Disenchantment Bay
by Jacqueline A Lott (with a head start from Emily Short) (2013)
Genres: Humor
Travel
Nature


action: %
response: That isn't one of the options.

Would you like to RESTORE a saved position, RESTART the
story, UNDO the last move, or QUIT?

If this was the proper version of this game you could replay a particular scenario using RESTART . This game was number
7142, so you could play it again with RESTART 7142. Unfortunately it won't work in this special TADS-3.0-compatible version.
action: About yourself
response: You have dreamed of coming to Alaska your entire life, and you're finally here.
action: You check your inventory
response: You are carrying:
a backpack (closed)
a pair of sunglasses (being worn)
action: You open the backpack
response: You open the backpack, revealing a warm beer.

You hear a low rumble, like thunder, that tells you the glacier's calved off another ice berg somewhere nearby.
action: You examine the glasses
response: The light off the water and the ice does get pretty bright sometimes. You're glad you brought these... who'd have thought they'd come in handy in rainy southeastern Alaska?
action: You examine the case
response: In the glass case is a fishing rod.
action: You examine the beer
response: An Alaskan Amber, made not far from here, in Juneau.

Little bits of glacier ice scratch against the ship's hull.
action: You look at the menu
response: You can get half-day and full-day sight-seeing tours, and half-day and full-day fishing trips.
action: You examine captain
response: The Captain is wearing a baseball cap and carrying a small silver key.
action: You ask Captain about the key
response: (To communicate in this story, TALK TO the captain.)
action: You talk to Captain
response: "You know," says the captain, "I never get sick of coming up here.
It's just so beautiful."

Somewhere close, the glacier makes a sound like a shotgun going off.
action: You get the ice
response: That's hardly portable.
action: You examine the cushions
response: They look well-worn, sort of scuffed and dingy on the edges, shiny in the center where many a person before you has sat.
action: You open the cushions
response: You open the storage compartment, revealing a net and a warm Coke.

Little bits of glacier ice scratch against the ship's hull.
action: You get the bits
response: Perhaps you could get some ice if you were on the back deck of the boat.
action: You examine the finder
response: "Why do you have the fish finder on when we're not going fishing?" you ask.

"Well, it does help you find fish, but it's also useful for
knowing how deep the water is beneath the boat. We wouldn't want to get into water that was too shallow."

You can't get your mind off of that fishing pole you saw in the main cabin.

Somewhere out of sight, you hear a giant splash.
action: Open case
response: "Hey, don't break my case, I've got a key..." scolds the captain. He smiles and says, "...and I'll give it to ya, if you'd be so kind as to get me something cold to drink."

Huh. You thought you were paying him to do stuff.
But then, he's the one making sure the boat stays safe, and that's important, so the least you can probably do is find him something to drink.
action: Aft
response: (first opening the cabin door)

The whole back half of the boat is open, allowing you to view the surroundings without intervening windows — if you can stand the cold.

All around the boat bob chunks of glacier ice.

You can also see a cooler (closed) here.

You hear a bird cry off in the distance, but can't seem to locate it.
action: You open the cooler
response: You open the cooler.
action: You look in it
response: The cooler is empty.
action: You put the ice in the cooler
response: Little bits of glacier ice scratch against the ship's hull.

You hear an odd barking, almost roaring sound, far off.
...could there be sea lions around here? Gosh, there probably could be.
action: You put the beer in the cooler
response: You place the beer inside the cooler.
action: You take ice
response: You are having a hard time fishing out the ice with your bare hands.
action: You take the net
response: Taken.
action: You give Coke to Captain
response: "It needs chilling," the Captain remarks, disgruntled.

Little bits of glacier ice scratch against the ship's hull.
action: Aft
response: The whole back half of the boat is open, allowing you to view the surroundings without intervening windows — if you can stand the cold.

All around the boat bob chunks of glacier ice.

You can also see a cooler (in which is a warm beer) here.
action: You get the ice with the net
response: You scoop up the ice with the net.
action: You put the ice and Coke in the cooler
response: piece of glacier ice: You dump the ice from the net into the ice
chest.
warm Coke: You place the Coke inside the cooler.

You keep thinking about that lovely fishing rod in the glass cabinet, and how fun it would be to play with.

You make out a faint scratching sound, like ice rubbing against the boat.
action: You put the beer in the cooler
response: You place the beer inside the cooler.
action: You get the fore
response: You must name something more substantial.

