text: [Themes: Lovecraftian, Horror, body horror, child death, child abuse, horror, incest, changing environment, rape references, surreal, female protagonist, Lovecraftian]
  
  > Go downward
  Although it appears spacious from the outside, the house's interior feels cramped and gloomy. The walls seem too close together; the ceiling is too high. The doorways, leading in several directions, are narrow and filled with shadows, and the stairs leading up to the second floor are steep and rickety. This is not a house that makes you feel welcome. It is a house that makes you feel tiny and timid, and afraid of dark places. It is a house that makes you feel alone.
  
  Your luggage is still here, spread out all over the foyer.
  
  > examine the luggage
  It's all a huge, hopeless mess. Just looking at it instantly drains you of any desire to unpack.
  
  A cold, noiseless draft coils through the narrow entrance hall. You shiver, wondering where it came from.
  
  > Open luggage
  Honestly, you just can't muster enough motivation.
  
  A cold, noiseless draft coils through the narrow entrance hall. You shiver, wondering where it came from.
  
  > go north
  A short hallway, connecting rooms to the east, west and south.
  
  > go west
  Where once pots and skillets and various utensils hung in profusion, the kitchen walls are now merely ranks of dusty cabinets and a forest of empty hooks. Doorways lead east and south, a small pantry lies to the northwest, and the back door to the north leads out of the house.
  
  Someone's flashlight is lying on the kitchen counter; one of the movers must have left it.
  
  An odd feeling of gloom overtakes you momentarily, and you find yourself thinking about the Verlac family's personal effects -- the everyday mundanities, such as kitchen utensils. Were they thrown out, or donated to charity, or auctioned off as grisly souvenirs? What about the canned goods? Did anyone think to take them? The cabinets might even still be stocked. Morbidly, you wonder what Mrs. Edward Verlac might have been cooking for dinner the night her husband blew her head off.
  
  > take the flashlight
  (slipping the lantern into the pocket of your trenchcoat to get a hand free)
  You pick up the flashlight. It's battery-powered, and waterproof too, by the look of it.
  
  The flashlight is currently switched off.
  
  > open the cabinets
  The cabinets are not, after all, still stocked -- much to your relief. There's nothing in there but an old book of matches.
  
  > take the matches
  (slipping the bundle of soggy pages into the pocket of your trenchcoat to get a hand free)
  You pick up the book of matches. A label on the side reads, "Water-resistant matches. Strike on cover." There are six matches left.
  
  > turn on the flashlight
  The flashlight emits a warm yellow beam.
  
  The pantry is empty save for a layer of dust on the shelves. A door to the south leads down to the cellar, or you can return to the kitchen to the southeast.
  
  Leaning in the corner is an old broom.
  
  > examine the broom
  It's just an ordinary-looking broom.
  
  > Go southeast
  Where once pots and skillets and various utensils hung in profusion, the kitchen walls are now merely ranks of dusty cabinets and a forest of empty hooks. Doorways lead east and south, a small pantry lies to the northwest, and the back door to the north leads out of the house.
  
  > turn off the flashlight
  You switch the flashlight off.
  
  > go to the north
  (opening the back door first)
  It seems to be locked.
  
  > unlock door
  (first taking the keyring)
  (slipping the towel into the pocket of your trenchcoat to get a hand free)
  Taken.
  You unlock the back door.
  
  > Go north
  (opening the back door first)
  
  A gravel path starts here at the back door of the house, and marks a trail nearly overgrown by weeds and briars. It disappears into the undergrowth to the northwest, framed by crooked trees with overhanging branches that seem to form a stunted, jagged archway into the dim recesses of the forest.
  
  > look at what you're carrying with you
  You are wearing your trenchcoat, your clothes and your wedding ring; in addition, you have in your hands a keyring, on which are two keys (a key to the house and a key to the cellar), a book of matches with six matches left, a flashlight and your umbrella.
  
  The pockets of your trenchcoat contain a towel, a bundle of soggy pages, a lantern and a flask (which is closed).
  
  > examine trees
  The woods are ancient, thick with undergrowth and full of shadows. Branches creak, leaves rustle beneath unseen, half-imagined footsteps, and strange birdcalls echo through the trees.
  
