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Wrenlaw
by
Ryan Veeder
Played 5,556 times
View game source
(spoilers!)
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.z8 file
Source Code
"Wrenlaw" by Ryan Veeder. Volume 1 - BORING The story headline is "An Interactive Afternoon". Include Basic Screen Effects by Emily Short. Use no scoring, American dialect, and serial comma. abouting is an action applying to nothing. Understand "about" as abouting. Instead of abouting: say "[italic type]Wrenlaw[roman type] was written in April of 2013 and published on April 28th. I hope it amuses or at least distracts you.[paragraph break]The original source code for this game was exactly ten thousand words. The beta testers who helped me get it up to 11,795 were Emily, Skyler, Zach, Tommy (or Drew?), Daniel, Dezro, El Duderino, Tigt, and Toby Fox.[paragraph break]Thank you for playing [italic type]Wrenlaw[roman type]." Volume 2 - THE PLAYER The description of the player is "Your 'hiking gear' is indistinguishable from what you wear to class every day: jacket, T-shirt, whatever. Your shoes and jeans are [list of features that describe the jeans][if the cooler is worn]. You're wearing a styrofoam cooler on your head[otherwise][end if]." Section - Various Important Verbs Instead of smelling something, say "In your experience, things usually smell like themselves." Instead of smelling, say "The air smells a little bit like rain; mostly it smells like manure." Instead of touching something, say "[The noun] feels pretty normal." Instead of singing, say "'A purple puma's guarding the gate, a metal grotto, something, something...'" Instead of jumping: if the location is tunnel: say "You jump, and bang your head on the ceiling."; otherwise if the location is mudder: say "You hop extremely gingerly, so as not to fall over."; otherwise if the location is tentint: say "There's no room to jump in here."; otherwise: say "You jump up and down a couple times. Get the blood flowing." Instead of kissing something, say "You fail to feel any desire to do such a thing." Expressing displeasure is an action applying to nothing. Understand "dangit" or "dang" or "darn" or "drat" or "shut up" or "aw" or "aww" or "awww" or "agh" or "arg" or "argh" as expressing displeasure. Carry out expressing displeasure: say "I'm very sorry." Instead of attacking something, say "Don't be brutish." Instead of putting something on scenery, say "Don't try to get fancy." Understand "kick [something]" as attacking. Yelling is an action applying to nothing. Understand "yell" or "shout" or "scream" or "cry" or "shriek" or "screech" or "roar" or "howl" or "holler" or "wail" as yelling. Carry out yelling: if the location is tunnel: say "Your screams echo up and down the tunnel, but then you're alone again." instead; otherwise: say "Screaming into the outdoors is not as cathartic as you'd hoped. You feel vaguely embarrassed." instead. Understand "poke [something]" as touching. Before taking something which is carried by the player: say "You already have that."; stop the action. Before inserting something which is not carried by the player into something: if the noun is in the second noun, say "Already done." instead; say "First you take [the noun].[line break]"; silently try taking the noun; if the player is not holding the noun, stop the action. Before putting something which is not carried by the player on something: if the noun is on the second noun, say "Already done." instead; say "First you take [the noun].[line break]"; silently try taking the noun; if the player is not holding the noun, stop the action. Before wearing something which is not carried by the player: if the player is wearing the noun, say "Already done." instead; say "First you take [the noun].[line break]"; silently try taking the noun; if the player is not holding the noun, stop the action. Thanking is an action applying to nothing. Understand "awesome" or "great" or "nice" or "yay" or "hooray" or "good" or "thanks" or "thx" or "thank you" as thanking. Carry out thanking: say "You're welcome." Instead of eating something: say "Hmm. Nah." Understand "look inside" as searching. Understand "look inside [something]" as searching. Swimming is an action applying to nothing. Understand "swim" and "bathe" as swimming. Instead of swimming: if the stream is in the location: try entering the stream; otherwise if the pool is in the location: try entering the pool; otherwise if the fountain is in the location: try entering the fountain. Understand "go to [something]" and "stand in [something]" as entering. Understand "balance on [something]" as climbing. Understand "check inventory" and "examine inventory" as taking inventory. Understand "pray" as a mistake ("I'll leave you to your thoughts for a moment.") Understand "hey" as a mistake ("Hey yourself.") Ascending is an action applying to nothing. Understand "go up hill" and "climb hill" as ascending. Instead of ascending, try going up. Understand "look around" as looking. Understand "wash [something]" as rubbing. Instead of rubbing something: Say "Thinking on it, you're liable to get dirty again anyway before you get home. Might as well save the washing up for then." Understand "xyzzy" as a mistake ("From far away comes a sound like thunder.") Understand "plugh" as a mistake ("Nope.") Understand "dance" as a mistake ("You shuffle uncomfortably. Dancing is not fun.") Section - Jeans and their vagaries [adapted from Inform Recipe Book example 238, "Meet Market", but with a reversed relation. I am proud of this.] Feature is a kind of value. The features are basically clean, wet, muddy, and covered in cockleburs. JeanDescription relates various features to various things. The verb to describe (she describes, they describe) implies the jeandescription relation. Section - Clothes Clothing is a kind of thing. The indefinite article of clothing is usually "your". Instead of taking inventory: say "Right now you've got [a list of things carried by the player]." Instead of taking off clothing: say "Probably a bad idea." Instead of taking off the jacket: say "No, it's still pretty chilly." The player wears a pair of jeans. Basically clean describes the jeans. The pair of jeans is clothing. The description of the pair of jeans is "These are not your nice jeans, unless you got something mixed up. They're [list of features that describe the jeans].". The player wears a pair of shoes. The description of the shoes is "They're black; they're [list of features that describe the jeans]." The pair of shoes is clothing. The player wears a jacket. The description of the jacket is "This is your medium jacket, for temperatures between forty and sixty degrees, or rain.[paragraph break]It occurs to you that you forgot to check the weather before you set out on this adventure." The jacket is clothing. Instead of searching the jacket, try taking inventory. The pocket is part of the jacket. Understand "pockets" as the pocket. Instead of searching the pocket, try taking inventory. Instead of examining the pocket, try taking inventory. The player wears a t-shirt. Understand "shirt" or "clothes" or "tshirt" or "tee" as the t-shirt. The description of the t-shirt is "This is the shirt you wore to Jessica's recital a year ago, to the disastrous Sidewalk Chalk Tournament two years ago, to the department picnic in whichever year it was you went to the department picnic. It's brown." The t-shirt is clothing. Section - Initial Inventory Items The player carries a key. The printed name of the key is "bike key". The indefinite article of the key is "your". Understand "bike key" as the key. The description of the key is "The bike lock manufacturers saw fit to make this key impossible to fit on any normal key ring, which is a pain." Instead of inserting the key into something, say "That would be a good way to lose it." Instead of putting the key on something, say "That would be a good way to lose it." Instead of dropping the key, say "That would be a good way to lose it." The player carries a scrap of paper. The description of the scrap of paper is "Scrawled in blue ink:[paragraph break][italic type]41.664, -91.562[line break]blue box[roman type][paragraph break]During the couple of days that you've been wondering about the origin of these clues, it has been difficult for you to distinguish your well-reasoned guesses from your hopeless delusions." Volume 3 - SCENARIO When play begins: now the right hand status line is "". Section - Bike Rack Racker is a room. The printed name of racker is "Bike rack". The description of racker is "[if unvisited]The coordinates you have are incomplete. They only narrow it down to this general area. And, although it's not a big park, the thing you're looking for is very small. Probably.