Fingertips: I Walk Along Darkened Corridors
Andrew Schultz
based on songs cover art mathematics They Might Be Giants
There are 1001 doors in the darkened corridors. Which is right?
%
yet)

Space Suit -- Episode 38 of the Apollo 18 Tribute Album by Andrew
Schultz

6/12N)

boggle-box you've been transported into. You can go one move in any of
the usual 2-d directions, even the crazy ones, before hitting a wall.

A protective spacesuit hangs on a pedestal. Well, you'd guess it's
protective, since it doesn't look very fashionable.

[Type ABOUT to find out more about this game, or CREDITS to find out
more about people who helped make it, or make it better.]
About yourself
yet)

Jeans and a t-shirt.
You go to the northeast
yet)

You leave the center for more a wide-open area with less to see, do
and take. But hey, you can always come back.

There are glowing walls to the east and north here, and you sense an
odd energy from them.
You examine the walls
yet)

You can't see any such thing.
You examine wall
yet)

Which do you mean, the west wall, the east wall, the south wall, the
north wall or the wall?
You examine the north wall
yet)

You don't see anything special.
It's too far away to see at the moment.
You check your inventory
yet)

You are carrying nothing.
You go to the east
yet)

Your skin begins tingling as you approach the wall. Radiaton? Heat?
You're not sure. Even though it appears malleable, you don't trust
yourself to make it through as is.
You touch the east wall
yet)

You feel nothing unexpected.
You go to the south
yet)

You're in the center of the east edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the east wall.
You look at the mural
yet)

There's a picture of various Pythagorean triangles, size determined by
notches-3/4/5, 5/12/13, and so forth.

There's a picture of a top spinning around. It seems to be about to
fall--it's at a close angle to the ground.
You go south
yet)

There are glowing walls to the south and east here, and you sense an
odd energy from them.
Go west
yet)

You're in the center of the south edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the south wall.
You examine the mural
yet)

It's a list of riddles that make sense once you know the answer, but
you're glad there wasn't a gnome that made you bet your life on them.

your attention more, anyway--but what's it doing here?
Examine hunter
yet)

Seems like an anachronism...or maybe a hint?
Go west
yet)

There are glowing walls to the south and west here, and you sense an
odd energy from them.
Go north
yet)

You're in the center of the west edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the west wall.
You examine the mural
yet)

There's a picture of a big long maze. You begin puzzling your way
through it, starting at the bit marked "end" and trying to block out
various dead ends.

Below the maze, there's a picture of a kite trailing its owner at a
forty-five degree angle--must be windy.
You go north
yet)

There are glowing walls to the west and north here, and you sense an
odd energy from them.
Go east
yet)

You're in the center of the north edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the north wall.
You look at the mural
yet)

You see a stick figure holding an opaque umbrella at an angle. Also,
there appears to be an impromptu treatise on tic-tac-toe strategy, but
you have nobody to play it with. Rats.
You go south
yet)

boggle-box you've been transported into. You can go one move in any of
the usual 2-d directions, even the crazy ones, before hitting a wall.

A protective spacesuit hangs on a pedestal. Well, you'd guess it's
protective, since it doesn't look very fashionable.
You look at the spacesuit
yet)

Largely white, with an opaque helmet and handy pockets for fitting
scraps of paper in. It's got some weird dark LCD output on the chest
with a lever off to the side.
You examine the lcf
yet)

You can't see any such thing.
You examine the lcd
yet)

It's dark. You imagine there's a way to switch it on.
You pull the lever
yet)

You should be wearing the spacesuit before doing that.
You take Suit
yet)

Hmm. As you pick it up, a brochure falls off the pedestal and onto the
floor, and a small lead ball also falls from a sleeve onto the ground.

You also see the spacesuit was covering a couple of drawings.
You examine the brochure
yet)

In case the brochure has small print, you take it first.

