Fingertips: What's That Blue Thing Doing Here?
by Ruth Alfasso (2012)
Genres: Humor

Each step of this one-move game takes you into an entirely different, very short, story. Often, there's a blue thing. What's it doing here?

action: %
response: The footsteps behind you seem to be getting louder, closer, as you run. You're reaching the end of your breath, legs burning with the effort. You don't know if you should keep running or stop, wait here or even turn around and fight.

life.

fingertips: what's that blue thing doing here

The road rolls on in front of you. To the north the road continues, to the east, a set of stairs descends and there is a doorway to the west. Make your move wisely, you only get one.
action: Inventory
response: You're carrying nothing but your ideas of linear storytelling, which you drop immediately. Also this blue thing. What's it doing here?

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: You eat the blue thing
response: It tastes remarkably blue.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: You examine the blue thing
response: What's that blue thing doing here?

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: You wear blue
response: (first taking the blue thing)
What's that blue thing doing here?

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: Xyzzy
response: You are in a twisty maze of passages, all alike. It is dark, and you are likely to be eaten by a blue thing

Ok, you're not, but what did you expect?

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: You throw the blue
response: The blue thing is already here.
action: You go to the north
response: You keep running, it feel like you've hit some sort of wall, and the footsteps behind you are getting closer. But then you see it, the finish line, a bright blue banner just ahead. You put on a burst of speed, ignoring the screaming of your legs, the pain in your lungs and make it. A split second later, the owner of the footsteps that dogged yours for the last half mile crosses the line behind you. Although second place is not so shabby, she looks glum and you feel embarassed and a little guilty.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: Go west
response: You try the doorknob on the roughly painted door and find it locked. In panic, you shove it hard and the lock releases, the door squealing open to reveal a darkened hallway. You slam the door shut again and listen, pressing your ear to the wood as the pounding footsteps go by. You breathe a sigh of relief and look in the bag you've been clutching, all the way from the jewelry store. In the dim light of an emergency exit electric bulb, it's hard to see what's in there, but it doesn't look, or feel right. You pull out a strand of what you thought were pearls but to your fingers, they're clearly made of plastic. What were supposed to be gold chains are suspiciously light. And something in the bag is blinking a tiny blue light. You realize it's some sort of tracker when you hear the footsteps return.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: You go east
response: You cascade down the stairs, praying not to slip on the steps, wet from last night's rain, hoping there's someone staffing the subway entrance. A quick look over your shoulder shows that the man who's been chasing you since you left work is still behind you, but the look costs you seconds as you have to grab for the handrail to keep from falling. He calls out to you: "Miss? Miss! You dropped your bag!"

You stand there panting, wairly looking at the stranger as he holds a bag out to you. Indeed, it looks like your purse and, now standing still for the moment, you notice you're not carrying yours anymore. Gratefully, you reach out for it.

"Thank you," you say and take it. The man nods and jogs back up the stairs out of sight. The bag is strangely heavy. You reach inside and find a gun, which gleams bluely in the harsh fluorescents of the subway station.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: Go south
response: Saying "enough is enough" to yourself, you turn and face the crowd of people, including your maid of honor and the man you had promised to marry, trailing behind you as you fled the church in your shiny silver heels and long white dress.

"I'm sorry," you say to them all, "I can't go through with it." Tears are flowing down your cheeks as you give back the ring to your intended groom, and take off the earrings belonging to your no-longer-to-be-mother-in-law, handing them to the maid of honor, who stands gaping.

"Here's the something borrowed, you can see they get back to her."

You take off your garter, practically groping your own leg in the process of worrying it off down your knee and past your shoe and throw it at her. "I'm sure you'll be very happy," you scream, as the blue ribbon of cloth hits her hair and bounces to the ground.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: You go northeast
response: You take off through the fields, zigzagging to avoid the occasional arrow what's left of the army manages to get off in your general direction. Maybe you shouldn't have insulted thier leader, wasn't that like one of the first things they taught you in time travel school?

No, that was "get to the damn transfer point before the portal closes."

You see the glimmer of the portal in front of you and dive toward it, feeling a sharp pain in your side as you fall through. Landing hard on the retrieval platform increases the pain a hundredfold and you look down to see your blood pouring out over the shaft of a slim blue arrow.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: You go upward
response: You think you're finally going fast enough. You spread your wings and *WHOOSH*, the sound is nearly deafening, but you can feel your feet leaving the ground, dangling beneath you, before you remember to tuck them like you'd practiced and flap, flap, flap.

