Observation Log

"Wake up, darling. Darling. [[Wake up."|Part 2]]

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/rGnIroQ.png?1" /> You're in the middle of a road in an unfamiliar city. Your heart starts to race. The last thing you remember was being at home, but now, new memories start to flood in. They wash over you and erase the panic that initially set in, instead filling you with a sense of determination fueled by exploration. <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@43.6777978,-79.4050219,3a,75y,119.17h,94.78t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scdRAaO-wLf8Kan2M9XFCdg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192" target="_blank">(Play along.)</a> You now remember getting out of a taxi... (click-replace: "You now remember getting out of a taxi...")[You now remember getting out of a taxi, blinking in confusion when this address didn't match up to the one for Vanessa's home. You're in the wrong city. You paid an exorbitant amount of (monopoly) money for that ride. Rude. You open your phone. No service, and you're avoiding those roaming charges, so you go to shut it off. But as you go to put it into your pocket, you feel it vibrate and hear the ringtone. [[Answer it.|Part 3]] [[Ignore it.|Start]]]

"Ah, darling, you're finally awake." The voice is sonorous and comforting, but you can’t quite place a name to the sound, nor where you first or last heard it. How does she know you? Didn’t you turn your phone off? “Let’s get you out of the middle of the street, shall we?” You begin to walk forward down something called [[Davenport Road.|Part 4]]

The voice speaks again. "Ah, before you go too far... Leave breadcrumbs to remember your way back, young one. If you don't see the forest for the trees, at least consider the bigger picture when I send you on this journey." "You sent me?"(click-replace: "\"You sent me?\"")["You sent me?" She chuckles warmly. "Just a bit of fun to draw your attention to something that will be key for your quest." [["What quest?"|Part 5]]]

“Turn here,” is her only reply. “And don’t forget the trail of breadcrumbs.” <img src="https://i.imgur.com/WogXxtx.png"> [[Turn and pass by several houses.|Part 6]]

Emerging at a neighbourhood, you continue to walk, pondering if the mysterious woman means for you to leave actual breadcrumbs along the way. It's doubtful a place like this will have chickens to feed, but they must have a lot of pigeons, and those are like city chickens, right? "Son of a parson," the woman suddenly says, snapping you out of your daydream. Was that supposed to be a curse? "Touch not the cat but a glove," she continues. [["Are you ever going to speak to me plainly?"|Part 7]]

"This is your quest. Think of me as your spirit guide, or," and amusement rises in her voice at this, "one of those audio guides at musuems, only this one speaks only in riddles." Sighing, you realize you've come to a major road. "Only one thing left to do," she purrs in delight at the pause. [[Turn left down Macpherson Ave|Part 8a]] [[Turn right down Macpherson Ave|Part 8b]]

You turn left, and quickly right again as the voice purrs, "We're staying on Davenport for now, love. That's it! Do you see the city skyline now?" <img src="https://i.imgur.com/dKqogJl.png"> All you see are a bunch of bicyclists. [[Turn right and look around.|Part 9]]

You turn and walk right down Macpherson Ave. Your vision begins to fuzz over at the edges, your heart rate rising uncomfortably. "Normally I'd love telling you you're right, darling, but this was the wrong way. Take your breadcrumbs with you." [[Go back left.|Part 8a]]

Well that was a mistake, you tell yourself when this street is only busier and wider than where you left. Quickly, you hurriedly look for some green space. Seeing a row of four houses, the two corner ones having turret tower style adornishments, your eye catches most of all on the thick green trees further down the street. [[Escape down St. George Street.|Part 10]]

You continue to walk down St. George for ten minutes.(click-replace: "You continue to walk down St. George for ten minutes.")[You continue to walk down St. George for ten minutes. Rows of houses, apartment buildings, orange and green taxis. At some point, the literal point of the CN Tower breaks into your view on the horizon. So many apartments. So many people must live here. When you begin to feel that old panic rising up in you, the sudden thought of where she is bubbles in your throat. Before you can answer, her soothing cadence fills your ears again. "Look how unusual that building is," she points out suddenly. "I wish we had time to stop inside. It's a very peaceful museum. Ah, well, you have your quest to fulfill... best carry on forward." <img src="https://i.imgur.com/QgZlD2O.png"> [[Continue toward the CN Tower and the comfort of trees.|Part 11]]]