The glacier is quiet for a moment, and you realize it's been making so much noise you're surprised by the silence.
action: You give Coke to Captain
response: "Ah, that's great! Thank you," he says. How he can drink an iced soda on a day like today boggles your mind... but then again, you've heard some crazy statistic that Alaskans eat the most ice cream, per capita, of any US state.

You're not sure you believe that, though.

I guess I promised you the key to that case, didn't I? Here ya go."
He tosses you the silver key.

You hear the water lap gently against the boat.
action: Unlock case with key
response: You unlock the glass case.
action: You take the rod
response: You open the glass case, giddy with the idea of using the fishing rod.

Little bits of glacier ice scratch against the ship's hull.

You seize the rod triumphantly (you really should get out more) and head onto the deck of the boat to engage in a bit of light casting.
The boat wasn't set up to go fishing today — you chartered the boat just to come see the glacier — so there's no bait on board. Still, it's fun to practice your casting...
action: Cast rod
response: And almost as soon as you feel the explosion on your line, there is a sudden slackening: whatever you "caught," it has severed the line.
action: Marry chloe
response: You can hear the captain panicking about something in the cabin. It sounds like his words might be interlaced with swears.
action: You examine finder
response: Useful for knowing how deep the water is, so you don't end up on a
reef like Captain Hazelwood.

Damn, the captain is kind really not handling this emergency well. You're probably going to have to take matters into your own hands.

You see something leap out of the water... did it have a
horn??

"Um, did you feel something?"
action: You talk to Captain
response: The captain doesn't seem to be making much sense, but his swears are creative.

You and the captain both search the water frantically.
action: You examine the water
response: The water is an oddly milky grey, a consequence of all the sediment stirred up by the glacier. The wind makes the water ripple, with occasional tiny whitecaps.

"That... nah, can't be. I've never seen one of them this far
south..." says the captain.
action: You continue
response: The water is an oddly milky grey, a consequence of all the sediment stirred up by the glacier. The wind makes the water ripple, with occasional tiny whitecaps.

You feel something big jostle against the boat!

"Okay, that's it. I'm charging you double," says the captain.
action: You look at the water
response: The water is an oddly milky grey, a consequence of all the sediment stirred up by the glacier. The wind makes the water ripple, with occasional tiny whitecaps.

"Make that triple."
action: Turn wheel
response: It is fixed in place.

The captain says, "Holy shit. What was that?"
action: You use the radio
response: You get on the radio and send out a May Day. And an SOS. And a panicked scream.

It takes nearly an hour for help to arrive, and of course by the time the search and rescue folks show up, all the excitement is over.
"Wait, why did you call for us? There's nothing wrong with you..." scolds the lead rescuer.

"Well," the captain begins, "there was this scary sea creature
bumping against the boat —"

"I swear it was a narwhal!" you interject. The captain throws you a quick sideways glance as if to say, "Yes, it sure as hell did look
like a narwhal, but we're not going to tell him that."

Suffice it to say, you're the laughing stock of the local village, but that's okay: you're alive, you had an incredible Alaskan adventure.
action: Aft
response: The whole back half of the boat is open, allowing you to view the surroundings without intervening windows — if you can stand the cold.

You can see a cooler (in which are a cold beer and a piece of glacier ice) here.

There's a huge splash to starboard.

You can hear the captain ranting about something in the cabin. It sounds like his words might be interlaced with swears.
action: You get the beer
response: Taken.

The captain is obviously not thinking straight. You might not be an Alaskan boat captain, but surely there's a way out of this. Think!

You can hear the captain screaming about something in the cabin. It sounds like his words might be interlaced with swears.
action: You drink the beer
response: You open the beer, which sounds as if it still has some fizz to it,
and you take a sip.

Okay, that's oddly refreshing, despite making you feel even colder
than you already were.

You can hear the captain panicking about something in the cabin. It sounds like his words might be interlaced with swears.
action: You examine the finder
response: Useful for knowing how deep the water is, so you don't end up on a
reef like Captain Hazelwood.
action: You examine the finder
response: Useful for knowing how deep the water is, so you don't end up on a
reef like Captain Hazelwood.

