text: [Themes: Horror, horror, church]
  
  > look around
  This spacious area still sports a richly woven carpet and a heavy mahogany desk installed against the north wall. The rest of the articles that may have decorated this room have been long since removed, as evidenced by the fade marks on the walls where portraits and other adornments once hung.
  
  You can see a closet (empty) here.
  
  > go southeast
  The nave is where parishioners would gather to sit in the pews and hear the preached message. The walls are paneled with aged cedar and the high, vaulted ceiling fades away into darkness above. An altar stands at the front of the room, before a raised area called the chancel. Arched stained-glass windows line the east and west walls. Access to the chancel is north of the nave and south leads to the entryway. To the east is a small alcove containing an organ. A narrow doorway up by the chancel leads to the northwest.
  
  You notice that you need to turn your head to look to the left or the right. It seems that your eyeballs will not turn in their sockets, as though they have been sealed in place due to a lack of moisture.
  
  > examine the altar
  It appears to be made of gopher wood.
  
  > go north
  A large desk pushed into the northwest corner furnishes this otherwise empty room. The bare floor is in good condition, suggesting that this office was not used very often. A window in the north wall looks out into the wet darkness beyond. Above the desk against the western wall is a portrait.
  
  A small wooden panel is fixed onto the west wall.
  
  You can also see a white door and a safe (closed) here.
  
  > look at safe
  A standard gray metal faceplate with a numbered dial squarely in the center.
  
  > turn dial
  You need to specify whether you are turning it to the left or the right, and also what number you are turning it to. For example: "turn dial left to 98".
  
  > turn dial left to 78
  You turn the numbered dial left to 78 and ... nothing happens.
  
  > turn the dial right to 78
  You turn the numbered dial right to 78 and hear a faint click of the tumblers deep within the lock.
  
  > Turn dial left to 29
  You turn the numbered dial left to 29 and hear a faint click of the tumblers deep within the lock.
  
  > turn the dial right to 47
  You turn the numbered dial right to 47 and hear a faint click of the tumblers deep within the lock. With a faint creak, the safe swings open wide!
  
  > look in safe
  In the safe is a bottle of moonshine.
  
  > take moonshine
  Taken.
  
  You are thirsty...so very thirsty.
  
  > drink it
  You pop the bottle open and bring it to your lips...but the overpowering fumes of its contents turns your stomach and you dare not continue.
  
  > examine the moonshine
  It is filled with an amber liquid and seems quite innocent. It is sealed with a cork.
  
  > check what you're carrying
  You are carrying:
  a bottle of moonshine
  a tweed jacket (being worn)
  a faded slip of paper
  a brass key
  a lug wrench
  a rubber tire
  
  > Go south
  This small area is rather featureless and dark. The bare floorboards creak under your weight. A set of stairs leads down to the narrow hallway and a white door leads north.
  
  You can see a white door here.
  
  You are momentarily overtaken by a coughing spell, your lungs rattling dryly deep inside your chest...
  
  > go to the south
  A small recess where the church organ is kept. It affords a clear view of the nave and the chancel. The nave is west of the alcove, and a small exit leads north.
  
  A cold shudder runs up and down your back. Your insides feel as though they are curling inward upon themselves, crumbling and withering for lack of moisture.
  
  > Go north
  A raised area providing a clear, elevated view of all of the pews in the nave and the stained glass windows lining the walls. A threadbare rug covers part of the chancel floor.
  
  A cruciform stands by the pulpit.
  
  You cannot bear to be in close proximity to the cruciform. You desperately retreat from its presence.
  Nave
  The nave is where parishioners would gather to sit in the pews and hear the preached message. The walls are paneled with aged cedar and the high, vaulted ceiling fades away into darkness above. An altar stands at the front of the room, before a raised area called the chancel. Arched stained-glass windows line the east and west walls. Access to the chancel is north of the nave and south leads to the entryway. To the east is a small alcove containing an organ. A narrow doorway up by the chancel leads to the northwest.
  
  > go south
  The entryway to the church leads north to the nave. You can see the entire ground floor of the church from here: North of the nave is the chancel and east of the nave is an alcove.
  
