text: [Themes: ghost, surreal, gender-neutral protagonist, adventure, drugs]
  
  > look around
  This space now exhibits a kind of semidarkness. You can't see anything clearly in the space itself, but you do perceive exits north, south, east, and west, as well as one above you to Gray Matter.
  
  > go to the north
  You make your way north through the darkness. As you do, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. You find yourself in...
  
  This is a grassy area between buildings at some university. Dusk is falling, and no one else is around. There is a log table at the edge of the grassy area. It looks like there is a small laundry facility in the building to east, and a gate lies south of you.
  
  Someone has left their trigonometry homework on the log table. A slide rule is lying next to the trig homework.
  
  On the grass lies a funny-looking soccer ball.
  
  > look at the table
  This wooden table was constructed from several large logs.
  
  On the log table are the trig homework and a slide rule.
  
  > examine the homework
  The homework is covered with equations involving sines, cosines, and tangents. There are also a couple of graphs drawn on the homework, labeled "sin x" and "cos x." Each graph consists of
  a wavy line that switches from positive to negative every Pi units. Circled at the top of the homework is the phrase "Review Logarithms!!!"
  
  > examine the slide
  The slide rule consists of three pieces of wood: the two on the outside are attached to each other, while the third - in the middle - can slide between the other two. Numbers are marked on all three pieces of wood. You have no idea how to use a slide rule.
  
  > get ball
  You reach for the soccer ball, but it rolls away as your hand gets near.
  
  > get the rule
  (putting the octahedron into the set to make room)
  Taken.
  
  > Go east
  This small laundry room, presumably for student use, contains a single washing machine and a single dryer. A sign hangs nearby. The exit is west.
  
  > look at the sign
  The sign is handwritten in black ink. It reads, "The dryer won't tumble, and the washing machine is completely broken. Won't anyone fix anything around here?!"
  
  > examine the washing
  This washing machine does not look like it has been treated well. The washing machine is currently open and off.
  
  > look at the dryer
  This dryer does not look as if it has been treated well. The dryer is currently open and off.
  
  > Go west
  Someone has left their trigonometry homework on the log table.
  
  On the grass lies a funny-looking soccer ball.
  
  > go south
  As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
  
  > go to the east
  You make your way east through the darkness. As you do, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. You find yourself in...
  
  You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door. A path leads west into the forest.
  
  There is a small mailbox here.
  
  > look at the mailbox
  The mailbox is closed. It has a small hole in it.
  
  > open it
  The mailbox is closed tight. You can't see how to get it open.
  
  > examine the hole
  The small hole contains screw threads that are oriented counterclockwise.
  
  > look at the door
  There are boards over the front door, but the boards look somewhat rotten. There is also an inscription on the door.
  
  > examine the inscription
  The inscription reads,
  
  "You have to spend some energy and effort to see the beauty of math." - Maryam Mirzakhani.
  
  > Exits
  I didn't recognize that command. (There is a list of recognized commands in the HELP menus.)
  
  > remove the boards
  The rotting boards fall apart in your hands as you remove them from the front door.
  
  > Go inside
  (first opening the front door)
  
  This is the living room of the white house, and it looks to be the only room still intact. A sofa sits against one wall, and a bookcase stands against another. The sole unblocked exit is through the front door to the west.
  
  > look at the sofa
  The sofa features a faded floral-print pattern.
  
  > examine the bookcase
  The bookcase looks like it has space for twelve books. It is currently empty.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying:
  a slide rule
  The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and
  Balancing
  a cube
  some exhaustion sandals
  a tetrahedron
  a set (no longer empty)
  an octahedron
  an old coin
  a square root
  Elements
  a scribbled scroll
  your math book
  
  > put Elements in the bookcase
  (first taking Elements)
  (putting the tetrahedron into the set to make room)
  You put Elements on the bookcase. As it slides into place
  you hear a faint click. Then you hear a voice. You're not
  sure where it's coming from, but it sounds like Professor Glasser.
  
  The voice says, "Euclid's Elements is the most influential
  mathematics book of all time. Containing numerous results on geometry and number theory, and used as a textbook for over 2000 years, its logical, deductive approach has also served as a model for how pure mathematics should be done."
  
  [Your understanding of Mathematics Texts has increased. You
  estimate that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one point.]
  
  > put the Algebra in the bookcase
  You put The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing on the bookcase. As it slides into place you hear a
  faint click. Then you hear the same voice as before - the
  one that sounds like Professor Glasser.
  
  The voice says, "While systematic methods for solving equations had been used before, the branch of mathematics known as algebra is often dated to this work by Al-Khwarizmi. In fact, the Arabic word
  al-jabr, translated here as 'Completion,' is the origin of
  our word 'algebra.' Among the book's other contributions is a classification of quadratic equations and a discussion of their solutions."
  
