Silence

You're sitting cross-legged, facing a wall of [[plaster.]] (set:$bible to false) (set:$key to false) (set:$crypt to false) (set:$candle to false) (set:$page to false)

The plaster is chipping, tiny shards of it seem to be peeling themselves away from the wall, carried by a [[draft]] towards the [[wall]] beside you. You shiver slightly as you acknowledge the chill of the [[tile floor]] against your bare ankles. (set:$eerie to false)

The draft is coming from your right. There's a small wooden [[door]] set into the plaster facade, left slightly ajar.

The door looks like it was once ornately painted, perhaps with some kind of religious imagery. Time hasn't done it any favors. [[Open the door.]]

The wall is as lackluster as the one you were facing, aside from a small rusty [[sconce]], holding a milky-colored [[candle]].

You scrape away some of the rust with your fingernail to reveal the outline of a crucifix etched into the metal.

The candle's only been lit just recently. You watch as the first drip of wax trails down its stem before solidifying once again. The rooms condition seems to contradict the freshness of the candle.

You slowly stand up and approach the door, feeling the bloodflow return to your legs and feet. You grasp the copper doorknob and pull the door fully open, ducking a bit to fit through the diminutive [[doorframe.]]

The tiles are a pale green, offset by the charcoal grout sloppily framing each tile. The floor is bare, yet there are faint rectangles of dirt and dust outlining where small pieces of unknown furniture must have sat for ages.

You step out into a large yet notably plain Chapel. The walls are made of the same plaster as before, accented by very pale wood, all appearing very aged and worn. The stained-glass windows still appear intact, yet they look as though someone had boarded them up from the outside, allowing no light to pass through them. The tinted colors are now almost indistinguishable and black. The chapel itself is lit very evenly, yet no discernable light source is visible. It's as if everything seems to be producing its own silent glow. To your right is the [[apse]] and the [[altar]]. To your left are the [[pews]] and just beyond them are the large [[double doors]] that presumably lead outside. Directly in front of you, across the chapel, is a lone [[church organ]]. The draft you felt within the room is now much stronger. You shiver once more as your eyes search for the source of the now [[crisp breeze]]. <audio src="https://evanmacaluso.yolasite.com/resources/steps2.mp3" autoplay>

(if: $crypt is true)[The apse extends beyond the altar in a perfect semicircle. Suspended in the air a few feet off of the curved wall is a simple, dark wooden cross. It's a miracle it's still hanging. Beyond this, on either side of the cross, are two circlular stained-glass windows, all their panels seeming to glow an unsettling shade of purple. You think you almost see a shadow wavering in and out behind the glass. There is a plain, emerald green rug filling in the space behind the altar, and not much else. The carpet is now folded up on itself as a trapdoor has swung out from underneath it. You can see the metal bars of a ladder descending into the darkness. [[Climb down.]] [[Go back.->Chapel]]] (else:)[The apse extends beyond the altar in a perfect semicircle. Suspended in the air a few feet off of the curved wall is a simple, dark wooden cross. It's a miracle it's still hanging. Beyond this, on either side of the cross, are two circlular stained-glass windows, all their panels seeming to glow an unsettling shade of purple. You think you almost see a shadow wavering in and out behind the glass. There is a plain, emerald green rug filling in the space behind the altar, and not much else. [[Go back.->Chapel]]] <audio src="https://evanmacaluso.yolasite.com/resources/steps2.mp3" autoplay>

The altar appeared bare, simply covered in a now bleached, off-white cloth, yet looking closer, you see a [[rectangular mass]] laying beneath it. <audio src="https://evanmacaluso.yolasite.com/resources/steps2.mp3" autoplay>

The pews are in vast disarray. Originally in two even rows, with a carpeted pathway cutting down the middle, many of them have been shifted completely out of line with the rest, while others are hidden beneath broken crossbeams from the roof, plaster, or other unknown debris. [[Examine the pews.]] [[Go back->Chapel]] <audio src="https://evanmacaluso.yolasite.com/resources/steps2.mp3" autoplay>

At the far end of the chapel are two grand double doors, made up of multiple planks of wood lined in rows then bound together with dark panels of metal. Looped through the two robust handles is a gleaming silver chain and lock. Neither of them look like they're going to budge without a key. [[Go back.->Chapel]] <audio src="https://evanmacaluso.yolasite.com/resources/steps2.mp3" autoplay>

Upon further inspection, most of the organ keys are broken off from the mechanism inside. Pressing them produces nothing more than a lifeless, wooden click, but about an [[octave of keys]] in the lower third of the organ seem to still function. <audio src="https://evanmacaluso.yolasite.com/resources/steps2.mp3" autoplay>

You look up to see a significant chunk of the chapel roof has caved in, likely from the deterioration of the [[wood]]. For the first time, you can see [[outside]].

