Another Me - Your number has been called!

>Look on the bright side, Effy, someone chasing you just gives you more motivation to keep running. In fact, if you hurl a few insults at Chuckles McMeatface back there, you might be motivated to move even faster.

>Hey Clo, remember that one movie by Alfred Hitchcock? 'The Birds'? The one where all those birds went crazy and started attacking people? Remember how scary and dangerous those birds in that movie were? Say, these birds look a lot like the birds from that movie, don't they? Wow, your whole situation right now is a lot like what happened in that movie, huh? You know, with the birds declaring war on humanity and causing the collapse of modern society. Just keep dwelling on how your life is exactly like that horror movie right now, with all the murderous, psycho birds. It sure was a good movie, though.

>Clover: Start wondering if the progressively unhinged Green haired weirdo didn't engineer the whole situation to sort of 'bring her friend back' in a weird way.
(it's be ... sort of relatable if it wasn't so damn creepy)

>On the plus side, hey way to conquer your phobia there.

>Run Effy, run. Ruun like the magical wind !

> Selena: Spectating is doing something, right? Yes.

You ARE doing something! It wasn't anything you planned for, but the more you think about it, the more you think it's the right thing to do.

You'll call him again after this. There's no way he won't be interested. Your brother... Well, you're going to tell him too, but it's not like he'll answer the phone. You'll just knock on the window.

> Look on the bright side, Effy, someone chasing you just gives you more motivation to keep running. In fact, if you hurl a few insults at Chuckles McMeatface back there, you might be motivated to move even faster.



N... No! You're too young to die!

SELENA: Aw, relax. They're just happy to see you, you know? It's been a long time.
CLOVER: A long time since what? Since they've tasted human flesh?!
SELENA: Oh, no, I'm sure they must be getting that every so often.
CLOVER:What the Christ?? Could this get any freakin' creepier?!
SELENA: What's the problem?
CLOVER: What's the... Are ya fuckin' serious?! ALL of this garbage--
CLOVER: W-Wait, what the...? What IS this?!

> Run Effy, run. Ruun like the magical wind !



You don't even know how long you've been running for! You're almost almost out of breath, your legs are burning, your feet feel like rocks and you can barely...



... see...

SELENA: Oh, you can see this! Good~

>UM
>THIS IS NOT THE PARK

>EXCUSE ME, SELENA! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!

>Effy: The birds malevolently descend upon your tormentor, squawking with ill intent. You should probably do something..... Eventually.

> EXCUSE ME, SELENA! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!

CLOVER: What the FUCK!!!
CLOVER: What'd ya do?! Take us back!
SELENA: Ooh, back where? Back where??
CLOVER: What the hell?! To the park!
SELENA: ... Oh. Well, about that...
EFFY: Um... Hh...
EFFY: Hiii...?
EFFY: I brought the... stuff...
CLOVER: Yeah, hey, gimme a sec, I'm dealin' with aw fuck OFF, Max, can't even leave a girl alone on a Sunda--
CLOVER: Shit! FUCK! Don't look-- Get the hell outta here 'fore I...!
EFFY: ... Um, Clo?

EFFY: You're back to normal, so...
CLOVER: ... Oh.
CLOVER: Well, he can still fuck off!
MAX: This is so the first time I've ever regretted running after this nerd.

SELENA: Oh, hey, I didn't see you there! Who are you? Are you their friend too? Plain old human?
MAX: Uhh... Look, I dunno why you're the one asking the questions here, but...

> Effy: The birds malevolently descend upon your tormentor, squawking with ill intent. You should probably do something..... Eventually.

EFFY: Oh no! R-Run! We'll... We'll hold them off!
EFFY: I mean, we'll catch them! We're here to catch them!
MAX: Run WHERE? How did we get here?? What's going on, you weirdos?!
SELENA: Oh, boy...

>Max: What you don't have in originality, basic decency or quickness of mind, make up in survival instinct and Run.

>Rather than tearing him to shreds, the birds attacks on max are more along the petty side. We're talking grabbing his arm in their talons, manipulating it so he attacks himself, and squawking something that sounds like "Quit hitting yourself." Maybe a wedgie too.
>Selena: Cast a spell on Max to try and help. Unfortunately, but humorously, since you did it without thinking, the results are a bit weird.

>Max: Have you ever tried to bully a bird?

>To the public bathrooms!

>Selena: Have a perfectly sensible explanation why you brought the humans to the Spooky Dimension: it seemed like a good idea at the time.

