text: [Themes: Travel, Slice of life, memorable NPC, complex NPC, animals]
  
  > burn myself
  Self-immolation is for fanatics and crazies.
  
  > enter the outhouse
  The odor here is not as bad as you had expected, but you still wouldn't hang around longer than necessary. A single board spans the width of the cubicle, with the requisite hole in the expected place. A half spent roll of toilet paper hangs on a wire to the right of the door.
  
  > get the paper
  (the scrap of paper)
  You already have that.
  
  > get the roll
  You remove the roll from the wire hangar.
  
  > examine the board
  The outhouse is made of hand-cut boards of varying widths. Its door hangs crooked on its hinges, with a crescent moon cut into the upper half.
  
  > get the board
  That's hardly portable.
  
  > Burn roll
  (first lighting a match)
  The roll of toilet paper catches fire, gray smoke billowing into your face.
  
  > Smoke wasps
  You wave the roll of smoking toilet paper at the wasp's nest, but you can't get close enough. The wind just blows the smoke back in your face.
  
  > throw the roll at the nest
  [Previous turn undone.]
  
  You can't see any such thing.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  a roll of toilet paper
  a matchbook (which is open)
  two matches
  a scrap of paper
  a bucket
  a note
  a guidebook
  a pair of flipflops
  
  In addition, you are wearing:
  some shorts
  a shirt
  
  > enter the shed
  (first lighting a match)
  The roll of toilet paper catches fire, gray smoke billowing into your face.
  
  The smoke from the burning roll of toilet paper rises, but the gentle breeze blows it away from the nest. The buzzing of the insects is enough to change your mind.
  
  > throw it at the nest
  (first lighting a match)
  The roll of toilet paper catches fire, gray smoke billowing into your face.
  
  You throw the roll of toilet paper at the nest but miss by a foot. Through the door it goes, landing inside the shed, a quite unwise thing to do. Midair, it bursts into flame, igniting the dry old shed and all its contents. The billowing cloud of gray smoke rises high in an ugly column, and when the fireworks are over, you see a disappointed old man standing some distance behind you.
  
  > Burn shirt
  The shirt starts to catch fire, then goes out.
  
  > Burn flipflops
  The flipflops start to catch fire, then go out.
  
  > search it
  In the matchbook are two matches.
  
  > eat it
  That's plainly inedible.
  
  > eat shed
  (first taking the wooden shed)
  That's hardly portable.
  
  > get nest
  Surely, you're joking.
  
  > No
  That was a rhetorical question.
  
  Overhead, you can see the mid-morning sun peek from behind the clouds, trying to cut the crisp chill from the autumn air.
  
  > throw the bucket at the nest
  You throw the bucket at the nest but miss by a foot. Through the door it goes, landing inside the shed.
  
  > Go north
  An abandoned dirt road ends here, as the trees abruptly close in and block further passage west. The road heads up the mountain to the east, and through the trees to the south, you can see a log cabin.
  
  > Go east
  This old gravel road hasn't been used in years. Weeds and small trees grow up through the right of way, and it would be difficult but not impossible to move further west. The way south is relatively clear.
  
  Small bunches of herbs grow along the side of the roadway.
  
  > get the herbs
  You pick a few of the tender herbs.
  
  > search the herbs
  (the picked avens)
  You find nothing of interest.
  
  > eat the herbs
  (the picked avens)
  You eat the tender and leafy herbs, but they weren't nearly as good as you had hoped.
  
  > examine the herbs
  Bunches of herbs grow all along the roadway. Among the many varieties, you note the low matted leaves of yellow mountain avens, with their bushy white seedheads on long stems.
  
  > look up avens in the guidebook
  Latin name: Dryas drummondii
  
  Also called yellow dryas, the yellow mountain aven is a small, prostrate plant that often grows in large mats or patches on rocky ground from middle elevations to above timberline. The flowers are yellow, about 1" wide, with eight to ten short yellow petals and stand 2 to 10 inches high. The leaves are green above and gray or brown below. As the flowers go to seed, they gradually straighten up, with long (2") white plumes untwisting into a dandelion-like seed head, soft and feathery like down.
  
  > get the herbs
  (the picked avens)
  You already have those.
  
  > Sing
  You sing a few bars of "I Love to Hate Men." Even if you don't really mean it, that song always lifts your spirits.
  
  > Go east
  The road turns from south to west.
  
  > Go south
  You are at the edge of a large field of pink granite boulders. Lichens in various colors pattern the rocks. A narrow gravel road, overgrown with weeds, leads off into the distance to the north. You could also scramble down into the canyon where a fast-moving stream rumbles and flows.
  
