a dream; forward dated to december sixteenth
[At night, when every man and woman, boy and girl goes to sleep in their beds, they dream. They dream of the wasteland, the one Mayfield spent its Thanksgiving as a part of, ruined houses in rows upon rows and no sign of life to be found.
That is, except for the man or woman standing next to you. He or she is standing next to you, simply dressed but free of the dirt and grime of the world around you, and smiling. A feeling of warmth comes over you at the same. Perhaps you know this person, perhaps he's a figure from your past, someone you once loved but haven't seen in some time. Or perhaps she's a stranger, but a kindly one, with a caring and pleasant face. Whoever this is, it's someone you instinctively trust, even if you have never trusted anyone in your life, and it's someone who has something to show you.
This person, depending on who they are and who you are, will speak different words to you and will take you to places where you will see different things. But what they have to show you and what you have to tell you is the same. What might a hypothetical angel might say to a hypothetical person? We'll call our angel Clarence, and what he's here for is this:]
[The vision of the wasteland begins to blur and fade as the angel speaks, shifting between images of the town, lively and awake, and the town dead and ruined.]
There isn't much time. They're still trying to hide it from you, but there's no point. Mayfield is done for. And when it goes, it will be taking all of you with it.
That's what I'm here for. There's something you can do to help, and you see, you're the only one who can do it.
[The image shifts again. Suddenly, you're no longer in Mayfield at all. You're back where you belong. Your universe, your planet, you town, your home. Clarence will walk you through the life you lived. But there's something there you may have noticed while you were still living that life, but that may be completely new to you. The people around you seem to be in despair, though they may try to hide it behind fake smiles. Things seem wrong somehow; even if it appears all right on the surface, it's clear to you that just beneath the surface, there is something truly terrible happening. And as Clarence continues to walk you through your life, past the point you last remember, you'll see just what it is. In the future, everything you know, everything you care about, will go completely wrong. A disaster will strike, the people and places you care about will suffer, all your plans and goals will fail. And the cause of all of that? You.]
Don't you see? But for all of that, I know you're a good person. I know you don't want that to happen. And I know you don't want Mayfield to be destroyed.
I believe Mayfield could be a good place to live someday. But for that to happen, it has to survive. And the only way it will survive this crisis? Really, truly the only way? Is one extra person. One person taking up Mayfield's power to exist. If just one person were to vanish completely tomorrow, it will be saved.
[The scenes change again. You're still home, but it's different this time. Everything you can conceive of that could be better, that could be happy, that could be hopeful and good has come to pass. And the only difference?
In this world, you were never born.]
Don't you see? It has to be you. Think of all the good you could do, for everyone.
[The scene shifts again, back to Mayfield. Christmas in Mayfield like you've never seen it before. It's beautiful, but more than that, the sinister air is completely missing. People are happy. Your friends, your housemates, everyone you've come to know is happy. But none of them can see you. None of them know you're there. None of them even remember you. And don't they seem better off for it?]
It won't hurt one bit, you know. You'll just go away, somewhere you won't be a bother to anyone anymore. Your entire life will vanish in an instant. No one will remember you. No one will miss you. Everything will be all right, and it's all thanks to you.
I won't force you to accept. Maybe someone else will choose to be brave instead, maybe that will be enough. But you're the only one I know can save them, and you're the best candidate. After all, wouldn't everyone be better off without you at all?
So what do you say? For once in your life will you do the right thing?
[The dream will end as soon as you've made your choice.]
((You may play out in-dream reactions here if you so choose. Sign-ups are required on this post for participation. Remember, in game, this dream isn't happening until the night before December 17. We just wanted to let you see what your character would experience before sign up.))