Bright (Response to Shade)

The silence around you radiates out throughout your small cinderblock-walled dorm room. The only thing that disturbs it is the slight hum of your mini fridge, which is nestled between the end of your bed and the side of your desk. You stand next to your bed, looking down at your suitcase, which is sprawling open. Your alarm clock, which sits on top of your mini-fridge next to where your phone is charging, tells you that it is 9:45. Your Uber is scheduled to pick you up at noon to drop you off at the airport for your flight at 4. You still have plenty of time to pack, and you are almost done. Your desk is a mess of assignments and textbooks. You laptop rests in the middle of the mess, screen asleep. Behind you is your roommate's side of the room, which is a mirror of your own but much neater. He has gone home for the week, and you won't see him until you get back from your spring break trip. Walking over to your phone, you double check that the airplane ticket email is still there. You are glad they don't require you to print it out, considering that would cost ten cents at the university library. Once assured that the email is still in your inbox, where you read it three times last night (one roundtrip to the Alps--you can't wait to meet your family there to ski), you notice the slight [[grumble -> get food - level 1]] in your stomach indicating you are hungry. You look back at your [[suitcase -> passport search - level 2]], wondering what is left to be packed.

Walking back to your suitcase, you look down at it, trying to figure out visually what you are missing. You see your several outfits, your deodorant, and your extra shoes. You don't notice anything that you have missed, but you remember scribbling some things down on a sticky note on your desk. Walking back over there, you shuffle around papers until you find it. The to-do list reads: -[[Pack passport]] -Pack toothbrush and toothpaste -Take out trash

You don't think you have time to pack and go to the dining hall, and, besides, you don't want to walk that far. You look at your [[snack drawer -> get food level 2]] and wonder if you have a granola bar in there. The hum of the [[fridge -> get food level 2.1]] made you glance at it.

You slide the drawer open, expecting to find a chocolate bar or two and some chips, at least. As you slide the drawer open, however, you notice water dripping from inside of it. Upon opening it all the way, you find that it is empty barr the small layer of water on the bottom of it. Frowning, you decide to go back to [[packing -> passport search - level 2]].

The fridge door squeaks when you open it, and water begins to drip out of it when you open it all the way. You frown, wondering what is wrong with it. The water begins to pool on the floor. You reach in for the only thing in there: a small container of greek yogurt that was probably a week or two past its Best By date. You open it to find that the yogurt is completely frozen through. You take a spoon from your desk drawer and try to smash it, but it won't be dethawing for a while. You set it on top of the fridge and put a towel by the door to catch the dripping water. You shrug, deciding to get back to [[packing -> passport search - level 2]].

Now that you're thinking about it, you can't remember where you left your passport. You remember having it out when you verified your tickets last weekend, but you can't think of what you did with it. You feel a little bit panicky at the thought of a lost passport. That would ruin your trip. So, you decide that you need to search your room until you find it. You look at the clock, deciding you have plenty of time still. You decide to look [[in your desk drawers -> level 1 search drawers]] [[under your bed -> level 1 search bed]] [[in your closet -> level 1 search closet]] [[in your backpack -> level 1 search backpack]].

You take your time opening each drawer slowly, pulling out all of the contents and keeping a close eye out for your passport. However, once you finish emptying the last drawer, it is pretty clear to you it is not here. You sigh, replacing everything as it had been in the drawers. You begin to notice how cold it is in the room, hugging yourself and rubbing your hands up and down your arms to warm them up. [[You decide to search your closet. -> level 2 search closet]] [[You decide to search under your bed. -> level 2 search bed]] [[You decide to search your backpack. -> level 2 search backpack]]

You crouch down next to your bed. Underneath it you have a short dresser and laundry basket. The basket is empty because you did laundry last night. You pull the drawers out to look behind them, but the floor is bare, other than a few dust bunnies. You search the drawers, but all you find are the clothes you didn't pack. You stand up, frustrated. You begin to notice how cold it is in the room, hugging yourself and rubbing your hands up and down your arms to warm them up. [[You decide to search your closet. -> level 2 search closet]] [[You decide to search your backpack. -> level 2 search backpack]] [[You decide to search your desk drawers. -> level 2 search drawers]]

