text: > go downward
  At the bottom of a stairway you see a doorway West and some smudged graffiti on the wall: "GLASS CUTS DIAMOND" and "DYSLEXICS OF THE WORLD, UNTIE!".
  
  > Go west
  There are small piles of sawdust in the corners. You see a door to the East.
  A hardened steel chain has one end built into the concrete wall.
  There is an iron crowbar
  A gouged and battered woodworking table is against the Wall.
  
  > open the crate with the crowbar
  You pound and jab at the lid until it finally loosens, then you push it aside.
  
  There are small piles of sawdust in the corners. You see a door to the East.
  A hardened steel chain has one end built into the concrete wall.
  There is an iron crowbar
  A gouged and battered woodworking table is against the Wall.
  
  > Examine crate
  DOG GONE, It's empty! (Don't you wish I would make the clues a little easier?)
  
  > Inventory
  You're carrying:
  dim bulb (Providing light) long hotdog stage makeup sharp knife packing crate old lamp oaken bucket plaster pluto scuba suit fortune cookie
  There is a fortune ( in the broken pieces )
  valve trumpet You're wearing: solitaire ring
  
  > look in the crate
  DOG GONE, It's empty! (Don't you wish I would make the clues a little easier?)
  
  > drop the crate
  You drop the crate.
  
  > get on crate
  You pick up the packing crate.
  
  > Open crate
  You want to OPEN the CRATE with WHAT, pray tell?
  
  > Examine crate
  DOG GONE, It's empty! (Don't you wish I would make the clues a little easier?)
  
  > Inventory
  You're carrying:
  dim bulb (Providing light) long hotdog stage makeup sharp knife packing crate old lamp oaken bucket plaster pluto scuba suit fortune cookie
  There is a fortune ( in the broken pieces )
  valve trumpet You're wearing: solitaire ring
  
  > put KNIFE in the crate
  You place the knife in the crate.
  
  > Examine crate
  DOG GONE, It's empty! (Don't you wish I would make the clues a little easier?)
  
  > take all from crate
  You pick up the iron crowbar.
  
  > take KNIFE
  You pick up the sharp knife.
  
  > put the crowbar in the crate
  You place the crowbar in the crate.
  
  > go east
  The crowbar, still chained to the wall, jerks back and clatters to the floor.
  
  At the bottom of a stairway you see a doorway West and some smudged graffiti on the wall: "GLASS CUTS DIAMOND" and "DYSLEXICS OF THE WORLD, UNTIE!".
  
  > Examine crate
  DOG GONE, It's empty! (Don't you wish I would make the clues a little easier?)
  
  > Go west
  There are small piles of sawdust in the corners. You see a door to the East.
  A hardened steel chain has one end built into the concrete wall.
  There is an iron crowbar
  A gouged and battered woodworking table is against the Wall.
  
  > break the crate with the crowbar
  BREAK! Someone say BREAK? Great, I'll see you in ten minutes. Bye, bye. I'm back. Now, what were you saying? You wanted to BREAK the CRATE? Don't know how to break here...
  
  > Go south
  You see high shelves with unfinished repair projects and a storage room South.
  A violin sits on the shelf waiting for its broken bridge to be repaired.
  
  > throw the crate at the VIOLIN
  The crate bounces off the violin.
  
  > take the crate
  You pick up the packing crate.
  
  > Go south
  You step into a storage room. Small, useless scraps of wood and old hardware are lying about. A plank sits atop a particularly unstable pile of clutter.
  It would turn the tables for you to get that plank down (and vice versa).
  
  > throw crate at the plank
  The crate bounces off the plank.
  
  > take the crate
  You pick up the packing crate.
  
  Loading game...
  
  /=======================================\
  | /\ |
  | |               S O S               | |
  | |                                   | |
  | |         Son Of Stagefright        | |
  | |             The SEQUEL            | |
  | |   A pleasant day at the theatre   | |
  | |     in three paranatural acts     | |
  | |      c 1989 by Mike McCauley      | |
  | \/ | \=======================================/
  .
  
  This game is being executed by:
  
  Choose <I>nstructions, <A>GiliTy Information, or <other> to start the game
  S.O.S. Son of Stagefright, the SEQUEL
  c 1989 Mike McCauley Distributed as
  ShareWare  -  Not Public Domain
  
  This is your big day. You've studied method acting, improv, mime, dance, movement, CPR and all the rest and now you're itching to take your place down center like all the famous actors and actresses before you. You've heard about an audition down at the old theater at the lower end of the far reaches of the wrong side of...
  
  -Well, anyway, you thought that it had been closed after a series of very mysterious accidents and disappearances following their 13 week run of the `Scottish Tragedy'. (If you don't know that one, just ask any actor.)
  
