text: > look at your surroundings
  Reality is so... unreal.
  
  The tangle of observations woven about it, humankind's utter lack of consensus, phases it to fit individual desires. Becoming and unbecoming, back and forth eternally, as it paradoxically coexists with and within infinite versions of itself...
  
  At least, that's what always surfaces in your mind whenever your own perception of reality is altered. Which is to say, ten or fifteen times a day. But it's your job, working to someday entertain others with new observations, new experiences, new realities. And after all, you signed up for the Project (as you well remember, even though it was close to five years ago), so you suppose it's entirely your fault if you don't like it. Which, when you think about it, you realise you do.
  
  Justy's voice reaches out to you from somewhere you can't see. "Okay, this should be it. One final test run to check any overload potential, and this world is done! I'm starting her up."
  
  A loud CLANK, and the Sphere begins spinning, with you inside it.
  
  "Brace yourself!"
  
  Bright lights.
  
  Pain.
  
  From somewhere off in your mind's distance, a telltale splash.
  
  Then, as the resounding thrums fade, a distorted ripple sweeps your vision clear, and all traces of the laboratory vanish from your senses.
  
  All five of them.
  
  Wiped clean, twitching, anxious for new input.
  
  Virtual reality has become reality.
  
  An Interactive Self-Discovery
  Created using Inform 5.5
  
  SPECIAL COMPETITION RELEASE -- PLEASE DO NOT DISTRIBUTE!
  
  Standard interpreter 1.0
  
  Tall branches of pale blue coral poke up from clusters of seaweed, glittering in the sunlight that filters down through lapping waves.
  
  You experience a brief moment of sheer terror as you lose the ability to move your arms and legs, which quickly give way to fins and a flat, rudder-like tail. Freedom -- passionate, exhilarating freedom beyond any known to man -- pervades your spirit. Your vision is foggy, but your other senses appear strengthened.
  
  The reef clears away to what you for some reason perceive as east and west, perfectly calm, still. Almost eerily so. But    w
  
  gwrgxilp jidunfhx   idqgdkgll dicmz, playing through in your mind, soothes away all tension.
  
  Only Justy's disembodied voice betrays the presence of a virtual reality. "I estimate at max one potential for overload, maybe two. This one isn't all that complex, compared to the lab sim. Cynthesiser's got the analysis sweep running in the background, so you may feel some slight distortion. It's nothing to worry about. Just give us a typical walk -- or should I say, swim? -- through it."
  ?
  
  I beg your pardon?
  
  > About yourself
  You're a fish. Specifically, a yellow-finned grouper. Quite a nice-looking one too, as fish go.
  
  > Swim
  You swim around in a tight circle.
  
  > Go west
  Swishing your tail, you propel yourself forward.
  
  Thin stalks of kelp fan lazily about this shallow stretch of ocean. They disperse somewhat to the east, where clumps of coral rise to form a towering reef. Westward, the ocean floor inclines rapidly toward the surface, narrowing the seawater corridor to a thin, flat wedge.
  
  Pebbles of gravel drift along the sandy floor, propelled by tidal currents.
  
  > examine the gravel
  A small patch of smooth, rounded, colourful stones.
  
  > get gravel
  You're a fish, remember? Fish don't have hands. You'll have to find a more creative method of moving things around.
  
  > eat the gravel
  You swallow up a mouthful of the gravel.
  
  A red crab scuttles along the sand below you.
  
  > Go east
  Swishing your tail, you propel yourself forward.
  
  The images before your eyes become briefly distorted.
  
  > Go east
  Swishing your tail, you propel yourself forward.
  
  Here the seafloor drops away abruptly as a watery rift slices downward out of sight between two jagged rock walls. Both sides of the fissure are crowded with the polyps of large anemones, flecked in sun-dappled pastel shades. Their many calyces grasp at you from all directions, but you wisely keep your distance.
  
  The reef rises to the west, and a cleft in the eastern wall is visible through the wriggling mass of gelatinous tentacles.
  
  A large octopus propels itself up from the rift below, directly toward you!
  
  > look at the octopus
  Its enormous grey-green body is soft and oval, encircled at the base by eight deadly sucker-studded tentacles.
  
  The octopus grabs you with its tentacles and, despite your desperate struggling, forces you into its gaping mouth.
  
