Phase Q/Back to the Good Times

“Ugh.”

“Yes?”

“Oogh ugh ooo-ugh.”

“Hm,” you say.

“Uuuugh-oog.” Oogoo seems satisfied now.

You walk to your cave, not dissatisfied yourself.

Finally, you’ve cleaned things up around here.

No more workplace accidents, since at least two crops ago.

No more outbreaks of violence over unfair allotments of corn, or reproductive patterns.

No more endless discussions, getting nothing accomplished, and idle speculating.

Just good, solid, hard work. And corn. Lots and lots of corn.

You feel very satisfied, almost to the point of smugness.

Last crop came in at twice enough to feed the village, and this crop is looking even bigger.

You survived the last political change. Your opponent now fertilizes the corn. And you have the unwavering faith of your tribe.

All feels well.

“Uggug Uggugh Ogg.”

“What are you grunting about?” you ask Oogoo.

“Grrroogh.”

Unable to make out Oogoo’s linguistic efforts – usually you can decipher the system – you get up to investigate.

Oogoo seems pleased that you’re following him.

Together, the two of you make your way down, out of your palace, through the village, and into the corn fields. You moved the fields out away from the dwellings.

“Urggh. Ooga oogh.”

“What? Where?”

“Urrgggggah.”

“Oh.”

That’s funny.

You bend over to look at the stream of dripping water. The thin course follows the half-tunnel you had the villagers carve out over the course of two crops. It irrigates the corn, coming in occasional little drops.

“Orrrgh,” you grunt.

“Ugh urg ugh,” agrees Oogoo.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

In your mind, you count down the seconds as the water drips into a rough wooden container.

“Oorrrgh.”

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Again.

Several times, you go through the ritual. Each time, the water continues to drip after you reach liftoff.

The crude analog timer you had devised should have emptied the wooden container onto a corn row roughly when you finished counting. Something must be wrong with your system.

“Urrgah urrrgah!” groans Oogoo.

“Good Oogoo,” you say, petting the former lawyer on the head and handing out a corn treat.

Back in the village, murmurs are spreading. Whisper spreads like wildfire, from lips to ears.

“Did you hear, there may be a water shortage?” says a knight to a doctor.

“We ran out of water, pass it on,” says the doctor to a fool.

“Time knows no bounds,” whispers the fool to a passing horse.

An angry crowd shows up at the palace gate.

You quietly sneak around back, knowing well that the straw barrier won’t hold long.

A brief, bright green light flashes in the sky.

You run into the palace’s secret room, together with Oogoo and your head guard, a former sumo wrestler.

Grabbing a bone knife, a mirror, and your intercom, you quickly change out of your chief costume and into a prepared peasant garb, and sneak back out the back door again.

Phase Q: An interactive adventure.