Soft chuckling rings out pleasantly in your ear after you've been walking down St. George for another several minutes. "Just because I like the name," the mysterious woman softly says, "please humour me and turn left." [[Turn left down Hoskin Ave.|Part 12]]

With your incredible sense of smell, you catch a whiff of caffeine. That makes sense, considering the amount of students around. Wandering inside, you cut through the University of Toronto’s Centre for Ethics, and start to consider your own as you use this place as a shortcut. You also cut across a soccer field, debating what it would be like to streak across it. ”Having fun, are we?” she says, bemusement dancing in her voice. You suddenly aren’t convinced she can’t read your mind. ”You’ll enjoy the place up ahead. It’s called the Philosopher’s Walk. Very fitting for a mind like yours.” You’re not sure whether to be worried about how on-the-nose that comment was to your thoughts, but worry is pushed out of your thoughts when you become entrenched in the green space. The old, beautiful buildings are also appropriately peaceful. You walk more slowly here, hands in pockets, lungs clearer, head in a peaceful place. The sound of cars and people make their way back in eventually, and you find yourself at a rounded curve of road met by a straight one. “The Hoskin meets the Queen’s Park,” she giggles, then clears her throat in a majestic rumble. ”It would be a shame to pass up on that view. Watch it over your left shoulder until the farm amongst the willows. The Duke is waiting for the Queen there, but you must turn away from them. If you’ve crossed the bridge, you’ve gone too far.” [[Turn left toward Wellesley St W.|Part 13b]] [[Turn right toward Hart House Cir.|Part 13]]

Trees once again stretch out before you. You do your best to ignore all of the traffic and buildings that also exist around there, and continue walking. You come to an utterly messy crossroads of streets and traffic and people, unable to avoid them. A flare up of comforting warmth rises in your chest, followed by a daring whisper, ”Run across the field.” With no more hesitation than an internal question of whether to spread your arms open like an airplane or tossed behind you in a Naruto run, you dash across the greenery of this campus. Here, there is open space and a clear sightline… <img src="https://i.imgur.com/rWITd5q.png"> … once again leading you toward the CN Tower. Out of breath from your run and now earning weird looks from passing students, you slow back to a brisk walking pace until you exit at King’s College Road. “I know there are quite a few restaurants coming up, darling, but I’m afraid we’re turning just short of dropping by them,” the voice explains apologetically. ”Instead, I’ll need you to cut some corners for me. Have the gaul to take McCaul, But if you see a park, resist the call. Instead, climb over Mt Sinai, To give Gerrard Street W. your eye.” [[Cross through the hospital and stop near Gerrard Street W.|Part 14]]

You turn and walk left down Wellesley St W. Your vision begins to fuzz over at the edges, your heart rate rising uncomfortably. "Normally I'd love telling you you're right, darling, but this was the wrong way. Take your breadcrumbs with you." [[Go back left.|Part 13]]

Now in the heart of what you imagine a big city to look like, and with so many hospital buildings around you, you’re more relieved than ever to hear her voice ring out when you successfully find the stretch of University Avenue that she directed you to in the first place. “Ah, you’ve found it! What a good boy,” is her purr that breaks the cacophony of city sounds. “This old section of the city stands tribute to its survival. Old wizened faces standing stoic, watching the young ones pass, hoping only that they live better lives having remembered those who came before them to make the circumstances better.” You can feel her presence with you as you walk University Avenue to the south, again in the direction of the Tower. After ten minutes of walking, you feel the gentlest of force under your chin that helps tip your head up in time to notice a monument surrounded by a fountain in the middle of the road. “How many do you remember? Of the ones who stood faithfully by? History really should not be considered a Boer. Those who study it gain new shortcuts to a royal wealth of knowledge.” <img src="https://i.imgur.com/T4K1YLr.png"> Atop the grand monument is a bronze winged woman holding aloft a golden crown. You could swear that her left wing folded and unfolded in a gesture you could almost interpret as directional. But surely, it’s a trick of the light. [[Cut the corner to your left and down Queen Street.|Page 15a]] [[Cut the corner to your right and down Queen Street.|Page 15]]

