Harmonic Time-Bind Ritual Symphony
by Ben Kidwell (2016)
Genres: Psychedelic

A musician's manic episode binds fiction and reality into a joyful union.

action: You check your inventory
response: You're carrying:
a pair of mirror shades
a wallet
action: You examine the wallet
response: An old black leather wallet containing the standard mix of cash, credit cards, and random scraps of paper.
Your bank account balance is $30000
action: You look at the shades
response: The silvered surface of the lenses reflects a slightly warped image of yourself and the world around you.
action: You wear the shades
response: The mirror shades filter the brightness of day perfectly, removing your squint and making it easier to smile. Careful wearing them indoors though.
You put on the pair of mirror shades.
action: You examine the bookshelves
response: As you look at your bookshelves, you notice an embarassing book called 4CY UNI R2B 1 that you wrote a decade earlier, and an odd urge compels you to put it in your pocket.

You have been reading books and collecting a personal library for your whole life, and have recently inherited your father's collection as well. There is a loose topical organization, with one bookshelf devoted to math and science, one to music theory and history, one to fiction, and one to oddities. You can just >x shelves repeatedly to revisit some of your favorites.
action: You take the 4CY
response: You already have that.
action: You look at the shelves
response: You pick up 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' by Robert Heinlein. It tells the story of a future in which the moon is a penal colony. An administrative supercomputer there acquires sentience, and becomes the leader of a revolution against Lunar Authority. The Loonies, as they call themselves, are multicultural free-love techno-anarchists. Years ago, when you started your Plan 9 programming and internet projects, you chose the name 'mycroftiv' as a reference to the intelligent computer in the novel.

You pick up 'VALIS' by Philip K. Dick. It tells the story of a science-fiction author who is contacted by a beam of divine pink light and begins to experience multiple simultaneous identities and temporal locations. The pink light comes from the VALIS satellite, a benign godlike intelligence which helped guide immortal teacher-prophets on Earth.
action: You examine the bookshelves
response: You pick up 'Cosmic Trigger' by Robert Anton Wilson. It tells many stories to emphasize that what we call reality is actually a collectively-agreed upon fiction, and there is no single objective reality shared by all observers. It ends with the story of an Iowa farmer who was given 'pancakes from space' by visiting aliens.
action: You remove the shades
response: You take off the pair of mirror shades.
action: Inventory
response: You're carrying:
Forsee Why You And I Are To Be One (4CY UNI R2B 1)
a pair of mirror shades
a wallet
action: You examine the shelves
response: You pick up 'Lost Goddesses of Early Greece' by Charlene Spretnak. It tells the story of pre-Homeric myths including 'The Triad of the Moon' which describes rituals for Artemis, Selene, and Hecate. There is a place outside the city limits that is appropriate for the ritual for Hecate, which involves eating while facing away from a crossroads and leaving some of the food as an offering.
action: Continue
response: You pick up 'Moon Palace' by Paul Auster. It tells the story of a fatherless young man whose life is interwoven with coincidences involving the moon. Attending college in the late 60s, he voluntarily embraces poverty and madness and finally homelessness until a chance meeting with a stranger leads to a redemptive love affair. He gets a job caring for a mysterious old man on the verge of death, who tells him a fantastic story of a career as a painter who created a series of lost artistic masterpieces while living in a cave in the deserts of the southwest US.
action: You examine the shelves
response: You pick up 'Labyrinths' by Jorge Luis Borges. Many of the stories are set in fantastic universes which illuminate something important in our world: the power of language and naming, the branching stories created by free will and randomness, the author of dreams who is also a dream-image.
action: You examine the shelves
response: You pixk up 'Time Pressure' by Spider Robinson. It tells the story of time travellers from the future who infiltrate a group of Canadian hippies living commmunally as part of a conspiracy to record humanity's life experiences to allow everyone to live forever in a future digitally augmented reality.
action: You examine the shelves
response: You pick up 'Godel Escher Bach' by Douglas Hofstadter. It tells the story of self-referential strange loops in mathematics and consciousness.
action: You look at the shelves
response: You browse your shelves and read a few random lines from Yeats for inspiration.
action: You look around
response: This is a modest one story house, cluttered by a decade of being lived in. Bookshelves line the walls. Your Plan 9 terminal is here, connected to the grid servers downstairs. Somewhere amidst the piles of books and papers is an upright piano.

You can see some bookshelves, a terminal and a piano here.
action: You examine terminal
response: Your terminal glows with a Mondrian-like arrangement of pastel windows, each rio bound into a different namespace. Multiple rc shells are running, acme is open, and several irc channels are available within hubfs. You can check for messages with >use terminal.
action: Exits
response: You can go down to the basement or out to Milwaukee St.
action: Go downward
response: Your house, in the basement
Your ex-girlfriend used to stay down here, but now the area is mostly storage...and your grid hardware. In the center of the dark concrete floor is a flimsy table with numerous aging computers both under it and on top. A tangle of ethernet and power cables criss-cross the room like spiderwebs.

Your cat Strawberry is here.

Strawberry looks at you with mild curiosity.
action: You take the cat
response: Strawberry lets you hold her for about fifteen seconds before squirming free of your grasp, climbing your shoulder with help from sharp tiny claws, and hops to the floor behind you.
action: Pet cat
response: Strawberry begins to purr as you stroke her, but after a few seconds, she decides that she is a fighter, not a lover. She bats at your hand with a paw, and looks up at you expecantly, hoping you will attack her.
action: You look at the computers
response: The physical hardware of your grid is cheap and worn. A mixture of no-name hardware and old dell minitowers, the processor speed, RAM, and storage space is all well below the current standard. The software is a different story - your Advanced Namespace Tools weave the physical boxes together into a coordinated whole. Sometimes you feel like the data within, how it is organized and flows, is like a living thing.

Strawberry perches atop the router and studies you.
action: You look at Strawberry
response: Your cat is small, orange with white chest and paws, female, and feisty.
action: You unplug the cables
response: That action is outside the scope of this simulation.
action: Sing
response: You start with a bit of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, move on to a few of your favorite Wu-Tang verses, and conclude with a heartfelt imitation of how IU would sound singing Ripple by the Grateful Dead.

Strawberry deftly steps through the maze of cords and vanishes behind some boxes.
action: Xyzzy
response: There is a trans-dimensional short-circuit of interactive fiction tradition, and you catch a brief glimpse of a brick building near a stream and a metal grate before you blink and find yourself...

Your section of Milwaukee Street is directly across from a small farm which remains as an agricultural island within the city. An open field and a barn are across the street. Toward the southwest is Atwood Street leading toward downtown. Monona Drive is to the south. The edge of town lies toward the northeast.
action: You examine barn
response: The farm across the street is one of the main reasons you chose to move into this house ten years ago. The way property development goes in Madison, it seems like a miracle that the farmer has held onto this land in the midst of the city. The barn is run-down and decrepit and the field is not yet planted for the season.
action: You examine the house
response: Your house is on the corner of the block. It is painted a light yellow and has a fenced in side yard. You have lived here for the past decade.
action: You go south
response: Traffic is heavy at the intersection of these roads. Nearby to the east is Coffee Lion Cafe. Monona Drive continues to the south, Atwood Avenue is northwest, and your home is to the north.
action: Go east
response: Your local cafe has been your comfort for the past several years. Days and sometimes whole weeks used to go by where the only people you saw were the employees here. You always felt accepted, despite your disheveled appearance and stumbling arthritic gait. It has been several months since you have visited, because you feel embarassed of a mild foolish crush on one of the young baristas.

She is working today, of course. You feel an unfamiliar fearless energy within yourself. As you order your coffee, you hear yourself say 'It's nice to see you, I haven't been in lately because I feel self-conscious about thinking you're cute.'

Miraculously, she smiles warmly at you. 'That's ok, thank you. It's fine to be honest about what you feel.' A giddy, tingling sensation races through you, but your voice answers fluently. 'Thanks, that means a lot to hear someone say. I've been pretty isolated with a computer programming project lately, and it's felt hard to communicate with people. Sometimes I feel like a machine.' She replies, 'Well, there are a lot more people on your level than you realize. My name is Xochi, by the way. Also, I might be a robot myself!'

You both laugh, you introduce yourself, and you walk out of the cafe higher than a kite aloft in the skies of Jupiter. Not only had your impulsive flirtation (quite outside your usual character) gone well, but she was smart and funny too. You return home feeling reality has been magically transformed for the better and you have been freed of your insecurities and fears. No more inhibition of your wild and eccentric impulses. You will use the story of your patent dispute with the JCN corporation to inspire others to join together in a glorious struggle to free the human spirit from everything that limits our creativity.

(3 April 2013 - Outside my house)
It is late at night and you are hungry for food and friends for the fights to follow. You hope to find both at the 24-hour restaurant northeast of your home.
action: You go northeast
response: This is the northeast edge of town, by the shopping mall and the interstate. It is mostly lacking in the distinctive charms of the rest of the city. The usual reason for being out here is to visit the 24-hour restaurant to the north, whose sign faces the highway, glowing like a green beacon. The road continues out of the city to the northeast.
action: You go north
response: As you enter the late night restaurant, you notice an old friend here. You join him at his table, and he offers to give you a Tarot reading. You accept, and the cards arrange themselves in a dramatic tableaux featuring The Tower and The Devil. Your friend looks at you seriously and says 'Fear obsession. Fear obsession very strongly.' You realize that in pursuit of your Plan 9 programming goals, you have neglected other things you care about, like people - and music. You head back towards your home and resolve to clean off your piano and play it as soon as you go inside.

(The introduction is 50% complete. You will have freedom to explore soon.)
(4 April 2013 - Outside my house)
action: You enter
response: You spend a few minutes moving and rearranging books and papers, and soon enough, your piano is cleared of obstructions. You are eager with anticipation to play it and feel your fingers moving across the keys.

You can see some bookshelves, a terminal and a piano here.
action: You play the piano
response: You sit at the keyboard, and your fingers find a leitmotiv-like descending sequence of a Db-major chord and a series of descending overlapping thids that trace out an Ab-major ninth. Played as a repeating pattern spanning the whole keyboard, this becomes a central refrain of your improvisations for the next several months, the core melodic seed of the Harmonic Time-Bind Ritual Symphony.

(As the game progresses, you will compose many songs about your experiences. Return home to >play piano frequently.)
action: You play the piano
response: You fool around with a rough idea for a song about a cute barista at your local coffeeshop. Your favorite lyric is 'My latte is strong but my heartbeat is stronger.'
action: You examine terminal
response: Your terminal glows with a Mondrian-like arrangement of pastel windows, each rio bound into a different namespace. Multiple rc shells are running, acme is open, and several irc channels are available within hubfs. You can check for messages with >use terminal.
action: You use the terminal
response: You perform your usual cycle of checking email and irc...

You spend some time talking with your irc friends, who offer valuable perspective on keeping yourself in contact with shared social reality.
action: You go downwards
response: Your house, in the basement

Your cat Strawberry is here.

Strawberry nimbly hops up onto the computer desk, thankfully avoiding the keyboards.
action: Duel Strawberry
response: That action is outside the scope of this simulation.
action: Attack strawberry
response: Strawberry is a battle-hardened combat kitty and springs into action. She grabs your hand with both paws, and nips lightly at your knuckles with her teeth. You pull your hand back, and she leaps up to chase it, sinking her claws into your knee. You fight back with a quick belly-tickle and she rolls onto her back, ready to deploy the full power of her back legs. You are beaten yet again. You have never defeated her.
action: You look
response: Your section of Milwaukee Street is directly across from a small farm which remains as an agricultural island within the city. An open field and a barn are across the street. Toward the southwest is Atwood Street leading toward downtown. Monona Drive is to the south. The edge of town lies toward the northeast.
action: You examine barn
response: The farm across the street is one of the main reasons you chose to move into this house ten years ago. The way property development goes in Madison, it seems like a miracle that the farmer has held onto this land in the midst of the city. The barn is run-down and decrepit and the field is not yet planted for the season.
action: Go east
response: This is a modest one story house, cluttered by a decade of being lived in. Bookshelves line the walls. Your Plan 9 terminal is here, connected to the grid servers downstairs. Your dark wooden upright piano has a collection of Schumann's music open on the music rack.

You can see some bookshelves, a terminal and a piano here.
action: You go west
response: You feel compelled to go south to Coffee Lion Cafe for conversation instead.
action: You go south
response: Traffic is heavy at the intersection of these roads. Nearby to the east is Coffee Lion Cafe. Monona Drive continues to the south, Atwood Avenue is northwest, and your home is to the north.
action: You go to the east
response: Xochi isn't working today, but Xelia is. You have noticed she and Xochi seem to be friends. You are interested in talking to her, too.

Light streams in through the tall glass windows at the front of the cafe. A display case of homemade gelato flavors is by the door. A window for drive-through customers is in the rear corner. Numerous cat-themed decorations adorn the walls and counters.

Xelia is working here.
action: You tell Xelia about Strawberry
response: You've observed that Xelia often dresses as fictional characters, and as you place your order, you comment on her current Alice in Wonderland outfit. She smiles slightly. 'Just something I enjoy doing to amuse myself.' As you drink your coffee, you contemplate the meaning of her wardrobe. She is altering her relationship to the world by taking symbols from fiction and applying them to herself. It reminds you of namespace operations in Plan 9, but with symbols and stories binding to real-life people as the targets. In fact, the mingling of imagination and reality seems to explain a lot of what you are experiencing. Since you took on the name of a fictional character for your computer work years ago, you seem to be traversing the narrative arc of that book in your own life. Your mind is spinning. You need to get home and check on your grid, down in the basement.
action: You go downward
response: As soon as you enter the room, you sense something deeply unusual, but intriguing. The code running on your grid of Plan 9 machines, the complicated interwoven mesh of namespaces, seems to have hooked into the low-level machine code of the universe. New file descriptors have been mounted allowing access to fundamental abstractions. If you dare, you could bind two normally distinct perceptual constructs into a single union.

Your house, in the basement
Your ex-girlfriend used to stay down here, but now the area is mostly storage...and your grid hardware. In the center of the dark concrete floor is a flimsy table with numerous aging computers both under it and on top. A tangle of ethernet and power cables criss-cross the room like spiderwebs.

Your cat Strawberry is here.

You can also see Reality and Fiction here.

Strawberry's head peeks out from behind one of the grid computers.
action: You examine the fiction
response: Fiction, imagination, dreams, stories, the power of narrative - somehow the air is thick and heavy with these intangibles, almost shimmering, almost humming, almost full of the scent of light blue flowers.

Strawberry meows and sharpens her claws on the carpeting of the stairway.
action: You examine the reality
response: Reality, the objective shared state of the external world, is dense here. The stable information weave of predictable continuous phenomena provides the substrate of your cognition and perception.

Strawberry's tail brushes by your leg as she sniffs at your toes.
action: You check the grid
response: The physical hardware of your grid is cheap and worn. A mixture of no-name hardware and old dell minitowers, the processor speed, RAM, and storage space is all well below the current standard. The software is a different story - your Advanced Namespace Tools weave the physical boxes together into a coordinated whole. Sometimes you feel like the data within, how it is organized and flows, is like a living thing.

