Hanging by threads

(set: $countdown to 1)Bound to two steep mountains with ropes and chains, the spider-web city of Oban hangs over the void. A rusty wooden catwalk crosses the abyss from side to side. It is already midnight when we arrive. The moonlight and a couple of torches situated in the middle of the footbridge, illuminate the scene poorly. I stay inside the carriage with three more explorers until it completely stops, looking through the window, astonished by the views. An exceedingly fresh smell wrinkles my nose and pushes me backwards when I get out of the vehicle. Carefully, when I get myself together after the welcoming, I come down the large last step with the help of my cane. Once we all are out, the guide halt us right in front of the catwalk. "Only one will come with me. To make it as fair as possible, we'll play //magic wands//. The one who draws the shortest stick win; the others can go home…or wherever but to Oban. [[Ready|0.1.1]]?"

(set: $binoculars to true)(set: $countdown to it +1)I grab the binoculars. Without a second hesitation, he throws the rest of the things out of the cliff and gets going. We walk on the wee wooden ties, careful not to set our feet, or my stick, in the open spaces, clinging unyieldingly to the hempen strands. The darkness doesn't help, and I nearly trip on two occasions. On my next step, my cane get stuck in one of the intersections. I lost my balance for a second, which makes me look down. Instinctively, I clung to the strand with my whole body. An eagle glid past; farther down, the night and a blanket of clouds covers the rest of the void. "Are you afraid of heights?" "Hardly. Fear of heights is illogical. Fear of falling, on the other hand, is prudent and evolutionary." We continue walking along the catwalk until we get to an [[elevator|02]].

(set: $lantern to true)(set: $countdown to it +1)I grab the lantern. Without a second hesitation, he throws the rest of the things out of the cliff and gets going. We walk on the wee wooden ties, careful not to set our feet, or my stick, in the open spaces, clinging unyieldingly to the hempen strands. The darkness doesn't help, and I nearly trip on two occasions. On my next step, my cane get stuck in one of the intersections. I lost my balance for a second, which makes me look down. Instinctively, I clung to the strand with my whole body. An eagle glid past; farther down, the night and a blanket of clouds covers the rest of the void. "Are you afraid of heights?" "Hardly. Fear of heights is illogical. Fear of falling, on the other hand, is prudent and evolutionary." We continue walking along the catwalk until we get to an [[elevator|02]].

(set: $penknife to true)(set: $countdown to it +1)I grab the penknife. Without a second hesitation, he throws the rest of the things out of the cliff and gets going. We walk on the wee wooden ties, careful not to set our feet, or my stick, in the open spaces, clinging unyieldingly to the hempen strands. The darkness doesn't help, and I nearly trip on two occasions. On my next step, my cane get stuck in one of the intersections. I lost my balance for a second, which makes me look down. Instinctively, I clung to the strand with my whole body. An eagle glid past; farther down, the night and a blanket of clouds covers the rest of the void. "Are you afraid of heights?" "Hardly. Fear of heights is illogical. Fear of falling, on the other hand, is prudent and evolutionary." We continue walking along the catwalk until we get to an [[elevator|02]].

(set: $countdown to it +1)On the way down, the guide points out several locations where the web supporting the city is about to break up. Instead of rising up on top of the web, the city hangs below it: houses made like sacks, rope ladders, clotheslines, street lamps, crops, water pipes, trapezes for children, balconies. There were no streets as such in the city, they were walkways connecting to each other. I don't say a word. My legs are killing me, and all I can think about is how much longer it would take to get to the [[hotel|03]].

(set: $countdown to it +1)To my disappointment, beds are not a thing in the hotel, as people use to sleep in hammocks, propped on top of each other in the open air. A mesh protects the fall a couple of meters below them. The view, however, looking at the sky, is breathtaking. I take my bag, grab the night pills and ask the receptionist for a glass of water. After it, I put the bag back in the drawer, lay down on the hammock and try to [[sleep|Hotel]].

