ACTIVATING THE TURQUOISE CORD LABORATORY The train is stopped at the platform above the lab bench. You see a tray containing a napkin on the platform above the lab bench. You see a green candle (lit), a tray containing a glass of lemonade, a mug, a plate, a large piece of broccoli, a pair of gloves, and a tray containing a napkin here. The gloves are floating halfway between the floor and ceiling. >w EAST COURTYARD An intensely bright beam of light is coming out of the lens of the microwave box. It shines west through the open metal doors, cutting across the courtyard to strike the center of the west wall. The light beam seems to be interacting somehow with the red rock of the wall, causing the center of the wall to appear shimmery and insubstantial. You see a rusty chain here. Agador-Spartacus is lying down here. >w WEST COURTYARD An intensely bright beam of light is coming out of the lens of the microwave box. It shines west through the open metal doors, cutting across the courtyard to strike the center of the west wall. The light beam seems to be interacting somehow with the red rock of the wall, causing the center of the wall to appear shimmery and insubstantial. You see Agador-Spartacus in the east part of the courtyard. He's lying down. >s LIVING ROOM (back half) In the piano bench seat you see "Theme from Scheherazade". On the music stand you see "Water Music". The kitten is curled up and sleeping on the floor. You see three empty boxes, two ordinary cans of spam, and a magic carpet (rolled) here. >w DANCE STUDIO You see a coat rack here. >d TUNNEL (south end) >n TUNNEL (north end) >u GAZEBO There is something very unusual about the east wall of the garden. The center of the wall appears to be missing. You see a swirling mist there. You see a desk chair and a pot of gardenias here. >e You follow the yellow brick road around until you are near the east wall. SECRET GARDEN (near the east wall) There is something very unusual about the east wall of the garden. The center of the wall appears to be missing. You see a swirling mist there. >take off hat You take off the top hat. >e As you begin to enter the swirling mist, you feel a strong resistance to your motion. The resistance seems to grow exponentially stronger as more of your body enters, but at the same time you sense that the mist does not go on forever and that something is waiting for you on the other side. You find yourself intrigued by a growing taste sensation in your mouth, oddly salty, that fires your appetite to explore whatever lies beyond the mist. By sheer force of will you manage to push your way completely through the mist. But in doing so, you feel most of your essence being ripped away from you, leaving you weak and insubstantial. You emerge on the other side and stumble unsteadily on your feet, feeling as if you are about to fade away into non-existence. Instinctively you reach outwards in an attempt to draw in the essence of the surrounding reality. Your body begins to tingle and you feel yourself growing somewhat stronger as you draw in essence from your surroundings. But the tingling stops too soon, leaving you only partially replenished. And part of the essense that you have taken seems to be slipping back outwards away from you... ------------- Press space bar to continue ----------------- WEST COURTYARD Looking up, you see the noon sun trying to supply a bit of warmth to this cold winter day. The mountaintops are white with snow. There are a few streaky-looking clouds, but otherwise the weather is clear. You see some people inside the living room. If you were to look through the sliding glass door you would be able to see what's going on in there. The center of the west wall appears to be missing. You see a swirling mist there. >e EAST COURTYARD There's a snowman here. There is a very large sycamore tree standing in the southeast corner of this part of the courtyard. >put hat on snowman Upon leaving your possession, the top hat increases its substance and visibility. The top hat then begins to glow, undergoing a change that completely transforms it. After a while the glow fades and you sense that the top hat has become bound to the surroundings here. The top hat is now on the snowman. The snowman begins to dance around. He's so playful that you can't help thinking that he must have been built by some wonderful children. As if on cue, you hear the sounds of children laughing in the distance to the north. Then the sound fades away and all is silent. Suddenly a gust of wind blows the top hat off the snowman. The wind takes the top hat upward, over the black dome and out of sight. You assume that the hat must have landed somewhere outside of the courtyard, perhaps on the east side of the house or out in back by the flat rock. >climb tree Although your hands don't seem to be able to move or manipulate any of the objects here, you are relieved to discover that you have no difficulty climbing the tree. But the tree branches don't seem to respond to the pressure of your weight, almost as if you're not really here. The causal relationship is a one-way street. You realize that this is similar to the way in which a closed door can impede your passage and a chair can enable you to sit. The presence of these objects influences what YOU are able to do, whereas difficulties arise when you attempt to exert influence in the other direction. You climb the sycamore tree. UP IN THE SYCAMORE TREE You're up in the sycamore tree. To the east is the dome ledge and to the south you see the balcony. Both are within easy reach. Below you is the courtyard. >s BALCONY >e You climb over the balcony railing and leap across to the dome ledge. DOME LEDGE (south) >e DOME LEDGE (east) >d You climb down the trellis. BY THE RASPBERRY BUSH >nw BY THE FLAT ROCK You see a top hat here. >ne STRAIGHT PATHWAY >ne RAVINE (across from the sycamore grove) >nw RAVINE PATH This rocky path runs along the edge of a deep ravine with a swiftly flowing creek at the bottom. The ravine is quite wide here and you can't see much on the other side. The path climbs upwards to the northwest and downwards to the southeast. Difficult terrain blocks travel in all other directions. The ground is partially covered with snow here. >nw MESA (by the waterfall) You are on a flat mesa plateau, partway up the side of a mountain. Here you see a magnificent waterfall that pours down from the mountain into a deep ravine. A rocky path leads southeast and downwards along the edge of the ravine. The mesa continues to the southwest. Difficult terrain blocks travel in all other directions. The ground is covered with snow here. >sw MESA (by the downward slope) The mesa is completely covered in snow. To the south is a snow- covered slope leading downwards to a clearing. It looks like you could slide down to the clearing but you wouldn't be able to to get back up. In the distance to the west (and below) you can see a grove of aspen trees. However, you can't get down to the grove from here because the mesa ends in a sheer cliff in that direction. The mesa continues to the northeast. You hear rushing water coming from that direction. You see two little children laughing and playing in the snow. A sled is nearby. The little girl is about seven years old. She's wearing green earmuffs and there are clumps of snow in her red hair. The little boy appears to be about five years old, wearing a knit cap. He has a gentle smile and a dimple in his chin. Both children are wearing goggles. The children look straight at you, giving you smiles of recognition. They can see you! The children take off their goggles. You find yourself shocked as you realize that they can still see you even though they aren't wearing the goggles any more. But your second realization is even more astounding -- Both of these children have intense dark brown eyes, and one look at those eyes makes it clear who their mother is. They have Rachel's eyes! The children look at you and break into happy grins. "Daddy!" they cry, running towards you and wrapping their arms around you in a big hug. The sincerity of their affection melts your heart, and your find yourself getting misty-eyed as you return their hug. Suddenly, you hear a rumble of thunder and the ground begins to shake. The wind begins to circle around you and the children, moving faster and faster, almost as if the wind is drawing its strength from the bond between you and your children. Then you feel the air grow still, but you are left with the odd feeling that the encircling wind has somehow left an imprint of its power in the belt that you wear around your waist. You feel stronger somehow, more connected. You notice that one of the cords in your belt has turned turquoise. After you get over the shock of discovering that you're a daddy, you have time to think about why the children can see you. It has nothing to do with the goggles, which seem to be "fiction goggles" after all. It's because half of what these children are has come from your own being. They carry your essence inside of them!