Conversation Craft

<img src="https://personeum.netlify.app/images/atwater.jpg" width="256" height="256"> <===== ### Introduction to the Series **Welcome!** My name is G Weston, but some people call me GW. I'm a writer, and my job takes me to small, quiet towns and busy cities, observing people and interviewing them to uncover the stories hiding out in their everyday lives. This work often reminds me of my childhood, where my fascination with the world began. I grew up in the Central Valley of California, along Highway 99—a major north-south artery that connected the state’s agricultural heartland. This road not only linked various towns and cities but also wove together stories of everyday life. Now, in this decision-based game, your job is to use psychological insight and close observation to help me build rapport with everyday people, gathering information to write stories that would remain unwritten and unread without your help. ### How the Game Works - **Episodes:** Each episode will explore one or two key dynamics in human interaction. Some of the concepts will be from my observations in clinical practice, and some will be from the latest research in clinical and social psychology. - **Goals:** By understanding these dynamics, you'll be able to enhance the interactions between characters, leading to better outcomes in the game. - **Story Generation:** This process will generate a story about the characters or the town, which you can then read. - **Concepts:** At the end of each episode, the main conversational concepts will be identified and explained. If the concept has a clear research base, the experimentation supporting it will be explained. - **Purpose:** I hope this type of interactive exploration provides an enjoyable way to deepen your understanding of important elements in human interactions, and maybe even improve your conversations. - **Spoilers:** Because this is the first in a series, there is an extra feature that allows you to get immediate feedback on a choice you made, explaining the underlying strategy of the choice. I recommend only using these after you've played through the game at least once. But - it's up to you. The spoiler will look like this: ===><=== Read Spoiler (click-replace: "Read Spoiler")[ (text-colour:cyan)[Clicking on "Read Spoiler" will display text explaining what you did that helped or hurt the job of getting the story written.]] <==== If you don't want to be tempted, leave this unclicked and you won't be prompted to see them in the game. You can come back here and turn it on later. ===><=== (checkbox: bind $spoilers, " Show Spoiler Option") <==== ===><=== [[tips]]

==><== (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[= You can always <a href="mailto:david@personeum.com">email me</a>.

(set: $vita to it + (ds: "Accept Invitation")) (if: $vita contains "Impossibly Long")[ I come back from my puzzling, to no longer hear footsteps. I find my host and I have both stopped, where old, wooden, double doors lead off to the right.] (else:)["It's just down this [[hallway]]." And the echo of our footsteps begin to fill the air as I follow him. He stops where old, wooden, double doors lead off to the right.] Their obvious age and apparent weight would make me hesitate to [[open them->wooden doors]].

(if: visits is 1)[ It's just a big leather chair. Nothing else. (But it reminds me of the time when I lost my phone and later came back to find it had slipped down inbetween the cushion and arm of the chair, in that hotel lobby. That was in Eureka, i think, or was it Ft Bragg?)] (else-if: $phone is true)[(go-to: "find phone")] (else:)[ The chair is still there, looking like it always did. ] [[ok->Library]]

Hey! There's a phone here!

(if: $hisLocation is "doorway")[(if: visits is 1)["Yes, curious little box", he says, following my gaze. I wait for him to say more, but nothing comes and the [[Library]] grows silent.](else:)[I find myself staring at it for too long and I remember him saying I would find the [[Library]] interesting.]] (else:)[(if: visits is 1)[(set: $vita to it + (ds: "See 1st Book"))I begin to walk over toward the table but glancing back something on the bookshelf catches my eye. Thinking it's a book I go toward the shelves, but find that it's on a shelf to high for me to reach and now standing so close, I can't see it any longer. In fact I don't even know for sure what shelf it was on. But it think that one just two higher that I can reach. Are there really no books in this [[Library]]?] (else:)[That table and that box... I have so many questions about this [[Library]].]]

(if: visits is 1)[I feel like of all the things in this [[Library]], it's probably the thing I shouldn't touch.] (else:)[It's just a box as far as I can tell.]