[paragraph break][end if]Between the train tracks and the softball field there's barely any room for a trail, and the bike rack here is almost lost in the overgrowth. Presumably somebody will come by at some point and prune the bushes, but today you're the only one around.[paragraph break]The trail leads south from here." Instead of going north in racker: say "You'll probably head north when you bike back home, but for now your business lies south." Instead of going nowhere in racker: say "There's nowhere to go from here but south right now." Instead of going west in racker: try entering the train tracks. Instead of going northwest in racker: try entering the train tracks. Instead of going southwest in racker: try entering the train tracks. The rack is here. "[if racker is unvisited]You finish locking up your bike and shove the key in your pocket[otherwise]Your bike is still here, locked up to [the rack][end if]." Understand "bike rack" and "bars" and "frame" and "bicycle rack" as the rack. The printed name of the rack is "bike rack". Instead of taking the rack, say "Moving this bike rack is not currently possible." Instead of unlocking the rack with something, try unlocking the bicycle with the second noun. The description of the rack is "The bike rack is a frame of thick metal bars, and your bike is attached to it fairly securely." Instead of entering the rack, say "As it turns out, you're totally able to sit on the rack, but the experience is extremely uncomfortable, so you get off." Instead of climbing the rack, say "The prospect of falling off of the bike rack and cracking your skull open strikes you as entirely too likely." The bicycle is here. The bicycle is scenery. Understand "bike" and "velocipede" and "velo" as the bicycle. Instead of taking the bicycle, say "Right now it's locked up to the rack." The description of the bicycle is "Yours is not the most reliable bicycle in the world, but it's still more trustworthy than, say, a car. At least when your bike betrays you, it's fairly up-front about it." Does the player mean unlocking the bicycle with the key: it is very likely. Instead of unlocking the bicycle with something: if the second noun is the key: say "Are you ready to take off, then? [bracket]y/n[close bracket][paragraph break][command prompt]"; if the player consents: take off with the player; otherwise: say "Well, your bike will be ready when you are."; otherwise if the second noun is the screwdriver: say "You're right; that should work, but it doesn't."; otherwise: say "[The second noun] is not the key you need." To take off with the player: say "You unlock your bike and hop on.[paragraph break]"; if the screwdriver is handled: if the stool is handled: say "This is all really strange. Whose tent was that? Why did they abandon it? Why did you go inside?[paragraph break]At least the mystery of the blue box is solved, kind of. And now you have a tiny screwdriver, which is something you didn't have before."; otherwise: say "Well, the mystery of the blue box is solved, kind of. And now you have a tiny screwdriver, which is something you didn't have before.[paragraph break]But who foisted this weird situation on you, and why? What the heck is going on?[paragraph break]You'll have to go out for another walk sometime, and try to have an epiphany."; otherwise: if the stool is handled: say "This is all really screwy. Whose tent was that? Why did they abandon it? Why did you go inside?[paragraph break]And where the heck is this 'blue box' anyway? It must be around there somewhere, right? Or is somebody just screwing with you?"; otherwise: say "This is all really screwy. Where the heck is this 'blue box[quotation mark]? It must be around there somewhere, right? Or is somebody just screwing with you?"; say "[line break]You squint into the sun, and then you turn your bike down gentle hills toward home."; end the game saying "Better luck next time." The lock is here. The lock is scenery. The printed name of the lock is "bike lock". Understand "bike lock" as the lock. Instead of taking the lock, say "The bike lock is locked to the bike." Instead of unlocking the lock with something, try unlocking the bicycle with the second noun. The description of the lock is "If you think about it, you could use a bike lock to lock up almost anything. But, now that you think about it, you can't think of anything else you need to lock up." Section - Edge of Woods Edger is south of racker. The printed name of Edger is "Edge of the woods". The description of Edger is "The bike trail turns here, giving as wide a berth as possible to both the softball field and the woods. Cradled in the curve of the asphalt is a pool of rainwater.[paragraph break]On the other side of the trail, a low balance beam and an accompanying informative sign have been pounded into the ground, both encrusted with lichen. Behind them rise the woods to the south, as infinitely dense and expansive as they can manage given the limited space available.[paragraph break]The path leads north and east." Instead of going west in edger: try entering the train tracks. Instead of going northwest in edger: try entering the train tracks. Instead of going southwest in edger: try entering the train tracks. Instead of going northeast in edger: try entering the softball field. Instead of going southeast in edger: say "The clear path into the woods is straight south." Instead of going up in edger, try going southeast. The lichen is here. lichen is scenery. Understand "moss" or "fungus" as the lichen. The description of the lichen is "The lichen is growing mostly around the bases of the beam and the sign. It gets by where it can." Instead of taking the lichen, say "Even if you could separate the lichen from the beams, you still wouldn't have much of a use for it." The pool of rainwater is here. Understand "rain" or "water" or "rain water" as the pool. The pool of rainwater is scenery. The description of the pool is "Standing water like this pool here is a vector for mosquitos. But it's probably too early for mosquitos anyway." Instead of drinking the pool, say "That would be a bad idea." Instead of entering the pool, say "That seems unnecessary." The low balance beam is here. The balance beam is an enterable supporter. The low balance beam is scenery. The description of the balance beam is "It's still kind of damp, but you could probably sit on it. You've sat on it before." Instead of climbing the balance beam, say "[one of]The first few steps seem easy, but then you topple off the side. Hopefully nobody saw you[or]Nah, one blow to your pride was probably enough[stopping]." Exercising is an action applying to nothing. Understand "exercise" as exercising. Instead of exercising: if the balance beam is in the location: try climbing the balance beam; otherwise: say "There's nothing really to exercise with here." Exercisingtext is an action applying to one topic. Understand "exercise [text]" as exercisingtext. Check exercisingtext: try exercising instead. Using is an action applying to one thing. Understand "use [something]" as using. Check using: if the noun is the balance beam: try climbing the balance beam instead; otherwise: say "Sorry to be a such text parser about this, but the verb 'use' is pretty vague. Could you be more specific?" instead. Instead of entering the balance beam: say "You take a seat and look up into the sky above the softball field.[paragraph break][bracket]...[close bracket][paragraph break]"; wait for any key; say "The bursts of lightning would hang in the air for unnatural lengths of time, so that you could make them out in great detail[unicode 8212]but when the thunder finally came, it was very quiet.[paragraph break]This was two years ago. Maybe you were talking about something. No, you remember you were sitting in silence, watching the storm pass as if it were a parade.[paragraph break]But then she leaned over so that her head was on your right shoulder, which was unexpected, so you thought [italic type]What do I do now?[roman type] and then you put your right arm around her. And she said 'Thank you,' which at the time did not strike you as odd.[paragraph break]Eventually the rain was not falling far away: it was falling on the softball field, and then on the two of you, so you ran off.[paragraph break][bracket]...[close bracket][paragraph break]"; wait for any key; say "You stand up."; now satdown is true. Instead of searching the balance beam, say "Nope, no clues here. Shoot." Instead of looking under the balance beam, say "The underside of the beam would be a great place to hide something, but there's nothing there." The informative sign is here. Understand "exercise" or "exercises" or "fitness station" as the informative sign. The informative sign is scenery. The description of the informative sign is "The sign describes some exercises for the athletically inclined to try out using the balance beam. You can imagine the Parks Department designing a dozen of these Fitness Stations, erecting this one, and then running out of funding. Or running out of enthusiasm[one of].