text: [Themes: Science Fiction]
  
  > look around
  Junk room (standing on the ladder)
  The junk room is full of all sorts of odds and ends that no one could bring themselves to throw away. All sorts of things litter the shelves and the floor. The way you came in, an auto-locking door, has auto-locked, and won't unlock until morning. The only other exit leads out into the viewing room.
  
  You see a ladder here.
  
  > Down
  (off of the ladder)
  Okay, you're no longer on the ladder.
  
  > Go outside
  Try as you might, you can't find a good angle to get the ladder through the door. It looks like you'll have to abandon it before you can leave. Though it raises the question: how did the ladder get in, in the first place? For all you know, it was built inside.
  
  > Go outside
  The viewing room looks out into the net itself - a wide, empty expanse, hypothetically to be filled with some kind of energy. Inside, you see A bright, diffuse light shines on the wall, through a wire stand. . The window itself is made of layered glass - beyond bulletproof, it stops most forms of radiation, as well. A door in the glass wall leads into the net chamber; the doorway behind you leads into the junk room.
  
  > open the door
  Opened.
  
  > Go inside
  The junk room is full of all sorts of odds and ends that no one could bring themselves to throw away. All sorts of things litter the shelves and the floor. The way you came in, an auto-locking door, has auto-locked, and won't unlock until morning. The only other exit leads out into the viewing room.
  
  You see a ladder here.
  
  > examine the stand
  The wire stand is about chest-height, with a small loop to hold... something. The light shines directly through the gap over the loop.
  
  > look at the light
  The steady, white light illuminates a section of the wall. You recall something about focussed light being used to drive the safety net.
  
  > open the door
  The glass door is already open.
  
  > go through the door
  The safety net was designed as an inertial dampner of some sort; no one really knows how it works. Even the inventor seems a bit in the dark, and he's the only one that can make it work! The glass door leads back into the viewing room. A bright, diffuse light shines on the wall, through a wire stand.
  
  > put the glass on the loop
  The beam of light, focussed by the magnifying glass, shines through a tiny hole. Farther along the wall, a small shelf is illuminated.
  
  > put the prism on the shelf
  The light from the beam splits into a rainbow of color; blue light shines into a tiny crack on the other side.
  
  > look at the crack
  The crack is vertical, allowing only a tiny sliver of light to shine through. There seems to be some sort of optical fiber in the crack to transmit the light.
  
  > turn prism
  You turn the prism. The light that shines through the crack is now violet.
  
  > turn prism
  You turn the prism. The light that shines through the crack is now red.
  
  > turn prism
  You turn the prism. The light that shines through the crack is now orange.
  
  > turn prism
  You turn the prism. The light that shines through the crack is now yellow. With a clank, a panel slides open in the wall!
  
  > look at the panel
  A tangle of wires and cables snake across the panel; you recall someone mentioning that the only really important wires were the power wires. There's a note, stuck to the panel.
  
  > read the note
  This panel is use for power, and only power. I traced the wires, and half of them lead nowhere, or right back to this panel. If the whole thing shorted out, it would probably work better. PS, I quit Oh, right! Now you remember writing that. Fun times, fun times...
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying a crystal ball, a water pistol, a bismuth crystal, a jar, a leather arm guard, an optical prism, a bow and arrow charm, and a lump of labradorite. You're wearing some black slacks, some slick shoes, a bowtie, a top hat, and a tux. The jar contains silica beads.
  
  > shoot the pistol at the panel
  You squirt the panel. The water shorts out the panel! Electricity crackles across junctions, and smoke drifts out of the opening, vanishing into the air. After a spectacular lightshow, a distant "thump" indicates the generators have started. The lights keep flickering, though, from shorting out in the puddle of water at the base of the panel.
  
  > look at the puddle
  The puddle of water is shorting out the electrical panel, causing the lights to flicker.
  
  > look at the jar
  It's a simple glass canning jar. It is tightly sealed. It contains silica beads.
  
  > open the jar
  You spin the lid off of the jar.
  
