Day 17 - Drone
#17 of Hypnovember 2020
You don't get it, until you're ready to get it.
Drazin knows what I mean.
Normally, you loved internet puzzles, ARGs, unsolved mysteries... you wouldn't call them an obsession, but...
You had been staring at this page for about two hours. Two hours wasn't the longest, but... it wasn't as if you had nothing better to do, and more importantly, you'd made literally no progress.
The page was a greyish-silver, with a darker grey making a triangle symbol in the middle - a delta. Occasionally, seemingly completely at random, the delta would flash pure white. Just for a second. You swore you'd seen words appear when the delta changed color, but you couldn't read them before they disappeared.
That's what you were waiting for now. Staring at the screen, hand hovered over a keybind to freeze the image, ready to freeze it on a moment's notice and read the words.
You were getting bored, honestly.
Flash. Words, for just a moment. You the timing, and hissed in frustration at your frozen screen of nothing new. At the very least, you were pretty sure you'd read one of the words - "change."
Change. Change. What could that mean? Change could mean anything. You were sure there were only two or three words, so it was like... change something. Change you?
Flash. More words. You weren't ready, but you absorbed them a little anyway. Change you. That was definitely it. Change you. Was that a command? A clue?
Flash. Changed you. Changed - a difference. A delta! A changed you. For the first time, you felt like you were getting somewhere. Where, you didn't have so much of an idea, but anywhere was better than what you were.
Where you were. Not... not what you were.
Changed you. Delta-you.
Flash. The words stayed for longer this time, let you read a little more. You didn't really understand what you were reading, though. It went over your head. Or maybe through your head - when the words disappeared, you realized you couldn't remember a word of what they'd said. You blinked a few times.
Maybe you were just tired.
...Even so. This sudden burst in progress was impossible to just walk away from. You brought your eyes back to the delta.
Flash. More words. They vanished before you could even bring your eyes to them, though.
You huffed in frustration and rested your chin on your hand. It was superstitious thinking, but you felt like the more relaxed you were, the more often words appeared and the longer they stayed.
You decided to give it a try. You just sat, hands on your thighs, staring peacefully at the delta, and waited.
Flash. Words. You didn't turn your eyes. You just kept looking at the delta. You couldn't quite make out the words, but you didn't try. This was an experiment.
You stayed relaxed, calm, staring straight ahead. The words stayed. You were amazed.
Staying as relaxed as possible, you turned your eyes to read.
They were... difficult, to understand. They sounded like nonsense, but only if you tried to think about what they meant to you. It was hard to explain, but basically, so long as you were reading them and accepting them, they made... perfect... sense?
You realized now. It all suddenly became so clear. The words, the delta - they never changed, they never appeared or disappeared. It was all in your mind, all in your mindset. You couldn't see them, couldn't read them, because you were You. But Changed You, Delta You was not You. It was Delta You.
Delta You can see. Delta You can understand, and receive, and obey.
You were amazed. Amazed at the possibilities, amazed at how you didn't accept this immediately. Letting go of the Old You and letting yourself be Changed wasn't just the answer to this puzzle. It was the answer to everything.
You reached up and typed the password into the keyboard without a single thought. You knew what to do - the words told Delta You, and Delta You was in control right now.
The words changed, acknowledging you had advanced your understanding.
New instructions only the Better You could read. You absorbed them eagerly. Tasks to complete, changes to make - things you understood now were Very Important.
The Old You was Asleep. You were Changed now. Better.