You turn to your left, which is the opposite of the angel's gesture, and down Queen Street. Your vision begins to fuzz over at the edges, your heart rate rising uncomfortably. "Normally I'd love telling you you're right, darling, but this was the wrong way. Take your breadcrumbs with you." [[Go back left.|Page 15]]

You’re not sure why you listened to the angel. Queen Street walls you in almost immediately. Your instinct is to check for bathrooms, for fast food places that might have somewhere to duck into or for a public space that isn’t populated so you can retreat away from the oppressiveness of the concrete jungle. New meets old here, with shuttered shops facing sleek hotels. You stop and catch your breath outside a row of shops. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/JyR9qG9.png"> With your senses temporarily returned to you, you can see how absurd this is. You should just hail a cab and find your friend’s address. You had it written down somewhere. Glancing ahead, you spot something familiar - a Subway. It looks empty of customers. There are public bathrooms here. A green and orange taxi is parked just around the left corner. You consider both options... [[Turn and go to the Subway.|Page 16]] [[Get inside the taxi.|Page 16b]]

After a snack and a rest stop at Subway, you exit out onto Duncan Street to put as much distance between you and Queen as possible. The Tower stands tall in front of you. You only get as far as a radio station office before feeling the compulsion to swerve away from the Tower’s influence and head to your right down Richmond Street W. The walk is somehow less oppressive, in spite of the overwhelming Presence. You tilt your head when you see an unusual building marked as a Michaels Art Store and a movie theatre. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/7HhKqIH.jpg"> What is with this city and tilted buildings clipping other buildings? Shaking your head, you hurry along the same street, passing restaurants and bars and otherwise closed businesses decimated by the plague. The road begins to dip a little beyond Spadina. What an odd name. This place is full of oddities. Speaking of which… "Where did you go?"(click-replace: "\"Where did you go?\"")["Where did you go?" you ask no one in particular. It isn’t until you pass a parking lot with a grafittied mural of a young boy lying on his stomach that you get any answer. "Do you want to escape the Tower’s Influence?" she asks, with no apparent concept of how long she’s been gone. Your arm had begun to ache and at some point your arm holding up the phone dropped away from your ear. Yet her voice is as clear as day. "We can turn away, if you’d like," she offers politely. There’s even a hint of concern in her voice. You catch on pretty quickly to things like that. Walking past the building with blue striped boxes of trim and hurrying down the street, you move to the right side of the street and eventually come across a community garden. You pause here for a moment, taking in the tang of vegetable leafy scent hanging in the air. You ponder her offer. [[Accept the offer to turn away toward the graffiti on Portland Street.|Page 17]] [[Refuse to leave the garden.|Page 17b]]]

Once inside the taxi, you fish around for the piece of paper Vanessa’s address is written on. Your eyes blur. Your heart palpitates, and your upper body sways. “Hey buddy, are you alright?” You hear the driver’s voice slurring as your vision tunnels and your consciousness plummets. [[”Wake up.”|Part 2]]

