text: > look around
  It's like stately Wayne manor, in that it's on top of a hill, and it's very expansive and full of expensive things, but there's no labyrinthine cave system underneath it. There's even a big grandfather clock in here, that symbolizes punctuality, but it doesn't tell the time. Because it's a dream!
  
  You can go outside by going south.
  
  > pull the pendulums
  You pull on the pendulums and they detach, almost as if you were meant to carry them around with you.
  
  > take them
  You already have those.
  
  > take the expensive things
  You better not screw around with those expensive things too much. They're pretty expensive.
  
  > take the clock
  No, you can't go running around the stately manor. I don't have the creative energy to decide what's in there. Just pretend there's a curse or something on the rest of the manor, and the curse is keeping you from going to any rooms other than the one you're in. If you want to leave, you can go south.
  
  No, you don't get it. This clock is huge.
  
  > go to the south
  As you exit the manor and symbolically shed the shackles of civilization, the sweet summer wind blows like a piccolo song across your weathered brow.
  
  So, from up here in front of the stately manor, you can see all the rest of the island, which I don't know if I've mentioned this yet but my dream world has taken the form of an island. To your right, which is west of you if you're facing south, is a thick jungle, with leaves that are deep greens and purples in their colors. It symbolizes the terror and the wonderment of the unknown. But it is impenetrable to you from where you're standing.
  
  Down the hill to the southwest is a white sandy beach. I'll tell you what it symbolizes when you get there.
  
  > listen
  You can't see any such thing.
  
  The sweet summer wind is still blowing like a piccolo song.
  
  > Go southwest
  The gulf that this enchanted beach envelops is itself enchanted, or ensorcelled, with a magical glamour which makes
  everyone who sees it want to just sit around and take a break for once in their lives. It symbolizes taking a break for once in your life. Only you are able to resist this enchantment, because you alone are so incredibly uptight about getting stuff done all the time and being on time for things.
  
  Back to the northeast is the hill, and over to the west is that dark, scary jungle.
  
  A little ways out into the water is a white ship, pitching and yawing on the restless sea.
  
  A Siren is here, sitting and singing on a coral reef.
  
  > examine the jungle
  The jungle is thick, and leafy. It represents... what did I say it represented? Maybe danger?
  
  > examine Siren
  A Siren is actually supposed to be a bird-woman, I guess, but I want this sea-maid to be more like a mermaid. From the hips down she is one hundred percent fish, but from the fish up she is one hundred percent woman, with long, streaming hair.
  
  And she's singing a song, but it's not like she's gonna hypnotize you or anything. She's not evil. She symbolizes the beauty that can be found in life if you don't take everything so seriously all the time
  
  She's wearing a girdle, which is kind of a curvy belt kind of thing.
  
  > Xyzzy
  A hollow voice puts its hand over your mouth and says "Shush!"
  
  > look at the girdle
  The Siren's girdle is a pale, opalescent belt thing, pulled snug around her waist. It is the only thing she's wearing.
  
  > look at the boat
  Apparently wrecked here on the shallow reef. It's white, and shiny, like something out of a dream. I mean, it literally is in this dream that I'm describing to you right now. It symbolizes... Actually, go in there first; give me a second to think about this.
  
  > listen
  The Siren sings in what might be a Romance language, or might be random dream-syllables: "SerÃ© una ola. SerÃ© la luna. He sido
  todo,
  soy yo."
  
  > Swim
  You paddle out toward the white ship.
  
  When you are inside the ship, you realize that it symbolizes loneliness. Specifically, loneliness brought on by being an artist, which all artists suffer from deep inside their souls. This is the ship of pearl, which painters sail into the seas of paint, and which sculptors sail across seas of clay, and of marble, searching for the distant moorages of inspiration. I could keep going, but you don't seem to be as into this as I am so I guess I'll stop.
  
  The interior of the ship is lit by a pale, eerie luminescence.
  
  It looks like whatever painter or poet who piloted this craft last left their leather trunk in here.
  
  > examine the trunk
  A large leather trunk, scratched and pitted by the slings and arrows of being lugged all over the place for years and years. It symbolizes mystery. The mysterious initials OWH are inscribed on top.
  
  It has a big lock thing on it, but no keyhole: Instead, there's just two depressions in the front, in the shape of the astrological symbol for Aquarius. See? Symbolism.
  
  > open the trunk
  It seems to be locked.
  
  > put the pendulums in the depressions
  You insert the pendulums into the depressions, and they click into place. The pendulums were the symbol for Aquarius all along, and the symbol was the key to the trunk! You solved the mystery!
  
  The trunk opens, revealing a wreathÃ¨d horn.
  
  > take the horn
  You pick up the horn from the trunk; it has a strange weight to it.
  
  > examine the horn
  You find nothing of interest.
  