   Freaks me out no matter how many times I see it." He claps you lightly on the shoulder, then turns to study the printout Cynthia has spread out on the lab bench.
  
  She flips through the pages briefly, running her fingers over the tiny raised bumps on one side before targeting a specific segment with an index finger. "Here," she emphasises to Justy. "According to the sweep, the interpreter stack may be unstable."
  
  "Where is it?" Justy inquires.
  
  "Can't tell. It's a global event routine, not embedded in a specific object. Damn this pseudo-OO compiler."
  
  Justy nods grimly. "It's in there somewhere." To you, he adds, "Guess we need to do another run. Take a break, come back after you've recovered a bit. I'll be waiting."
  
  The heart of the Project, in the form of complex electrical devices linked together by a maze of coaxial cable, packs this small underground laboratory to capacity. Exits lead off in nearly every compass direction, and a set of disused cement steps descends into darkness.
  
  The Sphere looms in one corner, between the VR suit and a large glass tank.
  
  Justy works at the lab terminal, oblivious to all else.
  
  You can also see a lab bench (on which are the Project's technical manual, a computer workstation and an ergonomic mouse) here.
  
  Cynthia leaves the lab to the northwest.
  
  [AUTHOR'S NOTE: Incidentally, there were plenty of great
  opportunities for really bad fish jokes in that scene, but I resisted the temptation. You can thank me for that by voting this game into first place.]
  
  > Examine tank
  This tank used to house an android that performed a lot of the preliminary VR diagnostics, but you're not sure what happened to it (the android, that is). Odd, that.
  
  > examine mouse
  (the ergonomic mouse)
  A standard white two-button ergonomic input device.
  
  > examine the manual
  This thick volume is the Project's documentation, most of which has been filled in in bits and pieces as developments have occurred. A lot of it is hopelessly out of order, despite Dr Shimada's efforts to outline an index (which was some time ago). The cracked black leather binder bears the Project logo.
  
  > read it
  The technical manual has several hundred pages. It'd be more efficient to look up specific topics.
  
  > look at Sphere
  The Sphere is a human-sized anti-gravity gyroscope, encased in soundproof glass. VR sensors connect to status monitors, the lab terminal and the mainframe supercomputer in the next room by a thick bundle of coaxial cables. A fail-safe lever protrudes at an angle from one side.
  
  > look at the suit
  Which do you mean, the VR suit or the technician's jumpsuit?
  
  > Vvr .
  The VR suit, a full-body outfit of spandex and kevlar, hangs on a rack against one wall. It fits tightly and is strung with a network of millions of tiny sensory-output devices.
  
  > look at the jumpsuit
  A standard-issue grey Project uniform, loose-fitting and comfortable, emblazoned with the Project logo.
  
  > look up android
  What do you want to look up androids in?
  
  > Manual
  You find the following:
    VR androids, manufactured by other divisions within the Corporation, are another protective tool, used in the early stages of VR sim debugging. Equipped with limited neural-network processors, they are strapped into the sphere and used to perform preliminary VR diagnostics to avoid the dangers to a human brain in the event of any serious bugs in a virtual sensory reality.
  
  SEE ALSO: Debug Icon, Fail-Safe Lever, Sphere, VR Viruses
  
  > look uthe fail-safe lever
  What do you want to look up fail-safe lever in?
  
  > Manual
  You find the following:
    Built into one corner of the Sphere is a fail-safe lever that may be pulled to prematurely shut down a sim when a person is inside. This feature is equipped with its own fusion cell and is of vital importance in the event of power outages or other system glitches. If a sim is not shut down properly using the fail-safe mechanism, permanent damage to the brain is likely to result from the abrupt termination of the human-computer synapse.
  
  SEE ALSO: Android, Sphere
  
  > look up Sphere in manual
  You find the following:
    The Sphere is an anti-gravity gyroscope that provides the sim user with the weightlessness necessary for the virtual experience to take over. The Sphere is the focal point for all sim-related activity within the system.
  
  SEE ALSO: Cray ZMP-2010X, Fail-Safe Lever, Lab Terminal, VR Suit
  
  > look up Cray in the manual
  You find the following:
    The Cray ZMP-2010X, located in the Output Station, provides central processing, storage, and printing functions to the VR operating system. It is interfaced with the lab terminal via coaxial cables and fiber-optic bundles. Printing of the current system status is controlled via the "report" function of the O/S. Due to the severe paper shortages, it is necessary that the previous printout be recycled (through the built-in slot attached to the printer).
  
