text: [Themes: Science Fiction, Historical, constructed language, horse, language]
  
  > Look around
  You've emerged from the northeast path to another Hut, rather like your
  own. This one is larger, though, and has woven leaves as a doorway
  instead of a hide. This Hut is to the north, or you can go back down
  the path you came from the southwest.
  
  Stranger is here, standing in front of his Hut. He has an easy
  confidence about him, and watches you with a slight smile.
  
  You can also see Small Boy here.
  
  > point at the Boy
  "Tsa ben ne rema!" he says, proudly.
  
  > look at the Boy
  Small Boy looks remarkably like your own son. He would come up to about
  your waist, and has a shock of black hair.
  
  > draw Feverleaf
  What do you want to draw the picture of Feverleaf on?
  
  > draw Feverleaf on the ground
  (with Berries)
  The ground here is not suited for drawing any sort of a detailed
  picture.
  
  > point at the ground
  Stranger smiles. "Tsa ne ben!" he tells you, and stands proudly in
  front of his hut.
  
  > go southwest
  Stranger waves to you as you leave.
  
  This is the forest where you hunt for food and skins, though you don't
  believe you'll be hunting much today. Some birds still chirp in the
  trees, though many have flown away, as they do every winter. The rustle
  of wind through the golden leaves counterpoints your own footsteps, as
  you wend your way through the forest. The path you used to get here
  goes back south, and another path leads northeast, which you've never
  used before today.
  
  To one side of the path, you see a small berry bush.
  
  You can also see Useful Rock and Spear here.
  
  > go to the south
  This is a small, cleared area in front of your Hut in the middle of the
  forest. The autumn leaves crunch under your feet, and the smell of
  winter is in the air. A well-worn path runs to the south towards the
  sound of rushing water, and another leads north, deeper into the
  forest.
  
  Strangely, you seem to have entered this area through a
  rectangular-shaped hole in a tree to the west.
  
  Near the door is Firepit, where you cook all your meals.
  
  > Go south
  Here, a river wider across than you can throw a stone flows past. You
  sometimes catch fish here, and your son loves to come here and skip
  rocks across the river's surface. Many white-barked trees grow close to
  the river's edge here, of a different variety than you usually see in
  the depths of the forest.
  
  > take the bark
  Carefully, you peel off a swath of white bark from a tree.
  
  > Go north
  This is the forest where you hunt for food and skins, though you don't
  believe you'll be hunting much today. Some birds still chirp in the
  trees, though many have flown away, as they do every winter. The rustle
  of wind through the golden leaves counterpoints your own footsteps, as
  you wend your way through the forest. The path you used to get here
  goes back south, and another path leads northeast, which you've never
  used before today.
  
  To one side of the path, you see a small berry bush.
  
  You can also see Useful Rock and Spear here.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying:
  White Bark
  Berries
  
  > draw Feverleaf
  What do you want to draw the picture of Feverleaf on?
  
  > Bark
  What do you want to draw the picture of Feverleaf on White Bark with?
  
  > Crush berries
  You grind up the berries, making a purple syrupy paste.
  
  > point at the paste
  "Fa ben lalse," Stranger says, shaking his head.
  
  > point at the Bark
  Stranger looks at the bark, then looks at you, then looks at the bark,
  then looks at you again. "A," he says? He seems confused.
  
  > Kiss Stranger
  Keep your mind on the game.
  
  > put the paste on Boy
  You need to be holding Small Boy before you can put him into something
  else.
  
  > look at the paste
  A purple mash of berry remains.
  
  > go southwest
  Stranger waves to you as you leave.
  
  This is the forest where you hunt for food and skins, though you don't
  believe you'll be hunting much today. Some birds still chirp in the
  trees, though many have flown away, as they do every winter. The rustle
  of wind through the golden leaves counterpoints your own footsteps, as
  you wend your way through the forest. The path you used to get here
  goes back south, and another path leads northeast, which you've never
  used before today.
  
