City of IF

[Thunderbird]

Welcome to the Nuthouse!?!
A Storygame Collective Experiment


Rain patters across the grimy window panes surrounding this small auditorium. The air smells like musty old socks. Your chairs are cold and uncomfortable, small rickety foldouts that you may be concerned might collapse beneath you.

Standing at a rustic wood podium that has some suspicious beastly scratches across its front face is a wiry old man with crazy white hair. There might be a blue tint in that scalp, but you can’t be sure it’s not the faded lighting from bulbs overhead, so ancient you’re surprised they light up at all.

You’ve just gotten off perhaps the longest and most filthy bus ride you can ever recall having taken, after the longest, most horrifying plane trip you could have possibly imagined. The whole way, you’ve not spoken a word. None of you have. For you’ve all been nowhere but locked inside your own thoughts.

For some of you those thoughts have been about where you were… and where you were headed. For others, your thoughts may have led to far off places. Regardless, nobody felt like socializing, least of all you.

Once you’ve gathered into your seats, many of you staring down at your plain socks and issued cloth-wear, the white-jacketed man at the podium clears his throat. He looks like a stick figure from some angles, narrow, knobby and frail. His voice is high pitched for a man; perhaps it’s just his age. As he speaks, the auditorium echoes each word, annoyingly distracting at best.

“Greetings. I am the warden of this asylum, Doctor Lazarus Zephyr. You may refer to me as Dr. Z for short if you’d like.”

The crowd mutters to itself some and you are again struck by how widely varied the group really is. There’s men, women and children of all ages and sizes here. You must be wondering what THEY did to deserve this.

“You’re all going to be calling this place your home for a long time to come. The more you obey myself and my staff, the faster you will find your freedom once again. Some of you… never will.”

Eyes shift about from person to person among the assembly.

“You all come from very diverse backgrounds and you’ve all been brought here for your own, very personal reasons. But the one thing you all share in common with each other, is that you have all been found to have a skewed perspective of reality. There is a schism between the world that most perceive, and the world YOU perceive.

My job is to define that schism and to repair it, if it is in need of repair, or to understand it, if it is found to be representative of a more accurate model of perception.”

All seemed to ponder these words in the dramatic pause that the Doctor granted them.

“Throughout this process, you shall be held to a strict schedule. You will be guided through every step of your life, from one activity to the next, waking, eating, sleeping. You will also be required to reveal yourself through discussion… and possibly more intrusive devices.”

Lightning crashed in the distance somewhere, eliciting a wry smirk from the Doctor’s thin lips.

“Your treatment begins immediately. This very moment, in fact. I’m sure you’re hungry, no?”

His words seemed tainted with, what was that… a German accent? The crowd murmured a stirred at the mention of food. No matter how horrible, sustenance had been long since delivered.

“Then let us be quick about this shall we? I need each of you to take turns revealing to me who you are and what brought you here. I assure you, the gas you’ve been breathing since you entered this auditorium will give you not only unusually peaked lucidity, but a compulsion towards honest divulsion. So, let’s hear it.

Who are you?”

[Tikanni Corazon]

I'm not 100% that this is the kind of thing you're looking for TB, but I thought I'd give it a shot. I can always make changes later. ;-)


A young woman, of around 17 years old, raises her hand. Her hair is long and dyed a deep purple, of the same shade as the lipstick which adorns her perfect, full lips. She has been crying, long streaks of black, from the mascara and thick kohl that ring her strikingly blue eyes, have been smudged down her white face. Trembling, she rises from her seat, and stands amongst the crowd, her slight figure seemingly frail, as if a mere gust of wind could blow her away. Then, in a distinctly well-spoken english accent, cracked and broken from the many tears that she has shed, she begins to speak...

"My name is Celene, and I am... I am..."

'Who am I? What am I? What do I do? Why am I here?' I think frantically.

"You're an assasin, remember..." hisses the little voice inside my head, "We kill people, and gain a reward for doing so. We preform a public service, keeping such slime off the streets. They deserved to die!"

"But I have no money, no possessions... So what is my reward?"

"The knowledge that justice has been done. What greater reward is there?"

