text: [Themes: Lovecraftian]
  
  > describe your surroundings
  Railway Platform (Naomi Hinchen)
  The platform is open to the outdoors, but has an overhanging roof with a rusted sign hanging from it. At the back of the platform, to the south, is the entrance to the lobby. Train tracks stretch off into the distance to the east and west; on the other side of the track is a graffitied brick wall.
  
  The clock overhead gives the time as 2:57 pm; beneath the clock is a schedule board listing train arrival times. On the platform itself are a wooden bench, a storage locker, and a vending machine.
  
  A noncorporeal trolley stop sign reads Brown Line -- Train Station.
  
  > examine the schedule
  (the trolley schedule)
  It's unlike any public transit schedule you've ever seen, in that there are no times listed. A cheerfully phrased block of introduction text instructs riders to hang their passes around their necks, proceed to a trolley stop, and WAIT FOR whatever color LINE corresponds with their choice of destination.
  
  Destinations:
  Brown Line -- Train Station
  Gold Line -- Church
  Blue Line -- Library Square
  Aqua Line -- River Walk
  Orange Line -- Constabulary Road
  Green Line -- The Woods
  Purple Line -- Cragne Manor
  
  > examine the schedule board
  The board lists a schedule of train times:
  Providence     CANCELLED
  Dunwich        CANCELLED
  Innsmouth      CANCELLED
  Anchorhead     13:37
  Arkham         CANCELLED
  
  > examine the clock
  The clock face seems almost to be staring at you, as the second hand sweeps hypnotically around it. The time shown is 3:00 pm. You can't see the clock very closely from down here.
  
  The clock tolls 3 times, each stroke rattling your teeth and resounding hollowly around the empty station.
  
  > Break box
  Violence isn't the answer to this one.
  
  For no apparent reason, the PA system plays a three-second snatch of bagpipe music.
  
  > examine the brick wall
  A crumbling brick wall with some strange graffiti painted on it.
  
  > turn the box
  Nothing obvious happens.
  
  A leak in the ceiling drips water into a puddle.
  
  > say vaadignephod
  You can only do that to something animate.
  
  > say the ialdabaoloth
  Suddenly Peter stands and approaches you. He slaps you hard across the face, knocking you to the ground. Then he walks off into the darkness. You stare after him for a while. When you finally turn around, you notice the gate is also gone.
  
  > look at the winding
  A small brass key used for winding a clock.
  
  > stand on the bench
  You get onto the bench.
  
  Thunder rumbles in the distance.
  
  > look at the clock
  The clock face seems almost to be staring at you, as the second hand sweeps hypnotically around it. The time shown is 3:09 pm. Standing on the bench, you can see a small keyhole on one side of the clock.
  
  > put the winding in the keyhole
  The winding key fits neatly into the hole, ready to be turned.
  
  > Wind clock
  Turning the key will change the time on the clock. You should pick a time to set it to.
  
  > get the coin
  You can't reach that while you're up on the bench.
  
  A garbled message plays over the PA system, in which the only understandable word is "blood".
  
  > stand
  You get off the bench.
  
  > get the coin
  Taken.
  
  You step in an old wad of gum. Yuck.
  
  > examine it
  A tarnished circle of bronze. The heads side depicts a misshapen figure with what look like tentacles. The tails side has a strange glyph which seems to shift as you look at it, but looks almost like an R fused with a V. Or maybe a J fused with a P? No, it's definitely an R fused with a V.
  
  A leak in the ceiling drips water into a puddle.
  
  > examine the vending
  Similar to a gumball machine, but it's the kind that dispenses toys in little plastic bubbles. At the bottom is a chute where the contents come out. There is a coin slot, but instead of a price next to it, there is a strange squiggled glyph.
  
  In the vending machine is a plastic bubble.
  
  > put the coin in the slot
  Which do you mean, the rectangular slot or the coin slot?
  
  > Coin
  The coin drops into the slot with a clunk. A plastic bubble falls into the chute.
  
  > examine it
  A small transparent plastic capsule with a lid.
  
