<div id="start">
<span id="storytitle">PETER SCHLEMIEL</span>
<span id="subtext">Andrea Davidson and Kat Sayrs</span><p/>
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[[Start ->Party]]
</div>[[“Peter Schlemiel!”->Party2]]{
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<div class="block"> That’s me,” Peter says. He doesn’t know anyone at the party. He is not comfortable.
He recognizes the speaker, though. Thomas John. Everyone on campus knows Thomas John.
[[This doesn’t make him any more comfortable.->Party3]]
</div>
“What brings you here?” Thomas asks.
Peter smiles and lifts a plastic cup. “Just enjoying a great party.”
[[“That’s good.”->Party4]]
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<div class="block">They stare at each other silently for a few moments.
</div>
[[Say something else->TalktoThomas]]
[[Awkwardly shuffle away->AwkwardShuffle]]
<div class="block">“It’s a nice place you’ve got here,” Peter tries. “It’s, uh. Nice.”
“It’s the biggest house in town,” Thomas John boasts.</div>
[[“Mm.”->Thomas2]]
<div class="block">Peter lifts his chin and waves at a spot on the far wall like it’s his best friend. It’s a weak gimmick, but Thomas John doesn’t stop him as he shuffles out of the conversation.
[[He should probably find an actual person to mingle with.->Party5]] He’s so awkward.
</div>
<div class="block">Peter crosses the room to take refuge in the farthest possible corner from Thomas John. Everyone ignores him, as they should.
Most people seem to have separated into smaller groups of friends who actually know each other, [[save for one odd mass in the living room->Party6]]. </div><div class="block">“I’ve been thinking about having some upgrades done, you know. Knock out a few walls, get an indoor pool. Cosmetic changes, too, of course.”</div>
[[“Sounds nice.”->Thomas3]]<div class="block">“My parents have the money; might as well make this a place I can actually be happy with.”
</div>
[[“Cool.”->Thomas4]]<div class="block">“I don’t know how poor people do it. Like, why don’t they just throw themselves off of cliffs?”
“I, uh wonder the same.”
[[With a plastic laugh and a clap on the shoulder, Thomas John vanishes to mingle with other guests.->Party5]]
</div><div class="block">The sort-of-crowd does not seem to center around any one specific person, but they were all gravitating towards a [[quiet guy in a grey suit.->Party7]]</div>
[[“Odd attire for a party,”->Party8]] Peter remarks to the person next to him.“Odd attire for a party,” Peter remarks to the person next to him.
“Huh? I don’t think a sweatshirt is weird”
“No, not yours, that guy’s. [[Who is he?->Party9]] One of the business majors?”
“Odd attire for a party,” Peter remarks to the person next to him.
“Huh? I don’t think a sweatshirt is weird”
“No, not yours, that guy’s. Who is he? One of the business majors?”
[[The dude gives a noncommittal shrug and turns away.->Suit1]]<div class="block">“I should get an ice statue of myself at my next party,” Thomas John, standing in the center of the mass, [[declares->Suit2]].</div>
<div class="block">The man in the grey coat quietly pulls a block of ice from his pocket.</div>
[[Everyone’s eyes widen.->Suit3]]<div class="block">“Cool trick,” Thomas John laughs. “But I don’t know how to carve those things. [[Got an art student in your pockets?”->Suit4]]</div>[[He does.->Suit5]]“Who IS that guy?” Peter asks. No one responds.
[[Keep asking->Keep Asking]]
[[Be brave, just talk to the guy->Suit6]]“Who IS that guy?” Peter asks again. No one responds.
[[He isn’t sure what he was expecting.->Suit6]]
<div class="block">Peter, valiant voyager, courageous conqueror, mindless moron, follows his curiosity [[right into the heart of the mess.->Suit7]]</div>“Neat trick,” Peter says. “Are you a student here?”
“No, not me. Just a friend of Thomas John’s.”
