Losing Your Grip
by Stephen Granade (1998)
Genres: Surreal


action: %
response: FrobTADS 1.2.3 - A text-only TADS 2.5.17 Interpreter.

Maintained by Nikos Chantziaras <realnc@gmail.com>.

options:
-ctab file    use character mapping table file
-ctab-        do not use any character mapping file
-i file       read commands from file
-o file       write commands to file
-l file       log all output to file
-m size       maximum cache size (in bytes)
-mh size      heap size (default 65535 bytes)
-ms size      stack size (default 512 elements)
-r savefile   restore saved game position from savefile
-s level      set I/O safety level (-s? for help)

-ts size      maximum swapfile size (default: unlimited)
-t+           enable swapping (disabled by default)
-u size       set undo to size (0 to disable; default 60000)

toggle options: add + to enable, - to disable, nothing to toggle cheaptads quit with exit status: 0
action: %
response: Rain and mud.

Those are your first solid memories. Rain pouring down on your head, filling your eyes. Mud beneath your feet, filling your shoes. Other details slowly filter in. The trees surrounding you. The leaden skies above. The chill wind cutting through your clothes with ease.

Shelter would be a good beginning.

Losing Your Grip, a Journey in Five Fits

For more information, type "about".

Fit the First: Replevin

"Rain rain on my face/It hasn't stopped raining for days"
-- Jars of Clay

shelter, allowing the stinging rain to pelt you. A grey mist conceals everything past four meters.
action: About yourself
response: What you can see of yourself is familiar.
action: You check what you're carrying
response: You are empty-handed.
action: You look at trees
response: Mostly pine. Their protection is scant comfort in the rain and the wind.
action: Go east
response: You strike off in that direction, but soon become disoriented by the rain.

Once the field might have been covered in grass. Now the grass is
but a memory. Mud covers the ground in its place, fed by the constant rain.
Buried almost to its chin in the mud is a human head.

The head's eyes suddenly open, fixing you in place. "Oh, my," he says. "This is a surprise. I certainly never expected to see you in person!"
action: You examine the head
response: Other than being buried in mud to his chin, the head is reassuringly normal. His hair and mustache are a matted brown, perhaps from genetics, perhaps from mud. Rivulets of water run down his creased face.

"Come to gloat?" the man says. "Why not? After all, you put me here."
action: You ask head about the head
response: "What's to say?" he asks. "I've led a dull life, and now I'm about to have a dull end."

"That's right, try to deny it. If it weren't for you, I'd still be safe." His eyes dart to the northeast for a second, then return to you.
action: You dig the mud
response: You kneel and begin scooping mud from around the head with both hands. As fast as you remove the mud, more mud and water return. "Forget it," the man says gruffly. "It's too late now." He seems strangely touched by your attempt, however.

The man laughs softly. "Not long now." He grins sarcastically. "An interesting end, don't you think? Jiminy Cricket never had such an exit scene."
action: You kick the head
response: The head's eyes widen as you draw your foot back. "Terry, no, please, oh God you can't--" His cries are cut short as your foot slams into him. With the sound of eggshells cracking, the head fragments into countless pieces which are quickly lost in the mud.
action: Xyzzy
response: There is a puff of smoke. Something lands in your hands.

Resignation and more than a little bitterness fill the man's face. "Go on," he says. "You've work to do, pieces to recover." He pauses, then yells, "Go on, I said!" Then, muttered, "You've ignored me too long to do anything about it now."
action: You check your inventory
response: You have a fool.
action: You examine fool
response: A tiny doll tricked out in a harlequin's outfit. When you turn it over in your hands, you see that its back is missing, leaving the fool hollow. There is a matching hole where its larynx should be.
action: You take the head
response: You grab hold of his ears, but before you can pull, the head says, "It's no good now. I'm done for." His eyes narrow at you. "The least you can do is feel guilty."
action: You ask the head about himself
response: "What's to say?" he asks. "I've led a dull life, and now I'm about to have a dull end."
action: You ask the head about yourself
response: The man laughs. "Funny, I've spent my life judging you, and now I can't think of a thing to say about you."
action: You ask the head about the mud
response: He says, "If only the rain would stop..."
action: Dig
response: What do you want to dig in?
action: You dig the mud
response: You kneel and begin scooping mud from around the head with both hands. As fast as you remove the mud, more mud and water return. "Forget it," the man says gruffly. "It's too late now." He seems strangely touched by your attempt, however.
action: You search head
response: How rude!
action: Kiss head
response: The mud coating him makes you think twice.
action: Clean head
response: No matter how much you wipe, the man's face is still begrimed. He grimaces. "Thanks," he says.
action: You go to the north-east
response: "Good luck," the man whispers as you walk away. The hiss of the rain covers anything else he might have said.

Looming suddenly out of the gloom is a large marble building. Its columns jut skyward, raked by the unending rain. To the north lies its entrance.
action: You examine the building
response: The building's white marble is streaked with grime, the rain having no visible effect. Its entrance lies open to the north.
action: You go to the north
response: As you walk through the door of the building the sound of the rain stops, as if suddenly turned off.

The two-story height of the foyer is channelled into a narrower
hallway to the north. On the north wall to the west of the hallway's beginning is an open doorway. The building's entrance to the south is reflected in the marble floor.
action: Go north
response: Like the foyer, the hallway is marble. Its two-story height
combined with its thinness inspires unease. A walkway runs above you, clinging to the east and west walls. Below the east walkway is a doorway.
action: Go north
response: The hallway ends abruptly in a pair of large oak doors. Their intricate carving is barely visible in the leaden light from the windows above you. The doors are flanked by two sweeping staircases to the northeast and northwest. A doorway to the east is mirrored by a closed door to the west.
action: You go to the north
response: Your footsteps echo hollowly in the dimly-lit and cavernous hall. Benches line the floor, their rows skewed slightly to focus on the desk at the north end. A clock is set in the wall in plain view of the desk. The south third of the room is covered by a balcony, reducing the height of the hall from two stories to one. A small door to the east and two large doors to the south stand ajar. To one side of the two doors is a light switch.
action: Go south
response: The two-story height of the foyer is channelled into a narrower
hallway to the north. On the north wall to the west of the hallway's beginning is an open doorway. The building's entrance to the south is reflected in the marble floor.
Tracked across the marble floor are muddy footprints.

A section of the air just above your head shimmers. A small pyramid falls from the disturbance to the ground below.
action: You go south
response: You can see little through the glare of sun on snow. The building
to the north is just visible, but everything else is a wash of bright white.

You begin to feel the cold seep into you, chilling you.
action: You go north
response: The two-story height of the foyer is channelled into a narrower
hallway to the north. On the north wall to the west of the hallway's beginning is an open doorway. The building's entrance to the south is reflected in the marble floor.
Tracked across the marble floor are muddy footprints.
You see a paper pyramid here.

You now feel recovered from your exposure to the cold.
action: You get the pyramid
response: The pyramid begins glowing softly. It unfolds like a flower and a feminine voice issues from it, saying, "Doctor! Doctor! Something's wrong with Terry!" When the light dies down, the pyramid is gone.
action: Go northwest
response: Shadows crowd the room, strengthened by the unlit ceiling light
which is canted at a strange angle. A scarred mahogany desk is crammed into one corner of the room, facing the doorway and the clock above it. The room is small enough that the light switch beside the door is within arms reach of the desk.
action: You go to the southeast
response: The two-story height of the foyer is channelled into a narrower
hallway to the north. On the north wall to the west of the hallway's beginning is an open doorway. The building's entrance to the south is reflected in the marble floor.
Tracked across the marble floor are muddy footprints.
action: You look at the desk
response: The dark wood of the desk only serves to make the office more claustrophobic. Deep gouges run from the front of the desk to the back; close examination shows them to be fingernail-shaped. All of the desk drawers have been removed.
action: You examine the gouges
response: Gouges scar the once-pristine surface of the desk.
action: Exits
response: You can go southeast.
action: You examine the switch
response: The switch is currently off.
action: You look at the clock
response: A white-faced clock with numbers and black hands, hands which stand frozen at 2:59.
action: You examine the ceiling
response: It looms above you.
action: You go to the southeast
response: The two-story height of the foyer is channelled into a narrower
hallway to the north. On the north wall to the west of the hallway's beginning is an open doorway. The building's entrance to the south is reflected in the marble floor.
Tracked across the marble floor are muddy footprints.
action: Go north
response: Like the foyer, the hallway is marble. Its two-story height
combined with its thinness inspires unease. A walkway runs above you, clinging to the east and west walls. Below the east walkway is a doorway.
action: You examine the walkway
response: The walkway rings the hall on every side but the south, casting a shadow on the floor.
action: You examine doors
response: small door: The closed door leads west.
large wooden doors: The carved doors are made of oak and are twice your height. They stand slightly ajar, leaving enough room for you to enter.
action: You examine carvings
response: You peer closely at the door, but are unable to tell what the carving is of in the dim light.
action: Go east
response: Metal shelves fill the hall; most are empty and many have succumbed
to rust. The shelves that aren't empty hold broken shards of glass.
The archive continues to the south, and an exit leads west.
action: You look at the glass
response: The glass fragments run the gamut from large shards to fine, gritty powder.
action: You take the glass
response: You would most surely cut yourself.
action: You look at the shelves
response: The shelves cover the room, as if they had multiplied in the same manner coathangers are reputed to. They are covered in broken shards.
action: You go south
response: filling rack after rack of shelves, making it difficult to find a place to stand. The room continues to the north. Above the west exit is a clock; beside the exit is a light switch.
action: You examine the clock
response: A white-faced clock with numbers and black hands, hands which stand frozen at 2:25.
action: Wait
response: Time passes...
action: You look at the boxes
response: Cardboard boxes, all taped shut. Each one has been labeled with a black magic marker.
action: You read the boxes
response: Your eyes roam over their surfaces, taking in their titles. Many are labeled "Memories" with a range of dates following. A few are labeled "Fragments." You feel an odd sense of disorientation as you stare at them.
action: Open boxes
response: The tape prevents you from opening the boxes.
action: You go west
response: (Opening the small door)
Utility Room
The room is hot and stifling; cobwebs drip from every surface. A hot-water tank crouches in one corner. Rickety stairs lead into the depths of the building. To the east is an open door.
action: Exits
response: You can go east and down.
action: You look at the tank
response: The tank is old and somewhat rusty. An orange wire runs past it.
action: You touch the tank
response: The tank is cool.
action: Go downwards
response: A cramped square room, barely lit by windows above you. The north
and west walls are taken up by tables. A clock and a light switch are just visible next to the stairs on the south wall. In the northwest corner is a tiny drain; in the southeast corner are two large wheels, one on the east wall and one on the south wall. A pile of spheres has claimed part of the east wall beneath the wheel.
In the middle of the south wall is a heater.
Sitting on the tables are a rucksack and five balances.
A man stands bent over the tables, jotting things down in a large notebook.

As your footsteps sound on the stairs, the man turns. He looks you over, one eyebrow quirking in surprise. "Hello," he says. "And here I thought I was the last one still around. I'm Frankie."
action: You ask Frankie about the balance
response: "Frankly, I don't know what they were for. One of the unsolved mysteries of this place."
action: You examine the balances
response: Sitting silent on the tables, the balances are all tarnished brass and pitted steel.
action: You look at the rucksack
response: It is made of heavy denim and looks well-used. The rucksack is open.
action: You get the sack
response: I don't know the word "t".

Frankie glances over at you as you pick up the rucksack. "You can have it," he says. "It'll do you more good than it will me."
action: You put all in the sack
response: fool: Done.
rucksack: You can't put the rucksack in itself!
action: You examine clock
response: A white-faced clock with numbers and black hands, hands which stand frozen at 10:02. Next to the clock is a light switch.
action: You ask Frankie about Frankie
response: Frankie grins sardonically. "I'm just an archaeologist, nothing more. My team and I were working on unearthing those," he gestures at the pile of spheres by the wall, "until we got word of the avalanche."
action: You ask Frankie about the team
response: "I sent my team away when we heard about the avalanche. I couldn't ask them to put themselves in harm's way."
action: You ask Frankie about the avalanche
response: Frankie says, "When we heard about it yesterday, we all started rushing about, hither and yon, trying to finish our separate projects. The power going out didn't help things a bit." He sighs heavily. "I only wish someone could have protected my project."
action: You ask Frankie about the project
response: "Why, the spheres," he says.
action: You examine the spheres
response: The spheres are smooth and translucent, glowing softly from within. Several are caked with mud and dirt, testimony to their recent location. They have been stacked in a tight-fitting pyramid. You feel a strange sense of deja vu as you gaze into them.
action: You touch the spheres
response: You reach your hand towards one of the spheres. As you draw nearer, a spark spits from the sphere, rushes up your arm, and then--

Darkness, then light.

You see yourself, a brief memory of driving your father's car alone for the first time, Joe Walsh on the radio, hands ice-slick with the fear of wrecking, pulse pounding, the thrill of being in control--

Light, then darkness.

You are thirteen, on a camping trip with friends, hiding in the dark, playing a game of flashlight tag, who will be the first to find you, or will you find the others first--

With a horrendous wrenching sensation you pull yourself away from the pile of spheres. You glance at Frankie but, absorbed in his notetaking, he has not noticed your momentary distress.
action: You tell Frankie about the spheres
response: Frankie says, "They were my project. Well, mine and some colleagues. They'd been buried near here for years." He gazes at the spheres for a minute, then at you. "Makes you wonder why someone would go to all the trouble to bury them."

One of the spheres teeters, then rolls down the pile. It reaches the bottom and breaks, golden smoke issuing from it. As the shards of the sphere melt into the floor, the smoke begins coalescing, solidifying into a Welsh Corgi puppy who barks twice at you.

Frankie glances at the puppy, then at you, smiling at something.
"Looks like you have a new pet," he says. "I'd say the first order of business is to name him."
action: You name the dog bubbles
response: You may name something by using NAME OBJECT "NEWNAME".
action: You ask Frankie about the power
response: "We put too many demands on the building, tripped every breaker it had, one by one. Thing is, to restart the system you have to reset the breakers in the order in which they were tripped. Too much bother for us, considering our time limit, and what with the breakers being on the outside of the building and all."

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You ask Frankie about the wheels
response: Frankie says, "The wheels control the level of this room. I assume that they were installed to keep the balances...well, balanced."

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You look in the sack
response: In the rucksack you see a fool.
action: Exits
response: You can go up.
action: You look at the heater
response: It is an old-fashioned wood-burning heater, standing a few centimeters above the ground on metal legs. Heat pours from it in waves. Its most noticeable feature isn't: it has no smoke stack.
action: You look at the wheels
response: south wheel: The spoked metal wheel has a handle at one point of its circumference.
east wheel: The spoked metal wheel has a handle at one point of its circumference.
action: You examine the drain
response: The metal drain is a small circle with a grate about ten centimeters in diameter.
action: You open the grate
response: I don't know how to open the metal drain.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: Pet Bubbles
response: You pet Bubbles, whose tail wags mightily in response.
action: You go north
response: Bubbles looks at you quizically, head cocked to one side.
action: You fetch the sphere
response: Bubbles looks at you quizically, head cocked to one side.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You take Bubbles
response: Bubbles gives you a sidelong look. As your hands close around the dog, it swirls like smoke, solidifying just out of your reach.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: Go upwards
response: The room is hot and stifling; cobwebs drip from every surface. A hot-water tank crouches in one corner. Rickety stairs lead into the depths of the building. To the east is an open door.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You go to the east
response: The hallway ends abruptly in a pair of large oak doors. Their intricate carving is barely visible in the leaden light from the windows above you. The doors are flanked by two sweeping staircases to the northeast and northwest. A doorway to the east is mirrored by an open door to the west.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: Go north
response: Your footsteps echo hollowly in the dimly-lit and cavernous hall. Benches line the floor, their rows skewed slightly to focus on the desk at the north end. A clock is set in the wall in plain view of the desk. The south third of the room is covered by a balcony, reducing the height of the hall from two stories to one. A small door to the east and two large doors to the south stand ajar. To one side of the two doors is a light switch.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: Exits
response: You can go south and east.
action: You look around
response: Your footsteps echo hollowly in the dimly-lit and cavernous hall. Benches line the floor, their rows skewed slightly to focus on the desk at the north end. A clock is set in the wall in plain view of the desk. The south third of the room is covered by a balcony, reducing the height of the hall from two stories to one. A small door to the east and two large doors to the south stand ajar. To one side of the two doors is a light switch.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: You examine the clock
response: A white-faced clock with numbers and black hands, hands which stand frozen at 1:43.
action: You look at benches
response: They stand to either side of the hall, lined in rows running from east to west. They stop short of the desk, leaving several meters of clear floor.
action: You examine the desk
response: More lectern than desk, it is slightly elevated. There is space behind it, presumably for a large chair, and it commands an excellent view of the entire room.
action: You stand behind the desk
response: You step behind the desk.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You look under the benches
response: There's nothing under the benches.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You examine the balcony
response: The balcony stands above you, covering one-third of the hall.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You go to the east
response: Small and comfortable after the audience hall, a retreat for whoever once presided to the west. A coatrack, chair, and desk fill the room without crowding it.
Hanging from the coatrack are a pair of gloves and a thin coat.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You get the coat
response: Taken.
action: You wear the gloves
response: Okay, you're now wearing the heavy gloves.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You examine the coat
response: The coat is thin, more of a windbreaker than a coat. White stitching runs down its arms and sides.
action: You examine the stitching
response: It runs down the coat's arms and sides. It has begun to unravel.
action: You look in the coat
response: Not while you're wearing the coat.
action: You pull the stitching
response: You give the stitching a good tug and feel it give slightly.
action: Rip stitching
response: The stitching gives further, causing the coat to gape.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: Rip stitching
response: With a final rip, the stitching tears completely free, leaving only scraps behind.
action: You look at the scraps
response: Despite their origin, the scraps now could barely cover one of your arms.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You take the scraps
response: You already have some scraps!
action: Inventory
response: You have a rucksack, a thin coat, and a pair of gloves (being worn). The rucksack seems to contain a fool.
action: You look in the rucksack
response: In the rucksack you see a fool.
action: You examine coat
response: The coat is thin, more of a windbreaker than a coat. White stitching runs down its arms and sides.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You examine the desk
response: It is large without being overwhelming. An air of disuse hangs about it. Set into its surface are a clock and a radio.
action: You examine the clock
response: Its tiny face is turned towards the plush chair, its base affixed to the desk's surface. It has stopped at 1:18.
action: You examine the radio
response: The radio is softly playing music. Its only control is a knob on its face.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You look at the knob
response: The radio is softly playing music. Its only control is a knob on its face.
action: You turn knob
response: You turn the knob, expecting to hear the radio traverse several radio stations. Instead, the same song plays continuously, never deviating.
action: You look around
response: Small and comfortable after the audience hall, a retreat for whoever once presided to the west. A coatrack, chair, and desk fill the room without crowding it.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: You look at the chair
response: The plush chair sits behind the desk.
action: Go west
response: Your footsteps echo hollowly in the dimly-lit and cavernous hall. Benches line the floor, their rows skewed slightly to focus on the desk at the north end. A clock is set in the wall in plain view of the desk. The south third of the room is covered by a balcony, reducing the height of the hall from two stories to one. A small door to the east and two large doors to the south stand ajar. To one side of the two doors is a light switch.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: Go south
response: The hallway ends abruptly in a pair of large oak doors. Their intricate carving is barely visible in the leaden light from the windows above you. The doors are flanked by two sweeping staircases to the northeast and northwest. A doorway to the east is mirrored by an open door to the west.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: Go northeast
response: The walkway runs along the east wall of the hallway. A sweeping staircase joins the walkway to the southwest.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You examine staircase
response: The staircase curves as it falls to the floor below.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: Go south
response: foyer. There is a doorway to the east; the walkway continues to the north.
action: You go to the east
response: The library is a dimly-lit backwards L curving around the end of the building. Shelves filled with books take up much of the room; the rest is inhabited by stacks of books. A metal sentinel guards the west exit; on the other side of the exit is a light switch. There is a clock above the sentinel.
action: You examine sentinel
response: A dark metal statue, reminiscent of a prop from Fritz Lang's Metropolis. A stern, angular head sits atop a sexless body seven feet tall. Its arms are straight at its sides.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You examine the clock
response: A white-faced clock with numbers and black hands, hands which stand frozen at 10:58.
action: Examine books
response: The books resemble case histories from a law library: leather binding, small type on their spines.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You read books
response: You pull one off a shelf at random and open it. You read of a dilemma, arguments pro and con, and then of the final decision. As you replace the book, you realize that the entire episode seems oddly familiar.
action: Exits
response: You can go west.
action: You look at the shelves
response: They are stacked back to back in rows running around the room.
action: Look around
response: The library is a dimly-lit backwards L curving around the end of the building. Shelves filled with books take up much of the room; the rest is inhabited by stacks of books. A metal sentinel guards the west exit; on the other side of the exit is a light switch. There is a clock above the sentinel.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: You search the shelves
response: Don't worry about the wooden shelves.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: Kiss sentinel
response: Bleah.
action: You turn on the switch
response: You turn on the switch, but nothing happens.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You take the books
response: You wouldn't know where to begin.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You read books
response: You pull one off a shelf at random and open it. You read of a dilemma, arguments pro and con, and then of the final decision. As you replace the book, you realize that the entire episode seems oddly familiar.
action: Go west
response: foyer. There is a doorway to the east; the walkway continues to the north.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You go north
response: The walkway curves to the west; you follow it.

The walkway is just wide enough to accomodate two people turned sideways. Below you spreads the hallway. There is a gaping doorway to the north.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You go to the north
response: You have an excellent view of the audience hall from the balcony. Benches, which would look somber from the floor below, look forlorn from here. Metal bolts in the floor indicate where benches once stood.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You examine the bolts
response: The metal bolts stud the balcony, making for treacherous footing.
Their spacing and uniformity mark the outlines of the benches they once held.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: Exits
response: You can go south.
action: Go south
response: The walkway is just wide enough to accomodate two people turned sideways. Below you spreads the hallway. There is a gaping doorway to the north.
action: Go west
response: The walkway bends to the south; you follow it.

