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#Stars Above <h1>
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We are not the only life in the cosmos.
The question is, when we look at the stars above, are we prepared for what's looking back? <h6>
[[Begin->Intro]]Sprawling across nearly 100,000 square miles, the desolate Wyoming landscape has never been a home for the faint of heart. With a population of only half a million, its rocky terrain is largely barren. On the wide plateau, the horizon plays tricks on your eyes, making it easy to think you could stare down infinity.
The endless sky stretches above it all. With scant trees and only a few gently rolling hills, there is no shelter from the oblivion that waits above.
While this would scare some, it's within this boundless landscape that you've chosen to settle. You've never been much for company anyway, and you appreciate the ample pasture that the region affords your modest herd of cattle.
In fact, you're alone so often these days that sometimes you have to remind yourself of your own name.
What is it?
[[Roger->Roger intro]]
[[Ellie->Ellie intro]]"Roger." Of course. Maybe you're starting to go a little loony out here on your own. Pop always doubted whether you could cut it out here.
Fuck him. You left home at 18 and never looked back--and for good reason. You've got your own patch of earth to call your own. You've got a profitable cattle operation with 100 head of premium angus steer. It's not much, but it's yours, goddamnit.
You kick a nearby fencepost to let out some frustration, and are dismayed when you manage to actually knock the damn thing over. Shit.
Now you've got a nice, cow-sized hole in your fence. The herd is starting to settle down for the evening off in the distance. You glance back at the tool shed behind you. It's getting dark, and the Wyoming nights are something fierce.
Do you fix the fence now, or wait until morning?
[[Fix it now->Fix it now]]
[[Leave it until morning->Leave it until morning]]"Fuck it," you mumble under your breath. The herd is already settled for the night, the chance that any of them would wander off through the hole in the fence is slim to none.
You pull your coat a little tighter around yourself as you make the long trek back toward your farmhouse.
Night falls quickly here in the wintertime, and after a modest dinner and a little tv, you're ready to hit the hay.
You drift off to sleep easily, your body exhausted from another long day on the ranch.
You awake with a start to a crashing sound outside. Fuck. Was it one of the cows? You glance at the clock. It's 2:42 am.
[[Shrug it off and try to sleep. Whatever it is, you can deal with it in the morning.->Try to sleep]]
[[Go to the window to see if you can spot anything.->Go to the window]]Cursing under your breath, you throw off the covers and pull on your slippers. There's a slight draft by the window, and you find yourself wishing for the warmth of your bed.
You squint into the blackness outside. Thankfully, there's plenty of moonlight and your eyes quickly adjust to the darkness.
There!
Off in the distance, you identify the speck of a single cow that's broken through the fence. It's wandering toward the ravine at the far edge of your property. If it falls in, you'll lose the cow, and thousands of dollars of profit with it. That's a margin you certainly can't afford.
Your heart slams in your chest as you watch the cow walk ever closer to the ravine. Just as you're about to tear your eyes away to throw on your boots and chase after it, the sky goes...green.
What? You rub your eyes, hoping to scrub the hue from your vision.
No, it's really there. The Wyoming sky has taken on a decidedly green tone.
As your eyes strain into the darkness, a blinding flash of light tears open the horizon. When you recover, you can't believe what you're seeing.
Your cow is levitating in mid-air. It's surrounded by a pillar of white light as its legs thrash and scramble for purchase, but there's nothing to latch onto.
Icy fear grips your heart, and you find yourself rooted in place. Even as you watch with terrified eyes, you realize the cow is slowly floating upward. You can't make out what's pulling it, but you know it is not of this world.
[[A moment later, you feel your own feet begin to lift off the ground.->You haven't seen them]]Stupid fucking cows. Maybe Pop was right. The work is hard and the payoff's not great.
You glare at the window from your bed for another moment, before angrily rolling over and putting a pillow over your head. You'll deal with it in the morning.
You close your eyes for just a moment, when a blinding white light envelops your entire room. Instantly, you sit up in bed, shielding your eyes with your hand.
The window slides open on its own, and you struggle to comprehend what you see next. From the void outside, a dark silhouette, much too thin and much too tall, climbs into your room and unfurls itself over your bed.
You heart hammers wildly, and the being extends one of its horrifying appendages toward you.
"No! Get away from me!" You scream into the night.
The being cocks its head to the side, and stares at you with unfeeling eyes like two hunks of obsidian embedded in its head.
With your arm outstretched, you attempt to back away from the being, only to fall off the side of your bed.
Your heartbeat is deafening, but you manage to make out some sort of message from the being, though it has no mouth that you can discern.
"No, not this one." It seems to be communicating with another one of its kind. You continue to scramble backwards, but you're in the corner now and there's nowhere else to go.
The being swiftly moves around the bed and lays one of its hands over your face. You try to scream once more, but no sound escapes.
Your father is the last thing you think of before everything goes black.
[[Try again.->Title]]With a sigh, you turn back toward the toolshed. You can't afford to lose even one cow, and you'll sleep better anyway knowing the fence is taken care of.
Inside the battered wooden shed, you grab your box of tools and walk back over to the fencepost. It's already starting to get dark, and your stomach growls as you think about dinner.
Fixing the fence is a simple matter, if tiresome. You re-position the fence post in its hole and pack the dirt back around it. After a few minutes of hammering, you're able to reattach it to the posts on either side. You're thankful for the electric lantern you've brought with you. You were so preoccuppied with the work that night has completely fallen without your notice.
As you pack up the toolbox and get ready to put it away, the cows begin lowing in the field. It's not unusual at first, but then you realize it's not just one cow--it's the whole herd. They moan in the darkness, and a chill runs up your spine.
Something's wrong. Is there a predator in the pasture? Fuck. You can't lose your stock.
You hop over the fence, and start making your way over to the herd when you're stopped dead in your tracks by something you can't quite comprehend.
There are strange lights in the night sky.
They zoom and swerve without any apparent regard for gravity or the laws of physics. At first they seem like white specks, but as they loop overhead you can make out shifting prismatic colors. It's like nothing you've ever seen before.
[[Chase after the lights->Chase the lights]]
[[Huddle by the fence and stay out of sight->Stay by the fence]]What the hell are those things? Could it be military? You're not sure, but you're sure as hell not gonna let those lights out of your sight until you can figure out what's going on.
You count the dots in the sky. It looks like there are five--no, eight--no, three? They keep converging on each other and blinking in and out.
