Start of a transcript of SpaceWhale presents: ----------------------- A TRAIN TO PICCADILLY ----------------------- An attempt to remember by Marco Innocenti Release 1 / Serial number 241229 / Inform v6.42 PunyInform v5.11 > about This game is yet another competitive frustration of Marco Innocenti, who for PunyComp24 decided to ignore almost every limit requested by the organizers and mix the cards even with regards to the imposed theme. Instead of a short game, that could be judged in an hour, the author has created a long and complicated puzzle fest, with some story attached. I apologize now to all those who will hate it, while I am already sending wedding promises to those who, at least a little, will appreciate it. The game is dedicated to Sandro Carlotti, the childhood friend that I haven't seen for years, with whom I wrote the first text adventures between 1983 and 1987. Sooner or later, I swear, one of those will be playable again on Commodore 64. HUGE thanks go to my uber-patient testers, namely: Adam Biltcliffe, Lance Cirone, Piergiorgio d'Errico, Max Fog, Javier Garza, Marius Mueller, AM Ruf, Sean (anodyne_one) and Stefan Vogt. Particularly abundant thanks to Fredrik Ramsberg for the many (public and secret) coding advices and for promising he won't ever again eat kebab pizza. More or less. Check more games by the author at andromedalegacy.com and at polyplay.xyz. > l [DE] ALLEY A topographical mayhem, this cul-de-sac is shielded from drones flying over by a thick network of old curtains. Which, however, do not slow the rain. At the end of the alley, to the north, the place I must reach. > x me Maksim Gromov, 32. A survivor. The world has not broken me; the war has not scattered me. I have, perhaps, one last mission. > i I am empty handed. > l [DE] ALLEY A topographical mayhem, this cul-de-sac is shielded from drones flying over by a thick network of old curtains. Which, however, do not slow the rain. At the end of the alley, to the north, the place I must reach. > x drones I can't see any such thing. > x curtains Tents and curtains stretched between buildings, forming a series of overlapping levels--I imagine they were once used to dampen the rain. Unfortunately, now, while good for hiding, they are useless for the purpose for which they were erected. Water cascades in torrents from one tent to the next, amplifying the downpours on the ground. > n The door I must reach is purposefully covered by some wooden planks. > x planks Wooden planks placed on purpose to hide a door. A half-erased inscription reads AUGENWERKSTATT, placing this old sign in a twenty-five year old world. > x door An old door, scratched by wear and who knows what else. Wooden planks were piled in front of it. > move planks They are rotten, and a little heavy, but they can be maneuvered. There, now the door is free. > n The door is closed. Maybe it's just a matter of knocking? > open door There is no doorknob or bell. Perhaps the only way is to knock. > knock on door Knock knock. After a few minutes, the door creaks open, and a funny-looking guy with oversized glasses peers through the gap. "Gromov?" he asks. I don't have time to respond. Pushing its way through the curtains above us, a Soviet drone descends into a hover, aiming its cannons at us. It must have been very close, I realize, to hear me banging the door over this rain. [...] The guy closes the door in my face, just in time for the drone not to notice, leaving me, however, in the middle of nowhere and empty-handed. Out of the corner of my eye I spot the wreck of an old machine left to rust in a corner of the alley. I dart towards it without delay, hoping its size will shield me from the drone's cannons. [DE] ALLEY (behind the machinery) The old curtains didn't protect us much, after all, while still not slowing down the rain. At the end of the alley, to the north, the place I should really reach. I'm taking cover behind an old piece of machinery. The Soviet drone is buzzing above the alley, searching for me or anyone who dares to make a move. > x drone The Soviet-made drone is a brass and steam nightmare. Two rotating miniguns hum menacingly. A symbol of raw industrial power. > x machinery It looks like an old industrial press, for the destruction of waste materials. A compact block of two cubic meters partially buried in the rubble. A piece of sheet metal is hidden among the gears. The drone begins to fly over the alley, trying to find me. > x metal It looks like a frisbee compressed into a disc. Good for playing with, in a different situation than this. A gust of wind throws rain onto my collar. > throw sheet at drone (first taking the metal disc) The disc pops out easily. It's time for a game. The drone knocks the disc down in mid-air, then calculates the launch origin point and in a few moments it is above me. What remains of me is a Tomatny Sup that no one will ever eat. [I'm dead, it looks like. Want to try again? Y/N]y [Last command undone] [...] [DE] ALLEY (behind the machinery) The old curtains didn't protect us much, after all, while still not slowing down the rain. At the end of the alley, to the north, the place I should really reach. I'm taking cover behind an old industrial press. The Soviet drone is buzzing above the alley, searching for me or anyone who dares to make a move. A red beam is pointing in my direction. I think the drone is starting to figure out my location. > take sheet I already have it. > hide behind sheet That is not a verb I recognize. > x beam It's the drone's search engine. It needs to not intercept me. The drone noise is getting closer, I must have it almost on my head. There's no more time! A gust of wind throws rain onto my collar. > hide behind machinery That is not a verb I recognize. > l [DE] ALLEY (behind the machinery) The old curtains didn't protect us much, after all, while still not slowing down the rain. At the end of the alley, to the north, the place I should really reach. I'm taking cover behind an old industrial press. The Soviet drone is buzzing above the alley, searching for me or anyone who dares to make a move. In the end, the Revolution drowned in a sea of indecision. The drone pulverizes my shelter and after a few moments--but not neglecting itself the pleasure of leaving me two seconds of regret--it pulverizes me too. [I'm dead, it looks like. Want to try again? Y/N]y [Last command undone] [...] [DE] ALLEY (behind the machinery) The old curtains didn't protect us much, after all, while still not slowing down the rain. At the end of the alley, to the north, the place I should really reach. I'm taking cover behind an old industrial press. The Soviet drone is buzzing above the alley, searching for me or anyone who dares to make a move. > undo Previous turn undone. > undo Previous turn undone. > x press It looks like an old industrial press, for the destruction of waste materials. A compact block of two cubic meters partially buried in the rubble. In the end, the Revolution drowned in a sea of indecision. The drone pulverizes my shelter and after a few moments--but not neglecting itself the pleasure of leaving me two seconds of regret--it pulverizes me too. [I'm dead, it looks like. Want to try again? Y/N]y [Last command undone] [...] [DE] ALLEY (behind the machinery) The old curtains didn't protect us much, after all, while still not slowing down the rain. At the end of the alley, to the north, the place I should really reach. I'm taking cover behind an old industrial press. The Soviet drone is buzzing above the alley, searching for me or anyone who dares to make a move. > throw sheet at drone The drone knocks the disc down in mid-air, then calculates the launch origin point and in a few moments it is above me. What remains of me is a Tomatny Sup that no one will ever eat. [I'm dead, it looks like. Want to try again? Y/N]y [Last command undone] [...] [DE] ALLEY (behind the machinery) The old curtains didn't protect us much, after all, while still not slowing down the rain. At the end of the alley, to the north, the place I should really reach. I'm taking cover behind an old industrial press. The Soviet drone is buzzing above the alley, searching for me or anyone who dares to make a move. > Come again? > n I might as well try. But my run doesn't last long: the drone's miniguns pin me to the door. Immediately afterward they break down that one too, now revealed, and go to put an end to the Revolyutsiya. [I'm dead, it looks like. Want to try again? Y/N]y [Last command undone] [...] [DE] ALLEY (behind the machinery) The old curtains didn't protect us much, after all, while still not slowing down the rain. At the end of the alley, to the north, the place I should really reach. I'm taking cover behind an old industrial press. The Soviet drone is buzzing above the alley, searching for me or anyone who dares to make a move. The drone begins to fly over the alley, trying to find me. > x sheet It looks like a frisbee compressed into a disc. Good for playing with, in a different situation than this. > throw disc at curtains The disc is shaking in my hands. I have only one shot, and if I miss, it's over for me and the whole Stalnaya Gvardiya revolutionary army. One. Two... [...] Three! Just over five meters, and yet it takes the disc my whole life to reach the target. When it hits, the miracle happens. The curtain tears, the rainwater inside comes cascading down and hits the drone squarely. There are sparks, flashes, and finally all the steam contained in the dirty Red Supremacy Machine explodes like a well-hit pinhata. The drone tries to regain its balance... ... But I certainly don't want to stay for the end of the movie. With one leap I'm out of hiding and into the door at the end of the alley. [...] [DE] STAIRCASE We descend in the dark. The walls are peeling, water seeps into the cavities. It seems impossible that this tunnel really leads somewhere. The stairs go down. > x walls Old bricks that no longer have color. > x water Strange that the water hasn't brought everything down yet. > d Of course, there are no alternatives. The other Gromov had been precise, categorical. Auguststrasse, in the old city--that's where the Otryadniks of the Gvardiya, the squad leaders, would be waiting for me. There, the discovery made by those boys from the East would be revealed to me. There, I would take up my relay and carry on the Dream of the Revolutionaries. It takes courage for something like this. It takes courage to be the one who must be the last messenger. [...] SpaceWhale presents: ----------------------- A TRAIN TO PICCADILLY ----------------------- An attempt to remember by Marco Innocenti Release 1 / Serial number 241229 / Inform v6.42 PunyInform v5.11 [HUB] EIN ALTES WOHNZIMMER An old living room. A place that makes no sense, down here. Clean, polished, with a decor that I struggle to understand: ochre and yellow wallpaper on the walls, in vertical stripes; formica furniture; an old gramophone with a shape that is far from brutalist. And then a huge carpet, covering almost the entire floor. A tall, well-built man stands at attention in the center of the room. He seems to be waiting for me. > x carpet Never seen anything like it. An extremely intricate design with a decidedly oriental feel. > x gramophone The disc is topped by a sort of golden cornucopia from which I guess the music comes out. The base has arabesques and chiseled embroidery. Too many curves, to belong to a Berlin house. Even before the Spring of '65. > play it No need to concern myself with that. > x wallpaper Too much color for a Soviet European decor. I can understand the ochre (we have plenty of it), but the jesterish contrast with that yellow is literally illegal, I believe. > x furniture Blue and white, every piece of furniture has been polished to a high shine. The nightmare of the Bjuro. > x man A rugged man in his 40s, with a gaunt face, scruffy beard, and sunken eyes. Clad in worn military gear, he stands tall but weary, shoulders slouched from years of war. Scarred hands grip themselves tightly. > talk to man I approach him, with that hint of suspicion. "Who are you?" I ask. "My name is Lev Nemov," he answers, without showing the slightest affection. "But that is not the most pertinent question now. The most pertinent question is: where are we?" > say berlin I think you wanted to say "say something to someone". Please try again. > say berlin to man [This game does not require the Ask, Tell, or Answer commands. To talk to someone, simply TALK TO (person).] > talk to man Confused, I ask: "...and where are we?" In the Berlin underground doesn't seem to be the right answer. "Nowhere, and at no time. Or, perhaps, in all places and at all times. A question of splitting hairs." Again, no expression to betray his thoughts, Comrade Nemov remains at attention, waiting for me to continue the conversation. > talk to man "Isn't this a basement," I ask with a smile that I hope isn't too sarcastic. "And what is the purpose of this meeting, anyway? Philosophy?" Nemov finally seems to relax and shows a human expression. "The other Gromov told me that you're a no-nonsense type. I hoped he'd tell you more, but apparently there wasn't time." Exhaling slowly, eyes on the floor, I give him the news: "Gromov is dead. The bar we were in was obviously not a safe place. The Politsiya..." "Let's leave it at that," he interrupts me. I can see a shadow pass quickly across his face. "Have you heard of the Parni s Vostoka?" > x me Maksim Gromov, 32. A survivor. The world has not broken me; the war has not scattered me. I have, perhaps, one last mission. > talk to man "The Boys from the East," I confirm. "I only know that they brought something from Leningrad. But no one knows what it is." Nemov nods. "Something intangible, yet so big and heavy that it can change this world forever. A hope, for the Stalnaya Gvardiya. A hope for the Revolution." I wait for him to continue. He turns, and points to a table that, until now, I am certain was not there. He points to something on its surface. "There are three objects, none of which have ever been part of this reality." They are small, and in incredibly good condition. One of the three shines, as if it were made of metal. "Did the Parni bring them?" "No," Nemov says. "These were stolen by other Gromovs before you." > l [HUB] EIN ALTES WOHNZIMMER An old living room. Clean, polished, with ochre and yellow wallpaper on the walls, in vertical stripes; formica furniture; an old gramophone with a shape that is far from brutalist. And then a huge carpet, covering almost the entire floor. Lev Nemov, my contact, stands at attention in the center of the room. He seems to have more to discuss with me. I can also see a polished table (on which are a rubber watch, a vinyl disc and a boxed something) here. > x table On the polished table are a rubber watch, a vinyl disc and a boxed something. > x watch This is a watch made mostly of rubber, with a large quadrant and a very simple design. This one is orange like the fruit; a logo on it says 'Pop Swatch'. The time is stuck at 12 o'clock exactly. > take it As soon as I grab the watch, the air around me warps, as if a bubble of water were expanding in every direction. Then there is a noise--low, dull--of a bottle under pressure being uncorked, and finally an orange glow that takes over everything. A strange little song rings in my ears... [...] When the music fades and the colors return, I find myself in... [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. > undo Previous turn undone. > l [HUB] EIN ALTES WOHNZIMMER An old living room. Clean, polished, with ochre and yellow wallpaper on the walls, in vertical stripes; formica furniture; an old gramophone with a shape that is far from brutalist. And then a huge carpet, covering almost the entire floor. Lev Nemov, my contact, stands at attention in the center of the room. He seems to have more to discuss with me. I can also see a polished table (on which are a Pop Swatch watch, a vinyl disc and a boxed something) here. > x table On the polished table are a Pop Swatch watch, a vinyl disc and a boxed something. > x disc It's a vinyl record in a cardboard sleeve. It's not one of the classic regime music records, though: on the cover are the faces of two people, a man and a woman, blond and with a challenging expression. She, in particular, has blue eyes but shaped like those of reptiles or felines. On the cover is written EURYTHMICS and, on a pin he's wearing, REVENGE. Never seen before, scabrous and... revolutionary. > x boxed Lots of writing, too many: Infocom; Interactive Fiction Plus; Fantasy; Standard Level, all nonsense. On the front is a sundial... with a red and yellow atomic explosion behind it. Americans might not like the theme. The ones still alive, I mean. The title reads: Trinity. > * lol That is not a verb I recognize. > l [HUB] EIN ALTES WOHNZIMMER An old living room. Clean, polished, with ochre and yellow wallpaper on the walls, in vertical stripes; formica furniture; an old gramophone with a shape that is far from brutalist. And then a huge carpet, covering almost the entire floor. Lev Nemov, my contact, stands at attention in the center of the room. He seems to have more to discuss with me. I can also see a polished table (on which are a Pop Swatch watch, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a Trinity box) here. > talk to man Something strikes me. "This reality," I whisper, more to myself than to Nemov. He seems to pick up on my concerns. "Something happened once," he explains. "Something that gave birth to this... thing we're experiencing. The Parni discovered it by accident, in the laboratories of Podporogovoy Fiziki, the Physics Below the Threshold. This is what they brought, nothing more than news from another space-time. After that, they disappeared. The objects you see here now, rare and powerful, are the result of the other Gromovs' search for the Boys." He takes a breath, then points to the objects and looks solemnly at me again. "Your job, Maksim Gromov, is to use these objects to find the Parni and, if the Revolyutsiya will help you, restore a world without war and suppression." With that, he grabs his stuff and heads for the exit. He pauses for just a second, before leaving me alone, and looks at me one last time, his eyes full of expectation. "Just so you know: none of the Gromovs before you have survived this mission. That said, whether you succeed or not, it is clear that we will never see each other again." Finally, he disappears down the stairs. > l [HUB] EIN ALTES WOHNZIMMER An old living room. Clean, polished, with ochre and yellow wallpaper on the walls, in vertical stripes; formica furniture; an old gramophone with a shape that is far from brutalist. And then a huge carpet, covering almost the entire floor. I can see a polished table (on which are a Pop Swatch watch, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a Trinity box) here. > u The only way out is to move forward. > * OK That is not a verb I recognize. > take watch As soon as I grab the watch, the air around me warps, as if a bubble of water were expanding in every direction. Then there is a noise--low, dull--of a bottle under pressure being uncorked, and finally an orange glow that takes over everything. A strange little song rings in my ears... [...] When the music fades and the colors return, I find myself in... [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. > * neat That is not a verb I recognize. > unl That is not a verb I recognize. > undo Previous turn undone. > l [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. > undo Previous turn undone. > undo Previous turn undone. > l [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. > undo Previous turn undone. > undo Previous turn undone. > undo Previous turn undone. > l [HUB] EIN ALTES WOHNZIMMER An old living room. Clean, polished, with ochre and yellow wallpaper on the walls, in vertical stripes; formica furniture; an old gramophone with a shape that is far from brutalist. And then a huge carpet, covering almost the entire floor. I can see a polished table (on which are a Pop Swatch watch, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a Trinity box) here. > take watch As soon as I grab the watch, the air around me warps, as if a bubble of water were expanding in every direction. Then there is a noise--low, dull--of a bottle under pressure being uncorked, and finally an orange glow that takes over everything. A strange little song rings in my ears... [...] When the music fades and the colors return, I find myself in... [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. A train passes in the distance, with a hat of steam. > * wonder what CH means That is not a verb I recognize. > x hills On clear days one might be able to see the Alps. Not today. Not since 1965, perhaps. > x lake Narrow and long, Lake Bienne bisects the valley like a hypertrophic river. The water has a bluish-green hue. > x sky The usual sky. It's been like this all my life. > x sign It is not clear whether it indicated the way to those coming from the lake or, on the contrary, from the road. But something makes me think that it is a pin placed there just for me. > take sign It might serve as a placeholder for the next Gromovs, in case I don't--... well, it might serve them. > i I am carrying a Pop Swatch watch. > ne [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. A bronze fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > x watch This is a watch made mostly of rubber, with a large quadrant and a very simple design. This one is orange like the fruit; a logo on it says 'Pop Swatch'. The time is stuck at 12 o'clock exactly. > wind watch That is not a verb I recognize. > turn on watch That's not something I can switch. > wear it It seems to me a sacred object, more than a normal watch. I don't feel like debasing it by wearing it... > l [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. A bronze fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > x tower A square tower with a peculiar pointed hat. An ancient clock with the bear of Bern is displayed on the facade. > x clock Huge, and superimposed on the coat of arms of the Bern bear. The white dial seems detached from the wall, as if it were hiding something behind it. The clock says 16:25. > x bear The bear is the symbol of Bern, the capital of Biel. > x dial Huge, and superimposed on the coat of arms of the Bern bear. The white dial seems detached from the wall, as if it were hiding something behind it. The clock says 16:25. > open dial No need to concern myself with that. > l [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. A bronze fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. The mechanisms inside the clock tower grind metallically. > x church A square tower with a peculiar pointed hat. An ancient clock with the bear of Bern is displayed on the facade. > x slope I can't see any such thing. > x building The windows are very close together and almost all touch each other, like drunks at a crowded party. Below them a sign indicates the building as the Waldleuten Guildhouse. > x statue The Venner-Brunnen (as the plaque states) is an opulent fountain. Atop its pedestal, a valiant armored figure, clad in patinated bronze, gazes over the town. The drain has been broken, probably in a bombing, so that it is now a hole measuring almost a meter in diameter. Water slides in without opposition, leaving the pool constantly empty. My attention is caught by the sparkle of a coin near the edge of the fountain. > x coin It is a 1 Franc coin, dated 1978. > take it As I grab the coin, I lean over the edge of the tub... and almost fall in. The surface of the pool, never perfectly dry, is slimy and very prone to indecent slips. > x plaque 'Die Venner-Brunnen'. Scratched on the plate by an inexperienced hand, not long ago. > l [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. The mechanisms inside the clock tower grind metallically. > ne [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. An armed guard stands by the stairs, occasionally casting a searching glance at me. > x furnishings Dark wood furniture, ornate but restrained. The same minimalism we expect from the Soviets, but with that extra warmth... > x chairs The tall chairs are made of dark, polished wood, with high, straight backs featuring carved details. The seats are cushioned with faded, embroidered fabric, and the legs are sturdy and slightly curved, reflecting the craftsmanship of late 19th-century German design. > x bookcases The bookcases have no clear division by genre or content: entire walls of volumes, bound in leather and fabric in dark and intense colors. Only one, near the entrance as if it were the forerunner to any other information, has modern and flashy bindings. The books contained here are three: history, art and culture. Obviously, only and exclusively Soviet. A little review might be interesting, also to avoid making the guard too curious. > x book Do you mean the history book, the culture book or the art book? > x history History has little to tell. The books here are mostly summaries, the immobility of the last 30 years the perfect humus. OCTOBER '43, the Reich conquers Europe. The United Kingdom has been fallen for years and the USA has holed up in its New World, with little motivation to mix. Fourteen years of Reich. Hitler, dead of an overdose or from a badly cut batch--no one will ever know--is succeeded by Gunter Todesengel, who however proves to be less charismatic and cunning than his predecessor, so much so that he causes the Empire of a Thousand Years to fail in a tiny fraction of the same. OCTOBER '57, Georgij Malenkov declares the Soviet Era. Following the fall of the Reich... etc, etc, etc. And it is already today's history. The two dates in October have been circled in pencil. As I try to put the book back, a frame--that I hadn't noticed before--falls off the top shelf and practically lands in my hand. It looks like a portrait of some communist czar... Noticing this, the guard immediately becomes alert and moves towards me. > x portrait The frame is all too well kept. The photo inside is of a tall figure in uniform, no name given. The hat and insignia tell the usual tale of a leader-in-a-manner-of-speaking. The guard snatches the portrait and places it on one of the tables. With a look he implicitly threatens me not to repeat the theft. > x culture State control over culture is total. Not surprisingly, the few books on the subject are the thinnest. It is difficult to make propaganda to educated people; this is why the Soviet idea since the 1960s is to not really educate anyone anymore. The few names of "thinkers" in these volumes are mostly known to everyone and generally considered to be unreliable spies. The entire German section has obviously disappeared. > x art Soviet art has been the same for sixty or seventy years, as far as an illiterate person like me can tell. Statues of heroes and workers, Social Realism, the factory and the Party. In books there are only repetitions of the same patterns--from the kraut-field mothers to the proud and never-broken-down Soldats--drawn, sculpted and narrated by a handful of servants of the Fatherland, without interruption. I imagine that if the Reich had not collapsed and, because of this, the Stalinist Socialist Union had not expanded beyond its increasingly rural borders, there would be no trace of it now. This is propaganda, as the Otryadniks teach us. And I imagine it makes no sense to make propaganda exclusively at home... > l [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. An armed guard stands by the stairs, occasionally casting a searching glance at me. On the central table, a portrait of some famous person in the Soviet empire. The guard seems to be keeping an apprehensive eye on it. > x guard He wears a dark Soviet uniform with the same-old red armband. His rifle, an AK-47, hangs ready. > talk to guard The guard just gives me a dirty look. I don't think he's in the mood to chat. Or even if he's allowed to. > x portrait The frame is all too well kept. The photo inside is of a tall figure in uniform, no name given. The hat and insignia tell the usual tale of a leader-in-a-manner-of-speaking. > take it As I pick it up, the guard shakes and points in my direction with war in his eyes. > u As I approach the stairs the guard stands in front of me and blocks my passage. His gaze is one that does not forgive. The guard snatches the portrait and places it on one of the tables. With a look he implicitly threatens me not to repeat the theft. > u As I approach the stairs the guard stands in front of me and blocks my passage. His gaze is one that does not forgive. > w The exit is southwest. A small staircase leads up. > sw [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > e [CH] CHURCH Bavarian Gothic is certainly not one of the freshest and brightest architectural styles. In here it almost takes a break, thanks to the large windows of the bell tower and, above all, the light that filters from the holes in the roof caused by cannon fire. The exit is to the west. On the left, against one of the church's more battered walls, is a device that appears to be both an elaborate altar and a clock mechanism. > x windows The single ray of light that ruins the mood. The windows are narrow but tall, and lacking the colored glass that usually fogs them up, they bring the freshness of the colors of the Red Spring