The walkway runs along the west wall of the hallway. To the
southeast, a sweeping staircase meets the hallway from below. A closed door is to the west. Above the door is a clock.
action: You examine the clock
response: A white-faced clock with numbers and black hands, hands which stand frozen at 11:30.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You open the door
response: Opened.
action: You examine the door
response: The open door leads west.
action: You go to the west
response: The tiny closet is dank and has a strange smell. It is unfinished;
in many places unadorned sheetrock and insulation show. The only light in the room comes from the open door to the east. Above you hang a bare bulb and a pull cord.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You pull the cord
response: You give the cord a firm tug and are rewarded with a click from the lightbulb. Nothing else happens.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You examine the lightbulb
response: The bare bulb hangs above you.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You examine the insulation
response: Pink and fluffy, it pokes from spots in the closet.
action: You take the insulation
response: You rip off a tuft of the insulation.
action: Inventory
response: You have a rucksack, a thin coat, a pair of gloves (being worn), and a tuft of insulation. The rucksack seems to contain a fool.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You pull the stitching
response: You give the stitching a good tug and feel it give slightly.
action: You put the insulation in the stitching
response: You can't put anything into the white stitching.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You pull the stitching
response: The stitching gives further, causing the coat to gape.
action: You put the insulation in the coat
response: Done.
action: You look at the coat
response: The coat is thin, more of a windbreaker than a coat. Its white stitching is torn, leaving it open like a huge sack. Stuffed inside the coat you see a tuft of insulation.
action: Wear coat
response: As you wear the coat you feel the insulation inside crackling. The coat is somewhat warm.
action: You examine sheetrock
response: It has been haphazardly applied to the studs behind it.
action: You move it
response: You can't move the sheetrock.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You get the insulation
response: You rip off a tuft of the insulation.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You put insulation in the coat
response: Not while you're wearing the coat.
action: You put the insulation in the coat
response: Done.
action: You examine the coat
response: The coat is thin, more of a windbreaker than a coat. Its white stitching is torn, leaving it open like a huge sack. Stuffed inside the coat you see two tufts of insulation.
action: Wear coat
response: As you wear the coat you feel the insulation inside crackling. The coat is somewhat warm.
action: You remove the coat
response: Okay, you're no longer wearing the thin coat.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You go to the east
response: The walkway runs along the west wall of the hallway. To the
southeast, a sweeping staircase meets the hallway from below. An open door is to the west. Above the door is a clock.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You go south
response: The walkway ends to the south in a blank wall. A doorway to the
west and the remainder of the walkway to the north allow egress.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You go to the west
response: Rows of filing cabinets divide the room into sections. Metal rises from floor to ceiling. Drawer after drawer stare at you, none of them labelled. The exit to the east is barely visible due to the metal sentinel partially blocking it. The clock above the exit, however, is plainly visible from anywhere in the room, a feat which is nothing short of miraculous.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You examine the clock
response: A white-faced clock with numbers and black hands, hands which stand frozen at 11:07.
action: Exits
response: You can go east.
action: You look at the sentinel
response: A dark metal statue, reminiscent of a prop from Fritz Lang's Metropolis. A stern, angular head sits atop a sexless body seven feet tall. Its arms are straight at its sides.
action: You look at the cabinets
response: The sheer number of filing cabinets boggles the mind.
action: You open the cabinet
response: You try several cabinet drawers. All are locked.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: Go east
response: The walkway ends to the south in a blank wall. A doorway to the
west and the remainder of the walkway to the north allow egress.
action: You go north
response: The walkway runs along the west wall of the hallway. To the
southeast, a sweeping staircase meets the hallway from below. An open door is to the west. Above the door is a clock.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You go south
response: Like the foyer, the hallway is marble. Its two-story height
combined with its thinness inspires unease. A walkway runs above you, clinging to the east and west walls. Below the east walkway is a doorway.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: Go south
response: The two-story height of the foyer is channelled into a narrower
hallway to the north. On the north wall to the west of the hallway's beginning is an open doorway. The building's entrance to the south is reflected in the marble floor.
Tracked across the marble floor are muddy footprints.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: Wear coat
response: As you wear the coat you feel the insulation inside crackling. The coat is somewhat warm.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: Go south
response: Bubbles begins barking at you fiercely, dancing in front of you and impeding your progress. You nearly have to jump over Bubbles to get past, at which point it lies on the floor, staring mournfully at you as you leave.

You can see little through the glare of sun on snow. The building
to the north is just visible, but everything else is a wash of bright white.

The coat offers limited protection from the wind.
action: Go north
response: The two-story height of the foyer is channelled into a narrower
hallway to the north. On the north wall to the west of the hallway's beginning is an open doorway. The building's entrance to the south is reflected in the marble floor.
Tracked across the marble floor are muddy footprints.
Bubbles is lying on the ground, waiting for you.

Bubbles sees you and jumps up, barking loudly at your return.
action: Go upwards
response: You can go up to the northeast or to the northwest.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: Go northwest
response: The walkway runs along the west wall of the hallway. To the
southeast, a sweeping staircase meets the hallway from below. An open door is to the west. Above the door is a clock.
action: Go west
response: The tiny closet is dank and has a strange smell. It is unfinished;
in many places unadorned sheetrock and insulation show. The only light in the room comes from the open door to the east. Above you hang a bare bulb and a pull cord.
action: You take the insulation
response: You rip off a tuft of the insulation.
action: You remove the coat
response: Okay, you're no longer wearing the thin coat.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You put the tuft in the coat
response: Done.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You take the insulation
response: Which insulation do you mean, the tuft of insulation, or the mass of insulation?
action: You look in the coat
response: In the thin coat you see three tufts of insulation.
action: Wear coat
response: As you wear the coat you feel the insulation inside crackling. The coat is very warm.
action: Go south
response: Bubbles begins barking at your rucksack, leaping off the ground in an effort to grab hold of it before you leave. Your momentum, however, carries you out the door before Bubbles is successful.

You can see little through the glare of sun on snow. The building
to the north is just visible, but everything else is a wash of bright white.

The wind beats futilely against your now-warm coat.
action: Go north
response: The two-story height of the foyer is channelled into a narrower
hallway to the north. On the north wall to the west of the hallway's beginning is an open doorway. The building's entrance to the south is reflected in the marble floor.
Tracked across the marble floor are muddy footprints.
Bubbles is lying on the ground, waiting for you.

Bubbles sees you and jumps up, barking loudly at your return.
action: You check your inventory
response: You have a rucksack, a thin coat (being worn), a pair of gloves (being worn), and a tuft of insulation. The rucksack seems to contain a fool.
action: North
response: Bubbles looks at you quizically, head cocked to one side.
action: You take the dog
response: Bubbles gives you a sidelong look. As your hands close around the dog, it swirls like smoke, solidifying just out of your reach.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You drop the rucksack
response: Dropped.
action: You get the rucksack
response: Taken.
action: Go north
response: Like the foyer, the hallway is marble. Its two-story height
combined with its thinness inspires unease. A walkway runs above you, clinging to the east and west walls. Below the east walkway is a doorway.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You give the sack to Bubbles
response: You place the rucksack on the ground next to Bubbles. The dog proceeds to wriggle under the rucksack, then stand.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You examine the rucksack
response: It is made of heavy denim and looks well-used. The rucksack is open and seems to contain a fool.
action: You examine Bubbles
response: Bubbles resembles a corgi. In fact, it looks like the corgi you begged your father for when you were eight. It walks around on short legs, very much a young puppy. It is wearing the rucksack.
action: Go south
response: Bubbles lies down on the floor, waiting for you to return. It places its paws protectively over the rucksack it is guarding.

You can see little through the glare of sun on snow. The building
to the north is just visible, but everything else is a wash of bright white.

The wind beats futilely against your coat.
action: Go north
response: The two-story height of the foyer is channelled into a narrower
hallway to the north. On the north wall to the west of the hallway's beginning is an open doorway. The building's entrance to the south is reflected in the marble floor.
Tracked across the marble floor are muddy footprints.
Bubbles is lying on the ground, waiting for you.

Bubbles sees you and jumps up, barking loudly at your return.
action: You put the tuft in the rucksack
response: Done.
action: You put Bubbles in the sack
response: You can't put Bubbles anywhere.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: Wait
response: Time passes...
action: You take rucksack
response: Taken.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You go to the south
response: The two-story height of the foyer is channelled into a narrower
hallway to the north. On the north wall to the west of the hallway's beginning is an open doorway. The building's entrance to the south is reflected in the marble floor.
Tracked across the marble floor are muddy footprints.
action: You follow Bubbles
response: But Bubbles is right here!

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You get them
response: muddy footprints: Don't worry about the muddy footprints.
action: Go northwest
response: Shadows crowd the room, strengthened by the unlit ceiling light
which is canted at a strange angle. A scarred mahogany desk is crammed into one corner of the room, facing the doorway and the clock above it. The room is small enough that the light switch beside the door is within arms reach of the desk.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You look at the shadows
response: They fill the room. Opaque...no shadows should be so thick.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You examine the light
response: It is tilted at an angle, as if someone once tried to pull it down. It vibrates in time to some unheard syncopated beat.
action: You pull light
response: It's too far away.
action: You look at the clock
response: A white-faced clock with numbers and black hands, hands which stand frozen at 2:59.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You pull light
response: Despite its precarious-looking hold on the ceiling, you are unable to tear it down.
action: You check your inventory
response: You have a thin coat (being worn) and a pair of gloves (being worn).
action: You examine ceiling
response: It is tilted at an angle, as if someone once tried to pull it down. It vibrates in time to some unheard syncopated beat.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You feel them
response: gouges: Even in the gloves your fingers fit neatly in the gouges.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You look under the desk
response: There's nothing under the mahogany desk.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: Search sack
response: In the rucksack you see a fool and a tuft of insulation.
action: You look at what you're carrying with you
response: You have a thin coat (being worn), a pair of gloves (being worn), and a rucksack. The rucksack seems to contain a fool and a tuft of insulation.
action: Look around
response: Shadows crowd the room, strengthened by the unlit ceiling light
which is canted at a strange angle. A scarred mahogany desk is crammed into one corner of the room, facing the doorway and the clock above it. The room is small enough that the light switch beside the door is within arms reach of the desk.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: Switch
response: What do you want to switch?
action: You examine the switch
response: The switch is currently on.
action: You switch it
response: You turn on the switch, but nothing happens.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: Exits
response: You can go southeast.
action: You examine the floor
response: It lies beneath you.
action: You examine the walkway
response: The walkway rings the hall on every side but the south, casting a shadow on the floor.
action: You examine the shadow
response: It is cast by the walkway above. Opaque...no shadow should be so thick.
action: Go upwards
response: You can't go that way.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You look at the doorway
response: The doorway is on the east wall.
action: You go east
response: filling rack after rack of shelves, making it difficult to find a place to stand. The room continues to the north. Above the west exit is a clock; beside the exit is a light switch.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You examine the light
response: They are cold and dark.
action: You stand
response: You're already standing!
action: You read the boxes
response: Your eyes roam over their surfaces, taking in their titles. Many are labeled "Memories" with a range of dates following. A few are labeled "Fragments." You feel an odd sense of disorientation as you stare at them.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You read the boxes
response: Your eyes roam over their surfaces, taking in their titles. Many are labeled "Memories" with a range of dates following. A few are labeled "Fragments." You feel an odd sense of disorientation as you stare at them.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: Open boxes
response: The tape prevents you from opening the boxes.
action: You examine the tape
response: Strong grey tape, covering every open flap of the boxes.
action: You move the boxes
response: You can't move the cardboard boxes.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You look behind the boxes
response: There's nothing behind the cardboard boxes.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You go north
response: Metal shelves fill the hall; most are empty and many have succumbed
to rust. The shelves that aren't empty hold broken shards of glass.
The archive continues to the south, and an exit leads west.
action: You look at the shelves
response: The shelves cover the room, as if they had multiplied in the same manner coathangers are reputed to. They are covered in broken shards.
action: You break the shelves
response: Don't worry about the metal shelves.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You examine the shards
response: The glass fragments run the gamut from large shards to fine, gritty powder.
action: You search the shelves
response: Don't worry about the metal shelves.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You move the shelves
response: Don't worry about the metal shelves.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You get the shards
response: Though the gloves protect your hands, they render your fingers too clumsy to pick up the shards.
action: Exits
response: You can go south and west.
action: You look at the doors
response: small door: The open door leads west.
large wooden doors: The carved doors are made of oak and are twice your height. They stand slightly ajar, leaving enough room for you to enter.
action: You look at the windows
response: The narrow windows are set just below the ceiling. Grey light from outside spills through them.
action: You examine the staircases
response: northwest staircase: The staircase curves as it climbs to the walkway above.
northeast staircase: The staircase curves as it climbs to the walkway above.
action: You look at carving
response: You peer closely at the door, but are unable to tell what the carving is of in the dim light.
action: You open large doors
response: The doors have frozen in position over time. You cannot budge them.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You open the window
response: They're too far away.
action: You look at the cobwebs
response: The cobwebs are draped over every imaginable surface.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You look at the tank
response: The tank is old and somewhat rusty. An orange wire runs past it.
action: You examine the stairs
response: The stairs lead down.
action: You get the wire
response: Don't worry about the orange cable.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You open tank
response: I don't know how to open the hot-water tank.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You feel the tank
response: The tank is cool.
action: Go downward
response: A cramped square room, barely lit by windows above you. The north
and west walls are taken up by tables. A clock and a light switch are just visible next to the stairs on the south wall. In the northwest corner is a tiny drain; in the southeast corner are two large wheels, one on the east wall and one on the south wall. A pile of spheres has claimed part of the east wall beneath the wheel.
In the middle of the south wall is a heater.
Sitting on the tables are five balances.
Frankie is here, sorting and cataloging.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You examine the windows
response: The stairs lead up.

The windows are barely ten centimeters tall and are nearly flush with the ceiling. They are much thicker than you would expect, almost like the glass found on submersibles.
action: You examine the tables
response: The tables line the north and west walls. On them you see five balances.

Out of the corner of your eye you notice something under the tables.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You examine clock
response: A white-faced clock with numbers and black hands, hands which stand frozen at 10:02. Next to the clock is a light switch.
action: You open the window
response: They're too far away.
action: You look under the tables
response: Under the tables you see a junction box.
action: You look at the box
response: The junction box has a wire running out of it and a large knife switch on its side. The switch is currently off.
action: You look at the wire
response: The wire is large and sheathed in orange. It runs from the box into the northeast corner of the wall.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You examine the switch
response: Which switch do you mean, the light switch, or the junction box?
action: You switch it
response: You push the large knife switch up. When you release it, however, it slides back to its original position. "Don't waste your time with that," Frankie tells you. "It won't work without power."
action: You ask Frankie about the box
response: Frankie asks, "Which box do you mean, the cardboard boxes, or the junction box?"
action: Junction
response: Frankie says, "It supposedly powers the fence on the hill above us."
He shrugs. "I've never seen it working."
action: You ask Frankie about the cardboard boxes
response: Frankie says, "Another group was working on those, but they never could get them open. Judging from the shards near them, they probably held some of these spheres."

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You ask Frankie about the fence
response: Frankie shrugs. "It was on our to-do list. Too bad we never got around to it: it could have protected us from the avalanche."
action: You ask Frankie about the list
response: Frankie says, "I think I could use it in my research."
action: You ask Frankie about the shards
response: Frankie says, "I'm afraid I won't be much help with that."

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You ask Frankie about the snow
response: "Here already? The avalanche can't be far behind."
action: You ask Frankie about the spheres
response: Frankie says, "This isn't a good time for repeat questions."

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You ask Frankie about Bubbles
response: Frankie shrugs. "You've got me."
action: You ask Frankie about yourself
response: Frankie shrugs. "I'd never seen you before you walked down the stairs."
action: Look around
response: A cramped square room, barely lit by windows above you. The north
and west walls are taken up by tables. A clock and a light switch are just visible next to the stairs on the south wall. In the northwest corner is a tiny drain; in the southeast corner are two large wheels, one on the east wall and one on the south wall. A pile of spheres has claimed part of the east wall beneath the wheel.
In the middle of the south wall is a heater.
Sitting on the tables are five balances.
Frankie is here, sorting and cataloging.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: You examine the drain
response: The metal drain is a small circle with a grate about ten centimeters in diameter.
action: You examine clock
response: A white-faced clock with numbers and black hands, hands which stand frozen at 10:02. Next to the clock is a light switch.
action: You open the drain
response: I don't know how to open the metal drain.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You look in the drain
response: There's nothing in the metal drain.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You turn east wheel cw
response: You give the wheel a clockwise spin. As you do, a groaning, shuddering sound emanates from beneath your feet. The floor tilts alarmingly, sending the balances to chattering. The pyramid of spheres shakes but stays together. Frankie spares you a glance; Bubbles looks surprised. When you are done the north side of the room is higher than it was, the south side lower.
action: Look around
response: A cramped square room, barely lit by windows above you. The north
and west walls are taken up by tables. A clock and a light switch are just visible next to the stairs on the south wall. In the northwest corner is a tiny drain; in the southeast corner are two large wheels, one on the east wall and one on the south wall. A pile of spheres has claimed part of the east wall beneath the wheel.
In the middle of the south wall is a heater.
Sitting on the tables are five balances.
Frankie is here, sorting and cataloging.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You examine the balances
response: Sitting silent on the tables, the balances are all tarnished brass and pitted steel.
action: You examine spheres
response: The spheres are smooth and translucent, glowing softly from within. Several are caked with mud and dirt, testimony to their recent location. They have been stacked in a tight-fitting pyramid. You feel a strange sense of deja vu as you gaze into them.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You take the bubble
response: Bubbles gives you a sidelong look. As your hands close around the dog, it swirls like smoke, solidifying just out of your reach.
action: You touch spheres
response: Again you reach for the spheres, but cannot draw close. The rush of memories triggered by the spheres was overwhelming the first time.
action: You take the balance
response: Don't worry about the five balances.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You hit the sphere
response: That would accomplish nothing.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You look at the heater
response: It is an old-fashioned wood-burning heater, standing a few centimeters above the ground on metal legs. Heat pours from it in waves. Its most noticeable feature isn't: it has no smoke stack.
action: You touch the heater
response: The outside is quite warm in places, scalding in others.
action: You get it
response: It is much too heavy.
action: Look around
response: A cramped square room, barely lit by windows above you. The north
and west walls are taken up by tables. A clock and a light switch are just visible next to the stairs on the south wall. In the northwest corner is a tiny drain; in the southeast corner are two large wheels, one on the east wall and one on the south wall. A pile of spheres has claimed part of the east wall beneath the wheel.
In the middle of the south wall is a heater.
Sitting on the tables are five balances.
Frankie is here, sorting and cataloging.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: You examine Frankie
response: Frankie is of middling height, with tousled hair and a sandy brown mustache. He carries a notebook and a sphere. Resting in his shirt pocket are a pair of sunglasses.
action: You turn east wheel cw
response: You give the wheel a clockwise spin. As you do, a groaning, shuddering sound emanates from beneath your feet. The floor tilts alarmingly, sending the balances to chattering. The pyramid of spheres shakes but stays together. Frankie spares you a glance; Bubbles looks surprised. When you are done the north side of the room is higher than it was, the south side lower.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You examine notebook
response: A spiral-bound notebook, dog-eared and worn. You catch occasional glimpses of pages filled with small writing.
action: You examine the sunglasses
response: Cheap. Black. Plastic.
action: You ask Frankie about the glasses
response: He glances at the sunglasses. "For outside."
action: You ask Frankie for the glasses
response: Frankie snaps his fingers. "You know, I'd really appreciate it if you'd do me a favor." He holds up one of the spheres. "I've had trouble cataloguing this one. Information's available upstairs, but I'd lose too much time if I searched for it myself. Would you mind terribly?" Frankie puts the light sphere in your hands before you can answer, then picks up another sphere from the pile.
action: You look at the sphere
response: Which sphere do you mean, the light sphere, or the pile of spheres?
action: Light
response: A translucent sphere, about the size of an apple.

Something half-remembered intrudes on your thoughts, then is gone.
action: You put it on the balances
response: Don't worry about the five balances.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You check your inventory
response: You have a thin coat (being worn), a pair of gloves (being worn), a rucksack, and a light sphere. The rucksack seems to contain a fool and a tuft of insulation.

A birthday party. You remember a birthday party, although you're not sure whose it was.
action: You get the glasses
response: Frankie snaps, "If you want something, why don't you ask for it?" He then sighs heavily. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell."
action: You ask Frankie for the glasses
response: "I told you, I'll help you if you help me." Frankie grins.
action: Light
response: You crack the sphere in your hands. A cloud rises from it, a vaguely-familiar smell. The shards evaporate.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: Inventory
response: You have a thin coat (being worn), a pair of gloves (being worn), a rucksack, and a light sphere. The rucksack seems to contain a fool and a tuft of insulation.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You kill Frankie
response: As you prepare to attack Frankie, he turns and fixes you with a gimlet glare. "Now, now," he says softly.
action: You examine staircase
response: The staircase curves as it falls to the floor below.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: Go east
response: The library is a dimly-lit backwards L curving around the end of the building. Shelves filled with books take up much of the room; the rest is inhabited by stacks of books. A metal sentinel guards the west exit; on the other side of the exit is a light switch. There is a clock above the sentinel.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You look at the shelves
response: They are stacked back to back in rows running around the room.
action: Examine books
response: The books resemble case histories from a law library: leather binding, small type on their spines.
action: You look at the sentinel
response: A dark metal statue, reminiscent of a prop from Fritz Lang's Metropolis. A stern, angular head sits atop a sexless body seven feet tall. Its arms are straight at its sides.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: Hi
response: You have lost your mind.
action: You examine the arms
response: Metal hands, held at the sides of the statue. The arms to which the hands belong are hinged at the elbow.
action: You show the sphere to the sentinel
response: The sentinel isn't impressed.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You turn the arms
response: Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.

I don't know the word "bend".

After a bout of experimentation you discover that you can raise and lower the sentinel's hands.
action: You raise the hands
response: You pull the sentinel's arms, which slowly move up. As they do they come together, until the hands are held cupped in front of the statue.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You put the sphere in the hands
response: You place the light sphere in the sentinel's hands. One of the books on the shelves slides out and falls on the floor. The other books close in, eliminating the space left by the defector.
action: You get the book
response: Which book do you mean, the shelved books, or the single book?
action: You examine it
response: A large, leather-bound volume with the title "Attendance 27914414."
action: You read it
response: A long, boring list of back-and-forth arguments about attending a party whose purpose is shrouded in jargon.
action: You look at the shelved books
response: The books resemble case histories from a law library: leather binding, small type on their spines.
action: You search them
response: shelved books: You find nothing of interest.
action: You get them
response: shelved books: You wouldn't know where to begin.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You read them
response: shelved books: You pull one off a shelf at random and open it. You read of a dilemma, arguments pro and con, and then of the final decision. As you replace the book, you realize that the entire episode seems oddly familiar.
action: Go north
response: The walkway runs along the east wall of the hallway. A sweeping staircase joins the walkway to the southwest.
action: Go down
response: The hallway ends abruptly in a pair of large oak doors. Their intricate carving is barely visible in the leaden light from the windows above you. The doors are flanked by two sweeping staircases to the northeast and northwest. A doorway to the east is mirrored by an open door to the west.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You go to the west
response: The room is hot and stifling; cobwebs drip from every surface. A hot-water tank crouches in one corner. Rickety stairs lead into the depths of the building. To the east is an open door.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You go to the east
response: The library is a dimly-lit backwards L curving around the end of the building. Shelves filled with books take up much of the room; the rest is inhabited by stacks of books. A metal sentinel guards the west exit; on the other side of the exit is a light switch. There is a clock above the sentinel.
In the sentinel's hands you see a light sphere.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You put it in the hands
response: You place the light sphere in the sentinel's hands.
action: You go north
response: The walkway runs along the east wall of the hallway. A sweeping staircase joins the walkway to the southwest.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: Go east
response: The walkway bends to the south; you follow it.

The walkway runs along the east wall of the hallway. A sweeping staircase joins the walkway to the southwest.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: Go west
response: The walkway bends to the south; you follow it.

