The Ascent of the Gothic Tower
by Ryan Veeder (2014)

A story of mild and non-debilitating obsession.

action: %
response: The sun is very low now, and as long as you stand in this exact spot with your head in this exact position, it shines straight through the tower's arches and into your eyes, so that you're standing right on its gargantuan shadow's axis of symmetry and staring directly into the center of its magnificent silhouette. It is gorgeous. This is a transcendent moment of perfect alignment, one which you wish you could prolong indefinitely, but now your eyes are starting to hurt. You should stop staring at the sun.

The hill on this side of the river is a wide lawn with only a few trees, seemingly designed for the purpose of offering a clear view of the tower. Down the hill to the west, the streetlamps are already turned on over the bridge, like runway lights marking the path up to: the tower.

You feel like there are spots like this all over town that exist only to make people notice this tower, and yet as far as you can tell, you're the only one who's as obsessed with the tower as you are.

A couple of kids are sitting on a blanket nearby, pawing at each other like there's nobody else around—and wouldn't that be nice?
action: You examine the kids
response: They stare into each other's eyes; they whisper; at intervals they kiss.

By "wouldn't that be nice," you didn't mean that it would be nice to be necking outdoors in front of everyone. The thing that would be nice is the hypothetical situation in which there's nobody else around.
action: You check what you're carrying
response: You are carrying:
a photocopy from the library
action: About yourself
response: You aren't really obsessed.

You do have other things going on in your life. You have other goals. But isn't it best, with any goal, to give it your complete focus, at least for as long as you're focusing on it? Yesterday you had something else to take care of, so you took care of it. Tomorrow there will be yet another thing to worry about, and you will worry about it, exerting one hundred percent of the concern that the issue merits.

But tonight, you are going to get to the top of that tower.
action: You look at the photocopy
response: This is a photocopy of a photocopy of a grainy photo from an old book, but it gets the point across. It depicts a monster carved in stone, with the head and talons of a rooster but the wings and tail of a dragon. It is either a basilisk or a cockatrice.
action: You describe your surroundings
response: The hill on this side of the river is a wide lawn with only a few trees, seemingly designed for the purpose of offering a clear view of the tower. Down the hill to the west, the streetlamps are already turned on over the bridge, like runway lights marking the path up to: the tower.

A couple of kids are sitting on a blanket nearby, but all their attention is focused on each other.
action: You examine the river
response: It winds into town from up north somewhere, and it loiters around here for a while, and then it heads south toward destinations unknown. Probably somewhere warmer.
action: You look at the hill
response: Which do you mean, the west hill or the east hill?
action: You look at the west hill
response: The hill on the far side of the river is covered in trees, and they all look the same. Not especially interesting.
action: You examine the east hill
response: Somebody takes good care of this lawn. Some individual or group of individuals gets paid to make this a nice place for strangers to sit around and watch the sunset.

There's one bright orange ginkgo tree out in the middle of the grass; it stinks, but it's pretty.
action: You look at the ginkgo tree
response: People would probably sit underneath it and have picnics all the time, if it didn't smell the way that it does. From a distance, though: very nice.
action: You look at the tower
response: It was built in the twenties by a man who had studied the Gothic architecture of France in his off time during the first World War. Then various other people built various other, uglier buildings around it, like it needed to be protected from something.

From here, though, it seems to stand like a crown on the horizon, graceful and severe, all of its gables and arches very distinct against the sky. Is this the most beautiful thing in this city? Probably, yes.
action: You examine the blanket
response: The age of that blanket is in all likelihood greater than the sum of the ages of its occupants.
action: You talk to the kids
response: You mutter a hello, and the two kids look up to you with apprehensive smiles.
action: You ask the kids about the tower
response: They look across the river. "Huh," says the girl. "I never thought about it."

"I always thought it was a church," offers the boy.

It is not a church.
action: You ask the kids about themselves
response: The boy takes the lead. "Uh, we're having a really nice afternoon. Thanks for asking."
action: Kiss kids
response: That's the kind of unabashed emotional openness that gets people arrested.
action: You show the photocopy to the boy
response: The two of them take a look at the photocopy.

"I have no idea what that is," says the girl.

To which the boy adds: "Yeah."
action: You stare at the sun
response: The setting sun is "directly" behind the tower (actually, it is separated from the tower by ninety-three million miles of empty space).
action: You go west
response: It's getting harder to see the tower, but it's still due west from here.

The river looks a little choppy on account of the wind, and nobody's standing around to admire the view, but there are a few birds swooping around to make the scene tolerably pretty.

Some guy is crossing from the other direction. Just don't make eye contact.
action: You examine guy
response: He's only a guy with a beard and a backpack, the type of guy you see all over the place. He might even look a little familiar.

You just looked him in the eye by accident, and now you have to nod politely to show him you're not a creep.

He keeps walking, and disappears behind you.
action: You examine the river
response: In a couple months, it'll be a wasteland of jagged ice floes grinding into each other; tonight it's just a run-of-the-mill river.

There used to be a trio of ferocious geese that would hang out around here, but something must have happened.
action: Go west
response: This side of the river is somewhat quieter, as there aren't as many people running around.

But now the hill and the trees and everything have made it impossible to see the tower at all. You're too close. It's still up the hill to the west, though. You know that much.

Well, great, somebody is locking up her bike on the rack. What's she doing here?
action: You look at the woman
response: Actually, it looks like she was in fact unlocking her bike, and now she's cycling off across the bridge.

Maybe you'll have the place to yourself after all.
action: You examine the trees
response: The hill is covered in trees. If you knew more about trees, you might get more out of staring intently at these trees the way you are. As it stands, you have no reason to continue staring at the trees.
action: You listen
response: The low rumble of society is all around you.
action: You go west
response: All right, this is it. The tower is just ahead.

Well, just ahead is the newer building that surrounds the tower on all sides, too high for you to see the actual tower from down here. But you walked straight west from across the river, so it stands to reason that you could reach the tower by heading through the door to the west.

A sidewalk running around the building leads northwest and southwest.

The placard over the door says "ENTRANCE 19".
action: You look through the window
response: The lights are still on inside, and you can just make out a photograph hung on the opposing wall. It may actually be a picture of the tower.
action: You look at the photograph
response: In the photograph, the tower stands alone atop a hill. It must have been taken before the construction of the building that you're peering into.
action: Go northwest
response: There's another door here at the north end of the building, facing an empty parking lot. Not much of a view.

The sidewalk turns from southeast to southwest, and it breaks off here toward a stairway that leads down to a basement exit or something.
action: You look at the lot
response: It's just a big black rectangle, but if you ran over to the other end you might be able to get a look at the tower.
action: You go north
response: There are no cars here; everyone must be home for the night. A low chain fence does a lousy job of separating the pavement from the slope below.

