text: [Themes: kid-friendly, gender-neutral protagonist, nature, treasure, kids, teenage protagonist, island, cave, beach]
  
  You were reluctant to undertake another adventure with Professor d'Squarius, especially after the last near-catastrophe. Escaping from the Tomb of the Screaming Mummies had been treacherous enough, but then to have to go back inside because the professor lost his keys in some snake pit? Frankly, you had begun to question whether his treasure hunts were worth it.
  
  But the professor spoke persuasively about this new quest -- "for untold riches!" he claimed -- and, in the end, you agreed to join the expedition. Since then, things have gone exactly the way they always do: horribly.
  
  You tried to tell the professor that bringing a harpoon into an inflatable lifeboat was a bad idea. But, like always, he dismissed your objections with the usual "you're just the teenage sidekick" line. And now YOU are the one stranded on a remote tropical island with no clear way of getting back to civilization.
  
  And the amazing treasure you were originally seeking? The professor never explained precisely what it was.
  
  You are on a deserted beach, alone except for the salty breeze, the waves splashing rhythmically on the sand, and a single palm tree that provides very little shade from the harsh sun. The beach extends to the southeast, and a path to the west leads into the rainforest.
  
  The flat husk of a once-inflatable lifeboat has washed up nearby.
  
  [Author's Note: You were reluctant to undertake another adventure with Professor d'Squarius (especially after the last near-catastrophe, in the Tomb of the Screaming Mummies), and from the moment you agreed to join the expedition, things have gone exactly the way they always do: horribly. Now YOU are the one stranded on a remote tropical island with no clear way of getting back to civilization. And the amazing treasure you were originally seeking? The professor never explained precisely what it was.]
  
  > About you
  You are the young assistant to Professor Edsger d'Squarius, adventurer-archaeologist.
  
  You and the professor have been through a lot together. You bravely charted the Grave of the Headless Vikings (at least until the swamp gases started to make you hallucinate). You ventured into the secret network of catacombs beneath Stonehenge in search of the Lost Codex of Zethar the Druid (it's still lost; you never found it). You have even seen the summit of Mount Everest (from a distance).
  
  And every time the professor has gotten into some bizarre or dangerous predicament (which is most of the time), you've been there to bail him out.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  the silver whistle (being worn)
  
  > examine the whistle
  The silver emergency whistle hangs from a nylon lanyard that you are wearing around your neck.
  
  The whistle was one piece of emergency equipment that the professor put you in charge of (the other was the emergency beacon, which seems to be missing).
  
  > Blow whistle
  The shrill sound of the emergency whistle is both loud and irritating.
  
  > look
  You are on a deserted beach, alone except for the salty breeze, the waves splashing rhythmically on the sand, and a single palm tree that provides very little shade from the harsh sun. The beach extends to the southeast, and a path to the west leads into the rainforest.
  
  The flat husk of a once-inflatable lifeboat has washed up nearby.
  
  > get the lifeboat
  The deflated lifeboat has outlived all usefulness. There's no point in carrying it around.
  
  > examine the tree
  The smooth trunk of the palm tree stretches up about twenty feet and ends in a fan of wide, green leaves.
  
  > climb the tree
  You're quite skilled at climbing trees -- and it's a good thing. When the professor was captured by the Cannibal Warriors, you scrambled up a tree and avoided detection. Later (but still before brunch!) you climbed down and helped the professor escape.
  
  Unfortunately, climbing this particular tree doesn't yield any new information. You climb back down.
  
  > Swim
  You and the professor once traveled in search of the Ukrainian Falcon, a golden bird encrusted from beak to claw with the rarest jewels. The professor learned that it had been left behind in the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. You journeyed up the Pripyat River, but you had to turn around when your boat was attacked by a school of giant, phosphorescent catfish.
  
  Since then, you've avoided recreational swimming.
  
