Bedtime story
Marius Müller
cover art incomplete IntroComp 2008 past tense princess Third person
"Daddy, will you tell me a story?" asks your son, Danny. Your wife, Randa, started the story of Prince George and his quest to rescue a princess while you were away for six months. Now it's your turn to continue the tale.
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Busy week. L.A., Helsinki, Mexico City  and back. Finally home, jet-lag hit you like a brick to the face. Randa was kind, understanding, then with her own soft determination beckoned you to get up from the sofa and put your son to bed. For a moment you gave in to the illusion that you're living the good life, making money, coming home to your family once the tie-up is completed. Then you realize you've been away for six months, a lifetime at his age. You look down on him, guilt in your stomach.
But then he smiles, the smile that always reminds Randa of you, and
you feel a wave of irrational, overwhelming pride. Danny pulls up his blanket, and murmurs, already half-asleep:

"Dad, will you tell me a story?"

Well, it looks like you have your work cut out for you. Randa introduced Prince George, who is sent by king Sean to save some princess. (Even though Danny isn't yet old enough to get his head around the idea of wanting to save a girl.) Looks like the prince did a lot of traveling yesterday, saw a lot of landscape, did a lot of singing, and Danny fell asleep when he finally reached some bridge. Picking up there, you clear your throat and begin:

"The old, (once upon a time) sturdy wooden bridge had crossed the Clearwater River from east to west for as long as the prince could remember, and according to the stories, it had been there long before that, built when the kingdom was young. He fondly remembered hiding in the thick scrub below the bridge from his father's guards when he was but a boy. "

"A big and nasty mountain troll guarded the bridge, a burred stone axe in his brawny fists."
You hit the troll
(with the sword)
"Working up all of his courage, the prince drew his sword, and, setting his face, marched towards the troll. The troll saw him approach and roared: 'Ha! You will fall by the order of...'
You look around the room.

'Kur-Tayn. Order of Great Wizard Kur-Tayn.'"

--glaring light...
Look around
Whoa! Danny has switched on his night lamp, effectively blinding you. When you finally blinked the spots away, he is sitting up in his bed, shouting:
"Daaaad, that is so stupid. I mean, if this Cue-Train wizard was such a mighty wizard, he wouldn't let a troll, of all creatures, guard the only bridge leading to his castle! I mean, everyone knows they're dumb and easily tricked. No, he would set up something really dangerous there, something...cool."
His eyes have gotten a dreamy quality you don't like at all.
"Like what?" you ask carefully.

"You know, in today's episode of SPACE RANGERS, they fought this really evil robot."

"A robot, son? The prince lived hundreds of years ago..." Danny has crossed his arms, a gesture that reminds you of Randa and makes clear this argument is lost. "Well, this Cure-Tan guy is a wizard, right?"

"The old, (once upon a time) sturdy wooden bridge had crossed the Clearwater River from east to west for as long as the prince could remember, and according to the stories, it had been there long before that, built when the kingdom was young. He fondly remembered hiding in the thick scrub below the bridge from his father's guards when he was but a boy. "

"A robot was on the bridge."
You look at the robot
"So, son, what was this robot from SPACE KNIGHTS like?"

He folds his arms, and in an accusing voice, says: "Well, the robot in Space RANGERS was this really dangerous looking tripod thing, with this red light on the top, which could turn into a LASER BEAM which VAPORIZED EVERYTHING it hit, including people! It killed some of the STARLIGHT's crew! It nearly hit First Officer Leena, you know, the cat woman..." Ah, childhood crushes. "And she was buried under all this rubble..." "Yeah, son, see, we have our own story here."
You ask the robot about yourself
"Well, this Jack Chambers is a cool guy. Do you know about the one time his uncle send him a magic box?"
You jump
"The prince jumped.

The robot jumped, landing with a *thud*. The bridge creaked ominously, but held."
Sing
You take a deep breath to present a rousing rendition of "Off to see the wizard", but then Danny cringes. "He's not going to sing again, is he?"

Okay, change of plan.
Dance
"Aww,Dad, dancing is sooo gay."

"What do you mean "gay?""
He looks nonplussed. "You know, not cool."

"No son, it doesn't meant that. Not at all."

