Start of a transcript of Assembly An Interactive Fiction by Ben Kirwin Release 1 / Serial number 231001 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.41 lib 6/12N) Identification number: //78C3914A-B474-45DF-8047-5B506B0B2A01// Interpreter version 0.6.0 / VM 3.1.3 / Library serial number 080126 Standard Rules version 3/120430 by Graham Nelson Far Away version 5/160517 by Jon Ingold > x cardboard Scraps of flat-pack furniture boxes and packing material. > x material You can't see any such thing. > x box A perfectly ordinary flat-pack furniture box, brown and corrugated. The word DÖLMEN is inscribed along one edge. > i You have nothing. > x me You glance down at your hands. Aside from a papercut or two, they're in fine shape. > l Bedroom Well, it will be your bedroom once you've finished setting everything up. Right now it's your furniture assembly room, and nearly empty aside from the pile of discarded cardboard in one corner. A flat-pack furniture box lies in the center of the room. > open box You tear open the flat-pack furniture box, unpacking an instruction booklet, a tabletop, a handful of wooden pegs, two table legs, eight cam-lock screws, eight cam-lock nuts, and a hex key. You discard the now-useless cardboard from the box. > x booklet (first taking the DÖLMEN instruction booklet, to get a proper look) DÖLMEN The front cover of the DÖLMEN instruction booklet depicts what looks like a small table, somewhat crudely proportioned: a thick tabletop overhangs the two smaller boards that form the legs. You don't actually remember buying this one, come to think of it ? but it's been a long day, and you're sure you must have needed it for something. You flip ahead to the instructions. Step 1: screw the cam-lock screws into the tabletop. > x screws A normal-looking screw for most of the length, these cam-lock screws have a specially-shaped head that the corresponding nuts are designed to lock on to. > x nuts Each of these cylindrical little nuts has an hole on one end for the hex key and a large, corkscrewing slit along the circumference, designed to catch on to the head of a cam-lock screw and grasp it tightly. > x pegs Short, cylindrical wooden pegs, with spiralling grooves running from end to end. > x tabletop A thick, almost brutalist slab of some sort of composite wood. Holes for screws line opposite edges of what must be the bottom face. > x legs Hewn from the same composite as the tabletop, but much shorter and not quite as thick. Holes, presumably for fasteners, dot one edge. > x key A little hexagonal bar of metal, bent into a L shape. > scew cam lock screws That's not a verb I recognise. > screw cam lock screws (to the DÖLMEN instruction booklet) (first taking the cam-lock screws) Despite your best efforts, the cam-lock screws don't seem able to attach to the DÖLMEN instruction booklet. > screw screws to tabletop You flip the tabletop hole-side up, and screw the cam-lock screws firmly into the holes indicated in the instruction booklet. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 2: insert the pegs into the table legs. > insert pegs in legs (first taking the wooden pegs) Holding each of the legs upright in turn, you insert the wooden pegs firmly into the holes along the upper edge. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 3: attach the table legs to the tabletop. > attach legs to tabletop (first taking the table legs) You start with the tabletop flat on its back. Taking hold of one leg, you line its pegs up with matching holes on one edge of the tabletop and press them together. After some resistance, they meet with a satisfying thump. You do the same with the other leg. The table is now in its final shape, though its legs are only loosely attached ? set back a handful of centimetres from each end and splayed slightly outward. The effect should be awkward, but there's something oddly compelling about the proportions of the thing... though it does look a bit wrong upside down, like a turtle stuck on its back. The heads of the cam-lock screws are still just visible through nut-sized holes in the sides of each leg. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 4: fasten the cam-lock nuts onto the screws. > put nuts on screws (first taking the cam-lock nuts) The nuts fit perfectly into the holes in the side of the table legs, nestling over the heads of the screws. After one or two turns with the hex key, the nuts grip firmly onto the screws and hold the whole table tightly together. You flip it over, and set it solidly down on top of its legs. Huh. That's strange. It's probably the simplest thing you've built today ? just a couple of of juxtaposed fibreboard slabs ? but something about it has more of a presence than you expected. You keep catching yourself staring at it from the corner of your eyes and holding your breath. You're not even sure this is meant to be a table at all, now. An altar? No, that's not right. But what? > x table You have trouble not examining it, honestly, though on the surface there's not much to see ? just a couple of angled boards capped with a solid slab of medium-density fibreboard. Something about it seems significant, though; carefully formed, like a rune in some language you only half understand. > l Bedroom Well, it will be your bedroom once you've finished setting everything up. Right now it's your furniture assembly room, and nearly empty aside from the pile of discarded cardboard in one corner. Also here: the DÖLMEN table and a hex key. > take key Taken. > take cardboard You're finished with those for now. > i You have a hex key and the DÖLMEN instruction booklet. > n You're determined not to leave before you're finished, which means you're not walking out of here without the table ? or whatever it is. > take table As you reach towards the DÖLMEN, something shifts and settles in your mind, and you understand ? it's not a table, but a doorway. And the door is opening ? There are no words in your language for what happens next. There are no words for the way the world seems to come unstuck and peel away, though later it will remind you of the way an opening door shifts from a solid face to an insubstantial line. There are certainly no words for the way that time's axis swings into view, the present stretching out from its accustomed instant so that all of history is opened up to your perception. Still, words are sometimes the only tools we have; and later, when you try to assemble the fragments of your memory into some semblance of a narrative, the words you'll choose are not so different from the words below. * * * In the beginning, the barrier between your world and the world of the gods is thin. You can't quite tell who first learns to shape stone into the sacred forms that open the doorway between the worlds, or to perform the rituals that give the gods the power to step through: only that it happens in the northern corners of your world. And since humans are so quick to worship power, these rituals spread quickly? and the gods grow strong, then stronger still, until their hold over your world is absolute. An age passes, and then another, and the faith of the people begins to wane; the rituals fall into disuse, the sacred monuments into disrepair, and the gods weaken and vanish from the earth. Some go peacefully, but others rage against their loss ? and swear that, if that doorway were ever to reopen, humanity would not escape their control again. Then, finally, a new age: an age of infinite repetition, of unbounded mechanical reproduction, of forms iterated out beyond imagination. These gods, and the few who remember them, have found their chance ? for a ritual copied blindly from an instruction booklet, or a sacred ratio embodied in fibreboard instead of stone, still holds the same power. Their designs flood from the north and spread out around the world... and as you follow the instructions you are given, and assemble those parts into the forms that give power to the gods, those vindictive gods begin to regain their strength. And now, history sharpens down around you to a single projective point, the fulcrum on which the past and future hang. Here, tonight, they will open the doorway between the worlds again and wreak their vengeance on the earth. Unless, of course, you stop them. * * * An instant or an eternity later, space unfurls into its usual dimensions, and you return to yourself: head spinning, stomach turning, hands shaking, mind reeling. You look around ? you have been dislocated ? you are no longer at home. You stumble back to your feet on a cold floor in an empty hall. Entrance hall You recognize this room; you were here just this afternoon, shopping for furniture, one of hundreds streaming through the brightly-lit hall and up the escalator to the showroom above. The room is now uncannily empty, lit only by the last light of the sun filtering through the automatic doors and staining the floor a violent red. A lone shopping cart has been abandoned near a closet door on the north wall. > x cart A low, rectangular metal platform, with wheels on the bottom and a handle rising to a conveniently-pushable height on one end. > x door A closet is set unobtrusively into a corner of the north wall. > l Entrance hall You recognize this room; you were here just this afternoon, shopping for furniture, one of hundreds streaming through the brightly-lit hall and up the escalator to the showroom above. The room is now uncannily empty, lit only by the last light of the sun filtering through the automatic doors and staining the floor a violent red. A lone shopping cart has been abandoned near a closet door on the north wall. > x escalator The escalator rises from the entrance hall floor to the showroom above. > x sun You look through the automatic doors and out over the empty parking lot. The sun blazes just above the horizon; red light and long shadows wash over the lot. > x automatic doors A bank of automatic sliding doors, all closed, leading out to the empty parking lot. > x parking You look through the automatic doors and out over the empty parking lot. The sun blazes just above the horizon; red light and long shadows wash over the lot. > x floor Sealed concrete. > out But you aren't in anything at the moment. > n You try the handle of the closet door ? but it is locked, and you have no key. > s You can't go that way. > e You can't go that way. > w The automatic doors aren't sliding open; they seem to be locked, or disabled, or whatever the proper term is for an automatic door that isn't currently moving itself. You'll need to find another way out. > i You have nothing. > take cart You strain ineffectually to lift the cart. It's really more convenient to push it than to carry it around. > x me You look down at your hands: they're quivering slightly, though everything seems to be in one piece. > u You ride the escalator up to the top floor and lose yourself quickly in the visual chaos of the showroom. Showroom You're in a maze of twisty little passages, all showcasing various highlights of the Fall 2023 collection. In this corner, the designer has paired a boldly-printed wallpaper and a modern chandelier. Arrows on the floor mark the path, running from the top of the entrance-hall escalator (just visible in the middle distance) and leading to the north. > x chandeliler You can't see any such