text: > look around
  The garden that you let go to weed is flourishing here. Tulips add color to the first greens of the vegetables pushing up through the ground. The well is here, surrounded by flowers. The front of the house is to the northeast and the back is to the southeast.
  You see a clod of dirt here.
  
  > throw the clod at the cylinder
  You miss.
  
  > check your inventory
  You have a bucket, a hoe, and a clod of dirt.
  
  > tie the bucket to the rope
  You carefully tie the rope to the bucket, and drop the bucket into the well.
  
  > take the rope
  You haul the bucket up out of the darkness.
  
  > take the bucket
  You untie it from the rope and carry it with you.
  
  > pour the water on the clod
  The water flows smoothly off of the clod of dirt, leaving it as dry as if it had never been there.
  
  > examine the stove
  This stove was the one thing of quality in your house. It's comforting to see that it hasn't changed.
  
  Click.
  
  > open the stove
  There's nothing in it. It's too warm outside.
  
  Click.
  
  > turn on the stove
  The stove isn't important.
  
  Click.
  
  > show the clod to Dad
  "You got that pulled up, huh? I was trying to pry it up when I snapped the hoe in two."
  
  Click.
  
  > show the hoe to Dad
  "You always bring garden implements inside with you?"
  
  Click.
  
  > show the bucket to Dad
  "Are you nuts, bringin' a full bucket of water inside, you'll ruin..." He looks around. "What am I saying? Everything's made out o' that electric field stuff. You couldn't ruin anything if you tried. Hell, you can't even make anything wet. Go for it. Pour away."
  
  Click.
  
  > pour the water on the floor
  The water flows smoothly off of the ground, leaving it as dry as if it had never been there.
  
  Click.
  
  > Go southwest
  This is the major hub of this path. It splits to the south and
  west, and taking either fork will eventually get you back here from from the other direction. Right at the forking of the path is a huge, menacing contraption.
  The cylinder seems to contain some water.
  
  > pour the water in the cylinder
  The water spills over the top of the already full cylinder and onto the ground.
  
  > examine the cylinder
  It is a hollow cylinder, made of a clear material that you don't recognize. It is about nine inches in diameter, a foot high, and its walls are about a half an inch thick. It is full of clear water, and there is an axe poised to sweep across the top of it.
  
  > go to the south
  You walk about twenty feet before coming to a wall of dense fog. You press into it, but come out right where you entered, even though you never felt yourself turn around.
  
  > Inventory
  You have a hoe, a clod of dirt, and a bucket. The bucket seems to contain some water.
  
  > Go north
  The rest of the house is to the east.
  
  > show the dirt to pop
  "You got some nice topsoil there."
  
  Click.
  
  > show the hoe to pop
  "Fine piece o' work, innit? That won't break on ya', I'll bet."
  
  Click.
  
  > show the bucket to pop
  Pop grins and starts singing, "There's a hole in the bucket, dear Eliza..."
  
  Click.
  
  > go east
  You try to walk to the store next door, but the wall of fog covers the doorway. Groping for the handle, you pull the door open, step inside and proceed to walk through the fog, which eventually clears, leaving you on the sidewalk in front of Pop's.
  
  > pour water on Pop
  Just as you are about to tip the bucket ontp Pop, he catches your hand. "Whoa there, Isaiah. Water 'n robots don't mix too good, if you know what I mean."
  
  Click.
  
  > examine the library
  You look across the street at your old familiar haunt, the library.
  It is a welcome sight, a possible sanctuary from your madness.
  
  > go to the north
  You head towards the library, not quite sure what you're looking for, but hopeful that you'll find something useful. You stride up the steps, pull the door open, and come up against a wall of fog, just beyond the doorway. Holding your arms out in front of you, you press into the fog, but you still end up coming back out of the library.
  You retreat to Pop's stoop.
  
  > ask Pop about the library
  Pop scratches his head. "Ya know, I don't think your dad ever went into the library here on the ship. Our hosts prolly never fleshed out the inside of it."
  
  Click.
  
  > ask Pop about yourself
  "You wanna know why yer here?" Pop shrugs. "Mostly just 'cause our hosts want to learn more about people. That, and they wanted to see if you could cheer up yer old man. He hasn't been too cooperative recently."
  
  Click.
  
  > ask Pop about Pop
  "Wonderin' how our hosts got me to act so much like Pop? Well, I reckon' not too many people in town knew that Pop went on some serious weekend benders. About once a month he'd close down for a weekend-- he'd always say he was goin' to buy more supplies-- and head on over to Cedarsburg, check into a flophouse and get roarin' drunk. If he thought he saw aliens pokin' and proddin' him when he was drunk, well, I reckon' he just kept his mouth shut about it. Kinda puts him one up on your dad, don't it?
  