  From off in the distance, you hear a sharp "neep!"
  
  > Neep
  The pika shifts his gaze to look at you, but fears to approach.
  
  A pika appears on one of the boulders in front of you, pauses, and disappears.
  
  > Bugle
  Off in the distance, you hear a wilder bugle in response.
  
  An enormous bull moose breaks through the bushes and stands on the road, twenty paces away.
  
  > Neep
  The moose looks at you and sniffs. He's not sure whether to take that as a challenge or as an offer.
  
  The moose looks directly at you and drools. You realize he's about ten times as big as you are.
  
  > look up moose
  (in the guidebook)
  Latin name: Alces alces
  
  The moose is the largest member of the deer family, and is common in subalpine meadows and marshes of the northern United States and Canada. So ugly it is almost cute, it has a large muzzle and long legs that aid it in reaching the tender vegetation which grows at the bottom of lakes and ponds or higher on trees than other animals can browse. One of its favorite foods is the branches and twigs of the willow.
  
  Its pelage is dark brown, slightly lighter underneath. When wet, it usually appears black. Males stand six feet high at the shoulder, and weigh up to 1600 pounds. Females are 10 percent smaller. The large palmate antlers grow only on the males and are shed in the early months of each year. They begin growing again immediately, and each year grow larger, so that their size indicates approximate age and maturity. An unusual feature of the male is the bell, a flap of furred skin that hangs from the neck. Its purpose is unknown.
  
  The moose breaks into a trot, head lowered directly at you, and rapidly closes the distance.
  
  > Go north
  The moose tires of the chase and stops to feed.
  
  This old gravel road hasn't been used in years. Weeds and small trees grow up through the right of way, and it would be difficult but not impossible to move further west. The way south is relatively clear.
  
  Small bunches of herbs grow along the side of the roadway.
  
  > Bugle
  You bugle in the direction you last saw the moose, but he refuses to follow.
  
  > Go south
  You are at the edge of a large field of pink granite boulders. Lichens in various colors pattern the rocks. A narrow gravel road, overgrown with weeds, leads off into the distance to the north. You could also scramble down into the canyon where a fast-moving stream rumbles and flows.
  
  The large bull moose looks up from browsing, sees you and drools.
  
  > Neep
  The moose looks at you and sniffs. He's not sure whether to take that as a challenge or as an offer.
  
  The moose breaks into a trot, head lowered directly at you, and rapidly closes the distance.
  
  > shout ole
  The moose follows you to the edge of the canyon and watches as you scramble down. The trail is steep, and you slide to the bottom.
  
  You're on a shelf overlooking a small canyon, apparently carved by the nearby stream and 20 or 30 feet deep. A rocky path enters from the west beside a tangle of blackberries, and dead ends at a ledge overlooking the stream below. Above you, granite walls continue to rise, the pink stones a beautiful contrast to the clear blue sky. An animal trail leads up, too steep to walk, but you might be able to make it in a scramble.
  
  Beside you stands a small tower supporting one end of a steel cable.
  
  The end of a spruce branch is just barely visible deep inside the blackberries.
  
  (to yourself)
  There is no reply.
  
  > look at the tower
  An 8 foot tower made of steel angles. An identical tower stands at the far side of the gully, and together, they support a cable between them. A crank with a handle is attached to the base.
  
  A wire cage hangs from the cable at the far tower.
  
  > examine blackberries
  (the ripe blackberry)
  Large and ripe, this blackberry just begs to be eaten.
  
  > get the branch
  The stick is so far inside the tangle, you'd cut yourself to pieces trying to reach it.
  
  > take the blackberry
  (the ripe blackberry)
  You're an old hand at blackberries, having grown up in the Northwest where the bushes grow like weeds. You taught him how to find the good ones before he was even your husband, avoiding the clinging spider webs that would invariably be there if you didn't look. The two of you would walk along the backroads and fill a cup and stain your hands purple. But it always seemed worth the effort, the berries were so sweet. Today, alone, you carefully avoid the thorns and pick the largest berry from the bush.
  
  > turn the cable
  You are unable to.
  
  > turn the handle
  (the crank)
  You grab the crank by the handle, its squeaks startlingly loud and annoying. Foot by foot, the trolley makes its way across the river until it stops beside you.
  
  > enter the trolley
  You climb into the trolley which swings and bounces unnervingly.
  
  It's a tight little cable car, only 18 inches wide and 4 feet front to back. If you were sharing a ride with anyone else, you would surely bump knees, and the bench below you is rotten and soft. Above your head a single steel cable runs fore and aft to the metal pulleys that are your only means of support. The whole assembly rocks side to side with the breeze.
  