thing. > x chandelier An ovoid cloud of brushed metal panels, angled against one another in a complex assemblage. A subtle light diffuses from the center, though you see no bulb. You glance at the label: POUL. You should be able to find it on the shelves in the self-serve furniture area later... if they have any in stock, of course. > x wallpaper An almost overwhelming profusion of lines and colours, stitched together into complex pattern. Ghosts of the markings seem to swim across your vision, still rearranging themselves long after you've looked away. You glance at the label: MAIJA. You should be able to find it on the shelves in the self-serve furniture area later... if they have any in stock. > n You follow the path a little deeper into the maze. Showroom You're in a maze of twisty little passages, all showcasing various highlights of the Fall 2023 collection. Here, the path runs between a wall-mounted shelving system and a glass coffee table. Arrows on the floor mark the path, arriving from the south and leading to the east. > x table Nearly the Platonic form of a table: a low rectilinear geometry in glass and chrome. You glance at the label: FLORENCE. You should be able to find it on the shelves in the self-serve furniture area later... if they have any in stock. > x system Sleek metal shelving, laddering up the nearby wall. The solid metal shelves seem to almost float ? though in fact they're securely bracketed to tracks running up the wall, and impressively strong. You glance at the label: DIETER. You should be able to find it on the shelves in the self-serve furniture area later... if they have any in stock. > climb shelves You climb up the shelves like a ladder, the solid metal barely flexing under your weight. You rest on the top shelf, sitting a couple metres above the floor. > l Showroom (on the DIETER shelving system) You're in a maze of twisty little passages, all showcasing various highlights of the Fall 2023 collection. Here, the path runs between the DIETER shelving system and the FLORENCE coffee table. Arrows on the floor mark the path, arriving from the south and leading to the east. > d You hop down from the top shelf and back to the floor. > e You follow the path a little deeper into the maze. Showroom You're in a maze of twisty little passages, all showcasing various highlights of the Fall 2023 collection. You're particularly struck by a butcher block kitchen island and the FLORENCE coffee table. Arrows on the floor mark the path, arriving from the south and leading to the west. > x island One imagines a kitchen island as a tiny patch of countertop surrounded by a vast ocean of kitchen. This particular island is surfaced with butcher block and thus naturally antibacterial, though it needs to be oiled regularly to preserve its colour and to avoid staining. You glance at the label: MARTHA. You should be able to find it on the shelves in the self-serve furniture area later... if they have any in stock. > s You follow the path backwards through the maze. Showroom You're in a maze of twisty little passages, all showcasing various highlights of the Fall 2023 collection. Look: the DIETER shelving system and a horrible lounge chair. Arrows on the floor mark the path, arriving from the north and leading to the south. > x chair A horrible object ? a violent slash of black leather racked onto on a semicircular frame. The design evokes something between a hospital bed and a torture device. You glance at the label: KRÅKA. You should be able to find it on the shelves in the self-serve furniture area later... if they have any in stock. > s You follow the path a little deeper into the maze. Showroom You're in a maze of twisty little passages, all showcasing various highlights of the Fall 2023 collection. In this corner, the designer has paired the MAIJA wallpaper and the POUL chandelier. Arrows on the floor mark the path, arriving from the north and leading to the east. > e You emerge, blinking, into the cafeteria. Restaurant You stopped in here earlier for a late lunch. The cafeteria tables where you ate are still here, though they're not quite tables any longer: the long rectangular surfaces have been placed on end, a forest of pale obelisks in a rough semicircle, centered on the top of the escalator, leading down. The only other way out is west: back to the showroom. Blocking the top of the escalator ? at the central focus of that ritual circle ? is a rosewood wardrobe. > x wardrobe Built in the mid-century modern style out of a warm-toned rosewood, a hollow rectangular prism held just above the floor on slightly canted legs, about your height. You have absolutely no idea what it's for; it looks like a wardrobe without a door, or perhaps a display case without any shelves. The space within is dark ? darker than it ought to be, considering. > in You step into the void. The wood of the wardrobe feels solid underfoot, the sides smooth under your fingertips, but you can't feel the back wall ? it must be deeper than you thought. You take another step. The air here is different: compared to the fresh and fragrant air of the restaurant, the atmosphere here feels dusty, stale, and somehow taut, as though the space between these rosewood panels was under some incredible tension. Even the light is different ? the view of the restaurant over your shoulder feels distant, and the darkness feels almost tangibly thick. A few more steps, and then your foot meets nothing at all, and you fall forward ? * * * ? and tumble to the floor in a tiny closet. You pick yourself up, brushing off a thick layer of dust from your clothes. Fascinating: through the rosewood wardrobe, you've got a clear view back to the restaurant. Maintenance closet Oppressively dark. A little light trickles in from around the door and through the wardrobe, illuminating a small patch of dusty concrete floor. The walls are hidden by the darkness, though you can feel them close around you on all sides. Although... as your eyes adjust, one patch of darkness stands out as darker than the others. Some kind of chest? The rosewood wardrobe, through which you arrived somehow, consumes most of the limited space. Hidden halfway under the rosewood wardrobe ? an instruction booklet. > x booklet (first taking the instruction booklet) HINDER The picture on the front cover looks like... well, the wardrobe right in front of you. You skip to the end of the instruction booklet. Step 3: attach the wardrobe top to the side panels. > x chest It's about the right shape and size to be a tool chest, but it's hard to say for certain without a bit more light. > open door (first unlocking the closet door) You lack a key that fits the closet door. > l Maintenance closet Oppressively dark. A little light trickles in from around the door and through the wardrobe, illuminating a small patch of dusty concrete floor. The walls are hidden by the darkness, though you can feel them close around you on all sides. There's a sort of chest at the foot of one wall, barely visible in the shadows. The HINDER wardrobe, through which you arrived somehow, consumes most of the limited space. > open chest You feel around the edges of the chest. The surface feels like painted steel, the edges hard under your fingertips. There's a lid, though you can't seem to find any way to open it ? though you could probably manage it with a bit more light. > x book HINDER The picture on the front cover looks like... well, the wardrobe right in front of you. You skip to the end of the instruction booklet. Step 3: attach the wardrobe top to the side panels. > x top A rectangle of warm wood. Two edges have been carefully dovetailed to interlock with the wardrobe's side panels; the other two have been sanded smooth. The HINDER top panel is attached to the HINDER side panels. > in You step back into the HINDER wardrobe ? and then step further, further than you should be able to go in such a small space, and find yourself stumbling back into the restaurant. Restaurant You stopped in here earlier for a late lunch. The cafeteria tables where you ate are still here, though they're not quite tables any longer: the long rectangular surfaces have been placed on end, a forest of pale obelisks in a rough semicircle, centered on the top of the escalator, leading down. The only other way out is west: back to the showroom. Blocking the top of the escalator ? at the central focus of that ritual circle ? is the HINDER wardrobe. > w Showroom You're in a maze of twisty little passages, all showcasing various highlights of the Fall 2023 collection. Here, the path runs between the KRÅKA lounge chair and the DIETER shelving system. Arrows on the floor mark the path, arriving from the north and leading to the south. > s You emerge, blinking, into the cafeteria. Restaurant You stopped in here earlier for a late lunch. The cafeteria tables where you ate are still here, though they're not quite tables any longer: the long rectangular surfaces have been placed on end, a forest of pale obelisks in a rough semicircle, centered on the top of the escalator, leading down. The only other way out is west: back to the showroom. Blocking the top of the escalator ? at the central focus of that ritual circle ? is the HINDER wardrobe. > n You can't go that way. > w Showroom You're in a maze of twisty little passages, all showcasing various highlights of the Fall 2023 collection. In this corner, the designer has paired the FLORENCE coffee table and the KRÅKA lounge chair. Arrows on the floor mark the path, arriving from the east and leading to the west. > n You wander off the path, losing yourself in the visual cacophony of the showroom. Showroom You're in a maze of twisty little passages, all showcasing various highlights of the Fall 2023 collection. Here, the path runs between the MARTHA kitchen island and the DIETER shelving system. Arrows on the floor mark the path, arriving from the west and leading to the north. > n You follow the path a little deeper into the maze. Showroom You're in a maze of twisty little passages, all showcasing various highlights of the Fall 2023 collection. You're particularly struck by the POUL chandelier and the MARTHA kitchen island. Arrows on the floor mark the path, arriving from the east and leading to the south. > e You follow the path backwards through the maze. Showroom You're in a maze of twisty little passages, all showcasing various highlights of the Fall 2023 collection. Here, the path runs between the DIETER shelving system and the MAIJA wallpaper. Arrows on the floor mark the path, arriving from the west and leading to the north. > n You follow the path a little deeper into the maze. Showroom You're in a maze of twisty little passages, all showcasing various highlights of the Fall 2023 collection. Look: the FLORENCE coffee table and the DIETER shelving system. Arrows on the floor mark the path, arriving from the south and leading to the east. > e You emerge, blinking, into the cafeteria. Restaurant You stopped in here earlier for a late lunch. The cafeteria tables where you ate are still here, though they're not quite tables any longer: the long rectangular surfaces have been placed on end, a forest of pale obelisks in a rough semicircle, centered on the top of the escalator, leading down. The only other way out is west: back to the showroom. Blocking the top of the escalator ? at the central focus of that ritual circle ? is the HINDER wardrobe. > d The path to the escalator is blocked by the HINDER wardrobe. > push wardrobe The HINDER wardrobe is too big to move. > in You step back into the HINDER wardrobe ? and then step further, further than you should be able to go in such a small space, and find yourself stumbling back into the maintenance closet. Maintenance closet Oppressively dark. A little light trickles in from around the door and through the wardrobe, illuminating a small patch of dusty concrete floor. The walls are hidden by the darkness, though you can feel them close around you on all sides. There's a sort of chest at the foot of one wall, barely visible in the shadows. The HINDER wardrobe, through which you arrived somehow, consumes most of the limited space. > i You have the HINDER instruction booklet. > take top You loosen the dovetails that connect the wardrobe top to the sides and lift it clean away. The distorted view of the restaurant in the wardrobe remains in place, though it does seem to fray a little at the top. You check the previous step of the instructions. Step 2: attach the side panels to the rosewood base. > take panels (first setting down the HINDER top panel, to free your hands) As the side panels fall away from the base, the distorted view of the restaurant seems to stretch at first to fill the gap ? then, as if reaching a breaking point, it shatters into empty space. You check the previous step of the instructions. Step 1: screw the tapered legs to the rosewood base. > take legs (first setting down the HINDER side panels) For good measure, you unscrew the tapered wooden legs from the rosewood base. > l Maintenance closet Oppressively dark. A little light trickles in from around the door, illuminating a small patch of dusty concrete floor. The walls are hidden by the darkness, though you can feel them close around you on all sides. There's a sort of chest at the foot of one wall, barely visible in the shadows. Also here: some HINDER parts (side panels, base, and top panel). > take parts HINDER side panels: Taken. HINDER base: Taken. HINDER top panel: Taken. > i You have some HINDER parts (top panel, base, side panels, and legs) and the HINDER instruction booklet. > l Maintenance closet Oppressively dark. A little light trickles in from around the door, illuminating a small patch of dusty concrete floor. The walls are hidden by the darkness, though you can feel them close around you on all sides. There's a sort of chest at the foot of one wall, barely visible in the shadows. > open door (first unlocking the closet door) You lack a key that fits the closet door. > assemble wardrobe Building something is often a good idea, but it's not something you can do in one go. If you want to build something, you'll need to do it step by step and follow the instructions. > screw legs What do you want to screw the HINDER legs to? > base (first setting down some HINDER parts (top panel, base, and side panels)) You screw the tapered lags back into the rosewood base of the wardrobe. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 2: attach the side panels to the rosewood base. > attach panels to base (first taking the HINDER side panels) One by one, you dovetail each of the wardrobe's side panels with the base. As you reattach the second panel, the space between them seems to twist away, as though rotating on some higher-dimensional axis, and the void fills with a distorted view of the restaurant. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 3: attach the wardrobe top to the side panels. > attach top to side (first taking the HINDER top panel) You place the top panel on the upper edges of the side panels and work the dovetails back together, completing the rectangular frame. The distorted view of the restaurant through the wardrobe seems to intensify. > l Maintenance closet Oppressively dark. A little light trickles in from around the door and through the wardrobe, illuminating a small patch of dusty concrete floor. The walls are hidden by the darkness, though you can feel them close around you on all sides. There's a sort of chest at the foot of one wall, barely visible in the shadows. Also here: the HINDER wardrobe. > in You step back into the HINDER wardrobe ? and then step further, further than you should be able to go in such a small space, and find yourself stumbling back into the restaurant. Restaurant You stopped in here earlier for a late lunch. The cafeteria tables where you ate are still here, though they're not quite tables any longer: the long rectangular surfaces have been placed on end, a forest of pale obelisks in a rough semicircle, centered on the top of the escalator, leading down. The only other way out is west: back to the showroom. Also here: the HINDER wardrobe. > take top You loosen the dovetails that connect the wardrobe top to the sides and lift it clean away. The profound darkness in the wardrobe remains in place, though it does seem to fray a little at the top. You check the previous step of the instructions. Step 2: attach the side panels to the rosewood base. > take sides (first setting down the HINDER top panel) As the side panels fall away from the base, the profound darkness seems to stretch at first to fill the gap ? then, as if reaching a breaking point, it shatters into empty space. With the HINDER wardrobe gone, the path to the escalator is now clear. You check the previous step of the instructions. Step 1: screw the tapered legs to the rosewood base. > take legs (first setting down the HINDER side panels) For good measure, you unscrew the tapered wooden legs from the rosewood base. > take parts HINDER side panels: Taken. HINDER base: Taken. HINDER top panel: Taken. > d You step onto the escalator and descend. Market hall Normally, this hall is filled wall-to-wall with bins, and the bins are filled to bursting with miscellaneous stuff ? accoutrements and small conveniences, knick-knacks, trinkets, appurtenances, bric-a-brac ? for the customer to collect before they reach the larger items in the area to the north. Now the bins are gone, and their contents piled up into a low, circular henge that rings the room. There are four evenly-spaced breaks in the henge: to the north, a wide passage to the self-serve furniture area; to the east, a small office door; to the south, the foot of the escalator descending from the restaurant; to the west, a door leading back to the entrance. > e At the eastern extremity of the henge there is a small gap, leaving a patch of wall bare, and in that patch is an otherwise unremarkable office door. A small transom window is set just above it, enticingly ajar. You try the handle of the office door ? but it is locked, and you have no key. > x window A rectangular window, set just above the office door, a couple of metres off the floor. It looks just wide enough to squeeze through... if you could reach it. > n Self-serve furniture area A cavernous, warehouse-like space, arrayed with row upon row of industrial racking. Boxes of all shapes and sizes are stored at ground level, with tightly packed pallets piled up several stories high on the racks above. The checkout area is to the west ? and in the checkout area you see a massive structure, an elaborately terraced aluminum and fibreboard cairn. The basic forms recall the DÖLMEN you built earlier, but fractally more complex ? and every face and angle significant and measured, like a script for some unfamiliar language. A low passage leads into the structure. You can't quite shake the feeling that something is almost ready to emerge. And, for the first time since you arrived here this evening, you're not alone. Hooded figures ring the monument, methodically assembling new forms and adding them to the cairn. You instinctively shrink behind the nearest rack. > x figures Perhaps thirty of them, ringing the cairn. Some continue to build up the massive structure, their motions stiff and ritual. Others stand guard ? though they don't seem to have spotted you through the racks. > x cairn Wide enough to nearly fill the checkout area, and tall enough to dwarf the shadowy figures that surround it. The shape itself is impossible to describe; rectilinear faces seem to twist and bend upon themselves in a maddeningly complex order, warping the space around them. The cairn is haloed by the red light of the setting sun, sending a dark shadow slashing down the central aisle of the self-serve furniture area. The passage into the structure remains shrouded in darkness. > l Self-serve furniture area A cavernous, warehouse-like space, arrayed with row upon row of industrial racking. Boxes of all shapes and sizes are stored at ground level, with tightly packed pallets piled up several stories high on the racks above. The checkout area is to the west ? and in the checkout area you see a massive structure, an elaborately terraced aluminum and fibreboard cairn. The basic forms recall the DÖLMEN you built earlier, but fractally more complex ? and every face and angle significant and measured, like a script for some unfamiliar language. A low passage leads into the structure. You can't quite shake the feeling that something is almost ready to emerge. Hooded figures ring the monument, methodically assembling new forms and adding them to the cairn. > x booxes You can't see any such thing. > x boxes You can't use multiple objects with that verb. > x box Which do you mean, the DIETER flat-pack furniture box, the FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box, or the POUL flat-pack furniture box? > florence A perfectly ordinary flat-pack furniture box, brown and corrugated. The word FLORENCE is inscribed along one edge. > x racking You take a look at the nearest rack. A complex lattice of posts and beams ? all carefully reinforced by cross braces ? support pallets on the levels above, with more-easily-obtainable boxes at ground level. There are much fewer boxes here than there were earlier; you imagine many of them have been used to build up the massive cairn near the checkout. You scan through the racks for the items you saw in the showroom earlier; the MAIJA wallpaper, the KRÅKA lounge chair, and the MARTHA kitchen island seem to be out of stock. And look: there's the box for the DIETER shelving system, halfway down a nearby rack. A large and heavy-looking box for the FLORENCE coffee table is propped up against one of the beams. A narrow box for the POUL lamp is just there, near the central aisle. > x pallets Wooden pallets, piled high and tightly wrapped in clear plastic. > x passage A narrow passage cuts directly to the center of the structure ? uncovered at first, and then slouching under a lintel into a darkened tunnel. As you stare down the passage, you're somehow reminded of that same strange liminal feeling you first had in your bedroom not that long ago, as though a part of the fabric of world was twisting apart. > in You can't go that way. > n You can't go that way. > s Market hall Normally, this hall is filled wall-to-wall with bins, and the bins are filled to bursting with miscellaneous stuff ? accoutrements and small conveniences, knick-knacks, trinkets, appurtenances, bric-a-brac ? for the customer to collect before they reach the larger items in the area to the north. Now the bins are gone, and their contents