  SEE ALSO: Lab Terminal, Report Icon
  
  > look up the report icon in the manual
  You find the following:
    The "report" icon generates a print job queued to the Cray ZMP-2010X. The default print job is the system status report, which lists the settings of the current VR sim.
  
  SEE ALSO: Cray ZMP-2010X
  
  > look up the lab terminal in the manual
  You find the following:
    The Project's central terminal is located in the VR lab and is interfaced with the Cray ZMP-2010X and Sphere, but is otherwise isolated from the rest of the Corporation (for security purposes). Control of the various system components is handled through a GUI (Graphical User Interface) which serves as the Project's operating system.
  
  SEE ALSO: Cray ZMP-2010X, Configure Icon, Debug Icon, Flush Icon, Launch Icon, Report Icon, Sphere, System Icon
  
  > look up the Configure Icon in the manual
  You find the following:
    The "configure" icon allows the operator to change sensory output settings for a VR. Changes made during a session do not take effect until the sim is reloaded.
  
  All users have access to this program.
  
  > look up the Debug Icon in the manual
  You find the following:
    The "debug" icon provides access to the VR compiler, editor, and debugger.
  
  Access to these programs is restricted to Dr Shimada and myself.
  
  > look up the Flush Icon in the manual
  You find the following:
    The "flush" program purges the system in the event of a critical error in the active VR. Once purged, the sim is wiped clean from the system and must be re-installed from archival storage.
  
  Due to the drastic nature of this program, only Dr Shimada has access to it.
  
  > look up the Launch Icon in the manual
  You find the following:
    The "launch" program activates the currently loaded VR sim and runs it. Input and output devices are the Sphere and VR suit, and they must be occupied for this module to run.
  
  All users have access to this program.
  
  SEE ALSO: Fail-Safe Lever, Sphere, VR Suit
  
  > look up the System Icon in the manual
  You find the following:
    The "system" icon grants access to a number of operating system programs, allowing the user to load, unload, and archive sims, or to search the contents of files.
  
  All users have access to this part of the system, but it is password protected.
  
  > look at Justy
  His bright eyes gleam through thick glasses framed by short brown hair and a small gold loop through his left earlobe.
  
  Looking at Justy again, you see... not an old friend, but someone else, someone different. Someone you've only begun to get to know recently... Very curious.
  
  Or were you just thinking of someone else...?
  
  > say hello
  (to Justy)
  There is no reply.
  
  > examine terminal
  A twentieth-century user would have called this a "personal computer" or "PC", although the elimination of the "lone programmer" concept has since made that acronym outdated.
  
  It's an 8-gigahertz multimedia package with a 16-terabyte hard drive, 12 gigs of RAM, and a 96-megabyte cache. The CPU case is disproportionately tiny next to the keyboard and monitor, larger only out of human necessity.
  
  Dr Shimada ordered this system some time ago, when increased processing speed became necessary if the Project's deadlines were to be met. It arrived less than a week ago, and it's already obsolete.
  
  > Go up
  The Sphere looms in one corner, between the VR suit and a large glass tank.
  
  Justy works at the lab terminal, oblivious to all else.
  
  You can also see a lab bench (on which are the Project's technical manual, a computer workstation and an ergonomic mouse) here.
  
  > go to the west
  Fluorescent lights cast a harsh, blurry glare on bundles of cable stretching overhead, and on metal walls, not quite reflective. The glare breaks at a doorway in the south wall, and at the west end of the east-west corridor, outside Dr Shimada's office.
  
  On the north wall are a pair of closed elevator doors.
  
  > Go south
  Dank and cold, these facilities contain only the usual fixtures -- toilet, shower stall, and a dripping, rust-stained washbasin. On the wall above the last is an off-colour rectangle, where a mirror once hung, but no longer.
  
  > knock on the door
  "Come in," says Dr Shimada, politely but firmly.
  
  > Enter
  The corridor runs east to west, with a doorway to the south.
  
  > open the door
  You open Dr Shimada's office door.
  
  > go west
  With the Project approaching conclusion, Dr Shimada's workload has increased geometrically. Several open and disarrayed filing cabinets and the layer of paperwork covering her desktop and computer belie her typical attention to immaculacy.
  