[paragraph break]Looking around at the back and the base of the sign doesn't yield any clues[or][stopping]." Instead of taking the sign, say "It's pounded securely in the ground." Instead of entering the sign, say "It's too high up to sit on." Instead of climbing the sign, say "Despite clearly having been designed by lovers of exercise, the sign itself isn't really something you can climb on." Section - Mud Mudder is south of edger. The printed name of mudder is "Mud". The description of mudder is "[if unvisited]This may have been a bad idea.[paragraph break][end if]What seemed at first to be a clear path has revealed itself as a clinging morass. The mud squeaks angrily every time you lift a foot; when you step down, it rises up to your ankles. Occasionally it slips beneath you, and you're forced to swing your arms in the air like an idiot to avoid falling on your face in the muck.[paragraph break]This viscous pit sits between two hills: one to the east, too thick with bushes to offer any purchase, and one to the west, which you happen to know has a railroad track running across the top. But the only clear ways out are north and south.". Instead of going east in mudder: say "Keeping close to the eastern hill, you're able to grab onto some branches to keep your balance, but the bushes have grown too close together for you to climb up from here." Instead of going northeast in mudder: say "Keeping close to the eastern hill, you're able to grab onto some branches to keep your balance, but the bushes have grown too close together for you to climb up from here." Instead of going southeast in mudder: say "Keeping close to the eastern hill, you're able to grab onto some branches to keep your balance, but the bushes have grown too close together for you to climb up from here." Instead of going west in mudder, try entering the train tracks. Instead of going northwest in mudder, try entering the train tracks. Instead of going southwest in mudder, try entering the train tracks. The mud is here. The mud is scenery. Understand "muck" or "mire" or "soil" or "sludge" or "dirt" or "ooze" or "morass" as the mud. The description of the mud is "It doesn't look nearly as deep as it is." Instead of entering the mud: say "You will not do that if you can help it." Instead of taking the mud: say "That is not necessary." Before inserting the mud into something: say "That is not necessary." instead. Instead of drinking the mud, say "What? No!" The styrofoam cooler is here. "Half-sunk in the mire is a styrofoam cooler." The styrofoam cooler is a container. The cooler is wearable. After wearing the cooler the first time, say "Okay, sure. You put the cooler on your head." Instead of inserting something into the styrofoam cooler, say "Basically any other method for organizing your belongings would be preferable to collecting them in this piece of trash." Instead of attacking the cooler the first time: say "You crush the cooler into a collection of irregular styrofoam chunks."; now the printed name of the cooler is "busted-up styrofoam cooler"; now the description of the cooler is "This won't be insulating any beers any time soon." The description of the cooler is "The styrofoam walls are unnecessarily thick. Probably this was used to transport some live bait, or some beers, or first one and then the other." After taking the cooler the first time, say "The mud relinquishes its prize with a long, sickening squelch." Instead of drinking the cooler: say "You wouldn't drink out of this cooler if it were the last cooler on earth." Instead of opening the cooler, say "It's already open. You have no idea where the lid is." Every turn (this is the jeans get muddy rule): if the location is mudder: now basically clean does not describe the jeans; now muddy describes the jeans. Section - Outfield Outfielder is east of edger. The printed name of outfielder is "Outfield". The description of outfielder is "Here is where the curve of the outfield fence gets close to a small rise in the bike path. The incline is such that the asphalt is a little drier here than it is to the east or west.". Instead of going north in outfielder: try entering the softball field. Instead of going northeast in outfielder: try entering the softball field. Instead of going northwest in outfielder: try entering the softball field. Instead of going south in outfielder: try entering the woods. Instead of going southeast in outfielder: try entering the woods. Instead of going southwest in outfielder: try entering the woods. Instead of going up in outfielder: try going south. The chain link fence is here. The fence is scenery. The printed name of the fence is "outfield fence". Understand "outfield fence" as the fence. The description of the fence is "The fence curves from over there in what you guess is left field to way over there in what would have to be right field. The nearest fence post is missing its cap thing." instead of entering the fence, say "The fence is too high to sit on." The fencepost is part of the fence. The printed name of the fencepost is "fence post". Understand "fence post" or "post" or "circular hole" or "hole" as the fencepost. The description of the fencepost is "These posts should each have a cap on top of them, but this one doesn't, so the circular hole on top is open to the air." Instead of searching the fencepost, say "It's not a blue box, but it does seem like a good place to hide something.[paragraph break]Unfortunately, there's nothing inside." Instead of inserting something into the fencepost, say "Actually, anything that you stuffed in there would stand a good chance of falling to the bottom and being lost forever. Maybe it's not such a good hiding place after all." Instead of taking the fence, say "They need the fence here, though." Instead of taking the fencepost, say "You don't possess the strength to yank that post out of the ground." Instead of climbing the fence, try entering the softball field. Instead of climbing the fencepost, try entering the softball field. The drinking fountain is here. "A lonely drinking fountain stands just off the path." Instead of taking the drinking fountain, say "It's stuck in there pretty good." Instead of entering the drinking fountain, say "The basin of the fountain is too tiny for you to jump inside." Fontan is a number that varies. Fontan is 0. The description of the drinking fountain is "The drinking fountain seems to be of an older vintage than the other park amenities. Maybe it's from the seventies.[paragraph break]Apparently it's activated by turning the knob on the side." Instead of searching the drinking fountain, say "After inspecting the sides and the basin and everything, you're able to conclude that this drinking fountain isn't hiding anything." Instead of entering the fountain, say "People would get mad if they saw you sitting on the drinking fountain." The knob is part of the drinking fountain. The description of the knob is "It's made of scuffed stainless steel." Instead of turning the knob: if fontan is 0: now fontan is 2; say "A moment after you turn the knob, the fountain begins to produce a feeble trickle of water."; otherwise: say "The fountain is still going." Every turn while in woodsext: if fontan is 1: if the location is outfielder: say "The drinking fountain peters out and stops."; now fontan is 0; otherwise if fontan is 2: now fontan is 1. Understand "water" or "basin" as the drinking fountain. Understand "drink from [something]" and "drink out of [something]" as drinking. Instead of drinking the fountain: if fontan is 0: say "The fountain isn't going; you'll have to turn the knob first."; otherwise: say "[one of]You take a sip from the fountain. The water is lukewarm, and it tastes like a piece of aluminum foil. Somehow you swallow it down[or]The next sip does not taste any better. You spit the water out onto the grass[stopping]." Instead of inserting the fountain into something: if fontan is 0: say "The water isn't flowing."; otherwise: if the second noun is a container: say "The tiny current from the drinking fountian would take forever to fill up [the second noun] even if you could get the water to go inside."; otherwise: say "I don't see how that's supposed to work." Section - Bench Bencher is east of outfielder. The printed name of bencher is "Bench". The description of bencher is "The bike trail turns from west to south here, and outside the curve is a cozy bench, which for whatever