Chapter Text
“This is the sto-”
Yeah, yeah, skip.
Stanley opened his eyes, staring down at his computer. A sight he’s gotten used to ages ago. He’d given up trying to escape this parable way back, now the only thing he looked forward to was whichever ending he would end up getting. Or the best way to piss off his narrator.
He turned to his left and waltzed out the door, completely on instinct. Now was about the time The Narrator would start blabbering on from their little script for the umpteenth time. Stanley had probably memorized it himself by now.
“All of his coworkers were gone. What could it mean? Stanley decided to go to the meeting room, perhaps he had simply missed a memo.”
Stanley mouthed the words in unison. He would mock The Narrator if he actually had vocal cords.
Well, he definitely wasn’t going to the meeting room. He glided past the halls and made a beeline to the door on the right.
“When Stanley came to a set of- ugh.”
Hearing The Narrator groan at his immediate disobedience forced a small grin on his face. He couldn’t remember the last time he actually went to the door on the left. It wasn’t like there was anything interesting over there anyways. Y’know, besides the broom closet, but if that was the price to pay to get on The Narrator’s nerves, so be it.
“Ah, yes, truly a room worth admiring.”
They were right. Stanley loved this room. It had everything: Comfortable chairs, plants, paintings, a nice color scheme, and even a vending machine. It never worked, exactly, but its presence was nice. Stanley leaned next to the vending machine, right below the clock reading 11:20, crossed his arms and rested his eyes. A few minutes passed…
“Are you really just gonna sit there and waste my time? I mean, really, Stanley, I do all of this for you- I guide you down the right path, I give my utmost effort to push you in the right direction, and you just- sit there?! I can’t even remember the last time you went through the door on the left! Now, I understand you’re a little bored of the game and can’t leave, but you’re not the only one in that boat! What, are you getting a kick out of this? Do you really enjoy pushing me to my lim- wh- hey- Stanley?! STANLEY!!”
During this whole lecture, every word went in one ear and out the other. But the moment he cared enough to open one eye, he could see himself falling- Falling?! How was he falling?! His breath caught in his throat, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Stanley fell to the floor, and got the wind knocked right out of his lungs. He couldn’t move, and all his focus went to trying to regain his breath. Once the throbbing in his chest had eased, he sat up and groggily opened his eyes.
What he was met with was… the last thing he expected. The lounge he remembered was blue, why was everything…
Yellow…??
“STANLEY!! Stanley, are you alright?! Wha-”
The Narrator’s voice fell quiet. ‘Well, that’s a first,’ Stanley thought in the back of his mind. He pushed himself onto his feet and looked at the wall. The wall he… fell through?? The design was a dull yellow, with arrows pointing upwards. He placed his hand against the wall, and-
He retracted it right back. Did his hand just phase through the wall?!? Did the… atoms align or something?? His breath quickened, and he backpedaled away from the “wall” as fast as he could. He took a moment to take in his surroundings, the endless yellow…
“Stanley…”
“Where on earth are we…?”