text: [Themes: Surreal, female protagonist, family]
  
  > look around
  The posters on the wall, reminders of winning sports teams and fading rock bands, are further apart than yesterday, as though spaced out and shifted by some unseen hand, showing acres of cream wallpaper. The bed, stripped of sheets, is only a textured mattress, the desk, piled with hockey trophies from his schooldays. Grey light from the window filters into the hallway behind you.
  
  > go south
  The hallway has no windows. It's always been a dingy place when the doors to the bedrooms are closed, but the open door allows some light to creep in. Pictures line the walls, barely illuminated. To the south of you is the spare room, opposite it, Brady's room and the hallway stretches toward the east side of the house. A flight of stairs leads down into the entrance hall, and the new white door hangs open next to the staircase to the west.
  
  The rubber plant you brought home from the garden centre a year after you moved in sits on a small plinth in the corner.
  
  > go east
  Away from the faint light from the stairwell, the hall is darker, and the pictures that continue to line the walls are more indistinct. The door in the north wall leads to Samantha's room, opposite it, your and Derek's room, and the hallway stretches to the west. To the east, a doorway leads into the bathroom.
  
  > examine the pictures
  It's like a history, this hallway, or a story. Black and white becomes colour. Hairstyles change from long to short and then long again. Young people become middle aged. Babies appear and disappear, becoming children. Through it all is the constant presence of Derek: A frowning boy; a serious looking young man with neat hair; A harried young father balancing two small children in his arms at some seaside resort; A middle aged man sat at the kitchen table.
  
  At this end of the hallway you are part of the tale, but your story seems to end somewhere in the middle.
  
  > go to the north
  The pause before you enter Sam's room is almost subconscious. When she was at home, you were always an uninvited presence there and with both of you in her room, resentment hung thick, turning most interactions poisonous. Now, even with the room vacated there's a sense, at the doorway, of unwelcoming. It's not something you've been able to shake off even after these last two months without her.
  
  (first opening Sam's bedroom door)
  
  The bed under the window seems further away today. The floor, uncluttered with Sam's possessions, has stretched slightly during the night. You used to be able to touch the empty desk from the door, and the walls, bare of brightly coloured posters, appear taller - the ceiling more distant.
  
  After Sam left, Derek had piled everything remaining into black plastic bags and, shaking with anger, had dumped them in the garbage. You feel now that maybe this had been the wrong thing to do - that you should have taken Sam's possessions from the trash and stored them somewhere. But, at the time, you had been angry too.
  
  It had been the first time you noticed the house's growth. As Derek removed books and posters and CD's and plastic figurines or furry jumbles of cuddly toys, the walls of the room had expanded. Walking across the floors had taken longer. Not much, but enough to be noticeable. Eight years living in the same house, vacuuming the same floors, has made you sensitive to any small change.
  
  > look at the bed
  You bought this bed when Sam was only eight. You had just moved here. At the time it had been a princess bed with a pink gauze canopy. Over the years, Sam had grown out of the canopy, but she had refused to let the bed go, even though, as she grew, her feet stuck further and further over the bottom.
  
  > examine desk
  Just a plain wooden desk but, over the years, Sam has decorated it in graffiti, sequins, and vari-colored crepe paper, depending on her moods.
  
  > go south
  Away from the faint light from the stairwell, the hall is darker, and the pictures that continue to line the walls are more indistinct. A little more light spills in from the open door. The door in the north wall leads to Samantha's room, opposite it, your and Derek's room, and the hallway stretches to the west. To the east, a doorway leads into the bathroom.
  
  > go east
  (first opening the bathroom door)
  
  The bathroom is all in pale green. The toilet, sink and bath were here when you moved in, and there never really seemed to be a reason to change them. The mirrored cabinet above the sink steams up when anyone has a shower and because of the poor ventilation through the small fan in the window, the grouting between the tiles has always had mold problems.
  
  > examine the window
  Through the window, you can see the garden.
  
  > look at the cabinet
  Your face, in the mirror, appears care-worn.
  
  > open the cabinet
  You open the mirrored cabinet.
  
  > Close cabinet
  You close the mirrored cabinet.
  
  > examine the toilet
  The toilet is old, but serviceable. It's supported the whole family for eight years.
  
  > examine the bath
  The bath is empty.
  
  > go west
  Away from the faint light from the stairwell, the hall is darker, and the pictures that continue to line the walls are more indistinct. A little more light spills in from the open door. The door in the north wall leads to Samantha's room, opposite it, your and Derek's room, and the hallway stretches to the west. To the east, a doorway leads into the bathroom.
  
  > go south
  (first opening the main bedroom door)
  
  This has always been your favourite room. The large south facing window lets in plenty of light which makes it brighter than the rest of the house. However, over the last couple of days, the wooden floor has stretched, each pine tile becoming larger and the two single beds that used to be separated by the width of the small table are now several paces apart. Your dressing table, loaded with detritus, is under the window and a wardrobe in the corner partially obscures a new passageway that leads out of the eastern side of the house.
  