  [Your understanding of Mathematics Texts has increased. You
  estimate that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one point.]
  
  > Go west
  There is a small mailbox here.
  
  > Go west
  As you move west, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
  
  > go to the west
  You make your way west through the darkness. As you do, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. You find yourself in...
  
  Your senses are assaulted by the gleaming lights and jangly sounds of this casino. An interesting poker game is going on to the north of you, while the casino's exit appears to lie to the east.
  
  A gaming machine near you catches your eye.
  
  > examine the machine
  This gaming machine has the words "TOP TWO GAME" written across its side. There are several buttons on the machine, each with a different label.
  
  White: "Instructions."
  Black: "Start New Game."
  Green: "Accept Current Number."
  Orange: "Reject Current Number."
  Red: "Reject Next 10 Numbers."
  Blue: The label for the blue button has been torn off.
  
  The screen currently reads, "Press white button for instructions, or press black button to start a new game."
  
  > press the white
  You push the white button. The screen clears, and the following text appears.
  
  "In this game you will be presented with 100 numbers, one at a time. For each number you are presented, you must decide whether to accept it or reject it. Once you reject a number it is gone and you cannot go back and select it. Once you accept a number the game ends.
  
  You win the game by having the number you selected be one of the two largest numbers out of the 100 total numbers.
  
  Hint: The best strategy for this game gives you a greater than 50% chance of winning."
  
  The instructions disappear from the screen, and it once again reads, "Press white button for instructions, or press black button to start a new game."
  
  > Go north
  You stand next to a poker table in the casino. The lights and noise here are just as overwhelming as in the rest of the casino. The gaming machine is to the south.
  
  Pascal, Bayes, Kolmogorov, and Diaconis are here, playing an intense game of poker.
  
  > look at the poker
  Which do you mean, the poker game, the poker cards, or the poker table?
  
  > Game
  You watch the poker game for a while. Pascal is making huge wagers and winning big. Bayes is trying to use prior knowledge of previous hands to plan his strategy, but that doesn't seem to be working out too well for him. Kolmogorov appears to be more interested in constructing some elaborate theory of poker than winning; not surprisingly, he is losing as well. Diaconis is dealing, and he is winning more than losing. Cards fly out of his hands as if by magic.
  
  > look at the cards
  They look like a standard set of poker cards.
  
  > look at the table
  This is a standard casino poker table. The only thing somewhat unusual about it is that its top is five-sided. Pascal, Bayes, Kolmogorov, and Diaconis are playing an animated game of poker at the table.
  
  > go south
  A gaming machine near you catches your eye.
  
  > Go east
  As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
  
  > go to the south
  You make your way south through the darkness. As you do, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. You find yourself in...
  
  Judging from the odd assortment of medical instruments scattered around this room, you are in the office of some Renaissance-era physician. You can leave the office to the north.
  
  There is a strange mechanism in the center of the office.
  
  You can also see a parchment and a square piece of metal here.
  
  > examine the parchment
  This is a small, square piece of parchment. Written on the parchment are a couple of equations:
  
  2A + X = 5Y + 8Z,
  
  3B - Z = 7C + 4Y.
  
  > look at the metal
  (the square piece of metal)
  This small, square, flat piece of metal has five rectangular holes cut into it.
  
  > examine the mechanism
  This mechanical device contains, among other things, a turnable crank, three interlocking gears, a metal bar attached to one of the smaller gears, and an access panel.
  
  > look at the crank
  It's fairly large. It looks like you could probably turn it.
  
  > examine the gears
  The two smaller gears have about half the radius of the large gear.
  
  > Examine bar
  This bar is attached to one of the smaller gears.
  
  > look at the panel
  The access panel is closed.
  
  > open it
  You open the access panel.
  
  Inside is some complicated machinery. A sine wave is intertwined with the machinery.
  
  > Examine wave
  The sine wave goes up and down and up and down and up and down...
  
  > turn the crank
  You turn the crank, which causes the two small gears to rotate around the large gear. As the small gears rotate, they move the metal bar back and forth in a straight line.
  
  Then the strange mechanism emits an aura of positive power that fills the room. You briefly feel happier, as well as more optimistic about your chances on tomorrow's exam.
  
  > get wave
  You carefully take the sine wave from the strange mechanism.
  
  > turn crank
  You turn the crank, which causes the two small gears to rotate around the large gear. As the small gears rotate, they move the metal bar back and forth in a straight line.
  
  Nothing else happens (although converting rotational motion to linear motion is pretty cool in and of itself).
  
  > examine instruments
  You search through the medical instruments, but they all look more painful than useful. One does say, "Property of G. Cardano" on it, though.
  
