text: > look at your surroundings
  In eternal Winter's grasp rests icy Cealdhame, where was raised snow-heavy Byringsburh, throne of Care��, bearer of the Pallid Crown. Long has Care�� reigned in peace; long have his enemies waited to rise up in war against him. Episcophacetin is usually consumed orally in tablet form. It is also dissolved in water to counteract its dehydrating properties;[12] however, continued ingestion of episcophacetin-laced water has been shown to increase the likelihood
  of syncope (fainting),[13] hyponatremia,[14] and other possibly life-threatening side effects.[15][16][17][18]
  
  > go south
  Six are the directions permitted in Cealdhame: Northeast, east, southeast, southwest, west, and northwest are these, and no others.
  
  > go to the northwest
  The River ��orm, abode of thick-browed Garn-men. Ash-white is the tusk of the Cranh��al, sea-black its empoisoned tongue. Although it lacks the electrolytes necessary to restore sodium concentration, drinking unadulterated water has been shown to reduce the hallucinogenic
  effects of episcophacetin[19][20][21] as well as treat dehydration.[citation needed]
  
  > go to the northwest
  Lost forever upon the coldness of T��r��este lies ��ofydr��cce, bright ring of gold, its gleaming wheel long unfilled by finger. Your head hurts.
  
  > Go southeast
  The River ��orm, abode of thick-browed Garn-men. Ash-white is the tusk of the Cranh��al, sea-black its empoisoned tongue. Episcophacetin is a chiral compound and is produced as a racemic mixture. Differences in kinetics have been noted between the two enantiomers,[97] with the R-enantiomer having a shorter elimination half-life and greater excretion than the S-enantiomer.
  
  > examine the tongue
  Weirdly, you are unable to get a good look at the hated Cranh��al.
  
  > look at River
  Something about your perspective is making it impossible to fully understand the River ��orm.
  
  > Drink water
  You can't see that here. Or maybe this is a problem with those weird letters. Try thinking about it without using any weird letters.
  
  > Drink river
  Trying to get a handle on the River ��orm is making your head hurt even worse.
  
  > Go upward
  Six are the directions permitted in Cealdhame: Northeast, east, southeast, southwest, west, and northwest are these, and no others.
  
  > go to the east
  The hovel of the weaver C��dmyd, who fashioned bright ��erf��ene. Battle-heavy was that tapestry, burdened by blood, that told of King Care��. Your face is sore.
  
  > look at the hovel
  You can't figure out how to manipulate or even directly observe the hovel of the weaver C��dmyd. Something about this situation is messed up.
  
  > go east
  In the ice-caves of Nemind creeps the ice-bat Ge��arcain, sovereign of vermin. Five are the wives of Ge��arcain: Beresceon the Jealous, Nepe�� the Wicked, As��ealt the Moist, Ecgemarc the Clinging, and Helabreoc the Furious. There are several methods for synthesizing episcophacetin via various intermediates.[108][109][110][111] The original synthesis described by Hamano (1989) involves brominating cariadol to dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite and then reacting this adduct with trimethylamine.[112][113]
  
  > Go east
  In that direction lies the dark sea, and beyond that lie lands utterly unknown. Are you sure you want to keep going?
  
  > No
  Then you must wander the isle of Cealdhame... forever!
  
  > Yes
  Then you continue on, past the shores of Cealdhame, across the sharp-toothed sea, over the edge of the world.
  
  And then you rise up into the air...
  
  You are floating above the the icy realm of Cealdhame. You must be
  very high indeed; you can take in the entire island in a glance!
  
  Other lands lie north and east of here, if you remember correctly.
  
  Nathalie's unsuccessful sand sculpture event took place on August 28, 2010. Today is August 27, 2011. You might be a bit loopy, but you're still lucid enough to do basic math: Nathalie has been plotting her revenge for eight thousand, six hundred and forty-seven days.
  
  > About yourself
  You try to focus.
  
  Your head is killing you, and your face is sore from dragging it
  across the kingdom of Cealdhame. Before that you were in charge of a sidewalk chalk tournament. But it hasn't turned out very well.
  
  > continue
  Your head is killing you, and your face is sore from dragging it
  across the kingdom of Cealdhame. Before that you were in charge of a sidewalk chalk tournament. But it hasn't turned out very well.
  
