  
 
The idea behind ClubFloyd is that each week at a pre-arranged time, a group of people meet online to cooperatively play a game of interactive fiction. Below is a transcript of Halothane, written by Ravi Rajkumar. Halothane was originally released as part of the 1999 IF Competition, where it took sixth place. You can learn more about the game, including how to download it, by visiting Baf's Guide. WARNING! Below you will find a transcript of people playing these games, and it goes without saying that the transcript is full of spoilers. So, if you've never played these games, and think you might like to at some point, I do not recommend reading any further. Instead, you might want to return to the interactive fiction page. |
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| Jacqueline says, "Okay, folks, let's begin." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "load halothane" | ||||
Floyd | Welcome to the Cheap Glk Implementation, library version 0.9.0. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [pausing to show unread error message] | Taleslinger says, "I thought most mudders where from the American continent." | |||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Halothane Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [depress SPACE......] | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | You'll never really know how it all started. Floyd | Floyd | That's not surprising, because you're not even sure what happened in Floyd | the first place. If it had been anything else, you would have dismissed Floyd | it as ninety-nine per cent bad digestion and one percent fancy, much as Floyd | Ebenezer Scrooge would have. Somehow, in this case, that explanation Floyd | doesn't really grab you. Did it really mean anything? Or was it, as the Floyd | physiologists would say, just a matter of a few neurons in your Floyd | brainstem working overtime? Floyd | Floyd | But life is strange. It's almost impossible to predict - as Heisenberg Floyd | pointed out - where exactly you might end up, even when you start in as Floyd | mundane a place as your own home.... Floyd | Floyd | Your Bedroom Floyd | This is hardly the place for an adventure to begin. You know the Floyd | furniture of this room - desk, chair, bed and bookcase - almost as well Floyd | as the contents of your pockets. Floyd | Floyd | On the wooden desk is a dusty manuscript. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "most, but a lot are from EU" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, many are, but we have several Europeans, and I'd like more of 'em to attend ClubFloyd, so..." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "Really? I can come up with Gunther, Nitku and me" | ||||
| olethros says, "several=TS, ghira, G, me, Iain, Storme... so 6 regulars" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "Oh, yeah, the british" | ||||
Floyd | You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "Oh, yeah, the british" | |||
| Taleslinger says, "Not strictly European, though..." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "about" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying nothing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x me" | ||||
Floyd | Harold Banks, auteur manqu?. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "xyzzy" | olethros says, "ich bin keine british" | |||
Floyd | A hollow voice says, "Nice try, but no cigar!" Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x manuscript" | ||||
Floyd | A pile of false starts to the Great Global Novel that you plan to Floyd | complete someday. It deals with 25th century people who try to Floyd | understand the lunacy of the 20th century by travelling in time to the Floyd | 28th. It also includes no gratuitous sex or violence, which explains Floyd | why no publisher's ever been interested in it. Floyd | Floyd | The manuscript is in a state of disarray, which is strange considering Floyd | that - since you live alone - no one else but you could have touched Floyd | it. Pages 102 to 205 are spreadeagled, and you fancy you can see Floyd | something buried under it - but you're not sure what. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look under it" | ||||
Floyd | You rootle among the papers for a few seconds, and find a flower and a Floyd | note buried amongst them. Funny, you don't remember putting them Floyd | there.... Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by four points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger asks (of olethros), "Where are you from?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x flower" | ||||
Floyd | It's unlike any flower you've ever seen before; it has, in blatant Floyd | defiance of whatever the botanists say, an outer whorl containing six Floyd | yellow petals, and an inner whorl of four pointed, unnatural-looking Floyd | pink petals. You're sure you've seen it before, but you can't remember Floyd | where... Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x note" | ||||
Floyd | A small, nondescript scrap of paper. Strangely, though the paper itself Floyd | looks like it was torn from one of your numerous notepads, the words on Floyd | it are printed, rather than written in your sprawling hand. Floyd | You can't help but feel that there's a purpose to all this..... Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "remember flower" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read note" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In a slanting, Old-World style font, the following words are printed - Floyd | Fran?ois, Ch 1. Lines 34 - 39. Floyd | Floyd | "Let there be light", a Voice said. "But before there can be light", it Floyd | continued, "there must be a source of light". Floyd | Floyd | "And", added the Author, "a light producer". Floyd | Floyd | "That might be a little difficult for the future generations to Floyd | understand", the Voice rebuked. Floyd | Floyd | "Very well", replied the Author. "We shall use an ancient word - the Floyd | Greek halogenos, the light producer. Floyd | Floyd | "That is good", the Voice sighed. "But things have a knack of getting Floyd | lost in transl....." Floyd | [Here the line ends in mid-sentence, as if the printing process was Floyd | suddenly interrupted.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jota arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "examine pockets" | ||||
Floyd | Empty as usual. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "'Let there be a lightsource, and set it lit?" | |||
| olethros says, "greece" | ||||
| Taleslinger asks, "Didn't x note say it was in the PC's handwriting?" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "and read note says Old World Font" | ||||
| Bert arrives, ready to play with the toys. | ||||
| Jota has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "touch petals" | ls says, "I think the x note said it wasn't in the PC's handwriting" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "smell flower" | ||||
Floyd | You feel nothing unexpected. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | You are carrying nothing. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | You take a deep breath - but smell absolutely nothing. Bizarre... Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take note, flower, manuscript" | ||||
Floyd | small note: Taken. Floyd | yellow flower: Taken. Floyd | dusty manuscript: It's too late to work on them; you'd merely make a Floyd | lot of embarrassing spelling mistakes if you did. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to ls), "Yeah." | |||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "eat flower" | ||||