  > turn the crank
  The crank is too far outside the trolley to reach.
  
  > examine the trolley
  It's a tight little cable car, only 18 inches wide and 4 feet front to back. If you were sharing a ride with anyone else, you would surely bump knees, and the bench below you is rotten and soft. Above your head a single steel cable runs fore and aft to the metal pulleys that are your only means of support. The whole assembly rocks side to side with the breeze.
  
  > go outside
  You get out of the trolley.
  
  You're on a shelf overlooking a small canyon, apparently carved by the nearby stream and 20 or 30 feet deep. A rocky path enters from the west beside a tangle of blackberries, and dead ends at a ledge overlooking the stream below. Above you, granite walls continue to rise, the pink stones a beautiful contrast to the clear blue sky. An animal trail leads up, too steep to walk, but you might be able to make it in a scramble.
  
  Behind you, a trolley sits suspended from a steel cable.
  
  The end of a spruce branch is just barely visible deep inside the blackberries.
  
  You eye the frayed cable that runs just above your head.
  
  > examine the branch
  It's the burly end of a spruce branch, buried deep inside the blackberries.
  
  > get the berries
  (the ripe blackberry)
  Avoiding the thorns, you carefully remove a large ripe berry from the bushes.
  
  > get the berries
  ripe blackberry: Avoiding the thorns, you carefully remove a large ripe berry from the bushes.
  ripe blackberry: Avoiding the thorns, you carefully remove a large ripe berry from the bushes.
  
  > get the berries
  ripe blackberry: Avoiding the thorns, you carefully remove a large ripe berry from the bushes.
  ripe blackberry: Avoiding the thorns, you carefully remove a large ripe berry from the bushes.
  ripe blackberry: Avoiding the thorns, you carefully remove a large ripe berry from the bushes.
  ripe blackberry: Avoiding the thorns, you carefully remove a large ripe berry from the bushes.
  
  > check what you're carrying
  You are carrying:
  eight ripe blackberries
  some picked avens
  a roll of toilet paper
  a matchbook (which is open)
  two matches
  a scrap of paper
  a bucket
  a note
  a guidebook
  a pair of flipflops
  
  In addition, you are wearing:
  some shorts
  a shirt
  
  > eat the berry
  Plump and sweet and ripe to perfection, you've probably never had a berry quite so good.
  
  > eat the berry
  Mmm mmm. Just as good as the last one.
  
  > get the berries
  ripe blackberry: Avoiding the thorns, you carefully remove a large ripe berry from the bushes.
  ripe blackberry: Avoiding the thorns, you carefully remove a large ripe berry from the bushes.
  ripe blackberry: You must have picked the bush clean. The only ones left are too high to reach.
  ripe blackberry: You must have picked the bush clean. The only ones left are too high to reach.
  ripe blackberry: You must have picked the bush clean. The only ones left are too high to reach.
  ripe blackberry: You must have picked the bush clean. The only ones left are too high to reach.
  
  > get the stick
  The stick is so far inside the tangle, you'd cut yourself to pieces trying to reach it.
  
  > examine the tangle
  Blackberry bushes grip the edge of the path from the west. Ripe and succulent, the berries are the perfect treat for the weary hiker, but the thorns are vicious and you take care to avoid them.
  
  The end of a spruce branch is just barely visible deep inside the blackberries.
  
  > Burn bush
  The blackberry bushes start to catch fire, then go out.
  
  > hit the thorns with the flops
  You hit the bushes, but the walking stick won't come free.
  
  Overhead, you can see the mid-morning sun peek from behind the clouds, trying to cut the crisp chill from the autumn air.
  
  > Go west
  The rocks are so sharp, even your leather-skin feet feel the points, and you turn back. You notice, however, a muddy trail to the southwest.
  
  > wear flops
  You put on the flipflops.
  
  Overhead, you can see the mid-morning sun peek from behind the clouds, trying to cut the crisp chill from the autumn air.
  
  > Go west
  Flip flop. Flip flop. Flip flop.
  
  A narrow winding path moves through the trees, gently climbing from west to east. Branches of blackberries encroach on the trail, their fruit nestled amongst the thorns. A small stream is visible through the trees to the south, and through the bushes, you can barely make out the shape of a small tower to the east.
  
  A spruce branch lies among the blackberries to the side of the path.
  
  > get the branch
  You try to remove the stick from the thorny bush, but the burl on the end is caught. The harder you pull, the more securely it seems to be snagged.
  
