Part 18: Talking Backwards

Update 18: Talking Backwards



Let's get searching.



Back to the library we go. But first...



: Um...I'm waiting for Ashley right now.

Inside the library, we're greeted with a surprise.



*Conversation: Librarian*
: Yes? Can I help you, young man?
: I'd like to look something up...
: Oh, yes, yes, okay, then. Please wait for just a moment, hmm?
: Huh?
: You see, I, well...I'm no good with these newfangled machines. I just started here. Really can't apologize enough, no, sir. If it's the librarian you need, she'll be back shortly.
: Oh, um...okay.
: (Oh, well. I'll try again later.)

How do you get hired when you can't do one of your main jobs? I'm pretty sure that's one of the few jobs the librarian has in this town. Whatever, we'll go chase Sara down so that she can replace this useless idiot. But first, let's get easily distracted.



: I was just headed out to study with Emily.
: I don't wanna end up like my big brother, after all!
: Ha ha ha! Good luck!
: You got it!

Back to Emily...

: Oh...!
: I, um...I'm just waiting for Ashley...
: Oh, I just saw her. She should be here any minute.
: Oh, okay. Thanks a lot!

And back to Ashley...

: Where's my pen--aha. And here's my notebook...
: (She's sure got her hands full.)

And back to Emily for the final time.



: Okay...but I can only teach you the stuff I know.
: That'll do! And I'll treat you to some ice cream afterward.
: Strawberry ice cream?
: Strawberry it is!

And then they head off. No, this has absolutely no plot relevance. Let's detour again.



: Busy doing what?
: Looking for something.
: Need help?
: No--I want to find it myself.
: (What's he looking for...?)
: ...Olivia said her bike is totally unrideable now. If I could find the key and fix it up, she might be able to use it again.
: (Rats--the bicycle key! I never put it back!) Er, say, Ben...
: No way! Leave this to me!
: If you say so...
: (I'll give it back when things have calmed down around here.)

Anyways, that's enough detours for now. Now we find Sara.



: So you have a dog! Why not take her down to my shop?
Ethan: (It's Morris, all right--and he's talking to someone.)
: I just might do that--have you take her for a walk, maybe.
: I do shampoos, grooming--even boarding. It's a one-stop doggie paradise!
: I'll keep that in mind. But right now I have to get to work, so...
: Sure, sure! Come by anytime.
: Okay--thanks! See you!
: (That Morris has really made a nice little business for himself!)
: (...He was talking with Sara from the library, I see.)

Now we can head back to the library to talk to Sara and have her do the job of Mr. Incompetent.



Bit of an understatement.

: Can I help you?
: There's a newspaper article I'd like to find.
: What would you like me to look up for you?



The wrong answer is about as boring as the last time, so skipping it.

*By date*
: Is there anything about an accident in the March 23 paper, 35 years ago?
: One moment, please...

Tap tap tap.

: There's one match. I'll copy it for you.




: "Bus Accident Kills 2, Injures 1"
: At about 10:25 AM on March 23, a bus headed for the station on a state route near Clockwork Hill hit the guardrail, rolled over, and burst into flames... Of the three people on the bus, two were killed: the driver and passenger Mary Onegin. The other passenger, Onegin's eldest son Irving, suffered only minor injuries.
: (This must be what Uncle Derek was talking about...)
: (Mary Onegin...that's Irving's mother's name. This is what that flashback was all about, too.)
: (Which means...Irving must have changed this particular past, right? And isn't Irving meeting with Uncle Derek right about now? Why would Dad be investigating this accident, anyway?)
: (...Argh! Too many questions, not enough answers!)

The sound of the world shifting again.

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: What the...? Isn't this the same flashback?
: (Was it Irving? But why would he do that to his own mother...?)

A good question. Maybe if we fix it we'll find the answer. So we go through our usual routine.


As to where we're going, that's Clockwork Hill, as noted. That's a new spot on our map.







: (Can I change the past here somehow? I can--and I have to.)
: (Now that I know about that bus accident, that is...)



===





: (...I think I'll call out to her.)

This is a very blatant hint to try something that's never worked before - the Talk option. It's never worked before because everyone's been frozen in time.



Oh, yeah. There's one more mechanic that I forgot. Every time you finish a chapter, your Time bar decreases. It's easy to miss until your Time bar's gotten this short.





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{Video: Talking to the Past}

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: ......!!! (E-everything's stopped on the other side--frozen!)
: (Can I rescue the Onegins like this?)
???: ...I'm all right.
: !!
: (Who's there?)
: I don't know who you are, but thank you for saving us.
: Who...who are you? (She's beautiful...)
: Are you...Mary Onegin?
: Yes. I have a Hollow Pen, too.
: So that's why you can move... You startled me.
: But never mind that! Get away from the bus, and hurry!
: My son and I are just fine. We'll be out in a jiffy.
: But the driver...I'm afraid we're too late to save him. It looks like he had some kind of convulsion...
: Oh...
: Then I'll close the Hole after the two of you get away from the bus. How does that sound?
: That would be great. Thank you.



Ethan: Okay, I'm closing the Hole now.

And we close it.

: Let's see...
: (Now Irving's mother should be safe and sound.)

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