0.txt

From Anon Vn

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The script file for The Dandelion Girl. Note that not all of it is functional yet.
+
Working on inserting the rest of the story. Obviously not all of it is here.
 +
 
 +
Does this freeze for anyone else?
 +
 
 +
I changed panel1_2 to panel1and2 in the CG folder, and changed the code accordingly. I also changed the music titles to lower case and deleted spaces between words to avoid complications.
<pre>;mode800
<pre>;mode800
Line 10: Line 14:
kidokuskip
kidokuskip
-
caption "The Dandelion Girl beta1"
+
caption "The Dandelion Girl beta2"
-
versionstr "Dandygirl" , "beta1"
+
versionstr "Dandygirl" , "beta2"
savename `Save`,`Load`,`File `
savename `Save`,`Load`,`File `
Line 24: Line 28:
rmenu `Save game`,save,`Load game`,load,`Remove window`,windowerase,`Quit`,end ;rclick menu
rmenu `Save game`,save,`Load game`,load,`Remove window`,windowerase,`Quit`,end ;rclick menu
menusetwindow 20,20,0,2,0,0,#333333
menusetwindow 20,20,0,2,0,0,#333333
-
defaultfont "Times New Roman"
+
defaultfont "Arial"
killmenu 1
killmenu 1
killmenu 1
killmenu 1
Line 31: Line 35:
killmenu 3
killmenu 3
defaultspeed 12,6,0 ;msg speed
defaultspeed 12,6,0 ;msg speed
-
underline 479
+
underline 599
effect 2,10,1500
effect 2,10,1500
effect 3,10,500
effect 3,10,500
Line 42: Line 46:
effect 10,10,1000
effect 10,10,1000
effect 11,10,125
effect 11,10,125
 +
effect 12,8,1000
 +
effect 13,9,1000
windoweffect 10,50
windoweffect 10,50
Line 76: Line 82:
`          The Curtain Falls\\
`          The Curtain Falls\\
-
mp3loop "bgm/The Curtain Falls.mp3"
+
mp3loop "bgm/thecurtainfalls.mp3"
 +
delay 500
`When Mark saw that girl with golden hair, he thought of Edna St. Vincent Millay.@
`When Mark saw that girl with golden hair, he thought of Edna St. Vincent Millay.@
br
br
 +
delay 300
`Why was that?@
`Why was that?@
br
br
`......Maybe it was the way she was standing in the sun with her dandelion-hued hair dancing in the wind, reflecting the rays of the mid-noon sun.@ Maybe it was the way her white dress was swirling around her long and slender legs.@
`......Maybe it was the way she was standing in the sun with her dandelion-hued hair dancing in the wind, reflecting the rays of the mid-noon sun.@ Maybe it was the way her white dress was swirling around her long and slender legs.@
br
br
 +
delay 300
`"....Where's she from?"\\
`"....Where's she from?"\\
-
;---
+
 
`Whatever the reason MIGHT have been, Mark got the impression that she had somehow stepped out of the past and into the present.@
`Whatever the reason MIGHT have been, Mark got the impression that she had somehow stepped out of the past and into the present.@
br
br
-
`.....But that would not be the case. Because, as things turned out, Mark would find that it wasn't the past she had stepped out of at all, but the future.@
+
`.....But that wasn't right.\\
br
br
-
`So... how was that possible, again?\\
+
delay 1000
 +
Because, in reality the girl had stepped out of the future.@
 +
br
 +
`Could things like that really happen...?\\
bg "bg/rockywall.png",10
bg "bg/rockywall.png",10
Line 97: Line 109:
bg "bg/hill.png",10
bg "bg/hill.png",10
-
`He paused a little ways behind her, breathing hard from the climb. Initially, he hadn't even noticed her.@
+
`He paused a little ways behind her, breathing hard from the climb.@ Initially, he hadn't even noticed her.@
br
br
-
`"Ha... augh... haaa..."@
+
`"Ha...@ augh...@ haaa..."\\
br
br
-
`She hadn't seen him yet, even now.... and he wondered how he could make her notice him without scaring her off.@ Or would she take to the sky and fly away, like a frail, beautiful bird just out of his reach?\\
+
`She hadn't seen him yet, even now....@ and he wondered how he could make her notice him without scaring her off.@ Or would she take to the sky and fly away,@ like a frail, beautiful bird just out of his reach?\\
-
;---
+
 
`"..........."@
`"..........."@
br
br
-
`He hung his head and took a deep breath.@
+
`He hung his head and took a deep breath.\\
br
br
-
`....When he looked at her again, she had turned around and begun looking right back, like some kind of curious animal.\\
+
delay 1000
 +
`....When he looked at her again,@ she had turned around and begun looking right back,@ like some kind of curious animal.\\
stop
stop
-
;---
+
 
-
;Note: The perspective has shifted from 3rd to 1st person.
+
bg "cg/panel1.png",10
bg "cg/panel1.png",10
delay 1000
delay 1000
-
bgm "bgm/Hello; Goodbye.mp3"
+
mp3loop "bgm/moodyprincess.mp3"
-
bg "cg/panel1_2.png",10
+
bg "cg/panel1and2.png",10
 +
delay 800
`The two weeks I'd saved up in Summer vacation from work went to waste--maybe.@ When my wife had been unexpectedly summoned for jury duty, I'd been forced to spend them alone.@
`The two weeks I'd saved up in Summer vacation from work went to waste--maybe.@ When my wife had been unexpectedly summoned for jury duty, I'd been forced to spend them alone.@
br
br
-
`I spent days sitting inside, or climbing the rocky walls, or just lounging about waiting for time to pass.@
+
`I spent days sitting inside, or climbing the rocky walls, or just lounging about waiting for time to pass.\\
br
br
-
`I was pretty lonely.\\
+
`I was pretty lonely.@
-
;RONERY ;_;
+
 
-
;---
+
`Up till now I'd been leading a lonely existence,@ fishing off the pier in the day and reading the cool evenings away.@ It was nice, but very dismal at the same time.\\
-
`Up till now I'd been leading a lonely existence, fishing off the pier in the day and reading the cool evenings away.@ It was nice, but very dismal at the same time.@
+
br
br
`.... After two days the routine had caught up with me, and I'd taken off into the woods without purpose or direction and eventually climbed up to the place where I met this strange girl.@ That was right now.\\
`.... After two days the routine had caught up with me, and I'd taken off into the woods without purpose or direction and eventually climbed up to the place where I met this strange girl.@ That was right now.\\
;---
;---
bg "cg/panel1.png",10
bg "cg/panel1.png",10
 +
quakey 5,800
`"Haaa.... haaaa."@
`"Haaa.... haaaa."@
br
br
Line 144: Line 157:
`"........."@
`"........."@
br
br
-
Exhausted or not, though, I could tell that her eyes were really blue--about as blue as the sky surrounding her.@ ....It was an embarrassing thing I kept to myself.@
+
Exhausted or not, though,@ I could tell that her eyes were really blue--@about as blue as the sky surrounding her.@ ....It was an embarrassing thing I kept to myself.@
br
br
-
It brought on a bad case of deja vu so strong I almost embarrassed myself and reached out to touch her.@
+
It brought on a bad case of deja vu so strong I almost embarrassed myself and reached out to touch her.\\
br
br
...... Better keep my hands to myself.\\
...... Better keep my hands to myself.\\
;---
;---
-
`.... What the hell am I thinking, anyway? I'm forty-four, and this girl can't be much older than twenty....@
+
`@.... What the hell am I thinking, anyway?2 I'm forty-four, and this girl can't be much older than twenty....@
br
br
-
`Anyway, talk, talk, talk, you idiot.@
+
`Anyway,@ talk, talk, talk, you idiot.\\
br
br
-
`"Aha... ha... hi, there... nice view here, isn't it...?"\\
+
`"Aha...@ ha...@ hi, there...@ nice view here, isn't it...?"@
;---
;---
-
`The girl blinked, then her face broke out into a grin.@
+
`The girl blinked, then her face broke out into a grin.\\
bg "cg/panel4_2.png",10
bg "cg/panel4_2.png",10
-
mp3loop "bgm/New Meeting.mp3"
+
mp3loop "bgm/newmeeting.mp3"
br
br
`"Ah! So, I'm not the only one who thinks so, am I~!"@
`"Ah! So, I'm not the only one who thinks so, am I~!"@
-
;Sorry, no swipe effects here
+
 
-
wave "se/Swoosh.wav"
+
-
;Yeah. Better replace that one.
+
br
br
-
`The strange girl spun around and swept her arm in an enthusiastic semicircle, as if motioning upward.@
+
`The strange girl spun around and swept her arm in an enthusiastic semicircle, as if motioning upward.\\
br
br
-
`"Aha.... no, it really is..."\\
+
quakex 3,300
 +
bg "cg/panel5.png",10
 +
 
 +
`"Aha....@ no, it really is..."\\
;---
;---
`I nodded dumbly.@
`I nodded dumbly.@
Line 191: Line 205:
`Oh, so that's all it?
`Oh, so that's all it?
!w 3000
!w 3000
-
;!w is the same as delay, except you can't break it with a keypress
+
 
br
br
wave "se/Wham.wav"
wave "se/Wham.wav"
-
`......... Wait, WHAAAAT?!
+
`......... Wait, WHAAAAT?!\\
-
QUAKE 8,1000
+
quakex 6,800
-
`\\
+
mp3loop "bgm/theprincessplays.mp3"
-
bg black,10
+
-
;---
+
-
mp3loop "bgm/The Princess Plays.mp3"
+
bg "cg/panel33.png",10
bg "cg/panel33.png",10
`"........"@
`"........"@
Line 239: Line 250:
br
br
`"Oh! And right next to the supermarket, where that grove of beeches is, is a big dress shop just BURSTING with the latest creations of the leading couturiers.@ I bought this dress I'm wearing there this morning! Isn't it just beautiful~?"\\
`"Oh! And right next to the supermarket, where that grove of beeches is, is a big dress shop just BURSTING with the latest creations of the leading couturiers.@ I bought this dress I'm wearing there this morning! Isn't it just beautiful~?"\\
-
;---
+
 
`..... How was I supposed to answer this one?@
`..... How was I supposed to answer this one?@
br
br
Line 250: Line 261:
br
br
`I'll just give it a quick inspection.\\
`I'll just give it a quick inspection.\\
-
;---
+
 
bg "cg/panel9.png",10
bg "cg/panel9.png",10
-
!w 3000
+
!w 2000
`Huh.... ? What's this supposed to be?@
`Huh.... ? What's this supposed to be?@
br
br
Line 258: Line 269:
br
br
`This was the first time I'd seen anything like it.\\
`This was the first time I'd seen anything like it.\\
-
;---
+
 
`Uh... Well, there's no limit any more to the syntheses that could be created by the miracle-fiber manufacturers, I guess...@
`Uh... Well, there's no limit any more to the syntheses that could be created by the miracle-fiber manufacturers, I guess...@
br
br
Line 281: Line 292:
bg "cg/panel15.png",10
bg "cg/panel15.png",10
`I'd never seen such a guileless look.@ What was up with this? Was she a very good liar or just genuinely crazy?@ Or maybe she was one of those people that could train their brains to believe real nonsense.\\
`I'd never seen such a guileless look.@ What was up with this? Was she a very good liar or just genuinely crazy?@ Or maybe she was one of those people that could train their brains to believe real nonsense.\\
-
;---
+
 
`"Umm ...... You come here often, then?"@
`"Umm ...... You come here often, then?"@
br
br
Line 289: Line 300:
br
br
`The girl took a minute to consider this.\\
`The girl took a minute to consider this.\\
-
;---
+
 
bg "cg/panel17.png",10
bg "cg/panel17.png",10
`"Ah.... I see what you mean.@ Well, the reason is because the machine is affected by the passage of time the same as anything else, you know?@ And you have to set it back every twenty-four hours if you want to maintain exactly the same co-ordinate.@ I never do that, because I much prefer a different day each time I come back. You know what I mean?"@
`"Ah.... I see what you mean.@ Well, the reason is because the machine is affected by the passage of time the same as anything else, you know?@ And you have to set it back every twenty-four hours if you want to maintain exactly the same co-ordinate.@ I never do that, because I much prefer a different day each time I come back. You know what I mean?"@
Line 299: Line 310:
stop
stop
!w 3000
!w 3000
-
mp3loop "bgm/The Moody Princess- Julie's Theme.mp3"
+
mp3loop "bgm/moodyprincess.mp3"
`".........."@
`".........."@
br
br
Line 311: Line 322:
!w 3000
!w 3000
`".... My father is an invalid."\\
`".... My father is an invalid."\\
-
;---
+
 
-
;You are now breathing manually. And Karma is playing in your head.
+
-
;---
+
`"Eh?"@
`"Eh?"@
br
br
Line 373: Line 382:
;---
;---
`"So, Julie, what kind of work do you do? Or are you still a student?"@
`"So, Julie, what kind of work do you do? Or are you still a student?"@
-
br
+
 
bg "cg/panel17.png",10
bg "cg/panel17.png",10
-
delay 3000
+
delay 2000
bg "cg/panel19.png",10
bg "cg/panel19.png",10
-
mp3loop "bgm/The Princess Plays.mp3"
+
mp3loop "bgm/theprincessplays.mp3"
`"Fufufu... I look young enough to be a student, do I? That's so flattering, Mark."@
`"Fufufu... I look young enough to be a student, do I? That's so flattering, Mark."@
br
br
Line 395: Line 404:
br
br
bg "cg/panel6.png",10
bg "cg/panel6.png",10
 +
`"Oh, Mark! Say, what's say you make me your secretary!@ Wouldn't that be great~? That's a great idea, isn't it~?"\\
`"Oh, Mark! Say, what's say you make me your secretary!@ Wouldn't that be great~? That's a great idea, isn't it~?"\\
br
br
Line 597: Line 607:
bg "cg/panel6.png",10
bg "cg/panel6.png",10
`"Ah... Good, then. Guess I'll see you around, then."\\
`"Ah... Good, then. Guess I'll see you around, then."\\
-
;---
+
 