{= (set: $h1 to "Conversation Craft") (set: $h2 to "Interactive Lessons in Everyday Psychology") (set: $restartable to false) (set: $sac to false) (set: $gotGas to false) (set: $subtext to "") (set: $debug to true) (set: $spoilers to false) (set: $goal to (datamap: "Find Key", 0, "Discover Secret Room", 0, "Alive", 0, "Alone",0, "See 1st Book",0, "Open Old Doors", 0, "Accept Invitation", 600, "Impossibly Long", 0, "Pull Door", 0, "Tips", 487 )) (set: $vita to (ds:"Alive")) (set: $inventory to (dataset:))  (set: $points to 0) (set: $level to 1) (set: $pointsPerLevel to 10) (set: $levelColors to (datamap: 1, "#add8e6", 2, "#90ee90", 3, "#f08080", 4, "#ffa07a", 5, "#e6e6fa" )) (set:$addDone to (macro: str-type _o, [ (output: )[(set: $vita to it + (ds:_o)) ] ])) (if: $debug)[(print: $vita)] (set: $hisLocation to "doorway")  (go-to: "pointStructure")

(if: $points >0)[(display: "progressbar")]

{= (set: $points to 0) (if: $debug)[(print: $vita)] (for: each _achievement, ...$vita)[ (set: $points to it + $goal's _achievement) ] (set: $level to "Guest") (if: $points >=12)[(set: $level to "Student")] (if: $points >=24)[(set: $level to "Master")] (if: $points >=36)[(set: $level to "Sage")] (set: $level to (str:$points)) (if: $points >0)[ <div id="game-info-footer"> (print: "word count: "+$level+ " ") (print: '<progress value="' + (text: $points) + '" max="1200"></progress>') ]

Not exactly knowing what to say... [[I just take a seat->take seat]] - or - "[[Thank you]]", I say with a glance toward him.

I sit in silence. The hours stretch on to eternity. (t8n:"slide-right")+(t8n-delay:5s)[// - the end - // [[restart]]?]

That seems to be the right. "Oh, of course, you're welcome." he says. Then closing the door he's gone and I'm alone in the [[Library]]. (set: $hisLocation to "idk") (set: $vita to it + (ds: "Alone"))

(restart:)

(if: $vita does not contain "Pull Door")[ He [[pulls]] one open and stands smiling, waiting for me to walk through into the [[Library]].] (else:)[If he noticed he doesn't show it. He only stands smiling, waiting as I walk through into the [[Library]].]

(set: $vita to it + (ds: "Open Old Doors")) [(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Library]] (if: visits is 1)[There's a comfortable looking [[chair->comfortable chair]] here, placed to have a view out the window in the far left corner. A couple of couches are the only other furniture, besides the table. It's off by itself on the far right corner side of the room, a [[small round table->small table]] with a tiny wooden box on it. The floor to ceiling bookshelves covering one wall are behind me, on the wall with the double doors. They are completely bare.] (else:)[There's the [[chair->comfortable chair]], the couches and the [[small table]] with the box. The bookshelves stare down on all of it.] (if: $hisLocation is "doorway")[[[He->standing in doorway]]'s still standing in the doorway.]

(set: $vita to it + (ds: "Impossibly Long")) I follow him down an impossibly long hallway, judging by how small this building looked on the outside. Or did I see the outside? Hmm, funny. I can't [[remember->two]] now.

(set: $vita to it + (ds: "Pull Door")) if "pull" is the right word... He places his hand on the handle and it moves so silently and smoothly that I feel a little dizzy, like my ears are plugged. I'm not sure if the door swung open, or it the whole hallway swung away, while the door stayed immovable. I instinctively shake my head, trying to come [[back to the moment->wooden doors]].

