TAKING THE KITTEN TO MARTIN LABORATORY An intensely bright beam of light is shining westward out of the microwave box. 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, 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 stands before you, wagging his tail affably. >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. Agador-Spartacus enters the west part of the courtyard from the east part of the courtyard. Agador-Spartacus stands before you, wagging his tail affably. >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. Agador-Spartacus enters the back half of the living room from the west part of the courtyard. Agador-Spartacus stands before you, wagging his tail affably. >s LIVING ROOM (front half) You see three empty boxes, three ordinary cans of spam, and a magic carpet (rolled) here. You see Agador-Spartacus in the back half of the living room. He's sitting down. >e You go through the strands of beads. DINING ROOM (by the west end of the table) On the west end of the table you see a plate, a fork, a knife, a spoon, and a glass. >take glass You take the glass off of the west end of the table. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead. The china cabinet slides to cover the opening in the north wall. >sing "zip" You sing "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah": "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, My oh my what a wonderful day, Plenty of sunshine heading my way, Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay! Oh Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder, It's the truth, it's actual, And everything is satisfactual, Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, Wonderful feeling, Wonderful day!" The blue birds suddenly become alive. They push the china cabinet sideways, revealing a door-sized opening in the north wall. Then the blue birds land back on the china cabinet doors and grow still. >ne The blue birds suddenly become alive. They fly off of the china cabinet doors and begin to flit about, making you feel as if you should sing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah". Then the blue birds land back on the china cabinet doors and grow still. DINING ROOM (by the china cabinet) >n KITCHEN You see an envelope, a large stack of catalogs, a phone bill, a gold key, "The Bedtime Story Book", "The Boy Who Had No Words", a yellow feather, a small phone book, a short blue sock, a long black sock, a handwritten note, a pair of brown shoes, a short brown sock, a short black sock, some ballet slippers, a fake can of spam, a plucked daisy, a bath robe, two short white socks, a small Phillips screwdriver, some brightly colored machine tools, a copper key, a small tape recorder, a large towel, a basket, a crystal box, a whistle, an audio cassette with a yellow label, a twenty dollar bill, a small cloth sack, a fan, a brass token, a rubber duckie, and a sink stopper here. >sing "zip" You sing "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah": "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, My oh my what a wonderful day, Plenty of sunshine heading my way, Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay! Oh Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder, It's the truth, it's actual, And everything is satisfactual, Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, Wonderful feeling, Wonderful day!" The china cabinet suddenly moves sideways, blocking the doorway. You can now see the back of the china cabinet, which has a small metal hook attached to it. Hanging on the hook you see a silver key. >take silver key You take the silver key off of the small metal hook. >sing "zip" You sing "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah": "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, My oh my what a wonderful day, Plenty of sunshine heading my way, Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay! Oh Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder, It's the truth, it's actual, And everything is satisfactual, Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, Wonderful feeling, Wonderful day!" The china cabinet suddenly moves out of the way. >take copper key, machine tools, sack copper key: You take the copper key. brightly colored machine tools: You take the brightly colored machine tools. small cloth sack: You take the small cloth sack. >take fake can, driver fake can of spam: You take the fake can of spam. small Phillips screwdriver: You take the small Phillips screwdriver. >turn on faucet The faucet is now turned on. Water starts flowing into the left basin. You notice some activity in the kitchen sink. Water from the faucet is pouring into the left basin. The water is going straight down the left drain without leaving any standing water in the left basin. >fill glass with water You fill the glass with water from the faucet. Agador-Spartacus crawls out from under the kitchen sink. The sink cabinet doors swing shut. Agador-Spartacus stands before you, wagging his tail affably. You notice some activity in the kitchen sink. Water from the faucet is pouring into the left basin. The water is going straight down the left drain without leaving any standing water in the left basin. >turn off faucet The faucet is now turned off. The water stops flowing. Agador-Spartacus stands before you, wagging his tail affably. >swing watch (first taking the watch out of the pocket) The watch swings back and forth hypnotically. It's difficult to see the watch