piled up into a low, circular henge that rings the room. There are four evenly-spaced breaks in the henge: to the north, a wide passage to the self-serve furniture area; to the east, a small office door; to the south, the foot of the escalator descending from the restaurant; to the west, a door leading back to the entrance. > n Self-serve furniture area A cavernous, warehouse-like space, arrayed with row upon row of industrial racking. Boxes of all shapes and sizes are stored at ground level, with tightly packed pallets piled up several stories high on the racks above. The checkout area is to the west ? and in the checkout area you see a massive structure, an elaborately terraced aluminum and fibreboard cairn. The basic forms recall the DÖLMEN you built earlier, but fractally more complex ? and every face and angle significant and measured, like a script for some unfamiliar language. A low passage leads into the structure. You can't quite shake the feeling that something is almost ready to emerge. Hooded figures ring the monument, methodically assembling new forms and adding them to the cairn. > e You can't go that way. > w You edge westward, towards the checkout area. One step further and you're sure to alert the cultists ringing the cairn. > save Ok. > w You step free from the racks ? and are spotted immediately by the cultists guarding the cairn. You are badly outnumbered and quickly surrounded ? dragged bodily to the cairn, forced down the dark passage, cast into the darkness. You feel a brief resistance as you pass under the lintel, and then you're through ? space shearing and reflecting itself around you as you translate across the threshold ? and land at the feet of the old gods, the vengeful ones, waiting for the power to cross over. Human sacrifice is an old and brutal ritual, but it still holds power too. Perhaps all they'll need tonight. * * * But no ? at the moment before everything is lost ? you feel time stop, then run itself backward, unwinding your fatal mistake, returning you to the self-serve furniture area, safe among the racks, the cultists unalerted to your presence. That was foolish. I understand if you're eager to head for the exit ? but you won't make it through the checkout while the cultists are there. > x racks You take a look at the nearest rack. A complex lattice of posts and beams ? all carefully reinforced by cross braces ? support pallets on the levels above, with more-easily-obtainable boxes at ground level. There are much fewer boxes here than there were earlier; you imagine many of them have been used to build up the massive cairn near the checkout. You scan through the racks for the items you saw in the showroom earlier; the MAIJA wallpaper, the KRÅKA lounge chair, and the MARTHA kitchen island seem to be out of stock. And look: there's the box for the DIETER shelving system, halfway down a nearby rack. A large and heavy-looking box for the FLORENCE coffee table is propped up against one of the beams. A narrow box for the POUL lamp is just there, near the central aisle. > take dieter Taken. > take florence Taken. > take poul Taken. > s Market hall Normally, this hall is filled wall-to-wall with bins, and the bins are filled to bursting with miscellaneous stuff ? accoutrements and small conveniences, knick-knacks, trinkets, appurtenances, bric-a-brac ? for the customer to collect before they reach the larger items in the area to the north. Now the bins are gone, and their contents piled up into a low, circular henge that rings the room. There are four evenly-spaced breaks in the henge: to the north, a wide passage to the self-serve furniture area; to the east, a small office door; to the south, the foot of the escalator descending from the restaurant; to the west, a door leading back to the entrance. > i You have a POUL flat-pack furniture box, a FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box, a DIETER flat-pack furniture box, some HINDER parts (top panel, base, side panels, and legs), and the HINDER instruction booklet. > w You step through the door and find yourself back in the entrance hall. That's odd... you hadn't noticed that door on your way in. Entrance hall You recognize this room; you were here just this afternoon, shopping for furniture, one of hundreds streaming through the brightly-lit hall and up the escalator to the showroom above. The room is now uncannily empty, lit only by the last light of the sun filtering through the automatic doors and staining the floor a violent red. Another door leads back east to the market hall. A lone shopping cart has been abandoned near a closet door on the north wall. > e Market hall Normally, this hall is filled wall-to-wall with bins, and the bins are filled to bursting with miscellaneous stuff ? accoutrements and small conveniences, knick-knacks, trinkets, appurtenances, bric-a-brac ? for the customer to collect before they reach the larger items in the area to the north. Now the bins are gone, and their contents piled up into a low, circular henge that rings the room. There are four evenly-spaced breaks in the henge: to the north, a wide passage to the self-serve furniture area; to the east, a small office door; to the south, the foot of the escalator descending from the restaurant; to the west, a door leading back to the entrance. > w You step through the door and find yourself back in the entrance hall. Entrance hall You recognize this room; you were here just this afternoon, shopping for furniture, one of hundreds streaming through the brightly-lit hall and up the escalator to the showroom above. The room is now uncannily empty, lit only by the last light of the sun filtering through the automatic doors and staining the floor a violent red. Another door leads back east to the market hall. A lone shopping cart has been abandoned near a closet door on the north wall. > e Market hall Normally, this hall is filled wall-to-wall with bins, and the bins are filled to bursting with miscellaneous stuff ? accoutrements and small conveniences, knick-knacks, trinkets, appurtenances, bric-a-brac ? for the customer to collect before they reach the larger items in the area to the north. Now the bins are gone, and their contents piled up into a low, circular henge that rings the room. There are four evenly-spaced breaks in the henge: to the north, a wide passage to the self-serve furniture area; to the east, a small office door; to the south, the foot of the escalator descending from the restaurant; to the west, a door leading back to the entrance. > e You try the handle of the office door ? but it is locked, and you have no key. > open dieter box You tear open the flat-pack furniture box, unpacking an instruction booklet, eighteen wall screws, two tracks, several metal shelves, and several pins. You discard the now-useless cardboard from the box. > read book (the DIETER instruction booklet) (first taking the DIETER instruction booklet) DIETER The cover shows a set of shelves, evenly spaced, climbing presumably up some undepicted wall. This particular shelving system has two tracks that run vertically up the wall; each track has a little groove in the front and holes predrilled in the sides. You can insert these little metal pins through those holes at whatever height, and that creates a sort of horizontal bar that the shelf can hang from. It's actually quite a clever little system. You flip ahead to the instructions. Step 1: screw the wall screws through the tracks. > put screws in tracks (first setting down the POUL flat-pack furniture box, the FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box, and some HINDER parts (top panel, base, and side panels)) (first taking the wall screws) You drive the wall screws through the tracks and into the east wall. The tracks are now vertical, evenly spaced a shelf-width apart, and firmly fixed in place. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 2: insert the pins into the tracks. > insert pins in tracks (first taking the pins) You insert the pins into evenly-spaced holes running up the tracks, just as the little picture suggests. They snap into place with a satisfying click. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 3: put the shelves on the pins. > put shelves on pins (first taking the metal shelves) Working from the bottom up, you hang each shelf onto its corresponding pins. They settle solidly into the tracks. > climb shelf You climb to the top shelf of the shelving system, a couple metres off the floor. The transom window over the office door is now within easy reach. > in (first getting off the DIETER shelving system) You can't go that way. > climb through window You can't see any such thing. > enter window It's quite high up ? about two metres out of reach. > climb shelf You climb to the top shelf of the shelving system, a couple metres off the floor. The transom window over the office door is now within easy reach. > enter window From the top shelf, it's easy enough to swing yourself over and through the transom window. You drop heavily into the office. Back office You're clearly backstage, now: the ceiling is lower, the walls a less brilliant shade of white, the furniture less artfully arranged. The lone desk has been pushed haphazardly up against one wall, across from the door back west to the market hall. A rather dingy-looking filing cabinet has been shoved up against one side of the desk. > x desk This looks like one of the cheap chipboard models from about a decade ago, and by the look of it, it's seen about a decade of use. A desk lamp sits eponymously on one corner of the desk. > x lamp A good desk lamp shines a diffuse light down on the work surface and little elsewhere, illuminating the task at hand without unnecessary glare. This one seems to be working nicely: everything in its radius is bathed in a pleasant glow. A cord runs from the desk lamp to the electrical outlet. A bulb is screwed into the desk lamp. > x bulb Bulbous, with an ordinary Edison-screw base. It's a bit too bright to look at directly. The bulb is screwed into the desk lamp. > x cord A short electrical cord, barely long enough to reach from the office desk to the wall. It runs from the desk lamp to the electrical outlet. > x outlet Just like the ones you have at home. The short cord is plugged in. > x cabinet A drab, two-drawer filing cabinet ? steel, powder-coated in a sickly shade of beige. The upper drawer is closed but unlocked; the lower drawer is locked tight. > open upper You open the upper drawer, revealing two instruction booklets (titled POULSEN and SKATTKISTA, respectively). > x poulsen (the POULSEN instruction booklet) (first taking the POULSEN instruction booklet) POULSEN A straightforward little desk lamp. You skip to the instructions. The first and last step is step 1: screw the bulb into the desk lamp. > x skattkista (the SKATTKISTA instruction booklet) (first taking the SKATTKISTA instruction booklet) SKATTKISTA The front cover of the booklet has a pretty faithful rendering of the filing cabinet in the office. Interesting: it looks like this build requires both a screwdriver and a hex key. You skip to the end of the instruction booklet. Step 7: screw the grub screws into the top panel. > l Back office You're clearly backstage, now: the ceiling is lower, the walls a less brilliant shade of white, the furniture less