text: > look around
  In the funnies, all deserted islands are barely large enough to fit two people, and always have a palm tree in the middle. This island is just like that, except without the palm tree. Orienting yourself by the distant smudges, you decide that the Forest is west, the beige smudge is east, and the bright green smudge is south.
  
  > jump south
  You can't get much of a running start in such a tiny area, but you crouch and launch yourself upwards, and that seems to provide sufficient momentum.
  
  The familiar flash-nausea passes as you cross the barrier.
  
  Your landing spot is entirely obscured by thick, grey clouds, pierced by a long, metal tube that reaches far into the sky. You fall into the clouds, soaked in rain, thinking of Emily -- please, let her be okay. Suddenly a thick, broad leaf strikes you across the face, and you're crashing through slick, wet vegetation. One bouncing, awkward, and destructive fall later, you pick yourself up from damp ground, brush the mud off your costume, and look around.
  
  You stand amidst a symphony of green. Deep jade moss covers the trunks of trees, whose leaves far above filter mottled avocado light over emerald bushes and green grass -- adjectives run out long before the shades of green do. The air is warm, muggy, and filled with the sounds of wildlife.
  
  Beside you is the bottom of a long steel tube that rises into the sky and past the clouds.
  
  One small square at your feet appears free of moss, or at least it might, if you could see past the swarming mass of slugs that infest it.
  
  A closed metal canister sits next to the slug-infested square.
  
  In a rare patch of foliage-free ground near you, the mirrored surface of a dome reflects the surrounding greenery.
  
  > examine canister
  This is a small canister, about twice the size of a beer can.
  
  You hear voices in conversation above you -- no language you've ever heard, but clearly a dialogue -- and look up to see two parrots on a nearby branch, vocalizing to each other with occasional glances at you. Their tones make you feel like you've just crashed a very exclusive party, and are terribly underdressed to boot.
  
  > examine the parrots
  You can't be sure that these birds are actually parrots, of course, but that's what they most resemble, with perhaps somewhat larger heads, and feet that more closely resemble articulated fingers. One of the birds sports the sort of blue, yellow, and green plumage that accompany your mental default image of a parrot, while the other is a uniform shade of grey.
  
  > ask the parrots about Emily
  There is no reply.
  
  You hear a crashing, thumping sound from above, and jump out of the way. No one falls, though, and in a moment it becomes clear that one of the parrots was imitating the sound of your galumphing descent through the rainforest vegetation.
  
  > look at the slugs
  You've never seen this behavior in slugs before -- they're crawling over, under, and around each other in a slimy, pale mass. They're covering the panel almost completely.
  
  You hear a crashing, thumping sound from above, and jump out of the way. No one falls, though, and in a moment it becomes clear that one of the parrots was imitating the sound of your galumphing descent through the rainforest vegetation.
  
  > examine the panel
  What with the slugfest, it's difficult to discern anything about the square. You do occasionally see a tiny corner of indigo underneath the slimy swarm.
  
  > examine tube
  This tube is an exact duplicate of the one from the Arctic area, with one salient difference: it hasn't been wrecked by a massive impact. It looks easily wide enough to fit yourself into -- if you can figure out how to enter it, that is.
  
  One of the parrots squawks loudly and indignantly, but you're not sure whether its outrage is directed at you, at the other parrot, or at the world in general.
  
  > examine the moss
  Water runs down the sides of these trees in a continual trickle, feeding the moss that grows on every trunk.
  
  > look at the trees
  Water runs down the sides of these trees in a continual trickle, feeding the moss that grows on every trunk.
  
  In unison, the parrots fly to a different branch, and resume their conversation from there.
  
  > examine the parrots
  You can't be sure that these birds are actually parrots, of course, but that's what they most resemble, with perhaps somewhat larger heads, and feet that more closely resemble articulated fingers. One of the birds sports the sort of blue, yellow, and green plumage that accompany your mental default image of a parrot, while the other is a uniform shade of grey.
  
  > open the canister
  You open the canister, revealing a few crystal grains.
  
  > examine the grains
  These are a few grains of a white, crystalline substance.
  
  > taste the grains
  A bit reluctantly, you shake the grains onto your tongue, and swallow. They were common table salt.
  
  > Close canister
  You close the canister.
  