inside. > x hole The war in the country that wanted to remain neutral. So it went through the roof, since the main door was closed. > x device This is an extraordinary mechanism, a religious object in a time when religion is banned. A series of tubes and contraptions operate other gears, which from what appears to be an altar connect up to the ceiling. On the altar itself, cogwheels and brass arabesques form a pattern that surrounds a smaller combination dial. On this, no doubt, the time of the clock on the bell tower can be set. The clock says 16:25. > x dial This is an extraordinary mechanism, a religious object in a time when religion is banned. A series of tubes and contraptions operate other gears, which from what appears to be an altar connect up to the ceiling. On the altar itself, cogwheels and brass arabesques form a pattern that surrounds a smaller combination dial. On this, no doubt, the time of the clock on the bell tower can be set. The clock says 16:25. > set dial to noon The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > x watch This is a watch made mostly of rubber, with a large quadrant and a very simple design. This one is orange like the fruit; a logo on it says 'Pop Swatch'. The time is stuck at 12 o'clock exactly. > x dial This is an extraordinary mechanism, a religious object in a time when religion is banned. A series of tubes and contraptions operate other gears, which from what appears to be an altar connect up to the ceiling. On the altar itself, cogwheels and brass arabesques form a pattern that surrounds a smaller combination dial. On this, no doubt, the time of the clock on the bell tower can be set. The clock says 00:00. > set dial to 11:59 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > x clock This is an extraordinary mechanism, a religious object in a time when religion is banned. A series of tubes and contraptions operate other gears, which from what appears to be an altar connect up to the ceiling. On the altar itself, cogwheels and brass arabesques form a pattern that surrounds a smaller combination dial. On this, no doubt, the time of the clock on the bell tower can be set. The clock says 00:00. > set dial to 11 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > x clock This is an extraordinary mechanism, a religious object in a time when religion is banned. A series of tubes and contraptions operate other gears, which from what appears to be an altar connect up to the ceiling. On the altar itself, cogwheels and brass arabesques form a pattern that surrounds a smaller combination dial. On this, no doubt, the time of the clock on the bell tower can be set. The clock says 00:11. > set dial to 12:00 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > x dial This is an extraordinary mechanism, a religious object in a time when religion is banned. A series of tubes and contraptions operate other gears, which from what appears to be an altar connect up to the ceiling. On the altar itself, cogwheels and brass arabesques form a pattern that surrounds a smaller combination dial. On this, no doubt, the time of the clock on the bell tower can be set. The clock says 00:00. > set dial to 11:58 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > x dial This is an extraordinary mechanism, a religious object in a time when religion is banned. A series of tubes and contraptions operate other gears, which from what appears to be an altar connect up to the ceiling. On the altar itself, cogwheels and brass arabesques form a pattern that surrounds a smaller combination dial. On this, no doubt, the time of the clock on the bell tower can be set. The clock says 00:00. > set dial to 10:00 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > x dial This is an extraordinary mechanism, a religious object in a time when religion is banned. A series of tubes and contraptions operate other gears, which from what appears to be an altar connect up to the ceiling. On the altar itself, cogwheels and brass arabesques form a pattern that surrounds a smaller combination dial. On this, no doubt, the time of the clock on the bell tower can be set. The clock says 00:00. > set dial to 9 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > x dial This is an extraordinary mechanism, a religious object in a time when religion is banned. A series of tubes and contraptions operate other gears, which from what appears to be an altar connect up to the ceiling. On the altar itself, cogwheels and brass arabesques form a pattern that surrounds a smaller combination dial. On this, no doubt, the time of the clock on the bell tower can be set. The clock says 00:09. > set dial to 500 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > x dial This is an extraordinary mechanism, a religious object in a time when religion is banned. A series of tubes and contraptions operate other gears, which from what appears to be an altar connect up to the ceiling. On the altar itself, cogwheels and brass arabesques form a pattern that surrounds a smaller combination dial. On this, no doubt, the time of the clock on the bell tower can be set. The clock says 05:00. > set dial to 1200 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > x dial This is an extraordinary mechanism, a religious object in a time when religion is banned. A series of tubes and contraptions operate other gears, which from what appears to be an altar connect up to the ceiling. On the altar itself, cogwheels and brass arabesques form a pattern that surrounds a smaller combination dial. On this, no doubt, the time of the clock on the bell tower can be set. The clock says 12:00. > out The only exit is west. > l [CH] CHURCH Bavarian Gothic is certainly not one of the freshest and brightest architectural styles. In here it almost takes a break, thanks to the large windows of the bell tower and, above all, the light that filters from the holes in the roof caused by cannon fire. The exit is to the west. On the left, against one of the church's more battered walls, is a device that appears to be both an elaborate altar and a clock mechanism. > u The only exit is west. > w [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. A light wind ruffles my hair. > sw [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. > e [CH] RIVER The bank is protected only by a continuous hedge, which runs along it slavishly. A bridge crosses it and lands north towards a road with a slight slope. To the northeast, following a curve in the river, the road continues towards an area of taller buildings, many of which--from here I can see them well--blunted by the wave of war. The lake is back west. > x hedge Fagus sylvatica. A noble tree, the beech, which is often converted into a hedge for its ability to remain green for almost the entire year. One of the last vestiges of the Reich, this thicket seems to have survived the madness of Hitler and, after him, of Todesengel. The thousand-year-old glory surpassed by a mere plant... > x bridge Made of stone, relatively new, like everything here in Bienne. Everything that is standing, I mean. Migratory birds leave this place for the southern skies. > x building Maybe it's the city rising in altitude. Or maybe it's an area actually spared by the cannons. Towers of buildings and ruined domes, glass and concrete. Oddly intriguing. > l [CH] RIVER The bank is protected only by a continuous hedge, which runs along it slavishly. A bridge crosses it and lands north towards a road with a slight slope. To the northeast, following a curve in the river, the road continues towards an area of taller buildings, many of which--from here I can see them well--blunted by the wave of war. The lake is back west. > n [CH] STATION Only one track, in both directions, to prove that Bienne is not the most visited city in Switzerland. Not since the Confederation also became Red territory. An alley goes back south towards the river. A metal panel weathers the elements in this roofless station. > x panel The classic iron structure that one can find near the tracks. There is a poster stuck on it. > open it I can't open that. > x poster A Soviet officer stands in front of the Eiffel Tower, raising the red flag, while European workers salute, holding factory tools. The most vulgar and banal of representations. In reality, no one had anything to celebrate in Paris, in '57, after almost twenty years of Nazi occupation. The faces, for those who remember them, were ultimately disconsolate and resigned. A corner of the poster is peeling off. > pull poster The poster comes off easily, dehydrated and weathered by the years. Below--hier ist es--an old train timetable. I drop the poster and it flies away forever. > x timetable There are about twenty departures, and no arrivals (it is clear that it was written when Switzerland was no longer Switzerland). 08:43 MUNICH 17:18 TURIN 08:57 NEUCHATEL 17:33 MUNICH 09:21 BERN 17:49 NEUCHATEL 09:35 ZURICH 18:02 BERN 09:43 BASEL 18:18 TURIN 09:57 PARIS 18:33 PARIS 10:21 MUNICH 18:49 BASEL 10:35 NEUCHATEL 19:02 MUNICH 10:43 BERN 19:18 NEUCHATEL 10:57 ZURICH 19:33 MILAN > * ah OK That is not a verb I recognize. > s [CH] RIVER The bank is protected only by a continuous hedge, which runs along it slavishly. A bridge crosses it and lands north towards a road with a slight slope. To the northeast, following a curve in the river, the road continues towards an area of taller buildings, many of which--from here I can see them well--blunted by the wave of war. The lake is back west. > ne The road leads to an unpretentious neighborhood, made up of deserted and anonymous buildings. Only one attracts my attention and that's where I head. [CH] UHRENMUSEUM The huge writing on the wall is in German, like everything else of value in these parts by the 1950s. The main room is a a sort of permanent exhibition of scenes, mostly war-related, painted on every wall. To the north, a secondary room is glimpsed through a wide passage. I can return to the river to the southwest. To one side of the room sits a tall clockwork machine, the clatter of its gears testifying to its workings. > x exhibitions There are five very large representations, plus about ten small and insignificant ones. From the left, near the entrance door and clockwise: the Protestant Reformation, the Eighty Years' War, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Conflict, the Sonderbund Clash; ironic that there is nothing about the conflicts of this century. > x reformation Reformers preach to a gathered crowd. In the background, like giant judges, emerge the Basilisk of Basel, carved into a distant pillar, and the black eagle of Neuchatel subtly entwined in the sky in the background. The scene seems charged, but layered with hidden symbols, as if the past itself were watching. > x eighty Swiss mercenaries clash amid smoke and chaos, their faces resolute. Hidden in the shadows of armor and banners, the serpent of Milan coils around the shield of a fallen soldier, hinting at the alliances and rivalries woven into the conflict. The machine makes an oily squeak. > x revolution The Italian campaign of the French Revolution. Soldiers advance under tattered banners. A bull, symbol of Turin, stands proudly on a distant hill, half shrouded in dust and smoke, as French forces advance, signaling the clash of empires. > x conflict A less bloody scene: soldiers march under shifting banners. The golden lion of Monaco stands firm on a general's armor next to the Coq Gaulois of Paris, signaling Maximilian von Merveldt's alliance with France, as the forces advance, united but tense. > x class I can't see any such thing. > x clash Under storm-darkened skies, the Swiss cantons are divided in a fierce stalemate. Amid Bern's steadfast ranks, the beast of Zurich rises from a battle flag, wings outstretched, embodying the city's defiance. The tension between allies turned adversaries pulses through every brushstroke, capturing a nation at odds with itself. > l [CH] UHRENMUSEUM The huge writing on the wall is in German, like everything else of value in these parts by the 1950s. The main room is a a sort of permanent exhibition of scenes, mostly war-related, painted on every wall. To the north, a secondary room is glimpsed through a wide passage. I can return to the river to the southwest. To one side of the room sits a tall clockwork machine, the clatter of its gears testifying to its workings. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 9:33. > x fgurines I can't see any such thing. Some metal element sounds like a string. > oops figurines Sorry, that can't be corrected. > x figurines There's a lot of them in the pocket. Better to address them individually. The pocket contains a golden lion figurine, a stone rooster figurine, a black eagle figurine, a metal basilisk figurine, a wooden bear figurine, a winged beast figurine, a ramping bull figurine, a two-headed raptor, a spiraling snake figurine, an iron donkey figurine, a copper griffon figurine and a bronze giraffe figurine. > * oh wow That is not a verb I recognize. > x recesses There are two, one on the left and one on the right of the pocket. > x left The left recess is empty. > x reformation Reformers preach to a gathered crowd. In the background, like giant judges, emerge the Basilisk of Basel, carved into a distant pillar, and the black eagle of Neuchatel subtly entwined in the sky in the background. The scene seems charged, but layered with hidden symbols, as if the past itself were watching. > x eagle It's a nice reproduction of an eagle, painted black. > put basilisk in left (first taking the metal basilisk figurine) The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > pu eagle in right That is not a verb I recognize. > put eagle in right (first taking the black eagle figurine) The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x device I can't see any such thing. > l [CH] UHRENMUSEUM The huge writing on the wall is in German, like everything else of value in these parts by the 1950s. The main room is a a sort of permanent exhibition of scenes, mostly war-related, painted on every wall. To the north, a secondary room is glimpsed through a wide passage. I can return to the river to the southwest. To one side of the room sits a tall clockwork machine, the clatter of its gears testifying to its workings. Some metal element sounds like a string. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 12:20. > z Nothing happens. > z Nothing happens. The machine makes an oily squeak. > z Nothing happens. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 12:20. > take eagle Taken. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 12:20. > take basilisk It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the black eagle figurine before taking another. Taken. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 12:20. > x watch This is a watch made mostly of rubber, with a large quadrant and a very simple design. This one is orange like the fruit; a logo on it says 'Pop Swatch'. The time is stuck at 12 o'clock exactly. > put eagle in left (first taking the black eagle figurine) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the metal basilisk figurine before taking another. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 11:20. > put basilisk in right (first taking the metal basilisk figurine) The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x device I can't see any such thing. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 11:25. > * Ah, OK, we can use these to move the time -- maybe to match the clock tower That is not a verb I recognize. > * and then set the timeline to when a train would be coming/going That is not a verb I recognize. > l [CH] UHRENMUSEUM The huge writing on the wall is in German, like everything else of value in these parts by the 1950s. The main room is a a sort of permanent exhibition of scenes, mostly war-related, painted on every wall. To the north, a secondary room is glimpsed through a wide passage. I can return to the river to the southwest. To one side of the room sits a tall clockwork machine, the clatter of its gears testifying to its workings. > n [CH] SPIELAUTOMAT Steam technology has been pumped up to eleven here. The small room is a web of pipes and cables that twists and turns, interrupted here and there by brass boxes and large, eternally moving gears. Whatever clock is kept in motion here, it must be as big as the entire city. To the south is the only exit that makes sense. A sort of domed display stand, made entirely of what appears to be polished silver, emerges from the bronze mass. > x pipes An overwhelming complexity, twisting on itself. A reminder of the precision of existence: one gear jams and it's all over. One of the machines jumps out of the pile, shining silvery. > x boxes An overwhelming complexity, twisting on itself. A reminder of the precision of existence: one gear jams and it's all over. One of the machines jumps out of the pile, shining silvery. > x display An elaborate stand, made of a shiny, silver-like metal, topped with a transparent dome. Inside is exhibited a delicate and complex mechanism, stored in one of the two bays present. It is unknown what happened to the second object. On the front side there are two slots: one star-shaped and the other taller and thinner. The plungers release energy with a puff of steam. > x dome An elaborate stand, made of a shiny, silver-like metal, topped with a transparent dome. Inside is exhibited a delicate and complex mechanism, stored in one of the two bays present. It is unknown what happened to the second object. On the front side there are two slots: one star-shaped and the other taller and thinner. > open dome There must be some hidden mechanism because there is no way to operate it by hand. > x bays There are two bays inside the dome. One of them is empty. > x bay The bay is locked inside the dome. I have to open it first... > x mechanism It is a rotating cage, inside which gyroscopic elements compensate for gravity with a continuous movement. I believe in watchmaking it is called a "tourbillon". > x slot Do you mean the star-shaped slot or the linear slot? > star A star-shaped hole. > x linear A tiny fissure, two centimeters tall and a couple of millimeters wide. > i I am carrying a shiny coin and a Pop Swatch watch. > put coin in linear The coin enters the slot and disappears with a cling! > * progress! That is not a verb I recognize. > l [CH] SPIELAUTOMAT The small room is a web of pipes and cables that twists and turns, interrupted here and there by brass boxes and large, eternally moving gears. Whatever clock is kept in motion here, it must be as big as the entire city. To the south is the only exit that makes sense. A sort of domed display stand, made entirely of what appears to be polished silver, emerges from the bronze mass. > save Ok. > s [CH] UHRENMUSEUM The huge writing on the wall is in German, like everything else of value in these parts by the 1950s. The main room is a a sort of permanent exhibition of scenes, mostly war-related, painted on every wall. To the north, a secondary room is glimpsed through a wide passage. I can return to the river to the southwest. To one side of the room sits a tall clockwork machine, the clatter of its gears testifying to its workings. Some metal element sounds like a string. > sw [CH] RIVER The bank is protected only by a continuous hedge, which runs along it slavishly. A bridge crosses it and lands north towards a road with a slight slope. To the northeast, following a curve in the river, the road continues towards an area of taller buildings, many of which--from here I can see them well--blunted by the wave of war. The lake is back west. > n [CH] STATION Only one track, in both directions, to prove that Bienne is not the most visited city in Switzerland. Not since the Confederation also became Red territory. An alley goes back south towards the river. A metal panel weathers the elements in this roofless station. On the panel is a faded train timetable. > x timetable There are about twenty departures, and no arrivals (it is clear that it was written when Switzerland was no longer Switzerland). 08:43 MUNICH 17:18 TURIN 08:57 NEUCHATEL 17:33 MUNICH 09:21 BERN 17:49 NEUCHATEL 09:35 ZURICH 18:02 BERN 09:43 BASEL 18:18 TURIN 09:57 PARIS 18:33 PARIS 10:21 MUNICH 18:49 BASEL 10:35 NEUCHATEL 19:02 MUNICH 10:43 BERN 19:18 NEUCHATEL 10:57 ZURICH 19:33 MILAN > * Mentions of Paris so maybe try that? That is not a verb I recognize. > s [CH] RIVER The bank is protected only by a continuous hedge, which runs along it slavishly. A bridge crosses it and lands north towards a road with a slight slope. To the northeast, following a curve in the river, the road continues towards an area of taller buildings, many of which--from here I can see them well--blunted by the wave of war. The lake is back west. > sw I can go north, across the river, northeast and west. > w [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. > ne [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > e [CH] CHURCH Bavarian Gothic is certainly not one of the freshest and brightest architectural styles. In here it almost takes a break, thanks to the large windows of the bell tower and, above all, the light that filters from the holes in the roof caused by cannon fire. The exit is to the west. On the left, against one of the church's more battered walls, is a device that appears to be both an elaborate altar and a clock mechanism. > set device to 957 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > x machine I can't see any such thing. > x device This is an extraordinary mechanism, a religious object in a time when religion is banned. A series of tubes and contraptions operate other gears, which from what appears to be an altar connect up to the ceiling. On the altar itself, cogwheels and brass arabesques form a pattern that surrounds a smaller combination dial. On this, no doubt, the time of the clock on the bell tower can be set. The clock says 09:57. > w [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > s I can enter the church to the east and the guildhouse to the northeast. Or I can return to the lake to the southwest. > sw [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. > e [CH] RIVER The bank is protected only by a continuous hedge, which runs along it slavishly. A bridge crosses it and lands north towards a road with a slight slope. To the northeast, following a curve in the river, the road continues towards an area of taller buildings, many of which--from here I can see them well--blunted by the wave of war. The lake is back west. > ne [CH] UHRENMUSEUM The huge writing on the wall is in German, like everything else of value in these parts by the 1950s. The main room is a a sort of permanent exhibition of scenes, mostly war-related, painted on every wall. To the north, a secondary room is glimpsed through a wide passage. I can return to the river to the southwest. To one side of the room sits a tall clockwork machine, the clatter of its gears testifying to its workings. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 11:25. > put eagle in left Already there. > take all There are no things available that match "take all". > take eagle Taken. Some metal element sounds like a string. > take basilisk It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the black eagle figurine before taking another. Taken. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 11:25. > put eagle in left (first taking the black eagle figurine) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the metal basilisk figurine before taking another. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 11:25. > take eagle Taken. > put eagle in right The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 11:20. > x pocket The pocket contains a metal basilisk figurine, a golden lion figurine, a stone rooster figurine, a wooden bear figurine, a winged beast figurine, a ramping bull figurine, a two-headed raptor, a spiraling snake figurine, an iron donkey figurine, a copper griffon figurine and a bronze giraffe figurine. > put griffon in right (first taking the copper griffon figurine) I take the black eagle figurine before putting the copper griffon figurine in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. The machine makes an oily squeak. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 11:45. > put griffon in left (first taking the copper griffon figurine) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the black eagle figurine before taking another. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 16:45. > put eagle in left (first taking the black eagle figurine) I take the copper griffon figurine before putting the black eagle figurine in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 11:45. > undo Previous turn undone. > put eagle in right (first taking the black eagle figurine) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the copper griffon figurine before taking another. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. Some metal element sounds like a string. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 11:20. > undo Previous turn undone. > * OK all pretty consistent That is not a verb I recognize. > x pocket The pocket contains a copper griffon figurine, a metal basilisk figurine, a golden lion figurine, a stone rooster figurine, a wooden bear figurine, a winged beast figurine, a ramping bull figurine, a two-headed raptor, a spiraling snake figurine, an iron donkey figurine and a bronze giraffe figurine. > put basilisk in left (first taking the metal basilisk figurine) The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 12:20. > put basilisk in right (first taking the metal basilisk figurine) I take the black eagle figurine before putting the metal basilisk figurine in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. The machine makes an oily squeak. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 12:25. > * moving linearly That is not a verb I recognize. > * though it's only on the fives... That is not a verb I recognize. > * so can only do the 9:35 Zurich or 10:35 Neuchatel? That is not a verb I recognize. > x pocket The pocket contains a copper griffon figurine, a golden lion figurine, a stone rooster figurine, a wooden bear figurine, a winged beast figurine, a ramping bull figurine, a two-headed raptor, a spiraling snake figurine, an iron donkey figurine and a bronze giraffe figurine. Some metal element sounds like a string. > put lion in left (first taking the golden lion figurine) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the black eagle figurine before taking another. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 10:25. > * and should be 15 minutes That is not a verb I recognize. > put lion in right (first taking the golden lion figurine) I take the metal basilisk figurine before putting the golden lion figurine in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 10:15. > x pocket The pocket contains a black eagle figurine, a copper griffon figurine, a stone rooster figurine, a wooden bear figurine, a winged beast figurine, a ramping bull figurine, a two-headed raptor, a spiraling snake figurine, an iron donkey figurine and a bronze giraffe figurine. > put rooster in right (first taking the stone rooster figurine) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the metal basilisk figurine before taking another. I take the golden lion figurine before putting the stone rooster figurine in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 10:30. > * and should be 13, to do minutes to hours That is not a verb I recognize. > put rooster in left (first taking the stone rooster figurine) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the golden lion figurine before taking another. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 13:30. > x pocket The pocket contains a golden lion figurine, a metal basilisk figurine, a black eagle figurine, a copper griffon figurine, a wooden bear figurine, a winged beast figurine, a ramping bull figurine, a two-headed raptor, a spiraling snake figurine, an iron donkey figurine and a bronze giraffe figurine. > put bear in left (first taking the wooden bear figurine) I take the stone rooster figurine before putting the wooden bear figurine in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 20:30. > put bear in right (first taking the wooden bear figurine) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the stone rooster figurine before taking another. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 20:11. > * ah OK can do some off-fives too. No train at 11 though That is not a verb I recognize. > x pocket The pocket contains a stone rooster figurine, a golden lion figurine, a metal basilisk figurine, a black eagle figurine, a copper griffon figurine, a winged beast figurine, a ramping bull figurine, a two-headed raptor, a spiraling snake figurine, an iron donkey figurine and a bronze giraffe figurine. Some metal element sounds like a string. > put beast in left (first taking the winged beast figurine) The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 21:11. > put beast in right (first taking the winged beast figurine) I take the wooden bear figurine before putting the winged beast figurine in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 21:10. > * hmm, breaks the pattern, though it'd be 9/10 That is not a verb I recognize. > x pocket The pocket contains a stone rooster figurine, a golden lion figurine, a metal basilisk figurine, a black eagle figurine, a copper griffon figurine, a ramping bull figurine, a two-headed raptor, a spiraling snake figurine, an iron donkey figurine and a bronze giraffe figurine. > put bull in left (first taking the ramping bull figurine) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the wooden bear figurine before taking another. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 14:10. Some metal element sounds like a string. > put bull in right (first taking the ramping bull figurine) I take the winged beast figurine before putting the ramping bull figurine in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. The machine makes an oily squeak. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 14:35. The machine makes an oily squeak. > * OK can try 10:35 That is not a verb I recognize. > put lion in left (first taking the golden lion figurine) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the winged beast figurine before taking another. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 10:35. > w A way to the north, a way to the southwest, out of the museum. > sw [CH] RIVER The bank is protected only by a continuous hedge, which runs along it slavishly. A bridge crosses it and lands north towards a road with a slight slope. To the northeast, following a curve in the river, the road continues towards an area of taller buildings, many of which--from here I can see them well--blunted by the wave of war. The lake is back west. > w [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. > ne [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > e [CH] CHURCH Bavarian Gothic is certainly not one of the freshest and brightest architectural styles. In here it almost takes a break, thanks to the large windows of the bell tower and, above all, the light that filters from the holes in the roof caused by cannon fire. The exit is to the west. On the left, against one of the church's more battered walls, is a device that appears to be both an elaborate altar and a clock mechanism. > set device to 1035 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > x clock This is an extraordinary mechanism, a religious object in a time when religion is banned. A series of tubes and contraptions operate other gears, which from what appears to be an altar connect up to the ceiling. On the altar itself, cogwheels and brass arabesques form a pattern that surrounds a smaller combination dial. On this, no doubt, the time of the clock on the bell tower can be set. The clock says 10:35. > w [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > x dial Huge, and superimposed on the coat of arms of the Bern bear. The white dial seems detached from the wall, as if it were hiding something behind it. The clock says 10:35. > se I can enter the church to the east and the guildhouse to the northeast. Or I can return to the lake to the southwest. > sw [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. > e [CH] RIVER The bank is protected only by a continuous hedge, which runs along it slavishly. A bridge crosses it and lands north towards a road with a slight slope. To the northeast, following a curve in the river, the road continues towards an area of taller buildings, many of which--from here I can see them well--blunted by the wave of war. The lake is back west. A piece of wood passes by and floats alone on the river. > n [CH] STATION Only one track, in both directions, to prove that Bienne is not the most visited city in Switzerland. Not since the Confederation also became Red territory. An alley goes back south towards the river. A metal panel weathers the elements in this roofless station. On the panel is a faded train timetable. > * hmm That is not a verb I recognize. > x timetable There are about twenty departures, and no arrivals (it is clear that it was written when Switzerland was no longer Switzerland). 08:43 MUNICH 17:18 TURIN 08:57 NEUCHATEL 17:33 MUNICH 09:21 BERN 17:49 NEUCHATEL 09:35 ZURICH 18:02 BERN 09:43 BASEL 18:18 TURIN 09:57 PARIS 18:33 PARIS 10:21 MUNICH 18:49 BASEL 10:35 NEUCHATEL 19:02 MUNICH 10:43 BERN 19:18 NEUCHATEL 10:57 ZURICH 19:33 MILAN > x watch This is a watch made mostly of rubber, with a large quadrant and a very simple design. This one is orange like the fruit; a logo on it says 'Pop Swatch'. The time is stuck at 12 o'clock exactly. The tracks creak metallically, stressed by who knows what. > x tracks The mechanical force of the Locomotive, an allegory of Workers' Power and an unstoppable force. Until thirty years ago, the flagship of Vorsprung durch Technik, now a silent warning at the end of every empire. > l [CH] STATION Only one track, in both directions, to prove that Bienne is not the most visited city in Switzerland. Not since the Confederation also became Red territory. An alley goes back south towards the river. A metal panel weathers the elements in this roofless station. On the panel is a faded train timetable. The sound of a steam train fills the air in the distance, like the song of a ghost. > z Nothing happens. > z Nothing happens. > z Nothing happens. > z Nothing happens. > z Nothing happens. > z Nothing happens. > z Nothing happens. > * not coming, ah well That is not a verb I recognize. > sw Since there are no trains leaving, I would say the only exit is south towards the river. > s [CH] RIVER The bank is protected only by a continuous hedge, which runs along it slavishly. A bridge crosses it and lands north towards a road with a slight slope. To the northeast, following a curve in the river, the road continues towards an area of taller buildings, many of which--from here I can see them well--blunted by the wave of war. The lake is back west. > ne [CH] UHRENMUSEUM The huge writing on the wall is in German, like everything else of value in these parts by the 1950s. The main room is a a sort of permanent exhibition of scenes, mostly war-related, painted on every wall. To the north, a secondary room is glimpsed through a wide passage. I can return to the river to the southwest. To one side of the room sits a tall clockwork machine, the clatter of its gears testifying to its workings. > e A way to the north, a way to the southwest, out of the museum. > x pocket The pocket contains a winged beast figurine, a wooden bear figurine, a stone rooster figurine, a metal basilisk figurine, a black eagle figurine, a copper griffon figurine, a two-headed raptor, a spiraling snake figurine, an iron donkey figurine and a bronze giraffe figurine. > put raptor in left (first taking the two-headed raptor) I take the golden lion figurine before putting the two-headed raptor in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 19:35. > put raptor in right (first taking the two-headed raptor) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the golden lion figurine before taking another. I take the ramping bull figurine before putting the two-headed raptor in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 19:58. > put snake in left (first taking the spiraling snake figurine) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the ramping bull figurine before taking another. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 15:58. > put snake in right (first taking the spiraling snake figurine) I take the two-headed raptor before putting the spiraling snake figurine in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. The machine makes an oily squeak. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 15:39. > put eagle in right (first taking the black eagle figurine) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the two-headed raptor before taking another. I take the spiraling snake figurine before putting the black eagle figurine in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 15:20. > x pocket The pocket contains a two-headed raptor, a ramping bull figurine, a golden lion figurine, a winged beast figurine, a wooden bear figurine, a stone rooster figurine, a metal basilisk figurine, a copper griffon figurine, an iron donkey figurine and a bronze giraffe figurine. > put donkey in left (first taking the iron donkey figurine) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the spiraling snake figurine before taking another. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 18:20. > put donkey in right (first taking the iron donkey figurine) I take the black eagle figurine before putting the iron donkey figurine in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 18:55. > x pocket The pocket contains a spiraling snake figurine, a two-headed raptor, a ramping bull figurine, a golden lion figurine, a winged beast figurine, a wooden bear figurine, a stone rooster figurine, a metal basilisk figurine, a copper griffon figurine and a bronze giraffe figurine. > put giraffe in left (first taking the bronze giraffe figurine) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the black eagle figurine before taking another. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. Some metal element sounds like a string. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 17:55. The machine makes an oily squeak. > put giraffe in right (first taking the bronze giraffe figurine) I take the iron donkey figurine before putting the bronze giraffe figurine in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 17:50. > * try Zurich I guess That is not a verb I recognize. > * oh wait no 9 -- it really is just the 10:35... That is not a verb I recognize. > l [CH] UHRENMUSEUM The huge writing on the wall is in German, like everything else of value in these parts by the 1950s. The main room is a a sort of permanent exhibition of scenes, mostly war-related, painted on every wall. To the north, a secondary room is glimpsed through a wide passage. I can return to the river to the southwest. To one side of the room sits a tall clockwork machine, the clatter of its gears testifying to its workings. > n [CH] SPIELAUTOMAT The small room is a web of pipes and cables that twists and turns, interrupted here and there by brass boxes and large, eternally moving gears. Whatever clock is kept in motion here, it must be as big as the entire city. To the south is the only exit that makes sense. A sort of domed display stand, made entirely of what appears to be polished silver, emerges from the bronze mass. Another gear clicks and turns. > s [CH] UHRENMUSEUM The huge writing on the wall is in German, like everything else of value in these parts by the 1950s. The main room is a a sort of permanent exhibition of scenes, mostly war-related, painted on every wall. To the north, a secondary room is glimpsed through a wide passage. I can return to the river to the southwest. To one side of the room sits a tall clockwork machine, the clatter of its gears testifying to its workings. > sw Before leaving, I should put the figurine back... > i I am carrying an iron donkey figurine and a Pop Swatch watch. > drop donkey I put the figurine back in its place among the others, in the pocket. > w A way to the north, a way to the southwest, out of the museum. > w A way to the north, a way to the southwest, out of the museum. > sw [CH] RIVER The bank is protected only by a continuous hedge, which runs along it slavishly. A bridge crosses it and lands north towards a road with a slight slope. To the northeast, following a curve in the river, the road continues towards an area of taller buildings, many of which--from here I can see them well--blunted by the wave of war. The lake is back west. > w [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. > ne [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. A light wind ruffles my hair. > ne [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. An armed guard stands by the stairs, occasionally casting a searching glance at me. On the central table, a portrait of some famous person in the Soviet empire. The guard seems to be keeping an apprehensive eye on it. > x portrait The frame is all too well kept. The photo inside is of a tall figure in uniform, no name given. The hat and insignia tell the usual tale of a leader-in-a-manner-of-speaking. > x hat I can't see any such thing. > x insignia Sorry, I don't understand what "insignia" means. > l [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. An armed guard stands by the stairs, occasionally casting a searching glance at me. On the central table, a portrait of some famous person in the Soviet empire. The guard seems to be keeping an apprehensive eye on it. > u As I approach the stairs the guard stands in front of me and blocks my passage. His gaze is one that does not forgive. > x watch This is a watch made mostly of rubber, with a large quadrant and a very simple design. This one is orange like the fruit; a logo on it says 'Pop Swatch'. The time is stuck at 12 o'clock exactly. > sw [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > hint [If you're stuck and want a little nudge, try asking for help at intfiction.org, post a comment on itch.io, or write directly to the author at minnocenti(at)kidstudio.it.] > ne [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. An armed guard stands by the stairs, occasionally casting a searching glance at me. On the central table, a portrait of some famous person in the Soviet empire. The guard seems to be keeping an apprehensive eye on it. > take portrait As I pick it up, the guard shakes and points in my direction with war in his eyes. > sw The guard quickly chases me down the street. [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. The guard is on the street and he's stalking me like a bloodhound. > put portrait in fountain The portrait flies into the fountain a pleasure, but gets stuck in a protuberance of the drain. The guard lets out a cry and then dives headlong to save it. The mouldy edge, however, causes him to slip and find himself, head down, half body inside the tub in a last attempt to preserve his loyalty to the Fatherland. The scene, if it were not ridiculous, would be touching. > hit guard Sometimes, all you need in life is a little push. That's what the other Gromov said, an insane grin filling his face ear to ear. In this case, the push literally takes the ground out from under the guard who, with no foothold left, plummets into the pool at speeds fast enough to have him requisitioned by the drain. That it'll never give him back, I can be sure of that. > x guard I can't see any such thing. > l [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > * invisiclues prod helped but that was generally clued That is not a verb I recognize. > ne [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > u [CH] BANQUET HALL If "having a roof over your head"--the metaphor my parents sold me to save me from the Revolyutsiya's delusions--means safety, stability and protection, we are in a very bad situation here. Everything taller than two meters has been swept away. The sky is in the room with me. The great libation table of the guild is broken, a metaphor for this entire nation and the rest of Europe. The stairs leading down seem to be the only stable thing here. One of the windows, on the south side, is intact. Through it I can see the clock tower of the adjacent church. > x table Once a noble tree, large and massive, first cut into planks and finally demolished. More symbolisms that I struggle to accept. The clock on the church tower next door emits a muffled ding. > x clock Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > x gap Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > x shape Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > take it It's way beyond my reach. The clock on the church tower next door emits a muffled ding. > read it Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > d [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > set clock to noon I can't see any such thing. > sw [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > e [CH] CHURCH Bavarian Gothic is certainly not one of the freshest and brightest architectural styles. In here it almost takes a break, thanks to the large windows of the bell tower and, above all, the light that filters from the holes in the roof caused by cannon fire. The exit is to the west. On the left, against one of the church's more battered walls, is a device that appears to be both an elaborate altar and a clock mechanism. > set device to noon The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > w [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > ne [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > u [CH] BANQUET HALL Everything taller than two meters has been swept away. The sky is in the room with me. The great libation table of the guild is broken, a metaphor for this entire nation and the rest of Europe. The stairs leading down seem to be the only stable thing here. One of the windows, on the south side, is intact. Through it I can see the clock tower of the adjacent church. > x tower Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > x gap Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > x windows I can't see any such thing. > x clock Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > * hmm That is not a verb I recognize. > d [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > x books All the books look alike. Only three differ in binding: history, art and culture. Obviously, only and exclusively Soviet. > x history History has little to tell. The books here are mostly summaries, the immobility of the last 30 years the perfect humus. OCTOBER '43, the Reich conquers Europe. The United Kingdom has been fallen for years and the USA has holed up in its New World, with little motivation to mix. Fourteen years of Reich. Hitler, dead of an overdose or from a badly cut batch--no one will ever know--is succeeded by Gunter Todesengel, who however proves to be less charismatic and cunning than his predecessor, so much so that he causes the Empire of a Thousand Years to fail in a tiny fraction of the same. OCTOBER '57, Georgij Malenkov declares the Soviet Era. Following the fall of the Reich... etc, etc, etc. And it is already today's history. The two dates in October have been circled in pencil. > 10:43 and 10:57 That is not a verb I recognize. > sw [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > e [CH] CHURCH Bavarian Gothic is certainly not one of the freshest and brightest architectural styles. In here it almost takes a break, thanks to the large windows of the bell tower and, above all, the light that filters from the holes in the roof caused by cannon fire. The exit is to the west. On the left, against one of the church's more battered walls, is a device that appears to be both an elaborate altar and a clock mechanism. > set time to 10:43 I can't see any such thing. > set device to 10:43 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > w [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. The mechanisms inside the clock tower grind metallically. > ne [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > u [CH] BANQUET HALL Everything taller than two meters has been swept away. The sky is in the room with me. The great libation table of the guild is broken, a metaphor for this entire nation and the rest of Europe. The stairs leading down seem to be the only stable thing here. One of the windows, on the south side, is intact. Through it I can see the clock tower of the adjacent church. > x dial I can't see any such thing. > x gap Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > read it Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > sw Down, to more stable ground. > d [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > sw [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > e [CH] CHURCH Bavarian Gothic is certainly not one of the freshest and brightest architectural styles. In here it almost takes a break, thanks to the large windows of the bell tower and, above all, the light that filters from the holes in the roof caused by cannon fire. The exit is to the west. On the left, against one of the church's more battered walls, is a device that appears to be both an elaborate altar and a clock mechanism. > set device to 10:57 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > w [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. The mechanisms inside the clock tower grind metallically. > ne [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > u [CH] BANQUET HALL Everything taller than two meters has been swept away. The sky is in the room with me. The great libation table of the guild is broken, a metaphor for this entire nation and the rest of Europe. The stairs leading down seem to be the only stable thing here. One of the windows, on the south side, is intact. Through it I can see the clock tower of the adjacent church. > x window From the window I can see the clock tower of the Ring. From the side, the gap between the clock face and the wall catches the eye. Something seems stuck there: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > x gap Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > x shape Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > * don't think I can gt to those times via the other device though That is not a verb I recognize. > * oh wait maybe this is two-step That is not a verb I recognize. > d [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > sw [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > e [CH] CHURCH Bavarian Gothic is certainly not one of the freshest and brightest architectural styles. In here it almost takes a break, thanks to the large windows of the bell tower and, above all, the light that filters from the holes in the roof caused by cannon fire. The exit is to the west. On the left, against one of the church's more battered walls, is a device that appears to be both an elaborate altar and a clock mechanism. > w [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > s I can enter the church to the east and the guildhouse to the northeast. Or I can return to the lake to the southwest. > sw [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. A train passes in the distance, with a hat of steam. > e [CH] RIVER The bank is protected only by a continuous hedge, which runs along it slavishly. A bridge crosses it and lands north towards a road with a slight slope. To the northeast, following a curve in the river, the road continues towards an area of taller buildings, many of which--from here I can see them well--blunted by the wave of war. The lake is back west. > ne [CH] UHRENMUSEUM The huge writing on the wall is in German, like everything else of value in these parts by the 1950s. The main room is a a sort of permanent exhibition of scenes, mostly war-related, painted on every wall. To the north, a secondary room is glimpsed through a wide passage. I can return to the river to the southwest. To one side of the room sits a tall clockwork machine, the clatter of its gears testifying to its workings. Some metal element sounds like a string. > e A way to the north, a way to the southwest, out of the museum. > x exhibits I can't see any such thing. > x exhibitions There are five very large representations, plus about ten small and insignificant ones. From the left, near the entrance door and clockwise: the Protestant Reformation, the Eighty Years' War, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Conflict, the Sonderbund Clash; ironic that there is nothing about the conflicts of this century. > x reformation Reformers preach to a gathered crowd. In the background, like giant judges, emerge the Basilisk of Basel, carved into a distant pillar, and the black eagle of Neuchatel subtly entwined in the sky in the background. The scene seems charged, but layered with hidden symbols, as if the past itself were watching. > x eighty Swiss mercenaries clash amid smoke and chaos, their faces resolute. Hidden in the shadows of armor and banners, the serpent of Milan coils around the shield of a fallen soldier, hinting at the alliances and rivalries woven into the conflict. > x revolution The Italian campaign of the French Revolution. Soldiers advance under tattered banners. A bull, symbol of Turin, stands proudly on a distant hill, half shrouded in dust and smoke, as French forces advance, signaling the clash of empires. > x clash Under storm-darkened skies, the Swiss cantons are divided in a fierce stalemate. Amid Bern's steadfast ranks, the beast of Zurich rises from a battle flag, wings outstretched, embodying the city's defiance. The tension between allies turned adversaries pulses through every brushstroke, capturing a nation at odds with itself. > x conflict A less bloody scene: soldiers march under shifting banners. The golden lion of Monaco stands firm on a general's armor next to the Coq Gaulois of Paris, signaling Maximilian von Merveldt's alliance with France, as the forces advance, united but tense. > * beast of Zurich That is not a verb I recognize. > x exhibitions There are five very large representations, plus about ten small and insignificant ones. From the left, near the entrance door and clockwise: the Protestant Reformation, the Eighty Years' War, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Conflict, the Sonderbund Clash; ironic that there is nothing about the conflicts of this century. > x small Various scenes of struggle, eternal struggle, as if the only common thread that had accompanied the history of humanity was conflict. > n [CH] SPIELAUTOMAT The small room is a web of pipes and cables that twists and turns, interrupted here and there by brass boxes and large, eternally moving gears. Whatever clock is kept in motion here, it must be as big as the entire city. To the south is the only exit that makes sense. A sort of domed display stand, made entirely of what appears to be polished silver, emerges from the bronze mass. > x display An elaborate stand, made of a shiny, silver-like metal, topped with a transparent dome. Inside is exhibited a delicate and complex mechanism, stored in one of the two bays present. It is unknown what happened to the second object. On the front side there are two slots: one star-shaped and the other taller and thinner. > x pipes An overwhelming complexity, twisting on itself. A reminder of the precision of existence: one gear jams and it's all over. One of the machines jumps out of the pile, shining silvery. The plungers release energy with a puff of steam. > sw To the south the only exit that makes sense. > s [CH] UHRENMUSEUM The huge writing on the wall is in German, like everything else of value in these parts by the 1950s. The main room is a a sort of permanent exhibition of scenes, mostly war-related, painted on every wall. To the north, a secondary room is glimpsed through a wide passage. I can return to the river to the southwest. To one side of the room sits a tall clockwork machine, the clatter of its gears testifying to its workings. Some metal element sounds like a string. > x scenes There are five very large representations, plus about ten small and insignificant ones. From the left, near the entrance door and clockwise: the Protestant Reformation, the Eighty Years' War, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Conflict, the Sonderbund Clash; ironic that there is nothing about the conflicts of this century. > x small Various scenes of struggle, eternal struggle, as if the only common thread that had accompanied the history of humanity was conflict. > * Bern is "steadfast" so maybe that's donkey? That is not a verb I recognize. > put donkey in left (first taking the iron donkey figurine) The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > put beast in right (first taking the winged beast figurine) I take the bronze giraffe figurine before putting the winged beast figurine in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x device I can't see any such thing. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 18:10. > w A way to the north, a way to the southwest, out of the museum. > sw Before leaving, I should put the figurine back... Some metal element sounds like a string. > w A way to the north, a way to the southwest, out of the museum. Some metal element sounds like a string. > sw Before leaving, I should put the figurine back... > put all in pocket bronze giraffe figurine: I put the bronze giraffe figurine into the pocket. Pop Swatch watch: As I let go of the watch, the bubble resumes, to land me in... [HUB] EIN ALTES WOHNZIMMER An old living room. Clean, polished, with ochre and yellow wallpaper on the walls, in vertical stripes; formica furniture; an old gramophone with a shape that is far from brutalist. And then a huge carpet, covering almost the entire floor. I can see a polished table (on which are a Pop Swatch watch, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a Trinity box) here. > undo Previous turn undone. > put giraffe in pocket I put the bronze giraffe figurine into the pocket. > sw [CH] RIVER The bank is protected only by a continuous hedge, which runs along it slavishly. A bridge crosses it and lands north towards a road with a slight slope. To the northeast, following a curve in the river, the road continues towards an area of taller buildings, many of which--from here I can see them well--blunted by the wave of war. The lake is back west. > w [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. > ne [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > e [CH] CHURCH Bavarian Gothic is certainly not one of the freshest and brightest architectural styles. In here it almost takes a break, thanks to the large windows of the bell tower and, above all, the light that filters from the holes in the roof caused by cannon fire. The exit is to the west. On the left, against one of the church's more battered walls, is a device that appears to be both an elaborate altar and a clock mechanism. > set device to 18:10 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > w [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > ne [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > u [CH] BANQUET HALL Everything taller than two meters has been swept away. The sky is in the room with me. The great libation table of the guild is broken, a metaphor for this entire nation and the rest of Europe. The stairs leading down seem to be the only stable thing here. One of the windows, on the south side, is intact. Through it I can see the clock tower of the adjacent church. > x gap Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > take it It's way beyond my reach. > d [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > w The exit is southwest. A small staircase leads up. > sw [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > x dial Huge, and superimposed on the coat of arms of the Bern bear. The white dial seems detached from the wall, as if it were hiding something behind it. The clock says 00:00. > e [CH] CHURCH Bavarian Gothic is certainly not one of the freshest and brightest architectural styles. In here it almost takes a break, thanks to the large windows of the bell tower and, above all, the light that filters from the holes in the roof caused by cannon fire. The exit is to the west. On the left, against one of the church's more battered walls, is a device that appears to be both an elaborate altar and a clock mechanism. > x dial This is an extraordinary mechanism, a religious object in a time when religion is banned. A series of tubes and contraptions operate other gears, which from what appears to be an altar connect up to the ceiling. On the altar itself, cogwheels and brass arabesques form a pattern that surrounds a smaller combination dial. On this, no doubt, the time of the clock on the bell tower can be set. The clock says 00:00. > e The only exit is west. > set dial to 1810 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > w [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > ne [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > u [CH] BANQUET HALL Everything taller than two meters has been swept away. The sky is in the room with me. The great libation table of the guild is broken, a metaphor for this entire nation and the rest of Europe. The stairs leading down seem to be the only stable thing here. One of the windows, on the south side, is intact. Through it I can see the clock tower of the adjacent church. > x dial I can't see any such thing. > x clock Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > d [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > sw [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > x dial Huge, and superimposed on the coat of arms of the Bern bear. The white dial seems detached from the wall, as if it were hiding something behind it. The clock says 18:10. > s I can enter the church to the east and the guildhouse to the northeast. Or I can return to the lake to the southwest. > sw [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. > e [CH] RIVER The bank is protected only by a continuous hedge, which runs along it slavishly. A bridge crosses it and lands north towards a road with a slight slope. To the northeast, following a curve in the river, the road continues towards an area of taller buildings, many of which--from here I can see them well--blunted by the wave of war. The lake is back west. > ne [CH] UHRENMUSEUM The huge writing on the wall is in German, like everything else of value in these parts by the 1950s. The main room is a a sort of permanent exhibition of scenes, mostly war-related, painted on every wall. To the north, a secondary room is glimpsed through a wide passage. I can return to the river to the southwest. To one side of the room sits a tall clockwork machine, the clatter of its gears testifying to its workings. The machine makes an oily squeak. > put griffon in left (first taking the copper griffon figurine) I take the iron donkey figurine before putting the copper griffon figurine in. The figurine fits perfectly into the slot. The clock's plates rearrange themselves with a whirling noise. > x device I can't see any such thing. > x machine The machine almost reaches the ceiling, topped by a large clock with numbered plates elegantly displaying the time. Below, intricate mechanisms whir and click, revealing brass and copper gears and steam pipes. A pocket on the front holds a set of figurines, while two recesses at the left and right lend themselves to holding guests. The clock says 16:10. > * griffon steadfast? That is not a verb I recognize. > sw Before leaving, I should put the figurine back... > w A way to the north, a way to the southwest, out of the museum. The machine makes an oily squeak. > sw Before leaving, I should put the figurine back... The machine makes an oily squeak. > put griffon in pocket (first taking the copper griffon figurine) It's best if I handle one at a time, so I put back the iron donkey figurine before taking another. I put the copper griffon figurine into the pocket. Some metal element sounds like a string. > sw [CH] RIVER The bank is protected only by a continuous hedge, which runs along it slavishly. A bridge crosses it and lands north towards a road with a slight slope. To the northeast, following a curve in the river, the road continues towards an area of taller buildings, many of which--from here I can see them well--blunted by the wave of war. The lake is back west. Migratory birds leave this place for the southern skies. > w [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. > ne [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > e [CH] CHURCH Bavarian Gothic is certainly not one of the freshest and brightest architectural styles. In here it almost takes a break, thanks to the large windows of the bell tower and, above all, the light that filters from the holes in the roof caused by cannon fire. The exit is to the west. On the left, against one of the church's more battered walls, is a device that appears to be both an elaborate altar and a clock mechanism. > set device to 1619 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > set device to 1610 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > w [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > ne [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > u [CH] BANQUET HALL Everything taller than two meters has been swept away. The sky is in the room with me. The great libation table of the guild is broken, a metaphor for this entire nation and the rest of Europe. The stairs leading down seem to be the only stable thing here. One of the windows, on the south side, is intact. Through it I can see the clock tower of the adjacent church. > x clock Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. The clock on the church tower next door emits a muffled ding. > x shape Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > d [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > sw [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > x clock Huge, and superimposed on the coat of arms of the Bern bear. The white dial seems detached from the wall, as if it were hiding something behind it. The clock says 16:10. A light wind ruffles my hair. > e [CH] CHURCH Bavarian Gothic is certainly not one of the freshest and brightest architectural styles. In here it almost takes a break, thanks to the large windows of the bell tower and, above all, the light that filters from the holes in the roof caused by cannon fire. The exit is to the west. On the left, against one of the church's more battered walls, is a device that appears to be both an elaborate altar and a clock mechanism. > set device to 1710 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > w [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > x church A square tower with a peculiar pointed hat. An ancient clock with the bear of Bern is displayed on the facade. > x tower A square tower with a peculiar pointed hat. An ancient clock with the bear of Bern is displayed on the facade. A light wind ruffles my hair. > x clock Huge, and superimposed on the coat of arms of the Bern bear. The white dial seems detached from the wall, as if it were hiding something behind it. The clock says 17:10. > ne [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > u [CH] BANQUET HALL Everything taller than two meters has been swept away. The sky is in the room with me. The great libation table of the guild is broken, a metaphor for this entire nation and the rest of Europe. The stairs leading down seem to be the only stable thing here. One of the windows, on the south side, is intact. Through it I can see the clock tower of the adjacent church. > x clock Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > d [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > sw [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > e [CH] CHURCH Bavarian Gothic is certainly not one of the freshest and brightest architectural styles. In here it almost takes a break, thanks to the large windows of the bell tower and, above all, the light that filters from the holes in the roof caused by cannon fire. The exit is to the west. On the left, against one of the church's more battered walls, is a device that appears to be both an elaborate altar and a clock mechanism. > set device to 1910 The gears turn. A faint click resonates throughout the structure, up to the roof. The time has changed. > w [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. The mechanisms inside the clock tower grind metallically. > x clock Huge, and superimposed on the coat of arms of the Bern bear. The white dial seems detached from the wall, as if it were hiding something behind it. The clock says 19:10. > ne [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > u [CH] BANQUET HALL Everything taller than two meters has been swept away. The sky is in the room with me. The great libation table of the guild is broken, a metaphor for this entire nation and the rest of Europe. The stairs leading down seem to be the only stable thing here. One of the windows, on the south side, is intact. Through it I can see the clock tower of the adjacent church. The clock on the church tower next door emits a muffled ding. > x gap Something seems stuck the gap between the clock face and the wall of the clock tower: a small metal shape, difficult to decipher. > d [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > sw [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > e [CH] CHURCH Bavarian Gothic is certainly not one of the freshest and brightest architectural styles. In here it almost takes a break, thanks to the large windows of the bell tower and, above all, the light that filters from the holes in the roof caused by cannon fire. The exit is to the west. On the left, against one of the church's more battered walls, is a device that appears to be both an elaborate altar and a clock mechanism. > set device to 2010 The altar emits a distinctive sound, like a kind of very high-pitched gong. Outside, the sound of shattering glass. > w [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > * oh hey, last one to try. phew That is not a verb I recognize. > ne [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > u [CH] BANQUET HALL Everything taller than two meters has been swept away. The sky is in the room with me. The great libation table of the guild is broken, a metaphor for this entire nation and the rest of Europe. The stairs leading down seem to be the only stable thing here. The window on the south side is now broken. In it is framed the clock tower of the adjacent church. A knob I hadn't noticed before shines among the rotten wood. > x window The object that was between the clock face and the wall is gone. > x knob A knob, like the ones found on doors. On the opposite side of the handle is a star-shaped protuberance. > pull knob Nothing obvious happens. > take it Taken. > x it A knob, like the ones found on doors. On the opposite side of the handle is a star-shaped protuberance. > s Down, to more stable ground. > d [CH] ZUNFTHAUS The large room reflects the glories of an era that no longer exists. For some reason, the Soviets left the late 1800s Germanic furnishings untouched. The interwoven beam ceiling shelters a room filled with high chairs clustered around old wooden tables. Every wall is lined with dark bookcases, displaying old-style-bound books. A staircase can be seen in one corner, leading up to the upper floor in the darkness. The exit is southwest. > sw [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > e [CH] CHURCH Bavarian Gothic is certainly not one of the freshest and brightest architectural styles. In here it almost takes a break, thanks to the large windows of the bell tower and, above all, the light that filters from the holes in the roof caused by cannon fire. The exit is to the west. On the left, against one of the church's more battered walls, is a device that appears to be both an elaborate altar and a clock mechanism. > e The only exit is west. > w [CH] RING A small square, dominated by a clock tower miraculously spared by the late war. The church of which it is part opens to the east, at the top of a slight slope. On the same side, to the northeast, a building with many windows. The lake can be glimpsed between the alleys to the southwest. The Venner-Brunnen fountain statue stands on the left side of the square. > sw [CH] LAKEVIEW The typical Swiss mountains are transformed into rolling hills on the north side of a placid lake. The usual leaden post-war sky caresses a valley without any peculiarities. Towards the northeast, statues of Soviet heroes invite us to enter the old town, while a crumbling avenue continues east with less pretensions. A half-torn sign informs us we are in BIENNE. > e [CH] RIVER The bank is protected only by a continuous hedge, which runs along it slavishly. A bridge crosses it and lands north towards a road with a slight slope. To the northeast, following a curve in the river, the road continues towards an area of taller buildings, many of which--from here I can see them well--blunted by the wave of war. The lake is back west. > e I can go north, across the river, northeast and west. A piece of wood passes by and floats alone on the river. > ne [CH] UHRENMUSEUM The huge writing on the wall is in German, like everything else of value in these parts by the 1950s. The main room is a a sort of permanent exhibition of scenes, mostly war-related, painted on every wall. To the north, a secondary room is glimpsed through a wide passage. I can return to the river to the southwest. To one side of the room sits a tall clockwork machine, the clatter of its gears testifying to its workings. > u A way to the north, a way to the southwest, out of the museum. > n [CH] SPIELAUTOMAT The small room is a web of pipes and cables that twists and turns, interrupted here and there by brass boxes and large, eternally moving gears. Whatever clock is kept in motion here, it must be as big as the entire city. To the south is the only exit that makes sense. A sort of domed display stand, made entirely of what appears to be polished silver, emerges from the bronze mass. > put knob in star The knob fits perfectly into the housing and remains stuck there. As soon as I push the knob in, the stand starts to vibrate like a circus act. After a few moments, the dome slowly opens, freeing its exhibit. > x exhibit I can't see any such thing. > l [CH] SPIELAUTOMAT The small room is a web of pipes and cables that twists and turns, interrupted here and there by brass boxes and large, eternally moving gears. Whatever clock is kept in motion here, it must be as big as the entire city. To the south is the only exit that makes sense. A sort of domed display stand, made entirely of what appears to be polished silver, emerges from the bronze mass. Another gear clicks and turns. > x dome An elaborate stand, made of a shiny, silver-like metal, topped with a transparent dome. Inside is exhibited a delicate and complex mechanism, stored in one of the two bays present. It is unknown what happened to the second object. The dome is now open, liberating the mechanism and the empty bay. On the front side there are two slots: one star-shaped and the other taller and thinner. > x mechanism It is a rotating cage, inside which gyroscopic elements compensate for gravity with a continuous movement. I believe in watchmaking it is called a "tourbillon". > take it The tourbillon is blocked by some locking device. Maybe the bay next to it is for something... > i I am carrying a Pop Swatch watch. > put watch in bay The Pop Swatch fits perfectly into the bay, as if it were made just for it. As soon as I let it go, the air around me begins to deform, and the water bubble begins to expand. I just have time to grab the tourbillon before everything dissolves and I find myself back in... [HUB] EIN ALTES WOHNZIMMER An old living room. Clean, polished, with ochre and yellow wallpaper on the walls, in vertical stripes; formica furniture; an old gramophone with a shape that is far from brutalist. And then a huge carpet, covering almost the entire floor. I can see a polished table (on which are a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a Trinity box) here. > * proress! That is not a verb I recognize. > i I am carrying a *Tourbillon. > save Ok. > x tourbillon It is a rotating cage, inside which gyroscopic elements compensate for gravity with a continuous movement. I believe in watchmaking it is called a "tourbillon". > take record As soon as I grab the disc, the universe begins to spin like I'm at the center of an infinite carousel. It accelerates, until a kaleidoscope of flashes erases everything. A strange little song rings in my ears... [...] When the music fades and the kaleidoscope breaks, I find myself in... [UK] TURRET The treetops showing through the windows indicate that I am on the top floor of a tower. The walls are bare, red brick, but incredibly pristine. The rest is empty air, apart from a monumental staircase leading down. A large hand-painted sign, more than two metres long and completely out of place here, reads WELCOME TO ABERDEEN, THE GRANITE CITY. > save Ok. > * UK makes sense at least That is not a verb I recognize. > i I am carrying a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. > x windows A pleasant, autumnal light comes in through the windows. I can't make out the trees, but they seem healthy. It really seems like a beautiful day. > x sign A weathered, hand-painted sign with bold, faded letters, its vintage charm framed by chipped paint and the patina of age. Someone has engraved a series of signatures on it: Parni, then Gromov, Gromov and Gromov again. Not very reassuring... > sign That is not a verb I recognize. > take sign No need to concern myself with that. > l [UK] TURRET The treetops showing through the windows indicate that I am on the top floor of a tower. The walls are bare, red brick, but incredibly pristine. The rest is empty air, apart from a monumental staircase leading down. A large hand-painted sign, more than two metres long and completely out of place here, reads WELCOME TO ABERDEEN, THE GRANITE CITY. Faint music comes from below. > listen A strange organ music, I don't know where it comes from. > d [UK] WEEPING STONES The large staircase spiraling up and down is composed of extraordinary steps of pink stone, covered with marble of the same color: nine segments that bloom from a central column, also in stone. Below, the light rises in the vertical chamber, blurred but powerful like an enormous cotton flower. > x stone The steps, nine in total, are actually made of stone and only covered in marble on the upper part. This, in fact, seems to be raised from the base by a cushion of air. Interesting. > x light Lovely, spring-like light. Which, however, manages to be ghostly, as if it were something alive. > d As I descend the steps, they make muffled sounds. When I step off of the last one, there's a mechanical whine, like gears resetting. [UK] DINING HALL The enormous room is overfurnished, elements from different eras clashing with each other like opposing armies. The massive table in the center seems recent, while the armor guarding the large fireplace is undoubtedly medieval. The walls have been covered in animal horns, while no one seems to have thought about the cold, gray stone floor, left bare. Exits lead up to the tower, west to an immense living room, and south to the castle entrance. On the east wall a sprawling rust-coloured stain has formed. On the table someone has been putting together a very complex jigsaw puzzle. > * OK steps are part of a machine That is not a verb I recognize. > x table A table that looks like it was made a couple of years ago. Soviet made, not a single element out of place, every angle is ninety degrees. > x armor Black as pitch, shiny. Not holding a weapon in the hands, its arms folded in its lap suggest a severe stomachache. > x horns The principal hobby of the owners--whoever they are--must be hunting. There are horns of every horned animal that can be counted. > x stain A sprawling stain, as if from humidity, which from the center has spread over a large part of the wall. It is the color of blood. > x puzzle The jigsaw is at least two square meters. It represents an unusual hunting scene, where knights on horseback are pointing their lances at musical instruments of all kinds. The three most prominent accommodations are vaguely shaped like a viola, an organ, and a lyre. All the three pieces are still missing. > x knights The jigsaw is at least two square meters. It represents an unusual hunting scene, where knights on horseback are pointing their lances at musical instruments of all kinds. The three most prominent accommodations are vaguely shaped like a viola, an organ, and a lyre. All the three pieces are still missing. > x viola I can't see any such thing. > x pieces I can't see any such thing. > l [UK] DINING HALL The enormous room is overfurnished, elements from different eras clashing with each other like opposing armies. The massive table in the center seems recent, while the armor guarding the large fireplace is undoubtedly medieval. The walls have been covered in animal horns, while no one seems to have thought about the cold, gray stone floor, left bare. Exits lead up to the tower, west to an immense living room, and south to the castle entrance. On the east wall a sprawling rust-coloured stain has formed. On the table someone has been putting together a very complex jigsaw puzzle. > w [UK] GRAND LIVING The large living room has been ransacked and is practically empty. A single sofa, now devastated, miraculously stands in the center of the room. Nothing else, except an antique sideboard by the window. A tall mahogany door, richly carved, stands proudly in the northwest corner of the room. The only other exit is to the east, into the dining room. > x sofa An old leather sofa, now all tattered and worn. Cerulean, although the dust covering makes me want to say "cyanotic". It must have been a nice piece of equipment once. Something white appears between the cushions. > x white It looks just like a ceramic flag, perhaps part of an old game. > take it Taken. > l [UK] GRAND LIVING The large living room has been ransacked and is practically empty. A single sofa, now devastated, miraculously stands in the center of the room. Nothing else, except an antique sideboard by the window. A tall mahogany door, richly carved, stands proudly in the northwest corner of the room. The only other exit is to the east, into the dining room. > x sideboard It is an ancient series of now empty shelves held together by hope. On the lower one an old cross-stitch embroidery has been abandoned. > x embroidery It depicts a girl in traditional dress holding a bleeding heart. An embroidered inscription identifies her as The Bonnie Lass o' Fyvie. Someone has written some sort of song on the canvas: Ever fair she stood, ---Eyes cast far away, Castle walls so old, At the break of day. Fell a soldier's heart, Gone with love's first glance, Castle bound in silence, Echoes of romance. > take it Taken. > l [UK] GRAND LIVING The large living room has been ransacked and is practically empty. A single sofa, now devastated, miraculously stands in the center of the room. Nothing else, except an antique sideboard by the window. A tall mahogany door, richly carved, stands proudly in the northwest corner of the room. The only other exit is to the east, into the dining room. Bells are chiming somewhere. > sing I'm not sure I know what a song is anymore. > nw The door is unmistakably closed. > open door There are no handles, and any mechanisms must be hidden inside. Bells are chiming somewhere. > e [UK] DINING HALL The enormous room is overfurnished, elements from different eras clashing with each other like opposing armies. The massive table in the center seems recent, while the armor guarding the large fireplace is undoubtedly medieval. The walls have been covered in animal horns, while no one seems to have thought about the cold, gray stone floor, left bare. Exits lead up to the tower, west to an immense living room, and south to the castle entrance. On the east wall a sprawling rust-coloured stain has formed. On the table someone has been putting together a very complex jigsaw puzzle. > s [UK] ENTRANCE HALL The ancient vault surmounts a spartan entrance, made of common sandstone. Where once reigned an imposing gate, to the south, there are only the hinges, the rest devoured by time and war. One of the empty walls offers a fresco now almost completely erased. > * exit north not mentioned here That is not a verb I recognize. > x hinges The gate is no longer there at all. A sinister but splendid metaphor for what happened up here, when the doors were left open with no regard for what beasts might enter... and in the end the entrance remained open forever. > x fresco The fresco depicts a rural scene without much detail, intertwined with a geometric design: 5 horizontal lines are drawn equidistant from the floor to the ceiling. Each line and each space between is sequentially identified by a letter, from the E at the bottom to the F, with the sequence resetting from about halfway: E-F-G/A-B-C-D-E-F. > * that's the nine, and looks like the poem lines each start with a note letter That is not a verb I recognize. > l [UK] ENTRANCE HALL The ancient vault surmounts a spartan entrance, made of common sandstone. Where once reigned an imposing gate, to the south, there are only the hinges, the rest devoured by time and war. One of the empty walls offers a fresco now almost completely erased. > s [UK] HUMBLE GREENERY Maksim Gromov, 32 years in the outskirts of a Berlin stripped to the bone by the bizarre welfare of Todesengel, then bombed by the Soviets and reduced to a smoky field of debris with no history, in a rainy night that has been going on forever--and suddenly I go out into the open and we are in a Tolkienian fairy tale, among colors I have never seen and sounds I could not invent myself. The park outside the castle is a huge pocket outside my time and space. A ring of trees of every kind, all colored like fireworks, the grass lush but well-kept, the great fountain in the center of a stone basin where colorful fish splash. They are beyond my powers of abstraction, beyond the tales of the old men, beyond me. Only two paths lead southwest and southeast. The castle is to the north. A large wild cat that is wandering around the garden sees me and approaches me slyly. > * would the Soviets permit Tolkien to be published? That is not a verb I recognize. > * maybe samizdat That is not a verb I recognize. > x trees Trees of every kind, of every color, that act as a screen--I know the truth, it is dangerous to deny it--to the outside world. Green and yellow and blue against the gray and black of repression, of single-thought, of war in the alleys, in the houses, in our rooms. It is a cocoon, and I feel like I am being reborn inside it. The fish splash in the basin. > x fountain The large stone fountain consists of a statue of a crouching woman holding a lyre and, underneath, a basin filled with colorful fish. > x lyre The lyre is an integral part of the statue. > take lyre No need to concern myself with that. Birds I cannot see sing songs I have never heard. > pluck it That is not a verb I recognize. > play it No need to concern myself with that. > x woman The woman is kneeling, her right hand extended with the palm upwards, as if to hold a serving dish. In the other she holds a lyre, tucked under her arm. A brass plaque reads THE LASS O' FYVIE. A wild animal runs quickly through the fresh grass and disappears into the woods. > x basin The large stone fountain consists of a statue of a crouching woman holding a lyre and, underneath, a basin filled with colorful fish. > x hand The woman is kneeling, her right hand extended with the palm upwards, as if to hold a serving dish. In the other she holds