This choice: Climb the bench next to you, getting a better view of the store. • Go Back...Chapter #5The Mountaintop by: boons   With a newfound determination, you opt to scale the bench nearby, hoping the vantage might lend you some advantage in this unfathomable situation. The leather of the bench, which would normally seem smooth and unblemished, now resembles a craggy mountainside, pocked with sweat stains and the scars of countless sits. It carries a faint but distinct aroma of stale sweat and other unknown odors that you can't quite place and honestly wouldn't want to. And as for the actual task of climbing, each seam feels like you're trying to conquer a miniature cliff-face.
As you pull yourself up, each strained motion is met with a thick layer of grime and dust. There are discarded hairs that look like large pieces of rope to your minuscule form. An old chewing gum wad adhered to the side of the bench nearly entangles you as you misstep, nearly throwing you off your precarious climb.
Reaching the summit feels like an epic victory, though in reality, you've merely conquered a few feet of vertical distance. Regardless, the view from atop the bench gives you a clearer panorama of the store. Everything is magnified to a monstrous scale. You witness the cavernous insides of sneakers, the towering shelves laden with boxes, and the vast stretches of carpet leading to distant walls.
More alarmingly, the scene is dotted with the enormous forms of shoppers. Their every move, every motion, so nonchalant and unwittingly deadly, creates a ripple effect in your tiny world. A woman with varicose veins like grotesque tree roots, feet cocooned in misshapen tights, steps nearby, causing the bench to tremble. Another, with unkempt toenails peering out of her sandals, absentmindedly drags her foot near your perch, sending puffs of dust into the air.
Your eyes dart around, surveying the scene of colossal landscapes and potential threats, only to fixate on an approaching figure. The ground quakes rhythmically with her footsteps. You can see her trajectory is leading her straight to your makeshift mountain—this bench. You recognize that you'll have to act quickly if you don't want to become a nondescript smear on the fabric of her clothing. | Members who added to this interactive story also contributed to these: |
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