  > look in the canister
  You can't see inside, since the canister is closed.
  
  You hear a crashing, thumping sound from above, and jump out of the way. No one falls, though, and in a moment it becomes clear that one of the parrots was imitating the sound of your galumphing descent through the rainforest vegetation.
  
  > open the canister
  You open the canister.
  
  > look in the canister
  The canister is empty.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  a canister (which is open but empty)
  a cabin key
  a legal pad
  a notepad
  some loose papers
  a headset
  an earthsuit (being worn)
  
  > jump
  If this is the opposite pole from the Arctic area, everything is north of here, in a sense. However, that doesn't do you much good -- you'll need to decide on some arbitrary directions, preferably ones that correspond with the ones you've been using so far. So you launch yourself straight upward, punching through the rainclouds and hanging for a moment in the sunshine above them. Quickly, you look around: the sand dunes of the Desert area are visible from here, so that would be north. You fall back through the clouds and trees, with an improved sense of direction.
  
  > jump west
  There isn't a great deal of room to run, but you do your best, and launch yourself upwards.
  
  The familiar flash-nausea passes as you cross the barrier.
  
  You're descending towards a broad savannah, sparsely dotted with tall trees. For a second, you think you spot movement, the grasses parting and dark shapes darting away over the gentle hills, but once you land and look around, everything seems perfectly still.
  
  Tall grasses of faded gold reach past your knees, swaying; here and there, baobab trees pose elegantly against a brilliant blue sky. Soft hills ripple through this prairie, and the hot, thick air buzzes with the sounds of distant insects. You can see blue-whiteness in one direction -- the Arctic area -- so that's north, and the Rainforest area is south. Far on the eastern horizon is the tan haze of the Desert area, and the blue-green Ocean shimmers in the distant west.
  
  Beside you is a dome, its mirrored surface reflecting the sun.
  
  > Examine dome
  The dome is about ten feet high at its zenith, and perhaps twenty feet in diameter at its base. Its surface is reflective, but you don't recognize the material it's made of -- no doubt another miracle polymer from the same technology that produced your cell floor.
  
  > Dance
  You briefly boogie to music only you can hear.
  
  > Sing
  Your singing is abominable.
  
  > Xyzzy
  You're a superhero, not a magician.
  
  Something tickles your peripheral vision, and you turn. A feline face is peeking over one of the ridges, and its eyes lock with yours for a moment. Then it disappears, leaving the tall grass rocking behind it. The moment passed quickly, but you did notice that the head was more oval than triangular, and that the space between the eyes and ears was enough to contain a brainpan larger than that of any earth cat. In fact, the size of the head seemed to imply a rather large creature overall.
  
  You stealthily approach the ridge and look over. About a hundred yards away, there are perhaps a half-dozen cat-creatures, feline bodies covered with fur but walking upright on their hind legs, and with articulated gripping fingers on their front paws, from which you can see claws occasionally extending. They are indeed large, probably about eight feet tall and impressively muscled. The cat-people notice you immediately, and retreat to a safe distance, but from there regard you with equal curiosity.
  
  > examine the cats
  These creatures are definitely feline, but don't appear to derive from any animal you recognize. They stand about eight feet tall, walking upright without awkwardness. Each wears a crude skin loincloth and has a small, apparently vestigial tail. The patterns in their fur are unique to each, but you suspect you can see some genetic inheritance among two or three of them.
  
  > Wear headset
  You're already wearing that!
  
  You hear the cats speaking to each other in a series of growls, trills, and vocalizations that is occasionally overridden by your mother's voice in the headset, whispering in your ear words like "food", "stranger", and "child."
  
  > talk to the headset
  You can only do that to something animate.
  
  > jump west
  Once again, you get a running start and launch yourself upwards.
  
  The familiar flash-nausea passes as you cross the barrier.
  
  You've reached the arc of your parabola, and have begun to descend. An ocean sloshes below you, dotted by just one tiny island. As you fly through the air, you tuck your non-waterproof possessions into the suit pouch. Soon, you hit the water with a massive SPLOOSH!
  
  As you sink, the suit begins supplying oxygen to you.
  
