It's been a long, long summer, and this town has gone longer still without rain.

You are ten years old. Your parents are asleep. The window is unlocked, and there's a house in the woods where Grandma's ghost might still linger, so long as the clouds keep the rain from washing her away. If you have something to say to her—something you can't tell Mom and Dad—then you might get your chance tonight.

Walk into the woods, my love. Brave the dark with me.

[1 hour. An interactive ghost story with sound and music.]

StatusReleased
PlatformsHTML5
Rating
Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars
(112 total ratings)
Authorrudeghost
GenreInteractive Fiction
Tagsartgame, Atmospheric, Ghosts, LGBT, Mouse only, Queer, Short, Story Rich, Twine

Comments

Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.

I loved it but it was so sadd

I'm crying so hard

(+1)

can someone send me a link to the letter?  its one of those things i want to listen to over and over again without having to play through the game

Six months late — sorry! Here it is: http://jonsorce.com/soft-earth/grandmas-letter.pdf

ty!! i actually came back to this (after forgetting the password to my old account) so i could replay <33

(+1)

It's hard to find the right words for how this game made me feel? Its like being cracked open and mended somewhere I couldn't see. I wasn't expecting the direction that the plot took- but as soon as I picked up on it, the entire game became elevated in an instant. Made it so much more personal, unexpectedly close to home. Absolutely gorgeous, and thank you for this experience. Like everyone else has said, please feel proud of what you've made! 

(3 edits) (+3)

This story is truly beautiful! I was legit crying, as I’ve lost both grandmothers (sadly never knew either of my grandfathers). My mum’s mother passed when I was 11. My other granny from my dad’s side, whom I shared an extremely close bond with since I was born (& was the only grandchild who ever truly made time for her) was a VERY bitter loss for me. All because the “wicked stepmother” figure who married my dad (a few years after my parents divorced) made it physically impossible for my disabled self to visit my poor granny as she was dying; by insisting on moving my granny into their home, which was so inaccessible that I couldn’t possibly enter with my disabilities. My mum (who I’ve always lived with) tried her best to fix it with my granny & she was going to help wheel my granny by wheelchair into our disabled vehicle & drive her a 15 minute drive to our place, which is as disabled friendly as any nursing home, even having a bar beside the toilet. My granny was actually looking forward to the visit, but her hopes were suddenly dashed when “the wicked b+tch of the west“ stopped my mum from taking my granny from their home, insisting that I (“as the granddaughter“, whatever the heck she meant by that) had to come & see her myself. My granny’s fighting spirit vanished at that moment & she died just a couple days later. That woman didn’t care about my granny at all; she used my dying granny as a pawn, all because she wanted to hurt me. My dad did nothing against her actions & he was more or less dead to me from that point on. Amazingly enough, my granny seemed to choose her death-date all the same, because it was exactly 1 week before my 25th birthday (& I think she knew it was the only way she could be with me on that day). She ended up somehow being there with me when I became ill with sepsis during Christmas that year; as I was in a coma, in a dark place & at one point I recall her telling me to go back, that my nieces & nephews still needed me. When I woke up, my mum was crying her eyes out & holding my hands tightly (to stop me pulling out the tracheotomy tube). The doctors said I had zero chances of surviving my ordeal, but somehow I did. They called it a Christmas miracle, though perhaps my granny helped a bit. Guess who didn’t bother to come say goodbye when news of me dying got out? You guessed it. My so-called “father” & Satan’s twisted sister (the former of whom had later tried to act like he didn’t just leave me to die at Christmas). My granny gave me enough strength to shove them out of my life for good, though. I haven’t looked back since & my life is so much better now. I still get the feeling as though my granny is with me, but it comforts me. I have asked her to forgive me for failing to say goodbye to her properly before she died, but I feel that she understands just how horribly we had both been betrayed by someone who should’ve supported us. I thought I’d share this, just to show that there is a connection between life & death that some but not others can see. Also, I wanted to give hope to others when it seems like there is none. Sorry for making this such a long & sad story, but I felt as though it fits in here. For those of you who have read this far; I wish you whatever good fortune & faith you need to reach whatever goal you are aiming for. Much love, friends; from an Aspie, amputee & sepsis survivor... 💕✨❤️✨💕

(+2)

Absolutely gorgeous. Its magical and made me feel so much. The prose is beautiful and so vividly real that I felt like you reached directly into my childhood and pulled this out. I remember those hot nights when it hadn't rained in months, I remember packing my bag with adventurer's gear and sneaking out into the night, exploring old buildings, looking for magic, not wanting to be a girl, trying not to be afraid of the dark. Everything that went into this, the art, the music, the story, is so well done. Just beautiful.

You've done something completely gorgeous.  Thank you, so much.

This plucked a deep chord. Having things you just want those who loved you and are gone now to know. This was beautifully done. Thank you.

i hope you come to understand just how many hearts youve touched with this game. its beautiful, and haunting, and quiet and wonderful in so many ways. i cried while reading the letter. thank you for making this!

Suspenseful at the right moments, amazingly heartwarming at others. I love literally everything about this. This is a perfect experience.

this was amazing! is there anywhere where we could download the song from this? it's absolutely gorgous

Hi Hannah! All music from the game is available for download on Bandcamp.

Thanks! I just had to listen to the music again. The Right Kind of Story is particularly lovely!

(+1)

this means something very good 2 me.

i think u have done something particular with this medium where u have made not just good storytelling, but good storytelling *specifically* for twine.  and it is good storytelling.

i hope yr rly proud of this game, i think its fantastic. i think its rly wonderful.

holy crap, i'm in love with this! absolutely amazing <3  i did not expect the plot to turn out the way it did, but i enjoyed it even more!

an absolutely beautiful game, it hit me really hard. i enjoyed every minute of it. the ending left me in tears. thank you for this wonderful game, the writing and atmosphere were so amazing. 

I'm so glad it meant something to you. Please share it as widely as you'd like :)