text: [Themes: Children's, witch, house setting]
  
  > Look around
  This boxy room is mostly unfurnished. Its most interesting feature is a large pot or planter -- the sort of thing you'd expect to see a potted palm growing in. In this pot, however, is a small brownish-green person.
  
  The door is to the north, and there's a window in the opposite wall.
  
  > look at the pot
  The fat brown pot looks to be made of earthenware. It's full of dirt, and a small, wrinkled, brownish-green person is lying curled up in it.
  
  > Go north
  The landing runs north-south past a steel door to the west. A staircase leads down to the floor below, and there's a black button low on the west wall. Immediately to the south the bedroom door is open.
  
  > Go north
  The back porch is a plain wooden structure, with no railing or decoration. It looks as if it was tacked onto the house as an afterthought. It's several feet above the ground, with a ramp leading up to one side. The back door leading into the house is just to the south.
  
  Mrs. Dogwood is working in the garden next door.
  
  > look at the garden
  Over the fence you can see that the garden next door is very well tended. Growing in one corner is a spectacular patch of bamboo shoots.
  
  Mrs. Dogwood is working in the garden next door.
  
  > get skateboard
  Your skateboard is too far away.
  
  > get shoot
  The patch of bamboo shoots is too far away.
  
  (get short)
  
  You have better things to do than mess with your hair right now.
  
  > ask Dogwood about the bamboo
  "Hello again," you say.
  
  "Hi there, youngster," she replies.
  
  "That's a very impressive patch of bamboo you have there, Mrs. Dogwood," you say.
  
  "Oh, you like my bamboo," she replies. "I'm quite proud of it. It's not as easy to grow in this climate as you might suppose."
  
  > get shoot
  (get short)
  
  You have better things to do than mess with your hair right now.
  
  > ask Dogwood about the bamboo
  "That's a very impressive patch of bamboo you have there, Mrs. Dogwood," you say.
  
  "Oh, you like my bamboo," she replies. "I'm quite proud of it. It's not as easy to grow in this climate as you might suppose."
  
  > ask Dogwood for the bamboo
  "That's a very impressive patch of bamboo you have there, Mrs. Dogwood," you say. "I've always thought it would be fun to have a walking cane made of bamboo. I don't suppose there's any chance you could cut off one of the pieces for me? You'd hardly miss it!"
  
  "Oh, you like my bamboo," she replies. "I'm quite proud of it. Normally I dislike cutting it, but..." She pauses.
  
  "One good turn deserves another!" she adds with a grin. "Now that you've returned my brooch, I'd be happy to cut you a piece of bamboo!"
  
  She crosses her garden and returns a few moments later bearing a stick of bamboo, which she hands to you over the fence. "Well, I believe I've done enough gardening for this afternoon," she finishes. "I'm going to go inside now and phone Gladys to tell her all about how a nice young person found my brooch and returned it to me." With that, she strips off her gardening gloves and trots off toward her back door.
  
  > pour the water on the ground
  The word "gloves" is not necessary in this story.
  
  You pour all the water from the glass onto the ground.
  
  > pour the water
  You pour all the water from the glass onto the ground. Within moments after the water splashes onto the ground, a very small but dense gray cloud gathers over your head. The brief rumble of thunder sounds more like the rattling of a sheet of tin in a cheap theatrical production than like real thunder -- but all the same, the cloud dumps a downpour of rain onto the ground for about ten seconds before dissipating as abruptly as it gathered. As the day is warm, the water on the ground swiftly evaporates in tendrils of steam. A good bit of water has fallen into the birdbath, however -- so much that it's in no danger of evaporating. The birdbath is now full of fresh rainwater.
  
  > fill the glass with the water
  You fill the glass with fresh rainwater from the birdbath.
  
  > fill the glass
  (from the birdbath)
  The glass is already full.
  
  > Drink glass
  You drink all the water in the glass; it tastes nice and fresh.
  
  > fill the glass
  (from the birdbath)
  You dip the glass in the birdbath and fill it with fresh rainwater.
  
  > Go south
  The back porch is a plain wooden structure, with no railing or decoration. It looks as if it was tacked onto the house as an afterthought. It's several feet above the ground, with a ramp leading up to one side. The back door leading into the house is just to the south.
  
  > give the water
  (to the elf)
  "Hi there!" you say.
  
  As the fresh rainwater trickles into the soil of the pot, the elf begins to uncurl and stretch. No longer a shriveled ball cowering in the pot, he stands up straight, his eyes bright. "Ahh ... ahh! You don't know how wonderful that feels! I think maybe I won't die today after all. I'd hug you if I could, but --" He bends his knees as if trying to lift his feet free of the soil in the pot. "-- I've been rather planted, you see. I'm an elf, by the way, in case you hadn't guessed."
  
