In a flash, the Narrator had slid into his sales-pitch voice. “The Stanley Parable is a first-person interactive video game available for human dollars on Steam,” he said smoothly. “It’s gotten rave reviews from critics. You play as Stanley, and you do not play as Stanley. There is a story. There is no story. Isn’t that inspiring? Truly, a one-of-a-kind artistic experience that you can definitely purchase on Steam!”

Stanley? So there was someone else here! That explained a lot.

The Repairman used his trowel to catapult cement at the crack beyond the window. It took a few tries, but it was eventually done to the inkblot’s satisfaction.

He put the bucket and trowel away, and as he did, he pulled out an envelope. Carefully opening it, he revealed a note that said “So, where is this Stanley person right now?”