text: > Look around
  Strange shapes surround you, shadows moving quickly along the walls. The effect is amplified by the uneven and blinking green light from the fireflies in your glass canning jar. Stalactites hang and stalagmites climb, occasionally making thin columns that join the floor to the ceiling. A small pool of dark water collects drops from above, echoing in the eerie quiet. Your eyes survey the room, but the only way out is east.
  
  > go to the east
  Splish splash. Splish splash. Splish splash.
  
  You are in a dark tunnel filled with icy water. The walls are cold and wet, and move apart as you head southeast toward the light. The cold wind from the cavern to your west blows against your back.
  
  > get all from the bag
  Removed.
  
  > put hors in the bag
  You carefully place all the food into the blue rubber bag. It's a snug fit, but the bag should still close.
  
  > Close bag
  You close the waterproof bag, folding and buckling the top.
  
  > Go southwest
  Bracing yourself against the sting and the cold, you step out through the falls. The cold water fills the bucket. It also soaks you from head to toe.
  
  Splish splash. Splish splash. Splish splash.
  
  Ferns and mosses of luscious green hang from the walls of this cozy grotto into which a misty waterfall plunges some 60 feet. Spray fills the air to mix with the wall of rising steam from the west, almost hiding the thermal waters of the hot spring. A narrow fissure leads through a crack in the rocks to the southeast.
  
  You can see some shorts, a shirt and a pair of leather work gloves here.
  
  > go to the west
  You look longingly at the hot spring, but you wish for the soothing fragrance of eucalyptus, your favorite scent.
  
  The dipper, so fast you almost don't notice, ducks behind the waterfall and disappears.
  
  > go south
  You can't go that way.
  
  The American Dipper emerges from below the surface of the stream and stands, bobbing in place, at its edge.
  
  > Go southeast
  You gather your clothes as you leave the grotto, and are now wearing some shorts and a shirt.
  
  Splish splash. Splish splash. Splish splash.
  
  The way is narrow here, walls of rising stone to either side, and water pours in behind you. You have no choice but to wade, the current swift and powerful. Overhead, a small slice of the sky is visible between the two cliff faces, covered with ferns that thrive in the dark moist environment here. The crevice runs northwest to south.
  
  > go south
  The willows are stronger than your will in that direction.
  
  > enter the trolley
  You climb into the trolley which swings and bounces unnervingly.
  
  (First putting on the leather work gloves)
  You pull on the cable and the car slowly moves away from the tower and over the edge of the gulch. As the ground drops away, your stomach nearly goes with it, the bouncing and swaying of the trolley exaggerating the feeling of height. Hand over hand you pull, and eventually find yourself at the other side.
  
  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.
  
  > go east
  That would be a long drop down into the canyon.
  
  > open the bag
  Opening the bag reveals the meal that you so carefully protected. What a classy bather you are.
  
  > get the food
  One item at a time, you collect the foods.
  
  > hide
  What do you want to hide in?
  
  > hide in the bag
  That's not something you can enter.
  
  The bull moose, sensing your indecision, moves quickly, lifts you with an antler, and tosses you easily onto the sharpest boulder in sight.
  
  > hide behind the boulder
  You scramble in amongst the pink boulders, almost losing an ankle in one of the many holes. The rocks are cold and uncomfortable, and the one directly below you shifts with an unsettling clunk as you adjust your weight.
  
  With a snort and a shake of his big head, the bull moose turns and disappears down the road. You notice your hands are trembling.
  
  > stand
  You scramble out of your hastily chosen refuge in the rocks.
  
  The pika runs down the right path and disappears into the vegetation.
  
  > look at the vegetation
  Weeds and trees grow where vehicles once traveled.
  
  > Neep
  The pika shifts his gaze to look at you, but fears to approach.
  
  The pika returns along the center path carrying a bunch of mountain avens and a few unusual leaves crosswise in his mouth, which he quickly hides in the boulder pile.
  
  > Examine leaves
  The leaves the pika carried were small and round and quite unlike any you have noticed in the area.
  
  The pika dashes to the top of a nearby pink boulder, pauses, and lets out a loud "neep!"
  
  > search the rocks
  The pika has hidden them and you can't see where.
  
  The pika runs down the left path and disappears into the vegetation.
  
  You search through the rocks, but can't find where the pika goes.
  
  Overhead, you can see the soft cool light of the full moon.
  
  The fireflies in your glass canning jar blink, their green light illuminating the air around you.
  
  > Neep
  The pika shifts his gaze to look at you, but fears to approach.
  
  > Neep
  The pika shifts his gaze to look at you, but fears to approach.
  