  > Xyzzy
  You recall a different tropical archipelago, far from here, which you and the professor traversed in hope of finding the Chachapoyan Fertility Idol. After that, whenever he needed a vacation, the professor would sometimes go back to Zabba, Deffe, Hijji, Noppo, and Tuvvu (and sometimes Xyzzy).
  
  > look at the sand
  The white sands extend to the southeast.
  
  > Dig
  That's going to be hard to do without a shovel.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  the silver whistle (being worn)
  
  > Go southeast
  This part of the beach probably floods completely when the tide comes in: all the sand has been washed away and only large rocks remain. Their many pockets and indentations are filled with pools of seawater. The beach becomes more sandy to the northwest and to the west, a large crack in the rocks leads down into a dark cave.
  
  A reddish-brown crab scuttles from pool to pool, its pointy legs clicking faintly on the stones.
  
  There is a long plastic tube here. It must have been left behind the last time the tide went out.
  
  > get the tube
  Taken.
  
  > look at the tube
  The long, waterproof tube has a tight-fitting cap. Large documents, like blueprints and maps, can be rolled up and slid inside for protection.
  
  > Open tube
  You open the waterproof case, revealing the professor's treasure map!
  
  When the pirates were starting to close in, you tried to convince the professor that you should be the one to carry both the map and the key. Instead, the professor took the map himself and, inexplicably, tied the key to Aziz's leg. He put you in charge of the emergency kit: the whistle (which you're wearing) and the beacon (which seems to be missing).
  
  The fact that the map case has washed up on the beach might indicate bad news for the professor, maybe even worse than that time he was almost devoured by man-eating spiders in the Shrine of the Cursed Knights.
  
  > read the map
  (first removing the map from the waterproof case)
  The sheet of yellowing parchment shows the outline of an island, hand-drawn in black ink. Most of the terrain is just sketched in, but the northwest region is mapped out in great detail and shows some unusual red symbols.
  
  It looks a little like the map the professor had that time you drove a dog sled through the arctic in search of the lost city of Tuktuyaaqtuuq. That's probably just a coincidence, though.
  
  > examine the symbols
  The symbols in the northwest region of the map are drawn in red ink. (At least, you think it's red ink?) They depict a face looking directly west at a seven-pointed star.
  
  > get the crab
  The crab snaps at your fingers with its sharp little claws. You back away, aware that your hands are completely unprotected.
  
  > talk to the crab
  To communicate with other characters, use the command 'talk to someone about something'.
  
  > eat the crab
  You ate raw crab with the professor at a Kyoto sushi bar. (Well, your ordered some. Before the food came, some Yakuza strongmen showed up and you had to sneak out the back door.) This crab is still alive, though!
  
  > Go west
  You pass from the bright, warm sunlight of the tide pool to the cool darkness of the cave.
  
  You can see nothing.
  
  It's as dark as the ocean floor. (You know that's a valid comparison because you and the professor once journeyed by submersible to the wreck of the Titanic in order to retrieve a blue diamond necklace once owned by Louis XVI.) You hear the occasional drip of water into some distant subterranean puddle.
  
  > listen
  You hear the occasional drip of water echoing from the walls.
  
  > Dig
  That's going to be hard to do without a shovel.
  
  > look at what you're carrying with you
  You are carrying:
  the map
  a waterproof case (open but empty)
  the silver whistle (being worn)
  
  > Blow whistle
  The squeal of the whistle causes the crab scurry away, snapping its claws even more aggressively than usual.
  
  > examine the sun
  You have to squint a bit against the bright sunlight and blue sky.
  
  > go west
  Just as you are about to continue exploring the island, a large wave crashes with a spray of foam, and something unusual catches your eye.
  
  When the water recedes, you see the emergency beacon rolling in the surf. What luck!
  
  > take beacon
  Taken.
  
  > look at beacon
  The beacon was one piece of emergency equipment that the professor put you in charge of (the other was the emergency whistle).
  