  You're standing on silty ground, deep underwater. The light is dim, but you can still see well enough, thanks to bioluminescence from plants that make their home here. Judging from the time you spent sinking, your rough estimate is that you're about two thousand feet below the surface. Happily, the suit seems equipped to handle such extreme pressures, and although you feel like you're moving in slow motion, you're experiencing no discomfort.
  
  A large circular door, apparently a hatch, is set in the ground here.
  
  Just alongside the hatch is a large, mirrored half-bubble, like a glassy eye in the sand.
  
  You also notice a beige touchplate next to a towering silver cylinder about ten yards away from the hatch.
  
  > examine the bubble
  The bubble is made of a substance you don't recognize, and reflects your face back at you, distorted into shapes that would startle Chester Gould.
  
  You sense a presence behind you. Whirling, you find yourself face-to-eye with an enormous squid, at least fifty feet long. The squid is regarding you, not with aggression, but with curiosity.
  
  > examine the squid
  This squid is one of the most astonishing living creatures you've ever seen. Its dark, mesmerizing eye is as big as a hubcap. Eight long tentacles and two even longer feeding arms trail from its maroon, torpedo-shaped body, and at the center of that body is a formidable-looking beak. The squid is keeping a safe distance from you, examining you and your possessions with keen interest.
  
  > Hello
  "Uh, hi there." you begin gamely. "I'm Austin Colborn."
  
  The squid just looks at you, its tentacles swaying slowly.
  
  "You, uh, come here often?" you say.
  
  The squid continues to look at you.
  
  "Hey wait," you say, "I'm encased in a suit. I'll bet you can't even hear me. Tell you what, if you can't hear me, or can't understand me, just stare at me and do absolutely nothing."
  
  The giant squid just stares at you. It does absolutely nothing.
  
  The squid taps you, then points one tentacle at the beige touchplate while waving the others in an urgent but uninterpretable pattern.
  
  > touch beige
  You lay your hand on the touchplate, and it lights up briefly. The silvery column begins sliding downward, retreating back into the ground. Soon, the ocean floor is flat once again, looking as undisturbed as if nothing had ever happened.
  
  > touch beige
  When you lay a finger on the touchplate, nothing happens, but when you press it with your whole hand, it lights up briefly, and once again, nothing happens. At least, nothing happens at first, but in a moment, you hear a rumbling, and suddenly the bit of ocean floor you're standing on begins to rise! Soon, you find yourself shooting upward on a small plot of land, spearing through tons of water that would surely crush you if not for the earthsuit.
  
  You break the surface with a terrific SPLOOSH! And then it's over. You find yourself standing on a small island as water sluices off its surface and back into the ocean. By all rights, you should have a serious case of the bends after such a rapid ascent from deep underwater, but you feel fine -- the earthsuit must somehow have fooled your body into thinking it was still at one atmosphere of pressure, thus preventing nitrogen absorption. The plastic sheath over your nose and mouth retreats back into the cowl.
  
  In the funnies, all deserted islands are barely large enough to fit two people, and always have a palm tree in the middle. This island is just like that, except without the palm tree. Orienting yourself by the distant smudges, you decide that the Forest is west, the Veldt area is east, and the Rainforest is south.
  
  Now that you're dry again, you unzip the suit pouch and retrieve your delicate items.
  
  > Dive
  Before diving in, you tuck your non-waterproof possessions into the suit pouch. Then you dive into the water, and sink like a cinderblock until you reach the bottom.
  
  You're standing on silty ground, deep underwater. The light is dim, but you can still see well enough, thanks to bioluminescence from plants that make their home here. Judging from the time you spent sinking, your rough estimate is that you're about two thousand feet below the surface. Happily, the suit seems equipped to handle such extreme pressures, and although you feel like you're moving in slow motion, you're experiencing no discomfort.
  
  An incredible giant squid floats alongside you, just out of reach.
  
  A large circular door, apparently a hatch, is set in the ground here.
  
  Just alongside the hatch is a large, mirrored half-bubble, like a glassy eye in the sand.
  
  You also notice a beige touchplate next to a towering silver cylinder about ten yards away from the hatch.
  
  > examine the squid
  You see the ocean floor, dimly illuminated by bioluminescent plants. A giant squid floats calmly near the bubble, exploring its environment with tentacles and enormous eyes.
  