Floyd | Your keen nutritional sense tells you that this flower probably isn't Floyd | too high on vitamins, so you give it a skip. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x desk" | ||||
Floyd | It's supposed to be a desk, but it's just the place you dump all your Floyd | half-completed manuscripts on. Simple, functional - it doesn't even Floyd | have drawers or anything like that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look under desk" | ||||
Floyd | Ah, your trusty fan. You pull it out, anticipating a rather high Floyd | nocturnal temperature. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by two points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "x fan" | ||||
Floyd | A device to ensure that you get enough breeze to enable you to fall Floyd | asleep without Valium, security blankets, or air-conditioning. Floyd | Battery-powered, too, so you don't have to worry about tripping through Floyd | wires. Floyd | The fan is currently switched off. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x fan" | ||||
Floyd | A device to ensure that you get enough breeze to enable you to fall Floyd | asleep without Valium, security blankets, or air-conditioning. Floyd | Battery-powered, too, so you don't have to worry about tripping through Floyd | wires. Floyd | The fan is currently switched off. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Haha keen nutritional sense." | |||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "open it" | ||||
Floyd | That's not something you can open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "l in it" | ||||
Floyd | You find nothing of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take fan" | ||||
Floyd | You already have that. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "ah. Portable." | |||
| olethros says, "hm can't take the batteries" | ||||
| olethros says, "yeah it's one of those useless portable battery powered fans" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "bookcases" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x bookcases" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x bookcase" | ||||
Floyd | Until about five years ago, other people could approach this bookcase Floyd | with impunity, as it was cluttered with other people's writings. Floyd | Currently, however, it is solely used to store your own. It's currently Floyd | closed. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "not as useless as a USB fan" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open it" | ||||
Floyd | You open the bookcase, revealing a copy of your first novel. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x copy" | ||||
Floyd | It's a copy of your first novel, "Before Our Time", which deals with Floyd | people of the 25th Century trying to understand the 20th Century by Floyd | searching for the lost archives of the 22nd Century. It sold exactly Floyd | forty copies (strange - the last time you counted your family members, Floyd | there were only twenty-six), but you've given away about ten times that Floyd | number as birthday presents. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read it" | ||||
Floyd | You know this one even more in detail than your untitled current Floyd | effort. You even mumble the characters' names in your sleep, until Floyd | people wonder whether you're a paranoid schizophrenic. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "what is my obsession with the 20th century?" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take copy" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open it" | ||||
Floyd | That's not something you can open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Your Bedroom Floyd | This is hardly the place for an adventure to begin. You know the Floyd | furniture of this room - desk, chair, bed and bookcase - almost as well Floyd | as the contents of your pockets. Floyd | Floyd | On the wooden desk is a dusty manuscript. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x chair" | ||||
Floyd | It's not exactly ergonomic, but it sure is comfortable. It's propped up Floyd | right next to your bed, as usual, just in case you feel like a spot of Floyd | night-time reading. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "write a new novel about a sexy harlot" | ||||
Floyd | What do you want to write on? Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I haven't seen a pen or pencil yet." | |||
| ls says (to Floyd), "examine bed" | ||||
Floyd | A nice model, or at least it was when you bought it twenty years ago. Floyd | It looks as inviting as it always does after 11 p.m. on an average Floyd | weekday. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look under bed" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing but dust. There used to be pages of your manuscript flying Floyd | around there before, but ever since you had a brainwave and strung them Floyd | together, that doesn't happen often. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "x pen" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "search for a pen" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "x find pen" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros asks, "do people implement 'find' these days?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x pages" | ||||
Floyd | A pile of false starts to the Great Global Novel that you plan to Floyd | complete someday. It deals with 25th century people who try to Floyd | understand the lunacy of the 20th century by travelling in time to the Floyd | 28th. It also includes no gratuitous sex or violence, which explains Floyd | why no publisher's ever been interested in it. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Hm, I don't think so. But then, I never try it." | |||
| DavidW says, "It's a standard verb in Adrift. Quite useful there." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "huh" | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "find pen" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "out" | ||||
Floyd | But you aren't in anything at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "stand" | ||||
Floyd | But you aren't in anything at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "leave" | ||||
Floyd | You'll have to say which compass direction to go in. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Um, start guessing directions?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "out" | ||||
Floyd | But you aren't in anything at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Guess there must be a compass rose in the status bar." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | It's way past your bedtime, and you're feeling too sleepy to do Floyd | anything except get into bed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "exits" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ls asks, "sleep?" | |||
| Alex says (to ls), "Awwwk! Word on the street is that sleep is something that no real programmer needs." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter bed" | ||||
Floyd | You get onto the old bed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "sleep" | ||||
Floyd | It's way too hot for you to fall asleep. Maybe if you had some Floyd | ventilation..... Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "turn on fan" | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "turn on fan" | ||||
Floyd | I doubt the fan would give you even a little ventilation in its current Floyd | position. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | I doubt the fan would give you even a little ventilation in its current Floyd | position. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "switch on fan" | ||||