reason sits facing east, toward the highway.". Instead of going north in bencher: Try entering the softball field. Instead of going northwest in bencher: Try entering the softball field. Instead of going east in bencher: Try entering the highway. Instead of going northeast in bencher: try entering the highway. Instead of going southeast in bencher: try entering the highway. Instead of going southwest in bencher: try entering the woods. Instead of going up in bencher: try entering the woods. The cozy bench is here. The cozy bench is scenery. The printed name of the cozy bench is "bench". Instead of taking the cozy bench, say "The bench seems to be bolted down." The description of the bench is "Downtown, the benches all have big uncomfortable armrests sticking out of them to discourage people from sleeping on them, but this one is just a plain old bench. There's a panel set into the back with a dedication." The panel is part of the bench. Understand "dedication" or "plaque" as the panel. The description of the panel is "[italic type]DONATED BY[line break]HARMONY SILAS[roman type][paragraph break]She sounds nice." Instead of climbing the bench, say "Standing on the bench is fun, but you look like a dork, so you hop down." Instead of entering the bench: say "You take a seat on the bench and stare down at your feet.[paragraph break][bracket]...[close bracket]"; wait for any key; say "[paragraph break]'Hey, so, we haven't talked in a while, and I was wondering what was going on with you. I mean, there was also something else I wanted to talk to you about, a specific issue, which is causing me some stress I guess. I'm walking in a straight line right now, and, unless something happens, I have to keep on walking in a straight line. This is how I'm dealing with my stress. But I thought maybe if I had a chance to talk to you then I could get some of this specific issue worked out. Sorry to bother you. Please call me back.'[paragraph break]And your legs kept on walking, in a straight line, up an unfamiliar street, with your head down, with your phone clenched in your fist. Time seemed to pass.[paragraph break]Then you heard a clap of thunder, and it occurred to you that you should turn around and get home, but then it occurred to you that it was necessary to continue walking in a straight line.[paragraph break]There was a long flash of lightning, and as you finally looked up you realized you were in the cemetery, surrounded by gravestones, and up ahead was the statue of the Black Angel, perhaps facing you, perhaps with its back to you. Now it was dark.[paragraph break]Your phone buzzed. She wasn't calling you back; she had sent a text message. And the text of the message was: '?'[paragraph break][bracket]...[close bracket]"; wait for any key; say "[paragraph break]You blink a couple times and stand up."; now satdown is true. The chipped blue garbage can is here. "Next to the bench is a chipped blue garbage can." The printed name of the garbage can is "garbage can". Understand "trash" or "trash can" as the garbage can. Instead of taking the garbage can, say "The garbage can appears to be bolted down." Instead of turning the garbage can: if the player carries the screwdriver: say "The screwdriver is too tiny to have any effect on the garbage can, unfortunately."; otherwise: say "It's not clear how you'd do that." Instead of examining the garbage can, say "This trash can hasn't endured nearly as much punishment as the ones downtown. Debossed on the side is the insignia of the Parks Department." Instead of smelling the garbage can, say "Your nose approaches the can with some trepidation, but to your surprise it smells basically like everything else." The insignia is part of of the garbage can. Understand "duck" or "wheat" or "field" or "wheat field" as the insignia. The description of the insignia is "The insignia looks like a duck flying over a rolling wheat field." The garbage can is an open container. After inserting something into the garbage can: if the noun is the cooler: say "You pound on [the noun] until it's inside the can. Done."; otherwise if the noun is the blue bottle: say "You toss the bottle in the trash and hear a dull clang."; otherwise if the noun is the chip bag: say "You stuff the bag into the garbage, which is where it belongs."; if the garbage can contains the chip bag: if the garbage can contains the blue bottle: if the garbage can contains the cooler: say "A feeling of accomplishment falls over you, however briefly." Section - Crosswalk Crosswalker is south of bencher. The printed name of crosswalker is "Crosswalk". The description of crosswalker is "It's theoretically possible to get across the highway here, but you have yet to see it done. The white lines of the crosswalk are more like a blueprint for an imaginary bridge.[paragraph break]The bike trail supposedly continues on the other side of the highway. Realistically, though, you can follow it north, or take a narrow, unpaved track between tufts of grass to the south.". Instead of going northwest in crosswalker: try entering the woods. Instead of going west in crosswalker: try entering the woods. Instead of going southwest in crosswalker: try entering the woods. Instead of going up in crosswalker: try entering the woods. Instead of going northeast in crosswalker: try entering the highway. Instead of going southeast in crosswalker: try entering the highway. The crosswalk is here. Understand "white" or "white lines" as the crosswalk. The crosswalk is scenery. The description of the crosswalk is "The crosswalk consists of a button that reads 'PUSH FOR WALK SIGNAL[quotation mark], a pair of white lines across the highway, and a signal at the other end that will always, always say 'DON'T WALK[quotation mark]." The button is here. The button is scenery. Understand "plaque" as the button. The description of the button is "The plaque reads 'PUSH FOR WALK SIGNAL' and the button beneath looks like functional buttons you've seen all over town." Instead of touching the button, say "The button feels cold. Cold like a broken promise." The signal is here. The signal is scenery. The signal can be white or amber. The description of the signal is "[if white]The white letters[otherwise]The amber letters[end if] of the signal across the highway say '[if white]WALK[otherwise]DON'T WALK[end if][quotation mark]." The button can be unpressed or pressed. The button is unpressed. Instead of pushing the button: if the button is pressed: say "You push the button again, as if that'll help."; otherwise: say "You push the button, and wonder if this time your action will have any influence on the outside world."; now the button is pressed; the signal changes in 14 turns from now. At the time when the signal changes: now the signal is white; the signal resets in three turns from now; if the location is crosswalker: if the current action is examining the signal: say "Then, miraculously, the signal changes. In white letters, it says: 'WALK[quotation mark]."; otherwise: say "In the corner of your eye you notice something flash across the highway."; At the time when the signal resets: now the signal is amber; now the button is unpressed; if the location is crosswalker: if the current action is examining the signal: say "But then the words are 'DON'T WALK' again, and for a while they flash on and off, mocking you."; otherwise: say "The signal across the highway begins flashing: 'DON'T WALK[quotation mark][unicode 8212]and then they stop flashing, and are solid."; Check going east in crosswalker: if the signal is amber: say "According to the signal across the road, it's not safe to cross now. Based on the speed of traffic, you have to agree." instead; otherwise: say "Well, the light says you can, and traffic has stopped, so, sure. You walk across the street.[paragraph break]But I don't know what's on the other side, or what kinds of stuff you can do over there. So I guess this is where we part ways. Congratulations."; end the game saying "And good luck." Every turn while the signal is amber: if the highway is in the location: if a random chance of one in 15 succeeds: say "An incredibly loud motorcycle speeds by, and you lose your train of thought for a few seconds." Section - Grate Grater is south of crosswalker. The printed name of grater is "Grate". The description of grater is "You find yourself in a low, damp area, partially hidden from the road above. [If the stream is known]The[otherwise]A[end if] stream runs out of the woods here and noisily disappears into a grate under the highway.