text: [Themes: treasure hunt, gender-neutral protagonist, escape, television, mansion]
  
  ]
  
  With a loud click, the door closes behind you. Finally!
  
  You are locked inside an antebellum Southern mansion, alone, wearing only a chicken costume.
  
  You've fantasized about this moment for years.
  
  "Welcome to Antique Escapes!" you hear from a hidden speaker
  nearby. "I'm your host, Terri Boz. Our contestant for this episode will be collecting valuables in Sugarlawn Plantation on the banks of Bayou Lafourche in southern Louisiana.
  
  "To our contestant: Have fun! And good luck!"
  
  This is the foyer of Sugarlawn Plantation. Most of the nineteenth-century furniture and decorations have been removed, but the gorgeous walnut floor and elaborate cornices testify to the mansion's opulence. The front door of Sugarlawn is to the west. The main hall on the ground floor continues east, while doorways lie to the north and south.
  
  A large sack has been left by the front door.
  
  A mahogany box sits somewhat incongruously on the floor here.
  
  "Sugarlawn, as its name indicates, was one of the largest sugar cane plantations of the antebellum South," you hear Terri say. "The mansion was built in 1840, in the Greek Revival style. It fell into decay in the decades after the Civil War, but it was purchased and restored by Nash and Molly Pendry in the mid-1950s. The current owner is their grandson.
  
  "We have made a few cosmetic changes to the mansion for the recording of this episode, and we have temporarily removed many of the furnishings as well. If you would like to see Sugarlawn at its unaltered finest, the mansion and grounds are open for visitors from 9-12 every Tuesday morning.
  
  "Oh, and before I forget: At any time the contestant may ask ABOUT the rules for this episode."
  
  [Author's Note: With a loud "click," the door closes behind you. Finally! You are locked inside an antebellum Southern mansion, alone, wearing only a chicken costume. You've fantasized about this moment for years.]
  
  > look at the box
  This mahogany box - while attractive - looks too modern for a nineteenth-century home. In the top of the box is a small, key-sized hole. The front panel of the box reads, "Give a key; take a key." Underneath is a display that says:
  Storage Key
  Pantry Key
  South Wing Key
  North Wing Key
  
  "The mahogany box is part of this episode," says Terri. "It works just like it says: If you want a key from the box you'll need to insert another key first."
  
  > go north
  An antique sofa sits against the wall in this stylish parlor. Near it hangs a life-sized, framed portrait. The foyer is south, a doorway leads east, and there is a door to the north.
  
  A strand of red beads is lying on the sofa.
  
  "The formal parlor is where guests would be received," says Terri. "After dinner, the women might retreat here or to the small parlor, while the men would usually gather in the library or billiard room. Note the antique sofa; it dates from the nineteenth century."
  
  > examine the beads
  These beads were designed to be worn. They are made of glass - not plastic - and appear to be rather old.
  
  > examine the sofa
  This severe sofa doesn't really look all that comfortable.
  
  On the antique sofa is a strand of red beads.
  
  > look at the portrait
  The portrait is of a man in his mid-30s, in early nineteenth-century military dress uniform. The frame reads "William C. C. Claiborne."
  
  > take the beads
  You place the strand of red beads in the sack.
  
  "The contestant has picked up a valuable!" Terri says. "There are fifty total placed throughout the house and grounds. Remember that to collect a valuable officially you must either bring it through the foyer or leave it in its target location."
  
  > look behind the portrait
  You can't see any such thing, at least as described. Or maybe that's just not something you need to refer to in order to earn lots of cash on Antique Escapes.
  
  > take the portrait
  The framed portrait is firmly attached to the wall. You can't remove it. Besides, it's much too large to carry around.
  
  > Go north
  (first opening the door)
  The door is locked.
  
  > Go east
  Someone has scrawled a message across the mahogany dining table in the center of this room. The parlor is to the west, and a doorway leads south. A smaller room lies east.
  
  On the dining table is an orange mask.
  
  > look at the message
  Across the dining table someone has scrawled, in what you hope is some easily-removable marker or ink, "GET DRESSED AND FIND YOUR PLACE FOR A COLORFUL MARDI GRAS."
  
  > look at the mask
  This glittery orange mask is designed to cover only the top half of your face.
  