Floyd | I doubt the fan would give you even a little ventilation in its current Floyd | position. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "get up" | ||||
Floyd | You get off the old bed. Floyd | Floyd | Your Bedroom Floyd | This is hardly the place for an adventure to begin. You know the Floyd | furniture of this room - desk, chair, bed and bookcase - almost as well Floyd | as the contents of your pockets. Floyd | Floyd | On the wooden desk is a dusty manuscript. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Try putting it on the desk?" | |||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "put fan on chair" | ||||
Floyd | You put the fan on the chair; it's now pointing more or less towards Floyd | your bed. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by four points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "put fan on chair" | ||||
Floyd | You need to be holding the fan before you can put it on top of Floyd | something else. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "oops" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "okay" | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "get in bed" | ||||
Floyd | You get onto the old bed. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "oh. Chair. looks good" | |||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "turn on fan" | ||||
Floyd | You switch the fan on. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "sleep" | ||||
Floyd | You feel yourself drifting slowly into sleep. Strangely enough, the Floyd | breeze from the fan doesn't quite smell like night air, or even like Floyd | yesterday's leftovers...Your back touches cold metal, and your level of Floyd | consciousness wavers. A voice floats around your head, in one ear Floyd | first, the other next... Floyd | Floyd | "Welcome to your world." Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Please press SPACE....] | olethros says, "and now we shall dream about the 28th century" | |||
| olethros says, ";or 25th" | ||||
| ls says, "very cool" | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | H A L O T H A N E Floyd | An Interactive Restoration Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE to begin.....] | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | HALOTHANE Floyd | An Interactive Restoration Floyd | Copyright 1999 by Quentin.D.Thompson. Floyd | License 1999, The Theatre Of The Sensible. Floyd | [Please type 'help' in times of doubt - or just for fun. To toggle Floyd | between default and original colours, use 'colours on' and 'colours Floyd | off'.] Floyd | Release 1 / Serial number 990928 / Inform v6.15 Library 6/8 Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Chapter One - Respiratory Distress Floyd | Floyd | Operating Room (on the operating table) Floyd | This looks suspiciously like the operating room they took you to when Floyd | you were much, much younger, to have your tonsils taken out. However, Floyd | it's strangely empty. The only obvious exit is through a door to the Floyd | west. Floyd | Floyd | Standing near the bed is a slightly broken trolley. Floyd | Floyd | A small gauze face mask, of the type worn by surgeons during an Floyd | operation, lies discarded on the floor. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by seven points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros asks, "uhoh is this one of those virtual archaelogy projects as IF?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Wait. Quentin D. Thompson?" | ||||
| olethros says, "even worse -- futorological virtual archaelogy project as IF" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Quentin was a pseudonym." | ||||
| DavidW says, "afaik" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Ah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I was thinking this was by Ravi Rajkumar, so yeah." | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "examine tonsils" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "stand" | ||||
Floyd | You get off the operating table. Floyd | Floyd | Operating Room Floyd | This looks suspiciously like the operating room they took you to when Floyd | you were much, much younger, to have your tonsils taken out. However, Floyd | it's strangely empty. The only obvious exit is through a door to the Floyd | west. Floyd | Floyd | Standing near the bed is a slightly broken trolley. Floyd | Floyd | A small gauze face mask, of the type worn by surgeons during an Floyd | operation, lies discarded on the floor. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take mask" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x mask" | ||||
Floyd | A simple mask, disposable, and meant to cover the mouth and nose of all Floyd | those who enter the O.R. It looks as if it hasn't been used, but - if Floyd | so - why was it thrown here? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "take mask, wear mask. breath heavily." | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x trolley" | ||||
Floyd | Made of the same metal as the table - and showing no signs of rust - Floyd | the trolley, probably meant to support instruments and bandages - is Floyd | currently empty. One of its wheels is broken, which might explain why Floyd | it isn't used. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look on it" | ||||
Floyd | Well, the floor is under the trolley, if that's what you're looking Floyd | for. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x wheel" | Jacqueline says, "snrk" | |||
Floyd | Made of the same metal as the table - and showing no signs of rust - Floyd | the trolley, probably meant to support instruments and bandages - is Floyd | currently empty. One of its wheels is broken, which might explain why Floyd | it isn't used. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "inv" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a face mask Floyd | a copy of your first novel Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | a small note Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "repair trolley" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "oh. Our inventory is still here?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "huh" | ||||
| ls says, "interesting you still have stuff from the waking world" | ||||
| DavidW says, "That might be a bug. Not sure." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We're assuming we're sleeping." | ||||
| ls says (to DavidW), "true" | ||||
| olethros says, "there is no waking world, fools" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to olethros), "Thank you, Morpheus." | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "wake" | ||||
Floyd | You're not quite sure if you're dreaming or not, but if you are, you're Floyd | unable to wake up. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Leave?" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "eat blue pill" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "please, Lord Dunsany" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x bed" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "push trolley" | ||||
Floyd | Because of the broken wheel, it's difficult to manoeuvre the trolley; Floyd | anyway, you don't need to. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x door" | ||||
Floyd | Just an ordinary door, made of semitransparent glass. It is currently Floyd | closed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look through door" | ||||
Floyd | You find nothing of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "wear mask" | ||||
Floyd | You put on the face mask. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "x me" | ||||
