text: [Themes: biblical, religion, Christianity]
  
  > Look around
  This is where the family keeps the wine and the olive oil. It is a cool, windowless room; the kitchen proper is up some steps to the east.
  
  A broken set of shelves lies shattered and scattered across the floor.
  
  You can also see Little Orphan Anna here.
  
  > examine the shelves
  You always knew that this was how those shelves were going to end up. At least no-one got hurt.
  
  > take the shelves
  The splintered shelving may be pointy, but trying to take it would be worse than pointless.
  
  > examine the steps
  You want to be careful going up and down these steps. they're rather steep and dark.
  
  > look at the door
  The door to the garden is old and battered and wide open. Through it, you can just make out the peace and quiet of the garden itself.
  
  > go south
  Rather annoyingly, Anna trails along behind you like a lost sheep.
  
  The courtyard is a large and spacious place, but the crush of wedding guests makes it seem a lot smaller. Off to the west, the guests gather in smaller, tighter groups under the hanging lamps, and you can see the bridal table to the south. You could retreat north to the kitchen (not that that would be any better) or northeast to the entryway. The bridal chamber is to the east, its doorway screened by an elaborate curtain.
  
  You can see the bridesmaid, the one you rescued from the ancient mariner, mingling with the guests.
  
  You can also see Little Orphan Anna here.
  
  > Go west
  Rather annoyingly, Anna trails along behind you like an Egyptian plague.
  
  The guests gather in clumps along the western periphery of the courtyard, under the glow of the hanging lamps. Of particular note is the more scholarly crowd, clustered around the venerable old Rabbi.
  The rest of the courtyard is to east and southeast.
  
  The Rabbi is holding court with a crowd of would-be scholars, among whom you recognise Lazarus of Bethany.
  
  Mary of Bethany hovers on the periphery, largely ignored by the learned men.
  
  You can also see Little Orphan Anna here.
  
  You hear the guests chattering on: "...his mother-in-law, would you believe it? Of course he never quite forgave...."
  
  > look at Mary
  It seems like every woman is named Mary these days, but this particular Mary is an odd one. She can usually be found hanging about wherever there are learned men having learned discourse; and they say she wants to be a female Rabbi. As if.
  
  You hear the guests chattering on: "...wagon driven by a pack of drunken scoundrels. She was barely more than...."
  
  > ask Mary about Rabbi
  Mary listens attentively, but has little to tell you.
  
  > ask Mary about John
  "He's certainly very learned. I could listen to him for hours. I haven't seen him this evening, though."
  
  > examine Rabbi
  Zechariah, the Rabbi, is a venerable and ancient man, a learned and highly respected member of the community. Now if only he would shut up once in a while. You've heard it said that he was struck dumb with surprise when he heard he was going to be a father -- given his age and the age of his wife, anyone would be -- and remained that way until his son John was born. But you can hardly believe it.
  
  You hear the guests chattering on: "...in the middle of winter.
  Anyway, she was lost and...."
  
  > examine Lazarus
  Lazarus of Bethany is a pale, somewhat sickly-looking fellow who was invited along with his sisters Mary and Martha. Martha fusses over him something awful, and you suspect that he brought Little Anna into his household just to divert some of Martha's attention away from himself.
  
  > ask Lazarus about Anna
  Lazarus of Bethany is rather too involved in the ongoing discussion with the Rabbi to pay much attention to what you have to say.
  
  > ask Mary about the bridesmaid
  Mary listens attentively, but has little to tell you.
  
  You hear the guests chattering on: "...so the diplomat grabbed the elephant's ear, and...."
  
  > ask Mary about the wine
  Mary listens attentively, but has little to tell you.
  
  > ask Mary about Mary
  (Mary of Bethany)
  Mary listens attentively, but has little to tell you.
  
  You hear the guests chattering on: "...must be starving! So I left a platter of her favourite sweetmeats...."
  
  > go to the southeast
  Rather annoyingly, Anna trails along behind you like a little lost puppy.
  
  The lamps are brightest here, where the main table overlooks the crush of wedding guests to the north and northwest. The family's main sleeping quarters are beyond, to the south, but no-one has any business going there.
  
  The happy couple sit here, accepting congratulations and well wishes, and occasionally exchanging shy glances as if they'd only just met.
  
  You can also see Little Orphan Anna here.
  
  Mary, the bride, is about to take a sip from her cup when a guest comes up to offer her congratulations. Mary puts down her cup to thank the guest and promptly forgets about it.
  
