dairy]] aisle!]

(enchant: ?Link, (t8n-depart: "dissolve"))So now you're down to $(round:$money). (if:$money is 16.01)[ Huh. Maybe you didn't think that one quite through... But you've only got one stop left on this voyage, and you know what they say: "All roads lead to [[Dairy]]."] (if:$money is 18.01)[ Well, hey — definitely //not// the end of the world. After all, you've only got one stop left on this voyage, and you know what they say: "All roads lead to [[Dairy]]."]

(enchant: ?Link, (t8n-depart: "dissolve"))(if:$money is 14.02) [So you're at $(round:$money). Everything's totally, //totally// fine! There's probably nothing you need from the [[Dairy]] aisle, right?] (if:$money is 16.02) [So you're at $(round:$money)... (click: ?page) [ ...] (click: ?page) [ ...] (click: ?page) [ ...] (click: ?page) [ ...] (click: ?page) [ ...] (click: ?page) [ There's probably nothing you need from the [[Dairy]] aisle, right?]]

(enchant: ?Link, (t8n-depart: "dissolve"))(set:$money to 20)Well, it's that time of week again. With a sigh, you step through the automatic doors of the local supermarket. (click: ?page) [ No blast of cool air whisks over to greet you; the AC's been acting up for months now. Still, the faded walls of the supermarket provide a welcome reprieve from the August sun.] (click: ?page) [ You reach into the back pocket of your jeans, feeling for the $$money you've set aside for this trip.] (click: ?page) [And you're digging around in the other pocket when you remember that you never bothered to scrawl down a "list of shit to buy" — that's a surefire way to make the worst errand in the world even more of a chore. Like, seriously — what would be the fun in that?] (click: ?page) [ You roll your eyes. Now you're just wasting time. With yet another sigh, you grab one of the many overturned shopping baskets and head over to [[Fresh Produce]].]

(if:$money is 15.260000000000002)[Which means you're left with $(round:$money), so what the hell were you even worrying about? You laugh, and it echoes in the vast emptiness of the store, lingers long after you make it [[back the way you came]].] (if:$money is 17.26)[Which means you're left with $(round:$money), and there ain't nothing left to do but double [[back the way you came]]!] (if:$money is 19.25)[Which means you're left with $(round:$money), and there ain't nothing left to do but double [[back the way you came]]!] (if:$money is 17.25)[Which means you're left with $(round:$money), and there ain't nothing left to do but double [[back the way you came]]!] (if:$money is 13.27)[Which means you're left with $(round:$money), so what the hell were you even worrying about? You laugh, and it echoes in the vast emptiness of the store, lingers long after you make it [[back the way you came]].] (if:$money is 15.27)[Which means you're left with $(round:$money), so what the hell were you even worrying about? You laugh, and it echoes in the vast emptiness of the store, lingers long after you make it [[back the way you came]].]

You swat away a cloud of buzzing flies and nearly trip over a flattened bottle of what might once have been orange juice in the process. (click: ?page) [ They're getting lazy — the flies, you mean. Last week, you caught one without quite meaning to.] (click: ?page) [It didn't even try to escape — just sat there, on the fleshy part of your palm, then keeled right over and (link-style: (text-color: white) + (hover-style: (text-colour:red)))[(link: "died—") [flew all the way back home to make little fly babies, but — ooh, look! There's the dairy aisle, but — //oh, no// — looks like you're shit outta luck!]]] (click: "luck") [ You sigh, set down your shopping basket, then start digging around the remains of spoiled milk and probiotic yogurt until — holy //moly// — you discover a semi-melted stick of butter crammed behind a spoiled tub of cottage cheese.] (click: "butter") [ You can't find a price tag, but you're guessing that one nub of butter will cost you about $0.75. Highway fucking robbery. Maybe they'll give you a discount for the little specks of blood and dirt smeared across the melting surface, but you wouldn't bet on it.] (click: "bet") [ "Will I, won't I?" you muse. (link: "You put the butter in your shopping basket.")[(set:$money to it - 0.75)(go-to:"You put the butter in your shopping basket.")] [[You leave the butter where you found it.]]]