[paragraph break]You could scramble up north, to the bike path, or you could walk along the creek to the west.". Instead of going up in grater: try going north. Instead of going east in grater: Try entering the highway. Instead of going northeast in grater: Try entering the highway. Instead of going up in grater: try entering the woods. Instead of going south in grater: try entering the stream. Instead of going southeast in grater: try entering the stream. Instead of going southwest in grater: try entering the stream. Instead of going northwest in grater: try entering the woods. The grate is here. The grate is scenery. Understand "tunnel" as the grate. The description of the grate is "A metal frame blocks off the tunnel under the highway so that only the stream can get through. The words 'CITY WATER' are embossed[if the empty potato chip bag is not handled].[paragraph break]Currently the flow of the stream is impeded somewhat by the empty potato chip bag that's pressed up against the grate[end if]." Instead of taking the grate, say "It's stuck in there pretty good. This was a professional job." Instead of entering the grate, say "You probably wouldn't fit in the tunnel even if the grate weren't in the way." Instead of inserting something into the grate, say "That wouldn't be very responsible. That tunnel is for stream water only." Instead of opening the grate, say "The grate doesn't have any hinges. It's a permanent installation." The empty potato chip bag is here. The chip bag is a container. Understand "grease" or "chips" as the chip bag. "An empty potato chip bag is stuck up against the grate." The description of the empty potato chip bag is "[if the chip bag is handled]This bag is a damp, greasy mess, and to a certain extent you regret ever having pulled it out of the stream[otherwise]The force of the water is pushing it up against the grate, but it's too big to squeeze through the holes. It's trapped[end if]." After taking the chip bag the first time, say "You fish out the bag and unclog the stream, which gurgles gratefully." Instead of searching the chip bag, say "There's nothing in there but the tiniest soggy crumbs." Some soggy crumbs are part of the chip bag. Understand "crumb" as the crumbs. The description of the crumbs is "They are not appetizing crumbs." Instead of taking the crumbs, say "Actually, inside of the bag seems like the ideal place for those crumbs." Instead of inserting something into the chip bag, say "You wouldn't want [the noun] to get soggy and greasy and gross, right?" Section - Broken Bottles Bottler is west of grater. Bottler is east of culverter. The printed name of bottler is "Broken bottles". The description of bottler is "This clearing is bounded by a fallen log on the west side and a boulder on the other. The ground around the rock is littered with shards of glass; even with shoes on, you watch your steps carefully.[paragraph break]The path along the stream runs east and west, but [if tentext is unvisited]there might also be[otherwise]there's also[end if] a way north, through the vegetation that covers the hill." Instead of going up in bottler: try going north. Instead of going northwest in bottler: say "Looks like northwest is just bushes and thistles." Instead of going northeast in bottler, say "Looks like northeast is just brambles and thickets." Instead of going south in bottler: try entering the stream. Instead of going southeast in bottler: try entering the stream. Instead of going southwest in bottler: try entering the stream. Instead of going up in bottler: try going north. The fallen log is here. The log is scenery. The description of the log is "You can imagine the scene easily: Drunk kids take a seat on the log; when their bottles are empty, they toss them at the boulder. Drunk kids don't care about getting their five cent deposit back." Instead of climbing the log: say "When you start walking around on top of the log, it starts to rock back and forth a lot more than you expected, so you stop doing that." Instead of entering the log: say "You sit on the log and stare at the side of the boulder.[paragraph break][bracket]...[close bracket]"; wait for any key; say "[paragraph break]Then the song was over, and you could hear each other talk for a few seconds.[paragraph break]'Why aren't you drinking?' she asked. A satisfactory answer did not spring to mind.[paragraph break]'Do you wanna dance?'[paragraph break]'No.'[paragraph break]She rolled her eyes. 'Well, you should try [italic type]something[roman type] new. It's good to get out of your comfort zone.'[paragraph break]'I should do things that I don't want to do, just because I don't want to do them?' you tried to ask, but the music started up again.[paragraph break]'Well I'm gonna dance. Watch my drink!' she shouted, and she ran off, so you sat and stared at her glass for a while.[paragraph break][bracket]...[close bracket]"; wait for any key; say "[paragraph break]You allow yourself a heavy sigh before standing up."; now satdown is true. The boulder is here. The boulder is scenery. Understand "rock" and "stone" as the boulder. Instead of taking the boulder, say "Yeah, right." The description of the boulder is "It's taller than you are, made from rough speckled black and white and grey stone, cut out of a mountain or something, back in the days of the caveman." Instead of touching the boulder, say "It feels rough, and cold, and very very solid." Instead of climbing the boulder, say "[one of]You could probably manage that. Sure.[paragraph break]You jump up the lower side, get some traction with your shoes, and scramble up to the top of the boulder. You cross your legs and look out across the woods from your perch. The view isn't appreciably different.[paragraph break]But next to you, spraypainted in green on the rock, is a message: [italic type]HEY.[roman type][paragraph break]So you say 'hey' back, and then you slide back down[or]It's not that you don't have the energy to climb the boulder again; it's just that it probably wouldn't be worth the effort[stopping]." Instead of entering the boulder, try climbing the noun. Some shards of glass are here. The shards of glass are scenery. The shards of glass are plural-named. Understand "bottles" or "broken bottle" or "broken bottles" or "shard" or "shard of glass" as the shards of glass. The description of the shards of glass is "There are too many tiny pieces to try and clean up, even if you had gloves. The most you can do is try and kick them under the boulder, where they're less likely to get stepped on." Instead of doing something other than examining with the shards of glass: try examining the shards of glass. After examining the shards of glass the first time: say "As you're kicking shards around, you notice one unbroken bottle."; move the blue bottle to the location. The blue bottle is a container. "A single intact bottle lies near the boulder." Understand "unbroken bottle" and "intact bottle" and "intact" and "unbroken" as the blue bottle. The description of the blue bottle is "The scratched blue glass is basically opaque[if the blue bottle is held by the player], and the bottle is empty, but it feels heavier than it should[end if]. Apparently 'Schmetz' is the name of the liquid that used to be inside of this. The labeling is not very specific about what 'Schmetz' is." Instead of inserting something into the bottle, say "If you ever got it in, would you be able to get it out?" Instead of opening the bottle, say "The bottle's open already; the lid is long gone." Instead of closing the bottle, say "Probably not necessary; plus, you don't have a lid." Instead of attacking the bottle, say "Your blows are ineffectual. It's a sturdy bottle." Instead of smelling the bottle, say "As you lift the bottle to your nostrils, you involuntarily retch and nearly drop the thing." The bottle can be drop or drip. The bottle is drop. Instead of drinking the bottle: if the bottle is not held: silently try taking the bottle; say "You pick up the bottle.[paragraph break]"; if the bottle is drop: say "There might be a drop left. You lean back, invert the bottle over your mouth, and start shaking.[paragraph break]A single drop falls out and on to your tongue. It burns."; The tongue reminds in five turns from now; now the bottle is drip; otherwise: say "No, that was the last of it. Never again." At the time when the tongue reminds: say "Your mouth still tastes nasty." Instead of throwing the bottle at the boulder: say "You chuck the bottle as hard as you can.[paragraph break]And it strikes the boulder with an earsplitting [italic type]tink[roman type], but bounces off without breaking[one of]. Odd[or][stopping]."; silently try dropping the bottle. Instead of throwing the bottle at something: say "Your throw goes wide, and the bottle sails out of view.[paragraph break]Whoops."; remove the bottle from play. Section - Tent Exterior Tentext is north of bottler. The printed name of tentext is "Tent". The description of tentext is "[if unvisited]Oh, this is creepy.