text: back towards the town.
  
  Joe Fanton is resting on his scythe, waiting for you to speak.
  
  > ask about the scythe
  "Is there any chance you could tell me about..." you start.
  
  "Is there any chance folks'll let me alone long enough to get the harvest in before people here start starving?" he interrupts.
  
  > ask about the harvest
  He's already told you he expects a reasonable grain harvest, but not enough to make up the shortfall due to the loss of Pascoe's land.
  
  > go to the west
  Joe Fanton resumes his reaping.
  
  The yard is an expanse of dried mud open to the east, but enclosed on the other three sides. To the west stands a large old farmhouse,
  while an equally antiquated barn lies to the south. A thick hedgerow runs along the north side, but a wooden gate half-way along allows access through.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying a plain brass key, a flint, a brass lamp, a bunch of flowers, a small gold ear-ring, and an old sheet of parchment.
  
  The flowers have quite a sweet, delicate scent.
  
  > examine the barn
  It's a large wooden building, standing tall on the south side of the yard, which has been weathered almost black.
  
  > look at the farmhouse
  The large, weathered farmhouse looks as if it has stood there for many years; it also looks like it should make a much more comfortable
  family home than most of the cottages in town.
  
  > go to the south
  Apart from a row of wooden casks along the south wall the barn seems strangely empty; presumably it'll fill up more after the harvest, but right now it's just a large empty space, about forty feet long by fifteen wide. The only way out is through the door to the north.
  
  A long wooden ladder leans against a wall.
  
  > drink the ale
  You can't do that to a smell of fermenting ale.
  
  > look in the cask
  There's no reason to disturb them.
  
  > take ladder
  Taken.
  
  > climb the ladder
  (first dropping the ladder)
  Okay, you're now standing on the ladder.
  
  > Go outside
  (off the ladder)
  Okay, you're no longer on the ladder.
  
  > get the ladder
  Taken.
  
  > go north
  The yard is an expanse of dried mud open to the east, but enclosed on the other three sides. To the west stands a large old farmhouse,
  while an equally antiquated barn lies to the south. A thick hedgerow runs along the north side, but a wooden gate half-way along allows access through.
  
  Joe Fanton enters from the east. "Hello," you say.
  
  In reply, Joe Fanton merely grunts.
  
  "And just where do you think you're going with that there ladder,
  young man?" he demands. "Put it back where you found it!"
  
  > ask Joe about the ladder
  "Is there any chance I could borrow your ladder for a short while, please?" you ask.
  
  He eyes you suspiciously, and for a moment you think he's either
  going
  to refuse right out or ask you to do a day's reaping in return, but instead he replies, "My little girl is sick with fever. If you can find a cure for her, I'll let you borrow my ladder."
  
  > ask Joe about the girl
  "What exactly is the matter with your daughter?" you ask.
  
  "Like I said, she has a fever," he tells you. "It came on
  yesterday,
  and it seems terrible fierce. She can't eat a thing and she's been moaning like a wild thing all night. My wife's doing all she can to nurse her, but she's getting no better. We're both worried out of
  our
  wits – but I must get the harvest in, the whole island's depending
  on
  it, so what can I do? So it would take a huge weight off my mind if someone would cure her."
  
  > ask Joe about the girl
  "Why do you think I can help?" you ask.
  
  "Because you're here and you want something in return," he
  replies.
  
  > go north
  (first opening the gate)
  Joe Fanton blocks your path, making a vaguely threatening gesture with his scythe. "You're not going anywhere till you put my ladder back where you found it," he tells you.
  
  > go south
  Joe Fanton watches you depart.
  
  Apart from a row of wooden casks along the south wall the barn seems strangely empty; presumably it'll fill up more after the harvest, but right now it's just a large empty space, about forty feet long by fifteen wide. The only way out is through the door to the north.
  
  > drop the ladder
  Dropped.
  
  > go north
  The yard is an expanse of dried mud open to the east, but enclosed on the other three sides. To the west stands a large old farmhouse,
  while an equally antiquated barn lies to the south. A thick hedgerow runs along the north side, but a wooden gate half-way along allows access through.
  
  you suspiciously.
  
