The Human Game: A Shrine for a Fake God

>Take a second look at the others



Enough looking into the darkness. This is supposed to be a Bridge of Sighs, and it isn’t here at all. Time to get the other’s thoughts on the situation.
The first you turn to is Joe. His expression has changed, from stunned silence to clear agitation – his eyes dart from side to side as you address him.

THALIA: Are you alright, Joe?
JOE: Dark…
JOE: It’s really quite…dark.
THALIA: Hm? Is the dark not something you like?
JOE: No! Not at all!
JOE: Just being here…I have this overwhelming feeling of doom…
JOE: L-like something is in those shadows, watching with glazed, cadaverous eyes…
THALIA: Joe! Joe, please, what are you saying?
THALIA: There’s light here. We’re not in any danger.
THALIA: There’s no need to panic.
JOE: I can’t help it. I’ve been terrified of the dark since I was a child, y-you know.
JOE: Oh, oh, my poor heart, it feels like it’s aiming to tremble right out of my chest-!

You stand there, unsure what to do – reassuring someone has never been your strong suit, and it seems the more Joe stares into the distant dark corners of the room, the more anxious he becomes. Do you reach out? Find words to soothe him? You open your mouth, ready to pull forth whatever comforting phrases you know off the top of your head-

CAMILLA: I can help.

You close your mouth, your thoughts interrupted. Camilla suddenly steps up to the both of you, though her gaze is completely fixed on Joe.

JOE: What?
CAMILLA: Stay still. Do you mind if I touch you?
CAMILLA: Just on your upper chest.
JOE: I-I guess?
JOE: What will that do?
CAMILLA: Hold still.

As you watch, she raises her right hand, pressing it firmly above Joe’s upper chest, where his heart would be. Joe stares at her, perplexed, and you do too – what is that supposed to do? Help? How? You almost want to laugh, this has to be a joke-

And then, suddenly, the tension in Joe’s shoulders fades away. Eyes widening in slight surprise, he lets out a sigh, one of his hands moving to his chest. He visibly looks like a burden has been lifted off of his shoulders.

JOE: Huh, I…
JOE: I feel much better, somehow.
JOE: And you did all of that with…with just a touch?
CAMILLA: Yes.
CAMILLA: I told you I’d help.
JOE: Yes, yes, it’s like I can finally breathe again…

What.

What just happened? You blink, unsure if you were hallucinating the whole thing.

THALIA: What…what did you do?
CAMILLA: I have magic hands.

WHAT.

THALIA: E-excuse me?
CAMILLA: My hands are magical.
CAMILLA: I can calm down anyone with a touch.

Is she being serious? You had thought she’d say something like “this is a technique I learned from some book about calming down” or something of the like, but…magical HANDS?

CAMILLA: Would you like if I’d do this to you too, Thalia?
THALIA: I-I…er.
CAMILLA: It would not take long.
THALIA: I don’t see how that would…do anything…
JOE: Oh, come now!

Joe suddenly speaks up – he seems worlds apart from the anxious, jittery man from before. In fact, his eyes seem to light up with a determined glimmer, ever so bright against the darkness of the room around you.

JOE: It really wouldn’t hurt.
JOE: I feel much better! Like I could fight off Atlas himself and carry the world!
JOE: You should give it a go, I say!
CAMILLA: I don’t mind helping you.
JOE: It’s like all my worries have melted away in an instant.
JOE: She really does have magical hands!
JOE: I certainly believe in it!

The two stare at you expectantly – one as expressionless as ever, the other practically beaming with a wild, childish spirit.

This is…

This is all very stupid.

THALIA: Ah, well, Camilla…I appreciate the offer. I do.
THALIA: But I’m feeling just fine.
CAMILLA: Are you sure?
THALIA: Yes, I am quite sure.
THALIA: Also, I admit, I’m a little skeptical about your choice of method.
JOE: Oh, Thalia, don’t have your mind be so closed to the discoveries of the world around you! If it works, it works!
THALIA: Well, maybe I’ll try it later, okay?
CAMILLA: …
CAMILLA: I suppose.
CAMILLA: But it would just be a touch…
CAMILLA: Just to reach out, and…

She suddenly turns away from you – even in the low light, you can see a healthy shade of red blossom in her cheeks. Is she…embarrassed? It’s strange, how her expression doesn’t change, and yet she seems sheepish enough to start mumbling to herself. It’s an odd look for her. A very stoic young woman, suddenly and inexplicably timid…

CAMILLA: But I guess it would be too much...
THALIA: Like I said, Camilla, I'd like to see how it's done later. Just not right now.
CAMILLA: …

She doesn’t meet your eyes. You could swear her blush deepens. Joe clicks his tongue, obviously disappointed in your decision.

JOE: Ah, you’re missing out.
JOE: I swear, it really felt like she managed to banish all my fears for a moment, with a simple, solitary touch!
THALIA: If it helped you out, Joe, then I’m glad.
THALIA: But let’s focus on other things, alright? Like where the bridge is.
JOE: Right, right, that is a conundrum…
CAMILLA: …

> Inspect and open the box; there might be something of value there.



