Baby Steps by Elise Johansen

Baby Steps

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"Baby Steps"

When play begins:
say "[italic type]You take deep breaths. 

This is the day.[roman type]

".

Your Bedroom is a room. "Your bedroom has always felt a little small, but now that you're moving out, its true size surprises you. You've always had too many things, you suppose. Your bed still has its mattress, but it's stripped of all linen, pillows and whatnot. A large window to the garden fills your room with light. Under your window, your old mahogany desk stands, looking weary with its age. Your bedroom door, still sticky with tape from old posters, is to the south."

The player is wearing plain clothes.

Instead of taking off plain clothes, say "You undress. You're fully naked and uncomfortable, so you quickly dress yourself again."

Understand "look around" as looking.

Xyzzying is an action applying to nothing. 

Understand "xyzzy" as xyzzying. 

Instead of xyzzying, say "Don't even try."

Talking to is an action applying to one visible thing. 

Understand "talk to [someone]" as talking to. 
Report talking to: say "'Leaving already, sweetheart?' You nod. Not that it matters - she's not looking at you. 

You suspect she doesn't really care - she's going her own way, after all, once you're out. 

(At least, she thinks so.)".

Your Bedroom contains a bed. On the bed is a mattress. 

The mattress is fixed in place. The description of the mattress is "Worn with age."

Instead of taking the mattress, say "You're not carrying that around."

Your Bedroom contains a desk. On the desk is a note. 

The bed is enterable. 

Instead of jumping, say "You jump a little. Briefly, you feel like you're eight again. Then you just feel silly."

The window, the bedroom door and the desk are scenery in Your Bedroom. 

The view of the garden is a backdrop. It is everywhere. The description is "Once, you would spend hours playing outside in the garden. Now, your childhood memories will be sold to someone else. 

Let's hope they make better memories than you did." 

The description of the bedroom door is "Slightly sticky. You can see faint fading rectangles, in the exact shape of your old posters."

The description of the note is "The note is slightly crumpled. The handwriting is neat, though. 

'[italic type]Remember the salt.[roman type]'"

The description of the desk is "Old, but sturdy."

The description of the bed is "You've spent many nights here." The bed is scenery.

The description of the window is "You can see the garden from here."

The bedroom door is south of Your Bedroom and north of the Hallway. The bedroom door is a door and scenery.

The Hallway is a room. "Almost stripped of familiar objects, the room feels emptier than ever. Not a living soul to see. There's still a small table here, though. The staircase is to the west. To the east, you find the bathroom door." 

The bathroom door is east of the Hallway and west of the Bathroom. The bathroom door is a door and scenery. 

The Bathroom is a room. "Practically empty, the only things that stand out are the toilet, the sink, and the old bathtub. Pretty much the only things you couldn't take with you, aside from the mirror on the wall. The house key should be here somewhere, if you haven't already pocketed it."

The toilet, the sink, and the bathtub and the mirror are scenery in the Bathroom. 

The description of the toilet is "You're not touching that again. You'll leave that to the next unfortunate souls." 

The description of the sink is "It's dripping, just a little."

Understand "tub" as the bathtub. 

The description of the bathtub is "You almost wish you could take another dip. Alas, you have no time for that."

The description of the mirror is "There's a small crack in the corner. You look tired."

Instead of attacking the mirror, say "You probably shouldn't. You'd only hurt your hand."

The house key is on the sink. The description of the house key is "Soon to be used for the last time."

The staircase is west of the Hallway and above the Living Room. The staircase is a door and scenery. 

The Living Room is a room. "The largest room in the house by far. As with the others, the room is almost entirely stripped of furniture and any personal belongings. The living room table and the old couch are still here, though. Your mother is waiting on the couch. To the east, you see the kitchen, and to the north, the door out. The staircase leads back up."

The mother is a woman in the Living Room. She is scenery. "She's reading a book - some romance novel, no doubt. She glances at you." 

The mother carries a book. The description of the book is "On the cover, a woman is swooning over some bulky guy." 

Understand "novel" and "romance novel" and "magazine" as the book. 

Instead of taking the book, say "Your mother wouldn't like that."

Saying sorry is apologising. 

Instead of apologising, say "It's okay."

The living room table and the old couch are scenery in the Living Room. 

Understand "table" as the living room table. 

Understand "couch" as the old couch. 

The description of the living room table is "It's just a table. No particular memories spring to mind." 

The description of the old couch is "You bet the springs are going to poke out of the worn fabric any day now." 

The kitchen entrance is east of the Living Room and west of the Kitchen. The kitchen entrance is a door and scenery. 

The Kitchen is a room. "Crampy little room. You've never been too fond of it. It seems a little bigger now that everything is moved out, but not by much. All that's left is a few shakers of spices." 

The Kitchen contains salt. Understand "shakers" and "spices" as salt. 

The description of the salt is "The shaker is about half full. You'll need it for the demons." 

The exit door is north of the Living Room and south of Outdoors. The exit door is a door and scenery. The exit door is lockable and unlocked. The house key unlocks the exit door.

Outdoors is a room. "You breathe in the fresh air, knowing well what's to come. Just one last step." 

After locking: 
end the story; 
say "[if player is carrying the salt]You meticulously lock the door, and pour the salt across the bottom edge of the front door - the only exit left to cover. 

You're not going to see your mother again anytime soon if you can help it. [otherwise]Shit - you forgot the salt, [italic type]you forgot the salt[roman type], and you [italic type]know[roman type] she knows. 

With nothing else left, you run.".