The closet is to the left of the door that leads into the hallway. It is small, so you and your roommate just keep your shoes and jackets in there. The door squeaks when you open it. You have two jackets in there that aren't packed, so you turn their pockets inside out. They are both empty. You sigh with frustration. You begin to notice how cold it is in the room, hugging yourself and rubbing your hands up and down your arms to warm them up. [[You decide to search your backpack. -> level 2 search backpack]] [[You decide to search under your bed. -> level 2 search bed]] [[You decide to search your desk drawers. -> level 2 search drawers]]

You pull your backpack out from under your desk, setting on top of all of the papers. You unzip each pocket and pull out all of the contents, none of which is the passport. Frowning, you scrap your hand along the bottom of your backpack, but nothing is in there. With a frustrated sigh, you put everything back, close up the bag, and shove it under your bed again. You begin to notice how cold it is in the room, hugging yourself and rubbing your hands up and down your arms to warm them up. [[You decide to search your closet. -> level 2 search closet]] [[You decide to search under your bed. -> level 2 search bed]] [[You decide to search your desk drawers. -> level 2 search drawers]]

The closet is to the left of the door that leads into the hallway. It is small, so you and your roommate just keep your shoes and jackets in there. The door squeaks when you open it. You have two jackets in there that aren't packed, so you turn their pockets inside out. They are both empty. You sigh with frustration. You shiver, your arms covered in goose bumps. You curse the central air system that gives you no control over the temperature of your room. [[You decide to search your backpack. -> level 3 search backpack]] [[You decide to search under your bed. -> level 3 search bed]] [[You decide to search your desk drawers. -> level 3 search drawers]]

You crouch down next to your bed. Underneath it you have a short dresser and laundry basket. The basket is empty because you did laundry last night. You pull the drawers out to look behind them, but the floor is bare, other than a few dust bunnies. You search the drawers, but all you find are the clothes you didn't pack. You stand up, frustrated. You shiver, your arms covered in goose bumps. You curse the central air system that gives you no control over the temperature of your room. [[You decide to search your closet. -> level 3 search closet]] [[You decide to search your backpack. -> level 3 search backpack]] [[You decide to search your desk drawers. -> level 3 search drawers]]

You take your time opening each drawer slowly, pulling out all of the contents and keeping a close eye out for your passport. However, once you finish emptying the last drawer, it is pretty clear to you it is not here. You sigh, replacing everything as it had been in the drawers. You shiver, your arms covered in goose bumps. You curse the central air system that gives you no control over the temperature of your room. [[You decide to search your closet. -> level 3 search closet]] [[You decide to search under your bed. -> level 3 search bed]] [[You decide to search your backpack. -> level 3 search backpack]]

You pull your backpack out from under your desk, setting on top of all of the papers. You unzip each pocket and pull out all of the contents, none of which is the passport. Frowning, you scrap your hand along the bottom of your backpack, but nothing is in there. With a frustrated sigh, you put everything back, close up the bag, and shove it under your bed again. You shiver, your arms covered in goose bumps. You curse the central air system that gives you no control over the temperature of your room. [[You decide to search your closet. -> level 3 search closet]] [[You decide to search under your bed. -> level 3 search bed]] [[You decide to search your desk drawers. -> level 3 search drawers]]

In the closet, you only have two jackets, so you search both of their pockets. Your hand brushes up against something in the second one you check. You pull it out and discover that it is your passport. With a sigh of relief, you take it and set it on your bed next your suitcase. The chill in the air is beginning to get at you, so you pull out a sweatshirt from your dresser. Even when it is on, though, you feel a bone deep chill. You look out the window which showed that it was raining. So much water is dripping down your window that you can hardly make out what the outside looks like. The chill must be from the rain, you decide. Now that you have found your passport, you return to your sticky note to see what is left. As you do, however, you notice that the puddle in front of the fridge has grown so much that the towel you placed that is oversaturated with water. You frown, wondering what was making your fridge malfunction like that. You pick up the towel, hanging it to dry on one of your bed posts. You pull another towel out of your dresser and replace the old one. When you return to your to-do list, you see that it reads: -[[Pack toothbrush and toothpaste -> Toiletries]] -[[Take out trash -> Trash]] -[[Finish Spanish homework -> Homework]]