-
;(Swoosh~. The screen swipes away, replaced by panel 20, then panel 21, and then returns to the empty field.)
+
 
-
;^Cool story bro^
+
bg "bg/hill.png",10
bg "bg/hill.png",10
 +
`As if seriously hurrying to her own little time machine, Julie hurried down the hill, off into the grove of sugar maple trees where would supposedly be Two-thousand-fourtieth street two-hundred years from now.@ Her beautiful white dress fluttered along with her.@
`As if seriously hurrying to her own little time machine, Julie hurried down the hill, off into the grove of sugar maple trees where would supposedly be Two-thousand-fourtieth street two-hundred years from now.@ Her beautiful white dress fluttered along with her.@
br
br
`"............"\\
`"............"\\
-
;---
+
 
bg black,10
bg black,10
-
mp3loop "bgm/Thinking of You.mp3"
+
mp3loop "bgm/thinkingofyou.mp3"
-
`What a charming girl.@ It must be nice to have such a young, child-like innocence, in which simple lies are nothing more than playful delusions.@
+
`What a charming girl.@ It must be nice to have such a young, child-like innocence,@ in which simple lies are nothing more than playful delusions.@
br
br
`She had such an enthusiasm for life....... and a fascinating sense of wonder.\\
`She had such an enthusiasm for life....... and a fascinating sense of wonder.\\
-
;---
+
br
`These were two things that I lacked, and which I appreciated greatly for that reason.\\
`These were two things that I lacked, and which I appreciated greatly for that reason.\\
-
;---
+
br
-
`That being, because I'd been a serious guy for most of my life.@ I spent enough time in law school studying my way to the top, and when I finally formed my own practice I spent even more time working on sustaining it.@
+
`That being, because I'd been a serious guy for most of my life.@ I spent enough time in law school studying my way to the top,@ and when I finally formed my own practice I spent even more time working on sustaining it.@
br
br
`.... I never really got a break from it all, I guess.\\
`.... I never really got a break from it all, I guess.\\
Line 624: Line 634:
br
br
`Never a break for me.\\
`Never a break for me.\\
-
;---
+
 
-
`It was ironic, that these few weeks of vacation I was having were quite forced, and my wife wasn't even around to help me enjoy them.@ The "vacation" had turned into more of an imprisonment.@
+
`It was ironic, that these few weeks of vacation I was having were quite forced, and my wife wasn't even around to help me enjoy them.@ The "vacation" had turned into more of an imprisonment.\\
br
br
-
`"..... Hmph."\\
+
mp3loop "bgm/moodyprincess.mp3"
-
goto *lolfinish
+
`"...... ?"@
-
(There is a long, slow pause, and the background's color dims to suggest time has passed.)
+
`Before I'd even realized it, it had apparently begun to change to night.@ The breeze of the evening,@ rolling off of the waves of the ocean, was beginning to blow and make me shiver.\\
-
[Fade out.]
+
!w 2000
-
['The Moody Princess']
+
-
(Panel 23.)
+
"..... I guess I should head home, now."@
 +
br
 +
`The dandelion girl,@ Julie?,@ was gone now,@ and the chirping of birds and sounds of the day that had surrounded her disappeared promptly, too.\\
-
"...... ?"
 
-
Before I'd even realized it, it had apparently begun to change to night. The breeze of the evening, rolling off of the waves of the ocean, was beginning to blow and make me shiver.
+
`I hung my head, sighed, and headed down the gravel path toward my cozy but lonely little cabin by the lake.\\
 +
bg black,10
 +
!w 1000
 +
`I'd spent the last two weeks, alone, now that I thought of it.@ They were a combination of sulking and sight-seeing,@ and something I couldn't genuinely enjoy.@
 +
br
 +
`....... Well, maybe I wasn't entirely alone.\\
-
(Another long pause.)
+
bg "bg/panel25.png",20
-
"..... I guess I should head home, now."
+
`I returned to the cabin,@ and got cozy the way I usually did at this time.@
 +
br
 +
`I had a pretty simple supper.@ I went and read.@ I watched the lightningbugs which flew around and flickered like tiny lightbulbs, outside of the window.\\
-
The dandelion girl?Julie?was gone now, and the chirping of birds and sounds of the day that had surrounded her disappeared promptly, too.
+
!w 1500
 +
`"..... Ah, right. I should remember to lock up before I go to bed."@
 +
br
 +
`Mental note: taken.\\
-
I hung my head, sighed, and headed down the gravel path toward my cozy but lonely little cabin by the lake.
 
 +
`Well, it wasn't that I'd forget anyways.@ I just felt a subconscious need to hear myself talk out loud.@
 +
br
 +
`I wondered...@ was it that girl's companionship that made me begin to crave more for the first time in a while?\\
 +
br
 +
`"............ Stupid."@
 +
br
 +
`I picked up the novel I'd begun reading the day I started coming here, and thumbed through it.\\
 +
br
 +
`So... @ Where had I left off, again.... ?@
 +
br
 +
`It was about a chance meeting between a young boy and a young girl,@ two people who fell in love in a Romeo-and-Juliet-esque manner,@ but with (thankfully) different results.@
 +
br
 +
`That was....\\
-
I'd spent the last two weeks, alone, now that I thought of it. They were a combination of sulking and sight-seeing, and something I couldn't genuinely enjoy.
+
`"........."@
 +
br
 +
`Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.@
 +
br
 +
`The sound of the pages moving, alone, was distracting enough for me.@ I couldn't focus on this, anyway.\\
 +
br
 +
bg "bg/panel6.png",5
 +
bg "bg/panel25.png",5
-
....... Well, maybe I wasn't entirely alone.
+
`Ah...@ why was I thinking of that person?\\
 +
`Heheh....@ there must be something wrong with my head, huh?@
 +
br
 +
`I'm thinking of a young girl, not of my wife,@ and I'm on the verge of having some kind of twisted fantasy.@
 +
br
 +
`Tch.\\
-
(Long fade out. The scene has shifted to the inside of a cabin, presumably the one belonging to Mark.)
 
-
(Panel 24.)
+
`Well, did that really mean I was being unfaithful?@ Maybe I was just lonely....@ I'd been in this cabin, all by my lonesome, for a little while now.@
 +
br
 +
And all of a sudden, a cute girl comes out of nowhere and she...\\
-
I returned to the cabin, and got cozy the way I usually did at this time.
+
!w 2000
-
I had a pretty simple supper. I went and read. I watched the lightningbugs which flew around and flickered like tiny lightbulbs, outside of the window.  
+
`"....... That's right.@ Anybody would feel happy to see her, and think about her for a while."@
 +
br
 +
`So there was nothing lowly about my thoughts.@ And, even, I'd never thought anything intimate about her,@ had I? Of course not. Aha... ha...@
-
+
`Just a little, I felt the tenseness in my shoulders ease.\\
-
(Panel 25.)
+
-
"..... Ah, right. I should remember to lock up before I go to bed."
+
`"....... I wonder what you're doing right now, Anne?@ Tell me....@ What would you think of that young girl, who looks like the color of dandelions and wears dresses made of things I've never seen in my life.... ?"\\
 +
!w 4000
 +
br
-
Mental note: taken.
+
`I reached and took a cigarette from my pocket.@
 +
br
 +
`.... When was the last time I smoked?@
 +
`".... Hmph."@
-
Well, it wasn't that I'd forget anyways. I just felt a subconscious need to hear myself talk out loud.
+
`I should probably quit, huh?@ I know it's a disgusting habit.@ It's not like I'm proud to be forced to do something like this to relax, you know.\\
-
I wondered... was it that girl's companionship that made me begin to crave more for the first time in a while?
+
`I lit it, and smoked it slowly.@ It was weird... a guilty sort of feeling like you'd reached your hand into the cookie jar@ without having done so in such a long time.\\
-
"............ Stupid."
+
`What was it that she said?\\
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I continued my reading, ignoring this idea.
+
-
 
+
-
I picked up a novel I'd begun reading the day I started coming here, and thumbed through it.
+
-
 
+
-
Where had I left off.... ?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
It was about a chance meeting between a young boy and a young girl, two people who fell in love in a Romeo-and-Juliet-esque manner, but with (thankfully) different results.
+
-
 
+
-
That was....
+
-
 
+
-
"........."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.
+
-
 
+
-
The sound of the pages moving, alone, was distracting enough for me. I couldn't focus on this, anyway.
+
-
 
+
-
(Flicker to Julie and the dandelion scene?panel 12?and back.)
+
-
 
+
-
Ah... why was I thinking of that person?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(The scene shifts quickly, fading out and then into a scene of the porch. It's dimly lit, and obviously night.)
+
-
 
+
-
['The Curtain Falls']
+
-
 
+
-
..... Idiot.
+
-
 
+
-
(Screen shakes. WHAM.)
+
-
 
+
-
I'm thinking of a young girl, not of my wife, and I'm on the verge of having some kind of twisted fantasy.
+
-
 
+
-
Tch.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Was I getting unfaithful or something? Maybe I was just lonely.... I'd been in this cabin, all by my lonesome, for a little while now.
+
-
 
+
-
And all of a sudden, a cute girl comes out of nowhere and she...
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"....... That's right. Anybody would feel happy to see her, and think about her for a while."
+
-
 
+
-
So there was nothing lowly about my thoughts. And, even, I'd never thought anything intimate about her, had I? Of course not. Aha... ha...
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Just a little, I felt the tenseness in my shoulders ease.
+
-
 
+
-
"....... I wonder what you're doing right now, Anne? Tell me.... What would you think of that young girl, who looks like the color of dandelions and wears dresses made of things I've never seen in my life.... ?"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I reached and took a cigarette from my pocket.
+
-
 
+
-
When was the last time I smoked?
+
-
 
+
-
".... Hmph."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I lit it, and smoked it slowly. It was weird... a guilty sort of feeling like you'd reached your hand into the cookie jar without having done so in such a long time.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(The screen darkens very slowly, and then there is another pause. The screen fades to a black-and-white, sketchy version of Julie standing around like she was earlier. This implies a dream/memory. Panel 13.)
+
-
 
+
-
What was it that she said.... ?
+
-
 
+
-
"?the day before yesterday I saw a rabbit, and yesterday a deer, and today, you."
+
-
 
+
-
It seemed comfortable, and sort of.... familiar, I guess.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
That night I thought of the strange girl, Julie Danvers, and fell asleep with a lot of questions about her that would be never and easily answered.....
+
-
 
+
-
(There is a long pause, and the in-between screen shows up.)
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(The screen fades into a scene similar to the place where Mark met Julie, but full of many more flowers ((they're all white)) and more greenery than before. It looks like a huge, sprawling garden, in a way.)
+
-
 
+
-
(Slow fade in. Pause.)
+
-
['The First Meeting']
+
-
 
+
-
"La dee da~... la dee da~...."
+
-
 
+
-
(Shuffling noise.)
+
-
 
+
-
When I approached the dandelion-colored girl for the second time, she was wearing a blue dress. Not only that, she had a ribbon of a similar color tied neatly up in her hair.
+
-
 
+
-
.... Cute.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
She was pretty captivating, today, too. She had a slender body, and white skin like porcelain.
+
-
 
+
-
Some people might think that pale skin is sickly-looking, but....
+
-
 
+
-
Well, whatever.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
She danced around like some kind of butterfly, letting the hem of her dress blow right along with her movements. If she were a butterfly, for real, the force of the whirlwind she was making, herself, would be enough to send her flying away.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Maybe she was that kind of person, the type of girl who could live with nothing short of soaring in the sky... like a butterfly, or a majestic bird or something....
+
-
 
+
-
Maybe....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"............."
+
-
 
+
-
"...... Eh?"
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 30.)
+
-
 
+
-
"A?ah...."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
['The Princess Plays']
+
-
 
+
-
When had she noticed me, how long had I blanked out, and how exactly did my expression look? The Julie in the blue dress was leaning close and peering at my now red face, curiously.
+
-
 
+
-
"....... ?"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Augh... say something.
+
-
 
+
-
Funny. As if she could hear me say that in my head, Julie stood upright and clasped her hands together in a sort of prayer look. As if to say "Please, sir, have the first word, won't you?"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"........ Hey. Didn't think you'd be around, today."
+
-
 
+
-
She grinned at my throaty voice.
+
-
 
+
-
"Fufu... well, I am. And so are you, obviously."
+
-
 
+
-
"Uh huh, well..."
+
-
 
+
-
"...... I'm glad."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
.... More silence.
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 20?alternate dress version.) While Julie was silent and staring up at the open sky, so full of possibilities, she didn't look particularly tense. I, myself, however, was wordless and utterly full of anxiety.
+
-
 
+
-
Tch.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 15?alternate dress version.)
+
-
 
+
-
".... Hmm? Are you going to smoke, Mark?"
+
-
 
+
-
"Eh?"
+
-
 
+
-
.... Oh, right. I forgot. Without really meaning to, I'd slipped the pack of cigarettes the night before. I guess feeling it in my breast pocket had reawakened my smoker's habit and made me reach for them.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Geez. What a disgusting habit....
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 6?ADV.) "Um..... you can go ahead and smoke, if you really want. I don't mind."
+
-
 