  > put the beads on puddle
  The puddle slowly shrinks as the silica soaks it up. When it's all gone, you scoop the silica back into the jar. The lights stop flickering - maybe that means it's working! Quick, to the viewing room!
  
  > Go outside
  What do you want to get out of?
  
  > enter
  The viewing room looks out into the net itself - a wide, empty expanse, hypothetically to be filled with some kind of energy. Inside, you see The magnifying glass focusses the beam of light through a small hole in the wall. Farther along the wall, the beam passes through the prism; the resulting rainbow falls across a small hole, where only yellow light makes it through. The light glows inside the open panel. . The window itself is made of layered glass - beyond bulletproof, it stops most forms of radiation, as well. A door in the glass wall leads into the net chamber; the doorway behind you leads into the junk room.
  
  You see an energy device (which contains a button) here.
  
  > examine the device
  This thing seems to be an energy device - that's what it says on the label, anyway. It has a small hopper, with a display that reads: 0: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET . It contains a button.
  
  > close the glass door
  Closed.
  
  > look at hopper
  The hopper has a wide mouth, ready to accept any manner of things.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying a crystal ball, a water pistol, a bismuth crystal, a jar, a leather arm guard, an optical prism, a bow and arrow charm, a lump of labradorite, and a canning jar lid. You're wearing some black slacks, some slick shoes, a bowtie, a top hat, and a tux.
  
  > put the labradorite in the hopper
  The display clicks happily, then displays: 1: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  > put the crystal in the hopper
  The display clicks happily, then displays: 2: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  > put the ball in the hopper
  The display clicks happily, then displays: 3: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  > put the charm in the hopper
  The display clicks happily, then displays: 4: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  > put all in the hopper
  black slacks: Wow - usually, it takes more than the single sip of wine you had to get you to remove your pants voluntarily. Let's just keep those on, shall we?
  
  slick shoes: Shoes like this are make for wearing! Actually, no they aren't, but the floor is dirty, and you're wearing your best pair of socks. Which is also your only pair of socks, at least until washing day.
  
  bowtie:
  (first taking off the bowtie)
  The display clicks happily, then displays: 5: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  top hat:
  (first taking off the top hat)
  With a sinking feeling in your heart, you realize what needs to go into the hopper. Sighing, you stare at your high silk hat, knowing that whatever this machine does, your hat will never be the same. After an emotional moment, you carefully put the hat into the hopper. The display clicks happily, then displays: READY
  
  tux: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  water pistol: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  jar: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  leather arm guard: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  optical prism: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  canning jar lid: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  button: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  > shoot the pistol at the panel
  You squirt the panel. The water shorts out the panel! Electricity crackles across junctions, and smoke drifts out of the opening, vanishing into the air. After a spectacular lightshow, a distant "thump" indicates the generators have started. The lights keep flickering, though, from shorting out in the puddle of water at the base of the panel.
  
  > open the jar
  You spin the lid off of the jar.
  
  > put the beads on the puddle
  (first taking the silica beads from the jar)
  The puddle slowly shrinks as the silica soaks it up. When it's all gone, you scoop the silica back into the jar. The lights stop flickering - maybe that means it's working! Quick, to the viewing room!
  
  > put all in the hopper
  black slacks: Wow - usually, it takes more than the single sip of wine you had to get you to remove your pants voluntarily. Let's just keep those on, shall we?
  
  slick shoes: Shoes like this are make for wearing! Actually, no they aren't, but the floor is dirty, and you're wearing your best pair of socks. Which is also your only pair of socks, at least until washing day.
  
  bowtie:
  (first taking off the bowtie)
  The display clicks happily, then displays: 1: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  top hat:
  (first taking off the top hat)
  With a sinking feeling in your heart, you realize what needs to go into the hopper. Sighing, you stare at your high silk hat, knowing that whatever this machine does, your hat will never be the same. After an emotional moment, you carefully put the hat into the hopper. The display clicks happily, then displays: READY
  
  tux: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  crystal ball: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  water pistol: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  bismuth crystal: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  jar: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  leather arm guard: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  optical prism: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  bow and arrow charm: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  lump of labradorite: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  canning jar lid: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  button: The hopper doesn't need anything more; push the button!
  