  It's a huge conical, spiral shell of the type you often find on islands, like in that book, Animal Farm. Wait, that's not it.
  That wasn't even on an island. What book am I thinking of?
  
  It looks like somebody has already drilled a hole in it for you to blow into.
  
  > listen to the horn
  You put your ear up to the wreathÃ¨d horn, and as if by magic you hear the soft sighing of a person in a coma, waiting to be awoken. Or maybe you're just hearing the noise of your own blood vessels, multiplied in the conical natural echo chamber. Since this is a magical dream world, it could be either one.
  
  > Taste horn
  According to the dream-logic of tastes, the wreathÃ¨d horn tastes like Bavarian cream.
  
  > examine the horn
  It's a huge conical, spiral shell of the type you often find on islands, like in that book I can't remember. Shoot, what was it?
  
  It looks like somebody has already drilled a hole in it for you to blow into.
  
  > examine the horn
  It's a huge conical, spiral shell of the type you often find on islands, like in... Oh! Lord of the Flies. I knew I'd
  remember it eventually.
  
  It looks like somebody has already drilled a hole in it for you to blow into.
  
  > Blow horn
  You start to blow into the horn, but the tremendous sound that emerges is too much for you to handle. It symbolizes the conclusion of the individuation process, which, if attained prematurely, would result in a psychological short-circuit. What I'm saying is, this is not the time or place for unleashing the power of the horn.
  
  > Swim
  You leave the ship and swim back toward the shore.
  
  The gulf that this enchanted beach envelops is itself enchanted, or ensorcelled, with a magical glamour which makes
  everyone who sees it want to just sit around and take a break for once in their lives. It symbolizes taking a break for once in your life. Only you are able to resist this enchantment, because you alone are so incredibly uptight about getting stuff done all the time and being on time for things.
  
  Back to the northeast is the hill, and over to the west is that dark, scary jungle.
  
  A little ways out into the water is a white ship, pitching and yawing on the restless sea.
  
  A Siren is here, sitting and singing on a coral reef.
  
  > listen siren
  The Siren smiles and says hello. She is extremely helpful and would love to tell you about anything you want to ask her about.
  
  I only understood you as far as wanting to listen.
  
  > ask Siren about herself
  She smiles. She says she's doing just fine, thanks for asking.
  
  > ask Siren about Nautilisia
  "You have to understand," explains the Siren, "After you solve all the puzzles, the dream will be over. It's in the nature of dreams, to end. And when the sleeper awakens, Nautilisia will be gone... only the memory of this dream land will exist in the waking world.
  
  "But someday, you might recall this island... That memory must be the real Nautilisia."
  
  She smiles. "I stole that speech from a video game."
  
  > ask Siren about the girdle
  "Do you like it?" she asks. "I got it on Etsy for like sixteen bucks."
  
  > ask Siren about horn
  When you bring up the wreathÃ¨d horn, the Siren's eyes go wide. "That horn is an artifact of tremendous psychic potential!" she whispers. "Either that, or it symbolizes psychic potential."
  
  > ask Siren about the beach
  The Siren says she isn't crazy about sand. You can't blame her, really. Sand is annoying sometime.
  
  > Dig
  The Siren sees you digging and freaks out. "Great!" she yells. "Dig it! Dig it! Dig to the center of the earth!!"
  
  > examine coral
  Coral is super scratchy, you know that? It cuts you open and then the saltwater gets in there and it stings like a mother. This dream coral symbolizes the fundamental painfulness of existence.
  
  I guess I don't know why the Siren is sitting on it then.
  
  > ask Siren about the gulf
  The Siren looks out to the sea and sighs. "This island symbolizes a lot of things," she says. "A lot of things." She sighs again.
  
  > take the coral
  That's hardly portable.
  
  > break the coral
  Don't start with that stuff. Nautilisia is a safe place, a peaceful place. Play along a little.
  
  > Sing
  When you start singing, the Siren glares at you and starts singing louder. So you stop singing.
  
  > fly
  You hop up in the air, but are unable to stay aloft. I've never been able to fly in a dream, so I'm deciding you can't fly either.
  
  > Dance
  Your dancing is abominable! Quit ruining my dream-world!
  
  > Sleep
  No, I'm already asleep. A person in a coma is always asleep basically.
  
  > Kiss siren
  The Siren isn't the type to get all sexy on you unprovoked, but since you decided to initiate things, the Siren goes ahead and rocks
  your world.
  
  > Kiss siren
  When you move in for some more action, the Siren does that thing where she pulls her head away at the last moment. So annoying.
  
  > look at the hair
  (the long streaming hair)
  Her hair is black. Long and black and wet. It's all the more black for its being wet.The strands are all tangled up after a long day of swimming around, though, and she seems a bit frustrated at this.
  
  But I can't decide whether her hair should cover up her boobs or not. I mean, maybe it's not very important, but I'm getting hung up on it anyway. For now I'm gonna say it covers up... neither boob.
  