Somewhere close, the glacier makes a sound like a shotgun going off.
action: Turn finder
response: It is fixed in place.
action: You look at the sign
response: You can get half-day and full-day sight-seeing tours, and half-day and full-day fishing trips.
action: You look for the fish
response: Sadly, you haven't any bait or traps, so your chances of encountering creatures from the depths is slim.

You hear the water lap gently against the boat.
action: You switch off the finder
response: You switch off the depth finder. The captain looks at you, frowning, and turns it right back on again.
action: You switch off the finder
response: You switch it off the depth finder again. The captain says, "Hey, don't touch that."
action: You switch off the finder
response: You slowly sneak your hand up when you think the captain's not looking and switch the depth finder off.

"Look," says the captain, "that's not funny, and I'm definitely not amused, and I don't care if you want to hit a rock or whatever your death-wish is, but this is my boat and you need to keep your hands off of stuff. Got it?"

You nod, but for some reason he doesn't look like he believes you.

Somewhere out of sight, you hear a giant splash.
action: You examine the splash
response: There've been all sorts of splashes all morning: some small, like when a seal hops off an iceberg or a diving bird goes after a fish, and others immense, such as when the glacier calves off another giant
piece of ice.
action: You switch off the finder
response: You reach up to touch the depth finder, and the captain slaps your hand. Ouch!
action: You listen
response: You hear the low rumble of the boats engine idling.

You hear the water lap gently against the boat.
action: You fiddle with the finder
response: You go to turn off the depth finder, and the captain goes to slap you again.

You decide not to turn off the depth finder.

You make out a faint scratching sound, like ice rubbing against the boat.
action: You listen
response: You hear the low rumble of the boats engine idling.
action: Aft
response: (first opening the cabin door)

The whole back half of the boat is open, allowing you to view the surroundings without intervening windows — if you can stand the cold.

All around the boat bob chunks of glacier ice.

You can also see a cooler (closed) here.
action: You listen
response: This isn't at all like home: no car alarms, no sirens, just... nature.

Little bits of glacier ice scratch against the ship's hull.
action: You open the backpack
response: You open the backpack, revealing a warm beer.
action: You drink the beer
response: You're not really in the mood for a warm beer.

You hear a bird cry off in the distance, but can't seem to locate it.

You hear an odd barking, almost roaring sound, far off.
...could there be sea lions around here? Gosh, there probably could be.
action: You listen to the bird
response: They're far too far away, and besides, wild animals are best left alone.
action: You look at the icebergs
response: Bergs of various sizes bob up and down all around you, some of them nearly as large as the boat, others small enough to hold in your hand. They are so thick in the bay that the boat occasionally must scrape against them to make its way through the water, but the captain is skilled at this, and the hull is solid enough to do this at slow speeds.

Off in the distance, you can see a harbor seal and her pup hauled out on one of the larger, flatter bergs.

You hear the glacier pop, far in the distance.
action: You look at the harbor seal
response: There are harbor seals everywhere, and as the boat drifts and changes direction, it's hard to keep track of any one seal in particular.
Quite close to the boat, though, you see a seal swimming through the water. It looks a bit like a sleek, wet, spotted dog in profile, but it swims more gracefully than any dog you've ever seen. Suddenly it turns, makes eye contact, and bobs before making what appears to be a deep dive.
action: You look for the sea lions
response: Hm, yeah, there could be sea lions up here, you suppose... you search the shore, and sure enough, there is a group of them hauled out on the eastern shore of the bay.

Little bits of glacier ice scratch against the ship's hull.
action: You look for the penguins
response: Didn't you hear? The North American penguin is endangered. Your chances of seeing one are really, really low.
action: You look for the polar bear
response: There aren't any of those here, and even if there were, wild animals are best left alone. Especially polar bears.
action: You listen to the penguins
response: Look, penguins live in the southern hemisphere, not here, you idiot.

Somewhere close, the glacier makes a sound like a shotgun going off.
action: You examine Glacier
response: The Hubbard Glacier appears, at this distance, as a towering wall of ice. It rises nearly three hundred feet high from the waterline, and the wind off its face chills you noticeably, despite the sunny day.
You have to wonder if the boat is far enough away from the glacier should an entire column of ice break free... but you know that the captain knows these waters extremely well and that he'll get you close enough for the experience you paid for, but will keep his boat in the clear.
action: Xyzzy
response: Isn't this place magical enough for you?

