text: [Themes: Surreal]
  
  > Look around
  world. Chairs are strewn about at random; on several there are magazines. A counter guards the hall leading north. Above it is a speaker. To the west are a set of wide double doors labeled "Deliveries." South is the hospital exit.
  An attendant is here, sitting behind the counter.
  Bubbles is wandering around, sniffing at things.
  
  > Go south
  You push open the glass doors that lie between you and the outside. As you do, a grey mist begins pouring through the door. You can't see a thing outside. You're not even sure if there _is_ an outside. You let the doors swing shut in front of you.
  
  > go to the north
  The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
  T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.
  There is a nurse here, talking with a patient.
  
  Bubbles comes trotting after you.
  
  A faceless man in blue scrubs appears from further down the hall. He starts to walk past, then pulls up short next to Bubbles. He turns his head towards you, then ushers Bubbles to the south.
  
  The nurse, satisfied, wheels the gurney through the swinging doors to the north. The remaining patients call after her.
  
  > go south
  world. Chairs are strewn about at random; on several there are magazines. A counter guards the hall leading north. Above it is a speaker. To the west are a set of wide double doors labeled "Deliveries." South is the hospital exit.
  An attendant is here, sitting behind the counter.
  Bubbles is lying on the ground, staring at you with soulful eyes.
  
  > go north
  The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
  T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.
  
  A group of doctors and interns appears in the hall, headed towards you. They, too, are faceless. Their heads nearly touch; they are obviously in conference, though you can hear nothing. They pass you and are gone.
  
  > examine the sign
  The sign hangs from the ceiling to the west. It reads, "Leave Purple/Enter Orange" in the appropriate colors.
  
  The nurse reenters the hallway from the north, wheeling a gurney covered in a fine coating of ash. She pushes the gurney west, then returns a few seconds later empty-handed.
  
  > Go north
  The doors will not budge for you. As you push harder, a squirt of grey smoke escapes from behind them.
  
  The nurse moves to the patient at the head of the line and begins taking a history.
  
  > go south
  The unoccupied room is an oddity in this hospital. Like other
  hospital rooms, it sports a bed and an excess of medical equipment. Leaning in a corner is a white cane.
  
  > examine the cane
  The cane is white with a red tip. Its grip is worn with use.
  
  > Go east
  An east-west hall with an orange strip coloring the wall just below
  the ceiling. There is an open door in the south wall.
  
  A patient slowly makes her way down the hall, pushing an IV stand. She has no face--her head is featureless. She continues down the hall and out of sight.
  
  > examine the globe
  Its borders are nebulous; it gives off a faint glow.
  
  The shape under the bed sits up, startling you. A withered hand grabs you, leaving streaks of blood on your arm. The man is trying to say something, a violent exercise which makes his head shake with effort. He finally points to the globe on the shelf, making a horrible keening noise, before collapsing back under the sheets.
  
  > take the globe
  As your hands close around the globe, you feel a tingling in your fingers even through the gloves. The tingling quickly grows, becomes horrendous pain. You jerk back your hands; the feeling of having dipped them in lava fades.
  
  > ask the man about the globe
  The man's eyes pop open, fever bright. His lips move soundlessly; exhausted from the effort, he sinks further into his bed.
  
  > go north
  An east-west hall with an orange strip coloring the wall just below
  the ceiling. There is an open door in the south wall.
  
  A man passes by, dressed in blue scrubs. Where his face should be there is nothing. He is soon out of sight, hidden by a turn in the hall.
  
  > go to the east
  As you walk east, the hall lengthens. With each step everything blurs, vanishing into a grey mist. Your sense of balance is lost; you stumble back the way you came.
  
  > go west
  The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
  T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.
  There is a nurse here, talking with a patient.
  
  > look at the stairs
  Four steps leading south.
  
  > Exits
  You can go east and south.
  
  > Go east
  The doors are locked.
  
  A woman passes by, dressed in blue scrubs. Where her face should be there is nothing. She is soon out of sight, hidden by a turn in the hall.
  
  > take the vial
  The vial turns out to be wet; it slips between your gloved fingers and hits the floor. It doesn't break, thankfully, but it does roll under the crates and out of view.
  