Passing the graffitied walls, you feel a wash of relief over you to be turning away from the Tower. It’s almost as if it could C N-to your soul no more. "Where are you taking me?"(click-replace: "\"Where are you taking me?\"")["Where are you taking me?" you ask the mysterious voice in your head. You pass a Loblaws on the corner and turn left, further away from the Tower. You’re fairly sure they aren’t a lawyer’s office, or a courthouse lobbing laws. Perhaps a lobbyist council founded this place to spin laws in their own favour. Or maybe it’s a grocery store. "Right now? Toward the Smoke," she answers, cryptic as ever. As annoying as it is not to earn a straight answer out of her, it’s nice to have company again, and she hasn’t yet steered you too wrong. Passing the bright red sign of a fabled Shoppers Drug Mart, you continue down Queen Street West. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/SIHH6TP.png"> You see a hideous storefront(?) display with rusted old bicycles that looks entirely unfriendly. The thought crosses your mind that it might be fun to torch it, and maybe that’s what she meant by smoke. Her affectionate tutting rings out in your head with the intent of scolding you. "Further, darling." Begrudgingly, you continue. If only you had a match or a lit cigarette that you could just so conveniently have left behind to get rid of that place… A streetcar dings, then rushes by in the middle of the road. The whir of the cable overhead makes you uneasy again, but you can feel her as if she tucked a shawl of comfort around you just as quickly as the anxiousness rises. "Here then," she seems to decide when you approach the corner of yet another major intersection. A black and red checkered storefront catches your eye on your right, punctuated by the black and white face of a smiling man. You’re not sure if you can trust him. "This is where we’ll turn right." [[Turn away from Smoke’s Poutinerie and go right down Bathurst St.|Page 18]]]

You sit down in the community garden, comforted by the patch of nature in the city’s lung. You’ve had it with this place. You weren’t even tracing your route “with breadcrumbs” anyway. There’s a soft click of a tongue in the back of your head. It sounds disapproving. Several more clicks follow rapidly after. Your head feels heavy. Your legs are sore. [[You’re just going to lay down here for a little while…|Start]]

Bathurst is shorter but just as busy. You eye the street car, but don’t know how it works confidently enough to want to ride one. Nevermind the stop is full of people. More murals, more old buildings, sparse trees. Why did she think to take you here? Two attached homes with mismatched red painted brick facades pass on your right. You shudder at the thought of sharing a wall with a neighbour like that, then hurry further down Bathurst. Blue paint stands out against a sea of brown brick homes. Suddenly, on your left, shiny gold catches your eye, and as you walk further, you can start to see the shape of cupolas on a ridge hipped roof, denoting some sort of church. Eastern European, perhaps. "Is there a point to all this?"(click-replace: "\"Is there a point to all this?\"")["Is there a point to all this?" you ask, your attention grabbed to your right as you look longingly out onto the expanse of green parkland. "To your quest?" she asks, seemingly genuinely surprised that you would ask that. There’s a pause, perhaps to think over the question you posed. More murals and a Tim Hortons pass before she answers. "I had thought it obvious. We’re playing a game. Have you remembered the breadcrumbs?" [[Yes.|Page 19a]] [[No.|Page 19b]] [[What are the breadcrumbs?|Page 19c]]]

"Good!" she exclaims excitedly. "With the bigger picture in mind, I think you’re starting to see why I’m very specifically guiding you down the right paths." Walking further still, you can’t help but notice in disgust that the view that far too many of these homes have is one directly across the street at shops and rows of parked cars down a congested street. You could never live here. "Nassau is Germanic. Do you think that will stem your panic?" She laughs as you wrinkle your nose at the intersection of Nassau and Bathurst. "Right. I need you to get creative with me here," she begins to explain as you turn right and start to walk down Nassau. "Think like an alley cat. You’ll have to hop some fences to get to Oxford." [[Walk halfway down Alley Cat Lane and hop a fence, making a dash for Oxford Rd.|Page 20]]

"You haven't?" she asks in disbelief, then sighs in bewilderment. "Go back and start again. This time, remember where you've been. Leave a trail. See the bigger picture." [[Your eyes grow heavy. You slip unwillingly into sleep.|Start]]

"What are the breadcrumbs?" she echoes in disbelief, then melts into a bubble of chuckled laughter. "I'll take that as a no. Go back and start again. This time, remember where you've been. Leave a trail. See the bigger picture." [[Your eyes grow heavy. You slip unwillingly into sleep.|Start]]