You take off at a dead run into the pitch black pasture, your eyes trained on the sky above.
"Hey!" You yell, waving your arms futilely. "What the fuck's going on here?!" In the distance, you hear the cattle becoming distressed.
When you turn back, you realize you've run quite far into the pasture. It's very dark, and you're very alone.
Just as you decide to turn back, you're blinded by a flash of white light. The force of it is almost physical, and you crouch down and cover your eyes.
When you look back up at the sky, you scream. One of the lights has stopped directly above you, and your feet have left the ground. You feel your whole body being lifted as if with a magnet.
[[No matter how much you thrash and scream, the light pulls you inexorably upward, and eventually you leave the earth far behind you.->Nervous]]"Fuck that." You whisper under your breath. Whatever those lights are, you don't want anything to do with them.
You crouch down by the fence, wishing that Wyoming had more than goddamn plateaus and open spaces. There's nowhere to hide. You turn off the lantern, trying not to draw attention to yourself.
In the darkness, your breathing seems louder. Every crack and rustle in the distance makes your skin crawl. You want to run, but the lights seem to have congregated over the pasture. You don't want them to see you.
The cattle seem to be on edge. Their lowing has grown into ornery moos and high-pitched whining.
Suddenly, you hear something large step on a twig somewhere behind you. You wheel around and turn on the lantern.
What you see makes you scream.
Directly in front of you is a being your mind can't fully comprehend. It is tall--too tall. Its body is so slim as to be skeletal, and its arms are much, much too long.
Before you can run, before you can raise a fist and fight, before you can even wrap you mind around what you're seeing, its arm shoots out and it places a large hand over your face.
[[You black out from sheer terror.->Nervous]]You come to slowly, groggily. You're not entirely sure where you are.
The space you are in seems to stretch on for infinity. It's bathed in a white light that doesn't have a source--it simply emanates from within. It's actually quite pleasant.
As your memory slowly returns, you find yourself accepting the current situation with a sense of serenity and peace you haven't experienced in a long time. You're not sure how, but you know everything will be okay.
A panel appears in the air about ten feet in front of you. It slides open to reveal the most beautiful woman you've ever seen. She has red hair and freckles, and eyes that are the most vibrant emerald green you've ever seen. She's wearing a flowing white frock. She turns to you with a smile, and nods her head.
[["Who are you?"->Who are you]]
[[What's going on here?"->What's going on here]]The question leaves you lips before you can process it. The sound carries differently here--almost like you're trying to speak underwater.
She seems to understand anyway.
The woman walks toward you, and gently places a hand on your chest. Then, she moves it to her stomach. She repeats this several times, then pauses to look at you.
"I...I don't understand."
She cocks her head to the side, with the look of an indulgent teacher on her face. Slowly, cautiously, she leans in and kisses you. It's deep and tender, passionate and patient all at once. None of the girls back home kiss like that.
[["You want me?"->You want me]]
[["I still don't understand."->I still don't understand]]The woman approaches you slowly, cautiously. The peace you felt earlier is starting to dissipate. Something's not right here.
"Stop. Don't come any closer." The words seem to reverberate throughout the room. They don't sound right. You hold up your hand to halt her for good measure.
She pauses, and cocks her head to the side. The result is uncanny--it feels like she's scanning you for weaknesses.
You stare at her for as long as you are able, and it seems the unbroken eye contact is working somehow. She doesn't approach.
Then, emanating from deep within the boundless room, a strange clicking sound begins to reverberate. The woman straightens up, and begins clicking back. You shudder.
The moment she senses your disgust, the woman charges toward you. She's produced a syringe full of greenish fluid, and it's clear she intends to use it.
[[You brace yourself for impact and get ready to take a swing at her.->Fight her off]]
[[You curl up in the fetal position and pray for this nightmare to end.->Succumb]]You pick up a sky-blue apple and take a bite. It's sweet and tangy, it almost reminds you of pineapple. The woman smiles and looks pleased. Her face is the last thing you see before you pass out.
[[Everything goes black->It's an alien]]At this, a grin spreads across her face and she nods enthusiastically. Before you can second-guess yourself, she takes off her white frock tugs your pants down.
None of the girls back home are this forward, either.
At first, you try to fight it. Everything here has a dream-like quality, and you're not sure what's real and what's not. Either way, she makes you feel //really// good. God, you've forgotten what it was like to be with a woman.
The two of you stay together for hours. It's impossible to feel the passage of time in this empty white void. Through it all, she never speaks or makes a sound, but you find this strangely comforting.
Eventually, your stomach growls. She places a hand over your stomach and looks at you questioningly.
"Yeah, I guess I am getting a little hungry."
She nods and claps her hands. Almost instantly, a plate of the strangest fruit you've ever seen materializes before your eyes. It sort of looks like a plate of apples, but they range from deep purple, to bright blue, to one that is nearly transluscent.
This is what begins to throw you off. The familiar shapes, but in such an unnatural color. It gives you pause.
[[Eat the fruit. Honestly, it's the least bizarre thing about this whole situation.->You eat the food]]
[[Don't eat it. You're not sure it's safe for human consumption.->You don't eat the food]]You reach toward the plate, but you stop yourself before you touch the fruit. It's just so //alien//. The woman notices your hesitation. She picks up a deep purple apple and takes a bite of it, then offers it to you.
Again, you stop yourself. The dreaminess is wearing off, and you're starting to question things. Who exactly is this woman? Why are you here? What happened to your cow?
[[Almost as if she can sense your questions, the woman places her hand on your forehead and you pass out.->Cosmic child]]You strike her quickly and without thinking, but she still manages to jab you with the needle. You watch in horror as the plunger descends, and almost immediately a deep lethargy seizes your limbs. It's lights out.
You awaken painfully.
The world is swimming before you, too bright, too harsh, too loud. Mechanical buzzing and a high-pitched whine grate on your ears, while strange clicks and vocalizations fill you with dread.
A stabbing, burning sensation slices through your abdomen, and you try to double over only to find that you are strapped down on some sort of metal table.
The pain grants you a clarity you wish you didn't have. Above you, tall, black figures with eyes the size of canteloupes stand watching. They make unintelligible clicks to one another, and the one nearest your head hands a sharp metal tool to the one working on your stomach.
You scream as the tool enters your body, and writhe against your restraints. You feel a needle enter your neck and you cry out in pain.
