The Bryant Collection
Gregory Weir
cover art walkthrough
The Bryant Collection is an interactive anthology: a collection of 'story worlds' by Laura Bryant. They were found at a yard sale in an old strongbox.
%
There are never enough tables for a yard sale. The people who live here clearly have set out every table they own on the driveway in front of their house. It's a mismatched array of card tables, a kitchen table, and a scarred white desk, all piled with miscellaneous junk.

One item catches your eye. It's an old, dented strongbox, barely visible behind a huge box fan.
You examine the desk
A few card tables, a kitchen table, and a scarred white desk are set out on the driveway and piled high with junk. You'd guess these are all of the tables (and table-like devices) that could easily be moved out of the house and onto the driveway.
You examine the junk
Nothing amazing. Boxes of old audio cassettes, a Packard Bell computer, ugly lamps and dilapidated board games. The sale seems to be one born of a desire for more storage rather than more cash.
About yourself
I suppose you're me. Gregory Weir, I mean. Mid-twenties, brown hair, thin. Probably a bit scruffy.
Examine box
(the old dented strongbox)
This strongbox is made of metal, and is a foot across in each dimension. It is covered in rust and dented in a few places. A tattered label on the lid reads "Laura Bryant Collection." A garish orange sticker asks for $23. Some inner feeling makes you want to possess it.
You open it
It seems to be locked.
You look at the computer
You had a Packard Bell once. Never again. They're impossible to upgrade. Besides, this one's about a decade old.
You buy the box
(the old dented strongbox)
You pick up the strongbox. The rest of the transaction is fuzzy in your memory. Money changed hands, and you got in your car.
Afterwards, you kicked yourself for not asking the family's name or checking the street signs on your way out of the neighborhood.

"It's kind of silly, I know, making up
little story worlds like this. But it's
always reminded me of my Uncle Ted,
who says Great-Grandfather Bryant used
to do it with him. Thought you might
find it fun."



You've never been an especially tidy person, and being self-employed has done nothing to improve your habits. Still, you keep your place clean, for the most part. It's just cluttered. The clutter is worse than usual at the moment, thanks to a portion of the contents of the strongbox scattered over the surface of your table.

The strongbox itself sits open under the table.

On the wooden table are a pile of letters, a memo book labeled "The End of the World", a composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden", a sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi", a stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again", an envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter", a wrinkled sheet of paper, and a wooden toy.

(For information on the origins of this collection, type ABOUT. To return to this room from within a story, type RETURN.)
You look at the envelope
This is a standard envelope stuffed with fifteen sheets of triple-folded lined paper. The pages are loose, and are covered in neat writing in blue pen. In a few places, the ink has bled where drops of moisture fell on the pages. The envelope is unaddressed and unstamped, and the words "UNDELIVERED LOVE LETTER" are writted across the front. Where the return address would be is the date "1975."

(To enter this story, pick up the envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter".)
You take it
This is a standard envelope stuffed with fifteen sheets of triple-folded lined paper. The pages are loose, and are covered in neat writing in blue pen. In a few places, the ink has bled where drops of moisture fell on the pages. The envelope is unaddressed and unstamped, and the words "UNDELIVERED LOVE LETTER" are writted across the front. Where the return address would be is the date "1975."

(Do you want to enter this story?)
Yes
"The weird thing is that
even though I thought it
would never stop hurting
at the time, now I just look
back and miss that pain."



This was supposed to be a nice visit, a respite from the loneliness of a long-distance relationship. Yesterday evening, she broke the news to you. You didn't eat at all today. Right now, she's in the bathroom, but she'll be back in time for a final goodbye. Then you'll leave on the plane, she'll stay here, and you'll never see her again.

Passengers bustle through this busy airport terminal, on their way to and from their planes. You're waiting near your gate, among twenty or thirty seats. A gate agent bustles about near the gate. Large windows overlook the tarmac, where you can see your plane sitting at the end of the loading bridge. The restrooms are across the hallway, and the security checkpoint is a decent walk away.

A big clock is mounted on the wall nearby.
About you
You're a young man who's just finished a relationship that lasted years. It was supposed to last forever.
You check your inventory
You are carrying:
a carry-on bag (closed)
a boarding pass
You look at the pass
This printed slip of paper marks you as a ticket-holder, qualified to travel on this flight.

X emerges from the restroom and heads this way. She sits down beside you. "Hi. How are you doing?" she asks with a pensive look on her face. Her voice has the faintest of Russian accents.
Examine X
X has long, blonde hair that reaches her waist when unbound. Right now, it's tied back in a bun. She's wearing a long, burgundy coat with a white scarf tucked into the collar. She has a thin frame and a heart-shaped face, with greenish-gray eyes and a nose that's just a bit prominent. She's beautiful.
You talk to X
(To talk to X, try to ASK X ABOUT something, TELL X ABOUT something, or just say YES or NO.)
You ask the X about herself
"How are you doing?" you ask hesitantly.

She takes several seconds to answer. "I'm hurting," she says. "I hate seeing you this way. But I didn't... I didn't want to continue the way we were."
You ask the X about us
"So... what are we now?" you ask, with pain in your voice.

X smiles softly. "You're still important to me. I'd like to be friendly. To keep in touch."
Yes
That was a rhetorical question.
You ask the X about the friends
You can't summon up the effort to ask about that.

X lifts her hand to her face and smooths her right eyebrow. It's a cute habit of hers. "Baby..." she begins, then sighs. "It won't hurt forever. There are lots of women out there who'll fall into your arms." But none of them will be her.
You ask her about the flight
(X about that)
"Do you think you'll ever come to visit me?" you ask.

She thinks for a long moment. "Maybe," she says. "If I have the time and the money."
You ask the X about the future
You heard her already. You'll "keep in touch." It's not enough.
You kiss her
(X)
You lean toward X for a last kiss. She leans toward you, but turns her head slightly so that you kiss the corner of her mouth. She looks into your eyes sadly, then looks down.

X nervously picks under her thumbnail with a nail of the opposite hand. "You really should eat something," she says in a worried tone. "It's been almost a day since you've had any food."
You examine the plane
Yours is a large, gleaming thing in white and gray. It can take you to another state more quickly than anything else. Almost.
You eat
What do you want to eat?
You ask her about the food
(X about that)
"Do you want to get food for yourself?" you ask. "I don't mind. I'm not hungry."

X shakes her head. "I'll get something when you're gone," she says.
You ask her about someone else
(X about that)
You can't summon up the effort to ask about that.
You ask her about the money
(X about that)
"How's the job going?" you ask.

She sighs, and stretches. "It's a diner," she explains. "It's always busy and exhausting."
You read the pass
This printed slip of paper marks you as a ticket-holder, qualified to travel on this flight.
You ask her about the headaches
(X about that)
You can't summon up the effort to ask about that.

The gate agent speaks over the intercom. "Attention, all passengers of Flight 160 to Indianapolis," she says in a bored tone. "We will now begin boarding for all seats. Please have your boarding pass ready."
A line of passengers forms in front of the gate.

X looks at you with concern. "Are you all right?" she asks. "Say something."
You hug her
You lean over and hug X tightly. She awkwardly rubs your back with a hand until you release her.
No
That was a rhetorical question.
You say we'LL always have the paris
(to X)
(To talk to X, try to ASK X ABOUT something, TELL X ABOUT something, or just say YES or NO.)

X clears her throat awkwardly and scratches her nose.
Board plane
You get into line at the gate. X moves to stand beside you, on the outside of the rope barrier.

Your turn to board the plane arrives. You hand your boarding pass to the gate agent, and step into the loading bridge. With one last glance over your shoulder, you see X watching you with a sad expression on her face. You turn and head for the plane.

You've never been an especially tidy person, and being self-employed has done nothing to improve your habits. Still, you keep your place clean, for the most part. It's just cluttered. The clutter is worse than usual at the moment, thanks to a portion of the contents of the strongbox scattered over the surface of your table.

The strongbox itself sits open under the table.

On the wooden table are a pile of letters, a memo book labeled "The End of the World", a composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden", a sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi", a stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again", an envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter", a wrinkled sheet of paper, and a wooden toy.
You take the envelope
This is a standard envelope stuffed with fifteen sheets of triple-folded lined paper. The pages are loose, and are covered in neat writing in blue pen. In a few places, the ink has bled where drops of moisture fell on the pages. The envelope is unaddressed and unstamped, and the words "UNDELIVERED LOVE LETTER" are writted across the front. Where the return address would be is the date "1975."

(Do you want to enter this story?)
Yes
"The weird thing is that
even though I thought it
would never stop hurting
at the time, now I just look
back and miss that pain."



This was supposed to be a nice visit, a respite from the loneliness of a long-distance relationship. Yesterday evening, she broke the news to you. You didn't eat at all today. Right now, she's in the bathroom, but she'll be back in time for a final goodbye. Then you'll leave on the plane, she'll stay here, and you'll never see her again.

Passengers bustle through this busy airport terminal, on their way to and from their planes. You're waiting near your gate, among twenty or thirty seats. A gate agent bustles about near the gate. Large windows overlook the tarmac, where you can see your plane sitting at the end of the loading bridge. The restrooms are across the hallway, and the security checkpoint is a decent walk away.

A big clock is mounted on the wall nearby.
You look at the clock
According to the clock, it's 5:41 pm.
You ask the agent about the food
She's really quite busy. You'd rather not bother her.

X emerges from the restroom and heads this way. She sits down beside you. "Hi. How are you doing?" she asks with a pensive look on her face. Her voice has the faintest of Russian accents.
You tell X about yourself
You tell her how sad you're feeling, and she sighs sadly. "Poor sweetheart," she says. "I'm sorry that things had to turn out this way."
You tell X about plane
"The flight will be leaving soon," you say. "We might not see each other again."

X adjusts her scarf. "I hope we do, someday," she replies.
You kill X
Several times since last evening you've wanted to hit her, but it was out of impotent frustration, not any real rage. You love her too much to hurt her.
You open the bag
You open the carry-on bag.

X nervously picks under her thumbnail with a nail of the opposite hand. "You really should eat something," she says in a worried tone. "It's been almost a day since you've had any food."
You look in bag
There's assorted essentials and reading materials inside.
Close bag
You close the carry-on bag.
You eat the pass
That's plainly inedible.

X clears her throat awkwardly and scratches her nose.
You ask X about the women
You can't summon up the effort to ask about that.

X looks at you with concern. "Are you all right?" she asks. "Say something."
You tell X about the sadness
You've already made your feelings clear.
You ask X about job
"How's the job going?" you ask.

She sighs, and stretches. "It's a diner," she explains. "It's always busy and exhausting."
You ask her about us
(X about that)
"So... what are we now?" you ask, with pain in your voice.

X smiles softly. "You're still important to me. I'd like to be friendly. To keep in touch."
You ask her about boyfriend
(X about that)
You can't summon up the effort to ask about that.
You ask her about her
(X about that)
You can't summon up the effort to ask about that.

The gate agent speaks over the intercom. "Attention, all passengers of Flight 160 to Indianapolis," she says in a bored tone. "We will now begin boarding for all seats. Please have your boarding pass ready."
A line of passengers forms in front of the gate.