As you crouch down next to the bed, you see your passport in the back corner. It must have fallen off of your bed at some point. You reach back and pull it out of the corner. With a sigh of relief, you set it on your bed next your suitcase. The chill in the air is beginning to get at you, so you pull out a sweatshirt from your dresser. Even when it is on, though, you feel a bone deep chill. You look out the window which showed that it was raining. So much water is dripping down your window that you can hardly make out what the outside looks like. The chill must be from the rain, you decide. Now that you have found your passport, you return to your sticky note to see what is left. As you do, however, you notice that the puddle in front of the fridge has grown so much that the towel you placed that is oversaturated with water. You frown, wondering what was making your fridge malfunction like that. You pick up the towel, hanging it to dry on one of your bed posts. You pull another towel out of your dresser and replace the old one. When you return to your to-do list, you see that it reads: -[[Pack toothbrush and toothpaste -> Toiletries]] -[[Take out trash -> Trash]] -[[Finish Spanish homework -> Homework]]

As you open the second drawer, your passport pokes out at you from underneath a folder. With a sigh of relief, you pull it out and set it on your bed next your suitcase. The chill in the air is beginning to get at you, so you pull out a sweatshirt from your dresser. Even when it is on, though, you feel a bone deep chill. You look out the window which showed that it was raining. So much water is dripping down your window that you can hardly make out what the outside looks like. The chill must be from the rain, you decide. Now that you have found your passport, you return to your sticky note to see what is left. As you do, however, you notice that the puddle in front of the fridge has grown so much that the towel you placed that is oversaturated with water. You frown, wondering what was making your fridge malfunction like that. You pick up the towel, hanging it to dry on one of your bed posts. You pull another towel out of your dresser and replace the old one. When you return to your to-do list, you see that it reads: -[[Pack toothbrush and toothpaste -> Toiletries]] -[[Take out trash -> Trash]] -[[Finish Spanish homework -> Homework]]

You pull your backpack out from under your desk and begin to check every pocket thoroughly. In a small pocket meant for a phone or wallet on the part of the bag that would be touching your back, you find your passport is hidden away. With a sigh of relief, you pull it out and set it on your bed next your suitcase. The chill in the air is beginning to get at you, so you pull out a sweatshirt from your dresser. Even when it is on, though, you feel a bone deep chill. You look out the window which showed that it was raining. So much water is dripping down your window that you can hardly make out what the outside looks like. The chill must be from the rain, you decide. Now that you have found your passport, you return to your sticky note to see what is left. As you do, however, you notice that the puddle in front of the fridge has grown so much that the towel you placed that is oversaturated with water. You frown, wondering what was making your fridge malfunction like that. You pick up the towel, hanging it to dry on one of your bed posts. You pull another towel out of your dresser and replace the old one. When you return to your to-do list, you see that it reads: -[[Pack toothbrush and toothpaste -> Toiletries]] -[[Take out trash -> Trash]] -[[Finish Spanish homework -> Homework]]

Before getting to work on your to-do list, you turn on your laptop screen. You see where you were playing //Shade// last night; a friend had recommended it, but you never got past the part where you try to vacuum up all the sand. You close that window and pull up a news broadcast to listen to as you go about your chores. Your toiletries are in a basket that sits on top of your dresser under your basket. You take this basket with you to the hall bathroom whenever you get ready. Crouching down, you look at it to see what you have left to pack. "...rabid bunnies are terrorizing the community..." //Rabid bunnies?// You think. //Weird.// In the basket are your shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razor, shaving cream, tooth paste, tooth brush, and hair brush. You reach for the tooth paste, which was a little tube you bought in preparation of airport security. "...flood water has destroyed..." When you brush your hand against the tooth paste, you are shocked to find that it is freezing cold to the touch. You pull it out and note how hard the tube is. You try to open the top, but it won't budge. You wonder if it is frozen. Shrugging, you grab your tooth brush and put them both, frozen or not, in your suitcase. Returning to your to-do list, you look at what you have left to do. -[[Take out the trash -> Trash level 2]] -[[Do Spanish worksheet -> homework level 2]] -[[Sweep floor -> sweep level 1]]

