text: [Themes: Fantasy, contemplative, animals, magical realism, physical simulation, maritime]
  
  > Go downwards
  You swing your legs down over the edge of the trap door and lower yourself through.
  
  You're standing on the enclosure that houses the restrooms. The cement floor spreads all around you to the north, and the snack bar lies just below you to the east. If it weren't for the pavilion's canopy, you might have a nice view of the sunset. Unfortunately, all you can see is the canopy's shadowy underside.
  
  You test the top bench yet again. It's still not as sturdy as you'd like it to be, but it'll have to do. You set to climbing down the stack of benches.
  
  You're standing in the center of a colossal gazebo that provides shade for sunburned tourists like yourself. The octagonal floor is made of unbroken grey concrete, bordered on each face by a waist high railing. Tall beams support a sloping wooden canopy that rises over three times your height. A red brick enclosure squats in the southwest corner and a small snack bar nestles up against the enclosure to the south. To the east lies the foot of a seemingly endless pier.
  There are numerous wooden benches here. Right now, they're
  stacked, one on top of another, into a towering wooden column twice your height.
  You see a clam shell, a treasure map, and a shingle here.
  
  Grains of sand on the concrete floor twinkle as the light of the setting sun streaks through them at just the right angle.
  
  > Shingle
  The treasure map: Taken.
  The shingle: Taken.
  
  A bunch of young children run past, slowing only long enough to point at you and giggle.
  
  > go south
  A quaint little snack bar nestles beside the brick enclosure, while the rest of the pavilion sprawls out to the north. A hand-painted sign above the counter advertises boiled peanuts. The vendor has gone home for the night.
  Behind the counter is an industrial boiler.
  
  > jump over the railing
  You climb over the railing and maneuver yourself so that you're standing on your heels facing out with your toes hanging out over empty space. You steel yourself, take a deep breath, and... jump! The ground rushes up faster than you could have imagined. It seems you've only just jumped when wham! Your feet hit the ground with a stinging impact that sends you sprawling forwards into the sand. You lie, stunned, for several moments. After a time the stinging fades from your feet, if not from your memory, and you climb back to a vertical position. You seem to have lost several of your posessions in the fall.
  
  Dry Sand, South of Pier
  The cool early evening has left the beach nearly deserted but for a few joggers and unsupervised children. To the east, the dry, powdery sand goes hard as it rolls down toward the swelling tide. The boardwalk lies back to the west. To the north, tall dunes flank the base of the pavilion, blocking your way.
  Someone has scrawled a message and a simple diagram in the powdery sand.
  A heap of trash has been scattered into the sand by the squabbling flock of gulls. The shallow hole you dug here earlier is still visible.
  You see a treasure map and a shingle, lying in the sand.
  
  Hundreds of gulls are engaged in a fierce battle over the pile of refuse, squabbling and squawking at each other and filling the air with hungry shrieks.
  
  Two gulls break off from the main flock to fight over a choice morsel. A third flies over to investigate, and soon all three fly squawking away over the beach.
  
  > take all
  The treasure map: Taken.
  The shingle: Taken.
  
  Two strutting male gulls face off, puffing out their breast feathers and bobbing their heads in each other's direction. A noise suspiciously like laughter emanates from several female gulls, and the two males hurriedly stand down.
  
  > go to the east
  The warm dry sand gives way to cool wet sand as you move closer to the shoreline.
  
  Damp Sand, South of Pier
  To the east, the shallow surf ebbs and flows up onto the cold, wet sand. The sand turns into powdery gold back to the west. To the north, you can pass among the pylons supporting the long pier that extends from the pavilion. The small castle you found here earlier has disappeared. The mites must have integrated its materials into the larger castle.
  
  > Go north
  Damp Sand, Beneath Pier
  You stand in the cool shadow of the long pier, among its supporting pylons. The pylons lead east like a subterranean avenue. A pair of pipes runs the length of the pier, presumably a part of the pavilion's plumbing. To the west, the dunes that surround the pavilion part to allow passage beneath it. You can escape the pier's chilly shadow to the north or south.
  A great crystalline castle dominates the area, rising nearly to the underside of the pier.
  
  > go to the west
  You're in a low space beneath the pavilion, which is supported by massive cement pylons. Two metal pipes extrude from the cement above you and bend east to follow the pier. The beach lies east through an opening in the dunes, and an open wire mesh gate leads to a small storage area to the west. The shallow hole you dug here earlier is still visible.
  You see an aluminum recycling canister here.
  