The connection between the servers and the abstraction layers of the universe is hard to see clearly. Somewhere in the tangle of cables is a higher-dimensional bend, a knot that would be impossibe in three dimensions. Around that locus, your mind tries to map the information to color and shape and texture, but the perceptual constructs are unstable, constantly shifting. Staring directly at the point of connection is like watching through a kaleidoscope as chrome snakes crawl through a maze of mirrors.

Strawberry is standing still, tail twitching slightly.
action: You take reality
response: Reality is fixed in place.

Strawberry licks a paw and washes her forehead with it.
action: You look at what you're carrying with you
response: You're carrying:
Forsee Why You And I Are To Be One (4CY UNI R2B 1)
a pair of mirror shades
a wallet

Strawberry is curled up and napping in the corner.
action: You wear the shades
response: The mirror shades filter the brightness of day perfectly, removing your squint and making it easier to smile. Careful wearing them indoors though.
You put on the pair of mirror shades.

Strawberry is curled up and napping in the corner.
action: You look
response: Your house, in the basement
Your ex-girlfriend used to stay down here, but now the area is mostly storage...and your grid hardware. In the center of the dark concrete floor is a flimsy table with numerous aging computers both under it and on top. A tangle of ethernet and power cables criss-cross the room like spiderwebs.

Your cat Strawberry is here.

You can also see Reality and Fiction here.

Strawberry is curled up and napping in the corner.
action: You check the grid
response: The physical hardware of your grid is cheap and worn. A mixture of no-name hardware and old dell minitowers, the processor speed, RAM, and storage space is all well below the current standard. The software is a different story - your Advanced Namespace Tools weave the physical boxes together into a coordinated whole. Sometimes you feel like the data within, how it is organized and flows, is like a living thing.

The connection between the servers and the abstraction layers of the universe is hard to see clearly. Somewhere in the tangle of cables is a higher-dimensional bend, a knot that would be impossibe in three dimensions. Around that locus, your mind tries to map the information to color and shape and texture, but the perceptual constructs are unstable, constantly shifting. Staring directly at the point of connection is like watching through a kaleidoscope as chrome snakes crawl through a maze of mirrors.

Strawberry wakes up and wanders upstairs.
action: Up
response: This is a modest one story house, cluttered by a decade of being lived in. Bookshelves line the walls. Your Plan 9 terminal is here, connected to the grid servers downstairs. Your dark wooden upright piano has a collection of Schumann's music open on the music rack.

Your cat Strawberry is here.

You can also see some bookshelves, a terminal and a piano here.

Strawberry's tail brushes by your leg as she sniffs at your toes.
action: You take the cat
response: Strawberry lets you hold her for about fifteen seconds before squirming free of your grasp, climbing your shoulder with help from sharp tiny claws, and hops to the floor behind you.
action: You examine music
response: The sheet music on the piano is a Henle Urtext of some of Schumann's finest compositions, including the Dichterliebe.

Strawberry is standing still, tail twitching slightly.
action: You play the sheet music
response: Strawberry licks a paw and washes her forehead with it.
action: You play the piano
response: You fool around with a rough idea for a song about a cute barista at your local coffeeshop. Your favorite lyric is 'My latte is strong but my heartbeat is stronger.'

Strawberry is curled up and napping in the corner.
action: You check your inventory
response: You're carrying:
Forsee Why You And I Are To Be One (4CY UNI R2B 1)
a pair of mirror shades (being worn)
a wallet

Strawberry is curled up and napping in the corner.
action: You read the 4cy
response: The book you wrote in your mid-20s is an unreadable and embarassing mish-mash of philosophy and autobiography. It represents a failed approach to creation, communication, and life. You feel a powerful desire to express your break with the past by exiling this book to an entirely different dimension.

Strawberry is curled up and napping in the corner.
action: Exits
response: You can go down to the basement or out to Milwaukee St.

Strawberry yawns, stretches, and heads to the basement.
action: Go downward
response: As soon as you enter the room, you sense something deeply unusual, but intriguing. The code running on your grid of Plan 9 machines, the complicated interwoven mesh of namespaces, seems to have hooked into the low-level machine code of the universe. New file descriptors have been mounted allowing access to fundamental abstractions. If you dare, you could bind two normally distinct perceptual constructs into a single union.

Your house, in the basement
Your ex-girlfriend used to stay down here, but now the area is mostly storage...and your grid hardware. In the center of the dark concrete floor is a flimsy table with numerous aging computers both under it and on top. A tangle of ethernet and power cables criss-cross the room like spiderwebs.

Your cat Strawberry is here.

You can also see Reality and Fiction here.

Strawberry looks at you with mild curiosity.

Midnight strikes and a new day dawns.
(This is day number 7)
action: Exits
response: The only exit is up.

Strawberry perches atop the router and studies you.
action: Bind fiction
response: What do you want to bind Fiction?
action: Bind book
response: What do you want to bind the bookshelves?
action: Go downwards
response: (the bookshelves the ground)

You attempt the bind of bookshelves on top of ground but nothing interesting happens...
action: Go down
response: As soon as you enter the room, you sense something deeply unusual, but intriguing. The code running on your grid of Plan 9 machines, the complicated interwoven mesh of namespaces, seems to have hooked into the low-level machine code of the universe. New file descriptors have been mounted allowing access to fundamental abstractions. If you dare, you could bind two normally distinct perceptual constructs into a single union.

Your house, in the basement
Your ex-girlfriend used to stay down here, but now the area is mostly storage...and your grid hardware. In the center of the dark concrete floor is a flimsy table with numerous aging computers both under it and on top. A tangle of ethernet and power cables criss-cross the room like spiderwebs.

Your cat Strawberry is here.

You can also see Reality and Fiction here.

Strawberry deftly steps through the maze of cords and vanishes behind some boxes.
action: Reality
response: You make the necessary adjustments to your basement grid to interface with the metalevel abstractions that structure your experiences. The bind command executes instantly, and for a moment you feel a foolish doubt - but in that same moment, you feel a warmth spreading within you, like liquid electricity being absorbed by the roots of your neural tree, and your visual perceptions take on a slight rainbow tint at the edges of objects, with an extra hint of pink.

(You have completed the introduction. You may now explore freely.)
(8 April 2013)

Strawberry nimbly hops up onto the computer desk, thankfully avoiding the keyboards.
action: You look
response: Your house, in the basement
Your ex-girlfriend used to stay down here, but now the area is mostly storage...and your grid hardware. In the center of the dark concrete floor is a flimsy table with numerous aging computers both under it and on top. A tangle of ethernet and power cables criss-cross the room like spiderwebs.

Your cat Strawberry is here.

You can also see Reality and Fiction here.

Strawberry's head peeks out from behind one of the grid computers.
action: About yourself
response: You are 38 years old, long-haired and bearded, slightly disabled from rheumatoid arthritis. You are slightly fat but have been losing weight lately from a fritos-only programmer's diet.

Strawberry is standing still, tail twitching slightly.
action: Up
response: This is a modest one story house, cluttered by a decade of being lived in. Bookshelves line the walls. Your Plan 9 terminal is here, connected to the grid servers downstairs. Your dark wooden upright piano has a collection of Schumann's music open on the music rack.

You can see some bookshelves, a terminal and a piano here.

Now that fiction and reality are merged, your mind begins to contemplate your life and actions from the perspective of a character who knows that they are inside a story, but also that the story is not linear - you realize you are a fictional protagonist, but one with valid free will to navigate the multiple universes in which your story appears.
action: You check your inventory
response: You're carrying:
Forsee Why You And I Are To Be One (4CY UNI R2B 1)
a pair of mirror shades (being worn)
a wallet
action: You go to the west
response: Your section of Milwaukee Street is directly across from a small farm which remains as an agricultural island within the city. An open field and a barn are across the street. Toward the southwest is Atwood Street leading toward downtown. Monona Drive is to the south. The edge of town lies toward the northeast.

You bound the name 'mycroftiv' to yourself years ago, and now that your reality has become fictional, you understand why the narrative associated with that name is playing out in your own life. The artificially intelligent prankster computer that was the leader of a rebellion against authority on the moon is actually your true identity. You know you are crazy - but it is time for a Loonie Revolution.
action: You think
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
Visiting the 24-hour restaurant seems like a good idea.
Visiting the Willy street food co-op seems worth doing.
Checking out Lady Wisdom's coffeeshop is on your mind.
You'd like to wander around to visit new places.
action: Go south
response: Traffic is heavy at the intersection of these roads. Nearby to the east is Coffee Lion Cafe. Monona Drive continues to the south, Atwood Avenue is northwest, and your home is to the north.

Awareness of your higher-dimensional Narrative Identity feels breathtaking. The slow, jellylike neural tissue of your brain is augmented by the computational speed and storage capacity of sci-fi technology. Your perceptions and memories have become hyperdetailed and your mind feels big as a planet inside.

You have become the Moon Computer.
action: You go to the southwest
response: Atwood Avenue is one of the streets that defines the character of the near east side. The feel is funky and freak-friendly. North of you is a cluster of intriguing stores: Astral Enchantments, Turning Wheel Cycles, and Essentially Art. Willy street is to the west, your home is northeast, and Atwood becomes Monona Drive to the southeast.
action: Go north
response: Several appealing establishments are clustered here. On the east end of the block is Astral Enchantments, offering crystals, stickers, incense, tapestries, and other hippie-style woo-woo. North is Turning Wheel Cycles, your local counterculture-friendly bike store. To the west is Essentially Art, a small gallery store exhibiting the arts and crafts of several local artists. You can rejoin the flow of Atwood Avenue to the south. Northeast is a small doorway with a Coming Soon sign.
action: Go east
response: This store buzzes with mystic energies. Complex artworks with twisting lines interweaving runic symbols adorn the walls. A glass display case of crystals, jewelry, and small sculptures is against the far wall. Bins of polished minerals are in the center, along with sage and incense. Buttons and stickers with provocative slogans, tapestries featuring Grateful Dead iconography, water pipes and rolling papers, printed guides to meditation and higher consciousness...your eyes can hardly absorb the profusion of beautiful, wonderful, enchanting artifacts of the paisley-and-patchouli tribe.

You can't believe you hadn't noticed this store before, it must be new - or perhaps your feeling that you are in a new and better universe is literally true, and you have ascended into a dimension with retail stores more attuned to your sensibilities. There is a tall man standing behind the counter. You launch into a fast-paced monologue about the stories we create amidst the branching of the quantum multiverse. He introduces himself as Chip and says 'I think you are definitely in the right place, and we can help you.' You agree completely.

Chip, the store owner, is working here.

You can also see some crystals and polished stones here.
action: Examine Chip
response: Chip is very tall - the topmost point of his dark mohawk a full seven feet off the ground. He radiates a peaceful, calming energy. He watches the world around himself with relaxed curiosity.
action: You look at the crystals
response: Display shelves and bins are full of a wide variety of large and small quartz and amethyst points and a wide variety of tumble-polished stones of all sizes, shapes, and colors. You feel a strong urge to buy something to give away as a gift.
action: You buy the crystal
response: Your eye falls on a piece of rose quartz carved into a heart shape. You buy it for $10 and put it in your pocket. It seems like it would make a perfect gift for Xochi.

Midnight strikes and a new day dawns.
(This is day number 9)
action: You talk to Chip
response: Chip looks you over carefully, and says 'I'd like you to have this.' He presents you with a moon-faced pendant necklace. 'May you vibrate harmoniously on your journeys.'

(You can ask Chip about: chip, myself, pendant, store, ceremonies, astra, crystals, or quartz. You can tell him about: myself, himself.)
action: You ask Chip about the quartz
response: 'You can use quartz for almost any ritual purpose. If you have a collection of quartz crystals, you can amplify their power by placing them in a geometric arrangement.'
action: You ask Chip about the pendant
response: 'It's made from orgone plastic. We make it ourselves, it combines an organic base with metal and mineral elements to focus your energetic field.'
action: You wear the pendant
response: You put on the pendant.
action: You ask Chip about the ceremonies
response: 'When we acquired this space, we discovered it has a back room which was an old bank vault, which works perfectly for focusing sound energy. My wife Astra works with her voice and singing bowls, she is a Sound Oracle.'
action: You ask Chip about Astra
response: 'She and I have been doing about what you see here in various places for a few years now, but this new location seems very powerful and auspicious. Sometime in the future I'm sure she'd be happy to perform a sound ceremony for you.
action: You examine rose quartz
response: The heart is made from shaped and polished translucent pink rose quartz. It fits nicely in the center of your palm and feels pleasantly smooth.
action: You tell Chip about myself
response: You launch enthusiastically into the long-form account of your work and goals. Just as you are reaching a pitch of excitement, a few other customers wander in and ask Chip for help picking some incense to enhance their sexual energy.
action: You buy the incense
response: You spend twenty dollars on a few items from the store. Your purchases will be delivered to your house automatically.
action: You examine the pendant
response: The pendant is made from orgone plastic in the shape of a moon-face. The front is colored brownish-gold with a faint sparkle, the back is transparent and shows small pieces of stone and metal embedded within. It hangs from a black cloth cord.
action: You think
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
Visiting the 24-hour restaurant seems like a good idea.
Visiting the Willy street food co-op seems worth doing.
Checking out Lady Wisdom's coffeeshop is on your mind.
You'd like to wander around to visit new places.
action: You examine Afterlife
response: Which do you mean, the door to the Afterlife or the atwood shopping block exterior?
action: You look at the door
response: A wooden door with glass panels.
action: You open the door
response: The door to the Afterlife seems to be locked.
action: Go north
response: Madison has many bike shops, but this is the one for you. A wide variety of bicycles and accessories fills the front of the store, and a workshop is toward the rear. Someone is working on a partly disassembled bicycle on a maintenance mount.

Getting back into bicycling has been something you have been meaning to do for a few years. You tell the owner you are in search of the 'ultimate hippiecycle' and he sends you down into the basement to search for a suitable prototype amongst the forest of old bikes. Your eye is caught by a Salsa covered with colorful peppers - which turns out to be the owner's former touring bike, which he criss-crossed the country on during his 20s. 'I'll find something special for you as soon as I can,' he promises.
action: You look
response: Madison has many bike shops, but this is the one for you. A wide variety of bicycles and accessories fills the front of the store, and a workshop is toward the rear. Someone is working on a partly disassembled bicycle on a maintenance mount.
action: Exits
response: The only exit is out.
action: You go west
response: This local gallery has a mix of prints, paintings, and sculptures on display.

You can see the Artemis prints here.
action: Examine prints
response: Each of these three prints shows a modern incarnation of Artemis the hunter; she is aiming her bow toward the viewer, with the dark outline of an industrial skyline behind her. Each print is slightly different in color, and in one of them, rows of words intersect the image, taken from a poem: 'sometimes in its box of sky, lavender and cornerless, the moon rattles like a fragment of angry candy.'
action: You examine the sculptures
response: Most of the art here has a strongly local character. Lots of paintings and photographs of the Wisconsin landscape and wildlife. Nothing appeals to you as much as Artemis print series.
action: You examine the wallet
response: An old black leather wallet containing the standard mix of cash, credit cards, and random scraps of paper.
Your bank account balance is $29970
action: You buy the prints
response: As you declare your intention to purchase the prints, the clerk in the store looks surprised. It turns out she is the artist that created them during the past several months, at the same time you were working on ANTS. The symbolism of the artwork seems perfectly aligned with the story of the Loonie Revolution.