Before getting to work on your to-do list, you turn on your laptop screen. You see where you were playing //Shade// last night; a friend had recommended it, but you never got past the part where you try to vacuum up all the sand. You close that window and pull up a news broadcast to listen to as you go about your chores. Your trash can is small and sits next to your desk on the opposite side of the mini fridge. "...rabid bunnies are terrorizing the community..." //Rabid bunnies?// You think. //Weird.// You walk over to the can and pull out the trashbag. As you are pulling it up, you notice there is a hole in the bag and water is spilling out of the bottom. Some of it hits you, and you wince at how cold it is. You set the bag back in the trashcan, looking down into it to see what the cold water was coming from. "...flood water has destroyed..." There was nothing there other than an assortment of papers and granola wrappers. You look up, but there is no drip coming from above. You decide to abandon the trash. The water can wait in the can until you get back. Returning to the to-do list, you see that it reads: -[[Pack toothbrush and toothpaste -> Toiletries level 2]] -[[Do Spanish worksheet -> homework level 2]] -[[Sweep floor -> sweep level 1]]

You decide to finish your homework first. It is a worksheet of Spanish translations. You are taking the class to knock out your foreign language requirement. Before sitting down to start, you check the clock. 10:18. Time is going by quickly. Before getting to work, you turn on your laptop screen. You see where you were playing //Shade// last night; a friend had recommended it, but you never got past the part where you try to vacuum up all the sand. You close that window and pull up a news broadcast to listen to as you work on the worksheet. You find the worksheet towards the back of your desk under your biology textbook. "...rabid bunnies are terrorizing the community..." //Rabid bunnies?// You think. //Weird.// Looking down at your worksheet, you frown. The words are undistinguishable because water has soaked the page through. You instinctually look up at the ceiling for a leak, but you find nothing. "...flood water has destroyed..." You frown, wondering if you had spilled water on it the night before. You must've. You set the worksheet on the back of your desk, giving up on getting any work done. Your grade can probably take the hit of a missing worksheet anyways. Looking back at your to-do list, you see that it reads: -[[Pack toothbrush and toothpaste -> Toiletries level 2]] -[[Take out trash -> Trash level 2]] -[[Sweep floor -> sweep level 1]]

Your toiletries are in a basket that sits on top of your dresser under your basket. You take this basket with you to the hall bathroom whenever you get ready. Crouching down, you look at it to see what you have left to pack. "...plane crashes into side of Mount Rigi, no survivors..." In the basket are your shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razor, shaving cream, tooth paste, tooth brush, and hair brush. You reach for the tooth paste, which was a little tube you bought in preparation of airport security. "...he confirmed he accepted the bribe..." When you brush your hand against the tooth paste, you are shocked to find that it is freezing cold to the touch. You pull it out and note how hard the tube is. You try to open the top, but it won't budge. You wonder if it is frozen. Shrugging, you grab your tooth brush and put them both, frozen or not, in your suitcase. Returning to your to-do list, you look at what you have left to do. -[[Sweep floor -> sweep level 2]]

Your trash can is small and sits next to your desk on the opposite side of the mini fridge. "...plane crashes into side of Mount Rigi, no survivors..." You walk over to the can and pull out the trashbag. As you are pulling it up, you notice there is a hole in the bag and water is spilling out of the bottom. Some of it hits you, and you wince at how cold it is. You set the bag back in the trashcan, looking down into it to see what the cold water was coming from. "...he confirmed he accepted the bribe..." There was nothing there other than an assortment of papers and granola wrappers. You look up, but there is no drip coming from above. You decide to abandon the trash. The water can wait in the can until you get back. Returning to the to-do list, you see that it reads: -[[Sweep floor -> sweep level 2]]

