text: [Themes: Children's, kid-friendly, child, witch]
  
  > go downwards
  (off of the car)
  Okay, you're no longer on the car.
  
  > get the lid
  You are already carrying the trash can lid.
  
  > Close can
  You put the lid back on the trash can.
  
  > go to the north
  (first trying to open the garage door)
  It seems to have been shut for so long that the most recent layer of paint has sealed it up.
  
  > open the door
  It seems to have been shut for so long that the most recent layer of paint has sealed it up.
  
  > Go south
  The driveway continues northward along the side of the house, where an old gray car is parked, and leads south out to sidewalk and beyond it the street. On the east the driveway is bordered by a high fence, and Mrs. Pepper's front yard lies to the west.
  
  > Go west
  The front yard is mostly bare dirt and burned-out brown lawn, except for a few hardy weeds. A paved walkway crosses it, leading from the sidewalk on the south up to the front porch on the north. The driveway runs past the yard on the east side, and a tall fence guards what must be the neighbors' yard on the west. Growing next to the walkway is a scraggly, half-dead tree.
  
  As you're crossing the front yard, a momentary lull in the traffic noise allows you to hear something very odd. Weakly, somewhere in the near distance, a voice is crying, "Help me! Oh, please, help me!" The voice is high-pitched and very hoarse, as if whoever is calling for help can barely speak at all.
  
  You stop dead in your tracks, looking around to see where the voice might be coming from. It seems to be coming from the upstairs window in Mrs. Pepper's house. You stare hard at the window, and for a moment it seems something might be moving there -- but you can't make out what it might be. After a moment the movement stops, and the voice falls silent.
  
  Could it have been your imagination? No, you're certain you heard something. And it was coming from inside the house.
  
  > Go north
  The front door lies immediately to the north; the front yard is to the south. There's a doorbell button just by the front door.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying an advertising flyer and a trash can.
  
  > drop can
  You set down the trash can.
  
  > take the can
  You pick up the trash can.
  
  > go south
  The front yard is mostly bare dirt and burned-out brown lawn, except for a few hardy weeds. A paved walkway crosses it, leading from the sidewalk on the south up to the front porch on the north. The driveway runs past the yard on the east side, and a tall fence guards what must be the neighbors' yard on the west. Growing next to the walkway is a scraggly, half-dead tree.
  
  > go east
  The driveway continues northward along the side of the house, where an old gray car is parked, and leads south out to sidewalk and beyond it the street. On the east the driveway is bordered by a high fence, and Mrs. Pepper's front yard lies to the west.
  
  > go to the north
  Mrs. Pepper's house lies directly to the west; the drive continues to the south, and a gravel path leads around the house to the northwest. Standing directly to the north is a detached garage.
  
  A battered old car is parked in the drive, just under an open window.
  
  > wait
  Precious time slips by, never to be recovered.
  
  After a somewhat longer delay than the first time, the door flies open. Mrs. Pepper snarls at you. "Why are you bothering me? Do you want me to call the police?" The door slams again, leaving you on the outside and Mrs. Pepper on the inside.
  
  > go south
  The front yard is mostly bare dirt and burned-out brown lawn, except for a few hardy weeds. A paved walkway crosses it, leading from the sidewalk on the south up to the front porch on the north. The driveway runs past the yard on the east side, and a tall fence guards what must be the neighbors' yard on the west. Growing next to the walkway is a scraggly, half-dead tree.
  
  > Go north
  Mrs. Pepper's house lies directly to the west; the drive continues to the south, and a gravel path leads around the house to the northwest. Standing directly to the north is a detached garage.
  
  A battered old car is parked in the drive, just under an open window.
  
  You see a trash can here.
  
  > Go northwest
  The back yard is in a dreadful state. Except for a few sorry weeds, nothing grows here. Someone has dug holes of various sizes, leaving mounds of dirt and gravel everywhere. A concrete birdbath stands in the center of the yard. The back porch of the house lies directly to the south.
  
  The driveway is off to the southeast, past the corner of the garage. The garage itself stands directly to the east.
  
  A neighbor is working in the garden next door.
  