Hmm. There's no actual writing. At the top, you see shows five lines
in an S through a 3-by-3 square of dots...and a big red X through all
that. Below, there're four lines next to an intact 3-by-3 square.
There are a few more pages on the inside, too.
You open the brochure
yet)

There're diagrams about spacesuit operation--likely, the one you're
holding--and how it protects from radiation and heat and so forth. The
wavy lines and fire are universal enough. No letters are needed. But
you don't see any dangers here, so maybe there's more useful later.
You examine the ball
yet)

It seems unremarkable. You wonder what it's for, and what to do with
it.
You take all
yet)

This is more a puzzle than a treasure hunt. Besides, there aren't that
many items IN the game.
You take the ball
yet)

Taken.
You take the brochure
yet)

You already have that.
You wear Suit
The suit fits comfortably.
You pull the lever
You might want to read the brochure...the center may not be the best
place to start recording your movements.
You read the brochure
There's a close-up of a lever on the side of the spacesuit. Two-way
arrows indicate that it detects bends, or changes in direction. You
see a few more pages.
You read the brochure
You see a square of nine faces -- the middle frowny and red, the
others smiley and green. The northwest -- assuming north is up -- has
little sunshiney rays around it. Maybe the last bit will be more
informative.

Hmph. Just a finger pointing at you, a brain with lines coming from it
(it appears to have just jumped from a box,) and pictures of medals
and ribbons. But there's a loose page behind.
You look at the loose page
You rip the page from the brochure.

with a line through it--some poor stupid looking face is crossed out.
There's also someone wearing a spacesuit next to a crossed-out stick
figure that is not.

There's a big exclamation mark in the upper right-hand corner--a
pretty universal meaning. The slots on the left side are labeled A, B
and C, from top to bottom (okay, they're unreadable glyphs. But you
have to call them SOMEthing.) On the right, there's D, which you
decide is a tab.

B and D are parallel with the middle row, while A is close to the top
row, and C is close to the bottom row.

Would you like to see a physical representation?
Y.
. . .
A -
B -  . . . - D
C -
. . .
Go northeast
your spacesuit. Perhaps some places are better than others.

There are glowing walls to the east and north here, but they don't
seem menacing.
You go to the east
Hm. It's like some weird foamy turnstile.

anything. But exploring may turn up some clues.

You're outside the usual boundaries of the box. You can go back
through the walls to the southwest and south, or you can dither around
to the northwest.
You go to the west
out.

Hmm. Switch the lever here? Technically, there's no rush.

There are glowing walls to the east and north here, but they don't
seem menacing.
You go east
You're used to this turnstile action by now.

You're outside the usual boundaries of the box. You can go back
through the walls to the southwest and south, or you can dither around
to the northwest.
Go northwest
You're outside the usual boundaries of the box. You can go back
through the walls to the southwest and south, or you can dither around
to the southeast.
Go southwest
Nothing weird happens the second time on your way back, either.

You're in the center of the north edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the north wall.
Go east
Here, you can only go south, southeast and southwest.
Go southeast
You're outside the usual boundaries of the box. You can go back
through the walls to the southwest and south, or you can dither around
to the northwest.
You go southwest
You're in the center of the east edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the east wall.
Go east
There's no secret door behind the mural. You've found how to get
outside the box, anyway.
You go west
boggle-box you've been transported into. You can go one move in any of
the usual 2-d directions, even the crazy ones, before hitting a wall.

The pedestal you took the spacesuit from is here, too. It's prominent
enough that you couldn't trip over it if you tried.
You examine the pedestal
It's cylindrical, with an odd diagonal line down the side--you'd think
it'd be straight up and down, but it's perpendicular to a ramp that
seems to circle the outside.

the ramp, and you can see a couple drawings, too.
You look at the drawings
You see two pictures: one, a grid of nine dots, and another, a black
eight-pointed star with a big red X through its center. The star looks
as below:

*     *
|\   /|
| \ / |

\ | / \ | /
\|/   \|/
*     *
/|\   /|\
/ | \ / | \

| / \ |
|/   \|
*     *
You examine the ramp
You can't actually touch inside it--it's covered all the way down. But
it cuts a spiral through the cylindrical pedestal that winds around
almost three times before the hole at the bottom. The line cutting
through the pedestal starts just to one side of the entry and to the
other side of the exit.
You put the ball in hole
outside of the pedestal. After a half-minute, the ball rolls slowly
out the bottom. You could pick it up and try again, if you want.
You take the ball
Taken.
You put the ball in the hole
It's fun to watch the ball roll down, but you doubt you're doing
anything.
You keep going
You remember rolling a penny down a similar spiral at some toy store.
Continue
Whee! Somehow, it never quite gets boring.
You keep going
Okay, I lied. You start wondering what the ramp is there for, or what
it's demonstrating.
Keep going
You roll the ball down the ramp yet again.
Twist ramp
Nothing obvious happens.
You go to the east
You're in the center of the east edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the east wall.
Go southeast
You're outside the usual boundaries of the box. You can go back
through the walls to the northwest and west, or you can dither around
to the southwest.
You pull the lever
You hear a hum, then a loud BEEP, from your spacesuit. You look down
and notice the LCD output has begun to glow.
You examine the lcd
The LCD output reads:

- - - 0 / 4 -+
- - -        |
- - - 0 / 9
You go northwest
You're in the center of the east edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the east wall.

You hear a beep. A turn-arrow pulses on part of your LCD, then
vanishes. You assume this means you can change directions three more
times.
Go northwest
You're in the center of the north edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the north wall.
You go northwest
You're outside the usual boundaries of the box. You can go back
through the walls to the southeast and south, or you can dither around
to the southwest.
Switch lever
You hear a grinding and whooshing as you start. You back off.
You go to the south
There are glowing walls to the west and north here, but they don't
seem menacing--they're even pulling your spacesuit towards them,
slightly.

You hear two beeps. A turn-arrow pulses on part of your LCD, then
vanishes. You assume this means you can change directions two more
times.
You go to the south
You're in the center of the west edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the west wall.
Go south
There are glowing walls to the south and west here, but they don't
seem menacing.
You go south
You're outside the usual boundaries of the box. You can go back
through the walls to the northeast and north, or you can dither around
to the northwest.
Go northeast
You're in the center of the south edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the south wall.

You hear three beeps. A turn-arrow pulses on part of your LCD, then
vanishes. You assume this means you can change directions once more.
You go to the northeast
You're in the center of the east edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the east wall.
You go to the north-east
You're outside the usual boundaries of the box. You can go back
through the walls to the southwest and south, or you can dither around
to the northwest.
Go west
There are glowing walls to the east and north here, but they don't
seem menacing.

You hear four beeps. A turn-arrow pulses on part of your LCD, then
vanishes. You assume this means you can change directions zero more
times. Crunch time.
You go west
You're in the center of the north edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the north wall.
You go to the west
There are glowing walls to the west and north here, but they don't
seem menacing--they're even pulling your spacesuit towards them,
slightly.
You examine the lcd
The LCD output reads:

* + + 4 / 4 -+
+ - +        |
+ + - 7 / 9
You go to the southeast
boggle-box you've been transported into. You can go one move in any of
the usual 2-d directions, even the crazy ones, before hitting a wall.

The pedestal you took the spacesuit from is here, too. It's prominent
enough that you couldn't trip over it if you tried.

You can see a small lead ball here.

A loud horn begins honking. You have made one too many turns with your
spacesuit activated!
You read the brochure
In case the brochure has small print, you take it first.

Hmm. There's no actual writing. At the top, you see shows five lines
in an S through a 3-by-3 square of dots...and a big red X through all
that. Below, there're four lines next to an intact 3-by-3 square.
There are a few more pages on the inside, too.
Keep going
There're diagrams about spacesuit operation--likely, the one you're
holding--and how it protects from radiation and heat and so forth. The
wavy lines and fire are universal enough. No letters are needed. But
you don't see any dangers here, so maybe there's more useful later.
You continue
There's a close-up of a lever on the side of the spacesuit. Two-way
arrows indicate that it detects bends, or changes in direction. You
see a few more pages.
Keep going
You see a square of nine faces -- the middle frowny and red, the
others smiley and green. The northeast -- assuming north is up -- has
little sunshiney rays around it. Maybe the last bit will be more
informative.
Continue
Hmph. Just a finger pointing at you, a brain with lines coming from it
(it appears to have just jumped from a box,) and pictures of medals
and ribbons. But there's a loose page behind.
You get page
It pulls out easily. It's got the three-by-three square of dots, but
it also has four slots cut into the sides--three on one side, one on
the other.
You read the page
with a line through it--some poor stupid looking face is crossed out.
There's also someone wearing a spacesuit next to a crossed-out stick
figure that is not.