artfully arranged. The lone desk has been pushed haphazardly up against one wall, across from the door back west to the market hall. A rather dingy-looking filing cabinet has been shoved up against one side of the desk. > x desk This looks like one of the cheap chipboard models from about a decade ago, and by the look of it, it's seen about a decade of use. A desk lamp sits eponymously on one corner of the desk. > take lamp Taken. > i You have a POULSEN desk lamp, four HINDER legs, and four instruction booklets (titled SKATTKISTA, POULSEN, DIETER, and HINDER, respectively). > l Back office You're clearly backstage, now: the ceiling is lower, the walls a less brilliant shade of white, the furniture less artfully arranged. The lone desk has been pushed haphazardly up against one wall, across from the door back west to the market hall. A rather dingy-looking filing cabinet has been shoved up against one side of the desk. > x desk This looks like one of the cheap chipboard models from about a decade ago, and by the look of it, it's seen about a decade of use. > x cabinet A drab, two-drawer filing cabinet ? steel, powder-coated in a sickly shade of beige. The upper drawer is open, with nothing in it; the lower drawer is locked tight. > out You throw the latch on the office door, leaving it unlocked. Before you can make it all the way through the door, the short cord's connection to the wall grows taut. If you want to leave that way, you'll need to either drop the POULSEN desk lamp or unplug it. > unplug lamp You unplug the short cord from the electrical outlet. The POULSEN desk lamp goes dark. > out Market hall Normally, this hall is filled wall-to-wall with bins, and the bins are filled to bursting with miscellaneous stuff ? accoutrements and small conveniences, knick-knacks, trinkets, appurtenances, bric-a-brac ? for the customer to collect before they reach the larger items in the area to the north. Now the bins are gone, and their contents piled up into a low, circular henge that rings the room. There are four evenly-spaced breaks in the henge: to the north, a wide passage to the self-serve furniture area; to the east, a small office door; to the south, the foot of the escalator descending from the restaurant; to the west, a door leading back to the entrance. The DIETER shelving system has been installed on the east wall, near the office door. Also here: a POUL flat-pack furniture box, a FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box, and some HINDER parts (base, side panels, and top panel). > take all POUL flat-pack furniture box: Taken. FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box: Taken. HINDER base: Taken. HINDER side panels: Taken. HINDER top panel: Taken. > l Market hall Normally, this hall is filled wall-to-wall with bins, and the bins are filled to bursting with miscellaneous stuff ? accoutrements and small conveniences, knick-knacks, trinkets, appurtenances, bric-a-brac ? for the customer to collect before they reach the larger items in the area to the north. Now the bins are gone, and their contents piled up into a low, circular henge that rings the room. There are four evenly-spaced breaks in the henge: to the north, a wide passage to the self-serve furniture area; to the east, a small office door; to the south, the foot of the escalator descending from the restaurant; to the west, a door leading back to the entrance. The DIETER shelving system has been installed on the east wall, near the office door. > in You can't go that way. > climb window It's quite high up ? about two metres out of reach. > up You scramble up the descending escalator. Restaurant You stopped in here earlier for a late lunch. The cafeteria tables where you ate are still here, though they're not quite tables any longer: the long rectangular surfaces have been placed on end, a forest of pale obelisks in a rough semicircle, centered on the top of the escalator, leading down. The only other way out is west: back to the showroom. > d You step onto the escalator and descend. Market hall Normally, this hall is filled wall-to-wall with bins, and the bins are filled to bursting with miscellaneous stuff ? accoutrements and small conveniences, knick-knacks, trinkets, appurtenances, bric-a-brac ? for the customer to collect before they reach the larger items in the area to the north. Now the bins are gone, and their contents piled up into a low, circular henge that rings the room. There are four evenly-spaced breaks in the henge: to the north, a wide passage to the self-serve furniture area; to the east, a small office door; to the south, the foot of the escalator descending from the restaurant; to the west, a door leading back to the entrance. The DIETER shelving system has been installed on the east wall, near the office door. > climb shelf You climb to the top shelf of the shelving system, a couple metres off the floor. The transom window over the office door is now within easy reach. > climb window Burdened as you are by a HINDER top panel, you're a bit too encumbered for that sort of behaviour. > drop all HINDER top panel: Dropped. HINDER side panels: Dropped. HINDER base: Dropped. FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box: Dropped. POUL flat-pack furniture box: Dropped. POULSEN desk lamp: Dropped. HINDER legs: Dropped. SKATTKISTA instruction booklet: Dropped. POULSEN instruction booklet: Dropped. DIETER instruction booklet: Dropped. HINDER instruction booklet: Dropped. > undo Market hall [Previous turn undone.] > l Market hall (on the DIETER shelving system) Normally, this hall is filled wall-to-wall with bins, and the bins are filled to bursting with miscellaneous stuff ? accoutrements and small conveniences, knick-knacks, trinkets, appurtenances, bric-a-brac ? for the customer to collect before they reach the larger items in the area to the north. Now the bins are gone, and their contents piled up into a low, circular henge that rings the room. There are four evenly-spaced breaks in the henge: to the north, a wide passage to the self-serve furniture area; to the east, a small office door; to the south, the foot of the escalator descending from the restaurant; to the west, a door leading back to the entrance. > i You have a FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box, a POUL flat-pack furniture box, a POULSEN desk lamp, four instruction booklets (titled SKATTKISTA, POULSEN, DIETER, and HINDER, respectively), and some HINDER parts (top panel, side panels, base, and legs). > d You get off the DIETER shelving system. Market hall Normally, this hall is filled wall-to-wall with bins, and the bins are filled to bursting with miscellaneous stuff ? accoutrements and small conveniences, knick-knacks, trinkets, appurtenances, bric-a-brac ? for the customer to collect before they reach the larger items in the area to the north. Now the bins are gone, and their contents piled up into a low, circular henge that rings the room. There are four evenly-spaced breaks in the henge: to the north, a wide passage to the self-serve furniture area; to the east, a small office door; to the south, the foot of the escalator descending from the restaurant; to the west, a door leading back to the entrance. The DIETER shelving system has been installed on the east wall, near the office door. > w You step through the door and find yourself back in the entrance hall. Entrance hall You recognize this room; you were here just this afternoon, shopping for furniture, one of hundreds streaming through the brightly-lit hall and up the escalator to the showroom above. The room is now uncannily empty, lit only by the last light of the sun filtering through the automatic doors and staining the floor a violent red. Another door leads back east to the market hall. A lone shopping cart has been abandoned near a closet door on the north wall. > put all in cart FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box: Done. POUL flat-pack furniture box: Done. POULSEN desk lamp: Done. HINDER top panel: Done. HINDER side panels: Done. HINDER base: Done. HINDER legs: Done. SKATTKISTA instruction booklet: Done. POULSEN instruction booklet: Done. DIETER instruction booklet: Done. HINDER instruction booklet: Done. > undo Entrance hall [Previous turn undone.] > put legs on base (first placing the FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box, the POUL flat-pack furniture box, and some HINDER parts (top panel, side panels, and base) on the cart, to free your hands) You screw the tapered lags back into the rosewood base of the wardrobe. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 2: attach the side panels to the rosewood base. > put panels on base (first taking the HINDER side panels) One by one, you dovetail each of the wardrobe's side panels with the base. As you reattach the second panel, the space between them seems to twist away, as though rotating on some higher-dimensional axis, and the void fills with a profound darkness. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 3: attach the wardrobe top to the side panels. > put top on panels (first taking the HINDER top panel) You place the top panel on the upper edges of the side panels and work the dovetails back together, completing the rectangular frame. The profound darkness through the wardrobe seems to intensify. > in You can't go that way. > enter wardrobe You step back into the HINDER wardrobe ? and then step further, further than you should be able to go in such a small space, and find yourself stumbling back into the maintenance closet. Maintenance closet Oppressively dark. A little light trickles in from around the door and through the wardrobe, illuminating a small patch of dusty concrete floor. The walls are hidden by the darkness, though you can feel them close around you on all sides. There's a sort of chest at the foot of one wall, barely visible in the shadows. Also here: the HINDER wardrobe. > i You have a POULSEN desk lamp and four instruction booklets (titled SKATTKISTA, POULSEN, DIETER, and HINDER, respectively). > touch walls You feel nothing unexpected. > search for outlet You can't see any such thing. > x outlet You can't see any such thing. > plug in lamp You can't see an electrical outlet here. > out You step back into the HINDER wardrobe ? and then step further, further than you should be able to go in such a small space, and find yourself stumbling back into the entrance hall. Entrance hall You recognize this room; you were here just this afternoon, shopping for furniture, one of hundreds streaming through the brightly-lit hall and up the escalator to the showroom above. The room is now uncannily empty, lit only by the last light of the sun filtering through the automatic doors and staining the floor a violent red. Another door leads back east to the market hall. A lone shopping cart has been abandoned near a closet door on the north wall. On the shopping cart are the HINDER wardrobe, a POUL flat-pack furniture box, and a FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box. > open poul You tear open the flat-pack furniture box, unpacking an instruction booklet, some frosted glass shades, a floor lamp base, a brass tube, and a lamp holder. You discard the now-useless cardboard from the box. > x book (the POUL instruction booklet) (first taking the POUL instruction booklet) POUL This seems to be the floor lamp version of the chandelier you spotted in the showroom earlier ? the image shows the same system of carefully interlocking shades, set atop a fairly ordinary base. It looks like the bulb is not included. That's annoying. You flip ahead to the instructions. Step 1: screw the brass tube into the base. > screw tube into base (the floor lamp base) (first taking the brass tube) Holding the long brass tube vertical, you twist the lower end into the floor lamp's base. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 2: screw the lamp holder into the brass tube. > screw holder into tube (first taking the lamp holder) You screw the lamp holder into the now-vertical tube. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 3: attach the lampshades to the lamp holder. > attach shades to holder (first taking the frosted glass shades) One by one, you push the shades down over the lamp holder until they each click into place. They're now spaced regularly apart, held in some precise mathematical progression. The construction is now visibly a lamp... though it still needs a bulb, of course. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 4: screw the bulb into the floor lamp. > take bulb from desk lamp You can't see any such thing. > x lamp (the POULSEN desk lamp) A good desk lamp shines a diffuse light down on the work surface and little elsewhere, illuminating the task at hand without unnecessary glare. This one, however, is not illuminated at all. A cord dangles from the POULSEN desk lamp. A bulb is screwed into the POULSEN desk lamp. > unscrew bulb Holding the desk lamp firmly with one hand, you twist the bulb free from the socket. Easy! > screw bulb in floor lamp You screw the bulb into the lamp's receptacle. > x poul (the POUL instruction booklet) POUL This seems to be the floor lamp version of the chandelier you spotted in the showroom earlier ? the image shows the same system of carefully interlocking shades, set atop a fairly ordinary base. It looks like the bulb is not included. That's annoying. You skip to the end of the instruction booklet. Step 4: screw the bulb into the floor lamp. > x floor lamp A graceful floor lamp, with a brass base and delicately frosted shades. A bulb is screwed into the POUL lamp. > turn on lamp (the POULSEN desk lamp) It isn't something you can switch. > turn on poul (the POUL instruction booklet) It isn't something you can switch. > turn on floor lamp It isn't something you can switch. > x shades A set of three shades in frosted glass. The size and shape of each shade is unique. The frosted glass shades are attached to the lamp holder. > x base Which do you mean, the floor lamp base or the HINDER base? > floor A thin circle of brass, with a threaded hole cut dead center and a cord emerging along the diameter. A brass tube is screwed into the floor lamp base. > x cord Which do you mean, the long cord or the short cord? > long A long, thick electrical cord. It dangles from the floor lamp base. > l Entrance hall You recognize this room; you were here just this afternoon, shopping for furniture, one of hundreds streaming through the brightly-lit hall and up the escalator to the showroom above. The room is now uncannily empty, lit only by the last light of the sun filtering through the automatic doors and staining the floor a violent red. Another door leads back east to the market hall. A lone shopping cart has been abandoned near a closet door on the north wall. On the shopping cart are the HINDER wardrobe and a FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box. Also here: the POUL lamp. > plug in poul lamp You can't see an electrical outlet here. > i You have a POULSEN desk lamp and five instruction booklets (titled POUL, SKATTKISTA, POULSEN, DIETER, and HINDER, respectively). > u You ride the escalator up to the top floor and lose yourself quickly in the visual chaos of the showroom. Showroom You're in a maze of twisty little passages, all showcasing various highlights of the Fall 2023 collection. In this corner, the designer has paired the MAIJA wallpaper and the KRÅKA lounge chair. Arrows on the floor mark the path, running from the top of the entrance-hall escalator (just visible in the middle distance) and leading to the west. > d A quick jog down the rising escalator returns you to the entrance hall. Entrance hall You recognize this room; you were here just this afternoon, shopping for furniture, one of hundreds streaming through the brightly-lit hall and up the escalator to the showroom above. The room is now uncannily empty, lit only by the last light of the sun filtering through the automatic doors and staining the floor a violent red. Another door leads back east to the market hall. A lone shopping cart has been abandoned near a closet door on the north wall. On the shopping cart are the HINDER wardrobe and a FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box. Also here: the POUL lamp. > put poul lamp in car You can't see any such thing. > put poul lamp in cart (first taking the POUL lamp) You put the POUL lamp on the shopping cart. > push cart e Market hall Normally, this hall is filled wall-to-wall with bins, and the bins are filled to bursting with miscellaneous stuff ? accoutrements and small conveniences, knick-knacks, trinkets, appurtenances, bric-a-brac ? for the customer to collect before they reach the larger items in the area to the north. Now the bins are gone, and their contents piled up into a low, circular henge that rings the room. There are four evenly-spaced breaks in the henge: to the north, a wide passage to the self-serve furniture area; to the east, a small office door; to the south, the foot of the escalator descending from the restaurant; to the west, a door leading back to the entrance. The DIETER shelving system has been installed on the east wall, near the office door. > e Back office You're clearly backstage, now: the ceiling is lower, the walls a less brilliant shade of white, the furniture less artfully arranged. The lone desk has been pushed haphazardly up against one wall near an electrical outlet, across from the door back west to the market hall. A rather dingy-looking filing cabinet has been shoved up against one side of the desk. > w Market hall Normally, this hall is filled wall-to-wall with bins, and the bins are filled to bursting with miscellaneous stuff ? accoutrements and small conveniences, knick-knacks, trinkets, appurtenances, bric-a-brac ? for the customer to collect before they reach the larger items in the area to the north. Now the bins are gone, and their contents piled up into a low, circular henge that rings the room. There are four evenly-spaced breaks in the henge: to the north, a wide passage to the self-serve furniture area; to the east, a small office door; to the south, the foot of the escalator descending from the restaurant; to the west, a door leading back to the entrance. Your shopping cart stands nearby. It holds the POUL lamp, the HINDER wardrobe, and the FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box. The DIETER shelving system has been installed on the east wall, near the office door. > push cart e Back office You're clearly backstage, now: the ceiling is lower, the walls a less brilliant shade of white, the furniture less artfully arranged. The lone desk has been pushed haphazardly up against one wall near an electrical outlet, across from the door back west to the market hall. A rather dingy-looking filing cabinet has been shoved up against one side of the desk. > l Back office You're clearly backstage, now: the ceiling is lower, the walls a less brilliant shade of white, the furniture less artfully arranged. The lone desk has been pushed haphazardly up against one wall near an electrical outlet, across from the door back west to the market hall. Your shopping cart stands nearby. It holds the POUL lamp, the HINDER wardrobe, and the FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box. A rather dingy-looking filing cabinet has been shoved up against one side of the desk. > take hinder (the HINDER wardrobe) The HINDER wardrobe is too big to move. > i You have a POULSEN desk lamp and five instruction booklets (titled POUL, SKATTKISTA, POULSEN, DIETER, and HINDER, respectively). > l Back office You're clearly backstage, now: the ceiling is lower, the walls a less brilliant shade of white, the furniture less artfully arranged. The lone desk has been pushed haphazardly up against one wall near an electrical outlet, across from the door back west to the market hall. Your shopping cart stands nearby. It holds the POUL lamp, the HINDER wardrobe, and the FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box. A rather dingy-looking filing cabinet has been shoved up against one side of the desk. > x cart A low, rectangular metal platform, with wheels on the bottom and a handle rising to a conveniently-pushable height on one end. The POUL lamp, the HINDER wardrobe, and a FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box are on the shopping cart. > take hinder top You loosen the dovetails that connect the wardrobe top to the sides and lift it clean away. The profound darkness in the wardrobe remains in place, though it does seem to fray a little at the top. You check the previous step of the instructions. Step 2: attach the side panels to the rosewood base. > take hinder sides (first placing the HINDER top panel on the cart) As the side panels fall away from the base, the profound darkness seems to stretch at first to fill the gap ? then, as if reaching a breaking point, it shatters into empty space. You check the previous step of the instructions. Step 1: screw the tapered legs to the rosewood base. > take hinder legs (first placing the HINDER side panels on the cart) For good measure, you unscrew the tapered wooden legs from the rosewood base. > i You have four HINDER legs, a POULSEN desk lamp, and five instruction booklets (titled POUL, SKATTKISTA, POULSEN, DIETER, and HINDER, respectively). > screw legs to base (the HINDER base) You screw the tapered lags back into the rosewood base of the wardrobe. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 2: attach the side panels to the rosewood base. > put panels on base (the HINDER base) (first taking the HINDER side panels) One by one, you dovetail each of the wardrobe's side panels with the base. As you reattach the second panel, the space between them seems to twist away, as though rotating on some higher-dimensional axis, and the void fills with a profound darkness. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 3: attach the wardrobe top to the side panels. > put top on panels (the HINDER top panel on the HINDER side panels) (first taking the HINDER top panel) You place the top panel on the upper edges of the side panels and work the dovetails back together, completing the rectangular frame. The profound darkness through the wardrobe seems to intensify. > in You can't go that way. > take poul lamp Taken. > plug in poul lamp You plug the long cord firmly into the electrical outlet. The POUL lamp lights up. > take lamp Which do you mean, the POUL lamp or the POULSEN desk lamp? > poul You already have that. > enter wardrobe You step back into the HINDER wardrobe ? and then step further, further than you should be able to go in such a small space, and find yourself stumbling back into the maintenance closet. Maintenance closet Lit by the POUL lamp, this closet is now about as bright and hospitable as it's possible for a maintenance closet to be. A tool chest is now clearly visible at the foot of one wall. Also here: the HINDER wardrobe. > x chest A squat, heavy-looking tool chest, painted a deep black ? though in the light of the POUL lamp you can see bright steel glinting through scratches in the paint. You take a particularly careful look around the lid ? ah, yes, that's how the thing opens. > open chest You poke around the edges of the tool chest. If you pull ? here ? while putting pressure ? there ? yes, that should do it. And yes ? the lid pops open, revealing a screwdriver. > x screwdriver A flathead screwdriver with a long shaft. > take screwdriver Taken. > in You step back into the HINDER wardrobe ? and then step further, further than you should be able to go in such a small space, and find yourself stumbling back into the back office. Back office You're clearly backstage, now: the ceiling is lower, the walls a less brilliant shade of white, the furniture less artfully arranged. The lone desk has been pushed haphazardly up against one wall, across from the door back west to the market hall. Your shopping cart stands nearby. It holds the HINDER wardrobe and the FLORENCE flat-pack furniture box. A rather dingy-looking filing cabinet has been shoved up against one side of the desk. > i You have a screwdriver, the POUL lamp, a POULSEN desk lamp, and five instruction booklets (titled POUL, SKATTKISTA, POULSEN, DIETER, and HINDER, respectively). > read skattkista (the SKATTKISTA instruction booklet) SKATTKISTA The front cover of the booklet has a pretty faithful rendering of the filing cabinet in the office. Interesting: it looks like this build requires both a screwdriver and a hex key. You skip to the end of the instruction booklet. Step 7: screw the grub screws into the top panel. > unscrew grub screws You need a hex key to remove the grub screws, and there's nothing like that here. > i You have a screwdriver, the POUL lamp, a POULSEN desk lamp, and five instruction booklets (titled POUL, SKATTKISTA, POULSEN, DIETER, and HINDER, respectively). > open florence box You tear open the flat-pack furniture box, unpacking a hex key, an instruction booklet, four chrome legs, a chrome frame, a glass tabletop, and some long hex screws. You discard the now-useless cardboard from the box. > take key Taken. > unscrew grub screws You'll need a hex key for that ? and, conveniently, you have one. It takes a moment to locate the grub screws, flush as they are with the cabinet's top ? but once you do, it's quick work to unscrew them all from their little holes. You check the previous step of the instructions. Step 6: attach the cabinet top to the body. > take top (the glass tabletop) Taken. A unmarked rectangle of heavy plate glass. > undo Back office [Previous turn undone.] > take cabinet top The now-unattached top panel lifts easily off the cabinet's body, exposing the upper drawer. You check the previous step of the instructions. Step 5: insert the upper drawer into the body. > take upper That seems to be a part of the body of the filing cabinet. > pull upper Nothing obvious happens. > take upper from body You can't see any such thing. > l Back office You're clearly backstage, now: the ceiling is lower, the walls a less brilliant shade of white, the furniture less artfully arranged. The lone desk has been pushed haphazardly up against one wall, across from the door back west to the market hall. The outer frame of a partially-assembled filing cabinet is beside the desk. Your shopping cart stands nearby. It holds the HINDER wardrobe. Also here: some long hex screws, a glass tabletop, a chrome frame, four chrome legs, and the FLORENCE instruction booklet. > x book (the FLORENCE instruction booklet) (first taking the FLORENCE instruction booklet) FLORENCE The cover illustration is nearly a child's drawing of a table: an elongated rectangle, with a leg descending straight down from each corner. Looks like you'll need a hex key for this one... which is conveniently included in the box. You flip ahead to the instructions. Step 1: insert the legs into the frame. > read skattkista SKATTKISTA The front cover of the booklet has a pretty faithful rendering of the filing cabinet in the office. Interesting: it looks like this build requires both a screwdriver and a hex key. You find your place in the instructions. The last step you undid was step 6: attach the cabinet top to the body. Before that is step 5: insert the upper drawer into the body. > pull out drawer I only understood you as far as wanting to pull outside. > pull upper Nothing obvious happens. > take upper That seems to be a part of the body of the filing cabinet. > unscrew upper The upper drawer doesn't seem to be the sort of thing that you unscrew. > open drawer (the upper drawer) That's already open. > close upper You close the upper drawer. > take upper That seems to be a part of the body of the filing cabinet. > remove upper (first placing the cabinet top on the cart) You slide the upper drawer out of the cabinet, exposing the divider that divides the cabinet in two. You check the previous step of the instructions. Step 4: screw the machine screws into the central divider. > unscrew machine (first placing the upper drawer on the cart) The machine screws twist easily out of their holes in the central divider, which now sits loosely in the cabinet's frame. You check the previous step of the instructions. Step 3: attach the central divider to the body. > take central You lift the central divider out of the cabinet. Naturally, this exposes the lower drawer ? which contains a WILLIAM instruction booklet. You check the previous step of the instructions. Step 2: insert the lower drawer into the cabinet body. > take william Taken. WILLIAM The cover of the instruction booklet depicts a heavy industrial racking unit, a solidly riveted and braced construction in unfinished steel. It looks totally unlike anything you passed in the showroom earlier, but it does look familiar... It takes a few moments, but you place it: this is one of the racks in the self-serve furniture area. You skip to the end of the instruction booklet. Step 5: fasten the wing nuts onto the carriage bolts. > remove lower (first placing the central divider on the cart) You free the lower drawer from the skeleton of the cabinet. You check the previous step of the instructions. Step 1: attach the cabinet sides to the back. > i You have a lower drawer, several machine screws, sixteen grub screws, a hex key, a screwdriver, the POUL lamp, a POULSEN desk lamp, and seven instruction booklets (titled WILLIAM, FLORENCE, POUL, SKATTKISTA, POULSEN, DIETER, and HINDER, respectively). > put all in cart lower drawer: Done. machine screws: Done. grub screws: Done. hex key: Done. screwdriver: Done. POUL lamp: Done. POULSEN desk lamp: Done. WILLIAM instruction booklet: Done. FLORENCE instruction booklet: Done. POUL instruction booklet: Done. SKATTKISTA instruction booklet: Done. POULSEN instruction booklet: Done. DIETER instruction booklet: Done. HINDER instruction booklet: Done. > push cart w Before you can make it all the way through the door, the long cord's connection to the wall grows taut. If you want to leave that way, you'll need to either drop the POUL lamp or unplug it. > drop lamp Which do you mean, the POULSEN desk lamp or the POUL lamp? > poul You haven't got that. > unplug lamp Which do you mean, the POULSEN desk lamp or the POUL lamp? > poul You unplug the long cord from the electrical outlet. The POUL lamp goes dark. > push cart w Market hall Normally, this hall is filled wall-to-wall with bins, and the bins are filled to bursting with miscellaneous stuff ? accoutrements and small conveniences, knick-knacks, trinkets, appurtenances, bric-a-brac ? for the customer to collect before they reach the larger items in the area to the north. Now the bins are gone, and their contents piled up into a low, circular henge that rings the room. There are four evenly-spaced breaks in the henge: to the north, a wide passage to the self-serve furniture area; to the east, a small office door; to the south, the foot of the escalator descending from the restaurant; to the west, a door leading back to the entrance. The DIETER shelving system has been installed on the east wall, near the office door. > push cart n Self-serve furniture area A cavernous, warehouse-like space, arrayed with row upon row of industrial racking. Boxes of all shapes and sizes are stored at ground level, with tightly packed pallets piled up several stories high on the racks above. The checkout area is to the west ? and in the checkout area you see a massive structure, an elaborately terraced aluminum and fibreboard cairn. The basic forms recall the DÖLMEN you built earlier, but fractally more complex ? and every face and angle significant and measured, like a script for some unfamiliar language. A low passage leads into the structure. You can't quite shake the feeling that something is almost ready to emerge. Hooded figures ring the monument, methodically assembling new forms and adding them to the cairn. > read william (the WILLIAM rack) You take a look at the nearest rack. A complex lattice of posts and beams ? all carefully reinforced by cross braces ? support pallets on the levels above, with more-easily-obtainable boxes at ground level. There are much fewer boxes here than there were earlier; you imagine many of them have been used to build up the massive cairn near the checkout. You scan through the racks for the items you saw in the showroom earlier; the POUL chandelier, the MAIJA wallpaper, the FLORENCE coffee table, the KRÅKA lounge chair, the MARTHA kitchen island, and the DIETER shelving system seems to be out of stock. > read william book (first taking the WILLIAM instruction booklet) WILLIAM The cover of the instruction booklet depicts a heavy industrial racking unit, a solidly riveted and braced construction in unfinished steel. It looks exactly like one of the racks in the self-serve furniture area. You skip to the end of the instruction booklet. Step 5: fasten the wing nuts onto the carriage bolts. > take wing nuts You work your way down the nearest rack, removing the wing nuts one by one from the carriage bolts that hold the rack's metal braces in place. You check the previous step of the instructions. Step 4: insert the carriage bolts into the cross braces. > take bolts You remove the carriage bolts from the rack. The braces are now nearly detached from the corner posts, held in place only by friction. You check the previous step of the instructions. Step 3: attach the braces to the corner posts. > take braces You grab one of the braces: a firm tug separates it from the corner post, which wobbles uneasily from the weight of the pallets above. It's quick work to remove the rest. You check the previous step of the instructions. Step 2: put the plywood decking on the metal beams. > take decking You struggle to lift the decking on the bottom shelf of the unit ? the plywood is much heavier than it looks. You manage to lift the near edge a couple of inches before losing your grip; the plywood slams back down onto the supporting beams, sending an alarming