[[Mercifully, this is when you black out.->Simulation]]When you open your eyes, you're back in your farmhouse. You're not sure what's happened. It's 4:15 am.
Were you supposed to check on your cattle? No, it's the middle of the night. You still have a few more hours of rest before you have to get back to the grind.
You lie back down, and dream of a strange, beautiful woman with red hair. She seems familiar for some reason. She's happy to see you. At her side, a small child with emerald green eyes clings to her skirt. He looks like you.
You awake with a start when your alarm goes off at 6. You're not sure why, but you feel like something is missing.
[[The End.->Title]]You awaken in the pasture with your cow, like you have every day for as long as you can remember. The starry sky looms overhead, and you sigh as you rise from the comfortable spot under the tree.
Your cow moos softly as you approach, and you stroke its fur in a sort of reverie. This is how every day of your life has started--waking beneath the twinkling stars, petting your cow, feeling like something is missing.
No, that just can't be right. You've always been here. You will always be here.
You shake off the thought, and get to work on your chores.
Sometimes, you like to watch the way the stars above glitch in and out of the sky while you work.
[[The End.->Title]]She shows no hesitation. The needle plunges into your skin, and you moan in agony. As the fluid in the syringe begins to course through your veins, you feel the last little bit of fight within you dying out. You feel slightly drowsy.
No, you feel calm. Everything will be okay. Why were you so worried to begin with?
The woman next to you has kind eyes. She helps you stand up (why were you on the floor?) and pats your forearm. She has a syringe. It looks like she needs to take some blood.
You nod, and she gently inserts the needle into your arm. When she's done drawing blood, she produces a cloth bandage and tenderly wraps the puncture. A strange doorway opens up in mid-air ahead of you. The woman gently steers you toward it, but you pause at the threshold.
"What's going to happen now?" You ask her.
She says nothing. Instead, she merely smiles and pats her abdomen. Before you can parce her meaning, she steers you through the doorway.
[[After that, your mind goes blank.->No memory]]The woman pulls away from you and frowns. It's clear that she's frustrated by your lack of understanding. You feel a little bad about this, but you truly don't know what she wants with you. The pleasure you felt when she first kissed you is quickly wearing off.
The woman's eyes suddenly light up, and she snaps her fingers.
A door appears in mid-air, a stark black maw against the endless, glowing white of the room. She gestures for you to follow her through it. You can't see what's on the other side.
[[You follow her through the door.->Stay and watch]]
[[You turn and run.->Run away]]A second before you turn and run, you swear you can see a glint of betrayal flicker in the woman's eyes. You don't let it stop you.
You turn on your heel and sprint away as fast as you can. You're not sure where you're heading, or even how to get out of this room, but with no guarantee of what's on the other side of that door, you'd rather take your chances here.
Despite you're mounting panic, you turn back for one last glance at the beautiful, terrifying woman. To your shock, she's not on the other side of the room. She's somehow right behind you.
Your heart slams in your chest, but just as you open your mouth to scream, an invisible panel slides open to your left. A mechanical arm bearing a large needle swiftly slides out and jabs you before you can react.
[[In an instant, everything goes black.->Probe]]You hesitate as you approach the door. It's more like a portal suspended in mid-air. The woman squeezes your shoulder reassuringly, and gently steers you through the door.
On the other side, you find yourself in an impossibly long hallway lined with identical doors on either side. With an uncanny sense of direction, the woman leads you through one that opens into some sort of medical examination room.
There's a metal exam table, and dozens of horrifying needles, scalpels, knives, tubes, and other instruments you have no name for.
The woman walks over to a control panel, and begins manipulating various buttons and switches. Suddenly, one corner of the room lights up, revealing a large tank filled with liquid. It glows bright green.
The woman taps your shoulder, and gestures for you to hold out your hand. She deftly stabs your finger with a needle, drawing a small amount of blood. Without explanation, she pours it into a vial, then mixes several other unknown fluids with it. Finally, she pours the concoction into an opening on the control panel.
The screens light up, and you notice a new liquid begins slowly dispersing in the green tank. You stand entranced, as the liquid begins to thicken, then form clumps. You're not sure how long you stand watching, but you can't look away.
Eventually, the clumps conglomerate, and you realize you're looking at a rapidly-developing embryo. You're not sure whether you should be terrified or impressed.
The embryo floats in the tank, bathed in green light. It's almost as if you're watching it on fast-forward. It grows larger, becomes recognizable as a human. The embryo's eyes remain closed as it grows larger than a newborn, then a toddler. In an instant, it's adolescent--its limbs growing gangly and floating away from its body as it remains suspended in the tank.
At last, you recognize that the thing in the tank is a near-perfect copy of you. You slowly reach out and place your hand on the tank.
In a flash, your doppleganger opens its eyes to reveal that they are a piercing emerald green.
As your mind struggles to comprehend what is before you, your brain finally allows the terror to catch up with your body.
[[You pass out in a heap on the floor.->They're always watching]]When you wake up, you're back in your own bed, in your sturdy little farmhouse. The window is open, and it's letting in a frigid breeze. Outside, the sunrise reflects off a fresh layer of white snow, and you find yourself squinting against the light as you close the window.
What the fuck happened last night? You have flashes of memory, and your skin crawls as you suddenly remember your cow being lifted into the air.
No, it's impossible. You must have had some sort of hallucination.
You run to the bathroom to splash some water on your face. As you shake the droplets from your hands back into the sink, you get a good look at yourself in the mirror. Something's...different.
Have you gained weight? Seems unlikely with how much heavy lifting you do around the farm. You lift your shirt, and sure enough, it looks like you've got the beginnings of a beer belly. That's...weird. Especially since you don't drink beer.
You pledge to cut back on the snacks and watch what you eat as you get back to work on the farm. Over the next few days, you try to put the strange hallucination behind you, but it's clear that something is wrong.
Because every night, your beer belly grows a little larger. Then, you see it kick.
It looks like it might have been more than a hallucination after all. A few days later, you decide it's time to get a crib.
That night, you look up at the stars and wonder how you're supposed to raise this child. Then you realize you're not sure how you're supposed to deliver it.
[[The End.->Title]]When you awaken, you're still in the voidless white space. The woman is gone. You begin to panic, when a panel appears again in mid-air, and she steps through and waves to you.
You reach out to her, but she simply places a hand on her abdomen, then steps back through the panel and disappears.
