Shoes

<img src="http://stevebromley.com/games/shoes/images/website.jpg" width="100%" alt="website"> You open the online bidding site, and see the baby shoes. What a deal! There's only a few minutes until the auction ends. Perfect timing. You log in and settle down for intense bidding action. [[Get bidding! ->Start Bidding]] (set: $bid to 0)(set: $counter to 2)(set: $minutes to 3)

baby shoes, never worn **$minutes** minutes left **Current top bid:** £0.50 **Your bid:** £0.00 You are not the top bidder. (link:"Bid £1")[(set: $bid to it+1)(set: $minutes to it-1)(set: $counter to $bid+1)(goto:"1st Bid")] (link:"Bid £10")[(set: $bid to it+10)(set: $counter to $bid)(set: $minutes to it-1)(goto:"1st Bid")] (link:"Bid £100")[(set: $bid to it+100)(set: $counter to $bid)(set: $minutes to it-1)(goto:"1st Bid")]

baby shoes, never worn **Auction ended!** (if: $counter>$bid)[**Current top bid:** £$counter.00](if: $counter<=$bid)[**Current top bid:** £$bid.01] **Your bid:** £$bid.00 You were not the top bidder. ---- You were outbid at the last second. You imagine the winner laughing, tearing opening the packaging and twirling the shoes around their head. They will not show them appropriate care! What a shame. [[Move on with your life->Notification]]

Minutes left: $minutes Current top bid: £$counter Your Bid: £$bid (if: $minutes > 1)[(link:"Bid £1")[(set: $bid to it+1)(set: $minutes to it-1)(set: $counter to $bid+1)(goto:"Start Bidding")]] (if: $minutes > 1)[(link:"Bid £10")[(set: $bid to it+10)(set: $counter to $bid+1)(set: $minutes to it-1)(goto:"Start Bidding")]] (if: $minutes > 1)[(link:"Bid £100")[(set: $bid to it+100)(set: $counter to $bid+1)(set: $minutes to it-1)(goto:"Start Bidding")]]

baby shoes, never worn **$minutes** minutes left **Current top bid:** £$bid.00 **Your bid:** £$bid.00 You are the top bidder. (link:"Do not bid")[(set: $minutes to it-1)(goto:"2nd Bid")] (link:"Bid £1")[(set: $bid to it+1)(set: $minutes to it-1)(set: $counter to $bid+1)(goto:"2nd Bid")] (link:"Bid £10")[(set: $bid to it+10)(set: $counter to $bid)(set: $minutes to it-1)(goto:"2nd Bid")] (link:"Bid £100")[(set: $bid to it+100)(set: $counter to $bid)(set: $minutes to it-1)(goto:"2nd Bid")]

baby shoes, never worn **60** seconds left **Current top bid:** £$bid.00 **Your bid:** £$bid.00 You are the top bidder. (link:"Do not bid")[(set: $minutes to it-1)(set: $counter to $bid+1)(goto:"3rd Bid")] (link:"Bid £1")[(set: $bid to it+1)(set: $minutes to it-1)(set: $counter to $bid+1)(goto:"3rd Bid")] (link:"Bid £10")[(set: $bid to it+10)(set: $counter to $bid+1)(set: $minutes to it-1)(goto:"3rd Bid")] (link:"Bid £100")[(set: $bid to it+100)(set: $counter to $bid+1)(set: $minutes to it-1)(goto:"3rd Bid")]

//sad You were outbid at the last minute. You imagine the winner laughing, tearing opening the packaging and twirling the shoes around their head. They will not show them appropriate care! What a shame. [[Move on with your life->Notification]]

<img src="http://stevebromley.com/games/shoes/images/notification.jpg" width="100%" alt="notification"> As you go to log out of the auction site, a notification pops up. You've received a message. [[Open message->message]]

baby shoes, never worn **30** seconds left **Current top bid:** £$counter.00 **Your bid:** £$bid.00 You are not the top bidder. (link:"Do not bid")[(goto:"Auction Over")] (link:"Bid £2")[(set: $bid to it+2)(goto:"Auction Over")] (link:"Bid £10")[(set: $bid to it+10)(goto:"Auction Over")] (link:"Bid £100")[(set: $bid to it+100)(goto:"Auction Over")]

*"The top bidder decided they didn't want the shoes. You came second in the auction, and I can see we live in the same town. If you're still interested in the shoes, perhaps we can meet up?"* Great news! The shoes can be yours! [[Arrange to meet them->The house]]