  It's designed to float, but more importantly, to make you visible at night. It won't be of much use in the bright sunlight.
  
  > go to the west
  You can see nothing. You hear the occasional drip of water into some distant subterranean puddle.
  
  > turn on the beacon
  You switch the beacon on.
  
  The yellow light of the emergency beacon reflects wetly off the irregular, black walls of the cave. Drips of water echo from some dank corner through the chilly underground air.
  
  A path exits this chamber to the east, and a rusty iron gate leads west. A long ladder stretches up, past the limit of the beacon's weak light and into the darkness.
  
  Leaning in the corner is an old shovel.
  
  > get the shovel
  After that time you and the professor got buried alive in the tomb of Pharaoh Humnatune you said you never wanted to use a shovel again... but it's been a while and you've calmed down quite a bit.
  
  You pick up the shovel.
  
  > Dig
  The ground here is too rocky for digging. You'd need a pickaxe or something to even make a dent, and you haven't seen one of those since the professor had you chip through the floor of the Biblioteca di San Barnaba on a hunch that it would uncover a secret passage. He was wrong, of course, and had to pay the library big bucks to repair the tile.
  
  > Go upwards
  You climb the ladder for a long time. After a while the rough rock walls of the cave smooth out and you find yourself ascending through the interior of a smooth stone cylinder. A minute later you emerge in a room filled with bright sunlight.
  
  This room is at the very top of the island's lighthouse. The walls of this octagonal room are all made of glass, and you have a panoramic view. From here you can see that this island is just one of many that make up an archipelago. You notice a ship several miles away sailing in and out of sight among the many islands.
  
  In the center of the room is the lantern: a high-powered electric lamp nested inside a set of massive rotating lenses. Underneath the lens array, on the lantern's support pedestal, is a large power button.
  
  You can also see a tub of grease here.
  
  > turn off the beacon
  You switch the beacon off.
  
  > get the grease
  The professor once dangled you by your feet over the La Brea tar pits so that you could pull out a crate filled with twenty-eight pounds of stolen diamonds. You got it just moments before it sank forever into the sea of sticky, black gloop. The grease in the tub looks just like that tar, which you were cleaning out from under your fingernails for weeks.
  
  Anyhow, you pick up the tub of grease.
  
  > look at the tube
  The long, waterproof tube has a tight-fitting cap. Large documents, like blueprints and maps, can be rolled up and slid inside for protection.
  
  > examine tub
  This tub contains a thick, black grease used to lubricate the gears of the mechanism that causes the bright beam of the lighthouse to sweep across the night sky. (Of course, that only happens if it's nighttime and if the lighthouse is operational, neither of which is currently the case.) The grease is applied using the paintbrush whose bristles are stuck in the goo.
  
  > look
  This room is at the very top of the island's lighthouse. The walls of this octagonal room are all made of glass, and you have a panoramic view. From here you can see that this island is just one of many that make up an archipelago. You notice a ship several miles away sailing in and out of sight among the many islands.
  
  In the center of the room is the lantern: a high-powered electric lamp nested inside a set of massive rotating lenses. Underneath the lens array, on the lantern's support pedestal, is a large power button.
  
  > turn on the beacon
  You switch the beacon on.
  
  > Down
  The yellow light of the emergency beacon reflects wetly off the irregular, black walls of the cave. Drips of water echo from some dank corner through the chilly underground air.
  
  A path exits this chamber to the east, and a rusty iron gate leads west. A long ladder stretches up, past the limit of the beacon's weak light and into the darkness.
  
  > go to the west
  The rusty gate is closed.
  
  > open gate
  The hinges of the gate are frozen with rust. You'll need some kind of oil or grease to loosen them up again.
  
  > Lube gate
  You paint the hinges of the rusty gate with a healthy smear of grease.
  
  > open gate
  The hinges of the gate let out an abrupt, metallic bark as they finally twist free of the rust.
  