  > look at the birdbath
  The gray concrete birdbath is thick and ugly, and looks as if it hasn't held water for a long time. The bottom of the basin is coated with a thin layer of grime.
  
  > examine the neighbor
  She's tall and thin, and is wearing a big floppy hat of straw. She has rather a kindly look.
  
  > look at the holes
  Holes of various sizes have been dug across the lawn, seemingly at random, as if some demented fortune-seeker were desperately seeking buried treasure. The more prosaic explanation, given the state of the back yard, is that the holes are due to energetic but incompetent gardening efforts.
  
  > examine the porch
  The back porch is a plain wooden structure, with no railing or decoration. It looks as if it was tacked onto the house as an afterthought. It's several feet above the ground, with a ramp leading up to one side. The crawl space beneath it is deep in shadow.
  
  > talk to the neighbour
  "Hi," you say. "Who are you?"
  
  "I'm Mrs. Dogwood, Mrs. Pepper's neighbor," she replies.
  
  (You could ask her about Mr. Pepper, gardening, Mrs. Pepper's old car, herself, or Mrs. Pepper. You could also ask or tell her about various other things that might occur to you.)
  
  > ask about Pepper
  "Do you know Mrs. Pepper well?" you ask.
  
  "As well as I want to!" Mrs. Dogwood replies. Lowering her voice, she adds in a near whisper, "I don't normally go in for tittle-tattle, but she really is the meanest.... Well, I dropped a fine gold brooch one day when I was working near the fence. At least, I don't know where else I could have dropped it. A few minutes later I'm sure I saw her arm snaking right through the fence, down near the ground. By the time I put down my shears and came to take a closer look, she was trotting into the house. I never did find that brooch. I'm sure she took it, but when I asked, quite politely, if she might have seen it or know where it could be, she got all huffy and claimed not to know what I was talking about. Swears she never saw it, she does!"
  
  > ask about the gardening
  "I was just admiring your wonderful garden," you tell Mrs. Dogwood politely.
  
  "Why, thank you, dear!" she replies.
  
  "It's much nicer than Mrs. Pepper's," you add.
  
  "I don't like to speak ill of anyone," Mrs. Dogwood says piously, "but I think it's fair to say Mrs. Pepper doesn't have a green thumb."
  
  A fat toad that you hadn't noticed before hops away under the back porch.
  
  > take the toad
  The toad is gone -- it hopped away under the porch.
  
  > look under the porch
  Deep in the shadows beneath the porch, you spy your skateboard!
  
  > take the skateboard
  It's clear back against the wall of the house. Even when you stretch your arm as far as you can, the skateboard is still at least three feet out of reach.
  
  Mrs. Dogwood returns to her gardening.
  
  > ask about the car
  You are carrying an advertising flyer.
  
  "Hello again," you say.
  
  "Hi there, youngster," she replies.
  
  "I saw Mrs. Pepper's old car in her driveway," you remark. "Is it always there?"
  
  "If she's home, it is," Mrs. Dogwood replies promptly. "Sometimes in the afternoon she goes out driving, if there's a special sale on at the mall. You know, Flogg & Grabby's, down the road?"
  
  > ask about the mr pepper
  "What happened to Mrs. Pepper's husband," you ask.
  
  "Such a tragic accident," the neighbor replies. "If it was an accident. I've always wondered about that. But really, I mustn't gossip."
  
  > ask about herself
  "You seem to be quite a fine gardener," you venture. "Have you lived in that house for a long time?"
  
  "Oh, long enough," she replies vaguely. "I daresay I'm not a very interesting person."
  
  > ask about the skateboarding toad
  "Some other time, perhaps," she suggests, with a lopsided smile.
  
  > ask about the toad
  She bends over a little bush to inspect it, and then straightens up when you start to speak. "I'm sorry, dear, I didn't quite catch that. I thought I saw an aphid. Horrid things, aphids."
  
  "Do you know anything about frogs and toads?" you ask Mrs. Dogwood.
  
  "My goodness, what a question! Not so very much, no. I've noticed a fat old toad hopping about from time to time. I believe he lives under Mrs. Pepper's back porch. If you find him, I do hope you won't catch him in a jar or anything. That would be very cruel."
  