+
-
"......... Sure."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Fade out. The screen returns to the garden without any sprites/CG for a moment.)
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 31.)
+
-
 
+
-
"You know......... my father also smokes like that."
+
-
 
+
-
"Hmmm?"
+
-
 
+
-
"You know, when he lights his cigarette he makes that... um... cupping motion... (Panel 32.) how was it again... ?"
+
-
 
+
-
Julie held out her hands and tried to mimic the cupping motion I made while I lit my cigarette.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
['The First Meeting']
+
-
 
+
-
It looked pretty weird, and I couldn't help but laugh at her. (Panel 32.) In response, she puffed out her cheeks and huffed. What a brat. Aha.. ha...
+
-
 
+
-
"Sorry, didn't mean to make fun of you. But, I guess it's a weird way of lighting them. It's funny that somebody else does it, I guess..."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Julie's cheeks stopped puffing, and her expression faded into a frown. (Panel 33.)
+
-
 
+
-
['The Princess Plays']
+
-
 
+
-
"Hmph......"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Geez, if you keep this up she's really going to get angry, you know....
+
-
 
+
-
"S... so, tell me more about your father, Julie. And you can talk about yourself, if you want."
+
-
 
+
-
(Back to Panel 32.)
+
-
 
+
-
"Hmm... okay."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(The screen remains on Panel 32, but darkens to show Mark's LOL DEEP thinking. When the thinking is over, the screen brightens again. That is marked below.)
+
-
 
+
-
[No music.]
+
-
 
+
-
And she did.
+
-
 
+
-
She was an interesting girl... like I'd known all along.
+
-
 
+
-
She was seventeen, and her father was a retired government physicist. Her mother had died several years back, and since then she'd been taking care of her father, in their little apartment on two-thousand and fourtieth street.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
.... I wasn't so interesting, but I told her my half anyway. About my wife, Anne, about my bad habits and Anne's phobia of cameras. She giggled a lot while I recalled how she'd flipped out when they tried to take her picture at our wedding reception........
+
-
 
+
-
"Aha... ahahahaha..."
+
-
 
+
-
But it really was funny, now that I thought about it.
+
-
 
+
-
(Screen brightens again.)
+
-
 
+
-
['The Princess Plays']
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 18?ADV.)
+
-
 
+
-
At the end of it, Julie was left with that same dazzled expression I'd seen yesterday when she was talking about all the things she'd seen.
+
-
 
+
-
"Oh~! That's all so beautiful! All of those things, how great it must be... it must really be lovely, being able to live in nineteen-sixty-one...."
+
-
 
+
-
"Well, if you've got a time machine, couldn't you just move here whenever you want?"
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 32.)
+
-
 
+
-
".......Muu. It's not quite that simple. Even if I were to abandon Father?which I never ever would!?I'd still have the Time Police to worry about. You know, time travel is STRICTLY prohibited to government-sponsored historical expeditions."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"..... But you've been doing fine as is, right?"
+
-
 
+
-
" (Panel 22.)(Sigh).... Well, that's because my father invented his own time machine. The Time Police don't know about it, of course."
+
-
 
+
-
....... Right.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"So you're breaking the law.... ?"
+
-
 
+
-
She must be a handful for her father, time travel or not.....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 35.)
+
-
['The First Meeting']
+
-
 
+
-
"Ehehehe.... Just in their eyes. As they've got their own concept of "time", my father has a completely different concept. Since they don't cross, it's fair game. Right?"
+
-
 
+
-
(Screen shakes. WHAM sound. This is meant as more of a surprised noise than anything striking anything.)
+
-
 
+
-
What the... No, that's not right at all!
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"I, I'm not sure about that, but... go on, tell me more about it."
+
-
 
+
-
"(Panel 35.)Fufu... sure thing, Mark. (Panel 32.) Well, let's see........"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
['The Curtain Falls']
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 36 fades in slowly.)
+
-
 
+
-
"Well, first the official concept: according to the Time Police, it's absolutely prohibited for a person from the future to tamper with anything that happened in the past.
+
-
 
+
-
"This is because, surely a person's very presence in the past can cause things to change, and create a paradox in of itself...... or so they think.
+
-
 
+
-
"Basically, if you change the past, you'll end up changing the future, too. Just being there can cause that. So they think."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Their theory... sounds perfectly reasonable, to me.
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 33.)
+
-
 
+
-
"Muu... why that doubtful look?"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Julie waggled a finger in my face, as if to scold me and to say "It's as simple as that" at the same time.
+
-
 
+
-
She continued....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 36 once again.)
+
-
 
+
-
"....... But father's definition is different. According to him, the "book of time" has already been written. Based on what he's saying, things have already been decided in the time line, so when someone goes back and tampers with the past, history will readjust itself so that the future stays the same, and that tampering becomes part of the event that was there in the first place."
+
-
 
+
-
"............."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
How could she say this all off of the tip of her tongue like it was completely natural.... ?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Y.. your dad sure is a remarkable guy, huh... ?"
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 17.)
+
-
['The Princess Plays']
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Oh~! He really is, Mark! He's read all kinds of books, and he keeps them at our apartment on these huuuuge shelves! Why, he's got Hegel and Kant and Hume; Einstein and Newton and Weizsacker, and... and...."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"I... get the point. Thanks."
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 18.)
+
-
 
+
-
"Ah....."
+
-
 
+
-
"So, I'm guessing you've read some of those, as well?"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
As if the first comment had been a downer and the second a pick-me-up, Julie's expression lit right up.
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 17.)
+
-
 
+
-
"Oh, I have! Well, some of them anyway. You know, that Einstein is kind of tricky. And... and...."
+
-
 
+
-
"Haha... well, I've read some of those guys, too."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Really? Oh, Mark, I'm sure we've got loads and loads of stuff in common~!"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
In truth, we did.
+
-
 
+
-
Apparently our taste in literature, aesthetics and all that was a thing transcending time, as we shared a lot of the same favorite authors, art, food, you name it.
+
-
 
+
-
And she was smart, I was starting to learn.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
We had discussions about the various important people, authors, food, and so on that occupied both of our thoughts.
+
-
 
+
-
.... She was smart, for a girl her age. She reminded me of Anne, a lot, in that sense. Anne had told me she was a smart cookie when she was younger, although considering the person it came from, I wondered.....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Slow fade out, then in again. The sky has changed colors, from bright blue to the orange of a dark sunset. A lot of time has passed, obviously. Pause.)
+
-
['Melancholic Bubble']
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 38.)
+
-
 
+
-
"................."
+
-
 
+
-
The feeling of "rightness" carried on for a long time, until the sun set and Julie headed back home, to her "own time" or whatever she thought of it as.
+
-
 
+
-
I wondered.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"His own 'definition' of time, huh... ? Interesting."
+
-
 
+
-
I wondered how a girl could think of such a deep and intricate story. There are people who are just such talented fibbers, though. Maybe that was...
+
-
 
+
-
But what if...
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(The screen slowly fades into blackness.)
+
-
 
+
-
".... Heh. Heheheh... I'm being ridiculous. As if there's such a thing as a time machine."
+
-
 
+
-
(Flick. The sound of a lighter. The image rises to focus on the night sky. Pause.)
+
-
 
+
-
I looked up at the sky, which was already beginning to empty of day and fill up with the night, and smoked. I'd been wanting to when Julie was here, but held back for her sake.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
....... An interesting theory, though.
+
-
 
+
-
I guess, if I were to go out on a limb and think of it abstractly, it would make some sense. The idea that history has a certain set of rules, rather.
+
-
 
+
-
If "history has already been written" then that would mean that history, itself, is nothing more than a set conditions.... Set by who?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(A diagram appears.)
+
-
 
+
-
.... I guess I'll think about this.
+
-
 
+
-
Let's say someone, "Landen", is meant to fall in love with his housemaid.
+
-
 
+
-
The conditions are "Landen must full in love with X", where X is the housemaid. Right?
+
-
 
+
-
So... what if somewhere were to go wrong in the timeline? What if, somehow, the flow of time was upset and that housemaid died?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
If, all ridiculing aside, that were to happen, that condition would be left unfulfilled.
+
-
 
+
-
So history?no, time itself?would reshape things so that the flow would continue.  If "Landen" never had a housemaid again after the death of his previous one, the conditional, "X", would have to change to something else.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
It might become, "Landen must fall in love with X" where X is his neighbor, not his housemaid. Theoretically, if that were to happen, all the results would be altered and reshaped, as well, so that the "big picture" continued flowing.
+
-
 
+
-
....... Right?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Augh... I'm giving myself a headache."
+
-
 
+
-
Just thinking about things that don't need thinking of, I guess.
+
-
 
+
-
Heh... It's all her fault, isn't it... ?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Long fade out. The in-between screen pops up, then disappears slowly.)
+
-
 
+
-
(Fade in to a very dimly-lit panel 37.)
+
-
 
+
-
....... I wondered if it would be too intrusive to look around for a "Danvers" at the post office. Even if the postmaster didn't know her mailbox, surely he saw a Mr. or Mrs. Danvers somewhere around..... ?
+
-
 
+
-
But, that wouldn't work out.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Julie had worked so hard to build up that imaginary scenario of hers, all that time-traveling nonsense, and I thought if I figured it out and realized the truth that I might slip, eventually. That would definitely ruin everything, and break her little heart.
+
-
 
+
-
I wanted to avoid that at all costs.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
So, in the end, I didn't take any such steps.
+
-
 
+
-
I figured that, letting this girl live out her strange little fantasy was for the better.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
['The Moody Princess']
+
-
(Fade out. Fade in to the familiar field.)
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 12?ADV.)
+
-
 
+
-
........... It was strange.
+
-
 
+
-
The day that I'd thought these things, Julie said something strange.
+
-
 
+
-
"........ Will you be here tomorrow?"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Every time I saw Julie I'd get that uncomfortable tightness in my chest, but once we began talking it would slowly dissolve into nothingness.
+
-
 
+
-
In the end, our conversations would leave me infatuated... and in the end I'd be the one asking if I'd be able to see her again.
+
-
 
+
-
So why..... ?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(BW version of Panel 17.)
+
-
 
+
-
"Sure. Same time, same place."
+
-
 
+
-
(BW version of panel 19.)
+
-
 
+
-
"........... I'm glad."
+
-
 
+
-
And her brightened into a smile that was just as dazzling as the white-colored dandelions surrounding her.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Fade in and out.)
+
-
 
+
-
......... But something strange started.
+
-
 
+
-
".......... Eh?"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Fade into a dim Panel 12, without Julie in it.)
+
-
 
+
-
When I got to the top of the hill the next day, to the field of dandelions where I always found her, there was nothing but stillness, save for some birds and wild creatures roaming about.
+
-
 
+
-
Empty.
+
-
 
+
-
"................."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Long pause.)
+
-
 
+
-
...... What's wrong with you, Mark? She's just late, that's all.
+
-
 
+
-
"Aha... ha..."
+
-
She, herself, asked "Will you be here tomorrow?" didn't she.
+
-
 
+
-
So.... She's only late.
+
-
 
+
-
I tried to jokingly laugh it off.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I settled down on a rock, and continued to repeat that to myself, as the sun made its slow, painful decent toward evening.
+
-
 
+
-
(Long, long pause. The sky slowly changes into night, again. The color of Panel 12 just changes colors very, very slowly.)
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
.......... But she didn't show up, and I ended up hugging my knees to my chest to fight off the cold of the night. The field of dandelions had returned to just that: a field of dandelions.
+
-
 
+
-
Devoid of life. Devoid of Julie.
+
-
 
+
-
"............."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
My watch told me it was late.
+
-
 
+
-
I....... didn't feel like smoking. So, instead I got up, dusted myself off and headed back to my cabin.
+
-
 
+
-
.... Where did that girl go?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 24.)
+
-
 
+
-
I started to realize the mistake.
+
-
 
+
-
I did a lot of thinking. I thought of how much I disliked myself for acting like a lovesick?not to mention unfaithful?schoolboy, and how seeing her those few times then not seeing her, suddenly, had made me realize that simple thing.
+
-
 
+
-
What a horrible, lecherous man....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
And yet?
+
-
 
+
-
I wondered if it might be a different, inexplicable feeling I was having. Maybe. What if it wasn't simple infatuation?
+
-
 
+
-
....... Ha. What an idiot. I was just trying to ease my conscience.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I couldn't betray my wife?I wouldn't. I was positive of that.
+
-
 
+
-
I hadn't been doing that already, had I... ?
+
-
 
+
-
Ugh. (WHAM. Shake, shake, shake.) Stupid, stupid, stupid.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
For the first time in a while, I wondered what Anne was doing.
+
-
 
+
-
That? (Flicker to BW version Panel 28, then back to Panel 24.)
+
-
 
+
-
"?augh! Idiot!"
+
-
 
+
-
(WHAM. Screen shakes.)
+
-
 
+
-
I banged my fist against the table, gritting my teeth and feeling horribly vexed with that feeling.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
It......it ..... had only been a couple of days, together with Julie, but I'd already grown so close to her, and felt so infatuated. After a while, I wondered if I should blame her charismatic attitude for all of this.
+
-
 
+
-
.......... But how could I blame a young girl for being pretty? No, this was my mistake.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Slow pause in Panel 28) I went back and forth with myself, bouncing between childish rationalization and self-loathing, until I finally got so mentally exhausted that I had to go to bed.
+
-
 