The walkway runs along the west wall of the hallway. To the
southeast, a sweeping staircase meets the hallway from below. An open door is to the west. Above the door is a clock.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You go south
response: The walkway ends to the south in a blank wall. A doorway to the
west and the remainder of the walkway to the north allow egress.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You go to the west
response: Rows of filing cabinets divide the room into sections. Metal rises from floor to ceiling. Drawer after drawer stare at you, none of them labelled. The exit to the east is barely visible due to the metal sentinel partially blocking it. The clock above the exit, however, is plainly visible from anywhere in the room, a feat which is nothing short of miraculous.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You look at the cabinets
response: The sheer number of filing cabinets boggles the mind.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You open the cabinets
response: You try several cabinet drawers. All are locked.
action: You raise the arms
response: You pull the sentinel's arms, which slowly move up. As they do they come together, until the hands are held cupped in front of the statue.
action: You open the drawers
response: You try several cabinet drawers. All are locked.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You put the sphere in the hands
response: You place the light sphere in the sentinel's hands. A drawer in one of the cabinets silently opens.
action: You examine the drawer
response: Which drawer do you mean, the cabinet drawers, or the open drawer?
action: You open
response: An open cabinet drawer. In the drawer you see a long list.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You look at the list
response: The list is printed on a stack of fanfold paper almost five centimeters thick. On the top sheet is the number "27914414." Below it are a list of words and numbers: "cake 739424  games 598384" and so on.
action: You put the list in the hands
response: You place the long list in the sentinel's hands.
action: Describe the surroundings
response: Rows of filing cabinets divide the room into sections. Metal rises from floor to ceiling. Drawer after drawer stare at you, none of them labelled, one of them open. The exit to the east is barely visible due to the metal sentinel partially blocking it. The clock above the exit, however, is plainly visible from anywhere in the room, a feat which is nothing short of miraculous.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: Exits
response: You can go east.
action: You go to the north
response: The walkway curves to the east; you follow it.

The walkway is just wide enough to accomodate two people turned sideways. Below you spreads the hallway. There is a gaping doorway to the north.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You go to the north
response: You have an excellent view of the audience hall from the balcony. Benches, which would look somber from the floor below, look forlorn from here. Metal bolts in the floor indicate where benches once stood.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You examine the hall
response: The benches and desk look forlorn from this height.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You examine the benches
response: They stand to either side of the hall, lined in rows running from east to west. They stop short of the desk, leaving several meters of clear floor.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You look at the bolts
response: The metal bolts stud the balcony, making for treacherous footing.
Their spacing and uniformity mark the outlines of the benches they once held.
action: You look at the balcony
response: The balcony stands above you, covering one-third of the hall.
action: You jump
response: Your mild fear of heights overcomes the urge.
action: Exits
response: You can go south.
action: Look around
response: You have an excellent view of the audience hall from the balcony. Benches, which would look somber from the floor below, look forlorn from here. Metal bolts in the floor indicate where benches once stood. Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: Go south
response: The walkway is just wide enough to accomodate two people turned sideways. Below you spreads the hallway. There is a gaping doorway to the north.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You go down
response: You can't go that way.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You go downward
response: A cramped square room, barely lit by windows above you. The north
and west walls are taken up by tables. A clock and a light switch are just visible next to the stairs on the south wall. In the northwest corner is a tiny drain; in the southeast corner are two large wheels, one on the east wall and one on the south wall. A pile of spheres has claimed part of the east wall beneath the wheel. The floor slopes noticeably towards the south.
In the middle of the south wall is a heater.
Sitting on the tables are five balances.
Frankie is here, sorting and cataloging.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You give the list to Frankie
response: Frankie grins. "Thanks! I think there's more to be found out about that sphere; see what you can find, if you will."

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You give the book to Frankie
response: Frankie grins. "Thanks! I think that does it." Frankie takes his sunglasses out of his pocket. "As promised," he says as he hands them to you.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You put them on Bubbles
response: sunglasses: Bubbles has no real way of taking that.
action: You wear the glasses
response: Everything becomes a little dimmer as you put on the sunglasses.
action: You check what you're carrying
response: You have a thin coat (being worn), a pair of gloves (being worn), a rucksack, a light sphere, and a pair of sunglasses (being worn). The rucksack seems to contain a fool and a tuft of insulation.
action: You look around
response: A cramped square room, barely lit by windows above you. The north
and west walls are taken up by tables. A clock and a light switch are just visible next to the stairs on the south wall. In the northwest corner is a tiny drain; in the southeast corner are two large wheels, one on the east wall and one on the south wall. A pile of spheres has claimed part of the east wall beneath the wheel. The floor slopes noticeably towards the south.
In the middle of the south wall is a heater.
Sitting on the tables are five balances.
Frankie is here, sorting and cataloging.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: Go up
response: The room is hot and stifling; cobwebs drip from every surface. A hot-water tank crouches in one corner. Rickety stairs lead into the depths of the building. To the east is an open door.
action: Go east
response: The hallway ends abruptly in a pair of large oak doors. Their intricate carving is barely visible in the leaden light from the windows above you. The doors are flanked by two sweeping staircases to the northeast and northwest. A doorway to the east is mirrored by an open door to the west.
action: You go south
response: The two-story height of the foyer is channelled into a narrower
hallway to the north. On the north wall to the west of the hallway's beginning is an open doorway. The building's entrance to the south is reflected in the marble floor.
Tracked across the marble floor are muddy footprints.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You put the sack on Bubbles
response: You place the rucksack on the ground next to Bubbles. The dog proceeds to wriggle under the rucksack, then stand.
action: You go south
response: Bubbles lies down on the floor, waiting for you to return. It places its paws protectively over the rucksack it is guarding.

The building to the north is now covered with snow. Under your feet
it squeaks with the sound of deep-seated ice. To the northeast and northwest the snow is somewhat thinner, due to the building's protection. Pressed down in the ice and snow are tracks of footprints.

The wind beats futilely against your coat.
action: You wear glasses
response: You're already wearing the sunglasses.
action: You look at the snow
response: The snow covers everything you see in a fine layer of white. It looks to have been falling for hours.
action: Go northwest
response: To the east, the building glitters in the sun. A wind-swept path
runs north and south.
action: You examine the building
response: The building's white marble is now covered with snow. Only a few discolored trails indicate where rain recently sluiced over its surface.
action: You go north
response: The hill undulates, then rises steeply to the north. A path leads south past the building. A dark line running northeast to southwest mars the pristine white of the ground.
action: Exits
response: You can go south and east.
action: You examine the line
response: You peer down into the dark line and discover a mottled wooden fence lying flat in its depths.
action: You examine the fence
response: The fence runs northeast to southwest. It looks to be intact despite the weather. Tied to the fence is a rope.
action: You examine the rope
response: Hemp fibers twisted around each other. It is tied to the wooden fence.
action: You pull it
response: You give the rope a good tug. The wooden fence goes nowhere.
action: You untie the rope
response: You untie the rope.
action: You look at the rope
response: Hemp fibers twisted around each other.
action: Go east
response: building to the south. A thin path of less-deep snow runs east and west.
action: You go south
response: You gently run into the building.
action: Go east
response: To the north, the ground suddenly rises into tree-speckled heights.
To the south, the building's shape breaks the smooth white carpet of the ground. Partially buried in the snow is a large post.
action: Examine post
response: Its square outline thrusts skywards from the snow. A dark line in the snow runs beside it, northwest to southeast. From the line a cable issues. The cable's twin dangles from the post, then scurries down its length and into the snow on the side of the post opposite the line.
action: You look at the cables
response: lower cable: It runs from somewhere in the line in the snow to about thirty centimeters above the snow. Its end is frayed, showing bare wire.
upper cable: It begins partway up the post and is lashed to it. The cable runs over the top of the post, down the other side, then plunges into the snow, heading towards the building. Some of its orange insulation has been stripped, leaving behind a section of bare wire.
action: You pull the cable
response: Which cable do you mean, the lower cable, or the upper cable?
action: Lower
response: The cable stretches, but remains attached to the fence. When you let go, it relaxes to its former length.
action: You pull upper
response: It is too tightly lashed to the post: it goes nowhere.
action: You tie upper to lower
response: The two cables are too short to reach each other.
action: Dig
response: What do you want to dig in?
action: You examine the line
response: You peer down into the dark line and discover a mottled wooden fence lying flat in its depths.
action: You look at the fence
response: The fence runs northwest to southeast. It looks to be intact despite the weather. From somewhere near the bottom of it, buried deep, a cable runs.
action: Examine post
response: Its square outline thrusts skywards from the snow. A dark line in the snow runs beside it, northwest to southeast. From the line a cable issues. The cable's twin dangles from the post, then scurries down its length and into the snow on the side of the post opposite the line.
action: You examine the upper cable
response: It begins partway up the post and is lashed to it. The cable runs over the top of the post, down the other side, then plunges into the snow, heading towards the building. Some of its orange insulation has been stripped, leaving behind a section of bare wire.
action: You go to the south
response: The building looms to the west, shadowing the path which leads north and south.
Something on the building catches your eye.

The air just above you begins shimmering. From the disturbance falls a smallish cube.
action: You look at the cube
response: A wooden cube, about four centimeters on an edge. Its surface is remarkably polished.
action: You get it
response: Something inside the cube softly clicks. Its walls slide open, then flat, and it begins glowing with a warm light. A masculine voice drifts from the cube, saying, "I'm going to try removing the IV. Prep exam room two; I'll round up equipment. Turn the monitors up so we'll hear if anything goes wrong." Then the cube is gone.
action: You look at the building
response: The building's white marble is now covered with snow. Only a few discolored trails indicate where rain recently sluiced over its surface. Bolted to its side is a grey box.
action: You open the box
response: Opening the box reveals a row of breakers and a list.
action: You look at the list
response: 1: Box Office                 5: Archives
2: Balance Room               6: Filing Office
3: Audience Hall              7: Storage Closet
4: Preparatory Room           8: Library
action: You examine breakers
response: There are eight breakers, arranged in two rows of four.
[You may refer to the individual breakers by " breaker" or
simply by their number.]
action: Flip 2
response: You flip the breaker on with a satisfying click.
action: You look at your surroundings
response: The building looms to the west, shadowing the path which leads north and south.
On the side of the building is a grey box.
action: You go south
response: The building to the north is now covered with snow. Under your feet
it squeaks with the sound of deep-seated ice. To the northeast and northwest the snow is somewhat thinner, due to the building's protection. Pressed down in the ice and snow are tracks of footprints.
action: Go northeast
response: The building looms to the west, shadowing the path which leads north and south. Pressed down in the snow are tracks of footprints.
On the side of the building is a grey box.
action: You go northwest
response: Shadows crowd the room, barely dimmed by the lit ceiling light which
is canted at a strange angle. A scarred mahogany desk is crammed into one corner of the room, facing the doorway and the clock above it. The room is small enough that the light switch beside the door is within arms reach of the desk.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You turn on switch
response: It's already turned on!

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You look at the light
response: It is tilted at an angle, as if someone once tried to pull it down. It vibrates in time to some unheard syncopated beat, sending shards of light dancing on the floor.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You examine the floor
response: It lies beneath you.
action: You look at the light
response: You're already on the desk.

It is tilted at an angle, as if someone once tried to pull it down. It vibrates in time to some unheard syncopated beat, sending shards of light dancing on the floor.
action: You search it
response: You find nothing of interest.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: Look around
response: Cramped Office, on the mahogany desk
Shadows crowd the room, barely dimmed by the lit ceiling light which
is canted at a strange angle. A scarred mahogany desk is crammed into one corner of the room, facing the doorway and the clock above it. The room is small enough that the light switch beside the door is within arms reach of the desk.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: You examine the desk
response: The dark wood of the desk only serves to make the office more claustrophobic. Deep gouges run from the front of the desk to the back; close examination shows them to be fingernail-shaped. All of the desk drawers have been removed.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You move the desk
response: You can't move the mahogany desk.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You examine the gouges
response: Gouges scar the once-pristine surface of the desk.
action: You examine the shadow
response: They fill the room. Opaque...no shadows should be so thick.
action: Go east
response: You can't go that way.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You go to the northeast
response: You can't go that way.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You go outside
response: The two-story height of the foyer is channelled into a narrower
hallway to the north. On the north wall to the west of the hallway's beginning is an open doorway. The building's entrance to the south is reflected in the marble floor.
Tracked across the marble floor are muddy footprints.
action: You turn on the switch
response: The room's lights turn on in response.
action: You examine the doors
response: small door: It stands partially ajar and leads to the east.
large wooden doors: The carved doors are made of oak and are twice your height. They stand slightly ajar, leaving enough room for you to enter.
action: You look at the carving
response: You peer closely at the door, but are unable to tell what the carving is of in the dim light.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You examine the clock
response: A white-faced clock with numbers and black hands, hands which turn slowly, ticking off seconds, minutes, hours.
action: You take the carving
response: Don't worry about the carving.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You go east
response: Small and comfortable after the audience hall, a retreat for whoever once presided to the west. A coatrack, chair, and desk, lit by the glow of the ceiling lights, fill the room without crowding it.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You examine the coatrack
response: Tall and wooden, it has several branches for coats and hats.
action: You get it
response: It is too unwieldy for you to carry.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You look at the chair
response: The plush chair sits behind the desk.
action: You get it
response: Were you to take it, you would be unable to walk.
action: You describe your surroundings
response: Small and comfortable after the audience hall, a retreat for whoever once presided to the west. A coatrack, chair, and desk, lit by the glow of the ceiling lights, fill the room without crowding it.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: You look at the radio
response: The radio is softly playing music. Its only control is a knob on its face.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You turn the knob
response: You turn the knob, expecting to hear the radio traverse several radio stations. Instead, the same song plays continuously, never deviating.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You look at clock
response: Its tiny face is turned towards the plush chair, its base affixed to the desk's surface. Its hands turn slowly, ticking off seconds, minutes, hours.
action: Search desk
response: There's nothing on the wooden desk.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: Go west
response: Your footsteps echo hollowly in the well-lit and cavernous hall. Benches line the floor, their rows skewed slightly to focus on the desk at the north end. A clock is set in the wall in plain view of the desk. The south third of the room is covered by a balcony, reducing the height of the hall from two stories to one. A small door to the east and two large doors to the south stand ajar. To one side of the two doors is a light switch.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: Switch junction
response: You push the large knife switch up. The box begins a high-pitched humming, the switch fixed in place.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.

A quiet sound catches your attention. Black sludge has begun welling up through the drain, covering it and starting to fill the northwest corner.

Frankie glances down, then swears quietly. "Sam, you son-of-a-bitch," he mutters, scribbling furiously in his notebook. Bubbles barks at the sludge, then begins whining softly.
action: You ask Frankie about Sam
response: "Sam was one of my colleagues," Frankie says. "He left mid-afternoon yesterday."
action: You look at sludge
response: The black sludge is burgeoning out of what used to be the drain.
action: You ask Frankie about the sludge
response: Frankie says, "I don't know. Sam was studying it. He thought it was connected somehow to the spheres. All he was able to discover about it was that it was highly toxic and flammable."
action: You get the sludge
response: The thick, viscous stuff surges towards you as you approach. Alarmed, you back away.
action: You put the sphere in the sludge
response: You can't put anything into the black sludge.

With a loud blorp, the flow of sludge increases. Noticeably.
action: Look around
response: A cramped square room, barely lit by windows above you. The north
and west walls are taken up by tables. A clock and a light switch are just visible next to the stairs on the south wall. In the northwest corner a river of black sludge is continuously flowing into the room and towards the southwest corner by the stairs; in the southeast corner are two large wheels, one on the east wall and one on the south wall.
A pile of spheres has claimed part of the east wall beneath the wheel. The floor slopes noticeably towards the south.
In the middle of the south wall is a heater.
Sitting on the tables are five balances.
Frankie is here, sorting and cataloging like mad.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: You turn east wheel CCW
response: You give the wheel a counterclockwise spin. As you do, a groaning, shuddering sound emanates from beneath your feet. The floor tilts alarmingly, sending the balances to chattering. The pyramid of spheres shakes but stays together. Frankie spares you a glance; Bubbles looks surprised. When you are done the south side of the room is higher than it was, the north side lower. The flow of sludge alters course, until it is collecting near the middle of the room.
action: You turn east wheel CCW
response: You give the wheel a counterclockwise spin. As you do, a groaning, shuddering sound emanates from beneath your feet. The floor tilts alarmingly, sending the balances to chattering. The pyramid of spheres shakes but stays together. Frankie spares you a glance; Bubbles looks surprised. When you are done the south side of the room is higher than it was, the north side lower.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: Turn south wheel cw
response: You give the wheel a clockwise spin. As you do, a groaning, shuddering sound emanates from beneath your feet. The floor tilts alarmingly, sending the balances to chattering and the pyramid of spheres to shaking. Frankie spares you a glance; Bubbles looks surprised. When you are done the east side of the room is higher than it was, the west side lower.
action: Describe the surroundings
response: A cramped square room, barely lit by windows above you. The north
and west walls are taken up by tables. A clock and a light switch are just visible next to the stairs on the south wall. In the northwest corner a river of black sludge is continuously flowing into the room; in the southeast corner are two large wheels, one on the east wall and one on the south wall. A pile of spheres has claimed part of the east wall beneath the wheel. The floor slopes noticeably towards the west. In the middle of the south wall is a heater.
Sitting on the tables are five balances.
Frankie is here, sorting and cataloging like mad.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: You turn east wheel CCW
response: You give the wheel a counterclockwise spin. As you do, a groaning, shuddering sound emanates from beneath your feet. The floor tilts alarmingly, sending the balances to chattering. The pyramid of spheres shakes but stays together. Frankie spares you a glance; Bubbles looks surprised. When you are done the south side of the room is higher than it was, the north side lower.
action: You turn east wheel CCW
response: You give the wheel a counterclockwise spin. As you do, a groaning, shuddering sound emanates from beneath your feet. The floor tilts alarmingly, sending the balances to chattering. The pyramid of spheres shakes but stays together. Frankie spares you a glance; Bubbles looks surprised. When you are done the south side of the room is higher than it was, the north side lower.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: Look around
response: A cramped square room, barely lit by windows above you. The north
and west walls are taken up by tables. A clock and a light switch are just visible next to the stairs on the south wall. In the northwest corner a river of black sludge is continuously flowing into the room; in the southeast corner are two large wheels, one on the east wall and one on the south wall. A pile of spheres has claimed part of the east wall beneath the wheel. The floor slopes noticeably towards the northwest.
In the middle of the south wall is a heater.
Sitting on the tables are five balances.
Frankie is here, sorting and cataloging like mad.
Bubbles is curled in a small ball, resting.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You look at the sludge
response: The black sludge is burgeoning out of what used to be the drain. It has flowed from the northwest corner to the center of the room.
action: You turn east wheel CCW
response: The wheel, stubborn, refuses to turn further in that direction.
action: Turn south wheel cw
response: The wheel, stubborn, refuses to turn further in that direction.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: Switch box
response: You pull the large knife switch down. The box quietens somewhat.
action: Switch box
response: You push the large knife switch up. The box begins a high-pitched humming, the switch fixed in place.

The flow of sludge triples, then triples again. It reaches the pile of spheres, turning them all black, then dissolving them.

"Come on!" Frankie shouts in horror, abandoning his task. He grabs your arm and drags you up the stairs, pulling the trapdoor shut behind him.

The room is hot and stifling; cobwebs drip from every surface. A hot-water tank crouches in one corner. A trapdoor in the floor marks where the stairs used to be. To the east is an open door.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
Frankie is here.
action: You ask Frankie about the sludge
response: Frankie says, "This isn't a good time for repeat questions."

Bubbles wanders away.

Frankie looks at his hands, surprised to find he is still carrying a sphere. He holds it up to the light; it has turned black as pitch. "The sludge must've hit it," he says. Then he smiles at you, sadly. "It would have been nice to be able to finish." He shrugs resignedly, dropping the sphere. "Ah, well. See you round." He turns and walks into the hallway, but as he does, he separates into thousands of grains, a painting by Seurat. The grains separate, caught in a sudden zephyr, and are gone.
action: You examine the sphere
response: Which sphere do you mean, the light sphere, or the dark sphere?
action: Dark
response: Unlike its mates, this smooth sphere glows blackly. It feels oddly wrong, almost evil.
action: You get it
response: You bend down and pick it up. A sudden tremor seizes your arm muscles, then stops.
action: You get it
response: You already have the dark sphere!
action: You go downwards
response: The trapdoor prevents you.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You examine the trapdoor
response: The trapdoor is closed. It bulges upwards slightly.
action: You open it
response: Pressure from the other side opposes you.
action: You go west
response: The tiny closet is dank and has a strange smell. It is unfinished;
in many places unadorned sheetrock and insulation show. The only light in the room comes from the bare bulb above you. Dangling from it is a pull cord.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You look at the cord
response: It dangles from the lightbulb overhead, just within reach.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You pull it
response: You give the cord a firm tug and are rewarded with a click from the lightbulb. The bulb is snuffed out.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: Look around
response: The tiny closet is dank and has a strange smell. It is unfinished;
in many places unadorned sheetrock and insulation show. The only light in the room comes from the open door to the east. Above you hang a bare bulb and a pull cord.
action: You pull the cord
response: You give the cord a firm tug and are rewarded with a click from the lightbulb. The bulb begins glowing harshly.
action: You go to the east
response: The walkway runs along the west wall of the hallway. To the
southeast, a sweeping staircase meets the hallway from below. An open door is to the west. Above the door is a clock.
action: Go south
response: The walkway ends to the south in a blank wall. A doorway to the
west and the remainder of the walkway to the north allow egress.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You go to the west
response: Rows of filing cabinets divide the room into sections. Metal rises from floor to ceiling. Drawer after drawer stare at you, none of them labelled, one of them open. The exit to the east is barely visible due to the metal sentinel partially blocking it. The clock above the exit, however, is plainly visible from anywhere in the room, a feat which is nothing short of miraculous.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You put the dark in the hands
response: You place the dark sphere in the sentinel's hands. A shudder wracks the sentinel. Its hands lower, dropping the sphere onto the floor.
action: Lower arms
response: With a modicum of effort you are able to push the sentinel's arms back down by its sides.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: Lower arms
response: The sentinel's hands are as low as they will go.
action: You raise the arms
response: You pull the sentinel's arms, which slowly move up. As they do they come together, until the hands are held cupped in front of the statue.
action: You get dark
response: Which dark do you mean, the sentinel, or the dark sphere?
action: You examine sentinel
response: A dark metal statue, reminiscent of a prop from Fritz Lang's Metropolis. A stern, angular head sits atop a sexless body seven feet tall. Its hands are held cupped in front of it.
action: You give it to Bubbles
response: Bubbles has no real way of taking that.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: Dark
response: Bubbles has no real way of taking that.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: Go outside
response: The walkway ends to the south in a blank wall. A doorway to the
west and the remainder of the walkway to the north allow egress.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: Go east
response: The library is a harshly-lit backwards L curving around the end of
the building. Shelves filled with books take up much of the room; the rest is inhabited by stacks of books. A metal sentinel guards the west exit; on the other side of the exit is a light switch. There is a clock above the sentinel.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You put the dark in the hands
response: You place the dark sphere in the sentinel's hands. The sentinel judders. Its hands lower, dropping the sphere onto the floor.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You get dark
response: Which dark do you mean, the sentinel, or the dark sphere?
action: You get the dark sphere
response: Taken.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You go south
response: Bubbles begins barking at your rucksack, leaping off the ground in an effort to grab hold of it before you leave. Your momentum, however, carries you out the door before Bubbles is successful.