The vaulted ceilings ease your sense of confinement, though many of the crossbeams are now cracked or splintered, protruding downwards. The beams show signs of water damage and seem to be covered in patches of mold.

And there's nothing. Or at least there's something, but it's as if your vision seems to worsen the longer you try to focus on it. All you can make out is the dark purple hue of what you can only assume is the sky. It gives you a headache to look at, so you force yourself to look [[away->Chapel]].

''The Chapel'' [[Examine the pews.->pews]] [[Approach the altar.->altar]] [[Examine the apse.->apse]] [[Examine the church organ.->church organ]] [[Approach the double doors.->double doors]] [[Seek out where the breeze is coming from->crisp breeze]] [[Go back the way you came.->Room 1]] <audio src="https://evanmacaluso.yolasite.com/resources/steps2.mp3" autoplay>

[[Play an A]] [[Play a B]] [[Play a C]] [[Play a D]] [[Play an E]] [[Play an F]] [[Play a G]]

The A key sinks down as its played, silently. Must be broken. [[Play an A]] [[Play a B]] [[Play a C]] [[Play a D]] [[Play an E]] [[Play an F]] [[Play a G]] [[Step away from the organ->Chapel]]

The B plays, but quietly. Something is off. [[Play an A]] [[Play a B]] [[Play a C]] [[Play a D]] [[Play an E]] [[Play an F]] [[Play a G]] [[Step away from the organ->Chapel]]

The C key sinks down as its played, silently. Must be broken. [[Play an A]] [[Play a B]] [[Play a C]] [[Play a D]] [[Play an E]] [[Play an F]] [[Play a G]] [[Step away from the organ->Chapel]]

The D rings out, echoing off the walls. [[Play an A->Play an A]] [[Play a B->Play a B]] [[Play a C->Play a C]] [[Play a D->Play a D]] [[Play an E->E2]] [[Play an F->Play an F]] [[Play a G->Play a G]] [[Step away from the organ->Chapel]] <audio src="https://evanmacaluso.yolasite.com/resources/D.mp3" autoplay>

The E plays, but deeply out of tune. That's a shame. [[Play an A]] [[Play a B]] [[Play a C]] [[Play a D]] [[Play an E]] [[Play an F]] [[Play a G]] [[Step away from the organ->Chapel]]

The F plays, but quietly. Something is off. [[Play an A]] [[Play a B]] [[Play a C]] [[Play a D]] [[Play an E]] [[Play an F]] [[Play a G]] [[Step away from the organ->Chapel]]

The G plays, but deeply out of tune. That's a shame. [[Play an A]] [[Play a B]] [[Play a C]] [[Play a D]] [[Play an E]] [[Play an F]] [[Play a G]] [[Step away from the organ->Chapel]]

The E rings out, echoing off the walls. [[Play an A->A3]] [[Play a B->Play a B]] [[Play a C->Play a C]] [[Play a D->Play a D]] [[Play an E->Play an E]] [[Play an F->Play an F]] [[Play a G->Play a G]] [[Step away from the organ->Chapel]] <audio src="https://evanmacaluso.yolasite.com/resources/E.mp3" autoplay>

The A rings out, echoing off the walls. [[Play an A->Play an A]] [[Play a B->Play a B]] [[Play a C->Play a C]] [[Play a D->Play a D]] [[Play an E->Play an E]] [[Play an F->F4]] [[Play a G->Play a G]] [[Step away from the organ->Chapel]] <audio src="https://evanmacaluso.yolasite.com/resources/A.mp3" autoplay>