X lifts her hand to her face and smooths her right eyebrow. It's a cute habit of hers. "Baby..." she begins, then sighs. "It won't hurt forever. There are lots of women out there who'll fall into your arms." But none of them will be her.
You enter the restroom
You don't have to go right now.

X looks at you searchingly. She opens her mouth as if to say something, then closes it again.
You ask X about the family
You can't summon up the effort to ask about that.

The last of the passengers filters through the gate, and the gate agent looks around to see if there are any potential passengers left.
You open the bag
You open the carry-on bag.
You look in the bag
There's assorted essentials and reading materials inside.

The gate agent calls out to you. "Sir?" she asks. "All the other passengers are inside. If this is your flight, please board now." As much as you'd like to stay behind, you know that's not possible. You hand your boarding pass to the gate agent, and step into the loading bridge. With one last glance over your shoulder, you see X watching you with a sad expression on her face. You turn and head for the plane.

You've never been an especially tidy person, and being self-employed has done nothing to improve your habits. Still, you keep your place clean, for the most part. It's just cluttered. The clutter is worse than usual at the moment, thanks to a portion of the contents of the strongbox scattered over the surface of your table.

The strongbox itself sits open under the table.

On the wooden table are a pile of letters, a memo book labeled "The End of the World", a composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden", a sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi", a stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again", an envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter", a wrinkled sheet of paper, and a wooden toy.
Attack pass
Violence isn't the answer to this one.

The last of the passengers filters through the gate, and the gate agent looks around to see if there are any potential passengers left.
You give the pass to X
She can't come with you. There's only one ticket.

X looks at you searchingly. She opens her mouth as if to say something, then closes it again.
You drop the pass
No, you'll need that to board the plane.

The gate agent calls out to you. "Sir?" she asks. "All the other passengers are inside. If this is your flight, please board now." As much as you'd like to stay behind, you know that's not possible. You hand your boarding pass to the gate agent, and step into the loading bridge. With one last glance over your shoulder, you see X watching you with a sad expression on her face. You turn and head for the plane.
Attack X
You've never been an especially tidy person, and being self-employed has done nothing to improve your habits. Still, you keep your place clean, for the most part. It's just cluttered. The clutter is worse than usual at the moment, thanks to a portion of the contents of the strongbox scattered over the surface of your table.

The strongbox itself sits open under the table.

On the wooden table are a pile of letters, a memo book labeled "The End of the World", a composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden", a sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi", a stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again", an envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter", a wrinkled sheet of paper, and a wooden toy.
You look at the toy
This is a toy made out of a wooden block with three wooden posts sticking out of the top. Painted wooden disks of various sizes and colors fit onto the posts. At the moment, the left post has a tiny purple disk, a small blue disk, a medium-small green disk, a medium-large yellow disk, a large orange disk, and a huge red disk (from top to bottom) on it, the middle post has nothing on it, and the right post has nothing on it.
Wrinkled
This is a wrinkled sheet of paper that was at the back of the strongbox. It appears to be the last page of one of Ms. Bryant's story-worlds, but you've yet to find the rest of it. It's possible that you never will. The sheet reads:

"will never clarify its cryptic prophecies.

"Instead of dismantling the fast food intercom, say 'It would be a waste of time to take that apart. You'd only be half done before the police arrived.'

"You can return each day, and the speaker will tell a new prophecy. After asking the restaurant employees about the prophecies, have them say that they have no idea what you're talking about. They only remember taking your order and giving you a price.

"The restaurant goes out of business in five days from now. When the restaurant goes out of business, replace the intercom with a broken stump. The broken stump has description 'All that remains where the intercom and menu board once stood is a twisted stump of metal with a few wires poking out. There's no indication of the source of the strange mist that seemed to surround the menu board.'

"The End."
You examine Garden
This is a thin notebook with a marbled black-and-white pattern on the cover. Only the first handful of pages are full of writing. The work is done in black pen, with numerous mistakes scribbled out and many doodles in the margins. The rest of the book is blank. On the label on the front of the book is the title "MORNING IN THE GARDEN," written in heavily-scribbled black ball-point. On the upper right corner of the first page is the date "1974."

(To enter this story, pick up the composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden".)
You take the MORNING in the GARDEN
This is a thin notebook with a marbled black-and-white pattern on the cover. Only the first handful of pages are full of writing. The work is done in black pen, with numerous mistakes scribbled out and many doodles in the margins. The rest of the book is blank. On the label on the front of the book is the title "MORNING IN THE GARDEN," written in heavily-scribbled black ball-point. On the upper right corner of the first page is the date "1974."

(Do you want to enter this story?)
Yes
"When it comes to any temptation,
the guilt afterward is never as bad
as the longing beforehand."



God. He does this every day. One would think that sooner or later he'd take no for an answer. But that's not the kind of guy he is, you suppose.

You're beside the biggest tree. Its branches stretch miles overhead, and its roots are like the trunks of saplings. The ground here is soft and green with grass and moss. At the edges of this clearing, plants grow thick. They're all blossoming and fruiting at once, filling the air with perfume. A wide path leads out of the clearing and back to the rest of the garden.

Hanging low from a branch of the tree is a large fruit.

The Serpent walks into the clearing.
About yourself
You're Woman, and you look a lot like your boyfriend Man except with some bits made bigger or turned inside-out.

The leaves of the tree above rustle in a stray breeze.
You examine the tree
This is the biggest tree in the garden, and you've been told in no uncertain terms not to ever, under any circumstance, eat the fruit from it, or you'll die. It's not really that much of a temptation, really. When you have a choice between any kind of fruit or vegetable you could imagine, having one be forbidden isn't at all draconian. Besides, the only edible thing growing on it is a single melon the size of your head.

"Hello, Woman," the Serpent says, stretching his legs and scratching his neck with one claw. "Are you having a nice morning?"
Yes
"Ah, wonderful," the Serpent replies. "I've just returned from bathing in the Pishon. The gold dust in the water always sticks to my scales. Does it look good on me?"
You examine Serpent
He's a strange creature. Your boyfriend says he's called a "serpent," but that always sounded more like someone who calculates income tax, or will do so once it's invented. He's got green scales tinged with gold and muscular legs that end in sharp claws. He's really the craftiest of all animals. At least, he was crafty the first twenty times you spoke to him. Now you've pretty well caught on.
Yes
"Oh, you're too kind," the Serpent says with what seems to be a genuine smile. "It's so nice, these times we share together. I really do consider you a friend, you know, Woman. Do you feel the same?"
You climb the tree
You could climb for years and never get to the top.
You touch Serpent
Keep your hands to yourself!

The Serpent lets out an awkward laugh. "Oh, sorry, you don't have to answer that," he says hurriedly. "Anyway, I can tell you've been feeling bored lately. Isn't that right?"

You smell a bit of smoke from the morning campfire.
No
"Oh, right," the Serpent chuckles. "Looking forward to your nightly game of Leaves-and-Sticks with Man, are you?" He rolls his eyes and smiles. "I don't suppose you're feeling hungry. Are you?"
No
Of course you're not. You just had grapefruit, fried potatoes, and honeyed oats for breakfast. But when you say no, he just chuckles skeptically. "Come on, Woman. We both know you'll have to try the fruit sooner or later. You have a curious nature, isn't that right?"
No
"No?" the Serpent asks with mock bafflement. "This from the woman who once tried to open a snail's shell to see what was inside. And we both know how that went." Poorly, as you remember all too well. "Here's the way I see it. The Gardener, he's pretty powerful, right? More powerful than you or I or even Man?"

A butterfly flits out into the clearing, then quickly retreats back into the foliage.
Yes
"Right," the Serpent begins. "He's the most powerful, so he's the one in charge. Not out of some moral superiority, but out of his natural abilities. He chose to make us inferior. Does that seem right to you?"

The wind picks up for a moment, and you smell the soft smell of the grass on the breeze.
You eat Serpent
(first taking the Serpent)
I don't suppose the Serpent would care for that.

"Afraid to answer, lest a lightning bolt fall from the sky?" the Serpent asks venomously. "The only way the Gardener rules over us is through threat of punishment. Do you think he'd be so high and mighty if there were others with the same power he has?"
Yes
"Nonsense," the Serpent hisses. "If you had the same powers as the Gardener, he couldn't control you." He points a claw at you. "That's why he forbids you from eating this fruit. You won't die; he only says that because he knows that eating it will open your eyes and make you like him. Powerful and wise. Isn't wisdom worth having, even if it means disobeying him?"
You wait
Time passes.
You leave
As you walk away, you hear the Serpent's voice calling after you. "Farewell, Woman! It's your loss!" You hear a quiet laugh, and then he adds, "See you tomorrow!"

And he's right: you will see him tomorrow. Your conversations with the Serpent are the most interesting parts of your life here in the garden. But right now it's time for another boring day.
You look around
You're beside the biggest tree. Its branches stretch miles overhead, and its roots are like the trunks of saplings. The ground here is soft and green with grass and moss. At the edges of this clearing, plants grow thick. They're all blossoming and fruiting at once, filling the air with perfume. A wide path leads out of the clearing and back to the rest of the garden.

Hanging low from a branch of the tree is a large fruit.

You can also see the Serpent here.

"Just think about that for a while," the Serpent says. "I won't bother you any more today. Take the fruit or leave; it's your choice."

Far off in the distance, you hear the cry of some animal or another.
You examine the fruit
This fruit is a delight to the eyes. Its skin is the color of blood, and textured like a melon, but seems soft enough that you could eat the fruit without peeling it. It has a depression running along the bottom of it that seems to divide it into two halves. It smells sweet and ripe. The whole thing is almost as big as your head, and dangles tantalizingly within reach.

The Serpent digs a bit of dirt from under a claw and tries not to look at you.
You smell the fruit
You smell the plants around you, and occasionally the smoke of your morning campfire on the breeze.
You look at the branch
The lowest branch is still far too high for you to reach.

The Serpent glances from you to the fruit and back again.
Look around
You're beside the biggest tree. Its branches stretch miles overhead, and its roots are like the trunks of saplings. The ground here is soft and green with grass and moss. At the edges of this clearing, plants grow thick. They're all blossoming and fruiting at once, filling the air with perfume. A wide path leads out of the clearing and back to the rest of the garden.

Hanging low from a branch of the tree is a large fruit.

You can also see the Serpent here.
Wear leaves
(first taking the leaves)
You don't need to make anything out of the leaves right now.

A bird on a branch above you suddenly calls out in a cheery snippet of song.
Sing
Your singing is passable.

A butterfly flits out into the clearing, then quickly retreats back into the foliage.
About you
You're Woman, and you look a lot like your boyfriend Man except with some bits made bigger or turned inside-out.

The Serpent scratches his nose and sighs softly.
Kiss Serpent
Keep your mind on the game.
You take the fruit
You reach up and take the fruit. The Serpent smiles at you encouragingly, and you take a bite.

It's more delicious than anything else in the garden.

You've never been an especially tidy person, and being self-employed has done nothing to improve your habits. Still, you keep your place clean, for the most part. It's just cluttered. The clutter is worse than usual at the moment, thanks to a portion of the contents of the strongbox scattered over the surface of your table.

The strongbox itself sits open under the table.