This happens many times. It happens so many times that you no longer know whether you've been here for hours or weeks. However, you begin to notice slight differences in the woman's appearance.
She's pregnant. Each time she steps through and waves to you, you can see that her pregnancy is progressing. You can only assume it's your child.
Her visits become more infrequent. Then they stop altogether. You begin to wonder if they've forgotten about you here.
You pass the time by thinking about that last night on your farm. Why did you have to kick the fence post down? Why were you so fucking angry all the time?
You find that the longer you stay in this room, the less you remember the anger, and what came before. It's as if your whole life has been leading to this place, this moment. Everything else was merely a dream.
It's been ages since you came into this room. You never feel hungry and you don't really sleep anymore. The monotony is the hardest part.
Then, one day, your prayers are answered. Something happens. The mysterious panel that used to slide open to reveal the woman finally opens again.
This time, however, a young boy steps through. He can't be more than five years old. He looks just like you, but his eyes are a piercing emerald green.
You open your arms and embrace him, and waves of love and ecstacy wash over you.
[[The End.->Title]]You awake suddenly. Painfully.
The world is swimming before you, too bright, too harsh, too loud. Mechanical buzzing and a high-pitched whine grate on your ears, while strange clicks and vocalizations fill you with dread.
A stabbing, burning sensation slices through your abdomen, and you try to double over only to find that you are strapped down on some sort of metal table.
The pain grants you a clarity you wish you didn't have. Above you, tall, black figures with eyes the size of canteloupes stand watching. They make unintelligible clicks to one another, and the one nearest your head hands a sharp metal tool to the one working on your stomach.
You scream as the tool enters your body, and writhe against your restraints. This seems to get their attention, and you feel an unseen needle enter your neck.
[[Once again, everything blessedly fades to black.->What happened]]The incessant beeping of your alarm clock feels like a hammer to your skull. You roll over in bed, and slap the alarm off.
It's 6 am. Time to get to work.
You throw your feet over the side of the bed, and rest your face in your hands. God, it's early. You feel like you've been hit by a freight train.
The morning passes in a blur as you begin your daily rounds on the farm. You can't figure out why you're so fucking out of it this morning. As you walk by the pasture, you find yourself staring at a particular section of fence.
You stand there for a long time, your heart pounding with a terror you can't name. When you can finally bring yourself to walk again, you head straight back to your farmhouse. You're not sure why it unnerves you so much, but you don't like being near this part of the fence.
That evening, you give your Pop a call. It's been a long time, and you're still angry at him for a lot of reasons. But the thought of being alone on the farm for the rest of your life has suddenly lost its appeal.
[[The End.->Title]]It's been a while since your strange encounter in the sky. You don't remember anything from after you fainted, and you woke up unharmed in your own bed.
Still, there are some scars.
You still have the cattle to look after, but you find yourself looking over your shoulder more often than you used to. The wide-open Wyoming spaces are no longer as appealing as they once were.
You try not to think about that night. Or about that thing they grew in the tank. The back of your mind is full of whispers of what exactly they might do with it.
These days, you stick to your routine. You keep your eyes cast to the ground, and you tend to the cattle.
And above all, you certainly make sure you're never outside after nightfall.
[[The End.->Title]]"Ellie." Duh. Maybe you should turn in early tonight...
Your barn cat Milo glances up at you as you mumble to yourself. He's some of the best company you've ever had, and you give him a scratch between the ears as you pass by. He lets out a small meow, and you hope this means he'll catch a few mice for you.
You head toward the back of the barn, where one of your prized heffers is about to give birth. She's a little early for calfing season, and you're hoping the baby will be born before nightfall. You'll need to work extra hard to keep mother and child warm against the chill winter evening.
When you get back to the stall where the cow is waiting, you notice that her breathing is labored and she appears to be in pain. Crap.
You grew up helping your mama deliver plenty of difficult calves on the family farm. Still, you know the signs, and this looks like it's going to be a particularly hard birth. If you're not careful, you could lose both the mother and the calf.
[[Go call the livestock veterinarian and see if he can make a house call.->Call the vet]]
[[Roll up your sleeves and get ready to deliver the calf yourself.->Deliver the calf]]This doesn't look good. You sprint back toward the house to call the vet. He'll know what to do.
You burst into your farmhouse and scramble for the old landline in the kitchen. With trembling fingers you dial the vet's emergency number and pray that he picks up this late in the evening.
"Hello?"
You thank your lucky stars he answered. "Hi, this is Ellie, over on Elk Ridge Farm--I have a cow in labor and it looks like she's in distress." The words fly out of your mouth at a mile a minute.
"Hello? Hello? I--zzzzzz--yone--zzzzz--ere?" You hold the phone away from your ear as a loud, buzzing static breaks up the call.
"Yes! It's Ellie, I need your help!"
"I--zzzz--n't--zzzzzzzzz--ou. C--zzzzz--ack--zzzz--orning." With that, the line goes dead. Crap.
You decide not to waste anymore time. Grabbing a bucket of hot water and several old towels, you head back over to the barn to see how your cow is doing.
The sun has already sunk behind the horizon when you step outside; it's getting dark. On your way to the barn, you make out a strange figure in the cow pasture. It looks to be about the size of a person, and it's heading toward the herd in the middle of the field.
"What now?" You mumble to yourself.
[[Investigate the figures in the pasture->Go to the pasture]]
[[Go to the barn to check on your cow->Barn take 2]]You decide not to waste any time. This is your farm, and it's up to you to save the cow.
The mother is clearly in distress--she's laid down in the hay covering the floor of the tiny stall. You pull up a stool, and scrunch your nose as you plunge your arm into the backside of the cow up to your shoulder.
No one ever said farmwork was pretty.
You've done this once or twice before. You feel around for the calf, reaching with your fingers to grab the legs and get the baby moving in the right direction.
Something...doesn't feel right. Your hand has found some part of the baby to grab, but for the life of you, you can't figure out which way the calf is facing or even what part of its body you're holding.
The cow wails in pain, and you know you're running out of time.
[[With a mighty yank, you bring the calf bloody and kicking into the world.->Two heads]]You blink, and find yourself in a bright white space that seems to stretch on for infinity. It's eerie.
At first, you're confused about where exactly you are and how you got here. And then you remember. Oh God, you remember.
One moment, you were firmly on the ground of your farm, and the next, you've been taken--no, //abducted//--by those things!
