Message from Flagpole

[FlagPole]

This is Flagpole's friend.

Flagpole is terribly sorry about not being able to update "I suck at Pokemon (2)"

His computer fried and he had to get a new one. He promised me that he'd start working on getting back to where he was in Pokemon as soon as he was finished setting the computer up.

Then yesterday he sent me a letter. Through the real-life mail.

I'll try to type it up exactly as it was written.

THE DARKEST GARDEN

When I woke up that fateful day, everything was normal. The new computer had finally finished installing the stuff I set going yesterday and the sun was shining bright outside my window.

I'd got a new game. Well, it's an old game but it's my first time playing it. I put it on my CD tray... Then I got a knock at the door.

I let the tray slide back and answered the door. It was an envelope from "Ian Vipatva". Weird name. Sounds kind of indian or something. Anyway inside the envelope was a piece of paper. It was a deed to some land. I looked back at the envelope. No address. I wondered who Ian Vipatva was. I decided to go to my new land to check it out.

Goddamn google maps gave me the long way.

The town outside seemed nice. The people there were a bit strange though. When I asked someone who was he just laughed at me and said that he was a very good man. I didn't think too much of it. He certainly was a good man if he just gave me a big piece of land for no reason.

I found a pathway that lead to my new land and...

What the hell.

It was like walking through heaven and falling in a pile of crap. The ground was hard and dry, the grass... This wasn't even grass this was just some goddamn weeds. There was junk all over the place and some crazy lady stood in the middle of it all, crying her eyes out.

I decided that this was just some kind of sick joke and turned to walk home.

...But I couldn't.

I had no idea why. I'm still not entirely sure. I couldn't walk any further. There was nothing stopping me, and I was trying, but my legs would not respond. I tried stepping back, that worked, I tried running forwards but I just stopped dead at a certain point. I looked down at my feet. What the hell? A little chalk line? I tried jumping over the line but no matter how hard I tried my legs failed to launch me any further than that damn chalk line.

Okay. So I figured that maybe there was some magic in this world. That, or I was going completely insane. I kind of hoped the first. I followed the line to find it's end. It turned a corner... Then another... Then a third...

I was trapped in some goddamn magical/imaginary chalk square.

I turned to the lady. She was wearing some kind of costume for some reason. I asked her who Ian Vipatva was and what the hell the chalk was. She just looked up and told me her name.

For the sake of suspense, I will not say it.

It was not Ian.

For the sake of suspense he also did not finish the letter. I hope he'll send more later.

- Flagpole's friend

[Glabbit]

Woah, like a mystery novel.
This is either creepy or extremely interesting.

[Richie Rabbit]

Pokemon?

[blood-shard]

ive actualy heard of somthing like this befor.Some peoples minds are so mentaly disturbed in such a serious way they think they are imprissoned by some one or something.But the odd thing is that they are just struggling against them self whit their everyday normal life. But to them it feels the way its discribed here battling to break out. But i hardly think this is some psychologic/mental fight against them selfs, i think this is a sort of wierd joke

the woman in the middle could be the people around him just jabbin,the letter could sybolise the people trying to reach him, the chalk square could be the invisible wall he built around him self shielding his mind from the things on the outside, the dry weed looking ground his current state what do i know xD

[FlagPole]

(Blue is me. Italics were getting annoying to read.)

Well two things happened to me today. The first was another letter. The second was a knock at the door. It was Flagpole.

He's locked himself in my room and he won't come out.

I'm not sure why I write these letters like I'm telling a story.
Maybe I'm crazy.
Maybe I'm trying to distance myself by making it look fictional.
Or maybe I'm crazy.

THE DARKEST GARDEN
Part 1: I have a pet

The woman told me that she was hoping someone would help her clean up this mess. She handed me a Shovel.
"I'm supposed to clean up this place with this rusty old shovel? It looks like you've been eating bits of it..."
She just ignored me.

Oh yeah. Remember how she said "help"? Well I guess she was being sarcastic because I did all of the work. The junk lying around? I had to drag that stuff out myself. Well, I took it to the line and then kicked it across. The line didn't stop the junk, just me. So I figured I must be going crazy.

Damn crazy chalk.

I evened out the ground and killed the weeds by digging them up and throwing them with the rest of the trash. Now the plot of land looked kind of barren, but atleast it wasn't so dirty. Maybe that was why I got it for free.

I thought about the envelope. And Vipatva. Why did he choose me? I'm nothing special.

Whatever Ian thought about me, something was happening. Something small, but still something. The Woman pointed out some kind of white wormy thing walking around on my dirt. I was about to kill it, but then the crazy lady gave me a medal. Apparantly these worm things are kept as pets.

First I thought- Who the hell keeps a worm as a pet? Secondly I thought, - What the hell kind of worm is this? Thirdly- Why give me a MEDAL for finding a PET!?

It had eyes. Eyes that I could see from the other side of the square. Worms do not have eyes like that. And it was freaking huge for a worm. It was less like a worm and more like a living furry sausage thing. Maybe a weird snake. It had fur. Or was it fur? It was kind of like scales, kind of like fur, but not feathers. And it had these weird markings all over it. I had no idea what this little thing was. It seemed harmless and I couldn't get it to leave so I just left it wandering around.

The woman gave me some grass seeds. Where she kept this stuff I have no idea. I started planting the grass, but I noticed some strange markings in the grass itself. It was hard to describe. Like if I finished putting grass everywhere it would make a big picture. Also, weird albino snake things started wandering around outside the chalk square. I freaked out and cut down the grass. I'm keeping my dirt pile as a dirt pile. I don't want to finish planting the grass and summon beezlebub through the pattern or something.