New reader yay!

SpoilerShow

Really sorry about the wait, everyone! And hello, new reader(s)!

> To the public bathrooms!



WHAT BATHROOMS???

SELENA: Okay... Listen, everyone, if you could calm down for just a second...
CLOVER: Calm down?! Here? With those things about to...?!

CLOVER: ...

CLOVER: Stop that.
MAX: Oh, sure! Just tell them to stop, that's gonna...

MAX: ... work?
EFFY: Oh... Oh, wow! Clo, that's amazing!
CLOVER: It... _{It's nothin'...}
CLOVER: Now take us back! The fuck were you even thinkin'? What's WRONG with ya?!
SELENA: I didn't take you... Bluh.

> Selena: Have a perfectly sensible explanation why you brought the humans to the Spooky Dimension: it seemed like a good idea at the time.

SELENA: I just thought you might...
SELENA: Oh, never mind.

>waitwhat this place doesn't have bathrooms? what kind of shoddy operation is this!?

>Wait, was that an illusion, or is the park an illusion?

>Clover: The birds follow your command now. Think of the possibilities.
>Max: You're holding onto Effy pretty tightly there, careful, people might start thinking you have a crush or something.

>Clo: ..Wait... "I've been trying to see someone again! The tricky thing is, she's dead.", The way she grinned when she saw you under the illusory appearance. The way she was so sure the birds wouldn't hurt you, "It's been a long time", "I just thought you might...".
>Clo: Out of a hunch and a growing dark suspicion of where this migh be all about ask her in a seeming casual way if she believes in reincarnation

> Wait, was that an illusion, or is the park an illusion?

CLOVER: ... Are we back?
EFFY: I-I don't think we ever left...
MAX: What? Where were we just now??
EFFY: We... I was just trying to say, w-we're still in the same place.
MAX: What???
EFFY: _Geez... I-I know maybe this is gonna sound weird, but, um, that girl can make you see... illusions? S-Stuff that's not real? So--
MAX: ... Is our park fake?!
EFFY: No!
MAX: Hey! Who says you can talk to me like that just because I don't get what you're going on about, nerd?
CLOVER: Hey, assclown.
MAX: What?

CLOVER: Watch it.
EFFY: Um!!! Anyway!
EFFY: I got the nets!
CLOVER: ... I think we might not need 'em.
EFFY: Aw, what?

> Clover: The birds follow your command now. Think of the possibilities.

CLOVER: Can ya send these guys back the way they came from?
SELENA: ... To the abandoned castle?
CLOVER: What-- No! I mean whatever freakin' Hell Dimension they flew out of!
SELENA: Oh!
SELENA: Nope.
CLOVER: Ugh, thought so.
CLOVER: So that settles it.

CLOVER: I gotta bring 'em home with me.

oh no, what a terrible fate, loyal pet attack birds, i guess you'll just have to grin and bear it

>Maybe you can teach these things to be helpful in the workshop? ...No, that sounds like a catastrophe waiting to happen.

>They're going to need names.

>pet pet bird
>discover that they're actually good boys when not angry

>You may want to think of way to explain this to your parens....

> You may want to think of ways to explain this to your parents....



Instead of doing much in the way of explaining, you declare you'll be keeping the birds in the backyard until your uncle stops asking questions.

Effy can explain the cawing next door to HER parents.

> discover that they're actually good boys when not angry



For what it's worth, the damn things are obedient, because you're PRETTY sure they could just destroy the chains if they really wanted to run away.

Weird that they don't have names. You decide you have to change that so you don't just keep referring to them as "the one with the dopey eyes" or "the one with the bushy tail." You let Effy name one of them too. They don't let her name them until you reiterate, very firmly, that you will be calling one of them Taka from then on.

It's scary how they just tear through all the meat you give them, too. Ugh, this is so going to cut into your development funds--



YOU FORGOT TO ASK FOR PAY.



...

The days continue to pass.



Usually, when people speak of time marching on, they're talking about years or decades. But a march from one end of the street to the other is still a march - or, at the very least, a part of it.

And there is a lot that can be set in motion along the way.

EFFY: ... And this is our favourite ice cream place!
CLOVER: ... You're really gonna make your freakin' ghost ancestor try ice cream.
EFFY: What's wrong with that?

>Really Clover, ghosts absolutely LOVE ice cream. It's the one constant in ghost mythology throughout every culture. Know you nothing of folklore?

>I dunno! That just doesn't seem like... what ghost ancestors are for!