  > read the map
  The black strokes describe the chain of islands dominating the Savannah coast. One island in particular bears a bold red X. You examine the marker closer. It's right underfoot!
  
  > dig with the shingle
  Sand continues to slide in from the hole's rim, but you're able to keep abreast of it through vigorous use of the shingle. You keep on digging, making the hole deeper and wider. You climb into the hole to facilitate the excavation, and soon you're knee deep in it.
  
  > Keep going
  You continue digging industriously. You're forced to stop for a moment to wipe the sweat from your brow, but you shortly resume your labor. When you next look up, you discover that you're waist deep in the hole.
  
  > Continue
  Your back aches from stooping and lifting, and you're covered with sweat, but you keep on digging. That treasure must be here somewhere, you're just sure of it! Though if you don't find something soon, you may be out of luck. You're standing in the hole up to your chest, and the sand sliding in from the rim is starting to make you nervous.
  
  > continue
  You pause for a moment to contemplate the fruits of your labors. The hole rises nearly over your head. You shudder with a quick chill as the early evening breeze strokes your sweat coated skin. Or perhaps it's the sight of all the sand spilling down the rim of the hole. Then, with a dedication born of pure greed, you set the shingle to the bottom of the hole and continue digging. Hardly a moment has passed when, chunk, you strike something! You bend down to see what you've found, and...
  
  ... fall into black.
  
  You come awake groggily, with pounding head. You seem to be lying on your side in the cold and damp. You try to sit up, but your arms are somehow pinned behind you. In fact, it feels like they're tied down. You can even feel a coarse rope tied roughly around you. Your eyes are gummed shut, but you force them open and take in your surroundings with blurred vision.
  
  You can't even begin to imagine how, but you've come to be lying in some sort of underground grotto. The walls and ceiling are of rough stone, and water drips from the ceiling and puddles around you on the stony floor. A cool breeze on your back suggests that the cavern extends to some distance behind you. Nearby, a thin, sandy shore descends towards a sheltered inlet. The inlet follows the cove as it bends out of sight towards the sea, while pink tongues of sunset reach back around the bend to lick the dark walls of the cave.
  
  > untie the rope
  You rock back and forth on the stony ground, struggling to break free of the rope that binds you. The motion sets your head to throbbing and the coarse rope tears into your flesh, but you're unable to free yourself.
  
  > Inventory
  It's hard to tell with your hands tied behind you, but you don't seem to be carrying anything.
  
  The gentle surf laps against the thin shore.
  
  You can hear new sounds coming from around the bend. The protesting creak of old wood is accompanied by soft, irregular splashes, and punctuated by the base tones of a grumbled conversation.
  
  > About yourself
  Ugh. Your whole body throbs painfully with the blood pulsing dully through your veins.
  
  The gentle surf laps against the thin shore.
  
  > Go east
  The back of your head throbs, and coarse rope binds your arms. You can't sit up or even focus your eyes well enough to do that.
  
  A drop of water falls from the stony ceiling and lands with a plip on the puddled ground.
  
  A boat rows into sight from around the bend. It's a small, wooden dinghy, rowed by two scruffy looking individuals. With your vision blurred, you can't tell much more about them from here. You can hear small snippets of their grumbled conversation, but not enough to make sense of it.
  
  > listen
  The two men's coarse voices carry over the placid waters of the inlet.
  
  The wooden dinghy scrapes up onto the thin shore, and the two men slowly clamber out. Though they're quite close, their conversation is still garbled. Their voices are deep and slurred, with a grating timbre that sends a chill crawling across your aching scalp. They seem to be discussing the previous night's debaucheries.
  The heavier of the pair rubs a meaty hand through his matted hair
  and says, "Gar, oy still don't see why oy have to come collect t' new recruit. T'ain't enough I been t' cudgel man?"
  "Oh, shut yer stinkin' hole, McGintie. I be just as smashed as
  you. Cab'in says do, ye do. Unless ye want yer throat cut here to ear." The second speaker draws one hand across his throat in a quick slashing motion.
  
  > untie the rope
  You rock back and forth on the stony ground, struggling to break free of the rope that binds you. The motion sets your head to throbbing and the coarse rope tears into your flesh, but you're unable to free yourself.
  
  The gentle surf laps against the thin shore.
  
