config.style.page.font: 'As long as I can hold my breath/sans-serif 24' config.style.page.color: "#ff8012 on black" config.style.page.link.font: "As long as I can hold my breath/sans-serif 24" config.style.page.link.color: "indigo-3" config.style.page.link.lineColor: "indigo-3" config.style.page.link.active.color: "red-8 on red-0" config.style.page.header.font: "" config.style.page.header.link.font: "small caps" config.style.page.footer.font: "As long as I can hold my breath/sans-serif 22" config.style.page.footer.link.font: "small caps" config.style.page.fork.divider.style: "solid" config.header.left: "" config.header.center: "" config.header.right: "" config.footer.center: "" config.footer.left: "{back link} {restart link} [[Introduction/Credits|Credits]]" config.footer.right: "Escape from Aiwei by John C. Knudsen" key: false spring: false paper: false razor_blade: false safety_pin: false crow_bar: false access_card: false sound.ambient.aiwei.url: 'audio/aiwei.mp3' sound.ambient.aiwei.description: 'aiwei audio' -- {ambient sound: 'aiwei', volume: 0.3} {embed passage: "title_image"} <center>[[Start|1]]</center>Escape from Aiwei by John C. Knudsen (2020). IFID: F1E9C268-16C8-4337-9E7D-5C68BC533A35 Welcome! Aiwei (<i>pronounced "I-WE"</i>) is my attempt to do a traditional escape adventure, with some twists... Version 1.0. Created using Twine 2.3.9 and Chapbook 1.2.0. As always, a big thank you to Chris Klimas! The audio track is "Creepy Atmosphere" by Nathaniel DK Garner. Thank you! The font used for the title image is "If" by Christopher Hansen. Thank you! The text font is "As long as I can hold my breath" by junkohanhero. Thank you! <center>Your feedback is always appreciated. You can contact me at:<br> knudsenjohnc@hotmail.com </center>---THE CELL--- {now.weekdayName}, {now.monthName} {now.day}, {now.year}. {now.timestamp}. You have no idea how you got here. The last thing you remember, you were sitting in a bar in Oakersbled, having a beer. You are sitting in a cell in what appears to be a jail. You don't remember being arrested, or any other details about your situation... Your repeated yelling has brought no response from anyone. The place seems deserted, except for [[you,|you]] sitting in this cell. Your head hurts. You take a quick look at your surroundings. You are sitting on a [[bed.|bed]] Above you, off to your right, you see a small [[window]] with bars. This is the only source of light. To your left is the solid metal [[door.|door]] The walls are decorated with [[wallpaper]] that is peeling in places. Directly in front of you, on the wall, is a [[sign.|sign]] Behind you, in the corner, is a metal [[toilet]] and [[sink.|sink]] <center>-->[[Continue|2]]<--</center><center><img src="data:image/jpeg;base64, "/></center>The bed is bolted to the floor. It consists of some disgusting sheets, a gross pillow, a smelly mattress, and some wire springs under the mattress for support. You push on the mattress springs and {reveal link: 'something weird happens.', text: 'a spring that has worked its way loose falls to the floor. It is thin and easily flattened out. You [[take|get_spring]] it and flatten it out.'} <center>{back link}</center><center><h3><u>AIWEI PRISON</u><br><i>Escape is Impossible</i><br><del>Breakfast served at 6:00 AM.</del><br><del>Dinner served at 6:00 PM.</del><br>Fridays are reserved for executions.<br>Enjoy your stay with us!</center></h3> What the heck does that mean? They lock people up and don't feed them? There are no others here in this entire facility, including staff? How did I get here? You have more questions than answers at this point... <center>{back link}</center>A small window with iron bars on it. When you look out, you see the ocean in the distance. It looks like at least a hundred foot drop to the ground. On the small ledge on the inside, you notice {reveal link: 'a small object.', text: 'a safety pin. You [[take|get_pin]] it.'} <center>{back link}</center>A locked door made of thick, solid metal. There is a small viewing slot near the middle of the door, at shoulder level. Your hand barely passes through the slot, and extends no more than 4 inches beyond your wrists. At one time, the slot was probably used by guards to handcuff prisoners, bring them their meals, and check on them. The door is set about one inch above floor level, and a bit of light is peeking through. When you glance down from the viewing slot, you see that the key to the door is in the keyhole on the outside. It is probably about 18 inches away from the closest portion of the slot. There is also a keyhole on the inside of the door. <center>{back link}</center>A small metal toilet to take care of bodily functions. It is bolted to the floor, and is otherwise unremarkable. On the floor next to the toilet, you see {reveal link: 'a shiny object.', text: 'a razor blade. You [[pick|razor_blade]] it up.'