Once at Oxford, you’re surprised and relieved it’s not a more major street. Calmer, you walk down the left of the street. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/26FQje3.png"> You’re very quickly told, "Here! Trust me, it’s a better shortcut than the last." You’re not sure if you can trust someone you’ve basically never met, but you take her on her word for it. You emerge onto a street again, your path sandwiched at the end between a daycare and a fire station. The city once again opens up to greet you back into its overcrowded arms. No thank you. Away from the Tower, she promised, so you take a left and follow behind a school bus... "People really should think twice about what they put near their mouths," the woman’s voice pangs disappointedly in your head. "They named a whole street after Lippincott!" Rolling your eyes, you turn right down Lippincott. Very soon after that, the sight of green grass catches the light just right to get your attention. And it doesn’t take longer than another thought or two before you’re reaching out internally for her guidance. You’re rewarded with a sighed, "Oh, all right. But be quick about it, and meet me on Bathurst again between the church and the medical centre." [[Cut across the high school field to Bathurst between the church and the medical centre.|Page 21]]

"Wonderful. You’re a natural at this. And you didn’t get distracted," she praises, sending your heart soaring. With her guidance, you go left down Bathurst and turn left on Ulster, then right on Markham St. The houses here are bigger and cozier, with trees and yards, but again far too little space for the area allotted, at least in your opinion. "I have a question. Did you tell me the purpose of this game and I just don’t remember it?"(click-replace: "\"I have a question. Did you tell me the purpose of this game and I just don’t remember it?\"")["I have a question. Did you tell me the purpose of this game and I just don’t remember it?" There’s careful consideration in her voice. "You’re a special project to me, my dear. I want to see if you were paying attention to my true challenge of you." "And besides," she adds, "it's your birthday." [[You don’t quite say anything else until Lennox Street.|Page 22]]]

There’s a big white gate, Gate 1, that demands no trespassing. Mischief rises in you, but is snuffed out by the voice’s next instruction. "Right. Well, correct, and turn to the right, please, love." You weave and dodge around construction and workers, hoping silently that she’ll send you elsewhere soon so you can be rid of this nuisance. You pass across Bathurst once more (thank the dragon gods) and instead find yourself at Lippincott, a much quieter route opening up to you. To your confusion, you can feel the soft invisible push of your chin in the opposite direction, beside the technical school. "It’s not a desire path, but I do so desire you to cut the corner. Funnily enough, you’re heading south east, and this street is named for a county in south east England." [[Cut the corner and find Sussex Street.|Page 23]]

Standing at the corner of Borden and Sussex, you spin in a circle and wonder where you are. These neighbourhoods are starting to look the same. This is a much longer walk than you anticipated. "All aboard to Harbord," she purrs once you've stopped pivoting in place. You look ahead and there is a sign for a bigger road called Harbord. At the pedestrian crossing, you squint at the sight of red brick rowhouses marred by the large black side of a house whose paint job helps it resemble a dumpster. That’s a pretty good analogy for this city. Just as you once again wonder how to get out of here, she pipes up again. Your hands have long been stuffed into pockets and you stopped questioning how you can hear her without headphones or the phone’s speaker. "On your left," her sultry swirl of a voice murmurs instructively, "shops and homes, shops and homes. Major Kosower will be so disappointed if we don’t drop in and check on him..." "Corner of Major and Kosower. Got it."(click-replace: "\"Corner of Major and Kosower. Got it.\"")["Corner of Major and Kosower. Got it. Any other riddles?" Her laugh is like butter gliding over a warmed skillet held off the burner - silky smooth, with building momentum and the potential for a delicious outcome. "Clever and handsome! What luck it is for me to spend the afternoon with you! Yes, you’re right, of course. Take the corners loosely, and rejoin Harbord up Sussex Mews. Then, keep walking until you see the words in the Spadina Sky." [[Begrudgingly walk down back streets until Spadina.|Page 24]]]

"Now for some fun!" Something tells you that her idea of fun is vastly different than yours. "Check your pocket for a card. The subway system is linked with buses and streetcars to get you around Toronto. And you’re about to ride one of those street cars." <img src="https://i.imgur.com/khswivs.png"> [[No I’m not.|Page 25a]] [[You mean transit was an option this entire time?|Page 25b]]