  > talk to the elf
  You already have the elf's attention.
  
  (You could ask him about himself, Mrs. Pepper, your skateboard, or the pot, or tell him about your skateboard. You could also ask or tell him about various other things that might occur to you.)
  
  > ask the elf about the skateboard
  "Can you tell me how I might be able to get my skateboard out from under the porch?" you ask. "I think the space under there is just too small for me to crawl in."
  
  "If you could get me downstairs and outdoors, I could certainly retrieve it for you," the elf replies. "I did notice that beneath the porch is only bare soil, not pavement, so I could go there. But how you'll be able to get me downstairs I don't know. This pot looks awfully heavy!"
  
  > ask elf for the page
  "Could you give me...?" you begin.
  
  "I doubt it," the elf replies, before you can even complete your request. "My powers are very limited, you see."
  
  > give the brush to the elf
  "I don't have any use for that, I'm afraid," the elf says. "Thank you for showing it to me, though."
  
  > look up swerve
  (in the yellow book)
  You thumb through the index and after hunting for a bit, find a listing for "vehicles, wheeled, causing to swerve." The indicated page seems to have been torn out, however.
  
  > ask about the car
  "I'm not much of a conversationalist," he admits. "You've stumped me ... if you'll forgive the term."
  
  > ask the elf about the black button
  "That's not something I know very much about," he responds. "I'm very sorry."
  
  > ask the elf about the machine
  "You humans must lead such interesting lives," the elf says. "You're just bursting with questions and comments!"
  
  > ask the elf about the bamboo
  "Have you noticed the beautiful bamboo plant growing in the neighbor's yard?" you ask.
  
  "Oh, yes," the elf replies. "From time to time I've seen humans using bamboo sticks for magical purposes, but I really don't know anything about how that might work. Perhaps you could look it up in the Encyclopedia Enchantica, if you can find a copy."
  
  > take soil
  You can't have that; it's part of the heavy pot.
  
  > put the elf in the glass
  (first trying to take the elf)
  His legs seem to be firmly rooted in the soil in the pot.
  
  > put the soil in the glass
  You can't put that anywhere; it's part of the heavy pot.
  
  > drop all
  small flashlight: You set down the small flashlight.
  glass: You put the glass down carefully.
  butter knife: You set down the butter knife.
  green wig: You set down the green wig.
  auburn wig: You set down the auburn wig.
  
  blond wig:
  (first taking off the blond wig)
  You set down the blond wig.
  
  black wig: You set down the black wig.
  brush: You set down the brush.
  musical score: You set down the musical score.
  ocarina: You set down the ocarina.
  remote control: You set down the remote control.
  yellow book: You set down the yellow book.
  piece of paper: You set down the piece of paper.
  framed photo: You set down the framed photo.
  glass jar: You set down the glass jar.
  pamphlet: You set down the pamphlet.
  bunch of keys: You set down the bunch of keys.
  bamboo stick: You set down the bamboo stick.
  
  > take the pot
  You pick up the heavy pot.
  
  > drop the pot
  You set down the heavy pot.
  
  > take all
  small flashlight: You pick up the small flashlight.
  glass: You pick up the glass.
  butter knife: You pick up the butter knife.
  green wig: You pick up the green wig.
  auburn wig: You pick up the auburn wig.
  blond wig: You pick up the blond wig.
  black wig: You pick up the black wig.
  brush: You pick up the brush.
  musical score: You pick up the musical score.
  ocarina: You pick up the ocarina.
  remote control: You pick up the remote control.
  yellow book: You pick up the yellow book.
  piece of paper: You pick up the piece of paper.
  framed photo: You pick up the framed photo.
  glass jar: You pick up the glass jar.
  pamphlet: You pick up the pamphlet.
  bunch of keys: You pick up the bunch of keys.
  bamboo stick: You pick up the bamboo stick.
  
  heavy pot: To pick up the pot, you'll need both hands free.
  
  > find the screwdriver
  (in the yellow book)
  The yellow book doesn't seem to have much to say on that subject -- nothing you can find in the index, at any rate.
  
  > play ocarina
  You tootle a few sour notes on the ocarina. The bedroom door slams shut.
  
  > look
  The landing runs north-south past a steel door to the west. A staircase leads down to the floor below, and there's a black button low on the west wall. Immediately to the south the bedroom door is closed.