[[“Cool. Cool cool cool.”->Suit8]]<div class="block">After a little small talk, Peter quickly finds himself comfortable with the guy. It helped that the crowd had shifted their attention from the guy in the grey coat to the ice statue. Peter never intended to pour his heart out, but [[somehow the conversation comes around to his financial troubles.->Deal1]]</div>“Yeah, this year has been especially rough. I don’t make enough from my job, and the debt just keeps piling up. It’s starting to look like I’ll never be able to pay off my loans.”
The guy smiles sympathetically. “Oh yeah, those can be a [[real crushing weight.”->Deal2]]<div class="block">Peter laughs, embarrassed by how much he’s spilled to a stranger.
</div>
[[“Don’t suppose you’ve got anything in your pocket for that, do you?” he jokes.->Deal3]][[“I just might. I can’t give it away, though.”->Deal4]]“I just might. I can’t give it away, though.”
“Don’t know what you want from me. [[The loan company already has my soul->Deal5]].”
“I just might. I can’t give it away, though.”
“Don’t know what you want from me. The loan company already has my soul.”
The guy didn’t laugh. “Yeah, that is a problem.”
He reaches into the pocket of his coat and pulls out [[a debit card->Deal6]].{
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<div class="block">The card is beautiful. It’s dark, but when it catches the light, it shines every color, like a beetle’s shell or an oil spill. Peter would bet that the card could stop bullets and whisper the future to him in his haziest dreams.
</div>
[[He needs it.->Deal7]]“The account is bottomless, of course,” the guy explains.
[[“Of course,” Peter agrees.->Deal8]]“It’s all yours. As long as, in return, I can take your shadow.”
[[Peter takes the card.->ATM1]]<div class="block">It’s late enough that the gas station around the corner from Peter’s dorm is empty. The ATM is all his.</div>
[[Peter enters the PIN with trembling fingers.->ATM2]]<div class="block">It’s late enough that the gas station around the corner from Peter’s dorm is empty. The ATM is all his.</div>
Peter enters the PIN with trembling fingers.
[[It works. He’s rich.->ATM3]]<div class="block">He laughs giddily, causing the dead-eyed cashier to look over at him, but he doesn’t care.</div>
How much money should he withdraw?
[[A million->ATM4]]
[[TEN million->ATM4A]]
[[A HUNDRED MILLION->ATM4B]]The maximum is a thousand. [[He withdraws that instead.->ATM5]]The maximum is a thousand. [[He withdraws that instead.->ATM5]]The maximum is a thousand. [[He withdraws that instead.->ATM5]]<div class="block">The occasion calls for a celebratory snack cake. Peter makes his selection and plops it down on the counter by the register, riffling his cash ostentatiously.
[[Mistake. The cashier looks over him critically.->ATM6]]</div>
“What happened to your shadow?”
Peter shrugs. “I had the flu recently. Maybe that did it.”
[[The cashier’s suspicious gaze follows him out the door.->Bendel1]]{
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<div class="block">Peter’s roommate, Bendel, is lounging pantsless in his bed in a fortunately darkened room, elbow deep in a bag of doritos. He looks up from the show he’s binging when Peter bursts in.</div>
“How did your mission to get wasted on the rich man’s dollar go?” Bendel asks.
[[Don’t mention the shadow->Bendel1A]]
[[Spill guts->Bendel2]]“It was weird,” Peter says, keeping things vague.
Bendel shakes his head sympathetically. “I don’t understand people with money.”
<div class="block">That was Peter now. And yet, remembering the look the cashier had given him, [[he finds it hard to be excited->Bendel1B]].</div>
“There was this guy there. He was wearing a grey suit coat and I made a strange deal with him.”
“Got yourself a new sugar daddy?” Bendel guesses.
[[Peter punches him.->Bendel3]]He looks at Bendel’s honest face and can’t contain his unease anymore.
[[Spill guts->Bendel2]]<div class="block">Peter doesn’t punch him, but he really wants to. Instead, he pulls out the card to show Bendel and explains.</div>
Bendel examines the ground by Peter’s feet. “You really don’t have a shadow. Huh.”
[[“It’s going to be hard to go outside,” Peter sighs.->Benedel3B]]
[[“Buy me some really nice presents to thank me.”->Bendel6]]<div class="block">[[Bendel walks Peter to all of his classes. The one class he can’t, Peter skips.->Bendel6]]</div><div class="block">Bendel walks Peter to all of his classes. The one class he can’t, Peter skips.