Floyd | Harold Banks, auteur manqu?. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x table" | ||||
Floyd | The table isn't covered by the usual mattress or green sheet, and its Floyd | steel surface is exposed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look under it" | ||||
Floyd | I have to give you credit for trying, but there's nothing there. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "push table" | ||||
Floyd | That's seldom useful. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "feel table" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "score" | ||||
Floyd | You feel nothing unexpected. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | You have so far scored 17 out of a possible 360, in 66 turns, earning Floyd | you the rank of Booker Prize Winner. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "lick table" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "guess we should head west" | |||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "out" | ||||
Floyd | But you aren't in anything at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | (first opening the door) Floyd | Floyd | Instrument Room Floyd | A small, narrow annexe to the O.R., where scalpels, forceps and the Floyd | like are sterilized prior to operation. Apart from the passage to the Floyd | east, back to the O.R., there are only four walls around you, that Floyd | don't look very interesting, and an LCD display panel facing you. Floyd | There is a faint suggestion of disinfectant in the air. Floyd | Floyd | Strangely, there are no instruments here, just a blue cylinder. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "x LCD" | ||||
Floyd | The LCD display panel - judging by the fact that there are no switches, Floyd | power lines or knobs in the vicinity, its supply source is a mystery to Floyd | you. It seems to work just like it's meant to, displaying letters and Floyd | numbers. (How exciting.) Floyd | It currently has nothing to say. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x cylinder" | ||||
Floyd | A blue cylinder with a valve attached to it, with a black mark across Floyd | one side indicating that it's been marked for disposal. One side bears Floyd | a single word in red letters, with some smaller print underneath: Floyd | HALOTHANE. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take it" | ||||
Floyd | That's fixed in place. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take cylinder" | ||||
Floyd | That's fixed in place. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "score" | ||||
Floyd | You have so far scored 17 out of a possible 360, in 72 turns, earning Floyd | you the rank of Booker Prize Winner. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "360?!" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Of course, it's been somewhat generous in handing out points, so." | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "switch on LCD" | ||||
Floyd | That's not something you can switch. Floyd | Floyd | > | inky says, "it's a big game, although I think still roughly two hours" | |||
| ls says (to Floyd), "smell" | ||||
Floyd | All you can smell is the faint odour of scorched and disinfected cloth, Floyd | which probably originates from the mask apposed to your nostrils. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read lcd" | ||||
Floyd | Though there's nothing on the panel, you fancy you can detect the glow Floyd | of letters that have recently faded : Light production low. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read cylinder" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | HALOTHANE Floyd | (2-chloro 2-bromo 1,1,1-trifluoroethane) Floyd | Floyd | Inhalational Anaesthetic. Floyd | For use in balanced anaesthesia, short surgical procedures and Floyd | maintenance of anaesthesia during long procedures. Fair induction Floyd | agent. Floyd | Do not use in patients with a history of liver disease or malignant Floyd | hyperthermia. Floyd | Manufactured by Gelman Enterprises. Floyd | Floyd | Gelman Enterprises? Floyd | That's funny. The last time you checked (and, with a cousin in the Floyd | medical line, you would know) that company only existed in the pages of Floyd | your manuscript. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "oh how curious" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read about gelman in manuscript" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "malignant hyperthermia?" | |||
| ls asks, "inside our own book?" | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "look up gelman in manuscript" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "rip off philip k. dick some more" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says (to Jacqueline), "bad fever" | |||
| ls says (to Floyd), "x manuscript" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to olethros), "hahaha - um, okay." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look up gelman in copy" | ||||
Floyd | You discover nothing of interest in the copy of your first novel. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a face mask (being worn) Floyd | a copy of your first novel Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | a small note Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "squeeze flower" | ||||
Floyd | You achieve nothing by this. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "damn" | |||
| ls says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Instrument Room Floyd | A small, narrow annexe to the O.R., where scalpels, forceps and the Floyd | like are sterilized prior to operation. Apart from the passage to the Floyd | east, back to the O.R., there are only four walls around you, that Floyd | don't look very interesting, and an LCD display panel facing you. Floyd | There is a faint suggestion of disinfectant in the air. Floyd | Floyd | Strangely, there are no instruments here, just a blue cylinder. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "heehee" | |||
| DavidW says, "There's a valve on the cylinder. Looks like we should open it." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "open cylinder" | ||||
Floyd | You open the valve, and a jet of pleasant-smelling gas escapes. Floyd | However, since you're wearing the face mask, it doesn't bother you. Floyd | Suddenly, under the influence of the halogenated hydrocarbon vapour, Floyd | writing begins to appear on the LCD panel! Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "err" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x lcd" | ||||
Floyd | The LCD display panel - judging by the fact that there are no switches, Floyd | power lines or knobs in the vicinity, its supply source is a mystery to Floyd | you. It seems to work just like it's meant to, displaying letters and Floyd | numbers. Floyd | Floyd | A single sentence is displayed on the panel. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "close cylinder" | ||||
Floyd | You cut off the stream of gas. Floyd | Floyd | The writing on the panel slowly fades away. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "read lcd" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read panel" | ||||
Floyd | Though there's nothing on the panel, you fancy you can detect the glow Floyd | of letters that have recently faded : Light production low. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | Though there's nothing on the panel, you fancy you can detect the glow Floyd | of letters that have recently faded : Light production low. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "oops sorry" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "open cylinder" | ||||