The building to the north is now covered with snow. Under your feet
it squeaks with the sound of deep-seated ice. To the northeast and northwest the snow is somewhat thinner, due to the building's protection. Pressed down in the ice and snow are tracks of footprints.

To the south you see a man striding through the snow. He is completely grey, as if all color had been leeched from him long ago, a black and white image in a world of technicolor. He pauses, stares at you, then continues on until he is lost in the distance. You feel a sudden chill.

The wind beats futilely against your coat.
action: You go south
response: The snow is impassable in that direction.

You hear a faint rumbling begin.

The air above you shimmers for a brief moment, during which a metal sphere falls from the disturbance to the ground below.
action: You look at metal sphere
response: A shiny metal sphere, dotted all over with tiny holes.
action: You touch it
response: It feels just like a metal sphere.
action: You get it
response: You reach down and take the sphere. As you straighten up, tiny needles spring from the thousands of holes which dot it. The needles jab through your gloves; with a curse you throw the sphere, now smeared red with your blood, away from you. As it falls it bursts into flame, oily smoke curling from it. From the center of the flame you hear an eerily familiar voice say, "Well. Interesting stunt you've pulled, coming to where I now live. I trust you'll stay for my avalanche." Then the sphere vanishes in a final burst of fire.
action: Go northeast
response: The building looms to the west, shadowing the path which leads north and south. Pressed down in the snow are tracks of footprints.
On the side of the building is a grey box.
action: Go north
response: To the north, the ground suddenly rises into tree-speckled heights. From those heights you see snow gracefully piling towards you. To the south, the building's shape breaks the smooth white carpet of the ground. Partially buried in the snow is a large post. Pressed down in the snow are many footprints.
action: You examine the cable
response: Which cable do you mean, the lower cable, or the upper cable?
action: Lower
response: It runs from somewhere near the bottom of the fence to about thirty centimeters above the snow. Its end is frayed, showing bare wire.
action: You touch it
response: It feels just like the lower cable.
action: You hold it
response: You reach down and grab hold of the bare end of the cable. The wire rasps against your gloves.

The rumbling you heard earlier has grown in volume. It sounds very close.
action: You hold the upper
response: You reach up and grab hold of the bare end of the cable. The wire writhes in your grasp as a surge of electricity passes through you and into the ground and the cable in your other hand. Through a blue haze you see snow fly as the fence raises up, forming a caret on the hillside above the building.

The avalanche bears down upon it, then is shunted to either side of the building. A sense of peace fills you even as you jerk in a Saint Vitus' dance.

[Press a key to continue]
action: You look at the mirror
response: The west wall is mostly mirror, reflecting the chair and the bright light over it.
action: Inventory
response: You have medical leads (being worn).
action: You look at leads
response: Round, cold; used for monitoring heartbeat and other vital functions. The leads are attached by wires to the monitors on one end and you on the other.
action: About yourself
response: What you can see of yourself is familiar.
action: You look at the monitors
response: The monitors are stacked next to the chair, facing it. Lights play across their surfaces, and a bright spot traces a jagged heartbeat across a square screen. Running from one of the monitors are several wires, leads attached to their other ends.

You feel hot, then cold several times in succession.
action: You examine the door
response: The door has a knob with which it can be locked or unlocked. It is currently open.
action: You examine iv
response: Hanging from the stand is a bag filled with a clear liquid--the nicotine antiaddiction drug. A needle hangs from the bag.
action: You look at the needle
response: Pointed, sharp. Liquid glistens from its tip.
action: Xyzzy
response: Nothing happens.
action: You leave
response: Not while you are attached to the monitors.
action: You remove the leads
response: With a slight sucking sound the leads come free from your temples and from your wrists. The monitors immediately begin shrilling loudly, the screen tracing out a flat line. Startled, you drop the leads.
action: Go west
response: You can't go that way.

You hear footsteps outside the theatre, followed by Dr. Boozer's entrance. His eyes, crinkled with concern, relax when he sees you awake. "Thank God," he says. "I thought I'd heard you flatline." You begin to crumple but Dr. Boozer moves to support you, surreptitiously taking your pulse. "Are you recovered?" he asks worriedly.

You glance down, staring past your trembling hands. You find you don't know how to answer.

--=== Your journey is over ===--

You have achieved a score of 13 points out of a possible 100.

You may restore a saved game, start over, quit, or undo the current command.
action: About yourself
response: What you can see of yourself is familiar.

You feel hot, then cold several times in succession.
action: Inventory
response: You have medical leads (being worn).
action: You look at leads
response: Round, cold; used for monitoring heartbeat and other vital functions. The leads are attached by wires to the monitors on one end and you on the other.
action: You look at the monitors
response: The monitors are stacked next to the chair, facing it. Lights play across their surfaces, and a bright spot traces a jagged heartbeat across a square screen. Running from one of the monitors are several wires, leads attached to their other ends.
action: You look at the mirror
response: The west wall is mostly mirror, reflecting the chair and the bright light over it.
action: You look in the mirror
response: You spend several moments gazing at your reflection and its haggard, sunken eyes.
action: You remove the leads
response: With a slight sucking sound the leads come free from your temples and from your wrists. The monitors immediately begin shrilling loudly, the screen tracing out a flat line. Startled, you drop the leads.

Your hands begin twitching uncontrollably. You fight to keep them still.
action: You remove the leads
response: Taken.

You hear footsteps outside the theatre, followed by Dr. Boozer's entrance. His eyes, crinkled with concern, relax when he sees you awake. "Thank God," he says. "I thought I'd heard you flatline." You begin to crumple but Dr. Boozer moves to support you, surreptitiously taking your pulse. "Are you recovered?" he asks worriedly.

You glance down, staring past your trembling hands. You find you don't know how to answer.

--=== Your journey is over ===--

You have achieved a score of 13 points out of a possible 100.

You may restore a saved game, start over, quit, or undo the current command.
action: You look at the stand
response: Hanging from the stand is a bag filled with a clear liquid--the nicotine antiaddiction drug. A needle hangs from the bag.

Your hands begin twitching uncontrollably. You fight to keep them still.
action: You put the needle in the arm
response: Wincing slightly in anticipation, you jab the needle into a prominent vein. Your summer job in the hospital pays off: the needle slides home on the first try.

Ice cold, the drug races up your arm and through your chest, numbing you. Fire hot, the next wave of the drug invades your system. The walls around you blur, fade away as the world runs in technicolor streaks...

With a snap, the vision ends. You are lying prostrate on the ground, the ceiling whirling above you. Next to you, you hear Dr. Boozer's voice. "Thank God we found you in time," he says.

"Must be deranged," he whispers to the nurse who is with him. Even in your fevered state, you hear every word. "Poor kid put the IV back in." Then you drift away, the rest of Dr. Boozer's words lost.

--=== Your journey is over ===--

You have achieved a score of 13 points out of a possible 100.

You may restore a saved game, start over, quit, or undo the current command.
action: You turn off the monitors
response: You turn off the monitors.
action: You remove the leads
response: With a slight sucking sound the leads come free from your temples and from your wrists. You drop them, leaving them dangling from the monitors.
action: Go north
response: The hallway runs west to east; the east end of the hall curves south towards reception. An open door lies to the south, a closed door to the north.
action: North door
response: It's locked.
action: You look at the north door
response: The door has a small keyhole beneath its knob. The door is currently closed and locked.
action: You go east
response: You begin walking east, then realize that that way lies reception. You quickly retrace your steps.

The fever and chills return, accompanied by a fierce pain behind your eyes.
action: Go west
response: The hallway bends here, running north and east. To the south is a closed door.
action: You examine the door
response: The door has a small keyhole beneath its knob. The door is currently closed.
action: You go south
response: window on its east wall. Several chairs face it.
action: You look at the window
response: The east wall contains a window which looks into the operating theatre where you awoke.
action: You look at chairs
response: The chairs, plastic and wheeled, face the glass window.
action: You go to the north
response: The hallway bends here, running north and east. To the south is an open door.
action: Go north
response: The hallway ends to the north. Doors lead north and east. A cord hangs from an outlined rectangle in the ceiling.

A cramp doubles you over, as if you were hit in the stomach. It takes all of your control to straighten up against the pain.
action: You look at the rectangle
response: The rectangle is outlined in the ceiling above.
action: You open the north door
response: It's locked.
action: You open the east door
response: Opened.
action: Go east
response: The walls of the room are lined with shelves, all of which are
neatly stocked with supplies. An open door is set in the west wall.
action: You look at the supplies
response: Nearly random supplies, such as needles and latex gloves. Part of the supplies are still in crates, piled high near the northeast corner.
action: Examine crates
response: The crates are stacked almost to the ceiling by the northeast corner, leaving a small cubby behind them.

A particularly violent spasm throws you to the floor. You stand again with some effort.
action: You enter the cubby
response: You hunker down behind the crates. They are just tall enough to hide you.
action: You check what you're carrying
response: You are empty-handed.
action: You examine the arm
response: Your arms dangle from your shoulders.
action: Go west
response: The hallway ends to the north. Doors lead north and east. A cord hangs from an outlined rectangle in the ceiling.
action: Go south
response: The hallway bends here, running north and east. To the south is an open door.
action: You go to the east
response: The hallway runs west to east; the east end of the hall curves south towards reception. An open door lies to the south, a closed door to the north.
action: You go south
response: The operating theatre is dominated by a padded chair in its center,
a light just above it. On the north wall, just to the left of the door, is a bank of monitors. The west wall is mostly mirror.
Standing next to the padded chair is an IV stand, its needle
dangling from it.
Hanging from the monitors are several medical leads.

All of your symptoms attack at once: fever, chills, cramps, pain. Your vision dims as you slump to the floor. Time passes without you noticing.

The feel of cool air brings you back around. Above you, blue sky streaks by. A face intrudes, looking down at you and mouthing words you cannot hear. A glance down shows you strapped to a gurney. When you look up again, the sky has been cut off by the roof of an ambulance. You close your eyes, succumbing to a dark tide.

--=== Your journey is over ===--

You have achieved a score of 13 points out of a possible 100.

You may restore a saved game, start over, quit, or undo the current command.
action: You turn off the monitors
response: You turn off the monitors.

You feel hot, then cold several times in succession.
action: You remove the leads
response: With a slight sucking sound the leads come free from your temples and from your wrists. You drop them, leaving them dangling from the monitors.
action: You open the door
response: It's already open.
action: Go north
response: The hallway runs west to east; the east end of the hall curves south towards reception. An open door lies to the south, a closed door to the north.
action: Go west
response: The hallway bends here, running north and east. To the south is a closed door.
action: You go to the north
response: The hallway ends to the north. Doors lead north and east. A cord hangs from an outlined rectangle in the ceiling.
action: You go to the east
response: (Opening the east door)
Supplies Room
The walls of the room are lined with shelves, all of which are
neatly stocked with supplies. An open door is set in the west wall.
action: You close the door
response: Closed.

Your hands begin twitching uncontrollably. You fight to keep them still.
action: You enter the cubby
response: You hunker down behind the crates. They are just tall enough to hide you and the IV stand.
action: You put the needle in the arm
response: Wincing slightly in anticipation, you jab the needle into a prominent vein. Your summer job in the hospital pays off: the needle slides home on the first try.

Ice cold, the drug races up your arm and through your chest, numbing you. Fire hot, the next wave of the drug invades your system. The walls around you blur, fade away as the world runs in technicolor streaks...

Fit the Second: Revisit

"play of light/a photograph/the way I used to be
some half-forgotten stranger/doesn't mean that much to me"
-- Rush

A familiar green hallway embraces you. As the world ceases its unnatural spin, you find you recognize the east-west hall. You're in Green area of the hospital where you volunteered for three months one summer.

No, not volunteered. It was coercion. You were going to be a doctor, just like father wanted, so you had to help out at a local hospital. "Looks good on your resume," everyone told you.

Three months of hell. This place cemented your desire to avoid med school.

Seated in a wheelchair is an old woman.
action: You look at the woman
response: The woman in the wheelchair is ancient, her parchment skin deeply wrinkled and folded. Alert eyes peer from behind large octagonal glasses, eyes which follow every movement in the room.
action: You examine the wheelchair
response: The woman in the wheelchair is ancient, her parchment skin deeply wrinkled and folded. Alert eyes peer from behind large octagonal glasses, eyes which follow every movement in the room.

A group of doctors and interns appears in the hall, headed towards you. You are fixated by the sight of their faces, or rather by their lack of ones. Their heads nearly touch; they are obviously in conference, though you can hear nothing. They pass you and are gone.
action: Hello
response: "Oh, hello!" she says excitedly. Then a look of puzzled concentration crosses her face. "Have we met before?" she asks.
action: You ask the woman about herself
response: The old woman says, "Me? Oh, my, no sense in boring you to tears!"
action: You go east
response: As you walk east, the hall lengthens. With each step everything blurs, vanishing into a grey mist. Your sense of balance is lost; you stumble back the way you came.

A group of doctors and interns appears in the hall, headed towards you. They, too, are faceless. Their heads nearly touch; they are obviously in conference, though you can hear nothing. They pass you and are gone.
action: Go west
response: The hall enters from the east and bends to the southwest. A small
door leads north and an open doorway graces the south wall.
action: You look at the door
response: The open door leads north. A plastic plaque mounted on it reads "G7."
action: You go to the north
response: bed in its center. There is a window, its curtains closed, on the north wall. A door leads south.

Movement at the edge of your vision causes you to whirl around. Before you complete the motion grey hands have grabbed you and dragged you backwards. You have time to register the sight of a white-haired head--familiar, but from where?--next to the bed before you are pulled from the room.

The hall enters from the east and bends to the southwest. A small
door leads north and an open doorway graces the south wall.
A grey man stands over you, grinning.

"You've been very busy," the grey man says. "Very, very busy." His voice is like a stick of butter squeezed through a fist. "Don't you even know why you're here?"
action: No
response: The grey man laughs at you, a horrible sound.

"No guesses?" Eyebrows lift in mock surprise. He points down the hall at the old woman in the wheelchair. "To help idiots like her, perhaps? You weren't successful the first time."

You turn away, your cheeks glowing. The time you spent volunteering at the hospital was far from enjoyable. When you look back, the grey man has vanished.
action: You go to the north
response: You'll have to open the small door first.
action: You open the door
response: It's locked.
action: Go south
response: The operating room is dim and smoky, lit by kerosene lamps and
candles. Through the haze you make out exits to the north, south, and west.
A group of doctors fills the room, milling about a patient.
action: You examine the patient
response: The poor man is enduring what passes for medical care in this room.

One of the doctors takes a glass cup from its stand over a candle and applies it to the patient's skin, making the man writhe.
action: You look at the cup
response: Various pieces of medical equipment lie scattered about the room and held in doctors' hands.
action: You look at the patient
response: The poor man is enduring what passes for medical care in this room.
action: You go south
response: A nondescript hall leading east to northwest. To the north is an
open doorway. The ever-present stripe changes color to the east, just beyond a sign.
action: You look at the sign
response: The sign hangs from the ceiling to the west. It reads, "Leave Green/Enter Purple" in the appropriate colors.
action: Go south
response: You can't go that way.

From further down the hall you hear the familiar squeak of a gurney. A faceless man in blue scrubs is pushing it. A shape on the gurney is completely covered by the white sheet draped over it. The shape occasionally writhes, as if in terrible pain. You watch until you can no longer see them.
action: Go east
response: The hall jogs west to north, interrupted by several stairs to the north. A sign hangs from the ceiling to the west, delineating where the stripe of color changes from purple to green. A set of doors leads east.
action: You go to the east
response: The doors are locked.
action: Go north
response: An east-south bend in the hall. To the south are several stairs.
action: Exits
response: You can go east and south.
action: You go to the east
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign.
action: You go south
response: world. Chairs are strewn about at random; on several there are magazines. A counter guards the hall leading north. Above it is a speaker. To the west are a set of wide double doors labeled "Deliveries." South is the hospital exit.
An attendant is here, sitting behind the counter.
Bubbles is lying on the ground, waiting for you.

Bubbles, upon seeing you, cocks its head at you as it stands. The dog is quite a bit larger than it was before.
action: You examine the dog
response: Bubbles resembles a corgi. In fact, it looks like the corgi you begged your father for when you were eight. It has recently grown out of early puppyhood.
action: You examine the attendant
response: Glancing at her, you feel a shock of recognition. It's Linda, the woman you disliked most while working here. With her flaming red hair and her patronizing attitude towards anyone younger than she, she was hated by many in the hospital.

Bubbles growls softly, baring teeth at Linda. Linda glares back at the dog. "Don't you let that mutt bite me," she tells you.
action: You look at Linda
response: Linda has fiery red hair and long black fingernails. She has made a career of being angry.
action: Attack
response: What do you want Bubbles to attack?
action: You look at what you're carrying with you
response: You are empty-handed.

Bubbles growls softly, baring teeth at Linda. Linda glares back at the dog. "Don't you let that mutt bite me," she tells you.
action: You examine the doors
response: The doors are spring-loaded so as to close automatically.
action: You open the doors
response: The doors are locked.
action: You look
response: world. Chairs are strewn about at random; on several there are magazines. A counter guards the hall leading north. Above it is a speaker. To the west are a set of wide double doors labeled "Deliveries." South is the hospital exit.
Linda is here, sitting behind the counter.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: You examine magazines
response: The magazines are all years out of date.
action: You read the magazines
response: You pick one up and leaf through it. All of its pages are slate grey, completely empty.
action: Go north
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.
There is a nurse here, talking with a patient.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.

A faceless man in blue scrubs appears from further down the hall. He starts to walk past, then pulls up short next to Bubbles. He turns his head towards you, then ushers Bubbles to the south.

The nurse, satisfied, wheels the gurney through the swinging doors to the north. The remaining patients call after her.

From further down the hall you hear the familiar squeak of a gurney. A faceless man in blue scrubs is pushing it. A shape on the gurney is completely covered by the white sheet draped over it. The shape occasionally writhes, as if in terrible pain. You watch until you can no longer see them.
action: Exits
response: You can go south, east, and west.
action: You go to the west
response: An east-south bend in the hall. To the south are several stairs.
action: You go east
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.
action: Go east
response: Two doors, one on the north wall and one on the south, flank this east-west hall. A sign hangs from the ceiling to the west.
action: Go west
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.
There is a nurse here.

The nurse moves to the patient at the head of the line and begins taking a history.
action: You go south
response: world. Chairs are strewn about at random; on several there are magazines. A counter guards the hall leading north. Above it is a speaker. To the west are a set of wide double doors labeled "Deliveries." South is the hospital exit.
Linda is here, sitting behind the counter.
Bubbles is lying on the ground, staring at you with soulful eyes.
action: You examine the counter
response: The counter is next to the north hallway. It is pushed nearly against the east wall, leaving little room for the attendant behind it. Signs dot its front surface.
action: You examine the signs
response: The signs are all ones you remember from your time here: "Payment expected at time of treatment unless prior arrangements are made," "No pets, guide dogs excepted," and your personal favorite, "No smoking." Someone has raked ashes across the last sign.
action: Go north
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.
There is a nurse here, talking with a patient.

The nurse, satisfied, wheels the gurney through the swinging doors to the north. The remaining patients call after her.
action: You follow you
response: Bubbles gets up and trots over to you.

Bubbles growls softly, baring teeth at Linda. Linda glares back at the dog. "Don't you let that mutt bite me," she tells you.
action: Go north
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.

A faceless man in blue scrubs appears from further down the hall. He starts to walk past, then pulls up short next to Bubbles. He turns his head towards you, then ushers Bubbles to the south.

The nurse reenters the hallway from the north, wheeling a gurney covered in a fine coating of ash. She pushes the gurney west, then returns a few seconds later empty-handed.
action: Go east
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.

From further down the hall you hear the familiar squeak of a gurney. A faceless man in blue scrubs is pushing it. A shape on the gurney is completely covered by the white sheet draped over it. The shape occasionally writhes, as if in terrible pain. You watch until you can no longer see them.
action: Go north
response: A sterile white room, bereft of any humanizing touches. A bed surrounded by medical equipment is the sole piece of furniture in the room. Judging from its rumpled condition, this room is occupied.
action: You look at the bed
response: A hospital bed, designed for utility rather than comfort.
action: You go east
response: An east-west hall with an orange strip coloring the wall just below
the ceiling. There is an open door in the south wall.
action: You go to the east
response: As you walk east, the hall lengthens. With each step everything blurs, vanishing into a grey mist. Your sense of balance is lost; you stumble back the way you came.
action: You go south
response: In the center of the room, a bed. In the bed, a huddled shape.
Beside the bed, murmuring equipment. To the north is a door.
Lying on a shelf is a strangely-glowing globe.
action: You take the globe
response: As your hands close around the globe, you feel a tingling in your fingers. The tingling quickly grows, becomes horrendous pain. You jerk back your hands; the feeling of having dipped them in lava fades.

The shape under the bed sits up, startling you. A withered hand grabs you, leaving streaks of blood on your arm. The man is trying to say something, a violent exercise which makes his head shake with effort. He finally points to the globe on the shelf, making a horrible keening noise, before collapsing back under the sheets.
action: You examine man
response: The shape underneath the covers is barely recognizable as a man. Tubes snake around and through his body; what skin he still owns he wears poorly. The rise and fall of his chest are uneven.
action: You examine the globe
response: Its borders are nebulous; it gives off a faint glow.
action: You take the globe
response: As your hands close around the globe, you feel a tingling in your fingers. The tingling quickly grows, becomes horrendous pain. You jerk back your hands; the feeling of having dipped them in lava fades.
action: You look at the box
response: The gunmetal-grey box is attached to the side of the building, marring its otherwise smooth surface. Its cover is open, revealing a row of breakers inside and a list taped to the box door.
action: You look at the breakers
response: There are eight breakers, arranged in two rows of four.
action: You look at the first breaker
response: The breaker is currently on.
action: Inventory
response: You have a thin coat (being worn), a pair of gloves (being worn), a light sphere, a pair of sunglasses (being worn), a length of rope, and a rucksack. The rucksack seems to contain a fool and a tuft of insulation.
action: You put all in the rucksack
response: fool: The fool is already in the rucksack!
tuft of insulation: The tuft of insulation is already in the rucksack! thin coat: (Taking off the thin coat first)
Done.
heavy gloves: (Taking off the gloves first)
Done.
light sphere: Done.
sunglasses: (Taking off the sunglasses first)
Done.
rope: Done.
rucksack: You can't put the rucksack in itself!
action: You turn the east wheel clockwise
response: The wheel refuses to turn further in that direction.
action: You turn east wheel CCW
response: You give the wheel a counterclockwise spin. As you do, a groaning, shuddering sound emanates from beneath your feet. The floor tilts alarmingly, sending the balances to chattering. The pyramid of spheres shakes but stays together. Frankie spares you a glance; Bubbles looks surprised. When you are done the south side of the room is higher than it was, the north side lower.

