Conversation · Safety Curtains

As before, an iron safety curtain curves before your eyes. It covers half the room -- blocking the way into a colossal industrial chimney.

This is directly above the central furnace in the cellar. The voices probably came from here.

Knock on it harder.

Still nothing. No one's home.

[Leave.]

Knock even harder!

Those curtains prove to be surprisingly sturdy... Your fist hurts now.

"There must be another way to wake up whoever is in there... Maybe we can try yelling into the furnace downstairs?"

"There must be another way to wake up whoever is in there... Maybe we should ask the lady in the bookstore what's going on here?"

There must be another way to wake up whoever is in there... Maybe you should try yelling into the furnace downstairs?

There must be another way to wake up whoever is in there... Maybe you should talk to the lady in the bookstore, ask what's going on?

If this is really an entrance to the chimney then there must be a furnace somewhere as well. Maybe there's another way to get in?

"Can you please try to refrain from attacking random things?"

"This is not random, this is significant. I want to see what's on the other side."

"Why do you think there's something on the other side necessarily?" the lieutenant asks, but you can see a spark of curiosity in his eyes.

"In any case, there's no way we can get in right now. Let's investigate further."

"I can try..." (Blow gently on your bruised knuckles.)

"Thanks."

"I need to find the malignant entity, Kim. This is the chimney."

The lieutenant sighs. "Ghosts aren't real, didn't your parents tell you that? In any case, there's no way we can get in right now. Let's investigate further."

Knock on it.

What an odd thing to do.... Nothing happens.

"Hello? I yelled, but it didn't work..."

Again your voice becomes a raspy croak, mid-sentence. It's silent in the abandoned office building -- no one answers you.

A sudden bout of self pity comes over you.

Sire, may we suggest something? Think of the yelling-into-the-furnace as a grand performance. Use your chest voice, not your head voice. Sing from the diaphragm.

Perhaps it's not such a bad idea? Try it again, son.

You took your shot and still missed. Well, you did your best, champ. Shame it wasn't good enough.

An iron safety curtain curves before your eyes, folded like a bellows. It covers half the room -- blocking the way into a colossal industrial chimney.

This must be where the Entity lives...