Floyd | You open the valve, and a jet of pleasant-smelling gas escapes. Floyd | However, since you're wearing the face mask, it doesn't bother you. Floyd | Suddenly, under the influence of the halogenated hydrocarbon vapour, Floyd | writing begins to appear on the LCD panel! Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "read panel" | ||||
Floyd | There's just one line on the panel, which doesn't tell you much : Floyd | Emergency Exit. Touch Panel to Escape. Not Verified. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "ha ha" | |||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "touch panel" | ||||
Floyd | As you reach out for the panel, you can feel it suddenly open out and Floyd | swell, until it becomes a door of sorts. Hesitantly, you step into the Floyd | door..... Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Please press SPACE....] | olethros says, "hmmmmmmmmmmmm" | |||
| olethros says, "that's spacing me out" | ||||
| ls says, "very dream worldly like.." | ||||
| Taleslinger asks (of ole), "so I shouldn't press space?" | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | First Interposition - Invasion of Privacy Floyd | Floyd | Driveway, Outside House Floyd | You stand, hesitantly, on a futuristic-looking driveway, feeling that Floyd | you've somehow been here before. There is nothing to guide you, except Floyd | a door standing east of you, and a sign next to it. Floyd | Floyd | Even the name on the sign sounds familiar, though you can't remember Floyd | why. Floyd | Floyd | The door to the house, not at all imposing, is closed. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by six points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "I dont know, I am kinda freaked out dude!" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to olethros), "Calm down, man." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read sign" | ||||
Floyd | A plaque built into one of the walls, serving the function of a Floyd | nameplate and little else, glowing with a dim light. It only bears the Floyd | surname "Franklin", and a quotation, which seems to have been added to Floyd | the plaque later: Floyd | Floyd | "Your Excellency has perhaps erred in trying to fight fire with fire; Floyd | sometimes the simple bucket of water is as effective." Floyd | Floyd | You recoil in wonder, recognizing the quote as your own. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Like, breathe, and stuff." | |||
| olethros asks, "you mean I had stopped breathing? for how long?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a copy of your first novel Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | a small note Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Long enough to feel freaked out, I guess." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x mask" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "Or breathe on this (hands joint) That'll calm you down" | |||
| ls says (to Floyd), "x me" | ||||
Floyd | Harold Banks, auteur manqu?. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "interesting. Mask is gone, but the rest of the stuff remains." | |||
| Bert has disconnected. | ||||
| Bert goes home. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x sign" | ||||
Floyd | A plaque built into one of the walls, serving the function of a Floyd | nameplate and little else, glowing with a dim light. It only bears the Floyd | surname "Franklin", and a quotation, which seems to have been added to Floyd | the plaque later: Floyd | Floyd | "Your Excellency has perhaps erred in trying to fight fire with fire; Floyd | sometimes the simple bucket of water is as effective." Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger asks, "Autuer manqu? ?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "touch sign" | ||||
Floyd | You feel nothing unexpected. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "missing" | |||
| DavidW says, "Accented e, I assume." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x driveway" | ||||
Floyd | Strangely, the driveway doesn't bear the stigmas of repeated driving, Floyd | but there are scorch marks in an odd distribution, as if some other Floyd | vehicle habitually passed along it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x door" | ||||
Floyd | A simple, tasteful wooden door, which is strange if you assume that Floyd | this is, indeed, the future. Even the pattern with which it is Floyd | decorated looks more Victorian than post-apocalyptic. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline wonders what makes a driveway 'futuristic.' | |||
| ls says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Driveway, Outside House Floyd | You stand, hesitantly, on a futuristic-looking driveway, feeling that Floyd | you've somehow been here before. There is nothing to guide you, except Floyd | a door standing east of you, and a sign next to it. Floyd | Floyd | The door to the house, not at all imposing, is closed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | (opening the door first) Floyd | Floyd | Front Hall, in the house Floyd | The front hall is large, spacious and exudes an air of good taste. A Floyd | tall archway leads north from it to the rest of the house (which is Floyd | dark), and a large sofa, forming a rectangular C, fills the room. In Floyd | one corner is an ornamental shelf. Floyd | Floyd | The front door stands wide open. Floyd | Floyd | There's a blue shawl draped over the sofa. Floyd | Floyd | On the large plush sofa is a small piece of paper. Floyd | Floyd | You can also see a small memo here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x shawl" | ||||
Floyd | A simple blue shawl, with a frilled border - or at least you assume Floyd | it's frilled; you're not sure what quirks fashion has acquired in time Floyd | to come. Stripes of paler blue, that can only be discerned when you Floyd | look closely, run diagonally across it. In one corner, in letters that Floyd | glow eerily when you look at them at an angle, is a dedication : "From Floyd | Edward". You assume it's a woman's garment, but - knowing fashion as Floyd | you do - you're not sure. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x paper" | ||||
Floyd | (the small note) Floyd | A small, nondescript scrap of paper. Strangely, though the paper itself Floyd | looks like it was torn from one of your numerous notepads, the words on Floyd | it are printed, rather than written in your sprawling hand. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger asks, "Maybe If we wear the shawl, we get to play an episode of dr.who?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read paper" | ||||
Floyd | (the small note) Floyd | Floyd | In a slanting, Old-World style font, the following words are printed - Floyd | Fran?ois, Ch 1. Lines 34 - 39. Floyd | Floyd | "Let there be light", a Voice said. "But before there can be light", it Floyd | continued, "there must be a source of light". Floyd | Floyd | "And", added the Author, "a light producer". Floyd | Floyd | "That might be a little difficult for the future generations to Floyd | understand", the Voice rebuked. Floyd | Floyd | "Very well", replied the Author. "We shall use an ancient word - the Floyd | Greek halogenos, the light producer. Floyd | Floyd | "That is good", the Voice sighed. "But things have a knack of getting Floyd | lost in transl....." Floyd | [Here the line ends in mid-sentence, as if the printing process was Floyd | suddenly interrupted.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read that paper" | ||||
Floyd | What do you want to read in? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take paper" | ||||