You look down, and the crowd below has stopped running and all are staring up at you, waving the pitchforks and torches they were carrying to run you and your experiments out of town. They are starting to look as small and insigificant as they are. Ahead of you is only blue sky.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: Sing
response: You burst out into song, belting out "I'm your only friend, I'm not your only friend, but I'm a little glowing friend, but really I'm not actually your friend."

When you get to the chorus, the group of people behind you join in at the harmony.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: You wake up
response: Ok, honestly, you're really sitting in front of a computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone playing a text adventure loosely inspired by the songs of They Might be Giants. Better?

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: Go southwest
response: The complicated shadows of the taller buildings in this part of town give you hope and an idea. You double back, using a broken lamppost as an anchor to quickly change direction and loop around the building, sneaking around the side and emerging from behind the crowd as they pass, running as if to keep up with the stragglers in the crowd of cops and city folk that were chasing you after your latest exploits had come to light. In the dark nobody notices, not even the people you're running head to head with, you're dressed alike in the the same kind of raggedy clothing. As the crowd begins to disperse, making noises of frustration, you duck down a side street and head for one of your safehouses, to live to taunt the regime yet again. In the gutter you see a blue kazoo, which gives you an excellent idea.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: You wait
response: You hit pause and the game stops; you realize you've been playing for hours, so absorbed your heart really is pounding like you're being chased and your mouth is cottony-dry. You stumble off to the kitchen and grab some gatorade, your least favorite flavor -- blue.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: Pray
response: You pray. Blue bolts from heaven strike down your enemies. Wow! Should have tried that earlier.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: Xyzzy
response: You are in a twisty maze of passages, all alike. It is dark, and you are likely to be eaten by a blue thing

Ok, you're not, but what did you expect?

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: You play the blue
response: I don't understand you. Perhaps you'd like to play "fingertips: I don't understand you" instead.
action: Dance
response: At the cue, synchronized watches quietly beeping, you and the rest of your flash mob break into a well-rehearsed dance routine, waving blue scarves around your heads as you stomp and whirl to the Bollywood-style music blaring from synchronized iPhones. You can't wait to see this on YouTube!

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: You eat
response: What do you want to eat?
action: Curse
response: You curse a blue streak. It makes you feel better and you speed up, your pursuers falling behind. Words are powerful!

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: You jump
response: You think you're finally going fast enough. You spread your wings and *WHOOSH*, the sound is nearly deafening, but you can feel your feet leaving the ground, dangling beneath you, before you remember to tuck them like you'd practiced and flap, flap, flap.

You look down, and the crowd below has stopped running and all are staring up at you, waving the pitchforks and torches they were carrying to run you and your experiments out of town. They are starting to look as small and insigificant as they are. Ahead of you is only blue sky.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: Sleep
response: You wake up with a start, covered in sweat.

Damn you hate these being-chased-in-the-dark can't-move-in-molasses don't-know-why-you're-running dreams. Also, you need to pee, bad. Maybe next time you'll skip the jalapeno, garlic and feta toppings on your pizza. You're thankful for your blue canary night light to keep you company at times like these.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: Smell blue
response: Mostly you smell your own sweat, you've been running so long.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: You listen
response: You hear the noise of the crowd as they jeer at you, calling you names like "Smurf" and "little blue riding hood" and "meanie". It's not fair! It's not your fault you fell in the vat of dye just before your coming out party. You're so embarrassed, you're never coming back to town again.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: You wear blue thing
response: (first taking the blue thing)
What's that blue thing doing here?

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.
action: Kiss blue thing
response: You can only do that to something animate.
action: Wave
response: You wave, feeling foolish.
action: Yes
response: That was a rhetorical question.
action: Bother
response: Quite.
action: You buy the blue thing
response: Nothing is on sale.
action: You throw the blue
response: The blue thing is already here.
action: You think
response: As you run, you're doing as complex of math calculations in your head as you can, it's the only way you can keep the telepaths behind you from knowing which direction you're planning to run.

Each step takes you in a completely new direction. Here's another
go at a fresh world.