Shaking your head, you turn your attention to the strange box resting in between the lamps – whatever just happened isn’t important. This box, however, is. It seems like some kind of metal chest with handles, colored grey and black save for the strange golden decoration on top of it – it’s divided into two with a line, with a black dot on each side of it. What does it mean? It vaguely reminds you of Seth’s and Cancel’s mask.

JOE: So what is this, exactly?
JOE: A box?
THALIA: Seems so. Let me try to open it…

You press your fingers underneath the lid – it doesn’t budge. You even put a little strength into it, but to no avail – it’s closed. You don’t see a keyhole anywhere, nor a latch or a switch. Camilla steps up to have a go at it, and after a moment she shakes her head. She can’t open it, either.

JOE: So what do we do now if it can’t be opened?
JOE: Surely there must be a secret to it.
JOE: Or maybe this is some Pandora’s Box, never meant to be opened or tampered with…
THALIA: Well, Pandora’s Box had hope on the inside, did it not?
THALIA: Either way, I do wonder about those handles…
THALIA: Perhaps there’s something underneath it?
JOE: Oh, right! Yes, maybe we can lift it up.
CAMILLA: Thalia, I will lift up this side.
CAMILLA: You can lift from the other.

You nod. That sounds like a plan. Your left arm is stronger than your right, anyways – you firmly grasp the handle on that side, and when you see that Camilla has done the same on her side, you both lift the box up from the floor.



There’s a sudden rumble in front of you. The empty space between your ledge and the next suddenly, dizzyingly, fills with a light that threatens to blind you – squinting, you see it die down slightly, only to solidify into pieces of solid floor that appear, one by one, until the whole thing is only a step away from you.

The bridge.

It’s the Bridge of Sighs, isn’t it?

And…you can’t tell what you’re looking at. Light? It’s made of light? How is that possible? This is technology that seems like something from a science fiction dream. A bridge that appears from nowhere, floating in the air, bound by nothing.

You’re a bit starstruck, honestly. But you have little time to admire the strange sight before the cube above you crackles with an irritating static tone, and the screen on it suddenly turns on.



A familiar golden face appears on the screen. That man. That monstrous man, with a constant metallic smile that seems to be nothing short of condescending. You ignore the twisting sensation of absolute disgust that goes to your gut.

CANCEL: The Bridge of Sighs.
CANCEL: So you’ve activated it.
CANCEL: Good timing, too. I just finished talking with our dear truthbearer, hm…
JOE: Abigail? Is she alright?
CANCEL: She is, she is. I have not harmed a single hair on her pretty little head.
CANCEL: Anyways…isn’t it beautiful?
CANCEL: So radiant with light…
THALIA: The bridge?
CANCEL: Yes, indeed! The bridge, one that exists and doesn’t exist.
CANCEL: A bridge that offers a way to your destination, and yet threatens to disappear under your feet at the same time.
CANCEL: A chance of progress, and a chance of sudden death.
THALIA: What do you mean?

JOE: Yes, you make it sound like this bridge is far from stable…
CANCEL: Did you think that this task would be as simple as walking across a bridge?
CANCEL: This is a challenge for all of you, my sweet little nothings.
CANCEL: You see, this bridge has rules to it.
THALIA: Rules?
CANCEL: What, are you surprised?
CANCEL: Come now, Miss Parik, I know you have a sharp mind in that head somewhere!
CANCEL: Nothing is ever easy.
CANCEL: You know that for a fact.
THALIA: …

CANCEL: Listen very carefully, as I will not repeat myself again.
CANCEL: Your task is to get all three of you to the other side, along with the chest you’re currently holding.
CANCEL: The bridge can carry three people at once, two people carrying the chest, or one person carrying a chest.
CANCEL: It cannot carry all three people along with the chest. It simply will deactivate!
CANCEL: However, you cannot simply drop off the chest on either side whenever you want.
CANCEL: In order to transfer the chest from the bridge to a ledge, three people must be present on the side of that ledge.
CANCEL: If you have one person holding the chest and one person on the ledge, and the other is left behind…
CANCEL: You can’t move the chest to the ledge. If you do, the bridge disappears, and…well!
CANCEL: Goodbye to that poor pathetic being who was stuck on the bridge at the time.
CANCEL: Do you understand? This is a dangerous little challenge.
CANCEL: You have to act carefully. If you don’t…
CANCEL: There certainly will be a tragedy on your hands.

Authors Note:

SpoilerShow

past me: haha why don’t I make a puzzle involving a BRIDGE which i have to DRAW
current me, beating up past me: SAY THAT AGAIN!! SAY THAT AGAIN TO MY FACE

anyways I have little to say except real life was punching me in the face for a long, long while! I apologize again for the long wait, but I can say for sure that The Human Game is here to stay.

I realize that I am TERRIBLE at writing out puzzles, yes, so here is a more succinct version of the puzzle cancel is trying to talk about (with a “boat” standing in for “bridge”):

three people with a chest are at a river. there is a boat that can fit three people or two people and a chest, but the chest is heavy and can be only loaded and unloaded from the boat by all three people. How can they all get to one side with the chest?