while it's swinging, but for a moment you think that you see the misty image of a train conductor on the cover of the watch. The conductor seems confused and looks as if he needs you to tell him what time it is. Agador-Spartacus stands before you, wagging his tail affably. >say "1:44" (to the train conductor) You say "1:44" to the train conductor. The conductor smiles and nods his head briefly before his image fades and disappears. Then the watch stops swinging and pops open. Archimedes' arms now show the time as 1:44. On the video screen you see a large square with a thick black border. There is nothing in the square. Below the square you see a glass of lemonade. Agador-Spartacus stands before you, wagging his tail affably. >put watch in pocket (first closing the watch) The pocket watch is now in one of the trouser pockets. You hear some rumbling and clattering noises coming from inside the Black Box. On the video screen you see a large square with a thick black border. In the square you see a tray containing a glass of lemonade. There is nothing below the square. Agador-Spartacus stands before you, wagging his tail affably. >snap (your fingers) SNAP! The watch beeps twice. The lid of the Black Box opens. A robotic hand lifts a tray containing a glass of lemonade from inside the box and places it on the platform above the box. Then the hand withdraws into the box and the lid closes. On the video screen you see a large square with a thick black border. There is nothing in the square. There is nothing below the square. Agador-Spartacus stands before you, wagging his tail affably. >take lemonade You take the glass of lemonade off of the tray. Agador-Spartacus stands before you, wagging his tail affably. >s The blue birds suddenly become alive. They fly off of the china cabinet doors and begin to flit about, making you feel as if you should sing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah". Then the blue birds land back on the china cabinet doors and grow still. DINING ROOM (by the china cabinet) You see Agador-Spartacus in the kitchen. He's wagging his tail. >sw DINING ROOM (by the west end of the table) On the west end of the table you see a plate, a fork, a knife, and a spoon. >w You go through the strands of beads. LIVING ROOM (front half) You see three empty boxes, three ordinary cans of spam, and a magic carpet (rolled) here. >n 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. >take kitten You take the kitten. >take theme You take the Scheherazade sheet music out of the piano bench seat. >w DANCE STUDIO You see a coat rack here. You see Agador-Spartacus in the back half of the living room. He's wagging his tail. >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. >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 sour, 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 essence that you have taken seems to be slipping back outwards away from you... ------------- Press space bar to continue ----------------- WEST COURTYARD Looking up into the beautifully clear night sky, you see countless stars and a slightly waning moon. The still night air feels pleasantly cool. 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 is a medium-sized sycamore tree standing in the southeast corner of this part of the courtyard. >drop copper key Upon leaving your possession, the copper key increases its substance and visibility. The copper key then begins to glow, undergoing a change that completely transforms it. After a while the glow fades and you sense that the copper key has become bound to the surroundings here. The copper key is now on the ground. >drop lemonade Upon leaving your possession, the glass of lemonade increases its substance and visibility. The glass of lemonade then begins to glow, undergoing a change that completely transforms it. After a while the glow fades and you sense that the glass of lemonade has become bound to the surroundings here. The glass of lemonade is now on the ground. >climb tree You climb the sycamore tree. UP IN THE SYCAMORE TREE >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 >nw CURVED PATHWAY >n CLEARING >w As you walk westwards into the grove of aspen trees, you find yourself becoming distracted. You're not sure how far you have gone since you entered the grove, but apparently you've gone far enough so that you can no longer see the clearing. ASPEN GROVE You see aspen trees all around you. Tall yellow grass covers the ground. You seem to have lost all sense of direction. But at night the grove seems quite magical. You see fairies here! >x fairies The fairies are flitting about playfully. Each one is illuminated by a small colored light, filling the night with twinkling lights in every imaginable color. Most of the fairies appear to be travelling in the same general direction. It occurs to you that you could follow them to see where they are going. >follow fairies You follow the fairies. You feel confident that if you keep following the fairies, they will eventually lead you somewhere interesting. >follow fairies You follow the fairies. You feel confident that if you keep following the fairies, they will eventually lead you somewhere interesting. >follow fairies You follow the fairies. You feel confident that if you keep following the fairies, they will eventually lead you somewhere interesting. >follow fairies You follow the fairies. You feel confident that if you keep following the fairies, they will eventually lead you somewhere