But when you turn back towards the south, you do get a very nice view of the tower.
action: You look at the tower
response: You haven't had a chance to see the tower from this angle before tonight, and it merits some close attention. The north face looks very similar to the east face, but there are some details that either differ between the two sides or aren't visible from way across the river. Those rosettes, for example; you've never seen anything like them before.
action: You look at the rosettes
response: Well, you assume they're rosettes. They're probably rosettes.
action: You examine the chain
response: It's just a plain old chain, slung over fenceposts five or so feet apart.
action: You examine the slope
response: The hill descends into darkness.
action: You go downward
response: The tower is south from here. The city that extends in all other directions is of no interest to you tonight.
action: You go south
response: There's another door here at the north end of the building, facing an empty parking lot. Not much of a view.

The sidewalk turns from southeast to southwest, and it breaks off here toward a stairway that leads down to a basement exit or something.
action: Go downwards
response: The sign says "NO SMOKING", but judging from the cigarette butts all over the floor, it looks like this little hole at the bottom of the stairs isn't used for anything else.

The pale door here must lead into the basement.
action: You open the door
response: Well, hold on. You should think about this first. It's possible that you aren't supposed to go through this door.

On the other hand, there's no signage saying anything of the kind—and even then, if these people don't feel like locking a particular door, that's their problem.

All right, it's settled. It is completely ethical for you to open this door.
action: You open the door
response: You reach toward the door, but it opens before you touch it
You reach toward the door, but it opens before you touch it, and two people walk out
people walk out and bump into you.

It's just a couple of kids! Well, college kids. One of them is wearing a bright green scarf—why does she need a scarf? It's not that cold out.

They goggle at you for a second, until the other one manages to say "Pardon me, sorry, excuse me," and they rush past you and up the stairs.

The door swings shut.
action: You open the door
response: You open the basement door.
action: Go inside
response: The lights in here are orange, which would seem to indicate something.

At the south of the hall, a door leads into the main staircase; the pale door at the north end opens outside. The door in the east wall is labeled "MAINTENANCE".

High on the wall, an antiquated security camera turns from one to the other.

The door swings shut behind you.
action: You examine camera
response: It is a big angry trapezoid, painted a shade of burnt umber that hasn't been in currency for decades. The eye is a dusty bubble, behind a dustier pane of protective glass.
action: Go south
response: You knew this part was coming.

Here is the lowermost of many flights of stairs, this one with a triangular nook underneath it—one of those spaces that attracts dust and dead bugs. Painted on the wall is a large letter B.

A door leads out to the basement hallway.

The door swings shut behind you.
action: You look at nook
response: A person of your size could conceivably enter this cavity in order to hide from a pursuer, if it ever came to that.
action: You enter the nook
response: You hunch over slightly to fit in the nook. Hey, a dollar!
action: You take dollar
response: Taken.
action: You look at dollar
response: It's in fairly good shape, considering.
action: You go outside
response: You get out of the nook.

Here is the lowermost of many flights of stairs, this one with a triangular nook underneath it—one of those spaces that attracts dust and dead bugs. Painted on the wall is a large letter B.

A door leads out to the basement hallway.
action: Go upward
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 1 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the first floor hallway.
action: Go north
response: The hallway is very dark, except in this small area near the vending machine. A cushioned bench sits across from it, a place where hungry souls can sit and consider which snack to purchase. A door leads back into the stairway.

The door swings shut behind you.
action: You look at the machine
response: It looks like a roll of mints (E2) or a pack of gum (E4) is fifty cents; a chocolate bar (D1), nut roll (D3), or box of crackers (C5) is seventy-five cents; and a bag of cookies (B1), potato chips, (A4) or corn nuts (A5, but those things are inedible) is a dollar and twenty cents.

To your right are the slots for bills and coins, that seven-segment display that says how much money is in the machine ($0.00), the buttons for your letters and your numbers and your coin return, and the little hole that your change comes out of.
action: You examine the bench
response: Not a bad place to take a break.
action: You sit on the bench
response: You get onto the cushioned bench.
action: You stand
response: You get off the cushioned bench.

The hallway is very dark, except in this small area near the vending machine. A cushioned bench sits across from it, a place where hungry souls can sit and consider which snack to purchase. A door leads back into the stairway.
action: Go north
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 1 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the first floor hallway.

The door swings shut behind you.
action: Go downwards
response: Here is the lowermost of many flights of stairs, this one with a triangular nook underneath it—one of those spaces that attracts dust and dead bugs. Painted on the wall is a large letter B.

A door leads out to the basement hallway.
action: You go outside
response: You get out of the nook.

Here is the lowermost of many flights of stairs, this one with a triangular nook underneath it—one of those spaces that attracts dust and dead bugs. Painted on the wall is a large letter B.

A door leads out to the basement hallway.
action: Go north
response: The lights in here are orange, which would seem to indicate something.

At the south of the hall, a door leads into the main staircase; the pale door at the north end opens outside. The door in the east wall is labeled "MAINTENANCE".

High on the wall, an antiquated security camera turns from one to the other.

The door swings shut behind you.
action: You go to the south
response: Here is the lowermost of many flights of stairs, this one with a triangular nook underneath it—one of those spaces that attracts dust and dead bugs. Painted on the wall is a large letter B.

A door leads out to the basement hallway.

The door swings shut behind you.
action: Go upward
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 1 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the first floor hallway.
action: You go to the south
response: The hallway is very dark, except in this small area near the vending machine. A cushioned bench sits across from it, a place where hungry souls can sit and consider which snack to purchase. A door leads back into the stairway.

The door swings shut behind you.
action: Go north
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 1 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the first floor hallway.

The door swings shut behind you.
action: You go south
response: Although it seems reasonable to guess that the hallway continues in the same direction for some distance, you'd prefer not to go stumbling around in the dark. A safer bet is heading back inside the stairway.
action: Go upward
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 2 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the second floor hallway.

Someone dropped their notebook on the steps.
action: You take the notebook
response: Taken.
action: You examine it
response: It's small enough to fit in a back pocket, and clearly has seen its share of adventures. The cover is closed; "DIARY" has been scrawled across it in pen.
action: You read it
response: You paw tentatively at the cover. It occurs to you that the author of this journal likely did not expect for a stranger to pick it up and start reading. The author probably would be somewhat upset if they discovered you browsing through their diary, and justifiably so.

That's false, though. Nobody can reasonably expect that their possessions will remain unmolested after being abandoned in a staircase. A person who wants their secrets to remain secret has a responsibility to avoid dropping those secrets on the floor, and probably shouldn't have them down in the first place.

You've made your decision.
action: You read the notebook
response: You open the book to a random page:

So, about a week ago I wrote in here about the steam tunnel grate next to the construction site on the hill across the river, and how I saw it was left unlocked, and how I stood over it with that incredible feeling of anticipation/dread as I considered what secrets lurked beneath before I chickened out and went home. You, faithful reader, already know that story.

I ended up telling the same story to Kerianne after I wrote it all down, and she got way, way too excited about it. The emotional and spiritual significance of deciding not to climb down the grate was completely lost on her. She just told me that if it had been her, she would have jumped down there immediately. She told me this a number of times, and then she started asking about where exactly the grate was, and did I think it was still open, et cetera. I got suspicious. I knew what her game was.

