<div class="h">CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY</div>
<p>A simple urban Toronto adventure story, non-linear, with an ending that depends on your choices and exploration. After completing the narrative, you may develop a new perspective and position on a social issue. Or, you may still know nothing at all. Now, it's time to choose your destiny.</p>
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[[<img src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/575c175722482ea13706dd8a/1488820566475-9ZEYQ4JNA5S06CNAOT8Q/image-asset.jpeg?format=750w" alt="fool" style="width:100%"> ->Anonymous]]
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<div class="text">Anonymous</div>
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[[<img src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/575c175722482ea13706dd8a/1489694924885-R1PS5HM6AX1OSARZSOUI/hierophant?format=750w" alt="justice" style="width:100%"> ->Student]]
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You are a student at the University of Toronto and just moved to Toronto DT last week from your distant hometown. Compared to your quiet and open home, Toronto seems busy and crowded. You sometimes see poorly dressed people wandering the roads. You don't understand who they are and what they are doing.
Anyway, today is the first day of school and you attended all the lectures without any problems. At 9 p.m., you are ready to leave from the library and go home.
[[Walking Home]]
[[Take Subway]]Your house is not far from school, and it's only a half hour walk home. Just outside the campus, you see the man in rags again, holding a Tim horton's paper cup and asking people passing by for something.
Now you understand that he is a homeless. You look at him with some curiosity. The man notices your look and glares back, his mouth muttering inaudible words.
He is approaching you.
[[Go away immediately]]
[[Glare him and reprimand him]]You want to get home early, so you choose to take the subway. There are few people on the subway at nine o'clock. You find a seat and start browsing the news on your phone. You read about the Toronto government has a draft to remove the homeless tent and the indiscriminate harm that occurred in the TTC the other day.
Toronto is getting more and more dangerous. You mutter to yourself.
At that moment, you catch a glimpse of a woman walking in the distance.
[[Ignore her and keep playing with your phone]]
[[Look up and observe]]A little scared and a little sympathetic to the man, you look at him and immediately cross the road. Not far away, three young men in unusual dress suddenly surrounded you. "Pretty, your bag is really nice, give it to us!"
You are terrified. Fingers clutch the handbag, which contains a computer you had saved up for a long time to buy. When the tall boys saw that you didn't want to give them the bag, they reach out and grab it. Even start tearing your clothes and hair.
Suddenly, a loud roar comes from behind you. In the darkness of the path, it sounded like the hiss of some kind of monster. The three youths are obviously startled as well.
That homeless!
Whatever he is making the noise for, it gives you the opportunity to get out of the danger.
You run desperately, towards the main street where is full of people. Fortunately, you see two traffic cops there who are giving tickets to cars. You tell the cops what you just experienced with a ragged breath. But they just shrug their shoulders in disinterest, these things are too common in Toronto. What's more, you were not hurt nor did you lose your property.
You back home disoriented.
Tonight's experience haunts you like a nightmare. Next day, you go home as early as possible and don't want to stay for one minute.
[[Take Subway]]
[[Still Walk]]He pauses, seemingly startled by you. Despite the distance, you can clearly see the look of dismay on his pale face, his cloudy eyes are heavy with loss. You don't understand why the look on his face is so upsetting that it overrides your fear and disgust.
Before you realize, he has fled in haste.
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(align:"<==>")+(box:"=XX=")[//You know nothing about the Homeless,
and You Do Not want to know.//]
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You haven’t slept in days. Finally, you’re feeling tired and want to rest. You looked up, it is almost dawn.
[[Find a place to rest]]Hot steam is brushing against your cheeks. Ever since you came to Toronto, you always felt the winter here is unbearable. Being closer to warmth brings you comfort and reminded you of home, although you memory of that place is vague and foggy.
After resting a while, you felt a little better.
[[Keep resting]]
[[Get up and go]]You were dreaming about a place of constant rain. You grew up in the outskirt of Vancouver. Things were perfect before 5 while your parents were still happy, your mom would always cook your favorite meal while your father plays with you in the back yard. However, things drastically changed when he came to your life. You still remember the bruises on your mother’s cheeks. The smell of alcohol left a burning scar on your soul as well as his giant hands. The abuse lasted for years and ended when you finally dropped out from highschool.