  > look at the table
  This dining table was carved from a rich, dark mahogany. Across the dining table someone has scrawled, in what you hope is some easily-removable marker or ink, "GET DRESSED AND FIND YOUR PLACE FOR A COLORFUL MARDI GRAS."
  
  On the dining table is an orange mask.
  
  > take the mask
  You place the orange mask in the sack.
  
  > Go east
  This small room features a sideboard - but little else. The dining room is to the west, and a door north leads outside.
  
  A peach sparkles from the sideboard.
  
  "During meals the butler would likely have stood in this pantry," says Terri, "receiving dishes from the kitchen and serving them to the family."
  
  > look at the peach
  It's an artificial peach covered with what appear to be diamonds.
  
  > look at the sideboard
  Given how the rest of the mansion looks, the sideboard here is actually rather plain.
  
  On the sideboard is a jeweled peach.
  
  > take the peach
  You place the jeweled peach in the sack.
  
  > go west
  Someone has scrawled a message across the mahogany dining table in the center of this room. The parlor is to the west, and a doorway leads south. The pantry lies east.
  
  > Go south
  The most notable feature of this end of the main hall of Sugarlawn is the grand staircase ascending to the second floor. Almost as an afterthought, there is a side table standing against the wall. The hall continues west to the foyer, a doorway leads north to the dining room, and there is a second doorway to the south. Finally, what looks like the back door to the mansion is east.
  
  A small key is locked to the side table with an antique combination lock.
  
  > examine the key
  The key is labeled "safe."
  
  > examine the lock
  This antique lock is made of brass and steel. To open the lock, it appears you must set it to the right five-digit number.
  
  > look at the table
  The side table is made of polished wood and looks quite old. A small key is locked to the side table with an antique combination lock.
  
  > examine the staircase
  This magnificent staircase leads up to the second floor of the mansion.
  
  > go east
  (first opening the back door)
  The back door is locked.
  
  > go south
  This cozy room features a writing table and a rocking chair. There is also a fireplace, with a mantel above it, in the south wall. A doorway leads north to the stair hall, and another doorway is to the west.
  
  There is a large Bible lying on the writing table.
  
  "The sitting room, as opposed to the more formal parlor, is where an antebellum family would gather in the evenings when they were not entertaining guests," Terri says. "They would often read or sew to pass the time."
  
  > examine Bible
  This is a large, leather-bound family Bible. It looks like it dates from the early 1800s.
  
  > take it
  You place the family Bible in the sack.
  
  > read it
  You open the family Bible and read the first few verses. It's the King James translation - of course.
  
  "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
  
  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
  
  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
  
  > look at the chair
  The rocking chair looks quite sturdy, given its age.
  
  > examine the mantel
  This wooden mantel sits above the fireplace.
  
  > search fireplace
  The fireplace is empty.
  
  > go to the west
  The walls of this elegant room are lined with built-in bookshelves, although all of the books have been temporarily removed. A motto of some kind hangs on the wall. The foyer lies to the north, the sitting room is east, and there is a door to the south.
  
  An old flag has been tossed in a corner of the room.
  
  A small glass case sits near one of the bookshelves. In the glass case is a golden catfish statuette.
  
  "The library in antebellum times was not just a place to store books," you hear Terri say. "Along with the parlor, it was often used as a formal space for entertaining guests, frequently after dinner."
  
  > search Bible
  You open the family Bible and read the first few verses. It's the King James translation - of course.
  
  "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
  
  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
  
  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
  
  "Just so you know, you have used up five of your thirty minutes so far," says Terri.
  
  > look at the flag
  This flag features three yellow fleur-de-lis designs on a royal blue field.
  
  > examine the case
  The glass case is closed, and there is a keyboard attached to it. "Type the ten-letter code to open the case" is written on the case.
  
  In the glass case is a golden catfish statuette.
  
  > look at the catfish
  This is a golden statuette is in the shape of a catfish. The fish is portrayed in mid-leap, as if it had just jumped from its river home into the air.
  
  > examine bookshelves
  Nothing is on the bookshelves.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  a large sack, containing
  a family Bible
  a jeweled peach
  an orange mask
  a strand of red beads
  a chicken costume (being worn)
  
  > examine the costume
  The chicken costume is large, yellow, and fluffy. Unfortunately, it also hampers your movement somewhat.
  
  > put Bible on the shelf
  (first taking the family Bible)
  You put the family Bible on the bookshelves.
  