[paragraph break][end if]The bushes thin out near the top of the hill, and in the center of the clearing is a small tent.". The tent is scenery in tentext. The description of the tent is "It's a small dome tent, designed to fit one or two people. The stains and tears speak to its age, but you couldn't guess how long it's been pitched here.[paragraph break]In its heydey this tent might have been purple." Instead of opening the tent: say "You pull open the tent flap, but then you let it fall again. For a second, everything seems very quiet." Some stains are part of the tent. understand "stain" as the stains. The description of the stains is "Mud, oil, and bird poop." Some tears are part of the tent. Understand "tear" or "hole" or "holes" as the tears. The description of the tears is "None of the holes are very big. The tent is basically sound." Instead of searching the tears, try searching the tent. Instead of searching the tent, say "There's no way to see in from out here." Instead of taking the tent, say "Moving the tent could only be a bad idea." Instead of entering the tent, try going inside. Instead of going down in tentext: try going south. Instead of going nowhere in tentext: say "The tent is surrounded by thick bushes wielding nasty cockleburs. The only clear way out is south." Every turn (this is the jeans get covered in cockleburs rule): if the location is tentext: now basically clean does not describe the jeans; now covered in cockleburs describes the jeans; now the cockleburs are part of the jeans. Some cockleburs are a thing. The description of the cockleburs is "A bunch of those horrible barbed seed things are stuck to your jeans and your shoelaces. You'll have to pull them off when you get home." Instead of taking the cockleburs, try pulling the noun. Instead of pulling the cockleburs, say "You're able to pull off one cocklebur, but there are still dozens left. You can save this chore for when you're back at home." The large branch is here. "A large branch, apparently blown down by the storm, leans against the tent flap[one of].[paragraph break]Reflecting on this detail, you conclude that this tent must be[unicode 8212]is [italic type]definitely,[roman type] probably, unoccupied[or][stopping]." Understand "leafy" or "leaf" or "stick" as the branch. The description of the branch is "It's a big leafy one, obviously freshly snapped off its tree. Nobody could have gotten in or out since last night without moving it." Instead of pushing the branch, try taking the noun. Instead of pulling the branch, try taking the noun. Instead of taking the branch: say "You pull the branch off of the tent and, in an effort to command some control over your weird situation, toss it into the depths of the woods."; remove the branch from play. Check going inside in tentext: if the branch is in the location: try taking the branch; if tentint is unvisited: say "With extreme gingerness, you unzip the flap, poke your head in, and enter the tent."; continue the action. Section - Tent Interior Tentint is inside of tentext. The printed name of tentint is "Inside the tent". Instead of going nowhere in tentint, say "There's nowhere to go from here but outside." Instead of going south in tentint, try going outside. The description of tentint is "A single beam of sunlight cuts through a hole in the western wall, illuminating a shambolic mass of books, notepads, and newspapers strewn across the floor. Everything is stained and crumpled by moisture to some degree.". Before taking: if the location is tentint: if the noun is handled: continue the action; otherwise: say "It's creepy enough that you're inside of this tent at all. Physically messing with this person's stuff would be too gross[one of][or].[paragraph break]You hear a noise. There's someone behind you.[paragraph break]Or maybe not[or][stopping]." instead. Some books are in tentint. The books are scenery. Understand "book" or "poetry" or "poem" as the books. The description of the books is "The books look like mostly poetry, written by guys with names like 'Blaise Fontanelle[quotation mark]. One is lying open to a page with a stanza circled:[paragraph break][italic type]Ay, que lo que soy siga existiendo y cesando de existir,[line break]y que mi obediencia se ordene con tales condiciones de hierro...[roman type][paragraph break]All right, then." Some newspapers are in tentint. The newspapers are scenery. Understand "news paper" or "paper" or "papers" or "newspaper" or "crossword" or "crossowords" or "sudoku" as the newspapers. The description of the newspapers is "They're local papers, going back a few months, based on what you can see without touching anything. Whoever owns this tent likes to do crosswords, but not Sudoku. Hmm." Some notepad are in tentint. The notepad are scenery. Understand "notepads" or "note pad" or "pad" or "notes" or "note pads" or "notebook" or "notebooks" as the notepad. The description of the notepad is "Let's see. Here's a really lousy drawing of a squirrel, here's a diagram of a triangle with some calculations next to it, and over here is an actual [italic type]note[roman type], written in plain English." The drawing of a squirrel is part of the notepad. The description of the drawing of a squirrel is "It's probably supposed to be a squirrel. Whatever it is, it isn't happy." The diagram of a triangle is part of the notepad. Understand "calculation" or "calculations" as the diagram of a triangle. The description of the diagram of a triangle is "Apparently it was necessary to prove some fact about the dimensions of this triangle[unicode 8212]for a while, and then it wasn't so important anymore, since the author didn't finish the calculations." The actual note is part of the notepad. Understand "English" or "plain english" as the actual note. The description of the actual note is "[italic type]the presence in the pores[line break]of a grapefruit rind[roman type][paragraph break]Hey, that's a Stephen Malkmus song!" The stool is an enterable supporter in tentint. "In the center of it all is a low stool." The stool can be old or new. The stool is new. The description of the stool is "It doesn't look like anybody's ideal stool, but it's probably more comfortable than the floor." Instead of taking the stool, say "But that's someone else's stool." Instead of entering the stool: if the player carries the tiny screwdriver: if the stool is new: say "You hunch down on the stool, and the sun gets in your eyes. Why didn't you bring your sunglasses?[paragraph break]Oh! Now you remember![paragraph break][bracket]...[close bracket]"; otherwise: say "You sit on the stool again, and the sun gets in your eyes again.[paragraph break]Oh! Now you remember![paragraph break][bracket]...[close bracket]"; wait for any key; say "[paragraph break]You picked up your sunglasses, and the right lens fell out. Jessica gasped.[paragraph break]'Is it broken?' She was concerned, but she didn't lean over to look. You were able to notice this while appearing to give all your attention to your sunglasses.[paragraph break]'No, the screw is just loose.' You sighed. 'I don't think I have a screwdriver for tiny sunglasses screws, is the thing.'[paragraph break]The two of you contemplated this state of affairs in silence for a moment.[paragraph break]Then Jessica spoke up. 'I wish I had a tiny screwdriver I could give you,' she said (and she seemed much more broken up about it than you were), 'but I don't.'[paragraph break]You grinned. 'What, are you trying to make this a metaphor for our relationship?'[paragraph break]She smiled, and hugged you for the second-to-last time, and said, 'Sure. If you want.'"; end the story finally saying "The End."; otherwise: if the stool is new: say "You hunch down on the stool, and the sun gets in your eyes. Why didn't you bring your sunglasses?[paragraph break]Actually, this reminds you of something...[paragraph break][bracket]...[close bracket]"; wait for any key; say "[paragraph break]Or not. You get off the stool."; now the stool is old; otherwise: say "You sit on the stool again and squint into the sun, trying to remember. Something about sunglasses...[paragraph break][bracket]...[close bracket]"; wait for any key; say "[paragraph break]But it doesn't come. You stand up."; now the stool is handled; now satdown is true. Section - Culvert culverter is south of mudder. The printed name of culverter is "Culvert". The description of culverter is "[if the stream is known]The[otherwise]A[end if] stream runs out of a culvert here, from beneath the hill and the train tracks to the west. The runoff from last night's storm flows swiftly and musically.