a lyre, tucked under her arm. A brass plaque reads THE LASS O' FYVIE. > x fish I don't know what fish it is, but it looks like the same color as the trees. A bright color, like I've never seen before. > l [UK] HUMBLE GREENERY The park outside the castle is a huge pocket outside my time and space. A ring of trees of every kind, all colored like fireworks, the grass lush but well-kept, the great fountain in the center of a stone basin where colorful fish splash. Only two paths lead southwest and southeast. The castle is to the north. The gray cat is licking his paws. > x cat A common gray cat, like the ones I sometimes find gaunt and feeble among the ruins of Berlin. This one looks pretty fit. > pet cat The cat lets itself be petted with pleasure. The fish splash in the basin. > sw The cat follows me. [UK] LIMIT OF HEAVENS The paradise I had imagined ends here. The trees grow sparser, and the grim world looms through the foliage. In every direction, except to the northeast where the castle is, I can glimpse the collapse of civilization, the end of the British Empire. Ruins, as of a world buried millennia ago. The ground is littered with half-rotten apples that have fallen from the trees. The wild cat is licking itself at my feet. Half hidden behind a tree, a man tries to get my attention. > x ruins It's gray. It's mostly rubble. It smells of suppression. It has the sound of the End. In short, the same old story, which only my naive being could imagine differently. > x apples They are in tatters, scattered everywhere. Still edible, and I could pick some, even if I don't really want to taste one. > search apples No need to concern myself with that. > take apple I take one of the apples. I have no idea why--they're all half rotten--but someone might like it. > l [UK] LIMIT OF HEAVENS The trees grow sparser, and the grim world looms through the foliage. In every direction, except to the northeast where the castle is, I can glimpse the collapse of civilization, the end of the British Empire. Ruins, as of a world buried millennia ago. The ground is littered with half-rotten apples that have fallen from the trees. The gray cat is licking his paws. Half hidden behind a tree, a man tries to get my attention. > x cat A common gray cat, like the ones I sometimes find gaunt and feeble among the ruins of Berlin. This one looks pretty fit. > give apple to cat I have never seen a cat eat apples. A feline's hunger must be satisfied in another way. > x man Someone like me, without a uniform but with the uniform on his face, the insignia are the years in Gvardiya worn instead of wrinkles, the creases in the soul as well as in the dress. > talk to man I approach the figure cautiously. It takes me little time, once within range, to identify him for what he is: a survivor of something I don't want to imagine. Someone like me. "Who are you," I ask calmly. "What are you doing hiding here?" His laughter wakes me up like a cannon shot. "Who AM I?" he chuckles. "Maksim Gromov, at your SERVICE, Maksim Gromov!" When he moves from behind the tree I realize he only has one arm: the empty sleeve flutters like a lowered flag. > talk to man He notices me looking for his missing arm and lets out another strange laughter, this time much like scratching on a chalkboard. "This?" he says, pointing to the useless sleeve. "A gift for my stubbornness. I wouldn't TALK, ME, so MERRY CHRISTMAS. Or, NAH, they don't like Christ. They say 'Novyy god'. NOVYY GOD to you, comrade!" "They got you," I say, stating the obvious. "Oh, yes, they got me. They KNEW WHERE I WAS, can you believe it?" I need to look into this further. > talk to man "How did they catch you?" He doesn't pay attention to me. "Did they tell you about the Parni?" he asks. Then he looks over his shoulder, left and right: a nice poultice of paranoia. I nod. "And, tell me, are these PARNI in the room with us now? Or are they a mound of bullshit and are they just sending us to be tortured and killed because we are a coven of SICK people? Stalnaya Gvardiya, Stalnaya Gvardiya. The Iron Guard. Oh yeah, oh YES. The Parni... heee-heee-ee." Something in his remaining hand glistens in the light like an exposed bone. Again, he notices me watching him. > x hand I can't see any such thing. > talk to man "Do you want this?" He taunts me, showing me what he's holding. It's some kind of small ivory sword, a miniature object. "Well, THAT'S not why I lost my arm. So you can take it. But BE CAREFUL, Gromov. They know where we are. They know it all the time. They watch us with the mirrors and measure our every step." My surprised face doesn't faze him one bit. "Them? You mean the Gvardiya?" Another horrible laugh: "THEM, Gromov. The SOVIET. With all their mirrors. Heee-hee!" > talk to man I step back. This doesn't make sense. "Mirrors? What are you talking about?" I try to remember if I've seen mirrors around somewhere, but I don't think so. "Oh, by the holy shadow with the hat, Gromov, you sure don't understand shit. MIRRORS: their fucking moles. The Gvardiya isn't so much IRON, you know? We've been contaminated. Nothing we do is a secret anymore: they know everything. And good luck finding your Boys from the East. They've probably already reduced them to--" But something catches his attention. Maybe a rustling in the trees, maybe just a schizoid twitch, whatever it is it seems to take the red out of his blood: with a final cry halfway between laughter and horror he finally disappears beyond the edge of the garden. In his frantic escape, the object he was carrying with him falls from his hand and lands among the rotten apples. > take sword Taken. > i I am carrying an ivory sword miniature, an apple, a cross-stitch embroidery, a white ceramic miniature flag, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. > x sword It looks just like an ivory sword, perhaps part of an old game. > l [UK] LIMIT OF HEAVENS The trees grow sparser, and the grim world looms through the foliage. In every direction, except to the northeast where the castle is, I can glimpse the collapse of civilization, the end of the British Empire. Ruins, as of a world buried millennia ago. The ground is littered with half-rotten apples that have fallen from the trees. The gray cat is licking his paws. Mechanical sounds come from beyond the edge. > save Ok. > listen Silence. Surrender. Death. > x tree The last pocket of this place out of time. Beyond the trees, the old world. > z Nothing happens. > z Nothing happens. > z Nothing happens. > z Nothing happens. > z Nothing happens. > ne The cat follows me. [UK] HUMBLE GREENERY The park outside the castle is a huge pocket outside my time and space. A ring of trees of every kind, all colored like fireworks, the grass lush but well-kept, the great fountain in the center of a stone basin where colorful fish splash. Only two paths lead southwest and southeast. The castle is to the north. The wild cat is licking itself at my feet. > se The cat follows me. [UK] CLOSED WOODS The forest around here is becoming so thick as to be impenetrable, except to the northwest toward the castle. The trees, all tall and lush, are losing their leaves, and these are forming a warm and colorful carpet. One of the trees has a very low branch, on which a brown squirrel plays. The cat is growling at the squirrel, ferociously. The squirrel took refuge on a higher branch, terrified of the cat. > x trees There is a nice sense of peace here, given by the imposing forest. I feel... protected, a feeling I am not used to. > x leaves The colors are amazing. > search leaves If there is anything, it is too well hidden, under all the foliage. > x branch The trampoline of my dreams, if I were a squirrel. > take branch No need to concern myself with that. > pull it No need to concern myself with that. The wind rustles through the trees. > push it No need to concern myself with that. > take cat He avoids me easily. > put cat on branch (first taking the wild cat) He avoids me easily. > l [UK] CLOSED WOODS The forest around here is becoming so thick as to be impenetrable, except to the northwest toward the castle. The trees, all tall and lush, are losing their leaves, and these are forming a warm and colorful carpet. One of the trees has a very low branch, on which a brown squirrel plays. The cat is growling at the squirrel, ferociously. The squirrel took refuge on a higher branch, terrified of the cat. > i I am carrying an ivory sword miniature, an apple, a cross-stitch embroidery, a white ceramic miniature flag, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. > give apple to squirrel The squirrel is too scared of the cat to care about my apple. > throw apple at squirrel The squirrel is too scared of the cat to care about my apple. > nw The cat follows me. [UK] HUMBLE GREENERY The park outside the castle is a huge pocket outside my time and space. A ring of trees of every kind, all colored like fireworks, the grass lush but well-kept, the great fountain in the center of a stone basin where colorful fish splash. Only two paths lead southwest and southeast. The castle is to the north. The gray cat is licking his paws. > n The cat leaves my company as he sees me re-enter the castle. [UK] ENTRANCE HALL The ancient vault surmounts a spartan entrance, made of common sandstone. Where once reigned an imposing gate, to the south, there are only the hinges, the rest devoured by time and war. One of the empty walls offers a fresco now almost completely erased. The wind enters the entrance lightly. > n [UK] DINING HALL The enormous room is overfurnished, elements from different eras clashing with each other like opposing armies. The massive table in the center seems recent, while the armor guarding the large fireplace is undoubtedly medieval. The walls have been covered in animal horns, while no one seems to have thought about the cold, gray stone floor, left bare. Exits lead up to the tower, west to an immense living room, and south to the castle entrance. On the east wall a sprawling rust-coloured stain has formed. On the table someone has been putting together a very complex jigsaw puzzle. > n The exits are to the west and south. A staircase leads to the upper floor. > u [UK] WEEPING STONES The large staircase spiraling up and down is composed of extraordinary steps of pink stone, covered with marble of the same color: nine segments that bloom from a central column, also in stone. Below, the light rises in the vertical chamber, blurred but powerful like an enormous cotton flower. > x steps I can address them individually. Counting from the bottom of the staircase, from one to nine. > x 1 A step like all the others. Faint music comes from below. > step on 1 That is not a verb I recognize. > stand on 1 The step emits a faint note. > push 1 The step emits a faint note. > push 2 The step emits a faint note. > push 9 The step emits a faint note. > x poem I can't see any such thing. > i I am carrying an ivory sword miniature, an apple, a cross-stitch embroidery, a white ceramic miniature flag, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. > x embroidery It depicts a girl in traditional dress holding a bleeding heart. An embroidered inscription identifies her as The Bonnie Lass o' Fyvie. Someone has written some sort of song on the canvas: Ever fair she stood, ---Eyes cast far away, Castle walls so old, At the break of day. Fell a soldier's heart, Gone with love's first glance, Castle bound in silence, Echoes of romance. > push 1 The step emits a faint note. > push 1 The step emits a faint note. > push 6 The step emits a faint note. > push 4 The step emits a faint note. The last note is dirty and out of tune. Something has gone wrong, and nothing noteworthy happens. > push 1 [It looks like the steps need to be played in a sequence. From now on try SEQUENCE (or SEQ) followed by a number, eg: SEQ 12345678.] Faint music comes from below. > seq I think you wanted to say "seq something". Please try again. > seq 11642368 I play all the steps in sequence. Nothing happens, the sequence must be incorrect. Faint music comes from below. > * oh wait E is at the bottom, numbers I think from the top? That is not a verb I recognize. > * also there are two es and two fs That is not a verb I recognize. > seq 11642361 I play all the steps in sequence. Nothing happens, the sequence must be incorrect. > seq 99468749 I play all the steps in sequence. Nothing happens, the sequence must be incorrect. > x embroider It depicts a girl in traditional dress holding a bleeding heart. An embroidered inscription identifies her as The Bonnie Lass o' Fyvie. Someone has written some sort of song on the canvas: Ever fair she stood, ---Eyes cast far away, Castle walls so old, At the break of day. Fell a soldier's heart, Gone with love's first glance, Castle bound in silence, Echoes of romance. > * Maybe the dash means low E? That is not a verb I recognize. > seq 92468749 I play all the steps in sequence. Nothing happens, the sequence must be incorrect. > * flip the fs? That is not a verb I recognize. > 92461749 That is not a verb I recognize. > * OK try starting with 1 again? That is not a verb I recognize. > seq 18642368 I play all the steps in sequence. Nothing happens, the sequence must be incorrect. > seq 18642361 I play all the steps in sequence. The last note is sharp and sweet, and it resounds through the stairway and beyond. A niche opens in the wall, revealing an object within. > * aha! That is not a verb I recognize. > x object Do you mean the viola shaped tile or the ivory sword miniature? > tile It is an ivory mosaic tile representing a viola. The bow seems to pierce it like a sword. > take it Taken. > d [UK] DINING HALL The enormous room is overfurnished, elements from different eras clashing with each other like opposing armies. The massive table in the center seems recent, while the armor guarding the large fireplace is undoubtedly medieval. The walls have been covered in animal horns, while no one seems to have thought about the cold, gray stone floor, left bare. Exits lead up to the tower, west to an immense living room, and south to the castle entrance. On the east wall a sprawling rust-coloured stain has formed. On the table someone has been putting together a very complex jigsaw puzzle. > put tile in jigsaw The viola shaped tile fits perfectly. > i I am carrying an ivory sword miniature, an apple, a cross-stitch embroidery, a white ceramic miniature flag, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. > x flag It looks just like a ceramic flag, perhaps part of an old game. > s [UK] ENTRANCE HALL The ancient vault surmounts a spartan entrance, made of common sandstone. Where once reigned an imposing gate, to the south, there are only the hinges, the rest devoured by time and war. One of the empty walls offers a fresco now almost completely erased. > s [UK] HUMBLE GREENERY The park outside the castle is a huge pocket outside my time and space. A ring of trees of every kind, all colored like fireworks, the grass lush but well-kept, the great fountain in the center of a stone basin where colorful fish splash. Only two paths lead southwest and southeast. The castle is to the north. The big cat is rubbing against my legs. > x fish I don't know what fish it is, but it looks like the same color as the trees. A bright color, like I've never seen before. The fish splash in the basin. > take fish Fish are too fast. If I really want one I need to find a more creative way to catch it. A light wind whistles through the trees. > i I am carrying an ivory sword miniature, an apple, a cross-stitch embroidery, a white ceramic miniature flag, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. A wild animal runs quickly through the fresh grass and disappears into the woods. > put apple in fountain The fish devour the apple in a few seconds. They are obviously hungry. > take fish Fish are too fast. If I really want one I need to find a more creative way to catch it. > sw The cat follows me. [UK] LIMIT OF HEAVENS The trees grow sparser, and the grim world looms through the foliage. In every direction, except to the northeast where the castle is, I can glimpse the collapse of civilization, the end of the British Empire. Ruins, as of a world buried millennia ago. The ground is littered with half-rotten apples that have fallen from the trees. The wild cat is licking itself at my feet. > take apples Maybe one at a time. > g Maybe one at a time. > take apple I take one of the apples. I have no idea why--they're all half rotten--but someone might like it. > i I am carrying an apple, an ivory sword miniature, a cross-stitch embroidery, a white ceramic miniature flag, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. > ne The cat follows me. [UK] HUMBLE GREENERY The park outside the castle is a huge pocket outside my time and space. A ring of trees of every kind, all colored like fireworks, the grass lush but well-kept, the great fountain in the center of a stone basin where colorful fish splash. Only two paths lead southwest and southeast. The castle is to the north. The wild cat is licking itself at my feet. > put apple on fountain The fish devour the apple in a few seconds. They are obviously hungry. > undo Previous turn undone. > i I am carrying an apple, an ivory sword miniature, a cross-stitch embroidery, a white ceramic miniature flag, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. > x fountain The large stone fountain consists of a statue of a crouching woman holding a lyre and, underneath, a basin filled with colorful fish. > * oh wait That is not a verb I recognize. > put apple on fountain The fish devour the apple in a few seconds. They are obviously hungry. > undo Previous turn undone. > x fountain The large stone fountain consists of a statue of a crouching woman holding a lyre and, underneath, a basin filled with colorful fish. > x statue The woman is kneeling, her right hand extended with the palm upwards, as if to hold a serving dish. In the other she holds a lyre, tucked under her arm. A brass plaque reads THE LASS O' FYVIE. > x hand The woman is kneeling, her right hand extended with the palm upwards, as if to hold a serving dish. In the other she holds a lyre, tucked under her arm. A brass plaque reads THE LASS O' FYVIE. > put apple on hand As soon as I place the apple in the statue's open hand, the movement in the tank becomes frenetic: the fish, stimulated by the sight of food, boils like water on fire. After a few moments, one of the largest fish jumps out of the tank and grabs the apple in flight, but in doing so it lands outside the tank, directly on the lawn. I barely have time to feel sorry for it and move closer to put it back in his place when the wildcat gets there first and grabs the fish in his teeth. They both then disappear into the woods, in the gray and crimson glow of their liveries. The fish splash in the basin. > s Paths exit to the southwest and southeast. The castle entrance is north. > se [UK] CLOSED WOODS The forest around here is becoming so thick as to be impenetrable, except to the northwest toward the castle. The trees, all tall and lush, are losing their leaves, and these are forming a warm and colorful carpet. One of the trees has a very low branch, on which a brown squirrel plays. The squirrel is playing with a small object in his hand. The wind rustles through the trees. > x squirrel A very cute creature, which until now I have only had the opportunity to see in books. He's playing with a strange object, like a microscopic musical instrument, which he cannot gnaw because it is too hard. > nw [UK] HUMBLE GREENERY The park outside the castle is a huge pocket outside my time and space. A ring of trees of every kind, all colored like fireworks, the grass lush but well-kept, the great fountain in the center of a stone basin where colorful fish splash. Only two paths lead southwest and southeast. The castle is to the north. > sw [UK] LIMIT OF HEAVENS The trees grow sparser, and the grim world looms through the foliage. In every direction, except to the northeast where the castle is, I can glimpse the collapse of civilization, the end of the British Empire. Ruins, as of a world buried millennia ago. The ground is littered with half-rotten apples that have fallen from the trees. > take apple I take one of the apples. I have no idea why--they're all half rotten--but someone might like it. > ne [UK] HUMBLE GREENERY The park outside the castle is a huge pocket outside my time and space. A ring of trees of every kind, all colored like fireworks, the grass lush but well-kept, the great fountain in the center of a stone basin where colorful fish splash. Only two paths lead southwest and southeast. The castle is to the north. > se [UK] CLOSED WOODS The forest around here is becoming so thick as to be impenetrable, except to the northwest toward the castle. The trees, all tall and lush, are losing their leaves, and these are forming a warm and colorful carpet. One of the trees has a very low branch, on which a brown squirrel plays. The squirrel is playing with a small object in his hand. > give apple to squirrel The squirrel hops toward me, happy for some free food. When he is close enough he slows down, as if struck by a Hamlet-like doubt. In the end, however, the fasting was more than the game and so he pounces on the apple, snatching it from my hand and dropping the object he was playing with. Finally, with a leap and the prey in his claws, he returns to the branch to enjoy his snack. > x object Do you mean the lyre shaped tile or the ivory sword miniature? > lyre It is an ivory mosaic tile representing a lyre. The strings are very thin. > take it Taken. > nw [UK] HUMBLE GREENERY The park outside the castle is a huge pocket outside my time and space. A ring of trees of every kind, all colored like fireworks, the grass lush but well-kept, the great fountain in the center of a stone basin where colorful fish splash. Only two paths lead southwest and southeast. The castle is to the north. > n [UK] ENTRANCE HALL The ancient vault surmounts a spartan entrance, made of common sandstone. Where once reigned an imposing gate, to the south, there are only the hinges, the rest devoured by time and war. One of the empty walls offers a fresco now almost completely erased. > n [UK] DINING HALL The enormous room is overfurnished, elements from different eras clashing with each other like opposing armies. The massive table in the center seems recent, while the armor guarding the large fireplace is undoubtedly medieval. The walls have been covered in animal horns, while no one seems to have thought about the cold, gray stone floor, left bare. Exits lead up to the tower, west to an immense living room, and south to the castle entrance. On the east wall a sprawling rust-coloured stain has formed. On the table someone has been putting together a very complex jigsaw puzzle. > put lyre in puzzle The lyre shaped tile fits perfectly. > i I am carrying an ivory sword miniature, a cross-stitch embroidery, a white ceramic miniature flag, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. > * sword That is not a verb I recognize. > l [UK] DINING HALL The enormous room is overfurnished, elements from different eras clashing with each other like opposing armies. The massive table in the center seems recent, while the armor guarding the large fireplace is undoubtedly medieval. The walls have been covered in animal horns, while no one seems to have thought about the cold, gray stone floor, left bare. Exits lead up to the tower, west to an immense living room, and south to the castle entrance. On the east wall a sprawling rust-coloured stain has formed. On the table someone has been putting together a very complex jigsaw puzzle. > w [UK] GRAND LIVING The large living room has been ransacked and is practically empty. A single sofa, now devastated, miraculously stands in the center of the room. Nothing else, except an antique sideboard by the window. A tall mahogany door, richly carved, stands proudly in the northwest corner of the room. The only other exit is to the east, into the dining room. > nw The door is unmistakably closed. > x door The door is a miracle of inlays. Two shutters, each covered with very fine and intricate bas-reliefs. On the left one a figure on horseback, on the right one a foot soldier with a shield. There are no handles, nor any obvious means of operating it. I can tell it's a door only because, from the other side, comes the repetitive noise of something playing in the emptiness of a room that must be very large. > x firue I can't see any such thing. > x soldier This is a very elaborate inlay. The infantryman is defending a position, shield in hand and all. Something seems to be missing: a small slot on the side is empty. > i I am carrying an ivory sword miniature, a cross-stitch embroidery, a white ceramic miniature flag, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. > put sword in soldier The sword fits perfectly into the housing. > x knight I can't see any such thing. > x horseback This is a very elaborate inlay. The man on horseback is pointing a hand in front of him, as if offering something. It seems like a piece is missing, because there is a small depression in the hand. > put flag in horseback The flag fits perfectly into the housing. As I put the flag in place, something inside the door clicks and the two shutters slowly retract into the wall, opening the passage to the northwest. > nw [UK] SINGING TOWER The vast chamber is mainly vertical, forming a square-based tower. Cables and ropes rise towards the ceiling, which is unreachable from here. The only exit is to the southeast. The cables are evidently pulled from a device in the center of the room which, following a programmed sequence, activates bells above the ceiling and creates a harmonious melody. > save Ok. > x ropes There are dozens of cables, each one starting from the device in front of me and rising until it disappears into the ceiling. Every now and then one of these moves, pulled like the strings of a piano, and a sound reverberates in the chamber. > x device It is a cube, more or less, with the beauty of no external detail, apart from two conspicuous features: on the upper part, between the holes for the cables, a large button; on the left side a wide slot. On the front, someone has engraved the initial verses of a Gregorian Chant. > x chant "Ut queant laxis/ Resonare fibris/ Mira gestorum..." It is the hymn dedicated to St. John the Baptist, if I remember correctly, used by a certain Italian friar to teach notes to his students. The first letters of each verse are equivalent to the note sung, in Latin notation: Ut (later Do), Re, Mi, etc. In the end, compulsory schooling, among the many hours lost learning the names of the Soldats, left me with something... useful. Somewhat. > x button There is nothing special about the large button. > x slot It is a slot about ten centimetres wide, from which a piece of plasticised paper emerges. > x paper It's a piece of paper. I can't say more at the moment because most of it is hidden in the slot. > take it I try to pull it, but it's stuck firmly. I should probably be able to get it with the device turned off. > turn off device I imagine that this is what the button on top of the device is for. > push button The button stops the melody. Unfortunately, it is not a switch, so as soon as I let go of it, everything quickly resumes. > i I am carrying a cross-stitch embroidery, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. Bells are echoing in the chamber. > put embroidery on button It's not heavy enough. I need something with a clear center of gravity. > sw The way out of the tower is to the southeast. > se [UK] GRAND LIVING The large living room has been ransacked and is practically empty. A single sofa, now devastated, miraculously stands in the center of the room. Nothing else, except an antique sideboard by the window. A large doorway is open in the northwest corner of the room. The only other exit is to the east, into the dining room. > s I can go east to the dining room and northwest through the newly opened doorway. > e [UK] DINING HALL The enormous room is overfurnished, elements from different eras clashing with each other like opposing armies. The massive table in the center seems recent, while the armor guarding the large fireplace is undoubtedly medieval. The walls have been covered in animal horns, while no one seems to have thought about the cold, gray stone floor, left bare. Exits lead up to the tower, west to an immense living room, and south to the castle entrance. On the east wall a sprawling rust-coloured stain has formed. On the table someone has been putting together a very complex jigsaw puzzle. > s [UK] ENTRANCE HALL The ancient vault surmounts a spartan entrance, made of common sandstone. Where once reigned an imposing gate, to the south, there are only the hinges, the rest devoured by time and war. One of the empty walls offers a fresco now almost completely erased. An animal slinks quickly between the trees. > sw I can exit to the south or go back in to the north. > s [UK] HUMBLE GREENERY The park outside the castle is a huge pocket outside my time and space. A ring of trees of every kind, all colored like fireworks, the grass lush but well-kept, the great fountain in the center of a stone basin where colorful fish splash. Only two paths lead southwest and southeast. The castle is to the north. A light wind whistles through