text: [Themes: Fairy tale, steampunk, Fantasy]
  
  Once upon a time, there was a queen of fay blood who couldn't bear children. To humor her saddened king, she learnt the secret arts of alchemy and mechanicks, and her head bore what her womb would not. But even that clockwork boy, a wonder held in aw throughout the kingdom, couldn't lift the kings spirits, and he fell into a great sadness. The queen asked for wizards, jesters and bards from near and far, but it was no use. So in a fit of helpless rage, she cursed the king with immortality, and flew back to her home land. The king's lands soon fell into ruin and where fought over by his knights and viceroys. The heavy-minded ruler himself continued to live in the castle, kept alive by  the curse for many centuries.
  And then, one day, he wound up the clockwork boy again.
  
  Hugo v3.1 / Library 31031
  C1594AB3-81E6-44FE-84FD-A6053D77C8D2
  
  This room is a still life, its topics neglect. The tapestries, once colorful and moving, have bleached to the quality of distant memories. Highback chairs and tables catch dust dutifully. A red, shimmering portal wavers in the middle of the room, created by powerful magic and yet under attack constantly by the laws of the earth and sky, wishing it out of existence.
  
  The king sits here in a corner, him and time watching each other pass silently.
  
  The giant boot is here. The queen used to put you in it, when you weren't wound up, for cuteness' sake.
  
  [Author's Note: Once upon a time, there was a queen of fay blood who couldn't bear children. To humor her saddened king, she learnt the secret arts of alchemy and mechanicks, and her head bore what her womb would not. But even that clockwork boy, a wonder held in awe throughout the kingdom, couldn't lift the king's spirits, and he fell into a great sadness. The queen asked for wizards, jesters and bards from near and far, but it was no use. So, in a fit of helpless rage, she cursed the king with immortality and flew back to her home land. The king's lands soon fell into ruin and were fought over by his knights and viceroys. The heavy-minded ruler himself continued to live in the castle, kept alive by the curse for many centuries. And then, one day, he wound up the clockwork boy again.]
  
  > About yourself
  A thing of cogs and pistons, your thoughts are swimming in quicksilver and sluggish lead in your head.
  
  > examine the boot
  It's a boot that, long ago, belong to one of the mountain giants who visited the court and got drunk on a month's supply of ale. One of them must have forgotten this in the castle years ago.
  
  > examine king
  His beard has grown long and grey, his eyes old and dim. He is barely awake, just stares into nothingness. "Should've never let her go...I should have gotten myself together...Too little, too late..."
  
  > ask the king about the queen
  "The bravest thing I ever did for her, probably, was slaying the giant spider that lived in the hills. Let me tell you a secret: She ruled the country hard and fair, but she was deadly scared of spiders. I brought her one of the crystal eyes of the spider. Never saw it again. Guess she never cared for it." He shrugs with the fake nonchalance reserved for old pain.
  
  > examine the portal
  The red portal is open.
  
  > ask the king about the portal
  "I've broken the Red Crystal to open this. Many good knights died retrieving this - they were good friends, good friends. And now I don't have the courage to go through and ask her for forgiveness." He hangs his grey head low, so low.
  
  > ask the king about yourself
  "Ah, my little clockwork boy. She meant so well."
  
  > ask the king about red Crystal
  You haven't encountered any "red crystal". (If you're sure you need to refer to that, try putting it another way.)
  
  > ask the king about the boot
  "That old thing! You should really throw it away."
  
  > take the boot
  Taken.
  
  > enter the portal
  Ocean laps at the sand beneath you. You are on a drawbridge, leading north towards a cozy, but somewhat decripit castle on a small peninsula. A misplaced red portal hovers in the air.
  
  > Close portal
  Closed.
  
  > open the portal
  Opened.
  
  > Go north
  You arrive at the castle gates, made of bright wood and inlaid with scenes of festivity and hospitality. An eastward path leads to the shore, the same path cuts westward around the castle wall, and the aforementioned gate leads north.
  
  > Go north
  You take careful steps on cracked marble tiles. The absurdly high
  walls of the castle around you guide the eye towards the small set of steps to the northeast.
  A huge jar, fireproof and sooty, sits in a corner.
  
  > examine the jar
  A A huge jar, fireproof and sooty.
  
  > look in the jar
  The jar is empty.
  
  > take the jar
  Taken.
  
  > go to the northeast
  You stumble around in the dark.
  
  > go to the south-west
  You take careful steps on cracked marble tiles. The absurdly high
  walls of the castle around you guide the eye towards the small set of steps to the northeast.
  
  > go to the south
  You arrive at the castle gates, made of bright wood and inlaid with scenes of festivity and hospitality. An eastward path leads to the shore, the same path cuts westward around the castle wall, and the aforementioned gate leads north.
  
  > Go west
  On the beach is a big, burnt patch of land.
  A phoenix is here.
  
  > look at the phoenix
  The phoenix looks quite like a normal bird. But there are flames burning behind his eyes.
  
  > take Phoenix
  You don't dare take it!
  
  With a thunderous hiss, the Phoenix bursts into bright red flames!
  
  > go east
  The white sand besides the castle looks like one of those strips of land where you usually never see someone.
  A golem sits here, fishing unenthusiastically. He told you the basics of speech, long ago.
  
  > examine the golem
  The stone golem sits hunched, almost keeling over, fixiating on fishing with the unshakable determination of his kind. He doesn't seem to enjoy fishing very much, though. Which is a wonder since he uses a line of excellent catgut.
  
  The phoenix closes his wings and is soon reduces to a pile of ash.
  
  > look at the sea
  The ocean is unthinkably wide and very, very blue. It seems to be rather fishless.
  
  > ask the golem about Phoenix
  "Ah, that silly old bird. Used to burn everything! Good at heart, but he needs to be locked up some times to cool his temper."
  
  The ash flies up, as if lifted from unseen winds, and forms the outline of a bird!
  
  > ask the golem about the golem
  "I was her bodyguard. She dismissed me when she lost all interest in the world. Now I fish all day. And I hate fishing."
  
  > ask golem about the fishing
  "The queen gave it to me once. Said she had no use for it anymore. And no, you can't have it."
  
  > ask the golem about the queen
  "She never forgave him. Now she just sits in there in the dark and tries to sleep. Has tried for decades. She tries to stay mad at him, I guess."
  
  > ask the golem about the king
  "He left her. He shouldn't have. Even after all that happened. Or maybe especially not after all that happened."
  
  > ask the golem about yourself
  "Hello there little friend!" He pats you on the head." Good to see you around, pinion."
  
  The phoenix closes his wings and is soon reduces to a pile of ash.
  
  > ask Golem about the boot
  You decide not to ask the Golem about it. Maybe you could use it to help him end this boring activity.
  
  > give the boot to Golem
  The Stone Golem politely refuses.
  
  The ash flies up, as if lifted from unseen winds, and forms the outline of a bird!
  
  > throw the boot
  Suddenly, the stone golem jumps up. "I dun caught summin'!" He reels and reels frantically - and comes up with the boot! Angrily, he breaks his rod apart and stamps on it. He then throws the boot away and stomps off. You hear him mutter "Lousy hobby" under his breath.