Timshel

(if: $FEnding is false or $DEnding is false or $EEnding is false or $SEnding is false or $LEnding is false)[[[Begin]]](else:)[**Well, are you satisfied? Did you find all of the endings you wanted? Are you happy with your exploration of the Storylines? I think there's one more that you should check out before you close this Twine game. But that's your choice. After all, this whole thing is a metaphor for //East of Eden//'s theme of there always being a choice. [[Go]] [[Do not]]**]

**Your name is Adam Trask. You have two sons--fraternal twins--who have just been born. And... You're bleeding! Quickly, [[jump into your Storyline]]!**

You're bleeding out at the shoulder. Your wife, Cathy, has just shot you and left. Your new sons cry out in hunger. [[Someone should feed them...]] [[She left...]]

Despite your wound, you attempt to get up and at least find someone who can feed the boys. You're bleeding. A lot. [[Continue.]] [[Give up.]]

Yes. Your wife, your loving wife, has shot and left you. **If you're going to be like this, which is fine and all, let's [[skip ahead]].**

The sheriff deputy stands over you. You're in bed, and you honestly look like the picture of death right now. He asks you how you got shot. [[Lie.]] [[Tell him.]] [[Stay silent.]]

You tell him that you were cleaning the gun and accidentally shot yourself. That happens, right? He asks to see the gun, and Lee goes to get it for him. As he examines the gun, he says, "You were cleaning the barrel, maybe with a rod, and the gun went off and hit you in the shoulder?" [[Yes.]] [[Well...]]

You [tell the deputy the truth]<meta|(click-replace: ?meta)[decide to veer from the Storyline (please, you know you aren't really Adam Trask. You're a reader, who's read //East of Eden// already) and tell the deputy the truth]--that Cathy shot you before she left and that, no, you don't know where she went. Eventually, he leaves, presumably to confront Cathy. Now that they know the story, you wonder if she'll be arrested or something. **Should we examine that [chance]<chance1|?** (click: ?chance1)[(set: $cathy to (random: 1, 5))(if: $cathy < 4)[(set: $EEnding to true)Much to your surprise, the deputy has uncovered the whole truth about your wife. The little hints you gave him about her life definitely helped him. Cathy is arrested. You still feel a little bad about giving her away and are still traumatized for a little while, but eventually you continue constructing your Eden. Not for Cathy, of course, but for your sons. Neither of boy figures out his maternal origins until he's grown enough to take it well. You and your sons all live a full human lifetime. **You've reached the Eden Ending. [[Reset?]]**](else:)[The deputy leaves you alone, but you don't hear of anything happening to Cathy. You've grown distant. Worrying about Cathy has caused you to neglect your sons for the short time they've been alive. Right now, you're sitting at home, staring into the distance. You got out of jail. They figured out that it was Cathy that shot you, and, well... Your friend, Samuel Hamilton approaches on his horse. You stare blankly at him. He tells you, "Act out being alive, like a play." [[Try.]] [[...]]]]

You don't say anything. The deputy prods some more. You feign muteness. The deputy threatens to arrest you and send you to county jail, which he says he doesn't want to do. [[Tell him the truth.|Tell him.]] [[Lie.]] [[Don't say anything.]]

The deputy looks at you skeptically, then picks apart your logic. First of all, it would have been awfully stupid to clean a gun the way you had described... Also, you'd have been hit in more than just the shoulder. He asks you what really happened. [[Tell the truth.|Tell him.]] [[Give him a half truth.]] [[Stay silent.]]

You hesitate. The deputy raises an eyebrow. [[Yes.]] [[Tell the truth.|Tell him.]]

No matter how much the deputy prods, you refuse to say anything. He sighs, and eventually does what the law requires him to do and brings you to county jail until they figure out what exactly happened. **Well, ladies, gents, and everyone in between... this is quite the development! While the deputy questions your friends to figure out what happens, why don't we chat a little? After all, watching you sit in county jail would be boring. Are you happy with your choices thus far? Isn't this level of non-conformity exciting?** [[Yeah.]] [[No... I wish I'd done something else.]]

**Good! Oh, it looks like [[you're out of jail now]].**

**Well, that's a shame. What, did you think that this choice would help you? That I'd let you retry? Oh, no. I assume you've noticed that there's no undo button, right? Well, there's no undo button in life. Even if this is only a simulation, and not of your own life, you still can't take back your choices. So always choose carefully!** **Looks like [[you're out of jail now]].**

You're sitting at home, staring into the distance. You got out of jail. They figured out that it was Cathy that shot you, and, well... Your friend, Samuel Hamilton approaches on his horse. You stare blankly at him. He tells you, "Act out being alive, like a play." [[Try.]] [[...]]