  > Go southeast
  Mrs. Dogwood returns to her gardening.
  
  Mrs. Pepper's house lies directly to the west; the drive continues to the south, and a gravel path leads around the house to the northwest. Standing directly to the north is a detached garage.
  
  A battered old car is parked in the drive, just under an open window.
  
  You see a trash can here.
  
  > look at the tree
  A few green leaves cling to the crooked branches of the tree, but really it looks more dead than alive. Mrs. Pepper calls it her orange tree -- in fact, one of your more memorable run-ins with her occurred when she accused you of stealing oranges from the tree. But in truth you've never seen an orange growing on the tree. The idea that it's an orange tree is purely a theory, as far as you're concerned.
  
  > take branch
  As sickly as the orange tree looks, its branches are still firmly attached to it.
  
  > Break branch
  Painful experience has taught you that breaking things quite often gets you into trouble.
  
  > climb the tree
  The tree is too spindly to support your weight.
  
  > Examine flyer
  The flyer is crisp, new, and colorful. In big bright letters it advertises a special sale at Flogg & Grabby's Stufftown, a shopping mall that lies just half a mile down the road. If the flyer is to be believed, the sale ends this very afternoon. "INCREDIBLY LOW PRICES ON GORGEOUS LADIES' WIGS!!!" it promises.
  
  Mrs. Pepper is not your idea of a gorgeous lady (if anything, just the opposite). But she certainly is fond of wigs. Every time you see her, it seems, her wig is a different color and style, each more outlandish and ill-fitting than the last. What they all have in common is that they look as if she bought them in a thrift shop.
  
  > examine the door
  The door is of solid wood, except for a tiny peephole covered with a filigree of wrought iron. It's closed.
  
  > put the flyer under door
  The door is tightly fitted to its frame. There's not even a tiny gap at the bottom.
  
  > look at the peephole
  The peephole would be used by someone on the inside to see who's at the door. At the moment, it's closed.
  
  > drop the flyer
  You set down the advertising flyer.
  
  > Go south
  The front yard is mostly bare dirt and burned-out brown lawn, except for a few hardy weeds. A paved walkway crosses it, leading from the sidewalk on the south up to the front porch on the north. The driveway runs past the yard on the east side, and a tall fence guards what must be the neighbors' yard on the west. Growing next to the walkway is a scraggly, half-dead tree.
  
  After a brief pause, the front door opens. Mrs. Pepper ventures out on the porch, looks around to make sure no one is close enough to sneak past her into the house, and then bends to retrieve the flyer. For long seconds, she peers at it closely, holding it in both hands. Maybe it's only your imagination, but it looks as if her hands are actually trembling with desire. Then she turns on her heel and dives back into the house.
  
  A moment later she bursts out again, a large purse over her arm.
  After carefully locking the door, she strides off in the direction of the driveway. You hear her car coughing to life, and in a squeal of tires it backs down the driveway, careens into the street, reverses direction, and roars away in a cloud of blue exhaust vapors.
  
  > Go east
  The driveway continues northward along the side of the house, and leads south out to sidewalk and beyond it the street. On the east the driveway is bordered by a high fence, and Mrs. Pepper's front yard lies to the west.
  
  > Go north
  Mrs. Pepper's house lies directly to the west; the drive continues to the south, and a gravel path leads around the house to the northwest. Standing directly to the north is a detached garage.
  
  You see a trash can here.
  
  > throw the can
  What do you want to throw it at?
  
  > At the window
  The trash can hits the window without any obvious effect, and falls to the ground.
  
  > enter window
  You manage to clamber through the window -- but as you do so, you accidentally knock the lid off the can.
  
  You glance nervously around as your feet land on the floor, but so far as you can tell the house really is empty now -- at least, you can't hear anybody about.
  
  Compared to your parents' kitchen, Mrs. Pepper's seems, well, a bit mean and cramped, just like its owner. Most of the space is taken up by the old wooden table standing right in the middle. Beneath the lip of the table is a wide, shallow drawer. Completing the furnishings are a cupboard, a sink, a stove, and a refrigerator. The back door leads out to the north, while to the south is an open doorway, its door long since removed. The window through which you've just climbed is set in the east wall, and on the opposite side of the room a flight of steps leads down into darkness.
  
