text: [Themes: Horror, Lovecraftian, female protagonist]
  
  > Look around
  The interior of this rustic motel room looks pretty much like the interior of Cabin Five, except that it's a mirror image, with the door to the croquet court on the west side. Bedspreads the color of mud cover the twin beds. The tacky wood-grain wallpaper is starting to peel, and years of grime have been ground into the carpet. A bucolic, sentimentalized painting of some Negroes picking cotton adds to the oppressive sense that you've somehow slipped back into an earlier, less civilized era.
  
  Curtains the color of old pea soup hang beside the window to the right of the door. A chipped and scarred dresser stands against the east wall, near the door of the bathroom. There's a walk-in closet on the south side of the room.
  
  David is sitting here in his wheelchair.
  
  > examine the bedspreads
  The stuff in the cabin is really not very interesting.
  
  "I'm feeling a bit tired," David says. "If you'll forgive me, I may want to close my eyes for a minute or two."
  
  > go to the east
  (first trying to open the door of Cabin Two)
  As you try to slip past Reverend Gillespie so as to get into his cabin, he inserts himself directly in your path. "There's nothin' in there you need to concern yourself with, young lady."
  
  > examine the tongs
  The tongs are made of wrought iron. They're shaped roughly like scissors or pliers, but they're about three feet long.
  
  > take the bedspread
  Which bedspread do you mean, the bed near the door, or the bed near the bathroom?
  
  > go northwest
  You're standing in the weed-infested remains of a small flower-bed.
  The porch railing is directly above you, almost close enough to reach, and the lawn is back to the east. Only a few feet away, on the porch, Beauregard Phelps is leaning back on the couch, snoring.
  
  You see a wooden bucket here.
  
  > Go southeast
  You can't go that way. Obvious exits lead north, back to the kitchen; south, to the area behind the cabins; east, to the north end of the croquet court; west; northeast, to the lawn; northwest, to the gravel driveway; southwest, to the garden of junk; and in, to in the van.
  
  > Hint
  (Warning: Some people don't like built-in hints, since the temptation to ask for help prematurely can become overwhelming when hints are so close at hand. If you're worried that your willpower won't hold up, you can disable hints for the rest of this session by typing HINTS OFF. If you still want to see the hints now, type HINT.)
  
  > Hint
  1. General Questions
  2. In the House
  3. The Figurines
  4. Beyond the Stone Slab
  5. The Great Escape
  
  Select a topic number, or press 'p' for the previous menu or 'q' to quit:
  
  > 2
  1. How can I get the things the clown is asking for?
  2. How can I get the telephone to work?
  3. I can't control when I leave the place where the clown is.
  
  Select a topic number, or press 'p' for the previous menu or 'q' to quit:
  
  > 3
  1. So what's the deal with the evil figurines?
  
  Select a topic number, or press 'p' for the previous menu or 'q' to quit:
  
  > 5
  1. How do I get the key to the boat shed?
  2. How can I defeat the ebony mask?
  3. How can I get my hands on a compass?
  4. How do I get the stuff the clown is asking for?
  5. How do I get the large, fragile item out of Beauregard's bedroom?
  6. How do I get a map of the swamp?
  7. How do I fix the map so it's readable?
  
  Select a topic number, or press 'p' for the previous menu or 'q' to quit:
  
  > 2
  How can I defeat the ebony mask?
  
  Press the space bar to display the next line, 'P' to go to the previous menu, or 'Q' to quit.
  
  The mask is a sort of voodoo burglar alarm. [1/12]
  
  If you try to pick up anything that belongs to Tyrone, the mask will see you and howl. [2/12]
  
  You can't prevent Tyrone from hearing the mask. [3/12]
  
  So you need a way to prevent it from seeing what you're doing. [4/12]
  
  You don't have a cloak of invisibility. [5/12]
  
  But you might be able to figure out a way to cover the mask's enormous, staring eyes. [6/12]
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying a burlap sack (which contains a pill bottle, some faded photographs, a flashlight, a croquet hoop, a partially crumbled piece of burnt toast, a bad fuse, a sketchbook, a stone bracelet, a gold locket, an old shovel, an indecipherable map, a poker, the key to Cabin One, a screwdriver, a brown envelope, some fire tongs, and a fat white candle), a teaspoon, a wooden bucket, and a juice glass. You're wearing your clothes.
  
  > put the bucket over the mask
  What do you want to put it in?
  
  > Empty sack
  You pour out the stuff that's in the burlap sack.
  
  > 2
  How can I defeat the ebony mask?
  
  Press the space bar to display the next line, 'P' to go to the previous menu, or 'Q' to quit.
  
  The mask is a sort of voodoo burglar alarm. [1/12]
  
  If you try to pick up anything that belongs to Tyrone, the mask will see you and howl. [2/12]
  
  You can't prevent Tyrone from hearing the mask. [3/12]
  
  So you need a way to prevent it from seeing what you're doing. [4/12]
  
  You don't have a cloak of invisibility. [5/12]
  
  But you might be able to figure out a way to cover the mask's enormous, staring eyes. [6/12]
  There are two ways to do it. [7/12]
  You need something gooey - something that can be applied to the eyes and will stick. [8/12]
  
  > 2
  How can I defeat the ebony mask?
  
  Press the space bar to display the next line, 'P' to go to the previous menu, or 'Q' to quit.
  