  > go to the west
  This cave has been turned into a small workshop with an assortment of furniture on one side and an array of machinery on the other. Everything in the room is damp from the constant mist churned up by the cascade of falling water at the cave's entrance, which lies to the west. There is a rusty iron gate in the eastern wall.
  
  Among the machinery is the room's most impressive feature: a massive water wheel, which is attached to a long horizontal track in the wall. At the near end of the track you see a crank and a kind of display panel.
  
  > examine the furniture
  The cramped workshop includes a drafting desk, stool, and a sleeping cot.
  
  > examine the desk
  The desk is tall and has a single drawer. Some papers are scattered across its surface.
  
  > read papers
  The papers show engineering sketches for an electrical network which connects five structures on the island. The design shows a cable starting at the water wheel, running through three intermediate power stations, and terminating at the top of the lighthouse.
  
  > lie on the cot
  You get onto the cot.
  
  > open the drawer
  You open the drawer, revealing some gloves.
  
  > take gloves
  Taken.
  
  > examine the gloves
  The heavy canvas work gloves would be useful for protecting your hands.
  
  > sit on the stool
  (getting off the cot)
  You get onto the stool.
  
  > examine crank
  The big metal crank juts from the wall at the near end of the track. Mounted on the wall above it is a control panel.
  
  > examine the panel
  The control panel displays five small light bulbs in a horizontal line. Currently, all of the lights are off.
  
  > examine the wheel
  The water wheel is enormous: it reaches almost all the way to the ceiling, and its blades are wider than your armspan. It is currently motionless, though it is obviously designed to spin on its axle. The axle connects the wheel to the track that runs horizontally along the wall.
  
  > Turn wheel
  The water wheel is far too big and heavy to be turned by hand. The force of the falling water, though, may be strong enough to get it spinning.
  
  > look
  Workshop (on the stool)
  This cave has been turned into a small workshop with an assortment of furniture on one side and an array of machinery on the other. Everything in the room is damp from the constant mist churned up by the cascade of falling water at the cave's entrance, which lies to the west. There is a rusty iron gate in the eastern wall.
  
  Among the machinery is the room's most impressive feature: a massive water wheel, which is attached to a long horizontal track in the wall. At the near end of the track you see a crank and a kind of display panel.
  
  > pull the crank
  The water wheel doesn't budge. Instead, your effort elicits a dry, rusty grinding noise from the crank. It sounds like it could use some lubrication.
  
  > Grease crank
  You paint the crank with a healthy smear of grease.
  
  > pull the crank
  The water wheel doesn't budge. Instead, your effort elicits a dry, rusty grinding noise from the track. It sounds like it could use some lubrication.
  
  > Grease track
  You smear grease along the whole length of the track: from the crank at one end to the waterfall at the other end.
  
  > pull the crank
  The water wheel doesn't budge. Instead, your effort elicits a dry, rusty grinding noise from the axle of the water wheel. It sounds like it could use some lubrication.
  
  > Grease axle
  You paint the axle of the water wheel with a healthy smear of grease.
  
  > pull the crank
  At last! The crank lets out a nasty screech and finally makes its first full rotation. The water wheel rumbles along the track toward the waterfall. As the blades of the huge wheel are struck by the water, it starts turning -- slowly at first, but it gradually picks up speed until it is spinning rapidly.
  
  You notice that the first bulb on the control panel has lit up.
  
  > look
  Workshop (on the stool)
  This cave has been turned into a small workshop with an assortment of furniture on one side and an array of machinery on the other. Everything in the room is damp from the constant mist churned up by the cascade of falling water at the cave's entrance, which lies to the west. There is a rusty iron gate in the eastern wall.
  
  Among the machinery is the room's most impressive feature: a massive water wheel, which is attached to a long horizontal track in the wall. At the near end of the track you see a crank and a kind of display panel.
  