[[Get up and go]]You walked on the streets. Since when did you start to ignore the disgusted looks people have whenever you show up? You couldn’t care less. After 30 minutes you’ve finally arrived at your place. You noticed a piece of letter on the edge of your tent and it is the final notice from the surrounding shop owners. It says that the law enforcement department will arrive the within a few days you keep staying here. It serves as a lightning strike. How do they expect you to react in such a short notice?
[[Ignore the notice]]
[[Start packing your things]]
You went out to find another place to stay the very next morning. You know a few friend lives on the other side of the city and was wondering if you can join them as well. You finished your investigation in the afternoon.
[[Go back to your tent]]
You’ve decided to pack your belongings as quickly as you can. You are not sure when the department will show up but you know you have to move get up and find another place because you know they can show up unannounced the next day. But where to go? There is no time for you to rest and think. You packed your stuff and was on the road again. Soon you realized there were friends living on the other side of the city.
[[Go find them]]
You hear sounds of trucks as you walk closer to your tent. Things got out of control when you saw the law enforcements are moving your tent to the back of their truck with no mercy. All your belongings were either shattered or left out on the street.
[[Try negotiating]]
[[ Pick up your things and go]]
It took you the whole night to get ready and arrive at your friends unannounced. However, you soon realized the place was filled with sorrow and anxiousness. You aksed one of the settlers. He told you that they received the notice as well and was given a week to move out. You’re tired, you decided to unpack anyways.
[[Continue]]
You overhear them talking about shelters. That provokes some horrible memories you had with them. Ever since you were diagnosed with schizophrenia it is always hard for you to live in among large groups. The panic attacks were often and not to mention the drug dealing that goes around the place. You’ve tried so hard to become sober and you know putting yourself in that situation would only be harmful.
[[Continue2]]
A week after you are on the road again. You dont know what awaits in the future, the weather is still cold, you are wandering around the streets. Everything goes back to square one.
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(click-goto:?page,"start")They wouldn't listen and insists on you to leave. You had no choice but to pick up the belongings and go find your acquaintances on the other side.
---> [[ Pick up your things and go]]
You picked up the belongings and go find your acquaintances on the other side. By the time you've arrived you realized the place was filled with sorrow and anxiousness. You aksed one of the settlers. He told you that they received the notice as well and was given a week to move out. You’re tired, you decided to unpack anyways.
[[Continue]] Despite being scared, you think it was the homeless man who helped you. Today you brought some cush as a thank you. You walk to the intersection and obviously, you see that man again.
"Thanks for last night, bro." You offer him $50.
He seems very surprised, "That's too much. Thank you, thanks, oh gosh, you're a good girl. God blesses you!"
Instead of leaving immediately, you ask about why he became a homwless. The man speaks slowly and spits out very unclear words, but the story is not complicated. Just a very ordinary middle-aged man who lost his job in Covid-19, broke up his family, started taking drugs because of emotions and stress, and finally fell into despair. The story is so simple that it seems like it would happen anywhere to anyone, including yourself.
"That's my home." He points to a white tent on the corner next to the park and smiles.
Hope God bless you, poor guy. You think.
For months afterwards, you continued to see the man and his tent sometimes on your way home.
[[Winter is coming]]One day you pass that intersection again in the cold wind and are surprised to find that the man and his tent have disappeared.
Has he found a job? Did he get off the drugs?
You imagine his life changed for the better until the cold snowflakes fall on your cheeks.
Ah, it's Christmas coming.
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The moment you look down, the woman rushes up and lunges at you with a folding paring knife.
Until she was restrained by two male passengers and the carriage was covered in blood. There are cuts all over your hands, forehead, scalp.
You are taken to the hospital by the TTC staff and police who arrived, receive 8 stitches, and have to rest for at least a few months before you can return to the university.
A few weeks later, you read again about the government's decision to tear down homeless camps. This time, you comment, in support of the government, "Allowing these homeless people to exist is irresponsible to normal people. Why don't they suicide?"
Hatred and anger control your mind.
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(click-goto:?page,"start")The lady was dressed in a messy and dirty way, her hair was draped and she looked dull. One hand in her pocket, the other hand trembling at her side. Although she is still some distance away from you, a strong smell of marijuana is already coming waves.
You stand up warily, walk slowly toward the far side of the crowd, and sit down next to a strong man. The woman was getting agitated, walking back and forth in the carriage, making creepy cursing noises.
Fortunately, you arrive at your destination and leave the subway soon. The moment you breathe in the fresh air, you find yourself in a cold sweat.
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