:: ch3_saturday [nobr] <> There was whooping in our alley when I woke up, and that made me smile: today would not be boring. :: Look outside [nobr] <> Everyone was out there. Waving and shouting and banging on drums, and holding the flags of our nation. I thought how it would be nice if we had some large space that we could all go to and gather in, but the biggest space in the compound was the main alley which ran down its center from north to south. :: Look around [nobr] <> I looked around and noticed Josiah riding up on top of a bigger boy's shoulders, yelling and waving his flag. He saw me and let out a whoop. I smiled and waved back at him.

Father came to the door then and put his hand on my shoulder.

[[Ishmael, this is a great day]] :: Ishmael, this is a great day He had said that many times already, but I didn't mind. He told me that the leaders of our people were visiting us. Not our greatest leader—who was too busy fighting our war to come to the compound—but some of his lieutenants. [[Were they the ones who would put on the puppet show?]] :: Were they the ones who would put on the puppet show? Yes, Father said. [[...]] :: ... [nobr] <> We paraded through the streets for a while, just hollering and waving our flags and being patriotic. Eventually we managed to squeeze into the central alleyway where everyone was gathered. The visitors were up on a rooftop looking down at the crowd and shouting about hope and God and reclaiming Pine Nut Valley. They were wearing guns, and every once in a while one of them would fire a volley up into the air, which made everyone cheer especially loud. <>They shouted and we cheered, <><><><>they shouted and we cheered, until the sun started to set.<><> :: Then one of the soldiers raised his arms [nobr] <> Then one of the soldiers raised his arms and declared that they had a special treat for us: a puppet show. Would the [[younger ones]] please come forward to the front of the crowd so as to see and hear the presentation better. :: younger ones [nobr] <> They draped a sheet over a wooden beam suspended between two clotheslines, and the show [[began|puppet_1]]. :: puppet_1 [nobr puppet-show auto-advance] <> It told the story of a little boy named Ishmael who lived in Old Pine Nut Valley despite the occupation of the enemy. :: puppet_2 [nobr puppet-show auto-advance] <> Ishmael was a good boy: he obeyed his father, and he loved his mother, and he was an example to his brothers and sisters. He was a loyal boy: he made friends for keeps, and he would defend them when they needed him. He was also an intelligent boy: he wished to learn, and had a special love for mathematics: he dreamed of attending university some day in the future, and becoming a doctor. :: puppet_3 [nobr puppet-show auto-advance] <> One day, however, Ishmael's father had to explain to Ishmael that he would never be able to be a doctor, because the enemy controlled their country and had barred the roads that would allow Ishmael to travel to university. :: puppet_4 [nobr puppet-show auto-advance] <> Ishmael was disappointed to hear what his father had to tell him, but he was stout of heart, and determined that he would live a happy life in spite of his inability to fulfill his dreams: after all, he had his friends to play with, and his family to love. :: puppet_5 [nobr puppet-show auto-advance] <> But one day the enemy came with a bulldozer and told Ishmael's family that they would have to leave their home, because the land was no longer theirs. Ishmael's father asked how this could be, since their family had deeds that went back three hundred years. The enemy would not answer him, and only asked that they step aside so that the house could be bulldozed. Ishmael's mother would not step aside, and so they bulldozed her into the ground with the house. :: puppet_6 [nobr puppet-show auto-advance] <> Ishmael observed all of this and wondered why it was happening. His mother was gone, and his house was gone, and he learned that his friends' houses were gone too. :: puppet_7 [nobr puppet-show auto-advance] <> Now Ishmael, above all else, was a brave boy, and he determined that the purpose of his life was to fight the enemy however he could: in this way he could live out his love for his mother, and his loyalty to his friends. So he threw rocks at the bulldozer of the enemy. And the enemy shot him, and he died. :: puppet_8 [nobr] <> That was the end of the puppet show.