  The beds are new. It had been your suggestion. You had surprised yourself one night, when, after a couple of glasses of wine, you had said to Derek, "Shall we get single beds, do you think? You need to get up so early, and you know how I toss and turn and keep you awake sometimes."
  
  Derek had looked up, surprised. "I suppose we might as well," he had said, after a pause, "it's not as though we need a double at our time of life."
  
  It had been a strange feeling, that first night, when the new beds had been unpacked and covered in freshly bought linen. Twenty five years of sleeping next to a warm, breathing body, and space to throw out an arm or a leg and still feel supported, replaced by open space each side of you. It had been a strange feeling, but not an unpleasant one, and you had slept better that first night than in a long time.
  
  > look at the detritus
  Just your accumulated personal items that seem to have built up over the years. A small avalanche of lipsticks and mascara bottles, hairbrushes and curlers, foundation and pins.
  
  > examine the window
  Through the window, you can see the driveway.
  
  > examine the driveway
  From here you can see over the driveway and a little way along the street.
  
  > examine the bed
  Which do you mean, your bed or Derek's bed?
  
  > look at your bed
  A single bed. It's quite small, but comfortable. After twenty years of sharing a bed, you had forgotten how pleasurable it was to be able to sleep in your own space.
  
  > examine the derek's bed
  Derek prefers a much harder mattress to you. He says it's good for his back.
  
  > Dust
  You rub the map.
  
  > examine the wardrobe
  A large wooden wardrobe in the corner of the room. It is closed.
  
  > open the wardrobe
  You open the wardrobe, revealing your and Derek's clothes.
  
  > examine clothes
  A thicket of greys and green, the clothes hang listlessly.
  
  > enter the wardrobe
  You get into the wardrobe.
  
  In the wardrobe you can see your and Derek's clothes.
  
  > Go south
  You would have to get out of the wardrobe first.
  
  > Go outside
  You get out of the wardrobe.
  
  This has always been your favourite room. The large south facing window lets in plenty of light which makes it brighter than the rest of the house. However, over the last couple of days, the wooden floor has stretched, each pine tile becoming larger and the two single beds that used to be separated by the width of the small table are now several paces apart. Your dressing table, loaded with detritus, is under the window and a wardrobe in the corner partially obscures a new passageway that leads out of the eastern side of the house.
  
  > Go east
  As you walk through the entrance, the air seems to shimmer
  somehow.
  
  You recognise this room. It's the downstairs hallway in your Aunt May's house. It has the same musty becalmed air, smelling of age and dust.
  
  The old clock in the corner punctuates the seconds with its deep bass ticking. All the pictures are still on the wall - lined up ancestors and forgotten relatives mixing with cheap reproductions of Monet's landscapes. A musty old sofa against the wall is lit up by the one window. A door to the south leads into your Aunt's front room.
  
  You were here only last month. Just before your Aunt was finally shipped off to the old folk's home. It wasn't a pleasant visit. Aunt May had been quiet, pensive, sad even. She had spent the whole time staring out of the window into her garden and hardly speaking. When you came in, Aunt May had been sat ramrod straight in her armchair. She turned her head when you entered the room, but hardly seemed to recognise you.
  
  She had been upset. Your Aunt Anna was taking her to an old folk's home because she was getting too frail to look after herself. When she had asked you if she couldn't come and live with you, a big part of you wanted to say yes. But, with the move, and everything that was happening with Samantha, it just seemed as though the fight with Derek would be too daunting.
  
  So you had made some excuses.
  
  On your way out she had looked up at you. "Remember me," she had said. "But not like this." You hadn't known how to respond. So you had left quietly, closing the lounge door behind you. Your mother's younger sister, Anna, had taken May to the home two weeks later. You haven't seen her since.
  
  > look at the pictures
  A brief history of your maternal family tree. Uncles and aunts you have a passing acquaintance with mingle with more distant relatives. Dotted here and there are Monet prints. Your Aunt May loved Monet.
  
  > examine the sofa
  Your Aunt May has had this faded old thing for years. It was in her caravan when you were a child.
  
  She always told you it was a wedding present . When you pointed out that she had never been married, Aunt May would tap her nose and wink. As a young woman, you pretended to be annoyed but secretly you were delighted that this woman had so many secrets. So many hidden sides to her. You always hoped that when you reached her age, your life would have been as complicated and interesting.
  
  > examine the window
  Through the window, you can see the vegetable garden.
  
  > examine the garden
  Aunt May's garden used to be beautiful. And productive. She grew all kinds of vegetables and fruit. When she visited, it was always with a basket in which were unlikely combinations of odd vegetables. Aubergines mixed alongside purple french beans and baby turnips. Now, with her advancing years, she has let it become overgrown and wild.
  
  > examine the clock
  Aunt May has had this clock forever. Its tick is like a constant note in your life.
  
  > examine the map
  You see that since yesterday, there is a new door on the west wall of the hallway, and a new door east of the Main Bedroom.
  