+
-
Even then, tired, I didn't sleep easy.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
So it took me a long time to fall asleep.
+
-
 
+
-
And when I did, and then when I woke up again......... I still didn't feel rested, at all.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(The screen returns to the cliff Mark climbed the first day to reach the dandelion field.)
+
-
 
+
-
(Static.)
+
-
 
+
-
Like the idiot I was, I ended up climbing back up that stony preface, toward that dandelion field where I'd been meeting Julie.
+
-
 
+
-
........... My heart was racing, again, but not with a feeling that I liked at all. It was a mixture of fear, self-loathing and vanity.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I felt like I was making a mistake.
+
-
 
+
-
But, forever reason it may have been, I kept on grunting, climbing, heaving myself onto the next foothold, until I reached the top. My racing heart, uneasy mind, and so on made it seem to take that much longer.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
There was the possibility that Julie wouldn't be there at all. I considered that it might be because Julie began to see I was growing fond of her, and she didn't like to think of someone like me in that way.
+
-
 
+
-
If she was weary of that because I had a wife, I guess I had to admire her consideration.
+
-
 
+
-
Either way, thinking really gave me a headache.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
So I continued climbing, grunting and slipping and finally managing to the top where the field was, and expected it to be absolutely still, again.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
May 20th, 2002
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Julie...... did not reappear.
+
-
 
+
-
The girl whose smile made my heart feel so warm didn't come back to the field of dandelions. After her curious words, her presence had up and vanished from this place entirely.
+
-
 
+
-
...... It was my fault... ?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I went and sat at the base of a tree whose foliage was just now blooming, a little later than the others, and thought. That's all I could do, really.
+
-
 
+
-
How many days... has it been?
+
-
 
+
-
I felt starved of something I needed as a part of me, and that craving made me sick.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I couldn't understand what fueled it.
+
-
 
+
-
But, more importantly... where was Julie? The urge to know where she was was even stronger than that....
+
-
 
+
-
So, where?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
The answer should be very simple. A little girl like Julie..... must have a real life. I'm sure that wherever she lived?in this time period?she was doing something important. Surely...
+
-
 
+
-
But, the next possibility dawned on me.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"...... I see. Could she sense my lechery, and the fact that I couldn't come within three feet of her before my heart started hammering? Was she repulsed by it...?"
+
-
 
+
-
As I thought these things, I only sunk into a deeper, darker depression.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Sound of crunching footsteps.)
+
-
(Panel 53 fades in, slowly.)
+
-
['Rain, Rain']
+
-
 
+
-
I was... disgusted with myself, now that I thought about it.
+
-
 
+
-
The fact that a young girl had appeared in my life out of nowhere, when my wife had disappeared for her own duties, and entrapped me with warm feelings was enough to make me lose my lunch.
+
-
 
+
-
Ah.... But it was my fault for falling for it, wasn't that the case?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Crunching footsteps again.)
+
-
 
+
-
Maybe this was a reality check, a slap in the face to say 'You've already GOT a life, Mark.' So....
+
-
 
+
-
"(sigh)......."
+
-
 
+
-
It didn't matter either way.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
What would Anne think, if she saw me now... ?
+
-
 
+
-
".... Heh...."
+
-
 
+
-
I conjured up the most furious Anne expression I could think of, but it could do little more than amuse me, before it faded into the dump that was my subconscious. Did I really not care...?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Gripping noise.)
+
-
 
+
-
I grabbed at the loose hair on both sides of my head and pulled it.
+
-
 
+
-
"Tch... nngh... damn it..."
+
-
 
+
-
But all I was doing was creating artificial pain to take my body's perception away from what was really in pain.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I'm sorry, Anne.
+
-
 
+
-
I just....
+
-
 
+
-
Why does... that girl hold so much power over me, Anne.... ?
+
-
 
+
-
I could've tried to convince myself that I hated the girl for doing such a thing to me, but the only person who'd "done" anything was me.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
...... I'm just running around in circles, now, aren't I?
+
-
 
+
-
Aha... ha... ha...
+
-
 
+
-
Useless, it's all useless....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Fade out, slowly, into white.)
+
-
('That Which Should Not Be Discovered')
+
-
 
+
-
There was something strange about that girl.
+
-
 
+
-
It was something like an exotic honey that attracts a range of strange, maybe not exotic, bees to take it. It's just there, solely for that purpose. Of course, this doesn't apply to human beings, but....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
What draws me to you, Julie?
+
-
 
+
-
I.... miss you.
+
-
 
+
-
But how can I say something like that... ? I've... only known you for a few days, now.
+
-
 
+
-
And yet....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
It feels like we've been friends forever, doesn't it....?
+
-
 
+
-
I wish... you were here to answer that question, for me.
+
-
 
+
-
Julie.....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Fade to black screen.)
+
-
['Suspend']
+
-
 
+
-
"Hey, Anne?"
+
-
 
+
-
"...... What?"
+
-
 
+
-
Anne was one of the most dedicated women who'd ever lived, there was no doubting that. She'd take the bullet for anyone she cared about, and if someone was sick, she'd be there in a heartbeat.
+
-
 
+
-
And yet....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
She was a strange woman. A strange woman who I'd married without regret.
+
-
 
+
-
What, was I regretting it, now.... ? Of course not.
+
-
 
+
-
.... We'd met as secretary and boss, and ended up husband and wife. I could... remember the fire in her eyes and her endless cheer.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Over time...... that started to fade away, and there was... a sort of awkwardness that began to accumulate inside of Anne.
+
-
 
+
-
I didn't... want to think that she was at fault for anything at all.
+
-
 
+
-
If I began to blame Anne for her demeanor... I'd be projecting my guilt, that's all.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I was the worst kind of person.
+
-
 
+
-
(Lower half of Panel 50 on the left, partial Panel 38?from the mouth down?on the left.)
+
-
 
+
-
Why was I comparing them? That was unfair...
+
-
 
+
-
And yet, in reality I did miss one more than the other. So, it wasn't that I was even considering abandoning my wife, who'd done so much for me......... the pain came from the fact that I could no longer appreciate her.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
......... I'm sorry.
+
-
 
+
-
And I'm ashamed.
+
-
 
+
-
This is... my fault.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Fade out into a CG of the gray, stormy sky.)
+
-
 
+
-
How many days did I spend, ruminating like that? How many days did I feel the gravity of reality trying to force my face against the ground and crush my body and mind?
+
-
 
+
-
.....I'm not sure.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
For many days...... how many...... ? I remained thinking of Julie, and then to Anne, and back to Julie again. Inside of me was a struggle between two people who... should never be compared
+
-
 
+
-
I became withdrawn. I lost my ability to speak with Anne, while she was away, and told her my untalkativeness was because of fatigue, the result of not sleeping well.
+
-
 
+
-
But, you know, it wasn't entirely a lie. I wasn't feeling well at all.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Anne, as a result, became even colder than before. The calls stopped being as frequent, and she would have a slight tremor in her voice whenever she talked.
+
-
 
+
-
.... I'm sorry.
+
-
 
+
-
That's all I could say, and even that I could only repeat inside my head.
+
-
 
+
-
+
-
(Fade to black screen.)
+
-
 
+
-
It was ironic.
+
-
 
+
-
Even though I continued to feel ashamed, even though I continued to feel the regret of neglecting my wife, of neglecting the only real life I had, I continued to go to the dandelion field every afternoon, when the sun was highest in the sky.
+
-
Even though it would be empty, I'd sit around and listen to the birds, smell the grass, and try to imagine the young girl spinning about in this place who'd once added that much more sunshine.
+
-
 
+
-
"..........."
+
-
 
+
-
Idiot.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(GWOOOOO~ wind. Long pause.)
+
-
 
+
-
(View slowly fades into Panel 39, without Julie in it. It is dimly-lit. Long pause.)
+
-
 
+
-
Julie's face was so soft and pleasant.
+
-
 
+
-
She was always smiling....
+
-
 
+
-
Such a sweet girl.
+
-
 
+
-
I don't think I ever heard her say a foul word about anyone, really.
+
-
 
+
-
An angel.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Ah...... I could see her now....
+
-
 
+
-
Standing there in front of me, with her back turned. How often did she do that? But she looked dark, awful dark. Why was she trembling? It was so strange. So strange.
+
-
 
+
-
I didn't think anything of it, and closed my eyes.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Long, long pause.)
+
-
 
+
-
(Screen shakes.)
+
-
 
+
-
Wait, what!?
+
-
 
+
-
(The scene reappears.)
+
-
 
+
-
I, it was the real thing!
+
-
 
+
-
".............."
+
-
 
+
-
['Farewell']
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
On May 22nd, after so many days of coming to this empty field, only to sit and ruminate and remember stupid things that would probably never happen again, the angel reappeared among the dandelions.
+
-
 
+
-
But.......
+
-
 
+
-
Why was that beautiful angel garbed in such a black, dark dress, this time?
+
-
 
+
-
Not only that, she had her back to me...... she wasn't moving..... and she was staring upward, toward the horizon, where that cluster of black clouds was forming and beginning to creep closer.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Sound of crunching footsteps.)
+
-
 
+
-
What is this feeling? This thick, black feeling that makes me feel like I'm suffocating?
+
-
 
+
-
"............."
+
-
 
+
-
What's wrong?
+
-
 
+
-
+
-
(Gwoooooo~ wind effect.)
+
-
(Long pause.)
+
-
 
+
-
The wind came down, and rippled the heads of the dandelions like a sharp wind might shake a lake's surface. The beautiful girl's hair, along with the hem of her black dress, swayed along with it.
+
-
 
+
-
"..................."
+
-
 
+
-
Why was she so quiet, and why wouldn't she look at me? What's wrong?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"........ Ju?"
+
-
 
+
-
"You know....."
+
-
 
+
-
The words I'd begun to say died in my throat, and suddenly the girl I was beginning to think wasn't paying attention to me acknowledged my existence in a heartbeat.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"....... What is it, Julie?"
+
-
 
+
-
"................."
+
-
 
+
-
I...... wouldn't be able to help her if she didn't see anything, but I couldn't pry. The blank look I couldn't see but felt distinctly, the black dress, and her cold voice told me to keep a distance.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"I really loved....... ['That Which Should Not Be Discovered'] My father.... That is, I... I...."
+
-
 
+
-
That was.......
+
-
 
+
-
"Julie...."
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 40 fades in.)
+
-
 
+
-
"He died...... last night...... ah, rather, he'll die two-hundred years from now, that is....."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"................."
+
-
 
+
-
So that was it, wasn't it? She was wearing a dress of mourning, and her expression was surely one of mourning, as well.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Julie lowered her head.
+
-
 
+
-
(Back to Panel 39.)
+
-
 
+
-
"...... He knew he was dying all along, and yet........"
+
-
 
+
-
I heard her voice crack. Julie's voice, which was normally so full of pep and cheer was breaking into pieces.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"...... I'm sorry."
+
-
 
+
-
"...................."
+
-
 
+
-
"......... You know, I wish I could offer something more than that, but...."
+
-
 
+
-
".... Aha..."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Julie let out a dry laugh, although I don't' think such a sound should ever deserve to be called a 'laugh'. She shrugged her shoulders, and lowered the angle of her head even further.
+
-
 
+
-
"Ever since that.... strontium 90 in the laboratory.... I'm sure that he knew it was coming."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"... a... and yet he... he kept right on.... G... going anyway, Mark...."
+
-
 
+
-
I nodded.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 40.)
+
-
 
+
-
"He didn't.... tell anyone at all. Not even me.... Not his colleagues... nobody... why... wouldn't he tell his daughter, the girl who loved him, and made his dinner, and...... and..... and...."
+
-
 
+
-
"Julie?"
+
-
 
+
-
"I just?"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Long pause.)
+
-
 
+
-
"So, tell me..... What's the point in going on, now.... Now that Daddy is...."
+
-
 
+
-
..... I felt something dramatic and personal and tender in that. 'Daddy', that is. A side of her that I think that the girl may have wanted to hide.
+
-
 
+
-
That's right. She'd always been spontaneous and bubbly, but she'd always avoided showing a weaker side to her.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Come on, Julie, you know that isn't true. I'm..... sorry, about your dad. But, even so. There's got to be something else...."
+
-
 
+
-
"................"
+
-
 
+
-
Julie opened her mouth to speak, and then shook as the words struggled to get into her mouth.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"I have... nobody else left."
+
-
 
+
-
"............"
+
-
 
+
-
That can't.... really be true, can it?
+
-
 
+
-
Can a beautiful little girl, who has no wishes other than to love and to be loved, really not have anyone in her own time to care about her.... ?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
That's... not fair. That's just not fair.
+
-
 
+
-
"(sniff)..... (hic)....."
+
-
 
+
-
Why won't anyone take care of you Julie? Why not?
+
-
 
+
-
If I could, I'd....... I'd.... I would......
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Is the world that cruel.... ?
+
-
 
+
-
In the forty-something years I'd been alive, I'd never wondered this so seriously.....
+
-
 
+
-
No one in the world..... No one in Julie's time.... Would be waiting for her when she went back.
+
-
+
-
 
+
-
"Ehe... (hic) ehehehe... I, I'm sorry I haven't been around, Mr. Mark.... I, I guess I've been a little busy...."
+
-
 
+
-
That smile stained with Julie's tears did nothing to calm me like she meant. No, instead it made me feel a pang of compassion.
+
-
 