  The foul reek of boozy breath chokes you as the pair scuffle your way. They're close enough now that you can make them out in better detail. It's ludicrous, but they seem to be dressed as... pirates. Though groggy and filled with fear, you're struck by the sheer lunacy of the situation. It nevertheless seems frighteningly real when the pair come to stand over you and look down with vile, appraising eyes.
  "Gar, it's awake, it is. Feisty one, this," says the heavier man.
  The slender man nods agreement. "Aye, and let's get it back quick, 'fore my noggin explodes."
  
  > get all
  The scuba mask: Taken.
  The treasure map: Taken.
  The shingle: Taken.
  The white rubber strap: You take the white rubber strap and the crowbar.
  
  > Shingle
  Great dunes of sand, piled up against the pillars supporting the pavilion, block your exit in that direction.
  
  You're in a small, cement walled room. But for the open gate in the east face, it would be one big cement cube. Against the rear wall is a large bin full of used paper products. Next to that is a plain looking utility table over which is hung a peg board.
  You see a steel key here.
  
  The treasure map: You toss the treasure map to the ground.
  The shingle: You toss the shingle to the ground.
  
  > go east
  You're in a low space beneath the pavilion, which is supported by massive cement pylons. Two metal pipes extrude from the cement above you and bend east to follow the pier. The beach lies east through an opening in the dunes, and an open wire mesh gate leads to a small storage area to the west.
  You see an aluminum recycling canister here.
  
  > go east
  Damp Sand, Beneath Pier
  You stand in the cool shadow of the long pier, among its supporting pylons. The pylons lead east like a subterranean avenue. A pair of pipes runs the length of the pier, presumably a part of the pavilion's plumbing. To the west, the dunes that surround the pavilion part to allow passage beneath it. You can escape the pier's chilly shadow to the north or south.
  A great crystalline castle dominates the area, rising nearly to the underside of the pier.
  
  A thin crest of white foam glides up the beach and covers your toes before gently receding.
  
  > go to the north
  Damp Sand, North of Pier
  The damp, hard packed sand is darkened almost to bronze by the relentless tide to the east, while to the west it lightens to a powdery gold before ending in tall dunes. To the south, you can pass through the pylons supporting the long pier that stretches east from the pavilion.
  Someone has built an enormous sand sculpture here. It seems to be some sort of reptile.
  You see a mussel shell, a crab shell, and a snail shell, lying in
  the sand.
  
  > go southwest
  You skip across the wooden boardwalk, passing over the scrub covered dunes.
  
  The brick beach path ends at the foot of a cement stairway that leads east to the Tybrisa Pavilion. To the northeast and southeast, twin boardwalks wrap around the pavilion towards the beach. By one of the boardwalks is a simple public shower, while a white diving bell stands near the entrance of a small building to the northwest. Your hotel towers back to the west, obscuring the sunset.
  A sign advertising boiled peanuts points east, into the pavilion. There's an ugly gap in the path.
  You see a sieve, a loose brick, a length of rope, a strapless pair
  of goggles, an antique bottle, a cork, a shrimp, and a broken stave here.
  
  > check what you're carrying
  You have a pair of shorts (being worn), a bathing suit (being worn), a scuba mask, a crowbar, and a white rubber strap.
  The pocket of your shorts seems to contain some money and your passcard.
  The white rubber strap dangles limply from the crowbar.
  
  > Go east
  You skip lightly up the concrete stairs to the pavilion.
  
  You're standing in the center of a colossal gazebo that provides shade for sunburned tourists like yourself. The octagonal floor is made of unbroken grey concrete, bordered on each face by a waist high railing. Tall beams support a sloping wooden canopy that rises over three times your height. A red brick enclosure squats in the southwest corner and a small snack bar nestles up against the enclosure to the south. To the east lies the foot of a seemingly endless pier.
  There are numerous wooden benches here. Right now, they're
  stacked, one on top of another, into a towering wooden column twice your height.
  You see a clam shell here.
  
  A fat, grey gull swoops past you, lands momentarily on the nearby railing, and then launches itself back into the air.
  
  > Go east
  The light of the setting sun warms your back as you exit the shade of the pavilion and begin the long stroll down the pier.
  
  The pier is even longer than it looked. It stretches back west to the great pavilion and continues still further east towards the sea. A small shelter rests at the far end. From below, you can hear the fizzle and hiss of the shallow surf.
  
  The breeze carries the sound of a calypso drum from somewhere far down the beach.
  
  > Go east
  It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust to the shade beneath the small shelter.
  