  The mask is a sort of voodoo burglar alarm. [1/12]
  
  If you try to pick up anything that belongs to Tyrone, the mask will see you and howl. [2/12]
  
  You can't prevent Tyrone from hearing the mask. [3/12]
  
  So you need a way to prevent it from seeing what you're doing. [4/12]
  
  You don't have a cloak of invisibility. [5/12]
  
  But you might be able to figure out a way to cover the mask's enormous, staring eyes. [6/12]
  
  There are two ways to do it. [7/12]
  
  You need something gooey - something that can be applied to the eyes and will stick. [8/12]
  Once you've lured Aunt Caroline out of the bathroom, you'll find that she left a white candle behind. [9/12]
  And fortunately, it's a very hot day. [10/12]
  If you knead the candle, it will turn into a soft lump of wax. [11/12]
  Put the wax on the mask's eyes. (You can also put some road tar from the barrel in the juice glass and apply it to the eyes with the spoon, but that's a lot more trouble.)  [12/12]
  
  [The End]
  
  > Go south
  This may once have been a garden, but now it's just a final resting place for junk - lots and lots of junk - and nothing grows here but weeds. The falling-down shack stands (if that's the right word) north of here, its single square window looking out on the junk. The area where the van is parked is to the northeast, and the area behind the cabins is east. Off to the southeast stands the shed at the edge of the swamp.
  
  The way westward is blocked by an improbably dense thicket of bramble-bushes.
  
  You see a pill bottle, some faded photographs, a flashlight, a croquet hoop, a partially crumbled piece of burnt toast, a bad fuse, a sketchbook, a stone bracelet, a gold locket, an old shovel, an indecipherable map, a poker, the key to Cabin One, a screwdriver, a brown envelope, some fire tongs, and a fat white candle here.
  
  > put all in the sack
  teaspoon: Done.
  wooden bucket: Done.
  juice glass: Done.
  
  pill bottle:
  (first taking the pill bottle)
  Done.
  
  faded photographs:
  (first taking the faded photographs)
  Done.
  
  flashlight:
  (first taking the flashlight)
  Done.
  
  croquet hoop:
  (first taking the croquet hoop)
  Done.
  
  partially crumbled piece of burnt toast:
  (first taking the partially crumbled piece of burnt toast)
  Done.
  
  bad fuse:
  (first taking the bad fuse)
  Done.
  
  sketchbook:
  (first taking the sketchbook)
  Done.
  
  stone bracelet:
  (first taking the stone bracelet)
  Done.
  
  gold locket:
  (first taking the gold locket)
  Done.
  
  old shovel:
  (first taking the old shovel)
  Done.
  
  indecipherable map:
  (first taking the indecipherable map)
  Done.
  
  poker:
  (first taking the poker)
  Done.
  
  key to Cabin One:
  (first taking the key to Cabin One)
  Done.
  
  screwdriver:
  (first taking the screwdriver)
  Done.
  
  brown envelope:
  (first taking the brown envelope)
  Done.
  
  fire tongs:
  (first taking the fire tongs)
  Done.
  
  fat white candle:
  (first taking the fat white candle)
  Done.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying a burlap sack (which contains a teaspoon, a wooden bucket, a juice glass, a pill bottle, some faded photographs, a flashlight, a croquet hoop, a partially crumbled piece of burnt toast, a bad fuse, a sketchbook, a stone bracelet, a gold locket, an old shovel, an indecipherable map, a poker, the key to Cabin One, a screwdriver, a brown envelope, some fire tongs, and a fat white candle). You're wearing your clothes.
  
  > knead it
  With a few moments of squeezing, you're able to reduce the candle to a warm, soft lump of white wax. If the weather weren't so hot, you never would have been able to do it.
  
  > put the wax on the eyes
  By pressing and smoothing the wax with your thumbs, you're able to completely cover the mask's eyes with a thick layer of white wax.
  
  > look under bed
  You kneel to look under the bed, and see something far back against the wall. Reaching and groping, your fingers close on a square-cornered object, which you draw forth. It proves to be a cigar box.
  
  > open the box
  Opening the cigar box reveals a fish hook.
  
  > Go northeast
  You can't go that way. Obvious exits lead north, to down the road; south, to the north end of the croquet court; west, to the porch; northwest, to the flower-bed; and southwest, back to the front of the shack.
  
  Honey wiggles her toes.
  
  > Fish
  While Phelps snoozes peacefully, you extend the fishing pole and dangle the hook over his gaping pants pocket. Delicately you lower the hook. As you feel it snag on something, it occurs to you - a little too late - that you're more likely to hook the fabric of his pants than anything that's in the pocket. But no, this time you're in luck. When you gently lift the end of the pole, the gleam of brass tells you that you've successfully hooked the key that was in his pocket. Hardly daring to breathe, you draw the pole back across the porch railing.
  The key remains hooked until you reach out and grab it. Success! Clutched in your sweaty palm is a shiny brass key.
  
  > put the pole and the key in the sack
  fishing pole (to which a fish hook has been tied): Done.
  shiny key: Done.
  
  > 1
  So what's the deal with the evil figurines?
  
  Press the space bar to display the next line, 'P' to go to the previous menu, or 'Q' to quit.
  