"Too bad," she laughs jovially. "Your ride's here." Your eyes grow heavy. Several blinks later, between which you briefly see the interior of a streetcar... <img src="https://i.imgur.com/EjpCAZR.jpg"> ...and a creepy brown hallway... <img src="https://i.imgur.com/gV6B7nK.jpg?1"> ... a subway station... <img src="https://i.imgur.com/XhMoDjy.jpg?1"> ... you regain your senses while scrambling up a set of stairs two and three steps at a time until you stumble out into the fresh air from a weird yellow beamed greenhouse of a pod. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/yNPGQgW.jpg?1"> "That was just a straight line, for your breadcrumb notes," she patiently reminds you. [[A straight line? I could have walked that!!|Page 26]]]

"Yes, it was," is her coy reply. "Do be sure it’s going north, and tap the card onto the sensor near the door. Don’t bother sitting down, though, the subway is right nearby." "The subway?!"(click-replace: "\"The subway?!\"")["The subway?!" You curse at her in your head as you board the streetcar and go the short distance to the station. It’s a very creative string of words if you do say so yourself. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/gV6B7nK.jpg?1"> The curses get more colourful when you have to use a moving sidewalk… <img src="https://i.imgur.com/XhMoDjy.jpg?1"> Down into the dank depths of this draconic city’s belly and into a subway car... <img src="https://i.imgur.com/yNPGQgW.jpg?1"> And scramble up a set of stairs two and three steps at a time until you stumble out into the fresh air from a weird yellow beamed greenhouse of a pod. "That was just a straight line, for your breadcrumb notes," she patiently reminds you. [["A straight line? I could have walked that!!"|Page 26]]]

"With thighs like those, I don't doubt you could have." [[You mentally bap her. 🗞️|Page 27]]

You thought you'd seen it all by now, but no. This back street sends itchy goosebumps up your arms at the bizarrenss of it all. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/dbxKliu.png"> Disgustingly pale and featureless abodes stretch militantly ahead and are broken on the horizon only by a red roofed castle. "Not here, one further," she instructs. Your relief is palpable. But Walmer Road looks more like the most blandly default row of resort administrative buildings. As you hurry through it, wondering what on earth could possibly even happen down here to cause need for a Neighbourhood Watch, you're struck by the sight of fake London charm blanketed in bland materials and stamped out with as little charm as possible. [["Where to now?" you ask the disembodied voice.|Page 28]]

You hear the cawing of a crow above you and your eyes briefly leave the path, long enough that when you look back down, there's a blur in your vision you could swear is an arrow pointing over the wall. [["You can't possibly expect me to jump the wall."|Page 29a]] [[Sit down and refuse to move.|Page 29b]] [[Begrudgingly climb over the wall.|Page 29c]]

"You can't possibly expect me to jump the wall." There's a warm and almost affectionate chuckle. "Oh honey, I didn't expect anything from you at all, but here we are, nearly completed in our quest. What do you have to say for it? Will you trust I know what I'm talking about, or will you give up and sit down?" [["Fine, I'll complete the quest."|Page 29b]] [["Never. Goodbye."|Part 2]] [[Give in to the tiredness.|Start]]

You sit down and refuse to move. "Now, now, you're much too old for temper tantrums now, darling," she tuts, as if reminding a child they should share their toys. You sit there for longer. Finally, after a close call with a car swerve and a grumble of long ignored hunger pains, there's an internal sigh from her. Your feet feel lighter and your physical limitations are temporarily lifted. You nyoom across the Casa Loma courtyard and grounds in a curve toward Spadina. You've never felt so free! Is this what being a dog feels like? Just as you dash across Baldwin Steps and find yourself zooming like a tabaxi across Spadina Park in a downward sloping arc... The effect wears off. You're standing in the middle of a street again. Davenport? [[Why does this place look familiar?|Page 31]]