  > go east
  (first getting off the stool)
  
  The yellow light of the emergency beacon reflects wetly off the irregular, black walls of the cave. Drips of water echo from some dank corner through the chilly underground air.
  
  A path exits this chamber to the east, and a rusty iron gate leads west. A long ladder stretches up, past the limit of the beacon's weak light and into the darkness.
  
  > Go east
  This part of the beach probably floods completely when the tide comes in: all the sand has been washed away and only large rocks remain. Their many pockets and indentations are filled with pools of seawater. The beach becomes more sandy to the northwest and to the west, a large crack in the rocks leads down into a dark cave.
  
  A reddish-brown crab scuttles from pool to pool, its pointy legs clicking faintly on the stones.
  
  > Dig
  The ground here is too rocky for digging.
  
  > Dig
  All of the clues at this point suggest you should be digging in the grassy plain.
  
  > examine the map
  The sheet of yellowing parchment shows the outline of an island, hand-drawn in black ink. Most of the terrain is just sketched in, but the northwest region is mapped out in great detail and shows some unusual red symbols.
  
  > Go west
  The dense canopy of leaves breaks up the sunlight. The ground is covered with a spongy layer of moss and ferns. The humid air smells of both flowering and decaying plants.
  
  Trails to the west and southwest meander through the trees, and the way back to the beach is east. A steep cliff rises up directly to the south, and to the southeast you see a steep climb that goes up towards its summit.
  
  You also see something quite out of place in the natural surroundings: a mechanical device is poking out from among the ferns.
  
  Perched on the thick-stemmed leaf of a nearby banana tree sits Aziz, the professor's parrot. His blue and yellow feathers contrast brightly with the green forest backdrop.
  
  > get the parrot
  Aziz lets out a loud squawk, and swipes at you with a claw. Then he bobs his head back and forth a few times while uttering an angry hiss.
  
  > examine the device
  Based on the look of it, the device must be some kind of power station that routes electricity to another part of the island: The device has a glass dome on top and a single button labeled ON/OFF. At the base, thick electrical cables snake both southwest and southeast (up the slope).
  
  "Snack!" says the parrot.
  
  > Grease device
  Putting grease on the power station would achieve nothing.
  
  "Crab snack?" asks the parrot.
  
  > go east
  You are on a deserted beach, alone except for the salty breeze, the waves splashing rhythmically on the sand, and a single palm tree that provides very little shade from the harsh sun. The beach extends to the southeast, and a path to the west leads into the rainforest.
  
  The flat husk of a once-inflatable lifeboat has washed up nearby.
  
  > go west
  The dense canopy of leaves breaks up the sunlight. The ground is covered with a spongy layer of moss and ferns. The humid air smells of both flowering and decaying plants.
  
  Trails to the west and southwest meander through the trees, and the way back to the beach is east. A steep cliff rises up directly to the south, and to the southeast you see a steep climb that goes up towards its summit.
  
  A power station is poking out from among the ferns.
  
  Perched on the thick-stemmed leaf of a nearby banana tree sits Aziz, the professor's parrot. His blue and yellow feathers contrast brightly with the green forest backdrop.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  some gloves
  a tub of grease
  a shovel
  the beacon (providing light)
  the map
  a waterproof case (open but empty)
  the silver whistle (being worn)
  
  > examine ferns
  The moss and ferns make a thick carpet across the floor of the rainforest.
  
  > Go west
  The dense forest thins and becomes a wide plain. There are no trees here. Instead, this whole area is covered with coarse grasses as tall as your waist. Trails east and south lead back into the jungle.
  
  Standing alone in the center of the wide plain is an enormous stone head.
  
  > wear the gloves
  Wow, do you wish you'd had a pair of gloves like these that night all the donkeys got sick while you were trekking down into the Canyon of the Ancient Monks. You told the professor not to let them eat so many blackberries, but he wouldn't listen.
  
  Anyhow, you put on the gloves.
  