} <center>{back link}</center>A small metal sink to wash up. It is bolted to the wall, and is otherwise unremarkable. <center>{back link}</center> The wallpaper in this cell looks about fifty years old, and has a faded floral design. When you touch it, {reveal link: 'something odd happens.', text: 'a 12x12 inch piece of the wallpaper falls to the ground. You [[pick it up.|get_paper]] You decide to leave the rest of the wallpaper alone.'} <center>{back link}</center>spring: true -- After it is flattened out, the piece of wire is about six inches long. "This might come in handy,"</i> you mumble out loud. You stick the straightened wire in your pocket. <center>[[Back|1]]</center>You sit down again after checking out your surroundings and despair at the lack of options you have. After brooding and thinking awhile, you: > [[You try to kick the door.|kick_door]] > [[You sit and do nothing.|do_nothing]] > [[You think you know how to resolve this quandary.|resolve_dilemma]]paper: true -- You place the piece of wallpaper on the bed. <i>"Well, I could always write out my Will with this, before I starve,"</i> you say out loud. <i>"No, wait - can't do that either - I don't have anything to write with."</i> <center>[[Back|1]]</center>You give the door a mighty kick and it doesn't budge. Your foot now hurts a lot. You sit back down on the bed and make a mental note not to do that again... <center>[[Back|2]]</center>Time passes. You sing "Row Row Row Your Boat" for awhile until you realize that your life is definitely NOT a dream. Then you decide to start humming "Folsom Prison Blues" but that got old after about ten minutes. Maybe you should concentrate on getting out of this nightmare. <center>[[Back|2]]</center>[if spring && paper] You [[slide|under_door]] the piece of wallpaper under the door. [else] You don't have everything you need to accomplish something useful. Nothing to do but to turn back and [[try again.|1]] You slide the piece of wallpaper under the door so that it is underneath the key which is in the outside keyhole. You take care to cover as much of the area underneath the key as possible, while allowing you to retrieve the paper later. Then, you take the flattened [[spring|use_spring]] out of your pocket._chosen: random.d10 -- [if _chosen === 1] {embed passage: 'falls_on_paper'} [if _chosen === 2] {embed passage: 'falls_on_paper'} [if _chosen === 3] {embed passage: 'falls_on_floor'} [if _chosen === 4] {embed passage: 'falls_on_paper'} [if _chosen === 5] {embed passage: 'falls_on_paper'} [if _chosen === 6] {embed passage: 'falls_on_paper'} [if _chosen === 7] {embed passage: 'falls_on_paper'} [if _chosen === 8] {embed passage: 'falls_on_floor'} [if _chosen === 9] {embed passage: 'falls_on_paper'} [if _chosen === 10] {embed passage: 'falls_on_paper'}You carefully take the spring over to the inside keyhole and gently push the spring in until it makes contact with the key on the other side. Then you slowly work the key out of its position until it drops to the floor, on to the [[paper|falls_on_paper2]] underneath the door.You carefully take the spring over to the inside keyhole and gently push the spring in until it makes contact with the key on the other side. Then you slowly work the key out of its position until it drops to the floor. Curses! The key falls to the floor away from the paper underneath the door! <center>-->[[Continue|game_over_lose]]<--</center>key: true -- Success! Victory! The key is on top of the paper outside of the door! You slowly retrieve the paper back towards you. It slides underneath the door and soon you have the key in your hands. Sweet! You insert the key into the keyhole and [[open|open_door]] the door. spring: false paper: false -- The door opens easily. Freedom! You remove the key from the door and put it in your pocket. You leave the spring and piece of paper behind and cautiously step into the hallway. Now might be a good time to [[check|inventory]] what you are carrying. ---THE HALLWAY--- The hallway extends to the left and right as far as you can see, in either direction. > [[Take the hallway to the left.