jolt through the now-unbraced frame. Your effort seems to have strained the racking even further ? it's now listing noticeably to the west. > push rack You throw your weight into the rack. The structure lurches uneasily to one side, badly out of level, the corner posts flexing alarmingly outwards. Some of the lighter pallets begin shifting on the upper decks. It looks like it might collapse at any moment. The noise seems to carry across the vast room: you see one cultist get up with a start, some scrap of melamine dropping from their fingers with a clatter to the floor. They take two steps down the central aisle. > push cart s The rack collapses. Later, you'll remember this moment as if in slow motion: one column slowly flexes outward, then cracks with the sharp snap of a broken leg, throwing weight onto the others, which twist and warp and bow under the strain until the whole rack fails, sending tonnes of flat-pack furniture freefalling towards the concrete floor, pallets splitting and scattering in every direction. The force of the impact knocks you backwards, and everything you're carrying ? cross braces, carriage bolts, wing nuts, and WILLIAM instruction booklet ? is thrown from your grip and lost in the wreckage. A mass of broken cabinetry piles itself up, burying the shopping cart and blocking the way back to the market hall; a full dining room set pinwheels into the next rack over. You see its braces begin to buckle and distort. You've caught the attention of all the cultists, now. A few stand uneasy guard around the cairn, while others start towards you through the remaining racks. > s The southern exit is blocked by a massive pile of debris. The racking in the next row suddenly gives way, toppling westward into the unit across the aisle, which crumples in turn with the scream of twisted metal ? and now the racks are falling like dominoes, throwing off pallets of furniture that thunder to the ground, splinters and scraps of cardboard clouding the air. The cultists flee back west towards the cairn, keeping just metres ahead of the collapsing wave. > l Self-serve furniture area A cavernous, warehouse-like space, arrayed with row upon row of industrial racking. Boxes of all shapes and sizes are stored at ground level, with tightly packed pallets piled up several stories high on the racks above. The checkout area is to the west ? and in the checkout area you see a massive structure, an elaborately terraced aluminum and fibreboard cairn. The basic forms recall the DÖLMEN you built earlier, but fractally more complex ? and every face and angle significant and measured, like a script for some unfamiliar language. A low passage leads into the structure. You can't quite shake the feeling that something is almost ready to emerge. The final row of racks topples. One of the racks plows directly into the side of the cairn, scattering rubble across the checkout area; another torques sideways and crashes into a bank of lights along one wall, sending sparks flying across the wreckage. The cultists, abandoning the cairn, flee westward towards the exit. > z Time passes. You smell smoke. > l Self-serve furniture area The devastation of the self-serve furniture area is complete. Row upon row of racking has been reduced to a twisted mass of metal, shattered fibreboard and shredded packing material, consumed by flame. A narrow path is still open, winding its way down the central aisle and towards the exit. Sparks from the damaged lighting have caught in the scraps of cardboard that litter the floor. The splintered wood and fibreboard are ready tinder; within seconds, flames sweep across the breadth of the self-serve furniture area ? leaving only a narrow path west to the checkout. > save Ok. > w You pick your way westwards through the rubble. Checkout area Even half-ruined, the cairn still dominates the checkout area, forcing you up against the wall. The dark passage to the heart of the monument is still open, just ahead, though slightly obscured by the rubble and the smoke. The sun is almost gone ? you can see the last light of it filtering from the exit to the west. You see the last of the cultists scatter through the exit doors and into the night. The blaze has entirely consumed the self-serve furniture area, and begun to nibble at the edges of the checkout. Flames lick at the perimeter of the cairn, forcing you even tighter up against the wall. > x cairn Even more impressive from up close, though the collapse of the racking has broken the symmetry of the thing. Flames lick their way around the northern edge, and the whole structure is surrounded by a halo of thickening smoke ? though the passage leading into the cairn is darker still. You cough: the air here is now thick with smoke. The passage into the cairn is even more obscure. > in You can't go that way. The far side of the cairn is burning now. Laminates pop and crackle in the blaze. > enter cairn You feel your way down the passage towards the heart of the megalith, its walls rising on either side. It's darker than it ought to be, even in the failing light and the billowing smoke. The dark rectangle below the lintel fills your vision. As you reach the threshold, you feel a brief resistance, then that same odd impression of a door opening along some incomprehensible axis... but this time, something is waiting for you on the other side. The old gods are grateful to you for opening their passage into the world. Not grateful enough, however, to let you live. * * * Except ? before all is lost ? time and space rotate uneasily backwards, and you return to yourself, still standing at the far end of that dark passage. That was foolish. Remember: your fate is not the only thing hanging in the balance tonight. Let's try something else ? a little more carefully this time, perhaps. The cairn continues to burn. A narrow path through the flames leads west to the exit. > w You squeeze past the bulk of the cairn and through the checkout aisle. Exit hall Hall feels like a generous word for this narrow space between the checkout area to the east and the sliding doors to your west. Smoke billows in from the east and debris litters the floor, either chipboard violently blasted from the cairn or boxes flung by the collapsing racks. Most of the cultists have disappeared into the growing darkness, but one remains just outside. He turns, smiles, shakes one long finger ? and locks the doors ? before vanishing into the darkness. You feel a wave of heat from the checkout: another section of the cairn has collapsed in the blaze. > i You have nothing. Burning packing material drifts through the checkout aisle. The debris around you starts to catch. > l Exit hall Hall feels like a generous word for this narrow space between the checkout area to the east and the sliding doors to your west. Smoke billows in from the east and debris litters the floor, either chipboard violently blasted from the cairn or boxes flung by the collapsing racks. The sun dips nearly below the horizon, though your surroundings are still lit brightly by the flames. > x debris You pick through the debris, looking for something useful. Most of it is thoroughly destroyed, but one flat-pack furniture box seems to have survived surprisingly unscathed. Thick, chemical smoke pours in from the east. > x flames The fire's burning fast and hot, and too bright to look at for more than a second or two. The heat intensifies. You feel faint. > smell You breathe in a lungful of the smoke ? and cough it violently back out. Vile stuff. The acrid smell of vinyl and formaldehyde burns your throat. A drifting cinder scalds the back of your hand. > take box (the flat-pack furniture box) Taken. Dented and badly charred, but the size and weight feel deeply familiar. You brush a little soot off the corner: DÖLMEN. You cough violently. > open box (the flat-pack furniture box) You tear open the flat-pack furniture box, unpacking a hex key, the DÖLMEN instruction booklet, eight cam-lock nuts, eight cam-lock screws, two table legs, a handful of wooden pegs, and a tabletop. You discard the now-useless cardboard from the box. Drifting ash stings your eyes. You brush it away with the back of one hand. > read book (first taking the DÖLMEN instruction booklet) DÖLMEN The picture shows the familiar, trabeated design: two solid legs supporting a heavy lintel. It's hard to see it as anything other than a doorway, now. You flip ahead to the instructions. Step 1: screw the cam-lock screws into the tabletop. A drifting cinder scalds the back of your hand. > screw screws into top (first taking the cam-lock screws) You flip the tabletop hole-side up, and screw the cam-lock screws firmly into the holes indicated in the instruction booklet. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 2: insert the pegs into the table legs. Thick, chemical smoke pours in from the east. > insert pegs in legs (first taking the wooden pegs) Holding each of the legs upright in turn, you insert the wooden pegs firmly into the holes along the upper edge. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 3: attach the table legs to the tabletop. The heat intensifies. You feel faint. > attach legs to top (first taking the table legs) You start with the tabletop flat on its back. Taking hold of one leg, you line its pegs up with matching holes on one edge of the tabletop and press them together. After some resistance, they meet with a satisfying thump. You do the same with the other leg. The heads of the cam-lock screws are still just visible through nut-sized holes in the sides of each leg. You check the next step of the instructions. Step 4: fasten the cam-lock nuts onto the screws. As the building burns itself up around you, the DÖLMEN draws your focus. You're almost free now. > put nuts on screws (first taking the cam-lock nuts) The nuts fit perfectly into the holes in the side of the table legs, nestling over the heads of the screws. After one or two turns with the hex key, the nuts grip firmly onto the screws and hold the whole table tightly together. You flip it over, and set it solidly down on top of its legs. The roar of the fire sounds muffled now, as though far away or deep underwater. > x table You have trouble not examining it, honestly, though on the surface there's not much to see ? just a couple of angled boards capped with a solid slab of medium-density fibreboard. Something about it seems significant, though; carefully formed, like a rune in some language you only half understand. The DÖLMEN draws your eye again. The door stands open. > in You move towards the doorway, the DÖLMEN stretching out to fill your view as you cross the threshold. * * * You know what to expect now, space and time rotating smoothly around you on some non-Newtonian axis. As the flames of the burning building fall away, the future flashes in an instant through your mind ? no paradise, perhaps, but brighter than it might have been without your work tonight. Well done. * * * And then, space twists and judders back into place ? and you find yourself back in your new apartment, leaning against a wall, catching your breath. It has been an extraordinarily long day. But it is finished. * * * THE END * * * Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, or UNDO the last command? > undo Exit hall [Previous turn undone.] > script off End of transcript.