(set: $countdown to it +1)(text-style:"blurrier")[When I wake up,] (text-style:"blur")[my head is aching and spinning, I feel short of breath, and my muscles are stiff.] It is one of the worst feelings I've ever had. A fog has merged with the city, and the surrounding area is barely visible. I reach out to grab my notebook when I feel something strange under my hand, a cocaine leaf is next to my hammock with a note sticked on it: "Make sure you chew it well. You should have enough for the day. Have fun meeting Oban". I follow the instructions and take a piece of it: it's gritty and grimy, and a bitter taste that clutched at the back of the throat. I feel my mouth utterly numbed right now. After a while, when the numbed effect diminishes, I grab my things and decide to go for a walk to get to know the city better. I feel my legs ready, as they hadn't for years. [[Go to the lower levels]] [[Visit the leisure area]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 8)[(go-to: "Mid")] It seems that the lower levels of the city are the newest part. The ropes of the catwalks are not frayed, they appear to be sturdier, and luckily for me and my cane, there are no spaces between the planks. [[Continue|The burial]]

(set: $countdown to it +1) He turns around and takes four wooden sticks out of his pocket. Lucky me, I am able to take a quick look at the sticks before he completely hides them. |text>[Stiiiick (text-style:"condense")[Stick] (text-style:"expand")[Stick ] Stick ] (live: 6s)[ (replace: ?text)[[[Grab stick number 1|S1]] [[Grab stick number 2|S2]] [[Grab stick number 3|S1]] [[Grab stick number 4|S1]]] (stop:) ]

"No! My adventure in Oban can't finish like that. [[Start again|01]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)"So the guy with the cane will accompany me. The rest of you, please return to the carriage." He says with a smile on his face, clearly enjoying the moment. He's a haughty young man with half-grown whiskers, and during the time I've been with him, I've always seen him go through a door first. Taking advantage of his situation, he grabs my luggage without permission and rummages through it thoroughly. He pulls out a pair of binoculars, a lantern, and a pocket knife. Again, I see that mischievous grin on his face. "Pt 3: Just the necessities. Choose one. The others will go over the cliff. The letter we sent you says so clearly." [[Take the binoculars|01.1]] [[Take the lantern|01.2]] [[Take the knife|01.3]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]Our countenances and shoes are dyed by the trembling orange emanating from the bonfire. Around are the junk from a quick dinner -hawk's meat, a delicacy, and an empty coffee pot- and some warm clothes I have brought in case the cold surprises me. I have been told temperatures in the city could vary drastically. The man rolls a cigarette and lit it with the iron he uses to stir the coals. He takes a deep drag and hands it to me. It tastes earthy. [[Don't you feel life is sometimes unfair?|Conv 2]] [[Why does everyone here seem so happy?|Conv 1]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]"Life here is at once uncertain and certain" he has a hoarse voice as if it hauled earth and stones, and his interventions were brief and direct. With the thumb and the forefinger, he puts out the cigarette and spats into the flames. There is nothing to be heard but the crackling of the campfire, and the fluttering of a few birds, flying from here to there. I stare at the barbarous and soothed immensity of nothingness that surrounds us. Here, above the clouds, the sky looks like a light, stretched canvas, and the stars seem brighter than in any other place. [[Continue|Conv 1.1]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]"Ha ha ha," he laughed "what you exactly mean?" "Yeah, like, you have had to live in this condemned city. Of all the cities in the world, this is where you were born." "Oban? A condemned city? This is probably the merriest city in the world" he has a hoarse voice as if hauling earth and stones. "I understand what you want to say, but, if you've walked around the city, you'll have seen that no one here is worried about that." [[Continue|Conv 2.1]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]I come to a small square, where a middle-aged man is sitting in front of a bonfire, warming up his hands, and rubbing them together. He is hunched over the bonfire, his face is cracked, and a greasy moustache droop over his mouth. "May I take a seat?" He nods in agreement and extends his right hand embracing the square. I lean my cane on one of the logs that served as a bench and [[sit|Square 2]] in front of him.

