text: [Themes: Humor]
  
  Dear Blogreaders,
  yesterday was even stranger than last year's New Year's Eve! Paul invited me again, even though the police have been bothering him about this disappeared German and his parents were quite angry about the golf cart in his pool. I hadn't seem him in some weeks, so I was quite nervous when I knocked. He rushed towards me, smiled and hugged me. Little did I know that this would turn into...
  
  The Day I mauled Mao!
  
  Paul, his brown hair in cute little Rastas, lets go of you and looks you up and down. "You look great. You know, we should dance. But I need a little help first." You sigh. He shakes his head quite seriously. "No, nothing like last year - please. I have a table with champagne outside. Well, you heard of the Thompson's Gazelles which have escaped the zoo a few days ago? One of them is out there now, sipping all the Crystal! You need to get the foul beast away from my beverages." He looks down. "But please don't hurt the graceful creature." He pats you on the back and is gone."
  
  A small hallway, brightly lit by a row of neon lights. Dark wooden stairs lead upwards, and a doorframe opens west into the Living Room. A small door under the stairs lead into a storage closet. (Referred to by Paul only as "The Potter Room".)
  Your steps don't make any sound on the the thick, red carpet.
  
  You can see a chest of drawers (closed) here.
  
  [Author's Note: In this game, you once again play as Alex, a young gay man attending another New Year's Eve party at your boyfriend Paul's. Paul keeps having unexpected problems at his parties, like this Thompson's gazelle from the zoo lapping up all the champagne. Fortunately for Paul, the police never caught you and you're good at solving problems.]
  
  > examine the drawers
  A chest of drawers, some cheap, flashy IKEA thing.
  
  > open it
  You open the chest of drawers, revealing a sticker.
  
  > examine the sticker
  A small, rectangular sticker, reading: "HAUL-ALL AIR MAIL. Just slap this sticker on anything in the Outdoors you want to have delivered, and we will use our perfectly legal and ethical GPS locator and grab it before you know it." Looks like Paul postponed sending the Christmas present for his hated Uncle Wally again, because his address is already on the sticker.
  
  > get it
  Taken.
  
  > About yourself
  As good-looking as ever.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  a sticker
  
  > open the small door
  You open the small door and cram yourself into the Potter room.
  
  Shelves are nailed to the leaning wall. On them, some useless tools gather dust.
  
  There is a Sugar glider nuclear shelter here.
  
  A big box of fire works for later.
  
  > look at the shelter
  A nuclear shelter for Pauls mum's pet sugar glider. You might call her overprotective and stupid. She was, towards Paul, including that classic line: "Have you tried not being gay?"
  
  > look at the tools
  Every shelf carries its own heap of rusty, quite useless tools.
  
  > Open shelter
  You open the Nuclear shelter.
  
  > look in it
  The Nuclear shelter is empty.
  
  > Leave
  You can see a chest of drawers (empty) here.
  
  > go to the west
  Before the party people invaded it, this was a spacious, cozy room, which one of those big, expensive TV's. Now, you have to wade through thick smoke to escape either eastwards to the hallway or to the Kitchen and the Pool beyond to the South.
  
  Some people sit on the two comfortable couches, sharing joints and talking about the greatly anticipated "Bedtime story."
  
  Between the two couches is a huge heap of purses and backpacks.
  
  > look at the purses
  Most people arrived directly from last-minute College courses and brought their stuff with them.
  
  > ask the people about the tom waits
  You have to save this party before you can participate in the idle chat.
  
  > Examine tv
  It's one of those big, plasma things. Pauls parents bought it in Paris, and they had some trouble getting it connected. It's currently switched off, because some joker hid the remote.
  
  > turn tv on
  Not possible without the remote.
  
  > go south
  The main feature of this room is the impressive glass door, which leads south, to the pool. All benches and counters are weighted down with random food stuff, brought by the party goers. Of course, there are more people here than in the living room.
  
  People stand around, glasses or plates in hand, happily munching and talking.
  
  On the counter next to the sink sits Paul's laptop. It's plugged in, but also has the battery in it. That's just wasteful on the batteries life span. Wires connect it to some small speakers, providing music. Right now, it's playing:"Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's 9th".
  
  > get the battery
  Taken.
  
  > Go south
  Pauls Parents are rather fond of this small pool. It's surrounded by some deck-chairs. The eastern and western garden walls are overgrown with undergrowth, so as to hide the family members going for a seamelss tan. This wasn't necessary for the southern wall, wich is quite high, because it borders on a Golf course (Pauls told you they find the occasional golf ball in the pool nonetheless.)
  
  A long paste table is standing here. A white table-cloth has been draped over it, to give it some glamour. The result, contrary to IF conventions, is quite good. Champagne glasses are arranged on it in neat rows.
  
  On the table is a glass of champagne.
  
  A Thomson's gazelle is standing here, swaying a bit, gently licking Champagne from the long glasses.
  
  A small flock of people is lying around in the deck-chairs, most of them still dressed, waving drinks and mumbling to each other in the afternoon glow.They shot occasional glances at the gazelle, but weirder things happen at parties in this part of town.
  
  > put the sticker on gazelle
  Carefully approaching the gazelle, you gently slap the sticker on its black stripe.
  You take a step back, hit "z" a few times, and soon hear the sound of a helicopter approaching. It hovers over the party, blowing drinks off the table and leaves into the pool. It then lowers a metallic claw and gently grasps the gazelle, who is to drunk to be scared. She shakes her heard and lookes down at you with those dull eyes, then she is heaved away and out of sight.