The Hand That Rocks The Pumpkin
by Christopher Huang (1998)
Genres: Seasonal
Surreal
Horror


action: %
response: Katherine and you always did love Halloween parties. You used to be the life of them, back in your home town. Having just moved to New York city a month ago, however, you had not expected to get into one this year. Especially since Katherine had elected to stay behind, leaving you here on your own.

Enter your old net-friend Miseri, with an introduction to a Mr deMause, a strange and eccentric fellow who would just love to have you over for his Halloween Masque this year. All you have to do now is figure out how to find your way to Mr deMause's apartment.

No easy task, since Miseri had neglected to give you directions. Add to that the pea-soup fog rolling about outside....

Sigh. If only Katherine were here....



It's your apartment, and it's in the usual mess. The mess, in fact, threatens to take control of the whole apartment. Not that you have too much time to worry about it right now, of course. You have to find your way to Mr deMause's apartment ... The door to the south leads out into the foggy night, and that seems like a good place to start.
action: You go south
response: You hadn't realised until stepping out tonight how dim the fog could be. The pea-souper spreads out in all directions, obscuring your vision. The steps leading down to the south disappear into it. Back to the north, the door leads back into the warmth of home.

You can see a Jack O'Lantern (which is closed) here.
action: You get the pumpkin
response: Taken.
action: You open the pumpkin
response: As you look into the pumpkin, a disembodied hand leaps out onto your shoulder! You scream in fright, and the thing scuttles off into the fog. Regaining your composure, you look inside the pumpkin....

In the Jack O'Lantern is a note.
action: You read the note
response: The writing is spidery, and you realise that it is written in blood. Real blood. But perhaps the creepiest thing of all is the sheer friendliness of the message: "Midas (the hand) is your guide to Mr deMause's apartment. Do remember to cross his palm with silver, or something of the sort.... Katherine's already here at the apartment, and she's waiting for you."

You had no idea that Katherine was anywhere near New York. There's a mystery afoot here. Or at hand....
action: Go south
response: Pea-souper fog blankets everything. You know more by instinct than anything else that the way home is just to the north. Otherwise, all the streets leading out from here are alien to you.

You notice the disembodied hand near the traffic lights, leaping at the red light. It misses. The light turns green, and the hand scuttles away.
action: Go south
response: You wander down the street into the fog, but the fog confuses you, and you soon find yourself back in Washington Square.
action: Go south
response: You notice the disembodied hand near the traffic lights, leaping at the red light. It misses. The light turns green, and the hand scuttles away.
action: You check what you're carrying
response: You are carrying:
a Jack O'Lantern (which is open)
a note
a red glass
action: You examine the glass
response: A shard of red glass. You have no idea where you picked it up, or why you held on to it. Only the village idiot would find any use for it.

Without warning, the disembodied hand scuttles across your path, pausing to wave a finger at you before disappearing into the fog.
action: You enter the fog
response: That's not something you can enter.

You hear a faint scuttling through the fog, as of some spider lurking in the darkness.
action: You put the glass in the lantern
response: You put the red glass into the Jack O'Lantern.

You notice the disembodied hand near the traffic lights, leaping at the red light. It misses. The light turns green, and the hand scuttles away.
action: You drop the lantern
response: Dropped.
action: You wait
response: Time passes.
action: Wait
response: Time passes.

Without warning, the disembodied hand scuttles across your path, pausing to wave a finger at you before disappearing into the fog.
action: You wait awhile
response: Time passes.

You hear a faint scuttling through the fog, as of some spider lurking in the darkness.
action: You wait
response: Time passes.

You notice the disembodied hand near the traffic lights, leaping at the red light. It misses. The light turns green, and the hand scuttles away.
action: You check your inventory
response: You are carrying:
a Jack O'Lantern (which is open)
a red glass
a note
action: You look at the note
response: The writing is spidery, and you realise that it is written in blood. Real blood. But perhaps the creepiest thing of all is the sheer friendliness of the message: "Midas (the hand) is your guide to Mr deMause's apartment. Do remember to cross his palm with silver, or something of the sort.... Katherine's already here at the apartment, and she's waiting for you."

You had no idea that Katherine was anywhere near New York. There's a mystery afoot here. Or at hand....