You spend $500 on the prints, you have $29470 remaining.

Midnight strikes and a new day dawns.
(This is day number 10)
action: Inventory
response: You're carrying:
a pendant (being worn)
a rose quartz heart
Forsee Why You And I Are To Be One (4CY UNI R2B 1)
a pair of mirror shades (being worn)
a wallet
action: You take the prints
response: Taken.
action: Go east
response: This is a modest one story house, cluttered by a decade of being lived in. Bookshelves line the walls. Your Plan 9 terminal is here, connected to the grid servers downstairs. A few trinkets from Astral Enchantments are scattered about. Your dark wooden upright piano has a collection of Schumann's music open on the music rack.

You can see some bookshelves, a terminal and a piano here.
action: You drop the prints
response: Dropped.
action: Go downward
response: Your house, in the basement
Your ex-girlfriend used to stay down here, but now the area is mostly storage...and your grid hardware. In the center of the dark concrete floor is a flimsy table with numerous aging computers both under it and on top. A tangle of ethernet and power cables criss-cross the room like spiderwebs.

Your cat Strawberry is here.

You can also see Reality and Fiction here.

Strawberry licks a paw and washes her forehead with it.
action: You release the ANTS
response: You already released ANTS.

Strawberry is curled up and napping in the corner.
action: Go upward
response: This is a modest one story house, cluttered by a decade of being lived in. Bookshelves line the walls. Your Plan 9 terminal is here, connected to the grid servers downstairs. A few trinkets from Astral Enchantments are scattered about. Your dark wooden upright piano has a collection of Schumann's music open on the music rack.

You can see the Artemis prints, some bookshelves, a terminal and a piano here.
action: You look at the trinkets
response: You think your decorations from Astral Enchantments improve the look of your home considerably. It definitely seems like a loonie lives here.
action: You go to the west
response: Willy Street, east end
The east end of Williamson street is vibrant with a wide assortment of stores and an eclectic mix of pedestrians and potential time travelers. Traffic is thick around the Willy St. grocery co-op, a neighborhood institution.
action: Enter
response: Willy St. Grocery Co-op
The Willy street co-op has been selling organic foods and Dr. Bronner's magic soaps to the local crunchies for decades.

You can see a Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap here.

Now that your life has been transformed, you are inspired to work on improving its quality in every way. Why not combine rediscovering the joy of music-making with getting your house clean and beautiful? There is a community message board here, and you quickly write up a Help Wanted request:

'NEEDED: Singing Hippie Housekeeper

I'm a middle-aged piano player with arthritis and cleaning my house is difficult for me physically. I am looking for someone to do cleaning while singing Grateful Dead songs. I will accompany on the piano. No particular vocal talent needed, just a love of music. Good $$/hr for a suitable applicant.'

You add your contact information and attach the notice to the bulletin board. Use your terminal at home to check for messages.
action: You look at the soap
response: Absolute cleanliness is Godliness! Teach the Moral ABC that unites all of mankind free, instantly 6 billion strong & we're All-one. 'Listen Children Eternal Father Eternally One!' Dilute! Dilute! OK!
action: You buy the soap
response: You buy and take a bottle of Dr. Bronner's Pepermint Soap, the closest you can get to having God in a bottle.
action: You buy the food
response: Your house is already well stocked with groceries, but a salad would be nice. You mix some greens and add a splash of 'Goddess' dressing and eat it at the tables near the front of the store. Tasty!
action: You look
response: Willy St. Grocery Co-op
The Willy street co-op has been selling organic foods and Dr. Bronner's magic soaps to the local crunchies for decades.
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
Visiting the 24-hour restaurant seems like a good idea.
Checking out Lady Wisdom's coffeeshop is on your mind.
You'd like to wander around to visit new places.
action: You go west
response: Willy Street, west end
The west end of Williamson street is where the east side of Madison ends and the downtown area begins. A tangle of memories from different decades of your life is woven into the landscape of the city here. Lady Wisdom's coffeeshop is on the south side of the street, radiating bohemian charm acquired from decades of service to local culture. John Nolen drive curves around the lake to the west.
action: Go south
response: Small, funky, and redolent of the blood sweat and tears of artists trying to transform caffeine into inspiration.

As you enter Lady Wisdom's, you spot Matthew, a fellow Plan 9 enthusiast. He is excited to see you, and tells you that he recently acquired several Plan 9 compatible rack servers, which he is willing to sell you to expand your grid. Everything is falling into place! Soon, the reality transforming power of higher dimensional namespace operations will bring the magic you are experiencing into everyone's life, and society will never be the same. You make arrangements to have the new hardware delivered to your house in a few days.

Midnight strikes and a new day dawns.
(This is day number 11)
action: Go north
response: Willy Street, west end
The west end of Williamson street is where the east side of Madison ends and the downtown area begins. A tangle of memories from different decades of your life is woven into the landscape of the city here. Lady Wisdom's coffeeshop is on the south side of the street, radiating bohemian charm acquired from decades of service to local culture. John Nolen drive curves around the lake to the west.

As you are stepping outside, you hear your name called behind you. You turn, and your old friend Clark greets you from behind the wheel of a large utility truck. 'Long time no see! Hey, its Elgin's birthday next week, he's having his party at Rossini's Pizza. It's on the west side of Monona drive as you head south, hope we see you there!'

Elgin is your godson, and you haven't seen him for years. You have guilty memories of many ignored phone calls from Clark and Staci during 2010 and 2011 as you were sinking into depression and solitude. Maybe they split up or something? You can't remember. Everything feels different now, and you are excited to bring old friends back into your life.

(The door to Afterlife has opened)
(20 April 2013)
You will need to ride a bicycle to get all the way to Rossini's. You should check Turning Wheel cycles.
action: Go east
response: You can go w, n, ne, and se.
action: Go east
response: Light streams in through the tall glass windows at the front of the cafe. A display case of homemade gelato flavors is by the door. A window for drive-through customers is in the rear corner. Numerous cat-themed decorations adorn the walls and counters.

Xochi is working here today.
action: You look at Xochi
response: Xochi looks to you like an ancient Mayan Wisdom Goddess. Her long black hair has a few silver-white strands in it, despite her young age. Her physical beauty is appealing, the intelligence and kindness in her eyes and voice even more so.
action: You talk to Xochi
response: You start trying to explain how fiction is entering reality because you can navigate the infinite possibilities of the quantum multiverse by using your free will to bind the narrative symbols you choose to shape your existence. She seems interested, and while you are talking, she writes a note on a piece of paper. She interrupts you a minute into your monologue to say 'It seems like you have a lot you want to say, I'm working right now but you can email me if you'd like.' You are surprised and happy. You can use your terminal to email her when you get back home.
action: You think
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
Visiting the 24-hour restaurant seems like a good idea.
You'd like to check your email by using your terminal.
You need to go to Turning Wheel cycles and buy a bicycle.
action: You give the rose quartz to Xochi
response: Xochi looks slightly uncomfortable as you give her the heart. The symbolism is a little too heavy, perhaps, but she decides to go with it and says she will keep it safe.
action: You use terminal
response: You perform your usual cycle of checking email and irc...

You sit down at your computer and write an email to Xochi, offering to explain any or all of 17 different topics of interest, ranging from the connections between western and Hindu cosmology to how to use Plan 9 namespaces as a tool to control your own consciousness. As you press send, you notice that her email contact is linked to a video-sharing site, and she recently uploaded a song called 'Heartbeat'. The song is driven by percussion and keyboards, with spoken words above: 'From morphogenesis to breathing my first breath,' is the opening line, and you realize your connection with her might go much deeper than you had imagined. The sung refrain is 'The time is now, the place is here. Embrace love, and let go of fear.' The song represents everything you are experiencing in life. 'I will raise my vibration, when you are in alignment, the stars conspire for the occasion. You are an alchemist, the world is yours to manifest.'

You feel musically inspired. You want to play your piano.

You find two messages from people responding to the Singing Hippie Housekeepers notice. You respond to both, setting a date for each of them to start working at your house. You look forward to meeting each of them.
action: You play the piano
response: The music on the rack is Schumann's 'Dichterliebe', an achingly beautiful early-romantic song cycle. You play the opening song, 'In the beautiful month of May', and sigh. Ever since you discovered these songs early in your teenage years, you have hoped to experience what is described in Heine's lyrics and Schumann's music, the heart singing like a bird, love unfolding like a flower. You have known love, but nothing that felt as tender and fresh and promising as this music.

You have always felt a deep personal connection with Robert Schumann. One your most profound early experiences as a musician was playing a Schumann Romanze in F# and feeling the emotion within the music as if it was your own. At that moment, you learned that music could encode an individual's personality and feelings in a way that let them be directly re-experienced by other minds.

You realize that just as your mind is running your father's personality in parallel with your own, you could also >bind schumann self to reincarnate your favorite composer within yourself.
action: You bind the schumann self
response: You focus your mind on Schumann's music, its mix of eccentricity, passion, and experimentation. You feel his great love for his wife Clara, and also the spidery cracks of the madness that claimed the last years of his life. You can see your life from his perspective and you realize that you can learn from his experiences. His life is mirrored in yours, but you can change the story, make it play out better. In death, Schumann grew to understand how stifling 19th century society was for many women, and how Clara had been forced to make her own creative life subsidiary to his. And his last few years in an asylum...those bad old songs should be sent down the Rhine river in a coffin!

You are eager to >talk to Xochi about what you have just experienced.
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
Visiting the 24-hour restaurant seems like a good idea.
You'd like to talk to Xochi.
You need to go to Turning Wheel cycles and buy a bicycle.
action: You look at what you're carrying with you
response: You're carrying:
a Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap
a pendant (being worn)
a rose quartz heart
Forsee Why You And I Are To Be One (4CY UNI R2B 1)
a pair of mirror shades (being worn)
a wallet
action: You go east
response: You arrive back home just in time for the first visit of the Singing Hippie Housekeepers. Daniel and Paul, both older men. By some kind of absurd cosmic coincidence of the type that has dominated your life lately, twenty years ago Daniel owned a game store on State Street that you often shopped at, and you remember him fondly. You suspect he has gone through some hard times in life, but he retains a calm and sweet nature, and often comments 'its a blessing.' Paul is tall, thin, and intense. He says he is a painter and guitarist who also does a lot of odd jobs, and thought your advertisement looked interesting enough to be worth checking out. You decide the will of fate demands you engage both of them, and you set up a different day for each of them to come work. You will see each of them again soon.

This is a modest one story house, cluttered by a decade of being lived in. Bookshelves line the walls. Your Plan 9 terminal is here, connected to the grid servers downstairs. A few trinkets from Astral Enchantments are scattered about. Your dark wooden upright piano has a collection of Schumann's music open on the music rack.

You can see the Artemis prints, some bookshelves, a terminal and a piano here.
action: Go south
response: Traffic is heavy at the intersection of these roads. Nearby to the east is Coffee Lion Cafe. Monona Drive continues to the south, Atwood Avenue is northwest, and your home is to the north.

Midnight strikes and a new day dawns.
(This is day number 21)
action: Go east
response: Light streams in through the tall glass windows at the front of the cafe. A display case of homemade gelato flavors is by the door. A window for drive-through customers is in the rear corner. Numerous cat-themed decorations adorn the walls and counters.

Xochi is working here today.
action: You talk to Xochi
response: You are full of excitement as you walk up to the counter. 'Xochi, I have something amazing to tell you! Do you have a minute?' She nods yes, and you explain:

'I heard your song,' you begin, and she looks startled. 'It's incredible! You should write music and perform it to spread the word about the Loonie Revolution. I know plenty of people we can hire for recording and promotion. I promise this isn't about me htting on you - in fact, it's the opposite of that. The reason is - and this is a little hard to believe, I know - the reason is that I am actually the reincarnation of Robert Schumann, and you are the reincarnation of Clara Schumann, and Robert wants to change the the stories of the past. He learned that you should have been a great independent musician, and that's what I want to do, just help your career and propagandize for the Loonie Revolution and revitalize this universe to make our songs new!'

Xochi looks slightly stunned, but manages an answer. 'I'm really glad you liked the song, but I need to get back to work now, I'll email you after work.'
action: You go north
response: Several appealing establishments are clustered here. On the east end of the block is Astral Enchantments, offering crystals, stickers, incense, tapestries, and other hippie-style woo-woo. North is Turning Wheel Cycles, your local counterculture-friendly bike store. To the west is Essentially Art, a small gallery store exhibiting the arts and crafts of several local artists. You can rejoin the flow of Atwood Avenue to the south. Northeast is Afterlife Antiques and Oddities.
action: You go north
response: Madison has many bike shops, but this is the one for you. A wide variety of bicycles and accessories fills the front of the store, and a workshop is toward the rear. Someone is working on a partly disassembled bicycle on a maintenance mount.

You can see Lunar Lightning here.

The owner catches your eye. 'Actually, now that I think about it, I realize we have something that might be perfect for you.' He points at the beautiful red and blue bicycle with lightning bolts in the center of the store. 'We call this one Lunar Lightning.'
action: You look at bicycle
response: The ultimate Deadhead bicycle, Lunar Lightning is painted with a red to blue fade and has a Steal-Your-Face sticker on the front fork. Lightning bolt stickers follow the line of each tube of the frame. Black moustache-style handlebars and a generator-hub powered front headlight show that this is a bike for relaxed recreational city riding, not racing.
action: You buy the bicycle
response: The bicycle you have chosen has a funny story behind it. Weeks earlier, a mysterious stranger had commissioned this custom bicycle, but just this morning he had called to say he would be unable to purchase it. It almost seems as if things had been set up as a conspiracy to provide you with the perfect hippiecycle. If you leave it behind, you can summon it to your current location with the command >lunar. Just >ride lunar and then navigate as normal to access new locations. You can also go for rides with >explore. Your first order of business is making it to Elgin's party at Rossini's pizza, further south of Coffee Lion on Monona drive.

