Sugarcane

"Oh, Peter, it could have been great," the voice says. "Milo, Natal, things could have been great. I wanted things to be such a way. But--well. \n\n"You tried."\n\nThe last things Peter feels are a kiss on a forehead and the cold steel of a gun against his temple. He neither feels nor hears the bullet.\n\nYour score is <<print $score>> out of a possible 1000.\n\n[[>end|end]]\n

Arthur C. Clarke says that the difference between magic and [[technology]] is negligible.

"You know, Dante says, in the antechamber to Hell, that it's a bunch of people running around, barefoot, chasing a banner endlessly while a bunch of wasps sting them. Let's see how you like wasp stings."\n\nHe takes out a pocketknife with a two inch blade and begins to stab Peter over and over, screaming //sting, sting, sting!// with each stab.\n\nYour score is <<print $score>> out of a possible 500.\n\n[[>end|end]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $score = 17>>\n<<endsilently>>\nBack in the day a shepherd dude named Gyges was bumming around with his sheep when, through divine fiat, a [[ring]] was revealed to him.

"I don't think you get what's going on here," the voice says. "I obviously want to take your blindfold off, so that's what's happening, and there's nothing you can do about it." Peter's head is roughly jerked, the blindfold yanked off, and immediately harsh, painful light floods his eyes. He makes a slight screech though the tape.\n\nHis eyes begin to adjust. "Yeah," the voice says--Peter is horrified to realize it's coming from about six inches in front of his face but he cannot see anyone--"we're in your own fucking house. I wonder where your children are."\n\nPeter:\n\n[[>whimpers|whimper]]\n[[>looks around|looksaround]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $score = $score + 25>>\n<<endsilently>>\n''Your score has gone up by 25 points.''\n\nPeter nods. "Good man," the voice says. "I can't stand sweet, weak coffee myself." Peter hears a few footsteps walk away from him, then the sounds of ceramic, of liquids pouring, of a faint crunch, another crunch, a light //tinkle tinkle// of a spoon stirring, footsteps coming towards him again.\n\n"Here's your coffee," the voice says. Immediately Peter feels a mug of hot coffee slowly poured over his legs, his crotch, his stomach, his knees.\n\nPeter:\n[[>screams|screamcoffee]]

Peter looks around. He sees his usual kitchen--and is momentarily relieved. He had expected blood. Although--perhaps his family was dead upstairs? A panic comes into his eyes.\n\n"Don't worry," the voice says. "Your children, your wife, they won't come in here and find out what we're doing. We're allllllll alone.\n\n"So Peter, do you know why I'm here?"\n\nPeter: \n[[>shakes his head|explainmilo]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $score = $score + 25>>\n<<endsilently>>''Your score has gone up by 25 points.''\n\n"Shut the ''fuck'' up!" the voice screams, and immediately Peter feels the blow of a hammerfist in his stomach. He gags, two, three times, and for a moment is horrified he is going to vomit and choke on his own vomit but he does not. "You do not have the ''right'' to laugh. You took away all your ''rights'' when you took Milo away from me!"\n\nPeter:\n[[>begins to cry|crymilo]]

Let's call it an emerald ring because the best superheroes are green. When Gyges turned the ring, he became [[invisible]].

Let me tell you about a friend of mine who was able to make himself invisible.\n\n[[>next|title]]

"You took him away from me, Peter," the voice says. "You took him away from all of us. My boy--oh my boy.\n\n"You're the cancer that killed everything I hold dear, Peter.\n\n"I bet you think that I'm wrong for coming here and doing this to you, tying you to this chair, blindfolding you, what I'm about to do to you, but things aren't so Black and White, Peter.\n\n"You took my boy away from me. You took Milo."\n\nPeter:\n[[>says nothing|milosaynothing]]\n[[>laughs in spite of himself|milolaugh]]

"I just want to know something, Peter," the voice says. "Are you--are you sorry?"\n\nPeter:\n\n[[>nods|sorryyes]]\n[[>shakes his head|sorryno]]\n[[>says nothing|sorrynothing]]

RING OF GYGES:\nThe Revenge\n\nA Murder Simulator\nby Richard Goodness\n\n[[>oil the gears|first]]

"It's okay, little guy," the voice says, soothingly. "I just wanted to meet you. To see what made you tick. You've aroused my Curiosity. I just want to chip at you, brick by brick, layer by layer, until I reach the center and see what's at your core.\n\n"Do you know why I'm here, Peter?"\n\nPeter: \n[[>shakes his head|explainmilo]]

Peter feels a presence come closer, gently caress the top of his head, and then tenderly untie the blindfold. The lights are dim--they sting slightly, he must have had his eyes closed for a long time, but it's not bad enough to hurt.\n\nHe's in his own kitchen. He senses someone in front of him, could have sworn that the presence untied the blindfold from in front, but can't see anyone in front of him. He feels hot breath on his face. "See? You know where you are," the voice says, and Peter is terrified to realize that it's coming from about six inches in front of his face.\n\nPeter:\n\n[[>whimpers|whimper]]\n[[>looks around|looksaround]]