(for: each _a, ...$vita)[ - (print: _a)] (link: "Add")[ (set: _achievementName to (prompt: "Enter the name of the achievement:", "")) (set: $vita to $vita + (ds: _achievementName)) (alert: _achievementName + " has been added to your achievements.") ]  (link: "Remove Achievement")[ (set: _achievementName to (prompt: "Enter the name of the achievement:", "")) (set: $vita to it - (ds: _achievementName)) (alert: _achievementName + " has been removed from your achievements.") ]  (link: "list Achievements")[Achievements: $vita ] [[Edit Achievements]]

I would say the service is quick, but with almost no one else ordering, it’s probably not a realistic test of their capacity and and efficency, but… on the other hand, it’s quick, for whatever reason. So, it’s not like you’ll have to be waiting in line when you’d rather get back on the road. We take the time to drink our beverages there about 1/2 the time. The other times we jump back in the car an take off with them. Parking is easy with metered spots across the the street along the park and in front of the old post office. (display: "scoreboard") Last time we were there I asked the woman behind the counter, who I’m pretty sure was the owner, how long they had been open. It was about a year. I suppose that means the jury’s still out on whether or not they’ll be able to make it for the long haul, since so many small businesses fail in the first two years. But I hope this one makes it. It’s just quit, convenient, and honestly nostalgic for me. I grew up in the central valley of California, along highway 99, that runs north and south from Bakersfield all the way up to Sacramento. Atwater was the name to the town. I can still remember the world war 2 cannon that stood outside the post office in the small downtown center. In those days, the late 60's, that was the playground and jungle gym of our time. I can feel the cold steel cannon barrol underneath me as I slide carefully up toward the mouth of the cannon. I always had to reach it to look inside, just to make sure there wasn't a cannon ball loaded and ready to launch. Maybe today there would be on in there, even though every other day when I checked it was just blackness as far in as I could reach. And the hand turned wheels that raised and lowered the barrol, maybe today I would be able to turn them since I was a little older today that last time I tried. These were my thoughts. And going into almost any established independent store along the main strip, I found the same archtecture and construction from this coffee shop. That's the nostalgia. I am 5 years old again, climbing the cannon, see how far I can get before my dad emerges from the post office and tells me we have to go and I jump in the front bench seat of our station wagon, hoping that somewhere along the drive home, I will get to sit on his lap and turn the large manually streered wheel as we head home.

<===== He was the last one to leave again, like most nights when he felt this way. He had been in that booth, the one he liked, the one that had a view of the whole place. But more importantly, it was the only booth that let him see out the front of the diner, and all the way down the street to her house. It wasn't that far. In this town nothing could be. "Population 1,723", it said on the sign at the edge of town when you entered from the North. From the one end of town to the other was an easy morning walk. When you reach the Two Brothers garage, at the South edge of town, all that keeps going is a one-lane road, wandering up into the foothills. The garage, as far as I can tell, is run by one guy named Ollie. Maybe he has a brother. (set: $score to 150) <div class="score">Score: <span>(print: $score) </span></div>

