Takeshi's Tunnel

 The cube.  All returns to the cube.  All that exists is the cube. All serve the cube.  We are beholden to the cube. We are born from the cube. Sing glory to the cube, for the cube will bring life. When there is no more, the cube will endure. The cube is eternal.

 Strolling down the sidewalk, you keep an eye out for signs along the storefronts. Your friends suggested a cute maid cafe around here and you have some free time, why not check it out? Turning a corner, you see a girl in a maid dress standing in front of a store window and figure that must be the place. She has long black hair with bangs and a cheery smile, waving to you as you walk up. "Hello! Would you like to come in for some coffee and cake?" she greets you, pulling the door open. You thank her and step inside, taking in the sight of half a dozen maids running around with trays. One of them walks over and guides you to a table, pulling your chair out for you and handing you a menu. Hooking your bag over the end of the chair, you flip through the menu until someone comes up to take your order. The drinks here look fairly good, a lot of different types of coffee and tea, some shakes and smoothies too. The desserts look fairly generic though. Looking up, you notice somethin

  Cold metal on your bare skin shocks you awake, a bright light beaming onto your face. The last thing you remember was helping your older sister bring the cows some fresh feed before something flashed in the sky and you blacked out. Trying to get up, you realize your wrists are held in restraints, as are your ankles but in stirrups. Trying to get your bearings, you look around the room but it raises more questions than answers. Wherever you're being kept, there's a loud but subdued humming reverberating through the floor and the room is clad in reflective metal. Even more disturbing is the amount of paraphernalia scattered around with Garfield's depiction. A pair of balloons in the shape of Garfield's head float ominously in the corner, and Garfield party supplies adorn the table to your right. A door opens somewhere out of sight and someone walks in front of you, but it's not human as far as you can tell. It looks like a female humanoid, but her skin is pink and s

 Loud music and shouting fill the air as you make your way down the crowded street. Coming to Puerto Rico during Noche de San Juan might not have been the best idea but it's fun to be a part of something. Swept up in the crowd, you get carried to the beach and get some breathing room as everyone spreads out along the sand. The stars twinkle overhead as you watch everyone set up along the waterline, waiting. "Hey! Are you going to jump in too?" Someone runs up to you in the darkness and it takes a second for your eyes to adjust. "I don't know, I have stuff in my pockets and I don't have a change of clothes" you stammer, getting a better look at him. He comes up to the top of your chest, and his brown hair comes just about to his chin. "Come on, I'll leave my jacket here and you can wrap up all your stuff in it, it'll be fun!" he pulls his tan jacket off, laying it on the sand and you reluctantly drop your wallet and phone in, folding it

  The monotone droning of the guide is almost enough to put you to sleep and you pinch your leg to snap out of the brain fog inflicted upon you. A relaxing day at the museum quickly turned into getting roped along for a walk-a-long guided tour, and they could not have picked a more boring speaker. Looking for a way out, you hang back as the group rounds a corner and wander through a section filled with prehistoric animals. A giant mammoth stands in the middle of the room, and you can see various displays of hairy bodies draped in animal furs. Walking past the glass windows, you see an empty display with a door cracked open in the back. The fake trees are knocked over, and you see a figure pass by the door, holding something in their hand. Not paying any mind, you turn back to the mammoth and suddenly you drop to the floor, your vision turning black.  Groaning, you shake your head and try to rub your temples but you can't seem to move. As your vision comes back, you realize your wri

  The crunching of leaves and branches underfoot breaks the silence around you. Streams of light beam onto the foliage around you and a distant chirp followed by the flapping of wings echoes softly through the trees. You can see a lone deer through the brush, head down and nosing through the leaves, when suddenly a loud crack ringing through the muted woods makes you jump. The deer slumps over slowly and you hear some rustling off to the side as a figure steps out. "Hey, I hope I didn't scare you or anything" she calls out. Making her way over to you she eyes up the fallen deer a few meters away. "No, I was just startled for a second. I didn't think there'd be anyone out here" you reply, getting a better look as she rests her rifle against a tree. She's wearing woodland camouflage most modern hunters use nowadays, and her dark blonde hair is tied up in a loose bun. It covers most of her ears, but you can see pointed tips poking through. "Do you

  The faint hum and crackle of fluorescent lighting overhead fills your ears as you stare at the screen in front of you. You can't hear anything other than that familiar lighting, and you can't see anything other than two characters shifting back and forth on an arcade console, your hands working the buttons and stick frantically, sweat rolling down the back of your neck. You can only watch in frustration as your character loses the last 1/3rd of their health during a long juggle, but you thank your opponent all the same. Turning away from the machine, you run head on into the next challenger. Or rather, your vision suddenly turns black as you feel something soft envelope your head. Startled, you back up and catch an eyeful of what you actually bumped into, a huge pair of tanned breasts sitting above the tightest set of abs you've ever seen. Craning your neck to look up, you try to mumble an apology. "Uh, sorry miss. I guess I turned around too fast" You watch as

  Snowflakes drift lazily through the air as you make your way down the neon lit sidewalk, people brushing past you in the night. The cold stings your cheeks as you check your phone, making your way up to Coqui sitting on the stoop of a building. Pulling her hands out of her pockets, she stands up and hops down but as soon as her feet touch the ground, she slips backwards onto the steps. Too far away to catch her, you watch her land on her backside with a thud. She looks away, trying not to let you see her face as she climbs to her feet. "You okay?" you ask as she brushes snow off her skirt. "Yeah, I'm fine..." she gives you a slight nod, pouting. Standing next to her, you notice just how short she is, the top of her hood coming up just below your chest. Snow starts piling up on her red jacket as she shakes it off, winding her arm back and punching you lightly (not really) in the gut. "Let's get this date started already, I'm hungry" Coqui pull

  A little to the left. A little bit up. Lined up just right and... you watch the claw slip over the plushie without actually grabbing it, and it takes a physical effort to resist punching the machine. You've wasted around $10 in quarters already just trying to grab this stupid bat plushie for your friend. You know it's her favorite, and it'd probably be cheaper just to buy the damn thing but the arcade staff won't open up the machine for you. Another 2 quarters fall into the machine, the claw lines up perfectly over the plushie, and you die a little inside as you watch the fingers of the claw limply fall around the toy and lift back up empty handed. As you contemplate just breaking the machine open and stealing it, you hear a giggle behind you. "Hey, you look like you're having some trouble there"  Turning around, you see a boy smirking at you. He's a little shorter than you, with long orange hair tied back in a ponytail. His brown shirt is cropped at