  > go west
  The heavy oaken doors of the church loom before you, presenting a sensation of disorientation that you did not experience from a distance. Great brass handles present you with a means of access to shelter from the torrential weather. There are curious inscriptions and bas-relief carvings worked into the wood.
  
  > Go south
  Who knows where that long road would take you? Best keep around here until you have a better idea of where you are.
  
  > go to the east
  The coach house is quite old, and indeed once served to house a horse-driven coach. It has since been converted for use by automobiles. There are shelves lining the walls containing various items one would expect to find in a garage. Access to the driveway is to the west, through the main entrance, and a small exit leads east.
  
  Everything around you begins to blur as your eyesight fades. You are desperately thirsty and your flesh is crying out for replenishment. With a vicious shake of your head, you manage to coerce your vision to return.
  
  > go east
  A small shack rises out of the overgrowth in a clearing at the end of the winding path. It looks quite old, but has not fallen into disrepair, as has the coach house and the other small buildings on the church grounds. Along the front is a wooden door, and a small square window to its right, which flickers with a pale yellow light issuing from within.
  
  You can see a wooden door here.
  
  > knock on the door
  After some more shuffling, the caretaker returns to the door and opens it.
  
  "You again," he says.
  
  > show the moonshine to the man
  The caretaker's vacant eyes light up at the sight of the bottle.
  
  > talk to man
  "If you've nothing to tell me, then I'll be telling you something. Good day!"
  
  > give the moonshine to the man
  The caretaker's vacant eyes light up at the sight of the bottle. He accepts it eagerly from you. He glances at you again, and with a shrug of his shoulders, invites you into his home before disappearing inside himself.
  
  > go to the east
  The interior of the shack is plain, but orderly. It comprises a single front room and an adjoining bathroom. A fire crackles pleasantly in the earth of a fireplace built into the northern wall. On the other side of the room is a cot, a table and a single chair.
  
  The caretaker is sitting in the chair with an open bottle in his lap. He looks up at you with rheumy eyes. Despite this, he looks absolutely beautiful to you: an oasis in a desert of ghastly torment.
  
  You can also see a wooden door here.
  
  > close the door
  You close the wooden door.
  
  > examine man
  He looks to be about seventy, has sparse white hair hidden under a worn out cap, and his eyes are those of a man in desperate need--a need almost as severe as your own. His body virtually glows, so full of life it seems, in comparison with your own.
  
  You reach up to the back of your head and you scratch fiercely, trying to attend to a sudden and intense itch. As you bring your hand away, you discover a clump of dry, withered hair clenched in your claw-like fist. Shuddering inwardly, you cast it away, not wanting to look at it any longer.
  
  > Bite man
  Overcome by the maddening thirst, you bend towards the caretaker, ignoring the look of sudden shock in his red-rimmed eyes and the smell of hard liquor on his breath. You see the water of life surging through his flesh, casting a bright and glorious illumination so that his earthly body seems no more than a delicate weave of glowing veins and infinite blood vessels. You dive into that flow, and without thinking drink your fill....
  
  ...You feel the life surging back into your veins, renewing your withered flesh. Your eyes grow stronger...colors grow brighter, more vivid...the darkness is no longer so dark. And strength pulses through you now...your body flows with power...
  
  Much later you rise and look down at the caretaker. Despite your ravenous need for life, you managed to refrain from draining him dry. Yes, he will live. And he will do your bidding, for he has become enslaved to you. Merely command him, and certainly he will do as he is told to the best of his ability.
  
  The caretaker looks around blankly.
  
  > examine table
  A plain wooden table, showing signs of regular use.
  
  The caretaker whimpers slightly.
  
  > open the door
  You open the wooden door.
  
  > follow you
  The caretaker says, "I will follow, master."
  
  The caretaker staggers a little, but regains his balance.
  
  > Go west
  A small shack rises out of the overgrowth in a clearing at the end of the winding path. It looks quite old, but has not fallen into disrepair, as has the coach house and the other small buildings on the church grounds. Along the front is a wooden door, and a small square window to its right, which flickers with a pale yellow light issuing from within.
  
  You can see a wooden door here.
  
  The caretaker arrives from the east.
  
  The caretaker coughs halfheartedly.
  
  > go west
  Running between the coach house and a small shack to the east, this path is lined on both sides by tall brush and bracken, which block your view elsewhere.
  