And I told her very clearly, in no uncertain terms, that she absolutely was not to go climbing down that grate into those steam tunnels, unless she took me with her. So that's what we did this afternoon.

[Press any key to continue...]## Stretch of Tunnel
Kerianne climbed down the hatch first, and I went down after her. She did not seem nervous at all. I was tremendously nervous, but I don't know if Keri noticed. I've never been able to tell by looking at people whether they can tell how I'm feeling by looking at me.

Anyway. The tunnel was terrifying. It would have been wide enough for two people to walk side by side, except the walls were covered in these huge pipes, so instead it was super claustrophobic. There were lights every so often, but they were so dim that you couldn't really see any appreciable distance.

While we were still standing next to the ladder, I said, "Well, let's say that way's north, and that way's south," because I had no idea which way north actually was, and I didn't want to get lost.

Then Keri asked why it mattered which way was north, and I said it didn't, except it might help to have a frame of reference. We discussed this briefly. I failed to convince Keri of the virtue of my approach. She said, "Did you bring the chalk?" And I said yes (she had told me earlier to bring chalk, so I did), and she said that was all we needed to avoid getting lost.

I decided I would privately refer to the directions as "north" and "south" in my mind regardless.
action: You check your inventory
response: All I was carrying was my piece of chalk.
action: About you
response: I had come prepared. I was wearing my dirtiest jacket (so I didn't burn my arms on any steam pipes) and some extremely grody jeans.
action: Go north
response: We had ended up at a dead end. The only way back was south.

Keri said, "Don't worry about it. There can't be that many tunnels." As it turned out, there were lots and lots of tunnels. Many, many, many tunnels. But I refused to become discouraged.
action: You write de1
response: I wrote "de1" on the floor.
action: You go south
response: Stretch of Tunnel - ""s art""
We were in the middle of a stretch of tunnel that went north and south, with a ladder leading up to an access grate. ""s art"" was written on the floor.

Now that we were well and truly intruding upon these steam tunnels, where we weren't supposed to be, I asked Keri why it was so important to her for us to intrude upon these steam tunnels where we weren't supposed to be.

"Well, these grates are all over campus, and I always used to stop and try to peer down into them. But there are only so many grates, and you can only see like a square foot of the tunnel from up on the sidewalk. I could tell that the tunnels were an entire separate plane of the campus, but I could barely see it, much less actually, you know, be there."

I can remember this all perfectly accurately, because I have a photogenic memory.
action: Go south
response: At this juncture we had reached a fork in the tunnels that led north, east, and south.

Keri thought about it some more and then she continued her thought from before. "And everyone at this school ends up going to the same buildings, and they all walk on the same sidewalks, until they find the shortcuts that everyone else already knew about. Maybe sometimes you notice something that someone else hasn't noticed, but as far as the spaces you occupy, everybody ends up with the same experience.

"But nobody ever goes down in the steam tunnels! Because nobody ever gets the chance. But you gave us a chance, and I knew we had to take it." At this point she grabbed my arm in a very affirming if somewhat uncomfortable manner. "So, thanks."
action: You write tiberius
response: I wrote "tiberius" on the floor.
action: You write cloverfield
response: I wrote "cloverfield" on the floor.
action: You go to the south
response: At this juncture we had reached a fork in the tunnels that led north, east, and south.

I suggested to Keri that maybe we should try looking for a way out, since it was starting to look to me like we had seen everything the tunnels had to offer. She sighed very deeply.
action: You write the transylvania
response: I wrote "transylvania" on the floor.
action: You go south
response: We had ended up at a dead end. The only way back was north.
action: You write the dracula's crypt
response: I wrote "dracula's crypt" on the floor.
action: You go north
response: T-intersection - "trarsylvania"
At this juncture we had reached a fork in the tunnels that led north, east, and south. "trarsylvania" was written on the floor.
action: Go east
response: T-intersection - "DRIEDOUT"
At this juncture we had reached a fork in the tunnels that led north, east, and west. "DRIEDOUT" was written on the floor.

It was written in marker instead of chalk, so I couldn't have written it, even if I had forgotten about it (somehow?). We looked at it silently for a moment. It was a weird moment.

"So, someone's been down here before us," Keri said. Obviously the people who were supposed to be in the steam tunnels had been there, but that's not what she meant.

I asked her if she was disappointed.

"Kind of," she said. "I mean, I shouldn't be. It was dumb to assume we would be the first."

She smiled, although it might have been a fake smile, and said, "It's kind of cool, actually. Whoever wrote this must have hoped someone else would find it, and now we did."
action: Go east
response: At this juncture we had reached a fork in the tunnels that led north, south, and west.

Keri craned her head toward the passage to the south. "I don't think we've been down that way," she said.
action: You go to the south
response: The floor of the tunnel started to slope upward, and then we passed through an open doorway into a room that was not, strictly speaking, a tunnel.

We were in a serious-looking room in a building we definitely hadn't been in before. All around us were machines and dials and valves, and of course a bunch of pipes that went into the wall to snake through the tunnels. The only window was very high on the wall, too high for us to see through—but I recognized it immediately.

I said, "I know the shape of that window. We're in the power plant!"

Keri said, "Well, where else would all those steam pipes come from?" I had never bothered thinking about it that way.

The passage to the tunnels was "north" of us, but I noticed another door off to the "east".
action: You examine pipes
response: There were pipes of numerous diameters and materials, and they popped up into the ceiling or out of the walls at random intervals. I don't know why they need so many pipes down there. You could tell without getting all that close that they were extremely hot.
action: Go east
response: We had kind of wordlessly agreed that we needed to get out of there, but when Keri reached to open the door I stopped her. I indicated the sign on the door, and explained how it said the door was an "EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY" and how an "ALARM [would] SOUND" if she opened it. But Keri just rolled her eyes.

She said, "Look closely at this door. There is no alarm attached to it. There are no wires that lead away from this door and toward any alarm. This is just a door like any other door, except this door has a sign on it that lies."

Then she said, "Go ahead and open it."
action: You examine the door
response: The door looked like most doors you see around campus, but it had a sign that said "EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY ALARM WILL SOUND WHEN OPENED", and that gave me pause.
action: You open the door
response: Well, it was with great trepidation that I approached that door, but of course when I opened it nothing happened, except that a huge gust of gorgeous cool air rushed in around us, and I felt more relieved than I had ever felt about anything in my life. I felt amazing.

Then we went back to Keri's apartment and she gave me a back rub, and I felt even better.

[Press any key to continue...]You close the notebook.

First Floor Hallway (on the cushioned bench)
The hallway is very dark, except in this small area near the vending machine. A cushioned bench sits across from it, a place where hungry souls can sit and consider which snack to purchase. A door leads back into the stairway.
action: Inventory
response: You are carrying:
a notebook
a dollar bill
a photocopy from the library
action: Go north
response: (first getting off the cushioned bench)

There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 1 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the first floor hallway.