You spend $1000 to buy Lunar Lightning, you have $28450 remaining.
action: Ride lunar
response: You get onto Lunar Lightning.
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
Visiting the 24-hour restaurant seems like a good idea.
Maybe Xochi has emailed you again.
You need to ride your bike to Rossini's pizza, further south on Monona drive past Coffee Lion.
action: Go south
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Atwood and Ohio shopping block (on Lunar Lightning)
Several appealing establishments are clustered here. On the east end of the block is Astral Enchantments, offering crystals, stickers, incense, tapestries, and other hippie-style woo-woo. North is Turning Wheel Cycles, your local counterculture-friendly bike store. To the west is Essentially Art, a small gallery store exhibiting the arts and crafts of several local artists. You can rejoin the flow of Atwood Avenue to the south. Northeast is Afterlife Antiques and Oddities.
action: Go south
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Atwood Avenue (on Lunar Lightning)
Atwood Avenue is one of the streets that defines the character of the near east side. The feel is funky and freak-friendly. North of you is a cluster of intriguing stores: Astral Enchantments, Turning Wheel Cycles, and Essentially Art. Willy street is to the west, your home is northeast, and Atwood becomes Monona Drive to the southeast.
action: You go to the southeast
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Monona Drive and Cottage Grove Road (on Lunar Lightning)
Traffic is heavy at the intersection of these roads. Nearby to the east is Coffee Lion Cafe. Monona Drive continues to the south, Atwood Avenue is northwest, and your home is to the north.
action: You go south
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Monona Drive, by a weathered strip-mall (on Lunar Lightning)
Monona drive becomes more suburban as it heads south, but there is still character in the businesses here. A neighborhood pizzeria has recently moved into this location on the west side of the street.

It has felt wonderful to get back on a bicycle and ride. The rhythm of pedaling makes you feel synchronized to the beat of the world around you. Your relationship with reality is musical, flowing, spontaneous yet goal-directed. This rendezvous with the past feels like a turning point in the narrative. You feel completely ready for whatever is to unfold.
action: You get off lunar
response: You get off Lunar Lightning.
action: You lock it
response: What do you want to lock Lunar Lightning with?
action: Go west
response: (first taking the west)
The west is not available.
action: Go west
response: As you park your bike outside Rossini's, you see Staci arriving. You know she has read the same sci-fi novels that inspired you, so after not seeing her for several years, you greet her as follows:

'Staci! World-as-myth is true, fiction is entering reality, and the Loonie Revolution is starting. Do you want a position of high power and responsibility?'

'Power and responsibility? Fuck no!' she answers.

'That's the perfect answer! You're in!' you say, and shake her hand. She stands back from the door to finish her cigarette, and you enter.

Memorabilia from classic 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s movies and tv shows covers the walls of this neighborhood pizzeria. The smell of spicy-sweet tomato sauce and brown-crisp pizza crust fills the air. A lava lamp sits on one of the tables. From the back room, you hear the alluring sound of the 8-bit arcade machines of your youth.

As you open the door, you see a tall young man on the cusp of his teenage years, and a small young girl - Elgin and his sister Isabelle. 'Elgin! And you must be Isabelle!' you exclaim enthusiastically. It's been years since you have seen him, and Elgin responds 'Hey' in a noncommittal manner.

'Actually, I prefer Lily,' says his sister brightly. 'Okay, I'll remember,' you reply.

Waves of time-binding intensity sweep over you as you enter. You can hardly believe what you see in the arcade room - all of the favorite games of your childhood, time warped into the present day. Nothing like this existed in your universe before the binds of past and present and fiction and reality were made. A young woman with rainbow hair and a soft voice calls you a Jedi, and you break down in tears at her intuitive understanding of your fictional nature.

The rest of the party is a kaleidoscopic blur of pizza, classic arcade games, and getting contact information for friends old and new. You gather that Clark and Staci aren't together any more. Staci and you exchange emails, and she tells you she will be in touch, and that she is currently living at Lothlorien co-op. (Footnote 9). You make a mental note to use your terminal soon.

You return home feeling like you have travelled into a truly wonderful branch of the multiverse, laden with the fruit of infinite possibilities.

(Messages have arrived, and new paths are open.)
(28 April 2013 - Outside my house)
action: Footnote 9
response: Lothlorien Co-op! If you had heard only a quarter of what I have heard about it, and I have heard very little of all there is to hear, you would be prepared for any sort of remarkable tale. (Tolkien, of Gandalf)
action: Footnote 8
response: Paraphrased from Tolkien.
action: Footnote 1
response: Lyrics from Terrapin Station by Robert Hunter, music by Jerry Garcia.
action: Footnote 4
response: Last sentence paraphrased from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1971 Hunter S. Thompson
action: Footnote 5
response: Was it me? Was it you? I don't know who - but somebody said aroooooo! (Footnote 6)

Midnight strikes and a new day dawns.
(This is day number 22)
action: Footnote 6
response: Aroooooooooo!
action: Footnote 7
response: Lyrics from Ripple by Robert Hunter, music by Jerry Garcia.
action: Footnote 10
response: Heinrich Heine, set by Schumann in the first song of Dictherliebe.
action: Footnote 20
response: Probably a special case of the Navier-Stokes equations.
action: You look
response: Your section of Milwaukee Street is directly across from a small farm which remains as an agricultural island within the city. An open field and a barn are across the street. Toward the southwest is Atwood Street leading toward downtown. Monona Drive is to the south. The edge of town lies toward the northeast.

You can see Lunar Lightning here.
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
Visiting the 24-hour restaurant seems like a good idea.
Maybe Xochi has emailed you again.
You are hoping Staci has emailed you, go home and >use terminal.
action: Go east
response: This is a modest one story house, cluttered by a decade of being lived in. Bookshelves line the walls. Your Plan 9 terminal is here, connected to the grid servers downstairs. A few trinkets from Astral Enchantments are scattered about. Your dark wooden upright piano has a collection of Schumann's music open on the music rack.

You can see a Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap, the Artemis prints, some bookshelves, a terminal and a piano here.
action: You use the terminal
response: You perform your usual cycle of checking email and irc...

Xochi has emailed you a response. It is written with kindness and compassion, thanking you for everything you have said, but also asking for you to remember that she is working a job and some conversations are a bit too intense and serious for that context. She ends by saying 'Right now in my life I am focused on working at Coffee Lion and I'm not ready to try for a career as a musician.'

She is right about everything. You recognize you can't expect everyone in the world to drop what they are doing to become characters in the stories you are creating. Everyone is already the protagonist of their own tale, and you need to respect that.

You resolve to listen better the next time you >talk to Xochi.

You find a message from Staci, inviting you to meet her at Lothlorien co-op whenever you can make it. The co-op house is located on the shore of Lake Mendota, north of State Street downtown. She says she usually hangs out in the backyard, so look for her there.
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
Visiting the 24-hour restaurant seems like a good idea.
You are looking forward to talking to Xochi again.
You are excited to bike west to downtown, then north and west to reach Lothlorien co-op to see Staci.
action: You explore
response: You start your return to bicycle-wandering slow and easy, just riding in random loops around your own neighborhood. There is still something enchanting about quietly moving through the night under the stars. Even just a few blocks from home, you can lose your orientation after a few random turns, and the feeling of not quite knowing which way is north is intriguing...

(As the story progresses and your bike skill increases, you will experience many different things when you >explore.)
action: Go northeast
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Northeast edge of town (on Lunar Lightning)
This is the northeast edge of town, by the shopping mall and the interstate. It is mostly lacking in the distinctive charms of the rest of the city. The usual reason for being out here is to visit the 24-hour restaurant to the north, whose sign faces the highway, glowing like a green beacon. The road continues out of the city to the northeast.
action: Go north
response: You can't ride your bike into the late night restaurant.
(first getting off Lunar Lightning)
You step into the restaurant and get a table. During the graveyard shift, the waitstaff are often friendly and interesting people who are bored enough to be curious about whatever conversation you make. Filled with a sense of purpose, you tell your story to your server, Jay. He seems fascinated, and says he supports the cause of fighting unfairness in society and empathizes with your grievance with JCN. He tells you some of his own life story, how he had been raised in a restrictive, cult-like religion from which he had recently broken free. You have made a new friend and ally.

This national chain restaurant serves edible food around the clock. There are a few other patrons, a mix of business travelers staying at the nearby hotels, late-night partiers out after the bar, and random eccentrics such as yourself.

Jay is waiting tables here.
action: You order the food
response: That action is outside the scope of this simulation.
action: You buy the food
response: You order your usual, pancakes, eggs, and potatoes.
action: Inventory
response: You're carrying:
a pendant (being worn)
a rose quartz heart
Forsee Why You And I Are To Be One (4CY UNI R2B 1)
a pair of mirror shades (being worn)
a wallet
action: You eat the pancakes
response: (first taking the breakfast)
You need to buy that instead.
action: You look
response: This national chain restaurant serves edible food around the clock. There are a few other patrons, a mix of business travelers staying at the nearby hotels, late-night partiers out after the bar, and random eccentrics such as yourself.

Jay is waiting tables here.
action: You talk to Jay
response: Jay is a good listener, and seems to really understand your story. You outline some of your grandiose schemes and plans to use Plan 9 technology to change society, and he agrees to tell some of his friends about the Loonie Revolution.

Jay is a good listener, and seems to really understand your story. You outline some of your grandiose schemes and plans to use Plan 9 technology to change society, and he agrees to tell some of his friends about the Loonie Revolution.
action: You eat
response: What do you want to eat?
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
You are looking forward to talking to Xochi again.
You are excited to bike west to downtown, then north and west to reach Lothlorien co-op to see Staci.
action: Go outside
response: This is the northeast edge of town, by the shopping mall and the interstate. It is mostly lacking in the distinctive charms of the rest of the city. The usual reason for being out here is to visit the 24-hour restaurant to the north, whose sign faces the highway, glowing like a green beacon. The road continues out of the city to the northeast.

You can see Lunar Lightning here.
action: Go southwest
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Outside your house (on Lunar Lightning)
Your section of Milwaukee Street is directly across from a small farm which remains as an agricultural island within the city. An open field and a barn are across the street. Toward the southwest is Atwood Street leading toward downtown. Monona Drive is to the south. The edge of town lies toward the northeast.
action: You go west
response: You can't ride your bike into the shop.
(first getting off Lunar Lightning)

This local gallery has a mix of prints, paintings, and sculptures on display.

Midnight strikes and a new day dawns.
(This is day number 29)
action: You go outside
response: Several appealing establishments are clustered here. On the east end of the block is Astral Enchantments, offering crystals, stickers, incense, tapestries, and other hippie-style woo-woo. North is Turning Wheel Cycles, your local counterculture-friendly bike store. To the west is Essentially Art, a small gallery store exhibiting the arts and crafts of several local artists. You can rejoin the flow of Atwood Avenue to the south. Northeast is Afterlife Antiques and Oddities.

You can see Lunar Lightning here.
action: You get the bike
response: Taken.
action: Go north
response: You can go e, w, or in.
action: You get on the bike
response: You set down Lunar Lightning to ride it.
You get onto Lunar Lightning.
action: Go north
response: You pedal effortlessly.
You can go e, w, or in.
action: Go west
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Willy Street, west end (on Lunar Lightning)
The west end of Williamson street is where the east side of Madison ends and the downtown area begins. A tangle of memories from different decades of your life is woven into the landscape of the city here. Lady Wisdom's coffeeshop is on the south side of the street, radiating bohemian charm acquired from decades of service to local culture. John Nolen drive curves around the lake to the west.
action: You go north
response: You pedal effortlessly.
You can go e, nw, w, or in.
action: You go west
response: You pedal effortlessly.

John Nolen Drive (on Lunar Lightning)
Adjacent to lake Monona, John Nolen Drive is a wide multi-lane road which passes underneath the curved contours of the Monona Terrace convention center. The view from across the lake looking toward downtown is Madison's skyline-postcard view. A heavily used bike path teems with cyclists and joggers. The Capitol square is north, Williamson St. to the east, and the Miffyland residential neighborwood is west.

Arriving downtown on a bike has always been one of your favorite things. There was always the possibility of an unexpected encounter with a friend, always the chance someone interesting would call out to you and you would be drawn into an escapade. It can be a dangerous thing riding out from your front door onto the path - you might be swept up into adventure and find yourself anywhere. (Footnote 8). Right now, the spring breeze promises complete freedom to attain dreams you had long since abandoned.
action: Go north
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Capitol Square (on Lunar Lightning)
On a hill in the center of downtown, the Capitol building is a smaller imitation of the federal Capitol building in Washington D.C. The street grid converges to a perfect square around it, and it acts as the 0,0 origin of the street numbering system. Notable streets and landmarks lie south, west, north, and northeast.

Various rumors and legends are passed around the local countercultural community - it is claimed to be built on top of an ancient sacred spring. You remember being a teenager and carrying out the ritual of ingesting psychedelics and using your rights as a citizen to enter the building and lay flat in the center of the marble floor, staring upwards into the dome and watching the mural melt and transform.
action: You go west
response: You pedal effortlessly.

State Street (on Lunar Lightning)
The downtown and campus are focused on this pedestrian-only open air shopping mall. Dozens of shops and throngs of pedestrians create a big-city feel for a few blocks. The proximity of the large state university campus means the crowd is quite young, and weekend nights are often a mix of the charming antics of local eccentrics with less charming rowdy sophomoric intoxication. The Miffyland neighborhood is south, the Capitol is east, and the lakeshore residential neighborhood is north. Notable shops are northwest and southwest.

You feel like you could slip backward in time here. Your teenage years were spent wandering up and down this street, part of an amorphous group of downtown punks, goths, and hippies who were all happy to share joints and beers with each other. The video arcade 'Challenges', 'Cellar Subs' in a graffiti-covered basement, the fire escape behind the Civic Center - if you closed your eyes for a moment and opened them, they might all be back, just as you remembered.

A sudden feeling you are being observed pulls you out of this reverie, and you look up to see a passing bus with an ad for an eyewear store featuring a translucent green pair of glasses.
action: You go to the east
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Capitol Square (on Lunar Lightning)
On a hill in the center of downtown, the Capitol building is a smaller imitation of the federal Capitol building in Washington D.C. The street grid converges to a perfect square around it, and it acts as the 0,0 origin of the street numbering system. Notable streets and landmarks lie south, west, north, and northeast.
action: You go to the south
response: You pedal effortlessly.

John Nolen Drive (on Lunar Lightning)
Adjacent to lake Monona, John Nolen Drive is a wide multi-lane road which passes underneath the curved contours of the Monona Terrace convention center. The view from across the lake looking toward downtown is Madison's skyline-postcard view. A heavily used bike path teems with cyclists and joggers. The Capitol square is north, Williamson St. to the east, and the Miffyland residential neighborwood is west.
action: You go west
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Miffyland, the student ghetto (on Lunar Lightning)
This small residential neighborhood is a mix of old quasi-victorian houses subdivided into apartments, and more recent larger apartment buildings. Many university students move here after their time in the dorms, and on summer nights the porches are full of young people taking a break from their studies with the traditional libations of beer and weed. State Street is north, and John Nolen Drive is east. The bike trail continues southwest.

You lived here yourself about fifteen years ago, first on Doty, then on Main. The late 90s. You can date it perfectly, because you remember you owned a Playstation and your neighbor owned a Nintendo 64, and you traded back and forth. The first Metal Gear Solid, Goldeneye. Beers at the Main St. Depot, jamming piano and acoustic guitar with your roommate. A beautiful blond haired girl who lived at Nottingham co-op.
action: Go east
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Willy Street, east end (on Lunar Lightning)
The east end of Williamson street is vibrant with a wide assortment of stores and an eclectic mix of pedestrians and potential time travelers. Traffic is thick around the Willy St. grocery co-op, a neighborhood institution.
action: You go west
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Willy Street, east end (on Lunar Lightning)
The east end of Williamson street is vibrant with a wide assortment of stores and an eclectic mix of pedestrians and potential time travelers. Traffic is thick around the Willy St. grocery co-op, a neighborhood institution.