  There are three things you'll need to learn about the evil figurines. [1/5]
  First, how many of them are there? [2/5]
  Second, how can they be handled? [3/5]
  Third, what should be done with them? [4/5]
  These questions are discussed in separate lists of hints. [5/5]
  
  [The End]
  
  > 5
  1. How do I get the key to the boat shed?
  2. How can I get my hands on a compass?
  3. How do I get the stuff the clown is asking for?
  4. How do I get the large, fragile item out of Beauregard's bedroom?
  5. How do I get a map of the swamp?
  6. How do I fix the map so it's readable?
  
  Select a topic number, or press 'p' for the previous menu or 'q' to quit:
  
  > 4
  1. How do I open the other six doors in the Room of Seven Doors?
  2. How can I transport the skeleton safely?
  3. How do I find a route among the stone tunnels?
  4. Help! I'm lost in the stone tunnels!
  
  Select a topic number, or press 'p' for the previous menu or 'q' to quit:
  
  > 1
  1. What am I supposed to be doing?
  2. I seem to be stuck. Is it possible to reach a point where the game is unwinnable?
  3. Okay, I got the figurines out of Cabins Two and Four, but now I'm stuck. What do I need to do next?
  
  Select a topic number, or press 'p' for the previous menu or 'q' to quit:
  
  > 2
  I seem to be stuck. Is it possible to reach a point where the game is unwinnable?
  
  Press the space bar to display the next line, 'P' to go to the previous menu, or 'Q' to quit.
  
  If you're feeling stuck, the most likely explanation by far is that you haven't figured out what you need to do next. There will be times when you can take any of a number of different actions to move the story forward, and other times when your options will be narrowly circumscribed. [1/8]
  
  That said.... Yes, it's possible to make the game unwinnable. [2/8]
  
  The easiest way to get in trouble is to drop things in places where you can't retrieve them later. Most of the time you'll be given a warning when you do this - if you throw things into the swamp, for instance. But in a few specific situations, you may not receive any warning. [3/8]
  
  During the course of the story, some of the other characters will be moving around. They might, for instance, lock or unlock doors for reasons of their own. If you've just gained access to a new area (or, for that matter, if you've had free access to it ever since the beginning of the story), don't assume it will always remain accessible. [4/8]
  
  Fortunately, there's no need to leave things behind. If you look around the outdoor area, you'll find a hefty burlap bag. This bag can contain almost anything (with one or two important exceptions). When you find an item that you think might be useful later, put it in the bag, and don't let the bag out of your sight. None of the other characters will ever notice the bag or ask what's in it. [5/8]
  
  They'll be quite alarmed, however, if they see you carrying certain other things. In this type of situation, the character will have an immediate, obvious reaction. Typing 'undo' will let you backtrack to before the problem arose. [6/8]
  
  There's also an important object that is quite fragile. If you pick something up and it seems to be in danger of falling apart, take the warning seriously. Put it down at once, and look for an alternate way to transport it. Once it falls apart, you're doomed. [7/8]
  
  In addition, two puzzles require that you find a way to move a character other than yourself to another location temporarily. In both cases, you can do this only a few times before the character will balk and refuse to be coaxed or bamboozled anymore. You'll be given more tries than you strictly need - but if you haven't solved the particular problem before you run out of tries, you'll be completely deadlocked. So before you set another character in motion, think carefully about what you're hoping to accomplish while they're out of the way, and whether you have the resources you need to accomplish it. If they react to what you thought was an innocuous question by running off, you may want to use the UNDO command and wait until you know what you're hoping to accomplish before you ask that question again. [8/8]
  
  [The End]
  
  > 6
  How do I fix the map so it's readable?
  
  Press the space bar to display the next line, 'P' to go to the previous menu, or 'Q' to quit.
  
  If you show the map to David or Tyrone, they may offer a hint or two. [1/6]
  
  Some occult power is making the map unreadable. [2/6]
  
  That power is involved in just about everything that's happening at Eternal Springs. [3/6]
  
  In particular, the gathering this afternoon, for which the nasty little figurines were sent out as magical invitations. [4/6]
  
  Getting rid of the figurines would probably diminish the power of the entity who is causing the map to squirm. [5/6]
  
  The method by which you do that is discussed in a separate set of hints. [6/6]
  
  [The End]
  
  > Go north
  The kitchen is large and not especially neat. The appliances are all ancient, their surfaces dented and chipped. The refrigerator stands against one wall, the stove against another, and there's a cupboard above the sink. Against an inner wall stands a small square table, with a wooden chair beside it. An exterior door is to the south, interior doorways to the east and north.
  
  You see a tea kettle here.
  
  > look at what you're carrying with you
  You are carrying a burlap sack (which contains a teaspoon, a wooden bucket, a juice glass, a pill bottle, some faded photographs, a flashlight, a croquet hoop, a partially crumbled piece of burnt toast, a bad fuse, a sketchbook, a stone bracelet, a gold locket, an old shovel, an indecipherable map, a poker, the key to Cabin One, a screwdriver, a brown envelope, some fire tongs, a fishing pole (to which a fish hook has been tied), and a shiny key) and a cigar box. You're wearing your clothes.
  
  > Go south
  You can't go that way. The only obvious exit leads north, back to the upstairs hall.
  
  The merry-go-round continues tinkling its wistful little tune.
  
  > touch clown
  The clown reaches out and takes your hand, the merry-go-round's tinkly music swells, and you're spun out of the upstairs bedroom into that other place.
  