  > touch the cat
  You lay your hand on the cat touchplate, and the bubble begins spinning smoothly. You have the sensation of swift, effortless movement. With surprising suddenness, the energy transport deposits you elsewhere, then dissolves around you.
  
  You're in a dome, probably about ten feet high at its zenith and twenty feet in diameter at its base. The wall is transparent, and on the other side of it is a wide grassland, creased with gentle hills and the occasional baobab tree. There are several platforms inside the dome, reaching to your hip and covered with a soft bedding on top, and to one side of these is a pedestal with a crimson touchplate. You can see no exits.
  
  A white cylinder sits atop one of the platforms.
  
  > examine the white cylinder
  This cylinder is about the size and shape of a paint can. Its entire surface is white except for a small black button on one of its flat faces.
  
  > take it
  The device is surprisingly heavy, as if its core is quite dense. Taken.
  
  > examine the black button
  The black button bears the icon of an oval with some indecipherable scribbles inside.
  
  > examine the touchplate
  This crimson touchplate sports the icon of a circle from which six spokes radiate.
  
  > touch it
  You lay your hand on the touchplate, and a field of crimson energy materializes next to the pedestal, surrounding you in a glowing shell. The floor beneath you opens, and the energy field carries you downwards, hurtling through darkness until you reach the...
  
  You hang suspended within a translucent crimson bubble of energy, with nothing but inky darkness beyond. Also suspended by the energy field are six touchplates, each bearing an icon. The icons are: a snowflake, ocean waves, a cactus, a broad leaf, an evergreen tree, and one you don't recognize, which looks a bit like an abstract rendition of a cat's face.
  
  > touch the evergreen
  You lay your hand on the tree touchplate, and the bubble begins spinning smoothly. You have the sensation of swift, effortless movement. With surprising suddenness, the energy transport deposits you elsewhere, then dissolves around you.
  
  You're in a dome, probably about ten feet high at its zenith and twenty feet in diameter at its base. The wall is transparent, and through it you can see that you're about twenty yards above the treetops of a magnificent forest. There are several platforms on the ground, reaching to your hip and covered with a soft bedding on top, and to one side of these is a pedestal with a crimson touchplate. You can see no exits.
  
  In the center of the dome, an odd device rests atop an eight-foot pole.
  
  > examine device
  You're not sure exactly what this device is, but given that it has a large lens on one end and a face-shaped indentation on the other, you're inclined to believe it's somehow intended for long-distance viewing -- a "viewscope", you decide provisionally. Sadly, it's at the top of an eight-foot pole in the center of the dome, and the indentation doesn't appear to be shaped to accommodate a human face, so it's not exactly tourist-friendly.
  
  > examine the lens
  This is a large, convex lens meant for focusing light to view distant objects. It is currently screwed onto the viewscope.
  
  > look in the viewscope
  It's too far above you.
  
  > climb the pole
  It would probably be easier just to climb up on one of the platforms.
  
  > Climb platform
  You climb onto the platform nearest the viewscope.
  
  > unscrew the lens
  It takes a fair amount of strength, but you unscrew the lens from the viewscope.
  
  > take the lens
  You already have that.
  
  > Down
  You get off the platform.
  
  You're in a dome, probably about ten feet high at its zenith and twenty feet in diameter at its base. The wall is transparent, and through it you can see that you're about twenty yards above the treetops of a magnificent forest. There are several platforms on the ground, reaching to your hip and covered with a soft bedding on top, and to one side of these is a pedestal with a crimson touchplate. You can see no exits.
  
  You can see a viewscope here.
  
  > look through the lens
  Try looking through the eyepiece instead.
  
  > look through the eyepiece
  It's hard to get a steady view, and it's a bit blurry looking through only one eyepiece, but you can see creatures in the treetops. They're humanoid, in fact almost human-like -- mostly standing upright but crouching occasionally, large front teeth tearing into their food, interacting with each other in what appear to be fairly social ways. In fact, if you didn't know that you were in the present, staring at a world that isn't Earth, you'd have identified them as Australopithecus.
  
  > unscrew the lens
  It takes a fair amount of strength, but you unscrew the lens from the viewscope.
  