  > go to the south
  Despite her age, Aunt May keeps her home spotlessly clean. The window allows her to watch the comings and goings in the street from her strategically positioned armchair. An old dresser holds brass ornaments and a selection of glass flowers. The only door leads back out into the hallway.
  
  On the dresser is an old folk's home leaflet.
  
  Aunt May sits in her chair, hands folded quietly in her lap, staring out of the window. She looks up and smiles wanly. It seems to take her a while to recognise you. "Hello, Elaine love," she says, eventually. "It's nice that you could drop in, especially now I'm not going to be here much longer."
  
  > talk to May
  To engage in a conversation, try to ASK Aunt May ABOUT something, TELL Aunt May ABOUT something, or SHOW Aunt May something. Or, even, try saying "hello". Once you are chatting, you can just use "ASK ABOUT something", or if you are feeling confident, as a short hand, just "A something". You could also ask Aunt May to do things using: Aunt May, GO SOUTH for example.
  
  > ask may about may
  "Hi, Aunt May," you say.
  
  "Yes, dear?" she asks.
  
  "How are you, Auntie May?" you ask.
  
  "I'm fine, thank you," she assures you. "Not that any of you care."
  
  Aunt May sighs heavily.
  
  > look at the leaflet
  "Shady Willow Retirement Community". The photographs make it look quite nice.
  
  Aunt May shifts in her seat, and clasps her hands in her lap.
  
  > ask may about yourself
  You prattle on for a while about your life, and the move, and Derek and the kids, but it's not long before you run out of things to say, and the enormous silence in the room reasserts itself.
  
  "Sounds like things are going well," says Aunt May, but she shakes her head slightly. "I'm surprised you've got time to come and visit."
  
  Aunt May lets out a sigh that seems to come right from deep inside her. ""Oh, Elaine," she says, "they're wanting me to go to an old folk's home. I don't want to go. They're saying I'm not right on my own because of the fire."
  
  The call with Aunt Anna had been difficult. After the fire, she had wanted you to take Aunt May "for a few weeks while we get her sorted out". You had thought at the time, with some justification, that it was unfair of her to ask at such short notice. Anna is only just older than you. She has plenty of space in her house now her kids have left home. She blamed her husband. "He's always working," she had said. "I don't think I can cope with her by myself." You had demurred, making some excuses about moving house and Samantha being difficult. "You could at least try, Elaine," Anna had ended the call by saying. "We don't ask you to do much for the family."
  
  > ask may about the fire
  "Did you have a fire?" you say.
  
  "Just a little accident," replies Aunt May. "I nodded off while my dinner was on the stove."
  
  Aunt May turns her head slightly to look up the street, but you can't see what she is looking at.
  
  "I know I can't stay," says Aunt May, and her voice catches for a moment, "but it would be nice to live with someone I loved rather than all those strangers."
  
  Aunt May had stayed with Anna for just a short time. She moved back into her flat despite Anna's protestations. Anna wanted to sell May's house. To do it up and use the money to fund May's final years in an old folks home. Your other aunts had disagreed. They wanted to get May a nurse - to let her stay here amongst all her things. The conversation had passed you by.
  
  > ask May about Anna
  "How is Aunt Anna?" you ask.
  
  "Don't talk to me about her", says your Aunt, her voice raising slightly. "She's no sister of mine. Forcing me into that Shady Willows place. It's a place for old people. Not for me."
  
  Aunt May looks at you directly. "I know you've had a tough time recently, Elaine, she says, "and I don't want to put on you, but you've got all that spare space now Brady and Sam are gone, and I know you're lonely what with Derek working all the time. Perhaps I could come and stay with you? We could be company for each other, and I could help out a bit around the house. What do you say?"
  
  Do you tell Aunt May "yes" or "no"?
  
  > Yes
  "I'd love to have you, Aunt May," you reply. "You're welcome to say as long as you like."
  
  Aunt May smiles, and a tear trickles slowly down the side of her nose. "I knew you'd come through, Elaine," she says. "You've always had the kindest heart."
  
  > Hug may
  You place a kiss against your Aunt's dry cheek. She smiles, but doesn't turn to face you.
  
  > ASK MAY ABOUT DEREK
  
  "Derek's been working hard," you say. "He says he is up for a promotion"
  
  "I remember when you met him," replies Aunt May. "You two looked good together."
  
  Aunt May coughs, and dabs at her lips with a small handkerchief.
  
  > ask may about the garden
  "Your garden's a bit overgrown," you say. "Doesn't Mr Turner come around anymore?"
  
  "No," replies Aunt May. "I can't really afford him these days on my pension, and I don't get out there much anymore."
  
  > tell May about the house
  "We're moving house," you say. "Derek has picked us a little bungalow up cheap. It's going to be much less work now the kids have left home."
  
  "Does it have a garden?" asks Aunt May. "You always loved gardening."
  
  You don't answer, because you realise you are not entirely sure.
  
  > Bye
  Aunt May just shakes her head. "I'm sure with your young legs, you could do that," she says.
  
  Aunt May wipes a weary hand across her face.