  Vague many-colored blobs of light float gently around you on all sides, and there are no shadows here. It's like being trapped inside a great big lava lamp, except that you can hear an off-key brass band oom-pahing not far away. The painted clown from the abandoned nursery, now no longer painted but quite real, is standing in front of you, gazing down at you with either pity or wry amusement (it's hard to tell which).
  
  > give it to the clown
  "Hello again," you venture.
  
  "Hello again yourself," the clown replies. "I was wondering if you'd come back."
  
  You gesture at the skeleton. "Do you think these bones are what you need?"
  
  The clown inspects the skeleton gravely. "I do believe they'll serve. Where did you - no, don't tell me. I don't want to know. Whoever these belonged to doesn't need them anymore, that's all that matters."
  
  He picks up the skeleton. First he clasps it to him, so that it looks as if he's planning to dance with it. (The music is still oom-pahing away in the background.)  But then he ... it's hard to say exactly what he does with the skeleton. It looks a bit like putting on a pair of pajamas, except sort of inside out. It's as if the pajamas were putting on the person, somehow. First he steps on the skeleton's feet, and somehow the feet are inside his, and then the legs, and then the rest. In a moment the skeleton is entirely gone.
  
  The clown jumps up in the air and clicks his heels together. "Oh, I feel wonderful! So much more solid! You've done it - you've brought me everything I need to be a real person. I never doubted you for a moment, you know. I knew you'd do it." The clown digs down into one of the capacious pockets in his baggy trousers, produces the gold coin, and solemnly hands it to you. "You see? I've kept my end of the bargain, haven't I? Spend it wisely, young lady. Now, if you'll forgive me, I really must be going. I've so much to see!
  
  "Perhaps we'll meet again someday," he adds. "I'd like that. I do hope you'll stay safe until then. The world - what little of it I've seen so far, which is very little indeed - seems quite full of dreadful dangers. I do hope you'll be very careful! Farewell, then."
  
  The clown bows to you, and then turns and walks away with a kind of proud, sauntering stride, the spangly tails of the coat swaying behind him. As he goes, the blobs of color swirling around you begin to dissolve. In a few moments you're back in the upstairs bedroom - and the wall where the clown was painted is blank!
  
  You rush to the window and look out. A figure is just ducking out of sight around the corner of the house - a figure with red hair and a coat that seems to shimmer in the sun. He turns and waves, and then he's gone.
  
  This room has been mostly stripped of furniture. The wood floor is bare, the window uncurtained. A bulky, old-fashioned cradle stands in the center of the room. A metal heating grate is built into the baseboard in the west wall, and there's a small square table in the northeast corner, on which stands an old-fashioned model merry-go-round.
  
  You see a straw mat here.
  
  The merry-go-round continues tinkling its wistful little tune.
  
  > show the coin to the boys
  "Hello again," you say, trying to sound cheerful. "I'm back."
  
  "Was she gone?" the smaller boy says. "I din't notice."
  
  You hold out the coin. "I found this. Would you take it as a trade for the compass?"
  
  Both boys' eyes widen as they stare at the coin. "Gotta be a fake," the smaller boy says, but the other one nudges him hard and whispers harshly in his ear. You hear the scraps of a few words - "double eagle" and "stole it from Old Beauregard."
  
  "Aw, okay," the smaller boy says. "We'll take it." In a moment the deal is done: The boys have the gold coin, and you have the compass.
  
  > look at the compass
  The compass is encased in blue plastic, and is about the right size to fit in the palm of your hand. Beneath the clear plastic cover is a round white piece of cardboard lettered with the letters N, E, S, and W. The needle quivers faintly as it points to the N.
  
  > 2
  1. How can I get the telephone to work?
  
  Select a topic number, or press 'p' for the previous menu or 'q' to quit:
  
  > 1
  How can I get the telephone to work?
  
  Press the space bar to display the next line, 'P' to go to the previous menu, or 'Q' to quit.
  
  Calling the police would be a wonderful idea in the circumstances. Unfortunately, there's no way to get the telephone to work. [1/1]
  
  [The End]
  
  > 3
  1. So what's the deal with the evil figurines?
  2. How many of the evil figurines are there, and where will I find them?
  3. How can I manipulate the figurines?
  4. What do I need to do with the figurines?
  
  Select a topic number, or press 'p' for the previous menu or 'q' to quit:
  
  > 3
  How can I manipulate the figurines?
  
  Press the space bar to display the next line, 'P' to go to the previous menu, or 'Q' to quit.
  
  You can't touch them yourself. And no one will help you. [1/5]
  How might you be able to pick them up without touching them? [2/5]
  No, you have no psychic powers. There are two physical objects that will do the job. [3/5]
  You can pick up the figurines with either the fire tongs (which are in the living room, standing next to the fireplace) or the shovel. The command 'pick up figurine with tongs' works. When it comes to carrying them around, though.... [4/5]
  The tongs and shovel can hold only one figurine at a time. You'll find it more convenient to carry them in your suitcase, or in the burlap sack. Putting them in a container has the added advantage that you won't risk anyone seeing you carrying one around. That would almost certainly be fatal. [5/5]
  
  [The End]
  
  > 2
  How many of the evil figurines are there, and where will I find them?
  
  Press the space bar to display the next line, 'P' to go to the previous menu, or 'Q' to quit.
  