  > touch the leaf
  You lay your hand on the leaf touchplate, and the bubble begins spinning smoothly. You have the sensation of swift, effortless movement. With surprising suddenness, the energy transport deposits you elsewhere, then dissolves around you.
  
  You're in a dome, probably about ten feet high at its zenith and twenty feet in diameter at its base. The wall is transparent, and through it you can see a verdant jungle, its colors only a little bit muted by the interposing dome. There are several platforms inside the dome, reaching to your hip and covered with a soft bedding on top, and to one side of these is a pedestal with two touchplates. You can see no exits.
  
  > examine the pedestal
  This is just a small, cylindrical pedestal, about four feet high. Atop its angled surface are two touchplates, one crimson and one indigo. The indigo one has a very thin sponge attached to it.
  
  > examine the sponge
  Depending on how you look at it, this is either a very thin sponge, or a fairly thick piece of spongy paper -- it certainly wouldn't be useful for absorbing much of anything, except perhaps odor. In any case, it's white and adorned with patterned ink scrawls. You surmise that these scrawls may be some sort of writing, but you haven't a clue how to decipher them.
  
  > look at the indigo
  The icon on this indigo touchplate is an upward-pointing triangle, identical to the one you saw in the Arctic area.
  
  > Go upwards
  You're standing on silty ground, deep underwater. The light is dim, but you can still see well enough, thanks to bioluminescence from plants that make their home here. Judging from the time you spent sinking, your rough estimate is that you're about two thousand feet below the surface. Happily, the suit seems equipped to handle such extreme pressures, and although you feel like you're moving in slow motion, you're experiencing no discomfort.
  
  An incredible giant squid floats alongside you, just out of reach.
  
  A large, open hatch leads downward.
  
  Just alongside the hatch is a large, mirrored half-bubble, like a glassy eye in the sand.
  
  You also notice a beige touchplate next to a towering silver cylinder about ten yards away from the hatch.
  
  > Ascend
  You spring upwards, shooting through the water like a torpedo, but it's no good. By the time you reach the surface, the water resistance has drained your jump of its inertia, leaving you to sink back down to the ocean floor.
  
  You're standing on silty ground, deep underwater. The light is dim, but you can still see well enough, thanks to bioluminescence from plants that make their home here. Judging from the time you spent sinking, your rough estimate is that you're about two thousand feet below the surface. Happily, the suit seems equipped to handle such extreme pressures, and although you feel like you're moving in slow motion, you're experiencing no discomfort.
  
  An incredible giant squid floats alongside you, just out of reach.
  
  A large, open hatch leads downward.
  
  Just alongside the hatch is a large, mirrored half-bubble, like a glassy eye in the sand.
  
  You also notice a beige touchplate next to a towering silver cylinder about ten yards away from the hatch.
  
  > jump west
  You can't get much of a running start in such a tiny area, but you crouch and launch yourself upwards, and that seems to provide sufficient momentum.
  
  The familiar flash-nausea passes as you cross the barrier.
  
  Once again, you hurtle through the canopy of leaves and land more or less at your previous arrival point.
  
  The air is cool and quiet down here, far beneath the treetop canopy. On every side of you, massive trunks rise majestically. These trees are enormous, like old-growth redwoods but growing higher than Earth gravity would ever permit. The trees completely block the horizon, and you can only keep yourself oriented by remembering the direction you were facing when you jumped up and saw the Arctic area.
  
  Beside you is the base of a tower that's even taller than the trees.
  
  > jump west
  There isn't a great deal of room to run, but you do your best, and launch yourself upwards.
  
  The familiar flash-nausea passes as you cross the barrier.
  
  Once again, you land in the sandy, sweltering desert.
  
  The first thing you notice is the heat. It is punishing, astonishing, like standing inside an inferno that burns without flames. Your suit insulates you somewhat, and a lucky thing, too, because otherwise you wouldn't last long under a sun that feels like it's just a few feet away. Orienting yourself based on the direction you came from, you can see enormous sand dunes rising north and south of you, creating no shade but blocking your vision. Through the heat haze, you can barely perceive the Forest to the east, and the Veldt to the west.
  
  A large, Y-shaped cactus stands nearby.
  
  You can also see an enormous bowl (which is empty) here.
  