A flash-back enters my mind... children, so many children, each no more than five years of age... lying in the playground, bleeding... dying... dead... some sprawled lifelessly across benches... others dangling from the jungle gym... the gun in my hand...

"Children... I killed children. How can children deserve such a fate?"

"They were not children," the voice purrs. persuasively, "They were minions of the enemy, doomed to become the scum of the earth. How we hate them, oh how we hate them!"

"But who is the enemy?"

"... everyone..."

The girl, Celene, slumps back down into her seat, her two voices still chattering away frantically amongst themselves.

"Celene!"

I jump, as the voice of the man, Dr Z, releases me from the voice's clutches. I look to him questioningly.

"Why are you here?"

A moment of lucidity passes over me, and I burst into tears for the third time that day. Through the sobs, I manage to give him the true answer.

"I am Celene, and I am a murderer..."

[Thunderbird]

"Excellent, Celene. You have taken the first steps towards your healing already," Dr. Z smiles devilishly as he wrings his hands together with some sort of unholy glee. A sparkle caught his eye as you admitted your nature, an unnerving sight at best.

"You may proceed to the cafeteria for your food now. Await there for the rest. Once all have joined you, I will be addressing you further." He waves you towards a rusty door behind him, from which seeps a sorrowful scent of sour bread, an odor that nevertheless causes your stomachs to growl.

"Who is next to feed?" Dr. Z asks the assembly expectantly.

[Lebrenth]

Case History: “Little” Leroy Greer

Dr. Z’s words makes Leroy shift uncomfortably in his chair. This little shift is more than the poor chair can handle, and it cracks under Leroy’s considerable pressure. The resulting crash is more than startling, it is unnerving, like hearing someone being tortured in another room. Dozens of people stand up as though ready to run, before realizing it is just a very large man destroying another flimsy chair.

Leroy struggles to stand up and looks ridiculous as he rolls back and forth, trying to gain momentum. Most of the people think it is just sad, but there are others who consider it maniacally hilarious. A large black man, who could very well be a football player, is the only one to help Leroy, and even he has trouble.

Leroy finally finds himself on his feet, sweating profusely in spite of the cold, and looking at everyone looking at him.

“Who are you, my corpulent friend?” Dr. Z jeers, exposing a decayed black canine as he smiles. The sight puts everyone else back in their seats. Leroy looks sadly at his splintered chair and wishes he could sit back down himself. He turns defiantly and answers the question, though he can’t help the quiver in his voice.

“My name’s Leroy Greer. My dad is Jacob and my mom is Agatha. They used to call me ‘Little’ Leroy because I was a runt. Everyone still calls me Little Leroy cause they think it’s funny. Like Little John. You people probably think I can’t wait to eat, but you’re all wrong. I never eat anything. Never. Last time I ate was 6 months ago, but I’m still getting bigger….”

Leroy pauses for laughter, which is not as loud or as jovial as it usually is. In fact it is pathetic. However, that seems worse to Leroy, because as he sees it, if they don’t laugh, it’s because they pity him.

“I don’t care what any of you think,” he says.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Greer, we will help you with your delusions,” Dr. Z responds. “You may leave now. Don’t worry, no one will see you if you eat quickly.”

“I’m not going to eat,” Leroy states firmly.

“Mr. Greer. You can trust me, I’m a doctor. I would never feed you anything that would hurt you. You certainly will not gain any extra ‘padding’ from what I feed you.”

Leroy turns away and walks towards the orderlies guarding the door to the cafeteria. He looks back only to nod at the man who helped him up. Then he leaves, determined to do just as he said.

[Thunderbird]

Dr. Z watches the rotund Leroy place one laborious foot after another as the giant makes his way towards the cafeteria.

As he turns back to the assembly, he wears a mirthfully amused grin.

"This is shaping up nicely... very nicely indeed." For a moment he seems lost in his wringing hands.

Abruptly, he readresses the assembly.

"Very well then... Who is next to reveal themselves?"

[Crunchyfrog]

A well groomed lady stands up, looking like a million dollars despite her standard issue clothing.

"I am Wendy Suter, Director of Human Resources, at Zeddy Bank. I have seven degrees, six of them honorary. Nobody is more dedicated to their career than I. My children are cared for by a nanny while I work from 6.30am until 9 in the evening. And I know every executive on Wall St. Personally.