  Each member of the conspiracy that has gathered at Eternal Springs has a figurine. Not everyone you'll meet is a member of the conspiracy, however. [1/4]
  Talk to the people you meet and observe their behavior. All of the conspirators but one are outsiders - recent arrivals. [2/4]
  Tyrone is not part of the group, nor Luisa, nor the farm boys, nor Hank Slocum, nor Lydia. [3/4]
  That leaves six people (some of whom you may not have met yet) - Beauregard Phelps, Aunt Caroline, David, Honey Hartwell, Reverend Gillespie, and Owens Mackenzie (the man in Cabin Four). The figurines can be distinguished from one another by eye color: one is red, one white, one black, one purple, and so on. [4/4]
  
  [The End]
  
  > 3
  1. So what's the deal with the evil figurines?
  2. How many of the evil figurines are there, and where will I find them?
  3. How can I manipulate the figurines?
  4. What do I need to do with the figurines?
  5. Where will I find Aunt Caroline's figurine?
  6. Where will I find Beauregard's figurine, and how can I get it?
  7. Where will I find David's figurine?
  8. Where will I find Honey Hartwell's figurine, and how can I get it? 9. Where will I find Owens Mackenzie's figurine?
  10. Where will I find Reverend Gillespie's figurine?
  
  Select a topic number, or press 'p' for the previous menu or 'q' to quit:
  
  > 6
  Where will I find Beauregard's figurine, and how can I get it?
  
  Press the space bar to display the next line, 'P' to go to the previous menu, or 'Q' to quit.
  
  Beauregard Phelps's figurine is the only one that's in plain sight. [1/14]
  
  He owns the house. Where do you suppose he sleeps? [2/14]
  
  The figurine is in his bedroom (or rather, in the alcove off his bedroom), which is behind the locked door in the upstairs hall. [3/14]
  
  The hints for getting through the locked door are in a separate list. Once you've accomplished that, you'll find that you have another problem. [4/14]
  
  In order to acquire the figurine, you need to deal with the flying dagger that's guarding it. [5/14]
  
  If you try to pick up the figurine (using the method described in a separate set of hints), the dagger will spring to life and get in your way. [6/14]
  
  It won't actually succeed in cutting you. It's mainly a nuisance. There are two very different ways to deal with it. One is to capture it. [7/14]
  
  You can't catch the flying dagger with your bare hands. [8/14]
  
  Have you ever seen a knife-throwing exhibition? [9/14]
  
  If you hold up a piece of wood, the dagger will impale itself and be stuck. [10/14]
  
  There are two pieces of wood at Eternal Springs that you can use. [11/14]
  
  One is the bucket. You'll find it near the boat shed. And somewhere or other you might find a loose floorboard. The command HOLD UP BOARD will work when the dagger is flying. [12/14]
  
  If that's too much trouble, you can use the poker from the fireplace in the living room. [13/14]
  
  Sneak up on the dagger. (Each time you leave the alcove it will lie down on the table.)  While it's lying there peacefully, hit it with the poker. That will kill it. Now you can get at the figurine. [14/14]
  
  [The End]
  
  > go to the south
  This room has been mostly stripped of furniture. The wood floor is bare, the window uncurtained. A bulky, old-fashioned cradle stands in the center of the room. A metal heating grate is built into the baseboard in the west wall, and there's a small square table in the northeast corner, on which stands an old-fashioned model merry-go-round.
  
  You see a straw mat here.
  
  > put the shovel in the grate
  (first taking the old shovel from the burlap sack)
  The old shovel is too large to fit through the opening.
  
  > ask Luisa about Jessie
  As you start to speak, Luisa scowls at you irritably. "Why don't you go outside and play?"
  
  Luisa snuffles and wipes her eyes. "I don't want to talk about that," she says hoarsely.
  
  > go southeast
  This lumpy, patchy stretch of lawn is the most pleasant outdoor spot at Eternal Springs, though that isn't saying much. A rusted, sagging chaise longue is provided for the comfort of anyone who would like to bask in the scorching heat of the afternoon sun. (There's precious little shade here, other than the low oblong of obscurity wedged beneath the chaise.)
  
  To the east, the lawn is bordered by a high hedge of a virulent and sickly green, whose foliage is laden with a bounty of pulpy red flowers. The arid stretch of dirt between the cabins stretches out to the south. The main house stands, crooked and bleak but stubbornly attempting a faded grandeur, to the west, a short, broad flight of board steps leading up to the long porch, which is roofed over but nonetheless gapes open on the afternoon. A tiny, weed-infested flower-bed crouches to the right of the steps.
  
  A cracked and buckled concrete walk leads away through some tall bushes to the north, and another walk, whose slabs are tossed as if by some prehistoric geological upheaval, curves out of sight to the southwest around the corner of the house.
  
  Honey Hartwell is reclining on the chaise longue, leafing through a magazine.
  
  Honey hums a little off-key tune to herself.
  
  > take the poker and the tongs
  poker: Taken.
  fire tongs: Taken.
  
  > hit the dagger with the poker
  You smite the dagger a mighty blow where it lies with an overhead swing from the poker. The steely clang sounds faintly like a whimper, and the dagger bounces a couple of times and then lies very still.
  
  > take the figurine with the tongs
  You pick up the purple-eyed figurine with the fire tongs.
  
  > put it in sack
  (the purple-eyed figurine)
  Done.
  
  > take mat
  If you pick up the mat now, what's on it will slide off. You might try rolling it up.
  
  > Roll mat
  You roll up the mat, concealing the skeleton.
  
  > take mat
  (first putting the fire tongs in the burlap sack to make room, then putting the poker in the burlap sack to make room)
  Taken.
  