(if: $page is true)[The F rings out, echoing off the walls. You hear a piercing metal screech, followed by a wooden clunk. It sounded like it came from the apse behind you. (set:$crypt to true) [[Step away from the organ->Chapel]] <audio src="https://evanmacaluso.yolasite.com/resources/F.mp3" autoplay> <audio src="https://evanmacaluso.yolasite.com/resources/scrape.mp3" autoplay> <audio src="https://evanmacaluso.yolasite.com/resources/clunk.mp3" autoplay> ] (else:)[The F rings out, echoing off the walls. [[Step away from the organ->Chapel]] <audio src="https://evanmacaluso.yolasite.com/resources/F.mp3" autoplay> ]

Lifting back the sheet reveals a green, leather-bound Bible. [[Examine the front cover.]] [[Thumb through it.]] [[Examine the back cover.]] (set:$bible to true)

The pews all have small, brass nameplates, each with a name upon them, at the end of each bench. All of them seem to begin with 'In Loving Memory.' The names seem very similar, but you can't quite discern why. [[Inspect the left row of pews.]] [[Inspect the right row of pews.]] [[Step away from the pews->Chapel]]

[[Examine the pew dedicated to Rania Whitworth.->1a]] [[Examine the pew dedicated to Roseanne Figueroa.->1b]] [[Examine the pew dedicated to Millicent Whelan.->1c]] [[Examine the pew dedicated to Theodore Beil.->1d]] [[Examine the pew dedicated to Audrey Mccabe.->1e]] [[Examine the pew dedicated to Ewan Ford.->1f]] [[Examine the pew dedicated to Rory O'Connor.->1g]]

[[Examine the pew dedicated to Enrique Donnelly.->2a]] [[Examine the pew dedicated to Louise Cain.->2b]] [[Examine the pew dedicated to Dannielle Ibarra.->2c]] [[Examine the pew dedicated to Elliot Melton.->2d]] [[Examine the pew dedicated to Teddie Nolan.->2e]] [[Examine the pew dedicated to Tyla Deacon.->2f]] [[Examine the pew dedicated to Elspeth Woodward.->2g]]

Nothing notable. The lacquer has begun to chip away on the seats, but otherwise in good condition. In the wooden slots on the back there is a Bible, a book of psalms, and a book of hymns. [[Go back.->Examine the pews.]]

The pew is tipped over backwards, against the pew behind it. Debris and water have collected on the seat. [[Go back.->Examine the pews.]]

The pew is tipped over forwards, against the pew behind it. Debris and water have collected on the seat. [[Go back.->Examine the pews.]]

The pew is blocked by a wooden beam. It otherwise looks the same as the rest. [[Go back.->Examine the pews.]]

The pew has all but fallen apart, but still remains upright, albeit way out line with the rest. In the wooden slots on the back there is only a book of Psalms. [[Go back.->Examine the pews.]]

The pew is blocked by a wooden beam. It otherwise looks the same as the rest. [[Go back.->Examine the pews.]]

The pew has all but fallen apart, but still remains upright, albeit way out line with the rest. In the wooden slots on the back there is only a book of Psalms. [[Go back.->Examine the pews.]]

(if: $bible is true)[The pew is blocked by a wooden beam. It otherwise looks the same as the rest. [[Lift up beam.]]] (else:)[The pew is blocked by a wooden beam. It otherwise looks the same as the rest. ]

The pew is tipped over backwards, against the pew behind it. Debris and water have collected on the seat. [[Go back.->Examine the pews.]]

The pew has all but fallen apart, but still remains upright, albeit way out line with the rest. In the wooden slots on the back there is only a book of Psalms. [[Go back.->Examine the pews.]]

It seems to be in better condition than the rest of the chapel. Nothing special to look at. The faux-goldleaf in the lettering on the cover is pretty, though. [[Thumb through it.]] [[Examine the back cover.]] [[Go Back.->Chapel]]

Midway through the bible, you find where one page has been roughly torn out, leaving only a thin fragment attached to the spine. Nothing can be read from this fragment. [[Examine the front cover.]] [[Examine the back cover.]] [[Go Back.->Chapel]]

The back looks just the same as the front, except on the inside of the cover there is a name handwritten in pencil in the top left corner. "Teddie Nolan." [[Examine the front cover.]] [[Thumb through it.]] [[Go Back.->Chapel]]

You squat down and get your shoulder and arms under the broken beam and begin to lift with all your strength. The density and splintered surface of the beam make this a difficult task, but you overcome the struggle and drop the beam onto the floor. [[Inspect the pew again.]]