  > Go north
  At a rough estimate this field must be a couple of acres. It is completely enclosed by hedgerows – presumably to keep the cattle in
  –
  but there are gates through the hedges to north, south, east and west. Lush grass covers the ground, which is pretty much flat.
  
  A herd of cows is gathered at one end of the field.
  
  You make sure to close the gate behind you.
  
  > examine the cows
  You've spent too much of your life at sea to be any kind of expert on cattle, so you've no way of identifying the breed. It does occur to you, however, that if the island is kept stocked with cows there must be a bull or two around, so although these cows look placid enough,
  you think it best not to interfere with them.
  
  > Moo
  The word "moo" is not necessary in this story.
  
  > Tip cow
  The story doesn't understand that command.
  
  > go east
  (first opening the east gate)
  
  You're not sure that this pasture is actually four acres, but that seems about right and you like the sound of it, so that's what you decide to call it. The pasture is open to north and south, but is bounded by a hedgerow to the west and a forest to the east. A track leads eastwards into the forest while a wooden gate allows passage
  west through the hedgerow.
  
  A flock of sheep is grazing here.
  
  A young shepherd is wandering round the field, tending to the sheep.
  
  You make sure to close the gate behind you.
  
  One of the sheep wanders to a new patch of grass. The others follow.
  
  > Baa
  The word "baa" is not necessary in this story.
  
  > talk to the shepherd
  Every time you approach him to speak with him, the young shepherd retreats to the opposite side of the field.
  
  > look at the shepherd
  He looks very young, little more than a boy, with a tousled mop of brown hair.
  
  > examine the sheep
  They look every bit as white and woolly as you would expect.
  
  Some of the sheep move a little way across the field.
  
  > examine the gate
  It's just a plain five-barred wooden gate. It's closed.
  
  > Go east
  This narrow track is in some danger of becoming overgrown. It is
  still possible to follow the track to east or west, but it would be quite impossible to proceed in any other direction.
  
  > Go east
  The main path leads north and south through the forest; it's easily wide enough for three or four people to walk abreast. A much narrower track runs off to the west, so overgrown that it would be quite easy
  to miss. An equally narrow track sneaks off to the east.
  
  > Go south
  This sizeable clearing, roughly oval in shape, is situated at the junction of several paths leading to north, south, west, northeast and southeast. At the centre of the clearing stands a large wooden hut, which can be entered to the east.
  
  > enter the hut
  (first trying to open the door)
  The door seems to be locked.
  
  > knock on the door
  You knock on the door but no one answers.
  
  > examine the hut
  It's a single-storey building of reasonably solid construction, a little under twenty feet long and ten deep.
  
  > go west
  This part of the wood feels shaded almost to the point of being claustrophobic; the trees round about grow so densely together that
  the only viable options for travel are to follow the path east or
  west.
  
  > Go west
  Ripe wheat sways gently in the breeze the length and breadth of this large level field. Some way off to the west lies a farmyard, while directly to the east stands a large wood. To the north the field eventually runs into open pasture; to the south, a rough farm track leads back towards the town.
  
  Joe Fanton is at work, harvesting the wheat with a scythe.
  
  > go east
  This part of the wood feels shaded almost to the point of being claustrophobic; the trees round about grow so densely together that
  the only viable options for travel are to follow the path east or
  west.
  
  > Go east
  This sizeable clearing, roughly oval in shape, is situated at the junction of several paths leading to north, south, west, northeast and southeast. At the centre of the clearing stands a large wooden hut, which can be entered to the east.
  
  > Go south
  area, so presumably it was once planned as an orchard, although it now seems more like a southern extension of the wood. It is perhaps the spread of undergrowth that creates the impression of a gradual return to nature; although sporadic attempts have been made to clear it to ease access to the trees, elsewhere it grows thick, tangled and impenetrable, with the result that though the trees are widely spaced you can only go through them to north, south or east.
  
  > examine the trees
  The trees here are laden with apples ripe for picking.
  
  > get the apple
  The apples are out of reach.
  
  > climb the tree
  The last time you tried climbing something that tall and upright it ended in disaster; you're in no hurry to repeat the experience.
  