The door swings shut behind you.
action: Go upwards
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 2 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the second floor hallway.
action: You examine the door
response: It's a tough-looking steel door, painted industrial gray. There's a tall, skinny window set above the handle.
action: You look through window
response: A tall trophy case stands against one wall, its contents illuminated with a tiny lamp that barely manages to reveal the letters "HLOHOWSKYJ & ASSOCIATES" mounted on the wall opposite.
action: Go upward
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 3 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the third floor hallway.

You hear a dull noise from the other side of the door.
action: You listen
response: The dim drone of humans occupying a distant space.
action: You look through the window
response: All you can see through the window is an intermittent glow on a far wall, reflecting light from a source around the corner somewhere. Someone must be watching TV.

You hear a dull noise from the other side of the door.
action: You knock on the door
response: No response.
action: You go upward
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 4 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the fourth floor hallway.
action: You look at the window
response: Twilight casts the vague shape of someone's open door against the wall.
action: You open the door
response: The door's handle won't budge. You can see through the window to the other side, though.
action: Go up
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 5 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the fifth floor hallway.

You'd think by now you would be getting tired.
action: You look at the window
response: A long, dark hallway is on the other side of the door, and at the far end, underneath the only light that's turned on, a figure appears to be mopping the floor.
action: You examine the figure
response: He or she is either mopping or sweeping. Maybe. It's tough to tell.
action: You wave at the figure
response: The distant mopping figure is on the other side of the door.
action: You knock on the door
response: No response.
action: Go upwards
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 6 is painted on the wall—in the middle of the loop, the word "DRIEDOUT" has been written in marker.

A door leads out to the sixth floor hallway.
action: You examine the window
response: The sixth floor is completely dark.
action: You examine the door
response: It's a tough-looking steel door, painted industrial gray. There's a tall, skinny window set above the handle.
action: You examine driedout
response: It's easier to read than some other tags you've seen, if not as elaborate. The stem of the T fading out is a nice touch.
action: Go up
response: Finally.

You stand at the top of the staircase. There are no more stairs to climb. The door leads out to the seventh floor.

And off to the side, through a huge window, you can see the tower.
action: You examine the window
response: (the huge window)
The places where the outside building have been grafted on are in full view, and here and there vents and ducts hang out like abandoned medical instruments. These people weren't content to appreciate the tower; they had to stitch themselves onto it, crowd in and subsume it, so that nobody else could have it.

But the crown of the tower stands above all this. You can see details you've never seen before: the pinnacles are lined with delicate crockets, and a row of escutcheons are carved at the base of the arches.
action: You look at the crockets
response: They're like the buds of tiny flowers. There are so many of them, and they were all carved by human hands. Impossible.
action: You examine the escutcheons
response: From left to right: a lion rampant regardant sinister; a decrescent; a chevron inverted.
action: You go outside
response: A framed portrait hangs on the wall across from the door into the staircase, with a small plaque beneath it. The hallway continues south.

The door swings shut.
action: You examine the portrait
response: A man with a small mustache glances off to the side and down, trying to put some painful memory out of his mind.
action: You examine the plaque
response: The plaque reads:

Amos B. Emery (1895-1973) was born in Edmond, Kansas and studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania from 1915 to 1922, his studies interrupted by World War I service in France from 1917 to 1919. His design of the Gothic Tower, completed in 1927, was completed while working for Proudfoot, Rawson, Soeurs and Thomas; in 1930 he established his own office.
action: You go to the south
response: This hall was built right into the north face of the tower, and you stand beneath a stone archway that used to loom impossibly high in the air. Carved into the keystone of the arch is a grotesque beast: a cockatrice. Or a basilisk.

Beneath the arch is yet another door.
action: You examine the keystone
response: This cockatrice, a statue of a cockatrice, is harmless. In folklore, the gaze of the cockatrice turned its victims into stone. But folklore isn't very specific: Do you turn into stone whenever a cockatrice looks at you, or is it when you happen to look at a cockatrice? Or is it necessary for you to look at a cockatrice while the cockatrice is looking back at you for the magic to take effect?
action: You make the eye contact
response: Once you start thinking about it, it becomes impossible, and you stare down at the ground instead.
action: You look at the photocopy
response: This is a photocopy of a photocopy of a grainy photo from an old book, but it gets the point across. It depicts a monster carved in stone, with the head and talons of a rooster but the wings and tail of a dragon.

It's the same carving you see over the archway.
action: You examine the window
response: Through the window you can see stairs—more stairs!—leading up.
action: Go south
response: You draw your hand back from the door's handle.

This is the furthest you've ever explored in a building where you weren't supposed to be. What would happen if someone caught you now? Could they have you arrested? On what charge?

Well, there's trespassing.
action: You open the door
response: You reach for the door, and open it without event, revealing more stairs for you to climb.
action: Wait
response: Time passes.

The footsteps are getting closer.
action: You wait for a while
response: Time passes.

A man wearing a drab uniform and a tool belt emerges from the doorway. He smiles politely as he passes you.
action: You examine the tool belt
response: Though it has numerous loops from which to hang the instruments of his service, at present he's equipped only with a bottle of cleaning fluid.
action: You ask the man about Tower
response: He slows down once you've gotten his attention.

"It's a beautiful building, yeah. But I guess you get used to how beautiful it is after a while."
action: You ask the man about the estrucheons
response: "Sorry, I don't know anything about that. I just work here."
action: You show the photocopy to the man
response: He nods in recognition. "Yeah, that's right up here." He points to the carving above the arch.
"It's a mythological beast. A chicken with a grievance."

He continues down the hallway.
action: Go south
response: You ascend the stairs, and reach the room at the top of the tower.

A long table takes up the middle of the room, with several chairs sitting upside-down on top of it. Only a wheeled office chair remains standing on the floor, next to an easel displaying a pristine whiteboard.

The doorway to the archway is down the stairs. A small door is built into the west wall, and in the east wall is an even smaller window.
action: You examine the window
response: (the tiny window)
Looking through the window, you should be able to see across the river to the lawn. This would only be fair; it would only be what you deserve, after climbing all those stairs.

But the blinds, between the two panes of glass, are almost completely closed, and you can only make out a few details of the outside world by moving your head rapidly up and down.

Sticking out of the window frame is a thin metal lever.
action: You examine the lever
response: It's connected to the window, but what mechanism it engages is a mystery.
action: You pull the lever
response: You pull down on the lever, and it snaps off in your hand.
action: You check what you're carrying
response: You are carrying:
a metal lever
a notebook
a dollar bill
a photocopy from the library
action: You look at the chair
response: It's not a low-end chair, but it looks a bit beat up. Probably it's retired from service in a more important office.
action: You examine the easel
response: A flimsy-looking collapsible easel.
action: You examine the whiteboard
response: It is perfectly white. And with good reason; you can't see any markers around.
action: You examine the door
response: (the small door)
It's lower and narrower than any other door in the building, and it bears a sign reading "EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY. Alarm will sound if opened."
action: You sit on the chair
response: You get onto the wheeled office chair.
action: You open the door
response: (the small door)
The sign on the door says: "EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY. Alarm will sound if opened." As much as you'd like to see what's on the other side, setting off an alarm isn't really an option.