His dedication is admirable, if a little stifling, but Peter knows he’d be even more restricted [[without Bendel to cast a shadow for him.->Bendel7]]</div>A couple times, he had absentmindedly left his room alone. The stares and whispers were fierce. He can’t imagine how harrowing it would be if rumors spread far enough that he got a reputation.
So Bendel walked him to class, and he hardly leaves his room otherwise.
For the class they share, Bendel not only walks Peter to class, [[he walks him to his seat.->Class1]]“Bendel, quit clinging to Peter and get in your seat.”
“Sorry professor. Just a quick pre-class spoon sesh.” Bendel plants a kiss on top of Peter’s head.
[[~~~->Room1]]<div class="block">“Play games with me?” Peter begs. They have all the latest consoles now, along with every title that seemed like it had the potential to be interesting.
“I’ve got a paper,” Bendel says.
Peter flops onto his bed with a heavy sigh and stares at the ceiling. “It’s depressing, being caged. Drains all the color from life,” he whines, enslaved to the march of insipid platitudes shuffling through his idle mind. He hates the off-white walls. [[He ordered twenty posters online to cover them, but they hadn’t arrived yet.->Room2]]</div>Absorbed in his own work, Bendel takes his time replying. “You could go nocturnal. There’s a rich nightlife around here.”
[[“And I’m rich enough to blend right in.”->Room3]]
Absorbed in his own work, Bendel takes his time replying. “You could go nocturnal. There’s a rich nightlife around here.”
“And I’m rich enough to blend right in.”
“See? It’s perfect.”
[[“Not my scene,”->Room4]] Peter dismisses.
“You could start going to class again,” Bendel suggests.
“And have everyone stare? I’d be asked to leave in a matter of days. [[I’d rather join the night life->Room5]].”Bendel looks up from his paper, eyes wide with dawning realization. “Bro, you could take night classes. [[All shadows are uncertain in the lurid, omnidirectional glow of budget fluorescents, bro.->Class2]]”
<div class="block">After switching to night classes, Peter feels much more at ease. No one seems to notice or care that his shadow is missing, and the walk to and from class is far less stressful. He’s able to move among his dead-eyed two-jobbed peers like he’s one of them, and really, apart from one small technicality, he is.
In one of his classes, though, [[there is a girl who frequently casts glances his way->Class3]]. </div>
<div class="block">Peter panics, though probably not as much as he should. She’s cute.
[[She stops him just as he’s about to leave after class one night.->Class4]]</div>
“Hey, you just switched in, right?” she asks.
[[um->Class5a]]
[[uhhh->Clas5b]]
[[durrrr->Class5c]]
She smiles. “Peter, right? I’m Mina. If you’d like, I could help catch you up.”
Peter hopes he isn’t blushing as much as it feels like he’s blushing. “I’d like. I mean, I’d like that. Thanks.”
[[“Are you free tomorrow? We could meet at the library any time between two and five, or--”->Class6]]
She smiles. “Peter, right? I’m Mina. If you’d like, I could help catch you up.”
Peter hopes he isn’t blushing as much as it feels like he’s blushing. “I’d like. I mean, I’d like that. Thanks.”
[[“Are you free tomorrow? We could meet at the library any time between two and five, or--”->Class6]]
She smiles. “Peter, right? I’m Mina. If you’d like, I could help catch you up.”
Peter hopes he isn’t blushing as much as it feels like he’s blushing. “I’d like. I mean, I’d like that. Thanks.”
[[“Are you free tomorrow? We could meet at the library any time between two and five, or--”->Class6]]
“Actually, daylight hours aren’t so good for me,” Peter interrupts.
“Oh.” Mina chews her lip thoughtfully. “Are you doing anything now?”
[[---->Mina1]]“Hey, I have plenty of shadow for both of us. If I stay next to you, no one will notice the difference.”
Peter blinks. [[“And… you’ll stay next to me?”->Bendel4]]“So,” Mina says during a break in one of their study sessions.