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]I am sauntering up when a group of four mourners, covered from head to toe in black clothes, wander, wailing and sobbing, along the city's walkways. Behind them, a kid hugs an urn tightly while a shaved-head priest pushes him slightly to move forward. The priest is ringing a bell dropping something shiny with each twang. The kid's face is puffy, especially his eyes, and with every step he takes, he gets smaller. [[Continue|Burial-1]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")](if: $lantern is true)[I turn on the lantern and keep walking slow and steady through the narrow catwalk. I can hear some whispering in the distance, but too low to understand. (text-style: "blurrier")["We have to do something, and it has to be now."] As I move forward, the words become sharper. (text-style: "blur")["The city does not have much time left. I've been talking to Daniel and he told me it's a matter of days.] A huge stir arises at those words. I'm so close to the area where the voices come from, but the planks crack below my feet and they become vigilant. "Did you hear that?" "Damn wood," I say to myself. Someone is coming, I'd better turn off the lantern, hold my breath and [[stay unflinching|Continue]] for a few seconds.] (else:)[(goto: "0212.2")]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]Some people kneel and join them as they walk past. Finally, they stop in front of a small balustrade. The kid stays on tiptoe and with the edge of his fingers puts the urn on top of the thin railing. It nearly falls off the other side. The priest, then, gives a short homily and, after it, he takes the child in one arm and the urn in the other. The kid, haltingly, opens the jar and begins to scatter the ashes in the abyss until it is almost empty, and when he tries to turn it upside down, it slips out of his hands and falls into the chasm. [[Approach them|Burial-2]] [[Go to another place]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]The line ends up breaking, the momentum pushes them backwards and they burst into laughter. There is something about the people here that enervates me. Such blasé attitude, to even indulge in [[wasting time|Fishing-2]] here, fishing.

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]"Come on, boy. Pull harder!" Whatever it is what we are pulling against, has the might of something very big. (set: $counter to 0) |phrase>[[Pull]<button| (click: ?button)[(display: "Logic")]]

(if: $counter is 12)[(goto: "Fishing-1")] (set: $counter to (it + 1) % 21) (replace: ?phrase)[[Pull]<button| (click: ?button)[(display: "Logic")]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]The line ends up breaking, the momentum pushes us backwards making me land on one of them. I shake out my clothes, already on my feet, and hear laughter behind me: one of the guys from the group, the eldest, is still on the ground with the line around him when I turn around. My legs start to weaken because of the effort, and I have to sit down again. "What's so funny? "It was the first to take the bait in weeks." There is something about the people here that enervates me. Such blasé attitude, to even indulge in [[wasting time|Fishing-2]] here, fishing.

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]I explode. "How can you be here, watching the days pass by, when the city is about to fall?" The question hit them like a bucket of cold water and a deep silence falls over the surroundings. Or at least, that's what I think. They look at each other. After a few seconds, they start laughing even louder than the last time. One them stares at me, when he sees I'm wasn't kidding stand up and says: "And what you expect from us to do?" "Don't know, but fishing? Really? Is there anything more dreary? "Oh I see, we've been in that phase before" "Phase?, what phase? "You think that because we running out of time, we should live as if each day were our last, and that for you means do crazy things all time. But what if I told you this is exactly what I would do if it was my last day here?" You'll understand it one day, I'm sure." I decide not to confront him and leave to continue [[watching|Stroll]] the city.

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]I wander around for a couple of minutes when I reach a slope that creates a small square surrounded by railings. There, sitting with their legs dangling and their bodies resting on the stop, a group of men watch the chasm. I get closer to them. Then, I realize they were not just watching the hours tick by, they are fishing… or //birding// in this case. These fly rods are much larger than the standard ones, the lines rushed endlessly through the clouds like needles in sewing, but the mechanism was pretty much the same as the one I knew: (click:"I knew")[Just wait.(live:7s)[ Suddenly, one of the fly rods bends fiercely, as if it wanted to jump off. The man closest to it grasps it, but the rod's strength is on the verge of making him fall down. "Hey! What are you watching, boy? Come here and help! [[Help him]] [[Watch]]]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]I come closer to them when I'm sure they have finished. The priest shakes my hand and bows slightly. He explains to me that what I have just seen is a normal funeral in the city. They have no space in the city for a cemetery and, also, Oban can't afford to carry that weight. "We do it that way to make sure everyone's end is down in the abyss." "Now my mother will meet my father" the kid says. Then, he notices my presence and asks me "Aren't you too young to carry a cane? You don't have wrinkles or white hair." "Oh, this? I use it to scare away nosy children." I turn my attention back to the [[priest|Burial-3]].