With a loud blorp, the flow of sludge increases. Noticeably.
action: Continue
response: You give the wheel a counterclockwise spin. As you do, a groaning, shuddering sound emanates from beneath your feet. The floor tilts alarmingly, sending the balances to chattering. The pyramid of spheres shakes but stays together. Frankie spares you a glance; Bubbles looks surprised. When you are done the south side of the room is higher than it was, the north side lower.
action: Keep going
response: The wheel, stubborn, refuses to turn further in that direction.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You look at the heater
response: It is an old-fashioned wood-burning heater, standing a few centimeters above the ground on metal legs. Heat pours from it in waves. Its most noticeable feature isn't: it has no smoke stack.
action: You turn south wheel ccw
response: You give the wheel a counterclockwise spin. As you do, a groaning, shuddering sound emanates from beneath your feet. The floor tilts alarmingly, sending the balances to chattering. The pyramid of spheres shakes but stays together. Frankie spares you a glance; Bubbles looks surprised. When you are done the west side of the room is higher than it was, the east side lower.
action: You turn south wheel ccw
response: You give the wheel a counterclockwise spin. As you do, a groaning, shuddering sound emanates from beneath your feet. The floor tilts alarmingly, sending the balances to chattering. The pyramid of spheres shakes but stays together. Frankie spares you a glance; Bubbles looks surprised. When you are done the west side of the room is higher than it was, the east side lower. The flow of sludge alters course, until it is collecting near the northeast corner.
action: You ask Frankie about the sludge
response: Frankie says, "I don't know. Sam was studying it. He thought it was connected somehow to the spheres. All he was able to discover about it was that it was highly toxic and flammable."

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You turn east wheel cw
response: You give the wheel a clockwise spin. As you do, a groaning, shuddering sound emanates from beneath your feet. The floor tilts alarmingly, sending the balances to chattering. The pyramid of spheres shakes but stays together. Frankie spares you a glance; Bubbles looks surprised. When you are done the north side of the room is higher than it was, the south side lower.
action: Turn south wheel cw
response: You give the wheel a clockwise spin. As you do, a groaning, shuddering sound emanates from beneath your feet. The floor tilts alarmingly, sending the balances to chattering and the pyramid of spheres to shaking. Frankie spares you a glance; Bubbles looks surprised. When you are done the east side of the room is higher than it was, the west side lower. The flow of sludge alters course, until it is collecting near the middle of the room.
action: You turn east wheel cw
response: You give the wheel a clockwise spin. As you do, a groaning, shuddering sound emanates from beneath your feet. The floor tilts alarmingly, sending the balances to chattering. The pyramid of spheres shakes but stays together. Frankie spares you a glance; Bubbles looks surprised. When you are done the north side of the room is higher than it was, the south side lower. The flow of sludge alters course, until it is collecting near the entrance.

The flow of sludge triples, then triples again. There is a loud sizzle as it engulfs the heater, extinguishing it. The flow reaches the pile of spheres, turning them all black, then dissolving them.

"Come on!" Frankie shouts in horror, abandoning his task. He grabs your arm and drags you up the stairs, pulling the trapdoor shut behind him.

The room is hot and stifling; cobwebs drip from every surface. A hot-water tank crouches in one corner. A trapdoor in the floor marks where the stairs used to be. To the east is an open door.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
Frankie is here.
action: You wait for a while
response: Time passes...

Frankie looks at his hands, surprised to find he is still carrying a sphere. He holds it up to the light; it has turned black as pitch. "The sludge must've hit it," he says. Then he smiles at you, sadly. "It would have been nice to be able to finish." He shrugs resignedly, dropping the sphere. "Ah, well. See you round." He turns and walks into the hallway, but as he does, he separates into thousands of grains, a painting by Seurat. The grains separate, caught in a sudden zephyr, and are gone.
action: You look at the sphere
response: Which sphere do you mean, the dark sphere, or the light sphere?
action: You pull the arm
response: After a bout of experimentation you discover that you can raise and lower the sentinel's hands.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You examine the hands
response: Metal hands, held cupped in front of the statue. The arms to which the hands belong are hinged at the elbow.
action: You put the dark in the hands
response: You can't put the sentinel anywhere.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You check what you're carrying
response: You are empty-handed.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: Go west
response: The room is hot and stifling; cobwebs drip from every surface. A hot-water tank crouches in one corner. A trapdoor in the floor marks where the stairs used to be. To the east is an open door.
You see a dark sphere here.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You take the dark
response: You bend down and pick it up. A sudden tremor seizes your arm muscles, then stops.
action: You put dark sphere in the hands
response: You place the dark sphere in the sentinel's hands. A shudder wracks the sentinel. Its hands lower, dropping the sphere onto the floor.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You take the dark sphere
response: Taken.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: Go east
response: The walkway ends to the south in a blank wall. A doorway to the
west and the remainder of the walkway to the north allow egress.
action: You go to the north
response: The walkway runs along the west wall of the hallway. To the
southeast, a sweeping staircase meets the hallway from below. An open door is to the west. Above the door is a clock.
action: You go west
response: The tiny closet is dank and has a strange smell. It is unfinished;
in many places unadorned sheetrock and insulation show. The only light in the room comes from the bare bulb above you. Dangling from it is a pull cord.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You put the light sphere in the hands
response: You place the light sphere in the sentinel's hands.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: Go south
response: The walkway runs east and west here.
action: Go east
response: The walkway bends to the south; you follow it.

The walkway runs along the east wall of the hallway. A sweeping staircase joins the walkway to the southwest.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You go south
response: foyer. There is a doorway to the east; the walkway continues to the north.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: Go east
response: The library is a harshly-lit backwards L curving around the end of
the building. Shelves filled with books take up much of the room; the rest is inhabited by stacks of books. A metal sentinel guards the west exit; on the other side of the exit is a light switch. There is a clock above the sentinel.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You raise the arms
response: The sentinel's hands will move no further.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You put the light sphere in the hands
response: You place the light sphere in the sentinel's hands.
action: Go east
response: The library is a harshly-lit backwards L curving around the end of
the building. Shelves filled with books take up much of the room; the rest is inhabited by stacks of books. A metal sentinel guards the west exit; on the other side of the exit is a light switch. There is a clock above the sentinel.
In the sentinel's hands you see a light sphere.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You take the light sphere
response: Taken.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You go to the south
response: Bubbles begins barking at you fiercely, dancing in front of you and impeding your progress. You nearly have to jump over Bubbles to get past, at which point it lies on the floor, staring mournfully at you as you leave.

You can see little through the glare of sun on snow. The building
to the north is just visible, but everything else is a wash of bright white.

Through the glare you can make out a man striding through the snow to the south. He is completely grey, as if all color had been leeched from him long ago, a black and white image in a world of technicolor. He pauses, stares at you, then continues on until he is lost in the distance. You feel a sudden chill.

You begin to feel the cold seep into you, chilling you.
action: You go south
response: The snow is impassable in that direction.

You hear a faint rumbling begin.

The air above you shimmers for a brief moment, during which a metal sphere falls from the disturbance to the ground below.
action: You take the metal sphere
response: You fumble around blindly in the snow, but cannot find what you seek.

The cold is becoming worse, making your fingers slow to work.
action: Go north
response: The two-story height of the foyer is channelled into a narrower
hallway to the north. On the north wall to the west of the hallway's beginning is an open doorway. The building's entrance to the south is reflected in the marble floor.
Tracked across the marble floor are muddy footprints.
Bubbles is lying on the ground, waiting for you.

Bubbles sees you and jumps up, barking loudly at your return.

Your hands are working again, albeit a little stiffly.

The metal sphere rolls towards you. When it is less than a meter away it stops, waiting.
action: You take the metal sphere
response: You reach down and take the sphere. As you straighten up, tiny needles spring from the thousands of holes which dot it. With a curse you throw the sphere, now smeared red with your blood, away from you. As it falls it bursts into flame, oily smoke curling from it. From the center of the flame you hear an eerily familiar voice say, "Well. Interesting stunt you've pulled, coming to where I now live. I trust you'll stay for my avalanche." Then the sphere vanishes in a final burst of fire.
action: You go south
response: Bubbles begins barking at you fiercely, dancing in front of you and impeding your progress. You nearly have to jump over Bubbles to get past, at which point it lies on the floor, staring mournfully at you as you leave.

You can see little through the glare of sun on snow. The building
to the north is just visible, but everything else is a wash of bright white.
action: Go west
response: The snow is impassable in that direction.

The cold is becoming worse, making your fingers slow to work.
action: You wait awhile
response: Time passes...

The rumbling you heard earlier has grown in volume. It sounds very close.
action: Wait
response: Time passes...

Your eyelids are becoming gummed. It is now a struggle to keep moving.
action: You wait
response: Time passes...

Strangely enough, you are no longer cold. The enveloping warmth you now feel is soothing.
action: Wait
response: Time passes...

You sink to the ground, lassitude overcoming you. Just a rest, you think, and then onward.

--=== Your journey is over ===--

You have achieved a score of 13 points out of a possible 100.

You may restore a saved game, start over, quit, or undo the current command.
action: You look at the sack
response: It is made of heavy denim and looks well-used. The rucksack is open and seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a thin coat, a pair of gloves, a pair of sunglasses, a length of rope, a dark sphere, and a light sphere.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You go to the south
response: Bubbles begins barking at you fiercely, dancing in front of you and impeding your progress. You nearly have to jump over Bubbles to get past, at which point it lies on the floor, staring mournfully at you as you leave.

The building to the north is now covered with snow. Under your feet
it squeaks with the sound of deep-seated ice. To the northeast and northwest the snow is somewhat thinner, due to the building's protection. Pressed down in the ice and snow are tracks of footprints.

To the south you see a man striding through the snow. He is completely grey, as if all color had been leeched from him long ago, a black and white image in a world of technicolor. He pauses, stares at you, then continues on until he is lost in the distance. You feel a sudden chill.

You begin to feel the cold seep into you, chilling you.
action: You go northeast
response: The building looms to the west, shadowing the path which leads north and south. Pressed down in the snow are tracks of footprints.
On the side of the building is a grey box.

You hear a faint rumbling begin.

The air above you shimmers for a brief moment, during which a metal sphere falls from the disturbance to the ground below.
action: You take the metal sphere
response: You reach down and take the sphere. As you straighten up, tiny needles spring from the thousands of holes which dot it. With a curse you throw the sphere, now smeared red with your blood, away from you. As it falls it bursts into flame, oily smoke curling from it. From the center of the flame you hear an eerily familiar voice say, "Well. Interesting stunt you've pulled, coming to where I now live. I trust you'll stay for my avalanche." Then the sphere vanishes in a final burst of fire.
action: Go north
response: To the north, the ground suddenly rises into tree-speckled heights. From those heights you see snow gracefully piling towards you. To the south, the building's shape breaks the smooth white carpet of the ground. Partially buried in the snow is a large post. Pressed down in the snow are many footprints.

The cold is becoming worse, making your fingers slow to work.
action: Examine post
response: Its square outline thrusts skywards from the snow. A dark line in the snow runs beside it, northwest to southeast. From the line a cable issues. The cable's twin dangles from the post, then scurries down its length and into the snow on the side of the post opposite the line.
action: You take the upper cable
response: You reach up and grab hold of the bare end of the cable. The wire writhes in your grasp as a surge of electricity passes through you and into the ground. Sparks leap gleefully between your rigid fingers, between you and the post, between you and the lower cable. For a moment, improbably, you are a living Jacob's ladder. You begin to lose consciousness as your clothes smoulder, then burst into flames.

The pain is mercifully brief.

--=== Your journey is over ===--

You have achieved a score of 13 points out of a possible 100.

You may restore a saved game, start over, quit, or undo the current command.
action: You take the lower cable
response: You reach down and grab hold of the bare end of the cable. The wire rubs against your hand.
action: You go north
response: The hallway runs west to east; the east end of the hall curves south towards reception. An open door lies to the south, a closed door to the north.

You feel hot, then cold several times in succession.
action: You close the door
response: Closed.
action: You enter the cubby
response: You hunker down behind the crates. They are just tall enough to hide you and the IV stand.
action: You put the needle in the arm
response: Wincing slightly in anticipation, you jab the needle into a prominent vein. Your summer job in the hospital pays off: the needle slides home on the first try.

Ice cold, the drug races up your arm and through your chest, numbing you. Fire hot, the next wave of the drug invades your system. The walls around you blur, fade away as the world runs in technicolor streaks...

Fit the Second: Revisit

"play of light/a photograph/the way I used to be
some half-forgotten stranger/doesn't mean that much to me"
-- Rush

A familiar green hallway embraces you. As the world ceases its unnatural spin, you find you recognize the east-west hall. You're in Green area of the hospital where you volunteered for three months one summer.

No, not volunteered. It was coercion. You were going to be a doctor, just like father wanted, so you had to help out at a local hospital. "Looks good on your resume," everyone told you.

Three months of hell. This place cemented your desire to avoid med school.

Seated in a wheelchair is an old woman.
action: You go northwest
response: A U-shaped hall, entering from the northeast. The floor slopes
gently down as it rounds the curve towards the southeast. Directly across from you is a doorway leading east.
action: You go to the southeast
response: A nondescript hall leading east to northwest. To the north is an
open doorway. The ever-present stripe changes color to the east, just beyond a sign.

A man passes by, dressed in blue scrubs. Where his face should be there is nothing. He is soon out of sight, hidden by a turn in the hall.
action: You go to the east
response: The operating room is mildly clean; evidently Lister's ideas have
begun to catch on, though they are applied haphazardly. There are exits to the north, south, and west.
A group of doctors fills the room, milling about a patient.
action: Go east
response: The hall jogs west to north, interrupted by several stairs to the north. A sign hangs from the ceiling to the west, delineating where the stripe of color changes from purple to green. A set of doors leads east.

A patient slowly makes her way down the hall, pushing an IV stand. She has no face--her head is featureless. She continues down the hall and out of sight.
action: You go to the north
response: Shiny and clean. The only feature which breaks the sterility of the room is a pile of crates stacked in the northeast corner. There are exits to the north, south, and west.
A group of doctors and nurses is milling about a patient on a
gurney.

The doctors cover the now-dead patient and wheel him out. One nurse lingers for a moment, fingering a glass vial. She absentmindedly places it on the crates while exiting to the north.
action: You look at the vial
response: The glass vial has a rubber top and is partially filled with a clear liquid. A label wraps around it.
action: You take the vial
response: The vial turns out to be wet; it slips between your fingers and hits the floor. It doesn't break, thankfully, but it does roll under the crates and out of view.
action: You read the label
response: "Novocaine."
action: You look under the crate
response: You can barely see something at the far end of the gap.
action: You enter the gap
response: The space is much too small for you.
action: You look at the gap
response: The gap is barely wide enough for your arm and is very deep. It is too dark for you to make out any other details.
action: You put the arm in gap
response: You reach in the gap. Your hand encounters nothing, no matter how hard you strain.
action: You go north
response: bed in its center. There is a window, its curtains closed, on the north wall. A door leads south.
Coiled on the floor where it was carelessly dropped is a blood
pressure cuff.
action: You look at the cuff
response: The blood pressure cuff has a dial and an inflation bulb.
action: You open the curtains
response: Opening the curtains, instead of revealing the green lawn which surrounds this hospital, reveals a grey mist which clings to the window. It is translucent, admitting a diffuse light but no glimpse of what's beyond.
action: You close the curtains
response: You draw the curtains against the grey mist.
action: Go south
response: The hall enters from the east and bends to the southwest. A small
door leads north and an open doorway graces the south wall.

A group of doctors and interns appears in the hall, headed towards you. You are fixated by the sight of their faces, or rather by their lack of ones. Their heads nearly touch; they are obviously in conference, though you can hear nothing. They pass you and are gone.
action: Go south
response: Shiny and clean. The only feature which breaks the sterility of the room is a pile of crates stacked in the northeast corner. There are exits to the north, south, and west.
Sitting on the crates you see a glass vial.
action: You go west
response: A U-shaped hall, entering from the northeast. The floor slopes
gently down as it rounds the curve towards the southeast. Directly across from you is a doorway leading east.
action: You look at the sign
response: The sign hangs from the ceiling to the west. It reads, "Leave Purple/Enter Green" in the appropriate colors.
action: You go northwest
response: A U-shaped hall, entering from the northeast. The floor slopes
gently down as it rounds the curve towards the southeast. Directly across from you is a doorway leading east.

A man passes by, dressed in a white coat. Where his face should be there is nothing. He is soon out of sight, hidden by a turn in the hall.
action: Go east
response: Shiny and clean. The only feature which breaks the sterility of the room is a pile of crates stacked in the northeast corner. There are exits to the north, south, and west.
Sitting on the crates you see a glass vial.
action: You go north
response: bed in its center. There is a window, its curtains closed, on the north wall. A door leads south.
action: You go east
response: The doors are locked.

A group of doctors and interns appears in the hall, headed towards you. They, too, are faceless. Their heads nearly touch; they are obviously in conference, though you can hear nothing. They pass you and are gone.
action: Go north
response: The doors will not budge for you. As you push harder, a squirt of grey smoke escapes from behind them.

The nurse reenters the hallway from the north, wheeling a gurney covered in a fine coating of ash. She pushes the gurney west, then returns a few seconds later empty-handed.
action: Go east
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.

A patient slowly makes her way down the hall, pushing an IV stand. She has no face--her head is featureless. She continues down the hall and out of sight.
action: You examine the north plaque
response: It reads "O7."
action: You examine the south plaque
response: It reads "O6."
action: You look at the ceiling sign
response: The sign hangs from the ceiling to the west. It reads, "Leave Orange/Enter Purple" in the appropriate colors.

From further down the hall you hear the familiar squeak of a gurney. A faceless man in blue scrubs is pushing it. A shape on the gurney is completely covered by the white sheet draped over it. The shape occasionally writhes, as if in terrible pain. You watch until you can no longer see them.
action: Go west
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.

The nurse reenters the hallway from the north, wheeling a gurney covered in a fine coating of ash. She pushes the gurney west, then returns a few seconds later empty-handed.
action: You examine the sign
response: The sign hangs from the ceiling to the west. It reads, "Leave Purple/Enter Orange" in the appropriate colors.

The nurse moves to the patient at the head of the line and begins taking a history.
action: You go to the south
response: world. Chairs are strewn about at random; on several there are magazines. A counter guards the hall leading north. Above it is a speaker. To the west are a set of wide double doors labeled "Deliveries." South is the hospital exit.
An attendant is here, sitting behind the counter.
Bubbles is lying on the ground, waiting for you.

Bubbles, upon seeing you, cocks its head at you as it stands. The dog is quite a bit larger than it was before. It is wearing the rucksack and, you would swear, grinning at you.
action: You examine the dog
response: Bubbles resembles a corgi. In fact, it looks like the corgi you begged your father for when you were eight. It has recently grown out of early puppyhood. It is wearing the rucksack.
action: You take the rucksack
response: Taken.

Bubbles growls softly, baring teeth at the attendant. The attendant glares back at the dog. "Don't you let that mutt bite me," she tells you.
action: Inventory
response: You have a blood pressure cuff and a rucksack. The rucksack seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a thin coat, a pair of gloves, a length of rope, a dark sphere, a light sphere, and a pair of sunglasses.
action: Look around
response: world. Chairs are strewn about at random; on several there are magazines. A counter guards the hall leading north. Above it is a speaker. To the west are a set of wide double doors labeled "Deliveries." South is the hospital exit.
An attendant is here, sitting behind the counter.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: Go south
response: You push open the glass doors that lie between you and the outside. As you do, a grey mist begins pouring through the door. You can't see a thing outside. You're not even sure if there _is_ an outside. You let the doors swing shut in front of you.
action: You go to the north
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.
There is a nurse here, talking with a patient.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.

A faceless man in blue scrubs appears from further down the hall. He starts to walk past, then pulls up short next to Bubbles. He turns his head towards you, then ushers Bubbles to the south.

The nurse, satisfied, wheels the gurney through the swinging doors to the north. The remaining patients call after her.
action: You go south
response: world. Chairs are strewn about at random; on several there are magazines. A counter guards the hall leading north. Above it is a speaker. To the west are a set of wide double doors labeled "Deliveries." South is the hospital exit.
An attendant is here, sitting behind the counter.
Bubbles is lying on the ground, staring at you with soulful eyes.
action: You go north
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.

A group of doctors and interns appears in the hall, headed towards you. They, too, are faceless. Their heads nearly touch; they are obviously in conference, though you can hear nothing. They pass you and are gone.
action: You examine the sign
response: The sign hangs from the ceiling to the west. It reads, "Leave Purple/Enter Orange" in the appropriate colors.

The nurse reenters the hallway from the north, wheeling a gurney covered in a fine coating of ash. She pushes the gurney west, then returns a few seconds later empty-handed.
action: Go north
response: The doors will not budge for you. As you push harder, a squirt of grey smoke escapes from behind them.

The nurse moves to the patient at the head of the line and begins taking a history.
action: You go south
response: The unoccupied room is an oddity in this hospital. Like other
hospital rooms, it sports a bed and an excess of medical equipment. Leaning in a corner is a white cane.
action: You examine the cane
response: The cane is white with a red tip. Its grip is worn with use.
action: Go east
response: An east-west hall with an orange strip coloring the wall just below
the ceiling. There is an open door in the south wall.

A patient slowly makes her way down the hall, pushing an IV stand. She has no face--her head is featureless. She continues down the hall and out of sight.
action: You examine the globe
response: Its borders are nebulous; it gives off a faint glow.

The shape under the bed sits up, startling you. A withered hand grabs you, leaving streaks of blood on your arm. The man is trying to say something, a violent exercise which makes his head shake with effort. He finally points to the globe on the shelf, making a horrible keening noise, before collapsing back under the sheets.
action: You take the globe
response: As your hands close around the globe, you feel a tingling in your fingers even through the gloves. The tingling quickly grows, becomes horrendous pain. You jerk back your hands; the feeling of having dipped them in lava fades.
action: You ask the man about the globe
response: The man's eyes pop open, fever bright. His lips move soundlessly; exhausted from the effort, he sinks further into his bed.
action: You go north
response: An east-west hall with an orange strip coloring the wall just below
the ceiling. There is an open door in the south wall.

A man passes by, dressed in blue scrubs. Where his face should be there is nothing. He is soon out of sight, hidden by a turn in the hall.
action: You go to the east
response: As you walk east, the hall lengthens. With each step everything blurs, vanishing into a grey mist. Your sense of balance is lost; you stumble back the way you came.
action: You go west
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.
There is a nurse here, talking with a patient.
action: You look at the stairs
response: Four steps leading south.
action: Exits
response: You can go east and south.
action: Go east
response: The doors are locked.