  > go south
  The stream runs swiftly by towards the east, racing away from the
  large mill, the back end of which effectively blocks your path west.
  A short way back from the stream to the north lies a large orchard –
  or at least, a large number of apple trees forming the southern end of the wood. You can follow the bank a short way to the east, but only until the stream begins plunging down its final descent into the sea, so you will effectively be diverted to the northeast.
  
  > examine the stream
  (the stream)
  The stream descends a sharp fall to the west, and then continues to race eastward. It's too wide to cross, being almost large enough to count as a small river.
  
  > Drink water
  You kneel down by the water's edge and cup a handful of water from
  the
  stream. It tastes cool and fresh.
  
  > Go northeast
  This part of the cliff is some way above the sea; it is thus also some way above the large bay directly to the south, and there seems to be
  no way down into that bay from here. Instead you can skirt the bay to the southwest, or continue northwards along the cliff top. There are also paths running into the wood to west and northwest.
  
  > Go northwest
  This sizeable clearing, roughly oval in shape, is situated at the junction of several paths leading to north, south, west, northeast and southeast. At the centre of the clearing stands a large wooden hut, which can be entered to the east.
  
  > Go northeast
  The main path runs north-south along the cliff top, affording an excellent view of the sea all the way. Other paths run west and southwest into the woods.
  
  > go south
  This part of the cliff is some way above the sea; it is thus also some way above the large bay directly to the south, and there seems to be
  no way down into that bay from here. Instead you can skirt the bay to the southwest, or continue northwards along the cliff top. There are also paths running into the wood to west and northwest.
  
  > Go north
  The main path runs north-south along the cliff top, affording an excellent view of the sea all the way. Other paths run west and southwest into the woods.
  
  > Go north
  The sand on this beach looks as dead as the dusty soil inland to the west. The northern end of the beach is blocked by the mountain range, the eastern end of which juts out into the sea; to the south, however, the cliff is accessible via a gentle slope.
  
  > Go west
  This must once have been part of the forest that you can see to the south, but this section is now dead. Lifeless stumps protrude from
  the sickly soil, surrounded by fallen trunks and branches, all alike leeched a pale grey as if turned to ash by some terrible fire. But there are no scorch marks or other signs of burning, so you're sure
  no
  flames caused this. The ground has been half cleared, perhaps with
  the most usable of the dead wood taken for kindling, but there's been no systematic attempt to clear the area; given the sorry state of the soil there'd be no point. The barren land continues to east and
  west,
  while a path leads due south into the still living forest.
  
  > examine the stumps
  The barren stumps, which are starting to rot, are all that's left of the trees that once grew here. It looks as if most of the trees may have been cut down to salvage the wood from them before the blight rendered them useless.
  
  > go to the west
  The barren wasteland continues to east and west, hemmed in between the mountain range to the north and dense forest to the south.
  Immediately to the north is the entrance to an old mine. The only possible way up the mountain would be via the foothills to the northwest.
  
  > Go west
  If anything once grew here there's no sign of it now; the barren, desolate ground stretches as far as you can see to east and west, although there's a grassy pasture some way off to the south. To the north lie the foothills of a ridge of tall mountains running east-west across the island.
  
  > Go south
  The pasture is open to north and south, but is bounded by a hedgerow
  to the west and a forest to the east. A track leads eastwards into
  the forest while a wooden gate allows passage west through the hedgerow.
  
  A flock of sheep is grazing here.
  
  The young shepherd is wandering round the field, tending to the sheep.
  
  > go to the north
  If anything once grew here there's no sign of it now; the barren, desolate ground stretches as far as you can see to east and west, although there's a grassy pasture some way off to the south. To the north lie the foothills of a ridge of tall mountains running east-west across the island.
  
  > Go west
  This was obviously the centre of what was once a farm; an abandoned farmhouse stands on the north side of this patch of barren wasteland (which continues for many furlongs to east and west). Some way off to the south a wooden gate allows access through a sickly hedgerow.
  
  > Go west
  There is total desolation here: nothing but dead, grey soil all across the flat landscape, finally merging with a marsh to the north. Some way to the east lies a derelict farmhouse, while to the west the land slopes down into a small bay. The only signs of living vegetation are off in the far distance to the south.
  