On the wooden table are a pile of letters, a memo book labeled "The End of the World", a composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden", a sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi", a stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again", an envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter", a wrinkled sheet of paper, and a wooden toy.
You examine the End of
This is a wire-bound memo book, about 3 by 5 inches. There are twelve sheets of ruled paper left in the book, all full. It's written in pencil, with no erasures, and there are what look like grease stains on the corners of some pages. The earlier pages in the notebook have all been torn out, with only scraps remaining caught in the wire spiral binding. Written on the cardboard cover in black marker is the phrase "THE END OF THE WORLD." In the bottom corner is the date "1982."

(To enter this story, pick up the memo book labeled "The End of the World".)
You look at MORNING
This is a thin notebook with a marbled black-and-white pattern on the cover. Only the first handful of pages are full of writing. The work is done in black pen, with numerous mistakes scribbled out and many doodles in the margins. The rest of the book is blank. On the label on the front of the book is the title "MORNING IN THE GARDEN," written in heavily-scribbled black ball-point. On the upper right corner of the first page is the date "1974."

(To enter this story, pick up the composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden".)
You examine Letter
This is a standard envelope stuffed with fifteen sheets of triple-folded lined paper. The pages are loose, and are covered in neat writing in blue pen. In a few places, the ink has bled where drops of moisture fell on the pages. The envelope is unaddressed and unstamped, and the words "UNDELIVERED LOVE LETTER" are writted across the front. Where the return address would be is the date "1975."

(To enter this story, pick up the envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter".)
Examine box
This strongbox is made of metal, and is a foot across in each dimension. It is covered in rust and dented in a few places. A tattered label on the lid reads "Laura Bryant Collection." You pried the box open with a crowbar you borrowed from a friend after failed attempts at picking the lock. The metal around the latch is twisted out of shape.
You take the label
Taken.
You examine it
This strongbox is made of metal, and is a foot across in each dimension. It is covered in rust and dented in a few places. A tattered label on the lid reads "Laura Bryant Collection." You pried the box open with a crowbar you borrowed from a friend after failed attempts at picking the lock. The metal around the latch is twisted out of shape.

This strongbox is made of metal, and is a foot across in each dimension. It is covered in rust and dented in a few places. A tattered label on the lid reads "Laura Bryant Collection." You pried the box open with a crowbar you borrowed from a friend after failed attempts at picking the lock. The metal around the latch is twisted out of shape.
You examine wrinkled
This is a wrinkled sheet of paper that was at the back of the strongbox. It appears to be the last page of one of Ms. Bryant's story-worlds, but you've yet to find the rest of it. It's possible that you never will. The sheet reads:

"will never clarify its cryptic prophecies.

"Instead of dismantling the fast food intercom, say 'It would be a waste of time to take that apart. You'd only be half done before the police arrived.'

"You can return each day, and the speaker will tell a new prophecy. After asking the restaurant employees about the prophecies, have them say that they have no idea what you're talking about. They only remember taking your order and giving you a price.

"The restaurant goes out of business in five days from now. When the restaurant goes out of business, replace the intercom with a broken stump. The broken stump has description 'All that remains where the intercom and menu board once stood is a twisted stump of metal with a few wires poking out. There's no indication of the source of the strange mist that seemed to surround the menu board.'

"The End."
Inventory
You are carrying:
an old dented strongbox (open but empty)
You examine going home
This is a packet of five pages of white paper with typewritten text. The back of each sheet shows traces of carbon paper. The pages are stapled together in the upper left corner, and there are signs that the sheets have been separated and re-stapled at least once. The first line on the first page reads "GOING HOME AGAIN." On the next line is the date "1969."

(To enter this story, pick up the stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again".)
You look at Tower
This is a 50-page, spiral-bound sketchbook with cardboard covers. The front cover is green, and is decorated with a drawing in black marker of the wooden toy that you found in the box. Across the top is the title "THE TOWER OF HANOI," written in the same black marker. On the back cover is the date "1978." The first ten pages are filled with simple pencil drawings and notes describing the world of this story. The rest of the book is filled with hauntingly realistic charcoal drawings of scenes from that world.

(To enter this story, pick up the sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi".)
You look at your surroundings
You've never been an especially tidy person, and being self-employed has done nothing to improve your habits. Still, you keep your place clean, for the most part. It's just cluttered. The clutter is worse than usual at the moment, thanks to a portion of the contents of the strongbox scattered over the surface of your table.

On the wooden table are a pile of letters, a memo book labeled "The End of the World", a composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden", a sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi", a stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again", an envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter", a wrinkled sheet of paper, and a wooden toy.
You look at the clutter
Stuff you need to put in its proper place, mostly. You put it off for long enough, and it starts to pile up.
You examine wooden
(the wooden table)
On the wooden table are a pile of letters, a memo book labeled "The End of the World", a composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden", a sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi", a stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again", an envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter", a wrinkled sheet of paper, and a wooden toy.
You examine the wooden toy
This is a toy made out of a wooden block with three wooden posts sticking out of the top. Painted wooden disks of various sizes and colors fit onto the posts. At the moment, the left post has a tiny purple disk, a small blue disk, a medium-small green disk, a medium-large yellow disk, a large orange disk, and a huge red disk (from top to bottom) on it, the middle post has nothing on it, and the right post has nothing on it.
You take HANOI
This is a 50-page, spiral-bound sketchbook with cardboard covers. The front cover is green, and is decorated with a drawing in black marker of the wooden toy that you found in the box. Across the top is the title "THE TOWER OF HANOI," written in the same black marker. On the back cover is the date "1978." The first ten pages are filled with simple pencil drawings and notes describing the world of this story. The rest of the book is filled with hauntingly realistic charcoal drawings of scenes from that world.

(Do you want to enter this story?)
Yes
"It seems to me that
however hard people try to
protect something, there's
always someone willing to
try harder to take it away."



You finally got here. It was an arduous journey, but you're finally at the top of the fabled Tower of Hanoi. Before you is the priceless Amber Star, the most sought-after jewel in the world. There's just one problem. How are you supposed to get to it?

This is a tiny, round room. Its walls are painted a rich purple. In the center of the room is a round stone column. There is a hexagonal window on the right wall. A big cage is built into the wall, enclosing the window and occupying almost half of the room. In the floor of the cage is a square hole, through which you can see an impassable blue stone surface. Stairs outside the cage lead down through the floor, where you can see a room with blue walls.

In the cage is a glass case containing an enormous jewel.
You examine the cage
This is a cage made from interlaced steel wire. It's very sturdy-looking, and has no entrances or exits beyond the square hole in the floor inside it. It's attached to the right wall, the floor, and the ceiling in such a way that the wire forms three walls of the enclosure and the outer wall of the room forms the fourth. It takes up almost half of the room. In the cage is a glass case containing an enormous jewel.
You look at the hole
This is a square hole through which you can see an impassable blue stone surface.
Look around
This is a tiny, round room. Its walls are painted a rich purple. In the center of the room is a round stone column. There is a hexagonal window on the right wall. A big cage is built into the wall, enclosing the window and occupying almost half of the room. In the floor of the cage is a square hole, through which you can see an impassable blue stone surface. Stairs outside the cage lead down through the floor, where you can see a room with blue walls.

In the cage is a glass case containing an enormous jewel.
You examine the jewel
This is the most precious jewel in the world: the Amber Star. It's the size of your head, and a brilliant shining yellow. It's held firmly in place by a silver stand.
About you
It doesn't really matter what you look like. Let's just say you're you.
You examine the stand
The case is made of glass, supported by an elaborate golden pedestal. Within is a silver stand holding the Amber Star. The stand holds the gem tightly in place. On the side of the pedestal is a small lens facing the window with an engraving of a keyhole above it.
You look at the lens
This is a glass lens an inch or so across, facing toward the window as if to catch light shining into this room. Above it is an engraving of a keyhole.
You examine the window
This is a hexagonal window, not quite big enough to climb through. Through the window, you can see two thin metal spires and the empty wasteland around this complex.
You examine the spires
Out the window you can see a thin metal spire, perfectly straight.
Go downwards
You descend via the set of stairs.

This is a small, round room. Its walls are painted a deep blue. In the center of the room is an exposed metal pole, which goes into a small hole in the ceiling above. It passes through a large hole in the floor, which is big enough to go through. Through the hole, you can see a room with green walls. A hexagonal window is on the left wall, and there is an archway leading out. Stairs head up through the ceiling, where you can see a room with purple walls.

A silver mirror is mounted in front of the window, directly above a lens set into the floor.
You look at the archway
This is a graceful archway that comes to a point at the top. Through it, you can see a roof painted green and a sheer drop.
Go outside
Outside the archway is the roof of the disk below, slick with grease and moisture. Beyond that is a sheer drop. It doesn't seem safe.
You turn mirror
That sounds impractical.
You look at the lens
In front of the window is an angled mirror on a silver stand, set so that it will reflect light from the window toward a small lens set into the floor of the room.
You jump
You jump on the spot, fruitlessly.
Look around
This is a small, round room. Its walls are painted a deep blue. In the center of the room is an exposed metal pole, which goes into a small hole in the ceiling above. It passes through a large hole in the floor, which is big enough to go through. Through the hole, you can see a room with green walls. A hexagonal window is on the left wall, and there is an archway leading out. Stairs head up through the ceiling, where you can see a room with purple walls.

A silver mirror is mounted in front of the window, directly above a lens set into the floor.
You return
Do you want to leave this story and return to the living room?
Yes
You've never been an especially tidy person, and being self-employed has done nothing to improve your habits. Still, you keep your place clean, for the most part. It's just cluttered. The clutter is worse than usual at the moment, thanks to a portion of the contents of the strongbox scattered over the surface of your table.

On the wooden table are an old dented strongbox (empty), a pile of letters, a memo book labeled "The End of the World", a composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden", a sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi", a stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again", an envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter", and a wrinkled sheet of paper.
You look at the clutter
Stuff you need to put in its proper place, mostly. You put it off for long enough, and it starts to pile up.
You look at Tower
This is a 50-page, spiral-bound sketchbook with cardboard covers. The front cover is green, and is decorated with a drawing in black marker of the wooden toy that you found in the box. Across the top is the title "THE TOWER OF HANOI," written in the same black marker. On the back cover is the date "1978." The first ten pages are filled with simple pencil drawings and notes describing the world of this story. The rest of the book is filled with hauntingly realistic charcoal drawings of scenes from that world.

(To enter this story, pick up the sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi".)
Go down
You grab the metal pole and slide down into the next room. It's slick enough that you're sure you won't be going back up by this route.

This is a medium-small, round room. Its walls are painted a cool green. In the center of the room is an exposed metal pole, which goes into a small hole in the floor. It passes through a large hole in the ceiling, which is big enough to go through. Through the hole, you can see a room with blue walls. There is a square hole in the floor, through which you can see an impassable yellow stone surface. There is also a set of stairs leading down to a room with yellow walls and a hexagonal window on the right wall.

Through a large doorway in the left wall of the room you can see an enclosed bridge. It seems to end in midair, with a thin metal spire several feet from the end of the bridge.

A pair of small lenses is set into the ceiling and floor of the room, directly above each other.
You look at the bridge
An arched bridge extends out into space from a doorway in the left wall of this room. It's enclosed, with only occasional small windows along its walls. The inner walls are gray stone, and the bridge is just wide enough for you to walk through in comfort. It seems to end in midair, with a thin metal spire several feet from the end of the bridge.
You look at the hole
Which do you mean, the round hole, or the square hole?
Square
This is a square hole through which you can see an impassable yellow stone surface.
Go downwards
You descend via the set of stairs.