[paragraph break]The ways out of the woods are north and east." Instead of listening to culverter: say "The sound of water, echoed and multiplied by the culvert, is a pleasantly monotonous murmur." Instead of listening to the culvert in culverter, try listening to culverter. Instead of listening to the stream in culverter, try listening to culverter. Instead of going northwest in culverter: try entering the train tracks. Instead of going southwest in culverter: try entering the train tracks. Instead of going south in culverter: try entering the stream. Instead of going southeast in culverter: try entering the stream. Instead of going northeast in culverter: say "The hill is too thick with trees and bushes in that direction." The grasshopper is here. "[one of]A cricket hops out of your way and disappears[or]Sensing your approach, a sparrow chirps a warning and flies away[or]A squirrel sees you and bolts[then at random]." Understand "cricket" or "sparrow" or "squirrel" as the grasshopper. Every turn when in woodsint: if the grasshopper is in the location: now the grasshopper is in a random room in woodsint. Instead of doing something other than examining with the grasshopper: try examining the noun. The description of the grasshopper is "You have no idea where it went." Section - Tunnel Tunnel is west of culverter. The description of tunnel is "You look ahead with a scrunched-up neck and fail to keep your shoes out of the water. The curved floor is harder to walk on than you would have thought.[paragraph break]The tunnel leads east and west.". The curved floor is here. The curved floor is scenery. The description of the curved floor is "Haven't you walked on a curved floor before? You must have. But it probably didn't have a stream running over it." Instead of going nowhere in tunnel, say "East and west are your only options here." Before going east in tunnel, say "You stagger eagerly toward familiar ground." Before going west in tunnel, say "You make your uncomfortable way toward the light of day." Every turn (this is the jeans get wet rule): if the location is tunnel: now basically clean does not describe the jeans; now wet describes the jeans. Section - Ditch Ditch is west of tunnel. The description of ditch is "Sunlight finds you at the bottom of a rocky ditch. The stream flows noisily between the rocks, past your feet, and into the culvert to the east.". Instead of going down in ditch: try going east. Instead of going nowhere in ditch: say "Climbing up all these rocks probably wouldn't be worth the effort." Some rocks are here. The rocks are scenery. Understand "rock" or "stone" as the rocks. The description of the rocks is "The rocks must have been deposited here to reduce erosion of the surrounding hills. They're all the same kind of flat, yellow rock; they look like they have a lot of sharp edges." Instead of taking the rocks, say "These rocks are all too heavy to be worth the trouble." Instead of touching the rocks, say "Yeah, this is a pretty sharp rock. Basically safe, though." Instead of climbing the rocks, try going north. Instead of entering the rocks, say "You sit on the largest, flattest, friendliest-looking rock, but it still manages to poke you painfully in the butt." The small blue birdhouse is here. "Mounted on a post stuck between the rocks is a [birdhouse]." Understand "bird house" or "house" as the birdhouse. The post is part of the birdhouse. The description of the post is "It's wedged in there pretty good." Instead of taking the birdhouse: say "The birdhouse is nailed to the post, and the post is stuck irrevocably in the rocks." Instead of taking the post, say "Yanking on the post accomplishes nothing." The printed name of the birdhouse is "[if known]imitation [otherwise]small blue [end if]birdhouse". The birdhouse can be known or unknown. The birdhouse is unknown. The description of the birdhouse is "[if the birdhouse is unknown]You pull yourself out of the stream and approach the birdhouse.[paragraph break]On closer inspection, it can't really be a birdhouse. [end if]The circular entryway is blocked off on the inside; there's no way for any birds to get in.[paragraph break]Based on the weathering of the paint, it might have been put up here a year or two ago, if you had to guess. A word is written in black magic marker across the back: [italic type]WRENLAW[roman type]. The plank on top is attached with a hinge." Check searching the birdhouse: if the birdhouse is closed: try opening the noun instead; otherwise: continue the action. After examining the birdhouse: now the birdhouse is known. After opening the birdhouse: say "You flip open the 'lid' of the birdhouse, revealing [a list of things contained by the birdhouse]."; now the birdhouse is known. The birdhouse is closed and openable. The birdhouse contains a tiny screwdriver. The description of the tiny screwdriver is "It's thinner than a pen. The handle is blue; the Philips-head bit at the end is so tiny and delicate, it almost isn't there[one of].[paragraph break]You have no idea why anyone would put this in a fake birdhouse[or][stopping]." Instead of inserting the tiny screwdriver into something, say "No, you need to hold onto this. Although you don't know why. Or you don't remember why." Instead of putting the tiny screwdriver on something, say "No, you need to hold onto this. Although you don't know why. Or you don't remember why." Instead of dropping the tiny screwdriver, say "No, you need to hold onto this. Although you don't know why. Or you don't remember why." After taking the tiny screwdriver the first time: say "As you lift the screwdriver into the sunlight, your mind lurches with something like recognition[unicode 8212]but the feeling passes, and you can't remember what it reminded you of."; choose row with a final response rule of author note rule in Table of Final Question Options; now final question wording entry is "read a note from the AUTHOR". Table of Final Question Options (continued) final question wording only if victorious topic final response rule final response activity -- false "author" author note rule -- -- -- -- -- -- This is the author note rule: say "A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:[paragraph break]In the interest of saving you some time, I'd like to let you know that the 'geocache' described in this game does not exist, as far as I know.[paragraph break]Thank you for playing [italic type]Wrenlaw[roman type]." The plank is part of the birdhouse. Instead of pulling the plank, try opening the birdhouse. Instead of pushing the plank, try closing the birdhouse. The description of the plank is "It's painted blue, like the rest of the birdhouse." Understand "flip [something]" as turning. Instead of turning the plank: if the birdhouse is open: try closing the birdhouse instead; otherwise: try opening the birdhouse instead. Instead of opening the plank: try opening the birdhouse instead. Instead of closing the plank: try closing the birdhouse instead. The hinge is part of the birdhouse. Understand "hinges" as the hinge. The description of the hinge is "It's there so the birdhouse can flip open." Instead of turning the hinge: if the player carries the screwdriver: say "The screwdriver is too tiny to have any effect on these hinges, unfortunately."; otherwise: if the birdhouse is open: try closing the birdhouse instead; otherwise: try opening the birdhouse instead. The word written in black magic marker is part of the birdhouse. The printed name of the word written in black magic marker is "word [italic type]WRENLAW[roman type]". Understand "wrenlaw" as the word written in black magic marker. The description of the wrod written in black magic marker is "All capital letters, written very confidently. [italic type]WRENLAW[roman type]." Understand "what is wrenlaw" as a mistake ("You're asking me?"). Section - Regions and backdrops Woodsint is a region. Mudder, tentext, bottler, and culverter are in woodsint. Woodsext is a region. Edger, outfielder, bencher, grater, and crosswalker are in woodsext. The ground is a backdrop. The ground is everywhere. The description of the ground is "The ground presents no obvious possibilities." Understand "floor" and "earth" as the ground. Instead of entering the ground, say "[if the location is tentint]There's a stool right there, though[otherwise]It would be nice to sit and meditate for a bit. But surely there's something better to sit on somewhere[end if]." Instead of entering the ground while the location is mudder, try entering the mud. The sky is a backdrop. The sky is everywhere. The description of the sky is "[if the location is in woodsint]You can barely see the sky through all these trees[otherwise if the location is tentint]All you can see is the ceiling of the tent[otherwise if the location is tunnel]You can't see the sky from in