Ring of Truth

(set:$name to (prompt:"Enter your name: ", "Morgan Fan")) <img src="https://elledunn.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/8/133856872/2aringoftruth_orig.jpg"> Welcome, $name Shannon Pryce arrived in the town of Petrie's Crossing and set up home in the top floor apartment above the antique store she inherited from her Great Aunt Caroline. While cleaning her new office, she found a hidden box and a diary! Using her gift of psychometry on the items in the box, along with reading diary and visiting places around town, she was able to return two items from the box to their rightful owners. However, now, she has a float to prepare for the town parade, and not much time to return another item. You have volunteered to help. [[Say Hello]] [[Take a breather]]

As you enter the antique store, you walk toward the back, up the stairs, step over the cat and stand at Shannon's office. She looks up, closes the box in front of her and smiles. Hello $name, thank you so much for offering to help. I've already removed the item that needs to be returned to its owner. <img src=https://elledunn.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/8/133856872/editing-page-images-copy_orig.jpg> (text-style: "italic")[You do know about my gift, right? I don't like to tell too many people, but since you're here to help, I think you should know.] [[what gift?]]

<img src="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/02/29/11/45/muffin-1228445__340.jpg"> You check your shirt and clean off food crumbs. You are ready to go. [[Say Hello]]

Shannon frowns at you, then sighs. (text-style: "italic")[Well, if you don't know, then it's best if you don't get involved. I thought everything was explained to you. Good-bye.] [[No, wait! You mean using psychometry?|Wait]] I picked a bad day to stop drinking. [[Good-bye.|Goodbye]]

<img src="https://elledunn.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/8/133856872/large-mystical-eye-copy_orig.jpg"> Shannon grins. Yes! $name, you had me scared for a moment. [[What is psychometry again?|Explain]]

As you leave, the cat swipes out a claw and scratches your ankle, you trip and fall down the stairs. Scrambling up, a light bulb above your head explodes. You scream and run for the front door, but it's locked. You spin around as you stare in horror at the mannequin begins to move toward you. As your stomach churns and you're about to vomit, the door swings open and you fall hitting the sidewalk with your butt. Good-bye, (text-color: "red")+ (text-style: "expand")[$name] Game Over.

Psychometry is the ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them. <img src="https://elledunn.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/8/133856872/hands-on-fire_orig.jpg"> (text-style: "italic")[In other words, I get visions by holding items.] [[I get it.]] [[I don't get it.|Don't]]

Shannon shows you a ring with etching inside. I've done a reading already on that. [[Look at the etching|Etching]] [[What did you see in your vision?|Vision]]

I don't have time to explain. Perhaps you need to go think about your decision. [[Take a breather]]

You see etched inside the ring: Forever love, S.T. [[Who is S.T.?|ST]]

A dark-haired man in a vested suit smiled across a dinner table. His sky-blue eyes captured and reflected the candlelight. He reached across the table, then that image disappeared. Another emerged with the same man walking away. A whisper of crying reached my ears, and I opened my eyes, making the image evaporate. (text-style: "fade-in-out")[Suddenly, a ghost appears that looks exactly like Shannon.] (text-style: "rumble")[NOPE!] [[Run away.|Goodbye]] [[Who is this?|Ghost]] <img src="https://elledunn.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/8/133856872/ghost-copy-orig_orig.jpg">

(text-style: "expand")+(text-color: "orange")[That's the mystery!] <img src="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2020/04/18/18/12/portrait-5060365_960_720.jpg"> [[What was in your vision?|Vision]]

(text-style: "italic")[This is Steph. She can sometimes find out things by talking to other ghosts in town.] Stephanie faces you and waves. (text-style: "italic")[I've got information.] [[Information?]]

There's this ghost...a tall man, slicked black hair with a mustache. I noticed him last week and have been watching him. While he lived, he must've been really into himself because he keeps checking himself out and preening in front of the windows at the depot. Shannon rises.(text-style: "italic")[I've got to go. Steph will work with you, $name.] You face Steph, and although she's a bit transparent, you feel comfortable. Steph claps her hands. (text-style: "italic")[I've got more.] (text-style: "italic")[Once he arrives, there's quite a few more spirits popping up the same time every night. They meander around the tracks. Some are those residual ones. You know, like a stuck video clip. It took me a while to get those separated from the others. Plus, a lot of them look like they stepped out of a late 1980's fashion magazine. We need more information about the train depot since it's no longer in use.] [[Use Shannon's computer to search for information|Train]] [[Go to train depot at the edge of town.|Depot]]