This is a medium-large, round room. Its walls are painted a pale yellow. In the center of the room is a round stone column. A set of stairs leads up to a room with green walls. Through a square hole in the floor, you can see a room with orange walls. There is a hexagonal window on the left wall and an archway leading out.

A narrow, steel, cylindrical device sits in the middle of the room, aimed at the window on the left wall. A pipe leads from the device to the floor.

A golden mirror is mounted beside the cylindrical device, directly below a lens set into the ceiling.
You examine the device
This is a long, thin metal tube with pipes and gauges sticking out of it and a sealed hopper on top filled with small metal balls. The largest pipe leads down through the floor. The pipes are silent, and a large gauge on the side indicates that the device is "UNPRESSURIZED." There is a big lever on the back of the device.
You examine the lever
A big lever sticks out of the back of the device.
Examine column
This is a thick column made of smooth stone. It's in the exact center of the room.
You examine the balls
This is a sealed hopper mounted on top of the cylindrical device. Through a window in its side, you can see countless little metal balls.
You look around
This is a medium-large, round room. Its walls are painted a pale yellow. In the center of the room is a round stone column. A set of stairs leads up to a room with green walls. Through a square hole in the floor, you can see a room with orange walls. There is a hexagonal window on the left wall and an archway leading out.

A narrow, steel, cylindrical device sits in the middle of the room, aimed at the window on the left wall. A pipe leads from the device to the floor.

A golden mirror is mounted beside the cylindrical device, directly below a lens set into the ceiling.
Go down
You descend via the square hole.

This is a big, round room. Its walls are painted a warm orange. In the center of the room is a round stone column. A ladder leads up to a room with yellow walls. A staircase leads down to a room with red walls. An archway leads out, and there is a hexagonal window on the left wall.
You look at the archway
This is a graceful archway that comes to a point at the top. Through it, you can see a roof painted red and a sheer drop.
You enter the archway
Outside the archway is the roof of the disk below, slick with grease and moisture. Beyond that is a sheer drop. It doesn't seem safe.
You look at the ladder
This is an a ladder leading to a square hole through which you can see a room with yellow walls.
You take it
That's hardly portable.
You examine window
This is a hexagonal window, not quite big enough to climb through. Through the window, you can see the empty wasteland around this complex.
You go downward
You descend via the set of stairs.

This is a huge, round room. Its walls are painted bright red. In the center of the room is a round stone column. A set of stairs leads up to a room with orange walls. A hexagonal window is in the right wall, and an archway leads out.

A clanking machine sits in a corner of the room, with a hissing pipe leading to the ceiling.

A strange lamp is mounted in front of the window.

A bright, focused beam of light shines from the lamp and out the window on the right wall.
You examine the lamp
A bright gas lamp is mounted in an array of curved mirrors and lenses. The dazzling white light from the lamp is focused into a tight beam that shines out the window in the right wall.
You examine the window
This is a hexagonal window, not quite big enough to climb through. Through the window, you can see two thin metal spires and the empty wasteland around this complex.
You examine the machine
This is a strange clanking machine, a couple yards across. It's quite warm, and has a large gear on the side that rotates agonizingly slowly. A big iron pipe leads from the top of the machine to the ceiling.
Steam flows angrily from a release valve on the back of the machine, indicating that it's not being delivered to its intended destination.
You examine the archway
This is a graceful archway that comes to a point at the top. Through it, you can see a dusty plain.
Go outside
You exit via the archway.

You stand in the middle of a vast plain sprinkled with small shrubs.
In front of you are three thin metal spires with enormous stone disks threaded on to them. An elaborate crane system looms above the spires, its valves and gaskets oozing steam.

On the left spire is a tower composed of a purple room, a blue room, a green room, a yellow room, a orange room, and a red room (from top to bottom). You can enter the red room through an archway.

Behind you is a small tin shed.
You examine the crane
This is an enormous crane apparatus that sits above the three spires. It is on tracks that let it slide from tower to tower, and has a massive hook hanging from the end of a cable. It's connected with pipes to the tin shed. Steam occasionally hisses from valves on the machinery.
You examine shed
This is a small shed with tin walls. It is connected to the crane apparatus with hundreds of thin steel pipes.
You enter the shed
This small tin shed is hot and humid. A large machine takes up most of the floor space, with just enough room for you to stand. Two signs are mounted on the wall; one is labeled "THE RULES" and the other is labeled "OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS."

Mounted in the center of the machine's console is what appears to be a small wooden toy. Beside it is a large lever.
You look at the rules
This wooden sign is bolted to the wall of the shed. It reads, "THE RULES: No disk may be on top of a smaller disk. Every disk must be on a post."
You examine the operating
This wooden sign is bolted to the wall of the shed. It is titled "OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS." Below that is a numbered list:

1. Assemble tower model to desired configuration.
2. Check rules to ensure valid configuration.
3. Pull lever.
You look at the toy
This is a toy made out of a wooden block with three wooden posts sticking out of the top. Painted wooden disks of various sizes and colors fit onto the posts. At the moment, the left post has a tiny purple disk, a small blue disk, a medium-small green disk, a medium-large yellow disk, a large orange disk, and a huge red disk (from top to bottom) on it, the middle post has nothing on it, and the right post has nothing on it.
You take all from the left post
tiny purple disk: Taken.
small blue disk: Taken.
medium-small green disk: Taken.
medium-large yellow disk: Taken.
large orange disk: Taken.
huge red disk: Taken.
You put the orange on the right
You put the large orange disk on the empty right post.
You pull the lever
A colossal rumbling shakes the earth, and a hissing of steam fills the air. You hear a series of massive thuds as something huge rearranges itself.
Examine toy
This is a toy made out of a wooden block with three wooden posts sticking out of the top. Painted wooden disks of various sizes and colors fit onto the posts. At the moment, the left post has a tiny purple disk, a small blue disk, and a medium-small green disk (from top to bottom) on it, the middle post has a medium-large yellow disk and a huge red disk (from top to bottom) on it, and the right post has a large orange disk on it.
Go outside
You stand in the middle of a vast plain sprinkled with small shrubs.
In front of you are three thin metal spires with enormous stone disks threaded on to them. An elaborate crane system looms above the spires, its valves and gaskets oozing steam.

On the left spire is a tower composed of a purple room, a blue room, and a green room (from top to bottom). You can enter the green room through the exposed end of the bridge.

On the middle spire is a tower composed of a yellow room and a red room (from top to bottom). You can enter the red room through an archway.

On the right spire is a tower composed of a orange room (from top to bottom). You can enter the orange room through an archway.

Behind you is a small tin shed.
You take all from left
tiny purple disk: Taken.
small blue disk: Taken.
medium-small green disk: Taken.
You take all from right
Taken.
You put the orange on the left
You put the large orange disk on the empty left post.
You put the green on the left
You put the medium-small green disk on top of the large orange disk on the left post.
You put the blue on right
You put the small blue disk on the empty right post.
You put the purple on the right
You put the tiny purple disk on top of the small blue disk on the right post.
Leave
You stand in the middle of a vast plain sprinkled with small shrubs.
In front of you are three thin metal spires with enormous stone disks threaded on to them. An elaborate crane system looms above the spires, its valves and gaskets oozing steam.

On the left spire is a tower composed of a green room and a orange room (from top to bottom). You can enter the orange room through an archway.

On the middle spire is a tower composed of a yellow room and a red room (from top to bottom). You can enter the red room through an archway.

On the right spire is a tower composed of a purple room and a blue room (from top to bottom). You can enter the blue room through an archway.

Behind you is a small tin shed.
You enter the orange
This is a big, round room. Its walls are painted a warm orange. In the center of the room is a round stone column. A ladder leads up to a room with green walls. A staircase leads down to solid, packed dirt. An archway leads out, and there is a hexagonal window on the left wall.
You leave
You exit via the archway.

You stand in the middle of a vast plain sprinkled with small shrubs.
In front of you are three thin metal spires with enormous stone disks threaded on to them. An elaborate crane system looms above the spires, its valves and gaskets oozing steam.

On the left spire is a tower composed of a green room and a orange room (from top to bottom). You can enter the orange room through an archway.

On the middle spire is a tower composed of a yellow room and a red room (from top to bottom). You can enter the red room through an archway.

On the right spire is a tower composed of a purple room and a blue room (from top to bottom). You can enter the blue room through an archway.

Behind you is a small tin shed.
You enter the red
This is a huge, round room. Its walls are painted bright red. In the center of the room is a round stone column. A set of stairs leads up to an impassable yellow stone surface. A hexagonal window is in the right wall, and an archway leads out.

A clanking machine sits in a corner of the room, with a hissing pipe leading to the ceiling.

A strange lamp is mounted in front of the window.

A bright, focused beam of light shines from the lamp and out the window on the right wall.
You go upwards
You can't go that way. The set of stairs is blocked by a hard yellow stone surface.
You go upwards
You ascend via the a ladder leading to a square hole.

This is a medium-small, round room. Its walls are painted a cool green. In the center of the room is an exposed metal pole, which goes into a small hole in the floor. It passes through a large hole in the ceiling, which is big enough to go through. Through the hole, you can see blue sky. There is a square hole in the floor, through which you can see a room with orange walls. There is also a set of stairs leading down to an impassable orange stone surface and a hexagonal window on the right wall.

Through a large doorway in the left wall of the room you can see an enclosed bridge. It seems to end in midair, with a thin metal spire several feet from the end of the bridge.

A pair of small lenses is set into the ceiling and floor of the room, directly above each other.
You go outside
You walk up to the edge of the bridge, but it ends in midair. There doesn't seem to be any place you can reach from here, so you return to the green room.

This is a medium-small, round room. Its walls are painted a cool green. In the center of the room is an exposed metal pole, which goes into a small hole in the floor. It passes through a large hole in the ceiling, which is big enough to go through. Through the hole, you can see blue sky. There is a square hole in the floor, through which you can see a room with orange walls. There is also a set of stairs leading down to an impassable orange stone surface and a hexagonal window on the right wall.

Through a large doorway in the left wall of the room you can see an enclosed bridge. It seems to end in midair, with a thin metal spire several feet from the end of the bridge.

A pair of small lenses is set into the ceiling and floor of the room, directly above each other.
Go down
You descend via the square hole.

This is a big, round room. Its walls are painted a warm orange. In the center of the room is a round stone column. A ladder leads up to a room with green walls. A staircase leads down to solid, packed dirt. An archway leads out, and there is a hexagonal window on the left wall.
You leave
You exit via the archway.

You stand in the middle of a vast plain sprinkled with small shrubs.
In front of you are three thin metal spires with enormous stone disks threaded on to them. An elaborate crane system looms above the spires, its valves and gaskets oozing steam.

On the left spire is a tower composed of a green room and a orange room (from top to bottom). You can enter the orange room through an archway.

On the middle spire is a tower composed of a yellow room and a red room (from top to bottom). You can enter the red room through an archway.

On the right spire is a tower composed of a purple room and a blue room (from top to bottom). You can enter the blue room through an archway.

Behind you is a small tin shed.
You enter the shed
This small tin shed is hot and humid. A large machine takes up most of the floor space, with just enough room for you to stand. Two signs are mounted on the wall; one is labeled "THE RULES" and the other is labeled "OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS."