Moving the beam exposes the corner of a small sheet of [[yellowed paper]], sticking out from the small slit between the seat and back of the pew.

The paper appears to be a page torn out of a Bible. The torn edge seems to match what was missing in the Bible from the altar. Though the paper is grimy and sopping wet, you can make out a passage with is heavily circled and annotated in pencil: "...brought to Him on who was ''DEAF'' and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him. Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, "Ephphatha!" that is, "Be opened!" And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly. And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to rpoclaim it. They were utterly astonised, saying "He has done all things well; He makes even the ''DEAF'' to hear and the mute to speak."" (set:$page to true) [[Leave the pew.->Chapel]]

(if: $candle is true)[ ] (else:)[ You make the first few steps down the rungs of the ladder before you realize how impossibly dark it is. Any and all light from the chapel above is immediately snuffed out by the overwhelming dark down here. There must be an alternative to going in blind. [[Go back->apse]]]

Ducking again, you reenter the room you began in. Its as lackluster as before, except it seems even more claustraphobic now. [[Examine the floor.]] [[Examine the sconce.]] <audio src="https://evanmacaluso.yolasite.com/resources/steps2.mp3" autoplay>

(if: $crypt is true)[The same rusty sconce from before, still holding a milky-white candle. [[Pick up the candle.]]] (else:)[ The same rusty sconce from before, still holding a milky-white candle.]

(set:$candle to true) As you reach for the candle, you suddenly worry that you won't be able to carry the candle through the chapel without the breeze swiftly blowing it out. [[Pick up the candle anyway.]]

The moment you place your fingers on the wax of the candle, a silence falls around you. Like a great sigh of relief, you notice that the wind has died out from within the chapel. Now, the flame of the candle stands perfectly still, undisturbed, as if there were no air around it at all. <div style="display: none;"><img src="!@#$" onerror="$('#nowplaying').animate({volume: 0}, 1000);" /></div> [[Step away->Room 1.5]]

You cup the candle in your hands as you return to a standing position. [[Exit through the door->Chapel2]]

As you duck to reenter the chapel, you feel as though something is watching you--a feeling intensified by the now almost deafening silence. [[Look around.]]

Your eyes are almost magnetically drawn up to the gaping hole in the roof of the chapel once more to see a figure, perched up on one of the broken wooden panels that used to make up the [[vaulted ceiling.]]

It just sits at you, presumably staring. Yet, you don't feel particularly unnerved. Its outline resembles that of a hunched man in a robe, or perhaps a bird, an owl. It looks intently down at you with two tiny little pinprick eyes that glow slightly purple. Its form almost seems to tug at a memory. [[Keep walking toward the apse.]]

You notice the echo of your footsteps has vanished as well. Quite truly, the only thing you can hear is the gentle flicker of the candle in your palms. You look down into the darkness below once more, not scared of the unknown, but accepting that this must be the next stop on your journey. [[Carefully descend the ladder.]]

Gingerly holding the candle between two of your fingers, you slowly climb down the ladder into the void beneath you. The candle doesn't seem to be helping much, as if the vastness of the expanse below is swallowing the candle's light too. [[Keep climbing down.]]

[[Keep climbing.]]

[[Must only be a bit further.]]

Your bare foot suddenly strikes cold concrete, almost startling you. You carefully place your other foot down beside it and [[turn around.]]

Luckily, the candle now lights a small patch of the floor around you, yet nothing else. [[Step forward?]]

You need only take a handful of steps before some small light begins glowing in front of you. [[Look closer.]]

Taking a few more steps, you realize that the glowing light is merely a reflection of your own candle in a [[mirror.]]

You hold the candle a bit closer to appreciate the beautifully crafted frame around the mirror. It shines brilliantly, as though it is plated in gold, and the patterns carved into it look impossibly intricate for human hands to have made. [[Step closer.]]

You take one final step toward the mirror, and the candlelight illuminates your [[face.]]

You take one final step toward the mirror, and the candlelight illuminates your face. Your ancient [[features.]]

You take one final step toward the mirror, and the candlelight illuminates your face. Your ancient features. Your wrinkled [[palms.]]

You take one final step toward the mirror, and the candlelight illuminates your face. Your ancient features. Your wrinkled palms. Your milky-white [[irises.]]