Will that do, Dr. Z?"

[Thunderbird]

Dr. Z's thin lips split his face with a wry smile.

"Ooooo, perhaps the most vile criminal yet!" A couple of members in the assembly chuckle audibly.

He pauses to consider, eventually delivering, "Nevertheless, if you must ask, then the answer is... 'not nearly'. Tell us more Miz Suter. Aside from the obvious confusion you must suffer regarding your measuring stick of success, what have you done to earn your way into these walls?"

[Crunchyfrog]

Wendy places her hands on the back of the chair in front of her, recently vacated by Leroy.

"The one degree I gained legitimately was in the history of art. Hardly a qualification of any use to elevate me to such a position of power in my field."

She laughs, and looks at her contemporaries, some of whom titter nervously in response. She locks her elbows fixes her gaze back on the Doctor. "And I thought a man of your learning would have understood the nature of my confession - or perhaps the word Personally is a tad too subtle for you? Perhaps you are in need of a private, personal demonstration for the sake of clarity, although I would doubt very much that continuing the scandalous activities that brought me here would form part of this therapy you offer."

[Thunderbird]

A nervous giggle escapes Z's lips as he licks them.

"My dear, an exhibition is not in order. It is revelation I have requested. You will find there is nothing too personal that it is worth concealing, neither from me... nor your peers."

His face hardens.

"But please, do go on squirming in the spotlight. For what you do not say, and how you evidence your efforts to avoid it, is as revealing as that which you do."

[Crunchyfrog]

Wendy lowers her head, but keeps a steady gaze. "Words of one syllable it is, if you must. I - slept - my - way - to - the - top. Okay? Except in reality the top never existed. I'm still a bank clerk, although they don't know that. How else could I afford the house and the nanny on my wage? Deceit and lying is what has brought me here."

[Thunderbird]

"That elicits as many questions as it answers of course, but this exercise is less to understand your crimes and more to understand your nature. It is this that you have revealed so explicitly to me. Very well, girl, run and devour your food, low-brow as it may be for your tastes," Z rambles.

As you move to pass his podium, he pauses you with a gesture. "I AM impressed with how quickly you decided to act on my request. Look behind you," he motions towards the remaining assembly. "There are yet so many more who have evidenced a greater reluctance to speak than you." He waves you off.

"Now then," he returns his gaze to the assembly, the question remaining in his eyes alone as he scans the crowd.

[Thunderbird]

"Well?" he asks, "Is there not one more among you brave enough to admit to the misfunctional crimes and thought processes that brought you here?"

[Thunderbird]

Note: This segment is for those whom have introduced their characters previously. They may react to this segment as they please, though at any time, any may continue from the previous comments in the previous scene, introducing their characters into the mix at will. The previous examples were perfect.

Welcome to the Nuthouse
Part II


Upon entering this disappointingly diminutive cafeteria, which has seen better days judging by the eroded, stained brick walls, you are immediately surprised to note that there does not appear to be any discernable kitchen here.

Instead, along with three worn school-cafeteria fold-out tables, and an office-style water cooler with paper cone cups, this windowless room contains a box-shaped dispensary, which looks not unlike any common coin-op snack machine, except that there is no visibility regarding any of its contents, and no coin slot.

A simple graphic display on its face blips, "Select one". Underneath are buttons located next to engraved options:

1: Grain
2: Vegetable
3: Fruit
4: Dairy
5: Meat
6: Sweet

The machine whirs and creaks from within, possibly sparking some conversation among the baffled few whom have made their way past Dr. Z's odd orientation.

[Cyberworm]

A normal, ordinary boy with brown hair and brown eyes raised his hand.

"I'll be next then."

Dr. Z rubbed his hands vigorously, and with a grin on his face so wide the boy twitched because of the awkwardness for a second.

"I'm here because they sent me here, I didn't want to go and I definitely showed them I don't."

Dr. Z just said "Go on."

"I... well, my parents saw that I wasn't doing well in college... I mean, it was medical college, it's awfully hard for anyone to be there!"