(if:$money is 20)[(text-colour:#ffe3e3)[Because it's not like there haven't been any cashiers for months now. Not that it matters when you've got nothing to show for your errand run.]](if:$money is not 20)[(text-colour:#ffe3e3)[Because it's not like there haven't been any cashiers for months now. It's not like no one would say anything if you waltzed out of here with those tens in your pocket.]] (click:?page)[(text-colour:#ffc9c9)[But, seriously — you were so proud, showing off the first Hamiltons you ever made, though it only took an afternoon of mowing (link-style: (hover-style: (text-colour:red)))[(link-goto: "Mrs. Browning's", "End") lawn.]]]

And... Huh. There aren't any cashiers. (click: ?page) [ (text-colour:#fff5f5)[(align:"<==")+(box:"======XXXXX====")[Soooooo weird, right? Like, haha—]] (click: ?page) [(align:"<==")+(box:"==================XXXXXXXXXX===")[(text-colour:#ffe3e3)[Very funny, guys—]]] (click: ?page) [(align:"<==")+(box:"==XXXXX===")[(text-colour:#ffc9c9)[You got me good, but the ]] (align:"<==")+(box:"=XXXXXXXXXXX====")[(link-style: (text-style:"tall", "blink") + (text-colour:white) + (hover-style: (text-colour:red)))[(link-goto: "JIG'S FUCKING UP, FOLKS!", "Spiral")]]]]

(text-colour:#ffa8a8)[She's dead now.] (click: ?page) [ (text-colour:#ff8787)[Don't act so suprised. You were there,] (text-colour:#ff6b6b)[weren't you?]] (click: ?page) [ (text-colour:#ff6b6b)[You watched those kids from your high school kick down her front door, heard the keening wail that echoed out from within.]] (click: ?page) [ (text-colour:#fa5252)[They must have thought the house was empty, that she'd been part of the first wave of rapture.]] (click-replace: "that she'd been part of the first wave of rapture.") [(text-colour:#fa5252)+(bg:black)[that there wouldn't be a second, or a third.]] (click: "or a third") [(text-colour:#f03e3e)[That's how you know she died. Not because of the second wave —]] (click: "second wave") [(text-colour:#f03e3e)[you know, the one that lassoed your mom by the throat and jerked her out the attic window —]] (click: "window") [(text-colour:#f03e3e)[but because the third wave took all of Earth's dead, and you saw Mrs. Browning's mangled corpse hurtle into the fine, morning sky, right alongside the shrieking teenagers who did the doing.]] (click: "sky") [ (text-colour:#e03131)[And your brother. Remember?]] (click: "Remember?") [(text-colour:#e03131)[He was halfway out the front door, hands scrabbling for purchase, when you pulled so hard, his Nike came sliding off. And all you could do was watch as the rest of him grew small against the sun.]] (click: "sun") [ (text-colour:#f03e3e)[You used to hate doing the groceries.]] (click: "hate") [(text-colour:#fa5252)[But now look at you, darling.]] (click-replace: "darling.") [(text-colour:#fa5252)[and those wrinkled little tens sticking out of the butt pocket of your jeans.]] (click-replace: "those wrinkled little tens sticking out of the butt pocket of your jeans.") [(text-colour:#fa5252)[your cute little game of play-pretend.]] (click: "game") [ (text-colour:#ff6b6b)[As if this isn't the 18th time you've deliberated over that bag of rotten onions.]] (click-replace: "As if this isn't the 18th time you've deliberated over that bag of rotten onions.") [(text-colour:#ff8787)[As if that cash in your pocket is still good for anything.]] (click-replace: "As if that cash in your pocket is still good for anything.") [(text-colour:#ffa8a8)[As if anyone's around to give a shit.]] (click-replace: "anyone's around to give a shit.") [(text-colour:#ffc9c9)[you weren't the only one left to remember.]] (click-replace: "remember.") [(text-colour:#ffe3e3)[mourn.]] (click-replace: "mourn.") [ (text-colour:#fff5f5)[mourn everything that once was.]] (click-replace: "once was.") [could have [[been.]]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"===XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX===")[ ''"It's the end of the world every day, for someone" — Margaret Atwood'' [[***->Credits]]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[ (text-size:2)[//Errand Run (Sad Girl Summer)//] by: Sophia Zhao (link-goto: "Click to Begin", "Sad Girl Summer")]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-size:2)[//Errand Run (Sad Girl Summer)//] by: Sophia Zhao] (align:"=><=")+(box:"===XXXXXXX===")[Many thanks to first readers / players L. Mao and Yinyu Ji!]