But there's no alarm built into the door, and there are no wires or anything connected to it. And if that kid can do it...
action: You open the door
response: (the small door)
You open the door
You open the door, and step out into the air.
You open the door, and step out into the air. From there, it's just a short climb to the top of the tower.

It's pretty windy up here.

This is as high as it gets: higher than any of the buildings around, higher than anything else in the city.

Standing here in the crown of the tower, looking out from the arches, you can see the entire city in the fading dusk. There's the parking lot to the north, and the dark neighborhoods beyond that; to the east is the river, and the bridge, and the lawn up on the hill, where a few people are still walking around.

Man, is it windy.
action: You look at the bridge
response: The sun is down, and the cones of orange light falling down from the streetlamps are all that illuminate the bridge. Nobody is walking across right now: Even the swallows are gone, returned to their cozy nests.
action: You look at Tower
response: From inside, you can't get a clear view of any one part. The only solid impression you have is of how gigantic this tower is.
action: You look at the hill
response: The hill is almost empty, and the people milling around seem less busy and angry than they normally do. That's the thing about people: They're not so bad, as long as you can appreciate them from a reasonable distance.

You turn your focus to a blank space on the lawn: the spot where you were standing as the sun set, when you were looking up at the tower, at the space under the arches that you're standing in right now. The circuit is complete.

Now the moon is rising, slowly, from behind the hill. Waning gibbous.
action: You examine the moon
response: The moon has several advantages over the sun. The moon isn't responsible for making summer as unbearably hot as it often is; the moon doesn't shine in through your bedroom window and wake you up before you wanted to be awake.

The disc of the moon provides a lot more to look at than the sun: intricate patterns carved out of the surface over millions of years. And you can look directly at the moon, without the risk of bodily harm.

There's nobody around to stop you; you can stare at it for as long as you like.
action: %
response: Are you sure you want to quit? ]  Lawn

The sun is very low now, and as long as you stand in this exact spot with your head in this exact position, it shines straight through the tower's arches and into your eyes, so that you're standing right on its gargantuan shadow's axis of symmetry and staring directly into the center of its magnificent silhouette. It is gorgeous. This is a transcendent moment of perfect alignment, one which you wish you could prolong indefinitely, but now your eyes are starting to hurt. You should stop staring at the sun.

The hill on this side of the river is a wide lawn with only a few trees, seemingly designed for the purpose of offering a clear view of the tower. Down the hill to the west, the streetlamps are already turned on over the bridge, like runway lights marking the path up to: the tower.

You feel like there are spots like this all over town that exist only to make people notice this tower, and yet as far as you can tell, you're the only one who's as obsessed with the tower as you are.

A couple of kids are sitting on a blanket nearby, pawing at each other like there's nobody else around—and wouldn't that be nice?
action: You go east
response: The only thing in any other direction is the boorish city you must endure on a daily basis. The tower stands to the west, across the river.
action: You look at Tower
response: It was built in the twenties by a man who had studied the Gothic architecture of France in his off time during the first World War. Then various other people built various other, uglier buildings around it, like it needed to be protected from something.

From here, though, it seems to stand like a crown on the horizon, graceful and severe, all of its gables and arches very distinct against the sky. Is this the most beautiful thing in this city? Probably, yes.
action: You examine the kids
response: They stare into each other's eyes; they whisper; at intervals they kiss.

By "wouldn't that be nice," you didn't mean that it would be nice to be necking outdoors in front of everyone. The thing that would be nice is the hypothetical situation in which there's nobody else around.
action: About yourself
response: You aren't really obsessed.

You do have other things going on in your life. You have other goals. But isn't it best, with any goal, to give it your complete focus, at least for as long as you're focusing on it? Yesterday you had something else to take care of, so you took care of it. Tomorrow there will be yet another thing to worry about, and you will worry about it, exerting one hundred percent of the concern that the issue merits.

But tonight, you are going to get to the top of that tower.
action: You ask the man about Tower
response: "Um, yeah." The guy tries to turn back to look at the tower without breaking his stride. "Pretty cool."

He keeps walking, and disappears behind you.
action: Go west
response: This side of the river is somewhat quieter, as there aren't as many people running around.

But now the hill and the trees and everything have made it impossible to see the tower at all. You're too close. It's still up the hill to the west, though. You know that much.

Well, great, somebody is locking up her bike on the rack. What's she doing here?
action: You ask the woman about Tower
response: She fails to notice you. Actually, it looks like she was in fact unlocking her bike, and now she's cycling off across the bridge.

Maybe you'll have the place to yourself after all.
action: You examine the trees
response: The hill is covered in trees. If you knew more about trees, you might get more out of staring intently at these trees the way you are. As it stands, you have no reason to continue staring at the trees.
action: You look at the rack
response: It's a frame of thick metal bars, scuffed but serviceable.
action: Go southwest
response: The sidewalk from the northeast ends here, where the perimeter of the building runs into a row of thick bushes to the south. It looks like a dead end, although there is another door to the north, labeled "ENTRANCE 20".
action: You examine bushes
response: The first thing you notice about the bushes is that they haven't been trimmed recently. The second thing you notice is a little hole in between two of them, just wide enough that you could slip through to whatever lies beyond.
action: Go south
response: What's this?

Carved into the hill among all these trees is a little place to sit: a circle of lumpy flagstones, surrounded by stone benches. There are weeds all over everything.

It feels like you've ended up in the middle of nowhere, although you're aware that the sidewalk is just north of here.
action: You examine the flagstones
response: There's not enough space between the benches to comfortably accomodate even a small group of people. What did the person who built this space have in mind?
action: You pull the weeds
response: You pull out a clump of vegetation (creeping charlie? maybe?) and toss it over your shoulder. Your action is laudable, but its effects are minimal.
action: You sit on the bench
response: You take a seat, lean back, and look up at the sky.

This is nice.

You can't really see anything from here, so it stands to reason that nobody can see you. This is real solitude.
action: Sleep
response: You close your eyes, but are unable to let go of your thoughts completely.
action: Go north
response: (first getting off the stone bench)

The sidewalk from the northeast ends here, where the perimeter of the building runs into a row of thick bushes to the south. There's only a very narrow gap where you could pass between them. To the north is another door, labeled "ENTRANCE 20".
action: You look through the window
response: The hallway inside is dark, but you can see a red "EXIT" sign at the other end, and below it, a narrow orange rectangle—about the dimensions of the one you're looking through.
action: You go to the north-east
response: Just ahead is the newer building that surrounds the tower on all sides, too high for you to see the actual tower from down here. You walked straight west from across the river, so it stands to reason that you could reach the tower by heading through the door to the west.

A sidewalk running around the building leads northwest and southwest.

The placard over the door says "ENTRANCE 19".
action: Go northwest
response: There's another door here at the north end of the building, facing an empty parking lot. Not much of a view.

The sidewalk turns from southeast to southwest, and it breaks off here toward a stairway that leads down to a basement exit or something.
action: You go to the south-west
response: Now that you're on the other side of the tower, there's very little between you and this amazing sunset.

