text: [Themes: Zorkian, Zork]
  
  > look around
  Chasm, on the bridge
  You are standing on a wooden bridge, which stretches halfway across a vast chasm to the south. Beyond the bridge, a rainbow arcs across the chasm through clouds of mist from a spectacular waterfall.
  
  An animated burin is perched on your head.
  
  A bored tourist leans against the bridge.
  
  The tourist wanders off to the north.
  
  > examine the rainbow
  The rainbow passes through the mist thrown up by the waterfall. It seems to span the entire width of the chasm, arcing southeast from the bridge to the far sidewhere you see a gleam of gold.
  
  > examine the mist
  The waterfall cascades down from a higher level of the chasm to the southwest, filling the air below with mist. A rainbow arch gleams through the mist, spanning the chasm.
  
  "If you can pick it up, it's yours," the burin sniggers sagely.
  
  > No
  Wisely, you back away from the chasm.
  
  > No
  Wisely, you back away from the chasm.
  
  The tourist approaches from the north.
  
  > close the eyes
  "Huh?" says the tourist.
  
  > ask Tourist,  to go to the southeast
  The tourist takes a step off the bridge to the southeast, walking on the rainbow. Two thirds of the way across the chasm, he looks down, realises that he's standing on nothing but coloured light, and plummets into the chasm.
  
  > examine burin
  This burin looks much every other burin you've seen, except for the small wings protruding from its pen-like body, and the tiny glowing eyes on its nib.
  
  The burin traces an intricate Double Fanucci figure in midair.
  
  > examine the eyes
  This burin looks much every other burin you've seen, except for the small wings protruding from its pen-like body, and the tiny glowing eyes on its nib.
  
  The tourist wanders off to the north.
  
  > Go north
  You are standing at the end of a path running north into dense forest. A small sign casts a shadow beside the path, while just to the south, a wooden bridge leads across a massive chasm.
  
  You see a white cube here.
  
  A bored tourist wanders around looking lost.
  
  An animated burin is perched on your head.
  
  > touch the cube
  As you touch the cube, the universe abruptly turns itself inside out.
  
  The six interior walls of this perfectly cubical room are perfectly white and featureless. A single silver compass rose, balancing a delicate crystal sphere on its bloom, floats like a pedestal above the floor.
  
  An animated burin hovers over your head.
  
  "If you can pick it up, it's yours," the burin sniggers sagely.
  
  > touch the sphere
  The sphere vibrates in your hands, and an image takes form in your mind:
  
  You are at the bottom of an immense smouldering crater gashed out of bare rock. Stars flicker slowly in a midnight sky, and through the eerie silence a single voice wails over and over again, "Yek wen eht ton! Yek dlo eht esu!"
  
  Slowly, the vision fades. You feel vaguely disoriented for a moment.
  
  > go west
  As you move in that direction, the universe abruptly turns itself inside out.
  
  You are standing at the entrance to a large, familiar college campus. At least, it would be large and familiar if it existed, which it apparently doesn't anymore. The only solid things remaining are a white mailbox and two paths leading west and southwest. Everything else seems to be swallowed by a black, swirling void.
  
  You see a white cube here.
  
  An animated burin is perched on your head.
  
  "Come on! Let's go exploring!" chirps the burin excitedly.
  
  > look at the mailbox
  The white mailbox is closed.
  
  > open it
  Opening the white mailbox reveals a red envelope and a syllabus.
  
  > take all from it
  red envelope: Taken.
  syllabus: Taken.
  
  The burin flutters around your head.
  
  > examine the envelope
  The envelope is bright red, and appears to be addressed to The School of Remedial Magic, GUE Tech, Quendor. It is closed.
  
  > open it
  Opening the red envelope reveals a crisp vellum scroll and a packing slip.
  
  > examine the vellum
  The scroll appears to have been freshly written.
  
  > read it
  Unfortunately, you never studied Elementary Spellcoding 101, so the contents of the scroll are completely incomprehensible to you.
  
  > examine the packing slip
  Contents: One (1) Rezrov Spell Scroll, Educational License Only
  
  For your safety and convenience, this spell has been hand-inscribed on finest enchanting grade vellum and packaged in our special Spel-Gard (tm) Resealable Magic-Proof Envelope, guaranteed to prevent magic leakage for up to 30 days, or double your zorkmids back! Thank you for purchasing your magic supplies from the Frobozz Magic Magic Supply Company.
  
