text: [Themes: Fantasy, Seasonal, deer, winter, mall, Christmas]
  
  > look around
  A small army of animatronic elves work jerkily amidst an array of chugging and clanking toy producing machines. Dressed in festive red and green aprons, clenching mallets and bellows and hand-powered drills, they are Santa's sweatshop workforce (although you wonder how much sweating one does at the North Pole, and then remind yourself that these are animatronic elves who wouldn't sweat anyhow).
  
  A string of Christmas lights extends from a power outlet in the hedge wall, trails across the floor of the workshop, and disappears into the cluster of machines.
  
  Off to the side, a lone robotic elf stands at a tall desk working busily.
  
  You can also see a red twinkle light here.
  
  Suddenly, a whistle chirps and one of the toy machines burps a cloud of smoke. Something slides down the chute and lands in the basket with a muffled clank.
  
  > look at the basket
  A simple container at the terminus of the workshop toy chute.
  
  In the basket is a silver reindeer statue.
  
  > examine the statue
  Made of sparkling silver, the figure stands about six inches tall at the shoulder. The reindeer's antlers are small, but it has been sculpted in a particularly energetic pose, kicking its front legs into the air. You can imagine the holly wreath around its neck jostling as the animal bounds away.
  
  > Go west
  You are at the intersection of several narrow, snowy passages.
  
  From here, pathways lead to the south (back toward the entrance to Santaland), the north (back to the room with the copper panel), and the east (back to Santa's workshop).
  
  > go south
  Something about the 10-foot tall hedges and the squishy, padded astroturf under your feet has transported you away from the migraine-inducing chaos of the mall. But now the narrow pathways and tall hedges make you feel antsy and claustrophobic.
  
  From here, pathways lead to the north, the east, and the west.
  
  > Go east
  You are at the snowy intersection of several narrow passages.
  
  From here, pathways lead to the north (back to Santa's workshop), the west (back toward the entrance to Santaland), and the east.
  
  > go east
  This corner of Santaland would be indistinguishable from the neighboring passages were it not for an unexpected feature (less unexpected than it would have been earlier, though, since you have already seen something just like it).
  
  Flush with the fake hedge-wall, you see a sparkling silver panel.
  
  > examine the panel
  The upper part of the shiny panel frames a thin, horizontal window of glass. Beneath the window is a dial. A word, written in fancy calligraphy, is visible in the window: "Prancer".
  
  > examine the reindeer
  Made of sparkling silver, the figure stands about six inches tall at the shoulder. The reindeer's antlers are small, but it has been sculpted in a particularly energetic pose, kicking its front legs into the air. You can imagine the holly wreath around its neck jostling as the animal bounds away.
  
  > open the glass
  (the scented candle)
  You open the scented candle and immediately it begins making your eyes water with its piney, musky reek.
  
  > Go south
  You can't go that way.
  
  (Note: The right-hand side of the status bar displays a compass rose of possible locations to travel. Locations you have not yet visited are shown in red.)
  
  > go west
  You are at the snowy intersection of several narrow passages.
  
  From here, pathways lead to the north (back to Santa's workshop), the west (back toward the entrance to Santaland), and the east (back to the room with the silver panel).
  
  > Go north
  A small army of animatronic elves work jerkily amidst an array of chugging and clanking toy producing machines. Dressed in festive red and green aprons, clenching mallets and bellows and hand-powered drills, they are Santa's sweatshop workforce (although you wonder how much sweating one does at the North Pole, and then remind yourself that these are animatronic elves who wouldn't sweat anyhow).
  
  A string of Christmas lights extends from a power outlet in the hedge wall, trails across the floor of the workshop, and disappears into the cluster of machines.
  
  Off to the side, a lone robotic elf stands at a tall desk working busily.
  
  You can also see a red twinkle light here.
  
  > go east
  You are at the intersection of several snowy, narrow passages.
  
  From here, pathways lead to the west (back to Santa's workshop), the south (back to the room with the silver panel), and the north.
  
  > go north
  You are about to begin down the pathway to the north, when you see a small man walking south down the path toward you. He is looking down, watching his curly-toed shoes kick up drifts of styrofoam snow, and for a moment he is oblivious to your presence.
  
  When he finally looks up and notices you, he leaps back with a jolt and clutches tightly to the golden statue he is carrying.
  
  "Who...? Who are you? What are you doing here? Santaland is... It's... We're closed!"
  
  > look at the man
  The man's ears and nose are slightly pointier than most people's, and his limbs seem too long for his four-foot frame. Green tights hug skinny legs and knobby knees, then tuck into huge curly-toed shoes. His candy cane turtleneck is particularly, well, some might call it "festive". (You would call it "ugly").
  
  Speaking of adjectives, you search for one that could summarize his overall appearance. You decide on "elfin".
  
  He carries a gold statue that looks like a reindeer (or, in any case, something with antlers). It's a bit hard to get a good look because he keeps moving it nervously out of your line of sight.
  
  > look at the statue
  (the silver statue)
  Made of sparkling silver, the figure stands about six inches tall at the shoulder. The reindeer's antlers are small, but it has been sculpted in a particularly energetic pose, kicking its front legs into the air. You can imagine the holly wreath around its neck jostling as the animal bounds away.
  
  > examine the gold statue
  The statue seems to be made of gold, and it looks a bit like a reindeer. Every time you try to get a good look, though, the small man twists away and tries to shield the statue from your view.
  
  > talk to the man
  The little man is clearly upset by your presence, but you figure it couldn't hurt to ask for directions. "Look, I'm just trying to find the parking lot."
  
  "I don't... You can't..." He pauses, staring at you and groping for a response. He looks nervously back over his shoulder to the north, then jabs a finger of his oversized, green-gloved hand over your shoulder to the south. "That way!"
  
  > talk to the man
  You look south, in the direction the little man's pointing finger. "Is that the way to the parking lot? Or..."
  
  "Just go that way!" He gestures so emphatically this time that he almost drops his golden statue. "Get out of here, would you?"
  
  > talk to the man
  "Please GO, would you!?" He jabs his finger to the south.
  
  > talk to the man
  "Just GO already!"
  
  > take the statue
  (the gold statue)
  The elf twists violently away from you and swats at your hand. "No way!" he barks. "This one is mine. It's the most valuable of the set and I've already got a buyer!"
  
  > show the silver statue to man
  The little man eyes the silver statue for a moment. "Mine's better," he sneers.
  
  > show candle to the man
  Something about the little man's twitchy temperament combined with the way the he's been clutching at that statue suggests that he's not to be trusted with your things. In fact, he looks a little larcenous. Or is that lecherous? Leprous? Anyhow: he looks like he wants to steal your stuff.
  
  > ask the man about the statue
  (To communicate in Escape From Santaland, TALK TO a character.)