<img src="https://elledunn.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/8/133856872/img-7974_orig.jpg"> The train no longer runs due to an explosion many years ago. [[Go to Depot|Depot]]

I smelled her before I saw her. The summer wind of the morning carried an overbearing scent of roses and dirt as I turned the corner and paused. On the cracked wooden bench outside Rocky's Railroad Museum sat a middle-aged woman with a large basket of half-dead roses balanced on one frail knee. Her other foot tapped silently on the aged wooden planks of the back walkway, as if waiting for a train to arrive at the station...a station which had been closed for over twenty years. The hem of her tattered dress danced with the wind. The side door opened, and I backpedaled a few feet when the snobby museum curator, Judy Elrod, approached the woman. (text-style: "italic")[Ms. Lees, the train isn't coming today. It's not scheduled to arrive tomorrow either. It's getting late, so I called your father. He's on his way to escort you home.] [[Stand there staring.]] [[Hide behind corner and listen.|Listen]]

The snobby museum curator, Judy Elrod, stares at you. (text-style: "italic")[Please leave.] [[Walk around corner and listen in.|Listen]]

(text-style: "italic")[Are you sure? I don't mind waiting. I promised, you know.] The woman’s small voice quivered. (text-style: "italic")[I know. If there is an unscheduled stop, I'll send Nancy over to get you, okay?] Judy replied. An old man approaches and wraps an arm around the upset woman. (text-style: "italic")[Baby, you okay? I told you I'd bring you once I heard the train." His voice trembled as he placed an arm around the woman to hold her close. His stretched suspenders clung to his oversized pants as though in a last-ditch effort to keep them from falling off his lanky frame. "Thank you, Judy. It must be the full moon that lets her escape under my nose.] (text-style: "italic")[Highly doubtful, Mr. Lees. We've talked about this before. If you can’t keep watch over her, we'll have to do something.] (text-style: "italic")[I can take care of my own daughter. This is not the town's business,] he said before turning to his daughter. (text-style: "italic")[Come on home, Aurora baby.] Poor lady. What will you do now? [[Ask for help|Steph]]

(text-style: "italic")[For a town that boasts its neighborly concern, Petrie Corner's has severely disappointed me. I didn’t expect everyone to butt in and stop this from happening. However, I did expect someone to confront Aurora's father and ask him directly about the man who is going about with his daughter. Once I thought perhaps I’d imagined the relationship. Everyone is behaving as if there isn’t a relationship at all. I even tried myself to get some information from the stranger when he showed up in my store. He is evasive and vague about his origins, family, and history. I am worried, as any mother would be, for Aurora. I'm sure if her mother were here... No, that is wrong. I find I'm making judgments against Aurora's father as if I had a right. Perhaps he knows everything and is simply refusing to gossip. Perhaps he knows nothing and doesn’t believe his daughter is serious about the stranger. I don't know. Perhaps I've simply come to care for my neighbors more than I had imagined. I've spoken to Tim about this since he has been taking lunch with me. His wife is doing so poorly, I fear she will leave us soon. He is being strong, but I can tell it's been difficult for him.] Stephanie appears before you. $name, (text-style: "italic")[Shannon had another vision] [[What's the vision?|What?]] [[Let me finish here, first.|diary 5]]

One image shimmered then cleared of a man walking toward an older woman who sat in a large library. The room's elaborate decorations reflected an earlier century style with deep cherry wood furniture. The elderly lady greeted the man, and he sat beside her. Their whispers were too low for me to hear, yet the woman was smiling and holding the man's hand. His mother? She held out a small black velvet box, and he took it and clasped it to his chest. The vision faded to another of the same man walking out of a jewelry store, patting his pocket and grinning. He rushed down the street to a train depot and pivoted to avoid bumping into another passenger. The sun glanced off his lapel. A silver eagle pin. The image disappeared. Heat flashed against my skin. I jerked back. A loud explosion blasted my ears, and my chest tightened like a thousand rocks pummeled it at once. (text-style: "italic")[Then she passed out] [[Take a break.|Recoup]] [[Go back to reading|diary 5]]

If you need help solving the mystery, you can always check Great Aunt Caroline's Diary or see if Shannon has had another vision. What will you do? [[Check Great Aunt Caroline's Diary|Diary]] [[Ask if Shannon has had another vision|Clue]]

You go back to Shannon's office. She's not there but the diary is laying on her desk next to her computer. You open it and search for any information. (text-style: "italic")[I don't gossip, as is the habit of most of the inhabitants of my new home. However, I feel I must write about some things, in the hope that one day, perhaps, someone may read this and be able to do something that I do not have the courage to do.] Now, that's interesting. Could the ring be related? [[Read more|Diary 1]] [[Check computer|Puter One]]