Mounted in the center of the machine's console is what appears to be a small wooden toy. Beside it is a large lever.
You take all from left
medium-small green disk: Taken.
large orange disk: Taken.
You take all from right
tiny purple disk: Taken.
small blue disk: Taken.
You put the orange and the green on right
large orange disk: You put the large orange disk on the empty right post.
medium-small green disk: You put the medium-small green disk on top of the large orange disk on the right post.
You put blue and the purple on the left
small blue disk: You put the small blue disk on the empty left post. tiny purple disk: You put the tiny purple disk on top of the small blue disk on the left post.
You pull the lever
A colossal rumbling shakes the earth, and a hissing of steam fills the air. You hear a series of massive thuds as something huge rearranges itself.
You go outside
You stand in the middle of a vast plain sprinkled with small shrubs.
In front of you are three thin metal spires with enormous stone disks threaded on to them. An elaborate crane system looms above the spires, its valves and gaskets oozing steam.

On the left spire is a tower composed of a purple room and a blue room (from top to bottom). You can enter the blue room through an archway.

On the middle spire is a tower composed of a yellow room and a red room (from top to bottom). You can enter the red room through an archway.

On the right spire is a tower composed of a green room and a orange room (from top to bottom). You can enter the orange room through an archway.

Behind you is a small tin shed.
You enter the orange
This is a big, round room. Its walls are painted a warm orange. In the center of the room is a round stone column. A ladder leads up to a room with green walls. A staircase leads down to solid, packed dirt. An archway leads out, and there is a hexagonal window on the left wall.

A beam of light enters the room through the window and makes a bright spot on the right wall.
Go up
You ascend via the a ladder leading to a square hole.

This is a medium-small, round room. Its walls are painted a cool green. In the center of the room is an exposed metal pole, which goes into a small hole in the floor. It passes through a large hole in the ceiling, which is big enough to go through. Through the hole, you can see blue sky. There is a square hole in the floor, through which you can see a room with orange walls. There is also a set of stairs leading down to an impassable orange stone surface and a hexagonal window on the right wall.

Through a large doorway in the left wall of the room you can see an enclosed bridge. At the end you can see a yellow room.

A pair of small lenses is set into the ceiling and floor of the room, directly above each other.
You go outside
You walk through the bridge to the next tower, entering through an archway.

This is a medium-large, round room. Its walls are painted a pale yellow. In the center of the room is a round stone column. A set of stairs leads up to blue sky. Through a square hole in the floor, you can see an impassable red stone surface. There is a hexagonal window on the left wall and an archway leading out.

A narrow, steel, cylindrical device sits in the middle of the room, aimed at the window on the left wall. A pipe leads from the device to the floor. Steam leaks from the joints in the pipe.

A golden mirror is mounted beside the cylindrical device, directly below a lens set into the ceiling.
You go upwards
The set of stairs leads to the roof, and it's made of stone slick with grease and condensed steam. You don't trust the footing up there.
You examine the device
This is a long, thin metal tube with pipes and gauges sticking out of it and a sealed hopper on top filled with small metal balls. The largest pipe leads down through the floor. Steam hisses in the pipes, and a large gauge on the side indicates that the device is "READY TO FIRE." There is a big lever on the back of the device.
You pull the lever
There is a loud thump and a burst of steam as a steel ball fires from the mouth of the device and out the window. You hear a tremendous crash as the shot shatters something in the purple room.
Go east
You don't have a compass. If you would like to go to a place, please type GO TO (PLACE).
Exit
You cross the bridge to the green room.

This is a medium-small, round room. Its walls are painted a cool green. In the center of the room is an exposed metal pole, which goes into a small hole in the floor. It passes through a large hole in the ceiling, which is big enough to go through. Through the hole, you can see blue sky. There is a square hole in the floor, through which you can see a room with orange walls. There is also a set of stairs leading down to an impassable orange stone surface and a hexagonal window on the right wall.

Through a large doorway in the left wall of the room you can see an enclosed bridge. At the end you can see a yellow room.

A pair of small lenses is set into the ceiling and floor of the room, directly above each other.
Go downward
You descend via the square hole.

This is a big, round room. Its walls are painted a warm orange. In the center of the room is a round stone column. A ladder leads up to a room with green walls. A staircase leads down to solid, packed dirt. An archway leads out, and there is a hexagonal window on the left wall.

A beam of light enters the room through the window and makes a bright spot on the right wall.
Go outside
You exit via the archway.

You stand in the middle of a vast plain sprinkled with small shrubs.
In front of you are three thin metal spires with enormous stone disks threaded on to them. An elaborate crane system looms above the spires, its valves and gaskets oozing steam.

On the left spire is a tower composed of a purple room and a blue room (from top to bottom). You can enter the blue room through an archway.

On the middle spire is a tower composed of a yellow room and a red room (from top to bottom). You can enter the red room through an archway.

On the right spire is a tower composed of a green room and a orange room (from top to bottom). You can enter the orange room through an archway.

Behind you is a small tin shed.
You enter the blue
This is a small, round room. Its walls are painted a deep blue. In the center of the room is an exposed metal pole, which goes into a small hole in the ceiling above. It passes through a large hole in the floor, which is big enough to go through. Through the hole, you can see solid, packed dirt. A hexagonal window is on the left wall, and there is an archway leading out. Stairs head up through the ceiling, where you can see a room with purple walls.

A silver mirror is mounted in front of the window, directly above a lens set into the floor.
Go up
You ascend via the set of stairs.

This is a tiny, round room. Its walls are painted a rich purple. In the center of the room is a round stone column. There is a hexagonal window on the right wall. A big cage is built into the wall, enclosing the window and occupying almost half of the room. In the floor of the cage is a square hole, through which you can see an impassable blue stone surface. Stairs outside the cage lead down through the floor, where you can see a room with blue walls.

In the cage is a shattered glass case containing an enormous jewel.
You examine the jewel
This is the most precious jewel in the world: the Amber Star. It's the size of your head, and a brilliant shining yellow. It's held firmly in place by a silver stand.
You examine the case
The case was originally made of glass, supported by an elaborate golden pedestal. Within is a silver stand holding the Amber Star. The stand holds the gem tightly in place. On the side of the pedestal is a small lens facing the window with an engraving of a keyhole above it.

The glass walls of the case have been shattered to pieces, allowing access to the treasure within.
Go down
You descend via the set of stairs.

This is a small, round room. Its walls are painted a deep blue. In the center of the room is an exposed metal pole, which goes into a small hole in the ceiling above. It passes through a large hole in the floor, which is big enough to go through. Through the hole, you can see solid, packed dirt. A hexagonal window is on the left wall, and there is an archway leading out. Stairs head up through the ceiling, where you can see a room with purple walls.

A silver mirror is mounted in front of the window, directly above a lens set into the floor.
You take all the disks
tiny purple disk: Taken.
small blue disk: Taken.
medium-large yellow disk: Taken.
huge red disk: Taken.
medium-small green disk: Taken.
large orange disk: Taken.
You put the red on the middle
You put the huge red disk on the empty middle post.
You put the orange on the right
You put the large orange disk on the empty right post.
PUT YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, PURPLE ON LEFT
medium-large yellow disk: You put the medium-large yellow disk on the empty left post.
medium-small green disk: You put the medium-small green disk on top of the medium-large yellow disk on the left post.
small blue disk: You put the small blue disk on top of the medium-small green disk on the left post.
tiny purple disk: You put the tiny purple disk on top of the small blue disk on the left post.
Leave
You stand in the middle of a vast plain sprinkled with small shrubs.
In front of you are three thin metal spires with enormous stone disks threaded on to them. An elaborate crane system looms above the spires, its valves and gaskets oozing steam.

On the left spire is a tower composed of a purple room, a blue room, a green room, and a yellow room (from top to bottom). You can enter the yellow room through an archway.

On the middle spire is a tower composed of a red room (from top to bottom). You can enter the red room through an archway.

On the right spire is a tower composed of a orange room (from top to bottom). You can enter the orange room through an archway.

Behind you is a small tin shed.
You enter the orange
This is a big, round room. Its walls are painted a warm orange. In the center of the room is a round stone column. A ladder leads up to blue sky. A staircase leads down to solid, packed dirt. An archway leads out, and there is a hexagonal window on the left wall.

A beam of light enters the room through the window and makes a bright spot on the right wall.
You go outside
You exit via the archway.

You stand in the middle of a vast plain sprinkled with small shrubs.
In front of you are three thin metal spires with enormous stone disks threaded on to them. An elaborate crane system looms above the spires, its valves and gaskets oozing steam.

On the left spire is a tower composed of a purple room, a blue room, a green room, and a yellow room (from top to bottom). You can enter the yellow room through an archway.

On the middle spire is a tower composed of a red room (from top to bottom). You can enter the red room through an archway.

On the right spire is a tower composed of a orange room (from top to bottom). You can enter the orange room through an archway.

Behind you is a small tin shed.
You put blue and the purple on the left
small blue disk: You put the small blue disk on top of the medium-small green disk on the left post.
tiny purple disk: You put the tiny purple disk on top of the small blue disk on the left post.
You go outside
You stand in the middle of a vast plain sprinkled with small shrubs.
In front of you are three thin metal spires with enormous stone disks threaded on to them. An elaborate crane system looms above the spires, its valves and gaskets oozing steam.

On the left spire is a tower composed of a purple room, a blue room, a green room, and a orange room (from top to bottom). You can enter the orange room through an archway.

On the middle spire is a tower composed of a red room (from top to bottom). You can enter the red room through an archway.

On the right spire is a tower composed of a yellow room (from top to bottom). You can enter the yellow room through an archway.

Behind you is a small tin shed.
You enter the yellow
This is a medium-large, round room. Its walls are painted a pale yellow. In the center of the room is a round stone column. A set of stairs leads up to blue sky. Through a square hole in the floor, you can see solid, packed dirt. There is a hexagonal window on the left wall and an archway leading out.

A narrow, steel, cylindrical device sits in the middle of the room, aimed at the window on the left wall. A pipe leads from the device to the floor.

A golden mirror is mounted beside the cylindrical device, directly below a lens set into the ceiling.

A beam of light enters through the window on the left wall, reflects off of the mirror, and shines into the lens in the ceiling.
You go upwards
The set of stairs leads to the roof, and it's made of stone slick with grease and condensed steam. You don't trust the footing up there.
You examine lens
Beside the cylindrical device is an angled mirror on a golden stand, set so that it will reflect light from the window toward a small lens set into the ceiling of the room.
Go downward
There's just packed dirt below the square hole. There's nowhere to go.
Go outside
You exit via the archway.

You stand in the middle of a vast plain sprinkled with small shrubs.
In front of you are three thin metal spires with enormous stone disks threaded on to them. An elaborate crane system looms above the spires, its valves and gaskets oozing steam.

On the left spire is a tower composed of a purple room, a blue room, a green room, and a orange room (from top to bottom). You can enter the orange room through an archway.

On the middle spire is a tower composed of a red room (from top to bottom). You can enter the red room through an archway.

On the right spire is a tower composed of a yellow room (from top to bottom). You can enter the yellow room through an archway.

Behind you is a small tin shed.
Go upwards
You ascend via the a ladder leading to a square hole.