the trees. > sw [UK] LIMIT OF HEAVENS The trees grow sparser, and the grim world looms through the foliage. In every direction, except to the northeast where the castle is, I can glimpse the collapse of civilization, the end of the British Empire. Ruins, as of a world buried millennia ago. The ground is littered with half-rotten apples that have fallen from the trees. > take apple I take one of the apples. I have no idea why--they're all half rotten--but someone might like it. > ne [UK] HUMBLE GREENERY The park outside the castle is a huge pocket outside my time and space. A ring of trees of every kind, all colored like fireworks, the grass lush but well-kept, the great fountain in the center of a stone basin where colorful fish splash. Only two paths lead southwest and southeast. The castle is to the north. > n [UK] ENTRANCE HALL The ancient vault surmounts a spartan entrance, made of common sandstone. Where once reigned an imposing gate, to the south, there are only the hinges, the rest devoured by time and war. One of the empty walls offers a fresco now almost completely erased. > n [UK] DINING HALL The enormous room is overfurnished, elements from different eras clashing with each other like opposing armies. The massive table in the center seems recent, while the armor guarding the large fireplace is undoubtedly medieval. The walls have been covered in animal horns, while no one seems to have thought about the cold, gray stone floor, left bare. Exits lead up to the tower, west to an immense living room, and south to the castle entrance. On the east wall a sprawling rust-coloured stain has formed. On the table someone has been putting together a very complex jigsaw puzzle. > w [UK] GRAND LIVING The large living room has been ransacked and is practically empty. A single sofa, now devastated, miraculously stands in the center of the room. Nothing else, except an antique sideboard by the window. A large doorway is open in the northwest corner of the room. The only other exit is to the east, into the dining room. > nw [UK] SINGING TOWER The vast chamber is mainly vertical, forming a square-based tower. Cables and ropes rise towards the ceiling, which is unreachable from here. The only exit is to the southeast. The cables are evidently pulled from a device in the center of the room which, following a programmed sequence, activates bells above the ceiling and creates a harmonious melody. > put apple on button Small and round, with a clear center of gravity. Maybe too light though... but yes, it works. I don't know how long it will stay in place, though. > take paper Now that the device is stopped, the piece of paper comes out no problem. It is, in fact, a punch card. > * those apples are super useful! That is not a verb I recognize. > x card It is a punched card, like those used to provide information to mechanical computers. The apple slides to the ground and releases the music again. > i I am carrying a punch card, a cross-stitch embroidery, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. > l [UK] SINGING TOWER The vast chamber is mainly vertical, forming a square-based tower. Cables and ropes rise towards the ceiling, which is unreachable from here. The only exit is to the southeast. The cables are evidently pulled from a device in the center of the room which, following a programmed sequence, activates bells above the ceiling and creates a harmonious melody. I can also see an apple here. Bells are echoing in the chamber. > i I am carrying a punch card, a cross-stitch embroidery, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. > x device It is a cube, more or less, with the beauty of no external detail, apart from two conspicuous features: on the upper part, between the holes for the cables, a large button; on the left side a wide slot. On the front, someone has engraved the initial verses of a Gregorian Chant. > x chant "Ut queant laxis/ Resonare fibris/ Mira gestorum..." It is the hymn dedicated to St. John the Baptist, if I remember correctly, used by a certain Italian friar to teach notes to his students. The first letters of each verse are equivalent to the note sung, in Latin notation: Ut (later Do), Re, Mi, etc. In the end, compulsory schooling, among the many hours lost learning the names of the Soldats, left me with something... useful. Somewhat. > x card It is a punched card, like those used to provide information to mechanical computers. > i I am carrying a punch card, a cross-stitch embroidery, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. > se [UK] GRAND LIVING The large living room has been ransacked and is practically empty. A single sofa, now devastated, miraculously stands in the center of the room. Nothing else, except an antique sideboard by the window. A large doorway is open in the northwest corner of the room. The only other exit is to the east, into the dining room. > x sideboard It is an ancient series of now empty shelves held together by hope. Bells are chiming somewhere. > listen The sound of bells ringing. > e [UK] DINING HALL The enormous room is overfurnished, elements from different eras clashing with each other like opposing armies. The massive table in the center seems recent, while the armor guarding the large fireplace is undoubtedly medieval. The walls have been covered in animal horns, while no one seems to have thought about the cold, gray stone floor, left bare. Exits lead up to the tower, west to an immense living room, and south to the castle entrance. On the east wall a sprawling rust-coloured stain has formed. On the table someone has been putting together a very complex jigsaw puzzle. > x stain A sprawling stain, as if from humidity, which from the center has spread over a large part of the wall. It is the color of blood. > x fireplace The fireplace mouth is almost two meters wide, surmounted by a bas-relief in golden stone and surrounded by two prominent wooden panels. There still seems to be a mound of embers in the fireplace, not quite out. Someone must have been here not long ago. > * oh missed that! That is not a verb I recognize. > x embers The embers seem not entirely dead. An old poker emerges from the pile. At the point where it dips into the liveliest embers, glowing in the red of heat, something catches my eye. It looks like a kind of brass pin, half buried. > x releif I can't see any such thing. > x relief The bas-relief depicts a very confusing battle scene. Above it is a Latin inscription that reads CHARTA ROBERTI III IN FAVOREM HENRICI DE PRESTOUNE MILITIS. Unfortunately, I don't understand Latin. > x poker It's an old poker. > take it The poker doesn't seem to be hot. I easily pull it out. > push embers with poker With the help of the poker I manage to dig into the embers and pull out the pin. After a few moments it is already cold and I can pick it up. > x pin A small brass pin, without any special workmanship. It has a square section. > punch card wit pin I think you wanted to say "punch something". Please try again. > punch card with pin I try to punch the punch card, but nothing happens. Too bad, it would have been a nice punch line. > punch card I try to punch the punch card, but nothing happens. Too bad, it would have been a nice punch line. > punch pin Violence isn't the answer to this one. > l [UK] DINING HALL The enormous room is overfurnished, elements from different eras clashing with each other like opposing armies. The massive table in the center seems recent, while the armor guarding the large fireplace is undoubtedly medieval. The walls have been covered in animal horns, while no one seems to have thought about the cold, gray stone floor, left bare. Exits lead up to the tower, west to an immense living room, and south to the castle entrance. On the east wall a sprawling rust-coloured stain has formed. On the table someone has been putting together a very complex jigsaw puzzle. > x stain A sprawling stain, as if from humidity, which from the center has spread over a large part of the wall. It is the color of blood. > i I am carrying a brass pin, a poker, a punch card, a cross-stitch embroidery, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. > x relief The bas-relief depicts a very confusing battle scene. Above it is a Latin inscription that reads CHARTA ROBERTI III IN FAVOREM HENRICI DE PRESTOUNE MILITIS. Unfortunately, I don't understand Latin. > x inscription I can't see any such thing. > read it The bas-relief depicts a very confusing battle scene. Above it is a Latin inscription that reads CHARTA ROBERTI III IN FAVOREM HENRICI DE PRESTOUNE MILITIS. Unfortunately, I don't understand Latin. > x panels The paneling, though minimal in design--just adjacent rectangles--is of noble workmanship. The pieces fit together with disarming quality, especially considering they are probably medieval. One of the panels appears stained and has a small square hole in the center. > x stained I can't see any such thing. > x hole The paneling, though minimal in design--just adjacent rectangles--is of noble workmanship. The pieces fit together with disarming quality, especially considering they are probably medieval. One of the panels appears stained and has a small square hole in the center. > put peg in hole Sorry, I don't understand what "peg" means. > i I am carrying a brass pin, a poker, a punch card, a cross-stitch embroidery, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. > put pin in hole The pin goes in perfectly... but it gets stuck halfway. Something is preventing it from going all the way in. > push pin My hands aren't enough to apply pressure. Something more... intense is needed. > hit pin with poke (first taking the brass pin) There's no way to get it out now. Faint music comes from somewhere beyond the walls. > hit pin with poker A well-placed blow drives the pin all the way in. After a few seconds, a stony, grinding noise makes me turn to the east. The wall is now split in two by a black wound, like a snake's pupil, that has opened a path to a secret room. What a spectacular coup de theatre. > * aha! That is not a verb I recognize. > e [UK] BLOOD CHAMBER The shock when I enter the room almost leaves me dead on the floor. This is a torture chamber. In the solid center is a seat of torment, complete with armrests and straps. From it are cables that were once supposed to connect to machines that someone quickly made disappear. The walls are painted--or so I hope--a dark blood red, in large, uneven patches. The only exit, for those who are permitted, is to the west. Near the legs of the chair, someone has forgotten an old diary. On the east wall an old organ, probably a harpsichord, serves as the elephant in the room. > * eek That is not a verb I recognize. > x diary It is a torture diary. There are many pages, and I do not intend to leaf through them. On the last two, a list of names, with comments. Ominously, the names are always the same: Maksim Gromov (36), no relevance. DECEASED. Maksim Gromov (52), cf. Nemov, L. DECEASED. Maksim Gromov (23), possession of rucka (handle), seized. DECEASED. Yeseniya Gromov (34), no relevance. DECEASED. Maksim Gromov (48), received DECEASED. There is a woman, Yeseniya. I did not know that the Stalnaya Gvardiya had women in its ranks, at least in Gromov's role. But, perhaps, the idea that a man can better endure pain, deprivation and fatigue is a fairy tale put into our heads by the Regime. Indeed, perhaps women have always shown more strength, more resistance. In any case, it affects me to read that name, as if it were that of a sister, someone I would have liked to protect. One of the Gromovs was just 23 years old. Long live the Revolution, Mitbruder. > * eek That is not a verb I recognize. > take diary Taken. > l [UK] BLOOD CHAMBER This is a torture chamber. In the solid center is a seat of torment, complete with armrests and straps. From it are cables that were once supposed to connect to machines that someone quickly made disappear. The walls are painted--or so I hope--a dark blood red, in large, uneven patches. The only exit, for those who are permitted, is to the west. On the east wall an old organ, probably a harpsichord, serves as the elephant in the room. > x organ An old harpsichord, which I can imagine torturers used to buy time in the midst of agony. A cruel way of making it clear that there is no hurry, my friend, we can stay here as long as you want, even forever. Above the keyboard is a roller covered in pins, like an old music box. > x machine I can't see any such thing. > x seat The sight alone makes me falter. The seat is covered in stains like the ones on the walls. Atrocious. The wall organ emits a hideous wail. > x stains I can't see any such thing. > l [UK] BLOOD CHAMBER This is a torture chamber. In the solid center is a seat of torment, complete with armrests and straps. From it are cables that were once supposed to connect to machines that someone quickly made disappear. The walls are painted--or so I hope--a dark blood red, in large, uneven patches. The only exit, for those who are permitted, is to the west. On the east wall an old organ, probably a harpsichord, serves as the elephant in the room. > x cables Electric cables. I feel faint. > x organ An old harpsichord, which I can imagine torturers used to buy time in the midst of agony. A cruel way of making it clear that there is no hurry, my friend, we can stay here as long as you want, even forever. Above the keyboard is a roller covered in pins, like an old music box. > x roller An old harpsichord, which I can imagine torturers used to buy time in the midst of agony. A cruel way of making it clear that there is no hurry, my friend, we can stay here as long as you want, even forever. Above the keyboard is a roller covered in pins, like an old music box. > take roller That's fixed in place. > put card on roller The punch card seems to be made exactly for the roller on the organ. As soon as I insert it, the organ swallows it and a sad melody emerges. Les Ombres Errantes, by Francois Couperin--The Walking Shadows. I remember it was often played, in middle schools in Berlin, and now it is a connection I have no trouble making. Education begins, after all, in childhood. Especially in pain. When the melody ends, a piece from under the harpsichord falls to the floor. > x piece It is an ivory mosaic tile representing a pipe organ. The pipes are actually hollow. > take it Taken. > w [UK] DINING HALL The enormous room is overfurnished, elements from different eras clashing with each other like opposing armies. The massive table in the center seems recent, while the armor guarding the large fireplace is undoubtedly medieval. The walls have been covered in animal horns, while no one seems to have thought about the cold, gray stone floor, left bare. Exits lead up to the tower, west to an immense living room, and south to the castle entrance. On the table someone has been putting together a very complex jigsaw puzzle. The stain on the east wall has opened like a wound. > put organ in puzzle The pipe organ shaped tile fits perfectly. As I insert the third tile, the puzzle lowers a good centimeter and is then sucked into the table by a hydraulic mechanism. The hole closes and in its place appears a new housing, this time square and shallow. > x housing A few millimetres deep and about thirty-five centimetres on each side. > i I am carrying a torture diary, a poker, a cross-stitch embroidery, a Revenge by Eurythmics vinyl record and a *Tourbillon. > put record in housing The disc fills the space exactly, as if it had been designed on purpose. This too, after a second, is sucked into the eat-it-all table (bye-bye snake eyed girl!). The kaleidoscope of colors begins to form around me and, just a minute before reality changes again, an object is spat out of the table as if it were on a spring. I manage to catch it by a miracle: it looks like a kind of music box, but I don't have time to analyze it more than superficially because a few moments later I find myself in... [HUB] EIN ALTES WOHNZIMMER An old living room. Clean, polished, with ochre and yellow wallpaper on the walls, in vertical stripes; formica furniture; an old gramophone with a shape that is far from brutalist. And then a huge carpet, covering almost the entire floor. I can see a polished table (on which is a Trinity box) here. > x box Do you mean the *Carillon or the Trinity box? > carillon It is really a music box, made entirely of an iridescent metallic material that is difficult to interpret. Some call it a "carillon". > l [HUB] EIN ALTES WOHNZIMMER An old living room. Clean, polished, with ochre and yellow wallpaper on the walls, in vertical stripes; formica furniture; an old gramophone with a shape that is far from brutalist. And then a huge carpet, covering almost the entire floor. I can see a polished table (on which is a Trinity box) here. > save Ok. > take box As soon as I grab the box, the air around me compresses, as if sucked into a singularity. Then it expands in a microsecond and my entire self disintegrates in every direction. A flash of white and then there is nothing left. A strange little song rings in my ears... [...] When the music fades and the physics return, I find myself in... [US] CATCHALL Son of a gun! I didn't think a place could be so cramped and yet so crammed with stuff. A storage room no more than a meter and a half on a side, with a metal door to the northeast and every nook and cranny and wall covered with war-stored knick-knacks. The door is broken, leaving a crack just big enough to squeeze through. > * I wonder if this is a real song? That is not a verb I recognize. > x knick-knacks There really is everything in here. Common objects, average objects, rare objects. I don't want to name them because that would make them real and then I might be tempted to search through them and take some of them away. > search them Rummaging through the knick-knacks I find more knick-knacks, behind which hide more knick-knacks, resting on still more knick-knacks. This closet is practically a fractal. Oh, look! There's an old broom among all this junk. I don't know why, but it catches my eye. Maybe because it's the single oldest and most broken-down thing in the entire closet. > take broom Taken. > x it Not even the old coal lady would use it. It's reduced to a metal pole with a few tufts of brush on top. > l [US] CATCHALL A storage room no more than a meter and a half on a side, with a metal door to the northeast and every nook and cranny and wall covered with war-stored knick-knacks. The door is broken, leaving a crack just big enough to squeeze through. > x door The only useful thing about this place, and it's broken. Luckily it leaves a crack open for me to get out, to the northeast. > x crack The only useful thing about this place, and it's broken. Luckily it leaves a crack open for me to get out, to the northeast. > ne [US] CATWALK The south side of this elevated walkway opens to the northeast and northwest onto two mirrored openings that overlook insulated tanks. The northern passage is blocked, as the suspension bridge has collapsed. The southeast door is permanently closed, I believe since 1947. To the southwest is a useless storage room. A Geiger counter has been applied to the south wall. It seems to be still active. > x tanks Two tanks are accessible. The northwest one is flooded. Electric arcs jump out of the water, meaning it's electrified. The one to the northeast is empty, with no trace of electrical activity. > x bridge It is a metal bridge that forms a cross over the tanks, to control them from above. The central part has collapsed and does not allow passage. > x counter The measurement is over 300 microsieverts per hour: I must be on the east coast of the United States. Although almost 40 years have passed since that Christmas of 1947, the fallout is still tremendously devastating. I have heard horrifying stories of that day, the apocalypse for the Western world. The Nazis had just invented the ultimate weapon, the bomb that would finish all bombs. They called it Goetterhammer, the Hammer of the Gods, on the advice of Hitler himself, a fanatic of Wagner and Norse myths. When it was the turn of his successor, Todesengel, the name became Weltenbrenner, Burner of Worlds. More appropriate, for a device that was now 100 times more powerful and capable of wiping out life in a few seconds. On the east coast of the United States, the most targeted, it is said that the inhabitants did not even notice. A few minutes, and the Empire beyond the sea was completely annihilated. > g The measurement is over 300 microsieverts per hour: I must be on the east coast of the United States. Although almost 40 years have passed since that Christmas of 1947, the fallout is still tremendously devastating. > * eek That is not a verb I recognize. > l [US] CATWALK The south side of this elevated walkway opens to the northeast and northwest onto two mirrored openings that overlook insulated tanks. The northern passage is blocked, as the suspension bridge has collapsed. The southeast door is permanently closed, I believe since 1947. To the southwest is a useless storage room. A Geiger counter has been applied to the south wall. It seems to be still active. > nw The tank is completely full of water, probably contaminated. I can't get in. > ne [US] TANK A tank completely lined with lead. The floor is wet. Elevated walkways are located to the southwest and north. > x tank I can't see any such thing. > x floor A look in that direction reveals nothing new. > x liner I can't see any such thing. > n [US] CATWALK This section of the elevated walkway opens to the north and south onto two mirrored openings that overlook insulated tanks. A really big button pops out of the wall, undisturbed. There are symbols on the button. > x tanks Two tanks are accessible. The north one is flooded. Electric arcs jump out of the water, meaning it's electrified. The one to the south is empty, with no trace of electrical activity. > x button The button has two indicators on it: a lightning bolt and a wave. It is one piece, so whatever it does, it does for both symbols. > push button A loud noise comes from everywhere in the building. I have no idea what happened, but something did. > x tanks Two tanks are accessible. The north one is empty, with no trace of electrical activity. The one to the south is flooded. Electric arcs jump out of the water, meaning it's electrified. > * great That is not a verb I recognize. > s The tank is completely full of water, probably contaminated. I can't get in. > n [US] TANK A tank completely lined with lead. The floor is wet. Elevated walkways are located to the south and northwest. In one corner of the tank lies an electrical panel, with its switch positioned on OFF. > x panel The switch on the panel is currently OFF. > nw [US] CATWALK This section of the elevated walkway opens to the southeast and southwest onto two mirrored openings that overlook insulated tanks. A security door is on the north wall. A really big button pops out of the wall, undisturbed. There is a symbol on the button. A cage lamp above the door emits a red light. > x button The button has one indicator on it: the symbol of a wave. > x lamp It is a cage lamp of the kind that cannot be broken. At this moment it emits a red light. > n The door is locked. > x door It's a metal door that slides on rails. It's currently closed. At the height of the handle there's a slot and that's it. > open door There is no handle. > x slot It's a metal door that slides on rails. It's currently closed. At the height of the handle there's a slot and that's it. > push handle I can't see any such thing. > pull handle I can't see any such thing. > open door There is no handle. > unlock door I think you wanted to say "unlock security door with something". Please try again. > l [US] CATWALK This section of the elevated walkway opens to the southeast and southwest onto two mirrored openings that overlook insulated tanks. A security door is on the north wall. A really big button pops out of the wall, undisturbed. There is a symbol on the button. A cage lamp above the door emits a red light. > sw The tank is completely full of water, probably contaminated. I can't get in. > push button A loud noise comes from everywhere in the building. I have no idea what happened, but something did. > sw [US] TANK A tank completely lined with lead. The floor is wet. Elevated walkways are located to the northeast and south. > * OK that toggles water only, then the panel does electricity, then there's th That is not a verb I recognize. > * the one that does both That is not a verb I recognize. > s [US] CATWALK This section of the elevated walkway opens to the north and south onto two mirrored openings that overlook insulated tanks. A really big button pops out of the wall, undisturbed. There is a symbol on the button. In the southern tank, five feet from the nearest edge, a metal panel floats on the contaminated water. A red rectangle the size of a business card is clearly visible on the panel. > x button The button has one indicators on it: a lightning bolt. > x panel A metal panel, nothing more, probably fallen from the ceiling. On the panel is a red, rectangular object. > take it The panel is out of range. > x panel A metal panel, nothing more, probably fallen from the ceiling. On the panel is a red, rectangular object. > x red The card has no identification marks. > push panel with broom With a good push I send the panel for a slide. It crosses the entire tank diagonally, until it hits the opposite edge and in doing so takes on water. In a few seconds it disappears to the bottom. > push button A loud noise comes from everywhere in the building. I have no idea what happened, but something did. > s The tank is completely full of water, probably contaminated. I can't get in. > l [US] CATWALK This section of the elevated walkway opens to the north and south onto two mirrored openings that overlook insulated tanks. A really big button pops out of the wall, undisturbed. There is a symbol on the button. > n [US] TANK A tank completely lined with lead. The floor is wet, but not enough to be dangerous despite the electric arcs that occasionally appear on it. Elevated walkways are located to the northeast and south. > ne [US] CATWALK This section of the elevated walkway opens to the southeast and southwest onto two mirrored openings that overlook insulated tanks. A security door is on the north wall. A really big button pops out of the wall, undisturbed. There is a symbol on the button. A cage lamp above the door emits a red light. > se The tank is completely full of water, probably contaminated. I can't get in. > push button A loud noise comes from everywhere in the building. I have no idea what happened, but something did. > se [US] TANK A tank completely lined with lead. The floor is wet, but not enough to be dangerous despite the electric arcs that occasionally appear on it. Elevated walkways are located to the south and northwest. In one corner of the tank lies an electrical panel, with its switch positioned on OFF. > s [US] CATWALK This section of the elevated walkway opens to the north and south onto two mirrored openings that overlook insulated tanks. A really big button pops out of the wall, undisturbed. There are symbols on the button. > s The tank is completely full of water, probably contaminated. I can't get in. > n [US] TANK A tank completely lined with lead. The floor is wet, but not enough to be dangerous despite the electric arcs that occasionally appear on it. Elevated walkways are located to the south and northwest. In one corner of the tank lies an electrical panel, with its switch positioned on OFF. > turn on switch The switch snaps to ON. > s [US] CATWALK This section of the elevated walkway opens to the north and south onto two mirrored openings that overlook insulated tanks. A really big button pops out of the wall, undisturbed. There are symbols on the button. > s The tank is completely full of water, probably contaminated. I can't get in. > push button A loud noise comes from everywhere in the building. I have no idea what happened, but something did. > s [US] TANK A tank completely lined with lead. The floor is wet, but not enough to be dangerous despite the electric arcs that occasionally appear on it. Elevated walkways are located to the southwest and north. > sw [US] CATWALK The south side of this elevated walkway opens to the northeast and northwest onto two mirrored openings that overlook insulated tanks. The northern passage is blocked, as the suspension bridge has collapsed. The southeast door is permanently closed, I believe since 1947. To the southwest is a useless storage room. A Geiger counter has been applied to the south wall. It seems to be still active. The red rectangle slipped off the panel and landed on the edge of the northwest tank. > x panel I can't see any such thing. > x rectangle The card has no identification marks. > take it I pick up the red rectangle and discover that it is a magnetic card. > ne [US] TANK A tank completely lined with lead. The floor is wet, but not enough to be dangerous despite the electric arcs that occasionally appear on it. Elevated walkways are located to the southwest and north. > n [US] CATWALK This section of the elevated walkway opens to the north and south onto two mirrored openings that overlook insulated tanks. A really big button pops out of the wall, undisturbed. There