secret

You remain still, not a word escapes your lips. "I thought so", said the man menacigly, with a twinge of delight. He makes his way back to the driver's position of the cart, then whips the horses back to pace.

You let out a meek "Hello?" The stream of urine stops. After a few quiet seconds, you hear heaving footsteps move in front of you, then away, then toward you as the body heaves its way into the cart. You feel a hard slap across your face. It hits you with such force that you loose your sense of direction for a few seconds. A burly voice squats down right in front of your face. " Don't say another word, boy." [[Speak Again -> Speak Again Urinating]] [[Say "Another word, boy"]] [[Say Nothing -> Say Nothing Urinating]]

Two more hours elapse. You feel pangs of hunger. Suddenly, the cart stops. You hear a set of footsteps leave the cart and walk away. It sounds like he might be urinating. [[Wait]] [[Speak -> Speak Urinating]] [[Stand -> Stand Urinating]]

The cart continues on, an hour passes with no activity [[Continue to do Nothing]] [[Speak]]

You awaken in the back of a jostling cart. There is a coarse canvas bag over your head and your hands are tied behind your back. You can hear the clomping of hooves through a muddy path and the shuffling of feet of people in close proximity around you on the wooden floor, but they say nothing. You remember nothing. Sitting unsure of how you came to be in this situation, the rain soaks your clothes and the thick cloth around your face making it uncomfortable to breathe. [[Remove Rope]] [[Speak]] [[Stand]] [[Do Nothing]]

You struggle, but your hands are bound too tightly. The rope is coarse and braided, lashed tightly around your wrists.

You hear not a word from the large man for a few seconds, then a puff of air leaves his nostrils. "Witty you are, lad. We'll make sure to take care of that at the feast." He steps down out of the cart and whips the horse back to pace.

Your voice goes still, unknowing what to say. The cart continues on for a while. [[Continue to do Nothing]]

You're voice is hoarse, but you let out a barely intelligible "Hello?" You hear a man to your left shout, "Oi, shut your mouth!" [[Say Nothing]] [[Speak Again]]

You creak out another soft "Hello? Please, there must be some mistake!" The man turns around again. "If you don't shut your fucking mouth I will shut it for you!" [[Say Nothing]] [[ Speak Again ->Speak Again 2]]

The man finishes releiving himself. He climbs back onto the cart and whips the horse back to pace.

You cautiously rise from your bench seat. You feel your hands are tied in the front with rope and your legs bound together with chains. They drag heavy on the wood floor of the cart. The man seems not to notice you. [[Attempt Escape]] [[Sit Back Down]]

You begin shuffling towards the back of the cart, feeling for the edge. You feel for a stair with your foot, and the chain slinks down with an unsuspecting sound. The man is still urinating. You suspect he is starting to notice something. [[Place Feet on Stair]] [[Jump Off]]

With a leap of faith, you heave youself off of the cart, planting your feet firmly on the road. The chains make quite a noise, but are somewhat muted upon landing due to the thick mud mixed up by the rain. The man stops urinating and you hear his voice turn towards you. "Get back in the cart, boy, before I tie you to the wheel." [[Run]] [[...Okay]] [[Sass Him]]

You take off down the road at a full sprint, or as fast as your feet shackles will widen your stride, which is maybe a couple of feet. "Hey! You're dead!". You hear the large man issue a string of expletives and demands to you, but they fade out into the distance. You faintly hear a commotion ensue in the man's direction but you continue to run as fast your legs will carry you, praying that in your blind sprint you won't run off the road. You feel the cart ruts with your feet to keep your bearings Eventually you stop, exhausted and nearing collapse. Between breaths, you hear the sound of running water [[Go to Sound]]

You clamor back into the cart. defeated. The man shoves you in the back and you fall on your face amongst the other chained feet The cart continues on [[Wait ->Continue to do Nothing]]

"If you lash me to the wheel as securely as you lash yourself to the barstool, then I certainly will be in a predicament!" "You fucking weasel! I'll drink my mead out of your skull on that barstool!" You hear him stomping toward you. [[Run]]

You make your way towards the soothing sound, stumbling and falling over the uneven terrain on the way. Your feet finally meet the edge of a stream, and you lean in and attempt to suck some water through the coarse canvas that covers your head. After minutes of paltry sips of water between gasping for air, you slump back on the bank to catch your breath. You hear a child's voice. "Are you a prisoner?" [[Speak Kindly to the Child]] [[Speak Urgently to the Child]] [[Ignore the Child]]

You hesitate before speaking. "I'm not quite sure why I'm like this, I hope it doesn't frighten you. I'm not a bad person I promise you." A dead moment hangs in the air. "What are you up to?" you say as calmly as you can muster. The child seems confused and cautious. "uhh, I like to play by the water." "Do you play here often?" "Whenever daddy doesn't need help." "Do you like to skip rocks?" The child's tone livens. "Mommy taught me that. I can do it pretty much every time. One time I skipped it 4 times!" "That's quite an achievement. My dad and I have skipped rocks before, and he showed my how to get it at least 6 times! I can still do it sometimes if I'm lucky" "Can you show me?" "Well, I wish I could, but considering my situation I'm afraid I cannot. Would you be willing to untie my hands?" The child hesitates, but approaches you. You hold out your hands as the tiny hands struggle to remove the thick rope. "That's it, just pull that loop." You say. The bonds fall away and your hands are free. [[Remove Bag from Head]] [[Attempt to Skip Rock]] [[Run Away]]

You grab on the ground for a flat-ish rock and stand up. "Ya ready for this?" You fling the rock wildly and it hits a tree, not a splash to be heard. The child giggles. [[Remove Bag from Head]] [[Run Away]]