A placard above the door reads "ENTRANCE 17", and the graffito underneath that says "DRIEDOUT". The sidewalk goes south and northeast from here, following the perimeter of the building.

Hey, there's a quarter on the sidewalk.
action: You get quarter
response: Taken.
action: You look at it
response: On one side, George Washington's head. On the other, that big angry eagle.
action: You examine the sunset
response: It occurs to you that the sun is ridiculous.

The sun is larger than your imagination can grasp. It is hotter than your imagination can grasp. It is so hot, and so massive, that the laws of physics as you normally interact with them do not apply in its vicinity. In many ways the sun is functionally an alternate dimension.

But all these disturbing facts are unproblematic, because the sun is very far away. It is so far away (you can "understand" how far away the sun is only in a very rudimentary taking-their-word-for-it sense) that it appears to be smaller than your thumb. It's a very good thing that the sun is so far away, for a multitude of reasons. The distance between you and the sun is the perfect distance, the correct
distance, and as with so many things the correct distance is "very, very, very far away".

You really should stop staring at the sun.
action: You look through the window
response: There's a painting hanging in the hallway inside. You can only see it at an extremely oblique angle, but it might be a painting of a waterfall. Or a lady wearing a cape.
action: Go south
response: Your eyes follow the trail of the sidewalk as it curves toward Entrance 16, Entrance 15, and who knows what other destinations, and you apply some quick spatial reasoning:

The tower is at this end of the complex, probably (assuming this end of the complex is basically symmetrical) due east from where you're standing. And you have no idea what is going on in the rest of this building. If you lose your point of reference, you could get seriously lost.

It's also starting to get kind of dark over there. It kind of feels like you should find another way inside.
action: Examine B
response: It's about five feet tall. Hard to miss.
action: Go upward
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 1 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the first floor hallway.
action: Go outside
response: The hallway is very dark, except in this small area near the vending machine. A cushioned bench sits across from it, a place where hungry souls can sit and consider which snack to purchase. A door leads back into the stairway.

The door swings shut.
action: You look at the machine
response: It looks like a roll of mints (E2) or a pack of gum (E4) is fifty cents; a chocolate bar (D1), nut roll (D3), or box of crackers (C5) is seventy-five cents; and a bag of cookies (B1), potato chips, (A4) or corn nuts (A5, but those things are inedible) is a dollar and twenty cents.

To your right are the slots for bills and coins, that seven-segment display that says how much money is in the machine ($0.00), the buttons for your letters and your numbers and your coin return, and the little hole that your change comes out of.
action: You put dollar in the slot
response: You stick the dollar bill into the slot, and now the display reads $1.00.
action: You put quarter in the slot
response: You stick the quarter into the slot, and now the display reads $1.25.
action: You examine hole
response: In the little hole is a nickel.
action: You get the nickel
response: You scoop up a nickel from the coin return.
action: You examine it
response: Nickels really are larger than they have any right to be.
action: You look at cookies
response: Cookies could be nice. A cookie is a cookie, after all.
action: Go inside
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 1 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the first floor hallway.

The door swings shut behind you.
action: Go upward
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 2 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the second floor hallway.

Someone dropped their notebook on the steps.
action: You examine notebook
response: You scoop up the notebook for a closer look.

It's small enough to fit in a back pocket, and clearly has seen its share of adventures. The cover is closed; "DIARY" has been scrawled across it in pen.
action: You go north
response: The sign says "NO SMOKING", but judging from the cigarette butts all over the floor, it looks like this little hole at the bottom of the stairs isn't used for anything else.

The pale door here leads into the basement.

The door swings shut behind you.
action: Go upwards
response: There's another door here at the north end of the building, facing an empty parking lot. Not much of a view.

The sidewalk turns from southeast to southwest, and it breaks off here toward a stairway that leads down to that alcove with all the cigarette butts.
action: Go southeast
response: Just ahead is the newer building that surrounds the tower on all sides, too high for you to see the actual tower from down here. You walked straight west from across the river, so it stands to reason that you could reach the tower by heading through the door to the west.

A sidewalk running around the building leads northwest and southwest.

The placard over the door says "ENTRANCE 19".
action: You go southwest
response: The sidewalk from the northeast ends here, where the perimeter of the building runs into a row of thick bushes to the south. There's only a very narrow gap where you could pass between them. To the north is another door, labeled "ENTRANCE 20".
action: Go south
response: Carved into the hill among all these trees is a little place to sit: a circle of lumpy flagstones, surrounded by stone benches. There are weeds all over everything.

It feels like you've ended up in the middle of nowhere, although you're aware that the sidewalk is just north of here.
action: You sit on the bench
response: You get onto the stone bench.
action: You read the DIARY
response: You open the book to a random page:

So, about a week ago I wrote in here about the steam tunnel grate next to the construction site on the hill across the river, and how I saw it was left unlocked, and how I stood over it with that incredible feeling of anticipation/dread as I considered what secrets lurked beneath before I chickened out and went home. You, faithful reader, already know that story.

I ended up telling the same story to Kerianne after I wrote it all down, and she got way, way too excited about it. The emotional and spiritual significance of deciding not to climb down the grate was completely lost on her. She just told me that if it had been her, she would have jumped down there immediately. She told me this a number of times, and then she started asking about where exactly the grate was, and did I think it was still open, et cetera. I got suspicious. I knew what her game was.

And I told her very clearly, in no uncertain terms, that she absolutely was not to go climbing down that grate into those steam tunnels, unless she took me with her. So that's what we did this afternoon.

[Press any key to continue...]## Stretch of Tunnel
Kerianne climbed down the hatch first, and I went down after her. She did not seem nervous at all. I was tremendously nervous, but I don't know if Keri noticed. I've never been able to tell by looking at people whether they can tell how I'm feeling by looking at me.

Anyway. The tunnel was terrifying. It would have been wide enough for two people to walk side by side, except the walls were covered in these huge pipes, so instead it was super claustrophobic. There were lights every so often, but they were so dim that you couldn't really see any appreciable distance.

While we were still standing next to the ladder, I said, "Well, let's say that way's north, and that way's south," because I had no idea which way north actually was, and I didn't want to get lost.

Then Keri asked why it mattered which way was north, and I said it didn't, except it might help to have a frame of reference. We discussed this briefly. I failed to convince Keri of the virtue of my approach. She said, "Did you bring the chalk?" And I said yes (she had told me earlier to bring chalk, so I did), and she said that was all we needed to avoid getting lost.

I decided I would privately refer to the directions as "north" and "south" in my mind regardless.
action: You look at Keri
response: I took a moment to look at Kerianne. She was wearing this really cute felt pea coat and her green scarf that she wears everywhere. It was an adorable ensemble, but it struck me as a little too Daphne Blake for mucking around in dirty steam tunnels.
action: About you
response: I had come prepared. I was wearing my dirtiest jacket (so I didn't burn my arms on any steam pipes) and some extremely grody jeans.
action: You check your inventory
response: All I was carrying was my piece of chalk.
action: You look at the chalk
response: The chalk I brought was blue, because that was the first piece of chalk I saw when I opened up my chalk bag.
action: You write this is where we start
response: Using my piece of chalk I wrote "this is where we start" on the floor.
action: Look around
response: Stretch of Tunnel - "this is where we start"
We were in the middle of a stretch of tunnel that went north and south, with a ladder leading up to an access grate. "this is where we start" was written on the floor.
action: You go to the south
response: At this juncture we had reached a fork in the tunnels that led north, east, and south.