  > put the lens in the cactus
  You wedge the lens between the arms of the cactus, and it fits perfectly, catching the sunlight and creating an intense, concentrated beam aimed directly at the bowl.
  
  > take the bowl
  The bowl is too big and awkward to carry while you're holding anything else.
  
  > drop all
  very thin sponge: Dropped.
  white cylinder: Dropped.
  canister: Dropped.
  cabin key: Dropped.
  legal pad: Dropped.
  notepad: Dropped.
  loose papers: Dropped.
  headset: Dropped.
  
  > jump east
  Once again, you get a running start and launch yourself upwards.
  
  The familiar flash-nausea passes as you cross the barrier.
  
  Once again, you hurtle through the canopy of leaves and land more or less at your previous arrival point.CRRASH! The bowl upends when it hits the trees, and you just manage to grab its lip and drag it down with you so it doesn't get stuck in the treetops.
  
  The air is cool and quiet down here, far beneath the treetop canopy. On every side of you, massive trunks rise majestically. These trees are enormous, like old-growth redwoods but growing higher than Earth gravity would ever permit. The trees completely block the horizon, and you can only keep yourself oriented by remembering the direction you were facing when you jumped up and saw the Arctic area.
  
  Beside you is the base of a tower that's even taller than the trees.
  
  You can also see an enormous bowl (which is empty) here.
  
  > jump east
  There isn't a great deal of room to run, but you do your best, and launch yourself upwards.
  
  The familiar flash-nausea passes as you cross the barrier.
  
  You've reached the arc of your parabola, and have begun to descend. An ocean sloshes below you, dotted by just one tiny island. You hit the water with a massive SPLOOSH!
  
  As you sink, the suit begins supplying oxygen to you.
  
  You're standing on silty ground, deep underwater. The light is dim, but you can still see well enough, thanks to bioluminescence from plants that make their home here. Judging from the time you spent sinking, your rough estimate is that you're about two thousand feet below the surface. Happily, the suit seems equipped to handle such extreme pressures, and although you feel like you're moving in slow motion, you're experiencing no discomfort.
  
  An incredible giant squid floats alongside you, just out of reach.
  
  A large, open hatch leads downward.
  
  Just alongside the hatch is a large, mirrored half-bubble, like a glassy eye in the sand.
  
  You also notice a beige touchplate next to a towering silver cylinder about ten yards away from the hatch.
  
  A sizable fish floats by, and the squid conceals itself behind an outcropping. Then, with startling speed, one of its feeding arms darts out and ensnares its prey. The squid takes the fish into its tentacles, tearing and crunching with its sharp beak, and then returns its attention to you.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  an earthsuit (being worn)
  
  > jump west
  You can't get much of a running start in such a tiny area, but you crouch and launch yourself upwards, and that seems to provide sufficient momentum.
  
  The familiar flash-nausea passes as you cross the barrier.
  
  Once again, you hurtle through the canopy of leaves and land more or less at your previous arrival point.
  
  The air is cool and quiet down here, far beneath the treetop canopy. On every side of you, massive trunks rise majestically. These trees are enormous, like old-growth redwoods but growing higher than Earth gravity would ever permit. The trees completely block the horizon, and you can only keep yourself oriented by remembering the direction you were facing when you jumped up and saw the Arctic area.
  
  Beside you is the base of a tower that's even taller than the trees.
  
  You can also see an enormous bowl (which is empty) here.
  
  > jump east
  There isn't a great deal of room to run, but you do your best, and launch yourself upwards.
  
  The familiar flash-nausea passes as you cross the barrier.
  
  You've reached the arc of your parabola, and have begun to descend. An ocean sloshes below you, dotted by just one tiny island. You hit the water with a massive SPLOOSH! You can't manage to hang onto the bowl, and leave it floating at the surface while you sink downward.
  
  As you sink, the suit begins supplying oxygen to you.
  
  You're standing on silty ground, deep underwater. The light is dim, but you can still see well enough, thanks to bioluminescence from plants that make their home here. Judging from the time you spent sinking, your rough estimate is that you're about two thousand feet below the surface. Happily, the suit seems equipped to handle such extreme pressures, and although you feel like you're moving in slow motion, you're experiencing no discomfort.
  
  An incredible giant squid floats alongside you, just out of reach.
  
  A large, open hatch leads downward.
  