  The caretaker arrives from the east.
  
  The caretaker giggles quietly.
  
  > talk to the man
  The caretaker watches you expectantly.
  
  The caretaker gets distracted by a fly buzzing around his head.
  
  > Go west
  The coach house is quite old, and indeed once served to house a horse-driven coach. It has since been converted for use by automobiles. There are shelves lining the walls containing various items one would expect to find in a garage. Access to the driveway is to the west, through the main entrance, and a small exit leads east.
  
  The caretaker arrives from the east.
  
  > go to the north
  You can't go that way.
  
  The caretaker grabs the buzzing fly out of the air and pops it into his mouth surreptitiously.
  
  > go to the west
  Here is where parishioners must have parked their vehicles, be they wagon or automobile, before proceeding north to the church building.
  A gravel road leads north past the front of the church. To the south, a rain-slicked road leads off into the dark distance. East of here is a wooden coach house.
  
  The caretaker arrives from the east.
  
  > go north
  The gravel path you are on passes by a plot of manicured land upon which resides a small church building. It is fashioned of dark river stone, stained all the darker from the downpour. Its steeple rises suddenly into the gloom, so that the belfry up top is partially obscured. Through the barred windows a glimmer of yellow light issues, flickering like candlelight. The front entrance is to the east, while the path continues south.
  
  The caretaker arrives from the south.
  
  > Go east
  The heavy oaken doors of the church loom before you, presenting a sensation of disorientation that you did not experience from a distance. Great brass handles present you with a means of access to shelter from the torrential weather. There are curious inscriptions and bas-relief carvings worked into the wood.
  
  The caretaker arrives from the west.
  
  > go east
  The entryway to the church leads north to the nave. You can see the entire ground floor of the church from here: North of the nave is the chancel and east of the nave is an alcove.
  
  The caretaker arrives from the west.
  
  The caretaker looks like he is going to sneeze, but then it fades away.
  
  > Go north
  The nave is where parishioners would gather to sit in the pews and hear the preached message. The walls are paneled with aged cedar and the high, vaulted ceiling fades away into darkness above. An altar stands at the front of the room, before a raised area called the chancel. Arched stained-glass windows line the east and west walls. Access to the chancel is north of the nave and south leads to the entryway. To the east is a small alcove containing an organ. A narrow doorway up by the chancel leads to the northwest.
  
  The caretaker arrives from the south.
  
  > North
  The caretaker stops following you.
  
  The caretaker goes north.
  
  > take the cruciform
  The caretaker picks up the cruciform.
  
  > ask Man,  to go to the south
  The caretaker arrives from the north.
  
  You cannot bear to be in close proximity to the cruciform. You desperately retreat from its presence.
  Entryway
  The entryway to the church leads north to the nave. You can see the entire ground floor of the church from here: North of the nave is the chancel and east of the nave is an alcove.
  
  > South
  The caretaker arrives from the north.
  
  You cannot bear to be in close proximity to the cruciform. You desperately retreat from its presence.
  
  > East
  The caretaker is unable to do that.
  
  > North
  The caretaker arrives from the south.
  
  You cannot bear to be in close proximity to the cruciform. You desperately retreat from its presence.
  Entryway
  The entryway to the church leads north to the nave. You can see the entire ground floor of the church from here: North of the nave is the chancel and east of the nave is an alcove.
  
  > East
  The caretaker arrives at the Alcove from the west.
  
  > Go north
  A raised area providing a clear, elevated view of all of the pews in the nave and the stained glass windows lining the walls. A threadbare rug covers part of the chancel floor.
  
  > examine the rug
  It is faded and threadbare, having seen a lot of use. There was a pattern on it, but it is so faded now as to be indistinguishable.
  
  > move the rug
  You pick up the rug, revealing a trapdoor beneath!
  
  A raised area providing a clear, elevated view of all of the pews in the nave and the stained glass windows lining the walls. In the absence of the threadbare rug, a trapdoor has been revealed in the chancel floor.
  
  > open trapdoor
  It seems to be locked.
  
  > unlock the trapdoor with the key
  You might want to try prying it with something, instead.
  
  > open the trapdoor
  You open the trapdoor.