  Click.
  
  "Wonderin' how our hosts got me to act so much like Pop? Well, I reckon' not too many people in town knew that Pop went on some serious weekend benders. About once a month he'd close down for a weekend-- he'd always say he was goin' to buy more supplies-- and head on over to Cedarsburg, check into a flophouse and get roarin' drunk. If he thought he saw aliens pokin' and proddin' him when he was drunk, well, I reckon' he just kept his mouth shut about it. Kinda puts him one up on your dad, don't it?
  
  Click.
  
  > take the clod
  Taken.
  
  Click.
  
  > ask Dad about Dad
  "Aw, I'm fine, Isaiah. Let's just get all this testing over with so's we can get back home and prove we weren't nuts."
  
  Click.
  
  > ask Dad about Pop
  "Oh, you mean that..." You watch him frown as he gropes for a distasteful enough word. "...thing that they've set up to make us feel all homey? Yeah, I've seen him. I was fooled by him for a while, but not any more. I'll take my own company over a robot's any day.
  
  Click.
  
  > Inv
  I don't know the word "abot".
  
  I don't know the word "inv".
  
  > ask Dad about Library
  "The Library? Yeah, I remember going to the library. Before they started visiting me. I always liked it there." He starts drifting away, lost in old memories. "But then I started reading all the books about the government conspiracies to keep the aliens a secret. I read about all of the abductees, and saw their stories had to be true. I knew I wasn't nuts, but your mom decided that if I stopped reading the books, I'd stop hallucinating the ship that was visiting me." He shakes his head. "I wonder where she thinks I've been for the past couple months? Inside my own mind?"
  
  Click.
  
  > check your inventory
  "The Library? Yeah, I remember going to the library. Before they started visiting me. I always liked it there." He starts drifting away, lost in old memories. "But then I started reading all the books about the government conspiracies to keep the aliens a secret. I read about all of the abductees, and saw their stories had to be true. I knew I wasn't nuts, but your mom decided that if I stopped reading the books, I'd stop hallucinating the ship that was visiting me." He shakes his head. "I wonder where she thinks I've been for the past couple months? Inside my own mind?"
  
  Click.
  
  You have a hoe, a bucket, and a clod of dirt. The bucket seems to contain some water.
  
  Click.
  
  > follow you
  "I just don't feel like doin' much of anything."
  
  Click.
  
  > put the clod in the cylinder
  You drop the clod into water, and the water turns murky. The axe whistles past the cylinder and swings around the spring arm several times before coming to rest.
  
  > examine the axe
  You examine the axe, carefully feeling the cool metal of its head, brushing its cutting edge with the ball of your thumb. It's real.
  
  > pry axe
  (with the hoe)
  After working the blade of the hoe underneath the handle of the axe and levering it a couple of times, the axe comes free.
  
  > Inventory
  You have a hoe and a bucket. The bucket seems to contain some water.
  
  > go southwest
  This is the major hub of this path. It splits to the south and
  west, and taking either fork will eventually get you back here from from the other direction. Right at the forking of the path is a huge, menacing contraption.
  You see an axe here. The cylinder seems to contain some water.
  
  > show axe to Dad
  Your dad raises his eyebrow. "Do I need this?"
  
  Click.
  
  > hit Dad with the axe
  You grapple with your father, who pushes who back with incredible strength. "What the hell was that for?"
  
  Click.
  
  > listen
  You watch your father carefully, just to be sure. Yep, he clicks when he blinks.
  
  Click.
  
  > check your inventory
  You have a hoe, a bucket, and an axe. The bucket seems to contain some water.
  
  > show the axe to Pop
  "And just what are you plannin' to do with that?"
  
  Click.
  
  > hit Pop with axe
  You grapple with Pop, who pushes you back with incredible strength.
  
  Click.
  
  > examine the store
  Every detail about Pop's store is perfect: the green canopy awning that got cranked in at night, the huge Jingle bell hanging on the inside of the door, even the finger smudges on the window right in front of the candy display. You can remember making some smudges of your own when you were in grade school and your dad brought you into town.
  
  > go north
  The interior of the library is filled with dense fog, but you can
  just barely make out the outline of the front desk.
  
  > look at the desk
  You focus your mind on that outline of the desk. What should it look like? You close your eyes and remember the light pine base, the speckled formica on top. You feel a tric kle of sensation down your scalp. You open your eyes and see that the fog has thinned out somewhat: the desk is now only partially obscured.