Floyd | (the small note) Floyd | You already have that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x piece of paper" | ||||
Floyd | A small scrap of paper, torn from some sort of notebook, with a small Floyd | diagram and a few words written on it in a firm, slanting hand. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "make a paper airplane" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x sofa" | ||||
Floyd | Though it certainly is elegant enough at first glance, the sofa has a Floyd | warm, lived-in look about it, as if it were the seat of choice of a Floyd | close-knit family. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x memo" | ||||
Floyd | A small memorandum form - or fiche or whatever the accursed term is, Floyd | with some words on it, printed the same way as those on the note you Floyd | found in your bedroom. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read memo" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Fran?ois, Ch.1, Lines 40 - 50. Floyd | Floyd | "Life is strange", the Voice observed, in a doomy voice. Floyd | Floyd | "Well, we have no one to blame for that", the Author replied, Floyd | assertively. "After all, we have created this strangeness by Floyd | ourselves." Floyd | Floyd | "I drown in depths", the Voice complained, obviously annoyed by the Floyd | Author's cocky replies. "We create a character, and he creates another. Floyd | But we have never attempted to interfere in his life..." Floyd | Floyd | "Except until now", the Author reminded him. Floyd | Floyd | "Very well, except until now. But can we allow him to interfere with Floyd | his own creation?" Floyd | Floyd | The Author laughed. "He doesn't yet appreciate the value of his own Floyd | creations. Perhaps now he will". Floyd | Floyd | "D?ja vu", the Voice replied, irritably. "Are you trying to tell me we Floyd | have created an insecure, neurotic protagonist, after all this time? Floyd | After all our endeavours? All our - er - programming?" Floyd | Floyd | "Wait and see", the Author replied, and....... Floyd | [Here the printing stops suddenly.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ls says, "I am Jack's beating heart..." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take memo" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Hall, in the house Floyd | The front hall is large, spacious and exudes an air of good taste. A Floyd | tall archway leads north from it to the rest of the house (which is Floyd | dark), and a large sofa, forming a rectangular C, fills the room. In Floyd | one corner is an ornamental shelf. Floyd | Floyd | The front door stands wide open. Floyd | Floyd | There's a blue shawl draped over the sofa. Floyd | Floyd | On the large plush sofa is a small piece of paper. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read small piece of paper" | ||||
Floyd | The diagram is a small graph, whose exact meaning is not obvious. It's Floyd | a bell-shaped curve, like the statistician's Gaussian distribution, but Floyd | with the words "Age" and "Stability" written along the X- and Y-axes Floyd | respectively. Names of nations (you assume) - all of them familiar to Floyd | you from your works - are written along the curve as it progresses, in Floyd | the following order: "Provinces, Kingdoms, Europe, China, Colonies". Floyd | You wonder if - possibly? - your semi-fictitious theories have actually Floyd | taken root in the far, far future. Somehow, the idea does grab you. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Hm, maga's father just phoned, asked him to phone back when maga's possible awake, skimming what I missed..." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take it" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "close door" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, the door to the house or the small, ornamental Floyd | shelf? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "close front door" | ||||
Floyd | You close the door to the house. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "x front door" | ||||
Floyd | A simple, tasteful wooden door, which is strange if you assume that Floyd | this is, indeed, the future. Even the pattern with which it is Floyd | decorated looks more Victorian than post-apocalyptic. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x shelf" | ||||
Floyd | The shelf is not exactly part of the wall, but seems joined to it in an Floyd | intriguing manner. It's filled, quite as you would expect, with Floyd | well-worn copies of various texts. It is currently closed off by a thin Floyd | glass door, which seems to be quite easily openable. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open shelf" | ||||
Floyd | You open the small, ornamental shelf. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look on shelf" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "open glass door" | ||||
Floyd | In the small, ornamental shelf are a row of critical texts. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | That's already open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x texts" | ||||
Floyd | The books in the shelf are a series of scholarly-looking treatises, Floyd | ranging from "The Memoir As Discovery" by Stephen Gilmour to "Literary Floyd | Classes and Categories" by Julia Franklin. Obviously, someone in this Floyd | house is a literary critic. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x memoir" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read texts" | ||||
Floyd | Curiosity gets the better of you. You pull out a text at random and Floyd | flip through the pages. The book is written far more lucidly than Floyd | criticism ever was in your days, and you note with an air of approval Floyd | that at last, a woman can write a straight story without being Floyd | considered a traitor to the Feminist Cause. Floyd | Finally, after a few enjoyable minutes, you replace the book. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "whoa!" | |||
| olethros asks, "who is the author of this IF?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "The sign outside said 'Franklin'. Perhaps this is Julia Franklin's home." | ||||
| inky says, "or Ben Franklin" | ||||
| olethros says, "I sure hope DrMcNinja comes along to rescue this story" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "Aretha would be another possibility" | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "wear shawl" | ||||
Floyd | (first taking the blue shawl) Floyd | You try on the shawl, but you can't seriously see yourself - or a man Floyd | of the 29th Century for that matter - wearing it. It is, beyond doubt, Floyd | a woman's shawl. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I think the author was Ravi somebody? I can never remember his name." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search sofa" | ||||
Floyd | There is nothing on the large plush sofa. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "look under shelf" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing here, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Check out the room to the north?" | |||
| Taleslinger says, "yep" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Ravi Rajkumar" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Under the Arch Floyd | Currently, you are standing underneath a tall and imposing arch, that Floyd | serves as a line of demarcation between the wide hall and the more Floyd | residential portion of the house. This small passageway leads further Floyd | north, south back into the hall, and runs on either side to the smaller Floyd | wings of the house. Floyd | The sense of familiarity you felt when you first stood outside the Floyd | house grows even stronger. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x arch" | ||||