You tell Samuel that you try. You're [determined]<meta2|(click: ?meta2)[, as a Reader, to change the Storyline]. You try your best to take care of the twins. You do what you can do. You teach them their first words, and Lee helps you teach them to walk. They grow up to be fine individuals. Thanks to this early bonding, there's less of a chance of you choosing to reject Cal, which results in the ending we all know. You feel like there's less of a [chance]<chance| for you to become like your father. (click: ?chance)[ (set: $favorites to (random: 1, 5))(if: $favorites >= 4)[ But you do anyway. You choose Aron over Cal, and through the plot that we all know, you end up having a stroke. **It's your last chance to save this ending.** [[Forgive Cal.]] [[Do not.]]](else:)[ While Aron is still your favorite, you end up never rejecting Cal. Something about the way you raised him, perhaps, it might have been nurture over nature. Either way, you never reject him and you never need to forgive him. Life plays out. In the end, you still die, of course, but it's much less dramatic. **(set: $FEnding to true)There's nothing left for us in this storyline. You've reached the Family Ending. [[Reset?]]**]]

You don't say anything. The storyline continues on as it did in //East of Eden//. Flash forward. You've had a stroke. Lee begs you to forgive Cal, to give him a chance. [[Forgive Cal.]] [[Do not.]]

On your deathbed, you utter the not-quite-famous, but still notable, last words, "//Timshel!//" And then it's the end. **I guess those choices didn't help as much as you thought they would. Sorry 'bout that. Life is unpredictable sometimes. But it could have been worse! You've reached the Story Ending. (set: $SEnding to true)[[Reset?]]**

Despite Lee's asking and your current lack of awareness, you stubbornly refuse to forgive your son. The story ends. Cal goes on to be bitter. As much as he doesn't want to, he continues to be mean. He turns into his mother. You've lost both of your sons. **(set: $LEnding to true)You've reached the Lost Ending. [[Reset?]]**

(goto: "Untitled Passage")

You tell the deputy that something happened, and it was an accident. You explain that your wife was gone. The deputy continues to not believe you (rightfully so) and eventually you end up telling him a little bit about Cathy--basic things, like what she looks like (but never her name). Eventually, though, the deputy gets his information from your friend Sam Hamilton and leaves you alone. Now, you're sitting at home, staring into the distance. You got out of jail. They figured out that it was Cathy that shot you, and, well... Sam approaches on his horse. You stare blankly at him. He tells you, "Act out being alive, like a play." [[Try.]] [[...]]

You continue on. Your sons are more important than your confusion right now. Paternal instinct takes over. **My my, you're really quite the brave person! Continuing to try and help your children despite the fact that you're bleeding out all over the place. You should know, though, that this line of action comes with the risk of losing too much blood and dying... Let's take the [chance]<bleedingout|, shall we?**(click: ?bleedingout)[(set: $dead to (either: 1, 2))(if: $dead is 1)[ Unfortunately, you're more seriously injured than you thought (are shoulders supposed to bleed this much?) and you die from blood loss before you can get to your children. Lee and Samuel raise your kids. You don't know if they find out about their mother. **You have reached the Death Ending. [[Reset?]]**(set: $DEnding to true)](else:)[ You've managed to get to your sons and not die in the process. You comfort them, and as you do, Lee comes back. He patches up your wound and helps you feed your sons. Turns out that this burst of paternal care wasn't just a spur of the moment thing, either. Unlike in //East of Eden//, you become an active part of your sons' babyhood, and childhood, for that matter. Now there's less of a chance of you choosing to reject Cal, which results in the ending we all know. You feel like there's less of a [chance]<chance| for you to become like your father. (click: ?chance)[ (set: $favorites to (random: 1, 5))(if: $favorites >= 4)[ But you do anyway. You choose Aron over Cal, and through the plot that we all know, you end up having a stroke. **It's your last chance to save this ending.** [[Forgive Cal.]] [[Do not.]]](else:)[ While Aron is still your favorite, you end up never rejecting Cal. Something about the way you raised him, perhaps, it might have been nurture over nature. Either way, you never reject him and you never need to forgive him. Life plays out. In the end, you still die, of course, but it's much less dramatic. **(set: $FEnding to true)There's nothing left for us in this storyline. You've reached the Family Ending. [[Reset?]]**]]]]

You stop trying to get to the wailing babies and lie there on the floor. It hurts. After some time, Lee returns and aids you. You get all patched up, and Lee helps you into bed. You stay there for a while. He takes care of your sons. **[[Flash forward.|skip ahead]]**

(set: $SEnding to false)(set: $FEnding to false)(set: $EEnding to false)(set: $LEnding to false)(set:$DEnding to false)(goto: "Untitled Passage")

[Your name is...]<name|(click-replace: ?name)[(set: $name to prompt("Name yourself","Crackers"))Your name is $name. You are (presumably) a student of Ms. Koller's AP English class (or even Ms. Koller herself). For your summer reading assignment, you read //East of Eden//. As the Author of this Twine game, I sincerely hope you enjoyed exploring the various ways //East of Eden// might have ended if the author had chosen a different course of action. **You've reached the True Ending.** [Play Again?]<again|(click: ?again)[(reload:)]]