  Just alongside the hatch is a large, mirrored half-bubble, like a glassy eye in the sand.
  
  You also notice a beige touchplate next to a towering silver cylinder about ten yards away from the hatch.
  
  > take the bowl
  You heft the bowl over your head (which is significantly harder now that it's full of water.) Taken.
  
  > jump east
  You can't get much of a running start in such a tiny area, but you crouch and launch yourself upwards, and that seems to provide sufficient momentum.
  
  The familiar flash-nausea passes as you cross the barrier.
  
  You land in the tall grasses once again. A few hundred gallons of water slosh from the bowl before you can steady it, but your landing in the grass is soft enough that you don't lose too much.
  
  Tall grasses of faded gold reach past your knees, swaying; here and there, baobab trees pose elegantly against a brilliant blue sky. Soft hills ripple through this prairie, and the hot, thick air buzzes with the sounds of distant insects. You can see blue-whiteness in one direction -- the Arctic area -- so that's north, and the Rainforest area is south. Far on the eastern horizon is the tan haze of the Desert area, and the blue-green Ocean shimmers in the distant west.
  
  Beside you is a dome, its mirrored surface reflecting the sun.
  
  The cat-people startle as one for no apparent reason, and retreat a little further from you.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying:
  an enormous bowl
  a massive quantity of salt water
  an earthsuit (being worn)
  
  > jump east
  Once again, you get a running start and launch yourself upwards.
  
  The familiar flash-nausea passes as you cross the barrier.
  
  Once again, you land in the sandy, sweltering desert. A few hundred gallons of water slosh from the bowl before you can steady it, but your landing in the sand is soft enough that you don't lose too much.
  
  The first thing you notice is the heat. It is punishing, astonishing, like standing inside an inferno that burns without flames. Your suit insulates you somewhat, and a lucky thing, too, because otherwise you wouldn't last long under a sun that feels like it's just a few feet away. Orienting yourself based on the direction you came from, you can see enormous sand dunes rising north and south of you, creating no shade but blocking your vision. Through the heat haze, you can barely perceive the Forest to the east, and the Veldt to the west.
  
  A large, Y-shaped cactus stands nearby, with a lens between its arms, creating a beam of concentrated sunlight aimed at the ground.
  
  You can also see a headset, some loose papers, a notepad, a legal pad, a cabin key, a canister (which is empty), a white cylinder and a very thin sponge here.
  
  > put the bowl in the beam
  Just dropping the bowl here will put it in the path of the beam.
  
  > drop the bowl
  You set the bowl down near the cactus, intercepting the beam. Within minutes, you can see bubbles forming on the sides of the bowl.
  
  With the beam hitting the water like this, it's sure to boil sometime soon. On the other hand, as overheated as you feel right now, you're not at all certain you can handle standing around waiting for it.
  
  > take all but the bowl and the cactus
  headset: Taken.
  loose papers: Taken.
  notepad: Taken.
  legal pad: Taken.
  cabin key: Taken.
  canister: Taken.
  white cylinder: The device is surprisingly heavy, as if its core is quite dense. Taken.
  very thin sponge: Taken.
  
  > jump west
  Once again, you get a running start and launch yourself upwards.
  
  The familiar flash-nausea passes as you cross the barrier.
  
  You land in the tall grasses once again.
  
  Tall grasses of faded gold reach past your knees, swaying; here and there, baobab trees pose elegantly against a brilliant blue sky. Soft hills ripple through this prairie, and the hot, thick air buzzes with the sounds of distant insects. You can see blue-whiteness in one direction -- the Arctic area -- so that's north, and the Rainforest area is south. Far on the eastern horizon is the tan haze of the Desert area, and the blue-green Ocean shimmers in the distant west.
  
  Beside you is a dome, its mirrored surface reflecting the sun.
  
  > Wear headset
  You put on the headset.
  
  > show the sponge to the cats
  The cat people are unimpressed.
  
  You notice that one of the cats is obviously female, and carries a child. (Or kitten, perhaps.) She licks the child clean with obvious affection, and coos to it.
  
  > show the button to the cats
  (first taking the black button)
  That seems to be a part of the white cylinder.
  
  > show the cylinder to the cats
  The cat people are unimpressed.