Then I noticed something strange about the worm things. They'd gained some color. Not pink or brown or some color that an actual animal would have. It turned yellow and green and some other colors. It was like looking at a living toy. It would certainly explain the eyes.

Those soulless eyes.

The woman told me that the color change meant that it decided to live here. Great. Now I've got this little wormy thing living around here. I figured that if people around here kept one of those... Things as pets it couldn't be too bad, right? I asked the woman what it ate. She just stared at me.

Oh boy. This is going to be a long day.

I think Flagpole just started crying. Or laughing. Or both. He does that now.

- FP's Friend

[McJoggin]

I am uneasy. What the hell is that worm? The crazy lady? Ian Vipatva? Also, Flagpole seems really disturbed. I need to read more.

[Glabbit]

Indeed. Moar!
If I had all the money and time in the world I'd probably be trying to get over there and see the situation out for myself... sounds either like a prank or a grand adventure I wouldn't want to miss =D

[Jimmy Jazz]

deleted by author

[Glabbit]

EDIT: Good boy :3
*also deleted this bit*

[McJoggin]

deleted by author

I...don't know what you mean by that.

[Ozymandias]

I read the message before he had deleted it, but, I'm not going to say anything other than this sentence.

And this.

[FlagPole]

I don't have time to type up the third letter right now, but I'm just typing to let you know that I've got to go somewhere over the weekend, so I won't be able to update until monday.

[FlagPole]

[BEHINDTHESCENES] Something in my house has broken, so I can't get anymore story until that thing is fixed. I can't say what is broken because it might hint at the true nature of this story. I can probably squeeze out two updates from what I already have, but until the thing has been fixed I'm stuck.

Also, if you are enjoying this, you might want to read
http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/Animal%20 ... index.html
[/BEHINDTHESCENES]

We're back. Flagpole's gone back to his house and he's capable of rational thought again. Now he just screams at the sight of any animal.

He's not typing up this post because nobody wants to mention anything about this to his face.

The last time we tried, bad things happened.

Hey. I just realized.

If I close my eyes then it's not real.

Here he tried to write something while his eyes were closed.

THE DARKEST GARDEN
Part 2: I have questions

I watched the little thing wander around. It didn't really do much. It wiggled, it wandered, it did some kind of dance, it curled up into a ball, then it dug a hole in the ground and wiggled some more. Another little worm entered the square and changed color as well, so I was stuck with two of them.

I started to wonder if they ate anything at all. Maybe they eat the dirt they dig up. I dunno.

Someone stood outside of the square. When I say someone, I mean an actual person. I prayed to god that he wasn't a crazy person and went to talk to him.

"Oh thank goodness someone came. Look, I don't know how but I'm trapped here and I need to get out!"
"Those worms...."
"Uh... Yeah. They live here."
"Without a house?"
"A what?"
"Yeah. I'll build those little worms a house for ya! No charge!"
"What?... No, the worms don't need-"
"I'll get started then!"
"Wait! Don't step into the squ-"
He did anyway. Crazy bass-tart. He started working on... Something. I had no idea where he got his supplies from. He started by building a little wooden shed. But wait, that wasn't the house. No, that was just there so that I couldn't see inside. The door locked itself. Which was surprising considering the door had no visible locks.

I noticed a bird flying around outside the square. I followed it with my eyes, but I was stopped by the woman. She said that she got me something as a reward for looking after the worms. She handed me a seed. I planted it and it INSTANTLY GREW INTO A TURNIP.

SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH THIS PLACE.

The turnip wouldn't come out of the ground, so I left it there. The woman also got me a watering can. I suppose I'll need that if she gets me any more seeds.

The guy finished his work and the woman was overjoyed. The worms now had... An underground pipe system? How on earth did you build that? Why did you build that? The pipe system was so small and had nothing in it, and why would the worms even consider that a home!?

I was about to complain to him about this, but the worms immediately crawled into the thing. Then the man walked out of the square.

Let me repeat that- The man walked OUT OF THE SQUARE.

I tried it again. I still had no control. There was no escape.

I confronted the woman. I was going to get some goddamn answers out of her.

"Where am I?"
"This is your garden."
Garden? This is more like some demented... I don't even know what the hell this place is. It IS hell.
"Why am I here?"
"You came here."
"I mean, why did I get the deed? Who is Ian Vipatva?"
"Ian Vipatva?"
She stared at me. She smiled, but her eyes were not smiling. They were just as emotionless and... wrong as the worm's. I stepped back in fear and tripped over the can.
"He is nothing."
The sun started to set. She walked over to me. I didn't move out of fear. She leaned forwards and whispered something in my ear.
"The puzzle pieces are in the wrong place."
Then she turned away and scratched the head of a bird that had just entered the square. I got up and watched her. She ignored me. She acted like nothing had happened.

I felt like screaming. But at the same time, I felt like if I tried something would stop me.

The worms apparantly laid an egg. I suppose that's why they were so eager to get inside the house. Why animals would want privacy for that baffles me. Maybe these things are sentient?

The birds, as it turns out, also live in these chalk squares of fear. The woman showed me a page in a book about the animals in the squares, apparantly the birds needed a house for them to... "romance" as well. But they also needed...

...They needed food... And Birds eat worms.

I thought I was looking after pets! Not livestock!

[Jendraz]

I like the ideas you have. The way you wrote 'I suck at Pokemon' was really amusing. The writing style of this is a little too diary-style for me, but at the same time has a kind of charm because of it. Either way, good stuff. I'll keep reading

[Dudeman]

The animal crossing thing you linked to was creepy, it sent shivers down my spine reading it, I'll never look at animal crossing the same way again.