The Spider Cliff Mysteries

The Spider Cliff Mysteries
   ▷ Story 1: Bridging the Gap
      ▷ Chapter 6: Crystal's imaginary friend

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Transcript of this chapter:

crystal: This looks like a safe place to rest.
crystal: This place is a death-trap! Someone cuts down the bridge, trapping me in the most superstitious town ever.
crystal: It's only a matter of time before they realize I'm a demon and send the demon-hunter after me. They'd make me into a trophy.
crystal: And... and there's something else... Something nearby is jamming my demon senses... I feel so cut-off from the world. It's making me paranoid.
crystal: What I really need to do is make a plan.
crystal: I need to stay on task and destroy this town. If someone thinks that they can intimidate me, they just don't know me...
crystal: I'm vicious... I'm strong... I have all of my wits about me... I am-
crystal: First things first... I need to take out that demon-hunter. Then I'll have some breathing space.
crystal: It can't be that hard, he's too young to be much of a challenge.
crystal: Just wait until he finds out that demons DO exist! Hehe, he'll probably say...
crystal: I need to figure out who cut down the bridge. I appear to be safe for now, in the role of Crystal the waitress. I'm just glad that waitress never showed up.
crystal: I should start by finding whoever is responsible for the bridge. Fortunately I have a better idea of how the town works, so I don't expect any more big surprises...
crystal: I need to figure out what is jamming my demon senses. It's making me feel so isolated. It's creeping me out.
crystal: It's a good thing that I've still got a rational mind... I know I can figure this out...
crystal: OH MY GOD... now I'm hallucinating!
crystal: I'm going crazy... floating animals... floating around... my mind is floating away...
turnip: Are you okay?
crystal: It talks!!!
crystal: Of course it talks... why wouldn't it, really? If I'm going to see floating animals, I'd expect them to talk... only makes sense.
turnip: What's wrong with you? Haven't you ever seen a paper mammal before?
crystal: Obviously, I've been drugged.
turnip: What makes you say that?
crystal: I'm seeing you!
crystal: You're made of... paper?
turnip: No, paper is made from me!
crystal: Like... like paper bags? You sort of look like a paper bag with a head.
turnip: Oh thank you for reminding me.
turnip: How would YOU like to be slaughtered and gutted and be used to carry eggs and mayo from the store?
crystal: Actually, I can sympathize with you, in a way.
turnip: I doubt that.
crystal: Do all... uh, paper mammals talk?
turnip: Only me. I learned from Barlow... he's my best friend. He's human.
crystal: So... other people can see you, too?
turnip: Hehe, well... we're not all invisible.
crystal: If I'm going to see imaginary floating animals, they should at least be more sympathetic to MY problems.
turnip: And your problems are...?
crystal: The little problem of me walking into a trap.
turnip: Trap? I see no trap here. Traps impale you... or squash you... or sometimes play polka music.
crystal: I apologize for being so insensitive to your plight.
turnip: I don't expect sympathy from humans. I learned from an early age that if I'm going to defeat the Evil One I've got to rely entirely on my own abilities.
crystal: The Evil One? You mean the Prince of Darkness?
turnip: Don't be silly. I'm talking about the sheriff. There is no one more evil in this town... he spends all of his time trapping my brothers and sisters.
crystal: So... you know a lot about traps?
turnip: I spend all my time avoiding them.
crystal: Can you teach me?
turnip: Well... what do you need to know?
crystal: How do you get out of a trap once you're in one?
turnip: If you know you're in a trap and you're still alive, there is always hope.
turnip: But first, one question... Is there anyone who's sympathetic to your cause?
crystal: How do you recognize a trap before you fall into it?
turnip: It's not hard. The trick is to get into your opponent's head, so you have to study your enemy, think like him. And don't let him know that you can.
turnip: For instance, I know that there's a trap in that suspiciously-placed cactus plant.
crystal: No... you think?
turnip: It contains a substance that attracts paper mammals like myself.
crystal: Strange, I'm oddly repelled by it.
crystal: Nope.
turnip: That's a pity. This will make things more difficult.
crystal: There might be... someone. I'm not sure.
turnip: It is always good to identify your allies.
crystal: There's one other person who's upset about the bridge falling... but I can't trust him with the whole truth.
turnip: Survival is too important for absurd principles about truth. We ally with necessity and use deception when needed.
turnip: I will also tell you this... the way out of a trap is always documented. It's a flaw of the trap-setters... they are always so proud of their cunning traps that they can't help bragging about them.
crystal: Really? That seems so careless.
turnip: The trap-setter is always careless. For example, look at this...
turnip: I just stole this... it's a map that pinpoints the exact location of every infernal trap the sheriff has set up. I'm secretly deactivating them to save my species.
crystal: Good luck to be sure!
turnip: Exactly. I advise you to find your own map to your own trap.

General information on The Spider Cliff Mysteries

To fully enjoy this mystery series, you might need the latest version of the Flash plug-in. This comic operates in a manner reminiscent of adventure games, although the gaming aspect is far over-shadowed by the story. Basically, you experience the mystery through the viewpoint of the two protagonists. You can press the spacebar or click on the little arrows to progress through the conversation. At several points in the conversation, you will have several options for progressing through the branching storyline. Important clues (and false leads) are indicated by a clue icon that appears in the corner. These clues might or might not be important, but if you are a registered member, your account will keep track of your clues and your progress through the mysteries. Take it at your own speed, and have fun!