  "Isn't this fun?" giggles the burin. "By the Quill, 'twill make a tall tale to tell thy tykes."
  
  > examine Envelope
  The envelope is bright red, and appears to be addressed to The School of Remedial Magic, GUE Tech, Quendor. It is open, and contains a crisp vellum scroll and a packing slip.
  
  > look at Syllabus
  The Great Underground Empire (Memorial) Institute of Magickal Techknowledgies, Artes and Psiences, School of Remedial Magic Syllabus
  
  On completing this course, the student shall be capable of defining the following terms and their usage in modern enchanting:
  
  Antharia   island province famed for its granola mines, survive field trip
  antimagic  theoretical opposite of magic, inhibits or annihilates spells
  blorple    spell, opens a dimension gate
  Borphee    industrial capital of modern Quendor, list leading spell merchants
  burin      pen-like instrument needed for magical inscriptions, own and use
  Flathead   Dimwit, worst ruler of the GUE, describe in excessive detail gaspar     spell, prepares caster for resurrection
  golmac     spell, causes time travel
  granola    tasty and highly nutritious food source, write poetic praise epic
  grue       lurking menace in dark places, avoid getting eaten by
  GUE        Great Underground Empire, describe history, fall and excavations
  Infocom    aka Implementors, mythical godlike beings, dismiss as fallacy
  lleps      spell, reverses effect of memorised spell
  malyon     spell, brings inanimate objects to life
  nymph      small magical fairy-like creatures often used as secretaries, hire
  Quendor    our homeland, analyse socio-political ramifications of granola tax
  qwerty     spell (mythical), student must logically refute its existence
  raif       minor modern cult of Infocom, of no significance whatsoever rezrov     spell, opens closed or locked objects
  rose       compass rose, oh sweet compass rose, etc, national anthem, sing
  snavig     spell, causes caster to assume another shape at will timeloop   highly dangerous phenomenon, describe how to avoid creating vellum     leather-based scroll substrate, explain advantages over parchment
  work       part-time jobs in magic support, readily available for students
  Zork       common name for Quendor and the GUE, also an epic saga zorkmid    national unit of currency, pay all tuition fees promptly
  
  > examine void
  Void, n. Absence of matter; nothingness.
  
  > Go west
  Here, in what was once the centre of campus, what little reality is left has condensed into a grue-black, rock-blasted crater hammered out of existence by some unimaginable power. The stars distort overhead in a strange demented dance; you can barely remember seeing a white mailbox to the east.
  
  An iron vault floats calmly in the void, apparently unscathed.
  
  An animated burin hovers over your head.
  
  > examine the stars
  The stars above seem weirdly distorted.
  
  > take stars
  It's too far away.
  
  "If you can pick it up, it's yours," the burin sniggers sagely.
  
  > Go upwards
  Unfortunately, you failed Elementary Levitation 101.
  
  > Examine vault
  The vault is about twice your height, forged from cast iron and imprinted with an ornate logo that appears to date back to the early Flathead Dynasty. The vault is closed. A shiny iron key sits in the keyhole, with a note attached.
  
  > examine the note
  "Gorgax: Here's the replacement master key you requested. We didn't have time to test it, hope it works okay, some of these old vaults can be a mite touchy. I'll get the dwarves in Technical to look at it next week. Sorkin."
  
  > turn the key
  The shiny iron key turns stiffly in the lock. As the last tumbler clicks into place, an alarm nymph flies out of the keyhole, writes "You do know there's no way you can fool a genuine Frobozz Magic Vault Company vault with such a patently fraudulent imitation of a master key, don't you?" in the air with her finger, then vanishes with a loud raspberry. The vault explodes.
  
  Nothing happens. It would seem that you are dead.
  
  > look
  GUE Tech, Old Quendor
  Moments earlier, you find yourself falling backward through a strangely familiar college campus. A vague premonition tugs at your mind about some great deed left undone - or was it a memory? As you watch, buildings dismantle and shed moss, spells implode on their casters, and stars spin down across the oscillating sky.
  
  A woman in a senior Enchanter's robe steps away from you, gathers a cloud of green lightning with a wave of her hands, and runs into the distance saying "Nialpxe ot emit on. Tfel evah I cigam ylno eht si siht. Poolemit siht fo tuo su kearb nac ohw tfel eno ylno eht er'uoy diarfa m'I tub, siht otni uoy gard ot yrros. Krelc troppus wen eht eb tsum uoy, Ratsileh m'I..."
  
  With a wrench, the universe turns itself inside out...