  > Go east
  Your legs feel so heavy. But you have to keep going.
  
  Your path seems to stretch out longer and longer with each step. The trail ahead twists and swerves, rolling up and down over sinuous
  hills, until you finally reach a spindly fence of wrought iron, and a crooked stone gate, and a tall man, spreading wide his spiderlike
  arms.
  
  "Greetings, greetings! I'm so pleased that you've joined us! But I should introduce myself. My name is Jack. I have the honor of serving as our little burg's representative���a cultural ambassador of sorts. And who might you be, my dear girl?"
  
  "It's nice to meet you, Jack," you say without thinking. You're too tired to think. "I'm Hina."
  
  He takes you by the hand and leads you through the gateway. "Well, then, Hina: Let me welcome you to Halloween Town!"
  
  A yellow moon hangs low over the pumpkin fields and graveyard. The denizens of Halloween Town are out in force, cavorting through the streets and across the countryside, toothy grins on every face. A hulking man with an axe lodged in his skull trudges toward you���and mercifully he keeps trudging past you. A tiny devil-thing is toddling around on its stilt-like wingtips, apparently engaged in a game of
  tag. Doctor Finkelstein is scowling in his wheelchair; he may be the only one not having a good time.
  
  The twisting road that skirts the city limits runs east and west.
  
  "Please, stay and have a look around!" says Jack. "We so rarely have visitors."
  
  > Go west
  You are floating above the the icy realm of Cealdhame. Other lands lie north and east of here.
  
  > go north
  
  > go north
  Step no further, Hina Shiroiwa. You have reached the end of your journey. You have wandered into a domain where I alone hold sway���I, the world-serpent Ahigu.
  
  Behold my vastness! Here there is no earth, nor sky: Only the infinite twisting of my scaled body. No tail have I, nor arms, nor legs; but look upon my face, my deadly fangs���upon the venom that will be your death.
  
  No, not yet. I will allow you to live, but you will not continue east into the Hall of Judgment. Turn back, go southwards, and reflect upon your deplorable failure.
  
  > examine the python
  I am Ahigu, the Endless Wyrm. I am all around you! You can see nothing but my rippling coils, my cavernous maw, my dripping fangs.
  
  > go to the east
  A yellow moon hangs low over the pumpkin fields and graveyard. The denizens of Halloween Town are out in force, cavorting through the streets and across the countryside, toothy grins on every face. Barrel the trick-or-treater pops his head up from behind a tombstone. A tiny devil-thing is toddling around on its stilt-like wingtips, apparently engaged in a game of tag. The mayor is stomping around among his constituents, looking extremely pleased with everything.
  
  The twisting road that skirts the city limits runs east and west.
  
  Jack Skellington watches over the scene with his own satisfied smile.
  
  > talk to Jack
  him.
  
  "Now, then. What can your tour guide do for you?"
  
  1: Ask him about the town.
  2: Let's learn more about him.
  3: Tell him what's going on with you.
  4: Say goodbye.
  
  > 3
  Jack seems nice, but would he really care about your problems? What good would it do to burden him with the details of all your troubles? It would be cruel, in fact. It would ruin his week. You breathe a
  heavy sigh.
  
  "What's wrong?" asks Jack.
  
  You try to construct a noncommittal answer: "I've just been under a
  lot of stress lately."
  
  He nods; he presses his distal phalanges together. "Why don't you tell me all about it?"
  
  All right, fine. But where to begin?
  
  1: Tell him about Lane.
  2: Tell him about Alec.
  3: Tell him about Nathalie.
  4: Tell him about the Sidewalk Chalk Tournament.
  5: Change the subject.
  
  > 3
  "There's this girl Nathalie. She was in charge of our arts event last year, and it was a... Well, it went very poorly. So this year I ended up organizing the event instead of her, and I guess she took it personally, because she sabotaged the whole thing."
  
  Jack's skull twists into a furious scowl. "How dare she treat my
  friend so shamefully! She must be punished, Hina!"
  
  "Well, I don't know if I have the authority to punish anyone."
  
  He leaps to his feet and points a long, bony finger down at you. "This Honors arts event is your responsibility! You alone can bring Nathalie to justice!"
  