Just when the panic threatens to overwhelm you, a panel appears in the air about ten feet in front of you. It slides open to reveal the most beautiful woman you've ever seen. She has red hair and freckles, and eyes that are the most vibrant emerald green you've ever seen. She's wearing a flowing white frock. She turns to you with a smile, and nods her head.
The effect is unsettling. She looks human, but you have no idea if you can trust her.
[["Who are you?->Who are you]]
[["What's going on here->What's going on here]]Immediately, you know something has gone terribly wrong. The calf whines and opens its two--no, //four// eyes.
It takes you a moment to process what you're seeing. The calf's face is split down the middle, creating a two-headed animal. Each side of its face opens its mouth and gnashes its teeth. It looks top-heavy, with the calf's spindly legs struggling to hold the weight of its heavy head.
The mother's breathing is less labored now, but she still looks weak. You'll need to check on her overnight to make sure she recovers.
But now, you have to decide what to do with the monstrous calf before you. With a quick glance, you identify that it's a male. Bad luck. If it was female you might be able to milk it one day, but you don't know of anyone who would want to eat beef from a two-headed cow. And you certainly won't breed it.
Mama always said it was better to be merciful than kind. But you've never had to do this part of the job yourself, and as much as the calf unnerves you, you hate to kill something you just brought into this world.
[[Put the calf down yourself->Put the calf down]]
[[Wait and see if it survives the night->See if it survives]]With a shaky sigh, you resign yourself to the grisly task before you. It's not fair to the animal to let it live only so it can suffer.
You head over to the tool shed on the side of the barn where you keep a hunting rifle, and reluctantly load the gun.
When you get back to the stall, you gently loop a rope around the baby's neck and lead it stumbling outside. No need to spook the mother while she's still so fragile.
The sun is creeping down over the horizon now, and you can't wait for the sun to set on this wretched day. Before you lose your nerve, you raise the rifle to your shoulder and take aim at the spot in the center of the calf's two faces.
You close your eyes as you gently squeeze the trigger.
The calf goes down easily, and for a moment you think the worst is over.
[[That's when a green light envelops the body, lifting the dead animal into the air.->How dare you]]Uneasily, you decide to let nature take its course. If the calf lives, it lives. And if it dies, well...
You place a blanket over the strange, tiny body, and the calf's four eyes close as it leans into you. You suppress a shudder. Try as you might to ignore its deformity, there is something almost //otherworldly// about the animal. It just feels wrong.
A few minutes later, you get up and head into the house for a few hours of rest before you need to come back and check on mother and child again. Night has fallen while you tended to the animals, and tonight you find the darkness extra unnerving.
After a quick dinner, you hop into bed and set an alarm for two hours from now.
[[It's going to be a long night.->Thank you]]"What the...?" You mumble to yourself. You can't quite wrap your brain around what you're seeing. The calf is hovering about three feet above the ground.
At first, you are stricken with fear, but as a few seconds pass and nothing happens, you take a few steps toward the calf. Almost unconsciously, you reach out your hand to touch the body.
"Stop." The word hangs in the air, and doesn't so much ring in your ears as it buzzes inside your skull. "You've done enough."
You glance around wildly. There's no one. "Who's there?"
For a moment nothing happens. Then, you see a shadow flicker on the edge of your perception. It's tall, and impossibly fast. And it couldn't have come from any earthly source on your farm.
"You could have known us. We only wanted to share our knowledge with you."
"What...what do you mean?" It's getting dark, and the hairs on the back of your neck start prickling.
"The calf was a gift. It would have been stillborn and we breathed new life into it. And you killed it without a second thought."
The buzzing sensation in your skull grows stronger, and you clutch the side of your head. Before you, the shadows seem to be growing in mass. They gather together, and you watch in horror as a being at least seven feet tall forms in front of you.
It's pitch black, with eyes as black as obsidian and the size of melons. Those eyes bore into you with such hatred that it burns.
"I-I thought it was merciful!" It's all you can manage to get out as your mind grapples with the impossibility before you.
"Then you will understand that this too, is a mercy."
Before you can run, one of the being's long appendages lashes out; its palm envelops your face.
In your last moment, you feel only regret for what you've done.
[[Try again.->Title]]The screaming of the alarm jolts you awake from a dead slumber, and you slap the thing to turn it off. You're not sure if you're hoping the calf is alive or dead at this point.
You throw on a coat and your heavy work boots, and head back out into the chill Wyoming night.
As you approach the barn with a bottle of milk in hand, you hear a strange clicking noise off in the distance. It's near the cow pasture where the rest of the herd is hunkered down for the night. It could be local vandals, or a predator of some sort.
[[Go check on the calf.->Check on the calf]]
[[Investigate the noise in the pasture.->Go to the pasture]]You shrug off the noise in the pasture. Tonight has been stressful enough already--better focus on one thing at a time.
Tiny moos alert you that the calf is still alive before you reach the stall. You're not sure how you feel about it.
When you enter the stall, the heffer is also looking much better. She's still laying down, but she lifts her head when you approach and gives you a slow blink. She, at least, seems unconcerned with the abomination she's produced.
You pull up a wooden stool from the corner of the stall, and reluctantly offer the warm bottle of milk to the baby. The calf is eager, but it takes a moment for you to figure out the right angle to feed it as both mouths eagerly reach for the bottle.
You avert your eyes from the tiny beast as it hungrily gulps the milk, and instead you glance at the starry sky above. The longer you look, the more it appears to be turning a bright green.
No, that can't be right. You pause and rub your eyes, but it's undeniable. The sky is turning bright green.
[[That's your last thought, before the stall is bathed in a blinding white light and you lose track of the world for a bit.->Abducted with the calf]]You sigh, and decide you can't let any hooligans fool around with the herd. Your heffer and her baby might already be a lost cause, but you can stop any further harm from coming to your farm.
As you approach the pasture in the evening light, you struggle to understand what you're seeing. It looks like there are two or three people, but they're all impossibly tall and thin.
Are they wearing black ski masks? Their faces don't look right. Just then, one of the figures in the pasture turns and looks at you. It's startling.
Above, you notice brightly colored lights floating in the sky. You know they're not airplanes, because they swerve and loop and change direction so abruplty that they seem to have no regard for gravity.
The longer you stand there, the brighter the lights above become. With a gasp, you notice that they seem to be centering around you. Their patterns become tighter as they hone in on your location.
You start running, but it's too late.