|hallway_left]] > [[Take the hallway to the right.|hallway_right]]Unfortunately, the key bounced about a foot away from from the paper, to the wrong side. Despite hundreds of attempts, you cannot reach the key... <center><h2>Four weeks later...<br>You die of starvation...<br>It was horrible...<br>YOU LOSE THE GAME</center></h2> <center>-->{restart link}<--</center> There are no lights on in the hallway. The only light source is from the windows in the empty cells. You get an eerie feeling walking past the deserted cell block. It does feel nice to stretch your legs in a natural way by walking. You see a stairwell which leads down from here. > [[Take the stairs down.|left_stairwell]] > [[Turn around and head back down the hallway.|head_back1]] There are no lights on in the hallway. The only light source is from the windows in the empty cells. You get an eerie feeling walking past the deserted cell block. It does feel nice to stretch your legs in a natural way by walking. You take the stairwell down. It looks like you are about five floors up. You glance at each floor on the way down - they look the same as the floor you were on. The entire prison is seemingly empty. You continue your [[journey.|right_stairwell]]safety_pin: true -- You never know when you might need a safety pin. Perhaps you can use it to hold up your trousers after you lose weight from not eating anything. That would be useful right up until the time you starve to death... <center>[[Back|1]]</center>razor_blade: true -- This razor blade could be useful in case you have to defend yourself, or if you decide to end it all... You put it in your pocket. <center>[[Back|1]]</center>You are carrying: [if key] A key.<br> [if safety_pin] A safety pin.<br> [if razor_blade] A razor blade.<br> <center>{back link}</center> You are Darwin Thomas III, 34 years old, single, five-foot eleven, and weigh 175 pounds. You work as the resident Chess Master at GreatMoves, Inc., a chess computer software firm. You like German and Belgian beer, and the bar scene. Your friends call you “Smooth,” because of the elegant moves you make on the chessboard. <center>{back link}</center>You take the stairwell down. It looks like you are about five floors up. You glance at each floor on the way down - they look the same as the floor you were on. The entire prison is seemingly empty. Reaching the ground floor, you see two doors. To the left, is the exit door. To the right is a door to the administration area of the prison. > [[You try the exit door.|exit_door1]] > [[You try the administration door.|admin1]]For some unexplained reason, you head back the way you came. This time, the walk is twice as long. More empty cells and not much to see. When you reach the end of the hallway, you see another stairwell that goes down... > [[Take the stairs down.|right_stairwell]] > [[Turn around and head back down the hallway.|bathmophobia]]You reach the ground floor. To your right is an exit door with a keyhole. You try your key in the door but it does not work. To the left is another few steps leading down to the basement. The door to the basement is wide open. This seems to be some kind of janitorial area. To the left is a makeshift office area, to the right a utility room. > [[You go left, into the office.|office]] > [[You go right, into the utility room.|utility]]You seem to be suffering from <i>bathmophobia</i>. Going back and forth along the long hallway might sound like fun, but it will not help you escape this prison. Let's get with the program, Darwin! {embed passage: 'punishment'} You go [[down|right_stairwell]] the stairwell. [if razor_blade] The razor blade, which was in your left pants pocket, has cut you because of so much walking...Blood is dripping down your pants leg. [if safety_pin] The safety pin, which was in your right pants pocket, has popped open and cut you because of so much walking...Blood is dripping down your pants leg.You try the exit door and it is locked. Your key does not work in the door, which has a pad with three colored buttons. There is a sign next to the door that reads:<br> <center>None (or just one) of the following descriptions is true about the buttons:<br>Red button: this <u>is</u> the button to push.<br>Blue button: this <u>is not</u> the button to push.<br>Yellow button: the red button is the <u>wrong one</u> to push.