Vacation in an Infinite Time Loop

Groundhog Days are the best days.

GREETINGS, ADVENTURER!

Today’s quest is utterly loopy. When you’re done, spend a few lifetimes chatting in Table Talk, preparing for Psychic Applebee’s, and enjoying free eBooks. At the end is a poll! Tally ho!

TODAY’S QUEST:

You wake up to the sound of ocean waves crashing on the beach, as you have every morning for the last 207 years. It never gets old. You slowly slide out of your horsehair mattress, push aside your satin sheets, and descend into your fuzzy slippers for some light stretching. Watching yourself in the tall mirror, you can't help but smile. Before the time loop started, you achieved peak physical condition, so this is like looking at a moving work of art. Sure, behind you a seagull always comes through the window to take a white dump on the floor, but nothing can spoil your infinite island vacation.

You throw on a plush robe and make your way to the four star hotel restaurant downstairs for brunch. It's a long buffet with plenty of variety, even after hundreds of years. You fix yourself a breakfast sandwich with french toast bread, scrambled eggs, walnut shrimp, ketchup and salsa, and apple strudel filling to hold it all together, along with a chocolate sauce mimosa. Yum!

A waiter carrying a four layer birthday cake walks boldly across the floor, not knowing his shoelaces are untied. You've seen this play out so many times. The waiter is going to trip...

What would you like to do?

• Catch the waiter and the cake.

• Let the waiter comically fall.

• Get your meal comped by complaining.

LET’S CHAT!

When your quest is complete, it’s time to debrief. Join your fellow adventurers at the virtual D&D table we call the comments section. No need to roll for initiative!

Discuss one (or all) of today’s topics in the comments:

🌴 How did your infinite vacation go? Highlights?

⏰ What’s your favorite time loop movie, show, book, or game?

✅ What’s the first thing you’d do upon realizing you were in a time loop? I’ve been on a diet for the past six months, so I’m going to throw myself a barbecue banquet. Pulled pork sandwich. Spare ribs. Mac and cheese. Baked beans. I’ll wash it down with an Oreo milkshake, then have a chocolate chip cookie cake for dessert with the words “YOU DID IT!” spelled out in frosting. After a few decades on this earth, I finally understand Cathy comics.

TWO MORE WEEKS, ADVENTURERS!

Use Your Psychic Powers at Applebee’s

• The first Adventure Snack quest built in a game engine.

• 7000 words. Multiple endings. It’s a meal of a snack!

• July 12th. Subscribers only.

• Tell a gamer friend, so they don’t miss out. 👇

NEED MORE FANTASY IN YOUR LIFE?

If your Kindle is full on battery, but empty on new books, I can help. Check out almost 100 free eBooks from indie authors writing sci-fi and fantasy novels. In the mix is an Adventure Snack quest I wrote last year (Escape the Maze of the MAN-otaur) that I adapted to Kindle format, and the more I think about it, the more I realize the quest actually works better as an eBook. Clearly, I’m on a hero’s journey of self-discovery, and you can go on a journey of your own…

QUICK POLL

Thanks for reading until the end! I’ve been mulling this over, and I’d like to know what you think about it.

FIRST TIME HERE?

Adventure Snack is a game series I email to subscribers. Play Adventure Snack for free and turn your inbox into an adventure!

I’m a narrative designer for video games. I’ve written for Capcom, Ubisoft, Square Enix, and indie studios around the world. Follow me @geoffreygolden on Twitter.