You hear the water lap gently against the boat.
action: Plover
response: Yes, yes there are small brown birds around here. Well done.
action: You jump
response: You jump on the spot, but not without fruit: the boat seems to rock, ever so slightly from your efforts.
action: Sing
response: Your singing is abominable.

You make out a faint scratching sound, like ice rubbing against the boat.
action: About yourself
response: You have dreamed of coming to Alaska your entire life, and you're finally here.
action: Lick birds
response: They're far too far away, and besides, wild animals are best left alone.

You hear the water lap gently against the boat.
action: You look for the wildlife
response: You suppose in a place this wild there must be animals everywhere, and where you look will dictate what you see. The seals seem to be on the icebergs, for instance, but you'd probably only see a bear if you were specifically looking for one on the distant shore.
action: You search the shore
response: That's far too far away.
action: You examine the shore
response: The shores on both sides of the bay, which are quite far off, appear
to be pretty rocky. Just beyond them, thick vegetation lines the shore, quickly sloping up and away into terrain too steep to easiliy climb. You skim the beach, looking for bears, because the captain
said there was a pretty good chance of seeing one.

Somewhere out of sight, you hear a giant splash.

You hear an odd barking, almost roaring sound, far off.
It's those sea lions again.
action: You look at it
response: The shores on both sides of the bay, which are quite far off, appear
to be pretty rocky. Just beyond them, thick vegetation lines the shore, quickly sloping up and away into terrain too steep to easiliy climb. You skim the beach, looking for bears, because the captain
said there was a pretty good chance of seeing one.
action: You look for the bears
response: You scan the beach, knowing that sometimes bears come down to look for clams or other tidepool foods — and you see one! This one is a large grizzly.
action: You talk to the bear
response: It's far too far away, and besides, wild animals are best left alone.

You hear a bird cry off in the distance, but can't seem to locate it.
action: You watch the bear
response: There's a grizzly bear on the rocky beach, flipping over rocks in search of food. It sniffs the ground, checking something out.
action: Oops grizzly
response: There's a grizzly bear on the rocky beach, flipping over rocks in search of food. It nudges a stone with its snout.
action: You keep going
response: There's a grizzly bear on the rocky beach, flipping over rocks in search of food. How cool — it appears to have found a clam. It takes
a seat, pries the shell open, and enjoys some lunch.

You hear the glacier pop, far in the distance.
action: You look in the backpack
response: In the backpack is a warm beer.
action: You put the beer in the cooler
response: You open the cooler and place the beer inside the it.
action: You look in the cooler
response: In the cooler is a warm beer.

You make out a faint scratching sound, like ice rubbing against the boat.
action: You continue
response: In the cooler is a warm beer.
action: You check your inventory
response: You are carrying:
a backpack (open but empty)
a pair of sunglasses (being worn)

Somewhere close, the glacier makes a sound like a shotgun going off.
action: You go east
response: Compass directions make no sense on this tiny boat, but you can use
AFT and FORE (abbreviated as A or F) to move around.
action: You open bench
response: You open the storage compartment, revealing a net and a warm Coke.

You hear the glacier pop, far in the distance.
action: Aft
response: The whole back half of the boat is open, allowing you to view the surroundings without intervening windows — if you can stand the cold.

All around the boat bob chunks of glacier ice.

You can also see a cooler (in which is a warm beer) here.

Somewhere close, the glacier makes a sound like a shotgun going off.
action: You put the ice in the cooler
response: You dump the ice from the net into the ice chest.
action: You look at the beer
response: An Alaskan Amber, made not far from here, in Juneau.

You hear the water lap gently against the boat.

You hear an odd barking, almost roaring sound, far off.
It's those sea lions again.
action: You remove the glasses
response: You take off the pair of sunglasses.
action: You look in the cooler
response: In the cooler are a piece of glacier ice and a cold beer.
action: You get the beer then drink it
response: Taken.

You make out a faint scratching sound, like ice rubbing against the boat.

You open the beer, which sounds as if it still has some fizz to it,
and you take a sip.

Okay, that's oddly refreshing, despite making you feel even colder
than you already were.
action: You drink the beer
response: Yeah, nice and smooth.
action: You drink the beer
response: You enjoy another sip, and decide that you may have to buy a case of this stuff to take home.