This is a medium-small, round room. Its walls are painted a cool green. In the center of the room is an exposed metal pole, which goes into a small hole in the floor. It passes through a large hole in the ceiling, which is big enough to go through. Through the hole, you can see a room with blue walls. There is a square hole in the floor, through which you can see a room with orange walls. There is also a set of stairs leading down to an impassable orange stone surface and a hexagonal window on the right wall.

Through a large doorway in the left wall of the room you can see an enclosed bridge. It seems to end in midair, with a thin metal spire several feet from the end of the bridge.

A pair of small lenses is set into the ceiling and floor of the room, directly above each other.
Go upwards
The metal pole at the center of the room is too slick to climb up.
Go down
You descend via the square hole.

This is a big, round room. Its walls are painted a warm orange. In the center of the room is a round stone column. A ladder leads up to a room with green walls. A staircase leads down to solid, packed dirt. An archway leads out, and there is a hexagonal window on the left wall.
You take all disk
tiny purple disk: Taken.
small blue disk: Taken.
medium-small green disk: Taken.
large orange disk: Taken.
huge red disk: Taken.
medium-large yellow disk: Taken.
You put the red and the orange and the purple on the middle
huge red disk: You put the huge red disk on the empty middle post. large orange disk: You put the large orange disk on top of the huge red disk on the middle post.
tiny purple disk: You put the tiny purple disk on top of the large orange disk on the middle post.
You put the yellow and green and the blue on right
medium-large yellow disk: You put the medium-large yellow disk on the empty right post.
medium-small green disk: You put the medium-small green disk on top of the medium-large yellow disk on the right post.
small blue disk: You put the small blue disk on top of the medium-small green disk on the right post.
You pull the lever
A colossal rumbling shakes the earth, and a hissing of steam fills the air. You hear a series of massive thuds as something huge rearranges itself.
Go outside
You stand in the middle of a vast plain sprinkled with small shrubs.
In front of you are three thin metal spires with enormous stone disks threaded on to them. An elaborate crane system looms above the spires, its valves and gaskets oozing steam.

On the middle spire is a tower composed of a purple room, a orange room, and a red room (from top to bottom). You can enter the red room through an archway.

On the right spire is a tower composed of a blue room, a green room, and a yellow room (from top to bottom). You can enter the yellow room through an archway.

Behind you is a small tin shed.
You enter the red
This is a huge, round room. Its walls are painted bright red. In the center of the room is a round stone column. A set of stairs leads up to a room with orange walls. A hexagonal window is in the right wall, and an archway leads out.

A clanking machine sits in a corner of the room, with a hissing pipe leading to the ceiling.

A strange lamp is mounted in front of the window.

A bright, focused beam of light shines from the lamp and out the window on the right wall.
Go up
You ascend via the set of stairs.

This is a big, round room. Its walls are painted a warm orange. In the center of the room is a round stone column. A ladder leads up to a room with purple walls. A staircase leads down to a room with red walls. An archway leads out, and there is a hexagonal window on the left wall.
Go upwards
You ascend via the a ladder leading to a square hole.

Purple Room (in the large cage)
This is a tiny, round room. Its walls are painted a rich purple. In the center of the room is a round stone column. There is a hexagonal window on the right wall. A big cage is built into the wall, enclosing the window and occupying almost half of the room. In the floor of the cage is a square hole, through which you can see a room with orange walls. Stairs outside the cage lead down through the floor, where you can see an impassable orange stone surface.

In the cage is a shattered glass case containing an enormous jewel.

A beam of light shines in through the window and hits a lens mounted on the pedestal supporting the glass case.
You take the jewel
You take the Amber Star from its place in the case. You're now rich beyond your wildest dreams, and as the thief who bested the Tower of Hanoi, you will go down in infamy!

You've never been an especially tidy person, and being self-employed has done nothing to improve your habits. Still, you keep your place clean, for the most part. It's just cluttered. The clutter is worse than usual at the moment, thanks to a portion of the contents of the strongbox scattered over the surface of your table.

On the wooden table are a wooden toy, an old dented strongbox (empty), a pile of letters, a memo book labeled "The End of the World", a composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden", a sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi", a stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again", an envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter", and a wrinkled sheet of paper.
Examine toy
This is a toy made out of a wooden block with three wooden posts sticking out of the top. Painted wooden disks of various sizes and colors fit onto the posts. At the moment, the left post has nothing on it, the middle post has a tiny purple disk, a large orange disk, and a huge red disk (from top to bottom) on it, and the right post has a small blue disk, a medium-small green disk, and a medium-large yellow disk (from top to bottom) on it.
You take going home again
This is a packet of five pages of white paper with typewritten text. The back of each sheet shows traces of carbon paper. The pages are stapled together in the upper left corner, and there are signs that the sheets have been separated and re-stapled at least once. The first line on the first page reads "GOING HOME AGAIN." On the next line is the date "1969."

(Do you want to enter this story?)
Yes
"I had some men come to
cut down that big dead tree
in the front yard today. It was
an eyesore, but now I'm sorry
to see it gone."
You press green
Your flight arrived an hour ago, and your parents picked you up from the airport. You're just here for a little bit, to set down your suitcase in your old room before you go out to dinner. Your parents are waiting in the car. There'll be time to reminisce after you all eat. Still, this is the first time you've been back since you graduated from college.

This is the first room off of the garage, with a washer and dryer and some storage. The cabinets above the dryer are where your mom always kept old rags for dusting, and all sorts of junk is stacked on the shelves across from them. The kitchen is through a doorway, and your parents are waiting in the garage just outside this room.

A set of lines drawn on the edge of the shelves catches your eye.
You examine the lines
Drawn on the edge of the shelves is a set of lines. Each one has a date written beside it. These are your height measurements from when you were a child. Now, you're taller than all of them.
You check what you're carrying
You are carrying:
a suitcase
About you
You're almost 24; your birthday is tomorrow. You've graduated from college, and you've been away from this place for over half a decade now. You've only just stopped thinking of it as "home."
You look at the suitcase
This is your old beat-up suitcase. You got it when you first went off to college, over four years ago now. It's covered in stickers advertising far-off eateries and espousing political beliefs that you only half-believe anymore. You just need to drop it off in your old room.
You look at the cabinets
These wooden cabinets above the washer and dryer contain old rags and cleaning supplies, mostly.
You examine the washer
They replaced the washer and dryer just after you left for college. This new model is a lot more reliable than the old one.
You drop the suitcase
You'd rather not clutter up your hou... you mean, your parents' house. You can drop it off in your room.
You go to the kitchen
The kitchen's about the same as you remember it, although the refrigerator's new. The floor is white tile, and one wall is covered in cabinets. A little basket of oranges sits out on the counter. The kitchen table occupies much of the room. The doorway to the laundry room is near the refrigerator, and the family room is through an open archway.
You examine the fridge
The old refrigerator was a simple one with a freezer on top and the fridge on the bottom. You'd always assumed your parents got it as a wedding gift. They've replaced it with a top-of-the-line model with the freezer on the bottom. Instead of crayon drawings, the front is covered with years-old Dean's List certificates and newsletters from your parents' church.
You examine the oranges
The orange trees in the side yard always bore sour and thick-skinned fruit when you were growing up, but over the past few years they've started producing some nice, sweet oranges. Or so your father says.
You read newsletters
The newsletters on the refrigerator mostly have schedules for the standard events at your parents' church, or advertise an upcoming raffle or special event. There isn't anything special scheduled during your visit.
You examine table
This old scarred wooden table had a glass top to it when you were young. You don't remember what happened to it, but it always got spills trapped under it anyway. You're pretty sure everyone was glad when it finally broke or was discarded.
You go to the family room
The largest room in the house has high ceilings and wide windows. The front door leads outside, and the hallway leads back to the bedrooms. The kitchen is back through an open archway. Your dad's most recent chair sits here, as well as a couch and a desk. The television is new, you notice, and considerably bigger than the one your parents used to have.
You look at the tv
This television looks huge sitting in this room. The one you remember was quite a few inches smaller. That one, in turn, replaced an even older one with bent rabbit ear antennas and barely-capable color. This one is fancier than the TV you have at home.

The television is currently switched off.
You turn on the tv
You don't have time for television right now. Your parents are waiting.
You look at the windows
The windows look out onto the backyard. When you were in high school, your parents replaced the grass back there with gravel; it wasn't worth keeping up grass in this hot climate. Now, there are some citrus trees back there. You think there's a tangerine tree and a lemon-lime tree, but you have trouble remembering exactly.
You examine the desk
This used to be your homework desk, once upon a time. Before that, your mother used it in her small business. It's one of those pieces of office furniture that you assemble from a kit. At the moment, it's used by whichever of your parents wants to get a little work done. An old office chair sits in front of it.
You examine the couch
This couch replaced your old one back when you were in middle school. The old one was an ancient relic, made of wood with stiff cushions and buttons that had mostly fallen out. This one's much nicer.
You go to the hallway
This narrow hallway leads back to the bedrooms. You used to race up and down it when you were small. It's a miracle you didn't injure anyone trying to navigate it at the same time. There's a big linen closet here, and doors for the bathroom, the master bedroom, and your old room. The other end of the hallway leads back to the family room.

Hanging on the wall in a frame is the drawing of a cat you did in high school.
You examine the cat
Neither of your parents considered themself creative in an artistic way. They're both smart, but they're in technical fields, and the most cultural thing they did seriously was play in their college band together. Perhaps as a result, they were startlingly impressed by this drawing you did in high school art class. It's done in colored pencil, and it shows a cat sitting on the deck of a ship and watching a seagull. Your mother gave it a place of honor in the house. It's well done, you suppose, but you're still surprised (and a little flattered) that she thinks that highly of it.
You drop the suitcase
You'd rather not clutter up your parents' house. You can drop it off in your room.
You open the linen
That's already open.
You examine the linen
The doors of this closet fold back, and they've always refused to close completely. The doors are open.
You look in the closet
Nothing in there but old towels, sheets, and knitted afghans.
You examine the towels
The closet contains an assortment of linens, some of them dusty.
You wear a the sheet
(first taking the linens)
Your mother's sure to have already set out sheets and towels for you to use. She likes being a prepared hostess.
You enter the bathroom
This is the bathroom you used growing up. It's been remodeled a bit, but it still maintains the nautical theme that it has had since you were tiny. Your mother's never considered herself artistic, but she seems bashfully proud of the painted wall decoration she added in the latest round of remodeling. It's quite cute, you think.
You examine the decoration
According to the story your mom told on the drive here, she and your father recently remodeled the bathroom. In the process, they replaced the old towel rods. To mask the patch where the old rods were bolted to the wall, your mom painted a stylized wave to fit the nautical theme of the room. It's very cute.
You enter the master
This is your parents' bedroom. It looks mostly the same as you remember, except that your mother finally replaced her old metal bookcase. The bed is the one your parents got when you were young, and the decorations are all the same.
You examine the bookcase
Your mom got this bookcase to replace her old metal one, which had broken shelves and was, frankly, a bit unattractive. The new one's pretty whitewashed wood, and does a much better job of holding up stuff than the old one did. It's full of assorted books.
Examine books
Various books about urban planning, childrearing, self-improvement, and geography. These are clearly your mother's.
You examine the bed
This is a king-sized bed, the same one that you remember jumping into after having bad dreams when you were little.
You examine the decorations
There are some pictures on the walls: one that you painted as a kid, a photo of the countryside near where your parents went to college, and a picture of a barn with a quaint advertisement painted on the roof.
You look at the barn
This is a painting of a barn beside a road. Painted in white on the roof of the barn is the phrase "SEE ROCK CITY." It's unclear what the advertisement is referring to.
You examine photo
The picture is taken in winter, and it's a tall hill covered in leafless trees. The sky is purple and blue, and the rock at the top of the hill is a reddish-brown.
You examine kid
This is a picture of some generic desert hills with cactuses on them. It's pretty rough, but you suppose it looks all right in a sort of abstract expressionist way.
You go outside
This narrow hallway leads back to the bedrooms. You used to race up and down it when you were small. It's a miracle you didn't injure anyone trying to navigate it at the same time. There's a big linen closet here, and doors for the bathroom, the master bedroom, and your old room. The other end of the hallway leads back to the family room.