  > go outside
  The safety net was designed as an inertial dampner of some sort; no one really knows how it works. Even the inventor seems a bit in the dark, and he's the only one that can make it work! The glass door leads back into the viewing room. The magnifying glass focusses the beam of light through a small hole in the wall. Farther along the wall, the beam passes through the prism; the resulting rainbow falls across a small hole, where only yellow light makes it through. The light glows inside the open panel.
  
  In the viewing room, you see an energy device (which contains a button). The hopper contains a bowtie and a top hat.
  
  > Up
  You can't go that way. The only obvious exit leads out, back to the viewing room.
  
  > Go outside
  The viewing room looks out into the net itself - a wide, empty expanse, hypothetically to be filled with some kind of energy. Inside, you see The magnifying glass focusses the beam of light through a small hole in the wall. Farther along the wall, the beam passes through the prism; the resulting rainbow falls across a small hole, where only yellow light makes it through. The light glows inside the open panel. . The window itself is made of layered glass - beyond bulletproof, it stops most forms of radiation, as well. A door in the glass wall leads into the net chamber; the doorway behind you leads into the junk room.
  
  You see an energy device (which contains a button) here. The hopper contains a bowtie and a top hat.
  
  > look at the shelves
  Though the shelves are stuffed with junk, they seem to be free of dust and grime.
  
  > take the bowtie
  The display clicks woefully, then displays: READY
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying a crystal ball, a water pistol, a bismuth crystal, a jar, a leather arm guard, an optical prism, a bow and arrow charm, a lump of labradorite, a canning jar lid, and a bowtie. You're wearing some black slacks, some slick shoes, and a tux.
  
  > examine the slacks
  The last pants you bought cost the same as a fast food meal. These pants, however, cost the same as your car. You'd think with pants that expensive, they could afford to put in a pocket, eh?
  
  > examine the shoes
  These shoes are made of slick, shiny leather. They also have damage insurance policy better than your car.
  
  > look at tux
  The black tuxedo was fairly expensive to rent, but man it is classy. People who wear suits like this are... well, rich, probably.
  
  > take hat
  The display clicks woefully, then displays: 0: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  > drop hat
  Dropped.
  
  > put all in the hopper
  black slacks: Wow - usually, it takes more than the single sip of wine you had to get you to remove your pants voluntarily. Let's just keep those on, shall we?
  
  slick shoes: Shoes like this are make for wearing! Actually, no they aren't, but the floor is dirty, and you're wearing your best pair of socks. Which is also your only pair of socks, at least until washing day.
  
  tux: As warm as it is in here, you opted for the front-only shirt.
  It's probably better to keep your tux on.
  
  crystal ball: The display clicks happily, then displays: 1: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  water pistol: The display clicks happily, then displays: 2: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  bismuth crystal: The display clicks happily, then displays: 3: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  jar: The display clicks happily, then displays: 4: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  leather arm guard: The display clicks happily, then displays: 5: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  optical prism: The display clicks happily, then displays: 6: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  bow and arrow charm: The display clicks happily, then displays: 7: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  lump of labradorite: The display clicks happily, then displays: 8: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  canning jar lid: The display clicks happily, then displays: 9: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  bowtie: The display clicks happily, then displays: 10: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  button:
  (first taking the button)
  The display clicks happily, then displays: 11: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  top hat:
  (first taking the top hat)
  With a sinking feeling in your heart, you realize what needs to go into the hopper. Sighing, you stare at your high silk hat, knowing that whatever this machine does, your hat will never be the same. After an emotional moment, you carefully put the hat into the hopper. The display clicks happily, then displays: READY
  
  > take all
  crystal ball: The display clicks woefully, then displays: READY
  
  water pistol: The display clicks woefully, then displays: READY
  
  bismuth crystal: The display clicks woefully, then displays: READY
  
  jar: The display clicks woefully, then displays: READY
  
  leather arm guard: The display clicks woefully, then displays: READY You tug on the leather arm guard. It seems to be a bit stuck; you give a bit of a yank, and it comes free. With a creak, a ladder comes crashing onto the floor! It must have been stuck behind all that junk.
  