  > examine the drawer
  It's just a plain wooden drawer. It's closed.
  
  > open the drawer
  Opening the drawer reveals a small flashlight.
  
  > get it
  You can't have that; it's part of the kitchen table.
  
  > get the torch
  You pick up the small flashlight.
  
  > examine table
  It's a big square wooden table, old and scratched. Beneath one edge is a single drawer.
  
  > look under the table
  The only thing under the table is its drawer.
  
  > open the cupboard
  Opening the cabinet reveals a glass and a butter knife.
  
  > look at the glass
  It's chipped on one edge. It's currently empty.
  
  > get all
  fridge: You can't take that.
  kitchen table: The kitchen table is too heavy.
  glass: You pick up the glass.
  butter knife: You pick up the butter knife.
  
  > fill the glass
  (from the faucet)
  (first turning on the faucet, then putting the glass under it)
  You hold the glass under the faucet until it fills up with water.
  
  > open the fridge
  Opening the fridge reveals a stale loaf of bread and a large wedge of blue cheese.
  
  There's an overpowering smell of over-ripe cheese.
  
  > examine the cheese
  The cheese is runny in some spots and dried and crusty in other spots, all at the same time. Its odor is remarkable: If it gets much riper, it'll probably come when you call it. Phewww! It smells horrible.
  
  > get the cheese and the bread
  large wedge of blue cheese: You'd rather leave it where it is.
  stale loaf of bread: You'd rather not touch it.
  
  > examine the bread
  It looks like one of your more successful school biology experiments -- the one where you're meant to grow a culture of mold.
  
  > smell the cheese
  Phewww! It smells horrible.
  
  > look at the stove
  The stove is not as nice as the one your family has, and not as clean either. Bits of this and that have dribbled down the front and dried there. It's closed.
  
  > examine it
  Opened.
  
  The stove is not as nice as the one your family has, and not as clean either. Bits of this and that have dribbled down the front and dried there. It's open.
  
  > examine the sink
  The large porcelain sink is built against the east wall, near the window. A faucet is mounted above the sink.
  
  > turn on the flashlight
  You thumb the switch, but the flashlight fails to turn on.
  
  > open the flashlight
  Opened.
  
  > examine the flashlight
  The flashlight is slim, and about four inches long. There's a switch on one side, and an opening in the end through which a battery can be inserted. It's open.
  
  > go south
  This hall is little more than a narrow passage connecting the rooms to north and south. On the east side a flight of stairs leads up to the floor above, and there's an opening to the west, with a black button next to it at waist height.
  
  > Examine button
  It's an ordinary black button, set in a little brass plate.
  
  > Go upwards
  The landing runs north-south past a steel door to the west. A staircase leads down to the floor below, and there's a black button low on the west wall. Immediately to the south the bedroom door is closed.
  
  > go north
  This small, square room is furnished in a plain, unattractive style. Opposite the bed stands a dressing table, on which is a row of styrofoam heads. Arranged on the heads are some rather ugly wigs.
  The way out is to the south, and there's a bathroom to the east.
  
  > examine the wigs
  green wig: The green wig is a mass of greasy green ringlets. Attached to the elastic band at the back is a little hand-lettered cardboard tag, which reads: TGPXH XKHHW.
  
  auburn wig: The auburn wig is short and balloon-shaped. Attached to the elastic band at the back is a little hand-lettered cardboard tag, which reads: ZGBH YAHHKHU EHAQTKHX XYHFEH.
  
  blond wig: The hair of the blond wig sticks straight out, as if it's made of clumps of straw. Attached to the elastic band at the back is a little hand-lettered cardboard tag, which reads: XPZZDS FGQS.
  
  black wig: The black wig is very long, and the curls are tangled. Attached to the elastic band at the back is a little hand-lettered cardboard tag, which reads: ZGOQTGK KDTBQSO.
  
  > take the wigs
  green wig: You pick up the green wig.
  auburn wig: You pick up the auburn wig.
  blond wig: You pick up the blond wig.
  black wig: You pick up the black wig.
  
