Start of a transcript of Clusterflux Something Weird by Marshal Tenner Winter Release 1 / Serial number 190925 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib 6/12N) Identification number: //B69D21EB-FAB0-40C0-8449-E8E0DD3E5E68// Interpreter version 2.1.6 / VM 3.1.2 / Library serial number 080126 Standard Rules version 3/120430 by Graham Nelson Patrollers version 12 by Michael Callaghan Unicode Character Names by Graham Nelson Epistemology version 9 by Eric Eve >l Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. >x car Which do you mean, the other cars or your used car? >your It's simple but reliable. >x other (the collared shirt) You're wearing a basic, collared shirt. You're not too terribly fastidious but you've always felt you should be presentable in public. It might be because you spent years watching your brother wearing sweatpants. You always felt as if he looked like a centerfold for Giving Up magazine. >x other cars The dirt lot behind the house has a couple of cars poorly parked. >search cars You find nothing of interest. >look under used car You find nothing of interest. >open it You just got back from work. You don't feel like going anywhere else right now. >x shed The shed is a small, wooden affair, placed out of necessity rather than for anyone that's truly handy with tools. You've never needed to go inside it. In fact, the household rumor is that it hasn't been opened in decades because the original homeowners lost the key. You have a feeling it's more like the landlord is a lazy bastard who can't be bothered to do even a modicum of yardwork. >i You are carrying: a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >x me You're wearing a collared shirt, a pair of clean jeans and a pair of new shoes. You are carrying an apartment key. >x jeans They're just a normal pair of clean jeans. >search jeans You find nothing of interest. >in You can't go that way. >u Wooden Landing This is a wooden landing halfway between flights of wooden steps that lead up to your apartment on the third floor of the house. There's nothing here that would make this a spot to hang-out but that doesn't stop people from smoking cigarettes (or otherwise) on this landing during parties. A wooden railing surrounds the landing save for where you can head up or down the steps. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. You give Gef a quick scratch on the back of his neck, "What's going on, Gef?" "Those brothers on the first floor are having another party tonight." He replies in his precise Indian accent. "Nothing new there." You reply, "Any sign of the guys on the second floor?" "Still haven't seen them. It's been days." He answers solemnly. >talk to gef That's not a verb I recognise. >ask gef about gef Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask gef about me Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask gef about party Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >x gef A small mongoose-type-thing with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, Gef is at once feline and rat-like. His hands are those of a tiny human's and his voice is childlike; at times plaintive and other times cold and doleful. Others see him as a cat. You're the only one who sees a mongoose. Gef chases his tail for a few seconds. >ask gef about tail Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >u Third Floor Deck This is a small landing up at the third floor of the house. It is on the back of the house, overlooking the dirt lot where the cars are parked, but from this height, you can see all around a few of the yards and houses on this street. There's a railing around this deck for safety and stairs lead down to another landing on the second level. Otherwise, the red-painted door to your apartment is closed to the west. Gef comes up from below. >w (first opening the red door) It seems to be locked. >unlock red door (with the apartment key) You unlock the red door. Gef scratches behind his ear. >w (first opening the red door) Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door once existed but has since been painted over with the knob removed. On the compact sofa is a sleeping young woman. Gef arrives from the east. You look at the young lady dozing on your sofa. Gef moves around the room like an agitated cat. He came out of nowhere two weeks ago and now some girl is here, too. "Gef," you ask, "who's the chick?" "I thought you knew her." Gef answers in his lilting accent, "I came out of the bedroom a few hours ago and she was here, poking around like she was waiting for someone." >x woman She is young; no older than 25, you think. Most of her thick, brown hair is pulled back and fastened in a ponytail. She wears a smart afternoon dress with long puff sleeves, a belted waist, and a large collar. Everything she wears conveys a sense of thrift and, on balance, she seems to be one of those quirky girls who enjoys fashions from decades past. She has with her a paisely patterned handbag. >smell woman You smell nothing unexpected. >wake woman You put your hand on the young lady's shoulder, hoping the gentle pressure alone would rouse her from her nap. She shrugs the shoulder and continues sleeping, breathing steadily. >wake woman You place your hand, again, on the young lady's shoulder and give a slightly more assertive, but still brief, shake. Again, she shrugs, but this time adds a defiant grunt, her eyes still closed but her brows beginning to furrow. Gef looks around furtively. >wake woman This time, you grab her arm and give her a solid shake. Locks of her brown hair dangle in her face as her eyebrows furrow even more. Still, she continues to sleep-breathe steadily, close to a soft snore. >wake woman "HEY!" You finally shout at the woman. She bolts upright, looking around a bit dazed. She focuses on you. "I'm sorry," she says, "I must've dozed off." She stands, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles on her clothes, "I'm Barbara Newhall Follett." You notice a bit of a Boston accent. >ask barbara about dozed "What were you doing napping on my sofa? How did you even get in here?" You ask. You don't feel she's a threat. Maybe she's confused or perhaps she's a friend of one of the other housemates and she's somehow wandered up here, so you're not freaking out just yet, really. She looks around and you can see she's nervous and indeed a bit confused. "I really don't know." She says and you spy her fidgit for a moment with a wedding ring on her finger. "Well, it's okay. Just tell me how you got in here." You inquire. "Well," she thinks for a moment, furrowing her brow as she seems to try to remember exactly. You start to think that maybe this young lady took something, or was slipped something, perhaps. "I remember I was alone, walking along Boylston street." (You've never heard of Boylston street.) "It was freezing and snowing," she continues as you glance out your windows at a warm August day. "I was wishing I had a heavier coat and for a moment I decided to step into a bit of a doorway, to get out of the wind." She trails off, thinking. Finally, as if remembering, she points to the southwest corner of the room. "I came out of that door. I looked around for a bit to figure out where I was. I was enjoying the warmth. And I guess I dozed off while waiting on your sofa." >ask barbara about snowing "Yes," she says, "snowing. It's December, silly." "It's August." You tell her gently. Then you nod out the window for her to see and she does. Her eyes remain on the green grass and trees outside for a moment with a pensive look on her face. You decide not to press the issue too much. >ask barbara about corner "The corner?" You ask, confused, gesturing to the southwest portion of the room. You call it the Forgotten Door but it actually goes nowhere. It's been sealed for who-knows how long when the house was split into three different residences. The young woman looks as well and cocks her head. "Huh." She states, "How do you like that?" "It was open?" You ask, but she cuts her eyes at you slightly, "When you walk through a door, do you spin around to examine it?" She replies. Barbara looks around. >ask barbara about barbara "Tell me about yourself." You suggest, "Maybe we can figure out how you got here." "Well, honestly, I must've taken a wrong turn and maybe I hit my head or something." She says, fidgeting with what looks to be her wedding ring. >ask barbara about ring "Something to do with your husband?" You ask, then quickly add, "Uh, or wife?" She gives you a funny look. "Husband." She clarifies, "Yes. Nick. The irascible Nickerson Rogers." Her tone is sardonic and her mouth is tense as she mentions him. "I'm pretty sure it's not working out right now." She says, "In fact, I know it's not." She sighs, "So I left. Just a couple of hours ago. Walked through the snow by myself. Then the wind got to be too much and I ducked into a doorway. I think it was a church. But this doesn't look like the inside of a church. So I hope you don't mind but I sat on your sofa and I guess you know the rest. Maybe I've been out longer than I thought. The sun is coming up." "That's dusk out there." You correct her gently, "The sun's going down." Barbara gives a wistful sigh. >ask barbara about snow You've already discussed that with Barbara. Thinking back, you remember it went something like this: "Yes," she says, "snowing. It's December, silly." "It's August." You tell her gently. Then you nod out the window for her to see and she does. Her eyes remain on the green grass and trees outside for a moment with a pensive look on her face. You decide not to press the issue too much. >ask barbara about church Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. Gef moves around between your legs. >ask barbara about gef Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >tell barbara about me "That's strange." >tell barbara about myself "Odd." Gef looks up as if seeing someone who isn't there. >tell barbara about gef "Hmm." You catch Barbara looking at your clothes as if trying to figure them out. >l Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door once existed but has since been painted over with the knob removed. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. >x forgotten door On the strangely-angled southwest wall, it's obvious that someone attempted to conceal an old door. It makes sense as your apartment is actually the top floor of a large, three-story house that was built decades ago. The current landlord has separated the three floors into three apartments and to maintain privacy, some doors and stairs have been concealed and made inaccessible. This door has been painted into the wall and its doorknob is long gone. >search it You find nothing of interest. Barbara briefly smooths her dress with her palms. >open it You'd have to cut around the doorframe to free it from the paint that covers it. As if reading your mind, Barbara reaches into her paisely patterned handbag and produces a small, metal nail file with a pointed end. "Here," she hands it to you, "try that." >cut frame with file You carefully but purposefully take the sharp point of the nail file and break the paint edging around the forgotten door. It takes a moment, with some backtracking, but finally you free the door from the paint. >open door Which do you mean, the red door, the forgotten door or the narrow door? >forgotten You push on the forgotten door, and sure enough, it gives inward, causing a mini-explosion of dust and paint chips. As everything settles, you see darkness beyond the door. Seeing the new passage that obviously leads downstairs to your housemates' apartment makes you think that maybe you should head down and check the place. The three guys down there haven't been heard or seen in a few days and their cars are in the lot. They wouldn't mind so long as you don't screw around down there. >enter it Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >exit But you aren't in anything at the moment. >ne Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >s (first opening the narrow door) Meager Bathroom This bathroom seems to have been built out of half a walk-in closet or some such. Part of the ceiling angles down into the room, making it feel even more cramped. A medicine cabinet is affixed about a small porcelain sink with faucet. Otherwise, there is a generic toilet in here and a pre-fab shower stall. A narrow door is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >open cabinet You open the medicine cabinet. >x it This is a modest-sized medicine cabinet, attached to the wall above the sink. It is open. >search it The medicine cabinet is empty. Gef gives you a funny look. >close it You close the medicine cabinet. Gef looks up as if seeing someone who isn't there. Barbara gives you a snarky glance. >x stall This is a small shower stall, obviously installed at a much later date. It has the usual complement of one shower head, one handle knob, and one drain. >take all There are none at all available! >n Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. Barbara briefly smooths her dress with her palms. >se Small Kitchen This is a small, cozy kitchen. The sunset's glow streams in from the window to the north, spilling orange on the small kitchen table; big enough for only two retro-looking kitchen chairs. A counter barely fits a coffee maker above which is one of the only two cabinets. The second is below a sink affixed before the window to allow you a view as you do what few dishes you have. Next to that is a small, white stovetop oven. Through a doorway to the northwest is your simple living room and past a closed folding door to the east is your snug bedroom. Barbara arrives from the northwest. Gef arrives from the northwest. >open cabinet Which do you mean, the wall cabinet or the sink cabinet? >wall You open the wall cabinet, revealing a plastic glowstick and some ramen packets. >take all plastic glowstick: You take the plastic glowstick from the wall cabinet. ramen packets: You're not hungry. >open sink cabinet You open the sink cabinet, revealing some cleaning supplies. Barbara gives a wistful sigh. >take supplies You don't need any of that right now. Gef licks his fur as if gussying up for something. >i You are carrying: a plastic glowstick a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >x glowstick It's a small, green, plastic stick filled with whatever makes these things glow. It's leftover from the Phish concert you were dragged to a month or so ago. You just need to bend it, shake it, and enjoy it. Gef shivers for a moment; his short fur bristling. Barbara looks worried for a fleeting moment. >nw Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. Barbara arrives from the southeast. Gef arrives from the southeast. Barbara looks at you quizzically. >x sofa It's comfortable enough for an evening of tv or a movie, but having to crash on it is never fun as its coarse fabric works hard to stave-off any comfort whatsoever. >x bookcase High enough only for three shelves of book space. Your collection of books is eclectic; from old textbooks to paperback sci-fi and fantasy fare. There is no room left for any more books. >search it There is nothing on the waist-high bookcase. >read books For such a small bookcase, you've definitely jammed it full of representatives of just about every genre. And yes, you're pretty sure you've read them all. Now's not the time to peruse them, however. Barbara briefly smooths her dress with her palms. >sw Darkness It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >bend glowstick You give the glowstick a slight bend and you hear a small click. Now it'll glow once you give it a shake. >shake it You shake the glowstick and it sounds like it's filled with weird ice. Soon, it glows a surprisingly bright green glow. Unused Stairs Dust covers every surface. This stairway hasn't been used in decades. The wood steps slightly curve from the northeast past an open door to your apartment, and south to a closed dusty door. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >save Ok. >s You press against the wooden door at the terminus of dark, unused staircase. It has a bit of a give to it, but seems to be sealed somehow. Maybe if you pushed it with more force or maybe even kicked it, it might break free. >push it Nothing obvious happens. >push door Which do you mean, the forgotten door or dusty door? >dusty You push on the door and then you put your weight into it. Suddenly, you hear a loud RIPPING sound and the door gives way even more. Enough, in fact, to allow in a little light from whatever room is beyond. Still, you'd have to give it another push or maybe a kick to finish the job. Gef looks up as if seeing someone who isn't there. >kick dusty You push on the door with even more of your strength and weight and finally, along with a crucial tearing sound, you dump unceremoniously through the newly freed door. Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is closed to the west and another is closed to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. There's an emptiness in the air, yet there's also a strange, electricity as well. You can almost taste it. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >x lamp It's a pendant lamp that looks as if it's from the 50s or even earlier. It gives a slightly yellowish light to this end of the hall. >take it You can't reach it. It's over your head. There is a subtle crackle to the air for a moment. Feeling the need to fill in the awkward gaps in conversation, you say to Barbara, "You still don't remember anything?" "I'm not sure there's anything to remember, really." "What do you mean?" You ask. "I remember everything that happened. I don't think anything else happened." She explains. "But you were in Boston and a moment later, you're on my sofa in Maryland." "Exactly." She looks at your eyes, "It did take only a moment. I'm not forgetting any sort of travel down from Boston. I'm not forgetting any passage of time that would explain why it's not winter anymore. I'm not forgetting anything. I really did lean into a church's doorway and I stumbled into your living room a moment later." You think a moment before saying, "But that would mean..." "That I've become unstuck in time and place? Yes. That, or I'm unconscious in a ditch and this is all just the dream of a dying brain." >x floor It actually looks as if its not too old, but there are still signs of heavy traffic and use on it. >search it You find nothing of interest. A strange humming hits your ears for a moment. At the same time, you sense a subliminal odor of ozone. >smell It smells like a combination of ozone and electricity. >w (first opening the white door) Roomy Bathroom This is a large-ish bathroom made almost entirely of tiny white tiles. At one side of the room is an old claw-foot bathtub, affixed with a portable shower nozzle and a plastic shower curtain. At the other side of the room is the sink and mirror. In between, on the west wall below a window is the john. The door to the hall is open to the east. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >x tub (the old claw-foot bathtub) This is a large, old bathtub with claw-feet. Attached to it are a portable shower nozzle and a shower curtain. You see Tommy Miller, one of the roommates of the second floor. But then, just as suddenly, he's gone. Maybe you didn't really see him in the first place. >x tommy You can't see any such thing. >x tub (the old claw-foot bathtub) This is a large, old bathtub with claw-feet. Attached to it are a portable shower nozzle and a shower curtain. >look under it You find nothing of interest. For a moment, you turn your head because out of the corner of your eye, you believe you see someone in costume. You thought it was a woman in costume as a flapper from the '20s, but you quickly realize she's not there. >x mirror This is a basic mirror, obviously recently purchased at Home Depot or Lowes. Knowing this house, the previous mirror probably got smashed at some point. >x john You can't see any such thing. >e Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is closed to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. Ed Denton arrives from the west. Or maybe he came from the north. Wait, he's not even there anymore. Nevermind. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >s (first opening bedroom door) Second Floor Bedroom Whoever lives here either hates this room, or this apartment, or maybe himself. There's nothing here that says its occupant actually wants to be here. A single, bare mattress lies crooked on the floor. Bits of laundry (cleanliness unknown) are strewn about. A shallow closet (sans door) contains only a rail holding some wire hangers. A bare window looks out over the front yard. The bedroom door is open to the north. A crappy tennis racquet has been discarded in the corner of the room. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >take racquet You pick up the crappy racquet from the ground. Charlie Navarro, a resident of the second floor can be seen in the other room. Then there is a crackle in the air and he's gone. >x mattress It's a bare, twin size mattress. It looks a bit old and grungey. Someone calls your name from the other room. >search it There is nothing on the bare mattress. You hear a man scream from somewhere nearby. Or maybe it came from a television in a nearby room. >move it It is fixed in place. >lift it What do you want to lift the bare mattress with? >look under it You find the porno mag. >take mag You already have that. The electricity in the air intensifies and an annoying hum fills your ears. "Do you hear that too?" Barbara asks as she holds her hands to her ears for a moment. "Yeah," you reply, "it's starting to sound like loud static." >read it This space intentionally left blank. >i You are carrying: a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key Your ears feel like they're throbbing from the constant humming static. It's especially worrisome because the sound seems to be infused in the air rather than coming from some other outside source. Gef scampers about before settling down, clearly bothered by the sound, "There must be a way to break through this, no?" He speaks with his thick Indian accent. >lift mattress with racquet A useless gesture. >take hangers You take a spare hanger from the group of wire hangers on the clothes rail. >x window This lonesome window looks out over the small patch of a front yard and the neighborhood street bordering it. This view is especially dark and shadowy as the sun has almost set behind your neighors" houses. >look through it This lonesome window looks out over the small patch of a front yard and the neighborhood street bordering it. This view is especially dark and shadowy as the sun has almost set behind your neighors" houses. >search laundry You find nothing of interest. >x it This lonesome window looks out over the small patch of a front yard and the neighborhood street bordering it. This view is especially dark and shadowy as the sun has almost set behind your neighors" houses. >x laundry Bits of laundry are scattered all over the floor. None of it looks out of the ordinary, though. >n Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >e Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >n Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. Barbara stops and stares at the DJ booth. She looks around it like an exhibit in a museum. "Well, I've accepted the fact that I'm dreaming all of this," she says to you, or maybe to herself, "but now I realize I'm dreaming that I'm in the future...or another planet." "I'm starting to think the former." You mention, making a gesture at her wardrobe. She looks at her clothes and around the room again. "This is a weird dream." She says quietly. Gef motions toward the DJ booth, "That makes really loud noises, no?" He asks innocently. Barbara points at the large amp, "If that's some sort of phonograph speaker box, I wonder if it has anything to do with this humming noise in our ears?" She asks. >x posters There's a variety of posters amidst the wall art in this room. Your eye lands on a poster for a movie called Planetfall starring Michael B. Jordan. >x posters There's a variety of posters amidst the wall art in this room. Your eye lands on a poster for a young adults" movie called Ballyhoo starring Sean Giambrone. >x posters There's a variety of posters amidst the wall art in this room. Your eye lands on a poster for a pirate movie called Plundered Hearts starring Saoirse Ronan. >x posters There's a variety of posters amidst the wall art in this room. Your eye lands on a poster for the horror movie The Lurking Horror starring Tom Holland. >take posters You think better of it since none of the posters belong to you. >x artwork The wall art consists of a couple of trippy paintings and some pencil still lifes. While the art is definitely good, you can tell it's stuff from art schools and other non-professionals. >x artwork The wall art consists of a couple of trippy paintings and some pencil still lifes. While the art is definitely good, you can tell it's stuff from art schools and other non-professionals. >x sofa It's a leather sofa, bent like an L, and despite its accommodating size, it looks pretty well-used. >x chair It's big and comfy, for sure, but, like the wrap-around sofa, it looks well-used. >search sofa There is nothing on the wrap-around sofa. >search chair There is nothing on the comfy armchair. >look under sofa You find nothing of interest. >look under chari You can't see any such thing. >look under chair You find nothing of interest. >x table This is a coffee table with an ample glass top. Considering the condition of the other furniture in here, you're surprised a glass-top coffee table has survived. >search it There is nothing on the glass-top coffee table. >look under it You find nothing of interest. >x booth You've seen DJ booths so you know a really great rig when you see one. This, however, isn't great. It's more of a starter-DJ set-up, you think. You'd have to step into it to see what's on the DJ side. >enter it It appears to have everything needed for digital DJing (there's no sign of any vinyl around). There are two CD players, a sound mixer, and a crate of CDs. >x player These are what the DJ uses to mix tracks. >x players These are what the DJ uses to mix tracks. >x mixer It's a square device with numerous tiny knobs and some slider things. You're not dumb when it comes to gadgetry but this looks pretty sophisticated. It's actually probably the most expensive part of this DJ booth. You can at least see where you can switch it on or off. The sound mixer is currently switched off. >turn it on The sound mixer is feeding beats to an amp somewhere, but you don't hear it yet. You switch the sound mixer on. >search cds You find nothing of interest. >take cds That doesn't belong to you. >x crate It's a plastic milk crate, stuffed with CDs from all sorts of genres, but mostly popular, dancey, trancey stuff. >search crate The CD crate is empty. >open players They aren't something you can open. >open player They aren't something you can open. >l Spacious Living Room (in the DJ booth) This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. >x amp This is a large amp, standing over waist-high. It is covered in black felt and the speakers look like they can deliver some crucial bass, as the kids say. It's connected to the DJ booth by a black cord. You can see on the amp where it can be switched on or off. The large amp is currently switched off. >switch it on You switch on the amp and, with the sound mixer running, an unbelievably loud and hypnotic beat blasts forth, literally shaking the glass in the windows on this floor. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >l Spacious Living Room (in the DJ booth) This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >turn down mixer I only understood you as far as wanting to turn down. >x mixer It's a square device with numerous tiny knobs and some slider things. You're not dumb when it comes to gadgetry but this looks pretty sophisticated. It's actually probably the most expensive part of this DJ booth. You can at least see where you can switch it on or off. The sound mixer is currently switched on. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >turn knob You can't see any such thing. >x slider You can't see any such thing. >x sliders You can't see any such thing. >l Spacious Living Room (in the DJ booth) This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x cord This is a large amp, standing over waist-high. It is covered in black felt and the speakers look like they can deliver some crucial bass, as the kids say. It's connected to the DJ booth by a black cord. You can see on the amp where it can be switched on or off. The large amp is currently switched on. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >move chair It is fixed in place. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x door It's an old door with long glass panes within it but you're unable to see through as faded fabric has been attached over the glass for added privacy. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >e You would have to get out of the DJ booth first. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >exit You get out of the DJ booth. Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >e (first opening the French door) It seems to be locked. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search french You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >ask barbara about groove Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >ask barbara about music Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >w White Kitchen This kitchen is generous in size and just about everything is painted white, but there is still more of a rustic feel than a modern one. One nice touch that catches your eye are the cabinets with windows in them so that you can see the contents without opening them. On the cabinet wall, the kitchen sink is positioned in the center. Windows look out to the north and west and countertops are set below them. A spacious living room can be reached to the east and the door to the outside is to the west. The only furniture in this kitchen is a white, wooden table with four white, wooden chairs and a small fridge in the corner. Something is in the sink. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >x cabinets The cabinets aren't new but the glass in their doors gives this rustic kitchen an appealing edge to it. In the white cabinets are some mismatched plates, some mismatched cups and some dry goods. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >open cabinet You don't need anything from within these cabinets. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search cabinets In the white cabinets are some mismatched plates, some mismatched cups and some dry goods. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search cabinet In the white cabinets are some mismatched plates, some mismatched cups and some dry goods. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x dry goods It seems to be a collection of bread, peanut butter, and, of course, packets of ramen noodles. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >take bread You can't see any such thing. >x sink This sink is pretty large, especially compared to yours. In the kitchen sink are some rubber kitchen gloves. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >take gloves You take the rubber kitchen gloves from the kitchen sink. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >open fridge That's already open. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x it It's one of those small fridges students have in their dorm rooms. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search it The small fridge is empty. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >closet it That's not a verb I recognise. >close it You close the small fridge. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x table You see nothing special about the wooden table. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >look under it You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search it There is nothing on the wooden table. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >w Side Deck This is a simple, small wooden landing, allowing access to the second floor apartment to the east through a side door. In front of the door is a welcome mat. The wooden steps lead down to the west side of the house. From here, you can see a bit of the neighborhood; large houses, crowded lawns, big, shady trees, and quiet streets. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >x mat It's a durable welcome mat with the words 'Come Back With A Warrant' stitched on it. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >move it It is fixed in place. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >lift it What do you want to lift the welcome mat with? >look under it You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search it You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >push it It is fixed in place. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >d West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. There is a small mailbox here. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >x mailbox It's a small, yet communal mailbox for the whole house. There is an assortment of reflective, adhesive letters on the outside of the mailbox. The mailbox is closed. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >open it You open the small mailbox, revealing a leaflet. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >take leaflet You take the leaflet from the small mailbox. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >read it It's a flyer for a local band playing at a bar down the road. The band is called The Beta-Testers and besides stating that they'll be playing at a dive called Don's Belladonna next week, the flyer also lists the band members as "Radical" Al Golden, Neil Butters, Francesco Tortorici, Joseph Geipel, Geoff Moore and Syman Weed. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x bush (Gef) A small mongoose-type-thing with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, Gef is at once feline and rat-like. His hands are those of a tiny human's and his voice is childlike; at times plaintive and other times cold and doleful. Others see him as a cat. You're the only one who sees a mongoose. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search bush (Gef) You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >x large bush This is a large boxwood bush. It's thick, sturdy, and impossible to get through. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >search it large bush I only understood you as far as wanting to search the large bush. >i You are carrying: a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves a spare hanger a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >w That leads into the neighborhood street. You don't really need to head that way right now. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >ne Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the southwest. Gef arrives from the southwest. >open shed It seems to be locked. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >break shed Violence isn't the answer to this one. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x door Which do you mean, the barn-like door or the back door? >barn-like It's an old wooden door made to look like a miniature barn door. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >break it Violence isn't the answer to this one. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >sw West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. There is a small mailbox here. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the northeast. Gef arrives from the northeast. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >se South of House You're standing at the front of the house. There's very little front lawn as this neighborhood is older and the houses are closer to the road. Being on the corner, the house is edged on the west and south by the neighborhood street. An old cement path leads from the house's front door south to the neighborhood street. Otherwise, a pebbled path leads to the northwest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the northwest. Gef arrives from the northwest. >s That leads into the neighborhood street. You don't really need to head that way right now. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >w That leads away from the house. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >e That leads into the neighbor's yard. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >ne The house is in the way in that direction. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >n (first opening the front door) It seems to be locked. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >unlock door What do you want to unlock the front door with? >key That doesn't seem to fit the lock. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >l South of House You're standing at the front of the house. There's very little front lawn as this neighborhood is older and the houses are closer to the road. Being on the corner, the house is edged on the west and south by the neighborhood street. An old cement path leads from the house's front door south to the neighborhood street. Otherwise, a pebbled path leads to the northwest. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >nw West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. There is a small mailbox here. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the southeast. Gef arrives from the southeast. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >search shed You can't see any such thing. >ne Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the southwest. Gef arrives from the southwest. >search shed You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >e (first opening the barn-like door) It seems to be locked. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >unlock barn-like What do you want to unlock the barn-like door with? >key That doesn't seem to fit the lock. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >s (first opening the back door) It seems to be locked. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >u Wooden Landing This is a wooden landing halfway between flights of wooden steps that lead up to your apartment on the third floor of the house. There's nothing here that would make this a spot to hang-out but that doesn't stop people from smoking cigarettes (or otherwise) on this landing during parties. A wooden railing surrounds the landing save for where you can head up or down the steps. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >x door You can't see any such thing. >u Third Floor Deck This is a small landing up at the third floor of the house. It is on the back of the house, overlooking the dirt lot where the cars are parked, but from this height, you can see all around a few of the yards and houses on this street. There's a railing around this deck for safety and stairs lead down to another landing on the second level. Otherwise, the red-painted door to your apartment is open to the west. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >x door It's a typical front door, but it's been painted red. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x window You can't see any such thing. >x railing You see nothing special about the wooden railing. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >w Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >x door Which do you mean, the forgotten door, the red door or the narrow door? >red It's a typical front door, but it's been painted red. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x narrow This door seems slightly narrower than an average door. But not by much. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >s Meager Bathroom This bathroom seems to have been built out of half a walk-in closet or some such. Part of the ceiling angles down into the room, making it feel even more cramped. A medicine cabinet is affixed about a small porcelain sink with faucet. Otherwise, there is a generic toilet in here and a pre-fab shower stall. A narrow door is open to the north. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >n Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >se Small Kitchen This is a small, cozy kitchen. The sunset's glow streams in from the window to the north, spilling orange on the small kitchen table; big enough for only two retro-looking kitchen chairs. A counter barely fits a coffee maker above which is one of the only two cabinets. The second is below a sink affixed before the window to allow you a view as you do what few dishes you have. Next to that is a small, white stovetop oven. Through a doorway to the northwest is your simple living room and past a closed folding door to the east is your snug bedroom. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the northwest. Gef arrives from the northwest. >e (first opening the folding door) Snug Bedroom This bedroom is so snug, it perfectly fits your full-sized mattress; like, perfectly, with no room leftover whatsoever. To be in the room is to be in your bed. Nonetheless, there are windows to the north and east that have sills wide enough to double as bedside tables or some such. The exit is a folding door which is open to the west. On the full size bed are a comfy blanket, a flat pillow and your hooded sweater.. On the northern window sill are an alarm clock and some paperback books. On the eastern window sill are some reference books. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x windows You can't use multiple objects with that verb. >x window Which do you mean, the northern window, the eastern window, the northern window sill or the eastern window sill? >n I only understood you as far as wanting to examine north. >x northern sill It's a sill that's wide enough to hold your alarm clock and some paperback books for nocturnal reading. On the northern window sill are an alarm clock and some paperback books. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >take clock You really don't need to carry that around right now. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >take books Which do you mean, the paperback books or the reference books? >reference You don't need to consult those books for anything right now. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x reference In an online world, you don't really need a dictionary or thesaurus, but you enjoy thumbing through Strunk's The Elements of Style and Springer's Encyclopedia of Cyber Warfare. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >read style In an online world, you don't really need a dictionary or thesaurus, but you enjoy thumbing through Strunk's The Elements of Style and Springer's Encyclopedia of Cyber Warfare. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >read warfare In an online world, you don't really need a dictionary or thesaurus, but you enjoy thumbing through Strunk's The Elements of Style and Springer's Encyclopedia of Cyber Warfare. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x eastern sill It's a sill that's wide enough to hold some reference books and a reading lamp. On the eastern window sill are some reference books. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x paperback Currently, you're meandering through Heart of Darkness, Lord of the Flies, and Frankenstein. Seems you're presently eschewing popular titles in favor of some classics. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >take paperback You're in no mood to read any of them right now. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x clock It's an older model but it's been so trusty that you still use it. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >turn it on It isn't something you can switch. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >set alarm I didn't understand that sentence. >l Snug Bedroom This bedroom is so snug, it perfectly fits your full-sized mattress; like, perfectly, with no room leftover whatsoever. To be in the room is to be in your bed. Nonetheless, there are windows to the north and east that have sills wide enough to double as bedside tables or some such. The exit is a folding door which is open to the west. On the full size bed are a comfy blanket, a flat pillow and your hooded sweater.. On the northern window sill are an alarm clock and some paperback books. On the eastern window sill are some reference books. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >take all comfy blanket: You don't need to strip the bed for laundry or anything like that right now. flat pillow: You don't need that right now. hooded sweater.: You take the hooded sweater. from the full size bed. alarm clock: You really don't need to carry that around right now. paperback books: You're in no mood to read any of them right now. reference books: You don't need to consult those books for anything right now. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >wear sweater You put on the hooded sweater.. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x blanket It has a cheezy outer-space design with a cartoonish planet Saturn and other astronomical symbols. Still, you feel it's been comfy enough to keep around for years and now the design has become an ironic conversation piece. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search it You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x pillow This pillow has seen better days. Still, it's better than nothing. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search it You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search bed On the full size bed are a comfy blanket and a flat pillow. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >look under bed You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >look under pillow You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >look under blanket You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >l Snug Bedroom This bedroom is so snug, it perfectly fits your full-sized mattress; like, perfectly, with no room leftover whatsoever. To be in the room is to be in your bed. Nonetheless, there are windows to the north and east that have sills wide enough to double as bedside tables or some such. The exit is a folding door which is open to the west. On the full size bed are a comfy blanket and a flat pillow. On the northern window sill are an alarm clock and some paperback books. On the eastern window sill are some reference books. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x eastern window Which do you mean, the eastern window or the eastern window sill? >1 (the eastern window) Through this window, you can really only see tree branches and leaves. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x northern window Which do you mean, the northern window or the northern window sill? >1 (the northern window) This window looks out onto the third floor deck. You can see your front door from here. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x front door You can't see any such thing. >w Small Kitchen This is a small, cozy kitchen. The sunset's glow streams in from the window to the north, spilling orange on the small kitchen table; big enough for only two retro-looking kitchen chairs. A counter barely fits a coffee maker above which is one of the only two cabinets. The second is below a sink affixed before the window to allow you a view as you do what few dishes you have. Next to that is a small, white stovetop oven. Through a doorway to the northwest is your simple living room and past an open folding door to the east is your snug bedroom. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. > I beg your pardon? >ask gef about music Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >ask gef about amp Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >ask gef about barbara Whispering close to his ear as you pretend you're just petting him, you ask. "Where did this woman come from, Gef?" "I don't know," he replies with his thick Indian accent, "she was here when I got back." "Back from where?" You ask. Gef cuts his eyes at you a bit, "I have things I do in the day." He replies defensively. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >ask gef about barbara You've already discussed this with Gef. Thinking back, you remember it went something like this: Whispering close to his ear as you pretend you're just petting him, you ask. "Where did this woman come from, Gef?" "I don't know," he replies with his thick Indian accent, "she was here when I got back." "Back from where?" You ask. Gef cuts his eyes at you a bit, "I have things I do in the day." He replies defensively. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >n You can't go that way. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >nw Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the southeast. Gef arrives from the southeast. >sw Unused Stairs Dust covers every surface. This stairway hasn't been used in decades. The wood steps slightly curve from the northeast past an open door to your apartment, and south to an open dusty door. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >s You walk down the steps and through the freshly ripped open door. Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >w Roomy Bathroom This is a large-ish bathroom made almost entirely of tiny white tiles. At one side of the room is an old claw-foot bathtub, affixed with a portable shower nozzle and a plastic shower curtain. At the other side of the room is the sink and mirror. In between, on the west wall below a window is the john. The door to the hall is open to the east. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >e Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >s Second Floor Bedroom Whoever lives here either hates this room, or this apartment, or maybe himself. There's nothing here that says its occupant actually wants to be here. A single, bare mattress lies crooked on the floor. Bits of laundry (cleanliness unknown) are strewn about. A shallow closet (sans door) contains only a rail holding some wire hangers. A bare window looks out over the front yard. The bedroom door is open to the north. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >lift mattress with hanger (the spare hanger) A useless gesture. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >move laundry They are fixed in place. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >move closet It is fixed in place. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search it You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >enter it That's not something you can enter. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >open window It isn't something you can open. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >n Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >e Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >e Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. Gef looks up at you, "It feels as if the worst of the mental noise is at the top of the stairway, at the end of the hall." He says in his peculiar accent, "It's why we can't go down from there, I think." >n (first opening bedroom door) Second Floor Bedroom This bedroom seems pretty comfortable. A wide bed, covered with a handmade quilt, is to one side while a long dresser is opposite. Thin tapestries with intricate circular designs cover the walls and an oriental rug covers the floor. The door is open to the south but behind the long dresser to the west is a French door, covered in fabric. On the long dresser are a House Slytherin scarf and an expensive laptop. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >x bed It's a nice, wide bed that looks pretty comfortable. Covering it is an expertly crafted quilt. There is no head or footboard as the mattress just sits on a box spring. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >serach it That's not a verb I recognise. >x quilt It looks expertly made; the patchwork design meshing into a spiral of autumn colors. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >take it That doesn't belong to you. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search it You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >look under it You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >look under bed You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >take scarf You take the House Slytherin scarf from the long dresser. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x it Green and black, of course. Thing is, you're pretty sure this is yours. It's been missing for a week or so. Sure, someone else could have one, but in the same boarding house? From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x laptop It's black and sleek. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >take it You better not mess with the laptop. It looks expensive. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >open it You better not mess with the laptop. It looks expensive. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search it You better not mess with the laptop. It looks expensive. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >open dresser You peek in the drawers and find nothing but some useless clothes. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >move dresser It is fixed in place. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >push it It is fixed in place. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >look under it You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x tapestries These aren't tie-dyed, but they still have quite a psychedelic flavor. The designs are artistic prints of figures like marching ceremonial elephants and stylized gazelles. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >move tapestries They are fixed in place. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search them You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x rug It's a beautiful, intricately designed rug, but it's slightly worn. Otherwise, you're pretty sure it's the genuine article. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >move it You would have to move the furniture off the rug in order to do that, but you're pretty sure there's nothing under this oriental rug. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search it You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >touch it You feel nothing unexpected. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >l Second Floor Bedroom This bedroom seems pretty comfortable. A wide bed, covered with a handmade quilt, is to one side while a long dresser is opposite. Thin tapestries with intricate circular designs cover the walls and an oriental rug covers the floor. The door is open to the south but behind the long dresser to the west is a French door, covered in fabric. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. On the long dresser is an expensive laptop. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >w (first opening the French door) It seems to be locked. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >s Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >s (first opening bedroom door) Second Floor Bedroom This bedroom is very bare, but not in an abandoned or neglected way, but rather in a very tidy way. The occupant must be quite fastidious. A neatly made bed and a chest of drawers are the only furnishings. A doorless closet is on the west wall and there are windows on the east and south walls. The door back to the hallway is open to the north. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >x bed You see nothing special about the neatly made bed. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search it There is nothing on the neatly made bed. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >look under it You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x chest It's a dresser with three large drawers. It's not fancy or expensive, but it is free of dust and clutter. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search it You can't see inside, since the chest of drawers is closed. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >open drawer You open the chest of drawers, revealing some folded clothes. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x clothes Which do you mean, the folded clothes or the clothes rail? >folded These are an assortment of clothes, all folded extremely neatly in the three drawers. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search folded You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x rail It's just a plain clothes rail supporting a selection of shirts. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search it You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x shirts Which do you mean, the folded clothes or the selection of shirts? >selection There are all sorts of t-shirts and collared shirts hanging in the closet. Many of them have a logo that looks like a stylized squid with the word SquidSys below it. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >take shirt (the collared shirt) You already have that. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >take selection These don't belong to you. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search selection You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >l Second Floor Bedroom This bedroom is very bare, but not in an abandoned or neglected way, but rather in a very tidy way. The occupant must be quite fastidious. A neatly made bed and a chest of drawers are the only furnishings. A doorless closet is on the west wall and there are windows on the east and south walls. The door back to the hallway is open to the north. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x closet This closet is just deep enough to sport a clothes rail supporting a selection of shirts. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search it You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x window Which do you mean, the eastern window or the southern window? >e I only understood you as far as wanting to examine east. >x eastern window This window looks into the trees around that side of the house. It's hard to see much else, really. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x southern window This window looks out over the front lawn. You can see the old cement path leading from the house's front door to the neighborhood street to the south. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >n Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >save Ok. >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "Help us." From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >listen There's an uncomforatble, electric-feeling hum thrumming in your ears. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >tell gef about voice "You don't say!" From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >tell barbara about voice "Wow." From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >gef, e Gef has better things to do. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >barbara, e Barbara has better things to do. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "You must help." From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >l Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >search i You can't see any such thing. >search e You find nothing of interest. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x e You see nothing unexpected in that direction. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >w Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >n Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >x cord This is a large amp, standing over waist-high. It is covered in black felt and the speakers look like they can deliver some crucial bass, as the kids say. It's connected to the DJ booth by a black cord. You can see on the amp where it can be switched on or off. The large amp is currently switched on. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >pull cord It's a bit too heavy and cumbersome to pull around. Maybe you can push it. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >push it Nothing obvious happens. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >push booth It is fixed in place. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >x amp This is a large amp, standing over waist-high. It is covered in black felt and the speakers look like they can deliver some crucial bass, as the kids say. It's connected to the DJ booth by a black cord. You can see on the amp where it can be switched on or off. The large amp is currently switched on. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >turn it off You switch the large amp off. >l Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. >e (first opening the French door) It seems to be locked. >s Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >e Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "Help us." >i You are carrying: a House Slytherin scarf your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves a spare hanger a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >wear scarf You put on the House Slytherin scarf. >wear gloves You put on the rubber kitchen gloves. >l Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >x me You're wearing a House Slytherin scarf, your hooded sweater., some rubber kitchen gloves, a collared shirt, a pair of clean jeans and a pair of new shoes. You are carrying a leaflet, a spare hanger, a porno mag, a crappy racquet, a plastic glowstick, a nail file and an apartment key. >x racquet It's crappy and many of its strings are loose or missing. >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "Don't leave." >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "Help us." >x stairwell It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. >touch stairwell You feel nothing unexpected. >x gloves These gloves are a thin yellow rubber and extend past the wrist. >i You are carrying: a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a spare hanger a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >n Second Floor Bedroom This bedroom seems pretty comfortable. A wide bed, covered with a handmade quilt, is to one side while a long dresser is opposite. Thin tapestries with intricate circular designs cover the walls and an oriental rug covers the floor. The door is open to the south but behind the long dresser to the west is a French door, covered in fabric. On the long dresser is an expensive laptop. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >take laptop You better not mess with the laptop. It looks expensive. >break it You better not mess with the laptop. It looks expensive. >ask gef about laptop Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >s Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >s Second Floor Bedroom This bedroom is very bare, but not in an abandoned or neglected way, but rather in a very tidy way. The occupant must be quite fastidious. A neatly made bed and a chest of drawers are the only furnishings. A doorless closet is on the west wall and there are windows on the east and south walls. The door back to the hallway is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >w You can't go that way. >e You can't go that way. >n Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >w Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >n Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >enter booth It appears to have everything needed for digital DJing (there's no sign of any vinyl around). There are two CD players, a sound mixer, and a crate of CDs. >play music You can't see any such thing. >play cd (the CD players) That's not really something you can play. >play cds That's not really something you can play. >switch cds It isn't something you can switch. >put cds in cd players (first taking the CD collection) That doesn't belong to you. >x collection The collection is a variety of genres, but mostly popular, dancey, trancey stuff. >search it You find nothing of interest. >empty crate That's not a verb I recognise. >turn crate It is fixed in place. >i You are carrying: a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a spare hanger a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >ask barbara about scarf Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask barbara about leaflet Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask gef about leaflet Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask barbara about hanger Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask barbara about mag Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask gef about hanger Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask gef about mag Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask barbara about file Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask barbara about racquet Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask gef about racquet Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask gef about file Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >s You would have to get out of the DJ booth first. >search booth The DJ booth is empty. >l Spacious Living Room (in the DJ booth) This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. >take mixer That seems to be a part of the DJ booth. >move it Nothing obvious happens. >turn it Nothing obvious happens. >switch it You switch the sound mixer off. >s You would have to get out of the DJ booth first. >out You get out of the DJ booth. Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. >turn amp on You switch on the amp and an annoying hum emits from it. Long, steady, and annoying. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >listen There's an uncomforatble, electric-feeling hum thrumming in your ears. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >s Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >e Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "Where are we?" An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "Help us." An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "You must help." An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "Help us." An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "Where are we?" An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "You must help." An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >tell voice You can't see any such thing. >w Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >w Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >n Unused Stairs Dust covers every surface. This stairway hasn't been used in decades. The wood steps slightly curve from the northeast past an open door to your apartment, and south to an open dusty door. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >w You can't go that way. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >s You walk down the steps and through the freshly ripped open door. Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >w Roomy Bathroom This is a large-ish bathroom made almost entirely of tiny white tiles. At one side of the room is an old claw-foot bathtub, affixed with a portable shower nozzle and a plastic shower curtain. At the other side of the room is the sink and mirror. In between, on the west wall below a window is the john. The door to the hall is open to the east. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >x tub (the old claw-foot bathtub) This is a large, old bathtub with claw-feet. Attached to it are a portable shower nozzle and a shower curtain. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x shower Which do you mean, the portable shower nozzle or the plastic shower curtain? >portable It's the kind that plugs up to the faucet and hangs above, turning a plain bathtub into a shower/bath. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take it That seems to be a part of the old claw-foot bathtub. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take curtain You'd be seen trying to sneak out of this part of the house dragging their shower curtain. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >pull it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >push it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >turn on shower Which do you mean, the portable shower nozzle or the plastic shower curtain? >portable It isn't something you can switch. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >turn on faucet Which do you mean, the tub faucet or the brass faucet? >tub It isn't something you can switch. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >turn on faucet Which do you mean, the tub faucet or the brass faucet? >brass You don't need any water right now. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >k That's not a verb I recognise. >l Roomy Bathroom This is a large-ish bathroom made almost entirely of tiny white tiles. At one side of the room is an old claw-foot bathtub, affixed with a portable shower nozzle and a plastic shower curtain. At the other side of the room is the sink and mirror. In between, on the west wall below a window is the john. The door to the hall is open to the east. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x sink It's a basic, white bathroom sink. It has a brass faucet. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >e Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >s Second Floor Bedroom Whoever lives here either hates this room, or this apartment, or maybe himself. There's nothing here that says its occupant actually wants to be here. A single, bare mattress lies crooked on the floor. Bits of laundry (cleanliness unknown) are strewn about. A shallow closet (sans door) contains only a rail holding some wire hangers. A bare window looks out over the front yard. The bedroom door is open to the north. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >n Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >e Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >s You can't go that way. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >n Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >e (first opening the French door) It seems to be locked. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x french It's an old door with long glass panes within it but you're unable to see through as faded fabric has been attached over the glass for added privacy. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take fabric That seems to be a part of the French door. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >pull it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move booth It is fixed in place. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >s Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >e Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >n Second Floor Bedroom This bedroom seems pretty comfortable. A wide bed, covered with a handmade quilt, is to one side while a long dresser is opposite. Thin tapestries with intricate circular designs cover the walls and an oriental rug covers the floor. The door is open to the south but behind the long dresser to the west is a French door, covered in fabric. On the long dresser is an expensive laptop. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >w (first opening the French door) It seems to be locked. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x fabric It's a faded pink color. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >pull it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >s Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >s Second Floor Bedroom This bedroom is very bare, but not in an abandoned or neglected way, but rather in a very tidy way. The occupant must be quite fastidious. A neatly made bed and a chest of drawers are the only furnishings. A doorless closet is on the west wall and there are windows on the east and south walls. The door back to the hallway is open to the north. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >take drawers That's hardly portable. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take all folded clothes: None of those clothes belong to you. They also wouldn't fit you as they seem a bit too big. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >n Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >n Second Floor Bedroom This bedroom seems pretty comfortable. A wide bed, covered with a handmade quilt, is to one side while a long dresser is opposite. Thin tapestries with intricate circular designs cover the walls and an oriental rug covers the floor. The door is open to the south but behind the long dresser to the west is a French door, covered in fabric. On the long dresser is an expensive laptop. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >take all expensive laptop: You better not mess with the laptop. It looks expensive. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >s Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >take all There are none at all available! >w Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >take all There are none at all available! >n Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >take all large amp: It's a bit too heavy to pick up. Maybe you can push it. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >enter booth It appears to have everything needed for digital DJing (there's no sign of any vinyl around). There are two CD players, a sound mixer, and a crate of CDs. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take all large amp: It's a bit too heavy to pick up. Maybe you can push it. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >out You get out of the DJ booth. Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >turn off amp You switch the large amp off. >push it Nothing obvious happens. >move it Nothing obvious happens. >search it You find nothing of interest. >x it This is a large amp, standing over waist-high. It is covered in black felt and the speakers look like they can deliver some crucial bass, as the kids say. It's connected to the DJ booth by a black cord. You can see on the amp where it can be switched on or off. The large amp is currently switched off. >s Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >n Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >turn on amp You switch on the amp and an annoying hum emits from it. Long, steady, and annoying. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >s Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >e Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "Help us." An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >w Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >w Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >e Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >n Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >w White Kitchen This kitchen is generous in size and just about everything is painted white, but there is still more of a rustic feel than a modern one. One nice touch that catches your eye are the cabinets with windows in them so that you can see the contents without opening them. On the cabinet wall, the kitchen sink is positioned in the center. Windows look out to the north and west and countertops are set below them. A spacious living room can be reached to the east and the door to the outside is to the west. The only furniture in this kitchen is a white, wooden table with four white, wooden chairs and a small fridge in the corner. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >x chairs You see nothing special about the wooden chairs. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >w Side Deck This is a simple, small wooden landing, allowing access to the second floor apartment to the east through a side door. In front of the door is a welcome mat. The wooden steps lead down to the west side of the house. From here, you can see a bit of the neighborhood; large houses, crowded lawns, big, shady trees, and quiet streets. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >x mat It's a durable welcome mat with the words 'Come Back With A Warrant' stitched on it. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >w That's off the deck. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >d West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. There is a small mailbox here. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >u Side Deck This is a simple, small wooden landing, allowing access to the second floor apartment to the east through a side door. In front of the door is a welcome mat. The wooden steps lead down to the west side of the house. From here, you can see a bit of the neighborhood; large houses, crowded lawns, big, shady trees, and quiet streets. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >u You can't go that way. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >d West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. There is a small mailbox here. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >x lawn The neighborhood is made of large houses, crowded lawns, big, shady trees, and quiet streets, with only an occasional car at this time of day. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search lawn You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x car The dirt lot behind the house has a couple of cars poorly parked. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >i You are carrying: a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a spare hanger a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x hanger It's a just a wire hanger. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >bend it You bend the spare hanger into a long, bent poker. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x poker You've bent this wire hanger into a long poker type-thing. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >poke That's not a verb I recognise. >search mailbox The small mailbox is empty. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >use That's not a verb I recognise. >about That's not a verb I recognise. >help See how-to-play-IF card for help with commands. To see a list of topics that you can ask other characters, type "topics". Any words in bold are new topics you can ask. If your display doesn't show bold characters, just check "topics" periodically to see any additions. There are opportunities in this game to really alter the course of events in the story. Multiple traversals can be narratively rewarding. Stay curious. If you're stuck, examining things usually yields clues. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >topics Current topics include: wedding ring, Barbara, dozed, snowing and corner. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >ask barbara about ring You've already discussed this with Barbara. It went as follows: "Something to do with your husband?" You ask, then quickly add, "Uh, or wife?" She gives you a funny look. "Husband." She clarifies, "Yes. Nick. The irascible Nickerson Rogers." Her tone is sardonic and her mouth is tense as she mentions him. "I'm pretty sure it's not working out right now." She says, "In fact, I know it's not." She sighs, "So I left. Just a couple of hours ago. Walked through the snow by myself. Then the wind got to be too much and I ducked into a doorway. I think it was a church. But this doesn't look like the inside of a church. So I hope you don't mind but I sat on your sofa and I guess you know the rest. Maybe I've been out longer than I thought. The sun is coming up." "That's dusk out there." You correct her gently, "The sun's going down." An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >ask barbara about barbara You've already asked her about herself. It went like this: "Tell me about yourself." You suggest, "Maybe we can figure out how you got here." "Well, honestly, I must've taken a wrong turn and maybe I hit my head or something." She says, fidgeting with what looks to be her wedding ring. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >ask gef about barbara You've already discussed this with Gef. Thinking back, you remember it went something like this: Whispering close to his ear as you pretend you're just petting him, you ask. "Where did this woman come from, Gef?" "I don't know," he replies with his thick Indian accent, "she was here when I got back." "Back from where?" You ask. Gef cuts his eyes at you a bit, "I have things I do in the day." He replies defensively. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >ask gef about ring Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >ask gef about dozed Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >ask gef about snowing Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >ask gef about corner You nuzzle Gef with your nose but you quietly ask him, "Have you ever seen that painted-over door open, Gef?" Gef shrugs his small, furry shoulders and replies, "No, I haven't. But I've only been here a couple of weeks." An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >topics Current topics include: wedding ring, Barbara, dozed, snowing and corner. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >e That's the side of the house. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >s That leads too far away from the house. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >n That leads too far away from the house. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >enter bush (Gef) He's not something you can enter. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >cut bush (Gef) Cutting him up would achieve little. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >enter large bush That's not something you can enter. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >cut it Cutting it up would achieve little. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >se South of House You're standing at the front of the house. There's very little front lawn as this neighborhood is older and the houses are closer to the road. Being on the corner, the house is edged on the west and south by the neighborhood street. An old cement path leads from the house's front door south to the neighborhood street. Otherwise, a pebbled path leads to the northwest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the northwest. Gef arrives from the northwest. >nw West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. There is a small mailbox here. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the southeast. Gef arrives from the southeast. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >ne Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the southwest. Gef arrives from the southwest. >x car Which do you mean, the other cars or your used car? >used It's simple but reliable. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >open it You just got back from work. You don't feel like going anywhere else right now. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x shed The shed is a small, wooden affair, placed out of necessity rather than for anyone that's truly handy with tools. You've never needed to go inside it. In fact, the household rumor is that it hasn't been opened in decades because the original homeowners lost the key. You have a feeling it's more like the landlord is a lazy bastard who can't be bothered to do even a modicum of yardwork. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >push shed It is fixed in place. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >i You are carrying: a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >poke shed That's not a verb I recognise. >unlock shed with hanger That doesn't seem to be something you can unlock. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >unlock shed What do you want to unlock the small shed with? >hanger That doesn't seem to be something you can unlock. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >unlock shed What do you want to unlock the small shed with? >file That doesn't seem to be something you can unlock. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >l Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >s (first opening the back door) It seems to be locked. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >unlock back door with hanger That doesn't seem to fit the lock. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >unlock back door with file That doesn't seem to fit the lock. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x door Which do you mean, the barn-like door or the back door? >x barn-like It's an old wooden door made to look like a miniature barn door. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >unlock it What do you want to unlock the barn-like door with? >hanger That doesn't seem to fit the lock. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >unlock it What do you want to unlock the barn-like door with? >file That doesn't seem to fit the lock. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >u Wooden Landing This is a wooden landing halfway between flights of wooden steps that lead up to your apartment on the third floor of the house. There's nothing here that would make this a spot to hang-out but that doesn't stop people from smoking cigarettes (or otherwise) on this landing during parties. A wooden railing surrounds the landing save for where you can head up or down the steps. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >x railing It's completely unadorned and really just a bunch of 2x4"s strategically nailed together. But at least the handrail part is flat so you can rest your beer on it if you're on the landing where it's level. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it There is nothing on the wooden railing. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x landing These wooden steps, an obvious later addition, climb up the back of the house, stopping once for a landing. They lead from the dirt parking lot up to your third floor deck and apartment door. There's also another set of steps on the west side of the house that leads to the second floor. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it There is nothing on the wooden railing. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >w You can't really go in any direction but up or down from here. This landing is up by the second floor of the house. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >u Third Floor Deck This is a small landing up at the third floor of the house. It is on the back of the house, overlooking the dirt lot where the cars are parked, but from this height, you can see all around a few of the yards and houses on this street. There's a railing around this deck for safety and stairs lead down to another landing on the second level. Otherwise, the red-painted door to your apartment is open to the west. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >x yards You can't see any such thing. >x houses The neighborhood is made of large houses, crowded lawns, big, shady trees, and quiet streets, with only an occasional car at this time of day. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x railing You see nothing special about the wooden railing. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >w Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >close red door You close the red door. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x it It's a typical front door, but it's been painted red. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >open it You open the red door. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x sofa It's comfortable enough for an evening of tv or a movie, but having to crash on it is never fun as its coarse fabric works hard to stave-off any comfort whatsoever. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it There is nothing on the compact sofa. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move it It is fixed in place. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x wall The landlord isn't the worst you've had, but he's certainly not the best. The uneven and somewhat bumpy painting job tells you that there's probably a good number of layers beneath the one you can see. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x paint The landlord isn't the worst you've had, but he's certainly not the best. The uneven and somewhat bumpy painting job tells you that there's probably a good number of layers beneath the one you can see. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x table This coffee table is wide and square, allowing ample room for whatever you have going on in here. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it There is nothing on the coffee table. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >look under it You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >look under sofa You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x television It's not huge but it is flatscreen, at least, and it's quite easy to cast your laptop to it for movie-time or just to watch your various YouTube vids from your various online amateur sleuth cohorts. The remote control for this tv is probably around somewhere. The small flatscreen television is currently switched off. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >turn it on There's no need to do that now. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move it It is fixed in place. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take it It's best if you don't take the tv off the wall. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >push it It is fixed in place. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x bookcase High enough only for three shelves of book space. Your collection of books is eclectic; from old textbooks to paperback sci-fi and fantasy fare. There is no room left for any more books. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move it It is fixed in place. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it There is nothing on the waist-high bookcase. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x books For such a small bookcase, you've definitely jammed it full of representatives of just about every genre. And yes, you're pretty sure you've read them all. Now's not the time to peruse them, however. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x fantasy For such a small bookcase, you've definitely jammed it full of representatives of just about every genre. And yes, you're pretty sure you've read them all. Now's not the time to peruse them, however. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >se Small Kitchen This is a small, cozy kitchen. The sunset's glow streams in from the window to the north, spilling orange on the small kitchen table; big enough for only two retro-looking kitchen chairs. A counter barely fits a coffee maker above which is one of the only two cabinets. The second is below a sink affixed before the window to allow you a view as you do what few dishes you have. Next to that is a small, white stovetop oven. Through a doorway to the northwest is your simple living room and past an open folding door to the east is your snug bedroom. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the northwest. Gef arrives from the northwest. >x window This window looks out onto your third floor deck outside. A deep red sun is setting behind the neighborhood houses. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x deck You can't see any such thing. >x sun You see nothing special about the sunset's glow. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x houses This window looks out onto your third floor deck outside. A deep red sun is setting behind the neighborhood houses. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x table It's an old-school, Formica table from decades ago. Its top is white, flecked with silver. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it There is nothing on the kitchen table. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >look under it You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move it It is fixed in place. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x chairs You can't see any such thing. >x chair Which do you mean, the first retro-looking chair or the second retro-looking chair? >first It looks like a white-and-yellow kitchen chair from the 1970s. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it There is nothing on the first retro-looking chair. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >look under it You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move it It is fixed in place. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x second You see nothing special about the second retro-looking chair. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >look under it You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it There is nothing on the second retro-looking chair. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move it It is fixed in place. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >climb it Little is to be achieved by that. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >climb table Little is to be achieved by that. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x counter You think it's Melmac. That's a thing, right? An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it There is nothing on the kitchen counter. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >look under it You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x maker It's a simple maker with a small pot, perfect for one person, really. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take it You don't need to move that anywhere else right now. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >use it That's not a verb I recognise. >turn it on You're not in the mood for coffee right now. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x coffee It's a simple maker with a small pot, perfect for one person, really. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x pot It's a simple maker with a small pot, perfect for one person, really. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x oven This is a small, old stovetop oven. It is white with signs of wear and use, but at least it still works. Its door is closed. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >open it You open the stovetop oven. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x it This is a small, old stovetop oven. It is white with signs of wear and use, but at least it still works. Its door is open. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it The stovetop oven is empty. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >close it You close the stovetop oven. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x cabinet Which do you mean, the wall cabinet or the sink cabinet? >wall It's an old cabinet, painted white, but pretty wide for a single storage space for your ramen. In the wall cabinet are some ramen packets. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take ramen You're not hungry. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x sink Which do you mean, the kitchen sink or the sink cabinet? >kitchen It's not large, but it's large enough for your needs. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it The kitchen sink is empty. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x sink cabinet It matches the cabinet above the counter, including a door. In the sink cabinet are some cleaning supplies. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take cleaning You don't need any of that right now. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search cleaning You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >l Small Kitchen This is a small, cozy kitchen. The sunset's glow streams in from the window to the north, spilling orange on the small kitchen table; big enough for only two retro-looking kitchen chairs. A counter barely fits a coffee maker above which is one of the only two cabinets. The second is below a sink affixed before the window to allow you a view as you do what few dishes you have. Next to that is a small, white stovetop oven. Through a doorway to the northwest is your simple living room and past an open folding door to the east is your snug bedroom. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x dishes You can't see any such thing. >e Snug Bedroom This bedroom is so snug, it perfectly fits your full-sized mattress; like, perfectly, with no room leftover whatsoever. To be in the room is to be in your bed. Nonetheless, there are windows to the north and east that have sills wide enough to double as bedside tables or some such. The exit is a folding door which is open to the west. On the full size bed are a comfy blanket and a flat pillow. On the northern window sill are an alarm clock and some paperback books. On the eastern window sill are some reference books. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take pillow You don't need that right now. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take all comfy blanket: You don't need to strip the bed for laundry or anything like that right now. flat pillow: You don't need that right now. alarm clock: You really don't need to carry that around right now. paperback books: You're in no mood to read any of them right now. reference books: You don't need to consult those books for anything right now. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search reference You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x reference In an online world, you don't really need a dictionary or thesaurus, but you enjoy thumbing through Strunk's The Elements of Style and Springer's Encyclopedia of Cyber Warfare. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >read style In an online world, you don't really need a dictionary or thesaurus, but you enjoy thumbing through Strunk's The Elements of Style and Springer's Encyclopedia of Cyber Warfare. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >look up something in style You discover nothing of interest in the reference books. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >look up ghost in style You discover nothing of interest in the reference books. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >ask barbara about ghost You can't see any such thing. >ask barbara about ghosts You can't see any such thing. >look under mattress You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >lift it What do you want to lift the full size bed with? >hanger A useless gesture. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >i You are carrying: a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >lift it What do you want to lift the full size bed with? >racquet A useless gesture. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x leaflet It's a flyer for a local band playing at a bar down the road. The band is called The Beta-Testers and besides stating that they'll be playing at a dive called Don's Belladonna next week, the flyer also lists the band members as "Radical" Al Golden, Neil Butters, Francesco Tortorici, Joseph Geipel, Geoff Moore and Syman Weed. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >read mag This space intentionally left blank. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >open window Which do you mean, the northern window, the eastern window, the northern window sill or the eastern window sill? >n I only understood you as far as wanting to open north. >open northern window Which do you mean, the northern window or the northern window sill? >1 (the northern window) It's already partly opened with a nice evening breeze coming in. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >close it You would close it but the evening breeze coming in is actually very nice. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >open eastern window Which do you mean, the eastern window or the eastern window sill? >1 (the eastern window) It's already partly opened with a nice evening breeze coming in. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >close it You would close it but the evening breeze coming in is actually very nice. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >exit window I only understood you as far as wanting to exit. >enter window Which do you mean, the northern window, the eastern window, the northern window sill or the eastern window sill? >1 (the northern window) That's not something you can enter. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >l Snug Bedroom This bedroom is so snug, it perfectly fits your full-sized mattress; like, perfectly, with no room leftover whatsoever. To be in the room is to be in your bed. Nonetheless, there are windows to the north and east that have sills wide enough to double as bedside tables or some such. The exit is a folding door which is open to the west. On the full size bed are a comfy blanket and a flat pillow. On the northern window sill are an alarm clock and some paperback books. On the eastern window sill are some reference books. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >w Small Kitchen This is a small, cozy kitchen. The sunset's glow streams in from the window to the north, spilling orange on the small kitchen table; big enough for only two retro-looking kitchen chairs. A counter barely fits a coffee maker above which is one of the only two cabinets. The second is below a sink affixed before the window to allow you a view as you do what few dishes you have. Next to that is a small, white stovetop oven. Through a doorway to the northwest is your simple living room and past an open folding door to the east is your snug bedroom. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >e Snug Bedroom This bedroom is so snug, it perfectly fits your full-sized mattress; like, perfectly, with no room leftover whatsoever. To be in the room is to be in your bed. Nonetheless, there are windows to the north and east that have sills wide enough to double as bedside tables or some such. The exit is a folding door which is open to the west. On the full size bed are a comfy blanket and a flat pillow. On the northern window sill are an alarm clock and some paperback books. On the eastern window sill are some reference books. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take blanket You don't need to strip the bed for laundry or anything like that right now. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >look under blanket You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >pull it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >lie in bed That's not a verb I recognise. >enter bed That's not something you can enter. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >sleep You aren't feeling especially drowsy. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >lie down That's not a verb I recognise. >w Small Kitchen This is a small, cozy kitchen. The sunset's glow streams in from the window to the north, spilling orange on the small kitchen table; big enough for only two retro-looking kitchen chairs. A counter barely fits a coffee maker above which is one of the only two cabinets. The second is below a sink affixed before the window to allow you a view as you do what few dishes you have. Next to that is a small, white stovetop oven. Through a doorway to the northwest is your simple living room and past an open folding door to the east is your snug bedroom. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >nw Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the southeast. Gef arrives from the southeast. >s Meager Bathroom This bathroom seems to have been built out of half a walk-in closet or some such. Part of the ceiling angles down into the room, making it feel even more cramped. A medicine cabinet is affixed about a small porcelain sink with faucet. Otherwise, there is a generic toilet in here and a pre-fab shower stall. A narrow door is open to the north. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >shower That's not a verb I recognise. >turn on faucet You don't need any water right now. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take all There are none at all available! >x stall This is a small shower stall, obviously installed at a much later date. It has the usual complement of one shower head, one handle knob, and one drain. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >enter stall You get into the pre-fab shower stall. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take all There are none at all available! >take head That seems to be a part of the pre-fab shower stall. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >turn knob Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x drain Where it goes, no one knows. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >n You would have to get out of the pre-fab shower stall first. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >exit You get out of the pre-fab shower stall. Meager Bathroom This bathroom seems to have been built out of half a walk-in closet or some such. Part of the ceiling angles down into the room, making it feel even more cramped. A medicine cabinet is affixed about a small porcelain sink with faucet. Otherwise, there is a generic toilet in here and a pre-fab shower stall. A narrow door is open to the north. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x ceiling There's really nothing too special about the ceiling. It looks as if it's seen many coats of paint through the years but otherwise is relatively clean. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x sink It's a basic porcelain sink, designed for slightly smaller spaces it seems. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it The small porcelain sink is empty. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search toilet There is nothing on the generic toilet. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >pee That's not a verb I recognise. >i You are carrying: a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >put hanger on racquet Putting things on the crappy racquet would achieve nothing. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >put racquet on hanger Putting things on the bent hanger would achieve nothing. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >n Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >sw Unused Stairs Dust covers every surface. This stairway hasn't been used in decades. The wood steps slightly curve from the northeast past an open door to your apartment, and south to an open dusty door. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >x dust It's just dust. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take it You don't need to take any of this dust. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x stairway You can't see any such thing. >x steps You can't see any such thing. >x door Which do you mean, dusty door or the forgotten door? >forgotten On the strangely-angled southwest wall, it's obvious that someone attempted to conceal an old door. It makes sense as your apartment is actually the top floor of a large, three-story house that was built decades ago. The current landlord has separated the three floors into three apartments and to maintain privacy, some doors and stairs have been concealed and made inaccessible. This door has been ripped open from the many layers of paint concealing it. There is darkness beyond. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >close it Without a doorknob, you're not quite sure how you're going to close it. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >s You walk down the steps and through the freshly ripped open door. Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >x door Which do you mean, wallpapered door, bedroom door or the white door? >wallpapered You can see where there was once a very wallpapered wall is actually a long-lost door. The paper has been ripped all around its edges and seems to have been unsealed open from the other side. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x bedroom door This is just a normal bedroom door. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x white door This is a simple door painted white. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >w Roomy Bathroom This is a large-ish bathroom made almost entirely of tiny white tiles. At one side of the room is an old claw-foot bathtub, affixed with a portable shower nozzle and a plastic shower curtain. At the other side of the room is the sink and mirror. In between, on the west wall below a window is the john. The door to the hall is open to the east. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >x tiles This bathroom is practically covered with tiny white tiles. At least everything is mostly clean, you consider. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take tiles They're hardly portable. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search tiles You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >break tiles Violence isn't the answer to this one. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x bathtub This is a large, old bathtub with claw-feet. Attached to it are a portable shower nozzle and a shower curtain. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it The old claw-foot bathtub is empty. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move it It is fixed in place. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take all There are none at all available! >take curtain You'd be seen trying to sneak out of this part of the house dragging their shower curtain. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >pull it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >enter tub (the old claw-foot bathtub) You get into the old claw-foot bathtub. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >l Roomy Bathroom (in the old claw-foot bathtub) This is a large-ish bathroom made almost entirely of tiny white tiles. At one side of the room is an old claw-foot bathtub, affixed with a portable shower nozzle and a plastic shower curtain. At the other side of the room is the sink and mirror. In between, on the west wall below a window is the john. The door to the hall is open to the east. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >turn on nozzle It isn't something you can switch. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x water You can't see any such thing. >barbara, enter tub (the old claw-foot bathtub) Barbara has better things to do. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >topics Current topics include: wedding ring, Barbara, dozed, snowing and corner. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >exit You get out of the old claw-foot bathtub. Roomy Bathroom This is a large-ish bathroom made almost entirely of tiny white tiles. At one side of the room is an old claw-foot bathtub, affixed with a portable shower nozzle and a plastic shower curtain. At the other side of the room is the sink and mirror. In between, on the west wall below a window is the john. The door to the hall is open to the east. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take mirror That's hardly portable. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >break it Violence isn't the answer to this one. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it This is a basic mirror, obviously recently purchased at Home Depot or Lowes. Knowing this house, the previous mirror probably got smashed at some point. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >look under it You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >look behind it You can't see any such thing. >x sink It's a basic, white bathroom sink. It has a brass faucet. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it The white sink is empty. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >turn on faucet Which do you mean, the tub faucet or the brass faucet? >tub It isn't something you can switch. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >turn on faucet Which do you mean, the tub faucet or the brass faucet? >brass You don't need any water right now. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x tub faucet Right now, one end of the portable shower nozzle is connected to the tub faucet. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >switch it It isn't something you can switch. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >push it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >pull it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >rotate it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >turn it on It isn't something you can switch. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x john You can't see any such thing. >x toilet You see nothing special about the white toilet. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it There is nothing on the white toilet. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >enter it You get onto the white toilet. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >l Roomy Bathroom (on the white toilet) This is a large-ish bathroom made almost entirely of tiny white tiles. At one side of the room is an old claw-foot bathtub, affixed with a portable shower nozzle and a plastic shower curtain. At the other side of the room is the sink and mirror. In between, on the west wall below a window is the john. The door to the hall is open to the east. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >d (first getting off the white toilet) You can't go that way. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >open it It isn't something you can open. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >e Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >s Second Floor Bedroom Whoever lives here either hates this room, or this apartment, or maybe himself. There's nothing here that says its occupant actually wants to be here. A single, bare mattress lies crooked on the floor. Bits of laundry (cleanliness unknown) are strewn about. A shallow closet (sans door) contains only a rail holding some wire hangers. A bare window looks out over the front yard. The bedroom door is open to the north. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >take laundry You really don't need to carry around someone else's laundry which may or may not be dirty. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move mattress It is fixed in place. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >lift it What do you want to lift the bare mattress with? >hanger (the bent hanger) A useless gesture. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x closet It's a shallow closet with a clothes rail. On the clothes rail are some wire hangers. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take hanger (the bent hanger) You already have that. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x rail It's just a plain clothes rail holding some wire hangers. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take rail That seems to be a part of the shallow closet. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >push it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >enter closet That's not something you can enter. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x window This lonesome window looks out over the small patch of a front yard and the neighborhood street bordering it. This view is especially dark and shadowy as the sun has almost set behind your neighors" houses. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >open it It isn't something you can open. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x yard This lonesome window looks out over the small patch of a front yard and the neighborhood street bordering it. This view is especially dark and shadowy as the sun has almost set behind your neighors" houses. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x street This lonesome window looks out over the small patch of a front yard and the neighborhood street bordering it. This view is especially dark and shadowy as the sun has almost set behind your neighors" houses. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >e You can't go that way. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >s You can't go that way. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >w You can't go that way. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >se You can't go that way. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >sw You can't go that way. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >nw You can't go that way. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >ne You can't go that way. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >n Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >e Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >s You can't go that way. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x wall The landlord isn't the worst you've had, but he's certainly not the best. The uneven and somewhat bumpy painting job tells you that there's probably a good number of layers beneath the one you can see. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >pull lamp It is fixed in place. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take it You can't reach it. It's over your head. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move it It is fixed in place. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take lamp with hanger I only understood you as far as wanting to take the old-style pendant lamp. >push lamp It is fixed in place. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >put hanger on lamp Putting things on the old-style pendant lamp would achieve nothing. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >hit lamp Violence isn't the answer to this one. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >throw hanger at lamp Futile. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take all There are none at all available! >x floor It actually looks as if its not too old, but there are still signs of heavy traffic and use on it. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >search it You find nothing of interest. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x signs You can't see any such thing. >n Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >x floor It actually looks as if its not too old, but there are still signs of heavy traffic and use on it. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x wall The wall art consists of a couple of trippy paintings and some pencil still lifes. While the art is definitely good, you can tell it's stuff from art schools and other non-professionals. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x painting The wall art consists of a couple of trippy paintings and some pencil still lifes. While the art is definitely good, you can tell it's stuff from art schools and other non-professionals. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >x pencil The wall art consists of a couple of trippy paintings and some pencil still lifes. While the art is definitely good, you can tell it's stuff from art schools and other non-professionals. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take it That's hardly portable. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >move art They are fixed in place. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >take all large amp: It's a bit too heavy to pick up. Maybe you can push it. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >push amp Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >turn it Nothing obvious happens. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >turn it off You switch the large amp off. >l Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. >s Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >e Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "Where are we?" >w Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >n Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >turn amp on You switch on the amp and an annoying hum emits from it. Long, steady, and annoying. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >enter booth It appears to have everything needed for digital DJing (there's no sign of any vinyl around). There are two CD players, a sound mixer, and a crate of CDs. An annoying humming sound emits from the large amplifier in the Spacious Living Room. >turn on mixer The sound mixer begins to feed beats to the large amp. You switch the sound mixer on. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >s You would have to get out of the DJ booth first. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >e You would have to get out of the DJ booth first. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >out You get out of the DJ booth. Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >s Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >e Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "You must help." From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >help See how-to-play-IF card for help with commands. To see a list of topics that you can ask other characters, type "topics". Any words in bold are new topics you can ask. If your display doesn't show bold characters, just check "topics" periodically to see any additions. There are opportunities in this game to really alter the course of events in the story. Multiple traversals can be narratively rewarding. Stay curious. If you're stuck, examining things usually yields clues. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >w Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >w Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >n Unused Stairs Dust covers every surface. This stairway hasn't been used in decades. The wood steps slightly curve from the northeast past an open door to your apartment, and south to an open dusty door. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >turn off amp You can't see any such thing. >e You can't go that way. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. >s You walk down the steps and through the freshly ripped open door. Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >e Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >n Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. From the large amp, a hypnotic, but unbelievably loud groove blares. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >turn off amp You switch the large amp off. >x sofa It's a leather sofa, bent like an L, and despite its accommodating size, it looks pretty well-used. >search it There is nothing on the wrap-around sofa. >sit in sofa You get onto the wrap-around sofa. >l Spacious Living Room (on the wrap-around sofa) This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. >move sofa It is fixed in place. >look under it You find nothing of interest. >jump You jump on the spot. >x chair It's big and comfy, for sure, but, like the wrap-around sofa, it looks well-used. >search it There is nothing on the comfy armchair. >move it It is fixed in place. >look under it You find nothing of interest. >w (first getting off the wrap-around sofa) White Kitchen This kitchen is generous in size and just about everything is painted white, but there is still more of a rustic feel than a modern one. One nice touch that catches your eye are the cabinets with windows in them so that you can see the contents without opening them. On the cabinet wall, the kitchen sink is positioned in the center. Windows look out to the north and west and countertops are set below them. A spacious living room can be reached to the east and the door to the outside is to the west. The only furniture in this kitchen is a white, wooden table with four white, wooden chairs and a small fridge in the corner. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >open cabinet You don't need anything from within these cabinets. >move fridge It is fixed in place. >open it You open the small fridge. >search it The small fridge is empty. >i You are carrying: a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >close it You close the small fridge. >l White Kitchen This kitchen is generous in size and just about everything is painted white, but there is still more of a rustic feel than a modern one. One nice touch that catches your eye are the cabinets with windows in them so that you can see the contents without opening them. On the cabinet wall, the kitchen sink is positioned in the center. Windows look out to the north and west and countertops are set below them. A spacious living room can be reached to the east and the door to the outside is to the west. The only furniture in this kitchen is a white, wooden table with four white, wooden chairs and a small fridge in the corner. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >gef, help Gef has better things to do. >ask gef for help You can't see any such thing. >ask gef about help Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >l White Kitchen This kitchen is generous in size and just about everything is painted white, but there is still more of a rustic feel than a modern one. One nice touch that catches your eye are the cabinets with windows in them so that you can see the contents without opening them. On the cabinet wall, the kitchen sink is positioned in the center. Windows look out to the north and west and countertops are set below them. A spacious living room can be reached to the east and the door to the outside is to the west. The only furniture in this kitchen is a white, wooden table with four white, wooden chairs and a small fridge in the corner. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >x table You see nothing special about the wooden table. >search it There is nothing on the wooden table. >look under it You find nothing of interest. >x chair You see nothing special about the wooden chairs. >look under chaitr You can't see any such thing. >look under chair You find nothing of interest. >search chair You find nothing of interest. >e Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >x cord This is a large amp, standing over waist-high. It is covered in black felt and the speakers look like they can deliver some crucial bass, as the kids say. It's connected to the DJ booth by a black cord. You can see on the amp where it can be switched on or off. The large amp is currently switched off. >pull cord It's a bit too heavy and cumbersome to pull around. Maybe you can push it. >push cord Nothing obvious happens. >move cord Nothing obvious happens. >take cord It's a bit too heavy to pick up. Maybe you can push it. >push it Nothing obvious happens. >push amp Nothing obvious happens. >x speaker This is a large amp, standing over waist-high. It is covered in black felt and the speakers look like they can deliver some crucial bass, as the kids say. It's connected to the DJ booth by a black cord. You can see on the amp where it can be switched on or off. The large amp is currently switched off. >enter booth It appears to have everything needed for digital DJing (there's no sign of any vinyl around). There are two CD players, a sound mixer, and a crate of CDs. >x booth It appears to have everything needed for digital DJing (there's no sign of any vinyl around). There are two CD players, a sound mixer, and a crate of CDs. >x players These are what the DJ uses to mix tracks. >x mixer It's a square device with numerous tiny knobs and some slider things. You're not dumb when it comes to gadgetry but this looks pretty sophisticated. It's actually probably the most expensive part of this DJ booth. You can at least see where you can switch it on or off. The sound mixer is currently switched on. >x crate It's a plastic milk crate, stuffed with CDs from all sorts of genres, but mostly popular, dancey, trancey stuff. >take cd (the CD players) Those seem to be a part of the DJ booth. >mix That's not a verb I recognise. >exit You get out of the DJ booth. Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. >e (first opening the French door) It seems to be locked. >unlock french door What do you want to unlock the French door with? >hanger That doesn't seem to fit the lock. >s Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >s You can't go that way. >e Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >n Second Floor Bedroom This bedroom seems pretty comfortable. A wide bed, covered with a handmade quilt, is to one side while a long dresser is opposite. Thin tapestries with intricate circular designs cover the walls and an oriental rug covers the floor. The door is open to the south but behind the long dresser to the west is a French door, covered in fabric. On the long dresser is an expensive laptop. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >x bed It's a nice, wide bed that looks pretty comfortable. Covering it is an expertly crafted quilt. There is no head or footboard as the mattress just sits on a box spring. >x quilt It looks expertly made; the patchwork design meshing into a spiral of autumn colors. >take it That doesn't belong to you. >move it It is fixed in place. >look under it You find nothing of interest. >search it You find nothing of interest. >search laptop You better not mess with the laptop. It looks expensive. >x dresser It has six wide drawers and plenty of space on top. Otherwise, it's unremarkable, really. On the long dresser is an expensive laptop. >open drawer You peek in the drawers and find nothing but some useless clothes. >climb it Little is to be achieved by that. >look on top of dresser You can't see any such thing. >search dresser You peek in the drawers and find nothing but some useless clothes. >x laptop It's black and sleek. >ask gef about it Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >s Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >s Second Floor Bedroom This bedroom is very bare, but not in an abandoned or neglected way, but rather in a very tidy way. The occupant must be quite fastidious. A neatly made bed and a chest of drawers are the only furnishings. A doorless closet is on the west wall and there are windows on the east and south walls. The door back to the hallway is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >w You can't go that way. >enter closet That's not something you can enter. >x closet This closet is just deep enough to sport a clothes rail supporting a selection of shirts. >take shirt (the collared shirt) You already have that. >take shirts (the folded clothes) None of those clothes belong to you. They also wouldn't fit you as they seem a bit too big. >x rail It's just a plain clothes rail supporting a selection of shirts. >move shirts Which do you mean, the folded clothes or the selection of shirts? >selection Nothing obvious happens. >x folded These are an assortment of clothes, all folded extremely neatly in the three drawers. >move folded Nothing obvious happens. >search folded You find nothing of interest. >n Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "Help us." >i You are carrying: a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >x shoes (the pair of new shoes) These are just a pair of new shoes. They are very comfortable. >x shirt You're wearing a basic, collared shirt. You're not too terribly fastidious but you've always felt you should be presentable in public. It might be because you spent years watching your brother wearing sweatpants. You always felt as if he looked like a centerfold for Giving Up magazine. >x file It's a sturdy, yet discreet nail file. It's pointy at the tip and the sides are etched like an emery board. >x glowstick It's a small, green, plastic stick filled with whatever makes these things glow. It's leftover from the Phish concert you were dragged to a month or so ago. It's glowing a surprisingly bright green. >x racquet It's crappy and many of its strings are loose or missing. >break it Violence isn't the answer to this one. >x mag This space intentionally left blank. >x gloves These gloves are a thin yellow rubber and extend past the wrist. >x sweater You've left this sweater out, hoping to remind yourself to drop it off in a Goodwill box but you keep forgetting. Your aunt Midge gave this to you for a birthday present a couple of years ago. Apparently, it was made for hip-hop enthusiasts as it has the words "Rap Music!" cheerfully emblazoned on the back. You've yet to find a suitable occasion to actually wear it. >x scarf Green and black, of course. Thing is, you're pretty sure this is yours. It's been missing for a week or so. Sure, someone else could have one, but in the same boarding house? >x hanger You've bent this wire hanger into a long poker type-thing. >l Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >e It's strange. Something is stopping you from descending these dark stairs. You feel hands on your chest and the grip of fingers around your arms. The crackle of electricity runs over you, or so it feels. A disembodied voice, whispery to the point of being almost too obscure to hear, speaks into your ear, "Where are we?" >w Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >n Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >push amp south Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >push amp east Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >l Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. >turn on amp You switch on the amp and, with the sound mixer running, an unbelievably loud and hypnotic beat blasts forth, literally shaking the glass in the windows on this floor. The pulsing music shakes the walls. It feels as if the sound, insanely loud as it is, is breaking through the strange, psychical electricity. "I think the roommates are back." She says, looking in one of the adjacent rooms. There is a tearing sound but you're not sure if it was just in your mind. Looking northeast, the corner that was once there has been replaced with a rip in reality leading to a quaint parlor that seems totally out of place and maybe out of time as well because the sunlight through the parlor's windows is stronger than any other window that you've seen this evening. The pulsing beat finally ends, bringing a long-sought peace to your ears. Barbara looks at the tear in reality with a stunned countenance. She sees you looking at it as well and asks, "You're not thinking of going in there are you?" "I have a feeling we may have to." You reply. "We?" She asks incredulously. Gef grooms his furry tail with his tiny paws for a moment. Barbara looks worried for a fleeting moment. >ne You step through the tear in space and time and find yourself in a... Parlor This corner room is cozily decorated, offering a bit more intimate of a space than the living room that you can see through the French doors to the west. Situated near one of the room's corners is an upright piano (with bench), painted white to better blend with the feminine decor. A small, metal fan is on the piano top. Near the window on the north wall is an expensive-looking globe, so large it sits in a circular frame with a wide rim. A cushiony, leather armchair sits near the window to the north and another is positioned near the window to the east. Through an open doorway to the south, you can see the end of the upstairs hall near the top of the stairs. Shimmering near the southwest corner is a tear in reality, leading to a hallway somewhere and somewhen. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >save Ok. >x piano Which do you mean, the upright piano, the piano top or the piano bench? >upright It's a standard build for an upright piano. Perfect for classrooms or parlors like this one. It's well-loved but well-built and painted white to blend with the soft, feminine decor of the parlor. On the piano top is an empty frame and a small metal fan. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >x frame It's a frame for a photograph but it's empty. Looking at how the frame is made, it's no wonder to you that the photo probably slipped out at some point and lost. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >take it You take the empty frame from the piano top. Gef shivers for a moment; his short fur bristling. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >take all a rip in time and space: You pick up the a rip in time and space from the ground. small metal fan: You go to move the small metal fan from the top of the upright piano to the floor, so as not to knock its plug out of the wall, but the fan is currently switched on and, given its old-fashioned, super-dangerous design, you wisely keep your fingers away from it as it noisily spins out a breeze into the room. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >i You are carrying: an a rip in time and space an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key Barbara looks at you quizzically. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >sw You step through the tear in space and time and find yourself in a... Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Shimmering near the northeast corner is a tear in reality, leading to a parlor somewhere and somewhen. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. >ne You step through the tear in space and time and find yourself in a... Parlor This corner room is cozily decorated, offering a bit more intimate of a space than the living room that you can see through the French doors to the west. Situated near one of the room's corners is an upright piano (with bench), painted white to better blend with the feminine decor. A small, metal fan is on the piano top. Near the window on the north wall is an expensive-looking globe, so large it sits in a circular frame with a wide rim. A cushiony, leather armchair sits near the window to the north and another is positioned near the window to the east. Through an open doorway to the south, you can see the end of the upstairs hall near the top of the stairs. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >i You are carrying: an a rip in time and space an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >x fan The small metal fan is currently switched on. Gef gives you a funny look. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >turn it off You switch off the small metal fan. Its blades slowly come to a halt. Gef shivers for a moment; his short fur bristling. >x it The small metal fan is currently switched off. >x gef A small mongoose-type-thing with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, Gef is at once feline and rat-like. His hands are those of a tiny human's and his voice is childlike; at times plaintive and other times cold and doleful. Others see him as a cat. You're the only one who sees a mongoose. Gef moves around between your legs. >topics Current topics include: wedding ring, Barbara, dozed, snowing and corner. >x piano top On the piano top is a small metal fan. Gef gives you a funny look. >take fan You move the small metal fan from the top of the upright piano to the floor below, careful not to pull its plug from the wall. >open piano Which do you mean, the upright piano, the piano top or the piano bench? >top You open the upright piano, revealing an old photograph and some piano strings. >take photograph You take the old photograph from the upright piano. Barbara looks through her handbag for a moment. >x it It's an old black-and-white photograph. . .actually, since you've stepped into yesterday, it's a newer black-and-white photograph. There is a man and a woman, both impeccably dressed in what's most likely the latest in 20s fashion. They are laughing, candidly, leaning into each other. It's a happy moment, fortuitously captured on film. But there's something else about the photo that grabs your attention. The man's face. . .it's unbelievable but it's your face. 100%. No doubt whatsoever. This is you. But, of course, you don't know the woman in the photo and you've never been photographed wearing those clothes. >show photo to gef "Thank you for showing me your old photograph." >show photo to barbara "Thank you for showing me your old photograph." >ask barbara about photo Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. Barbara briefly smooths her dress with her palms. >x strings The strings are tightly wound, in relative tune, and totally useless to you. Gef curls up by your feet for a moment. >play piano Which do you mean, the upright piano, the piano strings, the piano top or the piano bench? >upright You take a moment to play Chopsticks. It's the only tune you know how to play on the piano. You catch Barbara looking at your clothes as if trying to figure them out. >x bench It's a simple piano bench but the top leather cushion makes it tolerably comfortable. Gef quickly turns his head as if hearing something that you didn't. >open it It's not the type of piano bench that opens. Gef grooms his furry tail with his tiny paws for a moment. >x cushion Which do you mean, the piano bench or the leather armchair? >bench It's a simple piano bench but the top leather cushion makes it tolerably comfortable. >x chair The armchair is shaped like an overstuffed upholstery model but it's covered in rough leather. Barbara looks at you confused. >look under it You find nothing of interest. Barbara looks worried for a fleeting moment. >search it There is nothing on the leather armchair. >l Parlor This corner room is cozily decorated, offering a bit more intimate of a space than the living room that you can see through the French doors to the west. Situated near one of the room's corners is an upright piano (with bench), painted white to better blend with the feminine decor. A small, metal fan sits on the floor near the piano. Near the window on the north wall is an expensive-looking globe, so large it sits in a circular frame with a wide rim. A cushiony, leather armchair sits near the window to the north and another is positioned near the window to the east. Through an open doorway to the south, you can see the end of the upstairs hall near the top of the stairs. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. You can also see a small metal fan here. >turn on fan You switch on the small metal fan. Its blades noisily chop the air, providing a meek breeze. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >x globe The globe is made of dark, polished wood. On it, a sepia-toned and very detailed inlay of the world is intricately etched. The sphere is held in a solid frame with a wide rim circling the equator. Gef shivers for a moment; his short fur bristling. Barbara looks around pensively. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >turn it It is fixed in place. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >rotate it It is fixed in place. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >move it It is fixed in place. Barbara examines the piano bench for a moment. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >push it It is fixed in place. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >break it Violence isn't the answer to this one. Gef darts into an adjoining room and then back again. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >search it You can't see inside, since the large polished globe is closed. Gef looks up as if seeing someone who isn't there. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >open it You open the large polished globe, revealing some liquor bottles and some fine cocktail glasses. Gef scratches behind his ear. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >take bottle You lift a few of the bottles to examine their labels and decide to take the only unopened one. Gef sniffs the air; his little nose twitching. Barbara gives a look as if smelling something disagreeable. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >i You are carrying: a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (closed) an old photograph an a rip in time and space an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >x bottle (the bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne) It's your average glass champagne bottle but the label on it is written in French and looks fancy. Gef grooms his furry tail with his tiny paws for a moment. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >open it You open the bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >x it It's your average glass champagne bottle but the label on it is written in French and looks fancy. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >drink it There's nothing suitable to drink here. Gef looks up as if seeing someone who isn't there. Barbara looks worried for a fleeting moment. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >drink champagne There's nothing suitable to drink here. Gef gives a tiny sneeze. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >x bottle (the bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne) It's your average glass champagne bottle but the label on it is written in French and looks fancy. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >smell it You smell nothing unexpected. Gef scratches around with his little hand-like paws as if gathering something that's not there. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >search it The bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne is empty. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >l Parlor This corner room is cozily decorated, offering a bit more intimate of a space than the living room that you can see through the French doors to the west. Situated near one of the room's corners is an upright piano (with bench), painted white to better blend with the feminine decor. A small, metal fan sits on the floor near the piano. Near the window on the north wall is an expensive-looking globe, so large it sits in a circular frame with a wide rim. A cushiony, leather armchair sits near the window to the north and another is positioned near the window to the east. Through an open doorway to the south, you can see the end of the upstairs hall near the top of the stairs. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. You can also see a small metal fan here. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >i You are carrying: a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an a rip in time and space an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key Gef shivers for a moment; his short fur bristling. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >take bottles (the liquor bottles) You already took a bottle of wine from the globe bar. It's around somewhere. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >take glass (the fine cocktail glasses) You take one of the fine cocktail glasses. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >take glass (the fine cocktail glasses) You already took one of those glasses. It's around somewhere. Barbara looks around pensively. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >i You are carrying: a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an a rip in time and space an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a nail file a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >l Parlor This corner room is cozily decorated, offering a bit more intimate of a space than the living room that you can see through the French doors to the west. Situated near one of the room's corners is an upright piano (with bench), painted white to better blend with the feminine decor. A small, metal fan sits on the floor near the piano. Near the window on the north wall is an expensive-looking globe, so large it sits in a circular frame with a wide rim. A cushiony, leather armchair sits near the window to the north and another is positioned near the window to the east. Through an open doorway to the south, you can see the end of the upstairs hall near the top of the stairs. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. You can also see a small metal fan here. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >x chair The armchair is shaped like an overstuffed upholstery model but it's covered in rough leather. Barbara looks at you confused. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >move it It is fixed in place. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >n You can't go that way. Barbara looks around pensively. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >e You can't go that way. Gef looks around furtively. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >x window Which do you mean, the northern window or the eastern window? >1 (the northern window) Outside the north window, a bright (almost too bright) and sunny day exists. The neighborhood houses look different, although at first it's hard to say how. There are less wires and poles and the road looks especially different, as if you're seeing the very first paving of it. What few cars you see are (too you) classic Ford Model T's; the proverbial "Tin Lizzies". Something about staring out into a decade in which you don't belong makes you queezy and you have to look away. Gef runs around the place spastically for a moment. Barbara looks at you quizzically. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >x window Which do you mean, the northern window or the eastern window? >2 You can't use multiple objects with that verb. >x window Which do you mean, the northern window or the eastern window? >eastern Outside the east window, a bright (almost too bright) and sunny day exists. The neighborhood houses look different, although at first it's hard to say how. There are less wires and poles and the road looks especially different, as if you're seeing the very first paving of it. What few cars you see are (to you) classic Ford Model T's; the proverbial "Tin Lizzies". Something about staring out into a decade in which you don't belong makes you queezy and you have to look away. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >w (first opening the French doors) Spacious Living Room It's disorienting, stepping into this room. It's daytime, suddenly, somehow. Bright sunlight beams through the gauzy curtains, bright enough to hurt your eyes. There's a smell here; something new yet aged, if that were possible. Part of your mind tells you that you went from smelling autumn to smelling spring. As the furnishings here are now totally different, it takes you a moment to realize you're in the same living room as the one with the DJ booth you saw. In the place of the DJ booth, there is an elegant loveseat; the kind a grandmother might own. The movie posters have been replaced by simple framed artwork of mundane subjects. An upholstered armchair with a low seat is near the windows and a fancy metal table with a glass top sits in lieu of the beat-up and smudged glass-top coffee table you remember seeing in this room. The kitchen can still be seen to the west, and to the south, you see the upstairs hall. A French door to the east is open, leading to a small parlor, apparently. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. "You must be anxious to get back to your husband." You venture hamfistedly. "No." She tells you, "I've left him. For good this time." Leaving you thinking of what to say, she helpfully adds, "It's just occurred so, no, I don't really have my bearings about it yet. Not sure what exactly I'm going to do. I didn't really mean to disappear from Boston so completely." >smell You smell nothing unexpected. Gef shivers for a moment; his short fur bristling. >x loveseat The arms curve like a cascade and the seat is a bit low. It's something very art-deco; a product of a long-ago decade, but a quality couch, nonetheless. The soft fabric is a dusty mint color and the frame is a polished, dark reddish-brown wood. Barbara gives you a snarky glance. >search it There is nothing on the elegant loveseat. Gef looks up as if seeing someone who isn't there. >sit in it You get onto the elegant loveseat. Gef chases his tail for a few seconds. Barbara briefly smooths her dress with her palms. >barbara, sit What do you want Barbara to sit on? >loveseat Barbara has better things to do. Barbara gives a look as if smelling something disagreeable. >x artwork There's a selection of simple, framed artwork of mundane subjects such as birds, country houses, cats, and landscapes. >take artwork There's no need to take any of the framed art off of the walls. >move it It is fixed in place. Gef says something about there being food around somewhere. >x chair It's a low-seated, reclined armchair, its style is something out of an old movie, you think. >search it There is nothing on the upholstered armchair. >look under it You find nothing of interest. >look under loveseat You find nothing of interest. >x table It seems quite dainty, but that's just the style as you can tell the metal the frame is made of is quite sturdy. It supports a clean, glass top. >search it There is nothing on the fancy metal table. >look under it You find nothing of interest. >x window The window is open and a pleasent breeze drifts into the room. You can easily see the neighbor's house as the trees below have yet to grow between the houses to allow privacy. >x house (the House Slytherin scarf) Green and black, of course. Thing is, you're pretty sure this is yours. It's been missing for a week or so. Sure, someone else could have one, but in the same boarding house? >w (first getting off the elegant loveseat) Very White Kitchen This is the spacious and white kitchen that you visited ninety years from now, but the white paint is noticebly whiter and free of any nicotine sheen. Instead of the stainless steel sink of the future, a cast-iron farmhouse sink with a drainboard sits below the cabinets. Windows look out north and west. A spacious living room is to the east and the door to the outside is west. Instead of the countertops you remember seeing, there is a Hoosier cabinet - a popular kitchen furnishing (here, decades ago). Finally, the luxury of the kitchen of the 20s, a stout refrigerator, also white, is situated by the corner. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >x sink It's a deep kitchen sink made of cast-iron. It's old-school but clean. A brass faucet is fixed at one edge. Gef looks up as if seeing someone who isn't there. >turn on faucet You don" t need to mess with that. Gef quickly turns his head as if hearing something that you didn't. >x sink It's a deep kitchen sink made of cast-iron. It's old-school but clean. A brass faucet is fixed at one edge. Gef scratches around with his little hand-like paws as if gathering something that's not there. >search sink The cast-iron farmhouse sink is empty. >x drainboard The drainboard is adjacent to the farmhouse sink. Gef scratches behind his ear. >search it There is nothing on the drainboard. >open it It isn't something you can open. Gef curls up by your feet for a moment. >look inside it There is nothing on the drainboard. >x cabinets You can't see any such thing. >x cabinet (the Hoosier cabinet) Hoosier cabinets were free-standing kitchen workstations. They were popular in the first few decades of the 20th century, since most houses did not have built-in kitchen cabinetry. It stands a little under seven feet maybe. There are right, left, and center top cabinets with doors, right and left center cabinets which are flush with a workspace surface, and a base cabinet complete with cabinet door, wide drawer, and three deep drawers. The whole thing rests on locked casters with ant-proof shields. There is a scribbled note on the workspace surface. >x note "Roses are red, Violets are blue, I can't find the shed key, didn't we keep it in the Hoosier cabinet?" >open cabinet (the Hoosier cabinet) You'd have to specify which cabinet door of the Hoosier you'd like to open. >open left Which do you mean, the top left cabinet or the left workspace cabinet? >top You open the top left cabinet, revealing some well-worn cookbooks. Gef rubs against your leg affectionately. >take cookboks You can't see any such thing. >take cookbok You can't see any such thing. >take cookbook That would just be additional, useless weight. >take cookbooks That would just be additional, useless weight. Barbara examines the wide windows for a moment. >read cookbooks There is a small collection of cookbooks in this cabinet. One of them is Salads and Salad Dressings (1920) compiled and Edited by Bessie R. Murphy. Gef runs around the place spastically for a moment. >read cookbooks There is a small collection of cookbooks in this cabinet. One of them is Eat More Fish (1920) by William I. Crawford. Gef gives you a funny look. >read cookbooks There is a small collection of cookbooks in this cabinet. One of them is The Cook's Decameron: a Study in Taste, Containing Over Two Hundred Recipes for Italian Dishes (1920) by Mrs. W. G. Waters. Gef grooms his furry tail with his tiny paws for a moment. Barbara looks through her handbag for a moment. >read cookbooks There is a small collection of cookbooks in this cabinet. One of them is Housewifery: A Manual and Text Book of Practical Housekeeping (1921) by Lydia Ray Balderston. Gef scratches around with his little hand-like paws as if gathering something that's not there. >read cookbooks There is a small collection of cookbooks in this cabinet. One of them is Aunt Caroline's Dixieland Recipes (1922) by Emma and William McKinney. Barbara gives a look as if smelling something disagreeable. >read cookbooks There is a small collection of cookbooks in this cabinet. One of them is Good Housekeeping's Book of Menus, Recipes, and Household Discoveries (1922) by Good Housekeeping Magazine. Gef looks at your apartment key. >read cookbooks There is a small collection of cookbooks in this cabinet. One of them is Eat More Fish (1920) by William I. Crawford. >open left Which do you mean, the top left cabinet or the left workspace cabinet? >workspace You open the left workspace cabinet, revealing an inner door shelf, a flour bin and a spinning spice rack. Gef chases his tail for a few seconds. >x inner door shelf It's a shallow shelf/niche attached to the inside of the left workspace cabinet door. In the inner door shelf are some miscellaneous ingredients. Gef grooms his furry tail with his tiny paws for a moment. Barbara looks at you quizzically. >take it That's fixed in place. >x ingredients These appear to be just tea bags and bouillon cubes. Gef looks at the ceiling. Barbara looks around. >take tea You don't need any of that. Gef sniffs the air; his little nose twitching. >x flour bin This small bin is attached to the back of the cabinet but has a lid that can be opened to add flour to be sifted. The bottom of the bin has a dispenser and a sifting handle. Barbara closes her eyes for a moment as if thinking about something. >search it You open the flour bin, revealing some all-purpose flour. Gef curls up by your feet for a moment. >take flour Which do you mean, the flour bin, the all-purpose flour or the flour dispenser? >2 all-purpose flour: You'd just get it all over yourself. You don't need it. flour dispenser: That seems to be a part of the flour bin. Gef looks at your leaflet. >x handle This is a small handle you could turn to sift the flour in the bin before dispensing it. Gef grooms his furry tail with his tiny paws for a moment. >take it That seems to be a part of the flour bin. >turn handle You turn the handle, sifting the flour that's in the bin. >turn handle You turn the handle, sifting the flour that's in the bin. >turn handle You turn the handle, sifting the flour that's in the bin. Barbara looks at you confused. >turn handle You turn the handle, sifting the flour that's in the bin. >turn handle You turn the handle, sifting the flour that's in the bin. >turn handle You turn the handle, sifting the flour that's in the bin. >turn handle You turn the handle, sifting the flour that's in the bin. Gef gives a tiny sneeze. >open middle You can't see any such thing. >x cabinet (the Hoosier cabinet) Hoosier cabinets were free-standing kitchen workstations. They were popular in the first few decades of the 20th century, since most houses did not have built-in kitchen cabinetry. It stands a little under seven feet maybe. There are right, left, and center top cabinets with doors, right and left center cabinets which are flush with a workspace surface, and a base cabinet complete with cabinet door, wide drawer, and three deep drawers. The whole thing rests on locked casters with ant-proof shields. There is a scribbled note on the workspace surface. >open right Which do you mean, the top right cabinet or the right workspace cabinet? >top You open the top right cabinet, revealing a collection of spices, a kitchen calendar and some basic ingredients. >x calendar If this calendar is to be believed, it is currently April 8, 1928. >take it It's tacked on the inside of the door but you don't really need to take it down. >x spices Which do you mean, the collection of spices or the seldom used spices? >seldom Bay leaves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and whatever the hell ground cumin is. >x spices Which do you mean, the collection of spices or the seldom used spices? >collection It's your basic variety of spices; salt, oregano, pepper, basil, and whatever the hell marjoram is. Each spice has it's own, small shaker. >open right Which do you mean, the top right cabinet or the right workspace cabinet? >workspace You open the right workspace cabinet, revealing a sugar bin and a pin rack. >x pin rack This is where the rolling pin goes. On the pin rack is a rolling pin. Gef looks at the drainboard. >take rolling pin You fantasize for a moment about using the rolling pin as a weapon but then you realize it's more cumbersome and annoying than its worth. Gef curls up by your feet for a moment. >x sugar bin This small bin is attached to the back of the cabinet but has a lid that can be opened to add sugar. The bottom of the bin has a dispenser. >search it You open the sugar bin, revealing some pure sugar. Barbara gives you a snarky glance. >take sugar Which do you mean, the basic ingredients, the sugar bin, the pure sugar or the sugar dispenser? >pure You don't need to take any loose sugar. >eat pure They're plainly inedible. >eat pure sugar They're plainly inedible. Barbara looks around. >open center You open the top center cabinet, revealing a stack of dishes and some coffee cups. >x dishes It's a stack of everyday dinner plates. >search dishes You find nothing of interest. >x cups This is an assortment of coffee cups. Most are identical, white mugs but there's a couple of random, collectible ones like a 50 is Nifty! mug. >search cups You find nothing of interest. Gef licks his fur as if gussying up for something. >take cups You don't need to carry around any coffee cups right now. Gef scratches behind his ear. Barbara briefly smooths her dress with her palms. >take cup You don't need to carry around any coffee cups right now. >take mug You don't need to carry around any coffee cups right now. >l Very White Kitchen This is the spacious and white kitchen that you visited ninety years from now, but the white paint is noticebly whiter and free of any nicotine sheen. Instead of the stainless steel sink of the future, a cast-iron farmhouse sink with a drainboard sits below the cabinets. Windows look out north and west. A spacious living room is to the east and the door to the outside is west. Instead of the countertops you remember seeing, there is a Hoosier cabinet - a popular kitchen furnishing (here, decades ago). Finally, the luxury of the kitchen of the 20s, a stout refrigerator, also white, is situated by the corner. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Barbara gives a wistful sigh. >x cabinet (the Hoosier cabinet) Hoosier cabinets were free-standing kitchen workstations. They were popular in the first few decades of the 20th century, since most houses did not have built-in kitchen cabinetry. It stands a little under seven feet maybe. There are right, left, and center top cabinets with doors, right and left center cabinets which are flush with a workspace surface, and a base cabinet complete with cabinet door, wide drawer, and three deep drawers. The whole thing rests on locked casters with ant-proof shields. There is a scribbled note on the workspace surface. >open base You open the base cabinet, revealing some pots and pans and an inner door rack. >x rack Which do you mean, the spinning spice rack, the pin rack or the inner door rack? >inner It's a rack on the inside of the base cabinet's door. It's made to hold the pot lids. In the inner door rack are some pot lids. >x lids These are just pot lids of various sized. Gef gives a tiny sneeze. >search lids You find nothing of interest. >take lids You really don't need any of those right now. Gef wipes his whiskers with his little paws. Barbara adjusts the strap on her paisley-patterned purse. >open drawer Which do you mean, the wide drawer, the junk drawer, the deep drawer or the bread drawer? >wide You open the wide drawer, revealing some basic cutlery and some random kitchen tools. Gef gives you a funny look. >search it That's already open. Gef scratches behind his ear. >x cutlery Knives, forks, spoons; you get the idea. Barbara gives a look as if smelling something disagreeable. >x tools Corkscrew, spatulas, wooden spoons; things like that. Barbara looks through her handbag for a moment. >open junk You open the junk drawer, revealing a collection of household things. Gef curls up by your feet for a moment. Barbara gives a look as if smelling something disagreeable. >search it That's already open. Barbara looks worried for a fleeting moment. >search household You find nothing of interest. Gef darts into an adjoining room and then back again. >take household You don't need any of that junk. You catch Barbara looking at your clothes as if trying to figure them out. >open deep drawer You open the deep drawer, revealing a checkered apron. >take apron You take the checkered apron from the deep drawer. Barbara looks worried for a fleeting moment. >wear it You put on the checkered apron. >x it This is a red and white checkered apron with the words "I Keep The Best Snacks Under My Apron" stitched on the front. >x deep drawer This is the deepest drawer of the base cabinet. >search it That's already open. >look inside it That's already open. >open bread You open the bread drawer, revealing a loaf of bread. Suddenly, a key falls from the Hoosier cabinet and tinkles to the ground. As your dad would say, whatever you're looking for is always in the last place you look. >take key (the old key) You pick up the old key from the ground. Barbara looks around. >take loaf You don't need any bread. >eat loaf That's plainly inedible. >l Very White Kitchen This is the spacious and white kitchen that you visited ninety years from now, but the white paint is noticebly whiter and free of any nicotine sheen. Instead of the stainless steel sink of the future, a cast-iron farmhouse sink with a drainboard sits below the cabinets. Windows look out north and west. A spacious living room is to the east and the door to the outside is west. Instead of the countertops you remember seeing, there is a Hoosier cabinet - a popular kitchen furnishing (here, decades ago). Finally, the luxury of the kitchen of the 20s, a stout refrigerator, also white, is situated by the corner. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >open fridge You open the white refrigerator, revealing some wire shelves and some cold food. >x food Milk, eggs, butter; things like that. It's certainly not a packed fridge. Barbara rubs her eyes. >take food You don't need any of that. Who knows? By the time you get back to your own decade, whatever food you grabbed here might be spoiled. >eat food They're plainly inedible. Gef scratches around with his little hand-like paws as if gathering something that's not there. >x shelves It's where the cold food is kept. Gef shivers for a moment; his short fur bristling. >close fridge You close the white refrigerator. >w Something tells you not to wander too far from the opening that, hopefully, leads back to your own timeline. You feel that the farther you wander, the more likely you are to forget yourself in this timeline, trapped as if in a lucid dream; a dream that would get less and less lucid until you are a man lost in the past, babbling about future events like a lunatic. Gef scratches behind his ear. >s You can't go that way. >e Spacious Living Room In the place of the DJ booth, there is an elegant loveseat; the kind a grandmother might own. The movie posters have been replaced by simple framed artwork of mundane subjects. An upholstered armchair with a low seat is near the windows and a fancy metal table with a glass top sits in lieu of the beat-up and smudged glass-top coffee table you remember seeing in this room. The kitchen can still be seen to the west, and to the south, you see the upstairs hall. A French door to the east is open, leading to a small parlor, apparently. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. Barbara gives you a snarky glance. >e Parlor This corner room is cozily decorated, offering a bit more intimate of a space than the living room that you can see through the French doors to the west. Situated near one of the room's corners is an upright piano (with bench), painted white to better blend with the feminine decor. A small, metal fan sits on the floor near the piano. Near the window on the north wall is an expensive-looking globe, so large it sits in a circular frame with a wide rim. A cushiony, leather armchair sits near the window to the north and another is positioned near the window to the east. Through an open doorway to the south, you can see the end of the upstairs hall near the top of the stairs. You can see a small metal fan here. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. Gef says something about there being food around somewhere. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >s Top of Stairway This is the end of a long, wide hall leading west. There is a stairwell here to the east, leading down and opening into a foyer on the first floor. Through a doorway to the north, a cozy parlor can be seen and a closed bedroom door is to the south. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. Gef sniffs the air; his little nose twitching. >s (first opening bedroom door) It seems to be locked. >unlock bedroom What do you want to unlock bedroom door with? >key Which do you mean, the old key or the apartment key? >1 (the old key) That doesn't seem to fit the lock. Gef scratches around with his little hand-like paws as if gathering something that's not there. >knock door I didn't understand that sentence. >knock at door I didn't understand that sentence. >x door This is just a bedroom door. >w Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are painted a bright white. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. Barbara closes her eyes for a moment as if thinking about something. >s You can't go that way. >w Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are painted a bright white and the floor is a dark hardwood. A bathroom door is closed to the west and a bedroom door is closed to the south. There is an exit to the north but there is a lace curtain before it. Otherwise, the hall continues to the east. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >s (first opening bedroom door) It seems to be locked. >w It is locked. You can hear someone moving around in there. >listen You hear nothing unexpected. >x door Which do you mean, the new door or bedroom door? >new This door appears to have been newly carpented. Gef darts into an adjoining room and then back again. >knock at door I didn't understand that sentence. >knock door I didn't understand that sentence. >knock What do you want to knock on? >door Which do you mean, the new door or bedroom door? >new knock knock knock. >knock on bedroom knock knock knock. Gef sniffs the air; his little nose twitching. >w It is locked. You can hear someone moving around in there. You catch Barbara looking at your clothes as if trying to figure them out. >n You peek behind the lace curtain and see a small set of stairs that lead up to what will be your aparment in ninety years but now is probably just a dark, albeit roomy, attic. You feel it's best to stay down here for now. >w It is locked. You can hear someone moving around in there. >l Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are painted a bright white and the floor is a dark hardwood. A bathroom door is closed to the west and a bedroom door is closed to the south. There is an exit to the north but there is a lace curtain before it. Otherwise, the hall continues to the east. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >listen to door Which do you mean, the new door or bedroom door? >new You hear nothing unexpected. >talk That's not a verb I recognise. >move curtain It is fixed in place. Gef wipes his whiskers with his little paws. Barbara looks around pensively. >pull it It is fixed in place. Barbara looks around. >s (first opening bedroom door) It seems to be locked. >e Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are painted a bright white. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. Barbara rubs her eyes. >e Top of Stairway This is the end of a long, wide hall leading west. There is a stairwell here to the east, leading down and opening into a foyer on the first floor. Through a doorway to the north, a cozy parlor can be seen and a closed bedroom door is to the south. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >e You can't go that way. Barbara briefly smooths her dress with her palms. >d The sunlight in the foyer at the bottom of these steps beckon you, the way a dreamscape beckons you to explore. You feel if you ventured down, you would lose yourself in this timeline. You would lose track of where you came from and you would wander as a madman in a decade you don't belong. Gef says something about there being food around somewhere. >n Parlor This corner room is cozily decorated, offering a bit more intimate of a space than the living room that you can see through the French doors to the west. Situated near one of the room's corners is an upright piano (with bench), painted white to better blend with the feminine decor. A small, metal fan sits on the floor near the piano. Near the window on the north wall is an expensive-looking globe, so large it sits in a circular frame with a wide rim. A cushiony, leather armchair sits near the window to the north and another is positioned near the window to the east. Through an open doorway to the south, you can see the end of the upstairs hall near the top of the stairs. You can see a small metal fan here. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. The small metal fan's blades noisily chop the air, giving the room a slight breeze. >sw You step through the tear in space and time and find yourself in a... Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Shimmering near the northeast corner is a tear in reality, leading to a parlor somewhere and somewhen. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. The three of you step back through the rip in reality none too soon as it snaps shut behind you, winked out of existence. >w Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >n Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Tommy Miller is sitting on the floor, leaning back on the armchair. Tommy looks up at you, dazed. His face is extremely pale. "Hey, Tommy, it's me, Zeddy from upstairs." You say, seeing the confusion in his eyes and wondering if he even understands you. Finally. he manages to ask, "Where the hell was I?" Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. Barbara looks at you confused. >x tommy Tommy is a local student who reminds you of Beaver Cleaver if the Beave smoked lots of pot. Weirdly, his father is a professor of philosophy at the college and you even took one of his courses. Tommy is known to be surprisingly smarter than his outward appearance would have you believe. >ask tommy about where Tommy Miller doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask barbara about where Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. Barbara looks around. >tell tommy about where "Interesting." >tell tommy about where the hell "That's strange." >tell tommy about hell "That's strange." You catch Barbara looking at your clothes as if trying to figure them out. >topics Current topics include: wedding ring, Barbara, dozed, snowing, corner and where the hell. Gef chases his tail for a few seconds. Barbara looks through her handbag for a moment. >ask gef about where the hell Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. Gef sniffs the air; his little nose twitching. >ask barbara about where the hell Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask tommy about where the hell "Are you okay?" You ask, hunching down next to him. Barbara does the same and automatically feels his forhead and then his pulse. "I've never been more nauseous in my entire life." He replies, eyes closed and sweating. "What happened?" You ask. He thinks for a long moment, then says, "One moment we were here and the next thing I know, we're in some other house....or, this house but....different." He shakes his head, "It makes no sense. None of this makes sense." You and Barbara stand as he says, "I guess I was just dreaming. Thanks, but I'm okay. Just need to relax a minute." Gef looks up as if seeing someone who isn't there. >l Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Tommy Miller is sitting on the floor, leaning back on the armchair. Gef looks around furtively. >x tommy Tommy is a local student who reminds you of Beaver Cleaver if the Beave smoked lots of pot. Weirdly, his father is a professor of philosophy at the college and you even took one of his courses. Tommy is known to be surprisingly smarter than his outward appearance would have you believe. >hug tommy Tommy Miller might not like that. >s Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. Barbara rubs her eyes. >s You can't go that way. >e Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >s Second Floor Bedroom This bedroom is very bare, but not in an abandoned or neglected way, but rather in a very tidy way. The occupant must be quite fastidious. A neatly made bed and a chest of drawers are the only furnishings. A doorless closet is on the west wall and there are windows on the east and south walls. The door back to the hallway is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. Barbara looks around pensively. >n Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. Barbara adjusts the strap on her paisley-patterned purse. >n Second Floor Bedroom This bedroom seems pretty comfortable. A wide bed, covered with a handmade quilt, is to one side while a long dresser is opposite. Thin tapestries with intricate circular designs cover the walls and an oriental rug covers the floor. The door is open to the south but behind the long dresser to the west is a French door, covered in fabric. On the long dresser is an expensive laptop. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >s Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >w Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >w Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. Barbara looks at you quizzically. >s Second Floor Bedroom Whoever lives here either hates this room, or this apartment, or maybe himself. There's nothing here that says its occupant actually wants to be here. A single, bare mattress lies crooked on the floor. Bits of laundry (cleanliness unknown) are strewn about. A shallow closet (sans door) contains only a rail holding some wire hangers. A bare window looks out over the front yard. The bedroom door is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >n Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >w Roomy Bathroom This is a large-ish bathroom made almost entirely of tiny white tiles. At one side of the room is an old claw-foot bathtub, affixed with a portable shower nozzle and a plastic shower curtain. At the other side of the room is the sink and mirror. In between, on the west wall below a window is the john. The door to the hall is open to the east. On his back on the floor, Charlie Navarro, one of the second floor housemates, is here. His arms are folded on his chest. As you and Barbara see Charlie on the floor, Barbara kneels beside him to see if he's ok. As she does, he speaks, eyes still closed, "I'm fine." He says, "I'm just waiting to come down from this trip. It's a pretty crazy one." "Trip?" Barbara asks. You tell her, "He thinks he's been dosed with a drug." He speaks up again, "Someone dosed me good. I thought I was totally somewhere else." "Otherwise, you're okay, Charlie?" You ask. "Yeah, yeah. I can handle my shit. But, man, I gotta find out what that shit was. And who did it!" He laughs. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >x charlie Lying on the floor, asleep but breathing steady is one of the second floor roommates. Charlie is a bit more meticulous than the other housemates. He's seems very tidy and you believe you've heard he works at some sort of lab. Gef sniffs the air; his little nose twitching. >e Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. Gef runs around the place spastically for a moment. >s Second Floor Bedroom Whoever lives here either hates this room, or this apartment, or maybe himself. There's nothing here that says its occupant actually wants to be here. A single, bare mattress lies crooked on the floor. Bits of laundry (cleanliness unknown) are strewn about. A shallow closet (sans door) contains only a rail holding some wire hangers. A bare window looks out over the front yard. The bedroom door is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. Barbara gives a look as if smelling something disagreeable. >e You can't go that way. >n Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >e Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >n Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Tommy Miller is sitting on the floor, leaning back on the armchair. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. Gef gives you a funny look. >w White Kitchen This kitchen is generous in size and just about everything is painted white, but there is still more of a rustic feel than a modern one. One nice touch that catches your eye are the cabinets with windows in them so that you can see the contents without opening them. On the cabinet wall, the kitchen sink is positioned in the center. Windows look out to the north and west and countertops are set below them. A spacious living room can be reached to the east and the door to the outside is to the west. The only furniture in this kitchen is a white, wooden table with four white, wooden chairs and a small fridge in the corner. Sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall is Ed Denton. He seems a bit dazed and exhausted for some reason. Ed looks up to you and Barbara, "Am I back?" He asks, "Did I wake up yet?" Barbara kneels next to him and feels his forehead. You ask, "Do you remember where you just were?" He waits a moment before replying, "I think so. But I'm not ready to talk about it. I don't even know if I could describe it yet." Barbara says, "That's fine. Let's just get you to bed to rest." But he shakes his head, "I'm good. Let me sit here a bit longer. I'm pretty nauseous." She nods and stands up again. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >x ed Ed's hard to describe. He's likely one of the oldest housemates (maybe early 30's) but has so many tales to tell about his life, you find it hard to believe he fit it all in just those years. Otherwise, having once been a cop, he still sports the buzzed hair and tidy appearance, whenever possible. Gef says something about there being food around somewhere. >w Side Deck This is a simple, small wooden landing, allowing access to the second floor apartment to the east through a side door. In front of the door is a welcome mat. The wooden steps lead down to the west side of the house. From here, you can see a bit of the neighborhood; large houses, crowded lawns, big, shady trees, and quiet streets. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >d West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. There is a small mailbox here. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >se South of House You're standing at the front of the house. There's very little front lawn as this neighborhood is older and the houses are closer to the road. Being on the corner, the house is edged on the west and south by the neighborhood street. An old cement path leads from the house's front door south to the neighborhood street. Otherwise, a pebbled path leads to the northwest. Barbara arrives from the northwest. Gef arrives from the northwest. >nw West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. There is a small mailbox here. Barbara arrives from the southeast. Gef arrives from the southeast. Barbara looks through her handbag for a moment. >ne Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Barbara arrives from the southwest. Gef arrives from the southwest. >x shed The shed is a small, wooden affair, placed out of necessity rather than for anyone that's truly handy with tools. You've never needed to go inside it. In fact, the household rumor is that it hasn't been opened in decades because the original homeowners lost the key. You have a feeling it's more like the landlord is a lazy bastard who can't be bothered to do even a modicum of yardwork. Gef grooms his furry tail with his tiny paws for a moment. >unlock shed What do you want to unlock the small shed with? >key Which do you mean, the old key or the apartment key? >old You unlock the barn-like door. >open shed You open the barn-like door. >enter shed Small Shed The earthen smell in here is almost overpowering. There's barely any room in here to move around but you're able to see a shelf full of plant pots and some yard tools leaning in the corner. The exit is to the west. On the dirty shelf are some plant pots and a pair of dark goggles. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. Barbara looks around pensively. >take all plant pots: You don't need those right now. pair of dark goggles: You take the pair of dark goggles from the dirty shelf. Barbara gives you a snarky glance. >x goggles They appear to be welding goggles. They have very dark black/green lenses and a leather strap. They seem decades old. >wear goggles You put on the pair of dark goggles. You catch Barbara looking at your clothes as if trying to figure them out. >x pots These plant pots have no plants in them but they are stacked and toppled and filled with varying amounts of soil and dirt. Gef sniffs the air; his little nose twitching. Barbara looks around. >search pots You find nothing of interest. Barbara gives a wistful sigh. >smell You smell nothing unexpected. Gef looks up as if seeing someone who isn't there. >take soil You can't see any such thing. >l Small Shed The earthen smell in here is almost overpowering. There's barely any room in here to move around but you're able to see a shelf full of plant pots and some yard tools leaning in the corner. The exit is to the west. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. On the dirty shelf are some plant pots. Gef looks at your fine cocktail glass. >topics Current topics include: wedding ring, Barbara, dozed, snowing, corner and where the hell. Gef looks up as if seeing someone who isn't there. >x tools In the corner are some yard implements and tools, none of which seem to be new or in good condition. You can see a rake, a shovel, some hedge clippers, among other tools. >take rake You don't need any of those right now. >take shovel You don't need any of those right now. Barbara looks around. >take clippers You don't need any of those right now. >e You can't go that way. >w Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. Gef grooms his furry tail with his tiny paws for a moment. >x my car It's simple but reliable. >open it You just got back from work. You don't feel like going anywhere else right now. Gef looks around furtively. >e Small Shed The earthen smell in here is almost overpowering. There's barely any room in here to move around but you're able to see a shelf full of plant pots and some yard tools leaning in the corner. The exit is to the west. On the dirty shelf are some plant pots. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. Gef looks at the dirty shelf. >w Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >s (first opening the back door) It seems to be locked. >unlock back door What do you want to unlock the back door with? >old key That doesn't seem to fit the lock. Gef shivers for a moment; his short fur bristling. >ne The rest of the yard offers nothing, really. >nw That's the neighborhood street, running north to south. There's no reason to head that way. >se The house is in your way in that direction. >sw West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. There is a small mailbox here. Barbara arrives from the northeast. Gef arrives from the northeast. Gef darts into an adjoining room and then back again. >s That leads too far away from the house. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >se South of House You're standing at the front of the house. There's very little front lawn as this neighborhood is older and the houses are closer to the road. Being on the corner, the house is edged on the west and south by the neighborhood street. An old cement path leads from the house's front door south to the neighborhood street. Otherwise, a pebbled path leads to the northwest. Barbara arrives from the northwest. Gef arrives from the northwest. >unlock door with old key That doesn't seem to fit the lock. >nw West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. There is a small mailbox here. Barbara arrives from the southeast. Gef arrives from the southeast. Barbara briefly smooths her dress with her palms. >e That's the side of the house. Barbara takes a moment to look around. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >u Side Deck This is a simple, small wooden landing, allowing access to the second floor apartment to the east through a side door. In front of the door is a welcome mat. The wooden steps lead down to the west side of the house. From here, you can see a bit of the neighborhood; large houses, crowded lawns, big, shady trees, and quiet streets. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >x mat It's a durable welcome mat with the words 'Come Back With A Warrant' stitched on it. >e White Kitchen This kitchen is generous in size and just about everything is painted white, but there is still more of a rustic feel than a modern one. One nice touch that catches your eye are the cabinets with windows in them so that you can see the contents without opening them. On the cabinet wall, the kitchen sink is positioned in the center. Windows look out to the north and west and countertops are set below them. A spacious living room can be reached to the east and the door to the outside is to the west. The only furniture in this kitchen is a white, wooden table with four white, wooden chairs and a small fridge in the corner. Sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall is Ed Denton. He seems a bit dazed and exhausted for some reason. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >ask ed about where the hell "So you don't recall where you were?" You ask again. He shakes his head and reiterates that he doesn't want to talk about it yet. Barbara gives a wistful sigh. >e Spacious Living Room This is a spacious living room with a hardwood floor. Plenty of wall space allows for a variety of strange posters and artwork that would appeal to various collegiates. A wrap-around sofa and an armchair surround a glass-top coffee table, near the window to the north. The most eye-catching feature of the room, however, is the modest DJ booth near one corner. The kitchen can be seen to the west and a doorway leads to a hall to the south. There is a French door to the east, but the armchair is strategically placed in front of it as if to designate it as not an exit. Tommy Miller is sitting on the floor, leaning back on the armchair. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >s Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. Barbara gives a look as if smelling something disagreeable. >w Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >w Roomy Bathroom This is a large-ish bathroom made almost entirely of tiny white tiles. At one side of the room is an old claw-foot bathtub, affixed with a portable shower nozzle and a plastic shower curtain. At the other side of the room is the sink and mirror. In between, on the west wall below a window is the john. The door to the hall is open to the east. On his back on the floor, Charlie Navarro, one of the second floor housemates, is here. His arms are folded on his chest. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >ask charlie about where the hell "So, Charlie, tell me about this trip." You inquire. He tells you, "Man, it totally took over my senses. I totally thought I was in like a whole 'nother country. I remember it was raining, and there was a village or something. Man, it was weird." You notice that his sweater looks damp. Gef scratches behind his ear. >s You can't go that way. Barbara looks around. >e Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >s Second Floor Bedroom Whoever lives here either hates this room, or this apartment, or maybe himself. There's nothing here that says its occupant actually wants to be here. A single, bare mattress lies crooked on the floor. Bits of laundry (cleanliness unknown) are strewn about. A shallow closet (sans door) contains only a rail holding some wire hangers. A bare window looks out over the front yard. The bedroom door is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >n Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. Barbara looks through her handbag for a moment. >e Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >s You can't go that way. Barbara looks at you confused. >e Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. Gef rubs against your leg affectionately. >s Second Floor Bedroom This bedroom is very bare, but not in an abandoned or neglected way, but rather in a very tidy way. The occupant must be quite fastidious. A neatly made bed and a chest of drawers are the only furnishings. A doorless closet is on the west wall and there are windows on the east and south walls. The door back to the hallway is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >n Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >e Dark Stairway This is a wide but dark set of stairs deep inside the house. It's not an area that sees any foot traffic by the dust you can see in the corners of each step. There is also a fair amount of trash and objects forgotten down here, as if the second floor tenants have thrown things in this pit of forgetting. You can head up to the second floor apartment or further down to the bottom of this stairway. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. Gef looks up as if seeing someone who isn't there. Barbara looks around. >x trash It's mainly old food wrappers and empty cigarette boxes. Barbara takes a moment to look around. >take trash None of it is useful. >search trash You find nothing of interest. >x objects Just things like spent lighters, grimey bong pokers, and other useless detritus. Gef darts into an adjoining room and then back again. >take objects None of that is useful to you. Gef scratches behind his ear. >search objects You find nothing of interest. Gef grooms his furry tail with his tiny paws for a moment. Barbara gives a wistful sigh. >d Stairway Bottom This is the bottom of a wide, dark staircase. The steps are covered in dust and some neglected trash and forgotten objects litter the last few steps. Besides the steps leading up to the second floor apartment, there is an old door closed to the west. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >w (first opening the old door) Smoky Living Room Thin wisps of smoke, cigarette or otherwise, hang in the air in this room. It's a large living room with mismatched furniture likely procured from a Goodwill store. Two different sofas are placed together against one wall, making one long sofa. There's some sort of handmade wooden sign on the wall above it. A widescreen tv is hung on one wall, but it has a noticeable crack around one corner. A reclining armchair, a cheap torchiere lamp and a messy coffee table complete the ensemble. Doorways lead west (where you can see an unclean kitchen) and southwest (to the house's foyer). There is also an old door open on the east wall and a bay window to the south looks out on the front of the house. Stony Overdose, I mean, Tony Overton is here. Barbara arrives from the east. Scott Tirado arrives from the southwest. Gef arrives from the east. Gef wipes his whiskers with his little paws. Scott looks at the bay window as if thinking of ashing his cigarette on it or in it. You suddenly feel the need to say to Barbara, "What if there's no way to get you back where you belong?" "Who says I belong in Boston? Maybe things happen for a reason. Maybe I belong here." She's quick with her answer. Then a question for you, "What year is it, exactly?" "2019." You answer, hoping you don't sound too grand about it; hoping it doesn't sound frightening, perhaps. "So I imagine you take a flying taxi to work?" She asks. You're not certain if she's being serious of playful. "No," You tell her, "I have my own car." "And the skyscrapers in your city are five-hundred stories tall." She says. "I think the tallest building we have is the parking garage on Main. You can't even successfully commit suicide off it." "And you probably even have a robot butler, of course." "Well, yes, " you answer, "if the robot was a cat and instead of butler it was nothing." Scott sees you and says, "Hey, Zeddy, what's up? How's life in the attic?" "Cozy." You answer. You introduce him to Barbara and they say hello. >topics Current topics include: wedding ring, Barbara, dozed, snowing, corner and where the hell. Scott looks into an adjecent room as if looking for someone. >ask scott about where the hell Scott Tirado doesn't have anything useful to say about that. Tony Overton goes southwest. >l Smoky Living Room Thin wisps of smoke, cigarette or otherwise, hang in the air in this room. It's a large living room with mismatched furniture likely procured from a Goodwill store. Two different sofas are placed together against one wall, making one long sofa. There's some sort of handmade wooden sign on the wall above it. A widescreen tv is hung on one wall, but it has a noticeable crack around one corner. A reclining armchair, a cheap torchiere lamp and a messy coffee table complete the ensemble. Doorways lead west (where you can see an unclean kitchen) and southwest (to the house's foyer). There is also an old door open on the east wall and a bay window to the south looks out on the front of the house. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Scott is here, swaying slightly. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Scott Tirado heads southwest instead. Scott Tirado goes east. >smell You smell nothing unexpected. Gef looks at the thin wisps of smoke. >x sofa It is one long couch made of two standard couches, of two different styles, placed side-by-side. One couch is a worn, chocolate-brown sofa. The other is slightly shorter, and made of a well-worn red leather. A handmade wooden sign is placed on the wall above these couches. Sam Tirado arrives from the west. Barbara gives a look as if smelling something disagreeable. Barbara nods toward Sam's smartphone that he's holding, "I'm trying to discern what that is but I give up." You think for a moment before replying, "Short answer, it's a portable phone. Long answer, it can also access any information at all you might need but no one's smartphone has been working inside the house for the last week or so." "Like an encyclopedia? All in that wafer-thin thing?" She rolls her eyes and shakes her head subtly, "I don't even know how to begin thinking about that." You and Sam give each other a quick nod hello. >x sam Sam and his brother, Scott, are the first floor tenants. Sam's hair is a dark, curly situation and he has an olive complexion. You're really not too sure what he and his brother do for a living. You think it's general contracting or something like it. >x scott You can't see any such thing. >x tony You can't see any such thing. >read sign Someone took the time to crudely attempt a wooden sign that reads "The Viking Longcouch". Gef moves around between your legs. >x table It's a dark brown table of thick, polished wood. It's an average rectangle shape and the top is covered with an assortment of clutter like cups, empty cigarette packs, wrappers, and one large, round ashtray full of ashes and butts. You're pretty sure it's actually a hubcap. >search it There is nothing on the messy coffee table. Barbara gives a wistful sigh. >take all useless smartphone: That seems to belong to Sam Tirado. Barbara adjusts the strap on her paisley-patterned purse. >x smartphoen You can't see any such thing. >x smartphone Sam carries his smartphone with him which he periodically checks. But he frowns when he does, as if it's not functioning. >ask sam about smartphone Sam Tirado doesn't have anything useful to say about that. Gef gives a tiny sneeze. >x window This large bay window looks out to the front of the house. You can see the street and some houses across it. The sky is a deepening purple twilight. Barbara looks around pensively. Sam checks his wrist and, not finding a watch, lowers his arm, embarrassed. >w Unclean Kitchen The scent of garbage, particularly rotting food, permeates this kitchen. At this point, it probably doesn't even qualify as a kitchen as the sink is full of dirty dishes, the waste bin is overflowing with trash, and the counter space is buried by a heap of apparently used, red, plastic cups. A banged-up refridgerator completes the scene. Through an opening to the east, you can see a smoky living room. A basement door is closed to the west and the back door to the house is closed to the north. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >smel That's not a verb I recognise. >smell You smell nothing unexpected. >take all dirty dishes: Ugh. Nasty. No thanks. >w (first opening basement door) It seems to be locked. >s You can't go that way. >n (first opening the back door) Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Stony Overdose, I mean, Tony Overton is here. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. You catch Barbara looking at your clothes as if trying to figure them out. >s Unclean Kitchen The scent of garbage, particularly rotting food, permeates this kitchen. At this point, it probably doesn't even qualify as a kitchen as the sink is full of dirty dishes, the waste bin is overflowing with trash, and the counter space is buried by a heap of apparently used, red, plastic cups. A banged-up refridgerator completes the scene. Through an opening to the east, you can see a smoky living room. A basement door is closed to the west and the back door to the house is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >e Smoky Living Room Thin wisps of smoke, cigarette or otherwise, hang in the air in this room. It's a large living room with mismatched furniture likely procured from a Goodwill store. Two different sofas are placed together against one wall, making one long sofa. There's some sort of handmade wooden sign on the wall above it. A widescreen tv is hung on one wall, but it has a noticeable crack around one corner. A reclining armchair, a cheap torchiere lamp and a messy coffee table complete the ensemble. Doorways lead west (where you can see an unclean kitchen) and southwest (to the house's foyer). There is also an old door open on the east wall and a bay window to the south looks out on the front of the house. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. Barbara looks worried for a fleeting moment. >sw Neglected Foyer This room is a nexus of five passages. It is the foyer of the house, the front door is open to the south. To the northeast, you can see a smoky living room and to the north, a short hall extends. Finally, a bedrom door is closed to the west. A blue bathroom door is open to the east. Scuff marks from legions of shoes mar the floor, crossing into each direction. Left on the floor is a stack of discarded mail. Near the front door, an issue of Popular Mechanics has been ignored. You can also see Jessica Fidgeon here. Barbara arrives from the northeast. Gef arrives from the northeast. Barbara adjusts the strap on her paisley-patterned purse. You and Jessica give a nod and a quick wave hello. >take all stack of discarded mail: Looks to be unattended bills, really, but there's also a torn-open, empty envelope in the stack that just has a strange logo on it. You grab it. issue of Popular Mechanics: You pick up the issue of Popular Mechanics from the ground. Gef gives you a funny look. >read popular This issue is very recent. The cover features a cartoon diagram of a toilet with the words Turbo Power Your Shitter splashed before it. The name on the subscription label is Jack Angerman at this address. Gef looks up as if seeing someone who isn't there. Jessica looks at Gef and says, "Nice kitty." >read envelope It's been torn open and its contents purloined. A logo on the envelope is a stylized squid with the word SquidSys written below it. Jessica Fidgeon goes west. Gef licks his fur as if gussying up for something. >open it It isn't something you can open. Gef moves around between your legs. >search it You find nothing of interest. >topcis That's not a verb I recognise. >topics Current topics include: wedding ring, Barbara, dozed, snowing, corner, Jack Angerman and where the hell. >w 1st Floor Bedroom This would be a relatively average bedroom if not for the landscape of empty beer cans covering just about every surface. The bed, while spared from (most) of the beer cans, is still an unmade mess. A nightstand sits by the bed and a large wooden trunk is near one of the windows (which look out west and south). The door back to the foyer is open to the east. On the small nightstand is a VHS cassette tape. You can also see Jessica Fidgeon here. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. Gef quickly turns his head as if hearing something that you didn't. >take all VHS cassette tape: You take the VHS cassette tape from the small nightstand. Jessica Fidgeon goes east. >x tape Obviously a relic of the 90's or prior, this VCR cassette tape has a small label on it. Gef curls up by your feet for a moment. >read label (the issue of Popular Mechanics) This issue is very recent. The cover features a cartoon diagram of a toilet with the words Turbo Power Your Shitter splashed before it. The name on the subscription label is Jack Angerman at this address. >read tape Obviously a relic of the 90's or prior, this VCR cassette tape has a small label on it. >read small label Crudely handwritten on the label are the words "Pop-pop's pelvic organ prolapse" Barbara looks worried for a fleeting moment. >ask gef about jack angerman You speak quietly with Gef, "You're familiar with the people who live here, right?" The mongoose nods and wrings his tiny hands together. In his high voice and lilting accent he replies, "Oh yes. I can move around the inside of the walls quite deftly. I'm an extra clever mongoose." "Have you heard of a Jack Angerman living here?" You ask. "I know Scott, Sam, Tommy, Ed, Charlie, you and me live here." The little creature tells you this and you think he's done until he adds, "But I've never been to the basement." Barbara briefly smooths her dress with her palms. >l 1st Floor Bedroom This would be a relatively average bedroom if not for the landscape of empty beer cans covering just about every surface. The bed, while spared from (most) of the beer cans, is still an unmade mess. A nightstand sits by the bed and a large wooden trunk is near one of the windows (which look out west and south). The door back to the foyer is open to the east. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >x nightstand It's just a square-shaped, wooden nightstand. By the crooked, low-quality look of it, you figure it's probably from IKEA. >open it It isn't something you can open. Gef grooms his furry tail with his tiny paws for a moment. Barbara looks around. >search it There is nothing on the small nightstand. Gef looks at your open envelope. >open trunk You open the wooden trunk, revealing some folded quilts. >x quilts You look through the folded quilts, feeling for anything else in the trunk. Sure enough, you produce a clunky, old, handheld vacuum cleaner which you grab. Barbara rubs her eyes. >i You are carrying: a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >x dustbuster It's an older model; heavy and bulky, but still able to be used with just one hand. The charge it carries is questionable and you see no charger for it around. The dustbuster is currently switched off. Gef scratches behind his ear. >search trunk You find nothing more of use among the quilts in the trunk. >l 1st Floor Bedroom This would be a relatively average bedroom if not for the landscape of empty beer cans covering just about every surface. The bed, while spared from (most) of the beer cans, is still an unmade mess. A nightstand sits by the bed and a large wooden trunk is near one of the windows (which look out west and south). The door back to the foyer is open to the east. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >e Neglected Foyer This room is a nexus of five passages. It is the foyer of the house, the front door is open to the south. To the northeast, you can see a smoky living room and to the north, a short hall extends. Finally, a bedrom door is open to the west. A blue bathroom door is open to the east. Scuff marks from legions of shoes mar the floor, crossing into each direction. Left on the floor is a stack of discarded mail. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >e Commodious Bathroom This is a fairly spacious bathroom and it maintains an old-fashioned character. The tiles are antique white, the bathtub is another old claw-foot style, and the toilet looks like it's straight out of the 1930's. A porcelain sink and a lighted mirror complete the room. The exit is a blue door that's open to the west and a window to the south looks out on the front of the house. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. Barbara looks worried for a fleeting moment. >take all There are none at all available! >x sink Sink, drain, faucet. You know the routine. >x mirror This is a vintage mirror with white rectangles on each side, behind which are light bulbs. A tiny knob is at the bottom of one of them.. The lighted mirror is currently switched off. Gef wipes his whiskers with his little paws. You catch Barbara looking at your clothes as if trying to figure them out. >turn knob It is fixed in place. Gef scratches around with his little hand-like paws as if gathering something that's not there. >switch knob You switch on the lights on the mirror. They flicker to life and offer a dim, yellow glow. Barbara looks worried for a fleeting moment. >x mirror This is a vintage mirror with white rectangles on each side, behind which are light bulbs. A tiny knob is at the bottom of one of them. They are casting a pale yellow glow.. The lighted mirror is currently switched on. Gef chases his tail for a few seconds. >l Commodious Bathroom This is a fairly spacious bathroom and it maintains an old-fashioned character. The tiles are antique white, the bathtub is another old claw-foot style, and the toilet looks like it's straight out of the 1930's. A porcelain sink and a lighted mirror complete the room. The exit is a blue door that's open to the west and a window to the south looks out on the front of the house. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >x window Out this window, you can see the front of the house and the neighborhood street before it. It is quite dark on this side of the house at this time of evening. >w Neglected Foyer This room is a nexus of five passages. It is the foyer of the house, the front door is open to the south. To the northeast, you can see a smoky living room and to the north, a short hall extends. Finally, a bedrom door is open to the west. A blue bathroom door is open to the east. Scuff marks from legions of shoes mar the floor, crossing into each direction. Heshe is here looking around merrily. Left on the floor is a stack of discarded mail. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. When Heshe sees you he smiles, "Hey, Zadoc Maddox." He enjoys using your full name. "Hey, Heshe. This is Barbara." You say and they shake hands. >ask heshe about jack You sidle up to Heshe and ask, "Who's this Jack Angerman cat?" "Angerman?" He thinks for a second, "Oh. Isn't that the guy who lives in the basement? I've never met him; only heard that someone rents a room down there." >ask heshe about basement Heshe Kivuli doesn't have anything useful to say about that. Barbara rubs her eyes. >l Neglected Foyer This room is a nexus of five passages. It is the foyer of the house, the front door is open to the south. To the northeast, you can see a smoky living room and to the north, a short hall extends. Finally, a bedrom door is open to the west. A blue bathroom door is open to the east. Scuff marks from legions of shoes mar the floor, crossing into each direction. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Heshe is here looking around merrily. Left on the floor is a stack of discarded mail. Heshe stares blankly at the scuff marks. >n End of Hall This is the end of a short hall that extends from the foyer to the south. To the west, a bedroom door is closed. An old style pendant lamp is providing light above you. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >w Barbara says, "I'll wait here." Gef says he doesn't like the smell in the room to the west so he waits for you out in the hall. (first opening bedroom door) Wasp Room At first, this room appears to be some sort of storage room, but then you realize it's a bedroom with drop cloths over all the furniture. There's a bed-shaped cloth and a dresser-shaped cloth. There was probably more furnishings but they may have been removed. There's one window on the west wall and the door to the hall is open to the east. The only thing not covered is a wooden podium near the window. Up in the far corner of the room is a horrid, papery thing, covered in countless crawling wasps. Disturbed by their intruder, a swarm of wasps emerges from the horrible nest and attacks! The swarm of wasps quickly gather by your head! You feel dozens of horrid insects in your hair, looking for skin to sting. You scream like a schoolgirl at recess, waving your hands at your hair, batting the wasps away! The wasps disengage only after you stumble back out into the hall, slamming the door behind you. End of Hall This is the end of a short hall that extends from the foyer to the south. To the west, a bedroom door is open. An old style pendant lamp is providing light above you. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >i You are carrying: a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >x sweater You've left this sweater out, hoping to remind yourself to drop it off in a Goodwill box but you keep forgetting. Your aunt Midge gave this to you for a birthday present a couple of years ago. Apparently, it was made for hip-hop enthusiasts as it has the words "Rap Music!" cheerfully emblazoned on the back. You've yet to find a suitable occasion to actually wear it. >x hood You've left this sweater out, hoping to remind yourself to drop it off in a Goodwill box but you keep forgetting. Your aunt Midge gave this to you for a birthday present a couple of years ago. Apparently, it was made for hip-hop enthusiasts as it has the words "Rap Music!" cheerfully emblazoned on the back. You've yet to find a suitable occasion to actually wear it. Heshe Kivuli arrives from the south. >remove it You need all the protection you can get for now. >wear What do you want to wear? >hood You put up your hood. >w Barbara says, "I'll wait here." Gef says he doesn't like the smell in the room to the west so he waits for you out in the hall. (first opening bedroom door) Wasp Room At first, this room appears to be some sort of storage room, but then you realize it's a bedroom with drop cloths over all the furniture. There's a bed-shaped cloth and a dresser-shaped cloth. There was probably more furnishings but they may have been removed. There's one window on the west wall and the door to the hall is open to the east. The only thing not covered is a wooden podium near the window. Up in the far corner of the room is a horrid, papery thing, covered in countless crawling wasps. You can also see a swarm of wasps here. The wasp swarm takes one last attack. They bounce uselessly off of your hood, goggles, scarf, and kitchen gloves. For now, you are invulnerable. The droning sound of the wasps fills your ears. >x podium It stands a little over waist-high and has a slanted top to place your notes. It's not too bad looking, presentable enough, but seems to be made of heavy pieces of wood. The droning sound of the wasps fills your ears. >take all wooden podium: Wasps emerge from the nest in the corner and drive you away from the podium. wasps' nest: Even though the wasps can't sting you, they still swarm your head and disorient you enough to not quite be able to get to the nest. The droning sound of the wasps fills your ears. >pull podium with hanger I only understood you as far as wanting to pull the wooden podium. >pull podium Nothing obvious happens. The droning sound of the wasps fills your ears. >put hanger on podium Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. The droning sound of the wasps fills your ears. >grab That's not a verb I recognise. >catch That's not a verb I recognise. >move What do you want to move? >podium Nothing obvious happens. The droning sound of the wasps fills your ears. >i You are carrying: a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key The droning sound of the wasps fills your ears. >l Wasp Room At first, this room appears to be some sort of storage room, but then you realize it's a bedroom with drop cloths over all the furniture. There's a bed-shaped cloth and a dresser-shaped cloth. There was probably more furnishings but they may have been removed. There's one window on the west wall and the door to the hall is open to the east. The only thing not covered is a wooden podium near the window. Up in the far corner of the room is a horrid, papery thing, covered in countless crawling wasps. You can also see a swarm of wasps here. The droning sound of the wasps fills your ears. >hit nest with racquet You swing the recquet and, not being able to balance yourelf too well while reaching, you miss. Maybe another try will do it. The droning sound of the wasps fills your ears. >hit nest with racquet You take a swing and with a whack you bash the wasps nest out of the corner. It crashes to the floor, spilling dust and confused, angry wasps. >hit nest with racquet That's actually unnecessary. >x podium It stands a little over waist-high and has a slanted top to place your notes. It's not too bad looking, presentable enough, but seems to be made of heavy pieces of wood. >open it It isn't something you can open. >pull it Nothing obvious happens. >move it Nothing obvious happens. >search it You find nothing of interest. >take all battered nest: Even though the wasps can't sting you, they still swarm your head and disorient you enough to not quite be able to get to the downed nest. wooden podium: You might as well do something with the battered wasp nest before taking the podium. >i You are carrying: a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >take nest Even though the wasps can't sting you, they still swarm your head and disorient you enough to not quite be able to get to the downed nest. >stab it That's not a verb I recognise. >vacuum nest A useless gesture. >turn on dustbuster You switch the dustbuster on. The dustbuster thrums in your hand, weakly sucking in air. >vacuum nest A useless gesture. The dustbuster thrums in your hand, weakly sucking in air. >put it on nest (first taking the battered nest) Even though the wasps can't sting you, they still swarm your head and disorient you enough to not quite be able to get to the downed nest. The dustbuster thrums in your hand, weakly sucking in air. >put dustbuster on nest Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. The dustbuster thrums in your hand, weakly sucking in air. >turn off dustbuster You switch the dustbuster off. >i You are carrying: a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >open nest It isn't something you can open. >push nest Nothing obvious happens. >pull it Nothing obvious happens. >move it Nothing obvious happens. >l Wasp Room At first, this room appears to be some sort of storage room, but then you realize it's a bedroom with drop cloths over all the furniture. There's a bed-shaped cloth and a dresser-shaped cloth. There was probably more furnishings but they may have been removed. There's one window on the west wall and the door to the hall is open to the east. The only thing not covered is a wooden podium near the window. You can also see a battered nest and a swarm of wasps here. >bash nest What do you want to bash the battered nest with? >racquet That doesn't seem right. >bash nest What do you want to bash the battered nest with? >hanger That doesn't seem right. >poke That's not a verb I recognise. >e End of Hall This is the end of a short hall that extends from the foyer to the south. To the west, a bedroom door is open. An old style pendant lamp is providing light above you. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >s Neglected Foyer This room is a nexus of five passages. It is the foyer of the house, the front door is open to the south. To the northeast, you can see a smoky living room and to the north, a short hall extends. Finally, a bedrom door is open to the west. A blue bathroom door is open to the east. Scuff marks from legions of shoes mar the floor, crossing into each direction. Heshe is here looking around merrily. Left on the floor is a stack of discarded mail. You can also see Jessica Fidgeon here. Barbara arrives from the north. Jessica Fidgeon goes northeast. Gef arrives from the north. >ne Smoky Living Room Thin wisps of smoke, cigarette or otherwise, hang in the air in this room. It's a large living room with mismatched furniture likely procured from a Goodwill store. Two different sofas are placed together against one wall, making one long sofa. There's some sort of handmade wooden sign on the wall above it. A widescreen tv is hung on one wall, but it has a noticeable crack around one corner. A reclining armchair, a cheap torchiere lamp and a messy coffee table complete the ensemble. Doorways lead west (where you can see an unclean kitchen) and southwest (to the house's foyer). There is also an old door open on the east wall and a bay window to the south looks out on the front of the house. You can see Jessica Fidgeon here. Barbara arrives from the southwest. Gef arrives from the southwest. >ask jessica about jack "Hey, Jessica, do you know who Jack Angerman is?" You ask but all she can contribute is, "Isn't that the guy who lives downstairs?" >take all There are none at all available! >s You can't go that way. >e Stairway Bottom This is the bottom of a wide, dark staircase. The steps are covered in dust and some neglected trash and forgotten objects litter the last few steps. Besides the steps leading up to the second floor apartment, there is an old door open to the west. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >take all There are none at all available! >s You can't go that way. >u Dark Stairway This is a wide but dark set of stairs deep inside the house. It's not an area that sees any foot traffic by the dust you can see in the corners of each step. There is also a fair amount of trash and objects forgotten down here, as if the second floor tenants have thrown things in this pit of forgetting. You can head up to the second floor apartment or further down to the bottom of this stairway. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >u Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >u You can't go that way. >w Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >w Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >n Unused Stairs Dust covers every surface. This stairway hasn't been used in decades. The wood steps slightly curve from the northeast past an open door to your apartment, and south to an open dusty door. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >n You can't go that way. >u Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >s Meager Bathroom This bathroom seems to have been built out of half a walk-in closet or some such. Part of the ceiling angles down into the room, making it feel even more cramped. A medicine cabinet is affixed about a small porcelain sink with faucet. Otherwise, there is a generic toilet in here and a pre-fab shower stall. A narrow door is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >n Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >se Small Kitchen This is a small, cozy kitchen. The sunset's glow streams in from the window to the north, spilling orange on the small kitchen table; big enough for only two retro-looking kitchen chairs. A counter barely fits a coffee maker above which is one of the only two cabinets. The second is below a sink affixed before the window to allow you a view as you do what few dishes you have. Next to that is a small, white stovetop oven. Through a doorway to the northwest is your simple living room and past an open folding door to the east is your snug bedroom. Barbara arrives from the northwest. Gef arrives from the northwest. >take cleaning You don't need any of that right now. >nw Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. Barbara arrives from the southeast. Gef arrives from the southeast. >s Meager Bathroom This bathroom seems to have been built out of half a walk-in closet or some such. Part of the ceiling angles down into the room, making it feel even more cramped. A medicine cabinet is affixed about a small porcelain sink with faucet. Otherwise, there is a generic toilet in here and a pre-fab shower stall. A narrow door is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >n Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >sw Unused Stairs Dust covers every surface. This stairway hasn't been used in decades. The wood steps slightly curve from the northeast past an open door to your apartment, and south to an open dusty door. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >s You walk down the steps and through the freshly ripped open door. Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >s Second Floor Bedroom Whoever lives here either hates this room, or this apartment, or maybe himself. There's nothing here that says its occupant actually wants to be here. A single, bare mattress lies crooked on the floor. Bits of laundry (cleanliness unknown) are strewn about. A shallow closet (sans door) contains only a rail holding some wire hangers. A bare window looks out over the front yard. The bedroom door is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >n Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >e Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >e Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >d Dark Stairway This is a wide but dark set of stairs deep inside the house. It's not an area that sees any foot traffic by the dust you can see in the corners of each step. There is also a fair amount of trash and objects forgotten down here, as if the second floor tenants have thrown things in this pit of forgetting. You can head up to the second floor apartment or further down to the bottom of this stairway. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >d Stairway Bottom This is the bottom of a wide, dark staircase. The steps are covered in dust and some neglected trash and forgotten objects litter the last few steps. Besides the steps leading up to the second floor apartment, there is an old door open to the west. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >w Smoky Living Room Thin wisps of smoke, cigarette or otherwise, hang in the air in this room. It's a large living room with mismatched furniture likely procured from a Goodwill store. Two different sofas are placed together against one wall, making one long sofa. There's some sort of handmade wooden sign on the wall above it. A widescreen tv is hung on one wall, but it has a noticeable crack around one corner. A reclining armchair, a cheap torchiere lamp and a messy coffee table complete the ensemble. Doorways lead west (where you can see an unclean kitchen) and southwest (to the house's foyer). There is also an old door open on the east wall and a bay window to the south looks out on the front of the house. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >ask barbara about jack Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >take all There are none at all available! >e Stairway Bottom This is the bottom of a wide, dark staircase. The steps are covered in dust and some neglected trash and forgotten objects litter the last few steps. Besides the steps leading up to the second floor apartment, there is an old door open to the west. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >take all There are none at all available! >search trash You find nothing of interest. >search objects You find nothing of interest. >w Smoky Living Room Thin wisps of smoke, cigarette or otherwise, hang in the air in this room. It's a large living room with mismatched furniture likely procured from a Goodwill store. Two different sofas are placed together against one wall, making one long sofa. There's some sort of handmade wooden sign on the wall above it. A widescreen tv is hung on one wall, but it has a noticeable crack around one corner. A reclining armchair, a cheap torchiere lamp and a messy coffee table complete the ensemble. Doorways lead west (where you can see an unclean kitchen) and southwest (to the house's foyer). There is also an old door open on the east wall and a bay window to the south looks out on the front of the house. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >w Unclean Kitchen The scent of garbage, particularly rotting food, permeates this kitchen. At this point, it probably doesn't even qualify as a kitchen as the sink is full of dirty dishes, the waste bin is overflowing with trash, and the counter space is buried by a heap of apparently used, red, plastic cups. A banged-up refridgerator completes the scene. Through an opening to the east, you can see a smoky living room. A basement door is closed to the west and the back door to the house is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >n Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. You can see Jessica Fidgeon here. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >take all There are none at all available! >e Small Shed The earthen smell in here is almost overpowering. There's barely any room in here to move around but you're able to see a shelf full of plant pots and some yard tools leaning in the corner. The exit is to the west. On the dirty shelf are some plant pots. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >take all plant pots: You don't need those right now. >empty pot That's not a verb I recognise. >take pot You don't need those right now. >take tools You don't need any of those right now. >s You can't go that way. >w Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Mystical Clay is here, always looking around curiously. You can also see Jessica Fidgeon here. Barbara arrives from the east. Mystical Clay asks, "What's going on in this room?" Mystical Clay goes east. Gef arrives from the east. >ask clay about jack You can't see any such thing. >e Small Shed The earthen smell in here is almost overpowering. There's barely any room in here to move around but you're able to see a shelf full of plant pots and some yard tools leaning in the corner. The exit is to the west. Mystical Clay is here, always looking around curiously. On the dirty shelf are some plant pots. Barbara arrives from the west. Mystical Clay asks, "What's going on in this room?" Mystical Clay goes west. Gef arrives from the west. >w Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Mystical Clay is here, always looking around curiously. You can also see Jessica Fidgeon here. Barbara arrives from the east. Scott Tirado comes down from above. Gef arrives from the east. Scott looks at Mystical Clay, "Hey, Clay. Where'd you get your haircut? A vending machine?" "They have those now?" Clay asks genuinely. "Nevermind." >ask clay about jack Mystical Clay doesn't have anything useful to say about that. Mystical Clay asks, "What's going on in this room?" Mystical Clay goes up. Sam Tirado comes down from above. Jessica Fidgeon goes southwest. >topics Current topics include: wedding ring, Barbara, dozed, snowing, corner, Jack Angerman and where the hell. >l Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Sam, one of the housemates, is here. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Scott is here, swaying slightly. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Scott Tirado goes south. Steve Lynn comes down from above. Steve Lynn points at you and makes a clicking sound with his mouth. You guess it's his way of saying hi. Steve Lynn is speaking with Sam, "What were you saying back there again?" "It's easy," Sam replies, "The amount of molecules in the universe is finite. Yes, it's excessive, but still finite." "Ok?" Steve says. "So, given an infinite amount of time, this finite amount of molecules will form and reform countless times." "..." "So," Sam continues, "given enough time, this finite amount of molecules will eventually find themselves in the same arrangement they've been in before. It's mathematically necessary." "So?" Steve asks. "So, all of this will happen to you again and it's all happened to you before." Sam finishes, slightly out of breath. Steve thinks a moment then says, "So, an infinite universe of indefinite limits has no definite place for a finite man?" Sam now looks blankly at Steve Lynn. >s Unclean Kitchen The scent of garbage, particularly rotting food, permeates this kitchen. At this point, it probably doesn't even qualify as a kitchen as the sink is full of dirty dishes, the waste bin is overflowing with trash, and the counter space is buried by a heap of apparently used, red, plastic cups. A banged-up refridgerator completes the scene. Through an opening to the east, you can see a smoky living room. A basement door is closed to the west and the back door to the house is open to the north. Scott is here, swaying slightly. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >x sink In the packed sink are some dirty dishes. >x bin It's a typical plastic waste bin for kitchens. It's probably more than ten gallons big. It's filled with trash. >take it You don't need that. >empty it That's not a verb I recognise. >take all ever-burning cigarette: That seems to belong to Scott Tirado. dirty dishes: Ugh. Nasty. No thanks. >open fridge You don't want to encounter whatever is inside that thing. Scott Tirado goes north. >x cups You see nothing special about the heap of used cups. >take trash You don't need that. >move trash It is fixed in place. >l Unclean Kitchen The scent of garbage, particularly rotting food, permeates this kitchen. At this point, it probably doesn't even qualify as a kitchen as the sink is full of dirty dishes, the waste bin is overflowing with trash, and the counter space is buried by a heap of apparently used, red, plastic cups. A banged-up refridgerator completes the scene. Through an opening to the east, you can see a smoky living room. A basement door is closed to the west and the back door to the house is open to the north. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >e Smoky Living Room Thin wisps of smoke, cigarette or otherwise, hang in the air in this room. It's a large living room with mismatched furniture likely procured from a Goodwill store. Two different sofas are placed together against one wall, making one long sofa. There's some sort of handmade wooden sign on the wall above it. A widescreen tv is hung on one wall, but it has a noticeable crack around one corner. A reclining armchair, a cheap torchiere lamp and a messy coffee table complete the ensemble. Doorways lead west (where you can see an unclean kitchen) and southwest (to the house's foyer). There is also an old door open on the east wall and a bay window to the south looks out on the front of the house. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >sw Neglected Foyer This room is a nexus of five passages. It is the foyer of the house, the front door is open to the south. To the northeast, you can see a smoky living room and to the north, a short hall extends. Finally, a bedrom door is open to the west. A blue bathroom door is open to the east. Scuff marks from legions of shoes mar the floor, crossing into each direction. Left on the floor is a stack of discarded mail. Barbara arrives from the northeast. Gef arrives from the northeast. >e Commodious Bathroom This is a fairly spacious bathroom and it maintains an old-fashioned character. The tiles are antique white, the bathtub is another old claw-foot style, and the toilet looks like it's straight out of the 1930's. A porcelain sink and a lighted mirror complete the room. The exit is a blue door that's open to the west and a window to the south looks out on the front of the house. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >take all There are none at all available! >w Neglected Foyer This room is a nexus of five passages. It is the foyer of the house, the front door is open to the south. To the northeast, you can see a smoky living room and to the north, a short hall extends. Finally, a bedrom door is open to the west. A blue bathroom door is open to the east. Scuff marks from legions of shoes mar the floor, crossing into each direction. Left on the floor is a stack of discarded mail. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >w 1st Floor Bedroom This would be a relatively average bedroom if not for the landscape of empty beer cans covering just about every surface. The bed, while spared from (most) of the beer cans, is still an unmade mess. A nightstand sits by the bed and a large wooden trunk is near one of the windows (which look out west and south). The door back to the foyer is open to the east. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >take all folded quilts: You find nothing more of use among the quilts in the trunk. >e Neglected Foyer This room is a nexus of five passages. It is the foyer of the house, the front door is open to the south. To the northeast, you can see a smoky living room and to the north, a short hall extends. Finally, a bedrom door is open to the west. A blue bathroom door is open to the east. Scuff marks from legions of shoes mar the floor, crossing into each direction. Left on the floor is a stack of discarded mail. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >n End of Hall This is the end of a short hall that extends from the foyer to the south. To the west, a bedroom door is open. An old style pendant lamp is providing light above you. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >e You can't go that way. >w Barbara says, "I'll wait here." Gef says he doesn't like the smell in the room to the west so he waits for you out in the hall. Wasp Room At first, this room appears to be some sort of storage room, but then you realize it's a bedroom with drop cloths over all the furniture. There's a bed-shaped cloth and a dresser-shaped cloth. There was probably more furnishings but they may have been removed. There's one window on the west wall and the door to the hall is open to the east. The only thing not covered is a wooden podium near the window. You can also see a battered nest and a swarm of wasps here. >take all battered nest: Even though the wasps can't sting you, they still swarm your head and disorient you enough to not quite be able to get to the downed nest. wooden podium: You might as well do something with the battered wasp nest before taking the podium. >x nest The wasps nest is broken and bashed, almost in piecees. >attack it Violence isn't the answer to this one. >l Wasp Room At first, this room appears to be some sort of storage room, but then you realize it's a bedroom with drop cloths over all the furniture. There's a bed-shaped cloth and a dresser-shaped cloth. There was probably more furnishings but they may have been removed. There's one window on the west wall and the door to the hall is open to the east. The only thing not covered is a wooden podium near the window. You can also see a battered nest and a swarm of wasps here. >i You are carrying: a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >vacuum What do you want to vacuum? >nest A useless gesture. >move nest Nothing obvious happens. >push it Nothing obvious happens. >pull it Nothing obvious happens. >open it It isn't something you can open. >search it You find nothing of interest. >smell it You smell nothing unexpected. >listen to it You hear nothing unexpected. >l Wasp Room At first, this room appears to be some sort of storage room, but then you realize it's a bedroom with drop cloths over all the furniture. There's a bed-shaped cloth and a dresser-shaped cloth. There was probably more furnishings but they may have been removed. There's one window on the west wall and the door to the hall is open to the east. The only thing not covered is a wooden podium near the window. You can also see a battered nest and a swarm of wasps here. >take cloth You don't need to mess with the drop cloths. >push nest east The battered nest cannot be pushed from place to place. >cover nest It isn't something you can close. >put nest What do you want to put the battered nest under? >cloth (first taking the battered nest) Even though the wasps can't sting you, they still swarm your head and disorient you enough to not quite be able to get to the downed nest. >put nest under podium (first taking the battered nest) Even though the wasps can't sting you, they still swarm your head and disorient you enough to not quite be able to get to the downed nest. >i You are carrying: a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >put all on nest dustbuster: Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. VHS cassette tape: Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. issue of Popular Mechanics: Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. open envelope: Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. nail file: Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. old key: Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. fine cocktail glass: Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne: Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. old photograph: Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. empty frame: Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. bent hanger: Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. leaflet: Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. porno mag: Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. crappy racquet: Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. plastic glowstick: You feel you might need it so you hang onto it. apartment key: Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. >put nest on all You can't see any such thing. >x nest The wasps nest is broken and bashed, almost in piecees. >eat nest That's plainly inedible. >e End of Hall This is the end of a short hall that extends from the foyer to the south. To the west, a bedroom door is open. An old style pendant lamp is providing light above you. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >ask gef about nest Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >l End of Hall This is the end of a short hall that extends from the foyer to the south. To the west, a bedroom door is open. An old style pendant lamp is providing light above you. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >i You are carrying: a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key > I beg your pardon? >w Barbara says, "I'll wait here." Gef says he doesn't like the smell in the room to the west so he waits for you out in the hall. Wasp Room At first, this room appears to be some sort of storage room, but then you realize it's a bedroom with drop cloths over all the furniture. There's a bed-shaped cloth and a dresser-shaped cloth. There was probably more furnishings but they may have been removed. There's one window on the west wall and the door to the hall is open to the east. The only thing not covered is a wooden podium near the window. You can also see a battered nest and a swarm of wasps here. >put glass on nest Putting things on the battered nest would achieve nothing. >turn on dustbuster You switch the dustbuster on. The dustbuster thrums in your hand, weakly sucking in air. >vacuum nest A useless gesture. The dustbuster thrums in your hand, weakly sucking in air. >x wasps Which do you mean, the battered nest or the swarm of wasps? >swarm Wicked little things; they dart about in a vicious fashion. Striped yellow and black, like their bumblebee cousins, but sleek, not fuzzy, and seemingly savage, not oblivious. Their stingers, tiny evil needles, are clearly visible, even as the wasp darts about. Their buzzing wings echo around the room, disorienting you. The dustbuster thrums in your hand, weakly sucking in air. >vacuum swarm Thrumming in your hand, the dustbuster attacks the swarm as you point it at the horrible insects. Finally, you are left exasperated as most of the swarm has been inhaled, and the few stragglers retreat to separate corners of the room, and soon enough, you don't even notice them around or not. The dustbuster thrums in your hand, weakly sucking in air. >turn off dustbuster You switch the dustbuster off. >x podium It stands a little over waist-high and has a slanted top to place your notes. It's not too bad looking, presentable enough, but seems to be made of heavy pieces of wood. >take it You might as well do something with the battered wasp nest before taking the podium. >take nest You pick up the battered nest from the ground. >x it The wasps nest is broken and bashed, almost in piecees. >take podium You might as well do something with the battered wasp nest before taking the podium. >take nest You already have that. >i You are carrying: a battered nest a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >e You better not walk around the house with that wasps nest. There's got to be something else you can do with it. >put nest in envelope That can't contain things. >eat nest That's plainly inedible. >i You are carrying: a battered nest a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >l Wasp Room At first, this room appears to be some sort of storage room, but then you realize it's a bedroom with drop cloths over all the furniture. There's a bed-shaped cloth and a dresser-shaped cloth. There was probably more furnishings but they may have been removed. There's one window on the west wall and the door to the hall is open to the east. The only thing not covered is a wooden podium near the window. >open window You strain to push open the bedroom window, but it finally flies open. The cool night air breezes in. >throw nest through window You chuck the battered nest out the open bedroom window. >open podium It isn't something you can open. >take it You pick up the wooden podium from the ground. >x it It stands a little over waist-high and has a slanted top to place your notes. It's not too bad looking, presentable enough, but seems to be made of heavy pieces of wood. >search it You find nothing of interest. >l Wasp Room At first, this room appears to be some sort of storage room, but then you realize it's a bedroom with drop cloths over all the furniture. There's a bed-shaped cloth and a dresser-shaped cloth. There was probably more furnishings but they may have been removed. There's one window on the west wall and the door to the hall is open to the east. >i You are carrying: a wooden podium a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >x podium It stands a little over waist-high and has a slanted top to place your notes. It's not too bad looking, presentable enough, but seems to be made of heavy pieces of wood. >break it Violence isn't the answer to this one. >look under it You find nothing of interest. >move it Nothing obvious happens. >search it You find nothing of interest. >l Wasp Room At first, this room appears to be some sort of storage room, but then you realize it's a bedroom with drop cloths over all the furniture. There's a bed-shaped cloth and a dresser-shaped cloth. There was probably more furnishings but they may have been removed. There's one window on the west wall and the door to the hall is open to the east. >x bed There's a bed-shaped cloth and a dresser-shaped cloth. There was probably more furnishings but they may have been removed. >x dresser There's a bed-shaped cloth and a dresser-shaped cloth. There was probably more furnishings but they may have been removed. >search dresser You don't need to mess with the drop cloths. >l Wasp Room At first, this room appears to be some sort of storage room, but then you realize it's a bedroom with drop cloths over all the furniture. There's a bed-shaped cloth and a dresser-shaped cloth. There was probably more furnishings but they may have been removed. There's one window on the west wall and the door to the hall is open to the east. >e End of Hall This is the end of a short hall that extends from the foyer to the south. To the west, a bedroom door is open. An old style pendant lamp is providing light above you. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >give podium to gef You consider giving the wooden podium to Gef but think better of it. >show it to gef "That's an interesting wooden podium." >l End of Hall This is the end of a short hall that extends from the foyer to the south. To the west, a bedroom door is open. An old style pendant lamp is providing light above you. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >x lamp It's a pendant lamp that looks as if it's from the 50s or even earlier. It gives a slightly yellowish light to this end of the hall. >s Neglected Foyer This room is a nexus of five passages. It is the foyer of the house, the front door is open to the south. To the northeast, you can see a smoky living room and to the north, a short hall extends. Finally, a bedrom door is open to the west. A blue bathroom door is open to the east. Scuff marks from legions of shoes mar the floor, crossing into each direction. Left on the floor is a stack of discarded mail. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >x envelope It's been torn open and its contents purloined. A logo on the envelope is a stylized squid with the word SquidSys written below it. >ask gef about squidsys Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >topics Current topics include: wedding ring, Barbara, dozed, snowing, corner, Jack Angerman and where the hell. >ask gef about where the hell Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask barbara about jack Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >l Neglected Foyer This room is a nexus of five passages. It is the foyer of the house, the front door is open to the south. To the northeast, you can see a smoky living room and to the north, a short hall extends. Finally, a bedrom door is open to the west. A blue bathroom door is open to the east. Scuff marks from legions of shoes mar the floor, crossing into each direction. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Left on the floor is a stack of discarded mail. >w 1st Floor Bedroom This would be a relatively average bedroom if not for the landscape of empty beer cans covering just about every surface. The bed, while spared from (most) of the beer cans, is still an unmade mess. A nightstand sits by the bed and a large wooden trunk is near one of the windows (which look out west and south). The door back to the foyer is open to the east. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >e Neglected Foyer This room is a nexus of five passages. It is the foyer of the house, the front door is open to the south. To the northeast, you can see a smoky living room and to the north, a short hall extends. Finally, a bedrom door is open to the west. A blue bathroom door is open to the east. Scuff marks from legions of shoes mar the floor, crossing into each direction. Left on the floor is a stack of discarded mail. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >e Commodious Bathroom This is a fairly spacious bathroom and it maintains an old-fashioned character. The tiles are antique white, the bathtub is another old claw-foot style, and the toilet looks like it's straight out of the 1930's. A porcelain sink and a lighted mirror complete the room. The exit is a blue door that's open to the west and a window to the south looks out on the front of the house. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >drop podium Dropped. >climb it Little is to be achieved by that. >enter it That's not something you can enter. >get on it That's not something you can enter. >stand on podium That's not something you can stand on. >sit on it That's not something you can sit down on. >take it You pick up the wooden podium from the ground. >w Neglected Foyer This room is a nexus of five passages. It is the foyer of the house, the front door is open to the south. To the northeast, you can see a smoky living room and to the north, a short hall extends. Finally, a bedrom door is open to the west. A blue bathroom door is open to the east. Scuff marks from legions of shoes mar the floor, crossing into each direction. Left on the floor is a stack of discarded mail. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >w 1st Floor Bedroom This would be a relatively average bedroom if not for the landscape of empty beer cans covering just about every surface. The bed, while spared from (most) of the beer cans, is still an unmade mess. A nightstand sits by the bed and a large wooden trunk is near one of the windows (which look out west and south). The door back to the foyer is open to the east. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >e Neglected Foyer This room is a nexus of five passages. It is the foyer of the house, the front door is open to the south. To the northeast, you can see a smoky living room and to the north, a short hall extends. Finally, a bedrom door is open to the west. A blue bathroom door is open to the east. Scuff marks from legions of shoes mar the floor, crossing into each direction. Left on the floor is a stack of discarded mail. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >s South of House You're standing at the front of the house. There's very little front lawn as this neighborhood is older and the houses are closer to the road. Being on the corner, the house is edged on the west and south by the neighborhood street. An old cement path leads from the house's front door south to the neighborhood street. Otherwise, a pebbled path leads to the northwest. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >s That leads into the neighborhood street. You don't really need to head that way right now. Heshe Kivuli arrives from the northwest. >nw West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. Stony Overdose, I mean, Tony Overton is here. Steve Roach, a deadhead with ginger curls, is here. There is a small mailbox here. You can also see a battered nest here. Barbara arrives from the southeast. Steve Roach goes southeast. Gef arrives from the southeast. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >x bush (Gef) A small mongoose-type-thing with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, Gef is at once feline and rat-like. His hands are those of a tiny human's and his voice is childlike; at times plaintive and other times cold and doleful. Others see him as a cat. You're the only one who sees a mongoose. Tony Overton goes up. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >x large bush This is a large boxwood bush. It's thick, sturdy, and impossible to get through. Scott Tirado comes down from above. >ask scott about podium Scott Tirado doesn't have anything useful to say about that. Tony Overton arrives from the west. >listen You think you hear the buzzing of wasps. Mystical Clay arrives from the northeast. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >l West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. Mystical Clay is here, always looking around curiously. Stony Overdose, I mean, Tony Overton is here. Scott is here, swaying slightly. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. There is a small mailbox here. You can also see a battered nest here. Mystical Clay asks, "What's going on in this room?" Mystical Clay goes southeast. Tony Overton goes up. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >search bush (Gef) You find nothing of interest. Mystical Clay arrives from the southeast. >search large bush You find nothing of interest. Mystical Clay asks, "What's going on in this room?" Mystical Clay goes northeast. Steve Roach arrives from the southeast. Tony Overton arrives from the west. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >ne Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Mystical Clay is here, always looking around curiously. Surveying the scene from under a shadowy ball cap, Steve Lynn is also here. Barbara arrives from the southwest. Mystical Clay asks, "What's going on in this room?" Mystical Clay goes east. Gef arrives from the southwest. >sw West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. Stony Overdose, I mean, Tony Overton is here. Steve Roach, a deadhead with ginger curls, is here. There is a small mailbox here. You can also see a battered nest here. Barbara arrives from the northeast. Tony Overton goes southeast. Gef arrives from the northeast. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >se South of House You're standing at the front of the house. There's very little front lawn as this neighborhood is older and the houses are closer to the road. Being on the corner, the house is edged on the west and south by the neighborhood street. An old cement path leads from the house's front door south to the neighborhood street. Otherwise, a pebbled path leads to the northwest. Stony Overdose, I mean, Tony Overton is here. Heshe is here looking around merrily. Heshe looks at Tony, "How you feeling?" "Like a half-eaten can of shit." "Oh." Barbara arrives from the northwest. Gef arrives from the northwest. >nw West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. Steve Roach, a deadhead with ginger curls, is here. There is a small mailbox here. You can also see a battered nest here. Barbara arrives from the southeast. Gef arrives from the southeast. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >x nest The wasps nest is broken and bashed, almost in piecees. >take it You'd rather not mess with that thing again. Tony Overton arrives from the southeast. >l West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. Stony Overdose, I mean, Tony Overton is here. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Steve Roach, a deadhead with ginger curls, is here. There is a small mailbox here. You can also see a battered nest here. Scott Tirado arrives from the west. Steve Roach goes northeast. >i You are carrying: a wooden podium a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >e That's the side of the house. >n That leads too far away from the house. Scott Tirado goes up. Tony Overton goes northeast. >ne Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Stony Overdose, I mean, Tony Overton is here. Mystical Clay is here, always looking around curiously. Steve Roach, a deadhead with ginger curls, is here. Sam, one of the housemates, is here. Surveying the scene from under a shadowy ball cap, Steve Lynn is also here. You can also see Jessica Fidgeon here. Tony looks around, "What time is it?" "Your mom o'clock." Jessica answers, helpfully. "Thanks." The Steves are mumbling to each other. Steve L., thumbing through a beat-up paperback book of philosophy, says to Steve R., "Listen to this. Does free will exist or is everything we do predetermined?" Steve L. replies, "It's both, fuckface." Barbara arrives from the southwest. Mystical Clay asks, "What's going on in this room?" Mystical Clay goes south. Gef arrives from the southwest. >in You can't go that way. Tony Overton goes southwest. >n The rest of the yard offers nothing, really. >l Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Steve Roach, a deadhead with ginger curls, is here. Sam, one of the housemates, is here. Surveying the scene from under a shadowy ball cap, Steve Lynn is also here. You can also see Jessica Fidgeon here. Sam Tirado goes south. Jessica Fidgeon goes southwest. Steve Lynn goes south. >e Small Shed The earthen smell in here is almost overpowering. There's barely any room in here to move around but you're able to see a shelf full of plant pots and some yard tools leaning in the corner. The exit is to the west. On the dirty shelf are some plant pots. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >w Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Steve Roach, a deadhead with ginger curls, is here. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >s Unclean Kitchen The scent of garbage, particularly rotting food, permeates this kitchen. At this point, it probably doesn't even qualify as a kitchen as the sink is full of dirty dishes, the waste bin is overflowing with trash, and the counter space is buried by a heap of apparently used, red, plastic cups. A banged-up refridgerator completes the scene. Through an opening to the east, you can see a smoky living room. A basement door is closed to the west and the back door to the house is open to the north. Surveying the scene from under a shadowy ball cap, Steve Lynn is also here. Sam, one of the housemates, is here. Mystical Clay is here, always looking around curiously. Barbara arrives from the north. Mystical Clay asks, "What's going on in this room?" Mystical Clay goes north. Gef arrives from the north. >e Smoky Living Room Thin wisps of smoke, cigarette or otherwise, hang in the air in this room. It's a large living room with mismatched furniture likely procured from a Goodwill store. Two different sofas are placed together against one wall, making one long sofa. There's some sort of handmade wooden sign on the wall above it. A widescreen tv is hung on one wall, but it has a noticeable crack around one corner. A reclining armchair, a cheap torchiere lamp and a messy coffee table complete the ensemble. Doorways lead west (where you can see an unclean kitchen) and southwest (to the house's foyer). There is also an old door open on the east wall and a bay window to the south looks out on the front of the house. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >e Stairway Bottom This is the bottom of a wide, dark staircase. The steps are covered in dust and some neglected trash and forgotten objects litter the last few steps. Besides the steps leading up to the second floor apartment, there is an old door open to the west. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >u Dark Stairway This is a wide but dark set of stairs deep inside the house. It's not an area that sees any foot traffic by the dust you can see in the corners of each step. There is also a fair amount of trash and objects forgotten down here, as if the second floor tenants have thrown things in this pit of forgetting. You can head up to the second floor apartment or further down to the bottom of this stairway. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >u Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >ne You can't go that way. >w Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >e Top of Stairway This is the shadowy end of a long, wide hall. A dim yellow glow from the ceiling lamp down the hall a bit to the west strives to brighten this far down, but it mostly fails. Notably, there is a dark stairwell here to the east, leading down into thick shadows. It's as if these stairs are never used. Likely, they once led freely to the first floor, but are probably sealed down there now. Bedroom doors are to the north and south. Connected to the DJ booth by a black cord is a large amplifier. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >i You are carrying: a wooden podium a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >x glass You see nothing special about the fine cocktail glass. >x bottle It's your average glass champagne bottle but the label on it is written in French and looks fancy. > I beg your pardon? >w Second Floor Hall (near living room) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. To the north, a doorway opens into a spacious living room and this hallway continues both east and west. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >w Second Floor Hall (near bathroom) This is the end of a hall that's surprisingly wide enough for two to pass each other. The walls are either white or off-white and painted over many times over many years. An old-style pendant lamp hangs from the ceiling, providing a slightly jaundiced light. The floor is a dark hardwood. A door is open to the west and another is open to the south. The hall continues east but there is an opening to the north as if the wall has recently been opened like a door beneath layers of paint and wallpaper. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >n Unused Stairs Dust covers every surface. This stairway hasn't been used in decades. The wood steps slightly curve from the northeast past an open door to your apartment, and south to an open dusty door. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >turn on dustbuster You switch the dustbuster on. The dustbuster thrums in your hand, weakly sucking in air. >vacuum dust (the dustbuster) A useless gesture. The dustbuster thrums in your hand, weakly sucking in air. >turn off dustbuster You switch the dustbuster off. >u Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. Barbara comes up from below. Gef comes up from below. >take all There are none at all available! >s Meager Bathroom This bathroom seems to have been built out of half a walk-in closet or some such. Part of the ceiling angles down into the room, making it feel even more cramped. A medicine cabinet is affixed about a small porcelain sink with faucet. Otherwise, there is a generic toilet in here and a pre-fab shower stall. A narrow door is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >n Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. Barbara arrives from the south. Gef arrives from the south. >se Small Kitchen This is a small, cozy kitchen. The sunset's glow streams in from the window to the north, spilling orange on the small kitchen table; big enough for only two retro-looking kitchen chairs. A counter barely fits a coffee maker above which is one of the only two cabinets. The second is below a sink affixed before the window to allow you a view as you do what few dishes you have. Next to that is a small, white stovetop oven. Through a doorway to the northwest is your simple living room and past an open folding door to the east is your snug bedroom. Barbara arrives from the northwest. Gef arrives from the northwest. >e Snug Bedroom This bedroom is so snug, it perfectly fits your full-sized mattress; like, perfectly, with no room leftover whatsoever. To be in the room is to be in your bed. Nonetheless, there are windows to the north and east that have sills wide enough to double as bedside tables or some such. The exit is a folding door which is open to the west. On the full size bed are a comfy blanket and a flat pillow. On the northern window sill are an alarm clock and some paperback books. On the eastern window sill are some reference books. >w Small Kitchen This is a small, cozy kitchen. The sunset's glow streams in from the window to the north, spilling orange on the small kitchen table; big enough for only two retro-looking kitchen chairs. A counter barely fits a coffee maker above which is one of the only two cabinets. The second is below a sink affixed before the window to allow you a view as you do what few dishes you have. Next to that is a small, white stovetop oven. Through a doorway to the northwest is your simple living room and past an open folding door to the east is your snug bedroom. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >n You can't go that way. >nw Simple Living Room The first room of your apartment is unassuming. A compact sofa of coarse fabric is against one wall and a low, wide, square coffee table is before it. Across the room from the sofa is a small flatscreen television hanging on the wall. Below it is a waist-high bookcase. There are windows on the north and west walls and the door to the outside world is to the east. Next to the waist-high bookcase on the south wall is a narrow door to the bathroom. Near the southeast corner of the room, an open doorway leads into a small kitchen. The only other feature is to the southwest where it's obvious a door that was once painted over has been cut free and opened slightly. Barbara arrives from the southeast. Gef arrives from the southeast. >e Third Floor Deck This is a small landing up at the third floor of the house. It is on the back of the house, overlooking the dirt lot where the cars are parked, but from this height, you can see all around a few of the yards and houses on this street. There's a railing around this deck for safety and stairs lead down to another landing on the second level. Otherwise, the red-painted door to your apartment is open to the west. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >d Wooden Landing This is a wooden landing halfway between flights of wooden steps that lead up to your apartment on the third floor of the house. There's nothing here that would make this a spot to hang-out but that doesn't stop people from smoking cigarettes (or otherwise) on this landing during parties. A wooden railing surrounds the landing save for where you can head up or down the steps. Barbara comes down from above. Gef comes down from above. >d Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Stony Overdose, I mean, Tony Overton is here. Scott is here, swaying slightly. Barbara comes down from above. Mystical Clay arrives from the southwest. Tony Overton goes southwest. Gef comes down from above. >s Unclean Kitchen The scent of garbage, particularly rotting food, permeates this kitchen. At this point, it probably doesn't even qualify as a kitchen as the sink is full of dirty dishes, the waste bin is overflowing with trash, and the counter space is buried by a heap of apparently used, red, plastic cups. A banged-up refridgerator completes the scene. Through an opening to the east, you can see a smoky living room. A basement door is closed to the west and the back door to the house is open to the north. Surveying the scene from under a shadowy ball cap, Steve Lynn is also here. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >e Smoky Living Room Thin wisps of smoke, cigarette or otherwise, hang in the air in this room. It's a large living room with mismatched furniture likely procured from a Goodwill store. Two different sofas are placed together against one wall, making one long sofa. There's some sort of handmade wooden sign on the wall above it. A widescreen tv is hung on one wall, but it has a noticeable crack around one corner. A reclining armchair, a cheap torchiere lamp and a messy coffee table complete the ensemble. Doorways lead west (where you can see an unclean kitchen) and southwest (to the house's foyer). There is also an old door open on the east wall and a bay window to the south looks out on the front of the house. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >x tv It's a nice sized, widescreen tv. Unfortunately, there is a significant crack over one of the lower corners. >x crack It's a nice sized, widescreen tv. Unfortunately, there is a significant crack over one of the lower corners. >turn it on It isn't something you can switch. >take all There are none at all available! >w Unclean Kitchen The scent of garbage, particularly rotting food, permeates this kitchen. At this point, it probably doesn't even qualify as a kitchen as the sink is full of dirty dishes, the waste bin is overflowing with trash, and the counter space is buried by a heap of apparently used, red, plastic cups. A banged-up refridgerator completes the scene. Through an opening to the east, you can see a smoky living room. A basement door is closed to the west and the back door to the house is open to the north. Surveying the scene from under a shadowy ball cap, Steve Lynn is also here. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >x door Which do you mean, the back door or basement door? >basement This door is a bit out-of-place to you. It's apparently a strong, metal door like the kind you'd find on a professional walk-in freezer. You're not even sure a battering ram could take it down. >knock on it knock knock knock. >open it It seems to be locked. >unlock it What do you want to unlock basement door with? >key Which do you mean, the old key or the apartment key? >old That doesn't seem to fit the lock. >w (first opening basement door) It seems to be locked. >s You can't go that way. Steve Lynn goes north. >l Unclean Kitchen The scent of garbage, particularly rotting food, permeates this kitchen. At this point, it probably doesn't even qualify as a kitchen as the sink is full of dirty dishes, the waste bin is overflowing with trash, and the counter space is buried by a heap of apparently used, red, plastic cups. A banged-up refridgerator completes the scene. Through an opening to the east, you can see a smoky living room. A basement door is closed to the west and the back door to the house is open to the north. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >n Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Surveying the scene from under a shadowy ball cap, Steve Lynn is also here. Mystical Clay is here, always looking around curiously. Barbara arrives from the south. Mystical Clay asks, "What's going on in this room?" Mystical Clay goes south. Gef arrives from the south. >x large You can't see any such thing. >sw West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. Heshe is here looking around merrily. There is a small mailbox here. You can also see Jessica Fidgeon and a battered nest here. Barbara arrives from the northeast. Sam Tirado arrives from the southeast. Jessica Fidgeon goes up. Gef arrives from the northeast. >x large (the large bush) This is a large boxwood bush. It's thick, sturdy, and impossible to get through. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >put podium on large (the large bush) Putting things on the large bush would achieve nothing. Heshe Kivuli goes southeast. >drop podium Dropped. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >enter it That's not something you can enter. Mystical Clay arrives from the northeast. Steve Roach arrives from the southeast. >climb it Little is to be achieved by that. Mystical Clay asks, "What's going on in this room?" Mystical Clay goes northeast. Sam Tirado goes northeast. Scott Tirado arrives from the southeast. Jessica Fidgeon arrives from the west. Heshe Kivuli arrives from the southeast. Tony Overton arrives from the southeast. Eying Steve Roach's snack bag, Heshe asks him, "What's that you're eating?" "Uh," Steve looks at the bag as he says, "I dunno. I found it." "Don't eat that." Heshe suggests. "Why not?" "Because it's past date." "It is?" "And it's for cats." >take all wooden podium: You pick up the wooden podium from the ground. battered nest: You'd rather not mess with that thing again. small mailbox: It's firmly planted in the ground. But what would you need to carry around a mailbox for anyway? ever-burning cigarette: You'd have to drop the podium to pick up any more things. bag of Nomnom Treats: You'd have to drop the podium to pick up any more things. questionable kibble: You'd have to drop the podium to pick up any more things. Mystical Clay arrives from the northeast. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >drop podium Dropped. Mystical Clay asks, "What's going on in this room?" Mystical Clay goes southeast. Tony Overton goes northeast. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >take treats That seems to belong to Steve Roach. Mystical Clay arrives from the southeast. Scott Tirado goes up. Heshe Kivuli goes southeast. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >take kibble Those seem to belong to Steve Roach. Mystical Clay asks, "What's going on in this room?" Mystical Clay goes northeast. Tony Overton arrives from the northeast. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >take podium You pick up the wooden podium from the ground. Jessica Fidgeon goes southeast. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >put all in podium dustbuster: That can't contain things. VHS cassette tape: That can't contain things. issue of Popular Mechanics: That can't contain things. open envelope: That can't contain things. nail file: That can't contain things. old key: That can't contain things. fine cocktail glass: That can't contain things. bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne: That can't contain things. old photograph: That can't contain things. empty frame: That can't contain things. bent hanger: That can't contain things. leaflet: That can't contain things. porno mag: That can't contain things. crappy racquet: That can't contain things. plastic glowstick: You feel you might need it so you hang onto it. apartment key: That can't contain things. Mystical Clay arrives from the northeast. >put all on podium dustbuster: Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. VHS cassette tape: Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. issue of Popular Mechanics: Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. open envelope: Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. nail file: Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. old key: Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. fine cocktail glass: Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne: Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. old photograph: Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. empty frame: Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. bent hanger: Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. leaflet: Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. porno mag: Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. crappy racquet: Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. plastic glowstick: You feel you might need it so you hang onto it. apartment key: Putting things on the wooden podium would achieve nothing. >give bottle to clay You consider giving the bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne to Mystical Clay but think better of it. Mystical Clay asks, "What's going on in this room?" Mystical Clay goes northeast. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >read popular This issue is very recent. The cover features a cartoon diagram of a toilet with the words Turbo Power Your Shitter splashed before it. The name on the subscription label is Jack Angerman at this address. Scott Tirado comes down from above. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >x window The bush is in your way, but it looks to be a window to the bedroom of one of the first-floor housemates. You think you see furniture covered with drop cloths. Jessica Fidgeon arrives from the southeast. Tony Overton goes southeast. You hear the buzzing of bees or wasps. >ask jessica about jack You already asked this. It went: "Hey, Jessica, do you know who Jack Angerman is?" You ask but all she can contribute is, "Isn't that the guy who lives downstairs?" >l West of House You stand on a narrow strip of lawn west of the boarding house. The neighborhood street flanks this spot to the west while a shoe-beaten path leads northeast and a pebbled path heads southeast. A set of wooden steps lead up to a side deck where the second floor roommates usually enter the house. Otherwise, there is a large bush before a first-floor window to the east. Scott is here, swaying slightly. Steve Roach, a deadhead with ginger curls, is here. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. There is a small mailbox here. You can also see Jessica Fidgeon and a battered nest here. >ask scott about jack You speak to Scott, asking, "Who is Jack Angerman?" "Angerman lives in the basement." He answers, "He's a friend of the landlord or something. His mail arrives and then disappears. I never hear him down there. He's either quiet or the place is well insulated. No idea what he does for a living but his mail always seems to reference technology and engineering." Steve Roach goes northeast. >ne Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Steve Roach, a deadhead with ginger curls, is here. Barbara arrives from the southwest. Gef arrives from the southwest. >ask steve about jack Steve Roach doesn't have anything useful to say about that. Mystical Clay comes down from above. Sam Tirado comes down from above. >ask clay about jack Mystical Clay doesn't have anything useful to say about that. Mystical Clay asks, "What's going on in this room?" Mystical Clay goes south. >ask sam about jack You approach Sam and ask, "Who is this Jack Angerman person?" "Jack Angerman is one of your housemates, dude. He lives in the basement. I've never actually met him, though. But I've seen his mail come through," "Huh," you say, "I didn't even know we had a basement. Let alone a whole apartment down there." >l Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Sam, one of the housemates, is here. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Steve Roach, a deadhead with ginger curls, is here. >ask gef about basement Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask gef about jack Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. Sam Tirado goes up. Steve Roach goes south. Steve Lynn comes down from above. >ask lynn about jack You ask Steve Lynn if he knows anything about Jack Angerman. He shrugs and suggests you ask one of your housemates. >in You can't go that way. >l Dirt Lot This is a patch of sandy dirt and it's used as a make-shift parking lot for the tenants' cars. It is in the back of the old three story house and parks eight cars comfortably, but only if everyone parks properly and not in the asinine way as is the fashion. But that's more than enough for the tenants. When there's a party in the house (and there's usually a party every week, really) then this dirt lot can be packed asshole-to-elbow with cars. Currently, just your car and a couple other tenants' cars are parked here. The neighborhood street is to the west and a shoe-beaten path leads southwest to the side of the house. Wooden steps lead up the back of the house from here, leading to the third floor which is the room you've rented. Otherwise, an unspectacular shed sits on the edge of the lot to the east and a back door into the first floor of the house is to the south. Surveying the scene from under a shadowy ball cap, Steve Lynn is also here. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >s Unclean Kitchen The scent of garbage, particularly rotting food, permeates this kitchen. At this point, it probably doesn't even qualify as a kitchen as the sink is full of dirty dishes, the waste bin is overflowing with trash, and the counter space is buried by a heap of apparently used, red, plastic cups. A banged-up refridgerator completes the scene. Through an opening to the east, you can see a smoky living room. A basement door is closed to the west and the back door to the house is open to the north. Steve Roach, a deadhead with ginger curls, is here. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >hit door with podium Which do you mean, the back door or basement door? >basement With a heave, you hold the wooden podium like a battering ram. After ensuring you are aimed well, you back up a few feet and, from across the kitchen, you run at the metal door with the podium like a cop busting a meth lab. Sure enough, with a shuddering THUD, the metal door crashes open and the wooden podium splinters apart. >w Mildewy Basement The air down here, if you can even call it air at this point, is thick with the disgusting, incessant stench of mildew. It's the epitome of basements; dank, damp walls, rotting boxes of forgotten storage, and a rusting clothes washer. Everywhere you look, you see mold creeping and invading, and pretty much winning. Steps lead back up to the kitchen but an out-of-place-looking industrial door with a small grate above it is closed to the south. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. Gef seems unfazed by the overwhelming mildew in the air. Barbara retrieves a hankerchief from her paisely patterned handbag and holds it to her face. Barbara taps you on your shoulder, With hankerchief to her face, she asks, "So do you enjoy living in a house that's full of strange anomalies?" "Well," you reply, "You get used to it pretty quick. The parties on the first floor ramped up to this quite nicely, now that I think of it." >take all dainty hankerchief: That seems to belong to Barbara. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. Gef seems unfazed by the overwhelming mildew in the air. >s (first opening the industrial door) It seems to be locked. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. Gef seems unfazed by the overwhelming mildew in the air. >knock on door Which do you mean, basement door or the industrial door? >industrial knock knock knock. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. Gef seems unfazed by the overwhelming mildew in the air. >x it This door is even more impenetrable looking than the door to get into the basement. In fact, you wouldn't be surprised if it began life on a submarine. You see no visible handle or anything with which to open it. There is a small grate above the industrial door. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. Gef seems unfazed by the overwhelming mildew in the air. >x grate It looks like some sort of small air vent. Maybe pryable, maybe not. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. Gef seems unfazed by the overwhelming mildew in the air. >open it You'd have to pry it with something. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. Gef seems unfazed by the overwhelming mildew in the air. >pry it What do you want to pry the small grate with? >hanger The bent hanger isn't going to work. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. Gef seems unfazed by the overwhelming mildew in the air. >i You are carrying: a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. Gef seems unfazed by the overwhelming mildew in the air. >pry grate with file With Barbara's trusty nail file, you pry open the small grate. It falls free with a pop, revealing a duct passage above the door. Gef sniffs at the small grate as if to discern something about the area beyond. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. Gef seems unfazed by the overwhelming mildew in the air. >x duct It's a small hole in the wall, probably allowing ventilation for the room beyond. It's about big enough for a cat...or maybe a mongoose, to get through. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. Gef seems unfazed by the overwhelming mildew in the air. >put gef in duct (first taking Gef) I don't suppose Gef would care for that. Gef seems to study the duct passage above the industrial door. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. Gef seems unfazed by the overwhelming mildew in the air. >ask gef about duct Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. Gef seems unfazed by the overwhelming mildew in the air. >gef, enter duct You look from the duct passage to Gef and he rolls his eyes but then just shrugs. He quickly scampers up your leg, up to your shoulder, and then, brushing his bushy tail over your face, he jumps up into the dark duct passage. Now, you wait. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. >z Time passes. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. >z Time passes. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. >z Time passes. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. >z Time passes. You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. >z Time passes. Finally, a clicking sound is heard behind the industrial door, followed by a strange decompression sound. The door swings open and Gef comes bounding toward you. "Tadaa!" You breathe through the scarf, tolerating the horrible mildew in the air. Barbara is holding a hankerchief to her face to breathe. Gef seems unfazed by the overwhelming mildew in the air. >s Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, a closed cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >take all dainty hankerchief: That seems to belong to Barbara. >e Den This auxiliary bunker looks like someone's den or living space. An army cot sits at one wall while a matching footlocker sits nearby. Visible under the cot is a pile of books. Finally, in one corner is a large garbage bag full of something. The only exit is back west to the bunker. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >take all dainty hankerchief: That seems to belong to Barbara. >x cot It's a standard army cot. It's in great condition. You could probably bounce a quarter on it. >open footlocker You open the army footlocker, revealing a pile of random personal items. >search it In the army footlocker is a pile of random personal items. >search items You find nothing of interest. >take items You think examining the pile further is one thing, but you decide not to actually take any of this in case it ends up labeled Evidence one day. >x books It's a small pile of textbooks, mostly. They seem to cover extremely high concepts in mathematics; the sort of stuff that would tax even Einstein's brain cells, in your opinion. One book, however, looks to be a small journal. >x journal As you open the journal, a loose newspaper clipping falls from it and to the ground. It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: Reality is just various divisions of space in a fractal-structured vacuum and people are nothing more than transient incidents in a void that is totally ignorant of their ephemeral existence. >read journal It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You don't think this country, or even this civilization, is falling apart? You recognize the state of things, yet you think things will get better? Name me one civilization that pulled itself up from its bootstraps when it had fallen deep into corruption and decay. You can't, because it doesn't happen. >read journal It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You think that after death, we get reincarnated again and again and learn lessons in each life, bettering our souls in the hopes of one day reaching true enlightenment and becoming one with whatever the hell god is? Let me clue you in on a little something: no one's learning anything. There is no enlightenment. Yes, we do come back again and again and again and again but that's it. That's the way of the world. That's life: one unending, horrible hell that no one asked for and no one deserves. >read journal It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You don't think this country, or even this civilization, is falling apart? You recognize the state of things, yet you think things will get better? Name me one civilization that pulled itself up from its bootstraps when it had fallen deep into corruption and decay. You can't, because it doesn't happen. >read journal It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You think that after death, we get reincarnated again and again and learn lessons in each life, bettering our souls in the hopes of one day reaching true enlightenment and becoming one with whatever the hell god is? Let me clue you in on a little something: no one's learning anything. There is no enlightenment. Yes, we do come back again and again and again and again but that's it. That's the way of the world. That's life: one unending, horrible hell that no one asked for and no one deserves. >read journal It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: Reality is just various divisions of space in a fractal-structured vacuum and people are nothing more than transient incidents in a void that is totally ignorant of their ephemeral existence. >read journal It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You don't think this country, or even this civilization, is falling apart? You recognize the state of things, yet you think things will get better? Name me one civilization that pulled itself up from its bootstraps when it had fallen deep into corruption and decay. You can't, because it doesn't happen. >read journal It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: Reality is just various divisions of space in a fractal-structured vacuum and people are nothing more than transient incidents in a void that is totally ignorant of their ephemeral existence. >read journal It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You don't think this country, or even this civilization, is falling apart? You recognize the state of things, yet you think things will get better? Name me one civilization that pulled itself up from its bootstraps when it had fallen deep into corruption and decay. You can't, because it doesn't happen. >read journal It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You think that after death, we get reincarnated again and again and learn lessons in each life, bettering our souls in the hopes of one day reaching true enlightenment and becoming one with whatever the hell god is? Let me clue you in on a little something: no one's learning anything. There is no enlightenment. Yes, we do come back again and again and again and again but that's it. That's the way of the world. That's life: one unending, horrible hell that no one asked for and no one deserves. >read clipping It's dated a few years ago and shows a patient in a hospital bed surrounded by doctors. The headline is Frontotemporal Trauma and Acquired Savant Syndrome. It's about a mechanic named Blaine Wyatt who suffered severe brain trauma but survived only to begin displaying unbelievably advanced skills in math and technology. While hospitalized, he even dismantled the medical equipment in his room and rebuilt them, somehow making them more efficient. Specialists have commented that Wyatt's Savant Syndrome is the most profound case they've encountered. Alarmingly, after convalescence in a private institution where doctors could study him, Wyatt disappeared despite the building having tight security. The article continues on about the syndrome but doesn't seem to mention Blaine Wyatt again. >take it It's dated a few years ago and shows a patient in a hospital bed surrounded by doctors. The headline is Frontotemporal Trauma and Acquired Savant Syndrome. It's about a mechanic named Blaine Wyatt who suffered severe brain trauma but survived only to begin displaying unbelievably advanced skills in math and technology. While hospitalized, he even dismantled the medical equipment in his room and rebuilt them, somehow making them more efficient. Specialists have commented that Wyatt's Savant Syndrome is the most profound case they've encountered. Alarmingly, after convalescence in a private institution where doctors could study him, Wyatt disappeared despite the building having tight security. The article continues on about the syndrome but doesn't seem to mention Blaine Wyatt again. >tell gef about blaine "Wow." >tell barbara about blaine "Odd." >ask barbara about blaine Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask gef about blaine Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >l Den This auxiliary bunker looks like someone's den or living space. An army cot sits at one wall while a matching footlocker sits nearby. Visible under the cot is a pile of books. Finally, in one corner is a large garbage bag full of something. The only exit is back west to the bunker. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >open bag (the garbage bag) You open the garbage bag, revealing some random clothes. >search it In the garbage bag are some random clothes. >take it You don't need to drag that bag of stuff around with you. >x clothes At first, you think this must just be someone's bag of laundry but on closer inspection, you see it's quite a mish-mash; some men's shirts but also some women's undergarments. There are men's shoes as well as at least one pair of women's high-heels. What makes it worse is that you're pretty sure some have various blood stains. >empty bag That's not a verb I recognise. >pour That's not a verb I recognise. >ttake clothes That's not a verb I recognise. >take clothes Something tells you not to mess with this stuff. >search clothes You find nothing of interest. >l Den This auxiliary bunker looks like someone's den or living space. An army cot sits at one wall while a matching footlocker sits nearby. Visible under the cot is a pile of books. Finally, in one corner is a large garbage bag full of clothes. The only exit is back west to the bunker. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >w Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, a closed cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >w (first opening the cell door) It seems to be locked. >s (first opening the workshop door) It seems to be locked. >x cell (the cell door) This appears to have once been the door of some sort of federal prison as it has slots at eye-level for seeing and waist-level for retrieving meals, perhaps. However, the eye-level slot has been welded over with a metal plate. There is a magnetic pad to the side, most likely for a key card. >x pad Which do you mean, the workshop pad or the cell pad? >cell It's a magnetic pad that you place a magnetic key card on in order to open the cell door. >look through cell door You find nothing of interest. >x slot Looking through the food slot, you see a small holding cell. A seemingly unconscious man is crumpled in the corner. >x man (the old photograph) It's an old black-and-white photograph. . .actually, since you've stepped into yesterday, it's a newer black-and-white photograph. There is a man and a woman, both impeccably dressed in what's most likely the latest in 20s fashion. They are laughing, candidly, leaning into each other. It's a happy moment, fortuitously captured on film. But there's something else about the photo that grabs your attention. The man's face. . .it's unbelievable but it's your face. 100%. No doubt whatsoever. This is you. But, of course, you don't know the woman in the photo and you've never been photographed wearing those clothes. >x unconscious You can't see any such thing. >x workshop (the workshop door) This is a very modern door that slides open automatically when someone is coming through. A magnetic pad is to the side, presumably for a key card. >l Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, a closed cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >e Den This auxiliary bunker looks like someone's den or living space. An army cot sits at one wall while a matching footlocker sits nearby. Visible under the cot is a pile of books. Finally, in one corner is a large garbage bag full of clothes. The only exit is back west to the bunker. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >search cot There is nothing on the army cot. >look under cot There's a pile of books under there. >take books You don't need to carry around any heavy books right now. >move books It is fixed in place. >move cot It is fixed in place. >x wall You can't see any such thing. >move footlock You can't see any such thing. >move footlocker It is fixed in place. >search it In the army footlocker is a pile of random personal items. >search items You find nothing of interest. >take all dainty hankerchief: That seems to belong to Barbara. pile of random personal items: You think examining the pile further is one thing, but you decide not to actually take any of this in case it ends up labeled Evidence one day. random clothes: Something tells you not to mess with this stuff. >l Den This auxiliary bunker looks like someone's den or living space. An army cot sits at one wall while a matching footlocker sits nearby. Visible under the cot is a pile of books. Finally, in one corner is a large garbage bag full of clothes. The only exit is back west to the bunker. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >w Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, a closed cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >w (first opening the cell door) It seems to be locked. >talk to slot That's not a verb I recognise. >ask man What do you want to ask the beaten man for? >key I didn't understand that sentence. >ask beaten man about himself beaten man doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >x beaten man It's hard to discern what this man might look like given that his face his bruised, bloodied and swollen. It's obvious he's been severely beaten by one or more attackers. His clothes are torn and pulled apart but for some reason, they still seem very out-of-style; wide collars and flared slacks especially. >ask beaten man about where the hell beaten man doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >topics Current topics include: wedding ring, Barbara, dozed, snowing, corner, Jack Angerman, beat-up, Blaine Wyatt and where the hell. >ask beaten man about beat-up "Hey," you ask the man calmly,"Who did this to you?" After a moment, a timid reply from his broken mouth, "A man...a very angry man. He says he knows me but he has the wrong guy..." He sobs for a moment and you place your hand back on his shoulder as some sort of comfort. "Poor thing." Barbara half-whispers, clearly moved by this unfortunate man's suffering. "Ask him how he got here." >ask beaten man about got here You gingerly ask the wounded man, "How did you get here?" "He...he grabbed me. He was in my car...waiting..." He coughs a moment then adds, "There was a bright bang. A sweltering heat....I thought I was burning up but then it was over. I remember being dragged through a lab of some kind. Then he threw me in here and beat the living..." he coughs again for a long moment, then says, "...fuck outta me." >ask beaten man about blaine "Was it Blaine Wyatt?" You ask the beaten man, "Was that who did this?" Somehow, the man's swollen eyes open. They stare at you with confusion and disbelief. A moment passes before he musters the energy to weakly tell you, "Blaine Wyatt is a boy in my class. He's ten years old." The man coughs terribly for a moment but says no more as his eyes close once again. >ask beaten man about jack "Did Jack Angerman do this to you?" You urgently ask the unfortunate man. "I have no idea who he is. But he talked like he knows me." The man speaks weakly and slurred. >ask beaten man about corner beaten man doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask beaten man about barbara beaten man doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask barbara about beaten Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >topics Current topics include: wedding ring, Barbara, dozed, snowing, corner, Jack Angerman, beat-up, got here, Blaine Wyatt and where the hell. >ask beaten about where the hell beaten man doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >l Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, a closed cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >x beaten It's hard to discern what this man might look like given that his face his bruised, bloodied and swollen. It's obvious he's been severely beaten by one or more attackers. His clothes are torn and pulled apart but for some reason, they still seem very out-of-style; wide collars and flared slacks especially. >ask gef about beaten Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask gef about slot Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >enter slot That's not something you can enter. >open cell (the cell door) It seems to be locked. >l Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, a closed cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >x workshop (the workshop door) This is a very modern door that slides open automatically when someone is coming through. A magnetic pad is to the side, presumably for a key card. >knock on workshop (the workshop door) knock knock knock. >x pad Which do you mean, the workshop pad or the cell pad? >workshop It's a magnetic pad that you place a magnetic key card on in order to open the workshop door. >break it Violence isn't the answer to this one. >i You are carrying: a newspaper clipping a small journal a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >put tape on pad Which do you mean, the workshop pad or the cell pad? >1 (the workshop pad) Putting things on the workshop pad would achieve nothing. >show tape to pad You can only do that to something animate. >give popular to beaten You consider giving the issue of Popular Mechanics to beaten man but think better of it. >show popular to beaten "Interesting." >give all to beaten You can't use multiple objects with that verb. >show all to beaten You can't use multiple objects with that verb. >give mag to beaten Which do you mean, the issue of Popular Mechanics or the porno mag? >porno You consider giving the porno mag to beaten man but think better of it. >show it to beaten "Interesting." >l Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, a closed cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >i You are carrying: a newspaper clipping a small journal a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >show clipping to beaten "Interesting." >give it to beaten You consider giving the newspaper clipping to beaten man but think better of it. >show it to gef "Fantastic." >show it to barbara "Thank you for showing me your newspaper clipping." >give glass to beaten You consider giving the fine cocktail glass to beaten man but think better of it. >give bottle to beaten You consider giving the bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne to beaten man but think better of it. >give hanger to beaten You consider giving the bent hanger to beaten man but think better of it. >bash pad Which do you mean, the workshop pad or the cell pad? >1 What do you want to bash the workshop pad with? >racquet I didn't understand that sentence. >bash workshop pad with racquet That doesn't seem right. >i You are carrying: a newspaper clipping a small journal a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an old photograph an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >give journal to beaten You consider giving the small journal to beaten man but think better of it. >show it to beaten "That's an interesting small journal." >show it to gef "That's an interesting small journal." >show it to barbara "Thank you for showing me your small journal." >show photograph to beaten "Fantastic." >put photograph in frame You put the old photograph into the picture frame. >i You are carrying: a newspaper clipping a small journal a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) a picture frame an old photograph a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >search frame In the picture frame is an old photograph. >open slot It isn't something you can open. >x slot Looking through the food slot, you see a small holding cell. A seemingly unconscious man is crumpled in the corner. >x holding cell You can't see any such thing. >n No. You've come this far. You have all you need. You're ready to get this done. Whoever built this bunker may have something to do with the anomalies that are occurring. >e Den This auxiliary bunker looks like someone's den or living space. An army cot sits at one wall while a matching footlocker sits nearby. Visible under the cot is a pile of books. Finally, in one corner is a large garbage bag full of clothes. The only exit is back west to the bunker. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >move cot It is fixed in place. >climb cot Little is to be achieved by that. >stand on cot You get onto the army cot. >jump You jump on the spot. >l Den (on the army cot) This auxiliary bunker looks like someone's den or living space. An army cot sits at one wall while a matching footlocker sits nearby. Visible under the cot is a pile of books. Finally, in one corner is a large garbage bag full of clothes. The only exit is back west to the bunker. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >pull bag (the garbage bag) It is fixed in place. >break bag (the garbage bag) Violence isn't the answer to this one. >empty bag That's not a verb I recognise. >bash bag What do you want to bash the garbage bag with? >hanger I didn't understand that sentence. >d (first getting off the army cot) You can't go that way. >take all dainty hankerchief: That seems to belong to Barbara. pile of random personal items: You think examining the pile further is one thing, but you decide not to actually take any of this in case it ends up labeled Evidence one day. random clothes: Something tells you not to mess with this stuff. >ask barbara about handkerchief Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >i You are carrying: a newspaper clipping a small journal a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) a picture frame an old photograph a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >l Den This auxiliary bunker looks like someone's den or living space. An army cot sits at one wall while a matching footlocker sits nearby. Visible under the cot is a pile of books. Finally, in one corner is a large garbage bag full of clothes. The only exit is back west to the bunker. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >x wall You can't see any such thing. >close cot It isn't something you can close. >take cot That's hardly portable. >push cot It is fixed in place. >pull it It is fixed in place. >move it It is fixed in place. >lift it What do you want to lift the army cot with? >hanger A useless gesture. >search pile (the pile of books) You find nothing of interest. >x clothes At first, you think this must just be someone's bag of laundry but on closer inspection, you see it's quite a mish-mash; some men's shirts but also some women's undergarments. There are men's shoes as well as at least one pair of women's high-heels. What makes it worse is that you're pretty sure some have various blood stains. >x shirts At first, you think this must just be someone's bag of laundry but on closer inspection, you see it's quite a mish-mash; some men's shirts but also some women's undergarments. There are men's shoes as well as at least one pair of women's high-heels. What makes it worse is that you're pretty sure some have various blood stains. >x shoes (the pair of new shoes) These are just a pair of new shoes. They are very comfortable. >x stains At first, you think this must just be someone's bag of laundry but on closer inspection, you see it's quite a mish-mash; some men's shirts but also some women's undergarments. There are men's shoes as well as at least one pair of women's high-heels. What makes it worse is that you're pretty sure some have various blood stains. >take stains Something tells you not to mess with this stuff. >l Den This auxiliary bunker looks like someone's den or living space. An army cot sits at one wall while a matching footlocker sits nearby. Visible under the cot is a pile of books. Finally, in one corner is a large garbage bag full of clothes. The only exit is back west to the bunker. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >search items You find nothing of interest. >take items You think examining the pile further is one thing, but you decide not to actually take any of this in case it ends up labeled Evidence one day. >w Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, a closed cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >x cell pad It's a magnetic pad that you place a magnetic key card on in order to open the cell door. >place That's not a verb I recognise. >put What do you want to put up? >tape You can't see any such thing. >put tape What do you want to put the VHS cassette tape under? >pad Which do you mean, the workshop pad or the cell pad? >cell The cell pad wouldn't be a very effective place of concealment. >i You are carrying: a newspaper clipping a small journal a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) a picture frame an old photograph a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >give envelope to beaten You consider giving the open envelope to beaten man but think better of it. >show it to beaten "Wow." >pry cell pad with file A useless gesture. >break glass Violence isn't the answer to this one. >break bottle Violence isn't the answer to this one. >ask gef about cell pad Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >l Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, a closed cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >x ceiling It's the sort of ceiling one finds in a fallout shelter. >x workshop door This is a very modern door that slides open automatically when someone is coming through. A magnetic pad is to the side, presumably for a key card. >touch it You feel nothing unexpected. >push it It is fixed in place. >open it It seems to be locked. >hit it Violence isn't the answer to this one. >help See how-to-play-IF card for help with commands. To see a list of topics that you can ask other characters, type "topics". Any words in bold are new topics you can ask. If your display doesn't show bold characters, just check "topics" periodically to see any additions. There are opportunities in this game to really alter the course of events in the story. Multiple traversals can be narratively rewarding. Stay curious. If you're stuck, examining things usually yields clues. >topics Current topics include: wedding ring, Barbara, dozed, snowing, corner, Jack Angerman, beat-up, got here, Blaine Wyatt and where the hell. >ask barbara about beat-up Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask gef about beat-up Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask barbara about got here Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask gef about got here Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask barbara about blaine Barbara doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask gef about blaine Gef doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >tell barbara about beat-up "Really?" >tell gef about beat-up "You don't say!" >tell barbara about blaine "Really?" >tell GEF about blaine "Odd." >tell gef about got here "You don't say!" >tell barbara about got here "Odd." >search pad Which do you mean, the workshop pad or the cell pad? >cell You find nothing of interest. >search cell pad You find nothing of interest. >open it It isn't something you can open. >smash it Violence isn't the answer to this one. >break it Violence isn't the answer to this one. >touch it You feel nothing unexpected. >smell it It's a disheartening experience for some reason. >smell workshop pad It's a disheartening experience for some reason. >open tape It isn't something you can open. >break it Violence isn't the answer to this one. >n No. You've come this far. You have all you need. You're ready to get this done. Whoever built this bunker may have something to do with the anomalies that are occurring. >ask beaten about cell pad beaten man doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask beaten about workshop beaten man doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask beaten about pad beaten man doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask beaten about himself beaten man doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask beaten about blaine You've asked this of the beaten man already. It went: "Was it Blaine Wyatt?" You ask the beaten man, "Was that who did this?" Somehow, the man's swollen eyes open. They stare at you with confusion and disbelief. A moment passes before he musters the energy to weakly tell you, "Blaine Wyatt is a boy in my class. He's ten years old." The man coughs terribly for a moment but says no more as his eyes close once again. >ask beaten about class beaten man doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask beaten about teacher beaten man doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >pry cell pad What do you want to pry the cell pad with? >hanger A useless gesture. >pry cell pad What do you want to pry the cell pad with? >file A useless gesture. >pry cell pad What do you want to pry the cell pad with? >racquet A useless gesture. >l Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, a closed cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >u You can't go that way. >d You can't go that way. >ne You can't go that way. >nw You can't go that way. >se You can't go that way. >sw You can't go that way. >s (first opening the workshop door) It seems to be locked. >w (first opening the cell door) It seems to be locked. >e Den This auxiliary bunker looks like someone's den or living space. An army cot sits at one wall while a matching footlocker sits nearby. Visible under the cot is a pile of books. Finally, in one corner is a large garbage bag full of clothes. The only exit is back west to the bunker. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >read clipping It's dated a few years ago and shows a patient in a hospital bed surrounded by doctors. The headline is Frontotemporal Trauma and Acquired Savant Syndrome. It's about a mechanic named Blaine Wyatt who suffered severe brain trauma but survived only to begin displaying unbelievably advanced skills in math and technology. While hospitalized, he even dismantled the medical equipment in his room and rebuilt them, somehow making them more efficient. Specialists have commented that Wyatt's Savant Syndrome is the most profound case they've encountered. Alarmingly, after convalescence in a private institution where doctors could study him, Wyatt disappeared despite the building having tight security. The article continues on about the syndrome but doesn't seem to mention Blaine Wyatt again. >search cot There is nothing on the army cot. >open it It isn't something you can open. >close it It isn't something you can close. >move it It is fixed in place. >take it That's hardly portable. >kick it It is fixed in place. >w Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, a closed cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >x door Which do you mean, the industrial door, the workshop door or the cell door? >industrial This door is even more impenetrable looking than the door to get into the basement. In fact, you wouldn't be surprised if it began life on a submarine. It is ajar. You can see the mildewy basement beyond. >close it You close the industrial door. >x it This door is even more impenetrable looking than the door to get into the basement. In fact, you wouldn't be surprised if it began life on a submarine. You see no visible handle or anything with which to open it. >open it It seems to be locked. >undo Obsolete Bunker [Previous turn undone.] >undo Obsolete Bunker [Previous turn undone.] >undo Obsolete Bunker [Previous turn undone.] >x industrial This door is even more impenetrable looking than the door to get into the basement. In fact, you wouldn't be surprised if it began life on a submarine. It is ajar. You can see the mildewy basement beyond. >n No. You've come this far. You have all you need. You're ready to get this done. Whoever built this bunker may have something to do with the anomalies that are occurring. >x basement You can't see any such thing. >look through industrial You find nothing of interest. >x duct You can't see any such thing. >open it It seems to be locked. >w (first opening the cell door) It seems to be locked. >x cell door This appears to have once been the door of some sort of federal prison as it has slots at eye-level for seeing and waist-level for retrieving meals, perhaps. However, the eye-level slot has been welded over with a metal plate. There is a magnetic pad to the side, most likely for a key card. >x plate This appears to have once been the door of some sort of federal prison as it has slots at eye-level for seeing and waist-level for retrieving meals, perhaps. However, the eye-level slot has been welded over with a metal plate. There is a magnetic pad to the side, most likely for a key card. >l Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, a closed cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >i You are carrying: a newspaper clipping a small journal a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) a picture frame an old photograph a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >open frame It isn't something you can open. >open journal It isn't something you can open. >shake it That's a waste of time. >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: Reality is just various divisions of space in a fractal-structured vacuum and people are nothing more than transient incidents in a void that is totally ignorant of their ephemeral existence. >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You think that after death, we get reincarnated again and again and learn lessons in each life, bettering our souls in the hopes of one day reaching true enlightenment and becoming one with whatever the hell god is? Let me clue you in on a little something: no one's learning anything. There is no enlightenment. Yes, we do come back again and again and again and again but that's it. That's the way of the world. That's life: one unending, horrible hell that no one asked for and no one deserves. >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You don't think this country, or even this civilization, is falling apart? You recognize the state of things, yet you think things will get better? Name me one civilization that pulled itself up from its bootstraps when it had fallen deep into corruption and decay. You can't, because it doesn't happen. >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: Reality is just various divisions of space in a fractal-structured vacuum and people are nothing more than transient incidents in a void that is totally ignorant of their ephemeral existence. > I beg your pardon? >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You don't think this country, or even this civilization, is falling apart? You recognize the state of things, yet you think things will get better? Name me one civilization that pulled itself up from its bootstraps when it had fallen deep into corruption and decay. You can't, because it doesn't happen. >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You think that after death, we get reincarnated again and again and learn lessons in each life, bettering our souls in the hopes of one day reaching true enlightenment and becoming one with whatever the hell god is? Let me clue you in on a little something: no one's learning anything. There is no enlightenment. Yes, we do come back again and again and again and again but that's it. That's the way of the world. That's life: one unending, horrible hell that no one asked for and no one deserves. >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You don't think this country, or even this civilization, is falling apart? You recognize the state of things, yet you think things will get better? Name me one civilization that pulled itself up from its bootstraps when it had fallen deep into corruption and decay. You can't, because it doesn't happen. >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: Reality is just various divisions of space in a fractal-structured vacuum and people are nothing more than transient incidents in a void that is totally ignorant of their ephemeral existence. >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You don't think this country, or even this civilization, is falling apart? You recognize the state of things, yet you think things will get better? Name me one civilization that pulled itself up from its bootstraps when it had fallen deep into corruption and decay. You can't, because it doesn't happen. >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: Reality is just various divisions of space in a fractal-structured vacuum and people are nothing more than transient incidents in a void that is totally ignorant of their ephemeral existence. >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You think that after death, we get reincarnated again and again and learn lessons in each life, bettering our souls in the hopes of one day reaching true enlightenment and becoming one with whatever the hell god is? Let me clue you in on a little something: no one's learning anything. There is no enlightenment. Yes, we do come back again and again and again and again but that's it. That's the way of the world. That's life: one unending, horrible hell that no one asked for and no one deserves. >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You don't think this country, or even this civilization, is falling apart? You recognize the state of things, yet you think things will get better? Name me one civilization that pulled itself up from its bootstraps when it had fallen deep into corruption and decay. You can't, because it doesn't happen. >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: Reality is just various divisions of space in a fractal-structured vacuum and people are nothing more than transient incidents in a void that is totally ignorant of their ephemeral existence. >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You think that after death, we get reincarnated again and again and learn lessons in each life, bettering our souls in the hopes of one day reaching true enlightenment and becoming one with whatever the hell god is? Let me clue you in on a little something: no one's learning anything. There is no enlightenment. Yes, we do come back again and again and again and again but that's it. That's the way of the world. That's life: one unending, horrible hell that no one asked for and no one deserves. >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: Reality is just various divisions of space in a fractal-structured vacuum and people are nothing more than transient incidents in a void that is totally ignorant of their ephemeral existence. >read it It's impossible to glean anything from this journal as it's filled with mathematical formulae, esoteric notes and cryptic diagrams. Whoever wrote all this is either crazy or a genius or both; no inbetween. The only thing the author gave away is his name, written on the inside cover. It's almost as if he's dedicated the journal to himself. It reads, Blaine Wyatt - The Angriest Man In The World. Flipping quickly through the pages, you catch one somewhat lucid passage: You think that after death, we get reincarnated again and again and learn lessons in each life, bettering our souls in the hopes of one day reaching true enlightenment and becoming one with whatever the hell god is? Let me clue you in on a little something: no one's learning anything. There is no enlightenment. Yes, we do come back again and again and again and again but that's it. That's the way of the world. That's life: one unending, horrible hell that no one asked for and no one deserves. >search it You find nothing of interest. >l Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, a closed cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Gef, the small mongoose with yellowish fur and a large bushy tail, is here. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. >i You are carrying: a newspaper clipping a small journal a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) a picture frame an old photograph a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >open dustbuster It isn't something you can open. >open tape It isn't something you can open. >search popular You find nothing of interest. >open it It isn't something you can open. >read it This issue is very recent. The cover features a cartoon diagram of a toilet with the words Turbo Power Your Shitter splashed before it. The name on the subscription label is Jack Angerman at this address. >x toilet This issue is very recent. The cover features a cartoon diagram of a toilet with the words Turbo Power Your Shitter splashed before it. The name on the subscription label is Jack Angerman at this address. >ne You can't go that way. >nw You can't go that way. >se You can't go that way. >sw You can't go that way. >e Den This auxiliary bunker looks like someone's den or living space. An army cot sits at one wall while a matching footlocker sits nearby. Visible under the cot is a pile of books. Finally, in one corner is a large garbage bag full of clothes. The only exit is back west to the bunker. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >ne You can't go that way. >nw You can't go that way. >se You can't go that way. >sw You can't go that way. >n You can't go that way. >e You can't go that way. >s You can't go that way. >w Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, a closed cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >x passage It looks as if it leads to similar chamber. >x toilet This issue is very recent. The cover features a cartoon diagram of a toilet with the words Turbo Power Your Shitter splashed before it. The name on the subscription label is Jack Angerman at this address. >e Den This auxiliary bunker looks like someone's den or living space. An army cot sits at one wall while a matching footlocker sits nearby. Visible under the cot is a pile of books. Finally, in one corner is a large garbage bag full of clothes. The only exit is back west to the bunker. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >x toilet This issue is very recent. The cover features a cartoon diagram of a toilet with the words Turbo Power Your Shitter splashed before it. The name on the subscription label is Jack Angerman at this address. >w Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, a closed cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >i You are carrying: a newspaper clipping a small journal a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) a picture frame an old photograph a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >x photo It's an old black-and-white photograph. . .actually, since you've stepped into yesterday, it's a newer black-and-white photograph. There is a man and a woman, both impeccably dressed in what's most likely the latest in 20s fashion. They are laughing, candidly, leaning into each other. It's a happy moment, fortuitously captured on film. But there's something else about the photo that grabs your attention. The man's face. . .it's unbelievable but it's your face. 100%. No doubt whatsoever. This is you. But, of course, you don't know the woman in the photo and you've never been photographed wearing those clothes. >put it on pad Which do you mean, the workshop pad or the cell pad? >cell (first taking the old photograph) Putting things on the cell pad would achieve nothing. >e Den This auxiliary bunker looks like someone's den or living space. An army cot sits at one wall while a matching footlocker sits nearby. Visible under the cot is a pile of books. Finally, in one corner is a large garbage bag full of clothes. The only exit is back west to the bunker. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >x clothes At first, you think this must just be someone's bag of laundry but on closer inspection, you see it's quite a mish-mash; some men's shirts but also some women's undergarments. There are men's shoes as well as at least one pair of women's high-heels. What makes it worse is that you're pretty sure some have various blood stains. >x items It's a bizarre collection of men's and women's wallets, billfolds, purses, clutches, day-timers, drivers licenses and credit cards. Barbara looks at you uneasy, "At this point, I think we should head back upstairs." >take wallets Which do you mean, the men's wallets or the women's wallets? >men's You decide you'd rather not carry something like that around with you. >search men's Which do you mean, the men's wallets or the random clothes? >wallets You find nothing of interest. >search women's wallets You find nothing of interest. >open women's wallets They aren't something you can open. >take women's (the random clothes) Something tells you not to mess with this stuff. >take women's wallets You decide you'd rather not carry something like that around with you. >open purses They aren't something you can open. >search purses You find nothing of interest. >x items It's a bizarre collection of men's and women's wallets, billfolds, purses, clutches, day-timers, drivers licenses and credit cards. >x cards There are various credit cards strewn among the stuff in the trunk. They have different names on them as if this was some identify thief's stash. The expiration dates span from the 80s through the early 2000s. >search cards You find nothing of interest. >take cards You decide you'd rather not carry something like that around with you. >x men's wallet There's a small handful of men's wallets in the trunk. They are each empty of cards or cash. >x women's wallet The trunk has some women's wallets scattered in it. The wallets are empty. Barbara gasps in surprise, loud enough to startle you and make you look up. At the bunker's entrance stands what you guess is a man. His head and face covered in a World War 2 era gas mask. The rest of him is dressed in laboratory coveralls. In each hand, he holds some sort of gun, but like none you've ever seen. As Barbara moves closer to you, the man squeezes his triggers and you're each hit with a stream of high-powered, thick vapor. You're out faster than you ever thought possible. Holding Cell There's really nothing to describe here. This room is absolutely bare. The cell door is closed to the east. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Crumpled in one corner is a severely beaten and bloodied man. >x man (the old photograph) It's an old black-and-white photograph. . .actually, since you've stepped into yesterday, it's a newer black-and-white photograph. There is a man and a woman, both impeccably dressed in what's most likely the latest in 20s fashion. They are laughing, candidly, leaning into each other. It's a happy moment, fortuitously captured on film. But there's something else about the photo that grabs your attention. The man's face. . .it's unbelievable but it's your face. 100%. No doubt whatsoever. This is you. But, of course, you don't know the woman in the photo and you've never been photographed wearing those clothes. >x beaten It's hard to discern what this man might look like given that his face his bruised, bloodied and swollen. It's obvious he's been severely beaten by one or more attackers. His clothes are torn and pulled apart but for some reason, they still seem very out-of-style; wide collars and flared slacks especially. >l Holding Cell There's really nothing to describe here. This room is absolutely bare. The cell door is closed to the east. Barbara is here, quietly taking everything in. Crumpled in one corner is a severely beaten and bloodied man. Hearing a noise in the adjacent bunker, you kneel to look through the food slot on the cell door. Then, from across the way, the basement man is returning from a visit to his den. As he enters the bunker, you can see he is no longer wearing the gas mask, revealing a man most likely in his forties. His short hair is black but graying at his temples and he looks like he bought his last haircut from a vending machine. He still wears his coveralls upon which you spy a SquidSys logo on one shoulder, and you notice now that the coveralls are at least a size too large for him. He stomps around in combat boots and covers his eyes with black sunglasses. >i You are carrying: an old photograph a newspaper clipping a small journal a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >x slot Looking through the food slot on the cell door, you can see the bunker. The angry man is stomping around, moving to and from the various exits. >x slot Looking through the food slot on the cell door, you can see the bunker. The angry man is stomping around, moving to and from the various exits. >x slot Looking through the food slot on the cell door, you can see the bunker. The angry man is stomping around, moving to and from the various exits. >x slot Looking through the food slot on the cell door, you can see the bunker. The angry man is stomping around, moving to and from the various exits. >talk to angry That's not a verb I recognise. >ask angry about blaine "Your real name is Blaine Wyatt." You tell him, hoping to sound as if you have some sort of leverage with it. He stops what he's doing and stares in your direction. You suddenly fear you may have said the wrong thing. Instead, he resumes looking around and rummaging for something but as he does, he tells you, "And you're Zeddy Maddox, the guy on the third floor. Your family moved here from Vermont when you were eight. You accidentally set your friend's tree house on fire when you were ten. Your father died when you were fifteen. You lost your virginity at sixteen. At eighteen, you wrapped your car around a tree and you broke three ribs and lost two friends. One of them was the owner of the tree house." He turns his head to your cell door, "Shall I go on?" But you're stunned silent. "I can't tell you how it works." He says, "You wouldn't get it. No one does. But it works. And with it, I can visit anyone at anytime. I can spend decades in your past all in one evening. I can sit in angles that give me a view of all of reality thus far. I can jump into it if I want to. I've done it for every resident of this house and a few of the neighbors' as well." You look from the food slot, to the beat-up man in the holding cell with you and Barbara, and then through the slot again, "But that's not what you really use it for, is it?" He stops to listen but does not face the cell door. "You're bringing people back with you." You speak it pretty much as you realize it, "To what? Kill them? You built a time machine to fucking kill people? What kind of maniac are you?" You no longer care if you're pissing him off, but he just shrugs, still not facing you. "They deserve it, Mr. Maddox." He answers then adds, "Besides, doesn't everyone do this? Doesn't everyone drag things from their past to beat them until we're exhausted? I just do it more effectively." "You're destabilizing reality when you do it!" You shout. He snorts a laugh, "There's nothing stable about reality, Mr. Maddox. That's the entire point." >ask angry about blaine You already brought this up. It went: "Your real name is Blaine Wyatt." You tell him, hoping to sound as if you have some sort of leverage with it. He stops what he's doing and stares in your direction. You suddenly fear you may have said the wrong thing. Instead, he resumes looking around and rummaging for something but as he does, he tells you, "And you're Zeddy Maddox, the guy on the third floor. Your family moved here from Vermont when you were eight. You accidentally set your friend's tree house on fire when you were ten. Your father died when you were fifteen. You lost your virginity at sixteen. At eighteen, you wrapped your car around a tree and you broke three ribs and lost two friends. One of them was the owner of the tree house." He turns his head to your cell door, "Shall I go on?" But you're stunned silent. "I can't tell you how it works." He says, "You wouldn't get it. No one does. But it works. And with it, I can visit anyone at anytime. I can spend decades in your past all in one evening. I can sit in angles that give me a view of all of reality thus far. I can jump into it if I want to. I've done it for every resident of this house and a few of the neighbors' as well." You look from the food slot, to the beat-up man in the holding cell with you and Barbara, and then through the slot again, "But that's not what you really use it for, is it?" He stops to listen but does not face the cell door. "You're bringing people back with you." You speak it pretty much as you realize it, "To what? Kill them? You built a time machine to fucking kill people? What kind of maniac are you?" You no longer care if you're pissing him off, but he just shrugs, still not facing you. "They deserve it, Mr. Maddox." He answers then adds, "Besides, doesn't everyone do this? Doesn't everyone drag things from their past to beat them until we're exhausted? I just do it more effectively." "You're destabilizing reality when you do it!" You shout. He snorts a laugh, "There's nothing stable about reality, Mr. Maddox. That's the entire point." >ask angry about beaten Angry Man doesn't have anything useful to say about that. >ask angry about beat-up "I don't know what your problem is, angry guy, but you need get help for this man in here." You tell him, trying to sound stern from behind the food slot of the cell door, "Why don't you let him and the girl go and I can be your hostage?" "Very gallant of you." He replies as he continues to march around the bunker, checking the exits and rummaging for something. "What did you do to this poor guy in here?" You ask, getting angry despite your fear, "Takes a big man to beat up someone defenseless." With those words, the angry man snaps to attention and rushes to the cell door quicker than you imagined he could move. "Tell that to that asshole in there!" He screams into the food slot, making you stumble backwards to dodge such hate. "It's just what he gets for doing it to me first. His abuse was emotional but I don't have that kind of time so ask him. Ask him what he did yesterday. It was yesterday for him but thirty-five fucking years for me! Years I spent thinking about his yesterday!" Finally, he moves away from the cell door, leaving the three of you somewhat rattled. Finally, the stomping around the bunker ceases. You were looking away from the food slot and, looking back through it, you no longer see the angry man. The workshop door is closed, but he really could be anywhere down here. >ask angry about yesterday You can't see any such thing. >ask beaten about yesterday You ask the beat-up man what the angry man is talking about. The wounded man looks up, confused. "I have no idea. I've never seen this man. Yesterday, I was..." but then a strange look takes over his face. "This doesn't make sense. He must be Blaine's father...or brother.." From somewhere in the bunker, the angry man's voice chimes up, "If that helps you sleep at night, douchebag. I wonder where you'll end up when I throw you out there to the randomness of space-time? Maybe you'll luck out and find yourself somewhere cozy, like the '70s, huh?" There is an ominous pause. Then, "But of course, the chances of that are negligible, aren't they? No. Most likely, you'll be flung to the far, far past and end up some dinosaur's dinner. Probably should've made better decisions with your life, huh, Mr. Principle?" You look at Barbara who shrugs, "What on earth is he talking about?" She whispers. You can only shake your head. The beaten man just closes his eyes again, shaking his head repeatedly. >topics Current topics include: wedding ring, Barbara, dozed, snowing, corner, Jack Angerman, beat-up, got here, Blaine Wyatt, yesterday and where the hell. You hear a click outside the cell door. Then the cell door slowly swings open, revealing Gef, holding what appears to be a spare key card. "Gef!" You say, happy to see him, "How did you escape? And where did you get that?" He hands you the key card and says in his precise accent, "I really am an extra clever mongoose." >save Ok. >s You can't go that way. >e Obsolete Bunker Despite being clear of the mildew from the basement, the air here is still a stale experience. The arched, military-style ceiling reveals this chamber to have begun its life as a shelter; either fallout or otherwise. This chamber is only the size of a large living room and looks to be a junction of sorts. Of course, north through an open industrial door leads to the mildewy basement; but other exits are a tight passage to the east, an open cell door to the west, and some sort of workshop door is closed to the south. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >s (first opening the workshop door) It seems to be locked. >i You are carrying: a spare key card an old photograph a newspaper clipping a small journal a dustbuster a VHS cassette tape an issue of Popular Mechanics an open envelope a pair of dark goggles (being worn) a nail file an old key a checkered apron (being worn) a fine cocktail glass a bottle of Joyeux Clochard Champagne (open but empty) an empty frame a bent hanger a House Slytherin scarf (being worn) your hooded sweater with the hood up. (being worn) a leaflet some rubber kitchen gloves (being worn) a porno mag a crappy racquet a plastic glowstick (providing light) a collared shirt (being worn) a pair of clean jeans (being worn) a pair of new shoes (being worn) an apartment key >put key card on workshop pad You unlock the workshop door. >s (first opening the workshop door) Ventral Depolarization Lab Where this chamber comes from or where it belongs is a mystery to you. You've seen images of the inside of the CERN lab in Geneva. This place echoes it with countless pipes of various color-codes. Monitors flickering with images of light are set around the place with keyboards before them. Unending miles of wires are tucked in every availble space in the walls and ceiling. Many of them dangle in half-loops and some bulk equipment are stacked everywhere, leaving little space to move. There are passages through the equipment to the southeast and southwest. The workshop door is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the north. Gef arrives from the north. >se Transitory Particle Hyperstage This is another part of the lab; also complete with tubing, wires, monitors, keyboards and bulk equipment. The front lab is to the northwest. To the west, however, is an open sliding hatch beyond which may be some sort of experimentation room. A command console stands separately among the chaotic array of equipment. As you head further into the lab, you hear something in the front area you just left. It sounded like the workshop door slid shut and maybe the sound of boots somping into the lab. You think the angry man is to the northwest. Barbara arrives from the northwest. Gef arrives from the northwest. >ex console That's not a verb I recognise. >x console It's like a squat podium housing a control panel. There's a display screen but it's not really helpful, showing some graph that changes every other second or so. What looks most used are a lighted red button, a lighted green button, and a black button labeled in marker on a piece of masking tape: Flip. You think the angry man is to the northwest. >flip black button That's not a verb I recognise. >push it It is fixed in place. You think the angry man is to the northwest. The Angry Man arrives from the northwest. >push black button Nothing happens. The angry man lunges at you but you deftly move out of the way. >turn it Nothing obvious happens. The angry man takes a swing at you but you dodge just in time. >switch it It isn't something you can switch. The angry man takes a swing at you but misses. >push red button You press the red button and with a whooshing sound, the hatch to the west slides firmly shut. The angry man takes a swing at you but you dodge just in time. >push green button You press the green button and with a whooshing sound, the closed hatch to the west slides open. The angry man lunges at you but you deftly move out of the way. >w Temporal Combustion Chamber This ominous, cement chamber smells of acrid smoke and, indeed, the walls, ceiling, and floor look dark with soot. There's an array of strange nozzles and tubes emerging from the ceiling and pointing at every inch of the room. There's no escaping them, whatever they do. The chamber's dorsal hatch is open to the east and the ventral hatch is open to the west. The soot on the floor has marks on it that look like fingers and feet having been dragged in or out of here. You think the angry man is to the east. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. The Angry Man arrives from the east. >w Magnetic Phasewave Conduit This is another part of the lab; also complete with tubing, wires, monitors, keyboards and bulk equipment. The front lab is to the northeast. To the east, however, is an open sliding hatch beyond which may be some sort of experimentation room. Another command console stands separately among the chaotic array of equipment. You think the angry man is to the east. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >push red button You press the red button and with a whooshing sound, the hatch to the east slides firmly shut. You think the angry man is to the east. >ne Ventral Depolarization Lab Where this chamber comes from or where it belongs is a mystery to you. You've seen images of the inside of the CERN lab in Geneva. This place echoes it with countless pipes of various color-codes. Monitors flickering with images of light are set around the place with keyboards before them. Unending miles of wires are tucked in every availble space in the walls and ceiling. Many of them dangle in half-loops and some bulk equipment are stacked everywhere, leaving little space to move. There are passages through the equipment to the southeast and southwest. The workshop door is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the southwest. Gef arrives from the southwest. >se Transitory Particle Hyperstage This is another part of the lab; also complete with tubing, wires, monitors, keyboards and bulk equipment. The front lab is to the northwest. To the west, however, is an open sliding hatch beyond which may be some sort of experimentation room. Another command console stands separately among the chaotic array of equipment. You think the angry man is to the west. Barbara arrives from the northwest. Gef arrives from the northwest. The Angry Man arrives from the west. >push angry You throw a punch at the angry man and manage to sock him in the mouth. He stumbles, slowed for a moment. The angry man tries to grab you but you scuttle around some equipment to dodge him. >push angry You are tired and slowing down. Your punches have no effect as he easily dodges them. The angry man punches you square in the face! >push angry You are tired and slowing down. Your punches have no effect as he easily dodges them. The angry man rushes at you but then gives a small howl of pain and stops short to hold his leg that Gef must have just bit before scampering away again. >push angry You are tired and slowing down. Your punches have no effect as he easily dodges them. The angry man lunges at you but Gef manages to trip him, sending him stumbling. >nw Ventral Depolarization Lab Where this chamber comes from or where it belongs is a mystery to you. You've seen images of the inside of the CERN lab in Geneva. This place echoes it with countless pipes of various color-codes. Monitors flickering with images of light are set around the place with keyboards before them. Unending miles of wires are tucked in every availble space in the walls and ceiling. Many of them dangle in half-loops and some bulk equipment are stacked everywhere, leaving little space to move. There are passages through the equipment to the southeast and southwest. The workshop door is open to the north. You think the angry man is to the southeast. Barbara arrives from the southeast. Gef arrives from the southeast. The Angry Man arrives from the southeast. >sw Magnetic Phasewave Conduit This is another part of the lab; also complete with tubing, wires, monitors, keyboards and bulk equipment. The front lab is to the northeast. To the east, however, is a closed sliding hatch beyond which may be some sort of experimentation room. Another command console stands separately among the chaotic array of equipment. You think the angry man is to the northeast. Barbara arrives from the northeast. Gef arrives from the northeast. >push green button You press the green button and with a whooshing sound, the closed hatch to the east slides open. You think the angry man is to the northeast. >e Temporal Combustion Chamber This ominous, cement chamber smells of acrid smoke and, indeed, the walls, ceiling, and floor look dark with soot. There's an array of strange nozzles and tubes emerging from the ceiling and pointing at every inch of the room. There's no escaping them, whatever they do. The chamber's dorsal hatch is open to the east and the ventral hatch is open to the west. The soot on the floor has marks on it that look like fingers and feet having been dragged in or out of here. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >e Transitory Particle Hyperstage This is another part of the lab; also complete with tubing, wires, monitors, keyboards and bulk equipment. The front lab is to the northwest. To the west, however, is an open sliding hatch beyond which may be some sort of experimentation room. Another command console stands separately among the chaotic array of equipment. You can see an Angry Man here. The angry man rushes at you but then gives a small howl of pain and stops short to hold his leg that Gef must have just bit before scampering away again. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >w Temporal Combustion Chamber This ominous, cement chamber smells of acrid smoke and, indeed, the walls, ceiling, and floor look dark with soot. There's an array of strange nozzles and tubes emerging from the ceiling and pointing at every inch of the room. There's no escaping them, whatever they do. The chamber's dorsal hatch is open to the east and the ventral hatch is open to the west. The soot on the floor has marks on it that look like fingers and feet having been dragged in or out of here. You think the angry man is to the east. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >w Magnetic Phasewave Conduit This is another part of the lab; also complete with tubing, wires, monitors, keyboards and bulk equipment. The front lab is to the northeast. To the east, however, is an open sliding hatch beyond which may be some sort of experimentation room. Another command console stands separately among the chaotic array of equipment. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >z Time passes. You think the angry man is to the northeast. >z Time passes. You think the angry man is to the northeast. >z Time passes. You think the angry man is to the northeast. The Angry Man arrives from the northeast. >e Temporal Combustion Chamber This ominous, cement chamber smells of acrid smoke and, indeed, the walls, ceiling, and floor look dark with soot. There's an array of strange nozzles and tubes emerging from the ceiling and pointing at every inch of the room. There's no escaping them, whatever they do. The chamber's dorsal hatch is open to the east and the ventral hatch is open to the west. The soot on the floor has marks on it that look like fingers and feet having been dragged in or out of here. You think the angry man is to the west. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >e Transitory Particle Hyperstage This is another part of the lab; also complete with tubing, wires, monitors, keyboards and bulk equipment. The front lab is to the northwest. To the west, however, is an open sliding hatch beyond which may be some sort of experimentation room. Another command console stands separately among the chaotic array of equipment. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. >z Time passes. >z Time passes. You think the angry man is to the northwest. >w Temporal Combustion Chamber This ominous, cement chamber smells of acrid smoke and, indeed, the walls, ceiling, and floor look dark with soot. There's an array of strange nozzles and tubes emerging from the ceiling and pointing at every inch of the room. There's no escaping them, whatever they do. The chamber's dorsal hatch is open to the east and the ventral hatch is open to the west. The soot on the floor has marks on it that look like fingers and feet having been dragged in or out of here. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >e Transitory Particle Hyperstage This is another part of the lab; also complete with tubing, wires, monitors, keyboards and bulk equipment. The front lab is to the northwest. To the west, however, is an open sliding hatch beyond which may be some sort of experimentation room. Another command console stands separately among the chaotic array of equipment. You think the angry man is to the northwest. Barbara arrives from the west. Gef arrives from the west. The Angry Man arrives from the northwest. >w Temporal Combustion Chamber This ominous, cement chamber smells of acrid smoke and, indeed, the walls, ceiling, and floor look dark with soot. There's an array of strange nozzles and tubes emerging from the ceiling and pointing at every inch of the room. There's no escaping them, whatever they do. The chamber's dorsal hatch is open to the east and the ventral hatch is open to the west. The soot on the floor has marks on it that look like fingers and feet having been dragged in or out of here. You think the angry man is to the east. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >z Time passes. You think the angry man is to the east. >z Time passes. You think the angry man is to the east. The Angry Man arrives from the east. >w Magnetic Phasewave Conduit This is another part of the lab; also complete with tubing, wires, monitors, keyboards and bulk equipment. The front lab is to the northeast. To the east, however, is an open sliding hatch beyond which may be some sort of experimentation room. Another command console stands separately among the chaotic array of equipment. You think the angry man is to the east. Barbara arrives from the east. Gef arrives from the east. >push red button You press the red button and with a whooshing sound, the hatch to the east slides firmly shut. You think the angry man is to the east. >se You can't go that way. You think the angry man is to the east. >ne Ventral Depolarization Lab Where this chamber comes from or where it belongs is a mystery to you. You've seen images of the inside of the CERN lab in Geneva. This place echoes it with countless pipes of various color-codes. Monitors flickering with images of light are set around the place with keyboards before them. Unending miles of wires are tucked in every availble space in the walls and ceiling. Many of them dangle in half-loops and some bulk equipment are stacked everywhere, leaving little space to move. There are passages through the equipment to the southeast and southwest. The workshop door is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the southwest. Gef arrives from the southwest. >se Transitory Particle Hyperstage This is another part of the lab; also complete with tubing, wires, monitors, keyboards and bulk equipment. The front lab is to the northwest. To the west, however, is an open sliding hatch beyond which may be some sort of experimentation room. Another command console stands separately among the chaotic array of equipment. You think the angry man is to the west. Barbara arrives from the northwest. Gef arrives from the northwest. >push red button You press the red button and with a whooshing sound, the hatch to the west slides firmly shut. You think the angry man is to the west. >nw Ventral Depolarization Lab Where this chamber comes from or where it belongs is a mystery to you. You've seen images of the inside of the CERN lab in Geneva. This place echoes it with countless pipes of various color-codes. Monitors flickering with images of light are set around the place with keyboards before them. Unending miles of wires are tucked in every availble space in the walls and ceiling. Many of them dangle in half-loops and some bulk equipment are stacked everywhere, leaving little space to move. There are passages through the equipment to the southeast and southwest. The workshop door is open to the north. Barbara arrives from the southeast. Gef arrives from the southeast. >sw Magnetic Phasewave Conduit This is another part of the lab; also complete with tubing, wires, monitors, keyboards and bulk equipment. The front lab is to the northeast. To the east, however, is a closed sliding hatch beyond which may be some sort of experimentation room. Another command console stands separately among the chaotic array of equipment. You think the angry man is to the east. Barbara arrives from the northeast. Gef arrives from the northeast. >x console It's like a squat podium housing a control panel. There's a display screen but it's not really helpful, showing some graph that changes every other second or so. What looks most used are a lighted red button, a lighted green button, and a black button labeled in marker on a piece of masking tape: Flip. You realize the command consoles control the hatches to the temporal combustion chamber. If used in unison, they could easily trap someone. You think the angry man is to the east. >x black Which do you mean, the pair of low black boots, the black button, the old photograph or the pair of dark goggles? >button This is a black button with a small strip of masking tape on it, labeled Flip. You think the angry man is to the east. >flip That's not a verb I recognise. >push black Which do you mean, the pair of low black boots, the black button, the old photograph or the pair of dark goggles? >button You press the black Flip button, looking back up toward the viewing window in the hatch. You see the angry man's face looking directly back at you. A glow seems to be growing in the chamber he's trapped in. You can barely hear him through the thick glass when he barks at you, "You have no idea what you're doing!" As the hum of machinery intensifies, you hear a digitally produced voice announce, "Initiating quantum decoherence." There's an intense flash within the cement experiment chamber. The hatch's viewing window glows intensely for a second before everything dies down again. Both hatch doors slide open, releasing a thin vapor from the chamber. You no longer see the man there. Mystical Clay walks in and asks, "What's going on in this room?" There's no easy epilogue to a complex story. With Blaine Wyatt's lab shut down, the anomalies in the house diminished. Even the memory of the anomalies faded from most of the housemates' minds. The beat-up man in the holding cell was hospitalized and recovered physically, but spent much more time in the ward insisting it is currently the 1980's. Piece by piece, the lab in the basement is being studied. If anyone can understand it besides Blaine Wyatt, it remains to be seen. And no one knows just where his own time machine flung him and how, if at all possible, he'll return. Barbara quickly adjusted to the modern world, perhaps finally feeling she belongs somewhere. The two of you remain friends and, for now, Gef has remained your companion. You thought perhaps these two friends appeared to help mend the problem with reality that stemmed from the basement and, now that it's done, they would move on. But, they've remained and you wonder if the reason for their appearance has yet to be revealed. *** This story is concluded. You've completed this story having encountered 18 out of 16 people, while carrying 29 things, and visiting 44 out of 44 locations in 1874 turns. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? >