text: > describe your surroundings
  The air here is cool and damp, the sky obscured by the broad green leaves of an immense and gnarled OAK. A TENT canopy has been strung across its branches, and a BARREL of fish sits between its roots.
  
  An unkempt MAN stands before us, aiming a flare gun in our direction.
  
  IVY is by my side, elfin and mischievous.
  
  Oh, and, by the way, a giant SQUID on robot legs hulks over us all, chained to the oak's trunk.
  
  "You're probably right about that," I admit. "Our civilisation could probably fall apart. Go the way of Mars. And that'd write off those of us who rely on it. But, well, so what?"
  
  Ivy sighs. "Oh yeah, provoke him. That's a great idea."
  
  > OAK
  I suppose this venerable old organism must give even the giant squid a run for its money in the size and strength stakes, inanimate though it may be.
  
  Davenport's made a bit of a mockery of the poor thing, suspending his TENT from its branches and looping the squid's CHAIN around its thick trunk and branches.
  
  Davenport stammers. "Wh- what do you mean, so what?"
  
  "I mean: so what? Civilisation is about trying to make lives pleasant and easy, but we still wind up dead in the end. I'm a homicide detective, I know that as well as anyone. I don't see that death - on a personal or global scale - is a convincing reason to give up on trying to make lives better while we still can."
  
  > Chain
  The chain is wrapped and wound and knotted in all manner of fantastic ways. I bet this fellow was a dedicated boy scout. Although, now that I look at it, a lot of the tension in the chain seems to be held by a single ice SCREW hammered into the ground.
  
  Davenport looks confused. Confused and angry.
  
  Ivy grabs hold of my wrist, ready to make a run for it. "You've done it now..."
  
  > Screw
  I jam the tip of my cane under the ice screw and steadily work it out of the ground. The chain restraining the giant squid unravels in a single fluid motion and the beast takes a few experimental steps forward on its stubby metal feet.
  
  Davenport is ranting, "That's what you don't understand: nature can't be tamed, can't be restrained, and all your civilisation will count for nothing when it comes for you!"
  
  The squid's tentacles grab hold of him, crumpling his body up into a mangled mass. He dies with a sharp squeal of surprise.
  
  Ivy slips under my arm and pulls it around her shoulders. "Yeah, I think we should leave pretty quickly now..."
  
  IVY drags me out of the woods and onto the cobbled square. The park is just as we left it. Birds sing, couples court, children frolic.
  
  Ivy screams, "Everybody run! A giant squid on robot legs is coming!"
  
  The people around the park just stare at her.
  
  > Notebook
  She showed me some of the things she's doodled in there. I'd already suspected her mind was of scientific interest, but I had no idea.
  
  Davenport waves the flare gun at us. "Yeah, but... civilisation is just a thin veneer! Think you're so smart. Think you're so great. You don't know nothing. I'll show you. I got that lying ponce. I'll get that one-eyed back-stabber too. After that, well, I'll show you what your civilisation amounts to!"
  
  > wait
  I wait patiently. Ivy squirms.
  
  Davenport's almost muttering to himself now. "Yeah, I'll show you a little Martian savagery. If you're too weak to live, you won't escape the long arms of the monster. That's the way. That's how we do things on Mars..."
  
  Ivy relaxes. "I think you broke him."
  
  > wait
  I wait patiently. Ivy squirms.
  
  Davenport continues to rant and mutter about Mars and civilisation and how he'll show us all.
  
  > Ivy
  Clanking machinery draws near, and I turn towards the trees. "It seems to have taken a shine to us," I tell Ivy.
  
  She throws up her hands. "Lovely. And you can't run?"
  
  I shake my head. "Perhaps you should."
  
  She rolls up her sleeves. "Oh yeah, that'd prove a lot of people right, wouldn't it?"
  
  Mechanical legs pistoning, tentacles writhing through the air, the giant SQUID bursts out of the trees.
  
  After a moment of shocked silence, people begin to scream and run.
  
  Ivy yells, "I told you!"
  
  > Squid
  An elongated creature with enormous, round EYES. Its many short ARMS are curled around the robotic LEGS that support it, while its two longer TENTACLES roam freely through the air.
  
  A MUZZLE is strapped tightly over its beak.
  
  The squid grabs Ivy around the waist with a tentacle and lifts her into the air.
  
  Understandably, she screams.
  
  "Relax!" I shout up to her. "This creature was raised by a human.
  It sees itself as one of us, and it won't kill without a direct order from Davenport. I'm sure it just wants to assert itself over us and cement its place in the pack."
  