  The pier ends here in a small rectangular shelter with a low wooden roof. You imagine that, seen from overhead, it would look like a pendulum hung from the face of the pavilion. The railing surrounds you on all sides but to the west, where you can follow the pier back towards the pavilion. A water fountain is tucked in one corner.
  
  An old man is fishing off the pier with a great, heavy rod. Resting on the railing beside him is an open tackle box, while at his feet sit a bucket full of freshly caught fish and an empty burlap sack.
  
  The old man stares grimly at the sun, as if daring it to sink any lower.
  
  > ask the man about the man
  His steely grey eyes hardly flicker. "I am what I am, youngster."
  
  The old man doggedly reels in a few lengths of line.
  
  > ask the man about the sun
  The old man's eyes never stray from the sea. "Aye, 'tis a beaut."
  
  The old man pulls back on his rod with all his might, struggling to reel in whatever he's hooked. Incredibly, an enormous marlin breaks the surface! But victory is short lived. The line snaps and the old man staggers nearly off his feet.
  
  > examine the sack
  It's a heavy, brown, burlap sack.
  
  The old man stares out to sea, and solemnly salutes a far away tanker.
  
  > look in the sack
  It seems to be empty.
  
  The old man reels in a whopper of a fish, which he tosses into the bucket by his feet.
  
  > ask the man about the sack
  Apparently the old man isn't interested in talking about that.
  
  The old man pulls back on his rod with all his might, struggling to reel in whatever he's hooked. Incredibly, an enormous marlin breaks the surface! But victory is short lived. The line snaps and the old man staggers nearly off his feet.
  
  > look at bucket
  It's an ordinary, if somewhat corroded, metal pail, full of fish caught by the old man.
  
  The old man stares out to sea, and solemnly salutes a far away tanker.
  
  > search the fish
  The old man spots you reaching for his fish and fires off a smouldering glower that burns straight through the center of your forehead.
  
  The old man reels in a tiny fish, grunts in disgust, and tosses it back.
  
  > ask the man about the fish
  He glances down at the fish in the pail. "That's today's catch. 'Relda'll cook 'em up nice."
  
  The old man pulls back hard on his rod, pulling the line taut.
  
  > ask the man about the fishing
  He beams uncharacteristically. "'Relda and the kids picked it out for my birthday."
  
  The old man stares out to sea, and solemnly salutes a far away tanker.
  
  > ask man about Relda
  He gazes wryly out to sea. "My one true lady love. After the sea, that is. Couldn't live without either of 'em."
  
  The old man doggedly reels in a few lengths of line.
  
  > ask the man about the sea
  You don't know of any such thing.
  
  The old man draws a cigarette from his breast pocket, rolls it meditatively between thumb and forefingers, and then puts it away.
  
  > ask the man about the Island
  The old man just grips his rod more tightly.
  
  The old man doggedly reels in a few lengths of line.
  
  > ask the man about the crab
  The old man just grips his rod more tightly.
  
  A small child bobbles into the area and tries to sneak up behind the old man, only to break out laughing. The old man jerks in surprise and throws the child a long, harsh glare.
  
  > ask the man about the rod
  He beams uncharacteristically. "'Relda and the kids picked it out for my birthday."
  
  The old man pulls back on his rod with all his might, struggling to reel in whatever he's hooked. Incredibly, an enormous marlin breaks the surface! But victory is short lived. The line snaps and the old man staggers nearly off his feet.
  
  > ask the man about the pirates
  You don't know of any such thing.
  
  The old man reels in a tiny fish, grunts in disgust, and tosses it back.
  
  > ask the man about the treasure
  "Hmph. Fools goin' lightly an all that."
  
  The old man doggedly reels in a few lengths of line.
  
  > ask the man about the map
  You don't know of any such thing.
  
  The old man consults his bait box, and reties his line with a new lure.
  
  > ask the man about the bait
  I don't know the word "marlin".
  
  I don't know the word "bait".
  
  > ask the man about Pavilion
  An uncomfortable silence ensues.
  
  The old man doggedly reels in a few lengths of line.
  
  > Inventory
  You have a pair of shorts (being worn), a bathing suit (being worn), a scuba mask, a crowbar, and a white rubber strap.
  The pocket of your shorts seems to contain some money and your passcard.
  The white rubber strap dangles limply from the crowbar.
  
  The old man pulls back hard on his rod, pulling the line taut.
  
  > Go west
  The light of the setting sun stabs into your eyes as you exit the shade of the small shelter. You wait a moment for your eyes to adjust and then begin the long stroll down the pier.
  