  > take the figurine with the tongs
  (first taking the fire tongs from the burlap sack)
  You pick up the purple-eyed figurine with the fire tongs.
  
  > put it in the vise
  (the purple-eyed figurine)
  (first opening the vise)
  You turn the crank, and the jaws of the vise separate.
  
  Done.
  
  > Close vise
  As you tighten the vise, the figurine begins to writhe. Its tiny arms and legs windmill frantically, its eyes bulge, and a terrible high keening sound escapes from it. You continue, remorseless. A moment later, with a loud crunching noise, the figurine shatters, and some harmless gray dust sifts to the floor.
  
  > go west
  The gravel driveway runs behind the big house, which looms over you to the east. At the north end the driveway passes through a high hedge, and at the south it opens out into an area in front of a shack, where a dusty van is parked. A pair of low doors angles out from the foundation of the house at this spot.
  
  You see a dead possum here.
  
  > examine the map
  The piece of paper is creased and dog-eared. One edge is badly charred. The map is crudely drawn. The network of squiggles and scribbled legends seems to show the locations of a number of bayous, islands, and sandbars. Near one edge is an irregular little square marked "Eternal Springs." In another corner is a circle with an arrow pointing upward out of it; the arrow is marked "N."
  
  > put the compass and the poker in the sack
  compass: Done.
  
  poker: The poker is already in the burlap sack.
  
  > show the map to Lydia
  (first taking the map of the swamp from the burlap sack)
  When Lydia sees that the map is no longer squirming, she claps her hands. "Well done! But you still have to find the compass and the key to the boat shed. When you find those, come back here and show them to me, and we'll be ready to go."
  
  > show the compass to Lydia
  (first taking the compass from the burlap sack)
  "Oh, that's wonderful! I'll bet you sweet-talked those nasty farm boys into giving it to you. Now all you need to do is find the key to the boat shed, and we can go."
  
  > show the key to Lydia
  Which key do you mean, the shiny key, or the key to Cabin One?
  
  > Shiny
  (first taking the shiny key from the burlap sack)
  "Oh, that's wonderful! That's the key to the boat shed, isn't it? So you have everything we need, right - the key, the compass, and the map. What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
  
  > go west
  Lydia walks along beside you. You follow the path westward, back to Eternal Springs.
  
  The brackish, oily, unpleasant waters of the swamp stretch south from here. Large trees festooned with slimy green creepers stand in the water. To the west is a shed, to the east a path along the shore. The cabins are to the north.
  
  You find yourself wanting to hurry along, so as not to catch another glimpse, even out of the corner of your eye, of the terrible swamp-thing you saw - or imagined you saw - before.
  
  Lydia is standing close by.
  
  > Go west
  Lydia walks beside you.
  
  A large shed is built out over the waters of the swamp at this spot. The planks of the shed are weathered to a grayish color and the paint is peeling, but the shed looks solidly built, and there's a shiny new lock on the door.
  
  You can go southwest around the side of the shed, northeast to the area between the cabins, and north or northwest to an open area behind the western row of cabins. The door of the shed is directly to the south, and a stretch of swampy shore lies to the east.
  
  Lydia looks at you expectantly.
  
  > unlock the door with the shiny key
  Unlocked.
  
  > Go south
  (first opening the boat shed door)
  Lydia trails along behind.
  
  The interior of the shed is dimly lighted by sunlight coming in through the single small window set high in the west wall. Water laps gently against the walls, and there's no floor at all, only a dock that juts out to the south from a narrow platform near the door. There's also a narrow catwalk that runs along the west wall, to the southwest from where you're standing. At the end of the catwalk is a large cylindrical mechanism from which a chain runs up toward the roof.
  
  Two boats are tied up here - a small rowboat on the west side of the dock and a much bigger and sleeker power boat on the east side. The far wall of the shed is a large door through which the boats must be meant to pass in and out. At the moment the door is closed.
  
  Lydia takes a quick look around.
  
  > close the door
  You close the boat shed door.
  
  Lydia looks around at the interior of the boat shed. "It's nice and shady in here," she says. "I'm not so used to the bright sunshine. I think it would be safer for me to wait here for you - I mean, if you have to go get anything else before we can leave. Do you think we'll need anything else? I'm trying to think if there's anything."
  
  > lock it
  That is not something you can lock.
  
  "I hope we're almost ready to go," Lydia says. "What are we waiting for?"
  
  > go to the east
  You can't go that way. Obvious exits lead north, back to the front of the boat shed; south; and southwest.
  
  Lydia gazes around nervously at the gloomy interior of the boat shed.
  
  > go south
  As you start in that direction, suddenly both of the boats erupt in boiling gouts of flame. The heat beats against your face, and you cover your face with your hands and stagger backward. Bitter smoke fills your nostrils, and even through your hands and eyelids you can see the seething flames.
  
  But then the heat is gone, the blood-red light recedes. When you open your eyes, the boats haven't been consumed by fire. They're rocking serenely in the water, just as they were before.
  
  Lydia cries out. "Did you see that? Oh, it's horrible. But I remember now. The same thing happened to me before - the first time I tried to steal a boat, back before they ... did what they did to me. That awful creature is trying everything it can to keep us from getting away.
  