Now that we were well and truly intruding upon these steam tunnels, where we weren't supposed to be, I asked Keri why it was so important to her for us to intrude upon these steam tunnels where we weren't supposed to be.

"Well, those grates are all over campus, and I always used to stop and try to peer down into them. But there are only so many grates, and you can only see like a square foot of the tunnel from up on the sidewalk. I could tell that the tunnels were an entire separate plane of the campus, but I could barely see it, much less actually, you know, be there."

I can remember this all perfectly accurately, because I have a photogenic memory.
action: You go to the south
response: We were at an intersection where the tunnels went north, east, south, and west.

Keri thought about it some more and then she continued her thought from before. "And everyone at this school ends up going to the same buildings, and they all walk on the same sidewalks, until they find the shortcuts that everyone else already knew about. Maybe sometimes you notice something that someone else hasn't noticed, but as far as the spaces you occupy, everybody ends up with the same experience.

"But nobody ever goes down in the steam tunnels! Because nobody ever gets the chance. But you gave us a chance, and I knew we had to take it." At this point she grabbed my arm in a very affirming if somewhat uncomfortable manner. "So, thanks."
action: Kiss keri
response: I wanted to kiss Kerianne. I really did. And I tried to get up the nerve.
action: Go south
response: We had ended up at a dead end. The only way back was north.

Keri said, "Don't worry about it. There can't be that many tunnels." In actual fact, there were lots and lots of tunnels. Many, many, many tunnels. But I refused to become discouraged.
action: You go north
response: "

"
At this juncture we had reached a fork in the tunnels that led north, east, and south. "north was two steps f om where we starte|" was written on the floor.

I suggested to Keri that maybe we should try looking for a way out, since it was starting to look to me like we had seen everything the tunnels had to offer. She sighed very deeply.
action: Go east
response: T-intersection - "DRIEDOUT"
At this juncture we had reached a fork in the tunnels that led north, east, and west. "DRIEDOUT" was written on the floor.

It was written in marker instead of chalk, so I couldn't have written it, even if I had forgotten about it (somehow?). We looked at it silently for a moment. It was a weird moment.

"So, someone's been down here before us," Keri said. Obviously the people who were supposed to be in the steam tunnels had been there, but that's not what she meant.

I asked her if she was disappointed.

"Kind of," she said. "I mean, I shouldn't be. It was dumb to assume we would be the first."

She smiled, although it might have been a fake smile, and said, "It's kind of cool, actually. Whoever wrote this must have hoped someone else would find it, and now we did."
action: You examine driedout
response: This was the room where "DRIEDOUT" was written on the floor.
action: You write the south and the west was three steps from where we started
response: I wrote "south and west was three steps from where we started" on the floor.
action: Go west
response: Four-way Intersection - "north was ore step from where we started"
We were at an intersection where the tunnels went north, east, south, and west. "north was ore step from where we started" was written on the floor.
action: You go to the east
response: T-intersection - "south and west was three steps from where we started"
At this juncture we had reached a fork in the tunnels that led north, south, and west. "south and west was three steps from where we started" was written on the floor.

Keri craned her head toward the passage to the north. "I don't think we've been down that way," she said.
action: You write south was four steps from where we started
response: I wrote "south was four steps from where we started" on the floor.
action: You go to the west
response: T-intersection - "north was where we started"
At this juncture we had reached a fork in the tunnels that led north, east, and south. "north was where we started" was written on the floor.
action: Go east
response: Four-way Intersection - "south was four steps from whcre we
startcd"
We were at an intersection where the tunnels went north, east, south, and west. "south was four steps from whcre we startcd" was written on the floor.
action: You write south was five steps from where we started
response: I wrote "south was five steps from where we started" on the floor.
action: You write west was six steps from where we started
response: I wrote "west was six steps from where we started" on the floor.
action: Go east
response: We had ended up at a dead end. The only way back was west.
action: You go west
response: Four-way Intersection - "west was six steps from where we started"
We were at an intersection where the tunnels went north, east, south, and west. "west was six steps from where we started" was written on the floor.

Keri craned her head toward the passage to the north. "I don't think we've been down that way," she said.
action: Go north
response: We had ended up at a dead end. The only way back was south.
action: You go south
response: Four-way Intersection - "west was ix steps from where we started"
We were at an intersection where the tunnels went north, east, south, and west. "west was ix steps from where we started" was written on the floor.
action: You go south
response: We were in the middle of a stretch of tunnel that went north and south, with a ladder leading up to an access grate.

I said, "Isn't this the same place where we climbed down in the first place?" but Keri reminded me that I had written "this is where we start" on the floor there, and here there wasn't anything written on the floor at all.
action: Go upwards
response: I looked up and realized the grate was closed. Then I climbed up the ladder and pushed on the hatch until I realized it was locked. Then I freaked out a little. Actually, to Keri, it must have seemed like I was freaking out a lot. She kinda grabbed me and said we would find another way out. Which we eventually did, and now looking back on it I can describe it all very cavalierly. But at the time, I was terrified.
action: Keep going
response: Well, it was with great trepidation that I approached that door, but of course when I opened it nothing happened, except that a huge gust of gorgeous cool air rushed in around us, and I felt more relieved than I had ever felt about anything in my life. I felt amazing.

Then we went back to Keri's apartment and she gave me a back rub, and I felt even better.

[Press any key to continue...]You close the notebook.

Cozy Place (on the stone bench)
Carved into the hill among all these trees is a little place to sit: a circle of lumpy flagstones, surrounded by stone benches. There are weeds all over everything.

It feels like you've ended up in the middle of nowhere, although you're aware that the sidewalk is just north of here.

It's getting pretty dark. The sun must have gone down while you were reading.
action: Go downwards
response: The sign says "NO SMOKING", but judging from the cigarette butts all over the floor, it looks like this little hole at the bottom of the stairs isn't used for anything else.

The pale door here leads into the basement.
action: You unlock door
response: What do you want to unlock the door with?
action: Go upwards
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 3 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the third floor hallway.
action: You look through the window
response: All you can see through the window is an intermittent glow on a far wall, reflecting light from a source around the corner somewhere. Someone must be watching TV.
action: You knock on the door
response: No response.

You hear a dull noise from the other side of the door.
action: Shout
response: (hello to yourself)
Talking to yourself is likely to prove unrewarding.

You hear a dull noise from the other side of the door.
action: You go upward
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 4 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the fourth floor hallway.
action: Go up
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 5 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the fifth floor hallway.

You'd think by now you would be getting tired.
action: Go upwards
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 6 is painted on the wall—in the middle of the loop, the word "DRIEDOUT" has been written in marker.