Dr. Z raised his left eyebrow.

"Anyway, they said they were either going to kick me out or I should find some work to cover their expenses of my education. So... when my dad went to throw me out of the house, since I had no interest in manual labor, I grabbed a shoespoon and spooned his eye out. Then I went to hit every single one of his extremital nerves, naming each and every one as I hit it, just to show that I really worked hard and it wasn't really my fault I flunked."

Dr. Z: "Ah, so then you..."

"I then took a knife from the kitchen and severed every single one of his major and minor arteries in such a way that it took him three and a half minutes to bleed out, all in as much pain as possible. Not to mention that the pain from the trigeminal nerve (the one that supplies the face, which you as a doctor yourself must know), is one of the most excrutiating pains ever to be sent by a nerve."

He took a deep breath, then held it for two seconds and did an equally deep exhale.

"I think I did a pretty good job, too."

He thought if he left something out...

"Oh yes, and my mother got a "slice and salt" treatment, I checked how much it was needed for a woman to pass out in pain. She passed out, alright, but she also died shortly after."

He coughed.

"Ah, but I am being rude, my name is Richard Chelsea, and how are you?"

[Crunchyfrog]

*in the cafeteria*

Wendy stares at the machine and mutters. "Low brow, eh? You can say that again." She waits to see what Leroy and Celene make of it.

[Tikanni Corazon]

...Celene steps warily into the cafeteria, and looks around. The instant she's inside, she pales at the stifling sense of claustrophobia that sweeps over her. After a short time, it dies down, and she moves further into the room, taking in the crumbling brick work, and the carpetless stone floor. A series of clunks and whirrings comes from a dispensary to her left, and cautiously she approaches, and reads through the options. But she decides she's not hungry, and instead slips over to the far-left corner of the room, plops down onto the floor, pulls her knees up against her chest, and leans against the wall...


"I'm fine... I'm fine... I'm fine..."

"Are you?" the voice purrs inside my head.

"Yes... yes I am..." I try to say it firmly and descisively, but I know that the voice isn't fooled.

"Oh, I think we both know what a whopper of a lie that is Celene. You're not fine at all, and with damn good reason."

"What do you mean?" I know I shouldn't get into these conversations, I know better than anyone how badly they can end. But the voice has caught my curiosity. What does she know that I don't?

"Well, surely you know, Celene, you can't trust these people, no more than you can trust the ones out there, in the real world. They are all the enemy, Celene, every... single... one of them."

"No! They will help me. They will stop me from..."

"From what? Dealing out justice, where justice is deserved? Why do you think they want to stop you Celene? They can't have you out there, punishing them for their crimes, their sins, their dysfunctions in society. They want to lock you away, to hurt you before you can give them what they deserve..." The voice trailed off.


...The girl Celene begins to rock back and forth, back and forth, as her conversation continues, oblivious to the others entering the room after her...


"No... no... no..."

"Yes, yes, yes! I am right, and you know it. And you also know what you have to do, don't you..."

"I can't do that! I can't!" Tears pour down my cheeks, and I cover my face with my hands. My fingernails dig into the skin of my forehead, drawing blood, a result of my violently frayed nerves. "I can't... I can't..."

"Yes you can! Do it! Do it now!

"NOOO!" My scream draws the eyes of all the others in the room, and I feel them burning into me.


...Celene stops rocking back and forth, lies down on the cold, stone floor, and curls up into a ball, facing the wall... hiding her face from the others judgmental gazes...

[Crunchyfrog]

Wendy looks from the nutcase lying on the floor to the sweating man beside her. Unsurprisingly, even despite the lack of food recently, there's no pang of hunger. But common sense tells her that she should attempt to eat something. She cannot see where the food will be dispensed. The machine is unlike any other vending machine she's seen.

Well it doesn't look like either of these two will try it out any time soon. She shrugs and takes a step towards it and looks at the selection.

"No option for nuts then," she says aloud. "I guess the good Doctor assumes there are enough of those here already."

Uninterested in Leroy's response, she jabs at a button. Fruit.