A woman passes by, dressed in blue scrubs. Where her face should be there is nothing. She is soon out of sight, hidden by a turn in the hall.
action: You take the vial
response: The vial turns out to be wet; it slips between your gloved fingers and hits the floor. It doesn't break, thankfully, but it does roll under the crates and out of view.
action: Inventory
response: You have a blood pressure cuff, a rucksack (being worn), a white cane, and a pair of gloves (being worn). The rucksack seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a thin coat, a length of rope, a dark sphere, a light sphere, and a pair of sunglasses.
action: You open the curtains
response: Behind the curtains and the window, the grey mist remains.
action: You examine the mist
response: It has a greasy look to it; it rubs against the window, leaving tracks of moisture.
action: You go east
response: A hospital hall running east-west. A green stripe just below the ceiling decorates the otherwise-bland walls. The hum of fluorescent lighting is barely audible.
Seated in a wheelchair is an old woman.

A patient slowly makes his way down the hall, pushing an IV stand. He has no face--his head is featureless. He continues down the hall and out of sight.
action: Go north
response: bed in its center. There is a window, its curtains open, on the north wall. A door leads south.
action: You examine the equipment
response: Through the long months you worked here you never discovered their purpose.
action: You look under the bed
response: You find some dust, which you take.
action: Go east
response: A hospital hall running east-west. A green stripe just below the ceiling decorates the otherwise-bland walls. The hum of fluorescent lighting is barely audible.
Seated in a wheelchair is an old woman.

From further down the hall you hear the familiar squeak of a gurney. A faceless man in blue scrubs is pushing it. A shape on the gurney is completely covered by the white sheet draped over it. The shape occasionally writhes, as if in terrible pain. You watch until you can no longer see them.
action: Exits
response: You can go east and west.
action: You go to the east
response: As you walk east, the hall lengthens. With each step everything blurs, vanishing into a grey mist. Your sense of balance is lost; you stumble back the way you came.
action: Inventory
response: You have a blood pressure cuff, a rucksack (being worn), a white cane, a pair of gloves, and some dust. The rucksack seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a thin coat, a length of rope, a dark sphere, a light sphere, and a pair of sunglasses.
action: You look at the cuff
response: The blood pressure cuff has a dial and an inflation bulb.
action: You look at the gap
response: The gap is barely wide enough for your arm and is very deep. By straining your eyes, you can just make out the shadow of something deep within the gap.
action: Go south
response: A nondescript hall leading east to northwest. To the north is an
open doorway. The ever-present stripe changes color to the east, just beyond a sign.

A patient slowly makes his way down the hall, pushing an IV stand. He has no face--his head is featureless. He continues down the hall and out of sight.
action: You look at attendant
response: Glancing at her, you feel a shock of recognition. It's Linda, the woman you disliked most while working here. With her flaming red hair and her patronizing attitude towards anyone younger than she, she was hated by many in the hospital.
action: You give the dust to Linda
response: Linda rejects the offer.
action: You ask Linda about Linda
response: "I don't have time for stupid questions." She rolls her eyes in exasperation.
action: Go north
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.
There is a nurse here.

A sudden scream from further down the line. Both you and the nurse jump; she runs to the patient, then returns, wheeling him at high speed. She holds out a horrible-smelling sac filled with a black substance. "Here!" she snaps. "Colostomy bag. Take it, quick!" You remember why you chose not to go to med school.
action: You take the bag
response: It slithers warmly in your grasp.

The nurse looks at you gratefully as she wheels the patient north. As she and the patient pass through the doors, one of the blank-faced men slips past her and into the hall. He takes the colostomy bag from you and reenters the north doors. It takes a moment for you to realize the bag is really gone, another to realize that you are now covered in a light sheen of sweat.
action: Go north
response: The doors will not budge for you. As you push harder, a squirt of grey smoke escapes from behind them.

A group of doctors and interns appears in the hall, headed towards you. They, too, are faceless. Their heads nearly touch; they are obviously in conference, though you can hear nothing. They pass you and are gone.
action: You go south
response: world. Chairs are strewn about at random; on several there are magazines. A counter guards the hall leading north. Above it is a speaker. To the west are a set of wide double doors labeled "Deliveries." South is the hospital exit.
Linda is here, sitting behind the counter.
Bubbles is lying on the ground, staring at you with soulful eyes.
action: You wear the glasses
response: Everything becomes a little dimmer as you put on the sunglasses.
action: Go north
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A few patients on gurneys line the hallway.
There is a nurse here.

The nurse begins talking to a patient, but is brought up short by something. She turns and sees you. She beams. "Terry, glad you're still here. I'm missing my BP cuff--must've dropped it somewhere in Green. Go get it for me, will you?" She hands you a hall pass. "In case someone harasses you," she says with a wink before turning back to another patient.
action: You take the cuff
response: You already have the blood pressure cuff!
action: You give the cuff to the nurse
response: The nurse thanks you as she applies the BP cuff to a patient and takes a reading.
action: You examine the pass
response: The hall pass is a laminated card with colors around its edges to show what areas the bearer is authorized to enter. This one is edged in purple and green stripes.

The nurse, satisfied, wheels the gurney through the swinging doors to the north.
action: You check your inventory
response: You have a rucksack (being worn), a white cane, a pair of gloves, some dust, a pair of sunglasses (being worn), and a hall pass. The rucksack seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a thin coat, a length of rope, a dark sphere, and a light sphere.
action: You put the dust in the sack
response: Done.

A group of doctors and interns appears in the hall, headed towards you. They, too, are faceless. Their heads nearly touch; they are obviously in conference, though you can hear nothing. They pass you and are gone.
action: Go north
response: Shiny and clean. The only feature which breaks the sterility of the room is a pile of crates stacked in the northeast corner. There are exits to the north, south, and west.
action: Go east
response: A hospital hall running east-west. A green stripe just below the ceiling decorates the otherwise-bland walls. The hum of fluorescent lighting is barely audible.
Seated in a wheelchair is an old woman.
action: Go east
response: As you walk east, the hall lengthens. With each step everything blurs, vanishing into a grey mist. Your sense of balance is lost; you stumble back the way you came.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the old woman's chin nods towards her chest. Shortly after the chin has completed its journey, soft snores begin floating from her.
action: You remove the glasses
response: You remove the sunglasses.
action: You look at the pass
response: The hall pass is a laminated card with colors around its edges to show what areas the bearer is authorized to enter. This one is edged in purple and green stripes.

The old woman begins humming to herself. She rolls to the south.
action: You go south
response: The hall enters from the east and bends to the southwest. A small
door leads north and an open doorway graces the south wall.
Seated in a wheelchair is an old woman.

From behind you, you hear humming. Surprised, you turn around to see the old woman humming "Amazing Grace" to herself. When she notices your scrutiny she stops, her cheeks coloring slightly.
action: You ask the woman about the wheelchair
response: The old woman says, "Me? Oh, my, no sense in boring you to tears!"

The old woman in the wheelchair rolls up to you. "You know, seeing you reminds me of when John and I went to Paris. Have you ever been to Paris?" she asks.
action: Yes
response: "Ooh, I'm so glad!" she replies.

From further down the hall you hear the familiar squeak of a gurney. A faceless man in blue scrubs is pushing it. A shape on the gurney is completely covered by the white sheet draped over it. The shape occasionally writhes, as if in terrible pain. You watch until you can no longer see them.
action: You ask woman about the paris
response: "I've been to Paris!" she tells you excitedly. "You must go and see it some time. It's lovely!"
action: You ask the woman about John
response: The old woman says, "Have you seen John?" Her eyes light up. "He's been on a business trip."

"I wonder where my son got off to," says the old woman. She rolls to the east.
action: Go east
response: A hospital hall running east-west. A green stripe just below the ceiling decorates the otherwise-bland walls. The hum of fluorescent lighting is barely audible.
Seated in a wheelchair is an old woman.
action: You ask the woman about the son
response: "Have you seen him?" she asks you excitedly. "He's getting married soon, you know," she adds in a conspiratorial whisper.
action: You ask the woman about the son
response: "My son's visiting me for his birthday. Did you know that he'll be seven today?"
action: You go to the south
response: You can't go that way.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the old woman's chin nods towards her chest. Shortly after the chin has completed its journey, soft snores begin floating from her.
action: You describe your surroundings
response: A hospital hall running east-west. A green stripe just below the ceiling decorates the otherwise-bland walls. The hum of fluorescent lighting is barely audible.
Slumped in a wheelchair, asleep, is an old woman.
action: Go west
response: The hall enters from the east and bends to the southwest. A small
door leads north and an open doorway graces the south wall.

A woman passes by, dressed in blue scrubs. Where her face should be there is nothing. She is soon out of sight, hidden by a turn in the hall.
action: Wear coat
response: As you wear the coat you feel the insulation inside crackling. The coat is very warm.

Bubbles's tail hits the ground softly.
action: You check what you're carrying
response: You have a white cane, a pair of gloves, a pair of sunglasses (being worn), a hall pass, and a thin coat (being worn).
action: You go north
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.

A faceless man in blue scrubs appears from further down the hall. He starts to walk past, then pulls up short next to Bubbles. He turns his head towards you, then ushers Bubbles to the south.

A woman passes by, dressed in a white coat. Where her face should be there is nothing. She is soon out of sight, hidden by a turn in the hall.
action: You follow the dog
response: But Bubbles is right here!
action: You check what you're carrying
response: You have a white cane, a pair of gloves, a pair of sunglasses (being worn), a hall pass, and a thin coat (being worn).
action: You examine the cane
response: The cane is white with a red tip. Its grip is worn with use.
action: You show the linda hall pass
response: Linda grimaces. "Okay, so you can come and go as you please. Big deal." But she looks distinctly unhappy. You hear what sounds remarkably like snickering coming from Bubbles.
action: You show the cane to Linda
response: "You think I've got nothing better to do than look at that?" she asks you.
action: You go to the north
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign.
action: You take the sack
response: Taken.

Bubbles's tail hits the ground softly.
action: You put it in the sack
response: Okay, you're no longer wearing the thin coat.

A woman passes by, dressed in a white coat. Where her face should be there is nothing. She is soon out of sight, hidden by a turn in the hall.

Done.
action: You take the chair
response: How rude!
action: You give the pass to the woman
response: With a start, the old woman wakes up. "Yes? Yes?" she asks querulously.
action: Keep going
response: She waves you off. "No, no, I don't need that," she says.
action: You look at the stripe
response: A stripe of green running just below the ceiling.
action: You look at the sign
response: The sign hangs from the ceiling to the west. It reads, "Leave Green/Enter Purple" in the appropriate colors.
action: You take the sign
response: It's too far away.
action: You go east
response: The hall jogs west to north, interrupted by several stairs to the north. A sign hangs from the ceiling to the west, delineating where the stripe of color changes from purple to green. A set of doors leads east.

A group of doctors and interns appears in the hall, headed towards you. They, too, are faceless. Their heads nearly touch; they are obviously in conference, though you can hear nothing. They pass you and are gone.
action: Go east
response: As you walk east, the hall lengthens. With each step everything blurs, vanishing into a grey mist. Your sense of balance is lost; you stumble back the way you came.

Down the hall, a shapeless, faceless patient in a white gown shuffles towards you. You cannot guess the sex of wraith-like person, even when he (she?) is merely feet away. You watch the patient until you can no longer see the white gown.
action: You go south
response: The unoccupied room is an oddity in this hospital. Like other
hospital rooms, it sports a bed and an excess of medical equipment.
action: Go north
response: The doors will not budge for you. As you push harder, a squirt of grey smoke escapes from behind them.
action: You go to the south
response: You can't go that way.

The old woman in the wheelchair rolls up to you. "You know, seeing you reminds me of when John and I went to Paris. Have you ever been to Paris?" she asks.

A group of doctors and interns appears in the hall, headed towards you. They, too, are faceless. Their heads nearly touch; they are obviously in conference, though you can hear nothing. They pass you and are gone.
action: You look at the doors
response: The doors are spring-loaded so as to close automatically. In one of them is a keyhole in which a key is thrust.
action: You unlock the doors with the key
response: Unlocked.
action: You go east
response: You push past the doors, which shut behind you.

world. Chairs are strewn about at random; on several there are magazines. A counter guards the hall leading north. Above it is a speaker. To the west are a set of wide double doors labeled "Deliveries." South is the hospital exit.
Linda is here, sitting behind the counter.
Bubbles is lying on the ground, staring at you with soulful eyes.
action: Go west
response: You push past the doors, which shut behind you on Linda's startled exclamation.

The hall jogs west to north, interrupted by several stairs to the north. A sign hangs from the ceiling to the west, delineating where the stripe of color changes from purple to green. A set of doors leads east.
action: Go east
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign.

Down the hall, a shapeless, faceless patient in a white gown shuffles towards you. You cannot guess the sex of wraith-like person, even when he (she?) is merely feet away. You watch the patient until you can no longer see the white gown.
action: You examine man
response: The shape underneath the covers is barely recognizable as a man. Tubes snake around and through his body; what skin he still owns he wears poorly. The rise and fall of his chest are uneven.
action: You ask the woman about the man
response: The woman says, "Oh, dear, I really can't help you with that."

The old woman begins humming to herself. She rolls to the north.
action: Go north
response: An east-west hall with an orange strip coloring the wall just below
the ceiling. There is an open door in the south wall.
Seated in a wheelchair is an old woman.
action: You look at the woman
response: The woman is ancient, her waxy skin draped loosely about her.

A doctor, notable for his unmissing face, walks by the door. He is back in seconds, striding into the room. Leaning over the old woman, he shakes her. "I'm Doctor John; can you hear me? Ma'am?" Her lack of response prompts him to lean out into the hall and shout: "Woman down, unresponsive; crash cart to Orange 7." He returns to the woman, placing two fingers to her throat and a palm to her forehead. He tilts her head back, extending her neck, and huffs twice into her mouth. He then motions. "You." He nods at the woman's chest. "Begin compressions."
action: You begin compressions
response: You link fingers, one hand on top of the other, and watch as your hands drift to a dimly-remembered position. Then you are pumping as hard as you can, the woman's sternum creaking beneath your weight.
action: Again
response: You are already performing CPR on the woman.

You have slipped into a once-familiar rhythm: five compressions, then the doctor breathes, then five compressions.
action: You look at the woman
response: The woman is ancient, her waxy skin draped loosely about her.

A gang of white-garbed doctors, all of whom lack faces, pour into the room. Several of them slide away from the door, revealing the gurney and crash cart they have brought with them.

Dr. John nods at them and their cargo. He waves you away from the old woman and motions the others closer. "On my mark: one, two, three," and they have lifted the woman up and onto the gurney.
action: You examine john
response: His face is scrunched in concentration, his thin glasses dangling from his ears.

Dr. John nods at the ECG readout. "She's in VFib." He snatches up the defibrillator paddles and says to you, "Charge to 200."
action: You look at the defibrillator
response: You always found it ironic that shocking someone violently, normally a prescription for stopping the heart, is the only way known to restart the heart. Its dial, marked from 200 J to 400 J, currently points at 320.
action: You set the dial to 200
response: The dial clicks as you turn it to 200.

"Clear!" A push of buttons; the woman's body arcs and recollapses.
Dr. John rubs the paddles together, smearing paste, while he glances at the ECG. "Give me 260."
action: You set the dial to 200
response: The dial is already set to 200.
action: You set the dial to 260
response: The dial clicks as you turn it to 260.

Again Dr. John says, "Clear!" Again the woman's body leaps into the air. Dr. John takes another look at the ECG, saying, "Give me 360."
action: You set the dial to 360
response: The dial clicks as you turn it to 360.

The woman's body jumps once more as Dr. John discharges his paddles. When he looks at the ECG this time, his brow furrows. "PEA," he mutters. "Intubate; give me a 1 mg epinephrine push." He resumes breathing for the woman while one of his faceless helpers performs chest compressions.
action: You give the epinephrine to Doctor
response: Which doctor do you mean, Doctor John, or the faceless doctors?
action: You examine the cart
response: The crash cart appears only when someone is in great distress. It contains plenty of medication, an ECG machine, a syringe, and a defibrillator.

Dr. John notices you during a pause between breaths. "Thanks," he says. "We have it under control." Breath. "You can go." Then his attention is focussed on the woman. "Pulse back, breathing again. 60 mg lidocaine." Two of the faceless doctors usher you, not unkindly, through the door. As you leave, the door closes behind you, snicking shut.

Two doors, a closed one on the north wall and one on the south,
flank this east-west hall. A sign hangs from the ceiling to the west.
action: You take the wheelchair
response: You try to lift it, but find it improbably heavy.

Dr. John notices you during a pause between breaths. "Thanks," he says. "We have it under control." Breath. "You can go." Then his attention is focussed on the woman. "Pulse back, breathing again. 60 mg lidocaine." Two of the faceless doctors usher you, not unkindly, through the door. As you leave, the door closes behind you, snicking shut.

Two doors, a closed one on the north wall and one on the south,
flank this east-west hall. A sign hangs from the ceiling to the west.
action: You take the syringe
response: Taken.

Dr. John notices you during a pause between breaths. "Thanks," he says. "We have it under control." Breath. "You can go." Then his attention is focussed on the woman. "Pulse back, breathing again. 60 mg lidocaine." Two of the faceless doctors usher you, not unkindly, through the door. As you leave, the door closes behind you, snicking shut.

Two doors, a closed one on the north wall and one on the south,
flank this east-west hall. A sign hangs from the ceiling to the west.
action: Inventory
response: You have a white cane, a pair of gloves (being worn), a pair of sunglasses (being worn), a hall pass, a rucksack, some dust, and a syringe. The rucksack seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a length of rope, a dark sphere, a light sphere, and a thin coat.
action: You enter the gap
response: The space is much too small for you.
action: You examine the chairs
response: Plastic chairs, grouped in small sets of three or four. They are surprisingly empty; when you worked here, they were always in use. Magazines decorate a few of them.

Bubbles's tail hits the ground softly.
action: Hello
response: "Bark! Bark!"
action: You look at the speaker
response: When you first worked here, only muzak issued from the speaker. Now, however, it is playing songs in their original versions.
action: You go north
response: The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.

A faceless man in blue scrubs appears from further down the hall. He starts to walk past, then pulls up short next to Bubbles. He turns his head towards you, then ushers Bubbles to the south.

A group of doctors and interns appears in the hall, headed towards you. They, too, are faceless. Their heads nearly touch; they are obviously in conference, though you can hear nothing. They pass you and are gone.
action: Go north
response: The doors will not budge for you. As you push harder, a squirt of grey smoke escapes from behind them.
action: Go west
response: You push past the doors, which shut behind you on Linda's startled exclamation.

The hall jogs west to north, interrupted by several stairs to the north. A sign hangs from the ceiling to the west, delineating where the stripe of color changes from purple to green. A set of doors leads east.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.

A faceless man in blue scrubs appears from further down the hall. He starts to walk past, then pulls up short next to Bubbles. He turns his head towards you, then ushers Bubbles to the north.
action: You tie the rope to Bubbles
response: You must be holding the rope in your hands before you can tie it to anything.
action: You tie the rope to Bubbles
response: You tie the rope to Bubbles. Bubbles wriggles a bit, but submits to being leashed.
action: Go west
response: You push past the doors, which shut behind you on Linda's startled exclamation.

The hall jogs west to north, interrupted by several stairs to the north. A sign hangs from the ceiling to the west, delineating where the stripe of color changes from purple to green. A set of doors leads east.

Bubbles is dragged behind you.

A faceless man in blue scrubs appears from further down the hall. He starts to walk past, then pulls up short next to Bubbles. He looks as if he is about to take action, but then he notices your sunglasses and cane. Realizing what has happened, you inspiredly begin tapping the cane on the ground. The man, satisfied, continues on his way.
action: You get the vial
response: Bubbles looks at you for a moment, then begins wiggling into the space between crates. Shortly after its tail has vanished into the space you hear excited barking, followed by the reemergence of Bubbles. Bubbles then trots to you and drops the glass vial at your feet.

Bubbles strains at the rope, then stares back at you.
action: You take the vial
response: Taken.

A section of the air just above your head shimmers. A small pyramid falls from the disturbance to the ground below.
action: You take the pyramid
response: The pyramid begins glowing softly. It unfolds like a flower and a feminine voice issues from it, saying, "Oh!" The voice is fainter than before. "Dr. Boozer! In here, behind the crates!" When the light dies down, the pyramid is gone.
action: Inventory
response: You have a white cane, a pair of gloves (being worn), a pair of sunglasses (being worn), a hall pass, a rucksack, some dust, a syringe, a length of rope (tied to Bubbles), and a glass vial. The rucksack seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a dark sphere, a light sphere, and a thin coat.
action: You put all in rucksack
response: fool: You cannot put the fool anywhere without holding it.
tuft of insulation: You cannot put the tuft of insulation anywhere without holding it.
dark sphere: You cannot put the dark sphere anywhere without holding it.
light sphere: You cannot put the light sphere anywhere without holding it.
thin coat: You cannot put the thin coat anywhere without holding it. white cane: Done.
heavy gloves: (Taking off the gloves first)
Done.
sunglasses: (Taking off the sunglasses first)
Done.
hall pass: Done.
dust: Done.
syringe: You refrain for fear of snapping off the end of the needle. rope: Not while the rope is tied to anything.
glass vial: Done.

Bubbles strains at the rope, then stares back at you.
action: You untie the rope
response: You untie the rope.
action: You go to the south
response: A nondescript hall leading east to northwest. To the north is an
open doorway. The ever-present stripe changes color to the east, just beyond a sign.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.

A group of doctors and interns appears in the hall, headed towards you. They, too, are faceless. Their heads nearly touch; they are obviously in conference, though you can hear nothing. They pass you and are gone.
action: You go east
response: The hall jogs west to north, interrupted by several stairs to the north. A sign hangs from the ceiling to the west, delineating where the stripe of color changes from purple to green. A set of doors leads east.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.

A faceless man in blue scrubs appears from further down the hall. He starts to walk past, then pulls up short next to Bubbles. He turns his head towards you, then ushers Bubbles to the north.
action: You follow you
response: Bubbles gets up and trots over to you.
action: You check your inventory
response: You have a syringe and a glass vial.
action: You inject the hand with syringe
response: You stick the syringe into your hand and depress the plunger. A shock of cold runs through you as your hand grows numb.
action: You take the globe
response: You pick up the globe with your numbed hand. Your fingers feel warm, but the novocaine blocks any pain.
action: You examine the globe
response: Its borders are nebulous; it gives off a faint glow.
action: You give the globe to the man
response: When you press the globe to the man's chest, his eyes snap open. The glow suffuses his face and he smiles, revealing gaps once inhabited by teeth. The glow fades, leaving behind a lead sphere. The man's muscles relax, allowing the sphere to fall to the floor. His whole face sags; his breathing stops.

Numbness begins creeping up your arm. You look down to find your hand turning black, beginning to suppurate. Horror, you think, I should be feeling horror. But you are as numb to your growing disfigurement as your hand is to pain.
action: You examine sphere
response: A dull lead sphere, devoid of any distinguishing marks.

Your hand cracks and bleeds, the white pus running from it turning red. You stumble back against a wall, holding your arm away from you. You close your eyes against the sight, amazed that you still feel no pain. Then you make the mistake of trying to flex your hand.

Pain, unending pain, until you can bear no more, until...