A door leads out to the sixth floor hallway.
action: You examine Tower
response: The places where the outside building have been grafted on are in full view, and here and there vents and ducts hang out like abandoned medical instruments. These people weren't content to appreciate the tower; they had to stitch themselves onto it, crowd in and subsume it, so that nobody else could have it.

But the crown of the tower stands above all this. You can see details you've never seen before: the pinnacles are lined with delicate crockets, and a row of escutcheons are carved at the base of the arches.
action: You go outside
response: A framed portrait hangs on the wall across from the door into the staircase, with a small plaque beneath it. The hallway continues south.

The door swings shut.
action: You examine the portrait
response: A man with a small mustache glances off to the side and down, trying to put some painful memory out of his mind.
action: You get the portrait
response: They'd probably miss it.
action: You examine the arch
response: The people who spent days carving this stone in minuscule detail knew that onlookers would appreciate it from the ground seven stories below. They could not have known that another, uglier building would eventually be attached to theirs, and that people would be able to examine their handiwork up close.
action: Go south
response: You reach for the door, and open it without event, revealing more stairs for you to climb.
stairs for you to climb.Then you hear footsteps coming down the stairs
stairs for you to climb.Then you hear footsteps coming down the stairs, and while you're wondering what to do, the door swings shut.

The footsteps are getting closer.
action: You go to the north
response: A framed portrait hangs on the wall across from the door into the staircase, with a small plaque beneath it. The hallway continues south.
action: Go north
response: The only obvious paths are down the hallway to the south, and in the door to the staircase.
action: Go inside
response: You stand at the top of the staircase. The door leads out to the seventh floor.

And off to the side, through a huge window, you can see the tower.
action: You go downwards
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 6 is painted on the wall—in the middle of the loop, the word "DRIEDOUT" has been written in marker.

A door leads out to the sixth floor hallway.
action: You go down
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 5 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the fifth floor hallway.
action: You wait awhile
response: Time passes.
action: You wait
response: Time passes.

You can hear footsteps approaching from upstairs.
action: You wait awhile
response: Time passes.

Someone is walking down the stairs right above your head.
action: You wait for a while
response: Time passes.

A man wearing a drab uniform and a tool belt appears, and immediately notices you hiding under the stairs. His expression betrays nothing.
action: Wait
response: Time passes.

He exits to the basement hallway.
action: You go to the north
response: The lights in here are orange, which would seem to indicate something.

At the south of the hall, a door leads into the main staircase; the pale door at the north end opens outside. The door in the east wall is labeled "MAINTENANCE".

High on the wall, an antiquated security camera turns from one to the other.

The custodian is here with you.

The custodian waves goodbye and disappears through the maintenance door.

The door swings shut behind you.
action: You go to the south
response: Here is the lowermost of many flights of stairs, this one with a triangular nook underneath it—one of those spaces that attracts dust and dead bugs. Painted on the wall is a large letter B.

A door leads out to the basement hallway.

The door swings shut behind you.
action: Go upwards
response: There's a flight of stairs going up, and there's a flight of stairs going down. A big numeral 6 is painted on the wall.

A door leads out to the sixth floor hallway.
action: You go inside
response: A framed portrait hangs on the wall across from the door into the staircase, with a small plaque beneath it. The hallway continues south.

The door swings shut behind you.
action: You go south
response: This hall was built right into the north face of the tower, and you stand beneath a stone archway that used to loom impossibly high in the air. Carved into the keystone of the arch is a grotesque beast: a cockatrice. Or a basilisk.

Beneath the arch is another door.
action: Go south
response: You ascend the stairs, and reach the room at the top of the tower.

A long table takes up the middle of the room, with several chairs sitting upside-down on top of it. Only a wheeled office chair remains standing on the floor, next to an easel displaying a pristine whiteboard.

The doorway to the archway is down the stairs. A small door is built into the west wall, and in the east wall is an even smaller window.

The door swings shut behind you.
action: Keep going
response: Nothing obvious happens.
action: You go north
response: The only obvious exits are down the stairs and the small door labeled "EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY".
action: Go downwards
response: (first getting off the wheeled office chair)
The only obvious exits are down the stairs and the small door labeled "EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY".

You would have to get off the wheeled office chair first.
action: You go to the west
response: The sign on the door says: "EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY. Alarm will sound if opened." As much as you'd like to see what's on the other side, setting off an alarm isn't really an option.

But there's no alarm built into the door, and there are no wires or anything connected to it. And if that kid can do it...
action: You go west
response: You open the door, and step out into the air.
You open the door, and step out into the air. From there, it's just a short climb to the top of the tower.

It's pretty windy up here.

This is as high as it gets: higher than any of the buildings around, higher than anything else in the city.

Standing here in the crown of the tower, looking out from the arches, you can see the entire city in the fading dusk. There's the parking lot to the north, and the dark neighborhoods beyond that; to the east is the river, and the bridge, and the lawn up on the hill, where a few people are still walking around.

Man, is it windy.
action: You eat the cookies
response: As hungry as you are, it would be nice to sit down somewhere while you're eating.
action: You sit on the floor
response: You would prefer to sit on something designed for the purpose.
action: You look at the city
response: Now the city is far away, and reduced to a manageable size. Surely it's still loud, cramped, and bewildering over there, but from up here it seems as silent as a painting.
action: You examine the lot
response: Still very empty, and getting darker.
action: You look at the river
response: The river isn't black and anonymous, but dappled with color: silver, in a few places, where it reflects the light of the city; red, where it reflects the lights on top of the power plant; and orange, where it reflects the streetlamps above the bridge.
action: You look at the power plant
response: It's almost invisible against the southern sky, except for the red lights blinking atop its smokestacks.
action: You look at your surroundings
response: This is as high as it gets: higher than any of the buildings around, higher than anything else in the city.

Standing here in the crown of the tower, looking out from the arches, you can see the entire city in the fading dusk. There's the parking lot to the north, and the dark neighborhoods beyond that; to the east is the river, and the bridge, and the lawn up on the hill, where a few people are still walking around.
action: You look at the bridge
response: The sun is down, and the cones of orange light falling down from the streetlamps are all that illuminate the bridge. Nobody is walking across right now: Even the swallows are gone, returned to their cozy nests.
action: You look at the hill
response: The hill is almost empty, and the people milling around seem less busy and angry than they normally do. That's the thing about people: They're not so bad, as long as you can appreciate them from a reasonable distance.

You turn your focus to a blank space on the lawn: the spot where you were standing as the sun set, when you were looking up at the tower, at the space under the arches that you're standing in right now. The circuit is complete.

Now the moon is rising, slowly, from behind the hill. Waning gibbous.
action: You examine the moon
response: The moon has several advantages over the sun. The moon isn't responsible for making summer as unbearably hot as it often is; the moon doesn't shine in through your bedroom window and wake you up before you wanted to be awake.

The disc of the moon provides a lot more to look at than the sun: intricate patterns carved out of the surface over millions of years. And you can look directly at the moon, without the risk of bodily harm.

There's nobody around to stop you; you can stare at it for as long as you like.