  > look up Cardano
  (in your math book)
  Girolamo Cardano was a practicing physician, mathematician, and inventor: a true Renaissance man. His inventions include the Cardan gear, used to convert rotational motion to linear motion, and the Cardan grille, an early cryptographic technique in which secret messages are revealed by placing a thin sheet with holes cut out of it over a paper containing an ordinary-looking message. Cardano also contributed to the development of (and sometimes is credited with the invention of) the combination lock.
  
  Mathematically, he was the first person to make systematic use of negative numbers. His work features the first use of complex numbers, too, as well as the first published solutions to the general cubic and quartic equations.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying:
  a sine wave
  a square piece of metal
  a slide rule
  a cube
  some exhaustion sandals
  a set (no longer empty)
  a tetrahedron
  an octahedron
  an old coin
  a square root
  a scribbled scroll
  your math book
  
  > put the metal on the scroll
  (the square piece of metal on the scribbled scroll)
  You place the piece of metal on the scribbled scroll, but you can't seem to align it in such a way that letters clearly show through the holes.
  
  > Go north
  As you move north, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
  
  > Go south
  You make your way south through the darkness. As you do, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. You find yourself in...
  
  There is a strange mechanism in the center of the office.
  
  You can also see a parchment here.
  
  > put the metal on the parchment
  (the square piece of metal on the parchment)
  You place the piece of metal on the parchment, aligning it so that it covers the parchment completely. Through the holes you can see five letters: "XYZZY."
  
  [Your understanding of Cryptography has increased. You estimate
  that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by two
  points.]
  
  > Xyzzy
  You speak the word of power confidently. A part of the wall slides open, revealing a niche. Inside the niche is Ars Magna.
  
  > read it
  This is a copy of Ars Magna, by Girolamo Cardano.
  
  Ars Magna contains far too much material to read through.
  
  > get it
  (putting the exhaustion sandals into the set to make room)
  Taken.
  
  > go to the north
  As you move north, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
  
  The darkness has mostly lifted.
  
  Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.
  
  A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
  
  > examine bin
  It's just a storage bin that happens to be gray.
  
  > examine the ghost
  She looks a lot like the college librarian - except older, more translucent, and, well, grayer.
  
  > greet the ghost
  "Hello?" you say tentatively, unsure of the proper greeting for a ghost.
  
  "Hello!" she replies. She looks at you carefully. "You know, you've got enough running around in your head right now." As an aside she adds, "I suppose that includes me."
  
  Shimmering slightly, she continues. "Anyway, I'm here to help you organize your thoughts. Show me any possession of yours, and I'll tell you whether I think it will still be useful for you. Go on. Try me!"
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  Ars Magna
  a sine wave
  a square piece of metal
  a slide rule
  a cube
  a set (no longer empty)
  some exhaustion sandals
  a tetrahedron
  an octahedron
  an old coin
  a square root
  a scribbled scroll
  your math book
  
  > show the root to the ghost
  (first taking the square root)
  (putting the cube into the set to make room)
  The gray lady looks carefully at the square root. "I would definitely hold on to that," she says. "You're not likely to find much that is more useful."
  
  > show the scroll to the ghost
  (first taking the scribbled scroll)
  (putting the slide rule into the set to make room)
  The gray lady looks carefully at the scribbled scroll. Then she says, "I'm not sure you'll have any more use for that." She takes the scribbled scroll from you and places it in the gray storage bin. "If you ever want it back, though, feel free to just take it," she adds. "I might be wrong."
  
  > show metal to the ghost
  The gray lady looks carefully at the square piece of metal. Then she says, "I'm not sure you'll have any more use for that." She takes the square piece of metal from you and places it in the gray storage bin. "If you ever want it back, though, feel free to just take it," she adds. "I might be wrong."
  
  > go east
  You make your way east. As you do, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. You find yourself in...
  
  There is a small mailbox here.
  
  > go east
  There are currently two books on the bookcase:
  The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and
  Balancing
  Elements
  
  > put the Ars in the bookcase
  You put Ars Magna on the bookcase. As it slides into place
  you hear a faint click. Then you hear the same voice as
  before - the one that sounds like Professor Glasser.
  
  The voice says, "Cardano's great work on algebra contains the first published solutions to the general cubic and quartic equations. It includes the use of negative numbers, which were not widely accepted in Europe at the time, and it also features the first use of complex numbers (in the context of solving a quadratic equation)."
  
  [Your understanding of Mathematics Texts has increased. You
  estimate that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one point.]
  
  > go west
  As you move west, you feel an electrical impulse course through you. The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
  
  Off to the side sits a gray storage bin. In the storage bin you see a square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
  
  A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.