Their study sessions have been more break than not, lately.
[[“So what?” Peter says.->Mina2]]“I’ve been thinking. Your whole deal, like how you’re weird about daylight? I think I’ve figured it out. [[I know what you are.->Mina3]]”Peter’s heart drops. “Say it,” he demands, not because he’s ready for the headsman’s axe, but because if it’s coming anyway [[it might as well come swiftly.->Mina4]]
[[“Vampire,” Mina whispers.->Mina5]]
“Vampire,” Mina whispers.
<i>Oh, thank god</i>, Peter thinks. He agrees with her.
[[---->MP21]]<div class="block">There’s a knock on Bendel and Peter’s door. There are never any knocks on their door. They exchange a glance as Bendel goes to answer it.</div>
[[“Is Peter there?” Mina asks.->MP22]]Peter rushes to her. She’s holding a large umbrella, but it’s a sunny day.
[[“What’s this?” Peter asks.->MP23]]
“I said I would think up some better ideas for dates than sitting in the library. Here’s number one. We’re going for a walk.”
Bendel gives Peter an encouraging thump on the back. [[“Be careful.”->Walk1]]
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The umbrella is wide and thick. It disguises Peter’s missing shadow well.
He and Mina wander for hours, talking about everything.
He brushes off the vampire questions.
[[He doesn’t notice the treacherous sun sinking lower.->Walk2]]
<div class="block">“You’re still okay when the sun touches your clothes, right?” Mina asks, looking him over in concern.
“Yeah, it’s fine,” Peter confirms absently. [[He takes a look at his feet to see how much sun was striking him.->Walk3]]</div>
<div class="block">“You’re still okay when the sun touches your clothes, right?” Mina asks, looking him over in concern.
“Yeah, it’s fine,” Peter confirms absently. He takes a look at his feet to see how much sun was striking him.</div>
[[Far too much.->Walk4]]<div class="block">He hurriedly adjusts the umbrella so that Mina won’t see its silhouette hovering alone, but it’s too late. He meets her eyes and he knows she knows.</div>
[[“I have to go,” Mina stutters.->Walk5]]
<div class="block">Mina doesn’t show up for class. Peter next hears from her in an email four days later.
“It is incredibly disappointing that you’re not actually a vampire, but you’re still you. However, my family is not at all okay with you not having a shadow. [[You have to get one before graduation or else we’ll have to call this off because I’d rather not be disowned->Walk6]].”</div>[[A stupid email.->Search1]]
<div class="block">No one from Thomas John’s party knows anything about the guy in the grey coat. Thomas John himself isn’t even sure who he is.</div>
Peter types out half of his seventieth or so message to someone who may or may not have been at the party, but his desperation has dulled. [[He can’t bear to see the same dismissive responses again.->Search2]][[“Where are you going?”->Search3]] Bendel asks as Peter rushes out the door.“Where are you going?” Bendel asks as Peter rushes out the door.
[[Peter doesn’t reply.->Search4]]
<div class="block">It’s broad daylight, so the first thing Peter does is distance himself from other people.
There’s a forest nearby that he knows well; some of his classes have made excursions there.
[[There, he thinks, he can breathe.->Search5]]</div>
<div class="block">He wanders until he finds a fallen tree to rest on. He closes his eyes and breathes.
[[Almost immediately, footsteps interrupt his reverie.->Search6]]</div>
“It’s been a rough month, Bendel; I’m allowed at least one emotional breakdown,” Peter gripes.
“Rude,” a voice replies, and [[it isn’t Bendel’s.->Search7]]
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It’s been a rough month, Bendel; I’m allowed at least one emotional breakdown,” Peter gripes.
“Rude,” a voice replies, and it isn’t Bendel’s.
It’s the guy from the party, and he’s wearing the same grey jacket.
[[“Been chasing you down since I saw you fleeing campus,” he remarks.->Convo1]]
Peter stands. ‘I want my shadow back.”
“I have it. See?” he says, pulling it out of his pocket. It’s a sad, neglected thing, shrivelled in on itself. [[“But I’m afraid I can only offer it in trade.”->Convo2]]
“What do you want?”