  "Now be quiet and let me think a minute. It's all so hazy, but I'm trying to remember. Somehow I made the horrid visions stop, so I could get in the boat." She fiddles with her hair as she frowns in concentration. "There was an old man, I remember now. An old colored man. He was very kindly. He ... he gave me a little cloth sack with some dried leaves in it. He told me, 'If you ever get so frightened you can't go another step, chew up one of these, it will give you heart.'
  
  "I think - I'm not sure, but I think I hid that little sack somewhere around here. Or maybe not here, I don't think they had a shed for the boats then. It might have been in the house."
  
  You tell her you can't imagine a little sack would still be wherever she left it all those years ago. It's bound to be long gone by now. She frowns in exasperation. "Don't be such a wet blanket. Let me think. I ... that's what it was. I hid in the cellar while they were all running around looking for me. I'm almost sure that's what I did. I found this little cranny I could crawl into, down in the cellar, and that's where I left the sack with the leaves. Well, stop looking at me like that. It won't hurt you to go look, will it? If the sack isn't there, we're as good as dead."
  
  You tell her you'd rather she came with you. She might remember more when she sees the cellar. But she says, "No, I don't feel safe running all around in broad daylight. You go. They won't think anything if they see you. It's somewhere in the cellar, that's all I know. If it's anywhere, I mean."
  
  Lydia kneels and dips her fingers in the water. "Ick!"
  
  > Go north
  (first opening the boat shed door)
  
  A large shed is built out over the waters of the swamp at this spot. The planks of the shed are weathered to a grayish color and the paint is peeling, but the shed looks solidly built, and there's a shiny new lock on the door.
  
  You can go southwest around the side of the shed, northeast to the area between the cabins, and north or northwest to an open area behind the western row of cabins. The door of the shed is directly to the south, and a stretch of swampy shore lies to the east.
  
  > go north
  As you're about to head toward the area at the front of Tyrone's shack, you happen to glance up from your study of the dirt and weeds just in time to notice that Reverend Gillespie and Aunt Caroline are standing in front of the shack with two of the armed men you saw earlier in the temple - or at least, two men who look a lot like them. The men have automatic rifles slung over their shoulders. Gillespie is waving his arms as he talks to them. They haven't looked in this direction yet, but clearly something bad is going on. If they see you (or, worse, Lydia), there's just bound to be big trouble.
  
  > Go east
  With only a little effort, you're able to shimmy through the window feet-first and thump down on the floor of the bathroom.
  
  The tiny, cramped bathroom features a narrow shower stall, a minuscule, rust-stained sink above which is a cracked, flyspecked mirror, and a commode. The towels stacked on the rack are thin, frayed at the edges, and probably none too clean. The small square window is open, but it provides no view and not much light either, as a tree has grown up quite close to the outside wall.
  
  The door to the cabin is in the east wall.
  
  > Hint
  1. General Questions
  2. In the House
  3. The Figurines
  4. Beyond the Stone Slab
  5. The Great Escape
  6. The Endgame
  
  Select a topic number, or press 'p' for the previous menu or 'q' to quit:
  
  > 6
  1. Okay, I found the tunnel, but it's dark down there, and the flashlight is dead.
  2. Now I'm back in the cellar, but I can't find the thing Lydia sent me for.
  3. How can I open the big door at the south end of the boat shed?
  
  Select a topic number, or press 'p' for the previous menu or 'q' to quit:
  
  > 1
  Okay, I found the tunnel, but it's dark down there, and the flashlight is dead.
  
  Press the space bar to display the next line, 'P' to go to the previous menu, or 'Q' to quit.
  
  There are no more batteries for the flashlight. [1/5]
  Another light source might be found near the entrance to the tunnel. [2/5]
  You may have looked in the closet in Cabin Four earlier, and found nothing. Look again. [3/5]
  
  > Go south
  The interior of the closet is a dim and cramped little box. It smells powerfully of mold.
  
  You see a laptop computer here.
  
  > turn on the computer
  You can't see any on/off switch.
  
  > examine the laptop
  The miniature laptop is small, flat, rectangular, and pale gray. A little thumb-push thingie at the front of the lid allows it to be opened when it's shut.
  
  > open it
  You flip up the laptop's top.
  
  > turn it on
  You switch on the laptop. After a moment, its screen begins to emit a cheerful blue glow.
  
  > look at the beams
  The beams are holding up the uneven dirt roof of the tunnel.
  
  > search the clutter
  Prowling nervously among the dim and dusty shapes, you spot a darker patch in the wall. At first it seems to be only a shadow, but on closer inspection it turns out to be a hole in the wall that's just about big enough to crawl into. You never would have found it if Lydia hadn't told you to look for it.
  
  > look
  Deeper in the Cellar (standing in the spooky hole)
  This side of the cellar is cluttered with large, dusty, cobwebbed objects, which are draped with soiled drop cloths. Most likely it's old furniture, but in the fitful light the clutter is deeply shadowed and rather ominous-looking. A large shipping trunk squats prominently at the front of the jumble of clutter. Though it's difficult to make out in the pervading gloom, there appears to be an even darker patch in the south wall, possibly the opening of a tunnel. The door to the better lit side of the cellar is to the west.
  
  > Search hole
  As you grope around in the filth, your fingers close on a little cloth pouch!
  
  > examine the pouch
  The cloth pouch is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. There's a drawstring around the mouth, with which the pouch can be opened and closed. It's closed.
  
  > Go outside
  (the spooky hole)
  Okay, you're no longer in the spooky hole.
  