interesting. >follow fairies You follow the fairies. YELLOW BRICK ROAD (by the aspen grove) The yellow brick road ends here. The road leads southwards through thorny bushes. To the north is an aspen grove. In all other directions you are surrounded by thorny bushes. Most of the fairies seem to have gathered here. They appear to be having a party. Their lights reflect off of the yellow brick road as if they were disco dancing, and the sound of their musical laughter is pure magic. >s YELLOW BRICK ROAD (by the red door) The yellow brick road leads north through thorny bushes. To the south you see a red round door. >drop silver key Upon leaving your possession, the silver key increases its substance and visibility. The silver key then begins to glow, undergoing a change that completely transforms it. After a while the glow fades and you sense that the silver key has become bound to the surroundings here. The silver key is now on the yellow brick road. >drop machine tools Upon leaving your possession, the brightly colored machine tools increase their substance and visibility. The brightly colored machine tools then begin to glow, undergoing a change that completely transforms them. After a while the glow fades and you sense that the brightly colored machine tools have become bound to the surroundings here. The brightly colored machine tools are now on the yellow brick road. >n YELLOW BRICK ROAD (by the aspen grove) Most of the fairies seem to have gathered here. They appear to be having a party. Their lights reflect off of the yellow brick road as if they were disco dancing, and the sound of their musical laughter is pure magic. >n As you walk into the grove of aspen trees, you find yourself becoming distracted. You're not sure how far you have gone since you entered the grove, but apparently you've gone far enough so that you can no longer see the yellow brick road. ASPEN GROVE You see aspen trees all around you. Tall yellow grass covers the ground. You seem to have lost all sense of direction. But at night the grove seems quite magical. You see fairies here! >n You start walking. You don't really have any idea about the direction in which you're moving, but you figure that if you keep going you'll eventually get somewhere. ASPEN GROVE You see aspen trees all around you. Tall yellow grass covers the ground. You seem to have lost all sense of direction. But at night the grove seems quite magical. You see fairies here! >e You start walking. You don't really have any idea about the direction in which you're moving, but you figure that if you keep going you'll eventually get somewhere. ASPEN GROVE You see aspen trees all around you. Tall yellow grass covers the ground. You seem to have lost all sense of direction. But at night the grove seems quite magical. You see fairies here! >e You start walking. You don't really have any idea about the direction in which you're moving, but you figure that if you keep going you'll eventually get somewhere. ASPEN GROVE You see aspen trees all around you. Tall yellow grass covers the ground. You seem to have lost all sense of direction. But at night the grove seems quite magical. You see fairies here! >e You start walking. You don't really have any idea about the direction in which you're moving, but you figure that if you keep going you'll eventually get somewhere. ASPEN GROVE You see aspen trees all around you. Tall yellow grass covers the ground. You seem to have lost all sense of direction. But at night the grove seems quite magical. You see fairies here! >e You start walking. You don't really have any idea about the direction in which you're moving, but you figure that if you keep going you'll eventually get somewhere. ASPEN GROVE You see aspen trees all around you. Tall yellow grass covers the ground. You seem to have lost all sense of direction. But at night the grove seems quite magical. You see fairies here! >e You start walking. You don't really have any idea about the direction in which you're moving, but you figure that if you keep going you'll eventually get somewhere. CLEARING >s CURVED PATHWAY >se BY THE FLAT ROCK >ne STRAIGHT PATHWAY >ne RAVINE (across from the sycamore grove) >nw RAVINE PATH >nw MESA (by the waterfall) >sw MESA (by the downward slope) A seventeen-year-old Martin lies on his back, staring up at the stars. His mood seems dark and brooding. You find that looking at Martin makes you feel dizzy, so you turn your eyes away. After a while you begin to wonder whether or not you really saw Martin. You can't help thinking about the possibility that he might have left to go back to the house. >drop kitten Upon leaving your possession, the kitten increases its substance and visibility. The kitten then begins to glow, undergoing a change that completely transforms him. After a while the glow fades and you sense that the kitten has become bound to the surroundings here. The kitten is now on the ground. The kitten immediately toddles over towards Martin and starts to play with his shoelace. Martin is unaware of the kitten's presence and moves his foot absently. The kitten spits playfully at Martin's foot, and suddenly Martin sits up, staring at the kitten. You are somewhat surprised as to why Martin can see and hear the kitten, even though Martin remains quite oblivious to your own presence. You suspect that it's because you're the one who had to expend so much of yourself by forcing your way through the mist whereas the kitten was just a passenger.