text: > look around
  Court (Ryan Veeder)
  Walls paneled with elaborate boiseries curl slowly around this ovular hall. The western vertex of the ellipse is dominated by an enormous window; at the opposite end, a low archway leads east to the foyer. A glass display case is set into the north wall.
  
  In the center of the room, an irregular circle of twelve pedestals surrounds a black monolith.
  
  On the puce pedestal is a figurine of a greyhound.
  
  On the xanthic pedestal is a figurine of a peregrine falcon.
  
  On the griseous pedestal is a figurine of a cat.
  
  On the mazarine pedestal is a figurine of a Pontiac Firebird.
  
  On the niveous pedestal is a figurine of a wolverine.
  
  On the fulvous pedestal is a figurine of a duck.
  
  On the rufous pedestal is a figurine of a rat.
  
  On the eburnean pedestal is a figurine of a kraken.
  
  On the cesious pedestal is a figurine of a silverfish.
  
  On the fuscous pedestal is a figurine of a white antelope.
  
  On the icterine pedestal is a figurine of a weasel.
  
  On the croceate pedestal is a figurine of an eel.
  
  Rain rattles impatiently against the stained glass.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying:
  a black horn
  a long wooden key (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a white key
  a torn notebook (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a creased square of paper (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a brass nameplate (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a jar of old keys (smelling faintly of mildew) (open)
  an ornate bronze key
  a silver and ivory key
  a small blue journal (which you know is a journal because it says "Mein Journal" on the front) (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a bottle of Pepto-Bismol (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a copper amulet (being worn)
  an a worn out, decaying picture (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a little stoppered vial of blue liquid (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a battered yellow JogMaster (being worn)
  a slip of paper (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a calfskin coat (being worn)
  a pewter box (smelling faintly of mildew) (open but empty)
  a silver urn (smelling faintly of mildew) (open but empty)
  a pair of reading glasses (being worn)
  a cold spot on your collarbone (haunting you) (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a book list (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a golden apple (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a FFFFFFFF punch card (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a 923647F1 punch card (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a C353F128 punch card (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a 0B46E931 punch card (smelling faintly of mildew)
  an AE9B711D punch card (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a 00A02209 punch card (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a can of salt (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a blank punch card (smelling faintly of mildew)
  the Journal of Edwin Cragne (smelling faintly of mildew)
  an Isole Perdute (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a Lettera Segreta (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a Prurito Notturno (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a Piccoli Uomini Blu (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a rusted toolbox (smelling faintly of mildew) (open)
  a jar of screws (open but empty)
  a scrap of paper (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a snowglobe (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a black fountain pen (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a mallet (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a metal flask (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a pinch of snail paste (smelling faintly of mildew)
  an Italian magazine cutting (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a police report ("Francine Cragne") (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a note from a seesaw (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a piece of chalk (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a black box (smelling faintly of mildew) (open but empty)
  a shard (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a broken silver amulet (smelling faintly of mildew)
  red-rimmed porcelain plates (smelling faintly of mildew)
  red-rimmed porcelain cups (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a spray bottle that used to contain fungicide (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a gallon jug of white vinegar (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a pair of garden shears (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a rusty flathead screwdriver (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a trophy for a dog race (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a black business card (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a rusty piece of metal (smelling faintly of mildew)
  some yellowed newspapers (smelling faintly of mildew)
  an employee ID card (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a long hooked pole (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a grimy rock (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a backpack features guide (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a trolley schedule (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a pamphlet of home listings (smelling faintly of mildew)
  an antique locket (smelling faintly of mildew) (closed)
  a wad of cash (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a repaired page (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a waterproof flashlight (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a filthy rug (smelling faintly of mildew)
  Daniel Baker's note (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a pull-string doll (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a glass jar containing an insect (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a half-full styrofoam coffee cup (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a pair of stone earplugs (being worn)
  a trolley pass (being worn)
  a Jansport backpack (being worn and open)
  a hidden pocket (open but empty)
  a key pocket (closed)
  a book pocket (closed)
  a side pocket (closed)
  a trash pocket (closed)
  a gold jacket (being worn)
  a giant milkweed leaf (being worn as a mask)
  
  A flash of lightning illuminates the stained glass: You catch a glimpse of a figure wearing a dark cloak.
  
  > put white Key in the kp
  You unzip the key pocket, deposit the white key, then zip the key pocket back up again.
  
  > Go east
  Foyer (Greg Frost)
  Standing in the narrow entry hall is like being at the mouth of a cave. The only light comes in through tall windows on either side of the door and a half-round window above. All of the furniture has been removed from the foyer, leaving tracks in the heavy dust.
  
  The night sky is dark and full of stars. One larger star stands out in the center of the fanlight window. Hallways lead west and east into other parts of the house. A doorway leads north; the front door is to the south.
  
  > go north
  Foyer (Greg Frost)
  Standing in the narrow entry hall is like being at the mouth of a cave. The only light comes in through tall windows on either side of the door and a half-round window above. All of the furniture has been removed from the foyer, leaving tracks in the heavy dust.
  
  The night sky is dark and full of stars. Hallways lead west and east into other parts of the house. A doorway leads north; the front door is to the south.
  
  > examine Star
  The stars stand out tack-sharp against the night sky. One tiny, cloudlike blur in Andromeda twinkles.
  
  > examine the blur
  The cloud resolves itself into a disc. It is a distant spiral galaxy, the Andromeda galaxy, whirling through the void like a scythe. Andromeda is plunging irrevocably toward the Milky Way at hundreds of thousands of miles per hour.
  