You take two steps when your feet leave the ground. You flail your arms and legs wildly, looking for a purchase, a foothold, something to grab onto, but there is nothing.
[[You watch in horror as you leave the earth below you.->Abduction]]Though it bothers you not to do anything, you decide you have more pressing matters at hand. It's probably just a couple of local teenagers fooling around anyway.
You break into a jog and go back to the barn.
Inside, air is hot and musty. You can hear a low moaning coming from the stall where your cow is waiting.
When you arrive, you see that she has indeed managed to birth her calf alone, but something isn't right. The baby lies on the floor, stiff and unmoving.
It's stillborn.
Your heart sinks. Even though the calf was early this season, you welcome any chance to bring new life into your herd. As you look at the calf however, something else registers.
The animal had two heads. Or rather, two faces, split right down the middle of its skull. It's four eyes stare blankly up at you, and its two mouths lie agape.
You shudder. Perhaps this was for the best. The thing is an abomination.
After staring at it for a moment, you check on the mother. It looks like she's still in some discomfort, but she's much more stable now.
You glance back at the body on the floor. You need to do something with it.
[[Take it out behind the barn and bury it now.->Bury it now]]
[[Throw a blanket over it and deal with it properly in the morning.->Ignore the body]]Sighing, you grab a shovel from the tool shed next to the barn. Better to get it over with now and get this thing out of your sight.
You loosely wrap the calf in an old towel, and carry it out back where the shovel is waiting. Though the night air is biting, you quickly warm up as you dig a shallow grave behind the barn.
When you're too tired to dig anymore, you gently place the body in the grave and begin to cover it with the loose soil.
As you're finishing up, you squint your eyes in confusion as the sky about you turns a bright green color. You shade your eyes with your hand and watch the light dance above you.
For a moment, you think it could be the Northern Lights, though it's the wrong time of year and you're pretty far south for the phenomenon.
[[Your guess is proven wrong when a blinding white flash lights up the world around you. Everything goes black.->Outdoor Abduction]]With a sigh, you drape a blanket over the deformed body. It's been a long enough night already, no need to make it worse.
You confirm that the mother is stable, then let yourself out and head back to your farmhouse under the starry night sky. As you walk, you find yourself fascinated by the constellations.
They seem...brighter than usual. You stop walking, and peer into the void above.
The stars are moving. Well, several of them, at least. You know they're not airplanes, because they swerve and loop and change direction so abruplty that they seem to have no regard for gravity.
The longer you stand there, the brighter the lights above become. With a gasp, you notice that they seem to be centering around you. Their patterns become tighter as they hone in on your location.
You start running, but it's too late.
You take two steps when your feet leave the ground. You flail your arms and legs wildly, looking for a purchase, a foothold, something to grab onto, but there is nothing.
[[The lights envelop you in a blinding flash, and you leave behind everything you knew before.->Abduction]]The group smiles at this. A portal materializes in mid-air, and the red-headed woman steps through it. You feel oddly excited, even though you have no idea what's happening.
The woman returns a moment later, holding the hand of a small, ethereal child. She has blonde hair and large green eyes. She looks like she can't be more than 4 or 5 at the most.
"This is what we'd like to give you," says the red-haired woman.
"She is the first of her kind, created with prime samples of DNA we've collected over millennia," the dark-skinned man continues. "Though she is not of your body, your compassion for creatures unlike yourself means you are the ideal caretaker."
"She will unite the cosmos," they say in unison.
The child looks at you with her impossibly green, impossibly large eyes and smiles.
[[Open your arms and embrace her.->Accept your fate]]
[[Take a few steps back.->Refuse]] As soon as the words leave you mouth, the energy in the room shifts. These people look...sad. No, disappointed. They wanted you to do better than this.
There's something about this place that makes it easy to tune into their emotions. You almost want to take the words back, but before you can say anything, the pale man speaks.
"We always knew this was a possibility," he says. "Humanity can be small-minded and stubborn. No, don't try to change your answer now."
You're not sure how, but it's like he's reading your thoughts.
"The first refusal is your heart's truth. You are not ready for the gift," the tall man adds.
Without saying a word, the red-haired woman steps toward you, and opens her arms for an embrace. She is so gentle, so tender, so welcoming in the gesture that you can't help but go into her arms.
[[As she holds you close, you hear her humming an unearthly melody that lulls you into a stupor. Before you know it, you're drifting off to sleep.->Everything is fine]]Something is just not right about her. You back away, looking for an exit. You don't want anything to do with the mysterious child they've brought to you.
The group notices your reaction, and they frown. It's clear you've disappointed them.
"Please, don't be afraid," the red-headed woman says. "You have been chosen for this."
"No!" You snap. "Whatever she is, whatever //you// are, I want nothing to do with it!"
The three men glance at one another, and then at the woman. She nods, and they run toward you.
You try to escape, but there's suddenly a wall behind you. You have nowhere to go.
The struggle is quick and futile. They easily catch up to you and restrain you. The woman approaches, a syringe in her hand.
"This is for your own good." Despite your protests, she plunges the needle deep into your neck.
Immediately, your muscles relax. You feel drowsy. The last thing you hear before you pass out is the girl's voice.
[["Don't worry, they'll fix it so you like me when you wake up."->Nanny]]
As soon as you open your arms, the small girl runs into them and you embrace. You feel tears welling in your eyes as you hug her small body. Something you didn't even know was missing has been returned to you.
The others in the room smile tenderly, and the red-haired woman speaks to you one final time.
"Go. Live. Raise her as best you can. Know that one day, she will return to us, but for now she is yours. Cherish this time."
[[You nod. The woman snaps her fingers, and the room dissolves in white light.->You are happy]]You come to suddenly. It's like you blinked and found yourself in a whole new location.
The room you are in seems to be made of pure white light. It is boundless and seems to have no beginning or end. You feel shaky, but you try to hold onto your senses.
That goal becomes much harder to achieve when a portal appears in mid-air. It hangs open like a mouth for a moment. Finally, two impossibly tall black shapes enter the room.
Instincitvely, you step back. They do not pursue you. It seems that they know how uneasy they make you.
From this distance, all you can really make out are their enormous eyes and nearly skeletal bodies. You try not to make a sound. You simply stare with terrified eyes that refuse to close, lest you lose track of the threat.
Without getting any closer, the beings turn to you and speak.
"Please, do not be alarmed." You don't actually hear their words with your ears. Instead, the sounds somehow resonate and buzz within your skull.
