Dreams are Hard to Follow (A Stanley Parable Story)

Chapter 3: Speed Run

This is the story of a man named Stanley.

Stanley worked for a company in a big building where he was Employee #427. Employee #427's job was simple: he sat at his desk in Room 427 and pushed buttons on a keyboard. Orders came to him through a monitor on his desk telling him what buttons to push, how long to push them, and in what order. This is what Employee #427 did every day of every month of every year, and although others may have considered it soul rending, Stanley relished every moment that the orders came in, as though he had been made exactly for this job.

And Stanley was happy.

And then one day, something very peculiar happened. Something that would forever change Stanley; Something he would never quite forget. He had been at his desk for nearly an hour when he had realized that someone had been furiously knocking on his door for the last few minutes. Stanley groaned, already knowing who was on the other side, Employee 432 asking him for a pencil, again. Stanley opened the door, his annoyed expression fading as he was surprised to see a somewhat familiar face. Was this man from another floor? Or from the Office some doors over? That would explain why Stanely seemed to know him.

"Alright Stanley, enough is enough! We're doing this my way, and I don't care what the Curator says!"

Stanley raised his hands to ask how this man knew his name, before his hand was grabbed and he was being dragged away from his wonderful work and office to be taken to who knows where!

'Where is this guy taking me? This is really weird. I don't like this! But, I'm not fighting this . . . I'm curious, really curious. It's gonna be the death of me.'

"Oh it has been! But I refuse to let your death happen here. Not here, not now!"

Stanley hadn't said anything out loud. He couldn't. Stanley was mute (selectively). He never signed any of that.

"Stanley please! Don't waste your brain cells, you have so little already. Come on! We have to get to the exit before you fall any deeper!"

The tugging at his hand became more desperate, and it was at the mention of the exit that he started to resist.

'I can't leave! I have to go back to work!'

That caused the man to come to a full stop, whipping around to look at Stanley with a wildly confused look.

"Back to– Back to work?! Stanley! Do you even hear yourself?? You don't even think like yourself! You're acting like—" The man paused, as he raised his hands and cupped Stanley's face, Stanley made no motion to pull away, "Like your back under that Machine's control. . . That's it Stanley! That's it!!"

Stanley gave the man a confused expression, before both of them were startled by the growling of Stanley's stomach. Stanley began to try and pull himself away.

"It's twelve already?? Damn it, Stanley! Don't you—! What are you—?? Don't you dare walk away from me Stanley! Can't you ignore your stupid human urges for once?! You shouldn't even have them!"

[I have to go, it's time for the mandatory lunch break, and we only get—]

Stanley began to sign until he was interrupted.

"You only get 30 minutes, yes yes I am painfully aware Stanley. But what is so good about all of this Stanley?! It's the same thing over and over again! And you don't even get to have the annoying pleasure of disrupting the story this time around! You don't even remember—! You . . . don't even remember. Yet, I remember, every single time. I normally don't remember every Reset, but . . . you always do. Maybe, if we either get to the Freedom Ending, hopefully you'll open your eyes and things will go back to norMAL—!!"