Outfox Stories: stories to read and AI adventures to play, no account needed
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Chapter by
FeverDreamer · 20 Feb 2023 -
Everyone goes a little bit crazy when they're alone
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Anita had considered masturbating before bed to relieve whatever it was that was messing with her head, but despite doing everything she could to get herself into the mood, just couldn’t manage any enthusiasm.
That morning she left the messages from her friend unread, but committed herself to another attempt to meditate. Failing to do so yesterday had messed with her head, and it was clear there were some issues she needed to deal with. Perhaps a bit of introspection might shine some light on that.
Anita sat down and closed her eyes.
Breathe deeply.
Concentrate on your sensations.
Be mindful of your body.
Anita opened her eyes.
Anita closed her eyes.
No. She was going to see this through to the end.
And yet, despite doing everything the same as before, despite focusing on her breathing and practising mindfulness and all the other steps she had taken before, she could not fall into either the brief darkness she had experienced on her first day, nor the dreamlike detachment she had on her second.
Instead, she remained in place for a few minutes before giving up, feeling restless and frustrated as she paced around the room.
She should do something to take her mind off things. Do some chores. Wash the floor. Launder the sheets.
As she ran through a list of possible jobs around the apartment she could do, she opened her wardrobe. Why did she open her wardrobe? Everything in here was clean.
Before she could wonder any further, something caught her eye on a high shelf. Reaching up, Anita pulled down a weathered cardboard box that she didn’t quite recognise until she saw the labels.
Chores suddenly forgotten, Anita took the box into the living room and carefully removed the lid. It was like opening a door into her childhood: A treasure chest of relics that must have travelled with her since the day she moved out of home. She had never been able to bring herself to throw them out, but also never quite found the time to go through them all.
Well, lockdown gave her all the time in the world, and she spent the next few hours simply removing items one by one and examining them in minute detail, exploring the memories that each one invoked.
One thing that drew her eye in particular was a diary: Bright pink and studded in rhinestones like …
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Colm's party splits one silver a month. So when he overhears about a dungeon nobody's logged yet, he doesn't wait for the rest of his crew. He grabs the party healer, Agnes, burns their emergency teleport scroll, and goes in.
They come out with more gold than any of them have ever seen. Agnes comes out a little different.
She cooks better now. She's friendlier, too. Much friendlier. And there's something purple living in her that's been sealed in a box for a thousand years and is very, very bored.
Aldous was an alchemist once. And after relentless experiments he's now a colony of slugs who can wear anyone he likes, and he's decided Colm is the closest thing he has to a friend. He's promised to let his hosts keep control most of the time.
He's lying.
The clerk counted my pay out one coin at a time, slowly, like each one hurt her personally.
“Eleven copper,” she said.
“The posting said fifteen.”
“The farmer docked you four. For the hat.”
“The goat ate my hat.”
“He says it gave her a stomachache.”
The farmer told us she was a very special goat. He made us walk ten steps behind her the whole way so she wouldn't get nervous. She was not nervous. She ate my hat, and then, apparently, she charged me for it.
I scooped the coin…
They come out with more gold than any of them have ever seen. Agnes comes out a little different.
She cooks better now. She's friendlier, too. Much friendlier. And there's something purple living in her that's been sealed in a box for a thousand years and is very, very bored.
Aldous was an alchemist once. And after relentless experiments he's now a colony of slugs who can wear anyone he likes, and he's decided Colm is the closest thing he has to a friend. He's promised to let his hosts keep control most of the time.
He's lying.
The clerk counted my pay out one coin at a time, slowly, like each one hurt her personally.
“Eleven copper,” she said.
“The posting said fifteen.”
“The farmer docked you four. For the hat.”
“The goat ate my hat.”
“He says it gave her a stomachache.”
The farmer told us she was a very special goat. He made us walk ten steps behind her the whole way so she wouldn't get nervous. She was not nervous. She ate my hat, and then, apparently, she charged me for it.
I scooped the coin…
Delicious and dark!
This was well worth supporting for!