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]With the thumb and the forefinger, he puts out the cigarette and spats into the flames. There is nothing to be heard but the crackling of the campfire, and the fluttering of a few birds, flying from here to there. I stare at the barbarous and soothed immensity of nothingness that surrounds us. There, above the clouds, the sky looks like s a light, stretched canvas, and the stars seem brighter than in any other place. "A condemned city… check this." He settles down on the floor, resting his head on one of the logs, soaks his chapped, dry lips, and begins to hum a smooth melody which scale ascends and broke, then descends again with an exhausted slowness. Someone peeks out from her balcony. She has a fiddle and plays it, following the melody. Not even five minutes have passed when the square is filled with people. Out of the blue, a party is created. We all sing and people bring drinks, food, musical instruments[[...]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]Don't know what those guys were doing, but if they were doing it so sneakily it wouldn't be very legit, and I was not going to stay to ask them. I rush to the exit as fast as my cane lets me. You can't imagine how uncomfortable is to run along planks with a walking stick. The catwalk seemed longer than before, endless, and for a moment I feel in trouble, thinking they are going to catch me. Finally, I make it to the end of the gateway, back to the same place where I entered in. [[Continue|0.1.4]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]|success>["Is anyone there"? The guy who comes to inspect the zone turns away, back to the group. "Anyway, let's adjourn the gathering. See you all tomorrow at the same time. Remember the constructor will come, so bring ideas and questions, we need to advance." [[Move now->Run Away]].]\ |failed>[You MOVED and the monster [[found you->Busted]]!] <script>MY.monitorMouseMovement('success', 'failed', 7000);</script>

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]<style> img { max-width:20%; max-height:20%; display: block; margin: 0 auto; }</style> <img src=https://i.imgur.com/DM6VOKp.png</div> I enter the sack-shaped bar, my legs flag and I feel unstable so I take a seat at the counter. A group, sitting at the back, stare obsessively at me. "Foreigner, right?" the bartender asks. I nod. "You'd better watch out, these days, your kind are not welcome in some people's eyes", and slyly points to the group from before. "What?" "You haven't been here long, have you?" "I arrived yesterday." "Oh, so I'm sure you haven't tried our //flying cloud//. You can't leave here without doing so." "Okay, right. So one of those. But, what did you mean before?" By the time I finish the question he is gone. As I wait, I [[look around|Bar-1]] me.

(set: $countdown to it +1)"Hey, get out of there if you don't want me to break your face. GO" I rush to the exit as fast as my cane lets me. You can't imagine how uncomfortable is to run along planks with a walking stick. The catwalk seemed longer than before, endless. Finally, I make it to the end of the gateway, back to the same place where I entered in. [[Continue|0.1.4]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]The race, however short it may have been, leave me exhausted so I go into the first bar I found: [["The fluffy cloud"|The fluffy Cloud]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]A couple is sitting next to me, arguing in an increasingly loud tone. The waiter comes over with a glass jar. "Careful when you open it." The jar is covered with a piece of wood on top. A small cloud made of who knows what floats inside. A few drops fall from the cloud as if it were raining. How am I supposed to consume this? When I open the jar, a scent I've never smelled before wafts out along with the cloud until it evaporates completely on the ceiling. My face speaks volumes. The waiter comes up to me laughing. "Don't worry," he says. "It happens to everyone. I'll get you one more." After a while, he appears with two //flying clouds// and sits down in front of me. He shows me how it should be consumed: you have to catch it with your mouth and then, without swallowing it, pour the drops over it. [[Do it|Bar-2]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]The door creaks when I open it, no matter how slowly I open it. A ladder is leaning against one of the bookshelves, which look grimmer than any library I've ever been in, as if the silence is not good company. At the back of the deserted corridor, a couple of open books wait, grieving, for someone to read them. The light is dim and it is hard to see. I look for the letter M for Charles Marlow, originally from Oban, father of our guild, and the greatest explorer there ever was. I pick a classic by him: //"The journey where the sun never set"// First edition, in his own handwriting. I tremble with emotion on my way to one of the brown wooden tables in the middle of the room. I [[open|Library-3]] it on the first page:

