Chapter Seven: The Eighth Restart (Another Story)
Note: What happens if Narrator did not do anything and watched Stanley die instead? The last ending was the true ending and this chapter describes the bad ending.
(Warning) (Negative Energy) (Main Character Death)
A long time seemed to be passed. Stanley did not know. He walked in the building mechanically, like a zombie.
Was this the fate? Was it already doomed since the moment he saw the schedule, even further, since some designer wrote it?
He did so much, to stop his and Narrator's fate. He tried everything he could. Was everything just futile attempt?
Stanley never felt such lonely.
Once he adapted the fear and powerless of death, he felt deeply lonely.
Since he had memory, that voice was always there, it was never absent. He used to not like that voice. He used to lament his lonely. He saw Narrator as a controller that he could not talk to. But now, he lost him, without any reason. He lost him.
Why did not he learn to treasure it earlier?
Stanley looked every familiar place he ever been. He could not stop to think of what Narrator said. When he walked to the two doors, to the broom closet, to every path, sometimes his tears would pour down whelmingly. "When Stanley came to a set of two open doors, he entered the door on his left." The words were so familiar, each tone and accent of every word was engraved in his mind. Sometimes he said these things involuntarily, and then he would be surprised by his hoarse and weary voice. And he became silent, until the next time he repeat this.
At first, Stanley tried very hard to get rid of this feeling. He tried to make himself not be immersed in memories of the past, and kept searching for Narrator or any clues to get out, kept trying to change what was in front of him. But as time went by, the memory kept jumping into his head. Like the tide water eroding the beach, his mind was finally occupied.
How long had passed? Stanley did not know. He did not have any hope. Maybe he was just waiting for the last sentence in the schedule being achieved.
He was, just waiting.
Death. Stanley kept outlining this concept in his mind. He remembered his "deaths" earlier, dying in the nuclear explosion, jumping from stairs seeing the platform with star light, being crushed by giant machines, starving in the office or his dark apartment. If everything could restart, who would even consider death? It would be just like sleeping. But now, there was not any chance to restart. This is the last death, the real death.
However, what if there was a future? Stanley started fantasizing again. Maybe there would be a restart after dying? Every ending reset the game, and why would the Confusion Ending be an exception? Maybe there was more to that schedule?
He knew that he was just deceiving himself.
But he wanted to live. Nobody wants to die. Either did Stanley.
A long time passed. Stanley was still alive. He was even a little surprised.
He realized slowly, that if he does not do anything, the story will not be going anywhere.
Stanley smiled; he seemed to know what to do now.
He did not want to yield, even though he almost accepted the truth. After all after the foreshadowing from the four cycles, he was not so surprised when it came to this. But he was still not bending. He tried to guard his self-esteem, which he had so little left.
Stanley must die?
Okay.
He must do it by himself?
No.
He wanted to see what this damned controller would do to him.
Till now, he knew nothing about the controller. Though he did not want to be angry about that damned person, or system, or god, or something else anymore, he wanted to know something before he die. Should not he at least to know who did this? Should not he know the reason?
There was no answer.
Who knows. There were many things that did not have an answer in this world. Stanley slowly felt that he could accept this.
Stanley suddenly remembered the baby game. He surly was so boring at that time, so he kept playing it for four hours, and wanted to know what would happen. Narrator did not disappoint him. He heard Narrator read a poem with his arrogant attitude. It said that he was the essence of divine art. It said that he would carry him to his garden built across river Blxwxn after he died to live with him.
Ha, why would he think of this? Stanley laughed, Narrator was simply another person controlled by someone just like him. How could Narrator ever do that? He even disappeared from this story for no reason. Maybe he died for a long time.
Right, what happened to Narrator? Stanley thought. He was already able to think of this question calmly, though there was still no answer.
Finally, Stanley looked down from the ledge or the stairs.
Why would he come here? He could totally jump off the cargo when he was coming here.
Maybe here had a more special meaning? Maybe he wanted to see the star light once again? He sure went there and watched for a long time. He even slept for a while. When he woke up, he walked up the stairs exhaustedly.
He looked down to the ground, and thought about what he did. For many time he jumped just to anger Narrator. He remembered when he heard Narrator begging him, he was pleasured.
He did not want to recall any of those. Let everything end. He jumped.
The moment he fell, he was still waiting for the voice to come. He realized that, so he pulled his mouth, and laughed at himself.
Then he climbed up and repeated three times.
Before his dazed consciousness fading out, he thought he heard a slight sigh and a whisper, "Sorry."
Then he fell into darkness forever.
Stanley woke up in the office.
He looked around curiously. The lamp behind him lighted the place. He looked at the computer monitor with the cursor, the files and pencils on the table and the painting of grass on the wall.
Narrator talked.
"All of his coworkers were gone. What could it mean? Stanley decided to go to the meeting room. Perhaps he has simply missed a memo."
Stanley followed the instruction and went forward.
"When Stanley came to a set of two open doors, he entered the door on his…uh…" Narrator suddenly hesitated, and there was a sound of flipping papers, "uh, right? No, I think it's left. Um? I can't find it, which page was that…" Narrator flipped for a long time and apologized, "Uh…Hello, Stanley, do you know where to go? I'm so sorry, it's my first day of work. I'm not so familiar to this yet.
Stanley shook his head and smiled, "How would I know? It's my first time, too."
"Oh? It looks like we are a new team." Narrator laughed. "No problem, let me look for it…Um…Found it, left! I hope we will have a good time together!"
Stanley smiled at the ceiling, and entered the door on his left.
(Bad End)