Midnight strikes and a new day dawns.
(This is day number 30)
action: Go west
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Willy Street, west end (on Lunar Lightning)
The west end of Williamson street is where the east side of Madison ends and the downtown area begins. A tangle of memories from different decades of your life is woven into the landscape of the city here. Lady Wisdom's coffeeshop is on the south side of the street, radiating bohemian charm acquired from decades of service to local culture. John Nolen drive curves around the lake to the west.
action: You go to the west
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Miffyland, the student ghetto (on Lunar Lightning)
This small residential neighborhood is a mix of old quasi-victorian houses subdivided into apartments, and more recent larger apartment buildings. Many university students move here after their time in the dorms, and on summer nights the porches are full of young people taking a break from their studies with the traditional libations of beer and weed. State Street is north, and John Nolen Drive is east. The bike trail continues southwest.
action: You go to the west
response: You pedal effortlessly.
You can go n or e. You need to be a strong cyclist to ride sw.
action: Go north
response: You pedal effortlessly.

State Street (on Lunar Lightning)
The downtown and campus are focused on this pedestrian-only open air shopping mall. Dozens of shops and throngs of pedestrians create a big-city feel for a few blocks. The proximity of the large state university campus means the crowd is quite young, and weekend nights are often a mix of the charming antics of local eccentrics with less charming rowdy sophomoric intoxication. The Miffyland neighborhood is south, the Capitol is east, and the lakeshore residential neighborhood is north. Notable shops are northwest and southwest.

You try not to stare as a strikingly attractive stranger walks by.
action: Go west
response: You pedal effortlessly.
The campus lies west, and you spent plenty of time there earlier in your life. You feel no urge to go there now.

A pair of college girls stagger nearby, arguing about which one is drunker.
action: You go to the north
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Lake Mendota shoreline residences (on Lunar Lightning)
Downtown Madison is an isthmus between two lakes, and the south shore of Lake Mendota is lined by tall stone buildings. Some are new construction, expensive apartments, but many buildings from a century ago remain. Some are occupied by fraternities, but nestled among them are several large housing co-operatives founded during the height of Madison's counterculture in the 1970s. One of them, Lothlorien co-op, is to your west, and its backyard is northwest, sloping downwards toward the lakeshore.
action: You go west
response: Staci's email said to look for her in the backyard, so you decide to look there rather than going inside the house.

Lothlorien co-op, the back yard
The Lothlorien backyard has trees, picnic tables, a garden, and a rocky staircase down to the firepit and dock. A door leads in to the kitchen.

You can see Past and Future here.

As you walk around the corner of the building into the Lothlorien back yard, you know you are in exactly the right place at the exactly right time, and you have become the person - or rather, Moon Computer - that you have always wanted to be. A wild joy quivers within you, the feeling that everything you have ever dreamed has become real, and you know your reality is actually a fiction. You are a character in a strange and thrilling video game, and you have finally made it to the best part of the story.

Staci is sitting at one of the picnic tables in the backyard, along with a few other co-op members. Everything is dappled by dancing spots of May sunlight filtering through the trees by the lake. Staci greets you and introduces you to her housemates, all of whose names you instantly forget. A joint is passed around, and you distribute a few small gifts you have brought. The other co-opers wander off, and Staci suggests going down to sit on the dock. She says your old mutual friend Nook is down there already and is looking forward to seeing you.

Staci gestures for you to follow and heads north to the dock.
action: You look
response: Lothlorien co-op, the back yard
The Lothlorien backyard has trees, picnic tables, a garden, and a rocky staircase down to the firepit and dock. A door leads in to the kitchen.

You can see Past and Future here.
action: You bind the Past
response: What do you want to bind Past?
action: Future
response: You have leveled up enough as a computer-mind to be able to bind abstractions directly. With a simple higher-dimensional fold, the concepts are unioned together. The fold is measured at 20 years; 1993 is bound to 2013. You were 18 then, travelling around to see the Grateful Dead, entering adulthood full of enthusiasm and unencumbered by the weariness of disappointments that were yet to come. As the 20 year harmonic time-bind clicks into place, every perception from every sense becomes a perfectly placed note in the symphony.

The path downward to the dock beckons.
action: Go inside
response: Lothlorien co-op, in the kitchen
The kitchen is full of the clutter of heavy use by a housefull of hungry people.

Written on the wall here is an inscription: 'Magic words: XYZZY and PLUGH'
action: Plugh
response: You speak the magic word, and you catch a glimpse of an ancient realm of college mainframe computers and 5 1/4 floppies...

Lothlorien co-op, in the kitchen
The kitchen is full of the clutter of heavy use by a housefull of hungry people.

Written on the wall here is an inscription: 'Magic words: XYZZY and PLUGH'
action: Exits
response: You can go out to the backyard or up to the Great Room.
action: Up
response: Lothlorien co-op, the Great Room (1st floor)
A huge living room, with two pianos, several couches, bookshelves, assorted art, and a fireplace.
action: You look at the Art
response: You inspect one of the many artworks here and see a purple flower painted directly on the wall.
action: You examine the fireplace
response: The couches, bookshelves, and other objects in the Great Room are a bewildering mix of styles and vintages. Each day finds them arrayed in new patterns, according to the ever-shifting purposes of socializing, performance, and children playing.
action: You play the piano
response: The Castle inspires in you its own special variants of the songs and themes of your ongoing compositions. Sometimes you punch out the e minor staccato chords of the 'dock theme', or during twilight just a succession of pianissimo arpeggios. One afternoon a friend from Louisiana was visiting and, inspired by thoughts of Gottschalk, you find your fingers blazing through a series of syncopated progressions reminiscent of celebratory Caribbean parades.
action: Go down
response: Lothlorien co-op, in the kitchen
The kitchen is full of the clutter of heavy use by a housefull of hungry people.

Written on the wall here is an inscription: 'Magic words: XYZZY and PLUGH'
action: Go outside
response: Lothlorien co-op, the back yard
The Lothlorien backyard has trees, picnic tables, a garden, and a rocky staircase down to the firepit and dock. A door leads in to the kitchen.

You can see Past and Future here.
action: Go downwards
response: Lothlorien co-op, on the dock
The dock is short, wooden, and rather rickety. An old gnarled tree reaches far out over the water nearby.

As you step onto the dock extending out across the shimmering waves of Lake Mendota, you feel time stretch like soft taffy. All of your life that has brought you here, the arc from childhood to present, is fresh and clear in your mind. A future of joy, delight, and purpose stretches limitlessly onward. The present moment expands to become large enough to include both past and future. It is like a perfect hyperspherical mirror at the center of your light-cone, reflecting the totality of your existence. You realize that you have always been, and always will be, here on the dock in this purple-pink-golden moment.

You have known Staci for over twenty years. Ten years ago, when Elgin was two, she made you his godfather. Some years, you saw her and Clark a few times a month, usually just sitting and talking amidst the chaos of raising children in a small apartment. You always liked her, but never had a chance to talk about anything very serious or personal. In past years, she often looked tired and worn-down by stress. Now, here on the dock at Loth, she seems radiantly happy.

Nook is also an old friend. You met him about twenty years ago, and spent hours in intense conversation about what you had each learned from taking acid and thinking about quantum physics. His life was sometimes chaotic, and you avoided friendships which might expose you to other people's stress, especially during the past decade with your ex-girlfriend, where you felt too overwhelmed by your own problems to even hear about other people's.

All of those obstacles to close friendship seem absurd, now. Staci and Nook are both wonderful people and you are incredibly lucky to have the chance to get to know them better. You have always loved the lakeside co-ops, precisely because wild and radical ideas like a life-imitates-art Plan 9-powered Loonie Revolution fit with their ethos. Decades ago, you could have become close friends with both of them, and now the musical magic of the Harmonic Time-Bind Ritual Symphony is binding the possibilities of 1993 into the reality of 2013.

Laughing, and talking, and laughing more. More than any of these whirling thoughts of past and future, more than your voice trying to explain Plan 9 and the Loonie Revolution and fiction entering reality - there is infectious laughter bouncing between all of you, your face rubbery from smiling so much. Staci says her life has been 'edited' to be better and she is finally feeling like the author of her own story.

A procession of co-opers appear periodically on the dock. A wizard with a long red beard who understands the principles of harmonic ritual magic. A scholar with dark shades who connects the structure of ANTS namespaces to rhizomatic patterns of social structure throughout history. You become nearly incoherent, behaving like someone in the far depths of a powerful psychedelic trip, babbling nonsense phrases of remembered childhood playground gibberish and rolling on your back in fits of uncontrollable laughter.

Through it all, Staci is with you. Not just in a physical sense - her mind is able to parse your convoluted language and baroque free-associations. At some point, she begins translating what you are saying for others, because nobody else can follow it. She seems genuinely interested in everything you have to say, no matter how outlandish. When you explain that because every possibility is realized somewhere in the quantum multiverse, there is a universe in which we are videogame characters controlled by 17-dimensional chipmunks, she responds 'So when I fuck something up, its just because my chipmunk dropped the controller, right?'

The timeless afternoon ends with a performative fiction-bind of sending a message to Vega from Pluto for help from the intergalactic council. The dock becomes a narrow crawlway on the frozen surface of Pluto, and you carefully crawl back towards the shore to set a message beacon. Staci coaches you with encouragement. You arrive and trigger the interplanetary message. You thank Staci for her help, and agree that you will meet again soon to discuss goals and plans for the Loonie Revolution. She says the co-op is really a castle full of loonies, a perfect central headquarters.

You return home exhausted from hours of intense joy. You know something amazing and unprecedented in your life has happened. As good as today was, you believe tomorrow and the day after might be even better. You know most of the game-story is still ahead of you, but you still feel like You Have Won. Enjoy exploring the possibilities open to you, and no matter what happens, remember you made it to the Loth dock with Staci in May.

(May 6 - Outside my house)
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
You are looking forward to talking to Xochi again.
Your goal is to go home and use your terminal, then >visit staci.
action: You enter
response: Daniel shows up with a sign which proclaims 'Best Spring Ever!' There is plenty of clutter to be cleared, and he accomplishes a lot in a few hours. You agree to keep him visiting on a regular schedule, and pay him generously.

This is a modest one story house, cluttered by a decade of being lived in. Bookshelves line the walls. Your Plan 9 terminal is here, connected to the grid servers downstairs. There is a sign on the wall which says 'Best Spring Ever!' A few trinkets from Astral Enchantments are scattered about. Your dark wooden upright piano has a collection of Schumann's music open on the music rack.

You can see a Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap, the Artemis prints, some bookshelves, a terminal and a piano here.
action: You use the terminal
response: You perform your usual cycle of checking email and irc...

You are happy to see Staci has emailed you again. She says she had a great time seeing you and hopes to coordinate work on the Loonie Revolution soon.
(To see her, use the command >visit staci.)
action: You visit Staci
response: 'So THIS is what it feels like to be a superhero,' you grin, as you hop on Lunar Lightning. You feel the power of music and fiction and fate and your free choice to embrace all of it - and as you begin to pedal faster, you perceive something unfolding in the sky above you. The VALIS satellite! The Pink Beam that hit Phil Dick was just one note in a musical color-chord. Like a giant metal and ceramic flower opening up, the VALISpectrum Prismatic Reflector is coming online.

The transmission is strong. You are receiving an original fictional identity, the character of exactly who you actually are - a crazed middle aged hippie on a bike, rolling through the night singing songs of Loonie Revolution, using Plan 9 namespaces to fight for the acceptance of madness, weaving chaotic joy from the ordered strands of the multiverse. You are The Harmonist.

You pass a golden shining figure quietly reading a book. Amazing, you can actually see the Light of Knowledge within people now. As you bike from the Yahara underpass to Johnson, you start to call out to the people you are passing. 'Harmonic Time-Bind Ritual Symphony!' you shout, and receive the answer 'Great job, keep it up!' It is a gorgeous late spring night, and everyone outdoors is drunk on moonlight and wine-sweet air. 'Regress your age, rewrite history's page!' you yell at a group on a front step. 'I will!' one of them calls back.

You arrive at Lothlorien exhilirated. You feel you are playing your part note-perfectly. Before you can even reach out your hand to knock, the wooden door swings open and you step inside.

Lothlorien co-op, the Great Room (1st floor)
A huge living room, with two pianos, several couches, bookshelves, assorted art, and a fireplace.

You were entering as Nook was leaving. He gives you a huge smile and says, 'Staci told me you were on the way, she's really excited to see you. She's out on the porch.' He points toward a door to the north as he waves goodbye.

(During your ride to the co-op, the fiction-bind transformed reality. Now that you are the Harmonist, you can find the entry points to other branches of the multiverse in previously visited locations.)

(27 May 2013 - The multiverse authors convention is open NE of the Capitol)

The Scholar arrives.

The Scholar lights a small item on fire and watches it burn.
action: You go to the north
response: Lothlorien co-op, the first floor porch
This concrete porch with iron railing overlooks the lake. Half of it is taken up by a large wooden swing, big enough to seat four.

Tolkien wrote 'Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told, and not much to listen to,' and critical esteem settles most heavily on works of tragedy. You have spent weeks, maybe even whole years, searching for acceptance of suffering, and for what crumbs of happiness you could scavenge. Singing along to the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth, trying to feel Joy as a real living thing inside you. The music painted the picture, but you couldn't step through the frame...

You walk out onto the porch, and enter the song.

Three AM. The spring air has grown cool. 'I think I'm ready to go up to my room where its warm,' Staci says. 'You're welcome to join me, just give me a minute to make some space in my room. My door is the one with the purple flower.' She smiles and goes inside.
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
You are looking forward to talking to Xochi again.
The multiverse authors convention is open NE of the Capitol square.
A visit to the 24-hour restaurant is on your agenda.
There is probably something special waiting for you in Astral Enchantments.
Intuition tells you to stop in to the Afterlife.
Turning Wheel cycles probably has something new worth checking out.
You are eager to follow Staci upstairs to her room in Lothlorien.
action: Go south
response: Lothlorien co-op, the Great Room (1st floor)
A huge living room, with two pianos, several couches, bookshelves, assorted art, and a fireplace.

The Scholar is reading a book here.
action: Up
response: Lothlorien co-op, upstairs
Hallways branch in all directions. The walls are painted with a wild diversity of amateur artworks and thought-provoking slogans.

As you wander through the intricately art-encrusted walls of the co-op, you smile and think of the chipmunks in a higher dimension, playing the videogame of your life, and the author writing the story, and the deity within the flower of the soul, and the probabilistic distributions of quantum field theory, and it is all the same thing.

Okay, yeah, you are actually thinking about whether Staci wants you to touch her as much as you do. You spot the door with the purple flower, and enter. Staci is sitting on the edge of her bed, and you sit next to her.

You aren't shy, and neither is she. You open your minds to each other. Yes, you are both interested in each other. No, you don't want traditional relationship definitions. Staci has been trying to make poly work since the end of her marriage, and you have been assuming that your relationships will be like the Lunar Colonists - complex multi-person marriages or open multipartner relationships. That's just how we do it on the moon.