+
-
I'm....... sorry. There's really....... Nothing I can do.....?
+
-
 
+
-
"E... ehehe... I guess I'll.... Umm.... Well......"
+
-
 
+
-
"Julie...."
+
-
 
+
-
"What is i?Eeek!"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(The screen darkens, and shakes. Panel 42 fades in.)
+
-
 
+
-
I wonder, what Julie had wanted to say at that point.
+
-
 
+
-
Before she could let out another word, another dismal sentence, I'd run up behind her and wrapped my arms around her. And she didn't resist. (Panel 43.) She went limp, instead of struggling, and didn't fight back at all.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Nothing to live for...? How can you say something so stupid, Julie...? You can't really be thinking about dying. Such a beautiful girl... has to do something with her life... Don't be.... stupid...."
+
-
 
+
-
"............. (hic)...... (hic)........"
+
-
 
+
-
This is my betrayal.
+
-
 
+
-
"I'll..... be here for you, if you need me."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
The dam broke.
+
-
 
+
-
The girl, Julie, cried her heart out.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
........ She cried for the first time. I felt that, through the dry sobs, the pain, and the tremors in Julie's little body, that she hadn't had this honest cry yet. She had refused to break down until she saw me.
+
-
 
+
-
It was flattering.... And pitiful at the same time.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 41.)
+
-
 
+
-
"Mark.... I........."
+
-
 
+
-
"It's fine. It's fine."
+
-
 
+
-
Ah, that's right.... It wasn't fine at all. But, as a man, what other choice did I have but to say something cheesy like that?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 42.)
+
-
 
+
-
"... Yeah, it'll be fine. Just calm down, and think... you're only a child, so I'm sure you'll... think of something..."
+
-
 
+
-
"?tch! You?!"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Screen darkens, shakes, SWIPES into panel 44.)
+
-
 
+
-
"You think I'm a CHILD!? Is that what you think!? You think that I'm throwing a temper tantrum, that I just?, I just?, I..............."
+
-
 
+
-
"?"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"You...... I....."
+
-
 
+
-
She couldn't force the words out. The sobs which she'd tried to cut short had begun to well up again, and her knees and legs began to shake again.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"......... I'm sorry."
+
-
 
+
-
"............"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 40.)
+
-
 
+
-
As if that had been a sudden flash of heat, the anger in her face dissipated again, and Julie began to cry again. She flopped back into my arms, and I could hold her the way I thought I should.
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 43.)
+
-
 
+
-
".... M... Mr. Randolph, I'm sorry..... I'm just.... I'm not a child, really.... So..... so please, don't...."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Hey, now. I understand. I won't call you one anymore, okay....? I didn't mean to upset you. You're plenty upset, as it is.... So?"
+
-
 
+
-
"....... Mr. Mark.... If I j?eek!"
+
-
 
+
-
(All sprites vanish for a minute. This is used to indicate something's happening that doesn't use any of the available panel sprites..... and really doesn't need one, anyway.)
+
-
 
+
-
['Love' sound]
+
-
(Panel 42.)
+
-
 
+
-
What had that sound come about from? Ah.... Oh, so I'd kissed her on the forehead. Just a little peck, a small sign of affection that could never be anything close to intimate. She hesitated, then giggled, even through tears, and continued wiping at her eyes with her hand.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Th... thank you... Mr. Mark..."
+
-
 
+
-
Her cheeks were so darkly colored I thought they might be burning, as she glanced down at her feet and forced a smile.
+
-
 
+
-
"It's... um, nothing."
+
-
 
+
-
"............... So."
+
-
 
+
-
(Shuffling noise. Panel 40.)
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"So.... Um, I should get going, then."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"...... Will you be here tomorrow?"
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 40?but Julie has her eyes closed.)
+
-
 
+
-
"............."
+
-
 
+
-
You will, right? That's what you always say...
+
-
 
+
-
"I........."
+
-
 
+
-
You came back, Julie... don't tell me... that you're........
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 40?Julie is making a sad smile.)
+
-
 
+
-
"Ehehe.... To tell you the truth, Mr. Randolph.... No, Mark.... Time machines run down. They get worn out, and break.... I'm not sure where to get any spare parts, now....."
+
-
 
+
-
I...... felt my own heart beginning to sink.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"So, I can probably make one more trip, with it as it is right now, but...."
+
-
 
+
-
"I...... I see....... So..... Will you try to.... You know, be here, tomorrow?"
+
-
 
+
-
"........... Fufufu..."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 45.)
+
-
 
+
-
"I definitely will............ Thank you, Mark. Umm, if I can't manage to come back, though......"
+
-
 
+
-
"Eh?"
+
-
 
+
-
(The screen darkens, and there is a soft sound like running footsteps. Sprites vanish.)
+
-
 
+
-
Ah, this is familiar....
+
-
 
+
-
This sensation.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
She kissed me?
+
-
 
+
-
Even if it was on the cheek, I could feel the warmness fading from my face and spreading to the rest of my body like a sweet sort of anesthesia.
+
-
 
+
-
When I managed to collect myself, she was standing back at that original spot, with a teary smile.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 46)
+
-
 
+
-
"Ehehe... I got you back... If I don't come back ..... I think I love you, Mark. I'll make sure..... to make this last trip count, okay?"
+
-
 
+
-
"Y......... Yeah....... I'll see..... you later, then....."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
She turned.
+
-
 
+
-
......... What was that look on her face, I saw? It seemed like she was musing over something, then casting away the idea. I wondered..... if she was thinking about the 'last trip' she had to make. Her cheeks were so red, and her brows so knitted together that it looked like... she was considering something she could never take back.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
For the first time since I met Julie...... I began to believe her story. And I felt scared, because of it.
+
-
 
+
-
Was it a reality check...? The idea that, this girl would continue to pretend... even after her father's death...?
+
-
 
+
-
So... that means...
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Julie was blushing, frowning and focusing, and I realized... there were two possibilities:
+
-
 
+
-
The story was false, and her father's dead, alone was enough to drive her away forever.
+
-
 
+
-
Or it........ was true, and my heart was going to be broken.
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 47. Long pause.  GWOOOOOOOO wind effect again.)
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Goodbye, Mark."
+
-
 
+
-
As if she'd made up her mind, Julie put on an embarrassed but determined look, and began to walk toward the beech trees.
+
-
 
+
-
She didn't look back.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Wait, Julie?"
+
-
 
+
-
(Flicker)
+
-
(LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG pause.)
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
......... Huh?
+
-
 
+
-
(In a flash, the screen fades back into Panel 39, which is Julie-less.)
+
-
 
+
-
It....... shouldn't be possible for a human being to vanish from thin air, or to disappear that quickly. That's what my common sense told me.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
But Julie had up and left, after those sad words, and was nowhere to be seen.
+
-
 
+
-
"........ keh...."
+
-
 
+
-
So it was.... the truth.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Slow fade out. The screen has turned completely black.)
+
-
 
+
-
........ That was the last I saw of Julie.
+
-
 
+
-
That small, beautiful girl with hair the color of dandelions and a sweet smile like honey didn't appear in that field anymore, let alone anywhere else.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
There were no records of a "Julie Danvers" anywhere in the town. I continued to search, through and through, and found no records of such a girl ever existing.
+
-
 
+
-
They hadn't even seen a girl that looked anything like what I described.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I continued cooking up theories, solely wanting to believe that I could see Julie again, somehow.....
+
-
 
+
-
I denied time travel, even after confessing in that field that it had to be true.
+
-
 
+
-
And yet.......
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Ah. Useless, useless. It's all useless.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Sunset version of panel 23.)
+
-
 
+
-
I went as far as to go down the path by the sugar maples, where Julie would trot down on her way home.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Black screen.)
+
-
 
+
-
.... I met a postman there.
+
-
 
+
-
"..... Danvers? Sorry, but I haven't heard of them. None here."
+
-
 
+
-
............
+
-
 
+
-
"Funerals? None anywhere nearby that I know of, sir. None in less than a year, in any case."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
There was a painful throbbing in my chest, and the dark, dismal feeling that proceeded some kind of permanent loss...... I knew that Julie was....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
.......... Gone, now.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
She would never, ever come back.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Flash Epilogue screen.)
+
-
['Melancholic Bubble']
+
-
(Poorly-lit version of Panel 24. There is rain coming down, in addition to the background music in this scene.)
+
-
 
+
-
...... I wondered how much time had passed, now. It was mid-November, and raining hard. How long had it been since I came back to the city..... ?
+
-
 
+
-
I didn't really care.
+
-
 
+
-
The rain on the windowpane made me sleepy....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I wasn't anywhere near the dandelion field, couldn't visit it just to be sure, and I believed that Julie wouldn't be there, anyway.
+
-
 
+
-
".................."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
As I said, Anne's behavior had changed since I came back. Or rather, my own change had changed her. Regardless of how normal I tried to act, in the end I'd been left a shell of my former self. Whatever I'd confided in Julie, she'd taken back to her own time, surely.
+
-
 
+
-
....... So, even though Anne didn't say anything.... I could tell she was troubled by something. Scared, even.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Regardless of how much I cursed myself, regardless of how much I tried not to think about the girl..... she was always popping into my mind.
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 38?BW version flickers.)
+
-
 
+
-
I saw a deer the other day, and then a rabbit. And now, you.
+
-
 
+
-
"..............."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Back to Panel 24.)
+
-
 
+
-
I got up, grumbling, and put my chair back (Creak.) neatly against the table.
+
-
 
+
-
....... Where was Anne, now that I thought about it? I'd been moping for so long that I hadn't even notice she'd disappeared.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"That'd be my fault..... Geez......... I guess women... really do smell other women on men.... She must hate me, if she knows about.... Julie...."
+
-
 
+
-
Or maybe that wasn't it at all. But my mind kept connecting the two, and I.... couldn't help but be paranoid.
+
-
 
+
-
Did she know about Julie?
+
-
 
+
-
(Pause.)
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I stretched, feeling my joints creaking and cracking, and rubbed my tender back.
+
-
 
+
-
"..... Gah. I should find something to do before I lose my mind."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I went to the attic. By wandering down the hall like a ghost, groaning and glancing up where the pull-down entrance to the dusty place was, I found myself going to that place.
+
-
 
+
-
(Fade out and in. Panel 50.)
+
-
 
+
-
".... Haven't been in here in a long time, huh? Still dusty, I see...."
+
-
 
+
-
(Creak.)
+
-
 
+
-
Anne went up here now and then to rummage for things, but I hadn't been up here, myself, in ages. I assumed there were trinkets lying around, photo albums and all that.
+
-
 
+
-
Those might keep me busy for a little while, maybe.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Now where is it...... ? There was a photo album around here, somewhere, I think."
+
-
 
+
-
(Rustling.)
+
-
 
+
-
I pushed aside a couple of boxes, lifted and moved one bin and knocked aside a couple of suitcases. Where, where, where...!?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
And?
+
-
 
+
-
"Augh!"
+
-
 
+
-
(Crash. Bang. Screen shakes.)
+
-
 
+
-
Just like that, I slipped on a wet and dusty patch of floorboard, and fell directly ontop of a few suitcases.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Screen shakes.)
+
-
 
+
-
(Long pause.)
+
-
 
+
-
"(cough)(cough).... Augh... Damn...."
+
-
 
+
-
I struggled to stand, and looked down at the stuff I'd knocked over. Three boxes. Well, two suitcases and one box, rather.
+
-
 
+
-
I proceeded to dust myself off, first.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Eesh... Anne had better not see these like this...."
+
-
 
+
-
I kneeled and started to dust them off, as well, before moving them.
+
-
 
+
-
"....... ?"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I stopped when I finished dusting the second.
+
-
 
+
-
This one.
+
-
 
+
-
(Suitcase CG.)
+
-
 
+
-
"Ah.... This is the suitcase from when we moved here."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
The suitcase was old, and definitely dustier than the rest. That figured, though, considering it was all the way back from when we'd moved to the countryside.
+
-
 
+
-
....... It was locked. I remembered this trunk, with the weird designs like children's scribbles on the side of it. I wasn't allowed to touch this one...... right?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Or, that was Anne's thought.
+
-
 
+
-
"There are things a wife must keep even from her husband, ehehe...."
+
-
 
+
-
And she'd locked it.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"....... Heh."
+
-
 
+
-
BUT. In this case, it wasn't a matter of sneaking about. The lock on the case was old and rusted, and the impact of the fall had weakened it and left it hanging off of its tiny hinges.
+
-
 
+
-
Curiosity killed the cat. Satisfaction brought him back. That's the saying, isn't it?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
..... I wondered if I'd picked up some new attitude, whether the conflict with Julie had ruined something inside of me, or had given birth to something untrustworthy.
+
-
 
+
-
Ah... Useless, it's all useless... Just open it, Mark.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Click.)
+
-
 
+
-
(New suitcase CG. It doesn't have to list all the exact items, since it's blurred, but there should be a hint of white clothing in it. And there should, of course, be junk in it.)
+
-
 
+
-
['That Which Should Not be Discovered']
+
-
 
+
-
There were some simple papers, dusty and fixed together loosely with a huge paperclip. There were some bits of jewelry that were strange-looking and white like baby powder. There were other trinkets, weird things.........
+
-
 
+
-
And there was a dress.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"..................."
+
-
 
+
-
I reached down... and touched it. What was that feeling? It was..... almost......
+
-
 
+
-
(Black screen. The following paragraph is centered in the middle of the screen.)
+
-
 
+
-
'It was cut out of a material I didn't recognize at all, something like cotton candy, sea foam, and snow fused into one.'
+
-
 