are symbols on the button. > n The tank is completely full of water, probably contaminated. I can't get in. > push button A loud noise comes from everywhere in the building. I have no idea what happened, but something did. > n [US] TANK A tank completely lined with lead. The floor is wet, but not enough to be dangerous despite the electric arcs that occasionally appear on it. Elevated walkways are located to the south and northwest. In one corner of the tank lies an electrical panel, with its switch positioned on ON. > nw [US] CATWALK This section of the elevated walkway opens to the southeast and southwest onto two mirrored openings that overlook insulated tanks. A security door is on the north wall. A really big button pops out of the wall, undisturbed. There is a symbol on the button. A cage lamp above the door emits a green light. > put card in slot Of course. The card fits perfectly and a second later the door vibrates and burrows into the wall, sliding on its tracks. The north exit is clear. > save Ok. > * solved a puzzle on my own yay! That is not a verb I recognize. > n As I pass through the door, it closes behind me, effectively turning itself into a one-way. [US] ADVANCED LABS From the tanks area this one is disconnected, if for nothing else, by its pristine cleanliness, as if everything the outside world had ever expressed could not find its place in here. This bare corridor is all white, with no particular furnishings except for a giant and supremely deteriorated stencil writing on the wall that reads MIT CONTAMINATION AREA. On it someone, compassionately, has appended in brush strokes LIKE ANY OTHER, an unfortunate dark humor on the American situation. Walkways exit to the west, north and northeast (this last one closed by a pneumatic hatch). Another Geiger counter is installed near the northeast sliding door. This one flashes in alarm like a person in panic. > x writing The full writing reads MIT CONTAMINATION AREA LIKE ANY OTHER. It's a joke, if you will. It hasn't been funny since 1947. > * lol That is not a verb I recognize. > x counter The measurement is over 10.000 microsieverts per hour: anything beyond the northeast door is lethal within seconds. > * eek That is not a verb I recognize. > x hatch It's a massive steel hatch, probably a meter thick. It's sealed at the moment. > l [US] ADVANCED LABS From the tanks area this one is disconnected, if for nothing else, by its pristine cleanliness, as if everything the outside world had ever expressed could not find its place in here. This bare corridor is all white, with no particular furnishings except for a giant and supremely deteriorated stencil writing on the wall that reads MIT CONTAMINATION AREA. On it someone, compassionately, has appended in brush strokes LIKE ANY OTHER, an unfortunate dark humor on the American situation. Walkways exit to the west, north and northeast (this last one closed by a pneumatic hatch). Another Geiger counter is installed near the northeast sliding door. This one flashes in alarm like a person in panic. > n [US] CONTROL A room of televisions, all set into the back wall like so many dead eyes. None of them show any signs of life, except for the central one, at eye level, under which something like a typewriter emerges. The room is empty. The only exit is to the south. > x tv The logo on the keyboard says: Logikautomat. It's one of those calculators I heard about back home. Someone must have stolen a prototype and brought it here. A strange typewriter, which instead of ejecting paper presents text on the screen. There are green writings that flash on it. > x typewriter The logo on the keyboard says: Logikautomat. It's one of those calculators I heard about back home. Someone must have stolen a prototype and brought it here. A strange typewriter, which instead of ejecting paper presents text on the screen. There are green writings that flash on it. > erad it That is not a verb I recognize. > read it The logo on the keyboard says: Logikautomat. It's one of those calculators I heard about back home. Someone must have stolen a prototype and brought it here. A strange typewriter, which instead of ejecting paper presents text on the screen. There are green writings that flash on it. > x writings The screen is almost blank, except for a text at the bottom (HOME>) with a question mark next to it. I think it's waiting for me to type something on the keyboard. > read it The screen is almost blank, except for a text at the bottom (HOME>) with a question mark next to it. I think it's waiting for me to type something on the keyboard. > type look Nothing happens. If it was a password I was trying to enter, I didn't guess it. > type password Nothing happens. If it was a password I was trying to enter, I didn't guess it. > s [US] ADVANCED LABS From the tanks area this one is disconnected, if for nothing else, by its pristine cleanliness, as if everything the outside world had ever expressed could not find its place in here. This bare corridor is all white, with no particular furnishings except for a giant and supremely deteriorated stencil writing on the wall that reads MIT CONTAMINATION AREA. On it someone, compassionately, has appended in brush strokes LIKE ANY OTHER, an unfortunate dark humor on the American situation. Walkways exit to the west, north and northeast (this last one closed by a pneumatic hatch). Another Geiger counter is installed near the northeast sliding door. This one flashes in alarm like a person in panic. > w [US] LOCKER ROOMS All the walls are cluttered with built-in lockers, their metal surfaces now almost completely exposed from beneath the once green paint. The only exit is to the east. > x lockers The lockers are all locked, except for a couple, of different sizes. The short one, at the back of the room, looks more like a refrigerator than anything else. The tall one, in the middle, makes its appearance because it has no door at all. Many of the lockers bear engravings made with sharp objects, probably 40 years ago. > x tall A normal locker, from which someone has stolen the door. Hanging inside is a large, disarming-looking rubber suit. > x suit It's a very bulky suit, made of many very thick rubber rings that give it a bizarre appearance to say the least. It's also very heavy, as if it were padded with iron or something similar. Someone stuck a message on it with duct tape. On one of the sleeves there is a nice hole. > wear suit (first taking the thick rubber suit) I am now wearing the thick rubber suit. > read message FOR GROMOV. Not very reassuring. > x hole A really nasty hole. And it looks like it's a through hole. > x tape FOR GROMOV. Not very reassuring. > put tape on hole (first taking the taped message) With a good tear I remove the message from the suit. I don't like to be identified. So to speak. Sounds like an idea. The tape was pretty sturdy. Hopefully it still is. Da haben wir es! Hole taped. > x me Maksim Gromov, 32. A survivor. The world has not broken me; the war has not scattered me. I have, perhaps, one last mission. > l [US] LOCKER ROOMS All the walls are cluttered with built-in lockers, their metal surfaces now almost completely exposed from beneath the once green paint. The only exit is to the east. > i I am carrying a thick rubber suit (worn), a mangy broom, a Trinity box, a *Carillon, a torture diary, a poker, a cross-stitch embroidery and a *Tourbillon. > x lockers The lockers are all locked, except for a couple, of different sizes. The short one, at the back of the room, looks more like a refrigerator than anything else. The tall one, in the middle, makes its appearance because it has no door at all. Many of the lockers bear engravings made with sharp objects, probably 40 years ago. > x engravings The jokes are so old-fashioned and basic that they would only outrage someone in a middle school assembly. So, they are not worth reading. > x short It is not, after all, a refrigerator, although it looks a lot like one. It's probably a shoe holder. > open it As I open the short locker, a binder that was inside it falls to the floor. > x binder It is a long war report. It notes the endless days before and after the nuclear attack by Nazi Germany, in 1947, just before Christmas. I browse through it slowly... [...] December 14, M. Sullivan's notes. The news from overseas is alarming. The Uranprojekt has come to fruition: Heisemberg and von Weizsaecker have produced their second test in the deserts of Afghanistan, again successfully. Hitler is no longer willing to wait and seems to have given his Obersomethings the order to install one of those charges in an intercontinental rocket. It will take years for this to happen, but perhaps it is still too late for us. If we had only listened to Oppenheimer and Fermi, we would at least be ready for retaliation now. [Continue? (Y/N)]y December 16, M. Sullivan's notes. Life here at MIT is no different than usual. There is a martial law, but it is particularly permissive: John and Mac brought their girlfriends to the dorm last night. If Dean Compton knew, he would probably court-martial them. As if two girls--underage, but hey, who am I to judge?--could be spies for the Krauts. I know what Compton's problem is. I mean: his wife Alexandria checks him every time he leaves his house and, it is said, without her, ON THE CONTRARY, one does not enter his house at all. Oh well, hallway stories. [Continue? (Y/N)]y December 19, M. Sullivan's notes. It seems we were incredibly naive. The Nazis made a show of it, they took us to the desert and there we had visions like Jesus in his time: the bomb had been ready for a long time. At least three years. The ones detonated in Kandahar were decoys. The real ones are already in the silos, ready to sail for Homeland. If what they say about this atomic bomb is true, we are done for. God help us. [Continue? (Y/N)]y December 24, M. Sullivan's notes. The sirens are sounding. The sky is black, but red threads like the thick teeth of a comb cross it from the east. Europe is above us, the end of time is approaching. [Continue? (Y/N)]y January 13, 1948. The Land of the Brave is no more. The East Coast is gone and so is much of the West Coast. The remaining Americans are holed up in the Plains. We are underground, the only survivors of the Institute, in the radiation area: the lead walls saved us, even if the food supplies ran out a while ago and out here it is all a new, frozen desert. We should have understood. When the English preached Resistance from the streets and their Kings and politicians lowered their tones, we should have understood. Chamberlain, he said that dialogue with Hitler was possible. But it wasn't like that. There was never this possibility, never hope, this we know now. We should have underst--- The diary ends here, with a handwritten note (it seems very recent) that reads: THIS STILL MAY NOT BE. > x notes I can't see any such thing. > l [US] LOCKER ROOMS All the walls are cluttered with built-in lockers, their metal surfaces now almost completely exposed from beneath the once green paint. The only exit is to the east. An anonymous binder lies on the floor at the foot of the short locker. > x binder It is a long war report. It notes the endless days before and after the nuclear attack by Nazi Germany, in 1947, just before Christmas. I browse through it slowly... [...] December 14, M. Sullivan's notes. The news from overseas is alarming. The Uranprojekt has come to fruition: Heisemberg and von Weizsaecker have produced their second test in the deserts of Afghanistan, again successfully. Hitler is no longer willing to wait and seems to have given his Obersomethings the order to install one of those charges in an intercontinental rocket. It will take years for this to happen, but perhaps it is still too late for us. If we had only listened to Oppenheimer and Fermi, we would at least be ready for retaliation now. [Continue? (Y/N)]n > take binder I pick it up. It looks like a war report. > l [US] LOCKER ROOMS All the walls are cluttered with built-in lockers, their metal surfaces now almost completely exposed from beneath the once green paint. The only exit is to the east. > x fridge It is not, after all, a refrigerator, although it looks a lot like one. It's probably a shoe holder. > open it It's already open. > look in it The fridge-like locker is empty. > e [US] ADVANCED LABS From the tanks area this one is disconnected, if for nothing else, by its pristine cleanliness, as if everything the outside world had ever expressed could not find its place in here. This bare corridor is all white, with no particular furnishings except for a giant and supremely deteriorated stencil writing on the wall that reads MIT CONTAMINATION AREA. On it someone, compassionately, has appended in brush strokes LIKE ANY OTHER, an unfortunate dark humor on the American situation. Walkways exit to the west, north and northeast (this last one closed by a pneumatic hatch). Another Geiger counter is installed near the northeast sliding door. This one flashes in alarm like a person in panic. > ne The steel hatch is closed. > open hatch Immovable. It can't be controlled from here. > n [US] CONTROL A room of televisions, all set into the back wall like so many dead eyes. None of them show any signs of life, except for the central one, at eye level, under which something like a typewriter emerges. The room is empty. The only exit is to the south. > type open Nothing happens. If it was a password I was trying to enter, I didn't guess it. > read binder It is a long war report. It notes the endless days before and after the nuclear attack by Nazi Germany, in 1947, just before Christmas. I browse through it slowly... [...] December 14, M. Sullivan's notes. The news from overseas is alarming. The Uranprojekt has come to fruition: Heisemberg and von Weizsaecker have produced their second test in the deserts of Afghanistan, again successfully. Hitler is no longer willing to wait and seems to have given his Obersomethings the order to install one of those charges in an intercontinental rocket. It will take years for this to happen, but perhaps it is still too late for us. If we had only listened to Oppenheimer and Fermi, we would at least be ready for retaliation now. [Continue? (Y/N)]y December 16, M. Sullivan's notes. Life here at MIT is no different than usual. There is a martial law, but it is particularly permissive: John and Mac brought their girlfriends to the dorm last night. If Dean Compton knew, he would probably court-martial them. As if two girls--underage, but hey, who am I to judge?--could be spies for the Krauts. I know what Compton's problem is. I mean: his wife Alexandria checks him every time he leaves his house and, it is said, without her, ON THE CONTRARY, one does not enter his house at all. Oh well, hallway stories. [Continue? (Y/N)]y December 19, M. Sullivan's notes. It seems we were incredibly naive. The Nazis made a show of it, they took us to the desert and there we had visions like Jesus in his time: the bomb had been ready for a long time. At least three years. The ones detonated in Kandahar were decoys. The real ones are already in the silos, ready to sail for Homeland. If what they say about this atomic bomb is true, we are done for. God help us. [Continue? (Y/N)]y December 24, M. Sullivan's notes. The sirens are sounding. The sky is black, but red threads like the thick teeth of a comb cross it from the east. Europe is above us, the end of time is approaching. [Continue? (Y/N)]y January 13, 1948. The Land of the Brave is no more. The East Coast is gone and so is much of the West Coast. The remaining Americans are holed up in the Plains. We are underground, the only survivors of the Institute, in the radiation area: the lead walls saved us, even if the food supplies ran out a while ago and out here it is all a new, frozen desert. We should have understood. When the English preached Resistance from the streets and their Kings and politicians lowered their tones, we should have understood. Chamberlain, he said that dialogue with Hitler was possible. But it wasn't like that. There was never this possibility, never hope, this we know now. We should have underst--- The diary ends here, with a handwritten note (it seems very recent) that reads: THIS STILL MAY NOT BE. > type alexandria Warmer! But maybe I need to think about it more carefully. > type acompton Nothing happens. If it was a password I was trying to enter, I didn't guess it. > type airdnaxela The password appears to be the correct one, so much so that the screen changes and shows new data. The screen now displays a list of incomprehensible acronyms. [VNT] [DIR] [DOR] [XIT] > * phew That is not a verb I recognize. > type vnt CMD VNT EXE > VENT ENABLED, WIND TUNNEL VACUUMED. > * helpful? That is not a verb I recognize. > type dir CMD DIR EXE > PUMP DIR PUMP ENABLED. > type dor CMD DOR EXE > IMPOSSIBLE, WIND TUNNEL ATMOSPHERE ZERO. > type vnt CMD VNT EXE > VENT ENABLED, WIND TUNNEL PRESSURIZED. > type dor CMD DOR EXE > HATCH OPENED, TUNNEL AVAILABLE FOR TEST. > s [US] ADVANCED LABS From the tanks area this one is disconnected, if for nothing else, by its pristine cleanliness, as if everything the outside world had ever expressed could not find its place in here. This bare corridor is all white, with no particular furnishings except for a giant and supremely deteriorated stencil writing on the wall that reads MIT CONTAMINATION AREA. On it someone, compassionately, has appended in brush strokes LIKE ANY OTHER, an unfortunate dark humor on the American situation. Walkways exit to the west, north and northeast (this last one closed by a pneumatic hatch). Another Geiger counter is installed near the northeast sliding door. This one flashes in alarm like a person in panic. > x hatch It's a massive steel hatch, probably a meter thick. It is wide open. > ne [US] WIND TUNNEL The tunnel cuts across the world diagonally, from southwest (where I am) to northeast, for about two hundred meters. The rubber suit seems to protect me from the radiation. However, it's best to get a move on. > ne [US] WIND TUNNEL The tunnel cuts across the world diagonally, from southwest to northeast (where I am), for about two hundred meters and ends here. A nice wall-mounted ladder leads up to some light. The rubber suit seems to protect me from the radiation. However, it's best to get a move on. > ne The tunnel runs southwest, while a ladder leads up. The rubber suit seems to protect me from the radiation. However, it's best to get a move on. > undo Previous turn undone. > u [US] OBSERVATORY ON HELL Here I am again at home. This is what I see from my window in Friedrichshagen, on the eastern outskirts of Berlin. But even worse. It was not the tanks that leveled everything that the Reich had built. Here it was unholy fire. A stretch of gray rubble. There is nothing else. As far as the eye can see, outside this glass dome that has somehow resisted the thermonuclear fury, like human bones to the stormy horizon, in all directions. And dust, the remnants of Human Civilization. A pale sun brightens the winter. Some soul has forgotten his body, which lies a few meters from me, in the middle of the room. > save Ok. > x sun There is no star that can warm this defunct world. The bright light makes every ruin look like a dusty bone. > x body His ordinary man's uniform betrays him for what he is: another Gromov. A depression in the ground is half hidden beneath the body. > search him I can't see "him" (brown squirrel) at the moment. > search body No documents. He really is a Gromov. > move it It affects me, but I still push it enough to release the depression. > x depression A rectangular depression, about the size of a cereal box. It is semi-transparent: underneath it is clearly visible an oddly shaped mechanical object, which seems to be made entirely of gold. > x object It is difficult to identify its exact shape. > put box in depression Do you mean the Trinity box or the *Carillon? > trinity The box fits perfectly into the depression, which rotates on itself and swallows it. In its place appears the object that was hiding inside: an elaborate cylinder composed of dozens of concentric rings on which the biohazard symbol has been printed. As I lose sight of the package, the space-time singularity begins to reform around me. I barely have time to catch the cylinder, before finding myself back in... [HUB] EIN ALTES WOHNZIMMER An old living room. Clean, polished, with ochre and yellow wallpaper on the walls, in vertical stripes; formica furniture; an old gramophone with a shape that is far from brutalist. And then a huge carpet, covering almost the entire floor. I can see a polished table here. The space-time distortion closes in on itself and a millionth of a second later the clear, limpid sensation of a presence that wasn't there before falls like an axe. Near the gramophone. And another, behind the gadget table... But the most important one is behind me. Another millionth of a second--which in this distortion is a whole minute long, while I am still and incapacitated--and the shadows move. I feel them, they pass through me like a warm wind. It's red, for a while. Then everything goes black--- [...] October 18, 1986. It is 6:21 in the morning. In just under forty minutes we will launch the probe into the hypertrophy of the quantum threshold. If all goes according to our calculations, we will pierce the barriers of time. What awaits us beyond we cannot even imagine. Leningrad wakes up to a fresh, blue light. At Podporogovoy Fiziki everything is ready. [...] 7:00 AM. The first spark strikes in the reactor. The tachyons, superluminal, are launched into the hypertrophy. They take a negative time, so much so that when they reach it it is not yet 7:00 AM, anywhere in the world. Nanoseconds ago the threshold was torn. A few moments further back in time the light of the Other strikes us. We are recording everything, from five seconds ago and backwards. [...] 6:59 AM. We are no longer in Leningrad. It's called something else. The streets are shiny, the sun is high. Flags of a single type decorate every building, every street. There is a huge face that stands out above all of them but it is not Gorbachev's. It can't be... Another wave sweeps us away: the detection instruments catch fire. It is now 6:56 AM. It is accelerating. [...] 6:50 AM My wristwatch is broken. We are in a square. Rostislav and Dmitri are here with me. I watch them in the glow of this day that never happened. 6:48 AM, a cold wind pushes us back. A newspaper flies into Rosti's face and stains his shirt. I notice only now that he is not wearing his overall. Dmitri shouts and points towards Nevsky Prospekt. The mausoleum is on fire. Warplanes are flying over the Neva. There are swastikas in the sky. [...] 6:40 AM Someone shouts "The Wall has fallen." The Mausoleum is surrounded by signs selling stuff, European stuff... stuff of America. People are queuing for a purchase. Time is running backwards now: horrible buildings are falling down showing their insides like rotting bodies. Someone shouts "The Wall has fallen, the Union has fallen." It is 6:30 AM. There is a KFC in Ligovsky. [...] (Now it's just dark and light and dark and light and dark and light) [...] We're back. I check if the others are okay. Yes, we are all here. I look out of the windows of the laboratoriya that Dmitri has just opened wide: the Neva shines in the sun, the Nevsky Mausoleum is still there. Rostislav slaps something on my stomach. It's the newspaper, the one that flew at him when we were... over there. It's dated yesterday, but everything written on it is... [...] We saw the swastikas on the sun. It's again 6:21. [...] ---the light comes back on. The room is full of assholes in Soviet uniforms. I'm in deep shit. [...] [HUB] DUNGEON I'm Maksim Gromov, stuck in a chair in a basement with a rifle pointed at my face. The man next to the one with the rifle in his hand seems to have every intention of giving me a sermon of the sort that never ends. "Do you understand what the Parni s Vostoka discovered," he asks me, as if continuing a speech to which I did not participate. "They have seen it, you know? They have seen it all come down and being replaced by western advertising. But there was another reality beyond the threshold. One where the Soviet Empire wasn't about to fall at all, and instead: Everything. Was. Ours." He looks around, as if afraid of being caught saying something inappropriate, then corrects himself: "Of the Party, I mean." I need to find a way to get out of here quickly. A cylindrical device is on display on a pedestal five feet away from me. > save Ok. > x device It's a fusion of the three objects I found: a kind of magic cylinder made of gold. "So, they had an idea. Why let it all fall apart, if another way is possible. And so, they formed the Stalnaya Gvardiya: a group of young, willing people--well, mostly young--who would go around the world looking for the pieces for the new Revolution." I have a hard time following him. In effect, the Gromovs were instruments to allow THEM to change the course of time? The guy seems to be reading my eyes, because he adds: "That's right. This is not the reality we were meant to be. This is what the Parni allowed to happen." > x man In the shadows they are all the same. A question arises spontaneously: "Those objects I had in my hands: the record with the strange girl on the cover, that watch... do they come from other realities?" He smiles. "From ONE other reality. One in which the Nazis were defeated all the way back in 1945. Would you ever believe that? Well, we believe it a lot, since that's what we've seen and experienced all our lives, up until a few months ago. But, from your point of view, somehow, I should say up until a few MINUTES AGO." > i I am empty handed. "What do you mean?" I don't quite understand the story of the journey between realities. The man in uniform makes fun of me again and nudges the guy next to him, as if I were in the middle of a comedy routine. "I mean that without you, Maksim Gromov the Thirtieth, we wouldn't be here talking about it. It was you, among many, who brought us the pieces for the Vektor Vremeni, The Vector of Time. The Carillon to vibrate, the Tourbillon to stabilize and the Coreon to power. And... Time works in mysterious ways: someone has already made the journey and has imposed that change that did transform THAT world into THIS, the only one you know." > l [HUB] DUNGEON I'm Maksim Gromov, stuck in a chair in a basement with a rifle pointed at my face. A cylindrical device is on display on a pedestal five feet away from me. My head is spinning. The questions are pressing, and there is a strange sense of urgency. "Change?" I ask. "The single change needed to transform this continuum into what it is. The death, to be precise, of one particular human being who single-handedly managed to direct the fate of all humanity. Once he died, the Nazis did reign, only to collapse under their own weight--and that of their own megalomania, to tell the truth--leaving Europe in the hands of the Party. And, in the meantime, obliterating the eternal enemy: the United States of America. Doesn't it all sound fantastic?" > x chair A plain, unremarkable chair yet, at this precise moment, the balance of the universe hinges on its fragile wooden frame. "Too fantastic," I snort. "A single man responsible of the fate of the world? A sort of super soldier?" "Oh, no, quite the opposite. A man of letters, instead, and of politics certainly. One capable of moving entire nations just by means of rhetoric. Who, however, alas, is about to have--or I should say HAD, 49 years ago--a bad accident. His plane, you should know, will blow up in April 1938. He was a fanatic of flight, I think it is right that he finds his grave there." > kick chair It only works in American movies. Although I have no idea how I know that. I glance at the device on display on the pedestal. "And that thing there, you want to tell me, can be set to any date--like April '38--and it opens what? A dimensional door?" The Soldat doesn't understand where I'm taking him: it's a characteristic of madmen their arrogance. So he answers me. "Oh no need. The Vektor has already been set. Now all we have to do is touch it and off we go to science fiction." I guess my time has come. > touch device And so, to hell with it. As soon as I touch the cylinder, another of the space-time magics happens and a few seconds later I find myself on the other side of the world in a sunny field. Somehow, however, I have a firing squad in front of me that beat me to it by a few minutes and now makes my body its pincushion. Maybe, just maybe, I should have thought of a way by which the shitbags wouldn't have followed me... [I'm dead, it looks like. Want to try again? Y/N]y [Last command undone] [...] [HUB] DUNGEON I'm Maksim Gromov, stuck in a chair in a basement with a rifle pointed at my face. A cylindrical device is on display on a pedestal five feet away from me. I glance at the device on display on the pedestal. "And that thing there, you want to tell me, can be set to any date--like April '38--and it opens what? A dimensional door?" The Soldat doesn't understand where I'm taking him: it's a characteristic of madmen their arrogance. So he answers me. "Oh no need. The Vektor has already been set. Now all we have to do is touch it and off we go to science fiction." I guess my time has come. > kick