[Thunderbird]

"Well," Dr. Z states after some rubbing at his narrow chin, "I'm glad we're NOT related. However, I'm always happy to meet a fellow med student. Go enjoy your food then, Richard." He waves at you dismissively, hardly concealing the crazed glint of pleasure in his eyes.

~

The machine whirrs and shakes and an unseen panel opens up in the front. A small alluminum shelf snaps out of a box chamber presenting a small shiny red cherry.

[Lebrenth]

Leroy chuckles mildly at the cherry that Wendy holds by the very tip of the stem, like she was carrying a dead mouse. Her pursed lips and narrowed eyes make it clear it was the insult that makes her so fastidious. Whatever it was supposed to mean, it was demeaning.

Leroy walks over to the machine with a small grin.

"I'm guessing a carrot," Leroy says, as though playing a game. He presses the "2" button and waits.

"I thought you weren't going to eat anything," Wendy says, which wipes the grin from Leroy's face and makes him turn to face her.

"Just cause I order doesn't mean I'm going to eat," he says indignantly. "You can have it, whatever it is. I don't need it."

[Thunderbird]

After much whirring and rattling, the machine produces a fat, healthy cuccumber.

[Tikanni Corazon]

...The girl, Celene, sits back up again, and looks down at her hands, which lie in her lap. Then she lifts them into the dim light of the room, and her eyes grow wide...

"Why am I so dirty? How did I like this?" I get up from the floor, and look down at my clothes. Smudges of dirt and grime decorate my normally excessively clean form, and all of a sudden I can't take it any more. I need to be clean... I need...

"...to be clean," I whisper, so softly it comes out as hardly more than a breath. I reach inside the pocket of my waistcoat, drawing out a silver compact, and I open it to examine my reflection. The shock at my appearance makes the urge to be cleansed, of all the dirt, all the more potent. My eyes find the water cooler, and I make my way over to it, snatching up one of the cups, and filling it to the brim with water. Then I return to sit in my corner, placing the cup of water beside me, before ripping off one of the sleeves of my white shirt, and then proceeding to rip the fabric into strips.

One by one, I dip the strips into the water, and, using my compact, I remove every last trace of the black, white and purple gunk from my face, until all that is left is the peaches and cream of my true skin. Then I use the remaining rags to clean my hands, paying special attention to my fingernails, which are bordered in grime. I pull out the scrunchie that restrains my hair, and it falls in lank, greasy clumps around my head. I tip the cup of water over my head, grimacing as the ice cold liquid makes contact with my skin, then I go back to the cooler for another, and another, and another. I am freezing cold, and soaked through, and still not clean. I have forgotten the others in the room, blanked them completely from my thoughts. I have forgotten the voice, I have forgotten why I am here. I am soley focused on the task at hand.


...The girl, Celene, stands trembling, whether from cold or anxiety. Pushing up her remaining sleeve, she scrubs frantically at her arms, tears streaming silently down her newly clean face, which is set in a determined frown. Suddenly she lets out a despairing moan, and then proceeds to remove her waistcoat, and then the shirt beneath, leaving her in just her skin-tight black jeans, and a loose-fitting, black, cropped tee, revealing her jutting hip-bones, and the multitude of thick, red scars, which adorn her stomach and lower-back...


"Feeling better?" The voice in my head sounded amused.

I shake my head, intent on my task.

"That's a pity," she continues, oblivious to my anxious state. "Considering you're making such a spectical of yourself, I was hoping it would have been worthwhile. And to let all of these strangers see those..." I stop, and look down at the scarring on my tummy, the long, angry slashes, that I always kept so well hidden... "What would your mother say?"

"Oh God!" I cried, forgetting the dirt once again, wrapping my shirt around myself to hide them.

"It was a pointless exercise though really, wasn't it darling," the voice whispers, uncaring. "Sooner or later, you will let me out, and when you do, we both know, these hands won't stay clean for long. Soon they'll be bold... bright... beautiful red!" She pauses, but when I don't react, she continues. "Now, why don't you just grab yourself something out of that contraption, and go and sit down quietly, and wait for the inevitable." Feeling ashamed, I do as she says.


...The girl, Celene, ceasing in her indecipherable whisperings, wanders over to the dispensary, lifts a still trembling hand, and presses the button labelled 'Sweet'...