  A strange woman is busily studying the ground.
  
  > examine the woman
  Her precise age is hard to judge, she could be in her twenties or thirties. Her face is round but not unattractive, and her figure is not too plump, but her most striking feature is the mass of frizzy mouse-coloured hair that tumbles over her shoulders and most of the
  way down her back.
  
  > talk to the woman
  "Hello there," you say.
  
  "Hello, I'm Meg," she introduces herself, "and yes, before you
  ask,
  I'm the one they call 'mad Meg', but I hope you'll make up your
  own
  mind about my sanity."
  
  (You could ask her about the blight, the island, herself, or Cadan Pascoe, ask her what she's doing, or tell her about Joe Fanton's daughter, yourself, or the priest.)
  
  > tell her about yourself
  "My name's James Corby, by the way," you say. "Lieutenant
  James
  Corby, of His Britannic Majesty's frigate Niobe."
  
  "Sounds like a bit of a mouthful to me," she complains, "so
  I'll just
  call you James and you can call me Meg."
  
  > ask her about her
  "Tell me about yourself, Meg," you say.
  
  "What would you like to know?" she smiles lightly. "Well – I
  live by
  myself in a hut in the woods, so people think me strange. I've
  learned how to use a few herbs for healing, so people call me a witch. And – well, maybe I don't always see things the way most people
  seem
  to."
  
  > Continue
  "Are you happy, living all by yourself in the wood, or do you get lonely?" you wonder.
  
  "Perhaps it's for the best," she replies.
  
  > Keep going
  "How do you come to be living all by yourself, away from the town?"
  you want to know.
  
  "It suits me, and it suits the townsfolk," she shrugs. "We get
  on
  better at a distance."
  
  > Keep going
  "Don't you have any family?" you inquire.
  
  "None to speak of," she tells you. "I have no husband or
  children if
  that's what you mean, and I was born out of wedlock. My father never acknowledged me, and my mother – well, both my parents are dead
  now."
  
  > Continue
  She's already told you as much as she wants to for now: she lives
  alone in the woods, but people come to her for simple healing with herbs. She has no family to speak of since she was born out of
  wedlock and her parents are both dead.
  
  > ask about the herbs
  "Meg, what do you know about...?" you try to ask.
  
  "Not now," she stops you with a shake of the head.
  
  > tell meg about the fever
  "I've just been talking to Joe Fanton," you tell her, "He's
  very
  worried about his little girl. Apparently she has a high fever – he asked me to cure her, but I wouldn't know where to start!"
  
  "And you think I might," she surmises. "I might at that. I
  imagine
  he hoped you'd come to me – he just didn't want to make a direct approach himself, because I have a reputation as a – well. I think I can mix a little something that should cure her, but not till I get home. And there's something I'd like you to do for me first; will
  you
  do that?"
  
  (You could say yes or no, or ask what she wants you to do.)
  
  > ask what
  "What do you want me to do?" you ask.
  
  "Collect some more seaweed," she replies briskly. "The best
  place is
  the shore just to the west of here. I'm sure the seaweed is doing
  some good, but I could do with another pair of hands. Will you do
  that for me?"
  
  > Yes
  "Sure – why not?" you agree.
  
  "Really?" she replies. "You do surprise me! I thought – well,
  never
  mind what I thought, it doesn't really matter unless and until I see you come back with an armful of seaweed!"
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying a plain brass key, a flint, a brass lamp, a bunch of flowers, a small gold ear-ring, and an old sheet of parchment.
  
  The flowers have quite a sweet, delicate scent.
  
  > give the flowers to Meg
  "You promised you'd bring me some seaweed," she reminds you.
  "Prove
  to me that you're a man of your word!"
  
  > go west
  "Goodbye!" she calls after you, before returning to her inspection
  of
  the ground.
  
  The water lapping the sand seems to be the only thing moving here;
  just about everything else is as dead as the wasteland lying directly east, unless you count the few feeble strands of seaweed dying on the rocks. To the northeast the bay ends in a treacherous-looking marsh, while to the south it is bounded by a cliff jutting out into the sea. The slope up to the cliff-top looks a relatively easy climb.
  