  On your right is a small wooden shelf, bulging with assorted books.
  
  Dr Shimada works furiously at her desk.
  
  On Dr Shimada's desk are a three-hole punch and Dr Shimada's cellular phone.
  
  > look at the shelf
  All of the great works, eastern and western, of literature, philosophy, and religion (on CD-ROM, of course).
  
  > get the punch
  "Bring it back when you're done, please," says Dr Shimada.
  
  Taken.
  
  > get phone
  Dr Shimada gives you a "look" that makes you change your mind.
  
  > Kiss shimada
  You never were comfortable with that kind of thing.
  
  > say hello
  (to Dr Shimada)
  There is no reply.
  
  > ask Shimada about Project
  Dr Shimada waves you away impatiently.
  
  > look at Shimada
  Shimada is the Project's director, working under the control of the Executives. Following Justy's recommendation, she was the one who recruited you for your current position.
  
  You've worked under Dr Hyechong Shimada for years, but are still unable to say that you truly know her due to her intensely private nature. Half-Chinese, half-Japanese, she was transferred in from the Corporation's Kyushu office to direct the Project.
  
  The jagged scars on her face and hands mark Dr Shimada as a survivor of the Great Cancer, and give her already dogmatic presence an artificial air of fierceness (which you suspect she secretly enjoys).
  
  > Go east
  (closing Dr Shimada's office door on the way out)
  
  On the north wall are a pair of closed elevator doors.
  
  > go to the north
  Ironic proof against the aphorism that supercomputers are shrinking dominates this section of the lab. The walls and narrow walkways enclose the Project's brain, an enormous Cray ZMP-2010X whose size is directly proportional to its awesome processing power. Equally large racks of storage media occupy the four corners.
  
  > look at Cray
  One of the larger exabyte systems, though you're not familiar with the exact configuration. Its most familiar feature is a built-in printer, with a recycling slot for immediate paper reprocessing.
  
  > Examine slot
  The curved recycling slot forms the "mouth" of a cutesy little picture of a smiling planet earth.
  
  > Go northwest
  Cynthia's quarters are just as sparsely furnished as yours, with only a bed, desk, and a few of Cynthia's personal belongings.
  
  Cynthia busies herself with the VR analysis system.
  
  Above Cynthia's desk hangs a 3-D picture.
  
  > examine it
  Well, you've got two of 'em. Five fingers each. Nothing extraordinary about that.
  
  Something is strange -- an echoing, shadowy air of inconsistency about your hands, but you can't quite place it...
  
  > look at the picture
  It's one of those pictures made up of a matrix of coloured dots, arranged to form a three-dimensional image when stared at long enough with one's eyes crossed. You've never understood why Cynthia (who is blind) would keep such a thing around.
  
  Wait a minute... If you squint your eyes just right... There! It looks like a giant sundial gnomon, with an atomic mushroom cloud erupting behind.
  
  Truly bizarre that you never recognised it until this moment.
  
  > examine Cynthia
  Black lenses hide failed eyes, but Cynthia's other senses are even sharper than your own. Her long hair spills down her back in thick dreadlocks the same colour as a curious symbol tattooed on her right forearm.
  
  There's a pencil tucked behind her ear.
  
  [AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just in case you care, this is the first work
  of I-F to feature a major NPC with a tattoo. (No, the disembodied hand in "The Lurking Horror" doesn't count.)]
  
  > touch Cynthia
  Keep your hands to yourself!
  
  > look at the symbol
  An unrecognisable (to you) symbol, an eight-pointed star with a single letter at each point (two at each of the diagonals), done in black ink. It's hard to see clearly against Cynthia's dark skin.
  
  > Sleep
  Surely you can find a good place to lie down.
  
  > In the cynthia's bed
  That was a rhetorical question.
  
  I only understood you as far as wanting to in.
  
  > go southwest
  Justy's quarters are just as sparsely furnished as yours, with only a bed, desk, and a few of Justy's personal belongings.
  
  The south wall is completely taken up Justy's film library.
  
  Hanging nearby is a framed sketch by M.C. Escher.
  
  A large holovision set dominates the west wall.
  
  > examine the library
  Justy's collection of science-fiction films includes the complete "Star Wars" saga, the "Terminator" trilogy, and both the 2001 remake and classic 1926 versions of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis."
  