  The pika returns along the right path carrying a bunch of mountain avens and a few unusual leaves crosswise in his mouth, which he quickly hides in the boulder pile.
  
  > get the leaves
  The pika has hidden them and you can't see where.
  
  The pika dashes to the top of a nearby pink boulder, pauses, and lets out a loud "neep!"
  
  > show the herbs to the pika
  The pika looks at the picked avens but fears to approach you.
  
  > drop the herbs
  Dropped.
  
  > Search pile
  You search through the rocks, but can't find where the pika goes.
  
  The pika returns along the left path carrying a bunch of mountain avens and a few unusual leaves crosswise in his mouth, which he quickly hides in the boulder pile.
  
  > show the aven to the pika
  The pika looks at the picked avens but fears to approach you.
  
  The pika dashes to the top of a nearby pink boulder, pauses, and lets out a loud "neep!"
  
  > Neep
  The pika shifts his gaze to look at you, but fears to approach.
  
  The pika runs down the right path and disappears into the vegetation.
  
  > hide behind the boulder
  You scramble in amongst the pink boulders, almost losing an ankle in one of the many holes. The rocks are cold and uncomfortable, and the one directly below you shifts with an unsettling clunk as you adjust your weight.
  
  The pika runs down the left path and disappears into the vegetation.
  
  > wait
  Time passes.
  
  The pika returns along the right path carrying a bunch of mountain avens and a few unusual leaves crosswise in his mouth, which he quickly hides in the boulder pile.
  
  > look up owl
  (in the guidebook)
  Latin name: Strix nebulosa
  
  The great gray owl is the largest North American owl with a length of 27 inches. It has heavily ringed facial discs and yellow eyes. The great gray lacks the ear tufts that some other owls, including the great horned, have. It inhabits dense coniferous forests, wooded bogs, boreal forests, and meadows of northern and western Canada, with a narrow extension of its range down into California and Montana. It is chiefly nocturnal, but will hunt by day during the summer in the northern part of its range.
  
  The pika runs down the right path and disappears into the vegetation.
  
  > look up kingbird
  (in the guidebook)
  Latin name: Tyrannus tyrannus
  
  The eastern kingbird is a flycatcher, hunting insects on the wing. It has a large head, whiskers, and a broad-based flat bill. Its head is black, with a gray back and white underparts. They are common in woodland clearings and are often seen near water. They range throughout most of North America north of Mexico.
  
  > get on the boulder
  But you're already in the boulders.
  
  The pika returns along the center path carrying a bunch of mountain avens and a few unusual leaves crosswise in his mouth, which he quickly hides in the boulder pile.
  
  > look at the path
  Which do you mean, the left path, the center path or the right path?
  
  > Center
  Only a few inches wide, tiny feet have worn this pathway that winds through the rocks and vegetation. Sometimes disappearing completely, it reappears again farther on.
  
  The pika dashes to the top of a nearby pink boulder, pauses, and lets out a loud "neep!"
  
  > follow the pika
  You can see the pika right here.
  
  > examine the pink boulder
  You need to be holding the picked avens before you can put them on top of something else.
  
  The pika runs down the center path and disappears into the vegetation.
  
  The boulders are half as large as you and made of a pink granite that is covered with lichens of various colors. Meager handholds and small crevices barely large enough for fingers mar the surfaces of the larger rocks. Nearly hidden amongst the stones are several tiny pathways.
  
  > get aven
  Taken.
  
  The pika returns along the left path carrying a bunch of mountain avens and a few unusual leaves crosswise in his mouth, which he quickly hides in the boulder pile.
  
  > put the aven on the center
  You put the picked avens on the center path.
  
  The pika dashes to the top of a nearby pink boulder, pauses, and lets out a loud "neep!"
  
  > wait for a while
  Time passes.
  
  The pika starts down the center path, grabs the herbs crosswise in his teeth, and returns to hide them in the rock pile.
  
  > get the pika
  I don't suppose the pika would care for that.
  
  The pika dashes to the top of a nearby pink boulder, pauses, and lets out a loud "neep!"
  
  > Go south
  (first scrambling out of the pile of rocks)
  
  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.
  
  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.
  You can't see any such thing.
  
  > 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.
  
  > Go south
  You pick a few of the tender herbs.
  
  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.
  
  > put the herbs on the center
  You put the picked avens on the center path.
  
  The pika starts down the center path, grabs the herbs crosswise in his teeth, and returns to hide them in the rock pile.
  
  > wait for a while
  Time passes.
  
  The pika runs down the left path and disappears into the vegetation.
  
  > put the herbs on the left path
  You put the picked avens on the left path.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  The pika returns along the right path carrying a bunch of mountain avens and a few unusual leaves crosswise in his mouth, which he quickly hides in the boulder pile.
  