  > get the crab
  You pick up the crab. It pinches away at you furiously, but the thick canvas gloves protect your hands.
  
  > Go west
  The dense canopy of leaves breaks up the sunlight. The ground is covered with a spongy layer of moss and ferns. The humid air smells of both flowering and decaying plants.
  
  Trails to the west and southwest meander through the trees, and the way back to the beach is east. A steep cliff rises up directly to the south, and to the southeast you see a steep climb that goes up towards its summit.
  
  A power station is poking out from among the ferns.
  
  Perched on the thick-stemmed leaf of a nearby banana tree sits Aziz, the professor's parrot. His blue and yellow feathers contrast brightly with the green forest backdrop.
  
  The parrot scratches at the ribbon tied to its leg.
  
  > give the crab to the parrot
  "CRAB SNACK!" the parrot caws with joy.
  
  Aziz jumps off the banana leaf and sails toward the crab, wings and talons outstretched. Before you know it, the bird has snapped its claws around the crab and started flapping up into the canopy of the rainforest. You hear a soft, metallic thump on the ground nearby, and then the parrot is gone.
  
  > get the key
  If you had a dollar for each little key you've had to keep track of over the years. In fact, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History recently requested to borrow the professor's key collection for a public exhibition. That's been put on hold, however, until the professor can find the key to the safe in which he keeps his key collection.
  
  Anyhow, you pick up the key.
  
  > look at the key
  The brass key is about as long as your finger. Professor d'Squarius was sure this key would grant you access to the vast riches he spoke so vaguely about.
  
  > Go west
  The dense canopy of leaves breaks up the sunlight. The ground is covered with a spongy layer of moss and ferns. The humid air smells of both flowering and decaying plants.
  
  Trails to the west and southwest meander through the trees, and the way back to the beach is east. A steep cliff rises up directly to the south, and to the southeast you see a steep climb that goes up towards its summit.
  
  A power station is poking out from among the ferns.
  
  > examine the head
  The monolithic sculpture, made of pitted red stone, is in the shape of an enormous head with a long nose. The statue's eyes, two bright copper plates embedded in the stone, gaze southeast over the waving grasses.
  
  > examine the plates
  The monolith's copper eyes catch and focus the bright sun. Together they project a brilliant beam of light on the ground to the southeast of the statue.
  
  > examine the map
  The sheet of yellowing parchment shows the outline of an island, hand-drawn in black ink. Most of the terrain is just sketched in, but the northwest region is mapped out in great detail and shows some unusual red symbols.
  
  > Dig
  The monolithic sculpture is facing southeast, whereas the symbols on the map show a face looking west. Perhaps it is possible to turn the statue so that it faces in that direction.
  
  > turn the head
  To turn the scuplture so that it faces a particular direction, use the command 'turn sculpture to direction'.
  
  > Dig
  You dig at the precise location where the light from the monolith's eyes hits the ground. After a few minutes of working, your shovel clanks hard against stone! A few minutes later you have cleared off a mysterious stone circle in midst of the grassy sea.
  
  > examine the circle
  The circular stone reminds you of a manhole cover. Its surface is engraved with a seven-pointed star.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  the brass key
  some gloves (being worn)
  a tub of grease
  a shovel
  the beacon (providing light)
  the map
  a waterproof case (open but empty)
  the silver whistle (being worn)
  
  > examine the star
  (the stone circle)
  The circular stone reminds you of a manhole cover. Its surface is engraved with a seven-pointed star.
  
  > move the cover
  You are able to pry the stone loose and open it just like a manhole in the street. When you do, a gasp of stale air escapes the chamber beyond. It smells ancient, like the air inside the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, a necropolis guarded by the Terra Cotta Army, which you and the professor entered in your search for an intricately-carved jade funeral urn containing the ashes of Qin Shi Huang. (You couldn't find it.)
  
  > examine the chamber
  The circular stone has been dragged aside to reveal a circular hole and a dim chamber below.