  > pour the cup in the bucket
  You don't really want to draw any attention to that, under the circumstances.
  
  You hear the guests chattering on: "...a terrible snob, but you won't find a more honest man...."
  
  > examine the cup
  Clopas and Mary have been so busy receiving everyone's well-wishes, and with making eyes at each other, that they've barely had time to touch their cups. Under the circumstances, this is probably a good thing.
  
  > examine Clopas
  As far as employers go, Clopas is not a bad sort. He was rather fearfully late coming in -- his story was that he had to stop and give a hand to some poor Samaritan traveller who'd been set upon by bandits -- and then when he finally did arrive, a bunch of bridesmaids who'd been caught unprepared were sent packing. That's just the kind of guy he is: a bit hard and uncompromising, but always willing to bend over backwards if you need help.
  
  > ask Clopas about Lazarus
  Clopas seems rather pre-occupied with all the complicated business of being a newlywed. It would be a shame to disturb him.
  
  You hear the guests chattering on: "...his mother-in-law, would you believe it? Of course he never quite forgave...."
  
  > ask Mary about Lazarus
  Mary seems rather pre-occupied with the complicated business of being a newlywed. It would be a shame to disturb her.
  
  Clopas reaches for his cup just as a guest decides to offer her congratulations. Clopas sets down his cup again, reluctantly, to do the polite thing and exchange some small talk with the guest.
  
  > Go north
  Rather annoyingly, Anna trails along behind you like a guilty conscience.
  
  The courtyard is a large and spacious place, but the crush of wedding guests makes it seem a lot smaller. Off to the west, the guests gather in smaller, tighter groups under the hanging lamps, and you can see the bridal table to the south. You could retreat north to the kitchen (not that that would be any better) or northeast to the entryway. The bridal chamber is to the east, its doorway screened by an elaborate curtain.
  
  You can see the bridesmaid, the one you rescued from the ancient mariner, mingling with the guests.
  
  You can also see Little Orphan Anna here.
  
  > go southeast
  You can't go that way.
  
  You hear the guests chattering on: "...rhubarb. Rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb. Rhubarb...?"
  
  > ask the bridesmaid about the story
  "There was a ship...." the bridesmaid describes the voyage of the mariner's ship, which seems mundane enough. "But that's only the beginning," she says.
  
  You hear the guests chattering on: "...wagon driven by a pack of drunken scoundrels. She was barely more than...."
  
  > wait awhile
  Time passes.
  
  > ask the bridesmaid about the story
  The bridesmaid continues the story, describing a curse which befalls the mariner and his crew.
  
  You hear the guests chattering on: "...honour one's father and mother. Say what you like, he's always done his duty by her...."
  
  > continue
  The bridesmaid continues the story, describing the nightmarish fate of the mariner's crew and the terrible visions that plagued him.
  
  > Continue
  "That's all there is to it, I think," says the bridesmaid, shrugging.
  
  > Continue
  "That's all there is to it, I think," says the bridesmaid, shrugging.
  
  You hear the guests chattering on: "...such a temper. Their mother's ambitious, though, and won't rest until...."
  
  > Go north
  Rather annoyingly, Anna trails along behind you like Raphael following Tobias, but with significantly less divine intent.
  
  The kitchen is dim and smoky and cluttered, the result of the chaos of preparing for the wedding, currently underway in the courtyard to the south. In the northeast corner, the door to the garden stands wide open, in the hopes of letting in some cool air. Down some steps to the west is the winery.
  
  You can see Little Orphan Anna here.
  
  > ask Anna about Rabbi
  "That's Uncle Zechariah. He's dreadfully old; I can't imagine being that old, can you? And you know, he never stops talking. I remember once Martha filled up his cup with the best wine, but he was so busy talking to Mary and Lazarus that he just put the cup down and forgot about it. Well, Mary and Lazarus and Mary like to listen, but I thought it was a little rude. Martha tells me so all the time. Anna, she says, this non-stop chatter is very tiresome. But of course she nevers tells Uncle Zechariah that to his face, because he's a very important person. But she always makes sure I'm helping her in the kitchen when Uncle Zechariah visits, so I don't get bored."
  
  > go south
  Rather annoyingly, Anna trails along behind you like an Egyptian plague.
  
  The courtyard is a large and spacious place, but the crush of wedding guests makes it seem a lot smaller. Off to the west, the guests gather in smaller, tighter groups under the hanging lamps, and you can see the bridal table to the south. You could retreat north to the kitchen (not that that would be any better) or northeast to the entryway. The bridal chamber is to the east, its doorway screened by an elaborate curtain.
  