Hanging on the wall in a frame is the drawing of a cat you did in high school.
You enter your room
During the big house redecoration when you were in middle school, you picked out the wallpaper and paint for this room. You picked a forest theme, and insisted on keeping the lush, old, dark green carpet that was here when you moved in. A lot of your things are still here, waiting for you to move into a place with enough space to keep it all. Your old bed is in one corner. The door leads back to the hallway.
You look at the things
The closet contains boxes full of books and old childhood treasures. Sometime during this trip you'll go through them and pick out some stuff you want sent home, but not right now.
You examine wallpaper
The wallpaper on the upper half of the walls is subtly patterned after birch bark.
You examine the bed
This bed looks distressingly small compared to the one you have at your place. You remember that in high school your feet almost hung over the end of it. Oh, well; you'll have to make the best of things.
You look under it
You used to keep a box of treasures here, but you brought it with you when you left for college.
You examine the carpet
This carpet always reminded you of soft moss or the grass in a clearing. Growing up in the desert made you pine for the woods. Now you find yourself missing the rocks and the cacti.
You drop suitcase
You drop off your suitcase. You can unpack after dinner. Now, to get back to your parents and be on your way.
You open suitcase
You can unpack after dinner.
You go outside
This narrow hallway leads back to the bedrooms. You used to race up and down it when you were small. It's a miracle you didn't injure anyone trying to navigate it at the same time. There's a big linen closet here, and doors for the bathroom, the master bedroom, and your old room. The other end of the hallway leads back to the family room.

Hanging on the wall in a frame is the drawing of a cat you did in high school.
You go to the family room
The largest room in the house has high ceilings and wide windows. The front door leads outside, and the hallway leads back to the bedrooms. The kitchen is back through an open archway. Your dad's most recent chair sits here, as well as a couch and a desk. The television is new, you notice, and considerably bigger than the one your parents used to have.
You go outside
You can go out via the garage. That's where your parents are waiting.
You go the kitchen
The kitchen's about the same as you remember it, although the refrigerator's new. The floor is white tile, and one wall is covered in cabinets. A little basket of oranges sits out on the counter. The kitchen table occupies much of the room. The doorway to the laundry room is near the refrigerator, and the family room is through an open archway.
You go the laundry
This is the first room off of the garage, with a washer and dryer and some storage. The cabinets above the dryer are where your mom always kept old rags for dusting, and all sorts of junk is stacked on the shelves across from them. The kitchen is through a doorway, and your parents are waiting in the garage just outside this room.

A set of lines drawn on the edge of the shelves catches your eye.
You go garage
You head out into the garage and get in the car, ready for food and more discussion of what you've been up to lately.

You've never been an especially tidy person, and being self-employed has done nothing to improve your habits. Still, you keep your place clean, for the most part. It's just cluttered. The clutter is worse than usual at the moment, thanks to a portion of the contents of the strongbox scattered over the surface of your table.

On the wooden table are a wooden toy, an old dented strongbox (empty), a pile of letters, a memo book labeled "The End of the World", a composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden", a sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi", a stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again", an envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter", and a wrinkled sheet of paper.
You take End
This is a wire-bound memo book, about 3 by 5 inches. There are twelve sheets of ruled paper left in the book, all full. It's written in pencil, with no erasures, and there are what look like grease stains on the corners of some pages. The earlier pages in the notebook have all been torn out, with only scraps remaining caught in the wire spiral binding. Written on the cardboard cover in black marker is the phrase "THE END OF THE WORLD." In the bottom corner is the date "1982."

(Do you want to enter this story?)
Yes
"It's tough knowing that it's
coming. But I think I've made
peace with it. Children are
supposed to outlive their
parents, right?"



You've got your lunch, and you've found a good spot. Everyone knew it was coming, and everyone knew when. It's time now, and there's nothing left to do but watch the show.

There are rocks here, poking out of the side of the hill. It's steep, almost too steep to keep your balance when you're standing up. It's okay, though. You're sitting down, near the top, with pretty fields down below and your home city in the distance, really small, like a model. There's a big, flat rock right beside you, and the grass is wet, but that's okay too. There are woods at the top of the hill, above you.

Your lunch sits beside you on the hillside.
I beg your pardon?
You look at the CITY
Tiny buildings poke up from the center of the city far below. Further out, the city is a quilt of the little ticky-tacky boxes of housing developments and the gray dullness of strip malls. A few cars are out moving around, driven by people who don't believe or don't care.
You look at the sky
The tumbling clouds above are a pale gray, tinged with pink.

You hear a distant pop, like a sneaking giant stepping on a twig.
You examine the lunch
Simple brown paper, rolled tightly closed at the top.
Open lunch
You open the paper lunch bag, revealing a bag of chips, a big chocolate chip cookie, a deviled-ham sandwich, and an apple.
Examine sandwich
You always imagined your final meal being more elegant, but you got all that sort of thing finished weeks ago. You've had your fill of somber foie gras and have spent too much time eating fondue at overly-cheerful parties. Your mom used to send you off with deviled-ham sandwiches as a child. You like deviled ham.

Thunder sounds from somewhere in the tumbling clouds.
You eat the sandwich
(first taking the deviled-ham sandwich)
Toasty wheat bread, salty ham spread. It reminds you of moments of introspection in raucous school lunch rooms. All too soon, it's gone.
You examine the apple
The stores all gave away their last pineapples and oranges weeks ago, but there are always apples to go around. This one's a mottled red and yellow.

A low tone sounds, echoing over the hills.
You eat the apple
(first taking the apple)
It's not a very good apple. The skin is a little thick, and the whole thing's a bit too sour for your usual tastes. But it's delicious. You toss the core far into the woods nearby. It will never grow into a tree.
You examine cookie
The last of two dozen that you baked a few days ago. It's a little dark on the bottom, but the rest of the batch was still good.
You eat the cookie
(first taking the big chocolate chip cookie)
The chocolate chips are a bit melty after the long walk up here. The cookie itself is sweet and rich, with just a hint of smokiness from leaving the cookies in the oven too long.
You examine chips
It's a thin foil bag of potato chips, with a logo emblazoned across the front. It's unopened.

The clouds swirl and twist even more, tracing seven lines through the sky from behind you toward your town.
You examine the lines
The tumbling clouds above are a pale gray, tinged with pink. Seven twisted lines of clouds trace through the sky toward the city.
You read the chips
It's a thin foil bag of potato chips, with a logo emblazoned across the front. It's unopened.

Seven bright flaming lights burst from the clouds in the sky before you, letting seven shafts of light pass through to shine on the buildings below.
You open the chips
You open the bag of chips, revealing some potato chips.
You eat the chips
(the potato chips)
(first taking the potato chips)
The chips are so salty that they almost hurt your tongue. They're just a little bit stale, but wonderful all the same.

The lights strike the city below, and you have to shield your eyes from the bright flash that follows.
You examine the CITY
You can't do anything but shield your eyes from the blinding light.

The ground shakes beneath you.
Wear the bag
(the paper lunch bag)
(first taking the paper lunch bag)
You can't do anything but shield your eyes from the blinding light.

The blinding light fades, and you see countless tiny wisps of mist floating up from the ruined, smoldering city toward the ragged holes in the clouds.
You examine the CITY
It's not a city anymore. It's just a heap of broken, jagged concrete and steel. Fires smolder here and there, and countless tiny wisps of mist rise from the ashes toward the heavens.

The rays of light filtering through the holes in the clouds suddenly vanish.
You look at the ROCK
This is a big, flat rock, embedded in the hillside. There's a depression on the edge that's perfect for sitting on.

The clouds over the city grow dark, and the darkness spreads until the whole sky is a murky gray.
Sing
Your singing is passable.

The ground begins to tremble. The air is filled with a low howling. Above, the clouds seethe.
You go to the CITY
You won't have time to make it back to the city.

The ground shudders and the hillside cracks in great fissures. A great wind rises up and rushes past you toward the city and the hole in the clouds.
You examine the hole
The tumbling clouds above are a dark gray, tinged with flickers of red. An enormous hole in the clouds hangs above you, with only darkness visible through it.

The clouds peel away from the darkness above. All is sound, a rumbling and howling that tears at your ears. There is the sound of a trillion voices, then silence.

You've never been an especially tidy person, and being self-employed has done nothing to improve your habits. Still, you keep your place clean, for the most part. It's just cluttered. The clutter is worse than usual at the moment, thanks to a portion of the contents of the strongbox scattered over the surface of your table.

On the wooden table are a wooden toy, an old dented strongbox (empty), a pile of letters, a memo book labeled "The End of the World", a composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden", a sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi", a stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again", an envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter", and a wrinkled sheet of paper.
You take all
wooden toy: Taken.
tiny purple disk: Taken.
large orange disk: Taken.
huge red disk: Taken.
small blue disk: Taken.
medium-small green disk: Taken.
medium-large yellow disk: Taken.
old dented strongbox: Taken.
pile of letters: Taken.
memo book labeled "The End of the World": This is a wire-bound memo book, about 3 by 5 inches. There are twelve sheets of ruled paper left in the book, all full. It's written in pencil, with no erasures, and there are what look like grease stains on the corners of some pages. The earlier pages in the notebook have all been torn out, with only scraps remaining caught in the wire spiral binding. Written on the cardboard cover in black marker is the phrase "THE END OF THE WORLD." In the bottom corner is the date "1982."

(Do you want to enter this story?)
No
You set the memo book labeled "The End of the World" back on the table. composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden": This is a thin notebook with a marbled black-and-white pattern on the cover. Only the first handful of pages are full of writing. The work is done in black pen, with numerous mistakes scribbled out and many doodles in the margins. The rest of the book is blank. On the label on the front of the book is the title "MORNING IN THE GARDEN," written in heavily-scribbled black ball-point. On the upper right corner of the first page is the date "1974."

(Do you want to enter this story?)
No
You set the composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden" back on the table.
sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi": This is a 50-page, spiral-bound sketchbook with cardboard covers. The front cover is green, and is decorated with a drawing in black marker of the wooden toy that you found in the box. Across the top is the title "THE TOWER OF HANOI," written in the same black marker. On the back cover is the date "1978." The first ten pages are filled with simple pencil drawings and notes describing the world of this story. The rest of the book is filled with hauntingly realistic charcoal drawings of scenes from that world.