  Then he sees you cowering in fear beneath him and composes himself.
  
  He sits down, puts a reassuring arm over your shoulder: "But I'm sure you'll handle it well, whatever you do."
  
  1: Tell him about Lane.
  2: Tell him about Alec.
  3: Tell him about Nathalie.
  4: Tell him about the Sidewalk Chalk Tournament.
  5: Change the subject.
  
  > 1
  "My friend is in trouble. She fainted���I think somebody put something in her drink. I need to make sure she's okay."
  
  Jack slaps his knee. "I'm sure you'll be able to help her, Hina!
  You've given me every reason to believe that you're a very capable young woman."
  
  Well, that's nice of him to say.
  
  1: Tell him about Lane.
  2: Tell him about Alec.
  3: Tell him about Nathalie.
  4: Tell him about the Sidewalk Chalk Tournament.
  5: Change the subject.
  
  > 2
  "I'm worried about Alec. I sent him off on an errand, and I haven't heard back. I wish I knew what happened to him."
  
  "Is this Alec a friend of yours?" asks Jack.
  
  Huh. That's a tricky one. "I guess? He was one of the only people willing to help me out with all this."
  
  "But did he lend his assistance because he wanted a piece of the
  glory? Or because he hoped you'd owe him a favor?"
  
  You scoff. "No, nothing like that. He's not getting anything out of this."
  
  Jack nods. "That sounds like a friend to me, Hina."
  
  Now you feel a little guilty.
  
  1: Tell him about Lane.
  2: Tell him about Alec.
  3: Tell him about Nathalie.
  4: Tell him about the Sidewalk Chalk Tournament.
  5: Change the subject.
  
  > 4
  You take a deep breath.
  
  "I volunteered to coordinate the Honors arts event, to begin the fall semester. I thought sidewalk chalk would be fun, right? We'd get to be outside, but it wouldn't be like sand sculpture, where everyone was spending all their time shoveling. It would be totally casual. Just a way to decompress.
  
  "But nobody signed up! I had to beg everyone to come, and then I had
  to beg Lane and Alec to be judges. The only person who actually volunteered to help was Nathalie, and she specifically wanted to be
  the hydration officer, and I should have guessed that something shady was going on���but I was so busy with the beginning of the semester and everything, I couldn't pay attention to anything. I completely forgot about prizes. I kept calling it a tournament and I never once thought about prizes! I call it a tournament but we have just six people actually participating.
  
  "Then Jonathan tells me that Alec can't be a judge because he has his weird relationship with Jessica, so I have to coach Alec on what
  scores he's allowed to give���oh my gosh, if anyone finds out, they'll be so mad���the whole judging system is a complete farce. And then Xavier thinks it's cool to draw���he drew���it's���porn, basically, on a
  public sidewalk! This is the Honors program!
  
  "And then Lane fainted, and I assumed she was just dehydrated, which would be bad enough. But everyone else starts going all goofy, and I realize Nathalie has made it her mission to ruin the sidewalk chalk tournament. Because it wasn't already ruined enough! And I can't fix anything. There's no coming back from this. I'm a failure."
  
  You bury your face in your hands. Jack Skellington wraps his arms around you in an extremely uncomfortable hug. Then he says, in a soft, warm voice: "Let me tell you a story."
  
  1: Let him tell you a story.
  
  > 1
  He takes a deep breath.
  
  "You must understand: I've been the Pumpkin King for a very, very long time. I've coordinated more Halloween productions than I can count. And, if you will forgive a lapse in modesty, I've gotten very good at it. I grew so tired of Halloween, of the same old thing every year. I wanted to try something different.
  
  "So I presented my associates with a pitch for a new kind of project. Something none of us had ever attempted! Something completely new���Well, not exactly. I more or less copied someone else's idea. But it was new to us, and we were all so excited! We took to it with twice the fervor of our Halloween preparations. We pulled out all the stops. We innovated���really innovated, for the first time in years! And then the night came for us to put it all into action.
  
  "It was a catastrophe. Our audience wasn't at all prepared for our avant-garde sensibility, and they responded incredibly poorly. Nobody could have predicted that things could go so horribly wrong."
  