  To one side of the path, you see a small berry bush.
  
  You can also see Useful Rock and Spear here.
  
  > examine the Firepit
  Firepit is a simple ring of stones, filled with ashes and leftover
  bones.
  
  > take the bones
  Well, you thought there would be bones in here. As a matter of fact,
  there's only one, which you take.
  
  > take Ashes
  You pick up a few ashes, but they quickly scatter in the wind.
  
  > look at the bone
  This small bone is about as long as your finger, but much thinner. It's
  quite porous and light.
  
  > put the bone in the Paste
  You dip the end of Bone into Purple Paste. The porous bone soaks up
  much of the juice, and it becomes heavily stained.
  
  > Go north
  This is the forest where you hunt for food and skins, though you don't
  believe you'll be hunting much today. Some birds still chirp in the
  trees, though many have flown away, as they do every winter. The rustle
  of wind through the golden leaves counterpoints your own footsteps, as
  you wend your way through the forest. The path you used to get here
  goes back south, and another path leads northeast, which you've never
  used before today.
  
  To one side of the path, you see a small berry bush.
  
  You can also see Useful Rock and Spear here.
  
  > draw Feverleaf on the Bark with the bone
  Carefully, you sketch a picture of Feverleaf on White Bark.
  
  > examine picture
  "Rakasha," Stranger declares after looking at your picture. "Rakasha a
  ben selme. Vicnen akne."
  
  You have sketched Feverleaf exactly the way Grandmother described it to
  you once: a long stem, clustered with groups of four, round, leaves.
  
  > Gelashen na rakasha
  Stranger concentrates, but cannot seem to figure out the combination of
  your two languages.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  Bone
  Purple Paste
  White Bark (with a picture of Feverleaf)
  
  > give the Bark to Stranger
  "Rakasha," Stranger declares after looking at your picture. "Rakasha a
  ben selme. Vicnen akne."
  
  > Ne rema ben akne
  Stranger becomes serious, and looks quite concerned. "Krande," he says,
  "Fe rema akne; ben krande."
  
  > Fe rema ben akne
  Stranger looks at his son and feels his forehead. "Y," he says, looking relieved, "Tsa y ben akne."
  
  > show the Bark to Stranger
  Stranger says, "A! Rakasha! Fe rema ben akne! Na alanasen!" He runs
  back into his hut, and shortly reappears with a stem from a small
  
  > Ne rema ben akne
  plant, which he hands to you with great reverence. "Fa alsen tsa fe
  rema," he tells you. "Tsa ben selme."
  
  Stranger becomes serious, and looks quite concerned. "Krande," he says,
  "Fe rema akne; ben krande."
  
  > check what you're carrying
  You are carrying:
  Feverleaf
  Bone
  Purple Paste
  White Bark (with a picture of Feverleaf)
  
  > go southwest
  Stranger waves to you as you leave. "Selme hallen!" he calls to you as
  you go. "Fe rakasha ben y akne fe rema!" he adds.
  
  This is the forest where you hunt for food and skins, though you don't
  believe you'll be hunting much today. Some birds still chirp in the
  trees, though many have flown away, as they do every winter. The rustle
  of wind through the golden leaves counterpoints your own footsteps, as
  you wend your way through the forest. The path you used to get here
  goes back south, and another path leads northeast, which you've never
  used before today.
  
  To one side of the path, you see a small berry bush.
  
  You can also see Useful Rock and Spear here.
  
  > take all
  Useful Rock: Taken.
  Spear: Taken.
  Berry Bush: That's fixed in place.
  
  > Go south
  You've emerged from the northeast path to another Hut, rather like your
  own. This one is larger, though, and has woven leaves as a doorway
  instead of a hide. This Hut is to the north, or you can go back down
  the path you came from the southwest.
  
  Stranger is here, standing in front of his Hut, standing defensively,
  and looking suspiciously at you.
  