  > Close laptop
  You snap down the lid of the laptop, and the glow from its screen vanishes.
  
  > Go upwards
  (first trying to open the trapdoor)
  You hear the voices of several men almost directly overhead. They're arguing with one another. No way are you going to let them know you're down here!
  
  > open the laptop
  You flip up the laptop's top, and the cheerful blue glow of the screen shines forth.
  
  > go south
  Gillesipie, your aunt, and the armed men are still standing in front of the shack. They still haven't noticed you lurking here, but it wouldn't be safe to go any further north.
  
  > go east
  (first opening the door)
  As you're about to waltz through the door at the top of the stairs, you hear loud voices on the other side - Honey Hartwell, sounding shrill, and the voices of men with Hispanic accents. They're talking about you! "She stole it and smashed it," Honey declares. "You have to find her before she gets away, or it's all spoiled!"
  
  > Go south
  You're in the midst of a tangled thicket of thorny bramble-bushes. You have to edge sideways to avoid being impaled on the long, sharp, vicious-looking thorns, and it's hardly possible to stand up straight for fear you'll tangle your hair in them. Littering the ground is a random scatter of dried twigs.
  
  Narrow, twisting paths lead off in all directions.
  
  > examine the twigs
  The twigs are scattered in a random pattern.
  
  Your face is itching because of the heat and dust.
  
  > search the twigs
  There's nothing unusual in the scatter of twigs.
  
  A snake slithers away into the underbrush.
  
  > look at the map
  The piece of paper is creased and dog-eared. One edge is badly charred. The map is crudely drawn. The network of squiggles and scribbled legends seems to show the locations of a number of bayous, islands, and sandbars. Near one edge is an irregular little square marked "Eternal Springs." In another corner is a circle with an arrow pointing upward out of it; the arrow is marked "N."
  
  The heavy scrawwkkk! of a crow is so loud it makes you jump.
  
  > take the twigs
  There's no reason to load yourself down with a mess of dry twigs.
  
  Is it your imagination, or are the thorns larger than they were a minute ago?
  
  > Go south
  Stumbling and squirming among the brambles, you find that you've arrived in....
  
  You're in the midst of a tangled thicket of thorny bramble-bushes. You have to edge sideways to avoid being impaled on the long, sharp, vicious-looking thorns, and it's hardly possible to stand up straight for fear you'll tangle your hair in them. Littering the ground is a random scatter of dried twigs.
  
  Narrow, twisting paths lead off in all directions.
  
  > Go south
  Stumbling and squirming among the brambles, you find that you've arrived in....
  
  You're in the midst of a tangled thicket of thorny bramble-bushes. You have to edge sideways to avoid being impaled on the long, sharp, vicious-looking thorns, and it's hardly possible to stand up straight for fear you'll tangle your hair in them. Littering the ground is a random scatter of dried twigs.
  
  Narrow, twisting paths lead off in all directions.
  
  You hear rustling, skittering noises in the depths of the thicket.
  
  > look
  You're in the midst of a tangled thicket of thorny bramble-bushes. You have to edge sideways to avoid being impaled on the long, sharp, vicious-looking thorns, and it's hardly possible to stand up straight for fear you'll tangle your hair in them. Littering the ground is a random scatter of dried twigs.
  
  Narrow, twisting paths lead off in all directions.
  
  Something is crawling on your pants. You brush it off hurriedly.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying a burlap sack (which contains a teaspoon, a wooden bucket, a juice glass, a pill bottle, some faded photographs, a flashlight, a croquet hoop, a partially crumbled piece of burnt toast, a bad fuse, a sketchbook, a stone bracelet, a gold locket, an old shovel, the key to Cabin One, a screwdriver, a brown envelope, a fishing pole (to which a fish hook has been tied), and a poker), a cigar box, some fire tongs, a map of the swamp, a compass, a shiny key, a laptop computer (providing light), and a little cloth pouch. You're wearing your clothes.
  
  You're not entirely sure you haven't lost your sense of direction.
  
  > drop the pill bottle
  (first taking the pill bottle from the burlap sack)
  Better not drop anything in the thicket. If you do, you may never find it again ... and there's no telling what you might need before the afternoon is over.
  
  You find yourself wondering whether trying to find a path through the thicket might have been a mistake.
  
  > listen
  You hear nothing out of the ordinary.
  
  Something is crawling in your hair. You brush it off hurriedly.
  
  > examine the twigs
  The twigs are scattered in a random pattern.
  
  > Go north
  Stumbling and squirming among the brambles, you find that you've arrived in....
  
  You're in the midst of a tangled thicket of thorny bramble-bushes. You have to edge sideways to avoid being impaled on the long, sharp, vicious-looking thorns, and it's hardly possible to stand up straight for fear you'll tangle your hair in them. Littering the ground is a random scatter of dried twigs.
  
  Narrow, twisting paths lead off in all directions.
  
  A large black fly buzzes straight at your face, then zips away.
  
  > examine the twigs
  The twigs are scattered in a random pattern.
  
  In a faint breath of breeze, the heavier branches of the thicket clack together like dried bones.
  
  > move the twigs
  Nudging the twigs around at random with your toe, you find that you've accidentally formed the shape of the letter P.
  
  As you turn this way and that, searching for the right path, a vicious thorn that you hadn't noticed scrapes your forearm, drawing a bead of blood.
  
  > examine the twigs
  The twigs are arranged in the shape of the letter P.