text: [Themes: Science Fiction, child protagonist, science fiction, dog]
  
  > look around
  The front yard of the house is full of color. Mother has dotted the place with flowerpots and crates, and even small patches of grass. Mother takes very good care of the yard, she says it's her small patch of paradise. There are two small and gnarly trees with needles and a brown bark that shadow the yard a bit.
  
  On the other side of the yard there is an outbuilding, which is
  painted red and white. The double doors to the outbuilding are open, it's very dark in there and you don't really want to go inside. Next
  to the outbuilding is the red outhouse.
  
  To the south is the bare rocky center of the island with all the moss and stuff, and you can get to the boat shore and the pier by going northeast. By going northwest you get to the back yard, from where you can climb to the tall hill behind the house, where the navigational cairn is.
  
  Gogol stands next to you, looking at you questioningly.
  
  > go to the northwest
  The back yard of the house is actually on the western side of the building. You just call it the back yard, since right behind the house there's the rocky hill with the navigational cairn on top of it.
  
  There is a series of clothes lines here tied to metal posts, and there are some of your father's work clothes flapping in the wind. They must be totally dry by now.
  
  There's a very narrow and steep path to the top of the hill to the north, and there's a ladder leading up to the balcony where the pilots used to keep an eye for approaching ships.
  
  Gogol trots after you.
  
  > look at the lines
  There are a couple of posts drilled into the rocky ground, and on top of them there are horizontal pieces of pipe, so each of them look like a big letter "T" There are some laundry lines tied to them, and your mother has hung up some of your father's work clothes up to dry. There's a dozen or so of overalls, jackets and trousers. They must already be bone dry with all the sunshine and the wind.
  
  > take the clothes
  Better not mess with the laundry. If you mess them up, you'll have to wash them by hand. This isn't a mistake you'll want to do more than once.
  
  > examine the ladder
  It's a ladder that leads up to the balcony on the third floor of the house. It's meant to be an escape route in case there is a fire, and
  it goes right past the radio room window.
  
  > examine the balcony
  On the eastern side of your house there's a small balcony, big enough for one man, chair and a telescope. It's where the pilots of the olden times stood watching for incoming ships.
  
  > go north
  The top of the hill is almost on the level of the roof of your house, and you have a beautiful view over the whole island. The navigational cairn is eye-blindingly bright seen up close, the white paint really shines and reflects the hazy sunlight. There is not much vegetation in here, except for some patches of crunchy and dry lichen.
  
  Gogol trots after you.
  
  > look at the rocks
  Your home island is almost completely covered by bare rock, with some hardy lichen and small brushes for vegetation.
  
  > look at the island
  Your home island is pretty small, you can run from its one end to another in a few minutes. Almost in middle of the island is your
  house, where pilots used to live in your grandfather's time. Not
  pilots like rocket-pilots, but men who guided big ships to the
  harbour. You live there with mother, father and Gogol, who is a dog. There are only a couple of trees on the island, and they are in your yard. Otherwise it's just rock and moss and lichen and things like that.
  
  There's a hill on the north side of the island and there is this navigational cairn, which is just a pile of rocks that are painted white. It's for the ships, so that they don't run to the rocks. In the eastern side of the island there's a small bay and a wavebreak, which leads to your pier. Usually there's just your boat at the pier, but sometimes sailboats come to visit. To the west of the island is the open sea, and there are usually big waves that make a loud noise.
  
  > look at the cairn
  top of it. The cairn is a pile of rocks that get painted white every year, and in the sunshine it's almost bright enough to hurth your
  eyes. It's for the ships so that they know where to go.
  
  > go south
  The back yard of the house is actually on the western side of the building. You just call it the back yard, since right behind the house there's the rocky hill with the navigational cairn on top of it.
  
  There is a series of clothes lines here tied to metal posts, and there are some of your father's work clothes flapping in the wind. They must be totally dry by now.
  
  There's a very narrow and steep path to the top of the hill to the north, and there's a ladder leading up to the balcony where the pilots used to keep an eye for approaching ships.
  
  Gogol trots after you.
  
  > Up
  You are on the ladder, right under the balcony and next to the window to the radio room. It's bright outside and the light reflects from the window pane, but you can just about make out the outline of the table and the radio in the corner of the room.
  
  Gogol is below you on the ground, waiting for you to come back down.
  
  > examine the window
  (the radio room window)
  Through the window you can see some of the furniture of the room, like a table and a radio, but nothing much. The window is latched shut from the inside.
  
  > examine table
  By cupping your hand to block the light and leaning closer to the window, you can just about make out the outline of the radio and the table it's on. The unlike the one in the living room, this radio can
  be used to talk to people too, like the ships.
  
  > Up
  This is the balcony where the pilots of the days of yore scanned the seas for incoming ships, and flashed light signals to them. Your
  father has told you how your grandfather spent his nights and days in here, looking at the horizon with a telescope, and your father had to do that sometimes too. He claims that he had to do it when he was as young as you are, but your mother has said that you shouldn't always believe what your father says.
  
  There was once a telescope here, you kind of remember seeing it when you were young, but you don't know where it has gone. You'd really
  want to find it, so you could look at the Moon and Mars, and maybe see some rocket ships!
  
  A ladder leads down from here, and to the east are the doors that lead to the pilots" room inside the house.
  
  As you start climbing up, Gogol barks at you and runs around the
  corner towards the front door of the house. When you climb over the railing of the balcony, you can hear the sound of Gogol's claws as he runs up the stairs, and appears next to you on the balcony. Smart dog!