  When you arrive, the line of hopefuls wraps around the block. By the time you get signed in, the only seat left is up in the balcony.
  
  on                                                  *
  and       *
  *
  *                     z-z-z-Z-Z-Z-Z-z-z-z-Z-Z-Z-Z-z-z-z
  *                                             *
  
  You wake with a start. What time is it? Did you miss the call for your reading? You hear what sounds like muffled laughter somewhere. Looking around for its source, it occurs to you that something is disturbingly wrong.
  
  Finally it sinks in. There isn't a living soul in sight. Dust and cobwebs are everywhere. There is only one thought racing through your little brain...
  "I WANT OUT!"
  --- HIT ANY KEY ---
  
  Oh, by the way, the game has been set up for you to play it as an ACTOR. Would you rather be an ACTRESS? (Please enter YES or NO.)
  
  > Go north
  You see high shelves with unfinished repair projects and a storage room South.
  A violin sits on the shelf waiting for its broken bridge to be repaired.
  
  > play the VIOLIN
  Let me explain it to you this way: |      ..,,,..
  1. The violin is out of reach,            |    ///////~\\\
  2. You ain't got a bow,                   |   (''~~~    ``\
  3. You ain't got a union card,            |   { (0 ) >--< }
  4. I know your taste in music,            |    \  __<__  /
  -AND-                           +---  \ \___/ /
  5. It wouldn't accomplish anything anyway.|      \/
  
  > Go south
  You step into a storage room. Small, useless scraps of wood and old hardware are lying about. A plank sits atop a particularly unstable pile of clutter.
  It would turn the tables for you to get that plank down (and vice versa).
  
  > play the trumpet
  Carefully checking the spit valve, you put lips to mouthpiece and blow.
  
  > Go north
  You see high shelves with unfinished repair projects and a storage room South.
  A violin sits on the shelf waiting for its broken bridge to be repaired.
  
  > go to the north
  There are small piles of sawdust in the corners. You see a door to the East.
  A hardened steel chain has one end built into the concrete wall.
  There is an iron crowbar
  A gouged and battered woodworking table is against the Wall.
  
  > break the crate with the crowbar
  BREAK! Someone say BREAK? Great, I'll see you in ten minutes. Bye, bye. I'm back. Now, what were you saying? You wanted to BREAK the CRATE? Don't know how to break here...
  
  > open the crate with the crowbar
  You have already opened the crate and pushed the lid aside.
  
  > Inventory
  You're carrying:
  dim bulb (Providing light) long hotdog stage makeup sharp knife packing crate old lamp oaken bucket plaster pluto scuba suit fortune cookie
  There is a fortune ( in the broken pieces )
  valve trumpet You're wearing: solitaire ring
  
  > go east
  At the bottom of a stairway you see a doorway West and some smudged graffiti on the wall: "GLASS CUTS DIAMOND" and "DYSLEXICS OF THE WORLD, UNTIE!".
  
  > Examine crate
  DOG GONE, It's empty! (Don't you wish I would make the clues a little easier?)
  
  > put PLUTO in the crate
  Even with the lid open, dropping the statue causes it to shatter, but the impact dislodges a piece of paper that you overlooked before. By the way, that statue was a Roman GOD, not Mickey Mouse's DOG. (You dyslexic or anagramatic?)
  
  > look at the paper
  Do you mean the multiplication table or the paper fortune?
  
  > Multiplication
  The simple grid of multipliers and products brings back memories of 3rd grade.
  
  > examine ring
  A simple yet tasteful setting - a single, faceted stone in a 4 prong base.
  
  > check your inventory
  You're carrying:
  dim bulb (Providing light) long hotdog stage makeup sharp knife packing crate
  There is a small scrap of paper with the multiplication table on
  it.
  old lamp oaken bucket scuba suit fortune cookie
  There is a fortune ( in the broken pieces )
  valve trumpet You're wearing: solitaire ring
  
  > examine the fortune
  It is a typical inscrutable saying.
  
  > take the table
  Try as you might, you cannot dislodge the piece of paper from deep within the crate. Slowly and methodically, you start prying and pounding at the sides until you have finally reduced it to a pile of splintered lumber. You throw the scrap wood into a corner and take the paper.
  
  > take the paper fortune
  You pick up the paper fortune.
  
  > Inventory
  You're carrying:
  dim bulb (Providing light)
  long hotdog
  stage makeup
  sharp knife
  old lamp
  oaken bucket
  multiplication table
  scuba suit
  fortune cookie
  paper fortune
  valve trumpet
  You're wearing:
  solitaire ring