Without warning, the disembodied hand scuttles across your path, pausing to wave a finger at you before disappearing into the fog.
action: You drop the red
response: A few moments after dropping the shard of red glass, the hand scuttles across the square towards you and settles down to examine it. If you want to pick it up, now's your chance.
action: You get the hand
response: You gently pick the thing up by the wrist, gruesome though the thought may be. The fingers wiggle back at you questioningly.
action: You look at the hand
response: A disembodied hand! What's more, an animated disembodied hand! Creepier and creepier ... didn't this sort of thing only happen in the movies? The hand seems to be wearing a signet ring on its index finger.
action: You examine the ring
response: It's an elegant, gold signet ring. Something about it strikes you as being oddly familiar, though you can't imagine what. There seems to be a small depression in the ring, apparently made to hold something.
action: You get the ring
response: The hand struggles in protest as you reach for the ring. You decide that it might not be such a good idea....
action: You look at the glass
response: A shard of red glass. You have no idea where you picked it up, or why you held on to it. Only the village idiot would find any use for it.
action: You cut yourself
response: Cutting you up would achieve little.
action: You cut the hand
response: Cutting him up would achieve little.
action: You put the hand in the pumpkin
response: You put the disembodied hand into the Jack O'Lantern.
action: You describe your surroundings
response: Pea-souper fog blankets everything. You know more by instinct than anything else that the way home is just to the north. Otherwise, all the streets leading out from here are alien to you.
action: You wave the hand
response: You look ridiculous waving the disembodied hand.
action: You examine the pumpkin
response: The pumpkin bears Miseri's unmistakeable style of carving. It grins at you hollowly, as if daring you to open it and look inside.
action: You eat the note
response: (first taking the note)
That's plainly inedible.
action: You show the note to the midas
response: The disembodied hand is unimpressed.
action: You examine the ring
response: It's an elegant, gold signet ring. Something about it strikes you as being oddly familiar, though you can't imagine what. There seems to be a small depression in the ring, apparently made to hold something.
action: You go north
response: You hadn't realised until stepping out tonight how dim the fog could be. The pea-souper spreads out in all directions, obscuring your vision. The steps leading down to the south disappear into it. Back to the north, the door leads back into the warmth of home.
action: Go north
response: It's your apartment, and it's in the usual mess. The mess, in fact, threatens to take control of the whole apartment. Not that you have too much time to worry about it right now, of course. You have to find your way to Mr deMause's apartment ... The door to the south leads out into the foggy night, and that seems like a good place to start.
action: Search mess
response: What's this? It's that earring that you promised to have reset as a ring for Katherine! You'd better not lose it again.
action: You examine the earring
response: This is one of a pair of earrings that you gave Katherine some few months ago. The other one was lost during, um, an adventure involving a hot spring which we shan't go into right now. Since Katherine never was one for single earrings, you told her you'd have the stone re-set in a solitaire ring.... The stone seems rather loose, actually.
action: You look at the stone
response: You always believed that this was an amethyst, because it would glow violet when you held it. Now, however, it glows red whether you hold it or not, and you wonder if it could in fact be a misunderstood ruby.
action: You put it in the ring
response: Which do you mean, the earring or the signet ring?
action: You get it
response: You carefully pry it out ... well, that was easier than expected.... Taken.
action: You put the stone in the signet ring
response: You carefully insert the stone into the depression in the ring. It seems to fit perfectly.

In fact, the stone seems to be glowing brighter than before ... with a shocking suddenness, the hand leaps in your grasp and points an accusing finger towards the south of Washington Square.
action: Go south
response: You hadn't realised until stepping out tonight how dim the fog could be. The pea-souper spreads out in all directions, obscuring your vision. The steps leading down to the south disappear into it. Back to the north, the door leads back into the warmth of home.
action: Go south
response: Pea-souper fog blankets everything. You know more by instinct than anything else that the way home is just to the north. Otherwise, all the streets leading out from here are alien to you.
action: Go south
response: Following the hand directions, you cautiously make your way down the street ... then with greater confidence.... It isn't long before you find yourself outside your destination, the melancholy apartment of deMause....

You wander down the street into the fog, but the fog confuses you, and you soon find yourself back in Washington Square.
action: Go south
response: Following the hand directions, you cautiously make your way down the street ... then with greater confidence.... It isn't long before you find yourself outside your destination, the melancholy apartment of deMause....

You wander down the street into the fog, but the fog confuses you, and you soon find yourself back in Washington Square.