(Do you want to enter this story?)
No
You set the sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi" back on the table. stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again": This is a packet of five pages of white paper with typewritten text. The back of each sheet shows traces of carbon paper. The pages are stapled together in the upper left corner, and there are signs that the sheets have been separated and re-stapled at least once. The first line on the first page reads "GOING HOME AGAIN." On the next line is the date "1969."

(Do you want to enter this story?)
No
You set the stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again" back on the table.
envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter": This is a standard envelope stuffed with fifteen sheets of triple-folded lined paper. The pages are loose, and are covered in neat writing in blue pen. In a few places, the ink has bled where drops of moisture fell on the pages.
The envelope is unaddressed and unstamped, and the words "UNDELIVERED LOVE LETTER" are writted across the front. Where the return address would be is the date "1975."

(Do you want to enter this story?)
No
You set the envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter" back on the table.
wrinkled sheet of paper: Taken.
wooden table: That's hardly portable.
clutter: They're hardly portable.
You look at pile
This is a pile of carbon copies of letters apparently sent by Ms. Bryant to relatives and friends. You've taken some quotes from the letters to introduce each of Ms. Bryant's stories. She was a rather prolific letter-writer.
You look at what you're carrying with you
You are carrying:
a wrinkled sheet of paper
a pile of letters
an old dented strongbox (open but empty)
a medium-large yellow disk
a medium-small green disk
a small blue disk
a huge red disk
a large orange disk
a tiny purple disk
a wooden toy
You drop all
wrinkled sheet of paper: Dropped.
pile of letters: Dropped.
old dented strongbox: Dropped.
medium-large yellow disk: Dropped.
medium-small green disk: Dropped.
small blue disk: Dropped.
huge red disk: Dropped.
large orange disk: Dropped.
tiny purple disk: Dropped.
wooden toy: Dropped.
You describe your surroundings
You've never been an especially tidy person, and being self-employed has done nothing to improve your habits. Still, you keep your place clean, for the most part. It's just cluttered. The clutter is worse than usual at the moment, thanks to a portion of the contents of the strongbox scattered over the surface of your table.

On the wooden table are a memo book labeled "The End of the World", a composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden", a sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi", a stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again", and an envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter".

You can also see a wooden toy, a tiny purple disk, a large orange disk, a huge red disk, a small blue disk, a medium-small green disk, a medium-large yellow disk, an old dented strongbox (empty), a pile of letters, and a wrinkled sheet of paper here.
Examine box
This strongbox is made of metal, and is a foot across in each dimension. It is covered in rust and dented in a few places. A tattered label on the lid reads "Laura Bryant Collection." You pried the box open with a crowbar you borrowed from a friend after failed attempts at picking the lock. The metal around the latch is twisted out of shape.
Xyzzy
You're already in the living room; there's no need to return here.
You look in the box
You haven't had a chance to look over and translate the rest of the contents of the box. They'll have to wait for another day.
You eat the purple disk
(first taking the tiny purple disk)
That's plainly inedible.
You go
You'll have to say which compass direction to go in.
Go north
You don't have a compass. If you would like to go to a place, please type GO TO (PLACE).
You go home
This is a packet of five pages of white paper with typewritten text. The back of each sheet shows traces of carbon paper. The pages are stapled together in the upper left corner, and there are signs that the sheets have been separated and re-stapled at least once. The first line on the first page reads "GOING HOME AGAIN." On the next line is the date "1969."

(Do you want to enter this story?)
No
You set the stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again" back on the table.
You look around
You've never been an especially tidy person, and being self-employed has done nothing to improve your habits. Still, you keep your place clean, for the most part. It's just cluttered. The clutter is worse than usual at the moment, thanks to a portion of the contents of the strongbox scattered over the surface of your table.

On the wooden table are a memo book labeled "The End of the World", a composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden", a sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi", a stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again", and an envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter".

You can also see a wooden toy, a large orange disk, a huge red disk, a small blue disk, a medium-small green disk, a medium-large yellow disk, an old dented strongbox (empty), a pile of letters, and a wrinkled sheet of paper here.
You take Letter
This is a standard envelope stuffed with fifteen sheets of triple-folded lined paper. The pages are loose, and are covered in neat writing in blue pen. In a few places, the ink has bled where drops of moisture fell on the pages. The envelope is unaddressed and unstamped, and the words "UNDELIVERED LOVE LETTER" are writted across the front. Where the return address would be is the date "1975."

(Do you want to enter this story?)
You wait
Time passes.

X emerges from the restroom and heads this way. She sits down beside you. "Hi. How are you doing?" she asks with a pensive look on her face. Her voice has the faintest of Russian accents.
You ask X about the name
You can't summon up the effort to ask about that.

X looks at you searchingly. She opens her mouth as if to say something, then closes it again.
You look at the clock
According to the clock, it's 5:46 pm.
You take the clock
That's fixed in place.
Kiss agent
Keep your mind on the game.

X clears her throat awkwardly and scratches her nose.
You go north
Credits
Hints for the Tower of Hanoi

> How to Play
Credits
Hints for the Tower of Hanoi

These works do not use compass commands (NORTH, N, etc.) for movement.

A list of common commands (abbreviations are in parentheses):

LOOK (L): Get another look at your surroundings.
INVENTORY (I, INV): See what you are currently holding.
EXAMINE <OBJECT> (X): Get a description of an object.
LOOK UNDER <OBJECT>: Look under an object.
GO <PLACE>: Travel to an adjacent location.
TAKE <OBJECT>: Pick up an object.
DROP <OBJECT>: Drop an object.
PUT <OBJECT> IN/ON <OBJECT>: Put an object into or onto another
object.

ASK <PERSON> ABOUT <TOPIC>: Ask for information on a topic.
TELL <PERSON> ABOUT <TOPIC>: Inform someone about something.
NO/YES: Indicate an affirmative or negative answer.

SAVE: Save the game.
RESTORE: Restore a saved game.
RESTART: Restart the game and return to this menu.
QUIT: Quit the game.

> How to Play
Credits
Hints for the Tower of Hanoi

> How to Play
Credits
Hints for the Tower of Hanoi
You press the yellow
> Credits
Hints for the Tower of Hanoi

> Credits
Hints for the Tower of Hanoi

> How to Play
Credits
Hints for the Tower of Hanoi

> How to Play
Credits
Hints for the Tower of Hanoi

These works do not use compass commands (NORTH, N, etc.) for movement.

A list of common commands (abbreviations are in parentheses):

LOOK (L): Get another look at your surroundings.
INVENTORY (I, INV): See what you are currently holding.
EXAMINE <OBJECT> (X): Get a description of an object.
LOOK UNDER <OBJECT>: Look under an object.
GO <PLACE>: Travel to an adjacent location.
TAKE <OBJECT>: Pick up an object.
DROP <OBJECT>: Drop an object.
PUT <OBJECT> IN/ON <OBJECT>: Put an object into or onto another
object.

ASK <PERSON> ABOUT <TOPIC>: Ask for information on a topic.
TELL <PERSON> ABOUT <TOPIC>: Inform someone about something.
NO/YES: Indicate an affirmative or negative answer.

SAVE: Save the game.
RESTORE: Restore a saved game.
RESTART: Restart the game and return to this menu.
QUIT: Quit the game.

> How to Play
Credits
Hints for the Tower of Hanoi

> How to Play
Credits
Hints for the Tower of Hanoi
Go north
> Credits
Hints for the Tower of Hanoi

> Credits
Hints for the Tower of Hanoi
Gregory Weir is a writer, game developer, and software programmer. He is best known for his Flash game, "(I Fell in Love With) The Majesty of Colors." His previous Interactive Fiction works include the perpetually-in-progress Jabberwocky, winner of the 2004 IntroComp, and the horror work Snatches. He currently writes for GameSetWatch and maintains a blog and podcast called Ludus Novus, found at http://ludusnovus.net .

Thanks to my testers: Melissa Avery, Matt Weiner, Johan O, Michelle Hellemons, and DJ Hastings.

Thanks to my parents, without whom I could never come home again, and to Xenia Kramida, without whom I would never have had a love letter to deliver.

Most of all, thanks go to Laura Bryant. Somehow, I feel as if I know her, even though I know that is impossible.

How to Play
> Credits
Hints for the Tower of Hanoi

> Credits
Hints for the Tower of Hanoi
You tell X about the food
"I'm still not hungry," you say. X just shrugs reluctantly.
You tell X about X
"You're so... pretty, and wonderful," you say. You're not sure why; there's no way flattery will change her mind.

"Thank you," she says softly.
You tell X about plane
"The flight will be leaving soon," you say. "We might not see each other again."

X adjusts her scarf. "I hope we do, someday," she replies.
You tell X about scarf
"Your outfit looks great," you say.

X smiles. "Thank you," she says.
Smell X
X smells like soap and tea with honey.
You ask X about the tea
You can't summon up the effort to ask about that.

X lifts her hand to her face and smooths her right eyebrow. It's a cute habit of hers. "Baby..." she begins, then sighs. "It won't hurt forever. There are lots of women out there who'll fall into your arms." But none of them will be her.
You tell X about the habit
You can't summon up the effort to make conversation about that.

The gate agent speaks over the intercom. "Attention, all passengers of Flight 160 to Indianapolis," she says in a bored tone. "We will now begin boarding for all seats. Please have your boarding pass ready."
A line of passengers forms in front of the gate.
Kiss X
You lean toward X for a last kiss. She leans toward you, but turns her head slightly so that you kiss the corner of her mouth. She looks into your eyes sadly, then looks down.
You hug X
You lean over and hug X tightly. She awkwardly rubs your back with a hand until you release her.

X nervously picks under her thumbnail with a nail of the opposite hand. "You really should eat something," she says in a worried tone. "It's been almost a day since you've had any food."
You tell X about the goodbye
"Good... goodbye," you say with a knot in your throat.

"Goodbye, sweetheart," she replies.
You go to the gate
(the loading bridge)
You get into line at the gate. X moves to stand beside you, on the outside of the rope barrier.
You examine the bridge
The loading bridge leads from the gate inside the terminal to the plane. It's designed to extend outward to accomodate whatever position the plane ends up in.

Your turn to board the plane arrives. You hand your boarding pass to the gate agent, and step into the loading bridge. With one last glance over your shoulder, you see X watching you with a sad expression on her face. You turn and head for the plane.

You've never been an especially tidy person, and being self-employed has done nothing to improve your habits. Still, you keep your place clean, for the most part. It's just cluttered. The clutter is worse than usual at the moment, thanks to a portion of the contents of the strongbox scattered over the surface of your table.

On the wooden table are a tiny purple disk, a memo book labeled "The End of the World", a composition book labeled "Morning in the Garden", a sketchbook labeled "The Tower of Hanoi", a stapled packet labeled "Going Home Again", and an envelope labeled "Undelivered Love Letter".

You can also see a wooden toy, a large orange disk, a huge red disk, a small blue disk, a medium-small green disk, a medium-large yellow disk, an old dented strongbox (empty), a pile of letters, and a wrinkled sheet of paper here.

X looks at you with concern. "Are you all right?" she asks. "Say something."
About yourself
I suppose you're me. Gregory Weir, I mean. Mid-twenties, brown hair, thin. Probably a bit scruffy.
Close box
You close the old dented strongbox.