+
-
(Return to the attic.)
+
-
(Static)
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Pulse)
+
-
 
+
-
"A... ah...."
+
-
 
+
-
I dropped it, and the rest of the contents of the suitcase spilled out onto the attic floor. (Cluttering, crashing noises.)
+
-
 
+
-
That was....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Screen darkens fades to black.)
+
-
 
+
-
['Suspend']
+
-
 
+
-
I dropped everything I'd been doing and ran down the stairs.
+
-
 
+
-
My throat was tightening. Tightening. Tightening so hard I thought I might stop breathing any second, now.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
No.
+
-
 
+
-
No, no.
+
-
 
+
-
No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no noooooooo!!!
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Wrong, wrong, you're wrong.
+
-
 
+
-
I couldn't let something that... something like... that go unnoticed.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Was it really possible?
+
-
 
+
-
The papers were birth certificates, which I'd never seen before. I'd never been interested in seeing them. But I was, now.
+
-
 
+
-
Juli... anne....
+
-
 
+
-
Julie?Anne.
+
-
 
+
-
Julianne?that was the name written on that certificate.
+
-
 
+
-
The same.... Person?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
My common sense had to be suspended.
+
-
 
+
-
At this time, seeing those facts in front of me, everything I'd based my conclusions on was moot and void. My theories, my shrugging off the bizarre notions of a child.... Everything.
+
-
 
+
-
The truths... were lies... and the "lies" were "truths."
+
-
 
+
-
This was... the killing blow.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
None of this... was a farce, at all.
+
-
 
+
-
Time travel.... To move back in history and alter something significantly.
+
-
 
+
-
It....... really happened.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
If the old man's principles truly applied....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
History is already written. Attempts to change it will just make history adjust its details to continue moving forward.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
So, if I was meant to fall in love with someone....
+
-
 
+
-
No, wouldn't that be a paradox?
+
-
 
+
-
If that same person was really....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
What was strange, about my wife's past, that I'd been blocking out of my mind until now... ?
+
-
 
+
-
I stopped running.
+
-
 
+
-
What... was I remembering, all of a sudden that must be so important.... ?
+
-
 
+
-
(Long pause. SLOW fade into white screen.)
+
-
['That Which Should Not be Discovered']
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Smile for the camera, darling."
+
-
 
+
-
(Quick fade in to panel 50. WHAM sound, screen shakes.)
+
-
 
+
-
"Eeeek!?don't take my photo!!"
+
-
 
+
-
"Eh? What's wrong?"
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 50 again, but her mouth is closed now and her face looks slightly more uneasy.)
+
-
 
+
-
"Umm... I..... I can't really...."
+
-
 
+
-
That happened at the wedding day, which I had never thought critically of since the ceremony had finished.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Fade in to a slightly hazy version of panel 49.)
+
-
 
+
-
Why wouldn't a woman want her photo taken on her wedding day?
+
-
 
+
-
But that was....
+
-
 
+
-
Photos can be obtained fairly easily, off of picture websites or "congratulations" guestbooks all over the web.... Was that why....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
If someone would find her photo, and she didn't want that....
+
-
 
+
-
..... Time police?
+
-
 
+
-
The Time Police, noticing a slight irregularity would investigate the matter, at worst. Assuming such a force existed, who knew how capable they were of tracking things like this...?
+
-
 
+
-
"............"
+
-
 
+
-
Wasn't there something else..... ?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"..... U.... umm..... hello.......?"
+
-
 
+
-
(Fade in to BW version of Panel 51.)
+
-
 
+
-
I thought twenty years ago now, to the very beginning. The shy girl who'd stepped into my office stood with her hands folded in front of her, flushed red and trembling from head to toe.
+
-
 
+
-
She had such bright, beautiful blonde-colored hair.
+
-
 
+
-
Why was she so familiar, now?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
And, why was she so nervous? It was so cute, I couldn't help it.
+
-
 
+
-
I hired her based on a whim?an instinct, I'd told myself.
+
-
 
+
-
Could that really be.... ?
+
-
 
+
-
[Silence.]
+
-
 
+
-
['Thunder']
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Return to the present setting, Panel 24. Long pause. There is no music, only the sound of the rain falling on the roof.)
+
-
 
+
-
['Rain, Rain']
+
-
 
+
-
The sound of lightning brought me out of the reflective trance, and at the same time forced me to come to the simplest conclusion there was.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
My wife's name was Julianne.
+
-
 
+
-
That was Julie from May 11th, 2007.
+
-
 
+
-
That was Anne, from May 14th, 1887.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Shift to a diagram with the dates and other bullshit, lines and stuff on it.)
+
-
 
+
-
Julie had jumped back two-hundred and twenty years before now, when I was twenty years old and applied as my secretary.
+
-
 
+
-
By doing so, she had fulfilled the condition "Mark must fall in love with his secretary" and allowed time to progress smoothly.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
So...
+
-
 
+
-
The Time Police would only investigate a ripple in the timeline, but since the condition was fulfilled without any trouble, there was no need to. There was nothing special about the event, and they would never find Julie's young face throughout history.
+
-
 
+
-
Sure, she would disappear... but where to, if her time machine had broken?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(BACK TO DA KITCHEN.)
+
-
 
+
-
"...... You knew that I would, twenty years later, find you and fall in love with you all over again, didn't you... ? Is that why you've been so nervous, Anne.... No, Julianne.... ?"
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Fade out. Rustling sound. Door opening. Door closing. Slow fade in to Panel 53.)
+
-
 
+
-
(Long pause.)
+
-
 
+
-
I stood in the rain in front of the bus shelter.
+
-
 
+
-
.... It made sense, in a pitiful and twisted way.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Julie's time machine would only work once more. That meant that, if she was correct, she would only be able to move to one more time.
+
-
 
+
-
...... Would the girl really be so smitten to go back so far in time for someone she hadn't met long ago, ruining her chance to ever see her home again?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Long pause.)
+
-
 
+
-
But... what if she... really had nobody else in the world?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Another long pause.)
+
-
 
+
-
When the bus finally pulled up by the shelter and groaned to a halt, it was really coming down. Through the hood of my poncho, I could feel the rain pounding down on my head like a bongo drum.
+
-
 
+
-
".............."
+
-
 
+
-
The reason for that.......
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I guess that most days I would've taken notice to the rain, and backed my way into the shelter, but as I was this evening, I stood upright and took it. I couldn't..... think of anything else.
+
-
 
+
-
........... The bus doors opened.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Fluttering. Opening sound.)
+
-
(Panel 52. Anne is looking down at the ground with a pitiful expression.)
+
-
 
+
-
"Ahh, it's so wet here........ I?eek!"
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 52, again, but Anne has her mouth open in shock.)
+
-
 
+
-
My wife's voice cracked and went into a shrill monotone when she saw me. Her umbrella fell out of her hand.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Why couldn't I say anything.... ?
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 52?pitiful version, again.)
+
-
 
+
-
"M... Mark? What're you doing here in the cold? You'll catch a chill like that! Why.... Why are you.... Why..."
+
-
 
+
-
"..............."
+
-
 
+
-
(Anne disappears.)
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Crunch of footsteps.)
+
-
 
+
-
(Pause.)
+
-
 
+
-
"........ You idiot. To think.... you'd keep it a secret for twenty years for such a stupid reason."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
".... !!!"
+
-
 
+
-
['Hello; Goodbye']
+
-
 
+
-
That's right. I was right. Of course I was right. It was right.
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 52?PV.)
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Long pause?there's a lot of these at this point, huh??and fade to Panel 58.)
+
-
 
+
-
We both stood in the middle of the rain-soaked field as the bus drove away, again, wordless. I'd pulled down my poncho hood, and my hair was already getting to be a wet mop. Anne?no, Julianne?'s umbrella was to the side now, and she was getting soaked from head to toe like myself.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
It took a minute...... but the idea, the realization that her secret was no longer anything such, sunk in.
+
-
 
+
-
Her smile trembled.
+
-
 
+
-
"Ah.......So, Mark.... (Panel 52) No...... (Panel 51) Mr. Mark.... (Panel 50)"
+
-
 
+
-
"....... Julie?"
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 52?teary smile version.)
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Anne?Julianne?smiled, and something other than a raindrop rolled down her cheek. The smiles she'd given me since our marriage were nothing compared to that, the smile of acceptance that she'd earned after twenty years.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I love you.
+
-
 
+
-
I love you.
+
-
 
+
-
I can...... say that now without a regret, now!!!
+
-
 
+
-
"Julianne?"
+
-
 
+
-
"Mar?"
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel goes black very quickly, then fades very, very slowly into Panel 55.)
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
I forced my arms around her and gently squeezed the words out of her, before she could even manage to say my name.
+
-
 
+
-
I didn't want her to say anything to break the moment.
+
-
 
+
-
(Long pause.)
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Tch.... You were afraid of getting old, huh.... ?"
+
-
 
+
-
I felt Julianne shiver.
+
-
 
+
-
"So, that's it.... ha... you idiot, you."
+
-
 
+
-
(Panel 59.)
+
-
 
+
-
I squeezed her tighter, and slowly, bit by bit, I felt the tension leave her body. The fact that I did this now, that my grip was as strong as it had been in that field of beautiful dandelions, was proof to her that my feelings weren't weakened for her current self?on the contrary, the love was even stronger, now.
+
-
 
+
-
(Fade ridiculously slowly into black screen.)
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
In history, Mark Randolph was fated to "fall in love with his secretary." That role had been fulfilled.... By a girl who'd come from the future.
+
-
 
+
-
Was it because "a girl from the future will return to fulfill the condition of being Mark Randolph's secretary" was another condition, or.... ?
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
In any case, it would mean that Julie would have to return to 1987, when I was in my early twenties, as a nineteen-year-old girl, to become my secretary.
+
-
 
+
-
However, I wouldn't discover "Julie" and her time machine until twenty years later. Therefore, at the time of me hiring her, I wouldn't have a clue.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
To keep me from finding out, she locked that dress and the few remnants of her past away from me someplace safe.
+
-
 
+
-
She never wanted me to find out that Julie and Anne were actually the same person?Julianne?because then I would compare the beauty of the current Julianne and the Julianne who was nineteen years old when I "first" met her.
+
-
 
+
-
But that was ridiculous.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Heh.... If only you'd told me, Anne..... No, Julianne...."
+
-
 
+
-
I could feel her shaking, and could hear her choking on a few dry sobs in the wet field where I hugged her.
+
-
 
+
-
"....... It's fine, though. I didn't lose you, at all, did I.... ? I was scared.... Ah, but so were you. Heh, I'm here...."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
How many years had I gone through without knowing the joy I was holding in my arms? How much had I missed out on, as Julie grew up right under my nose, not "appearing" again until twenty years.
+
-
 
+
-
No... this was the final proof that time means nothing.
+
-
 
+
-
There was plenty more left for me.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"I'm so sorry...... Mr. Mark....."
+
-
 
+
-
"...... Don't be stupid. You're still... Anne. Julie. Juli... anne. Don't change a thing."
+
-
 
+
-
"............"
+
-
 
+
-
I could hear her sniffling.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"I'm also sorry...... for not... realizing how precious you were, until now. I..."
+
-
 
+
-
"It's okay, Mr. Mark.... I'm not going anywhere."
+
-
 
+
-
".........."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"That's right. I... was so scared I'd lose you... but... I didn't, did I... ? Was what I did still sneaky... ?"
+
-
 
+
-
To my surprise, Anne giggled.
+
-
 
+
-
"Now you're the one being dumb, Mr. Mark. After all...... it was still me you fell in love with, all over again."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Thank you........ Julianne."
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
So...
+
-
 
+
-
In the end, everything that had been a lie... had been the truth.
+
-
 
+
-
And all of the truths I'd been living with for twenty years were also lies.
+
-
 
+
-
The time machine existed. This girl existed. Julie had never disappeared. Everything that had gone on for twenty years...
+
-
 
+
-
The "paradox" which shouldn't exist.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
"Ah, useless... it's all useless..."
+
-
 
+
-
I had Julie?Anne?Julianne with me, now, so none of that mattered.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Fade out?to white screen this time.)
+
-
 
+
-
I stopped calling my wife Anne at that point?although "Julie" was a beautiful name, I couldn't deny my wife as she had been for twenty years?and begun addressing her as "Julianne."
+
-
 
+
-
It was... a perfect combination.
+
-
 
+
-
The fear which Anne felt all this time, the fear of me recognizing a Julie tainted by time, disappeared from her eyes entirely.
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
The only thing left behind was tenderness.
+
-
 
+
-
What a fool...... to think that...... I would ever compare her for something so fickle.
+
-
+
-
All that mattered to me....
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
(Slow fade, to Panel 59, then Panel 57.)
+
-
 
+
-
Was that she was Julie..... Julianne.
+
-
 
+
-
(Slow fade out to white screen again. Roll credits.)
+
-
['That Which Should Not be Discovered']
+
-
 
+
-
THE END
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
Original story "The Dandelion Girl" by Robert F. Young
+
-
 