<p> {embed passage: 'button_image'} Which button do you push? Choose one: {dropdown menu for: 'button1', choices: ['red', 'blue', 'yellow']} <p> -->[[Continue|results1]]<--</center> You try the administration door and it is locked. Your key does not work in the door. There is a sign next to the door that reads: <center><h3>Staff Only<br> Prisoners Ring Buzzer</h3></center> > [[You ring the buzzer.|buzzer]] > [[You head over to the exit door.|exit_door1]]<center><img src="data:image/jpeg;base64, "/></center>[if button1==='blue'] You push the blue button and the door opens! You understood that, given the conditions, only the description of the yellow button was true, and that the blue button had to be the right choice... Sweet! Without further delay, you step outside - fresh air. You take a deep breath and then look around. The entrance door slams shut as you walk down the path. After about a hundred feet of walking, you get a sinking feeling. To the left and right of you is a huge brick wall, at least twenty five feet high, topped by barbed wire. In front of you is another exit door. This one has no keyhole, or button pad. It has a card reader. You have no choice but to [[go back inside.|back inside1]] [else] You push the {button1} button and nothing happens. Curses, foiled again! You wander around the prison, for weeks, in despair.<p><center>-->[[Continue.|game_over_lose2]]<--</center>With a feeling of trepidation, you hold your breath and ring the buzzer several times. Almost to your relief, there is no answer. Nothing left to do but go back to the [[exit door.|exit_door1]]You realize you should have left the door propped open. There is another pad with colored buttons on it, and a sign which reads: <center>At least one of the following descriptions is true, and at least one is false:<br>Red button: the blue button is the <u>wrong one</u> to push<br>Blue button: this <u>is not</u> the button to push.<br>Yellow button: this button <u>is</u> the one to push.<p> {embed passage: 'button_image'} Which button do you push? Choose one: {dropdown menu for: 'button2', choices: ['yellow', 'blue', 'red']} <p> -->[[Continue|results2]]<--</center>[if button2==='red'] You push the red button and the door opens. You understood that button was the right choice, otherwise all of the descriptions would be <u>either</u> true or false. You are back in the stairwell, and make your way back to the [[fifth floor.|back inside2]] [else] You push the {button2} button and nothing happens. Curses, foiled again! You cannot think of any way to get out of the box you are in. You despair that you have absolutely no options. You wander back and forth for weeks, until you have no strength left...<p><center>-->[[Continue.|game_over_lose2]]<--</center>You have another long walk down the hallway. No other choice, really, other than to go down the other stairwell and check that out. While you are walking, you sing, loudly, "Row Row Row Your Boat" and feel oddly calm about your situation. You are hungry, it's true, but this whole thing is sort of like a chess game. The only difference is, in this game, you control nothing. You finally reach the stairwell at the end of the hallway and go down to the [[bottom floor.|back inside3]]<center><h2>Four weeks later...<br>You die of starvation...<br>It was horrible...<br>YOU LOSE THE GAME</center></h2> <center>-->{restart link}<--</center> You reach the ground floor. To your right is an exit door with a keyhole. You try your key in the door but it does not work. To the left is another few steps leading down to the basement. The door to the basement is wide open. This seems to be some kind of janitorial area. To the left is a makeshift office area, to the right a utility room. > [[You go left, into the office.|office]] > [[You go right, into the utility room.|utility]]The office consists of a desk, a chair, and a filing cabinet. The desk is generic steel, with two drawers on the side and one drawer in the middle. The two drawers on the side are unlocked and empty. The middle desk drawer is locked. The filing cabinet is open and empty. Otherwise, the office area is unremarkable. You [[attempt to break open|break open]] the middle desk drawer.The utility room is actually two rooms. There is the main room, which you are standing in, and off to the left is a locked room. You try your key in that door but it doesn't work (as usual). Judging by the noise you hear behind the door, it must be the power generator and heating plant. You turn your attention back to the main room. In the corner, you notice {reveal link: 'something interesting.', text: 'a full-sized crow bar. You [[take|get_crow_bar]] it.'