  > examine the boobs
  As you gaze upon the Siren's boobs, which apparently the Siren does not mind you doing, I am going to decide whether they're covered up by her hair or not. It's not a completely arbitrary question, you know. This kind of detail does a lot to determine the overall tone of my dream world.
  
  I'm gonna say... just the left boob is covered up.
  
  > look at the left breast
  Oh, come on. Let's be mature, okay? Just say "boobs."
  
  > examine the boobs
  As you gaze upon the Siren's boobs, which apparently the Siren does not mind you doing, I am going to decide whether they're covered up by her hair or not. It's not a completely arbitrary question, you know. This kind of detail does a lot to determine the overall tone of my dream world.
  
  I'm gonna say... both boobs are covered up.
  
  > Brush hair
  Which do you mean, your hair or the long streaming hair?
  
  > Yes
  Yeah! Yeah, exactly.
  
  > No
  No?
  
  > go west
  I keep forgetting what this jungle is supposed to symbolize. I think it was intrigue. The branches, heavy with purple leaves, lean down toward you in a vaguely threatening way. It's a scary experience, but it's also kind of exciting. That's the fun of being in a coma-induced dream world.
  
  A rough path through the vegetation leads from the gulf to the east to a clearing in the northwest.
  
  A long vine hangs from the trees, swaying like a snake in front of your face.
  
  > examine vine
  It dances hypnotically before your vision. It's a symbol of risk. You have to take risks, see? Otherwise you can't get anywhere in life.
  
  > climb the vine
  After giving a little resistance, the vine falls to the ground, dislodging something from the branches in the process.
  
  When the entire length of the vine has fallen, it turns into a giant green snake, which slithers off into the jungle. That snake symbolizes the horrible things that can happen when you take risks.
  
  The thing you dislodged finally hits the ground. It's a shell, a venus comb. That thing could have killed you!
  
  You see what happens when you take risks?
  
  > examine comb
  It's a seashell, spiral in shape and conical in form, but it's covered in dozens of long, skinny spines, like a hairbrush designed by H.R. Giger. It symbolizes beauty as a desirable but fundamentally dangerous aspect of experience.
  
  > get the shell
  (the venus comb)
  Taken.
  
  > comb the hair
  The venus comb pokes your hand something fierce, but it straightens your hair out nicely. When I say "your hand" and "your hair" I mean "your dream-hand" and "your dream-hair," obviously.
  
  > go east
  The gulf that this enchanted beach envelops is itself enchanted, or ensorcelled, with a magical glamour which makes
  everyone who sees it want to just sit around and take a break for once in their lives. It symbolizes taking a break for once in your life. Only you are able to resist this enchantment, because you alone are so incredibly uptight about getting stuff done all the time and being on time for things.
  
  Back to the northeast is the hill, and over to the west is that dark, scary jungle.
  
  A little ways out into the water is a white ship, pitching and yawing on the restless sea.
  
  A Siren is here, sitting and singing on a coral reef.
  
  > comb long hair
  As you approach her hair with the dangerous shell, the Siren's eyes go wide.
  
  "Is this what I think it is? Where on earth did you find this? Well, anyway, thank you."
  
  She takes the comb from you and immediately starts brushing her hair.
  
  "I suppose it's customary to repay you somehow, right? Well, here."
  
  She takes off her girdle, which dream-logically turns into... something else, I guess, and hands it to you.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  a Siren's girdle
  a wreathÃ¨d horn
  
  > look at the girdle
  Now that she's not wearing it, the Siren's girdle has turned into more of a two-dimensional curvy H shape, like a crude drawing of a girdle being worn around an hourglass waist. It's still pale and opalescent, though.
  
  > go west
  I keep forgetting what this jungle is supposed to symbolize. I think it was the unknown. The branches, heavy with purple leaves, lean down toward you in a vaguely threatening way. It's a scary experience, but it's also kind of exciting. That's the fun of being in a coma-induced dream world.
  
  A rough path through the vegetation leads from the gulf to the east to a clearing in the northwest.
  
  > Go northwest
  This is an open area in the jungle, symbolizing the eye of the
  storm. It isn't the center of the jungle, but it's the center of
  your experience at this point in time. It's like the guy says: Wherever you go, there you are.
  
  The path leading back into the jungle is southeast of here, but to your north is a rock wall, carved with a curious design.
  
  > examine the design
  It's a carving, a depression kind of thing, in the shape of the astrological symbol for Pisces.
  
  > put the girdle in the carving
  The girdle, which was all along the symbol for Pisces, fits perfectly into the slot on the wall. Both of them dissolve into a silver mist. You overcame the dream logic and defeated the puzzle!
  
  This is my favorite one, by the way. Because I'm a Pisces. Anyway, good job.
  
  It turns out that behind the rock is a huge cave.