pedestal Violence isn't the answer to this one. And indeed my time has come. The guard with the rifle pulverizes my face with a direct hit. I don't know if I'm dreaming, but even without a brain I seem to hear the other man, the one of the sermon, shouting "I HAVEN'T FINISHED YET, ZAKHAR! WHY CAN'T YOU WAI--- [I'm dead, it looks like. Want to try again? Y/N]y [Last command undone] [...] [HUB] DUNGEON I'm Maksim Gromov, stuck in a chair in a basement with a rifle pointed at my face. A cylindrical device is on display on a pedestal five feet away from me. > talk to man That's what I'm doing. And indeed my time has come. The guard with the rifle pulverizes my face with a direct hit. I don't know if I'm dreaming, but even without a brain I seem to hear the other man, the one of the sermon, shouting "I HAVEN'T FINISHED YET, ZAKHAR! WHY CAN'T YOU WAI--- [I'm dead, it looks like. Want to try again? Y/N]y [Last command undone] [...] [HUB] DUNGEON I'm Maksim Gromov, stuck in a chair in a basement with a rifle pointed at my face. A cylindrical device is on display on a pedestal five feet away from me. > take rifle It's more likely that IT will "get" me instead. And indeed my time has come. The guard with the rifle pulverizes my face with a direct hit. I don't know if I'm dreaming, but even without a brain I seem to hear the other man, the one of the sermon, shouting "I HAVEN'T FINISHED YET, ZAKHAR! WHY CAN'T YOU WAI--- [I'm dead, it looks like. Want to try again? Y/N]y [Last command undone] [...] [HUB] DUNGEON I'm Maksim Gromov, stuck in a chair in a basement with a rifle pointed at my face. A cylindrical device is on display on a pedestal five feet away from me. > take device And so, to hell with it. It's as simple as this: either one of these shitbags takes me out with a shotgun blast--game over--or that thing really does have some supernatural power, and I end up being the keystone of all existence. Only one way to find out. For all the Gromovs before me, for MY Revolution, may that God no one here dares to believe in anymore cut me some slack. One... two... [...] Three! With a leap I didn't even know I had in my legs, I hurl myself at the cylinder. If time could freeze right now, I'd send everyone a snapshot of their faces--their eyes wide open in disbelief at something they SOMEHOW didn't see coming. A single touch might send me back in time, but that's not what I'm after. What I want, more than anything, is to make damn sure none of these bastards follows me. That's why I hold on to the thing as if it were my very soul and take it with me. Wherever it is that I'm going... [...] Somewhere in the UK, 1938. It is April 18th. [...] [UK, 1938] AIRFIELD There is so much white in the emptiness of the passage. Then, slowly, things stabilize even if the post-war darkness never fully returns. It is a splendid day, the sun shines in the sky, a calm wind sweeps this place. Which is full of people. Only the instinct of someone who has had to take refuge in the rubble all his life throws me behind some wooden crates. A few seconds of breathlessness later I realize I am in an airfield. Smooth and gray under a blue sky, the runway runs east to west. Across it, a handful of people are talking to a middle-aged man whose cigar shoots voluptuous clouds into the sky. A control tower is visible to the northeast, while a dark hangar opens to the southeast. I'm hiding behind the crates. A soldier is patrolling the entrance to the hangar. > save Ok. > x soldier A soldier on patrol. Very alert, almost on edge. The visit of the man with the cigar must be a very important occasion. > i I am carrying a magic cylinder. > x cylinder It's a fusion of the three objects I found: a kind of magic cylinder made of gold. > take it I already have it. > touch it I don't feel anything unexpected. > l [UK, 1938] AIRFIELD Smooth and gray under a blue sky, the runway runs east to west. Across it, a handful of people are talking to a middle-aged man whose cigar shoots voluptuous clouds into the sky. A control tower is visible to the northeast, while a dark hangar opens to the southeast. I'm hiding behind the crates. A soldier is patrolling the entrance to the hangar. > x me Maksim Gromov, 32. A survivor. The world has not broken me; the war has not scattered me. I have, perhaps, one last mission. > x man Medium height, plus size. He has a regality that must have been conferred by a life of study. As well as by a somewhat upper-class lineage. He never smiles; a certain charisma betrays a noble soul. The cigar never slips from his mouth. > x cigar That cigar is a cumbersome presence, as much as and perhaps more than the person who smokes it. One day, who knows, it could become an icon. > x crates Wooden crates, stacked randomly. They make a great hiding place. Tucked between two of the crates is a toothed metal disc. An incredible sense of deja vu overwhelms me. > x disc It looks like a frisbee compressed into a disc, with teeth added all around. Good for playing with, in a different situation than this. Or a different timeline. > take it Taken. It's time for a game. > x soldier A soldier on patrol. Very alert, almost on edge. The visit of the man with the cigar must be a very important occasion. > push crates They're fixed in place. > l [UK, 1938] AIRFIELD Smooth and gray under a blue sky, the runway runs east to west. Across it, a handful of people are talking to a middle-aged man whose cigar shoots voluptuous clouds into the sky. A control tower is visible to the northeast, while a dark hangar opens to the southeast. I'm hiding behind the crates. A soldier is patrolling the entrance to the hangar. > se That guard is there to prevent a civilian from entering the hangar, I guess. > ne In the open I am too easy a target. Not only for the British soldiers, but also for the saboteur. > throw disc Throw it where? > throw disc at soldier In another time, another place, I have already tried similar things. Maybe this time it is enough to go in a more general direction. > throw disc at hanger I think you wanted to say "throw metal gear at metal gear". Please try again. > throw disc an The gear flies beautifully and when it lands it composes one of those melodies that only interest guards and supervisors. The guy in front of the hangar promptly goes to investigate. In the meantime, I think it's a great idea to take the opportunity to sneak into the hangar unnoticed. [UK, 1938] HANGAR A large room with a ten-meter ceiling, exemplarily empty, except for an airplane and a series of trench bags piled haphazardly in one corner, as if the war could never develop in here. The exit is to the northwest. > * lol not sure what I was supposed to type there That is not a verb I recognize. > x ceiling This is really a large room, built to contain airplanes. > x bags A bunch of sacks filled with who knows what. They really look like they were made to build a trench. An old compressor emerges from between the bags. > search bags A bunch of sacks filled with who knows what. They really look like they were made to build a trench. > x compressor Basically, a wheelbarrow with a motor on top and a series of pipes. One of the pipes is particularly long. > take it It's all broken, it doesn't move. Maybe I can use some part of it. > x pipe It's over a meter long. A nice lever. > take it The pipe comes off with ease. > l [UK, 1938] HANGAR A large room with a ten-meter ceiling, exemplarily empty, except for an airplane and a series of trench bags piled haphazardly in one corner, as if the war could never develop in here. The exit is to the northwest. An old compressor lies among the bags. > x plane It is a sleek plane, with elliptical wings and a long nose. A glass hood protects its cockpit, which is now closed. I bet this is a Spitfire. Nice piece of metal. > x compressor Basically, a wheelbarrow with a motor on top and a series of pipes. > push it It's all broken, it doesn't move. Maybe I can use some part of it. > x hood It is a sleek plane, with elliptical wings and a long nose. A glass hood protects its cockpit, which is now closed. I bet this is a Spitfire. Nice piece of metal. > open it The hood is blocked, there is only a small gap. > put pipe in gap Sounds like an idea. Not without effort I manage to plant the pipe in the gap of the hood and now it sticks out of the cockpit like a placeholder. > push pipe Yes. The pipe can work very well as a lever. Just pull it to... Ich hab's geschafft! The cockpit is now open. Inside I find a nice British uniform. > x uniform A dark navy blue uniform. There's a hole in the right sleeve, and again that sense of deja vu. > take it Taken. > wear it I am now wearing the British uniform. > x hole I can't see any such thing. > l [UK, 1938] HANGAR A large room with a ten-meter ceiling, exemplarily empty, except for an airplane and a series of trench bags piled haphazardly in one corner, as if the war could never develop in here. The exit is to the northwest. An old compressor lies among the bags. > i I am carrying a British uniform (worn), a long pipe and a magic cylinder. > nw [UK, 1938] AIRFIELD Smooth and gray under a blue sky, the runway runs east to west. Across it, a handful of people are talking to a middle-aged man whose cigar shoots voluptuous clouds into the sky. A control tower is visible to the northeast, while a dark hangar opens to the southeast. A soldier is patrolling the entrance to the hangar. > x soldier A soldier on patrol. Very alert, almost on edge. The visit of the man with the cigar must be a very important occasion. > talk to him I don't know if that's the case: even though I know English very well, my German accent would give me away. > talk to man I can only do that to something animate. > * lol oops That is not a verb I recognize. > ne [UK, 1938] BY THE TOWER I am on the runway. The tarmac is hot. The control tower is to the northeast. To the southwest is back to the hangar while to the northwest I can go around the people with the cigar-man and reach what I believe is his plane. > save Ok. > x tarmac In the 1930s tarmac was not common. It was only because of planes like the one in the hangar (which I am SURE is a Spitfire) that they started using it. > nw Existence is a matter of minutes: in the end, even the longest epics are played out between the small hands. This time, every little delay accumulated makes me get by the man with the cigar's plane just a few turns of the clock too late. When I'm within earshot, it begins to take off. History waits for no one and trying to shout STOP at a group of British soldiers doesn't prove particularly functional to my cause. At least, this time, it's bullets from His Britannic Majesty that take me off the stage. [I'm dead, it looks like. Want to try again? Y/N]y [Last command undone] [...] [UK, 1938] BY THE TOWER I am on the runway. The tarmac is hot. The control tower is to the northeast. To the southwest is back to the hangar while to the northwest I can go around the people with the cigar-man and reach what I believe is his plane. > ne [UK, 1938] CONTROL TOWER At the end of a short staircase, I find myself on the upper floors. A decidedly spartan room, with large windows looking out over the runway and the surrounding fields for miles. A table along one wall holds a radio, a flight log, and a fixed pair of panoramic binoculars. The exit leads down. > x windows They overlook the track and the surrounding fields. From this distance everything is a dot or a green expanse. > x radio The radio for vehicle communications. The microphone shaft ends up in a bunch of disconnected wires. Someone--the saboteur, I would say--must have torn it out. A special keyboard, very similar to that terminal I found at MIT, but far more rudimentary, is connected with dozens of wires to the radio itself. I can probably still type a few commands, if not more advanced messages. > x table Not very elaborate, not very interesting. > x binoculars A fixed, rotating pair of binoculars to see up close what's out there. I can look in them and investigate a little. > look through them With the binoculars I can see the whole area. From here, the man with the cigar looks even bigger. To his north is a plane ready for takeoff, and that must make him very happy. Turning toward the start of the runway, I can see a lamp hanging on a pole. It's green right now. No obvious sign of the saboteur, even from up here. > x lamp I can't see any such thing. > x log It is a flight log of the military airport. I browse through it slowly... [...] There are many pages of incomprehensible data, such as dates and times followed by acronyms and abbreviations. The most recurring words are "test" and "random". I have no idea what they mean. Some messages seem to be encrypted: perhaps they are people's names, perhaps they are acronyms, perhaps something else. Here too it goes into the incomprehensible: Ack, Toc, Harry, London, Emma. [Continue? (Y/N)]y A page of coded commands. Most are crossed out: Runway clear: XXXXXXXX Runway occupied: ORANGES. Stable climate: XXXXXXXX Acceptable climate: XXXXXXXX Unpredictable/dangerous climate: XXXXXXXX Yellow flag: PIP There are dozens of them, but almost all are redacted. Next to the line about dangerous climate, someone drew a woman playing... the lyre. Another wave of horrible deja vu. Underneath the woman is written "Fell a soldier's heart." [Continue? (Y/N)] Please answer yes or no: y Pages and pages of notes and diaries in English. Everyday stories for a military airport. It must have been boring here. Things will change, my friends. They will change a lot. [Continue? (Y/N)]y Some pages are all technical manuals. This one, for example, explains how the tanks of some models work. In the case of this illustration, there are three tanks: the first, the largest, is the "flight" one, in the sense that it is the one with direct draw (or at least that's what I understand from an all too technical English); the second is the reserve, small but still capacious. The last, very small, is the emergency one, which should never be used--in fact, very often, it is left empty. For a plane to take off without alarms, the best situation indicated, if you can't have all the tanks full, is for the flight and reserve tank to be loaded with the same amount of fuel. What a mess: it seems like a puzzle to confuse the enemy. [Continue? (Y/N)]y At the end of the log is a full page of military alphabet. Ack for A, Beer for B, then Charlie, Don, Edward, Freddie, Gee and up to Yorker and Zeta. > x radio The radio for vehicle communications. The microphone shaft ends up in a bunch of disconnected wires. Someone--the saboteur, I would say--must have torn it out. A special keyboard, very similar to that terminal I found at MIT, but far more rudimentary, is connected with dozens of wires to the radio itself. I can probably still type a few commands, if not more advanced messages. > type oranges The radio makes a two-tone sound, like some kind of distorted music. It's probably Morse. I have no idea what I just did. > type pip The radio makes a two-tone sound, like some kind of distorted music. It's probably Morse. I have no idea what I just did. > type dads The radio makes a two-tone sound, like some kind of distorted music. It's probably Morse. I have no idea what I just did. > d [UK, 1938] BY THE TOWER I am on the runway. The tarmac is hot. The control tower is to the northeast. To the southwest is back to the hangar while to the northwest I can go around the people with the cigar-man and reach what I believe is his plane. > nw Existence is a matter of minutes: in the end, even the longest epics are played out between the small hands. This time, every little delay accumulated makes me get by the man with the cigar's plane just a few turns of the clock too late. When I'm within earshot, it begins to take off. History waits for no one and trying to shout STOP at a group of British soldiers doesn't prove particularly functional to my cause. At least, this time, it's bullets from His Britannic Majesty that take me off the stage. [I'm dead, it looks like. Want to try again? Y/N]y [Last command undone] [...] [UK, 1938] BY THE TOWER I am on the runway. The tarmac is hot. The control tower is to the northeast. To the southwest is back to the hangar while to the northwest I can go around the people with the cigar-man and reach what I believe is his plane. > sw [UK, 1938] AIRFIELD Smooth and gray under a blue sky, the runway runs east to west. Across it, a handful of people are talking to a middle-aged man whose cigar shoots voluptuous clouds into the sky. A control tower is visible to the northeast, while a dark hangar opens to the southeast. A soldier is patrolling the entrance to the hangar. > se [UK, 1938] HANGAR A large room with a ten-meter ceiling, exemplarily empty, except for an airplane and a series of trench bags piled haphazardly in one corner, as if the war could never develop in here. The exit is to the northwest. An old compressor lies among the bags. > x plane It is a sleek plane, with elliptical wings and a long nose. A glass hood protects its cockpit, which is now open. I bet this is a Spitfire. Nice piece of metal. > x nose It is a sleek plane, with elliptical wings and a long nose. A glass hood protects its cockpit, which is now open. I bet this is a Spitfire. Nice piece of metal. > x cockpit It is a sleek plane, with elliptical wings and a long nose. A glass hood protects its cockpit, which is now open. I bet this is a Spitfire. Nice piece of metal. > x wings It is a sleek plane, with elliptical wings and a long nose. A glass hood protects its cockpit, which is now open. I bet this is a Spitfire. Nice piece of metal. > nw [UK, 1938] AIRFIELD Smooth and gray under a blue sky, the runway runs east to west. Across it, a handful of people are talking to a middle-aged man whose cigar shoots voluptuous clouds into the sky. A control tower is visible to the northeast, while a dark hangar opens to the southeast. A soldier is patrolling the entrance to the hangar. > ne [UK, 1938] BY THE TOWER I am on the runway. The tarmac is hot. The control tower is to the northeast. To the southwest is back to the hangar while to the northwest I can go around the people with the cigar-man and reach what I believe is his plane. > u I can go northeast, northwest and southwest. > ne [UK, 1938] CONTROL TOWER A decidedly spartan room, with large windows looking out over the runway and the surrounding fields for miles. A table along one wall holds a radio, a flight log, and a fixed pair of panoramic binoculars. The exit leads down. > x log It is a flight log of the military airport. I browse through it slowly... [...] There are many pages of incomprehensible data, such as dates and times followed by acronyms and abbreviations. The most recurring words are "test" and "random". I have no idea what they mean. Some messages seem to be encrypted: perhaps they are people's names, perhaps they are acronyms, perhaps something else. Here too it goes into the incomprehensible: Ack, Toc, Harry, London, Emma. [Continue? (Y/N)]y A page of coded commands. Most are crossed out: Runway clear: XXXXXXXX Runway occupied: ORANGES. Stable climate: XXXXXXXX Acceptable climate: XXXXXXXX Unpredictable/dangerous climate: XXXXXXXX Yellow flag: PIP There are dozens of them, but almost all are redacted. Next to the line about dangerous climate, someone drew a woman playing... the lyre. Another wave of horrible deja vu. Underneath the woman is written "Fell a soldier's heart." [Continue? (Y/N)]n > type fash The radio makes a two-tone sound, like some kind of distorted music. It's probably Morse. I have no idea what I just did. > type f The radio makes a two-tone sound, like some kind of distorted music. It's probably Morse. I have no idea what I just did. > type a The radio makes a two-tone sound, like some kind of distorted music. It's probably Morse. I have no idea what I just did. > type s The radio makes a two-tone sound, like some kind of distorted music. It's probably Morse. I have no idea what I just did. > type h The radio makes a two-tone sound, like some kind of distorted music. It's probably Morse. I have no idea what I just did. > read log It is a flight log of the military airport. I browse through it slowly... [...] There are many pages of incomprehensible data, such as dates and times followed by acronyms and abbreviations. The most recurring words are "test" and "random". I have no idea what they mean. Some messages seem to be encrypted: perhaps they are people's names, perhaps they are acronyms, perhaps something else. Here too it goes into the incomprehensible: Ack, Toc, Harry, London, Emma. [Continue? (Y/N)]y A page of coded commands. Most are crossed out: Runway clear: XXXXXXXX Runway occupied: ORANGES. Stable climate: XXXXXXXX Acceptable climate: XXXXXXXX Unpredictable/dangerous climate: XXXXXXXX Yellow flag: PIP There are dozens of them, but almost all are redacted. Next to the line about dangerous climate, someone drew a woman playing... the lyre. Another wave of horrible deja vu. Underneath the woman is written "Fell a soldier's heart." [Continue? (Y/N)]y Pages and pages of notes and diaries in English. Everyday stories for a military airport. It must have been boring here. Things will change, my friends. They will change a lot. [Continue? (Y/N)]y Some pages are all technical manuals. This one, for example, explains how the tanks of some models work. In the case of this illustration, there are three tanks: the first, the largest, is the "flight" one, in the sense that it is the one with direct draw (or at least that's what I understand from an all too technical English); the second is the reserve, small but still capacious. The last, very small, is the emergency one, which should never be used--in fact, very often, it is left empty. For a plane to take off without alarms, the best situation indicated, if you can't have all the tanks full, is for the flight and reserve tank to be loaded with the same amount of fuel. What a mess: it seems like a puzzle to confuse the enemy. [Continue? (Y/N)]y At the end of the log is a full page of military alphabet. Ack for A, Beer for B, then Charlie, Don, Edward, Freddie, Gee and up to Yorker and Zeta. > type freddie The radio makes a two-tone sound, like some kind of distorted music. It's probably Morse. I have no idea what I just did. > d [UK, 1938] BY THE TOWER I am on the runway. The tarmac is hot. The control tower is to the northeast. To the southwest is back to the hangar while to the northwest I can go around the people with the cigar-man and reach what I believe is his plane. > nw [UK, 1938] THE EDGE I sneak up on the plane ready for take-off, on the other side of the runway. The countryside opens up to the north to infinity. This could be the outer edge of my adventure. The control tower is to the southeast. An airplane with an innovative shape is here ready for takeoff, its bulk a nice shelter from the people on the other side. > x plane It's something I've never seen. Perhaps an experimental model that the cigar man incident halted in development. A hatch on the lower part of the cockpit is surmounted by a large sticker that reads "Per Ardua Ad Astra". > x sticker It means "Through the heights to the stars". I guess. > x hatch The hatch is closed. > open it I open the hatch. Inside, the protagonist of this story finally appears: a complex explosive device is wired to the plane's engine, ready to explode in history. > x device The bomb is stuck in the engine and virtually impossible to remove quickly. A strange orange object is connected to it by an endless series of electrical wires. > x object It's a rounded object, bright orange, with a small glowing screen and a keyboard with consecutive keys. I've never seen anything like it, it seems to come from the time and space of the three nexuses that I carried with me between dimensions. On the front it has the logo "Speak & Spell". Some of the keys are dirty. > x keys Some letters are dirty with grease, probably used several times by careless hands. The dirty letters are: C, H, I, L, R, U. > x wires The bomb is stuck in the engine and virtually impossible to remove quickly. A strange orange object is connected to it by an endless series of electrical wires. > x screen Science fiction: these are letters that form and come to life, in blue on a black background. Like tiny smart light bulbs. Stuff from the future, no doubt. > type churchill Bingo. The password is correct, and while I can't be sure of it from the bomb's response (pretty much none, except that the Speak & Spell goes off, leaving the device in darkness), the cold warning of a gun barrel resting on the back of my neck certainly bears witness to it. I raise my hands, slowly. A voice I never thought I'd hear taunts me from behind: "You shouldn't have gotten this far..." I turn around, and see the mirror of my soul reflected in a face too tired to be real. [...] "I HOPED you wouldn't make it." Lev Nemov, my contact in Berlin, looks more disconsolate than disappointed. "And what does that mean," I tease. "Where should I have stopped to take those doe eyes off your face? At any point, I would have died, right?" A smile, this time sardonic. "Well, that's true. But at least you would have saved yourself the worst part of the trip..." It's my eyes, this time, that open wide. [...] "The worst part..." I want to spit in his face. I'm out of saliva. "Do you know the fucking things I've seen, this last day? Have you been there?" "No." He looks down, then points at me again. "I've only seen the part the Soviet allowed me to. And for a few days. My time is this here, not the one you lived." The chatter on the other side of the plane fades away. I don't think they heard us: maybe we've only just gotten to the goodbyes. "A world of rubble, that's what I saw," I spit in his face. "And then the world across the sea, reduced to a white desert. While you were playing the good little soldier for the wrong side of History. The one that shouldn't exist." Someone is boarding the plane on the other side. [...] "Don't talk to me like you're my boyfriend. We were comrades for only twenty minutes. And don't fool yourself: this world here isn't all roses and flowers either. War runs through the continuum seamlessly: it runs through all of us in every era. Do you know what the Wall is? You're a Berliner, you should have seen it. And you should have seen the Prague Spring, or the Hungarian conflict. Or the Irish civil war. There is no perfect world, Gromov. Not yours, not mine. There is only the possibility of implementing the one you prefer." The cockpit opens. Nemov is too busy ranting to notice. I feel the plane rise and fall behind me twice. Someone has boarded, at least two people. [...] "You know my name isn't Gromov, right?" Talking, that's all I can do right now. "Yeah, and I don't give a der'mo. Who do you think cares? You're just a little pawn in a book that was never even written. Insubstantial, inconsequential, useless." Mechanical noise. Someone's going to start the plane soon. I absolutely have to do something. [...] "If there's one thing this whole story has taught me," I tell him, giving him the biggest smile I've ever expressed, "it's that sometimes one person, no matter how insignificant, can change everything." There are many grand gestures I could show him, many of which would mean more to me than to him. In the end, I decide to use the most pragmatic one. For the Stalnaya Gvardiya, for the man who just boarded this plane, for the Revolution, with a clean slam from below, I close the hatch behind me. A second later, the plane starts and a dozen armed guards emerge and point all their guns at us. [...] Gromov, my little Gromov, Maksim Gromov. I wanted you to fail, will you believe it? No, I don't believe you. I don't believe a word you say. There are shouts, then he raises the gun towards me. Half a second, and I'm gone. Time is running backwards. I don't know what year it is anymore. I don't know the day anymore. Long live the Revol--- [...] "Hit! We've hit him! Take off immediately!" "His Excellency, you must take him away! Sir Churchill, take him away!" More gunfire. I don't know how I can hear it. [...] In the end it's just silence. The plane takes the runway. I see everything through a frosted glass. A song is playing somewhere. It's the one I heard in my head as I jumped from one part of the world to another. "There's a train to Piccadilly..." [...] "And it goes, and goes, and goes..." [...] London, 1940. It's June 4th. [...] I am now leaving the Underground. London is a most extraordinary city. I have spoken to the people, I have asked them what they would do in my place, whether they would stand defiant, shoulder to shoulder, against the dark tide of tyranny or bow, as Sir Neville suggests, to the yoke of surrender and shame. Their position has invigorated me. They stood unanimous and unyielding, even the women holding their babies around their necks, even the very old. "We will fight." And for how long, and how far, if they come all the way here, to our streets, to our beloved Piccadilly? "Forever." So be it, I have made up my mind. "I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone..." [...] "...We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender." --Sir Winston Churchill Speech to the House of Commons. *** YOU HAVE RESCUED THE OLD *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE, UNDO the last move or QUIT? quit