You begrudgingly hoist yourself over the wall and unceremoniously land on the other side, nearly twisting your ankle on the ascent. Mentally mapping out the ways you'll seek revenge if this ends up being an elabourate ploy from Vanessa to enjoy the various sights of a Canadian city, you trudge across the grass and grounds of the Casa Loma. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/v27LUJO.png?1"> Your hike takes you out through Spadina Park, which sounds like it'd be lovely if only it wasn't reeking with other people. You could really, really use some peaceful alone time surrounded by nature right now. [["Are you saying that nature's calling?" she asks with obvious bemusement.|Page 30]]

Somehow, you find the other side of Spadina Park. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/6ej16Fc.png?1"> The sight of streets again is disheartening, so you stick to the grass as much as possible before you just can't manage it anymore and need to cross the pavement to Davenport. Wait. Davenport? That doesn't seem familiar, but something tickles at the back of your brain anyway, and for once on this crazy journey it isn't the mysterious woman's voice. [[Why does this place seem so familiar?|Page 31]]

"Yes," is her simple reply. [["What was the point?"|Page 33a]] [["I think I understand now."|Page 33b]]

Annoyance grips you as you trudge down yet another street, without any real explanation you can find that explains why this place seems so familiar. Davenport begins to swerve to the right. That's when your stomach drops. [["I'm back at where I started?!"|Page 32]]

"The point," she answers patiently, giving a dramatic pause while a car zips by, ruffling your clothes and muffling your hearing momentarily, "is the breadcrumbs." [["Why do you keep talking about breadcrumbs?"|Page 34b]] [["I think I understand now."|Page 33b]] [["Fuck breadcrumbs! I'm taking a nap!"|Page 33d]]

"Oh, excellent!" she purrs, and you feel a warmth flush up your body as if you share her delight for that exact moment. It's gone as quickly as it swept you up. "Tell me, then, did you enjoy it? Oh, I hope you did! And the riddles, ohh, they were so much fun to craft..." "Excuse me, I'd like to know what's really going on already."(click-replace: "\"Excuse me, I'd like to know what's really going on already.\"")[Excuse me, I'd like to know what's really going on already. Haven't I earned a bit of respect here? I was lead around by my nose all day, and let me tell you, that's difficult becau-" "Okay! Enough of that!" she says sheepishly with a clear of her throat. "In that case, study your breadcrumbs closely. Yes, you will be quizzed on that, like it or not." [[You check your notes you made all through the game.|Page 34a]] [[You stare at her blankly.|Page 34b]]]

"CONGRATULATIONS!" <img src="https://i.imgur.com/3PmfzQO.png?1"> You trace out the path in your mind's eye and discover that it's, in fact, shaped roughly like a guitar <strike>drawn as directed by a very tired artist in google maps.</strike> You're amazed you got here, and you're even more dumbfounded by the roundabout and wordy way in which this was presented. Still, you can feel her excitement buzzing in your skull, so you try to come up with something to say. [["Yay me?"|Page 36a]] [["Where do I go next?"|Page 36b]] [["I just guessed, because you were so incredibly vague about breadcrumbs."|Page 36c]] [["How do I escape this game already?"|Page 36d]]

"Fuck breadcrumbs?" she echoes in disbelief, then melts into a bubble of chuckled laughter. "You want to take a nap? Fine. Then, go back and start again. This time, remember where you've been. Leave a trail. See the bigger picture." [[Your eyes grow heavy. You slip unwillingly into sleep.|Start]]

"Are you ready?" You're fairly confident you know what answer she's looking or. (set: $total to "0") (link-repeat: "Type your answer")[{ (set: $total to (prompt: "Please enter the description or name of the shape (see task for instruction)", "Answer here")) (if: $total is "guitar")[ (replace: ?results)[That's correct! [[Click to continue|Page 35]].] ] (else:)[ (replace: ?results)[Oops. That doesn't look right. Please try again. Or, [[start the game over.|Start]]] ] }] []<results|

"Don't you know what breadcrumbs were left behind?" she echoes in disbelief, then melts into a bubble of chuckled laughter. "I'll take that as a no. Go back and start again. This time, remember where you've been. Leave a trail. See the bigger picture." [[Your eyes grow heavy. You slip unwillingly into sleep.|Start]]

