16.43 WF, my environment's releasing the same frequency as those of the paragraph below.
"One rainy afternoon. Sometimes lightning strikes the sky. The pouring water doesn't let another noise be attended. I'm alone in an abandoned Victorian house, investigating. I can't help a sad, mysterious background song playing on and on in my head, following me through my truth searching. Any slightest sound can easily make me feel the chilling sensation along my spine. The house generates dark atmosphere - the electricity doesn't work, only afternoon gloomy light slips through the arched-dusty windows after filtered by the grey-reddish clouds. My steps sound very crisp and clear among the old woods. I shall never let my consciousness leave me."
That's the sensation I got when playing a mystery detective game called "Scratches: Director's Cut". The eeriest game I have ever played. The visual elements are magnificent: the haunted house, the paths.. but what I really appreciate is the integration of the colors. I especially love the color of the cloud, reddish grey. But it's rather connected with my memory than the objective judgment of the visual art. I soon got entangled with the 'place'. I really want to be there, to breath the cold air, to rise my head to the sheltering sky, to feel the drizzle, the dry leaves under my boots, the calm surroundings, and most of all, the hidden secrets calling to be found, the mystery waiting to be solved. Ouh yeah... I can see my hands hold on each other and my beige trench coat waving in response to the challenge of the wind.
And there's another part of the game which is just as genius as the graphic interface - the background songs. They express one common semantics of longing, sadness, loneliness.. a sense when there's nothing but dead end, emptiness, when an important enigma seems can never be figured out. Combined with the 'environment', the total atmosphere created is perfect: silent threat, suppressed scream of the truth, concentrated hidden rage, theme of the tired souls struggling for freedom.
But somehow, in my case, it also produces another effect. It's relieving - as if my heart was filled by fresh water! Back to the paragraph when I pretend my self experiencing being the player. I'll call it as fun! The whole situation - the rain, the cloud, the wind, the house, the graveled paths, the woods behind the house, the muddy fountain, the pine trees, the mystery, me being alone - would be a good treat. The calm surroundings and the rhythm of the rain resonate with my meditating frequency, as if pressing pause button to the world, and yet the hidden secrets give compliment to my adrenaline. Complete excitement!
And one day, the real wind passed me as if bringing me news. It only happened for some seconds, but enough to make my heart beat far faster. Suddenly I felt the "Scratches game" atmosphere (I didn't think about it before!). Everything around me seemed whirling as if I was thrown into another place - strange and familiar at the same time. I experienced the 'dead-end' semantics, also the mystery solving urgency. Fear and excitement clashed in one intersection, resulted in massive confusion, just like the critical situation when the self trying hard to choose between 'fight' or 'flight' within the last seconds available. Out of the overwhelmed spirit, I decided to push my pause button, let the wind finish it's task. Then I tried to decipher those 'sensational' codes from the Owner of the Labyrinth: "There's a big difference between observing and experiencing. So, do you really want it?"
I'm in my 5th Labyrinth. My tendency to interpret anything as mainly negative has been gradually descending. I took the Creator's words as neutral ones. Simply "Do you really want it?", without any intention to take me down.
With this key, I soon found the core treasure:
"If you really want it, prepare yourself well because it shall come. But if you eventually don't want it, don't waste your time 'inviting' it!"
I contemplated, I decided: "I want it!". But imagining my self really plunge into the situation made me think that one practical yet formidable weapon could come in handy. So next time, I'll investigate with a well-loaded revolver ready in my hand.
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