  > go northwest
  Stooping to avoid the sharp, bare twigs that snag your clothes and seem to reach greedily for your eyes, you pick your way through the undergrowth to a small clearing.
  
  Old, moss-slimed tombstones, many broken off and leaning crazily like an old man's teeth, poke up from the soft, mulchy earth. In their midst stands an ancient marble crypt, its heavy iron door nearly obscured by thick draperies of ivy. The trees press close around this quiet enclave of death, leaning together over your head as if sharing secrets. A gap in the undergrowth to the southeast reveals a narrow gravel path.
  
  > look at the tombstones
  Years of neglect have left the tombstones in bad repair -- the ones not broken are eroded to near-illegibility, and those not eroded are covered with thick, sticky moss. From what you can make out, though, most of them are servants' graves. Family members were most likely buried in the larger structure in the middle of the clearing.
  
  > examine crypt
  Grimly carved letters over the door spell out a single name: "VERLAC".
  
  > Go southeast
  A gravel path starts here at the back door of the house, and marks a trail nearly overgrown by weeds and briars. It disappears into the undergrowth to the northwest, framed by crooked trees with overhanging branches that seem to form a stunted, jagged archway into the dim recesses of the forest.
  
  > Go south
  Where once pots and skillets and various utensils hung in profusion, the kitchen walls are now merely ranks of dusty cabinets and a forest of empty hooks. Doorways lead east and south, a small pantry lies to the northwest, and the back door to the north leads out of the house.
  
  > close the door
  You close the back door.
  
  > lock it
  You lock the back door.
  
  > go to the south
  Much of the elegance has faded from this room. The huge dining table running the length of it is covered with a thick gray film of dust, and the china cupboard standing against the far wall is draped in shadow. Doorways to the north and east offer little relief from the gloom. For what must be the hundredth time, you wish you could open the windows in this place.
  
  > examine the cupboard
  It's a free-standing cabinet about as tall as you are, crafted of cherrywood. The double paneled doors are closed.
  
  > open it
  The cupboard is empty; the china must have been auctioned off, in the confusion before Michael was contacted, perhaps. Down at the bottom of the cupboard is a velvet lining, where the silverware would usually be kept.
  
  > look at the lining
  The lining is soft, dusky burgundy. One corner in back is pulled up a bit and slightly torn.
  
  > move lining
  That would accomplish very little.
  
  > take the lining
  That's hardly portable.
  
  > pull the lining
  You pull the lining back a bit further and discover a thin, palm-sized journal tucked underneath it. Intrigued, you pull the little book free.
  
  > Examine book
  Which do you mean, the torn journal or the book of matches?
  
  > look at torn
  (the torn journal)
  It's a slim little book, no bigger than your hand, bound in imitation leather. The mice really have been at it; most of the pages have been chewed away.
  
  > read it
  It's a slim little book, no bigger than your hand, bound in imitation leather. The mice really have been at it; most of the pages have been chewed away.
  
  What's left of the journal reads:
  
  Desperate. Went back to the old twisting lane and found only a
  blank wall. Without the amulet, how can I resist --
  
  ...bottles, bottles...
  
  Getting worse. People I have never met smile knowingly at me in
  the street. The police believe I am a child molester, but have brought no charges against me as yet. Why? Head hurts all the time. I have turned the cellar upside-down... damn it all, where is it?
  
  Dreamed of Father again. Dreamed of Grandfather. Those horrible, red-rimmed eyes...
  
  -- into the safe, finally. 13-41-10. Won't forget THAT soon.
  Ha!
  
  CANNOT DISCOVER ENTRANCE IN THE CELLAR!!! Secret eludes me still
  but I WILL FIND IT!!! The clue is in their names, that pestilential procession of names! If I could only --
  
  The text breaks off as several more pages are missing. the last fragmented entry reads:
  
  -- will fail. There is no recourse left. I know now what I must
  do. Julia --
  
  > examine table
  It's a finely built table, a valued antique like much of the furniture in this house. It will need to be oiled after so many months of neglect, though.
  