I have a story to write about this town I’m visiting. It needs to be about 1500 words long. We stopped along I-57 on our way from Chicago to Tulsa. It’s a little town called Linchfield, population 14,500. The town square is at the center, featuring the courthouse and the post office, with a park making up the central block. Just across the street from the southwest corner of the park is a coffee shop we like to visit. My main reason for going there is the Matcha—it’s a good price and unsweetened. The building is old, dating back to the early 1900s, with original wood floors and bricks. The seating inside is comfortable, and I’ve never seen more than two other customers when we’re there, so we always get to pick the best seats. It’s the kind of place that makes you glad someone was willing and able to restore the building and put it to good use rather than let it fall apart. I would say the service is quick, but with almost no one else ordering, it’s probably not a realistic test of their capacity and efficiency. However, it’s quick, for whatever reason, so you won’t have to wait in line when you’d rather get back on the road. We take the time to drink our beverages there about half the time. The other times we jump back in the car and take off with them. Parking is easy, with metered spots across the street along the park and in front of the old post office. Last time we were there, I asked the woman behind the counter, who I’m pretty sure was the owner, how long they had been open. It was about a year. I suppose that means the jury’s still out on whether they’ll be able to make it for the long haul, since so many small businesses fail in the first two years. But I hope this one makes it. It’s just quiet, convenient, and honestly nostalgic for me. I grew up in the Central Valley of California, along Highway 99, which runs north and south from Bakersfield all the way up to Sacramento. Atwater was the name of the town. I can still remember the World War II cannon that stood outside the post office in the small downtown center. In those days, the late 60s, that was the playground and jungle gym of our time. I can feel the cold steel cannon barrel underneath me as I slid carefully up toward the mouth of the cannon. I always had to reach it to look inside, just to make sure there wasn't a cannonball loaded and ready to launch. Maybe today there would be one in there, even though every other day when I checked it was just blackness as far in as I could reach. And the hand-turned wheels that raised and lowered the barrel—maybe today I would be able to turn them since I was a little older today than the last time I tried. These were my thoughts. Going into almost any established independent store along the main strip, I found the same architecture and construction as this coffee shop. That's the nostalgia. I am five years old again, climbing the cannon, seeing how far I can get before my dad emerges from the post office and tells me we have to go. I jump in the front bench seat of our station wagon, hoping that somewhere along the drive home, I will get to sit on his lap and turn the large manually-steered wheel as we head home.

($addDone: "Tips") <img src="https://personeum.netlify.app/images/atwater.jpg" width="256" height="256"> ### Tips **Tip #1: The Complexity of People** People are complicated and they reveal more than they realize by what they say, how they say it, and even by what they don't say. Pay attention to their words, tone, and body language. Each detail can provide valuable insights into their true feelings and thoughts. **Tip #2: The Power of Listening** If I can listen closely enough, and ask the right questions, people will tell me things they didn't even know they knew. Active listening is key—focus on understanding, not just hearing. This will help you uncover hidden layers of their stories. **Tip #3: Asking the Right Questions** You can be my eyes and ears. Ask questions that will encourage the specific person you're talking to, to share more detailed and meaningful information. What would work for one person may not work for another. **Tip #4: Reading Between the Lines** Sometimes, what people don't say is just as important as what they do say. Notice any gaps or hesitations in their responses. Small signals of discomfort, though hard to interpret, are import to notice. **Tip #5: Making the Right Choices** Your choices in this game will determine how much of the story is revealed. If I make the right choices, the stories will all spill out. Consider the impact of each decision carefully, and think about how it might encourage or hinder the person from opening up. **Tip #6: Setting the Goal** I needs about 1200 - 1500 words to submit an article for publication. This means gathering enough detailed and engaging information to create a compelling narrative. Aim to collect rich, vivid descriptions and personal anecdotes that will bring the story to life. When I collect information and work on the story, you'll see the current word count at the bottom of the screen like this: <div id="game-info-footer"> (print: "word count: 478 ") (print: '<progress value="' + (text: 478) + '" max="1200"></progress>') Get enough words (at least 1200) and the story will be written out for you to read. ===><=== [[more tips]] [[play game->Chapter One]]

<img src="https://personeum.netlify.app/images/atwater.jpg" width="256" height="256"> ### Additional Tips **Tip #7: The Delicate Balance of Listening** It's a delicate balance. You may think people want someone to listen to them, but being listened to, I mean really being listened to, can be unsettling. It's a rare event, and sadly, many people haven't experienced it. So, if you're not careful, people will scare themselves by what they find coming out of their mouth. And if that happens... well, the interview is over and maybe so is the game! Be mindful of this and approach conversations with sensitivity and care. **Tip #8: Stay Focused** As beautiful as it is here, don't let me get distracted and start sight-seeing, instead of getting stories written. While enjoying the scenery is tempting, our primary goal is to gather stories. Keep interactions on track and gently steer conversations back to the subject at hand if they start to wander. ===><=== [[play game->Chapter One]]