<img src="http://stevebromley.com/games/shoes/images/house.jpg" width="100%" alt="house"> A day later, you walk up to the address you were given. The building is an imposing sight, an old victorian mansion towering overhead. The gardens around it are overgrown with weeds, but somewhere within them you can still see the faded splendour of horticulturalists past. There is no doorbell, but there is a heavy door knocker, shaped like a duck's beak. [[Use the knocker->The door]]

<img src="http://stevebromley.com/games/shoes/images/door.jpg" width="100%" alt="door"> There are thumps from inside the house, and then silence. You wait. (live:1s)[(set: $helloTimer to $helloTimer + 1)(if: $helloTimer is 3 or $helloTimer > 3)[One minute. ](if: $helloTimer is 5 or $helloTimer > 5)[Two minutes. ] (if: $helloTimer is 7 or $helloTimer > 7)[Then another thump, and the door creaks open.] (if: $helloTimer is 9)[(stop:) A lady opens the door, dressed in a yellow gown. It must have been grand once, but the gown has faded with time and is studded with moth holes. Her eyes look sad, mottled with red blotches. In the dark it's difficult to perceive her age, but she can't be more than 35. *"What is it?"* she barks [["I'm here about the shoes"->Discuss shoes]] ]]

With the mention of the shoes she jumps back as if she'd received an electric shock. A second later her composure is regained and her face softens. "Oh, of course. You're here about the advert. Did you have any questions about them, or are you happy to take them now?" [[Ask what the shoes look like->Shoes appearance]] [[Ask why the shoes are being sold->Why sell?]] [[No questions->No more questions]]

For sale: baby shoes, never worn. [[Answer advert->Answer advert]]

<img src="http://stevebromley.com/games/shoes/images/babyshoes.jpg" width="100%" alt="baby shoes"> "They are truly beautiful". She retrieves the shoes from a small table next to the door and holds them delicately. You can see that they are sturdy but elegant - the product of fine workmanship. They must have been bought by someone with excellent taste and that took great care over their decision. [[Ask why the shoes are for sale->Second why sell?]] [[No more questions->No more questions]]

A scornful look crosses her face. It's almost like she's accusing you of failing to recognise the tragic subtext of her original advert and the casual brilliance in which it summed up an intriguing and tragic story with only six words. She doesn't answer your question. [[Ask what the shoes look like->Second shoes appearance]] [[No more questions->No more questions]]

"Ok, no more questions. My memory isn't so good currently - did we agree on £$bid?" [[Agree price->Agree price]] [[Haggle over price->Haggle]]

(set: $bid to it/2) You pay for the shoes, and they are thrust into your hand. The door slams in your face and the sound of faint moaning receedes down the hallway. (link:"Walk away")[(set: $shoes to 2)(goto:"Leave House")]

(set: $bid to it/2) You offer £$bid for one shoe. The lady accepts, hands over the shoe and closes the door promptly. You feel victorious. (link:"Walk away")[(set: $shoes to 1)(goto:"Leave House")]

As you walk down the street, you remember you do not have a baby. It's unclear what use (if: $shoes is 1)[this shoe](if: $shoes is 2)[these shoes] will be to you. You feel silly. [[Feel a bit silly->Feel silly]]

To recoup your losses, you could sell (if: $shoes is 1)[it](if: $shoes is 2)[them] on an online bidding site. You log back in and get started writing an advert (if: $shoes is 2)[[["For sale: baby shoes, never worn."->Sell shoes]]](if: $shoes is 1)[[["For sale: baby shoe, never worn."->Sell shoes]]] (if: $shoes is 2)[[["You won't believe the crazy story behind these baby shoes - or what a good deal they are"->Sell shoes]]](if: $shoes is 1)[[["You won't believe the crazy story behind this baby shoe - or what a good deal it is"->Sell shoes]]] [["Newborn Baby Bling Crib Pram Shoes First Walkers 0-18M UK"->Sell shoes]]

(set: $bid to it *4) A week later you check in and see the auction was a success, probably due to your excellent copywriting. The final price it sold for was £$bid (if: $shoes is 2)[[[Post the shoes to the winning bidder->Spend the money]]](if: $shoes is 1)[[[Post the shoe to the winning bidder->Spend the money]]]

As the money arrives in your account, the only thing left to do is to decide how to spend your winnings. [[Buy more shoes.->Shoes ending]] [[Buy a baby.->Baby ending]] [[Put the money in shares for the online auction site.->Shares ending]]