The ceiling above you looms, fluorescent lights glaring down at you. You've been strapped to a gurney and reattached to monitors. Ambulance workers run alongside you, occasionally bending over to check your condition. Your ill-fated IV has been brought along for the ride, its needle bouncing against your hand from time to time.
action: You look at IV
response: It has been attached to the gurney, most likely for the hospital staff to analyze the drug.

One of the workers bends down and shines a light in your left eye.
Your reflexive blink seems to take forever.
action: You look
response: You've been strapped down on a gurney and covered in a blanket.
Around you, ambulance workers run along side, guiding you to the ambulance. Your IV is attached to the side of the gurney, the needle occasionally bouncing against your hand.
action: You look at IV
response: It has been attached to the gurney, most likely for the hospital staff to analyze the drug.

Two of the medical workers confer over your head, their lips moving slowly. No sound reaches you.
action: You look at the blanket
response: It covers you, keeping you uncomfortably warm.

Ahead of you, the clinic exit creeps closer.
action: You put the needle in the arm
response: You can't reach your arm to put the needle in it.

You are wheeled outside and into an ambulance, its roof cutting off the light of the sun. Blackness descends, and you fall into a dreamless sleep.

--=== Your journey is over ===--

You have achieved a score of 33 points out of a possible 100.

You may restore a saved game, start over, quit, or undo the current command.
action: You put the needle in the hand
response: By a series of excruciating contortions, you can just reach the needle and jab it in your hand. The familiar waves of heat and cold race through your body. The lights overhead approach and recede, light and dark, light and dark, blending into...

Fit the Third: Renascence

"When I was a child/I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye"
-- Pink Floyd

You are lying on your bed, staring up at the ceiling. The sun
streams through the window blinds and falls in stripes across your face.

But it's not the bed in your apartment. It's your childhood bedroom, upstairs in the house you lived in until shortly after your Mom died.

Judging from the room's neatness, your Mom must have died not too long ago; you remember cleaning your room compulsively after she died in the hopes that it would bring her back. You also remember being sent to your room this day for some unexplained infraction of your father's rules.

Your dresser leans against the north wall and a closed door leads east. There is a window in the west wall.
Sitting on the dresser you see a book of mythology and a book of faeries.
action: About yourself
response: What you can see of yourself is familiar.
action: You check what you're carrying
response: You are empty-handed.
action: You examine the mythology
response: In the third grade you became enamored with Greek mythology, scouring the 000-010 section of your school library. This book by Edith Hamilton is a remnant of that time.
action: You look at the faeries
response: Shortly after your interest in mythology waned, you became interested in faeries. At this age your nascent research had not yet taken over the top of your dresser, as this lone oversized book can attest.
action: You read the mythology
response: You flip through the book, remembering different stories which caught your attention: Perseus and Medusa, the rivers lethe and mnemosyne, Zeus visiting Leda in the guise of a swan.
action: You read the faeries
response: As you skim through the book, several facts jump out: how faeries are driven away by church bells, how they change homes on Quarter Days, how you shouldn't eat faerie food, how a four-leaf clover will let you see them.
action: You open the dresser
response: You pull open a few drawers and look at the rows of neatly-folded clothes before closing the drawers once more.
action: You examine the window
response: The window is closed and looks out on the rolling hills behind your house; without looking directly through the window, the details are hard to make out. You can just see your backyard one story beneath you.
action: You look in the window
response: It's closed.
action: You take the books
response: book of mythology: Taken.
book of faeries: Taken.
action: You look through the window
response: You see the hills behind your house and your backyard. Your father called that region "Big Country," and he used to tell you stories of heroes who walked Big Country in search of adventures. Though he stopped telling you those stories after your mom died, the dreams stay with you.
action: You go to the west
response: The fall would kill you.
action: You take the sheet
response: You pull the bedsheet free, unmaking the bed in the process.
action: You look at the bed
response: The bed was large enough for you through your tenth birthday. It has been unmade and its bedsheet removed.
action: Tie sheet to bed
response: You loop the sheet around your bed and tie it.
action: You examine the door
response: It is closed.
action: You open the door
response: Your father would see you come out of your room if you left via this door, and the punishment to follow would be painful.
action: You climb out the window
response: You realize that it is impossible to hold onto the bedsheet and anything as large as the oversized books at the same time if you intend to reach the ground safely.
action: You drop the books
response: book of mythology: Dropped.
book of faeries: Dropped.
action: You throw it through the window
response: You throw the book of mythology through the window. It vanishes to the ground below.
action: You throw it through the window
response: You throw the book of faeries through the window. It vanishes to the ground below.
action: You climb out the window
response: You grab hold of the bedsheet tightly and lower yourself out the open window. You shimmy down the sheet, old skills returning. A few feet above the ground your sheet runs out, but the shock of the drop is easily absorbed by your young legs.

The backyard ends to the south and west in a chain-link fence which fetches up against your house. Grass covers the ground in a remarkably even carpet.
You see a book of mythology and a book of faeries here.
action: You take the books
response: book of mythology: Taken.
book of faeries: Taken.
action: You search the grass
response: There is too much of it for you to search indiscriminately.
action: You examine the grass
response: It thickly covers the ground. A rogue patch of clover has established a beachhead in the sea of grass. Your father will no doubt rip it out at the first opportunity, restoring the backyard to its former glory.
action: You look at the clover
response: The patch of clover huddles together in solidarity against the encroaching grass.
action: You search the clover
response: You get on hands and knees and begin carefully examining each clover individually. After a moment you are rewarded with a pristine four-leaf clover, which you take.
action: You look at the faeries
response: Shortly after your interest in mythology waned, you became interested in faeries. At this age your nascent research had not yet taken over the top of your dresser, as this lone oversized book can attest.
action: You look
response: The backyard ends to the south and west in a chain-link fence which fetches up against your house. Grass covers the ground in a remarkably even carpet.
action: Go east
response: The house is in the way.
action: You check what you're carrying
response: You have a book of mythology, a book of faeries, and a four-leaf clover.
action: Go north
response: The fence paces you to the west, then angles north to block further progress. To the east is the old tool shed your father built. The thick mat of grass leads back south.

From somewhere around your feet you hear a tiny voice pipe up: "Top o' the mornin' to ya!" You look down and see a small faerie just on this side of the fence. He is joined by two others, though you can't see where they came from.

One of the others replies, "And the rest of the day to yerself!"
action: You examine the faerie
response: Which faerie do you mean, the book of faeries, or the small faeries?
action: You examine small faeries
response: There are three of them, small faeries with gnarled faces and red stubbly beards.
action: Hi
response: The faeries do not notice you.

From the house you hear, "Terry! TERRY!"

Your father. He's found your open window.
action: Exits
response: You can go south and east.
action: You look at your surroundings
response: The fence paces you to the west, then angles north to block further progress. To the east is the old tool shed your father built. The thick mat of grass leads back south.
Three faeries are conversing near your feet.

One of the faeries says to the other two, "Shall we be returnin'? The king wanted us back quick as possible."

"Aye."

"But we're without a padfoot. How to get back?"

"I've a way," responds the third faerie. "'Tis in the shed." The faeries move to the east.
action: Go east
response: Light filters through chinks in the roof, dimly illuminating empty shelves and forgotten tools. The structure smells of mildew and rot. Seated on a shelf is a metal box.
A yellowed flyer is curled on the floor.
Three faeries are conversing near your feet.
action: You take the flyer
response: Taken.

One of the faeries pulls several over-sized white hats from under a pile of dirt. Despite their earthy storage they are pristine white.
He hands them to the others. Then he wears his hat, saying, "I'm off!" In a flash, he zips out the door and into the air.

The two remaining faeries don their hats. "I'm after!" "I'm after!" Both are caught up in the air and are gone.

In their wake, a lone white hat drifts to the floor of the shed, forgotten.
action: You wear the hat
response: As you wear the hat, a tingle runs the length of your body.
action: Examine flyer
response: The flyer extols the virtues of the SchimTek Sonic Cavity Analyzer.
The picture on the flyer shows a rectangular box with a large grip handle on one end, reminiscent of an old geiger counter. Your father was eternally collecting gadgets like the Sonic Cavity Analyzer.

Your father comes into the tool shed, looking around. He is in his late thirties, a vigorous man who shows no sign of the cancer which will steal his life in thirteen years. His face darkens when he sees you, and he walks stiffly towards you. "_There_ you are," he says, grabbing your ear and pulling firmly. You skip after him, pain burgeoning across your head.

Your father punctuates each phrase with a twist of your ear, causing sparks to burst across your vision. "You were supposed"--twist--"to stay"--twist--"in your room"--twist.

The final twist overcomes you; your vision dims. The throbbing in your head worsens as you fall back.

A hospital bed catches you, supporting you. A quick glance shows you a sterile hospital room. No one else is here; the room is yours alone. Then a black tide washes over you, carrying you away....

--=== Your journey is over ===--

You have achieved a score of 33 points out of a possible 100.

You may restore a saved game, start over, quit, or undo the current command.
action: You go east
response: Light filters through chinks in the roof, dimly illuminating empty shelves and forgotten tools. The structure smells of mildew and rot. Seated on a shelf is a metal box.
A yellowed flyer is curled on the floor.
action: You take the box
response: Taken.

From outside the shed you hear, "Terry! TERRY!"

Your father. He's found your open window.
action: You take the flyer
response: Taken.

Three small faeries slip into the shed.
action: Examine box
response: The box is made of seamless metal, marred only by a large handle and a display with a needle. Its underside is crisscrossed with a strange pattern, giving it the look of granite. The display is marked from 0 millimeters to 20000; the needle is currently pointing at 0.
action: Examine flyer
response: The flyer extols the virtues of the SchimTek Sonic Cavity Analyzer.
The picture on the flyer shows a rectangular box with a large grip handle on one end, reminiscent of an old geiger counter. Your father was eternally collecting gadgets like the Sonic Cavity Analyzer.

One of the faeries pulls several over-sized white hats from under a pile of dirt. Despite their earthy storage they are pristine white.
He hands them to the others. Then he wears his hat, saying, "I'm off!" In a flash, he zips out the door and into the air.

The two remaining faeries don their hats. "I'm after!" "I'm after!" Both are caught up in the air and are gone.

In their wake, a lone white hat drifts to the floor of the shed, forgotten.
action: Inventory
response: You have a book of mythology, a book of faeries, a four-leaf clover, a metal box, a flyer, and a tri-cornered hat (being worn).
action: You look
response: The cave encloses you, reflecting the sound of your breathing. It
is dry and illuminated, though you cannot find the source of the light. Rough stairs are cut into one part of the cave, leading nowhere. The cave widens to the north.
action: You examine the stairs
response: They are carved into one of the cave walls.
action: You go north
response: Everywhere you look in this hall you find another source of light.
They come in all shapes and forms: candles, lamps, crystals. The light bounces about the room, illuminating the throne at the north end of the hall. A thick carpet runs from the throne to the south exit, passing by a banquet table.
Sitting on the throne you see a faerie king.
To either side of you stands a faerie guard.
Off to one side of the throne, True Thomas idly sits.
Beside the king stands his queen.
Faeries stand all around you, watching you with a disturbing
intensity.

The king looks at you, his eyes glinting strangely. "A human child? It's been an age since one visited." While he speaks, the other faeries slowly circle you. A sibilant whisper rises from the gathering. "Guards, retake what is ours." One of the guards reaches over and plucks the white hat from you.
action: You look at true thomas
response: He is an old man, with snow-white hair and a creased face. He holds a stringed instrument which he absentmindedly strums from time to time.

"We've naught to offer to incipient royalty such as yourself," the king continues mockingly. He pauses for a moment, stroking his beard. His queen leans over and whispers to him, causing him to grin. There is nothing human in his expression. "Perhaps there is something you can offer us instead," he says.
action: Inventory
response: You have a book of mythology, a book of faeries, a four-leaf clover, a metal box, and a flyer.

The other faeries stop circling and point at you. You feel a tingle running up and down your spine. "We'd have from you a story, but one already fills that role." The king gestures at True Thomas, who glances uncomfortably at you. "No, for you I think harvesting would suit." The faeries begin running, flying, hopping around you, a writhing mass of flesh. The guards to either side of you take one step back.
action: You turn the handle
response: Turning the metal box doesn't have any effect.

"Hold!" shouts Thomas. The assemblage halts, many in mid-air. As one they turn and focus unnaturally-bright eyes on Thomas, who blanches. Nevertheless, he continues. "King, could this child not fetch for you some new light?" As Thomas finishes, the silence deepens. Sweat begins to run down his face.
action: You examine table
response: The sturdy table has seen much use in its time. It is covered with heavy scars. On its surface you see some food.

"A fine suggestion!" the king finally says. Thomas sways somewhat, as if released from a painful grip. From the horde of faeries an excited buzz arises.
action: You look at the king
response: He is one of the tallest faeries you have yet met. His beard is red and reaches to his waist. Other than his clothes of rough cloth, he wears a gold circlet around his head, sign of his kingship.

"My hall is lit by light stolen from many a source," the king explains. At the snap of a finger, one of the faeries brings forward a bright glint cupped in his hands. "Taken from one of Judas' silver pieces, that was," says the king. Another faerie brings forward a dancing flame. The flame radiates cold you can feel from feet away. "At the heart of every pawnbroker's diamond is a flame like this," says the king. "And you'll be fetching me the light of a dragon's flame."
action: You look at the jar
response: The mason jar is made of thick glass.

"Return with the dragon fire and we will reward you." As the king finishes speaking, the two guards lead you back out of the hall.

The cave encloses you, reflecting the sound of your breathing. It
is dry and illuminated, though you cannot find the source of the light. Rough stairs are cut into one part of the cave, leading to a thin exit above.
action: Exits
response: You can go up.
action: Up
response: The exit closes behind you.

The hill curves away from this spot, crowned on top by a gnarled
thorn tree. Paths curve down the hill to the west and south. Far to the north is a small white church.
Bubbles is lying on the ground, waiting for you.

Bubbles, upon seeing you, cocks its head at you and stands. The dog has now reached full adulthood. On its back is the rucksack.
action: Exits
response: You can go south and west.
action: You examine the tree
response: It curves and stoops, as if shielding itself from the sky.
action: You examine the church
response: The church you attended until your mother fell ill. You can hear music floating from it; it must be revival week.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You go north
response: The hill drops too steeply for you in that direction.
action: You climb tree
response: There is a reason it is called a thorn tree. You scratch yourself horribly in the attempt.
action: You go to the west
response: The hill drops off sharply to the west, overlooking a rocky tumble
to a kill below. A worn path leads up to the east and down to the southeast.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You check your inventory
response: You have a book of mythology, a book of faeries, a four-leaf clover, a metal box, a flyer, a mason jar, and a rucksack. The rucksack seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a dark sphere, a light sphere, a thin coat, a white cane, a pair of gloves, a pair of sunglasses, a hall pass, some dust, and a length of rope.
action: You look at the kill
response: The kill makes its slow, flowing way among rocks dislodged from the hill where you stand, victims of time and erosion.
action: Exits
response: You can go east and southeast.
action: Go west
response: The slope is too rocky.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You look at the rock
response: They lay scattered along the length of the kill.
action: You go southeast
response: The south side of a gently-sloping hill. Scrub grass clings tenaciously to its side. A path from the east divides here and crawls up the hill to the north and northwest.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You examine the scrub
response: It covers the hill in patches.
action: You take the scrub
response: Don't worry about the scrub grass.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: Go east
response: Hardwood trees stand close together, choking off light and
preventing you from seeing far. You can, however, see a hill rising to the west. You can walk through the trees and underbrush to the east and south.
action: You examine the trees
response: Mixed hardwood trees, clustering tightly.
action: You search trees
response: You find nothing of interest.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: Exits
response: You can go south, east, and west.
action: Go east
response: The trees are grouped less tightly here, allowing space for an oak
tree and a lone ash tree. The two trees leave room for passage to the north, south, and west.
There is an older boy here, carving his name in the oak tree.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.

The boy very carefully carves a large 'R' in the oak tree.
action: Hello
response: "Shove off, squirt," he says.

The boy hacks another initial in the oak tree.
action: You examine boy
response: He lived (lives?) somewhere around here. You can remember the delight he took in tormenting you over the years. The three-year age difference was enough to give him the edge.

Wielding his knife like a cleaver, the boy manages to carve an 'N' in the oak tree.
action: You examine oak
response: The oak tree towers above you, its bole wider than your arms can span. You spent a long time one summer trying to climb it, only to break your arm in the process. Since then, someone has hacked 'BRAN' in its trunk.

Shavings fall from the oak tree as the boy carves a 'D' into its trunk.
action: You examine the ash
response: Thinner than its neighboring oak tree, the trunk of the ash gracefully sways in a gentle breeze.

Bubbles wanders away.

With a flourish, the boy finishes carving an 'N' in the oak tree. He steps back to admire his handiwork.
action: You examine the oak
response: The oak tree towers above you, its bole wider than your arms can span. You spent a long time one summer trying to climb it, only to break your arm in the process. Since then, someone has hacked 'BRANDN' in its trunk.

The boy's eyes widen, and he mumbles to himself under his breath. With several sweeps of the knife he tries to obliterate his previous effort, then carve another 'B' in the oak tree just below the first letters.
action: Hello
response: "Shove off, squirt," he says.

The boy carves an 'R' in the oak tree.
action: You go north
response: A small hill within the forest. A cave entrance opens in a rock outcropping to the east. Charred and trampled grass leads up to the cave.
action: You examine the mushrooms
response: The ring of mushrooms and toadstools is ragged in places, as if no longer cared for. One toadstool in particular stands out from its brethren.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You examine the toadstool
response: Which toadstool do you mean, the solitary toadstool, or the ring of mushrooms?
action: You examine the solitary toadstool
response: It is the tallest of the fungi gathered here. Set in its side is a small door.
action: You examine the small door
response: The small door is painted a bright green and is closed. You are surprised that you never saw it before.
action: You knock on the door
response: The door swings open, revealing a tiny pixie. He looks at your knees, then up, then further up. His eyes widen. "You see me?" he asks unnecessarily. He steps out, closing the door. "A visitor! Well, an you can see me, let us visit whilst I clean my yard," he says, bustling about. "Have you questions on the forest? I have been here for many whiles." Before you can answer, he begins scuffing dirt.
action: You ask the pixie about the dragon
response: The pixie says, "Be cautious of the dragon."
action: You ask the pixie about the pixie
response: The pixie says, "What you see is all I am...now."
action: You ask the pixie about the cave
response: "I've nowt to say of that," the pixie says.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.

The pixie swirls one of his hands, and a tiny cyclone carries away some leaves.
action: You ask the pixie about the brandon
response: The pixie says, "He's a stropping one, always stomping about with those great boots."
action: You ask the pixie about the oak tree
response: The pixie's eyes slide away from yours. "There's nowt I have to say about the tree."
action: You ask the pixie about the ring
response: The pixie asks, "Which ring do you mean, the ring of keys, or the ring of mushrooms?"
action: Mushrooms
response: The pixie glances at the ring. "'Twas our home for many a year. Now it is mine only."

The pixie wipes dirt from his door.
action: You ask the pixie about the queen
response: The pixie looks away. "Ask me not about the faerie court."
action: You ask the pixie about the kill
response: "I've nowt to say of that," the pixie says.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.

The pixie rearranges some of the dirt in the middle of the faerie ring.
action: You ask the pixie about the light
response: The pixie asks, "Which light do you mean, the light sphere, or the sources of light?"
action: Sources
response: The pixie grins sardonically. "So you have seen our vaunted king's collection, have you?" He lowers his voice. "Yet it cannot be complete 'til someone captures the dragon's fire for him. Thank your luck you have not been chosen to bear the king's jar to the dragon's lair."
action: You show the jar to the pixie
response: The pixie says, "So...the king has at last found someone to fetch for him the light of the dragon." He cocks his head and peers up at you. "And he did mention the precautions?"

When you shake your head, he leaps into the air, hovering for a second. "No word of the wards?" He mutters, then runs into his home. There is the sound of rummaging, things being thrown about, before he emerges holding a pair of boots.

"You must have wards, lest the dragon sense you. You must be silent, you must be invisible, you must be without scent." He squints at you, then adds as an afterthought, "Also fireproof.

"A laurel of ash dipped in the blood of another will make you invisible to animals. These boots," he hands the boots to you, "are elfin and will muffle your steps. An oak staff will protect you from the dragon's flame."

The pixie walks to his toadstool and opens the door. "I needs must work indoors for a time," he says by way of explanation before going inside.
action: Inventory
response: You have a book of mythology, a book of faeries, a four-leaf clover, a metal box, a flyer, a mason jar, a rucksack, and a pair of elf boots. The rucksack seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a dark sphere, a light sphere, a thin coat, a white cane, a pair of gloves, a pair of sunglasses, a hall pass, some dust, and a length of rope.
action: You wear boots
response: You pull the boots on, muffling your footsteps.
action: You look
response: The forest growth pauses here, leaving room for a ring of mushrooms
and toadstools. Due to the spacious arrangement of trees, paths exist north and west.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You go west
response: provided by a nearby stream. Mossy rocks lead down to the stream, and the underbrush allows passage to the north, east, and west.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You look at the stream
response: It lies a short distance to the south. You can occasionally feel its spray on your cheeks.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: Down
response: Water burbles past rocks worn smooth over time, running east to
west. Across the stream the forest continues. Behind you a path leads up.
One shiny stone in particular stands out from its brothers.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: Exits
response: You can go up.
action: You examine the stone
response: It shines gently, as if rubbed until it glowed.
action: Go south
response: The stream is too wide and too deep to ford.
action: You check what you're carrying
response: You have a book of mythology, a book of faeries, a four-leaf clover, a metal box, a flyer, a mason jar, a rucksack, a pair of elf boots (being worn), and a shiny stone. The rucksack seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a dark sphere, a light sphere, a thin coat, a white cane, a pair of gloves, a pair of sunglasses, a hall pass, some dust, and a length of rope.
action: You read the flyer
response: "Find the flaws hidden deep beneath the surface! A must have for any structural engineer! Accurate to within plus or minus three millimeters."
action: Examine flyer
response: The flyer extols the virtues of the SchimTek Sonic Cavity Analyzer.
The picture on the flyer shows a rectangular box with a large grip handle on one end, reminiscent of an old geiger counter. Your father was eternally collecting gadgets like the Sonic Cavity Analyzer.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: You examine the stream
response: The water is shockingly clear, clearer than you had remembered.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You examine the trees
response: Mixed hardwood trees, clustering tightly.
action: Exits
response: You can go east and west.
action: You go west
response: You stand at the road in front of your house. The dirt road leads north and south, with no other houses visible for miles. On the east side of the road opposite your house, the forest looms.

A breeze wanders along the road, carrying with it a hint of music.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You listen
response: You can hear music.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: You go north
response: A rural dirt road. Though no one has passed by in some time, a haze
of dust still hangs in the air.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You go to the north
response: You walk for a while, but the Baptist church you know is ahead never comes into view.

A rural dirt road. Though no one has passed by in some time, a haze
of dust still hangs in the air.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: Go south
response: A rural dirt road. Though no one has passed by in some time, a haze
of dust still hangs in the air.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: You go west
response: Your home once held nothing but good memories; it was a place where
you were happy, where you felt safe. But after Mom died you felt your life escaping your control. Now the very sight of the first floor entrance, its walls and stairs, the table by the entrance, gives you pause. Leaning against the bottom stair is a briefcase and coat. Sitting on the small table you see a bottle of Karo syrup.