  In the plastic bubble is a golden eyepiece.
  
  The clock gives a deep, booming chime on the quarter hour.
  
  > open it
  You open the plastic bubble.
  
  > examine the eyepiece
  A misshapen golden disc, studded with lenses. It looks like it could fit flush with your eye socket. On its surfaces are a round button, a triangular button, and a small rectangular slot.
  
  The golden eyepiece is currently switched off.
  
  You shiver for no reason at all, as if someone has just walked over your grave.
  
  > wear it
  (first taking the golden eyepiece)
  You try holding it up to your eye, but it just falls off. Perhaps there are additional steps.
  
  > look at the round button
  You see nothing special about the round button.
  
  The PA system crackles with static, but no words are intelligible.
  
  > enter the bench
  You get onto the bench.
  
  > stand
  You get off the bench.
  
  Is it your imagination, or do you see something approaching down the track?
  
  > enter the tracks
  You get onto the tracks.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  A monotonous voice over the loudspeaker recites a seemingly random series of numbers.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  Is it your imagination, or do you see something approaching down the track?
  
  > look at the clock
  The clock face seems almost to be staring at you, as the second hand sweeps hypnotically around it. The time shown is 1:39 pm. You can't see the clock very closely from down here.
  
  Yes... there's definitely something coming, though you can't seem to see it clearly...
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  There is a sudden gust of wind and a headlight shining in your face. You can just make out the translucent shape of an old-fashioned steam locomotive bearing down on you as you stand frozen on the tracks. You close your eyes, expecting it to hit you at any moment, but instead of a solid impact you feel a rushing current like a hurricane wind. There is no time even to scream as it tears the very soul from your body, carrying you along on its spectral journey.
  
  > stand
  You get off the tracks.
  
  You step back just in time, as an old-fashioned steam locomotive comes hurtling down the tracks from the west. It appears translucent, almost insubstantial, but the rush of wind and noise created by its passage fills the station: the clatter of the wheels, the chugging of the engine, the clanging of the bell, and the mournful blowing of the whistle. It whooshes through the station without stopping, and then is gone as swiftly as it appeared. In the sudden silence, you look down the tracks to the east, but can see no sign of it.
  
  > examine the eyepiece
  A misshapen golden disc, studded with lenses. It looks like it could fit flush with your eye socket. On its surfaces are a round button, a triangular button, and a small rectangular slot.
  
  The golden eyepiece (smelling faintly of mildew) is currently switched off.
  
  A faint smell of mildew emanates from it.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  a golden eyepiece (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a plastic bubble (open but empty)
  a mysterious silver box
  a suitcase (open but empty)
  a spray bottle that used to contain fungicide
  a hefty, rust-streaked iron key
  some mildewed leather gloves
  a rusty flathead screwdriver
  a pair of garden shears (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a gallon jug of white vinegar
  a key from an urn
  a copper urn (closed)
  a bronze urn (closed)
  Tolerating An Asinine God
  a black business card
  a trophy for a dog race
  a half-full styrofoam coffee cup (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a glass shard
  a giant milkweed leaf (being worn as a mask)
  an antique locket (closed)
  a backpack features guide
  The Modern Girl's Divination Handbook -- Volume Three
  the diary of Phyllis Cragne
  a postcard of Big Ben
  a Jansport backpack (being worn and open)
  a hidden pocket (open but empty)
  a key pocket (closed)
  a book pocket (open but empty)
  a side pocket (closed)
  a trash pocket (open but empty)
  a trolley pass (being worn)
  a familiar gold wristwatch
  a glass jar containing an insect
  a pull-string doll
  a waterproof flashlight
  a dead battery
  The Dollmaker's Journal
  a repaired page
  a moldy, waterlogged journal
  a small, rectangular battery
  Twin Hearts Between the Planes
  a trolley schedule
  Peter's jacket
  a grimy rock (smelling faintly of mildew)
  a long hooked pole
  a soggy tome
  a book list
  an employee ID card
  a shard of shattered carapace (smelling faintly of mildew)
  some yellowed newspapers
  a rusty piece of metal
  loose bricks
  a pamphlet of home listings
  a hovering spark (haunting you)
  
  > examine the black card
  Congratulations! You've just encountered Vaadignephod's
  Anti-Personnel Squad!
  