"Then what does it mean, Dad?"

"Uh, we'll talk about that later. Just keep in mind that it isn't a bad word, okay?"
You look at the bridge
"It was an old wooden bridge, made of thick logs, aged by hundreds of carriages, and the steps of a thousand wanderers."
Looked
"The old, (once upon a time) sturdy wooden bridge had crossed the Clearwater River from east to west for as long as the prince could remember, and according to the stories, it had been there long before that, built when the kingdom was young. He fondly remembered hiding in the thick scrub below the bridge from his father's guards when he was but a boy. "

"A really dangerous looking tripedal robot stood on the bridge, casting the red light from his headpiece around threateningly."
You examine the headpiece
"The headpiece was...er...headshaped, right...and...er...silvery as well..."Danny sighs, then he suddenly jumps up and says: "Yeah! And the prince would see it mimicking his every move-" Your son, now all full of exictement, shifts his body left and right, staring you right square in the eye. "Every..move. Because that's how these robots learned. By copying their enemies."
"But what the prince also saw, was a small on/off button."
"Danny opens his mouth to protest, but you shut him off:"Well, the wizard had no robot factory, so he'd had to have a way to switch it off." Danny frowns, unconvinced, but he's letting you continue."
Examined the the scrub
"The thick scrub..." You just realized that this would be a great chance to tell your son all about flowers and plants. If only you knew something. Oh well. "...hid a secret path that led under the bridge."
Searched the the scrub
"The prince found some thorns. Ouch!"
Found the the path
"Dad, you're mumbling."
Go downwards
"The wooden supporting structures loomed above the prince like the remnants of a very ecologically aware lost civilization. A muddy slope lead down to the water and up towards the scrub."

"A small pebble stuck out of the mud."
Go downward
"The prince decided to take the easy way out and just swim across..." "Come on dad, the wizard would've anticipated that. There'd be sharks and mines and octopuses..." "In a river?" "Just sharks and mines then!"
Looked at the the bridge
"To the prince it looked like this supporting structure was what kept the bridge from collapsing. "But Dad, wouldn't that be somewhat dangerous? Wouldn't it be better if they just replaced the whole bridge?" "Yes, son, but see, the kingdom had no money for that. It's a hum...tax thing. Happens everywhere."
You take the pebble
Taken.
Climbed the the bridge
"It looked like these structures had been  designed in an especially unclimbable manner."
You check your inventory
The Prince was carrying:
a pebble
a sword

"Dad, mum never said anything of a sword!" You wink at him. "Son, this is a boy's story now."
Look around
"The wooden supporting structures loomed above the prince like the remnants of a very ecologically aware lost civilization. A muddy slope lead down to the water and up towards the scrub."
You examine the pebble
"A small, round, white, pebble."
You eat the pebble
That's plainly inedible.
Dug mud
"Dad, you're mumbling."
You examine the mud
"The mud was just that, plain old mud."
Ate the the mud
(first taking Mud)
No, you're trying to tell Danny that playing in the dirt is not cool.
Ate the the pebble
That's plainly inedible.
Go upward
"A really dangerous looking tripedal robot stood on the bridge, casting the red light from his headpiece around threateningly."
Killed himself
What did The Prince want to kill himself with?
Threw the the pebble at the the robot
"The prince threw the pebble with all his power, but it just bounced off the robot's metal hull harmlessly."
You get pebble
Taken.

"The robot made a grabbing motion with one of his legs, carefully balancing on the other two. Then it stood on all three again."
You throw the pebble at the button
"The prince threw the pebble with all his might..."
Danny has folded his arms. "But he wouldn't be able to throw it hard enough to actually push the button. That would be ridiculous."
Climbed the the robot
"The robot kicked the prince away with one well aimed...kick. The prince landed a few feet away in the bushes, but immediately stood up again. That's an important lesson, son. They can kick you down, but you have to get up again."
You throw the sword at the button
(first taking the button)
That seemed to be a part of the robot.
Laughed
"Why did the prince do this, dad?" "Because, son, no matter how dire the circumstances, it's always important to keep on the sunny side of things."
Scream
"Aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Danny covers his ears.