  You can see the bridesmaid, the one you rescued from the ancient mariner, mingling with the guests.
  
  You can also see Little Orphan Anna here.
  
  > Go west
  Rather annoyingly, Anna trails along behind you like a red-headed shadow.
  
  The guests gather in clumps along the western periphery of the courtyard, under the glow of the hanging lamps. Of particular note is the more scholarly crowd, clustered around the venerable old Rabbi.
  The rest of the courtyard is to east and southeast.
  
  The Rabbi is holding court with a crowd of would-be scholars, among whom you recognise Lazarus of Bethany.
  
  Mary of Bethany hovers on the periphery, largely ignored by the learned men.
  
  You can also see Little Orphan Anna here.
  
  You notice Mary of Bethany in deep conversation with one of the guests. Or rather, the guest is talking and Mary is listening intently. As the guest moves on towards the main courtyard area, Mary follows along behind, still listening intently and apparently not noticing the change of location.
  
  > ask Anna about Lazarus
  "Martha worries about him because he's not very strong, but he's very smart. Everybody says he's going to be High Priest some day, if he lives long enough. They don't say that last part to his face, of course, and both Martha and Mary get very upset when they hear it.
  They say it's bad luck, but Lazarus says that if his time comes early, then that's just the way it is."
  
  > Go east
  Rather annoyingly, Anna trails along behind you like Raphael following Tobias, but with significantly less divine intent.
  
  The courtyard is a large and spacious place, but the crush of wedding guests makes it seem a lot smaller. Off to the west, the guests gather in smaller, tighter groups under the hanging lamps, and you can see the bridal table to the south. You could retreat north to the kitchen (not that that would be any better) or northeast to the entryway. The bridal chamber is to the east, its doorway screened by an elaborate curtain.
  
  Mary of Bethany is listening as one of the guests spills his life story to her.
  
  You can see the bridesmaid, the one you rescued from the ancient mariner, mingling with the guests.
  
  You can also see Little Orphan Anna here.
  
  The guest, continuing his story, strolls off towards the bridal table. Mary of Bethany follows after, still hanging on to his every word.
  
  You hear the guests chattering on: "...of course no-one likes a tax-collector, but what can you do? At least he's...."
  
  > Go north
  Rather annoyingly, Anna trails along behind you like an annoying following thing that follows.
  
  The kitchen is dim and smoky and cluttered, the result of the chaos of preparing for the wedding, currently underway in the courtyard to the south. In the northeast corner, the door to the garden stands wide open, in the hopes of letting in some cool air. Down some steps to the west is the winery.
  
  You can see Little Orphan Anna here.
  
  > go to the northeast
  Rather annoyingly, Anna trails along behind you like the sort of disciple no prophet ever wants.
  
  This rather large garden supplements the family's table with a few fruits and vegetables throughout the year. Currently, it's about the only peaceful place on the property. The kitchen is back to the southwest, and a passage leads south to the main entryway. There is a stand of fig trees off to the northwest.
  
  You can see Little Orphan Anna here.
  
  > look at the garden
  This rather large garden supplements the family's table with a few fruits and vegetables throughout the year. Currently, it's about the only peaceful place on the property. The kitchen is back to the southwest, and a passage leads south to the main entryway. There is a stand of fig trees off to the northwest.
  
  > go to the northwest
  Rather annoyingly, Anna trails along behind you like a little lost puppy.
  
  This is about as far from the maddening crowd as you can get, without actually leaving the house. The fig trees provide shade in the daytime, and the air is pleasantly cool; this time of the evening, though, it's rather darker and more shadowy than you care for. The garden itself is to the southeast.
  
  John, the Rabbi's son, lounges sullenly against a tree, hugging a nearly-full jug of wine to himself.
  
  You can also see Little Orphan Anna here.
  
  > ask John about Rabbi
  "Father wanted me to make an appearance. That's the only reason I'm here at all."
  
  > ask John about the soldiers
  John sniffs disdainfully, but declines to say anything.
  
  > Kiss john
  Keep your mind on the game.
  
  > ask John about John
  "John ben Zechariah, commonly called the Baptist. What, you really didn't recognise me in this monkey suit (Hebrew unclear - SD.) my father made me put on?"
  
  > Xyzzy
  Is that supposed to be Punic? Your accent is execrable.