  The clock gives a deep, booming chime on the quarter hour.
  
  > put the black card in the rectangular slot
  That can't contain things.
  
  The wind blows stray leaves across the tracks.
  
  > drop the gloves
  Dropped.
  
  > wear the eyepiece
  You try holding it up to your eye, but it just falls off. Perhaps there are additional steps.
  
  A leak in the ceiling drips water into a puddle.
  
  > wear the eyepiece
  You try holding it up to your eye, but it just falls off. Perhaps there are additional steps.
  
  > wear the eyepiece
  There's a sudden pinching sensation as the device clamps onto your face. Panicked, you struggle to remove it, but it won't budge. You feel a long needle pierce your eye, and then nothing. Your vision is normal once more - better than normal, even. Previously mundane surfaces now shimmer with possibility.
  
  > examine the coffee
  The swirls in your cup form a mansion. Objects of desire either mean that you are surrounded by great treasures and opportunities or that you need to be more careful with your physical belongings. Possibly both.
  
  A faint smell of mildew emanates from it.
  
  > examine the coffee
  The clouds in your cup form a stochastic pattern resembling television static. Lack of a symbolic image means that you have accomplished everything you must in your current environment and should move on to find new challenges in order to grow as a person.
  
  A faint smell of mildew emanates from it.
  
  > Go south
  Train Station Lobby (Shin)
  
  > examine the coffee
  The clouds in your cup form a unicycle. Modes of transportation mean that your current environment presents challenges that can only be overcome by seeking fresh perspectives elsewhere until you're ready to return.
  
  A faint smell of mildew emanates from it.
  
  > Go south
  Exterior of Train Station (Emily Short with additions from Graham Nelson)
  
  > Go south
  You pass over the bridge. The ravine has become a white river, teeming with creatures: you see a fin, a gill, a plaintive upturned face, before each is swept away.
  
  A tremendous patch of milkweed, the stems abnormally thick and tall, grows on the east side of the road beneath the thorn bank.
  
  A green stone altar, once at the center of the shack, stands amidst broken boards and milkweed.
  
  (That earworm is still lodged in your head.)
  
  > go to the south
  A ghostly trolley stop sign reads Gold Line -- Church.
  
  > look at the coffee
  The clouds in your cup form a dromedary camel. Modes of transportation mean that your current environment presents challenges that can only be overcome by seeking fresh perspectives elsewhere until you're ready to return.
  
  A faint smell of mildew emanates from it.
  
  > wait for blue Line
  You lean against the keyhole, hold out your pass, and wait for the blue line. Within moments, an insubstantial trolley arrives. Instead of stopping and allowing you to board, it passes through you,
  and you find yourself transported to
  
  A short street terminates here. To the south it opens into the town square. To the east, a few worn steps rise to the entrance of the public library, and to the west you can see a real estate office. A gloomy path leads northwest, towards the woods.
  
  You can see a notice board here.
  
  A mistlike trolley stop sign reads Blue Line -- Library Square.
  
  > go northwest
  Shack Exterior (Michael Lin)
  
  > examine the coffee
  The clouds in your cup form a biplane. Modes of transportation mean that your current environment presents challenges that can only be overcome by seeking fresh perspectives elsewhere until you're ready to return.
  
  A faint smell of mildew emanates from it.
  
  > go northwest
  The Dim Recesses of the Forest (Jacqueline A. Lott Ashwell)
  You can see a flat stone here.
  
  > go to the north
  The Old Well (Reed Lockwood)
  You can see a wooden sigil here.
  
  A phantom trolley stop sign reads Green Line -- The Woods.
  
  > examine the coffee
  The swirls in your cup form a pear shape, complete with stem. Botanical images mean that while there is much left to accomplish in the present situation, your immediate environment sustains you, and you have everything that you need.
  
  A faint smell of mildew emanates from it.