<img src="http://stevebromley.com/games/shoes/images/boots.jpg" width="100%" alt="boots"> You buy a pair of shoes more appropriate for someone of your stature. These are sturdy walking boots, and will take you many miles. They inspire you to take up walking as a hobby, and within a few years you have walked many of the top trails in the world - Patagonia, Peru and Nepal were just the start. Over time you want to give back to the community, and do a sponsored walk to raise money for abandoned babies. After much research you find the perfect place for this walk - Tibet. The plane holds no more than ten people as it lands in a remote airport and you set off with just a map, supplies for a week and your trusted walking boots. On the second and third days you see no other humans, the trail is completely deserted. Just after 2pm on the fourth day, you see another figure walking towards you. They look familiar. As you approach you realise it's the Dalai Lama, dressed in his traditional robes. And he's cupping something in his hands. You approach, and he pushes his palms forward towards you. You peer forward curiously and see that he's holding the baby shoe(if: $shoes is 2)[s] from the auction. He is beckoning for you to take them. Weird. The end. (colour: "#2F4F4F")[`@steve_bromley` (& Ernest Hemingway[[*->Hemingway]])]

<img src="http://stevebromley.com/games/shoes/images/baby.jpg" width="100%" alt="baby"> You search on the auction site for a baby. It initially looks like their aren't any listed, but then on the fourth page you find one. Then another two babies on the fifth page. By the eighth page the listings are all babies for sale. Opening the adverts, you realise you have discovered an illegal baby smuggling ring, operating under the guise of being a popular online auction site. You decide to take action. You contact the authorities, but they accuse you of being a crank and refuse to help. The papers don't believe you either and the local radio station has stopped taking your calls. You decide that you have to do this alone. You start to bid for all of the babies on the website, and they start arriving by special delivery. Soon your flat is full of babies, and you can't afford your rent. You need a bigger place. You open a cafe where people can have a coffee and meet the babies. Over time people adopt the babies and take them to loving homes. After all of the furore dies down, you realise there is only one baby left - this one is going to be yours. You look down at them and are suddenly struck by a shock of recognition. They are wearing a very familiar (if: $shoes is 2)[pair of shoes - the very same ones from the auction. ](if: $shoes is 1)[shoe - the very same one from the auction. ] Weird. The end. (colour: "#2F4F4F")[`@steve_bromley` (& Ernest Hemingway[[*->Hemingway]])]

<img src="http://stevebromley.com/games/shoes/images/stocks.jpg" width="100%" alt="stocks"> Just before you buy the shares, news breaks - a massive crime ring has been exposed using the auction site as a front for an implausible smuggling scheme, and their stock plummets. Your £$bid will now buy the whole company. Congratulations. As the new CEO, you decide to pivot the business into a new area - making baby shoes. Buy low, sell high - that's your motto. It's a massive success and soon you are a billionaire. You appear regularly on the cover of Time magazine, and your TED talk has been viewed millions of times. One day you get a call - it's Michael Parkinson. He is coming back to TV and wants to interview you on his first show. On the day, as the camera starts rolling, he opens with an easy question: *"What's the secret of your amazing success?"* You start to answer, but there's a persistance distraction in the back of your brain. It's not immediately clear what the cause is, but then it hits you. Michael's feet are small. Not just small, but tiny. You've never seen such tiny feet on a grown man. You lean in to take a closer look, and then notice his shoes. They are well made, ornate and very familiar. There's an awkward silence in the studio - you're not answering the question, you're too distracted. Just then a wave of recognition floods through you. These aren't just any small shoes, they are the same baby shoes that you bought at the auction all those years ago. And Michael Parkinson is wearing them. Weird. The end. (colour: "#2F4F4F")[`@steve_bromley` (& Ernest Hemingway[[*->Hemingway]])]

Baby Shoes The Director's Cut <img src="http://stevebromley.com/games/shoes/images/babyshoes2.jpg" width="50%" align="middle" alt="baby shoes"> [[Start ->Intro]]

Although the story Baby Shoes is often attributed to Ernest Hemingway, it probably wasn't written by him as occurances have been found dating back to before he was an author. However I felt that (colour: "#2F4F4F")[`@steve_bromley` (& an unknown author, often incorrectly attributed to Ernest Hemingway)] would have been a silly way to end the story. Turns out, it is.