  "Just so you know, you have used up five of your thirty minutes so far," says Terri.
  
  > look at the motto
  The motto says, "READING UNLOCKS WORLDS UNKNOWN."
  
  > go to the south
  (first opening the door)
  The door is locked.
  
  > go to the north
  This is the foyer of Sugarlawn Plantation. Most of the nineteenth-century furniture and decorations have been removed, but the gorgeous walnut floor and elaborate cornices testify to the mansion's opulence. The front door of Sugarlawn is to the west. The main hall on the ground floor continues east, the parlor is north, and the library is to the south.
  
  A mahogany box sits somewhat incongruously on the floor here.
  
  "Congratulations!" Terri says. "Now the strand of red beads, the orange mask, and the jeweled peach count as collected."
  
  "However," she adds, "you have not placed any valuables in their target locations - yet. Remember that placing a valuable in its target location will earn you a cash bonus. Not only that, the more valuables you place in their target locations, the larger the bonuses become."
  
  > check what you're carrying
  You are carrying:
  a large sack, containing
  a jeweled peach
  an orange mask
  a strand of red beads
  a chicken costume (being worn)
  
  > take Bible
  Taken.
  
  > Go north
  This is the foyer of Sugarlawn Plantation. Most of the nineteenth-century furniture and decorations have been removed, but the gorgeous walnut floor and elaborate cornices testify to the mansion's opulence. The front door of Sugarlawn is to the west. The main hall on the ground floor continues east, the parlor is north, and the library is to the south.
  
  A mahogany box sits somewhat incongruously on the floor here.
  
  "Congratulations!" Terri says. "Now the strand of red beads, the family Bible, the orange mask, and the jeweled peach count as collected."
  
  "However," she adds, "you have not placed any valuables in their target locations - yet. Remember that placing a valuable in its target location will earn you a cash bonus. Not only that, the more valuables you place in their target locations, the larger the bonuses become."
  
  > Go east
  The most notable feature of this end of the main hall of Sugarlawn is the grand staircase ascending to the second floor. Almost as an afterthought, there is a side table standing against the wall. The hall continues west to the foyer, a doorway leads north to the dining room, and there is a second doorway south to the sitting room. Finally, what looks like the back door to the mansion is east.
  
  A small key is locked to the side table with an antique combination lock.
  
  > Go upward
  The grand staircase coming up from the main floor ends here, while a smaller staircase allows access to the third floor above. There are rooms to the north and south, and the hallway continues west. A closed door leads east.
  
  > go north
  Late afternoon light, filtering through cypress trees hung with Spanish moss, glances off the water in the mural that covers the walls and ceiling of this room. A narrow bed in the shape of a canoe seems almost to float on the bayou. Exits are south to the second floor stair hall, as well as west.
  
  An old sword is propped against the wall.
  
  "Much of southeastern Louisiana is bayou country," Terri says. "It's the Mississippi River Delta, after all. However, bayous can be found in other parts of the state, even up north by the Arkansas border. This bedroom honors this important feature of Louisiana's geography.
  
  "Incidentally," she continues, "the bed is in the shape of what south Louisiana natives call a 'pirogue.'"
  
  > look at the sword
  The sword is slightly curved and so was probably a cavalry officer's saber. The date of manufacture is on the hilt: 1810.
  
  > take it
  You place the cavalry saber in the sack.
  
  > examine the mural
  It's a lovely mural, with its cypress trees and Spanish moss, plus sunlight glinting off the water. It almost makes you feel like you're there, in the middle of the bayou.
  
  > examine the moss
  The Spanish moss hangs down into the water in places.
  
  > look at the trees
  The cypress trees in the mural are covered with Spanish moss.
  
  > look at the water
  Sunlight glints off the water in the mural.
  
  > examine the glint
  You can't see any such thing, at least as described. Or maybe that's just not something you need to refer to in order to earn lots of cash on Antique Escapes.
  
  > go west
  A mural depicting Andrew Jackson leading his troops during battle extends around all four sides of this room. A king-sized bed features prominently here as well. A doorway leads south, and another leads east to the bayou room.
  
  A copy of The Awakening is lying on the bed.
  
  "This was the first bedroom to be decorated in a theme after Sugarlawn was restored in the 1950s," Terri says. "Andrew Jackson had actually slept in this room once, and the new owners wanted to commemorate that.
  