You hear heavy footsteps on the stairs and look up to see your father descending, an avatar of righteous wrath. "Terry!" he shouts. "You stay right there!"

Then he is beside the stair, shaking you. "I told you to stay in your room!" He stops, looks you over. "I see you hiding something! What have you got in your hands?" He stretches his hand out and waits.
action: Go south
response: Your house moves further to the north, but you seem to make no progress.

A rural dirt road. Though no one has passed by in some time, a haze
of dust still hangs in the air.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: Oops rucksack
response: fool: The fool is already in the rucksack!
tuft of insulation: The tuft of insulation is already in the rucksack! dark sphere: The dark sphere is already in the rucksack!
light sphere: The light sphere is already in the rucksack!
thin coat: The thin coat is already in the rucksack!
white cane: The white cane is already in the rucksack!
heavy gloves: The heavy gloves are already in the rucksack! sunglasses: The sunglasses are already in the rucksack!
hall pass: The hall pass is already in the rucksack!
dust: The dust is already in the rucksack!
rope: Done.
book of mythology: Done.
book of faeries: Done.
four-leaf clover: Done.
metal box: Done.
flyer: Done.
mason jar: Done.
rucksack: You can't put the rucksack in itself!
elf boots: You will have to remove the elf boots first.
shiny stone: Done.
action: You give the rucksack to Bubbles
response: You place the rucksack on the ground next to Bubbles. The dog proceeds to wriggle under the rucksack, then stand.
action: You take off the boots
response: As you remove the boots, you hear your footsteps once more.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You put the boots in the rucksack
response: Done.
action: You go west
response: Your home once held nothing but good memories; it was a place where
you were happy, where you felt safe. But after Mom died you felt your life escaping your control. Now the very sight of the first floor entrance, its walls and stairs, the table by the entrance, gives you pause. Leaning against the bottom stair is a briefcase and coat. Sitting on the small table you see a bottle of Karo syrup.

You hear heavy footsteps on the stairs and look up to see your father descending, an avatar of righteous wrath. "Terry!" he shouts. "You stay right there!"

Then he is beside the stair, shaking you. "I told you to stay in your room!" He then marches you up the stairs, which begin to dissolve as you climb them. As they fade away they tilt, until you are lying on them. The last remnants of their stair-hood vanish, leaving you in a hospital bed. Then sleep claims you, a deep, dreamless sleep.

--=== Your journey is over ===--

You have achieved a score of 38 points out of a possible 100.

You may restore a saved game, start over, quit, or undo the current command.
action: You go south
response: The trees are grouped less tightly here, allowing space for an oak
tree and a lone ash tree. The two trees leave room for passage to the north, south, and west.
There is an older boy here, carving his name in the oak tree.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You examine the oak
response: The oak tree towers above you, its bole wider than your arms can span. You spent a long time one summer trying to climb it, only to break your arm in the process. Since then, someone has hacked 'BRANDN' in its trunk, tried to scratch out the letters (with little success), then carved 'BRANDON' just below the first letters.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You examine the cane
response: The cane is white with a red tip. Its grip is worn with use.
action: You examine the ash
response: Thinner than its neighboring oak tree, the trunk of the ash gracefully sways in a gentle breeze.
action: You climb the ash
response: It is too thin to climb.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You take the boots
response: As you remove the boots, you hear your footsteps once more.
action: You wear boots
response: You pull the boots on, muffling your footsteps.
action: You examine the knife
response: It is a thin knife with only one blade, currently open. The blade has held its edge, despite its assault on the oak tree.
action: You take the knife
response: The boy rests the point of the knife on the middle of your chest.
"Want this?" You step back; he laughs before turning again to the tree.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You ask the boy about the knife
response: "I'm busy," he says, wood shavings falling at his feet. "'less you want me to notice you."
action: Rub stone
response: You rub your hand over the stone, feeling it warm in your grasp.
action: You hit the boy with the stone
response: It's not very effective to attack with the shiny stone.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: Kick boy
response: Your kick catches him by surprise. He slips and nicks his finger with his knife.

"Stupid kid!" he shouts, whirling around. A struggle ensues, with you taking the worse of it. At some point, as he is banging your head against the ground, his knife slides into your chest. Your vision, none too good after the beating you've endured, dims further. You feel the boy's knee lift from your stomach, then hear him running away.

You turn your head, numbness spreading through your chest. The rough ground beneath your cheek smooths, becomes a pillow. You feel the sheets of a hospital bed enfold you before the numbness reaches your head.

--=== Your journey is over ===--

You have achieved a score of 38 points out of a possible 100.

You may restore a saved game, start over, quit, or undo the current command.
action: Attack boy
response: Bubbles looks at you, then at the boy carving his initials in the tree. Lips pull back from teeth, a growl begins deep in the throat; Bubbles leaps at the boy.

Surprised, the boy turns just enough for Bubbles to bury teeth in his arm. "AaaaaAAAA!" he shrieks, dropping his knife. He shakes his arm, but Bubbles hangs on tenaciously.

Finally, the dog lets go and drops to the forest floor. The boy grabs his arm, blood dripping around his hand. He stares at you, white rimming the pupils of his eyes. "You!" he says. He staggers back. "You!" he repeats, before turning and running through the forest.

Bubbles turns to you and grins, tongue hanging from its mouth.
action: You look at the knife
response: It is a thin knife with only one blade, currently open. The blade has held its edge, despite its assault on the oak tree.

"Oww! Woo! Whoo!" The voice is deep and booming, coming from somewhere above your head. You look around, but see no one. "That smarts!"

You suddenly notice the oak tree wiggling in time to the voice. You peer at the tree, then jump back as some of its branches bend towards you. "Oh, MAN, that's gonna be tender." One branch tenderly traces the carvings in the tree, then jerks away. "Wooh. Thanks for the help, Terry."

The tree must see the puzzled look on your face, because he begins laughing. "Surprised, huh? I bet. We don't talk to many people these days, do we, Phil?"

You get another shock when the ash tree next to the oak waves its branches. "Wmmf fmm," the ash tree says.

"Anyway, lissen. You ever need anything, you let me know. Okay?"

"Pffth yrmm," agrees the ash tree.
action: You ask the oak about the staff
response: The oak tree says, "It's been a long time since I've made a staff for someone."
action: You ask the oak about the oak
response: The oak tree's branches wave in an approximation of a shrug. "I dunno, Terry. Sorry."
action: You ask the oak about Phil
response: The oak tree replies, "Oh, me and Phil have been around a while, right, bud?"

"Gbbbz," the ash tree agrees.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: You ask the oak for the staff
response: "Oh?" the tree asks. Then, "oh," he says knowingly. "Well, I did say anything." There is the sound of rustling branches, then a particularly large one comes hurtling to the ground in front of you.
"I hope you're not plannin' on going after that dragon, though."
action: You ask the oak about the pixie
response: The oak tree says, "Yeah, he comes by and talks to us sometimes."
action: You ask the ash about the laurel
response: "Prrrm rfth wlft, zrm thmn lffm. Thrf nbbr wrm brrmlm."

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You ask the ash for the laurel
response: The ash tree is silent for a second. Finally, the ash tree bends over and deposits a circle of ash branches at your feet. "Blggg," he says.
action: You examine Bubbles
response: Bubbles resembles a corgi. In fact, it looks like the corgi you begged your father for when you were eight.

Bubbles curls up in a small ball, resting.
action: Thank the oak
response: The tree shrugs. "I dunno if you should thank me or not, 'specially if you're gonna use that ta see the dragon."

Bubbles wanders away.
action: Thank the ash
response: The ash bows slightly. "Glm pffffwb wb."
action: You examine the laurel
response: It is just wide enough to fit your head.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You take off the laurel
response: You remove the ash laurel.

Bubbles wanders away.
action: Go south
response: The forest growth pauses here, leaving room for a ring of mushrooms
and toadstools. Due to the spacious arrangement of trees, paths exist north and west.
action: You knock on the door
response: The pixie opens his door and comes out, beaming. "Welcome back!" he says, "Welcome back!"
action: You ask the pixie about the blood
response: "I've nowt to say of that," the pixie says.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: You show the laurel to the pixie
response: The pixie says, "Dipped in the blood of another and worn, it will mask your sight from beasts."

The pixie polishes one of the toadstools, removing stray debris.
action: You show the staff to the pixie
response: The pixie says, "No fire will harm you while you hold an oak staff."
action: You ask the pixie about scent
response: The pixie claps a hand to his mouth, then grimaces. "Smell! I forgot to tell how to mask your smell!" A red flush creeps up his green-tinged face. "Apologies. Find a stone rubbed smooth by a stream. When rubbed enough, the stone will release scent to mask your," he sniffs mightily, "noticeable odor."
action: Thank the pixie
response: There is no need.

Bubbles wanders away.

The pixie wipes dirt from his door.
action: You go west
response: provided by a nearby stream. Mossy rocks lead down to the stream, and the underbrush allows passage to the north, east, and west.
action: You go north
response: Hardwood trees stand close together, choking off light and
preventing you from seeing far. You can, however, see a hill rising to the west. You can walk through the trees and underbrush to the east and south.
action: Go south
response: provided by a nearby stream. Mossy rocks lead down to the stream, and the underbrush allows passage to the north, east, and west.

Bubbles comes running toward you, barking loudly. Upon seeing you, however, Bubbles calms down and trots nonchalantly up to you.
action: Go west
response: Trees stop to the west, forming a remarkably straight line,
corralled by some feature of the land. To the east the trees thicken once again.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You go west
response: You stand at the road in front of your house. The dirt road leads north and south, with no other houses visible for miles. On the east side of the road opposite your house, the forest looms.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You cut the dad with knife
response: Your father grabs your hand. "That is it!" he shouts, backhanding you across the face. You stagger back, but not fast enough to avoid the second slap. Your head slams into the door jamb.

You fall down, tumbling head-first into a hospital bed. You gaze around in confusion, taking in the hospital room, empty of people except for you. Then the lump on your head starts hurting, and you begin thinking about how nice it would be to sleep for a while, and soon you are.

--=== Your journey is over ===--

You have achieved a score of 43 points out of a possible 100.

You may restore a saved game, start over, quit, or undo the current command.
action: You give the knife to the dad
response: Without a second thought, your father grabs the open pocketknife. "Shit!" he exclaims, dropping the knife. He grabs his hand, blood welling around his fingers. "You stupid--" He stops, a pained expression on his face. "I can't--" and then, "Blood--" Your father never could stand the sight of blood. He races up the stairs, yelling, "Stay right there!"
action: You put the laurel in the blood
response: The blood vanishes, absorbed by the laurel. For a brief instant, the laurel glows.

A section of the air just above your head shimmers. A small pyramid falls from the disturbance to the ground below.
action: You take the pyramid
response: The pyramid begins glowing softly, then flares brighter. You can hear something coming from the pyramid, but it is more like the absence of sound than anything audible. As the non-sound ends the pyramid flakes into ash and is gone.
action: You take the syrup
response: Karo syrup is best kept in the bottle until used.
action: You go to the east
response: You stand at the road in front of your house. The dirt road leads north and south, with no other houses visible for miles. On the east side of the road opposite your house, the forest looms.
Bubbles is lying on the ground, staring at you with soulful eyes.
action: Inventory
response: You have a book of mythology, a book of faeries, a four-leaf clover, a metal box, a flyer, a mason jar, a rucksack, a pair of elf boots (being worn), a shiny stone, an ash laurel, an oak staff, and a bottle of Karo syrup. The rucksack seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a dark sphere, a light sphere, a thin coat, a white cane, a pair of gloves, a pair of sunglasses, a hall pass, some dust, and a length of rope.
action: Go east
response: Trees stop to the west, forming a remarkably straight line,
corralled by some feature of the land. To the east the trees thicken once again.
action: You put all in the sack
response: fool: The fool is already in the rucksack!
tuft of insulation: The tuft of insulation is already in the rucksack! dark sphere: The dark sphere is already in the rucksack!
light sphere: The light sphere is already in the rucksack!
thin coat: The thin coat is already in the rucksack!
white cane: The white cane is already in the rucksack!
heavy gloves: The heavy gloves are already in the rucksack! sunglasses: The sunglasses are already in the rucksack!
hall pass: The hall pass is already in the rucksack!
dust: The dust is already in the rucksack!
rope: Done.
book of mythology: Done.
book of faeries: Done.
four-leaf clover: Done.
metal box: Done.
flyer: Done.
mason jar: Done.
rucksack: You can't put the rucksack in itself!
elf boots: You will have to remove the elf boots first.
shiny stone: Done.
ash laurel: Done.
oak staff: It won't fit.
bottle of Karo syrup: Done.
action: You check your inventory
response: You have a rucksack, a pair of elf boots (being worn), an oak staff, a metal box, a shiny stone, an ash laurel, a four-leaf clover, and a mason jar. The rucksack seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a dark sphere, a light sphere, a thin coat, a white cane, a pair of gloves, a pair of sunglasses, a hall pass, some dust, a length of rope, a book of mythology, a book of faeries, a flyer, and a bottle of Karo syrup.
action: You wear the laurel
response: You feel subtly different when you wear it.
action: You go east
response: provided by a nearby stream. Mossy rocks lead down to the stream, and the underbrush allows passage to the north, east, and west.
action: You take off the laurel
response: You remove the ash laurel.
action: Go north
response: The trees are grouped less tightly here, allowing space for an oak
tree and a lone ash tree. The two trees leave room for passage to the north, south, and west.
action: Inventory
response: You have a pair of elf boots (being worn), an oak staff, a metal box, a shiny stone, an ash laurel, a four-leaf clover, and a mason jar.
action: You wear the laurel
response: You feel subtly different when you wear it. Bubbles cocks its head, then begins sniffing until Bubbles locates you and is satisfied.
action: Rub stone
response: You rub your hand over the stone, feeling it warm in your grasp.
action: Rub stone
response: You rub your hand over the stone, feeling it warm in your grasp. A nearly-invisible cloud rises from the stone and settles about you, making you sneeze.
action: Rub stone
response: The stone turns rough in your hands and your fingers halt. Seconds later, the stone smooths again.
action: Go east
response: The cave flares open into a large space. Most of the space is
filled with dragon, tons and tons of dragon. The air is heavy with the smell of sulfur.

The dragon shifts his head from side to side, tongue testing the air. After a minute he settles down.
action: You look at the dragon
response: The dragon's bulk fills the cave. His head swings from side to side; occasionally a forked tongue flicks out, testing the air.
action: Exits
response: You can go west.
action: You touch the dragon
response: You creep forward and poke the dragon hard before skipping backwards. He bellows, filling the cave with noxious gas. The dragon spews fire all about the cave, though none of it directly at you. Occasionally a tongue of flame licks over you, but the oak staff is more than enough protection. One tongue of flame caresses the mason jar, which swallows the flame and glows in response.
action: Go west
response: A small hill within the forest. A cave entrance opens in a rock outcropping to the east. Charred and trampled grass leads up to the cave.

The air just above you begins shimmering. From the disturbance falls a smallish cube.
action: You take cube
response: Something inside the cube softly clicks. Its walls slide partway open, then stop. A non-sound issues from the cube, an absence of sound which you can paradoxically hear. As the non-sound ends the cube melts into a puddle, then evaporates.

A nearly-invisible cloud rises from you and disperses into the air.
action: Inventory
response: You have a pair of elf boots (being worn), an oak staff, a metal box, a shiny stone, an ash laurel (being worn), a four-leaf clover, and a mason jar.
action: You examine the jar
response: The mason jar is made of thick glass. It glows with an angry red light.
action: You go south
response: The trees are grouped less tightly here, allowing space for an oak
tree and a lone ash tree. The two trees leave room for passage to the north, south, and west.
action: Go west
response: Hardwood trees stand close together, choking off light and
preventing you from seeing far. You can, however, see a hill rising to the west. You can walk through the trees and underbrush to the east and south.
action: Go west
response: The south side of a gently-sloping hill. Scrub grass clings tenaciously to its side. A path from the east divides here and crawls up the hill to the north and northwest.
action: Go west
response: Bubbles is lying on the ground.
action: You take the syrup
response: Karo syrup is best kept in the bottle until used.
action: You examine the rucksack
response: It is made of heavy denim and looks well-used. The rucksack is open and seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a dark sphere, a light sphere, a thin coat, a white cane, a pair of gloves, a pair of sunglasses, a hall pass, some dust, a length of rope, a book of mythology, a book of faeries, and a flyer.
action: You take off the laurel
response: You remove the ash laurel.
action: You follow you
response: Bubbles gets up and trots over to you.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: Inventory
response: You have a pair of elf boots (being worn), an oak staff, a metal box, a shiny stone, an ash laurel, a four-leaf clover, a mason jar, and a bottle of Karo syrup.

Bubbles comes over, sniffs at your legs, then wanders off again.
action: Go downwards
response: The cave encloses you, reflecting the sound of your breathing. It
is dry and illuminated, though you cannot find the source of the light. Rough stairs are cut into one part of the cave, leading to a thin exit above. The cave widens to the north.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: Go north
response: Someone has rearranged the hall with a heavy set of boots. The
light sources have been smashed, the throne broken, the table overturned. Mud has been tracked across the carpet.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You examine the sources
response: Someone has smashed them all.
action: You examine the throne
response: The throne lies in ruins, its wood snapped, the ivy which once decorated it torn and tossed atop the wreckage.
action: You examine the mud
response: Mud has ruined the carpet's once-pristine surface.
action: You examine table
response: The table is cracked in the center. It now leans at a drunken angle.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You look
response: Someone has rearranged the hall with a heavy set of boots. The
light sources have been smashed, the throne broken, the table overturned. Mud has been tracked across the carpet.
Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
action: You look at the boots
response: They are light and supple.
action: You look at the flyer
response: The flyer extols the virtues of the SchimTek Sonic Cavity Analyzer.
The picture on the flyer shows a rectangular box with a large grip handle on one end, reminiscent of an old geiger counter. Your father was eternally collecting gadgets like the Sonic Cavity Analyzer.
action: You go to the south
response: The cave encloses you, reflecting the sound of your breathing. It
is dry and illuminated, though you cannot find the source of the light. Rough stairs are cut into one part of the cave, leading to a thin exit above. The cave widens to the north.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: Up
response: The hill curves away from this spot, crowned on top by a gnarled
thorn tree. Paths curve down the hill to the west and south. A passage gapes in the side of the hill, leading down. Far to the north is a small white church.
A grey man stands over you, grinning.

The grey man reaches out and grabs you before you can run.

Bubbles comes trotting after you.
action: You examine man
response: There is no color to him, an Edward Gorey sketch come to life. His jet-black eyes glitter to either side of an aquiline nose and above an outthrust chin.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.

"Why, Terry, what a pleasant surprise!" The arm gripping you twists slightly, pinning you against the grey man. He squints down at you, blinks several times, discomforted by the mild sunlight. He lashes out smoothly with one foot, catching Bubbles by surprise. Bubbles yipes and runs. "You've been oh so naughty, and your father has sent me to punish you."

You suddenly realize where you had heard the voice from the needled sphere. Your father's voice, nearly choked by his cancer.
action: You ask the man about the father
response: The grey man tightens his grip on you, preventing you from moving or drawing much breath.

The grey man tightens his arm across your chest. "Come along, come along, I have something special planned!" He drags you down the hill.

The hill drops off sharply to the west, overlooking a rocky tumble
to a kill below. A worn path leads up to the east and down to the southeast.
The grey man holds you tightly with one arm.
action: You wait
response: Time passes...

The grey man nods towards the sharp drop-off. "My, that water looks mighty cold," he says, not noticing that his hold on you has loosened.
action: You look at the rucksack
response: It is made of heavy denim and looks well-used. The rucksack is open and seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a dark sphere, a light sphere, a thin coat, a white cane, a pair of gloves, a pair of sunglasses, a hall pass, some dust, a length of rope, a book of mythology, a book of faeries, and a flyer.

Bubbles takes a running fit, tearing around as fast as possible on short legs.
action: You go west
response: You see a pocketknife here.
action: Go south
response: The cave encloses you, reflecting the sound of your breathing. It
is dry and illuminated, though you cannot find the source of the light. Rough stairs are cut into one part of the cave, leading to a thin exit above. The cave widens to the north.
action: You go upwards
response: The hill curves away from this spot, crowned on top by a gnarled
thorn tree. Paths curve down the hill to the west and south. A passage gapes in the side of the hill, leading down. Far to the north is a small white church.
A grey man stands over you, grinning.

The grey man reaches out and grabs you before you can run.
action: You wait for a while
response: Time passes...

"Why, Terry, what a pleasant surprise!" The arm gripping you twists slightly, pinning you against the grey man. He squints down at you, blinks several times, discomforted by the mild sunlight. "You've been oh so naughty, and your father has sent me to punish you."

You suddenly realize where you had heard the voice from the needled sphere. Your father's voice, nearly choked by his cancer.
action: You wait awhile
response: Time passes...

The grey man tightens his arm across your chest. "Come along, come along, I have something special planned!" He drags you down the hill.

The hill drops off sharply to the west, overlooking a rocky tumble
to a kill below. A worn path leads up to the east and down to the southeast.
The grey man holds you tightly with one arm.
action: You attack the man with the knife
response: With all your strength you drive the blade of the pocketknife deep into the grey man's thigh. He screams, a high-pitched, reedy sound. In pain, the grey man stumbles over the edge of the bluff. With one hand he claws at the ground; with the other he drags you with him. In desperation you pry his hand free, but not before you have slid after him.

fingernails. Your wild descent has been arrested by an iron cage which is caught in some roots. The grey man has not been so lucky: his body lies folded in the kill below. The top of the bluff is a good ten feet above you.
action: You examine the cage
response: The iron cage is nearly two meters square. A cloth has been placed on the bottom of the cage. Faeries are crammed into it, trying desperately to avoid the sides of the cage.

Below you, you glimpse faeries fluttering about the confines of their cage. One notices you. "Please!" he pleads. "Help us!"
action: You open the cage
response: You lean over the cage and pull open its door. In an instant, a rush of faeries flies past you. The sudden shift of weight inside the cage dislodges it from its perch, sending it tumbling. You find your hands slipping from the tree roots until you fall after the cage, ignored by all the faeries.

All but one. She glances down, then pauses her upward flight. She gestures and your fall slows. A bright glow surrounds you, cushioning you. You feel your head strike a rock sharply, laying bare your skull. Pain and muzziness vie for control of your attention. The faerie frowns in concentration. She gestures again, and the glow brightens, blinding you.



White surrounds you, envelops you. In front of you your father, now an old man, sits before a chess board. He looks up from contemplating his next move and glances at you. He looks back to the board and tips a pawn over with deliberation. Then you are falling, the white closing in.

Interlude, Again

The white ceiling slowly recedes, eventually settling down to a reasonable distance. Mindful of a disorienting dizziness, you turn your head slowly from side to side, taking in the sight of a hospital room. The room is dim, its only light the sunlight leaking through the window whose curtains are thrown wide. Equipment surrounds your bed in the center of the room.