(unless: (passage:)'s tags contains "Inicio")[ ____________________________________ <span style="font-size: 40%">(print: (passage:)'s name)</span>]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")](if: (history:) contains "0.2.1.2")[I'm back in "The four Corners"](else:)[I keep walking until I get to something known as "The Four Corners". This is where the only two walkways wide enough to allow for a large influx of people converge, making up the idle district.] [[Turn left|0.2.1.3]] [[Turn right|0.2.1.2]] [[Straight on|0.2.1.1]]

What should I buy as a token of my trip? [[Buy typicall food]] [[Buy a souvenir]] [[Jewelry]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)I've never heard of any famous dishes in Oban, but I guess if anything is good here, it has to be poultry. I keep walking until I see a food booth. Their method is chaotic, to say the least. No one is serving, and as far as I can see, you take what you want and leave the money in a red bag. Strikingly, it works to perfection, and there are no disputes as to whether someone saw the product first or the other. I take an eagle loin: filleted, spiced and sun-dried. The best of the best, someone tell me when I'm leaving the stand. [[Continue|0.2.1]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)I walk backwards. I saw a stand earlier that caught my eye. They have encapsulated clouds and I have no clue how they do to preserve them, but looked really nice. I stay there, in front of the booth, standing still, waiting for someone to serve me. But no one will. Their method is chaotic, to say the least. As far as I can see, you take what you want and leave the money in a red bag. Strikingly, it works to perfection, and there are no disputes as to whether someone saw the product first or the other. I pick a small glass ball with a cloud in it. A cumulonimbus. If you watch close enough you can see the water droplets falling. Later on, a kid tell tell me those clouds are collectibles. [[Continue|0.2.1]]

(set: $countdown to it +1) My knowledge of jewelry is impoverished but I'm sure I'll find something decent without being ripped off. After a few stands, I find something interesting. An artifact carves the coordinates of the city in wooden bracelets. Each bracelet is unique as the city is never in the same place. It waves. I'm about to pay it when I realize no one is in charge. I'm stunned for a moment. I look around to watch what the rest of the people do. Their method is chaotic, to say the least, from what I've seen, you take what you want and leave the money in a red bag which is blatantly at hand. Strikingly, it works to perfection, and there are no disputes as to whether someone saw the product first or the other. [[Continue|0.2.1]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]I open the jar (click: "open")[<marquee behavior="scroll" direction= "up" scrollamount="6" height="500px" loop="1" hspace="500px" width="300">[[<img src="https://i.imgur.com/LaEAZQo.png">->Bar-3]]</marquee>]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")] It tastes sweet and salty, with a sour aftertaste. "Did you like it?" "Well… I didn't dislike it" "You know? To each one it tastes in a different way. So you can't tell anyone how clouds taste. You better leave, the //flying cloud// it's on me. I can feel a gaze at my neck, so I guess it's the group from before, looking for trouble. Well, I'm not going to give them the pleasure. I grab my cane and leave the bar peacefully on my way to "The Four Corners" again. [[Continue|0.2.1]]

(live:20s)[(goto: "End1")] My surroundings seem strange, as if everything is moving and I can't stand, so I sit where I am. There's no doubt now. I don't have time to watch what the others are doing, and being honest I don't care, they should be ready for it, and I shouldn't be living this situation.

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]He settles down on the floor, resting his head on one of the logs, soaks his chapped, dry lips, and begins to hum a smooth melody which scale ascends and broke, then descends again with an exhausted slowness. Someone peeks out from her balcony. She has a fiddle and plays it, following the melody. Not even five minutes have passed when the square is filled with people. Out of the blue, a party is created. We all sing and people bring drinks, food, musical instruments[[...]]

I feel something strange under my feet, as if the earth falls and in the next step I take I lose my balance and my vision blurs. It's happening, I can't believe it's going to happen just when I'm visiting the city. Fuck my luck, fuck this city. But in the end, that feeling stops dead in its tracks. I look around, people are so normal but I have to lean on the first thing I find to not faint. I guess it is their daily bread, Where I come from, people don't even bat an eyelid when a normal earthqueake happen. (link: "Continue")[(if: (history:) contains "Go to the lower levels")[(goto: "The burial")] (else)(goto: "Visit the leisure area")]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]At the end of the catwalk I find a group of people playing what they like to call "Cloud Gaming". Leaning on the railing of the walkway one throws a stone out of the cliff. The hole created in the clouds below is the mark. After it, in turns, they throw their stones. The one who gets closer to the mark wins a point. Whoever who gets five points wins the game. I [[sit down|0.2.1.0]] in a bench to watch them play.

