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(107) You slowly open the door. To avoid startling the children, you gently knock on the door as they look up. "Oh, Hello," says the boy, as if expecting you. "Won't you come in? Move over, Anna." "Hello!" Anna greets you, her blue eyes beaming. She seems delighted to see you. She has curly, light brown hair and is wearing a bright blue dress. "Aldo and I never get visitors! Won't you sit down? May I offer you a drink?" She stands up and makes a great show as if admitting you into a grand dining room. You politely refuse, and sit down on the rug next to them. Aldo, wearing a blue sailor's outfit, moves over to make room. Both children stare at you eagerly, as if you had a present for them. Somewhat at a loss, you ask them how they are doing and inquire about their favorite games to play. They reply that they are doing well and enjoy hopscotch, playacting, and storytelling. Go to 272. *Oh goody Hopscotch! Readies his pebble* (272) You gradually steer the conversation over to the house. Who do they live with? Who takes care of them? Where do they go and whom do they visit outside the house? They seem puzzled by your questions. "Story time!" interrupts Aldo. "House rules. You"re the visitor, so you go first." "Oh yes, please," exclaims Anna, clapping her hands in glee and looking at you excitedly. "I love stories." If you decide that you are wasting time here, you can leave the children and continue down the hallways as it bears to the left (115) or you may go back to the split in the landing (150). If you decide to humor them, go to 308. |
Nice, two children that may be toying with us, let's humor them and see where it goes.
*Stretching his face and making strange voices, in an almost inhuman manner.*
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(308) You think for a minute, and then tell them the story of Pinocchio. They sit at rapt attention, eyes wide, hanging on your every word. At the end, Pinocchio becomes a real boy and they both clap their hands in glee. "My turn, my turn," says Aldo. "How about"¦a ghost story!" "Ohhh," breathes Anna. "Yes! I love ghost stories!" You nod excitedly and tell them how much you, too, appreciate scary stories. "All right," begins Aldo, lowering his voice. "Once upon a time, there was a man." "A nice man?" interrupts Anna. "Decent," continues Aldo. "This man had a daughter, and she was very beautiful." "As beautiful as me?" pipes in Anna. "Oh, no," replies Aldo. "She was much prettier." Anna frowns. "Anyway, he loved his daughter more than anything else in the world. But one day, she became very, very ill. And then she died." The candles standing on the table begin to flicker. Go to 64. (64) "The man was very, very sad," continues Aldo. "He brought many flowers to her grave, and he prayed very hard to the Father and the Holy Son and Spirit to bring his daughter back. But she never came back." His eyes close for a moment, then spring open to reveal a suddenly intense gaze. "Then one day, he started praying to someone else." Anna begins to shiver, eyes wide open in fear. "He prayed to someone who gave him everything he wanted. He got his daughter back - but he had to give something up"¦.something special. And after this, the man felt no happiness, nor sadness, nor anger, fear, love, or anything. Life!" the boy is shouting at you now, his face contorted into an ugly mask. "Power! Strength! Whatever you want!" The girl begins to sob, covering her ears with her hands and shaking her head back and forth. "My realm is yours! My powers are at your disposal! You will live forever in me!" The candles are flickering furiously, as if in a wind. The boy stands up and puts his face next to yours. "GIVE ME"¦YOUR SOUL". Go to 214. *swallows hard hoping some one might have garlic coated silver bullets he could borrow.* (214) The candles suddenly stop flickering and the boy's face returns to normal. "But that's just a silly story, anyway. Did you like it?" Anna seems to have recovered from her fright. "Oh yes, Aldo, you sure can tell "em. Let's play a new game!" The children go back to their dolls. Somewhat puzzled and disturbed, you get up and leave the room. The children ignore you. Go to 41. (41) Back outside the room with the children, you may continue down the hall as it bears left (115) or go back to the split at the landing (150). (115) As the hall bends to the left, you see that there is a door to your immediate right, labeled TIFOSO STRANO. There is another door a little further ahead on the left. The hallway continues for a little while before winding left. Will you enter the TIFOSO STRANO room (147) or continue down the hall, towards the other door (166)? |