Floyd | Made of polished marble, the arch seems to emit a dim, warm glow whose Floyd | origin you are uncertain of. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "touch arch" | ||||
Floyd | Good attempt. The game you're thinking of, though, was already written Floyd | two competitions back. And, anyway, there's nothing scientific about Floyd | this house. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I'm wondering if we missed another note in the last location." | |||
| DavidW says, "heh. Babel ref." | ||||
| inky says, "ha ha" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | You have the strange feeling that the north end of the house - probably Floyd | the kitchen and dining-hall - are not exactly germane to your current Floyd | situation. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger asks, "germane?" | |||
| inky says, "relevant" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "relevant" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Corridor, Down the West Wing Floyd | A small corridor, leading from the vertical corridor down the middle of Floyd | the house to a darkened room. Floyd | You can hear voices coming from the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | A man's voice and a woman's voice, engaged in rational discussion, but Floyd | with a faint tremor of nervousness nonetheless. You listen harder.... Floyd | Floyd | "Mr. Author", the woman's voice says, pensively. "It's a curious name, Floyd | but then it takes all kinds, I suppose." Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros asks, "rational?" | |||
| ls asks, "the authors for the texts so far about light?" | ||||
| olethros says, "let's see when the faint tremor of nervousness turns into forcefully rasps of pleasure" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Time passes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | "Curious or not", the man's voice replies, "I'm inclined to believe Floyd | what he says - knowing what I do. Remember the Congress?" Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | The woman laughs lightly. "How could I forget, Edward? But it is a Floyd | sobering thought to know that you are - in the end - under the control Floyd | of someone who never really knew you....." Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Edward Author?" | |||
| olethros asks, "let's go and break up their little discussion?" | ||||
| olethros says, "no, I guess edward == editor" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "save first" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "For some reason I got the impression those were two men." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But perhaps." | ||||
| Jacqueline shakes her head at olethros. | ||||
| olethros says, "fine I'll be serious from now on you just watch" | ||||
| DavidW clears the save counter. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf1" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros mumbles something about throwing the book at them. | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Aw." | ||||
| DavidW says (to olethros), "You're the one who wants to crash their party, so you should do the deed." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "to the west!" | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Master Bedroom Floyd | You can't see much of the master bedroom, since it's dark; you can make Floyd | out the vague shadows of a writing-table and a dresser (how can you be Floyd | sure that that's what they are?), and a stately four-poster. Are there Floyd | two people in the bed, or are you imagining things? Only light can help Floyd | you here, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | There's a small switch on the west wall. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "push switch" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | As you throw the switch, the two people in the bed stir slightly, and Floyd | sit upright..... Floyd | Floyd | They look even more familiar to you now, so familiar that you feel your Floyd | memory will return any moment. A man of slight build, academic in Floyd | appearance, in his late forties; a quiet- looking and intelligent woman Floyd | of about the same age. You know them......but you're not sure how.. Floyd | Floyd | "Would you mind", the man says indignantly, "explaining to us what Floyd | you're doing here?" Floyd | "Perhaps he's come from Mr. Author, Edward", the woman replies. Floyd | Floyd | And then you suddenly remember, with an almost painful clarity. Edward Floyd | and Laura. Literary critics. Thermoconditioners. Their Floyd | thirteen-year-old daughter, Simone. Familiar - of course. Floyd | Floyd | You created them......they're your characters. Characters in the Floyd | prologue of.......The Decline and Fall...... Floyd | Floyd | And suddenly, before you can even speak, the floor seems to crumble Floyd | beneath your feet... Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE......] | olethros says, "hm that accomplished nothing much apart from moving us a stage ahead" | |||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "push space" | DavidW says, "we never even saw east of the arch" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Can't undo until you press space, methinks." | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Chapter Two - Errare Humanum Est Floyd | Floyd | Study Floyd | Though you've never seen this room in your life, you can't help but Floyd | feel a strong sense of d?ja vu about the entire place, as if you've Floyd | either lived here once or will live here at some time in the future. Floyd | Perhaps you've just moved in, because the room - apart from a solitary Floyd | table and an old wooden chair - is bare. Floyd | Floyd | The completed manuscript of The Decline And Fall of the Colonial Floyd | Empire, your new novel, lies on the table, sending waves of nausea Floyd | through you. Floyd | Floyd | You can also see a dustbin (which is empty) here. Floyd | Floyd | The very sight of the manuscript irks you. You feel impelled to Floyd | mutilate it in some way. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by thirteen points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "the space button is in the room" | |||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "restore" | olethros asks, "err 'restore cf1'?" | |||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "cf1" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Ok. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | "Assuming, Laura," Edward replies, "that our friend Author is Floyd | completely correct. He's a brilliant man - I grant it - but some of his Floyd | ideas border on the fanciful." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | "But how do you explain the events of the past few days, Edward?", Floyd | Laura asks, gently. "After all, the pages of a book can't alter all by Floyd | themselves." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | "If the changes in the book had really happened, Laura, we wouldn't be Floyd | here. European history as a whole would have changed - or would it?" Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "this reviews says "way to big for the comp"" | |||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | "It's all terribly confusing. Well, at least Simone isn't taking it too Floyd | hard." Floyd | Floyd | "Good old Simone", Edward says appreciatively. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "listen" | inky says, "ha ha" | |||