  The odour of rotting seaweed assaults your nostrils.
  
  > get the seaweed
  Those few pathetic strands of dying weed are obviously not worth bothering with. Meg must want more seaweed than that.
  
  > look at the cliff
  The cliff enclosing the southern end of the beach juts out into the sea; the slope leading up to the top of the cliff looks easy to climb.
  
  The odour of rotting seaweed assaults your nostrils.
  
  > Smell
  The flowers have quite a sweet, delicate scent.
  
  The odour of rotting seaweed assaults your nostrils.
  
  You've spent enough of your life at sea scarcely to notice how it smells usually, but this sea smells distinctive, and somehow
  wrong. It's hard to put your finger on it precisely: it
  smells salty as you would expect, but there's something else, the
  kind
  of sharp, bitter smell – almost a taste – that you'd associate
  with a
  brewing thunderstorm were there any other sign of a storm brewing, but there isn't, and even then it's not quite that smell
  either.
  Your eyes are drawn to the mist a few hundred yards out from shore, as if sensing that that is somehow to blame.
  
  > go south
  You scramble up the slope and arrive at the cliff-top.
  
  the large field of barley lying directly to the east, no attempt has been made to cultivate this broad stretch of land at the top of the cliff, and it has instead been left to wild grass and weeds. To a first approximation this clifftop is a semicircle overlooking the sea to the west and small bays to north and south, both of which look accessible down reasonably gentle slopes.
  
  > Go south
  High cliffs hem in this cove on every side except the west, which is open to the sea. To south and east the cliffs are too steep to climb, but the slope up to the north cliff looks gentler. There's also a narrow cave entrance to the southeast.
  
  A mass of slimy green seaweed lies on the shore.
  
  > get the seaweed
  You pick up a few pieces of the nasty stuff, but find you can't bear
  to hang on to it, let alone pick up a large pile to carry away with your bare hands; in any case, it would be too awkward to carry like that.
  
  > search the seaweed
  You can't see anything in the seaweed.
  
  > About yourself
  You look a bit bedraggled from your watery misadventure, but otherwise unscathed. But then you're young and healthy, with a complexion
  tanned by years at sea.
  
  You are carrying a plain brass key, a flint, a brass lamp, a bunch of flowers, a small gold ear-ring, and an old sheet of parchment.
  
  The flowers have quite a sweet, delicate scent.
  
  > remove the pants
  The word "pants" is not necessary in this story.
  
  > Go southeast
  Cave (in the dark)
  You can't see much in here, apart from the cave exit to the
  northwest,
  but the space feels confined.
  
  > Light lamp
  (with the flint)
  You light the lamp by striking a spark from the flint.
  
  'Cave' is almost an exaggeration; this space is little more than a hollow in the rock with barely enough room to stand. It's not quite true to say that you could touch opposite walls of the cave with arms outstretched, but it's not far from the truth. The way back out is
  to
  the northwest, while a narrow tunnel at the rear of the cave runs off to the southeast.
  
  The lamp starts to flicker.
  
  > go southeast
  You daren't go exploring any further in the dark with a lamp that
  might go out at any moment.
  
  The lamp grows dim.
  
  > Extinguish the lamp
  You douse the lamp.
  
  It takes a moment or two for your eyes to adjust to the poor light.
  
  > go to the north-west
  High cliffs hem in this cove on every side except the west, which is open to the sea. To south and east the cliffs are too steep to climb, but the slope up to the north cliff looks gentler. There's also a narrow cave entrance to the southeast.
  
  A mass of slimy green seaweed lies on the shore.
  
  > Go north
  the large field of barley lying directly to the east, no attempt has been made to cultivate this broad stretch of land at the top of the cliff, and it has instead been left to wild grass and weeds. To a first approximation this clifftop is a semicircle overlooking the sea to the west and small bays to north and south, both of which look accessible down reasonably gentle slopes.
  
  > Go east
  You're no farmer, but it looks to you as if the barley is starting to ripen. The field is bounded by hedgerows to east, south, and north, but the northern hedgerow has almost died away to nothing, and no longer forms a barrier to progress north, while a wooden gate allows access to the east. To the west the field carr