//Yrhhhh//, Peter says, and realizes now that he's not only drugged, he can't open his mouth. Some kind of tape is in front of it.\n\n"That sounds like a yes," the voice says. "I'm sorry, I had to tape your mouth shut. I'll take it off when I get you your coffee. The blindfold too. Don't worry. We're in for the night. So...cream and sugar? You can just nod or shake your head."\n\nPeter:\n\n[[>nods|yescream]]\n[[>shakes his head|nocream]]

#passages { color: #000000; !important }\n\nbody { background-color: #FFFFFF }\n\n#sidebar li{ color: #FF0000; }\n\n#sidebar #title { color: #FF0000; }\n\na:link { color: #FF0000; }

Ring Of Gyges: The Revenge

"What's going on?" Peter says--but he's been drugged, so it comes out more like //Wssgoyahhhhh//.\n\nThe voice laughs. "Sorry, bro. I, uh, slipped you a roofie. Don't worry. I didn't do anything untoward." It pauses for a moment. "Yet.\n\n"I'm making some coffee. You want some?"\n\n[[>"Yes."|yescoffee]]\n[[>"No."|nocoffee]]

The difference between the just and the unjust is the degree of fear for the law and [[the ability to act outside of it]]. Invisibility served Gyges well, and within a year he'd seduced the Queen and murdered the king.

<<silently>>\n<<set $score = $score + 25>>\n<<endsilently>>\n''Your score has gone up by 25 points.''\n\nPeter nods. "Good man," the voice says. "I can't stand black coffee myself." Peter hears a few footsteps walk away from him, then the sounds of ceramic, of liquids pouring, of a faint crunch, another crunch, a light //tinkle tinkle// of a spoon stirring, footsteps coming towards him again.\n\n"Here's your coffee," the voice says. Immediately Peter feels a mug of hot coffee slowly poured over his legs, his crotch, his stomach, his knees.\n\nPeter:\n[[>screams|screamcoffee]]

Gyges began with little things--playing pranks on his shepherd friends, filching the occasional olive from the marketplace, but soon he grew [[bored]].

//Nrrr// Peter says, and realizes that there is a piece of tape on his mouth, so it's probably just as well he didn't want the coffee. He wonders if the voice will give him something to drink.\n\n"Trying to quit?" The voice grunts a short laugh. "I get it. Caffeine. A man your age--not good for the blood pressure. You're what, fifty now? Well, I mean, you shouldn't have bothered. Your ticker will probably give up by the end of tonight anyway.\n\n"I'm not going to remove the tape but I can remove the blindfold. If you like."\n\nPeter:\n\n[[>nods|nodsblindfold]]

"Who are you?" Peter says--but he's been drugged, so it comes out more like //Hrrhyrr//. \n\nThe voice laughs. "Sorry, bro. I, uh, slipped you a roofie. Don't worry. I didn't do anything untoward." It pauses for a moment. "Yet.\n\n"I'm making some coffee. You want some?"\n\n[[>"Yes."|yescoffee]]\n[[>"No."|nocoffee]]

"Oh, Peter," the voice says. "Have you ever heard of Rene Descartes? 'I think therefore I am'? Well he used to think that dogs, they couldn't feel pain. He said, if I remember correctly, that a dog's howling was just 'a whining gear that needs oil'. \n\n"I don't believe that you feel pain either and I'm going to convince myself that your howling is just, you know, a dog's howling."\n\nPeter is kept alive for four hours before he finally succumbs to blood loss.\n\nYour score is <<print $score>> out of a possible 350.\n\n[[>end|end]]

"I didn't even get to spend any ''time'' with him," the voice continues. "Just...a few videos and a shitload of broken promises.\n\n"Peter, you've been nothing ''but'' broken promises to me. You've never come through on anything. My life isn't just some kind of Theme Park that you can change to fit your needs. This isn't some stupid Fable. This is my fucking life.\n\n"I'm going to kill you, Peter. You know that, right? I'm going to kill you for what you've done. For taking my Milo away from me before I even had a chance to spend time with him."\n\nPeter:\n[[>begins to cry|crymilo]]

Richard Goodness

Peter screams--or at least does as good of an impression of a scream as he can, what with the tape over his mouth.\n\n"Don't be such a fucking pussy," the voice says. "It wasn't even hot. I'd say it's lukewarm at best.\n\n"Now, do you want me to remove your blindfold?"\n\nPeter:\n\n[[>shakes his head|shakesblindfold]]

"Good morning, Peter."\n\nThe voice is unfamiliar to Peter; he cannot see anything.\n\nPeter asks:\n\n[[>"Who are you?|whoareyou]]\n[[>"What's going on?"|whatsgoingon]]