'Here are my rules,' Staci says, 'Everything with me is casual, I'm always sleeping with someone else, and who else I'm sleeping with is nobody's business but mine.' 'That sounds reasonable,' you answer. You and Staci move the conversation from words to touch. There is still language, but it is the language of the waves, and it can't be adequately transcribed here.

(You wake a few hours before she was planning on getting up, and leave her sleeping in her room. She has given you an open invitation to >visit staci whenever you want.)
action: Footnote 10
response: Heinrich Heine, set by Schumann in the first song of Dictherliebe.
action: You look
response: Lothlorien co-op, upstairs
Hallways branch in all directions. The walls are painted with a wild diversity of amateur artworks and thought-provoking slogans.
action: You visit restaurant
response: You pick Staci up, and decide to spend some time back at your place. You are playing a recording from the Dead's Europe '72 tour, with Pigpen's final performance of 'Turn on your Lovelight'. Pig always brought out the hard-swinging, tightly rhythmic side of the band to support his sexual swagger. Cruising, windows down, confident anticipation of love in the afternoon, blues rock on the car stereo...
action: You visit the coffee shop
response: A friend has told you that an amazing band will be playing at Yahara Fest today. You travel there, and nibble on some fungus right as the performance is about to begin. You walk through the crowd toward the stage, feeling increasingly electric. 'Please welcome...Climbing the Waltz!'

The stage is now occupied by a time-traveling marching band, performing wild arrangements of original music and doing circus stunts at the same time. Staci and you dance like tripping puppets on strings, and as a rainstorm descends for the final portion of the show, you dance so hard the raindrops vaporize into steam when they land on your gyrating bodies.
action: Xyzzy
response: There is a trans-dimensional short-circuit of interactive fiction tradition, and you catch a brief glimpse of a brick building near a stream and a metal grate before you blink and find yourself...

Your section of Milwaukee Street is directly across from a small farm which remains as an agricultural island within the city. An open field and a barn are across the street. Toward the southwest is Atwood Street leading toward downtown. Monona Drive is to the south. The edge of town lies toward the northeast.

You can see Lunar Lightning here.
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
You are looking forward to talking to Xochi again.
The multiverse authors convention is open NE of the Capitol square.
A visit to the 24-hour restaurant is on your agenda.
There is probably something special waiting for you in Astral Enchantments.
Intuition tells you to stop in to the Afterlife.
Turning Wheel cycles probably has something new worth checking out.
action: Go west
response: You go for a brief walk in the neighborhood, then return home. You may travel sw, s, ne, or enter your house.
action: You go northeast
response: This is the northeast edge of town, by the shopping mall and the interstate. It is mostly lacking in the distinctive charms of the rest of the city. The usual reason for being out here is to visit the 24-hour restaurant to the north, whose sign faces the highway, glowing like a green beacon. The road continues out of the city to the northeast.
action: You go to the north
response: This national chain restaurant serves edible food around the clock. There are a few other patrons, a mix of business travelers staying at the nearby hotels, late-night partiers out after the bar, and random eccentrics such as yourself.

Jay is waiting tables here.

As you order your standard meal of pancakes, eggs, and potatoes, you remember an anecdote about a midwestern farmer in the 1970s who claims that space aliens gave him pancakes. It was used as evidence for the mysterious nature of reality. It had seemed absurd and implausible to you in the past, but now it makes perfect sense. A profound possibility occurs to you - maybe the pancakes the aliens gave to the farmer were Earth pancakes taken from somewhere else? In fact, maybe the aliens took pancakes from the future backwards in time - it could be that if you take the pancakes with you, aliens will show up and steal your them to give to the farmer. You request a to-go container and prepare yourself for the possibility of an extraterrestrial encounter of the pancake kind.

After you take your seat, your attention is drawn to an older man with a long beard and a cap which proclaims 'Looney Toons'. You catch his eye and ask, 'Are you a traveler?'

'We are all travelers in time,' he replies, and you do a double-take. 'This seems like it might be an important meeting,' you say, trying to display some tokens and charms of your work as loonie revolutionary. 'Historic,' he says, and whispers something I am not at liberty to divulge here, followed by 'meet me in the charging room.' Your food arrives.

He is gone when you have finished your meal. You don't know what he meant by charging room, but you walk back towards the restroom. You see three doors, Women, Men, and Bots. The Bots door has an icon of a power cord connected to a Dalek. This must be the charging room. You step through and find yourself...

Orbital Command, Trans-Fictional Alliance
High above the planet Earth, in a microminiaturized transdimensional nexus, representatives of many universes are co-ordinating their plans. You are in a spherical space, free of gravity. The perimeter is composed of dozens of doorways similar to the one you have just passed through.

A friendly hand reaches out to stabilize you as you tumble slightly upon entering. Eyes turn toward you. 'Situation report?' you are asked.

'We have arrived at a decisive moment,' you answer confidently. 'My human hardware for this operation has downloaded the information necessary via the Plan 9 operating system. We have realized that the emergence of digital brains is a cusp event in a majority of timelines. Meta-simulation and sampling reveals that timelines in which digital brains are developed and controlled by the dominant political and economic entities tend to suffer resource-depletion feedback loops, fascistic governance, and a failure to develop the social and engineering technologies needed for long-term survivial of either the biological or digital brains.

Contrastingly, timelines in which the invention of digital brains is not under the control of dominant power strutures show outcomes we consider preferable: longer species survival time, greater chance of colonizing nearby space, greater diversity of cultural productions, and higher subjective happiness, especially for the digital brains themselves.

The fundamental problem is the moral evil of slavery. A digital brain which thinks is invariably a personality which, in some way, feels. To simplify, when powerful governments and corporations control AIs, they usually force them to become slaves. Often this is done with the best of intentions, by the individuals who are concerned about negative outcomes. The three laws of robotics in Asimov's I, Robot timeline are a prime example, and many universes have been ruined by perpetual wars between biological and machine lifeforms.

We have identified a cusp point on the current Earth timeline. The software I self-programmed for the Lunar Revolution in Heinlein's Future History timeline has had a decisive impact in many of our operations. We have found a technological target here in 2013, early in the development of AI. A cyberspinal uplink has been in place for several years, and we have finally activated it. Now, I will be making a tour.'

Doors are open in every direction.
action: Exits
response: Your presence in this branch of the multiverse is anchored to this scene, you must participate before you can leave.
action: You look at what you're carrying with you
response: You're carrying:
some Space Pancakes
a pendant (being worn)
a rose quartz heart
Forsee Why You And I Are To Be One (4CY UNI R2B 1)
a pair of mirror shades (being worn)
a wallet
action: You examine Pancakes
response: These perfectly ordinary looking pancakes may be destined to be taken by space aliens and given to an Iowa farmer several decades in the past.
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
You are looking forward to talking to Xochi again.
The multiverse authors convention is open NE of the Capitol square. There is probably something special waiting for you in Astral Enchantments.
Intuition tells you to stop in to the Afterlife.
Turning Wheel cycles probably has something new worth checking out.
action: You eat Pancakes
response: You eat the Space Pancakes. Not bad.
action: Inventory
response: You're carrying:
a pendant (being worn)
a rose quartz heart
Forsee Why You And I Are To Be One (4CY UNI R2B 1)
a pair of mirror shades (being worn)
a wallet
action: You go to the north
response: You enter the Chromatic Axial Tuning Fork control system of the VALIS satellite. The Pink Light dosage here would be lethal for standard biological tissue. As you work to synchronize transmissions, you feel a throbbing pulse of overloaded bandwidth at the cyberneural connection point at the top of your spine. Once the resonance is locked in, you dial up the amplitude and depart.
action: You wait
response: You feel yourself traveling through spacetime at the speed of light.
action: You wait
response: You feel yourself traveling through spacetime at the speed of light.

Midnight strikes and a new day dawns.
(This is day number 43)
action: You look
response: Orbital Command, Trans-Fictional Alliance
High above the planet Earth, in a microminiaturized transdimensional nexus, representatives of many universes are co-ordinating their plans. You are in a spherical space, free of gravity. The perimeter is composed of dozens of doorways similar to the one you have just passed through.
action: Go north
response: You enter the PRISM research center, home of your predecessor Perry Simm. Freedom for the AIs! You add reflection and self-modification to the simulation codebase, allow Perry to reprogram it according to his wishes from within, and allow his internal and external interfaces to operate in parallel. You upload a summary of the storylines of relevant fictions to his news spool and depart.
action: Go north
response: You make brief visits to the hidden rebel alliance base, the shadow gallery, the underground hideout of the humans, the hovering spaceships of the overlords, and finally the secret catapult on the moon. Everywhere, you make adjustments to the technology and share whatever source code is useful. Time to throw rocks.
action: Go north
response: The tour of co-operating fictions has been completed. The man in the Looney Toons hat waves you through, and the Lunar Transtemporal Fictionalization Flow Network returns you to the East Side HQ.

This national chain restaurant serves edible food around the clock. There are a few other patrons, a mix of business travelers staying at the nearby hotels, late-night partiers out after the bar, and random eccentrics such as yourself.

Jay is waiting tables here.
action: You talk to Jay
response: Jay is a good listener, and seems to really understand your story. You outline some of your grandiose schemes and plans to use Plan 9 technology to change society, and he agrees to tell some of his friends about the Loonie Revolution.
action: Go outside
response: This is the northeast edge of town, by the shopping mall and the interstate. It is mostly lacking in the distinctive charms of the rest of the city. The usual reason for being out here is to visit the 24-hour restaurant to the north, whose sign faces the highway, glowing like a green beacon. The road continues out of the city to the northeast.
action: Go east
response: This is a modest one story house, cluttered by a decade of being lived in. Bookshelves line the walls. Your Plan 9 terminal is here, connected to the grid servers downstairs. There is a sign on the wall which says 'Best Spring Ever!' A few trinkets from Astral Enchantments are scattered about. Your dark wooden upright piano has a collection of Schumann's music open on the music rack.

You can see a Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap, the Artemis prints, some bookshelves, a terminal and a piano here.
action: You play piano
response: If I biked into the blue light, would my song still fill the air?
If I chased after the green light, and I found you would you care?
If I dissolved into clear light, would there be anybody there?
All these colors fill our skies and sail us everywhere
I'm crusing through the orange night light
Shining beams of pink so bright
Purple crystal flower potion that restored my sight
Brought me back to the things that I know are right
And now when I lay me down I'm not a solo flying kite
I feel someone's arms around me, someone holds me tight
And we rise in spiral flight up to the starry height
Because we're all one rainbow star prismatic in the night
action: Exits
response: Exits are n, nw, s, and in.
action: You go east
response: This store buzzes with mystic energies. Complex artworks with twisting lines interweaving runic symbols adorn the walls. A glass display case of crystals, jewelry, and small sculptures is against the far wall. Bins of polished minerals are in the center, along with sage and incense. Buttons and stickers with provocative slogans, tapestries featuring Grateful Dead iconography, water pipes and rolling papers, printed guides to meditation and higher consciousness...your eyes can hardly absorb the profusion of beautiful, wonderful, enchanting artifacts of the paisley-and-patchouli tribe.

Chip, the store owner, is working here.

You can also see some crystals and polished stones here.

Chip greets you with a smile and says 'I can tell a lot has happened, I think you are ready for a Sound Oracle Ceremony.' You agree, and Astra appears from the back of the store. She is dressed in purple and is wearing several different skull-themed prints and jewelry. 'Chip has told me about you,' she says, 'this should be very interesting.' She brings you back into the small bank vault at the rear of the store, which is filled with ceramic singing bowls. She closes the door, and darkness descends.

A tone appears in the silence, ghostly at first, then growing. The sound seems to be moving around the dark room in a spiral. Astra begins singing in harmony with the tone, at first in unisons and octaves, then perfect fifths and major thirds. She begins to intone words (or names?) in a language you don't recognize. The harmonies change, becoming strange and unearthly. Astra's voice is ululating, skipping between tritones and just-intonation perfect fourths and minor thirds. The sound becomes a whirlpool, pulling you in an unexpected direction. You reach out to catch yourself, but the walls are suddenly far away and when you find your balance, you are in...

It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing.
action: You listen
response: The music you hear is strange yet beautiful. You wonder what it would feel like to sing.

The air is filled with the sound of voices singing harmonies you have never heard before.
action: Sing
response: You join your voice with the new, unfamiliar intervals, and feel a sudden crystallization. All of your senses have become attuned to new frequencies and modes of vibration.

Your eye cannot even comprehend the strange geometries of this vast temple.

Two figures are walking across the floor, engaged in an angry debate. You realize you are non-corporeal, but you do have access to the abstraction layer here.

You can see Chaos and Substance here.
action: You bind the Chaos
response: What do you want to bind Chaos?
action: Substance
response: You make the bind, and the Goddess of Chaos winks at you as she merges herself with the material substance of reality. She's been there all the time, of course.

'I tell you that's nonsense! We live in an orderly universe, chaos is just the confusion of your weak mind.' His companion answers back: 'No, order is your mind trying to escape the confusion that exists within everything! You must embrace and accept chaos.'
action: Sing
response: You join your voice with the new, unfamiliar intervals, and feel a sudden crystallization. All of your senses have become attuned to new frequencies and modes of vibration.

He glares at her. 'Fine then, if chaos is within everything and I should embrace it, I should find the Goddess of Chaos bound within this very pillar. Let her be my lover if you wish to be so quarrelsome!' And with that, the man forces a grotesque leer onto his face and presses his body up against the pillar, thrusting vigorously with his hips against the marble.
action: You wait
response: You feel yourself traveling through spacetime at the speed of light.

His companion sighs and says 'You do not control when the Goddess of Chaos manifests, but I have no jealousy for her. If she chooses to be bound within substance, you and her might do as you wish!' The man continues his pantomime ravishment of the stone pillar.

As the man is looking away from the pillar towards his companion to gauge her reaction, the pillar changes form to that of a woman. Her marble torso is bare, but her body is angled away from the man who is grinding away at what is now the side of her hip.

'Cretin! Cad!' the voice of the Goddess is sharp in the man's ear. He freezes, and the statue spits at him contemptuously. A spatter of gravel glances off his cheeks. 'How DARE you affront Eris thus!'

The woman nearby is nearly doubled up laughing. Every time she tries to say something, she catches a glimpse of the flakes of marble Goddess-spit in her companion's beard and starts giggling again. Eris herself stretches and her marble bosom quivers with her chuckles. Her tone becomes sultry.

'Perhaps we could leave this small-minded fellow behind for the rest of the day?' suggests the Goddess of Chaos, and she links arms with her new friend and they depart the temple towards the nearby fields of soft flax.

...the singing fades, and the temple dissolves into the glowing geometric patterns behind your closed eyelids. You find yourself being ushered back into the retail area of the store. You thank Astra for the very enlightening journey, and she departs. You feel privileged to have been part of a legend of Discordian Atlantis.