(save-game:"gw-e1") <img src="https://personeum.netlify.app/images/atwater.jpg" width="256" height="256"> (set: $h2 to "") (set: $restartable to true) It's Califonia in the early fall and I'm approaching Atwater from the south on highway 99, a main artery snaking its all the way from south of Bakersfield, past Sacramento and up to Chico. The heat of day is in full swing. Another couple hours and the temperature will start to drop reaching almost 30 degress cooler at night, but for now it's hot, dry and dusty. In the peak of the harvesting Grapes, Almonds and Tomatos, semi-trucks seem to be 90% of the traffic on this overburdened aging highway. Where should I go today to look for a story? The next exit is for the small town of Atwater. It seems like the perfect little town to write about. [[Visit Atwater->preAtwater]] [[Keep heading north to Sacramento->sacramento1]]

(set: $goal to (datamap: "Find Key", 0, "Discover Secret Room", 0, "Alive", 0, "Alone",0, "See 1st Book",0, "Open Old Doors", 0, "Accept Invitation", 600, "Impossibly Long", 0, "Pull Door", 0, "Tips", 0, "First Impression", 249, "Almost Drive Past", 7 )) (set: $vita to (ds:"Alive")) (go-to: "splash") [[splash]]

==><== <img src="https://personeum.netlify.app/images/atwater.jpg" width="256" height="256"> [[Instructions->intro]] [[Play Game->Chapter One]] {(if: (saved-games: ) contains "gw-e1")[ (link: "Continue Last Game")[(load-game:"gw-e1")] ]} (if: $debug)[Playing in debug mode]

(save-game:"gw-e1") I catch a glimpse of the frontage road that runs along the highway, and I decide to explore the small town of Atwater. Small businesses, and hotels are just visible throught the strip of Eucaliptus trees that seperate the highway from the frontage road. I also see some businesses that didn't quite make it. I exit the highway onto Applegate Road and take it north to Atwater Blvd. [[A gas station->gasStation]] is on the corner.

I take another look at the traffic and reconsider. I can [[keep heading north->sacramento2]] or I can [[just stop here in Atwater.->quickAtwaterExit]]

(set: $sac to true) I spend the next 5 hours in some of the worst traffic I've seen. I finally pull into a rest stop and decide to [[sleep a few hours->sacramento3]] in my car.

(set: $h1 to "Atwater") I decide on Atwater. I manage to somehow still make the exit, and alianate only one semi truck driver who lucky for me probably doesn't have time for road rage. I'm on Applegate Road now and take it north to the first street, Atwater Blvd. [[A gas station->gasStation]] is on the corner.

(save-game:"gw-e1") I wake hours later surprised to see the sun is coming up. I turn around and head back to [[Atwater->atwaterv2]], hoping I can find a place to eat and clean up when I get there. I doubt I'll pull off any useful interviews looking and feeling like... I spent the night in my car.

(save-game:"gw-e1") As I pull into the Phillips 76 station, I can't quite tell if it's open yet. The clock on my dashboard reads almost 7:30, and I'm both starving and in need of gas. The morning sun casts long shadows across the lot, adding to the uncertainty. Sure enough, as I get closer, I spot a small, flippable "CLOSED" sign hanging on the inside of the glass door. No times are listed—it's just CLOSED, in faded, block letters that have probably been flipped back and forth for decades. I glance around, puzzled. Why isn't this place open? The quiet, almost eerie stillness of the station makes it feel like time has stopped. The only sound is the occasional creak of the sign in the wind and the distant hum of a passing car on the highway. Despite my frustration, a thought strikes me. At least I have a potential title for my post now—something about the timelessness of small-town life or the unpredictability of the open road. This station, with its closed door and silent promise of service, perfectly encapsulates the quirks and charms of these forgotten places. I take a deep breath, feeling the crisp morning air fill my lungs. Maybe I'll find another place to fill up and grab a bite to eat. Or perhaps I'll wait a bit and see if the station opens. Either way, this moment is another piece of the story I'm here to uncover. I jot down my title: "Atwater, A Place You Almost Drive Past" ($addDone: "Almost Drive Past") It's so few words it doesn't even color the progress bar but... some words have to go first. [[continue->hit border]]