"We have brought you here for a reason. You will not be harmed." They pause. They seem to be waiting for some kind of acknowledgement from you.
"O-okay." It's hard to get the words out. The sound travels differently here, like you're underwater. "What's the reason?"
"You have been chosen." Somehow you can tell that they say this in unison.
"Chosen for what?"
"You have been chosen to receive special knowledge of the universe. Knowledge that no other being on Earth has."
You take a step toward them. Your mind is slowly starting to wrap itself around their uncanny forms. "Why me?"
"You are kind. You are compassionate. You do what needs to be done. That is enough," they say. When they speak in unison the buzzing in your skull is louder, and you clutch the side of your head.
"Will you accept what we have to offer?"
[["Yes."->Learn their secrets]]
[["No."->Reject the knowledge]]As soon as the words leave your mouth, the beings approach you. Though every instinct tells you to run, you stand firm. You want to know their secrets.
"This may be overwhelming, but we promise that no harm will come to you."
You nod. Immediately, the being on the left lashes out its long appendage, and places its enormous hand over your forehead. Your eyes widen in surprise, but you don't struggle.
"Very good," they say. "This will only take a few minutes."
You feel your forehead growing warm, then hot. Your vision goes white, and images begin to dance before your eyes.
You see an inky blackness--a void stretching on for eternity. Then, a blinding, beautiful explosion breaks through the silence and apathy of the universe. It's the big bang. You feel every second pass as the universe is born of gas and dust. You watch planets form and die. You see the earth moisten and fill with precious water. Beneath the waves, you commune with the first life on this planet as single-celled organisms evolve and grow together. A millennium passes in an instant.
You watch as larger vertebrates grow beneath the waves, then change and form legs. They crawl on unsteady legs into a new world on dry land. You live among them as they survive cataclysmic extinction events, as life is almost obliterated and then reformed endlessly, over and over again. You are there when the dinosaurs walk the earth, the first true masters of this world. You gnash your teeth and sink your claws into prey even as you scramble away on tiny, nimble legs from the meteor that rockets into the planet.
You live through eons of darkness and renewal. The birth of humanity, the ice age. You rejoice with your tribe when a mammoth is slain, and you weep when a child dies of starvation.
The images start coming faster now. It's a barrage, an unending torrent. You're not sure you can take much more.
You see the rise and fall of Rome in an instant. The dark ages flash by, followed by the golden Renaissance. Everything is compacted now, miniscule bits of information as you slowly realize how meaningless it all is. Colonization on a global scale, the American Revolution, hundreds of years of bloody war and expansion for another patch of dirt to claim. This cycle repeats itself several times, through the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. You fly above humanity, a spectre, as it eventually destroys itself. The planet warms endlessly, and the oceans at last claim the Earth again.
Though much of the life that once was is now dead and gone, you rejoin the tiny amoeba beneath the waves. You stew there endlessly for millennia, until life again begins to evolve and change from beneath the waves.
With a jolt, the being removes its hand from your forehead, and you stand dazed in the bright white room.
"That is everything we can give you." One of the beings says.
You nod stupidly. Though it couldn't have been longer than a minute or two, you feel thousands--no, //millions//--of years old.
[[You don't remember what they said to you after that. Your memory goes blank for a bit.->I wish I could forget]]When you return to the farm, everything is different. You no longer find joy in the mundane chores around the farm. The silence of the Wyoming landscape that you used to think was full of peace is now just empty. There's no point to it.
You can't for the life of you figure out what to do about the visions you had. That's the greatest frustration of it all. With all that knowledge, all that time and perspective, you still can't figure out why they chose you.
You carry on as best you can, but you know humanity is doomed. You think back on the colored lights you saw in the sky on the night you were abducted, and wonder if there's a way you can get the beings to return for you.
Every night you look up at the sky and you pray for the beings to come back and take you with them. The alternative is too grim to consider.
[[The End.->Title]]The creatures nod, and before you can say anything else they send their long appendages lashing out toward you.
One wraps its arm around you, pinning your arms to your side. Before you can scream, the other places its enormous palm over your mouth.
[[Thankfully, you're only conscious for a moment longer before everything goes black.->Everything is fine]]When you come to, you're in a spotless, expansive white space. The whole place practically glows with light, and the air smells fresh and cool (although that could just be because the farm is nowhere to be seen).
At that thought, you glance down and see that the calf is with you. It totters around the space on unsteady legs and lets out a plaintive moo before turning to look at you.
Even though the calf still repels you, you walk over and give it a reassuring pat on the back.
Suddenly, you become aware that you are no longer alone in the room. Several people have entered the space, and although they appear to be human, something is not quite right about them.
There are three men and one woman. Every one of them is impossibly beautiful, with bright emerald green eyes. The woman has red hair and pale skin. The men run the gamut, with skin tones ranging from deep ebony to an almost translucent hue. All of their eyes appear slightly too large for their faces.
"I'm sure you must have questions," the man on the far left, with dark skin and a slight build begins.
All you can do is nod your head at this point.
"That's alright, we're here to help you." The woman continues the train of thought. "You've done very well so far."
"Done well with what?" You choke out the words as barely a whisper.
"Your compassion is impressive," says the pale man.
"We've never seen anything like it," a tall man with dark hair continues. "The calf was a test of sorts, from us to you."
"A test?"
"Yes," they speak in unison.
The red-headed woman elaborates. "We've been watching you for some time now. We knew you were kind, but we had to be sure."
"And now," the man on the left says, "we have something we'd like to entrust you with. It is unlike anything that has ever been seen on earth before, but we know that you are capable."
[["Okay. What is it?"->Human alien hybrid]]
[["No. Whatever it is, I don't want it."->Shirk your duties]]Their eyes light up at your acceptance. You're not sure what you've gotten yourself into, but for some reason you trust these people.
The red-headed woman steps forward, and clasps your hands in hers. "You will be the mother of a new form of life." Her green eyes sparkle as she speaks. "Your child will unite humanity with the rest of the cosmos."
"Wait, what are you talking about?" You try to step back, only to discover that the tall man has moved behind you.
"You will see very soon," he says. With a smile, he gently slips a syringe into your neck and injects some sort of green liquid.