Steph tells you that Shannon went to where you spotted Aurora and Judy. When she paused and studied the rail ties. She noted some had been replaced, and others still carried the burnt scars of the explosion. As soon as that thought hit her, so did another vision. What was the vision? <img src="https://elledunn.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/8/133856872/railroad-tracks_orig.jpg"> (text-style: "italic")[A flash screen of images burst into my mind. A train barreled toward where I stood, its brakes screeching as metal hit metal. The horn blared once, then twice, then stayed blaring as the speed of the train didn’t slow. A loud explosion ripped through the air. Smoke billowed around me. The acrid smells of burning wood, metal, and something I refused to name singed my nostrils.] Then she ran away. [[Take a break.|Recoup]] [[Check computer|computer]]

You skim a few pages and arrived on the entry two days before the train accident. (text-style: "italic")[I spotted Aurora today at the pharmacy. She was picking up her father's medication, and we chatted briefly. I spoke up and asked her directly about the stranger she's been seen with in town. She stated he's asked her to be his bride. Apparently, he went home to get a family heirloom to present to her when he returns tomorrow. Before we parted, she seemed so excited and told me she had to rush to the florist for some roses as her man loved them. Why would a woman buy flowers for a man?] [[Continue Reading]]

Some sort of mechanical failure caused the train to derail, right before its arrival here. The explosion killed everyone instantly.The fire alone had to have destroyed most of the passengers’ belongings. Oh, man, most of them were never identified. Steph appears. (text-style: "italic")[I bet the residuals are the ones who got identified. A bad shock like that...] [[Go for a walk and think about all the clues so far|Recoup]]

You walk to the diner and order a soda and fries. Eating your fries, you pull out a notebook and make notes on everything you've learned so far. The waitress approaches you and asks: (text-style:"italic")[Did you hear about Aurora?] [[No. What's up?]] [[No. I don't care and I'm done with this whole thing|Headache]]

(text-style: "italic")[I write this entry with a heavy heart. The last week has been so horrible, I fear writing about it. First, poor Aurora sat at the depot from dawn until dusk holding those roses on Friday, letting everyone know her man was due to arrive and marry her. For four days, that poor girl fixed herself up and sat there waiting for him. I tried to get her to come home with me to eat on Monday and she refused. Her father had to pull her home when the rainstorm arrived later that evening. Such sadness. I believe it was meant to be that Aurora came down with a fever and had to stay home that horrid day two days ago. The train arrived early in a nightmare. It is unknown what exactly happened right now, but the train derailed and exploded. Everyone on board, I believe, was killed. So many bodies. So much debris. My heart broke for the passengers whose lives were cut short. Perhaps, because they were strangers, I grieved briefly for them. It did not, however, stop the grief and pain that still lingers for poor Aurora. She hadn't been there that day. Yet when she did arrive yesterday, she walked among the debris with a smile. It was quite unnerving to watch as she settled near the side of the depot that had not sustained damage and remained there all through the chaos of the officers and volunteers rushing around. She appeared oblivious of the dire situation and sat there holding her roses. It has been four days since the accident. For the last two days, she goes and waits for a man who, I believe, will never come. Her father doesn't believe the man was on the train. He believes the man used the derailment to avoid keeping his promise to Aurora. She won't be dissuaded, and her father simply thinks she's brokenhearted over being jilted. There are whispers around town agreeing with her father. No one believes the man ever intended to marry her. As such, no one will ever search for him. I wish so much to help her, but I cannot. I fear if I get too close, I will fall into that oblivion Aurora has traveled and not find my own way back, as I have done in the past. I heard the mayor say the railroad has ceased all stops for Petrie’s Crossing.] [[Ask Stephanie about vision|What?]] [[Take a break|Recoup]]

Poor Aurora's in the hospital. She caught a nasty bit of flu the other day. If I've told her father once, I've told him a million times, that woman needs to be put in a place where she's watched twenty-four hours a day. She got out again last night and ended up sitting in the rain for hours before he found her. [[Oh no. I should go visit her.]]

(text-style: "fade-in-out")+(text-color: "red")[You're head is pounding with all the information.] $name Do you want to quit? [[Heck no! I'm going to figure this out!]] [[Yes, I'm done|Quit]]

Stephanie arrives in a puff of wispy smoke. (text-style: "italic")[I think you're on the right track. You should return the ring to Aurora.] [[Go to see Aurora|Yep.]]