(save-game:"gw-e1") I pull into a Phillips 76 station, a small independent gas station that seems frozen in time. The faded sign creaks in the breeze, a relic from the 70s, its orange and blue logo standing out against the clear Central Valley sky. This place is more than just a gas station; it's a true service station. A one-bay garage sits open, revealing a well-preserved Toyota from the 80s up on the rack. The vehicle, with its boxy design and sun-bleached paint, is a testament to the era. Inside the bay, an elderly man in a mechanic's jumpsuit is seated next to the lifted car. He’s turning over a carburetor in his grease-stained hands, his weathered face showing the focus and precision of someone who’s been doing this for decades. I step out of my car, the smell of gasoline and motor oil mingling with the clear air that can still be found in California. I [[need gas->get gas]], and I'm hungry. This place probably doesn’t have food, but maybe there’s [[something to tide me over.->tide me over]] I could [[make some notes->firstImpressions]] about my impressions of the town so far— its stillness, and sense of history in the air.

(save-game:"gw-e1") I'll get gas later. I want to write some things down before they slip my mind. Getting back in the car, I open my laptop to try to put into words what I already think of this little town.  Before I even get a document open I hear a [[tapping on my window.->blueman]]

==><== (if: (visited: "Chapter One"))[(save-game:"gw-e1")] (if: (str: $h1) is not "")[<h4>$h1</h1>] (if: (str: $h2) is not "")[<h5> $h2</h5>] <hr>

(set: $h1 to "Atwater") (go-to: "Visit Atwater")

<hr> =====> { (if: $restartable)[Restart (click:"Restart")[(restart:)]] } <=====

I fill up the tank, but when I'm done, I still stand there and take in the surroundings. The station's cracked pavement, the old-fashioned gas pumps, and the vintage advertisements plastered on the walls, tells me there has to be a story here somewhere. [[I should get going.->main street]]

(text-colour:red)[(this is a game under construction and you reached a border)] (if: (visited:"quickAtwaterExit"))[Hey!, you shouldn't drive like a maniac!]

(save-game:"gw-e1") I am hungry, and there must be at least a vending machine inside. I take a few steps toward what I suppose is the waiting room when you're getting your car worked on. It's definately not a quick-stop type store. I can make out a couple of chairs, and a gumball machine. A little coffee table sits in the middle of the room looking very alone and unused. I try to image what the magazines are that seem to be strewn on it. No, I turn my few stops into a little walking stretch that a traveler would make after hours in a car, then turn back toward my car. It might be rude at this point to not at least [[get gas]]. Although I'm not sure the mechanic has even noticed me. I could just get a [[few sentences written]] and then find a place to sit down and eat.

(save-game:"gw-e1") The blue overalls man, smiling, pantomimes the motion of rolling down the window. His motion is, maybe unsurprisingly, mimicking the manual rolling down of the window. I instinctively glance past him at [[the Toyota on the rack.->toyota]] Here's my chance to talk to someone and see what I can find out about this place. [[What should I do?->mechanic choice]] (text-colour:red)[(this is a game under construction and you reached a border)]

<img src="toyota_yaris.jpg" width="256" height="256"> ===><=== (if: $spoilers)[ Read Spoiler (click-replace: "Read Spoiler")[ (text-colour:cyan)[Although it's generally better to avoid discractions and focus on the story, this impulse turns out to be positive. It gives you some information about the mechanic that might be useful.]] ] <==== It's a subcompact with a large smiling grill and swept back headlights. A 2016ish Toyota Yaris is my guess. I’ll have to look it up to make sure but I think it was one of the few models to still hold out against electric windows. I make a mental note: //If it’s his car, (because there isn’t another car visible at the station) maybe he isn’t a fan of the digitalization of autos. // “Hi there!”, he says, barely giving my window time enough to make room for his arm before he reaches in for a hand shake. I try not to think about how I’m going to get the grease of my hand and instead keep eye contact with him and give him a “Hello!” Back. This is definitely a man who holds to the traditional customs of how people greet each other. [[What do I do?->mechanic choice]]

===><=== Maybe I should [[introduce myself]]? Or [[wait and see->no introduction]] what he has to say?