  The pier is even longer than it looked. It stretches back west to the great pavilion and continues still further east towards the sea. A small shelter rests at the far end. From below, you can hear the fizzle and hiss of the shallow surf.
  
  > go west
  It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust to the shade beneath the greater pavilion.
  
  You're standing in the center of a colossal gazebo that provides shade for sunburned tourists like yourself. The octagonal floor is made of unbroken grey concrete, bordered on each face by a waist high railing. Tall beams support a sloping wooden canopy that rises over three times your height. A red brick enclosure squats in the southwest corner and a small snack bar nestles up against the enclosure to the south. To the east lies the foot of a seemingly endless pier.
  There are numerous wooden benches here. Right now, they're
  stacked, one on top of another, into a towering wooden column twice your height.
  You see a clam shell here.
  
  A young, auburn haired woman wearing nothing more than sneakers and an incredibly revealing thong bikini jogs past. Jogging alongside her is a darkly-tanned, slim-hipped young man, similarly dressed.
  
  > Go west
  The brick beach path ends at the foot of a cement stairway that leads east to the Tybrisa Pavilion. To the northeast and southeast, twin boardwalks wrap around the pavilion towards the beach. By one of the boardwalks is a simple public shower, while a white diving bell stands near the entrance of a small building to the northwest. Your hotel towers back to the west, obscuring the sunset.
  A sign advertising boiled peanuts points east, into the pavilion. There's an ugly gap in the path.
  You see a sieve, a loose brick, a length of rope, a strapless pair
  of goggles, an antique bottle, a cork, a shrimp, and a broken stave here.
  
  > tie the white strap to the shrimp
  You tie the other end of the white rubber strap to the shrimp, joining the crowbar to the shrimp.
  
  > Go southeast
  You skip along the wooden boardwalk to the beach, evoking a strong memory of the carefree summer days of your childhood.
  
  Dry Sand, South of Pier
  The cool early evening has left the beach nearly deserted but for a few joggers and unsupervised children. To the east, the dry, powdery sand goes hard as it rolls down toward the swelling tide. The boardwalk lies back to the west. To the north, tall dunes flank the base of the pavilion, blocking your way.
  Someone has scrawled a message and a simple diagram in the powdery sand.
  A heap of trash has been scattered into the sand by the squabbling flock of gulls. The shallow hole you dug here earlier is still visible.
  
  Hundreds of gulls are engaged in a fierce battle over the pile of refuse, squabbling and squawking at each other and filling the air with hungry shrieks.
  
  A snowy white gull apparently materializes right in the middle of the flock, cranes its neck as if searching for someone, and then dematerializes.
  
  > go east
  The warm dry sand gives way to cool wet sand as you move closer to the shoreline.
  
  Damp Sand, South of Pier
  To the east, the shallow surf ebbs and flows up onto the cold, wet sand. The sand turns into powdery gold back to the west. To the north, you can pass among the pylons supporting the long pier that extends from the pavilion. The small castle you found here earlier has disappeared. The mites must have integrated its materials into the larger castle.
  
  A tiny crab rushes from an invisible hole by your feet and scuttles away, quickly disappearing into another, equally invisible hole.
  
  > go east
  The surf glides up to meet you as you approach the water, a cool shock against your warm skin.
  
  Shallow Water, South of Pier
  You're up to your knees in the gently surging tide. It flows up onto the beach to the west and grows deeper to the east. To the north, you can pass among the pylons supporting the pier.
  
  > go to the east
  You'd better do something with one of the items you're carrying first. You'll need at least one hand free to swim.
  
  > look at what you're carrying with you
  You have a pair of shorts (being worn), a bathing suit (being worn), a scuba mask, a crowbar, a white rubber strap, and a shrimp.
  The pocket of your shorts seems to contain some money and your passcard.
  The crowbar is joined to the shrimp by the white rubber strap.
  
  > wear the mask
  You pull back the tough strap and slide the mask over your head. It fits snugly, creating a tight seal.
  
  A rather large wave surges past, wetting you up to the waist and nearly toppling you from your feet.
  
  > Go east
  You launch yourself towards deeper water, skimming along for a few yards before coming to a stop.
  
  The shrimp shows renewed life as it makes contact with the salt water.
  
  Deep Water, South of Pier, (treading water)
  There's nothing but endless ocean to the east. Shallower waters beckon to the west. The long cement pier finally comes to an end to the north of you, its supporting pylons disappearing into the murky depths.