[[“Your soul.”->Convo3]]
<div class="block">Peter knows immediately that the trade in unacceptable. He’s not even sure what he stands to lose. He’s never seen his soul; he isn’t attached to it, but if there was something profoundly crooked about their first deal, this was twice that.</div>
[[“I can’t,” Peter refuses, and it’s the hardest thing he’s ever done.->Convo4]]
The grey man throws the shadow on the ground and makes it dance. “You sure?” he taunts.
[[Reply->Reply]]
[[Stay Silent->silent]]“You can take your card back, if you want, but I won’t let you take anything else from me,” Peter replies. He’s surprised at how sure he is.
[[The grey man starts another appeal, but he’s cut short.->BB1]]
<div class="block">Peter looks down at his feet in an effort to ignore the grey man only to be dealt another blow when he notices his shadow missing. Still, he refuses to trade with someone who already screwed him over once.
</div>
[[A crunching sound makes Peter look up.->BB1]]
<div class="block">Bendel appears behind the grey man. He swings a frying pan into his unsuspecting dome. “Grab it and run,” he roars, “I’ll deal with this guy.”
</div>
Peter tries, but his shadow doesn’t listen. [[He just runs.->BB2]]
[[---->Leaves1]]<div class="block">“You can keep the rest of the cash. And the games. And the gadgets. And the whole new wardrobe that should be coming in the mail any day now. And the pet tiger that’s on its way; good luck with that,” Peter said. He had his old backpack filled with a few essentials and a little cash. [[That was all he would need.->Leaves2]]
</div>“You’re scaring me. What’s up?” Bendel asks. His lip is split from his tussle with the grey guy, [[who had vanished completely.->Leaves3]]
[[“I’m going to go stock up on protein bars, buy myself some hiking boots at Goodwill, and start off on an adventure,” Peter explains.->Leaves4]]“You’re leaving for good?”
[[yeah]]
[[nah]]“My life here is in shambles. [[It’s about time I abandon it and never look back->Leaves5]],” Peter says.
“Never say never, right?” Peter says. [[He doesn’t have any plans to return, but the long term is long.->Leaves5]]
[[“Good luck. It’s been a wild journey,” Bendel says.->Leaves6]]
Peter takes in their room for the last time - they had accrued a lot of stuff. Empty cardboard pizza boxes were piled by empty cardboard shipping boxes. The blinds were open wide so that he could enjoy the sunlight in one of the only safe places for him.
[[Bendel would be much more comfortable with him gone.->Leaves7]]“Bye,” Peter says resolutely.
[[“Wait,”->Leaves8]]“Bye,” Peter says resolutely.
“Wait,” Bendel calls. “You’ll text, right?”
[[“Of course.”->Leaves9]]
Peter is pleased with his new boots. They’re cheap, sturdy, and, somehow, magical. He puts them on and the first step he takes carries him miles away.
[[There was no better footwear for one running from his problems.->Bye1]]
Peter makes a nice life for himself, exploring the wilderness in dozens of countries. [[Through the power of the internet, he manages to write and publish several scholarly articles about his findings.->Bye2]]
[[The internet also helps him keep in contact with his family and Bendel.->Bye3]]The internet also helps him keep in contact with his family and Bendel.
[[Bendel becomes a doctor. Peter is very proud.->Bye4]]
Peter’s life isn’t the one he imagined he’d live when he was still a student with a shadow, but there’s something simple and pure in the life of learning and adventure [[he found for himself->Bye5]].
<div class="end">[[He never sees or hears of the man in the grey coat again.->End]]</div>{
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Red party cups
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thaiqn/2885502566
Grey Suit man
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kentwang/5602268356
Debit Card
https://static.pexels.com/photos/50987/money-card-business-credit-card-50987.jpeg
Dorm room
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7045/6793458216_72cd0a021f_b.jpg
Umbrella
https://pixabay.com/p-1986924/?no_redirectUse of Twine is fairly simple - it is a story that is navigated by the glowing links. If you wish to return to the preceding passage, there is a back arrow on the left hand side of the text box that will do just that.