  His face falls. "That's not true. Sally told me it would be a
  disaster, and I refused to listen to her. But I don't think even Sally had any idea how bad it would get. They actually shot me out of the
  sky with a missile.
  
  "It wasn't until I pulled myself out of the smoking wreckage that I realized how utterly I had failed. I felt just like you're feeling
  now. Suddenly I was painfully aware of all the mistakes I had been blind to until that moment. All my hubris! I wanted to crawl into a hole and wither away.
  
  "But something else occurred to me: I hadn't withered away quite yet.
  I was still Jack, the Pumpkin King! And I had something I didn't have before."
  
  1: What was that?
  
  > 1
  "What was that?"
  
  "Why, my tragic, ruinous, monumental, calamitous failure, Hina! I had experienced failure on a level few could ever hope to recreate. And when I decided to make that disaster a part of me���instead of collapsing beneath it and admitting defeat���I was a new man! I was the Jack Skellington who had been shot out of the sky with a missile! And
  I was brimming with new ideas, let me tell you. The next Halloween was one for the record books.
  
  "Of course, first I had to clean up the horrible mess I had made. But that became much easier after I accepted and internalized my horrible failure. So, based on my experience," he says at last, "I think you're going to come out of this in fine form."
  
  You dab at your eyes with your shirt.
  
  > Go east
  Colors flow and mingle, turquoise into lavender, pale cream into indigo, rolling in fat raindrops down from liquefying petals,
  drenching the soil, impregnating the dark earth, the deep blackness of the earth.
  
  The maiden and her knight lie sinking into melting lilies.
  
  To the south and west are other spaces.
  
  > examine knight
  In a tangle of clinging arms lie the maiden and her knight; together they shed tears enough to dissolve a universe of flowers. The shared sorrow that afflicts their coupled hearts is unknowable, innominable. It is none of your business.
  
  The knight has cast off his helm, has collapsed into the waters of his lady's emerald gown. His armor is already smeared with rust.
  
  His left hand isn't pressed against his lady's back, but clutched
  tight around something.
  
  > Open hand
  You pull at the gauntlet until the knight's fingers open at last: In his palm lies a tarnished key.
  
  You grab it.
  
  The empty hand now finds the maiden's back, and pulls her tighter against the knight.
  
  > examine Alec
  The knight has cast off his helm, has collapsed into the waters of his lady's emerald gown. His armor is already smeared with rust.
  
  > examine Jessica
  The maiden's eyes are shut by sleeping-draught. Her neck and cheek are chill and pale as ice; her dark lips part in silent choking sobs. Her emerald gown and black curling hair have melted with her lush array of flowers into a rippling sea of color.
  
  > get the bucket
  Hey, there's the bucket you sent Alec off with! Looks like he had a little accident.
  
  Well, nothing to be done about it now.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying:
  a tarnished key
  
  > get the bucket
  You reach for the bucket clumsily. Your hand glances against the
  metal, and it rolls away���
  
  ���off the edge of space, into the depths of the earth.
  
  > go west
  A yellow moon hangs low over the pumpkin fields and graveyard. The denizens of Halloween Town are out in force, cavorting through the streets and across the countryside, toothy grins on every face. Doctor Finkelstein is scowling in his wheelchair; he may be the only one not having a good time. The little witch-girl Shock is scurrying through the cemetery, searching for her friends. Sally the ragdoll sits on the hillside, brushing her hair and staring at the moon.
  
  The twisting road that skirts the city limits runs east and west.
  
  Jack Skellington watches over the scene with his own satisfied smile.
  
  > go north
  Unlucky girl, you stand defenseless in the heart of my domain���the domain of the world-serpent Ahigu. Behold my vastness! Here there is
  no earth, nor sky: Only the infinite twisting of my scaled body. No tail have I, nor arms, nor legs; but look upon my face, my deadly fangs, dripping with fatal venom, and know true terror.
  
  For the moment I will allow you to live, but you will not continue
  east into the Hall of Judgment. Turn back, go southwards, and reflect upon your deplorable failure.
  
  > Examine containre
  That isn't here. Probably. Or maybe it's here, but that's not what
  it's called.
  