  You can also see Small Boy here.
  
  Stranger stops you angrily. "Tsa ben ne! Fa hallen, scarmul alsen!" He
  points at your Useful Rock, then back down the southwest path.
  
  With a start, Small Boy points at your Useful Rock, exclaiming,
  "Scarmul!" He runs back into the Hut, and Stranger moves to stand
  protectively in front of the door.
  
  > examine Wife
  Wife is supervising the two children playing by River. She catches you
  looking at her and winks at you.
  
  > Kiss Wife
  Wife kisses you back. "Ooo-la-la," she says, afterwards.
  
  > look at kids
  The two children are playing in the shallows of the river, with Wife
  looking on. Son looks much better; you would hardly have guessed that
  he used to be sick. Friend's Son is still shy around you, but seems to
  be comfortable enough playing with someone almost his own age.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying:
  Spear
  Useful Rock
  Bone
  Purple Paste
  White Bark (with a picture of Feverleaf)
  
  > Sing
  Your singing is abominable.
  
  > Swim
  The current is too strong to swim safely.
  
  > Go west
  You wander through the Forest happily, but eventually return to where
  you left.
  
  > Go west
  This room is akin to the room below. There are staircases going up and
  down, and another door going east.
  
  The simple door is open. Through it, you see a wooded area, and a small
  Hut.
  
  You see etchings on the wall here, pictures of a forest with a river,
  and two huts, which stretch around the entire room, from the doorway to
  the staircase.
  
  > examine the etching
  The panel near the door contains etchings of a man, wandering through a
  forest.
  
  The next panel shows the man searching the forest for something. The
  detail in one of the huts is a little more clear, and it seems that
  there are three other figures within the hut, one of whom is lying on a
  bed of rags.
  
  area, and showing them to a second man by the other hut.
  
  In the next panel, the two men are conversing. It seems the first is
  describing the prone character in the hut, and the second is giving him
  some sort of plant as a result.
  
  In the final panel, the man has brought back the plant to the first
  hut, where it is being prepared for the figure in the bed. In the final
  scene, all the characters are mingling freely with each other.
  
  > Up
  This room is akin to the room below. There is a staircase going down,
  and another door going east.
  
  The simple door is closed.
  
  You see etchings on the wall here, pictures of a village near a canyon
  with a herd of horses, which adorn one panel on the wall next to the
  door.
  
  > open the door
  You open the simple door.
  
  > go to the east
  pass through the door.
  
  This is the small Village you seem to lead. It consists of several
  small huts, plus a larger one with no walls the People use as a meeting
  area. The People are there now, in fact, arguing over something. The
  ground slopes down to the north, and a path leads along a ridge to the northwest. A small stream collects here, and follows the slope down to
  the north.
  
  The People are debating loudly amongst themselves in the meeting area.
  
  Your own hut is just to the west, slightly larger than the others.
  
  As you enter, someone amongst the People yells, "There's the Chief!"
  Everyone quickly presses around you, all talking at once, and very
  agitated. After a bit you manage to calm them down, and figure out what
  they're concerned about: Marauders are rumored to be plundering
  villages to the south! Something must be done to give your village an
  edge in the inevitable conflict to come.
  
  > About yourself
  You're different. You are walking erect, and seem to be decorated with
  some sort of headdress and body paint. If more paint implies more
  significance, you must be the most significant person in the
  village--everyone else wears much less than you do.
  
  > examine Hut
  Looking inside your grass hut you see stone walls, which is really
  rather odd.
  
  > look at People
  bell would be placed on the Marauders, so the People will know when
  they are near. The plan is quickly shot down by someone asking, "But
  who will bell the Marauders?"
  
  > ask People about Marauders
  The People give you about ten differing opinions, all of them
  singularly unhelpful.
  
  > tell People about the democracy
  The People listen to you, then half of them claim that what you said
  supports their side, and the other half claim you supported their side.
  The debate rages on, unimpeded.