[Thunderbird]

A soft, velvet cupcake with a glittering scarlet icing is eventually produced by the reluctant machine.

Aside from the obvious conversation stimulants, do the 'inmates' eat? Richard enters the room just before Celene has made her decision, in time to witness her strange behavior.

~

Meanwhile, with beady eyes, Dr. Z continues to scan the crowd, looking for the next brave soul who would reveal his or her nature. A scowl crops up on his lips as his fingers anxiously tap the podium before him.

[Tikanni Corazon]

...The girl, Celene, picks up the cupcake, and returns to her corner...

"My favourite colour," chuckles the voice in my head, but I take no notice. I break off a piece of the cupcake, and place it warily in my mouth. Despite the colour, it tastes like any other cupcake, sweet and soft, with vanilla flavoured cream. Satisfied with my choice, I sit down to finish it.

...The girl, Celene, sits cross-legged on the floor in her corner, and proceeds to slowly eat her food...

[Cyberworm]

Richard stops at the panel with the choices up...

"Hmmm... All that talk about spooning made me crave some sweets..."

He then presses the Sweet button.

[Thunderbird]

As Richard is gradually delivered a bag of candy hearts, Celene begins to feel something she hasn't felt in some time... friendly? The feeling wells up within, as if spreading a warm glow throughout her bloodstream.

[Cyberworm]

Richard observes the bag from all sides, tries to read the contents on the back of it, but there is nothing written. It's just a bag. He shrugs and tastes some, happy to finally have something sweet in his mouth.

[Smee]

Paul suddenly blinks, as if coming out of a deep daydream or trance. A slight frown creases his youthful brow, a shot of confusion seeps from watery blue eyes masked behind thick black glasses. He blinks again. The concern is gone. A strong, confident young man stands up, a knowing smirk on his face as he addresses the doctor.

"I am Captain Awesome... defender of Truth, Innocence and Justice! I have crossed the Salt Waters of Oc-ean, and traversed the endless Dirt Desert of Doom to be here! Stand aside foul demon, lest I am forced to slay thee with my mighty sword, Nightsbane!"

Another blink.

The watery eyes return, Paul doesn't appear to notice the doctor and others watching him. He fumbles in a jacket pocket, pulls out what he believes to be several 20 sided dice and bends to roll them upon his vacated seat, mumbling to himself as he does.

"Attacking role, 2D20, 35 yes good, plus 5 for demonslaying enchantment upon Nightsbane, yes. Defensive role, -3 for illumination against demons, 27, yes, yes."

In one sweeping action the die are replaced back in the jacket.

Another blink.

Captain Awesome assumes a heroic stance, left arm on his hip, right arm thrust out as if holding out a large weapon and pointing it at the doctor.

"I could strike you down Demon Zee, but grant you mercy. Stand aside and let me past lest I change my mind and smite thee where you stand!"

[Lebrenth]

Leroy offers his cucumber to Wendy, but she merely folds her arms, raises an eyebrow and glares, as if to say 'What do you expect me to do with that?' Leroy is delighted that she's not interested. He sits down and starts picking at the skin of the cucumber with his nails. Soon it starts to resemble a face.

"Mr. Cucumberhead," he declares, then goes back to the slow work of making it look like a person. His stomach growls, but he doesn't pay attention to it. The less he thinks about it, the easier it is. He focuses on the work, which is going well, considering he has no tools. It isn't just eyes and a mouth, but a carefully sculpted face, even if the result is very crude. The face looks like it is in pain. Leroy looks grimly at it for a moment before setting it down. Leroy turns it away so it will stop looking at him.

[Thunderbird]

Dr. Z's right eyebrow arches nearly off of his forehead. "Let me guess, you were great with the girls, weren't you."

He clears his throat after rifling through files before him, mouthing the word, 'Paul' as he inspects one of those documents. Looking up, he refers back to you, "You're not so far off in your assessment there, Captain. Nevertheless, you'll be needing sustenance if you'll be continuing to challenge evil today. You may pass."