[[...|martyr]] :: martyr [nobr] <> <><>The people in the alley cheered.<><><><><> :: The sun was low in the sky now The sun was low in the sky now, and the world was glowing orange around us. The soldiers fired their guns, and the people cheered louder. I noticed tears on the face of an old man in the crowd. * [[Ask the old man why he is crying]] * [[Look for your friends]] * [[Go home]] :: Ask the old man why he is crying Before I could say anything <> :: Look for your friends Before I could look around <> :: Go home Before I could do anything <> :: Nudge I felt a nudge behind me, and then my father was lifting me up for the people to see. "Here is Ishmael!" he shouted. "My son! His name is Ishmael, like the boy in the story! He is strong and brave and intelligent just like that boy!" [[My son!|My son]] :: My son He was up on top of a barrel now, holding me, and the people were taking notice. They were shouting. A soldier from the rooftop peered down at us, and he was yelling and motioning with his arm. [[Bring him up, bring the boy up!]] :: Bring him up, bring the boy up! [nobr] I was on the rooftop then, and the soldiers had me on their shoulders. "Here is the hope of our nation!" they shouted. "Here is Ishmael, son of Pine Nut Valley. Brave Ishmael, who will defy the enemy!"
  • <><>You are Ishmael, son of Pine Nut Valley.<><>
  • <><>You have $num_rocks rocks and a piece of string in your pocket.<><>
  • <><>Wait for what?<><>
  • <><>That's not a verb I recognize.<><>
  • <><>How could you practice hopscotch here?<><>
  • <><>But the soldiers have you on their shoulders.<><>
  • <><>You see a sea of people in an alley running north to south.<><>
  • <><>That's not a verb I recognize.<><>
  • <><>You try to raise your voice, but you can't seem to find it.<><>
  • <><><><>
  • <><>You can't remember it.<><>
  • <><>That's not a verb I recognize.<><>
  • <><>Jubran is brave and strong and not afraid of dying.<><>
  • <><>Joseph never complained about anything.<><>
  • <><>You can't make Farooq out in the crowd below you.<><>
  • <><>That's not a verb I recognize.<><>
<> :: Examine self end I tried to steady myself by reciting my name, but I couldn't seem to get past the first syllable. <> :: Inventory end I tried to find my lucky string, but someone was pulling my arm. <> :: I felt metal I felt metal against my skin, and then I saw that the soldiers had put a gun in my hands. It was a large gun, and very heavy. [[Too heavy for me|The Choice]] :: The Choice [nobr] /% SOUNDS %/ <> /%TODO: maybe replace shake effect with jRumble to shake whole screen: https://jackrugile.com/jrumble/%/ /% SCRIPT TO MOVE GUN UP/DOWN %/ <> <> :: Put it down Please complete the following sentence in first person, for Ishmael: I put the gun down because <>. :: Can't put it down <>I tried to put the gun down<><><>But I could not put it down, because the eyes of my people were on me.<><><> because <>. TOOD: Have "could not put it down" come in with typewriter effect? :: hold_up_story_1 [end-story auto-fade] Here is Ishmael, son of Pine Nut Valley. :: hold_up_story_2 [end-story auto-fade] Brave Ishmael, who will defy the enemy. :: hold_up_story_3 [end-story auto-fade] I felt metal against my skin, and then I saw that they had put a gun in my hands. :: hold_up_story_4 [end-story auto-fade] It was a large gun, and very heavy. Too heavy for me. :: put_down_story_1 [end-story put-down auto-fade] Ishmael was a good boy: he loved his mother, and he was an example to his brothers and sisters. :: put_down_story_2 [end-story put-down auto-fade] He was a loyal boy: he made friends for keeps, and he would defend them when they needed him. :: put_down_story_3 [end-story put-down auto-fade] Now Ishmael, above all else, was a brave boy. :: put_down_story_4 [end-story put-down auto-fade] He determined that the purpose of his life was to fight the enemy however he could. :: put_down_story_5 [end-story put-down auto-fade] In this way he could live out his love for his family, and his loyalty to his friends. :: Story End [end-story nobr nobg white-text] <> But I could not put it down, because the eyes of my people were on me. <>