  The squid gives Ivy a good shake. "I'm really reassured," she yells, "now get me down from here!"
  
  An elongated creature with enormous, round EYES. Its many short ARMS are curled around the robotic LEGS that support it, while its two longer TENTACLES roam freely through the air.
  
  A MUZZLE is strapped tightly over its beak.
  
  The squid holds Ivy directly above me. She grabs at her dress and crosses her legs. "Hey, don't look! I thought you were a gentleman!"
  
  > Ivy
  One of the squid's tentacles is wrapped firmly around Ivy's waist, holding her up in the air.
  
  Ivy is carrying a NOTEBOOK, a YELLOW letter, and a BLUE letter, and she's wearing a long JACKET, a short DRESS, and a CLOCHE hat.
  
  "Whatever you do," I shout at Ivy, "don't think like a fish!"
  
  > Eyes
  I poke the squid in the eye with my cane. It screeches and writhes, coiling and uncoiling its tentacles in discomfort.
  
  Ivy falls to the ground. She lands flat on her backside with a surprised squeak.
  
  > Legs
  The squid's robot legs are thickly armoured and crab-like. Petrol-driven, I suspect, given the noise. As well as providing locomotion, they incorporate some sort of GILL apparatus.
  
  There's also a conspicuous LEVER in amongst the machinery.
  
  The squid grabs me around the waist with a tentacle and lifts me into the air. My hat flies off and tumbles to the ground.
  
  Ivy cups her hands around her mouth and shouts, "Nate! Hold on! I'll save you!"
  
  > LEVER
  Whatever it does, it's protected by the squid's ARMS and I have absolutely no chance of reaching it right now. Better to focus on something else.
  
  Ivy runs right up to the squid and punches it in the eye. It screeches and writhes, coiling and uncoiling its tentacles in discomfort.
  
  The squid releases me and I land hard, my bad leg giving out beneath me. Ivy helps me to my feet.
  
  > ARMS
  Gathered in a writhing coil around its mouthparts are the squid's arms - eight muscular appendages lined with toothed suckers. Although their reach is limited, once it's got hold of you with these, you're a goner for sure. As Ivy might put it.
  
  Extending far beyond the squid's arms are its TENTACLES.
  
  Ivy tries to punch ineffectually at a tentacle, swiping at thin air.
  
  > Hose
  We have no chance of getting close to the hoses while the squid's tentacles are free.
  
  Ivy growls with frustration. "Where are the police when you actually need them for once?"
  
  "On their way," I reply, glossing over the fact that we are the police. "But until then, it's just us."
  
  > LEVER
  Whatever it does, it's protected by the squid's ARMS and I have absolutely no chance of reaching it right now. Better to focus on something else.
  
  The squid grabs Ivy around the waist with a tentacle and lifts her into the air.
  
  Ivy yelps. "Poke its EYE again, Nate! Get me down!"
  
  > Hose
  We have no chance of getting close to the hoses while the squid's tentacles are free.
  
  "Don't worry!" I call up to Ivy. "I'll think of something!"
  
  > Eye
  I poke the squid in the eye with my cane. It screeches and writhes, coiling and uncoiling its tentacles in discomfort.
  
  Ivy falls to the ground. She lands flat on her backside with a surprised squeak.
  
  > LEVER
  Whatever it does, it's protected by the squid's ARMS and I have absolutely no chance of reaching it right now. Better to focus on something else.
  
  The squid's robot legs chug and gurgle loudly.
  
  > Tentacles
  The squid has two long tentacles, each ending in an arrowhead of suckers. They dart through the air like angry snakes. Not to be confused with its ARMS.
  
  The squid grabs me around the waist with a tentacle and lifts me into the air.
  
  Ivy cups her hands around her mouth and shouts, "Nate! Hold on! I'll save you!"
  
  > Knees
  Ivy's bare legs are slender, pale, eminently distracting...
  
  She looks in my direction and I glance quickly away.
  
  Ivy runs right up to the squid and punches it in the eye. It screeches and writhes, coiling and uncoiling its tentacles in discomfort.
  
  The squid releases me and I land hard, my bad leg giving out beneath me. Ivy helps me to my feet.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...
  
  "It must have a weakness," Ivy says. "If fish are frightened of squid... what are squid frightened of?"
  
  "Sperm whales."
  
  Ivy looks thoughtful. "I s'pose there's not so many of those around. Unless-"
  
  I shake my head. "No. Not even then."