~

As Captain 'Paul' Awesome makes his way into the cafeteria, Leroy has set to work on Mr. Cucumberhead and Richard, having begun to savor the, thankfully unprinted, candy hearts, has begun to feel an unusual sensation of everything being right with the world. A happy fuzzy glow seems to coat everything he sees and he finds himself downright happy to be amongst such close friends.

[Tikanni Corazon]

...The girl, Celene, is about a quarter of the way through her cupcake, when the warm glow begins to course through her, and has consumed another quarter, when she begins to wonder why...


"Friendly? Why? These people aren't my friends, I only just met them... I feel... strange." But the voice doesn't answer me. It almost feels like she has vacated my body, this evil, ruthless creature that invades me, and, despite all of her bad points, I find that I miss her being there. It's almost like she took a part of me with her, all of the fight and guts, and leaving behind the scared little girl within. This has happened before, with numerous medications, but she always comes back. And it shames me to say that, I'm always glad when she does. Without her, I feel like I can't cope with the world around me, like she controls all of my courage and strength. Which is why I never take my medication anymore, just try to control her as best I can. But...

"Medication... medication... I haven't taken any medication." I look up at the people around me, all of whom have turned to stare, upon hearing my vague statement. "She only leaves if I've taken my medication..." My voice trails off, as I look down at the cupcake in my lap, and the truth suddenly dawns upon me.

...The girl, Celene, makes a noise of disgust, and throws the remaining half of her cupcake against the far wall, where it smashes to bits, crumbs flying everywhere...

[Cyberworm]

Richard felt good, even better than he did when he first came in the building. It really was good to feel. Feel good. Feel anything.

"I love myself." he said. "I really do"

And with that words he continued to eat the hearts.

[Crunchyfrog]

Wendy holds the cherry up by its stalk, and twirls it back and forth between thumb and finger. The cherry rotates, the reflected light on its shiny surface never wavering. It is perfect in every way. Not one blemish to be seen. She places it on one of the tables and beckons to Celene, who seems settled now she's devoured the cupcake.

"Here, you have it," she says.

Wendy turns back to the machine and jabs at another button. Grain

[Thunderbird]

Lights blink across the display panel, repetitively delivering the message:

Only one selection per guest.

Your stomach growls.

[Tikanni Corazon]

...The girl, Celene, eyes the offered cherry warily, and shakes her head...

"No thankyou," I reply quietly. The others are free to do what they please, but I have decided that I will not be eating another bite of the food in this place. The voice has still not returned, and I miss her. I suddenly feel very sleepy...

...The girl, Celene, leans back against the wall, and closes her eyes. Within moments, she is asleep...

[Adalia]

A little girl, no more than 6 or 7, stood up onto her chair. Her long, dark brown hair contrasted starkly with her pale skin. Gripping a single white rose to herself, she spoke, her voice betraying her nervousness.

"I'm Ally and I don't know why I'm here. Mommy said that daddy shouldn't have tried to show me his tail. He said it was put in the wrong place, and asked if I wanted to see it. I told mommy that and all she did was look at me funny.

"She had him taken away by some scary men in blue. I don't know why daddy hasn't come back yet and mommy won't tell me. I asked our new neighbor if he had a tail in the wrong place. He did. He showed it to me and asked if I liked it. I thought it was ugly, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings so I told him it was pretty. He told me that next time he would show me what he does with it. When I told mommy about it, she told me not to go there anymore. The men in blue came and took him away, too. I didn't like that I didn't get to know what he does with it.

"A man came up to me when I was playing in the park with my friends. He said he wanted to show me some magic and that I should go with him. I told him that if he was going to show me what he does with his tail, that he should probably show mommy first so that she would be okay with me seeing it. He smiled and told me that that was a good idea. I pointed my mommy to him, and told him that it would be hard for him to get her to let me see it. He just smiled." She paused, took a deep breath, then continued.

"The next time I saw him, he was standing over my mommy with blood all over him. Mommy didn't say anything or move. Then, he left the house. When I touched mommy, she was cold and stiff. I didn't know what to do, so I just sat there.

"I don't know how it happened, but the next thing I knew, the men in blue came and took me away. I didn't want to go because daddy never came back when they took him. They had to force me into the car. I didn't like the smell in it and I didn't like the place they took me to, either. While I was there, an older girl showed me how she would cut her wrists a little. I liked the look on her face when she did it, so one day I copied her. The lady looking after us yelled at me and sent me here."