  Andromeda is coming. Soon, far too soon, its trillion stars will collide with the Milky Way. Both galaxies will be torn apart in the collision, and for a billion years or more chaos will reign. Some of the stars will be swallowed by the two massive black holes at the center of each galaxy; other stars will collide in titanic explosions of light and death; still others will be ejected into intergalactic space, doomed to wander alone until they burn out into blackness. The final shape of the resulting galaxy will be monstrous and unrecognizable.
  
  It is cold comfort that the Earth will have been burned to a cinder by this time, destroyed by the doomed and greedy sun before another star could snatch its prize.
  
  You hide your eyes from the light of that evil star. You don't want Andromeda to see you.
  
  > look at the window
  Two tall, rectangular windows are set into the wall on either side of the front door. They look like they were added later. Maybe the new owner thought the foyer needed more light.
  
  The grounds are totally black. The darkness seems almost like it is moving.
  
  > examine the grounds
  Cragne Manor was probably once surrounded by lawns and a formal garden; now the property is overgrown and wild-looking. The grounds are totally black. The darkness seems almost like it is moving.
  
  > wait for the Gold Line
  You lean against the gravel path, hold out your pass, and wait for the gold line. Within moments, an insubstantial trolley arrives. Instead of stopping and allowing you to board, it passes through you,
  and you find yourself transported to
  
  The gravel road curves here past the doors of an old stone church, which squats defeatedly amid a few straggly trees. Behind it, to the northeast, you can see the first few stones of a modest graveyard. To the east the road narrows to cross a small bridge into the village proper; to the north, it crests the hill toward the train station.
  
  A mistlike trolley stop sign reads Gold Line -- Church.
  
  > unlock Door with wooden Key
  You unlock the church doors.
  
  > go inside
  (first opening the church doors)
  Your reading glasses frost over at the edges. You feel a sharp pain from the cold spot on your shoulder, and feel like there's a library book you--or Emmett, perhaps--hasn't read yet from this location.
  
  Church Lobby-Space (Hanon Ondricek)
  This shallow space extends the width of the church. What do you
  call this? The church-lobby? Surely there's a better name for it... Despite the gloominess, it's not that unwelcoming. You'd guess renovations happened mid-1980s--the color scheme is that sponge-painted beigy-peach which goes great with industrial
  linoleum floor tiles. They checkerboard underfoot in grayish green and grayish white squares with dark speckles. A stamped powder-blue accent border provides a homey feel for church-lady potlucks.
  
  leads out of the building.
  
  Also good to note: two side by side openings lead in to
  restrooms. Now's probably a good time to go--this place is quite a bit tidier than many of the locations you've visited, and who knows when you might next encounter a clean bathroom that isn't filled with skeletons, or making scary noises, or holding a contraption that dispenses a key, or a portal to a pocket dimension full of snakes with baby-faces or something worse...
  
  A collection of framed photos is arranged on one wall, and a woodstained ladder bolted nearby leads up through a square
  opening in the ceiling.
  
  You know, you could use a quick restroom break about now.
  
  > look at the photos
  Black and white photos of generations of religious folk and church social gatherings. Included are four or five class photos of students in tweed blazers, pressed slacks, and plaid skirts. The newest is inscribed 1978.
  
  A yellowed newspaper article in a more modern frame catches your attention.
  
  > read the yellowed article
  From the Backwater Gazette, March 8, 1984. The faded print is hard to read, but the article details the Backwater Historical Society renovation of the narthex of the church after a fire five
  years prior. School, library, and gymnasium incinerated to the
  dirt foundation in an unexplainable inferno during the 1979 Maple Harvest Dance... 166 students, faculty, and neighbors tragically lost...no remains identifiable... The church itself suffered only minor damage in what surviving parishoners describe as a "divine miracle"...
  
  > About yourself
  You stop and take stock: yes, you are still Naomi Cragne
  despite everything that has happened and who you may or may not have been up to this point. Your husband needs you to help him, and you are bound and determined to do exactly that, no matter what
  horrors lie in wait for you going forward.
  
  You are wearing a copper amulet, a battered yellow JogMaster, a calfskin coat, a pair of reading glasses, a pair of stone earplugs, a trolley pass, a Jansport backpack, a gold jacket and a giant milkweed leaf.
  
  You are also lugging around a whole lot of stuff.
  
  > go inside
  The women's restroom is tidy as church facilities go. There is only one way out, unless you count the bathroom stall door reflected
  in the mirror above the sink.
  
  It appears someone has discarded a tube of lipstick on the sink.
  
  > look at the mirror
  It's you, Naomi Cragne, staring back from the mirror. Good-looking as ever, if maybe a bit frazzled from recent events. Right then. You look focused, confident; your lips are a bit pale, but what can you do?
  
  > examine the sink
  On the sink is some red lipstick.
  
  > examine the lipstick
  The lipstick is practically new and appears to never have been used. Score. The label names it "Saucy Siren"--which of course is a
  dark shade of red.
  
  > examine the stall
  The flimsy stall partitions afford a modicum of privacy in a public restroom--you can't see over or under them.
  
  In the bathroom stall is no one.
  
  > enter the stall
  You enter the restroom stall for a time-out and a well-deserved five minute break to "freshen up" before continuing your adventure.
  
  > wear the lipstick
  You meticulously apply the lipstick mph...mpoph... You should
  check it out in the mirror to make sure you didn't get any on your teeth.
  
  > examine the mirror
  Mmm, luscious red lips--ones that total fox Brandon Cragne
  might want to kiss...that is, if she played her cards right. Otherwise, the same mousy brown hair pulled back in clips, the same lame grey tweed school uniform. The same pallid complexion. Heavy sigh.