Your broom is in the closet, so you go and grab it, shivering as you do so. You are incredibly cold. Once you have the broom, you go over the window to begin sweeping from that side of the room. "...plane crashes into side of Mount Rigi, no survivors..." When you get there, you notice something weird on the window sill. It looks like a very small amount of snow. You stick your hand out to touch it. When your finger touches it, you are surprised to find that the coldness of the snow is no shock to your skin, which is only slightly warmer than the snow. Despite that, once you touch it, it begins to melt and water slides down the wall below the window. On the floor there, you noticed a puddle of water that was a little larger than the size of your foot. "...he confirmed he accepted the bribe..." You groan and return to your dresser, pulling out the last of your towels to lay out below the window. You still need to [[sweep -> sweep level 2.2]].

You decide to finish your homework first. It is a worksheet of Spanish translations. You are taking the class to knock out your foreign language requirement. Before sitting down to start, you check the clock. 10:18. Time is going by quickly, so you begin searching for the worksheet. You find the worksheet towards the back of your desk under your biology textbook. "...plane crashes into side of Mount Rigi, no survivors..." Looking down at your worksheet, you frown. The words are undistinguishable because water has soaked the page through. You instinctually look up at the ceiling for a leak, but you find nothing. "...he confirmed he accepted the bribe..." You frown, wondering if you had spilled water on it the night before. You must've. You set the worksheet on the back of your desk, giving up on getting any work done. Your grade can probably take the hit of a missing worksheet anyways. Looking back at your to-do list, you see that it reads: -[[Sweep floor -> sweep level 2]]

Your broom is in the closet, so you go and grab it, shivering as you do so. You are incredibly cold. Once you have the broom, you go over the window to begin sweeping from that side of the room. When you get there, you notice something weird on the window sill. It looks like a very small amount of snow. You stick your hand out to touch it. When your finger touches it, you are surprised to find that the coldness of the snow is no shock to your skin, which is only slightly warmer than the snow. Despite that, once you touch it, it begins to melt and water slides down the wall below the window. On the floor there, you noticed a puddle of water that was a little larger than the size of your foot. You groan and return to your dresser, pulling out the last of your towels to lay out below the window. You still need to [[sweep -> sweep level 2.2]].

You pick up the broom again, turning your back to the window as you do so. However, once you turn around, you see that the other side of the window is completely blocked by feet upon feet of snow. You frown, wondering how in the hell it is snowing during this weather. Despite the impossibility of it, you [[close the blinds. -> blinds]]

As you pull on the string for the blinds, a rush of water comes crashing down from behind the blinds. You jump back in surprise, the blinds crashing to the windowsill as water rushes in. It touches the tip of your shoes, and you feel how incredibly cold the water is. You begin shivering uncontrollably. You turn your back, opening your dresser to get out something that could absorb the water. However, each drawer that you open is jam-packed with snow. The snow is beginning to melt, and water is trickling down through the dressers. Your phone dings from where it is sitting. You go over to read it. "...award-winning artist begins fundraiser for the families of the missing..." Your phone shows that your Uber driver is here. [[You leave your room to go to your Uber. -> outside]]

You walk over to the front door of your dorm room. You put your hand on the handle. You even turn the handle. But you don't want to do that. So you turn around. The water has stopped rushing in from everywhere. In place of the water is feet upon feet of snow. You are still able to maneuver over to the window by crawling on top of the snow, where you pull up the blinds. You are nearly blinded by the light being reflected by all the white. As you blink to adjust, your dorm room disappears. You see that you are surrounded by hills of snow. Your stomach rumbles. Your clothes are intensely wet and frozen against your skin. As you breathe, your lungs burn. Looking around you, you are surrounded by mist. All you can distinguish is that you are in the middle of nowhere. Your hand tingles and you look down at it. You notice there is a foreign tattoo on your skin in the shape of an icicle. As you are staring at it, it begins to melt and drips off your hand into the snow. Once it is gone, you sit back in the snow, unable to muster the energy to get up. "I need to sweep..." you whisper.