The door opens, and Randa peeks in, and you stare sheepishly at the ground. "I appreciate that you fellas are having fun" she says, smirking motherly "but keep it down, okay?" She closes the door.
Xyzzy
Danny says: "A magic word implemented by Will Crowther in the original text adventure, known as "Advent" or "Colossal Cave Adventure", among other names. It was the first magic word the player encountered, and transported the player between two locations on incantation. It is now included in many current games as an homage. (cf) IfWiki."
Plugh
"Dad, you're mumbling."
You jump
"The prince jumped.

The robot jumped, landing with a *thud*. The bridge creaked ominously, but held."
Go upward
"The old, (once upon a time) sturdy wooden bridge had crossed the Clearwater River from east to west for as long as the prince could remember, and according to the stories, it had been there long before that, built when the kingdom was young. He fondly remembered hiding in the thick scrub below the bridge from his father's guards when he was but a boy. A small, almost invisible path lead down, under the bridge."

"A really dangerous looking tripedal robot stood on the bridge, casting the red light from his headpiece around threateningly."

"The prince could see a pebble here."
Took the inventory
The Prince was carrying:
a sword

"The robot looked down at itself, and then discovered it had no pockets."
You hit yourself
(with the sword)
"The prince pointed the sword at himself and hit his chest lightly.

The robot raised one leg and punched himself in the headpiece. It staggered for a moment before it regained its composure.

'Why is the bio-unit doing this? This hurts!'"
You kill yourself with the sword
"The prince pointed the sword at himself and hit himself in the chest lightly.

The robot raised one leg and punched himself in the headpiece just as lightly.
"Wow dad, this robot learns fast!"
Attack robot with sword
"The prince moved, drawing his sword, knowing that, the bigger they are, the lighter they fall."
Danny sits up again, all excitement:"But-but-but, Dad, the robot was nearly invincible! See, Captain Asteroyd even fired a polytron bomb at it! They had to modify one of the STARLIGHT's engine to build an anti-matter bomb which could destroy it. Do you see why Cute-Trance would set up such a thing as a guard? The prince has no way to get past it!" You ruffle your hair, stumped.
Examine button
"There was a small, barely visible on/off button on the robot's headpiece."
You press the the button
The robot had better things to do.
You examine prince
"The prince was a strong and nimble young fellow, always polite to his elders and peers, a boon to his country and friends. And, contrary to what your mother said, he looked nothing like George Clooney."
Punch self
(with the sword)
"The prince pointed the sword at himself and hit himself in the chest lightly.

The robot raised one leg and punched himself in the headpiece just as lightly.
"Wow dad, this robot learns fast!"
You drop the sword then punch the self then get sword
Dropped.

"The robot held up one of its legs, then opened the claw at its end, then put the leg down again."

I didn't understand that sentence.
Punch self
What did The Prince want to punch himself with?
You check what you're carrying
The Prince was carrying nothing.

"The robot looked down at itself, and then discovered it had no pockets."
You get the sword
Taken.

"The robot made a grabbing motion with one of his legs, carefully balancing on the other two. Then it stood on all three again."
Sat
"The prince sat.

The robot sat down as well.

Its headpiece was still high out of reach above the prince.

So the prince stood back up."
Hugged the the robot
"As the prince approached the robot, it lowered it's head, blinding him with the red light. "NO TRESPASSING! NO TRESPASSING! EXTERMINATION IMMINENT!" Danny clutches your sleeve. "Dad! The prince better be careful!"
Layed down
"The prince lay down.

The robot folded its long legs gracefully, and, by lying down it placed headpiece near the prince.
Pushed the the button
The prince leapt forward and pressed the button. Instantly, the whole robot went limp, and CRASH! BOOM! ZAM! it collapsed into a big, metallic heap." Danny beams at you proudly. "Captain Asteroyd never thought of that!" You shrug nonchalantly.

Randa opens the door, then peeks into the room. "Sorry to interrupt you two, but the beginning of this game is over." "But mooom -" Danny begins to whine. "Sorry, son, you know the rules. Only a short intro, that's why it's called IntroComp." Danny pulls up his blanket. "Man, this is just not fair. Just as it was getting interesting" Danny pouts. Randa pats you on the shoulder, as you get up to kill the light.

"Sorry, son. Maybe later."