There's a big exclamation mark in the upper right-hand corner--a
pretty universal meaning. The slots on the left side are labeled A, B
and C, from top to bottom (okay, they're unreadable glyphs. But you
have to call them SOMEthing.) On the right, there's D, which you
decide is a tab.

B and D are parallel with the middle row, while A is close to the top
row, and C is close to the bottom row.

Would you like to see a physical representation?
Y.
. . .
A -
B -  . . . - D
C -
. . .
You look at the tab
It's the only slot on the right of the paper. You can probably fold
any of the others into it.
You fold the B into the d.
As you twist the leaflet, you see crumbling--walls on the east and
west appear to fall. You feel the room you're standing on wrenched
into something you can't quite understand. You're knocked out for a
minute but wake up where you were.
Go east
your spacesuit. Perhaps some places are better than others.

You're in the center of the east edge of the little boggle-box. Jagged
rubble on the floor indicates there may have been a wall to the east.
Go east
anything. But exploring may turn up some clues.

You're in the center of the west edge of the little boggle-box. Jagged
rubble on the floor indicates there may have been a wall to the west.
Go north
Hmm. Switch the lever here? Technically, there's no rush.

You thought you remembered this was a corner, but you can't see any
walls to the east or west for a while. You think you see someone in
the distance, though.
Go west
You thought you remembered this was a corner, but you can't see any
walls to the east or west for a while. You think you see someone in
the distance, though.
You go west
You're in the center of the north edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the north wall.
Wave
You wave, feeling foolish.
You go to the north
Hm. It's like some weird foamy turnstile.

You're outside the usual boundaries of the box. You can go back
through the walls to the southeast and south. You're not actually sure
if being here is the best plan.
You fold a into the d.
(slot a into tab d)
You see the passage back to the inner area shake. This worries you.
Perhaps the leaflet is more powerful than you thought.
You go south
out.

You thought you remembered this was a corner, but you can't see any
walls to the east or west for a while. You think you see someone in
the distance, though.
You look at the page
It's wrapped around itself now, the tabs gone--melded into the paper
somehow. Oddly, the dots that were on opposite sides are now close to
each other.
Go southwest
boggle-box you've been transported into. You can go one move in any of
the usual 2-d directions, even the crazy ones, before hitting a wall.

The pedestal you took the spacesuit from is here, too. It's prominent
enough that you couldn't trip over it if you tried.

You can see a small lead ball here.
You look at the drawings
You see two pictures: one, a grid of nine dots, and another, a black
eight-pointed star with a big red X through its center. The star looks
as below:

*     *
|\   /|
| \ / |

\ | / \ | /
\|/   \|/
*     *
/|\   /|\
/ | \ / | \

| / \ |
|/   \|
*     *
You fold a into the d.
(slot a into tab d)
As you twist the leaflet, you see crumbling--walls on the east and
west appear to fall. You feel the room you're standing on wrenched
into something you can't quite understand. You're knocked out for a
minute but wake up where you were.
Go west
You're in the center of the west edge of the little boggle-box. Jagged
rubble on the floor indicates there may have been a wall to the west.
You go west
There should be an east wall joining the south wall, but the only one
you see is a bit to the west.
You go to the west
You're in the center of the south edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the south wall.
Go west
walls here.
You go to the east
You're in the center of the south edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the south wall.

You hear a beep. A turn-arrow pulses on part of your LCD, then
vanishes. You assume this means you can change directions three more
times.
You go to the east
You're in the center of the east edge of the little boggle-box. Jagged
rubble on the floor indicates there may have been a wall to the east.
You go to the east
There should be a west wall joining the north wall, but the only one
you see is a bit to the east.
Go east
You're in the center of the north edge of the little boggle-box. You
can see a mural on the north wall.
Go east
walls here.

You hear a loud siren. Confetti drops from the ceiling. Three people
in robes walk out, beaming silently.

You are handed a gold medal! You have done about the best you could
do. A monk waves his hand, and the topology of the room is
re-scrambled. You are escorted into a small nook with all manner of
logic puzzles. They look interesting, but you hope you're let out
before you solve them all.

I hope you enjoyed this puzzle, and I hope converting it to a text
adventure was as fun for you as it was for me.