  > Inventory
  You have a blood pressure cuff, a rucksack (being worn), a white cane, and a pair of gloves (being worn). The rucksack seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a thin coat, a length of rope, a dark sphere, a light sphere, and a pair of sunglasses.
  
  > open the curtains
  Behind the curtains and the window, the grey mist remains.
  
  > examine the mist
  It has a greasy look to it; it rubs against the window, leaving tracks of moisture.
  
  > go east
  A hospital hall running east-west. A green stripe just below the ceiling decorates the otherwise-bland walls. The hum of fluorescent lighting is barely audible.
  Seated in a wheelchair is an old woman.
  
  A patient slowly makes his way down the hall, pushing an IV stand. He has no face--his head is featureless. He continues down the hall and out of sight.
  
  > Go north
  bed in its center. There is a window, its curtains open, on the north wall. A door leads south.
  
  > examine the equipment
  Through the long months you worked here you never discovered their purpose.
  
  > look under the bed
  You find some dust, which you take.
  
  > Go east
  A hospital hall running east-west. A green stripe just below the ceiling decorates the otherwise-bland walls. The hum of fluorescent lighting is barely audible.
  Seated in a wheelchair is an old woman.
  
  From further down the hall you hear the familiar squeak of a gurney. A faceless man in blue scrubs is pushing it. A shape on the gurney is completely covered by the white sheet draped over it. The shape occasionally writhes, as if in terrible pain. You watch until you can no longer see them.
  
  > Exits
  You can go east and west.
  
  > go to the east
  As you walk east, the hall lengthens. With each step everything blurs, vanishing into a grey mist. Your sense of balance is lost; you stumble back the way you came.
  
  > Inventory
  You have a blood pressure cuff, a rucksack (being worn), a white cane, a pair of gloves, and some dust. The rucksack seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a thin coat, a length of rope, a dark sphere, a light sphere, and a pair of sunglasses.
  
  > look at the cuff
  The blood pressure cuff has a dial and an inflation bulb.
  
  > look at the gap
  The gap is barely wide enough for your arm and is very deep. By straining your eyes, you can just make out the shadow of something deep within the gap.
  
  > Go south
  A nondescript hall leading east to northwest. To the north is an
  open doorway. The ever-present stripe changes color to the east, just beyond a sign.
  
  A patient slowly makes his way down the hall, pushing an IV stand. He has no face--his head is featureless. He continues down the hall and out of sight.
  
  > look at attendant
  Glancing at her, you feel a shock of recognition. It's Linda, the woman you disliked most while working here. With her flaming red hair and her patronizing attitude towards anyone younger than she, she was hated by many in the hospital.
  
  > give the dust to Linda
  Linda rejects the offer.
  
  > ask Linda about Linda
  "I don't have time for stupid questions." She rolls her eyes in exasperation.
  
  > Go north
  The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
  T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A line of patients on gurneys fills the hallway.
  There is a nurse here.
  
  A sudden scream from further down the line. Both you and the nurse jump; she runs to the patient, then returns, wheeling him at high speed. She holds out a horrible-smelling sac filled with a black substance. "Here!" she snaps. "Colostomy bag. Take it, quick!" You remember why you chose not to go to med school.
  
  > take the bag
  It slithers warmly in your grasp.
  
  The nurse looks at you gratefully as she wheels the patient north. As she and the patient pass through the doors, one of the blank-faced men slips past her and into the hall. He takes the colostomy bag from you and reenters the north doors. It takes a moment for you to realize the bag is really gone, another to realize that you are now covered in a light sheen of sweat.
  
  > Go north
  The doors will not budge for you. As you push harder, a squirt of grey smoke escapes from behind them.
  
  A group of doctors and interns appears in the hall, headed towards you. They, too, are faceless. Their heads nearly touch; they are obviously in conference, though you can hear nothing. They pass you and are gone.
  
  > go south
  world. Chairs are strewn about at random; on several there are magazines. A counter guards the hall leading north. Above it is a speaker. To the west are a set of wide double doors labeled "Deliveries." South is the hospital exit.
  Linda is here, sitting behind the counter.
  Bubbles is lying on the ground, staring at you with soulful eyes.
  
  > wear the glasses
  Everything becomes a little dimmer as you put on the sunglasses.
  