(text-style: "expand")+(text-color: "orange")[Goodbye, $name]

She's at August General in the psych ward. Should you really go there? [[Yep.]] [[Nope. I quit.|Quit]]

The sun sat lower in the sky by the time you arrived at the hospital. At least the parking lot wasn't full. Few people got sick in Augusta. Shifting the vase of flowers in your arms to one side, you enter the white-washed building with determination. You straighten your back and draw on your one semester in acting class to wing this. You hate having to see her sick, but hopefully your news would help her heal. Shannon wrapped Silas Tate's ring in a small cloth before you tucked it in your pants pocket. The glass doors slid open, and you march directly to the front desk. <img src="https://elledunn.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/8/133856872/hospital-hall-copy_orig.jpg"> [[You ask the receptionist to see Aurora Lees.|Hospital]]

(text-style: "italic") [Let's see...Aurora Lees. I see her. Hum.] She continued reading before swiveling back and facing you. (text-style: "italic")[I'm sorry, she's not allowed any visitors.] You ask for the room number so you can have flowers delivered. The Nurse stands and looks down her nose at you. (text-style: "italic")[That is private information!] A crash behind you makes you turn around. An elderly man has fallen. The nurse who snubbed you runs over to help him. What do you do? [[Help Nurse]] [[Give up and leave the hospital|Leave]] [[Peek over the desk at the room listing|Room]]

The nurse pushes you away. (text-style: "italic")[I don't need your help. Go away] [[Quit]] [[Sorry.]] <img src="https://elledunn.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/8/133856872/depositphotos-1337665-l-2015_orig.jpg">

This is too much trouble. I'm just going to admit myself here and drink juice for the rest of my days. [[Quit]]

On the list you see Aurora's name beside room #373B. You jog to the elevator in time to hop in and punch the floor number. The bell dinged its arrival to your destination, and you shuffle off, keeping close to the wall. Shifting the flowers again, you stride down the hall indicating the odd-numbered rooms. The flowers grow heavier and heavier with each step. You keep your gaze on the room numbers and ignore everyone you pass. The hall turns left, and you follow it, then stop when you note the uniformed men strolling toward you. One officer breaks away from the group he was speaking with and approaches you. You freeze. (text-style: "italic")[Excuse me. You're not wearing a visitor's pass. I can't allow you to come down here.] You mumble. (text-style: "italic") [What did you say?] [[Wrong floor!|Sorry.]] [[I'm here to visit someone, so back off.|Back off]]

You slip into the bathroom and sit in a stall thinking about when you last went to the lake during the summer. No mysteries to solve there. <img src="https://elledunn.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/8/133856872/depositphotos-2659781-l-2015_orig.jpg"> There has to be a way to see Aurora. (text-style: "italic") [What are you doing in here?] You look up to see Stephanie floating above you. [[Tell her you need help to get to Aurora's room|Diversion]] [[Tell her you want to go back to the lake and forget this day ever happened|Poof]]

The guard arrests you. You spend the next three days in jail for trespassing and disregarding private information. You leave the jail, go to Shannon's office and tell her: [[This is for the birds.|Quit]] OR [[I need to start over|Start]]

You flip through the pages, but there's so many entries! Where will you start? [[Check computer|Puter One]] [[Ask Stephanie for help| Steph pooh]]

You do a search about the train depot on the computer and find the train crashed causing a big explosion and killing everyone shortly after Aunt Caroline arrived to town. What will you do now? [[Diary]]

Steph appears. (text-style:"italic")[Oh for goodness sake, do a little work on your own. It's not that hard. You can check the diary or the computer for information.] [[Check Diary|diary 2]] [[Check computer|computer]]

(text-style: "italic") [Parade day arrived, and as expected, Aurora Lees rode the main float. As well she should, being such a beautiful young woman. The town council crowned her the queen of the festivities. She is so sweet, charming, and vivacious. I swear, she holds the attention of any man within seeing distance. Aurora has, no doubt, earned her crown in the most honorable of ways. I fear, with her being so innocent, the wrong kind of suitor may well succeed in winning her hand. However, her father dolts on her and, with hope, will keep any scoundrel from leading her astray. Or, at least, that was our hope as a town.] [[Keep Reading|diary 2hf]]

(text-style: "italic") [Among last evening's tourists disembarking from the depot was a tall man with dark hair constantly fingering a silver eagle lapel pin. He always appraises his appearance in any reflective surface and oftentimes reminds those around him of his own appeal. Vanity is not a characteristic I approve. Yet, Aurora appears to be enamored by the man. I overheard Aurora boasting today about how her man intends to speak to her father this week. It has been less than forty-eight hours since they met, and I can't believe their emotions have deepened enough for that step in the relationship. But I cannot speak against it, having made a similar error of judgment of my own.] Wow. What do you think? [[There has to be more!|diary 3]]