  > Go east
  Although it appears spacious from the outside, the house's interior feels cramped and gloomy. The walls seem too close together; the ceiling is too high. The doorways, leading in several directions, are narrow and filled with shadows, and the stairs leading up to the second floor are steep and rickety. This is not a house that makes you feel welcome. It is a house that makes you feel tiny and timid, and afraid of dark places. It is a house that makes you feel alone.
  
  Your luggage is still here, spread out all over the foyer.
  
  > go to the north
  Whatever else their faults may have been, the Verlacs were evidently not ones to shun the printed word. Books line the walls from floor to ceiling in this dark-paneled, green-carpeted room, interrupted only by doorways to the east and south. A rich, brown leather armchair sits in stately repose near the window, with a polished brass pipe stand nearby completing the picture of some blue-blooded country squire's literary refuge. Once again, you are struck by how easily this place could have been the perfect home.
  
  A beautiful pair of mahogany sliding doors stand closed to the east.
  
  A section of the shelves in the western wall has slid to one side, revealing a hidden safe.
  
  Resting on the pipe stand is a sizable volume decorated with a gilded pentagram on its cover.
  
  > open safe
  There's no handle on the door; it opens when you get the combination right.
  
  You can hear Michael in the next room, typing away.
  
  > turn the dial to 13
  The tumblers tick quietly as you turn the dial to 13...
  
  > turn the dial to 41
  The tumblers tick quietly as you turn the dial to 41...
  
  > turn the dial to 10
  The tumblers tick quietly as you turn the dial to 10... and with a hollow thunk, the safe suddenly swings open.
  
  > look in safe
  In the safe are a puzzle box and a strange metal flute.
  
  > take all from safe
  puzzle box: (slipping the umbrella into the pocket of your trenchcoat to get a hand free)
  You remove the puzzle box from the safe. It's roughly the size and shape of a cigar box, carved from some dark and oddly streaked wood that you can't identify. All six surfaces are decorated in a complex arrangement of grooves and panels, most of which are illustrated with leering, demonic faces and obscene designs. As far as you can tell, it is in fact a box, and meant to be opened; however, you see no obvious way to do so.
  strange metal flute: (slipping the flashlight into the pocket of your trenchcoat to get a hand free)
  You remove the strange metal flute from the safe. It appears to be some kind of wind instrument, fashioned out of ornately carved, greenish metal. Seven holes of varying sizes are drilled along the top.
  
  > look at the faces
  It's roughly the size and shape of a cigar box, carved from some dark and oddly streaked wood that you can't identify. All six surfaces are decorated in a complex arrangement of grooves and panels, most of which are illustrated with leering, demonic faces and obscene designs. As far as you can tell, it is in fact a box, and meant to be opened; however, you see no obvious way to do so.
  
  > play the flute
  (the strange metal flute)
  You blow an open chord into the little flute, and it resonates with an eerie, metallic warble. The sound lingers in the air for a moment, then gently fades away.
  
  > turn on the light
  The flashlight emits a warm yellow beam.
  
  > Go upwards
  The ancient rungs creak alarmingly as you ascend.
  
  It's much cooler up here than in the rest of the house, and you find it hard to suppress a shiver. Grotesque, looming shadows crawl across the low, slanted ceiling, and the dust hangs thick and motionless in the air. To the west the ceiling dips even lower until the space beneath leaves hardly room enough to crawl, while to the north stands a wooden door, draped in shadows and half-hidden by the slanting eaves.
  
  > examine the door
  It's an ordinary wooden door, unremarkable except for the antique metal keyplate. Beneath the door, a thin line of faint light is barely visible.
  
  > look through the keyhole
  The keyhole is dark, as though blocked by something.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are wearing your trenchcoat, your clothes and your wedding ring; in addition, you have in your hands a strange metal flute, a puzzle box (which is closed), a torn journal, a keyring, on which are two keys (a key to the house and a key to the cellar) and a book of matches with six matches left.
  
  The pockets of your trenchcoat contain a flashlight (providing light), your umbrella, a towel, a bundle of soggy pages, a lantern and a flask (which is closed).