  > Go north
  The corridors of the hospital join in a T-junction. The arms of the
  T lie east and west, while the base runs south. A pair of swinging doors crowns the top of the T, to the north. Over the east corridor is a sign. A few patients on gurneys line the hallway.
  There is a nurse here.
  
  The nurse begins talking to a patient, but is brought up short by something. She turns and sees you. She beams. "Terry, glad you're still here. I'm missing my BP cuff--must've dropped it somewhere in Green. Go get it for me, will you?" She hands you a hall pass. "In case someone harasses you," she says with a wink before turning back to another patient.
  
  > take the cuff
  You already have the blood pressure cuff!
  
  > give the cuff to the nurse
  The nurse thanks you as she applies the BP cuff to a patient and takes a reading.
  
  > examine the pass
  The hall pass is a laminated card with colors around its edges to show what areas the bearer is authorized to enter. This one is edged in purple and green stripes.
  
  The nurse, satisfied, wheels the gurney through the swinging doors to the north.
  
  > check your inventory
  You have a rucksack (being worn), a white cane, a pair of gloves, some dust, a pair of sunglasses (being worn), and a hall pass. The rucksack seems to contain a fool, a tuft of insulation, a thin coat, a length of rope, a dark sphere, and a light sphere.
  
  > put the dust in the sack
  Done.
  
  A group of doctors and interns appears in the hall, headed towards you. They, too, are faceless. Their heads nearly touch; they are obviously in conference, though you can hear nothing. They pass you and are gone.
  
  > Go north
  Shiny and clean. The only feature which breaks the sterility of the room is a pile of crates stacked in the northeast corner. There are exits to the north, south, and west.
  
  > Go east
  A hospital hall running east-west. A green stripe just below the ceiling decorates the otherwise-bland walls. The hum of fluorescent lighting is barely audible.
  Seated in a wheelchair is an old woman.
  
  > Go east
  As you walk east, the hall lengthens. With each step everything blurs, vanishing into a grey mist. Your sense of balance is lost; you stumble back the way you came.
  
  Slowly, ever so slowly, the old woman's chin nods towards her chest. Shortly after the chin has completed its journey, soft snores begin floating from her.
  
  > remove the glasses
  You remove the sunglasses.
  
  > look at the pass
  The hall pass is a laminated card with colors around its edges to show what areas the bearer is authorized to enter. This one is edged in purple and green stripes.
  
  The old woman begins humming to herself. She rolls to the south.
  
  > go south
  The hall enters from the east and bends to the southwest. A small
  door leads north and an open doorway graces the south wall.
  Seated in a wheelchair is an old woman.
  
  From behind you, you hear humming. Surprised, you turn around to see the old woman humming "Amazing Grace" to herself. When she notices your scrutiny she stops, her cheeks coloring slightly.
  
  > ask the woman about the wheelchair
  The old woman says, "Me? Oh, my, no sense in boring you to tears!"
  
  The old woman in the wheelchair rolls up to you. "You know, seeing you reminds me of when John and I went to Paris. Have you ever been to Paris?" she asks.
  
  > Yes
  "Ooh, I'm so glad!" she replies.
  
  From further down the hall you hear the familiar squeak of a gurney. A faceless man in blue scrubs is pushing it. A shape on the gurney is completely covered by the white sheet draped over it. The shape occasionally writhes, as if in terrible pain. You watch until you can no longer see them.
  
  > ask woman about the paris
  "I've been to Paris!" she tells you excitedly. "You must go and see it some time. It's lovely!"
  
  > ask the woman about John
  The old woman says, "Have you seen John?" Her eyes light up. "He's been on a business trip."
  
  "I wonder where my son got off to," says the old woman. She rolls to the east.
  
  > Go east
  A hospital hall running east-west. A green stripe just below the ceiling decorates the otherwise-bland walls. The hum of fluorescent lighting is barely audible.
  Seated in a wheelchair is an old woman.
  
  > ask the woman about the son
  "Have you seen him?" she asks you excitedly. "He's getting married soon, you know," she adds in a conspiratorial whisper.
  
  > ask the woman about the son
  "My son's visiting me for his birthday. Did you know that he'll be seven today?"
  
  > go to the south
  You can't go that way.
  
  Slowly, ever so slowly, the old woman's chin nods towards her chest. Shortly after the chin has completed its journey, soft snores begin floating from her.