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]I turn right at the square formed in "The Four Corners". In this part of the catwalk, there are considerably fewer people and there are no more hanging stands. It's a dramatic change, it feels like I've walked hundreds of metres. I'm focused, staring at the threads that hold the city together; many of them are already broken and the rest are so taut they could crack at any moment, when I come to a tiny, worn walkway with some of the planks ruptured. The walkway is lost among the houses, billboards, and the shadow projected by one of the mountains Oban clings to. [[Continue through the catwalk|0212.1]] [[Go back to "The Four Corners"|0.2.1]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]After a few metres walk, I reach the library of Oban. Towels, socks, bed linen, were hanging from the threads that connected the building with the rest of the city structure. It was something completely random, with no reasonable explanation. White smoke was coming out of a chimney, at the top. On the right side, a spiral rope staircase descends to the lower level, there is also an [[elevator]] with a bench and some books in it, waiting with the doors wide open and a lamp turned on. The large door to the library is closed. I approach the glass, clean it with my palm and with both of my hands forming a kind of binoculars, I peek to see inside. A bowed small middle-aged man pushes a trolley full of books piled up to the ceiling. I [[knock|Library1]] at the window.

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")] //It is our remit to enable people who are not able to travel, to imagine the cities we describe with almost impeccable accuracy.// These first two lines became our motto. Establishing our raison d'être. His prose was very refined and precise and, with little, he was really able to transport you to where he was. I skimmed through it, reading diagonally, unfortunately, I don't have as much time as I would like. When I close it, the gust of wind dusts off one of the books next to me. "The Invisible Cities" by I-ta-lo Cal-vi-no. I've never heard of him, must be a recent explorer. The book has a [[page marked|Library-4]].

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]The man winces, surprised by the noise, he comes close to the window and shakes his index finger in denial. I knock again, harder than last time and he pulls down the curtain. The area was deserted, and on a second glance at the library, it looks almost abandoned, but I can't leave Oban without visiting the library. I decide to go down using the ladder. It swings badly and I'm close to falling down. There's another door in the lower level, also closed. (If: $penknife is true)[I try to pick the lock with the knife and luckily, the door is so antique that it gives way easily. [[Go inside|Library-2]]](else:)[I put all my weight on my shoulder and push it but to no avail. I can't believe I won't be able to visit the Oban Library. [[Leave the library area]]].

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]I approach the strange elevator. On one of the walls there is a sign that says: " he ad cage". I blow the dust to reveal the real sign: "The reading cage" I step inside, and pick one of the books, which make me cough: "The foreigner". Yep, that's me. [[Go to the library|0.2.1.3]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]Now that I'm in the lower levels of the city and I have pretty much seen the idle district, I can go to the other part of the city I do not know yet or maybe I can back to "The Four Corners" and see the rest. [[Stay in the lower levels|Go to another place]] [[Go back to "The Four Corners"|0.2.1]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]Now I will tell how Octavia, the spider-web city, is made. There is a precipice between two steep mountains: the city is over the void, bound to the two crests with ropes and chains and catwalks. You walk on the little wooden ties, careful not to set your foot in the open spaces, or you cling to the hempen strands. Below there is nothing for hundreds and hundreds of feet: a few clouds glide past; farther down you can glimpse the chasm’s bed. This is the foundation of the city: a net which serves as passage and as support. All the rest, instead of rising up, is hung below: rope ladders, hammocks, houses made like sacks, clothes hangers, terraces like gondolas, skins of water, gas jets, spits, baskets on strings, dumb-waiters, showers, trapezes and rings for children’s games, cable cars, chandeliers, pots with trailing plants. Suspended over the abyss, the life of Octavia’s inhabitants is less uncertain than in other cities. They know the net will last only so long. —//Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities// I close the book and silently [[exit|Leave the library area]] the library.