  > Search pile
  Taken.
  
  The pika dashes to the top of a nearby pink boulder, pauses, and lets out a loud "neep!"
  
  You search through the rocks, but can't find where the pika goes.
  
  > put avens on the boulder
  You put the picked avens on one of the nearby boulders.
  
  The pika moves quickly along the tops of the boulders, grabs the herbs crosswise in his mouth, and returns to hide them in the rock pile.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  some picked avens
  a banquet
  a paperback
  a glass canning jar (which is closed)
  a rubber bag (which is open but empty)
  a mason's brick
  a spruce walking stick
  eight ripe blackberries
  a matchbook (which is open)
  a match
  a scrap of paper
  a bucket (which is full of water)
  a note
  a guidebook
  a pair of flipflops
  
  In addition, you are wearing:
  a pair of leather work gloves
  some shorts
  a shirt
  
  The pika runs down the right path and disappears into the vegetation.
  
  > Examine left
  Only a few inches wide, tiny feet have worn this pathway that winds through the rocks and vegetation. Sometimes disappearing completely, it reappears again farther on.
  
  > search it
  There is nothing on the right path.
  
  The pika returns along the center path carrying a bunch of mountain avens and a few unusual leaves crosswise in his mouth, which he quickly hides in the boulder pile.
  
  > burn pika
  Violence isn't the answer to this one.
  
  The pika dashes to the top of a nearby pink boulder, pauses, and lets out a loud "neep!"
  
  > Neep
  You scramble in amongst the pink boulders, almost losing an ankle in one of the many holes. The rocks are cold and uncomfortable, and the one directly below you shifts with an unsettling clunk as you adjust your weight.
  
  The pika shifts his gaze to look at you, but fears to approach.
  
  The pika runs down the left path and disappears into the vegetation.
  
  > Shift boulder
  You are unable to.
  
  > move it
  You are unable to.
  
  The pika returns along the right path carrying a bunch of mountain avens and a few unusual leaves crosswise in his mouth, which he quickly hides in the boulder pile.
  
  > look at boulder
  The boulders are half as large as you and made of a pink granite that is covered with lichens of various colors. Meager handholds and small crevices barely large enough for fingers mar the surfaces of the larger rocks. Nearly hidden amongst the stones are several tiny pathways.
  
  The pika runs down the center path and disappears into the vegetation.
  
  > search the vegetation
  Weeds and trees grow where vehicles once traveled.
  
  Overhead, you can see the soft cool light of the full moon.
  
  The fireflies in your glass canning jar blink, their green light illuminating the air around you.
  
  > Neep
  The pika shifts his gaze to look at you, but fears to approach.
  
  The pika returns along the left path carrying a bunch of mountain avens and a few unusual leaves crosswise in his mouth, which he quickly hides in the boulder pile.
  
  > put the berry in the center path
  That can't contain things.
  
  The pika dashes to the top of a nearby pink boulder, pauses, and lets out a loud "neep!"
  
  > put the aven in the bucket
  Some of the water in the bucket spills out to make room for the picked avens.
  
  > drop the bucket
  You drop the bucket at your feet.
  
  The pika runs down the right path and disappears into the vegetation.
  
  > wait
  Time passes.
  
  The pika returns along the center path carrying a bunch of mountain avens and a few unusual leaves crosswise in his mouth, which he quickly hides in the boulder pile.
  
  > put the berry on the center path
  You put the ripe blackberry on the center path.
  
  The pika dashes to the top of a nearby pink boulder, pauses, and lets out a loud "neep!"
  
  > get it
  Taken.
  
  The pika runs down the right path and disappears into the vegetation.
  
  > get the herbs
  Taken.
  
  The pika returns along the center path carrying a bunch of mountain avens and a few unusual leaves crosswise in his mouth, which he quickly hides in the boulder pile.
  
  > examine center path
  Only a few inches wide, tiny feet have worn this pathway that winds through the rocks and vegetation. Sometimes disappearing completely, it reappears again farther on. On the center path is a ripe blackberry.
  
  The pika dashes to the top of a nearby pink boulder, pauses, and lets out a loud "neep!"
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  The pika runs down the right path and disappears into the vegetation.
  
  > put the herbs on center path
  You put the picked avens on the center path.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  The pika returns along the center path, his mouth stuffed to overflowing with vegetation. Seeing the tender herbs, he stops to pick them up, dropping something behind in the center path as he goes.
  
  > get the leaves
  You gather the four small leaves.
  
  > Smell leaves
  The leaves smell wonderfully like eucalyptus, slightly medicinal and quite soothing. They would be perfect in a bath.