  > examine Escher
  The charcoal sketch depicts a stream, flowing upwards at impossible angles through a square-edged canal before cascading downward from a minaret to begin the process anew. (Unlike your Giger, though, this isn't the original.)
  
  > Examine set
  The dark, glassy eye of the holoscreen stares vacantly back.
  
  > turn on the set
  The holovision screen lights up as the set clicks on, broadcasting a "Jeopardy" match already in progress.
  
  Three contestants stand behind podiums labelled, from left to right (from your perspective), "Tom", "Lisa", and "Brian". Tom currently has $1400, Lisa's score is $1200, and Brian trails hopelessly behind with -$900. Hovering beside the matrix of blue question screens in a transparent plastic bubble is Jeopardy's host, the once-cryogenically frozen head of Alex Trebek.
  
  "What is Planck's constant?" asks Lisa.
  
  "Correct," states Alex.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  "I'll take interactive fiction for 400."
  
  > wait for a while
  Time passes.
  
  "Currently the CEO of the BranMuffin World Conglomerate, she was the original editor of XYZZYnews."
  
  > wait
  Time passes.
  
  Tom taps his buzzer. "Who is Eileen Mullin?"
  
  Alex's head nods (an amusing sight when it's not attached to a body).
  
  > wait
  Time passes.
  
  Tom glances briefly at the board before deciding on, "Interactive fiction for 600, Alex."
  
  > Go south
  A rather stark infirmary, with cold cement walls and floor lit by a single flickering fluorescent bulb. It feels more like a morgue than a medical facility. An exit leads north.
  
  You can see a metal gurney, an IV stand and a medical cabinet (which is closed) here.
  
  > open the cabinet
  You open the medical cabinet, revealing a power X-Acto knife, a gelstrip and an antitoxin caplet.
  
  > look at the gurney
  A flat metal stretcher with wheels attached.
  
  > Caplet and gelstrip
  power X-Acto knife: Taken.
  antitoxin caplet: Taken.
  gelstrip: Taken.
  
  > open door
  Which do you mean, Cynthia's door, Justy's door or the metal door?
  
  > Metal
  You open the metal door.
  
  > Go southeast
  This is where you've lived the last five years of your life while working on the Project team. Comfortable, if a bit confined, the small enclosure is furnished with only a writing desk and bed. The walls are of solid cement blocks, with the exception of the north wall, where thick plasterboard gives the impression of having been put up hastily.
  
  On your desk is a hypodermic syringe.
  
  Hanging near the door is a painting by H.R. Giger.
  
  Plywood shelves stand in a shadowy alcove in the northeast corner.
  
  On your bed is a pillow.
  
  You can also see an electric violin and an amplifier (on which is a bow) here.
  
  > look at Giger
  It's "The Crucified Serpent", one of Giger's earlier works (1975), depicting an enormous metallic T-bar on which is draped a large snake with a face vaguely similar to that of Christ. Wisps of mist billow out from behind the crucifix, illuminated by lights angling upward from short black cylinders.
  
  Odd, this. You can't seem to recall any details of the auction. In fact, you don't remember buying it at all. A mental doubt surfaces as to whether or not it's really the original.
  
  > get the syringe
  Taken.
  
  > plug in the violin
  (first taking the electric violin)
  You plug the electric violin into the amplifier.
  
  > play it
  (first taking the bow)
  (turning the amplifier on)
  Tucking one end of the instrument firmly under your chin, its neck held firmly in your right hand, you run the bow in your left expertly over the strings. With confident, practiced motions, you invoke from the instrument a sonorous croon that manifests itself as Faure's Requiem.
  
  > go northwest
  You drag the amplifier along with you.
  
  The Sphere looms in one corner, between the VR suit and a large glass tank.
  
  Justy works at the lab terminal, oblivious to all else.
  
  You can also see an amplifier and a lab bench (on which are the Project's technical manual, a computer workstation and an ergonomic mouse) here.
  
  > go east
  Dragging the amplifier down the stairs will damage it.
  
  > drop it
  Dropped.
  
  > Go northwest
  Cynthia busies herself with the VR analysis system.
  
  Above Cynthia's desk hangs a 3-D picture.
  
  > Go east
  The door is to the southeast.
  
  > go to the southeast
  The Sphere looms in one corner, between the VR suit and a large glass tank.
  