She stared at Dr. Z, wondering what he would reply. She was a little afraid that she would end up with nowhere to go, but she had done what she was told, so everything should be okay. Right?

[Thunderbird]

"Hmmmmmmm.....," Dr. Z ponders as he strokes his wedge chin, "That certainly IS quite a 'tail' there, little Ally. No doubt the majority of your injuries won't be so self apparent until you are bit older yet, so the prognosis here is... very good. Your innocence will be our... erm... you're greatest asset. You may run off and eat now. Perhaps someone can help you to reach the buttons."

Dr. Z returns his penetrating stare back to the crowd.

[Crunchyfrog]

Lebrenth wrote: It isn't just eyes and a mouth, but a carefully sculpted face, even if the result is very crude. The face looks like it is in pain.

Wendy is hungry and begins to reconsider the cherry that Celene rejected. But the euphoric look on Richard's face after eating the sugar hearts and the contented slumber Celene has descended into strengthens her resolve to resist.

She sits at the table opposite Leroy. Mr. Cucumberhead sits on the table between them. Even the face carved into its green flesh looks like it doesn't have a care in the world.

[Adalia]

Ally gulped before going through the door. She was a little afraid of the people who had gone in before, but she had nowhere else to go. Tentatively opening the door, she took in the sight of the room and its occupants. The windowless room strangely comforted her, knowing that she wouldn't have anywhere to escape to. She didn't mind the aged look of the room. What did disturb her was the seemingly peaceful atmosphere in the room. Her breathing grew shallow as she began anticipating something terrible.

Approaching the machine, she stared at the buttons that were just barely out of reach. She looked around at the crazy lady asleep in the corner, the frightening, rigid person watching the big guy doing something to his cucumber, and the most scary one of them all, R-something, eating some kind of candy, and decided not to ask for any help.

Stepping back, she quickly looked over the choices and decided that she was in the mood for meat. Having made her selection, she approached the machine again and tried to reach for the button, standing on her tip-toes. When that failed, she made a small leap for the button and narrowly missed pressing it. Exasperated, and now totally absorbed in her task, she made another lunge for the button. Her finger landing squarely where it needed to.

[Thunderbird]

The machine delivers you two steaming hotdogs on a paper towel.

Meanwhile, Richard begins to feel a remorse and sorrow... after a moment of thought, he realizes that what has beset him is a feeling of... loss... Suddenly, as his bag has become finally depleted, he feels an undeniably terrible feeling of missing everyone he's ever loved in his life at any time. All anger or resentments for those past individuals dissolve into a forgotten mist, leaving him bare of his walls against this pain. A hollow feeling grips him from within with an excrutiating intensity.

Mr. Cucumberhead wobbles a little. Those of you whom have not eaten yet are beginning to feel a sense of painful hunger that exceeds your usual frame of reference.

[Lebrenth]

As Leroy's belly continues to grumble he can feel the acid churning inside. It makes him scowl as he looks at his large gut.

"That's weird," he says disappointingly. He looks at Wendy who has just sat down across from him. "I haven't been this hungry for months.... Are you all right?"

"Fine," Wendy says primly. Only her eyes betray any instability, and there only a little. Soon after admiring her strength of composure, his perspective changes. As his hunger increases dramatically, he starts to take a more careful look at her body. He stares at her arm and imagines the lean meat of the muscles within. He salivates and once he recognizes it, he is alarmed.

In his mind, there is a door, and beyond that door he knows there is something he does not wish to see. As it seems like the door is about to open, he acts desperately. He seizes 'Mr. Cucumberhead' and jams it in his mouth. Leroy chokes as his eats, but he does not stop. The pained face is consumed and soon the entire cucumber is gone. Leroy beats his arms and his whole body against the table as his skin turns red. He cries out in anguish, with tears and sweat splattering on the table. He sobs for a moment with his head down, but soon he is up again, this time beating his round figure with his fists.

Finally, he is completely out of strength and he lays down on the table again and sobs some more. He has no idea what will happen next, but all he wants is to be left alone.