  > Examine container
  That isn't here. Or maybe it is here, but it isn't here enough to matter. Or maybe it's here, but that's not what it's called.
  
  > look at cooler
  That isn't here. Or maybe it is here, but it isn't here enough to matter.
  
  > examine the grass
  That isn't here. Or maybe it is here, but it isn't here enough to matter. Or maybe it's not here, but it's here, but not in the way it's supposed to be.
  
  > talk to Ahigu
  There is no need to speak. My knowledge in this domain is absolute.
  
  What do you wish to know, mortal?
  
  1: My true nature?
  2: Why I won't let you move forward?
  3: How to leave this place?
  4: Or would you rather I stopped reading your mind?
  
  > 2
  I do this for your own protection, Hina. You are not prepared for what awaits you in the Hall of Judgment. To continue eastward would take more fortitude than you can muster. You are only one Hina, after all.
  
  What else?
  
  1: My true nature?
  2: Why I won't let you move forward?
  3: How to leave this place?
  4: Or would you rather I stopped reading your mind?
  
  > 1
  I am the world called Ahigu, the primal serpent. I predate your fleshy pink existence by some millennia. In the Torah, I curse mankind with knowledge and death; in the Eddas, my venom fells the god of thunder. In the Vedas, I encircle the waters of creation and bring drought upon the world.
  
  What else?
  
  1: My true nature?
  2: Why I won't let you move forward?
  3: How to leave this place?
  4: Or would you rather I stopped reading your mind?
  
  > 3
  I am a merciful world-serpent. I will allow you to return south to
  that realm whence you came.
  
  I do not sense within you the gratitude such a gesture merits���So be it.
  
  What else?
  
  1: My true nature?
  2: Why I won't let you move forward?
  3: How to leave this place?
  4: Or would you rather I stopped reading your mind?
  
  > 4
  Very well!
  
  > examine the venom
  That isn't here. Probably. Or maybe it is here, but it isn't here enough to matter. Or maybe it's not here, but it's here, but not in
  the way it's supposed to be.
  
  > Go south
  
  > Go south
  You are floating above the the icy realm of Cealdhame. Other lands lie north and east of here.
  
  > go to the east
  A yellow moon hangs low over the pumpkin fields and graveyard. The denizens of Halloween Town are out in force, cavorting through the streets and across the countryside, toothy grins on every face. One particularly noticeable demon has a mouth that goes all the way around its head. There's a wolfman scampering through the pumpkin patch, howling every so often. A quartet of vampires waddles across the street, gossiping loudly.
  
  The twisting road that skirts the city limits runs east and west.
  
  Jack Skellington watches over the scene with his own satisfied smile.
  
  > examine the wolfman
  The wolfman smiles and gives you a wave. Good grief, that's a lot of teeth.
  
  > talk to the wolfman
  Jack offers to introduce you to the wolfman, but you tell him you'd just as soon admire him from afar. The guy looks like he could chomp your head clean off.
  
  "He's a very friendly fellow," says Jack.
  
  "That's okay," you tell him.
  
  > talk to the Doctor
  The doctor grins as you approach: His teeth are awful. "Hello there, Jack! And what is this creature you've brought with you?"
  
  "This is Hina. Hina, meet Doctor Finkelstein."
  
  It seems wise not to say anything. Finkelstein squints at you through his tiny goggles.
  
  "You seem to be very much alive, young lady���Not like most of us around
  here. Still getting use out of all your body parts?"
  
  Gulp. "Uh, yes. Sorry."
  
  He clicks his tongue. "Well, let me know if anything changes."
  
  You laugh nervously as he activates his wheelchair and rolls away.
  
  "A remarkable mind," says Jack.
  
  > talk to Sally
  Sally doesn't really seem to notice you, but she comes out of her reverie when Jack approaches, and gazes up at him adoringly. "Jack!" she gasps.
  
  "Wonderful news, Sally! We have a guest! Meet Hina." Jack puts his
  bony hand on your shoulder and pulls you into Sally's line of sight.
  
  "How nice to meet you, Hina." She raises her hand, and you shake it gently, worried that you might pull it loose.
  
  > talk to the vampires
  You and Jack walk up alongside the clique, but go unnoticed: The vampires are in their own little world.