}crow_bar: true -- You grab the crow bar. This might be extremely useful as a weapon, or for some other purpose... You decide to go to the [[office.|office]] [if crow_bar] You easily pry open the desk drawer with the crow bar. You sift through some paperwork that is located there. Underneath the papers, you see {reveal link: 'a card.', text: 'a access card. You [[grab|access card]] it.'} [else] You try to break open the desk drawer with no luck. You probably need some kind of tool to break open the drawer. You decide to [[check out|utility]] the utility room.access_card: true -- You look at the access card. It was issued to Darby Denton, the janitor perhaps. He must have left it behind when the prison was evacuated. You then head back to the [[main stairwell.|retrace]]Up five floors again. This is getting old. You are getting really hungry, and you are dog tired at this point. You reach the top floor and head down the long hallway, lugging a heavy crow bar. You finally reach the other stairwell, and start going down to the ground floor. Reaching the ground floor, you see two doors. To the left, is the exit door. To the right is a door to the administration area of the prison. > [[You try the exit door.|exit_door2]] > [[You try the administration door.|admin2]]You try the exit door and it is locked. Your key does not work in the door, which has a pad with three colored buttons. There is a sign next to the door that reads:<br> <center>None (or just one) of the following descriptions is true about the buttons:<br>Red button: this <u>is</u> the button to push.<br>Blue button: this <u>is not</u> the button to push.<br>Yellow button: the red button is the <u>wrong one</u> to push.<p> {embed passage: 'button_image'} Which button do you push? Choose one: {dropdown menu for: 'button3', choices: ['red', 'blue', 'yellow']} <p> -->[[Continue|results3]]<--</center>You try the administration door and it is locked. Your key does not work in the door. There is a sign next to the door that reads: <center><h3>Staff Only<br> Prisoners Ring Buzzer</h3></center> > [[You ring the buzzer.|buzzer2]] > [[You head over to the exit door.|exit_door2]][if button3==='blue'] You push the blue button and the door opens! You understood that, given the conditions, only the description of the yellow button was true, and that the blue button had to be the right choice... Sweet! Without further delay, you step outside - fresh air. You take a deep breath and then look around. The entrance door slams shut as you walk down the path. After about a hundred feet of walking, you get a sinking feeling. To the left and right of you is a huge brick wall, at least twenty five feet high, topped by barbed wire. In front of you is another exit door. This one has no keyhole, or button pad. It has a card reader. The [[next step.|fini]] [else] You push the {button3} button and nothing happens. Curses, foiled again! You wander around the prison, for weeks, in despair.<p><center>-->[[Continue.|game_over_lose2]]<--</center>[if access_card] You take the access card out of your pocket and insert it into the card reader. The door clicks open and you walk outside the main gate. Freedom at last! [[You walk out.|fini2]] [else] You wander around the prison, for weeks, in despair.<p><center>-->[[Continue.|game_over_lose2]]<--</center>You find the road to town, and get something to eat at a diner. Then you make your way home. You still have many unanswered questions, but you are proud of the way you were able to escape from Aiwei Prison...<p> <center><h2>CONGRATULATIONS<br>YOU WIN THE GAME</center></h2> <center>[[Postscript.|fini3]]</center> With a feeling of trepidation, you hold your breath and ring the buzzer several times. Almost to your relief, there is no answer. Nothing left to do but go back to the [[exit door.|exit_door2]]{now.weekdayName}, {now.monthName} {now.day}, {now.year}. {now.timestamp}. You wake up abruptly and it dawns on you that everything <u>was</u> a dream. There is no Aiwei Prison, you were not locked up anywhere, and you have not left your bed during this entire experience... <h3><center><i>Row, row, row your boat<br> Gently down the stream<br> Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily<br> Life is but a dream</i></h3></center> <center>-->{restart link}<--</center>