You take one final step toward the mirror, and the candlelight illuminates your face. Your ancient features. Your wrinkled palms. Your milky-white irises. //Time clearly hasn't done you any favors,// you think to yourself, smiling. [[Look down.]]

At your feet sits another candle, this one more yellowed and congealed, stained by the many times wax has dripped down its sides. [[Light the candle.]]

The moment you touch the flame of your candle to the wick of the other, there is suddenly an eruption of light and heat around you. You cover your eyes for a moment, then begin to slowly reopen them, blinking to adjust to the [[light.]]

You're in the crypt of the chapel. The dusty beige stone brick pillars form rows and columns in every direction around you, appearing endless, continuing on and on toward infinity. Though the descent felt like ages, the ceilings are low and lined with cobwebs. The candle you lit has somehow triggered the lighting of candles placed evenly throughout the grid past where your eyes can make out from where you're standing. Yet, instead of a mirror standing in front of each one, each candle sits before a wooden coffin, each one seeming to be [[unique and handcrafted.]]

You approach the coffin to your left. It's freshly lacquered, looks to be made of a deep, rich colored wood, like mahogany. It's completely unadorned except for a small brass nameplate, bearing the name ''Teddie Nolan.'' [[Turn back.]]

You turn around to see that the mirror simply concealed a coffin that lay behind it. And just beyond the coffin, the dark figure with purple eyes sat hunched, no taller than you. The outline of its figure remained hazy, as though it was nothing more than a dark projection on a cloud of smoke. Yet its piercing eyes silently urge you to approach the [[coffin.]]

This coffin is made of small, pale green tiles, offset by a charcoal-colored grout sloppily framing each tile. Their pattern is simple and consistent, circling the rounded and meticulously shaped exterior. You look up from the coffin and lock eyes with the figure. For the first time, you have the urge to [[speak.]]

You speak, but you cannot hear yourself, not even the vibrations of your own voice in your skull. Nonetheless, you're certain you are [[speaking.]]

//"This is mine, isn't it?"// you're certain you say. The figure looks back, and you take its silence as affirmative, though you're sure you couldn't have heard its response even if it had one. [[Open the coffin.]]

Inside the coffin there is nothing except for [[a large silver key.]]

You pick up the key and remember turning [[13 years old.]]

You feel its weight in your palm and you remember turning [[21 years old.]]

You look one final time at the dark figure and remember turning [[35 years old.]]

You nod and smile at it, and you remember turning [[50 years old.]]

You turn back to the ladder and place your foot on the bottom rung, and you remember turning [[65 years old.]]

You ascend, but far more rapidly this time, as you remember turning [[80 years old.]]

You see the fuzzy purple light above you grow stronger as the warm candlelight below you grows dimmer, as you remember turning [[85 years old.]]

At last, you stick your head through the trapdoor in the aspe, as you remember turning [[86 years old.]]

You plant your feet once again on the floor of the chapel, as you remember [[the accident.]]

You look around and see the pews are filled with shadowy figures of different sizes and shapes, all sharing the same purple eyes, as you remember waking up in a [[world of silence]], of purely visuals, with no scratches or pops or scrapes or thuds.

You smile and walk slowly around the altar, and you remember sitting down at the church organ and for the first time, not hearing the calming hum of each key striking against your [[eardrum.]]

You begin to walk down the aisle, through the pews, and you remember silently turning [[90 years old.]]

You feel the stares of the figures as you continue, and you remember your son helping you slowly putter your way through the halls of the assisted living facility, silently reading the names of the residents in each room they [[passed.]]

You take a step and remember that's Elliot's room [[on the right.]]

You take another step and remember that's your neighbor Teddie's room to the [[right.]]

You take another step and remember that's Ewan's room [[on the left.]]

You take one more step and you're standing in front of the large double doors, as you remember the day they wheeled Teddie out of his room on a stretcher, unceremoniously. [[Silently.]]

You lift up the key and place it inside the matching padlock on the door, as you remember lying on your deathbed, in that horrid room with the disgusting [[pale green tile.]]

You turn the key and the padlock and chain both fall to the ground, as you remember looking into your [[son's eyes.]]

You pull open the large double doors and you remember that your final thought was how strange it was, that some light from somewhere glinted off his irises and made them look the most vivid violet you can [[imagine.]]

You step through the doors and you [[start walking.]]

And [[keep walking.]]