  > look at the table
  The dressing table is unusually large. A mirror is mounted above it, and a single drawer is tucked away beneath. A row of white styrofoam heads stands on the table.
  
  > open the drawer
  Opening the dressing table reveals a brush and a musical score.
  
  > look at the score
  It appears to be the score for an opera called Die Zauberokarina by A.W. Trazom.
  
  > look at the brush
  Judging from the multi-colored strands caught in its bristles, Mrs. Pepper uses this cheap black plastic brush on her wigs. There's some kind of emblem on the back of the brush.
  
  > examine the emblem
  It's fairly schematic, but it looks like a scarlet fish. Underneath it is some tiny lettering.
  
  > read the lettering
  You can't make it out. It appears to be in Arabic or some other alphabet you have no idea how to read.
  
  > look at the bed
  The king-size bed is covered with a brown comforter.
  
  > examine the comforter
  It's a brown quilted coverlet.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying a small flashlight, a glass (full of water), a butter knife, and four wigs (one green, one auburn, one blond, and one black).
  
  > Go east
  The way out is to the west. The normal bathroom stuff is here, including a bath, a washbasin and a toilet.
  
  > look at the bath
  It's a plain white enamel bath, matching the sink; at least, it was white once, it's now mostly off-white with a number of distinctly brown stains.
  
  > examine the basin
  It's just a plain white enamel basin, matching the bath. A faucet is mounted above it.
  
  > look behind the toilet
  You don't need to use it right now, and you're not so sure of Mrs. Pepper's standards of hygiene that you want to mess with this part of her plumbing.
  
  > get the toilet brush
  You see nothing unusual about it.
  
  You see no toilet brush here.
  
  > go to the west
  This small, square room is furnished in a plain, unattractive style. Opposite the bed stands a dressing table, on which is a row of styrofoam heads. The way out is to the south, and there's a bathroom to the east.
  
  The dressing table contains a brush and a musical score.
  
  > look at the heads
  The four white styrofoam heads stand stiffly on the dressing table. They look rather ominously ghostly, as they have no faces.
  
  > get brush
  You pick up the brush.
  
  > get the score
  You pick up the musical score. Moving the musical score reveals an ocarina underneath.
  
  > get the ocarina
  You pick up the ocarina.
  
  > get the ocarina
  The plastic ocarina is about the shape and color of a potato. There are a few holes across the top, and a sort of mouthpiece at one side for blowing into.
  
  You are already carrying the ocarina.
  
  > Play score
  The score is far too complex for you to cope with -- hemisemidemiquavers by the bushel!
  
  > Brush hair
  You give your hair a good brush. Maybe it ends up just a little tidier.
  
  > Go south
  The landing runs north-south past a steel door to the west. A staircase leads down to the floor below, and there's a black button low on the west wall. Immediately to the south the bedroom door is closed.
  
  > examine the steel door
  The door has no visible knob or handle. It's recessed slightly in the wall.
  
  > open the door
  (the bedroom door)
  The bedroom door won't budge; it resists your attempts to open it with almost supernatural determination.
  
  > look at the score
  It appears to be the score for an opera called Die Zauberokarina by A.W. Trazom.
  
  > Play score
  The score is far too complex for you to cope with -- hemisemidemiquavers by the bushel!
  
  > play the okerina
  (play ocarina)
  
  You tootle a few sour notes on the ocarina. You fancy you detect a momentary shimmering across the surface of the bedroom door, but possibly your eyes are playing tricks on you.
  
  > knock on the door
  (the bedroom door)
  You think you hear a faint answering croak on the other side of the door, but you can't be quite sure.
  
  > go north
  This small, square room is furnished in a plain, unattractive style. Opposite the bed stands a dressing table, on which is a row of styrofoam heads. The way out is to the south, and there's a bathroom to the east.
  
  > look in the mirror
  You look almost exactly the same as the last time you looked in a mirror.
  
  > hold the brush
  You are already carrying the brush.
  
  > examine the knife
  It's a small knife, made of stainless steel. It looks as if it should cut through butter readily enough, but it probably wouldn't make much of an impression on a rump steak.