You hear a bird cry off in the distance, but can't seem to locate it.
action: You drink the beer
response: Ahhh, this is good. Wonder if they brew any other good stuff. Maybe you'll do a layover in Juneau on the way home, and take a tour of the Alaskan Brewing Company's facility. That'd be fun.
action: You listen to the beer
response: This isn't at all like home: no car alarms, no sirens, just... nature.
action: You drink beer
response: Okay, darn, this seems like the last sip, and it's mostly just backwash.

You hear the water lap gently against the boat.
action: You drink the beer
response: Yep, that was it. No more beer.
action: You drink the beer
response: Sorry, all gone.
action: You check your inventory
response: You are carrying:
a cold beer
a warm Coke
a net
a backpack (open but empty)
a pair of sunglasses

You hear a low rumble, like thunder, that tells you the glacier's calved off another ice berg somewhere nearby.
action: You talk to Captain
response: "You know," says the captain, "I never get sick of coming up here.
It's just so beautiful."
action: Keep going
response: "It is incredibly surreal up here by the glacier," you say, "thanks
for bringing me up here."

"Yeah, I'd say 'You're welcome,' except that, y'know, you're paying me pretty well to do this."

You hear the water lap gently against the boat.
action: You continue
response: "So, where's all this ice coming from?"

"Way up in those mountains, over seventy miles from here. This is the longest tidewater glacier in North America. The ice takes decades to travel this far."
action: You talk to Captain
response: "Really?" you ask. "Just decades? I thought glacier ice was, like, ancient or something."

"Well, I guess some glacier ice might be, but this glacier moves
pretty fast, so the ice calves off into the sea and melts before it
can get too old."

Somewhere close, the glacier makes a sound like a shotgun going off.
action: You listen to Captain
response: The captain is quiet, watching the instruments and navigating the
boat.
action: You talk to Captain
response: "So, why's some of the ice blue?" you ask.

"It's because of how dense the ice is... the ice absorbs most of the light and in some spots all that escapes is the blue."
action: You continue
response: "Why's the water so chalky looking?"

"Man, you're just full of questions, aren't you?" The captain looks a little bit annoyed, but he recovers quickly. "It's because as the glacier moves through the mountains it grinds down rock, some of it into a fine powder, and it carries that powder in all the water runoff and stuff, and so eventually that spills out into the ocean and close to the glacier all that sediment gets churned up in the water, so it looks like that."

You make out a faint scratching sound, like ice rubbing against the boat.

You hear an odd barking, almost roaring sound, far off.
It's those sea lions again.
action: Continue
response: "Say, you want to hear a joke?" the captain asks, switching tracks.
You shrug and nod your head.

"Have you seen that movie, Titanic?" You nod your head.
"And have you seen The Sixth Sense?" You nod your head
again. The captain leans forward, grinning childishly, "You know
what those two films have in common??"

You think about it for a second. "Um, no," you admit.

"ICY DEAD PEOPLE!" He laughs, like this is the first time he's ever told this joke (you're actually quite sure it's more like the millionth). "Get it? I SEE DEAD PEOPLE!"
action: You talk to Captain
response: "Want to hear another joke?" You're about to tell him no, when he says, "Why did the shark wear a tuxedo? Because he was dressed to kill!"

Oh, brother.
action: You talk to Captain
response: "Okay, okay, you'll love this next one," says the captain. "How do harbor seals like their soda? ON THE ROCKS!"

The captain laughs hard at first, then looks around at all the ice bergs and to the shore not far away, and his laughter sputters out.
"I guess that's not too funny, huh, us being in a boat and all."

The glacier is quiet for a moment, and you realize it's been making so much noise you're surprised by the silence.
action: You talk to Captain
response: "Wait," you point out. "You thought that Titanic joke was
hilarious, but the silly harbor seal joke is unnerving?"

Silence from the captain. I think he's pretending not to have heard you.
action: You look for the icebergs
response: They're beautiful, and you could probably take a small one if you had the right tool, but really, they're better admired from afar for the most part.

You make out a faint scratching sound, like ice rubbing against the boat.
action: Inventory
response: You are carrying:
a cold beer
a warm Coke
a net
a backpack (open but empty)
a pair of sunglasses
action: You give the beer to Captain
response: "I don't drink on the job, thanks," he says. "You can help yourself if you want it, though."
action: Y.
response: debugcheapnitfol quit with exit status: 0