(save-game:"gw-e1") "I'm GW. Please to meet you!", I say. "James Holcolm... Jim", he says, "Welcome to our little corner of the world." "Is it that obvious?" I ask, raising both hands and turning them out to enact my curiosity. "Well, the Montana plates gave you away", Jim says, nodding to the rear of my car. I think about my next move... ===><=== [[Stick with talking about cars.->aboutCars]] or [[Ask about the town.->aboutTown]]

"Right! A car tells you alot about a person." I tell him. or He brightens, "That's what I think." **W:** Yes, please. [Pauses, observing the mechanic] It’s a nice town you have here. What's its story? **M:** Oh, you've come to the right place for stories. This town’s got more tales than a dog’s got fleas. [Starts filling the tank] Been here my whole life. Name's Hank, by the way. Folks around here call me Hank the Tank. [Chuckles] **W:** Nice to meet you, Hank. I'm...just passing through. What can you tell me about this place? **M:** Well, let's see. [Leans against the car, clearly settling in for a long talk] Atwater's got quite a history. Founded in 1922, it was named after Marshall D. Atwater, a prominent figure with the Central Pacific Railroad. This place grew up around the railroad and agriculture. My granddaddy was one of the early settlers who came here when the town was just starting to grow. He set up this very gas station back in the 1930s. **W:** That's fascinating. And it’s been in your family ever since? **M:** Sure has! [Nods proudly] Three generations of mechanics. My daddy ran it before me, and I took over when he passed. Seen a lot of changes, I tell ya. Used to be, we'd get all sorts passing through, especially during the days of Castle Air Force Base being active. **W:** Castle Air Force Base? **M:** Yep, the base was a big deal here. Opened in 1941, it was a major training center during World War II and played a significant role in the Cold War. They closed it in 1995, but it's still a big part of our local history. There's even a museum now, the Castle Air Museum, with a bunch of old aircraft on display. **W:** I imagine the town has changed quite a bit since then. **M:** Oh, you betcha. [Rambles on] Atwater used to be more bustling when the base was in full swing. After it closed, things slowed down a bit, but the town's got spirit. We’ve got the Bloss Memorial Healthcare District, which was established to provide medical care for the local folks. And the annual Atwater Fourth of July celebration is a big event—fireworks, parades, you name it. **W:** A lot of history here. Any other significant events? **M:** Well, we had the great flood of 1955. That was something. Merced County got hit hard, and Atwater wasn’t spared. Folks had to rebuild, but the community pulled together. And then there’s the agriculture—this area is rich farmland. Almonds, sweet potatoes, dairy—you name it, we grow it. **W:** It sounds like a resilient community. What keeps you here, Hank? **M:** [Laughs] Habit, mostly. And love for the place. People here are like family. I reckon you don't find that much anymore. **W:** I can see why you feel that way. Thanks for the insights, Hank. I might take a look around and see what other stories I can uncover. **M:** You do that. And if you need any more tales or just a place to chat, you know where to find me. [Finishes filling the tank] There you go, all set. **W:** Thanks, Hank. I'll keep that in mind. [Hands over payment and starts the car] Take care! **M:** You too, stranger. Enjoy your stay!

(save-game:"gw-e1")

(save-game:"gw-e1") I'll get eat later. I want to write some things down before they slip my mind. Getting back in the car, I open my laptop to try to put into words what I already think of this little town.  Before I even get a document open I hear a [[tapping on my window.->blueman]]

(if: $debug)[Here's a place to meet the second character in the story: The school teacher, in the bookstore. Later I can meet Mrs Burgess whose parents owned the mansion in town. Then I can see the kids playing on the cannon.] (else:)[That's all I have here. Nothing more to [[see->hit border]].]