  "The mural shows the Battle of New Orleans in January of 1815, in which Jackson handily defeated a much larger British force," continues Terri. "Ironically, the peace treaty ending the War of 1812 had been signed less than a month before, but the news hadn't reached New Orleans yet. With the exception of the British capture of a fort outside of Mobile a few weeks later, the Battle of New Orleans was the last time American and British forces faced each other on opposite sides of a military conflict."
  
  > look at the mural
  The mural depicts Jackson leading American soldiers during the Battle of New Orleans. Jackson is riding a horse and brandishing a sword.
  
  > examine Jackson
  (the Jackson mural)
  The mural depicts Jackson leading American soldiers during the Battle of New Orleans. Jackson is riding a horse and brandishing a sword.
  
  > examine the horse
  This is Andrew Jackson's mount in the mural.
  
  > examine the bed
  It's a king-sized bed; it's almost as wide as it is long.
  
  On the king-sized bed is The Awakening.
  
  > look at Awakening
  Awakening.
  
  > take it
  You place The Awakening in the sack.
  
  > read it
  You open the book and read the first couple of paragraphs.
  
  "A green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door, kept repeating over and over: 'Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! That's all right!'
  
  "He could speak a little Spanish, and also a language which nobody understood, unless it was the mocking-bird that hung on the other side of the door, whistling his fluty notes out upon the breeze with maddening persistence."
  
  It's pretty faint, but the first "l" and the "w" in "yellow" have been lightly circled with a pencil.
  
  > Go south
  This is the west end of the second floor hallway. A closed door is to the west, while the Jackson bedroom beckons to the north, and another room lies south. In addition, the hallway continues east, back toward the stairs.
  
  An old voodoo doll is lying on the floor.
  
  > look at the doll
  This old voodoo doll depicts what appears to be an antebellum plantation owner. It's made out of rags.
  
  > take the doll
  You place the old voodoo doll in the sack.
  
  > Go west
  (first opening the door)
  
  This balcony overlooks the beautifully-maintained front lawn, which slopes down to Bayou Lafourche off to the west. An open door leads east, back to the second floor hallway.
  
  A jeweled duck figurine has been left on the balcony.
  
  > examine the duck
  You're pretty sure the duck figurine is supposed to be a mallard.
  
  > take the duck
  You place the jeweled duck figurine in the sack.
  
  > examine the lawn
  The front lawn is, unsurprisingly, immaculately-kept.
  
  > look at the door
  The door stands wide open.
  
  > Go east
  This is the west end of the second floor hallway. An open door leads west to the front balcony, while the Jackson bedroom beckons to the north, and another room lies south. In addition, the hallway continues east, back toward the stairs.
  
  > go to the south
  Graceful magnolia trees have been painted on all four walls of this room, their branches entertwining on the ceiling. A large, cream-colored bed occupies much of the room. One doorway leads north to the second floor hallway, while another leads east.
  
  An old model of a steamboat has been left on the bed.
  
  "This room honors Louisiana's state flower, the Southern magnolia.
  The magnolia is Mississippi's state flower as well," says Terri. "Magnolia blossoms are known for their rich fragrance, and the trees themselves can be lots of fun for kids to climb."
  
  > look at the bed
  The cream-colored bed is the same shade as the magnolia blossoms on the walls.
  
  On the cream-colored bed is a model steamboat.
  
  > examine boat
  This is a detailed model of an old paddle-wheel steamboat.
  
  > take boat
  You place the model steamboat in the sack.
  
  > Go east
  A white paddle steamer chugs its way down the middle of the Mississippi River in the mural that covers one wall of this room. A deep blue bed sits against the opposite wall. One exit is north to the second floor stair hall, while another leads west to the magnolia room.
  
  A belt is lying on the bed.
  
  "The Mississippi River dominates Louisiana, both historically and geographically," says Terri. "This bedroom honors the 'The Father of Waters.'
  
  "The color of the bed is either ironic or wishful thinking," Terri adds, "since much of the Mississippi is actually a muddy brown."
  
  > look at the mural
  This mural depicts a curve of the Mississippi River as it winds its way past a high bluff and a bank of pine trees. In the foreground, a paddle steamboat chugs its way down the river.
  
  > examine the bed
  This bed is a deep blue. It looks quite inviting.
  
  On the blue bed is a belt.
  
  > examine the belt
  This belt appears to be made from alligator skin.