Stephanie disappears. <img src="https://elledunn.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/8/133856872/depositphotos-1110509-l-2015_orig.jpg"> The ceiling looks like water bubbles. [[Take a breather]]

(text-style: "italic") [That's down two doors. I'll go down to the end of the hall and kick up a ruckus. It should give you time to slip into her room. Wait until you hear the noise first.] You wait and listen. Suddenly, screams rip out from the hallway, followed by slamming doors and what sounded like a troop of soldiers running toward the screams. You whip open the door and rush down the hallway two doors, verify the number, and slip inside. You see two beds and one occupant. Aurora lay in her bed with her eyes closed. You tread softly to her side and study her. Her lined face made her look like she was in her sixties. You reached out to rub her hand gently. The minute you touch her, her eyes pop open wide and she screeches. The door to her room swings open, and a nurse rushes in, stopping short when she spots you. (text-style: "italic")[Who are you?] [[Think fast|lie]] [[Run away]]

You lie and tell the nurse: My name is Shannon Tate. Silas Tate is my uncle, and he was engaged to Ms. Aurora. Aurora stops screaming and sits up, grabbing your hand. (text-style: "italic")[Silas?] The nurse glances at you, then Aurora. After swinging her gaze back and forth a few times, she nods. (text-style: "italic")[Are you sure you want this woman visiting?] The nurse asks Aurora. Aurora nods. (text-style: "italic")[Only five minutes, then you'll need to leave. Visiting hours are about over.] Now that you're here, you must tell her the truth! [[Tell her the truth|truth]] [[lie again]]

I picked a bad day to become a detective. [[Quit]]

Ms. Aurora, I'm sorry to tell you this...but Silas can't come get you. He’s dead. Aurora's eyes widened, and her face paled. She gasped for air as her body shook. (text-style: "italic") [What the hell have you done?] You jump, spin around and see the nurse scowling at you. Aurora lets out a wail, rocking in her bed, getting louder and louder. The nurse shoves you back, and security guards show up. (text-style: "italic") [Get her out of here!] Aurora kicks and jerks as if trying to get out of the bed. (text-style: "italic") [Help me!] The nurse yells. The security guard spins around and grabs Aurora's legs. She kicks him in the face and screams. He clamps both her ankles, pushing them down onto the mattress. They pin her down while her body arches up off the bed, screeching the entire time. [[That's your cue!|run out]]

I can't! [[Quit]]

You arrive back at Shannon's office where she is sitting behind the desk frowning at you. (text-style: "italic")[The scariest part is you acted exactly like I would have in the same situation.] You sit down across from her. (text-style: "italic")[Aurora escaped from the hospital for a few hours last night and tried walking back to town. Luckily, a police officer friend of mine spotted her while we were chatting on the phone. He took her back to the hospital. She's in bad shape. The doctor thinks her flu has turned into pneumonia.] Stephanie arrives in a puff of smoke. (text-style:"italic")[Uh oh.] (text-style: "italic")[Hopefully, she'll recover quickly. In the meantime, I guess you've figured who the ring belongs to?] [[I have|Last step]] [[No. I need more time.|Decide]]

(text-style: "italic") [If you think it's Aurora, you're right. Good Job! Thank you so much for helping me out. I've a parade to get to. Tomorrow night, you can find me at the railroad depot. I'll explain everything to Aurora. It's going to be quite a sight.] [[Wait|Tomorrow Night]]

You think about everything. [[Go find Shannon.|Last step]]

You arrive at the depot. It's dusk. Shannon and Aurora are standing together when she waves you over. She hands Aurora the ring while talking to you. (text-style: "italic")[I explained to Aurora about Silas being on the train returning to her when the explosion occurred. Stephanie is going to be here in a moment to help Aurora get closure.] Aurora faces you. (text-style:"italic")[Thanks for all your help.] You go back and sit on the bench to watch as Stephanie's ghost arrives. Within minutes, the tracks are filled with spirits walking aimlessly around. One shape floats close to Aurora. Light zips around the clouded mist as if a storm resides within it. The cloud shimmers and surrounds her. She smiles and holds up her hand. The form takes shape, and within seconds, it forms the silhouette of a tall man standing in front of her. He reaches out and holds her hand. Aurora tips her head back, closes her eyes, and purses her lips. The white, clouded form spreads out to a large mist and wraps around Aurora, nearly swallowing her from your sight. Shannon comes over. (text-style: "italic")[Let's go. It's over now.] THE END! <img src="https://elledunn.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/8/133856872/depositphotos-1337665-l-2015_orig.jpg">