here, because you're underground[otherwise]The sky is pretty clear, for now[end if]." The trail is a backdrop. The trail is in racker, edger, outfielder, bencher, and crosswalker. Understand "bike trail" or "incline" or "path" or "bike path" or "bicycle path" or or "asphalt" or "pothole" or "pot hole" or "pot" or "hole" or "chunk" or "chunks" or "bicycle trail" as the trail. The printed name of the trail is "bike trail". The description of trail is "This stretch of the trail is still cheap asphalt, and there are a few loose chunks and potholes. Other trails in other parks are maintained better." Instead of taking the trail, say "This trail has enough problems without being actively torn up by bored people." Instead of entering the trail, say "It would be nice to sit and meditate for a while, but sitting in the middle of the trail you'd run the risk of being hit by a cyclist." The woods is a backdrop. The woods is in edger, outfielder, bencher, grater, crosswalker, mudder, culverter, tentext, and bottler. Understand "forest" or "tree" or "trees" as the woods. The description of the woods is "[if the location is in woodsint]The trees are thick around you, and it's easy to pretend that this is a forest that goes on for miles[otherwise]From outside, these woods seem fairly pitiful[end if]." Check entering the woods: if the location is in woodsint: say "The woods is what you're already currently inside of." instead; otherwise if the location is edger: try going south instead; otherwise if the location is grater: try going west instead; otherwise if the location is tentint: say "That's a weird way of putting it."; try going outside instead; otherwise: say "The bushes at the edge of the woods here are too thick to go tromping through." instead. The grass is a backdrop. The grass is in woodsint, woodsext, and racker. The description of the grass is "The grass still looks pretty damp." Instead of taking the grass, say "You pull out a single blade of grass. The wind blows it out of your fingers. It is gone." The bushes is a backdrop. The bushes is in racker, edger, outfielder, bencher, grater, crosswalker, mudder, culverter, tentext, and bottler. Understand "bush" or "plant" or "plants" or "vegetation" or "overgrowth" as the bushes. The description of the bushes is "Who knows what kind of bushes these are. They're thick on the ground and impossible to walk through." The softball field is a backdrop. Understand "outfield" or "baseball" or "baseball field" as the softball field. The softball field is in racker, edger, outfielder, and bencher. [NORTH: COLD WINDS & MISERY] The description of the softball field is "Nobody's playing any softball today. It's too wet, or too cold." Instead of entering the softball field, say "[one of]The softball field strikes you as a lousy place to continue your search.[paragraph break]Although, if you did climb over the fence and head north, what would you find? Past the field there's the mall, and then the Interstate, and the hilly country where you fell off your bike that one time.[paragraph break]And from the ultimate North come the cold winds that bring snow and make life miserable[or]The softball field has nothing for you. All of a sudden it seems very uninviting[stopping]." The highway is a backdrop. Understand "bar" or "bars" or "road" as the highway. The highway is in bencher, grater, and crosswalker. [EAST: BARS & UNBEARABLE HUMANITY] The description of the highway is "[one of]Herds of cars zoom left and right, and what's on the other side? East of here is just bars, and then frat houses, and on the very easternmost edge of your understanding of this city is a cemetery.[paragraph break]But mostly the East is full of huge crowds of people, who are unbearable[or]You glare across the traffic at the row of bars[stopping]." Instead of entering the highway, say "You can't just walk out into traffic!" The train tracks is a backdrop. The train tracks is in racker, edger, mudder, and culverter. [WEST: FREEDOM OF THE UNKNOWN] The description of the train tracks is "The tracks run along the crest of the hill, north to south, from who-knows-where to who-knows-where." The stream is a backdrop. The stream is in ditch, tunnel, culverter, bottler, and grater. Understand "creek" or "water" as the stream. [SOUTH: WARM WINDS & COMFORT] The description of the stream is "The stream is running swiftly and noisily right now, on account of last night's big storm. Most days it's probably not much of a stream at all." Instead of inserting something into the stream, say "But if you did that, [the noun] would undoubtedly be washed away and lost forever." Instead of entering the stream, say "[one of]You could tromp through the stream, or maybe you could just jump across. But what's over there?[paragraph break]The woods go on for a while south of here, and then they give way to nice houses with big yards. Then there's another park, and then corn fields, and the airport. And past that...[paragraph break]The South is the source of those warm winds that bring an end to winter and make everything bearable again[or]Today's adventure is on this side of the stream[stopping]." Instead of drinking the stream, say "As nice as it looks, you can't be sure it's safe." The stream can be known or unknown. The stream is unknown. An every turn rule (this is the stream becomes known rule): if the stream is in the location: now the stream is known. The culvert is a backdrop. The culvert is in ditch, tunnel, and culverter. Check entering the culvert: if the location is culverter: try going west instead; otherwise if the location is tunnel: say "You're already in here." instead; otherwise if the location is ditch: try going east instead. The description of the culvert is "[if the location is Tunnel]You have to admit: it looked more comfortable from outside[otherwise if Tunnel is visited]The tube doesn't seem as welcoming as it used to, but at least now you know you can get through if you like[otherwise]The circular tunnel is wide enough to handle the worst floods. You could probably walk through fairly comfortably[end if]." Section - Tracks Tracker is a room. The printed name of tracker is "Train tracks". Check entering the train tracks: if tracker is unvisited: let N be the location; say "It occurs to you that you don't know for sure what's on the other side of the railroad tracks. Now is probably a good time to find out..."; move the player to tracker; wait for any key; say "But not today. You have other things to take care of today."; move the player to N; stop the action; otherwise: say "No, not today. Someday. Eventually. Definitely."; stop the action. The description of tracker is "You stand on the train tracks and look down the hill. The sun is setting over a huge green golf course. There are no golfers; the fairways are spread out just for you, to lead you to whatever comes next.[paragraph break]You have no idea what's beyond this golf course. The West is a realm of potential because in the West is the freedom of the unknown, the undecided. You can be anyone, because nobody there knows who you are.[paragraph break]You could do it right now. You could walk down this hill and off of the map, into something brand new.[paragraph break][command prompt]" Section - Atmosphere Instead of listening to something: say "Hmm. Doesn't sound unusual." Instead of listening: if the stream is in the location: say "The creek burbles peacefully."; otherwise: say "[one of]Everything is very still. No it's not. You can still hear the cars over on the highway[or]A bird somewhere is chirping[or]Somewhere in the woods is an insect buzzing loudly[then at random]." An every turn rule: if a random chance of one in 13 succeeds: if the location is in woodsint or the location is in woodsext: if the number of filled rows in the Table of Noises is 0: rule succeeds; otherwise: repeat through Table of Noises: say "[noise entry]."; blank out the whole row; rule succeeds. Table of Noises noise "An unseen crow emits a series of angry caws" "You can hear some small mammals scratching around up in the trees" "A bird is singing an extremely repetitive song: 'Seeee-saw. Seeee-saw. Seeee-saw[quotation mark]. Over and over" "The faint sound of a police siren reaches your ears from across town somewhere" Understand "caw" as a mistake ("'Caw,' you cry, but your crow impression strikes you as pretty lousy.") Understand "see-saw" as a mistake ("You whistle the same couple of notes, and produce a passable imitation.") Section - a clue Satdown is a truth state that varies. Satdown is false. When play begins: the clue is delivered in 36 turns from now. At the time when the clue is delivered: if satdown is false: say "Your legs are getting tired. Isn't there somewhere to sit down around here?"