  Justy works at the lab terminal, oblivious to all else.
  
  You can also see an electric violin, an amplifier and a lab bench (on which are the Project's technical manual, a computer workstation and an ergonomic mouse) here.
  
  > Go northeast
  A small kitchen and dining area rolled into one.
  
  On the counter is a pair of metal kitchen tongs.
  
  You can also see a combination refrigerator/freezer and a microwave oven (which is closed and empty) here.
  
  > get the tongs
  Your hands are full. You can't pick up anything more until you drop something else first.
  
  > open it
  Frosty air billows out around you.
  
  Opening the freezer reveals a lightstick.
  
  > get the lightstick
  (It's cold to the touch.) Your hands are full. You can't pick up anything more until you drop something else first.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying a bow, a hypodermic syringe, a gelstrip, an antitoxin caplet, a power X-Acto knife and a three-hole punch. You are wearing a technician's jumpsuit and a fingerwatch.
  
  > drop the bow
  Dropped.
  
  > get light
  (It's cold to the touch.) Taken.
  
  > look at the fingerwatch
  Like anyone in today's highly time-controlled society, you have a small clock affixed to your right index finger, continuously winking the correct time, according to the International Chronometer.
  
  It has a built-in alarm which can be set to alert you with a painful little jolt when the timer expires. (It's also digital, which you always thought was pretty neat.)
  
  Currently, your fingerwatch reads "4435".
  
  > look at the caplet
  A small white caplet with a red band around the centre.
  
  > examine the punch
  A page-length three-hole punch, used to punch three holes (hence the name) in pages to be added to the Project binder.
  
  > open the fridge
  Opening the refrigerator reveals a cold slice of pizza.
  
  > get that
  (the bow)
  Your hands are full. You can't pick up anything more until you drop something else first.
  
  > Go southwest
  (first closing the refrigerator and freezer)
  
  The Sphere looms in one corner, between the VR suit and a large glass tank.
  
  Justy works at the lab terminal, oblivious to all else.
  
  You can also see an electric violin, an amplifier and a lab bench (on which are the Project's technical manual, a computer workstation and an ergonomic mouse) here.
  
  > examine the lightstick
  Clear liquid sealed in a vial of pale green plastic, capped at one end.
  
  > shake the lightstick
  You give the lightstick a vigorous shake. A very faint glow emanates, then fades almost immediately.
  
  > wear the suit
  (the technician's jumpsuit)
  You're already wearing that!
  
  > wear the vr suit
  (first taking the VR suit)
  "Ready to have another go at it?" Justy asks rhetorically.
  
  Placing your possessions on the lab bench, you change out of the technician's jumpsuit and into the VR suit and helmet. You climb into the centre of the Sphere and spread your arms and legs so Justy can lock them down. This done, he steps to the workstation and does something you can't quite see.
  
  "Okay, looks like we're all set for another run. Brace yourself!"
  
  He throws the switch, and you soon find yourself floating in liquid space...
  
  Tall branches of pale blue coral poke up from clusters of seaweed, glittering in the sunlight that filters down through lapping waves.
  
  You experience a brief moment of sheer terror as you lose the ability to move your arms and legs, which quickly give way to fins and a flat, rudder-like tail. Freedom -- passionate, exhilarating freedom beyond any known to man -- pervades your spirit. Your vision is foggy, but your other senses appear strengthened.
  
  The reef clears away to what you for some reason perceive as east and west, perfectly calm, still. Almost eerily so. But Beethoven's Symphony no. 9 in D Minor, playing through in your mind, soothes away all tension.
  
  Justy's voice pierces through the fantasy.
  
  "You must've overlooked something last time. Try playing through it differently this run. We'll find that overload yet!"
  
  > Go west
  Swishing your tail, you propel yourself forward.
  
  Thin stalks of kelp fan lazily about this shallow stretch of ocean. They disperse somewhat to the east, where clumps of coral rise to form a towering reef. Westward, the ocean floor inclines rapidly toward the surface, narrowing the seawater corridor to a thin, flat wedge.
  
  Pebbles of gravel drift along the sandy floor, propelled by tidal currents.
  
  > eat the gravel
  You swallow up a mouthful of the gravel.
  
  > Go east
  Swishing your tail, you propel yourself forward.
  
  The reality around you wavers slightly.