  > go to the east
  Flip flop. Flip flop. Flip flop.
  
  You're on a shelf overlooking a small canyon, apparently carved by the nearby stream and 20 or 30 feet deep. A rocky path enters from the west beside a tangle of blackberries, and dead ends at a ledge overlooking the stream below. Above you, granite walls continue to rise, the pink stones a beautiful contrast to the clear blue sky. An animal trail leads up, too steep to walk, but you might be able to make it in a scramble.
  
  Beside you, a trolley sits suspended from a steel cable.
  
  A spruce branch lies half in the path, half in the tangle of blackberries.
  
  > get the stick
  You take the spruce walking stick.
  
  > put the roll on the stick
  You put the roll of toilet paper on the end of the stick.
  
  > go east
  That would be a long drop down into the canyon.
  
  > Go up
  Flip flop. Flip flop. Flip flop.
  
  You are at the edge of a large field of pink granite boulders. Lichens in various colors pattern the rocks. A narrow gravel road, overgrown with weeds, leads off into the distance to the north. You could also scramble down into the canyon where a fast-moving stream rumbles and flows.
  
  The large bull moose looks up from browsing, sees you and drools.
  
  > give the blackberry to the moose
  The moose doesn't seem interested.
  
  The moose breaks into a trot, head lowered directly at you, and rapidly closes the distance.
  
  > shout ole
  Whom do you want to shout that to?
  
  > Moose
  There is no reply.
  
  The bull moose, sensing your indecision, moves quickly, lifts you with an antler, and tosses you easily onto the sharpest boulder in sight.
  
  > go to the north
  The moose tires of the chase and stops to feed.
  
  Flip flop. Flip flop. Flip flop.
  
  This old gravel road hasn't been used in years. Weeds and small trees grow up through the right of way, and it would be difficult but not impossible to move further west. The way south is relatively clear.
  
  Small bunches of herbs grow along the side of the roadway.
  
  > go west
  Flip flop. Flip flop. Flip flop.
  
  An abandoned dirt road ends here, as the trees abruptly close in and block further passage west. The road heads up the mountain to the east, and through the trees to the south, you can see a log cabin.
  
  > Go south
  Flip flop. Flip flop. Flip flop.
  
  The north side of the cabin is plain and unpretentious; not even a window provides a view in. A stone chimney forms most of the wall of the cabin. In the clearing here is a traditional antique outhouse, complete with a crescent moon. A wooden shed sits off to the side and a garden lies west. To the north through the trees, you can see the double tracks of an overgrown roadway.
  
  > go south
  Flip flop. Flip flop. Flip flop.
  
  The years have not been kind to this remnant of the past, although the obviously recent repairs hide the worst of the scars. An old-fashioned log cabin occupies an opening in the woods, door swung open onto the wide front porch. The single window looks out onto the clearing, alert and watchful, with a country plaid curtain that flutters in the breeze. A trail leaves to the south and continues around the cabin to the north.
  
  On the porch is an oak rocking chair.
  
  Bob looks up from his repairing and nods as you approach.
  
  Seeing a damaged nail, Bob pulls it free and replaces it with a new one, setting it with a single blow of the hammer.
  
  > Light roll
  (first lighting a match)
  The roll of toilet paper catches fire, but the wind carries the smoke away from the wasp's nest.
  
  > Smoke wasps
  You smoke the stick with the burning roll of toilet paper under the wasp's nest, and the smoke sends the insects into retreat.
  
  > enter the shed
  The inside of the shed is quite dark, and, as you might expect, full of smoke. You certainly wouldn't want to stay for long. There are no windows, and only a small shaft of sunlight penetrates the haze through the doorway. Against the back wall are several crooked shelves and an old ladder. A board from a wooden deck and a mason's brick sit in the corner.
  
  On the shelves are a glass canning jar and a pair of leather work gloves.
  
  > look at the shelves
  Although it's not clear in this light how the shelves are fastened to the wall (and you're not sure it really matters), they don't appear strong enough to support anything of weight.
  
  The match burns out and crumbles into ashes.
  
  > examine the ladder
  It's a six foot wooden step ladder, the kind with the folding shelf near the top rung for a can of paint.
  
  > get it
  The ladder belongs to Bob, and you decide to leave it alone.
  
  > examine the board
  It's a board, looking like a piece of a wooden deck.
  
  > get the board
  You take the board from the corner of the shed.
  
  > get it
  You pick up the mason's brick, brushing the dirt onto the floor.
  
  The roll of toilet paper burns out and crumbles into ashes. Wisps of smoke fade and clear.