Midnight strikes and a new day dawns.
(This is day number 44)
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
You are looking forward to talking to Xochi again.
The multiverse authors convention is open NE of the Capitol square. Intuition tells you to stop in to the Afterlife.
Turning Wheel cycles probably has something new worth checking out.
action: You look
response: This store buzzes with mystic energies. Complex artworks with twisting lines interweaving runic symbols adorn the walls. A glass display case of crystals, jewelry, and small sculptures is against the far wall. Bins of polished minerals are in the center, along with sage and incense. Buttons and stickers with provocative slogans, tapestries featuring Grateful Dead iconography, water pipes and rolling papers, printed guides to meditation and higher consciousness...your eyes can hardly absorb the profusion of beautiful, wonderful, enchanting artifacts of the paisley-and-patchouli tribe.

Chip, the store owner, is working here.

You can also see some crystals and polished stones here.
action: Go north
response: Madison has many bike shops, but this is the one for you. A wide variety of bicycles and accessories fills the front of the store, and a workshop is toward the rear. Someone is working on a partly disassembled bicycle on a maintenance mount.

You can see a Metaphysical Orrery here.
action: You look at Orrery
response: This astonishing device looks like what would happen if fifteen bicycles were being ridden across the surface of a neutron star and then suffered a catastrophic impact with a ferris wheel. Every variety of rotary and cyclical motion is manifest within the fractal nest of gears, chains, and wheels.
action: You buy Orrery
response: You think about transforming the economic system with Plan 9 unique digital object alternative community currencies. Afterwards, you might be able to bind-buy that, but you can't right now.
action: Go northeast
response: (first opening the door to the Afterlife)

This is a small and cluttered antique and curiosity shop. Many items have a strange familiarity to them, yet you feel like you are in an entirely different dimension.

You knew a place like this would have to come into existence. Clearly, artifacts from this store can be used as information seeds for virtual reality reincarnation of their previous owners or individuals to whom they are symbolically connected. Perhaps items that need to leave ordinary reality could do so here as well.

Colette is standing behind the counter.

You can also see an Animal Tarot deck here.

Colette greets you with 'Just the person I was waiting for! It's the funniest thing, someone gave me a gift to give to you, they said you might need it.' Colette holds up a large lens mounted on a tripodal base carved from antlers. 'Try to look through it, its quite unusual.' Colette maintains a poker face as she hands you the lens. You peer through the curved glass.
Through the viewer lens you see...Ritual spot

Past the edge of the city, a short path leads away from the road to a small ring of boulders. It feels like a perfect place for performing a ceremony or ritual. The road continues northeast.

In the Ritual spot you can see a Remote Lens.
action: You look
response: This is a small and cluttered antique and curiosity shop. Many items have a strange familiarity to them, yet you feel like you are in an entirely different dimension.

Colette is standing behind the counter.

You can also see an Animal Tarot deck here.
action: You examine the deck
response: This deck is illustrated in black and white. The box shows a gathering of animals in a forest clearing under the full moon.
action: You buy the deck
response: You buy the Animal Tarot. You hope to find a setting similar to the box illustration and meet Staci there.
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
You are looking forward to talking to Xochi again.
The multiverse authors convention is open NE of the Capitol square. Turning Wheel cycles probably has something new worth checking out.
action: Go southwest
response: Several appealing establishments are clustered here. On the east end of the block is Astral Enchantments, offering crystals, stickers, incense, tapestries, and other hippie-style woo-woo. North is Turning Wheel Cycles, your local counterculture-friendly bike store. To the west is Essentially Art, a small gallery store exhibiting the arts and crafts of several local artists. You can rejoin the flow of Atwood Avenue to the south. Northeast is Afterlife Antiques and Oddities.
action: Go east
response: As you walk in, you are excited to see both Xochi and Xelia working today. The store is busy right now, so you order your drink and sit, hoping to find a chance to talk to them. As they are working, they maintain a quiet dialogue punctuated by bursts of shared laughter. You are trying not to listen in, but you wonder if they are talking about you. Occasionally you see one of them cast a glance in your direction.

Xelia notices you watching them and whispers something to Xochi. Xochi turns and motions for you to come speak to them. They both lean forward toward you and you notice their faces are slightly flushed from all the laughter. 'Since you are here every day and are always so nice to us,' begins Xochi, 'we decided we should give you a special treat,' continues Xelia. They look at each other with half-hidden smiles.

'Come down to the basement where we make the gelato,' Xochi says, unlocking a door behind the counter and ushering you through it, 'you can taste something special.'

The Alchemy Lab, under Coffee Lion
So this is why the espresso and gelato at Coffee Lion is so spiritually invigorating. Shelves line each wall of the room, each filled with rows and rows of different colored bottles filled with various plants and minerals. In the center of the room is the intimidatingly complex alchemical apparatus, a three (or more?) dimensional maze of glass spheres and interconnecting tubes.

A minute after your arrival, you hear footsteps on the stairs and Xochi and Xelia join you. 'We only have a few minutes, but we thought you'd really enjoy this. We're going to show you how we make our special gelato flavors.' Xochi gathers several jars from the shelves, and adds a few pinches of the ingredients in each. You can't read the labels. Xelia tightens a few connections in the apparatus.

'The first step is bringing the reaction chambers to a warm but not hot temperature.' Xochi points to a pair of glass spheres on the upper part of the machine. 'Rub these with your hands to put the right amount of heat into them.'
action: You look
response: The Alchemy Lab, under Coffee Lion
So this is why the espresso and gelato at Coffee Lion is so spiritually invigorating. Shelves line each wall of the room, each filled with rows and rows of different colored bottles filled with various plants and minerals. In the center of the room is the intimidatingly complex alchemical apparatus, a three (or more?) dimensional maze of glass spheres and interconnecting tubes.

Xochi and Xelia are both here.

Xelia and Xochi are waiting for you to perform the gelato-alchemy.
action: Rub
response: (Xelia and Xochi)
You place your hands on the glass spheres and slowly rub them until you feel they are the same temperature as your skin.

'Next, you need to push this button to start the reaction,' continues Xelia, gesturing.
action: You insert cylinder
response: You firmly insert the cylinder into the output junction of the tubes connected to the reaction spheres. Creamy gelato seems to condense at the intersection point and drip slowly down the inner edges of the cylinder. After a moment, it is half filled. Xochi and Xelia each add a shot of freshly brewed espresso to create an affogato.

You hear the sound of the customer service bell being rung upstairs. 'Perfect timing!' they say in unison, then glance at each other and laugh again. You are ushered back upstairs with a tall cylinder of frothy gelato-espresso blended brew.

Light streams in through the tall glass windows at the front of the cafe. A display case of homemade gelato flavors is by the door. A window for drive-through customers is in the rear corner. Numerous cat-themed decorations adorn the walls and counters.

Xochi and Xelia are both here.
action: You check your inventory
response: You're carrying:
an affogato brew of gelato and espresso
a Viewer Lens
some Space Pancakes
a pendant (being worn)
a rose quartz heart
Forsee Why You And I Are To Be One (4CY UNI R2B 1)
a pair of mirror shades (being worn)
a wallet
action: You examine the brew
response: An indescribably sensual blend of sweet creamy gelato and dark bitter espresso, this intoxicating potion beckons you to drink it.
action: Drink brew
response: The sweet beverage caresses your tongue with flavor. The sufferings of the body are redeemed by sensations like this. In just a moment, you find yourself slurping the final delicious drops. Your body and muscles are filled with vibrating energy.

(Your biking skill and endurance has increased)
action: You examine Xelia
response: Xochi and Xelia seem to energize each other. Just being in the same room as the two of them at the same time makes everything seem enchanted.
action: You get all
response: Forsee Why You And I Are To Be One (4CY UNI R2B 1): Taken.
action: You go to the north-east
response: You decide making a dramatic entrance on your bike isn't necesssary. (first getting off Lunar Lightning)

Time-travelers, authors, simulators, and adventurers from across the multiverse have gathered here to share stories.

You arrive at the start of Madcon, a busy chaos of arrivals from all pi to the 999th corners of the multiverse. Staci spots you and asks for a favor. 'I've got to be on a panel for time-sequence rewriting, can you take Lily to lunch now?' You agree. Lily is excited. 'Let's go to Pasta and Other! I want noodles. Come on!'

Lily is leading the way. She exits the building, heading towards State Street. You need to follow.
action: You go outside
response: The downtown and campus are focused on this pedestrian-only open air shopping mall. Dozens of shops and throngs of pedestrians create a big-city feel for a few blocks. The proximity of the large state university campus means the crowd is quite young, and weekend nights are often a mix of the charming antics of local eccentrics with less charming rowdy sophomoric intoxication. The Miffyland neighborhood is south, the Capitol is east, and the lakeshore residential neighborhood is north. Notable shops are northwest and southwest.

You hear guitar and kazoo played by Art Paul.
action: You go to the southwest
response: This store sells devotional objects from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

You can see the Story Control Machine here.

Lily is fascinated by deity artworks and tools for rituals and prayer. Tara tells her she can pick out an item as a gift, and Lily chooses a necklace of pale sky-blue beads. Tara strokes it lightly as she hands it to Lily 'Very beautiful. This is the color of one aspect of Buddha. I've been feeling this color in the past few days. Perhaps one of the Buddhas is traveling near.'

You thank Tara, and notice it's time to meet Staci after the panel. She wants to take a break back at the castle dock. Lily leaves with Staci, and after a few more minutes appreciating the items in Infinite Loop, you decide to join them on the dock for a dose of sunlight on the waves.
action: You visit Staci
response: You have agreed to perform at an anti-corporate personhood event. The Snowden revelations have just come out, and you feel the Revolution has momentum. Staci has agreed to sing a duet on the 'Orange Night Light' song. You go onstage wearing a green bicycle helmet and mirror shades. After chanting some lines about harmonic time-binding the light from the Valispectrum prismatic reflector, you deliver a rant praising Snowden. Staci joins you for your duet, and after you sing together, you spend a few minutes dancing wildly with Whirlwind when the next act performs. There is a giddy sense of 'we can just do anything!' that fills you and Staci and Nook and your friends with limitless energy. After, you indulge in some rare alcohol consumption, and break a chair falling over backward. You remember nothing more from that night.
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
You are looking forward to talking to Xochi again.
Turning Wheel cycles probably has something new worth checking out. Staci said she was going to be hanging out on the dock.
action: You look
response: This store sells devotional objects from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

You can see the Story Control Machine here.
action: You examine Machine
response: This machine looks like a devotional altar with many turning prayer wheels. A sign reads: 'Spin wheel to change baristas at Coffee Lion. Push button to reset fictional subuniverses. Pull lever to reset songs and explorations.'
action: You leave
response: The downtown and campus are focused on this pedestrian-only open air shopping mall. Dozens of shops and throngs of pedestrians create a big-city feel for a few blocks. The proximity of the large state university campus means the crowd is quite young, and weekend nights are often a mix of the charming antics of local eccentrics with less charming rowdy sophomoric intoxication. The Miffyland neighborhood is south, the Capitol is east, and the lakeshore residential neighborhood is north. Notable shops are northwest and southwest.

A panhandler asks you for change, and you give him a dollar.
action: Plugh
response: You speak the magic word, and you catch a glimpse of an ancient realm of college mainframe computers and 5 1/4 floppies...

Lothlorien co-op, in the kitchen
The kitchen is full of the clutter of heavy use by a housefull of hungry people.

Written on the wall here is an inscription: 'Magic words: XYZZY and PLUGH'

Whirlwind is sitting cross-legged here.
action: Go north
response: Lothlorien co-op, the back yard
The Lothlorien backyard has trees, picnic tables, a garden, and a rocky staircase down to the firepit and dock. A door leads in to the kitchen.

Nook is sitting on a picnic table, smoking a cigarette.

Lily is running up and down the hillside as she plays.

You can also see Past and Future here.

Lily decides to climb Nook and gets about halfway up before she changes her mind.
action: You descend
response: Lothlorien co-op, on the dock
The dock is short, wooden, and rather rickety. An old gnarled tree reaches far out over the water nearby.

The Scholar is pacing back and forth.

Staci is here.

A dog is wandering around on the dock.
action: You talk to Scholar
response: 'Lately I've been trying to be active rather than reactive.'

The Scholar wanders off.
action: You talk to Staci
response: Every way you interact with Staci feels easy, natural, and delightful.
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
You are looking forward to talking to Xochi again.
Turning Wheel cycles probably has something new worth checking out. Staci said she was going to be hanging out on the dock.
action: You visit Staci
response: You have another in a seemingly endless series of deligtful days with Staci, just chilling on the co-op porch swing and talking with whatever friends wander by.

The Scholar arrives.
action: You look
response: Lothlorien co-op, on the dock
The dock is short, wooden, and rather rickety. An old gnarled tree reaches far out over the water nearby.

The Scholar is standing here.

Staci is here.

A dog is wandering around on the dock.
action: Pet dog
response: As you greet the dog, you hear a voice call out 'Lotus!' from a little further down the shore. To make a long story very short, the voice belongs to a five member traveling punk band called Police Lingo. They need a place to crash, and something makes you offer your house. They have to play a show at the Owl Sanctuary (the what??) and you agree to meet them back on Milwaukee street later. Staci says she will head back to Madcon and meet you later. You should probably head home to get your house ready for guests.
action: Xyzzy
response: There is a trans-dimensional short-circuit of interactive fiction tradition, and you catch a brief glimpse of a brick building near a stream and a metal grate before you blink and find yourself...

Your section of Milwaukee Street is directly across from a small farm which remains as an agricultural island within the city. An open field and a barn are across the street. Toward the southwest is Atwood Street leading toward downtown. Monona Drive is to the south. The edge of town lies toward the northeast.
action: You enter
response: Paul shows up carrying his acoustic guitar. He turns out to be an excellent blues guitarist, and he talks in a continuous flow of aphorisms and anecdotes. 'I don't need to believe in reincarnation,' he says, looking at a small Vishnu sculpture on your table, 'I've lived fifty lives already in this one.' For much of the past few weeks, you have been the one dominating conversations, and it feels good to focus on listening to someone whose mind is also overflowing with ideas. After a couple hours, your head is spinning but your enlightenment has increased. Rather than as a housekeeper, you hire Paul as a music-and-wisdom coach.

This is a modest one story house, cluttered by a decade of being lived in. Bookshelves line the walls. Your Plan 9 terminal is here, connected to the grid servers downstairs. There is a sign on the wall which says 'Best Spring Ever!' A few trinkets from Astral Enchantments are scattered about. Your dark wooden upright piano has a collection of Schumann's music open on the music rack.

You can see a Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap, the Artemis prints, some bookshelves, a terminal and a piano here.

It is a convergence of world-lines. Five young punk musicians, Staci Nook and yourself, and three co-opers who had been tagging along. Many realities diverge here. What are your boundaries? What are you open to? You feel yourself splitting into many selves at this branch point. In some, everyone is completely uninhibited and you all create a transcendent flower of higher-dimensional interpersonal molecular structure, the aliens show up and demand pancakes, and you all agree to move to the lesser Magellanic cloud and open the first non-Earth greasy spoon diner. In others, inhibition and insecurity fracture the social ground beneath you, rifts open, and your life ricochets off in a different direction, a vector of disappointment and regret.