[[Your mind immediately grows hazy. You swoon, and lose consciousness.->What to expect]]The beings won't accept your refusal, and decide that a few millenia traveling the cosmos will help open your mind
You are permanently abductedYou awake with a start to find yourself in your bed. It's still dark outside. Your eyes search the blackness, trying to find any sign of that strange white room or the people within it.
As much as you search, there is nothing. You are alone in your bed.
Well, almost alone.
You glance down and realize with horror that you appear to be about eight months pregnant. Heart racing, you place your hand on your abdomen and break out in a cold sweat when you realize what has happened. You don't know who fathered this child, or how long you've been gone, but one thing is for certain: you're going to be a mother very soon.
You can't help but scream when you feel something kick against your hand from deep within. It's stronger than any baby has a right to be.
You stare out the window at the stars above, and feel a blanket of dread settle over you.
[[The End.->Title]]"Hmm. A shame," the pale man says.
"Indeed. A great disappointment," says the dark-skinned man.
Your eyes dart between the faces of the group, looking for answers. "What are you going to do with me?" The panic is rising in you, and you have to struggle to remain calm.
The red-haired woman steps forward. "All is not yet lost," she says to the others. "This is still the right one. She is compassionate, but young. She needs time and perspective."
This causes the three men to nod sagely. "Yes, you are right," they say in unison. The effect is unnerving to say the least.
You find yourself backing away from the group. As you step away, you stumble over the calf behind you. You both tumble to the floor, and you find yourself clinging to the wretched little creature as tears well in your eyes. "Please," you cry out. "I just want to go home."
"You will go home," the tall man says. "But not just yet. You have more to learn."
"Even as you try to escape your fate, you demonstrate your capacity to care for things that are different from yourself," the man with dark skin gestures to you as you clutch the calf.
"Fear not," the woman with red hair approaches you and crouches down on your level. "You will go home in time. A few millenia traveling the cosmos should give you the perspective you need to do your duty."
Before you can say another word, the group exits the room, leaving you alone with the calf. Though you hear nothing, in your bones you feel the rumble of the engines as the ship turns and leaves the earth behind.
[[The End.->Title]]When you come to, you're in a spotless, expansive white space. The whole place practically glows with light, and you feel strangely calm.
You stand in the empty space for a few minutes, when a portal opens up in the air in front of you. It's alarming at first, but when several people enter the room you feel reassured.
They appear to be human, but something is not quite right about them.
There are three men and one woman. Every one of them is impossibly beautiful, with bright emerald green eyes. The woman has red hair and pale skin. The men run the gamut, with skin tones ranging from deep ebony to an almost translucent hue. All of their eyes appear slightly too large for their faces.
"I'm sure you must have questions," the man on the far left, with dark skin and a slight build begins.
All you can do is nod your head at this point.
"That's alright, we're here to help you." The woman continues the train of thought. "You've done very well so far."
"Done well with what?" You choke out the words as barely a whisper.
"Your compassion is impressive," says the pale man.
"We've never seen anything like it," a tall man with dark hair continues. "The calf was a test of sorts, from us to you. Even though it did not survive, you showed it compassion in death."
"What do you mean?"
"You buried it." They speak in unison. The effect is unnerving to say the least.
The red-headed woman elaborates. "A proper burial honors the life that has passed. It shows that you care, even though you did not want the calf."
"We have been looking for someone with your level of compassion for a long time," the dark-skinned man says. "And now, we have something we'd like to entrust you with. It is unlike anything that has ever been seen on earth before, but we know that you are capable."
Although you aren't sure what you'd be agreeing to, these people seem kind. You trust them, for some reason.
[["Ok. What is it?"->Take the gift]]
[["No. Whatever it is, I don't want it. Just let me go home.->No thanks]]Your eyes pop open a second before your alarm goes off. It's still dark outside, but that's winter in Wyoming for you.
You pull on your boots, and get to work on your daily chores around the farm. You're not sure why, but these days you don't really like spending much time in the barn. It puts you on edge for a reason you can't define.
You feel like you're holding your breath as you clear out the stalls. Not even your trusty barn cat makes the space feel better.
Afterwards, the day mostly passes in a blur. The cows need tending, a fence needs fixing, and you lose yourself in the mundanity of it all. In fact, you lose yourself so much that you don't even realize how late it's getting until the sun is sunk almost entirely beyond the horizon.
This realization sends your heart slamming in your chest, and you sprint into the farmhouse. You don't know why, but you will //not// be outside when the stars rise above.
[[The End.->Title]]You try as best you can to return to life as you knew it before the strange encounter. You didn't expect to become a mother overnight, so the first few weeks are spent getting supplies for the girl.
They never told you her name, so you decide to call her Celeste. It seems fitting.
When you accepted her, you expected the occassional temper tantrum or five-year-old meltdown, but Celeste is by far the most well-behaved child you've ever met. She carries herself with a poise unheard of for someone her age, and she has a wisdom beyond her years.
She even helps you with work around the farm. She has an uncanny ability to calm the animals, and sometimes you'll find her with her forehead pressed up against a cow's. When she sees you, she'll look over and tell you what the cow was thinking about, with such authority that you can only take it as the truth.
You gradually introduce her as your adopted daughter to friends and family. Although some of your relatives are skeptical at first, Celeste quickly wins them over.
You just hate the questions about where Celeste came from. You've been trying hard to forget that part.
In the back of your mind, you know that one day she will leave you. You don't know when, and you don't know how. But, you remind yourself, that's just life. Anyone could go at anytime. Until that day, she fills you with a joy and purpose you didn't realize you'd been lacking.
For the first time in your life, you are truly happy. Every night, the two of you count the stars and smile.
[[The End.->Title]]Mornings with the girl are your favorite time. Her face is often the first thing you see when you wake in your shared bed. She still sucks her thumb, but you don't mind. She's homeschooled, after all, so you don't see the problem with it.
She is the kindest, most poised five-year-old you've ever met. She's never had a tantrum, and she has a wisdom beyond her years. It frightens some of your relatives, but you find it charming.
She even helps you with work around the farm. She has an uncanny ability to calm the animals, and sometimes she'll tell you what they're thinking.
The only thing you don't like is when people ask you where she came from. You can't really answer, aside from the fact that she's adopted, without a splitting migraine. So you try not to think about it too much.
Though of course you love her, you can't help but feel like something is off. Like there was something that came before this...
Ouch. Headache.
You shake it off. No need to dwell on unpleasant thoughts. Soon the stars will be out, and you and the girl can count them together.
[[The End.->Title]]