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]It's getting late

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]After a few metres walk, I reach a branch in the walkway. [[Turn left]] [[Turn right]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]The city viewpoint is located twenty metres away, as I could see on a hanging sign a few steps back. I'm not sure what will be visible from the lower part of the city, but it's intriguing. On my way to it, I see another hanging sign "The hangar --> 25 metres" but pointing to the opposite way. [[Go to the viewpoint|Viewpoint-1]] [[Go to the hangar|Hangar-1]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]"Don't you see it a bit excessive? Has no one thought about how to save the city? Keeping it afloat. I suppose the network could be repaired, right?" "Sacrilege!" The priest turns red and lets out a large amount of air through his nose. "This city was meant to have an ending, we are no one to contrary God's wishes. Don't let those hippies brainwash you, this is the way" he says pointing the chasm. I decide not to antagonize him and leave to continue [[watching|Go to another place]] the city.

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]When I arrive, I'm met by a woman. She asks me for some information: Date of birth, where I come from, and my job. After it, we enter a small bag of two square metres, it's a lift, and we're going down even further. When we go out of it, a big round net awaits us and all I can see below my feet are some clouds gliding. She takes me to the edge of it and with a long stick makes a big hole in one of the clouds. "Now! Take out your [[binoculars|Viewpoint-2]] and watch!

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")](if: $binoculars is true)[I take out my bins, and try to see through the hole she made. The chasm is deeper than I thought at first, so I can barely see the floor, and even though there is nothing special to look out for I have to say it was worth it to go there. I know I shouldn't be saying this because my job is to describe what I see, but it was something unspeakable, something you have to live to really understand it. After a few minutes there, dazed by the views [[I leave|Out of the viewpoint]]](else:)["Wait, you came to the viewpoint without a pair of binoculars? You gonna see shit!" And yes, I couldn't see much apart from what I've already told. So I [[leave|Out of the viewpoint]].]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")] I leave the lookout but I don't get to the same place I came in. No matter how many times I've seen it, it's still strange to see someone's underwear hanging in the middle of the "streets". Some hang so low, I have to push them away with my cane. It doesn't feel so different from my trip to see Landen, the city in the middle of the jungle. I'm focused, staring at the threads that hold the city together; many of them are already broken and the rest are so taut they could crack at any moment. [[Continue walking|Square 1]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]A cable car just arrived, bringing a shipment of water tanks. The hangar it's so close to one of the mountain slopes, so they hang the cargos there, without putting the city in risk because of the weight. It's interesting but after a few minutes watching the same it turns to be quite boring, so I decide stop losing my time there and head to the viewpoint. [[Continue|Viewpoint-1]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")]No matter how many times I've seen it, it's still strange to see someone's underwear hanging in the middle of the "streets". Some hang so low, I have to push them away with my cane. It doesn't feel so different from my trip to see Landen, the city in the middle of the jungle. I'm focused, staring at the threads that hold the city together; many of them are already broken and the rest are so taut they could crack at any moment. [[Continue walking|Square 1]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 8)[(go-to: "Mid")]The entrance to the idle district is a big old wood archway, daubed with clouds and birds and plastered with tattered bills which advertised theatre plays and from the wood peeps tiny leaves. It is a deep shabby but charming promenade, which brings a smile to your face as you enter, littering with children playing and running around, followed by their mothers. Musicians performing, flamboyant jugglers dropping their wares before passing girls. On the sides of the catwalks hang hundreds of stands, one next to the other. [[Buy something|0.2.2]] [[Keep walking|0.2.1]]

(set: $countdown to it +1)(if: $countdown is 20)[(go-to:"End")] A couple, sitting in the same bench, is arguing in an increasingly voice tone. I dont have much to do so I try to listen what they are talking about. "...maybe they'll make an exception for us." "Oh yes, because you are the governor's son. If we tell it, they are going to make us decide: him or Lisa. "So, are we going to go ahead?" "Yes..." The guy notice me and stop talking. I turn around as if it wasn't about me. When the boys end the game I stand up and [[go back to "The Four Corners"|0.2.1]]

=><= [[Hanging by threads|01]] (css: "font-size: 50%")[//-By Carlos Pamies//]

It was so dark there. Maybe, with my lantern I could try, but not like that. It could be dangerous. There's a bar right here, in front of me and I could do with a drink. [[Go back to "The Four Corners|0.2.1]] [[Go to the bar|The fluffy Cloud]]

=><= -Thanks for playing- <=