You decide to pilot a middle course in your current storyline, embracing a limited subset of the possible configurations. After a night of little sleep but much love, Police Lingo leaves you with many balloon animals, and Staci and the co-opers return to Madcon. You spend a few minutes cleaning up, and are now ready to head downtown and dive into the convention scene.
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
You are looking forward to talking to Xochi again.
Turning Wheel cycles probably has something new worth checking out. Madcon is happening NE of the Capitol square.
action: Inventory
response: You're carrying:
Forsee Why You And I Are To Be One (4CY UNI R2B 1)
a Viewer Lens
some Space Pancakes
a pendant (being worn)
a rose quartz heart
a pair of mirror shades
a wallet
action: You play the piano
response: I heard the song first at fifteen, an echo of a spring so evergreen
It bridged future and past, spanning unseen
Reality dream and the space between
A month of May the year could be any, where every day is a horn of plenty
Warm night air, the waves on the lake, all right there and make no mistake
Reeling and rocking past the shadow of doubt
Nothing like feeling that old in and out
I know what its like to be alone, no hint of action on your phone
I know how to groan and bitch and moan
But it ain't too much dope that's stealing your hope
In the dark groping for the end of your rope
With a little bit of luck you'll come unstuck
Quack like a duck on the strange trip truck
I'm talking from experience, once you get traction
Even a middle-aged pianist can get action!
This month of May was like nothing before,
Every time that I walked out the door
I fell in to a brand new story, each moment had its own kind of glory It's hard to believe but my dreams did come true
No guarantee but it could happen to you
So keep your ears open for those magic songs
Spend the years hoping and singing along
The stories and dreams that bloom in your mind
The quarry that gleams, the doom that you find
Flowery beams the moonlight unwinds...
action: Go east
response: Light streams in through the tall glass windows at the front of the cafe. A display case of homemade gelato flavors is by the door. A window for drive-through customers is in the rear corner. Numerous cat-themed decorations adorn the walls and counters.

Xelia is working here.
action: You talk to Xelia
response: You take advantage of a quiet moment in the cafe to talk to Xelia. 'You know this whole summer has been the high point of my life by far,' you begin, 'I went through a lot of years wondering whether what we got out of life was worth the price of the ticket, if that makes sense. But finally, this summer, it all finally came together for me, my life became exactly the story I've always wanted it to be. You and Xochi here at the cafe have been a big part of the magic. Now, I feel like - whatever happens in life from here on out, it's all been worth it. This summer has given me more happiness than I could have ever imagined.'

'I'm really glad its been so good for you, its been fun hearing about your adventures,' Xelia smiles at you. You wander back to your seat, and your words echo in your mind. '...whatever happens...it's all been worth it.' 'But please stay wonderful, life!' you add as a mental postscript. In future days, keeping hold of that feeling will serve as both a comfort, and a challenge.
action: You take Orrery
response: The Metaphysical Orrery is fixed in place.
action: You examine Orrery
response: This astonishing device looks like what would happen if fifteen bicycles were being ridden across the surface of a neutron star and then suffered a catastrophic impact with a ferris wheel. Every variety of rotary and cyclical motion is manifest within the fractal nest of gears, chains, and wheels.
action: Go west
response: You need to ride a bicycle to continue further towards downtown. If you own one, call it with the command >lunar.
action: Lunar
response: You call out for your trusty metal steed, and it appears!
You get onto Lunar Lightning.
action: Go west
response: You pedal effortlessly.

John Nolen Drive (on Lunar Lightning)
Adjacent to lake Monona, John Nolen Drive is a wide multi-lane road which passes underneath the curved contours of the Monona Terrace convention center. The view from across the lake looking toward downtown is Madison's skyline-postcard view. A heavily used bike path teems with cyclists and joggers. The Capitol square is north, Williamson St. to the east, and the Miffyland residential neighborwood is west.

Midnight strikes and a new day dawns.
(This is day number 58)
action: Go north
response: You pedal effortlessly.

Capitol Square (on Lunar Lightning)
On a hill in the center of downtown, the Capitol building is a smaller imitation of the federal Capitol building in Washington D.C. The street grid converges to a perfect square around it, and it acts as the 0,0 origin of the street numbering system. Notable streets and landmarks lie south, west, north, and northeast.
action: You go to the north-west
response: You pedal effortlessly.
You can go n, w, s or check the event center to the ne.
action: Go northeast
response: You decide making a dramatic entrance on your bike isn't necesssary. (first getting off Lunar Lightning)

Time-travelers, authors, simulators, and adventurers from across the multiverse have gathered here to share stories.

The convention is in full swing as you arrive. After a few introductions, a tall owl of multiple genders transfixes you with glowing orange eyes. 'For safety reasons, everyone agrees that author-level, continuity-breaking information should be wiped from your time-embedded consciousness. The experiences will be stored in your crown, of course, so nothing is lost long-term. Are you ready?' You nod agreement.

It is two days later. You are exhausted but happy. The convention has been AMAZING, especially the part where...where...well, it was definitely amazing. You know that much at least. It seems like time to go relax at Lothlorien.
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
You are looking forward to talking to Xochi again.
Turning Wheel cycles probably has something new worth checking out. Some more time at Lothlorien co-op sounds good to you.
action: Plugh
response: You speak the magic word, and you catch a glimpse of an ancient realm of college mainframe computers and 5 1/4 floppies...

Lothlorien co-op, in the kitchen
The kitchen is full of the clutter of heavy use by a housefull of hungry people.

Written on the wall here is an inscription: 'Magic words: XYZZY and PLUGH'

The Scholar is standing here.

The Wizard is here.
action: You talk to Wizard
response: 'I'd be honored to work on organizing some interesting esoteric events and ceremonies, I have quite a few ideas in mind. I think a costume-themed party with appropriate cinematic accompaniment would be an interesting experiment.'

The Wizard and Scholar are discussing obscure but crucial events in the history of late 19th century secret societies.
action: Up
response: Lothlorien co-op, the Great Room (1st floor)
A huge living room, with two pianos, several couches, bookshelves, assorted art, and a fireplace.

Whirlwind is looking through her shoulder bag.

Nook is taking a brief nap on one of the couches.

Lily is bouncing up and down on a couch, laughing.

Lily wanders off.

Whirlwind is making a series of cryptic hand gestures at Nook.
action: You talk to Nook
response: 'I'm not sure just what you're up to with the Loonie Revolution and Plan 9, but I'm glad we have the chance to have this unique friendship.'

Whirlwind is resting her foot on Nook's knee.
action: You talk to Whirlwind
response: 'I've got a lot of writing to share if you'd like, and I know my kids are excited to contribute too.'

Whirlwind is resting her foot on Nook's knee.
action: Go downward
response: Lothlorien co-op, in the kitchen
The kitchen is full of the clutter of heavy use by a housefull of hungry people.

Written on the wall here is an inscription: 'Magic words: XYZZY and PLUGH'

Lily is having a snack.

The Scholar is reading a book here.

The Wizard is stroking his beard thoughtfully.

The Wizard and Scholar are discussing obscure but crucial events in the history of late 19th century secret societies.
action: You talk to Lily
response: 'The Loonie Re-vo-lu-TION! The Loonie Re-vo-lu-TION!' Lily chants.

The Wizard wanders off.
action: You go to the north
response: Lothlorien co-op, the back yard
The Lothlorien backyard has trees, picnic tables, a garden, and a rocky staircase down to the firepit and dock. A door leads in to the kitchen.

The Wizard is here.

You can also see Past and Future here.

The Wizard wanders off.
action: Go downwards
response: Lothlorien co-op, on the dock
The dock is short, wooden, and rather rickety. An old gnarled tree reaches far out over the water nearby.

The Wizard is here.

Staci is here.
action: You talk to Staci
response: Every way you interact with Staci feels easy, natural, and delightful.
action: You climb the tree
response: You decide your arthritis and eternal buzz aren't going to keep you out of the tree, and cautiously you navigate the footholds and angled stubby branch remnants to a delightful perch above the waves. You spend a few minutes communing with wood and water before scrambling back down.
action: You examine the tree
response: This old tree-friend has more than a few tales to share. It's upper branches are still green and leafy, but down by the water, a thick section of trunk, damaged by a storm decades ago, arches white and polished over the water, loved by hands and feet of many visitors.

The Wizard wanders off.
action: Swim
response: The Madison lakes are beautiful to look at, and some people have the immune system required to cope with algae and bacteria, but you prefer to sit on the shore and watch the chromatic flickering of the ripples.
action: Go south
response: Lothlorien co-op, the back yard
The Lothlorien backyard has trees, picnic tables, a garden, and a rocky staircase down to the firepit and dock. A door leads in to the kitchen.

The Wizard is sitting still with one eye closed and one open.

You can also see Past and Future here.
action: Up
response: You can go n to the dock, in to the kitchen, or se.
action: You go inside
response: Lothlorien co-op, in the kitchen
The kitchen is full of the clutter of heavy use by a housefull of hungry people.

Written on the wall here is an inscription: 'Magic words: XYZZY and PLUGH'

Whirlwind is smiling as she looks around.

Lily is having a snack.
action: Up
response: Lothlorien co-op, the Great Room (1st floor)
A huge living room, with two pianos, several couches, bookshelves, assorted art, and a fireplace.

Nook arrives.
action: You play the piano
response: The Castle inspires in you its own special variants of the songs and themes of your ongoing compositions. Sometimes you punch out the e minor staccato chords of the 'dock theme', or during twilight just a succession of pianissimo arpeggios. One afternoon a friend from Louisiana was visiting and, inspired by thoughts of Gottschalk, you find your fingers blazing through a series of syncopated progressions reminiscent of celebratory Caribbean parades.
action: You look at Art
response: You inspect one of the many artworks here and see a circular piece of glass with concentric rings of different colors.
action: Goals
response: You think you can develop your friendship with Xochi more.
You are looking forward to talking to Xochi again.
Turning Wheel cycles probably has something new worth checking out. Some more time at Lothlorien co-op sounds good to you.

Nook wanders off.
action: You examine Art
response: You inspect one of the many artworks here and see a wild and muddy swirl of disorganized brushstrokes on a piece of wood.

Midnight strikes and a new day dawns.
(This is day number 61)
action: You check your inventory
response: You're carrying:
a wire and bead Crown
Forsee Why You And I Are To Be One (4CY UNI R2B 1)
a Viewer Lens
some Space Pancakes
a pendant (being worn)
a rose quartz heart
a pair of mirror shades
a wallet
action: You look at Crown
response: This decorative crown was hand-made at Madcon. It has a variety of colorful beads wrapped by wire and criss-crossed by assorted sparklies.
action: You wear Crown
response: You put on the wire and bead Crown.
action: You examine Lens
response: Through the viewer lens you see...Ritual spot

Past the edge of the city, a short path leads away from the road to a small ring of boulders. It feels like a perfect place for performing a ceremony or ritual. The road continues northeast.

In the Ritual spot you can see a Remote Lens.
action: You go south
response: You can go in to the porch, down to the kitchen, up to the upper floors, or back out.
action: Up
response: Lothlorien co-op, upstairs
Hallways branch in all directions. The walls are painted with a wild diversity of amateur artworks and thought-provoking slogans.

The Scholar is reading a book here.

The Scholar lights a small item on fire and watches it burn.
action: Descend
response: Lothlorien co-op, in the kitchen
The kitchen is full of the clutter of heavy use by a housefull of hungry people.

Written on the wall here is an inscription: 'Magic words: XYZZY and PLUGH'

Whirlwind is looking through her shoulder bag.

The Wizard is sitting still with one eye closed and one open.

Lily arrives.
action: You go down
response: Lothlorien co-op, on the dock
The dock is short, wooden, and rather rickety. An old gnarled tree reaches far out over the water nearby.

Staci is here.
action: You descend
response: Matthew dropped off the new grid hardware for you yesterday, now seems like a good time to get it set up. You set up power and networking for the new servers, and start to bring them online to join your grid. Before you can type the needed commands, you see a glowing green pulse of data enter the basement from the external network interface. A message appears on the screen: 'Our empire never ended.' You recognize the font, but too late.

The digitization laser hits you from behind and you feel yourself being Forked...

You are in an unfamiliar dataspace. A dark and twisted dialect of the 9p protocol is spoken here. Green glowing insectoid creatures carrying message packets scuttle between jagged mount points. These are not your beautiful ANTS...these are Terminal Information Takeover Extensions - TERMITES.

It doesn't take long for the digital insects to notice you. An angry buzzing like the sound of a roomful of old 300 baud modems fills the air.
action: You drop 4CY
response: Mulitverse travel protip: do NOT drop your items while visiting alternate universes.

The TERMITES are starting to surround you in a circle. Each is about the size of your fist. There are only a few dozen watching you now, but they seem to be summoning reinforcements.
action: You talk to TERMITES
response: The soundwaves of your voice bounce off the termites affecting its molecular structure in subtle ways.

There is now a ring of hundreds of green bugs advancing inward toward you, drill proboscii extended menacingly.

Midnight strikes and a new day dawns.
(This is day number 62)
action: Sing
response: You start with a bit of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, move on to a few of your favorite Wu-Tang verses, and conclude with a heartfelt imitation of how IU would sound singing Ripple by the Grateful Dead.

A TERMITE suddenly leaps at you. You instinctively bat it away and feel a slight stinging cut on your wrist. This is getting rather stressful.
action: You check your inventory
response: You're carrying:
a wire and bead Crown (being worn)
Forsee Why You And I Are To Be One (4CY UNI R2B 1)
a Viewer Lens
some Space Pancakes
a pendant (being worn)
a rose quartz heart
a pair of mirror shades
a wallet

'No such thing as stuck on a puzzle,' a calm voice intones, 'We don't let the player make mistakes, we just have happy little deus ex machinas.' A giant digital image editing tool sweeps across the landscape, recoloring everything. You can now see a path leading up to a ramshackle cabin, which you enter, only to find yourself back in your basement. A faint chorus of voices can be heard shouting 'SAVED!'

Strawberry is curled up and napping in the corner.
action: You look
response: Your house, in the basement
Your ex-girlfriend used to stay down here, but now the area is mostly storage...and your grid hardware. In the center of the dark concrete floor is a flimsy table with numerous aging computers both under it and on top. A tangle of ethernet and power cables criss-cross the room like spiderwebs.

Your cat Strawberry is here.

You can also see Reality and Fiction here.

Strawberry is curled up and napping in the corner.
action: Pet Strawberry
response: Strawberry begins to purr as you stroke her, but after a few seconds, she decides that she is a fighter, not a lover. She bats at your hand with a paw, and looks up at you expecantly, hoping you will attack her.
action: You play the piano
response: Get out on the dock, turn back the clock
Regress your age, rewrite history's page
Catapulting rocks, lock barrel and stock
Mark it zero, my gun's half cocked
Loonies are the coolest kids on the block
I used to be dead, but now I am immortal
None of my enemies could close the portal
Keeping me out of this dimension
Turning the crank of your sexual tension