  optical prism: The display clicks woefully, then displays: READY
  
  bow and arrow charm: The display clicks woefully, then displays: READY
  
  lump of labradorite: The display clicks woefully, then displays: READY
  
  canning jar lid: The display clicks woefully, then displays: READY
  
  bowtie: The display clicks woefully, then displays: READY
  
  button: The display clicks woefully, then displays: READY
  
  top hat: The display clicks woefully, then displays: 0: REQUIREMENTS NOT MET
  
  > put the hat in hopper
  With a sinking feeling in your heart, you realize what needs to go into the hopper. Sighing, you stare at your high silk hat, knowing that whatever this machine does, your hat will never be the same. After an emotional moment, you carefully put the hat into the hopper. The display clicks happily, then displays: READY
  
  > examine the shelves
  Though the shelves are stuffed with junk, they seem to be free of dust and grime. Scattered across the bottom shelves, among the junk, are a magnifying glass, a water pistol, a bismuth crystal, a jar, a leather arm guard, and an optical prism. The jar contains silica beads.
  
  > jump
  You jump a little, and land back where you started.
  
  > examine the top shelf
  The top shelf is out of reach from the floor. And there is no way those shelves would support your weight. Just visible from the top shelf are a lump of labradorite and a bow and arrow charm.
  
  > Go inside
  The junk room is full of all sorts of odds and ends that no one could bring themselves to throw away. All sorts of things litter the shelves and the floor. The way you came in, an auto-locking door, has auto-locked, and won't unlock until morning. The only other exit leads out into the viewing room.
  
  You see a crystal ball and an optical prism here. Scattered across the bottom shelves, among the junk, are a magnifying glass, a water pistol, a bismuth crystal, a jar, a leather arm guard, and an optical prism. The jar contains silica beads. Just visible from the top shelf are a lump of labradorite and a bow and arrow charm.
  
  > take the arm guard
  You tug on the leather arm guard. It seems to be a bit stuck; you give a bit of a yank, and it comes free. With a creak, a ladder comes crashing onto the floor! It must have been stuck behind all that junk.
  
  > put the ladder on the top shelf
  (first taking the ladder)
  The top shelf is too far away.
  
  > put the ladder on the shelf
  (the bottom shelves)
  Done.
  
  > search the top shelf
  Just visible from the top shelf are a lump of labradorite and a bow and arrow charm.
  
  > get the lump
  Taken.
  
  > get the bow
  You take the bow and arrow charm.
  
  > examine the top shelf
  The top shelf is out of reach from the floor. And there is no way those shelves would support your weight.
  
  > look
  Junk room (standing on the ladder)
  The junk room is full of all sorts of odds and ends that no one could bring themselves to throw away. All sorts of things litter the shelves and the floor. The way you came in, an auto-locking door, has auto-locked, and won't unlock until morning. The only other exit leads out into the viewing room.
  
  You see a crystal ball, an optical prism, and a ladder here. Scattered across the bottom shelves, among the junk, are a magnifying glass, a water pistol, a bismuth crystal, a jar, and an optical prism. The jar contains silica beads.
  
  > Search
  What do you want to search?
  
  > search the floor
  On the floor are a crystal ball, an optical prism, and a ladder.
  
  > search the walls
  west wall: You see nothing in the west wall.
  east wall: You see nothing in the east wall.
  north wall: You see nothing in the north wall.
  south wall: You see nothing in the south wall.
  
  > search the ceiling
  You see nothing in the ceiling.
  
  You can't go that way. The only obvious exit leads out.
  
  > examine the shelves
  Though the shelves are stuffed with junk, they seem to be free of dust and grime. Scattered across the bottom shelves, among the junk, are a magnifying glass, a water pistol, a bismuth crystal, a jar, and an optical prism. The jar contains silica beads.
  
  > climb the ladder
  You're already standing on the ladder.
  
  > Y.
  Thanks for playing!