+
-
"Dandy Girl" Rewrite by "The Lion," eg Edward Michaels
+
-
 
+
-
Edited by ENTER FAG NAMES HERE
+
-
 
+
-
Art by ANON, eg (ENTER ALIAS HERE)
+
-
 
+
-
Music by Various Artists
+
-
 
+
-
Sound/Music Effects c Freesound.org
+
-
 
+
-
Tested By:
+
-
 
+
-
ENTER FAG NAMES HERE
+
-
 
+
-
ENTER FAG NAMES HERE
+
-
 
+
-
ENTER FAG NAMES HERE
+
-
 
+
-
ENTER FAG NAMES HERE
+
-
 
+
-
ENTER FAG NAMES HERE
+
-
 
+
-
ENTER FAG NAMES HERE
+
-
 
+
-
ENTER FAG NAMES HERE
+
-
 
+
-
Programming by ENTER FAG NAME HERE
+
-
 
+
-
Debugging ENTER FAG NAMES HERE
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
*lolfinish
+
-
mp3loop "bgm/system0.mp3"
+
-
`Suddenly,@ NINJA'S! THOUSANDS OF THEM!@
+
br
br
-
`I tried to run away, but it was futile.@ The ninja's were coming closer every second.\\
 
-
;---
 
-
`I had no other choice.@
 
br
br
-
`"EX---"@
 
br
br
-
`I shouted with all my might.@
 
br
br
-
`"---CALIBUR!!"\\
 
-
;---
 
-
`But nothing happened.@
 
br
br
-
`And the ninja's were closing in.@
+
`"The day before yesterday I saw a rabbit,@ and yesterday a deer,@ and today, you."\\
 +
`It seemed comfortable, and sort of.... familiar, I guess.@
br
br
-
`Nothing happened.@
+
`That night I thought of the strange girl,@ Julie Danvers, and fell asleep with a lot of questions about her that would be never and easily answered.....\\
-
`The ninja's were closing in.@
+
bg "cg/panel12.png",20
-
`Nothing happened.@
+
`"La dee da~... la dee da~...."@
-
`NOTHING HAPPENED.@
+
br
br
-
`NOTHING HAPPENED AND THE NINJA'S WERE CLOSING IN!\\
+
`When I approached the dandelion-colored girl for the second time, she was wearing a blue dress.@ Not only that, she had a ribbon of a similar color tied neatly up in her hair.@
-
;---
+
-
`Unable to endure the crappy Nasu writing style imitation, I called for help.@
+
br
br
-
`"Jack, please help me!@ Those ninja's can be hurt by using a candle!@ Jack, I know you have one!"@
+
`.... Cute.\\
 +
`She was pretty captivating, today, too.@ She had a slender body, and white skin like porcelain.@
br
br
-
`But nothing happened.@
+
`Some people might think that pale skin is sickly-looking, but....@
-
`(and the ninja's were closing in)
+
br
br
-
`"Jack, answer me! I'm being attacked by ninja's and
+
`Well, whatever.\\
-
end</pre>
+
`She danced around like some kind of butterfly,@ letting the hem of her dress blow right along with her movements.@ If she were a butterfly, for real, the force of the whirlwind she was making, herself, would be enough to send her flying away.@
-
 
+
br
 +
`Maybe she was that kind of person, the type of girl who could live with nothing short of soaring in the sky@... like a butterfly, or a majestic bird or something....\\
 +
`Maybe....\\
 +
`".............."@
 +
br
 +
`"....... Eh?"\\
 +
`".... Ah."@
 +
br
 +
`When had she noticed me, how long had I blanked out, and how exactly did my expression look?@ The Julie in the blue dress was leaning close and peering at my now red face, curiously.@
 +
br
 +
`"....... ?"\\
 +
`Augh... say something.@
 +
br
 +
bg "cg/panel17.png",5
 +
`Funny.@ As if she could hear me say that in my head, Julie stood upright and clasped her hands together in a sort of prayer look.@ As if to say "Please, sir, have the first word, won't you?"\\
 +
`"........ Hey. Didn't think you'd be around, today."@
 +
br
 +
bg "cg/panel6.png",5
 +
`She grinned at my throaty voice.@
 +
br
 +
`"Fufu... well, I am. And so are you, obviously."\\
 +
`"Uh huh, well..."@
 +
br
 +
`"...... I'm glad."\\
 +
`.... More silence.\\
 +
bg "cg/panel10.png",5
 +
`While Julie was silent and staring up at the open sky, so full of possibilities,@ she didn't look particularly tense.@ I, myself, however, was wordless and utterly full of anxiety.\\
 +
 +
end
 +
</pre>
[[Category:Dandygirl]]
[[Category:Dandygirl]]

Current revision as of 06:02, 1 May 2009

Working on inserting the rest of the story. Obviously not all of it is here.

Does this freeze for anyone else?

I changed panel1_2 to panel1and2 in the CG folder, and changed the code accordingly. I also changed the music titles to lower case and deleted spaces between words to avoid complications.

;mode800
begin

; The Dandelion Girl ;

*define

kidokuskip

caption "The Dandelion Girl beta2"
versionstr "Dandygirl" , "beta2"

savename `Save`,`Load`,`File `
savenumber 20 ;amount of saves
effectblank 0
mp3fadeout 1500 ;fadeout time for mp3 playback
transmode alpha 
selectcolor #ffffff,#cccccc
menuselectcolor #ffffff,#aaaaaa,#999999
menuselectvoice "","","","","","",""
humanz 10
rmenu `Save game`,save,`Load game`,load,`Remove window`,windowerase,`Quit`,end ;rclick menu
menusetwindow 20,20,0,2,0,0,#333333
defaultfont "Arial"
killmenu 1
killmenu 1
killmenu 4
killmenu 4
killmenu 3
defaultspeed 12,6,0 ;msg speed
underline 599
effect 2,10,1500
effect 3,10,500
effect 4,10,3000
effect 5,10,50
effect 6,10,400
effect 7,10,6000
effect 8,10,4000
effect 9,10,500
effect 10,10,1000
effect 11,10,125
effect 12,8,1000
effect 13,9,1000
windoweffect 10,50

game

*start

setwindow 20, 29, 37, 4, 21, 21, 0, 7, 20, 1, 1, #999999,5,5,795,595

*game_start


!sd


bg "cg/jpproject.png",10
delay 3000
bg black,10

br
br
br
br
`This is a beta version. The script, art and music aren't finished yet.\\

bg "bg/greenery.png",10
delay 3000
bg black,10

br
br
br
br
`           The Curtain Falls\\

mp3loop "bgm/thecurtainfalls.mp3"
delay 500
`When Mark saw that girl with golden hair, he thought of Edna St. Vincent Millay.@
br
delay 300
`Why was that?@
br
`......Maybe it was the way she was standing in the sun with her dandelion-hued hair dancing in the wind, reflecting the rays of the mid-noon sun.@ Maybe it was the way her white dress was swirling around her long and slender legs.@
br
delay 300
`"....Where's she from?"\\

`Whatever the reason MIGHT have been, Mark got the impression that she had somehow stepped out of the past and into the present.@
br
`.....But that wasn't right.\\
br
delay 1000
 Because, in reality the girl had stepped out of the future.@
br
`Could things like that really happen...?\\

bg "bg/rockywall.png",10

delay 1000

bg "bg/hill.png",10

`He paused a little ways behind her, breathing hard from the climb.@ Initially, he hadn't even noticed her.@
br
`"Ha...@ augh...@ haaa..."\\
br
`She hadn't seen him yet, even now....@ and he wondered how he could make her notice him without scaring her off.@ Or would she take to the sky and fly away,@ like a frail, beautiful bird just out of his reach?\\

`"..........."@
br
`He hung his head and took a deep breath.\\
br
delay 1000
`....When he looked at her again,@ she had turned around and begun looking right back,@ like some kind of curious animal.\\
stop

bg "cg/panel1.png",10
delay 1000
mp3loop "bgm/moodyprincess.mp3"
bg "cg/panel1and2.png",10
delay 800

`The two weeks I'd saved up in Summer vacation from work went to waste--maybe.@ When my wife had been unexpectedly summoned for jury duty, I'd been forced to spend them alone.@
br
`I spent days sitting inside, or climbing the rocky walls, or just lounging about waiting for time to pass.\\
br
`I was pretty lonely.@

`Up till now I'd been leading a lonely existence,@ fishing off the pier in the day and reading the cool evenings away.@ It was nice, but very dismal at the same time.\\
br
`.... After two days the routine had caught up with me, and I'd taken off into the woods without purpose or direction and eventually climbed up to the place where I met this strange girl.@ That was right now.\\
;---
bg "cg/panel1.png",10
quakey 5,800
`"Haaa.... haaaa."@
br
`I was wheezing horribly. Really out of breath. My lungs were on fire, and my legs felt like wooden blocks hooked to my pelvis.@
br
`The girl in front of me, like a mirage, was even more breathtaking.\\
;---
`".........?"@
bg "cg/panel2.png",10
br
`She finally noticed me?@
wave "se/Footsteps.wav"
bg "cg/panel4.png",10
br
`"........."@
`"........."@
br
Exhausted or not, though,@ I could tell that her eyes were really blue--@about as blue as the sky surrounding her.@ ....It was an embarrassing thing I kept to myself.@
br
It brought on a bad case of deja vu so strong I almost embarrassed myself and reached out to touch her.\\
br
...... Better keep my hands to myself.\\
;---
`@.... What the hell am I thinking, anyway?2 I'm forty-four, and this girl can't be much older than twenty....@
br
`Anyway,@ talk, talk, talk, you idiot.\\
br
`"Aha...@ ha...@ hi, there...@ nice view here, isn't it...?"@
;---
`The girl blinked, then her face broke out into a grin.\\
bg "cg/panel4_2.png",10
mp3loop "bgm/newmeeting.mp3"
br
`"Ah! So, I'm not the only one who thinks so, am I~!"@

br
`The strange girl spun around and swept her arm in an enthusiastic semicircle, as if motioning upward.\\
br
quakex 3,300
bg "cg/panel5.png",10

`"Aha....@ no, it really is..."\\
;---
`I nodded dumbly.@
br
`Well.... she was right, I guess.@ The meadows underneath us were pretty, colored like autumn leaves, and there were some nice "suburban structures" that I could see from up here.@
br
`Of course, those were in Cove City, which was a pretty nice sight from up here, too.@ It looked like a sort of medieval castle place, if you looked at it at the right angle.@
br
`I could see why a young girl would like this view.\\
;---
`"Huh...so.... I take it you're from the city too, huh?"@
bg "cg/panel6.png",10
;HNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGG
br
`"Fufufu.... I guess you could say that."@
br
`She smiled really coyly, like she knew some kind of important secret that I didn't.@
br
`.... What did she mean 'I guess you could say that'?@
br
`"I'm from the Cove City of two hundred and forty years from now, you see."\\
;---
`Oh, so that's all it?
!w 3000

br
wave "se/Wham.wav"
`......... Wait, WHAAAAT?!\\
quakex 6,800
mp3loop "bgm/theprincessplays.mp3"
bg "cg/panel33.png",10
`"........"@
br
`The dandelion girl sighed and slumped her shoulders.
br
`"Fuu.... It's all right, it's not like I expect you to believe something so strange so easily. Still, it'd be nice if you could pretend...."@
br
`Her "hinting" expression told me that this was more of an order than a request.\\
;---
`Maybe she was delusional.@
br
`.... Or maybe she was just playing a child's game. But either way, I did play along for my own ambiguous reasons.@
br
`"..... That would be the year twenty-two hundred and two, A.D., right? I guess, uh... it must've, you know... changed quite a bit."@
br
`"Oh, it has!"\\
;---
bg "cg/panel8.png",10
`She'd perked right up. She said that, sounding like she was excited and frustrated at the same time.@
br
`"It's part of a megalopolis now and extends all the way to there, don't you know!"@
br
bg "cg/panel7.png",10
`She pointed to the fringe of the forest near us.\\
;---
`"Two Thousand and Fortieth Street runs straight through that grove of sugar maples, and do you see that stand of locusts over there?!"@
br
`I was.... starting to get a little creeped out by this girl's game, now.@
br
`"Y....yeah, I see them...."\\
;---
bg "cg/panel6.png",10
`"Well, that's where the new plaza is! Its supermarket is so big that it takes a whole half day to go through it.@ Although, you can buy almost anything in it, from aspirins to aerocars. You know?"@
br
`She stopped just for a second, to take a deep breath.@
br
`.... And went right along, after that.@
br
`"Oh! And right next to the supermarket, where that grove of beeches is, is a big dress shop just BURSTING with the latest creations of the leading couturiers.@ I bought this dress I'm wearing there this morning! Isn't it just beautiful~?"\\

`..... How was I supposed to answer this one?@
br
`"Ah... yes, it's nice."@
br
bg "cg/panel8.png",10
`"Fufufu... Won't you feel how soft it is~?"@
br
`.... Well, it WAS a pretty dress, and for this girl to be asking me to feel it...@
br
`I'll just give it a quick inspection.\\

bg "cg/panel9.png",10
!w 2000
`Huh.... ? What's this supposed to be?@
br
`It was cut out of a material I didn't recognize at all, something like cotton candy, sea foam, and snow fused into one.@
br
`This was the first time I'd seen anything like it.\\

`Uh... Well, there's no limit any more to the syntheses that could be created by the miracle-fiber manufacturers, I guess...@
br
`.... And that was true, apparently, to the fibs of cute little girls too.@
br
bg "cg/panel15.png",1
`".... So, did you travel here by time machine, or something, young lady?"@
br
`She opened her mouth in shock and covered it with her hand.@
br
bg "cg/panel17.png",10
`"Oh~! How did you guess! I did, I did travel here with a time machine! My father made it, in fact~!"@
br
`"..........."\\
;---
`What the... ?@
br
`I looked at her closely.@
br
`"....... What is it?"@
br
bg "cg/panel15.png",10
`I'd never seen such a guileless look.@ What was up with this? Was she a very good liar or just genuinely crazy?@ Or maybe she was one of those people that could train their brains to believe real nonsense.\\