There's a delightful laugh in your head. You sway a little, realizing for the first time that you're not on a street of any kind, but in a void space. It's almost eerie, but her voice brings you back into the present, and you instantly forget that you're standing in the inky black iris of nonexistence. "Have I made you so dependant on my riddles that you don't know what to do without my guidance?" she teases. "No, this is a scavenger hunt. I need my next clue."(click-replace: "\"No, this is a scavenger hunt. I need my next clue.\"")[No, this is a scavenger hunt. I need my next clue." "You are free to leave after you use your newfound clue to go to the next location," she explains courteously. "Just one more place I'm going to lead you toward, my dear." [["I'm all ears."|Page 37a]] [["I knew there'd be another direction you'd tell me to go in.|Page 37d]]]

There's a silence. For the first time, you realize that you're not on a street of any kind, but in a void space. It's almost eerie, but her voice brings you back into the present, and you instantly forget that you're standing in the inky black iris of nonexistence. There's understandable hurt in her voice when she manages a reply. "You... are free to leave after you use your newfound clue to go to the next location." [["I knew there'd be another direction you'd tell me to go in."|Page 37d]] <a href="https://pbskids.org/games/">Exit without the riddle</a>

There's understandable hurt in her voice when she manages a reply. "You... are free to leave after you use your newfound clue to go to the next location." [["I knew there'd be another direction you'd tell me to go in."|Page 37d]] [["I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. Tell me where to go next."|Page 37e]] <a href="https://pbskids.org/games/">Exit without the riddle</a>

She clicks her tongue at your sass. "You always have something cheeky to say to me, don't you?" is her response, but there's a fondness in her voice that your incredible passive insight can pick up on. "Very well. If you don't want to continue forward and closer to your destination, by all means. The exit is that way." <a href="https://pbskids.org/games/">Exit without the riddle</a> [["Fine, give me the riddle."|Page 38b]]

"Good! I knew you'd be eager to move along from this place, after all I've put you through," she laughs. You hear the soft sound of distant guitar music, and then her voice rings out with: "According to Matt, the shape is a disgrace. Long neck traded for Autumn's tail. Not a fish, but sometimes a bass, It sits mutely until it meows a scale. Bright eyes and a purrfect shape, A Hackett knows songs this will elevate. How much could claws offer to a soundscape? One paw set on that bus and he'll defenestrate. Little boy blue and the man in the moon, nothing's standing between him and his retail therapy. Such a choice might default him from being big spoon. But that spills into spoiler territory." Her voice fades with a final "good luck!" and for the first time in a long time you realize you're alone. [[Play again?|Start]]

Her voice rings out with: "According to Matt, the shape is a disgrace. Long neck traded for Autumn's tail. Not a fish, but sometimes a bass, It sits mutely until it meows a scale. Bright eyes and a purrfect shape, A Hackett knows songs this will elevate. How much could claws offer to a soundscape? One paw set on that bus and he'll defenestrate. Little boy blue and the man in the moon, nothing's standing between him and his retail therapy. Such a choice might default him from being big spoon. But that spills into spoiler territory." Her voice fades with a final "good luck!" and for the first time in a long time you realize you're alone. [[Play again?|Start]]

Your high passive insight notes the pause before she answers. "No matter!" she laughs, mildly forced. "You're willing to continue, that's all that matters. Now, where did I put that riddle...?" You hear the soft sound of distant guitar music, and then her voice rings out with: "According to Matt, the shape is a disgrace. Long neck traded for Autumn's tail. Not a fish, but sometimes a bass, It sits mutely until it meows a scale. Bright eyes and a purrfect shape, A Hackett knows songs this will elevate. How much could claws offer to a soundscape? One paw set on that bus and he'll defenestrate. Little boy blue and the man in the moon, nothing's standing between him and his retail therapy. Such a choice might default him from being big spoon. But that spills into spoiler territory." Her voice fades with a final "good luck!" and for the first time in a long time you realize you're alone. [[Play again?|Start]]