H29 – Future

H29 – Future
This scene was originally written into the Hanako script, but we could never really find a good place to put it. Since it looks like I won’t have an Omake slot in the final game, I’m going to go public with this one.

“*Fzzzt*”

“The lights of the town went out with the sound of dying electricity; a blackout caused by excessive snowfall.”

“In a small, two-bedroom house near the station, the quiet scratching of pencil on paper stopped.”

“The shadowed figure responsible for the noise sighs, places the pencil on the paper, and then stands up.”

“Carefully feeling her way around the house, she retrieves the items that she is looking for, and breaths a sign of relief.”

“*Click* *Click*”

“The tiny sparks from the lighter light up the tiny kitchen like a strobe.”

“Finally, the lighter manages to take hold, and a meagre flame flickers at its mouth.”

“The shadowed figure carefully lights two candles, then extinguishes the lighter’s flame.”

“In the weak yellow light of the candles, the figure resolves into a young woman in casual clothes.”

“Walking carefully, as to not spill too much wax, she returns to her study.”

“The plans spread out on the table in the centre of the room are once again visible; nothing more than a collection of lines on an otherwise blank sheet.”

“The walls of the study are decorated with hand-rendered drawings of various buildings, each accompanied by a photo.”

“Against the far wall stand two deep chests, full of hand-drawn plans.”

“The woman carefully places the candles on either side of the desk, and picks up her pencil once more.”

“In a short time, she is once again working at full pace, the scratching of the pencil nearly matching the flickering light from the candles.”

“And so the woman continues, drawing away into the night.”

“Before long, the lines on the paper are connecting, forming the outline of a house.”

“A new house.”

“She buries her head deeper into the plans, making the most of the weak candle light.”

“She is so engrossed in her work that she doesn’t hear the soft sobbing and padding of feet until their owner wraps its arms around her legs.”

ha “Mommy…”

“The woman looks down, startled.”

“Her daughter, in her flannel pyjamas and carrying her favourite plush rabbit, is wrapped firmly around her leg, crying.”

ha “It’s all dark, mommy…”

“The woman puts down her pencil, and picks up her daughter, placing her on her lap.”

“Mother” “Shhh now Hana-chan.”

“Mother” “What’s the matter?”

ha “It’s dark, and I can’t sleep. Where are the lights, mommy?”

“The woman gently strokes her daughter’s hair before gently kissing the top of her head.”

“Mother” “Come on now, I’ll fix that for you.”

“The woman picks up one of the candles, now covered in hardened rivulets of wax, and helps her daughter stand up.”

“The daughter stumbles slightly, and bumps the desk, but neither of them notices beyond that.”

“Hand in hand, they walk into the next room, where a man lays sleeping on the edge of a double futon.”

“Next to him lay another two pillows; the small family always sleeps together.”

“The woman guides her daughter into the futon next to the sleeping man, and places the candle at the head of the futon.”

“Mother” “There you are, see? Now there’s light here.”

“The man stirs into consciousness.”

“Father” “Eh? What’s going on here?”

“Mother” “There was just a little blackout, and the night light went out.”

“Mother” “I brought a candle for Hana-chan to get to sleep by.”

“The man smiles slightly, and wraps an arm around his daughter.”

“Father” “Don’t you have a great mother, Hanako?”

“Father” “Say “Thank you.””

ha “T…thank you mommy.”

“The daughter hugs her plush rabbit tightly as her mother smiles and leaves the bedroom.”

“As she slides the door to the bedroom closed, she hears a strange sound…”

“…smells a strange smell…”

“…and realises that the corridor is much brighter than it ought to be.”

“She gasps, and rushes to the next room.”

“She tries to enter the blazing room, but the intense heat drives her back.”

“Her desk has collapsed into a pile of burning firewood, the floor around it blackened by the smoke.”

“The drawings on the wall curl away and disintegrate as they burn.”

“Smoke billows from the cracks in the drawing chests in puffs as the smouldering fire inside them draws air through the same cracks to survive.”

“Flames leap across the ceiling in mesmerising patterns.”

“The woman, too shocked to scream, falls over backwards, and can do nothing but sit and stare as her livelihood is consumed by the flames.”

“A picture frame, ablaze and losing its integrity, smashes to the floor.”

“The noise rouses the sleeping man, who enters the corridor.”

“Father” “What’s going on… oh my god…”

“As the pair stare into the inferno, the wall separating the study and the bedroom buckles and falls.”

$doublespeak (“Father”, “Mother”, “Hanako!”, “Hanako!”)

“The woman tries to get to her feet but slips.”

“The man, already standing, makes for the bedroom.”

“He opens the door, providing a second supply of air for the flames.”

“In an instant, they increase their brightness and intensity, and shimmering waves of heat separate the man and his daughter.”

“Their eyes meet, and the man knows what he must do.”

“Using his arms as a shield from the flames, he charges towards his daughter, scooping her up into his chest.”

“She screams an airless scream, but it is lost to the ever-increasing roar of the fire.”

“Even as he barrels through the short hallway to the house’s front door, he feels the flames lick against his body, instantly blistering skin and vaporising hair.”

“As he fumbles with the lock, he feels the heat of the fire upon his back, and hears the structure of the house slowly staring to crumble.”

“Opening the door seems to take an eternity, and as soon as he has it open a fraction, the back draft of air slams the slab of wood into him and his daughter, sending them flying.”

“Enraged by the fresh air outside, the fire screams and reaches out towards its flesh-based enemy.”

“Clawing his protesting body along the floor, breathing in lungfuls of smoke, the man makes his way towards his daughter.”

“She is curled tightly around her plush rabbit, her flannel pyjamas blackened and covered in glowing trails of smouldering fire.”

“Her skin is lost amongst the ashes of her clothes; as charred as the walls around her.”

“The man summons the last of his strength, and shoves the small girl out through the door and onto the pristine white snow outside.”

“He hears the hiss of the melting snow turning into steam at the door, but he can see that his daughter is now safe from the flames.”

“She stirs, and turns towards him, her tiny hand pushing through the snow towards him.”

“He smiles slightly as the walls finally buckle, sending the roof crashing down around him.”