`"Umm ...... You come here often, then?"@
br
`"You must be a mind-reader, Mark! This is my absolute favorite favorite favorite space-time coordinate!@ I stand here for hours, sometimes, and look and look and look.@ You know, the day before yesterday I saw a rabbit, and yesterday a deer, and today, you."@
br
`"... Okay, that's all fine and well.... but how can there be a yesterday if you always return to the same point in time?"@
br
`The girl took a minute to consider this.\\

bg "cg/panel17.png",10
`"Ah.... I see what you mean.@ Well, the reason is because the machine is affected by the passage of time the same as anything else, you know?@ And you have to set it back every twenty-four hours if you want to maintain exactly the same co-ordinate.@ I never do that, because I much prefer a different day each time I come back. You know what I mean?"@
br
`I didn't, exactly.@
br
`"Okay.... So, does your father ever come with you?"\\
;---
stop
!w 3000
mp3loop "bgm/moodyprincess.mp3"
`".........."@
br
bg "cg/panel10.png",10
!w 1000
bg "cg/panel18.png",10
`The girl looked up into the sky, where a flock of geese was flying in a V shape, and scrunched her face up into a difficult expression.@
br
`And she kept staring at them, blankly.@
br
!w 3000
`".... My father is an invalid."\\

`"Eh?"@
br
`"He'd love to come, if he really could....@ But, I do tell him all about what I see, really I do.....@
bg "cg/panel17.png",10
`And, uh, it's almost the same as if he really came. Wouldn't you say it was?"@
br
`"Sure thing."\\
;---
`There was a weird eagerness and genuine tenderness in what she said.@ I couldn't help but be just a little charmed by it, really. @
br
`.... You idiot.@
br
`"I'm sure it is...... It must be nice, you know, owning a time machine."\\
;---
`The girl nodded seriously, then frowned.@
br
bg "cg/panel16.png",10
`"Well, they're a boon to people who like to stand on pleasant meadows.@ In the twenty-third century there aren't very many left, you know...."\\
;---
`"Heh. There aren't very many of them left in the twentieth, either.@ I guess you could say that this one is sort of a collector's item.@ I'll have to visit it more often."@
br
bg "cg/panel15.png",10
`"Oh... ? Do you live near here or something, mister?"\\
;---
` "Oh, sort of. I'm staying in a cabin a little ways back.@ I'm supposed to be on vacation, but it's not much of one. My wife was called to jury duty and couldn't come with me.@ Since I couldn't postpone it, I've ended up as a sort of.... reluctant Thoreau, I guess."@
br
`The girl nodded, leaning forward.\\
br
bg "cg/panel17.png",10
;---
`".... Oh, and also, I'm Mark Randolph. Mark is fine."@
br
`"Mark? Is it?@ 
bg "cg/panel19.png",10
`Fufufu... Julie Danvers is mine.@ It's almost as pretty as the dandelions, here, don't you think so?@ Since I can call you Mark, you're free to call me Julie if you want."@
br
`.... Eh? Where did that sudden queen-like aura come from?\\
;---
`"Okay, then."@
br
`Even if she wasn't a queen, I did think the name was beautiful.@
bg "cg/panel10.png",10
`And it was equally suiting for her. Like the dandelions, and like the clear sky.@
br
`Not to mention she had a really mysterious air about her.\\
;---
`Heh. Do you really think you're fooling me, though... ?@
br
`She probably lived in that little cottage somewhere in the woods.@ If that was the case, this was just a farce she was putting up for giggles.@ Well, assuming there wasn't something mentally at odds with her.@
br
`Well, I wasn't even sure how old she was, so I couldn't rule out the delusions of a hyperactive teenager.@
br
`But, in any case, that was still all right.@ I'd humor her, kind of like the way parents witness and chide on their children's belief in Santa Clause, or the Easter Bunny, or the tooth fairy or something like that.@
br
`Since it wasn't causing any harm.@
br
`It just mattered that I could keep the smile on her face. It made me feel...@ at ease, for whatever reason.\\
;---
`"So, Julie, what kind of work do you do? Or are you still a student?"@

bg "cg/panel17.png",10
delay 2000
bg "cg/panel19.png",10
mp3loop "bgm/theprincessplays.mp3"
`"Fufufu... I look young enough to be a student, do I? That's so flattering, Mark."@
br
`......... What a difficult person.@
br
bg "cg/panel6.png",10
`"To be serious, I'm in training-to be a secretary, you know~"@
br
`Julie got on her tip-toe, spun around and did a full pirouette, stopping in her original position and clapping her hands together.@
br
bg "cg/panel8.png",10
`"~It'll be a lot of fun, don't you think so, Mark?~@ Being big and important and taking down what people are saying in a real serious kind of way. Right?"\\
;---
`"Oh... Um, I guess so."@
br
`And then, Julie's face lit up like a candle.@
br
bg "cg/panel6.png",10

`"Oh, Mark! Say, what's say you make me your secretary!@ Wouldn't that be great~? That's a great idea, isn't it~?"\\
br
bg "cg/static1.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static2.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static3.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static4.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static5.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static6.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static7.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static8.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static9.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static10.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static1.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static2.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static3.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static4.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static5.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static6.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static7.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static8.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static9.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static10.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static1.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static2.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static3.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static4.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static5.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static6.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static7.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static8.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static9.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static10.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/panel6.png",1
`"Oh.... Sure. That'd be nice, I guess. My wife was a secretary, once.@ You know, before the war. That's how we met and all that, and?"@
br
bg "cg/static1.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static2.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static3.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static4.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static5.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static6.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static7.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static8.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static9.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static10.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static1.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static2.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static3.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static4.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static5.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static6.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static7.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static8.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static9.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static10.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/panel6.png",1
`So why did...@ why did I 
bg "cg/static1.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static2.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static3.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static4.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static5.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static6.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static7.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static8.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static9.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static10.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/panel6.png",1
`say that.... ?\\
bg "cg/static1.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static2.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static3.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static4.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static5.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static6.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static7.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static8.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static9.png",1
delay 50
bg "cg/static10.png",1
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;---
`"Was she a good secretary?"@
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`"That's.... oh, yes. She was a good secretary.@ I mean, in the end I lost her, but just as a secretary.@ Although, I mean I gained her in another way.@ So, that is to say, I never really LOST her, I guess.@ Uh..."@
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`Julie was responding with a blank look.
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`@
`"Well, anyway...."@
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`The girl who looked and smelled like dandelions, Julie, nodded her head enthusiastically....@ But then looked as if she'd remembered something greatly important.@
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`"Ah.... I almost forgot, I have to get home right away.@ I'm sure Father's home, and I have to tell him about everything that I saw today.@ Plus, I have to make his supper for him."\\
;---
`That left me feeling a little disappointed.@
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`"I see.... Well, Julie, will you be here tomorrow?"@
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`"Tomorrow... ?"@
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`"Twenty-four hours from now, that is."\\
;---
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`"..... Sure. I've been coming here every day, so coming again tomorrow is no big deal."@
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`Julie nodded slowly, then her face twisted with a big smile.@
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`"Ah... Good, then. Guess I'll see you around, then."\\


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`As if seriously hurrying to her own little time machine, Julie hurried down the hill, off into the grove of sugar maple trees where would supposedly be Two-thousand-fourtieth street two-hundred years from now.@ Her beautiful white dress fluttered along with her.@
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`"............"\\

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`What a charming girl.@ It must be nice to have such a young, child-like innocence,@ in which simple lies are nothing more than playful delusions.@
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`She had such an enthusiasm for life....... and a fascinating sense of wonder.\\
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`These were two things that I lacked, and which I appreciated greatly for that reason.\\
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`That being, because I'd been a serious guy for most of my life.@ I spent enough time in law school studying my way to the top,@ and when I finally formed my own practice I spent even more time working on sustaining it.@
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`.... I never really got a break from it all, I guess.\\
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`Anyway, I married Anne shortly after I began that practice, when she was my secretary. @
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`Not only was the dedication I had to my work a factor in keeping me a serious man, there was a bout of difficulty surrounding the war.@ Times when I struggled, and even harder, later, when I had a wife to support on top of that.\\
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`.... Come to think of it, I was still struggling.@ Even now, I was struggling against my conscience after having watched that girl.@ And there was my practice, my job, my wife...@
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`Never a break for me.\\

`It was ironic, that these few weeks of vacation I was having were quite forced, and my wife wasn't even around to help me enjoy them.@ The "vacation" had turned into more of an imprisonment.\\
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`"...... ?"@

`Before I'd even realized it, it had apparently begun to change to night.@ The breeze of the evening,@ rolling off of the waves of the ocean, was beginning to blow and make me shiver.\\

!w 2000

"..... I guess I should head home, now."@
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`The dandelion girl,@ Julie?,@ was gone now,@ and the chirping of birds and sounds of the day that had surrounded her disappeared promptly, too.\\


`I hung my head, sighed, and headed down the gravel path toward my cozy but lonely little cabin by the lake.\\
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`I'd spent the last two weeks, alone, now that I thought of it.@ They were a combination of sulking and sight-seeing,@ and something I couldn't genuinely enjoy.@
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`....... Well, maybe I wasn't entirely alone.\\

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`I returned to the cabin,@ and got cozy the way I usually did at this time.@
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`I had a pretty simple supper.@ I went and read.@ I watched the lightningbugs which flew around and flickered like tiny lightbulbs, outside of the window.\\

!w 1500

`"..... Ah, right. I should remember to lock up before I go to bed."@
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`Mental note: taken.\\


`Well, it wasn't that I'd forget anyways.@ I just felt a subconscious need to hear myself talk out loud.@
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`I wondered...@ was it that girl's companionship that made me begin to crave more for the first time in a while?\\
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`"............ Stupid."@
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`I picked up the novel I'd begun reading the day I started coming here, and thumbed through it.\\ 
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`So... @ Where had I left off, again.... ?@
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`It was about a chance meeting between a young boy and a young girl,@ two people who fell in love in a Romeo-and-Juliet-esque manner,@ but with (thankfully) different results.@
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`That was....\\

`"........."@
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`Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.@
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`The sound of the pages moving, alone, was distracting enough for me.@ I couldn't focus on this, anyway.\\ 
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`Ah...@ why was I thinking of that person?\\

`Heheh....@ there must be something wrong with my head, huh?@
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`I'm thinking of a young girl, not of my wife,@ and I'm on the verge of having some kind of twisted fantasy.@ 
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`Tch.\\


`Well, did that really mean I was being unfaithful?@ Maybe I was just lonely....@ I'd been in this cabin, all by my lonesome, for a little while now.@
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And all of a sudden, a cute girl comes out of nowhere and she...\\

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`"....... That's right.@ Anybody would feel happy to see her, and think about her for a while."@
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`So there was nothing lowly about my thoughts.@ And, even, I'd never thought anything intimate about her,@ had I? Of course not. Aha... ha...@

`Just a little, I felt the tenseness in my shoulders ease.\\ 

`"....... I wonder what you're doing right now, Anne?@ Tell me....@ What would you think of that young girl, who looks like the color of dandelions and wears dresses made of things I've never seen in my life.... ?"\\
!w 4000
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`I reached and took a cigarette from my pocket.@
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`.... When was the last time I smoked?@

`".... Hmph."@

`I should probably quit, huh?@ I know it's a disgusting habit.@ It's not like I'm proud to be forced to do something like this to relax, you know.\\

`I lit it, and smoked it slowly.@ It was weird... a guilty sort of feeling like you'd reached your hand into the cookie jar@ without having done so in such a long time.\\

`What was it that she said?\\
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`"The day before yesterday I saw a rabbit,@ and yesterday a deer,@ and today, you."\\
`It seemed comfortable, and sort of.... familiar, I guess.@
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`That night I thought of the strange girl,@ Julie Danvers, and fell asleep with a lot of questions about her that would be never and easily answered.....\\
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`"La dee da~... la dee da~...."@
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`When I approached the dandelion-colored girl for the second time, she was wearing a blue dress.@ Not only that, she had a ribbon of a similar color tied neatly up in her hair.@
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`.... Cute.\\
`She was pretty captivating, today, too.@ She had a slender body, and white skin like porcelain.@
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`Some people might think that pale skin is sickly-looking, but....@
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`Well, whatever.\\
`She danced around like some kind of butterfly,@ letting the hem of her dress blow right along with her movements.@ If she were a butterfly, for real, the force of the whirlwind she was making, herself, would be enough to send her flying away.@ 
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`Maybe she was that kind of person, the type of girl who could live with nothing short of soaring in the sky@... like a butterfly, or a majestic bird or something....\\
`Maybe....\\
`".............."@
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`"....... Eh?"\\
`".... Ah."@
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`When had she noticed me, how long had I blanked out, and how exactly did my expression look?@ The Julie in the blue dress was leaning close and peering at my now red face, curiously.@
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`"....... ?"\\
`Augh... say something.@
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`Funny.@ As if she could hear me say that in my head, Julie stood upright and clasped her hands together in a sort of prayer look.@ As if to say "Please, sir, have the first word, won't you?"\\
`"........ Hey. Didn't think you'd be around, today."@
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`She grinned at my throaty voice.@
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`"Fufu... well, I am. And so are you, obviously."\\
`"Uh huh, well..."@
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`"...... I'm glad."\\
`.... More silence.\\
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`While Julie was silent and staring up at the open sky, so full of possibilities,@ she didn't look particularly tense.@ I, myself, however, was wordless and utterly full of anxiety.\\
 
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