Floyd | The voices seem to have stopped. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "that reminds me of a friend's 'alt-history' project" | |||
| olethros says, "the result was a few MB of jumbled text" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to olethros), "You can >PUSH SAVE to save, and then >PUSH RESTORE will restore to the most previous save on the counter." | ||||
| olethros says (to Jacqueline), "ah, handy" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I have 12 pages of notes. We're on page 2." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "written by one dan shiovitz" | ||||
| ls asks, "check out the east passage?" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Under the Arch Floyd | Currently, you are standing underneath a tall and imposing arch, that Floyd | serves as a line of demarcation between the wide hall and the more Floyd | residential portion of the house. This small passageway leads further Floyd | north, south back into the hall, and runs on either side to the smaller Floyd | wings of the house. Floyd | There are no lights burning anywhere, except a dim glow off to the Floyd | east, and you can hear faint murmurs off to the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Nursery Floyd | Though it hardly looks like the kind of room you spent your childhood Floyd | in, your sixth sense tags this room as a nursery. It's hard to find a Floyd | logical reason for your flight of fancy though; there's a table, chair, Floyd | and a small but comfortable bed, but there are no bars on the solitary Floyd | window, and certainly few things that look like toys. Unless they're Floyd | all inside that wardrobe or the dresser over there, that is. Floyd | You feel a sudden sense of disquietude, as if - this is probably sick Floyd | fancy - an old friend of yours was missing from the room. Floyd | Floyd | On the metal table is a brief letter. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "Brief letter read to my eyes as letter letter for a moment, as brief means letter in german" | |||
| ls says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "read letter" | ||||
Floyd | In an old-fashioned, sloping, schoolgirl's hand, you can read the Floyd | following: Floyd | Floyd | Dear Father and Mother, Floyd | Something very unusual has happened - I think it's related to what you Floyd | were telling me about the other day, but I'm not sure - but I have to Floyd | leave for a short time, at least. Don't worry about me. As far as I Floyd | know, I'm in safe hands. If you need to get in touch with me at any Floyd | time, contact Mr. Author. Floyd | Floyd | Your loving daughter, Floyd | Simone. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x wardrobe" | ||||
Floyd | A generic, tall wardrobe. Printed on the outside is a name : Simone Floyd | Franklin. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open it" | ||||
Floyd | It isn't going to take you to Narnia, so I suggest you leave the Floyd | wardrobe alone. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "heh" | |||
| ls says (to Floyd), "look through window" | ||||
Floyd | You find nothing of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x dresser" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing special, but it does look a bit older than the rest of the Floyd | furniture. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open dresser" | ||||
Floyd | Full marks for adventuring acumen, zero for courtesy. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I feel rebuked." | |||
| ls says (to Floyd), "x bed" | ||||
Floyd | The cot looks as if it had been slept in recently, which is strange Floyd | considering that it's definitely night-time now; consequently, it's a Floyd | little untidy. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look under bed" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing here, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "look under bed" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing here, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x table" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing special, except that it's made of metal rather than plastic. No Floyd | drawers either. Floyd | Floyd | > | ls says, "I wonder if you could go to sleep again within the same dream" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Try it." | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "sit on bed" | ||||
Floyd | Try to control that destructive streak of yours. The bed was obviously Floyd | meant for someone half your age and a quarter of your weight, and it's Floyd | wanton cruelty to shatter it like that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "push bed#" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "push bed" | ||||
Floyd | For the last time, this isn't a puzzle, this is a child's bedroom. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "haha" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "parser, bite me" | ||||
Floyd | You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "who is author" | ||||
Floyd | You'll have to find your own answers, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | > | ls says, "interesting commentary from the parser" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "who is simone" | ||||
Floyd | You'll have to find your own answers, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "think" | ||||
Floyd | What a good idea. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "wave" | ||||
Floyd | You wave, feeling foolish. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "jump" | ||||
Floyd | You always were a scholar, not an athlete. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "pray" | ||||
Floyd | Amen to that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ls says, "I wonder where the commentary would fall in the crimes against memisis stuff" | |||
| ls says, "hope I worded that correctly" | ||||
| DavidW says (to ls), "This game might be a special case, considering the meta-like nature of it." | ||||
| ls says, "that's true" | ||||
| DavidW says, "mimesis, I think you meant" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "I always liked snarky parser comments, and am guilty of them myself" | ||||
| olethros asks, "I guess this child actually went into the closet?" | ||||
| olethros asks, "or in your book?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Don't know yet." | ||||
| olethros asks, "should we not examine the arch more carefully?" | ||||
| olethros says, "it's probably a Magic Arch" | ||||
| ls asks (of Jacqueline), "and did we forget to check out a note in the front room?" | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Nursery Floyd | Though it hardly looks like the kind of room you spent your childhood Floyd | in, your sixth sense tags this room as a nursery. It's hard to find a Floyd | logical reason for your flight of fancy though; there's a table, chair, Floyd | and a small but comfortable bed, but there are no bars on the solitary Floyd | window, and certainly few things that look like toys. Unless they're Floyd | all inside that wardrobe or the dresser over there, that is. Floyd | Floyd | On the metal table is a brief letter. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "We did look at the note in the front room. It was a graph of stability vs. age." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I think we saw a note in this place." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But not in the surgery place." | ||||
| ls says, "roger" | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "take letter" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "kiss it" | ||||
Floyd | You can only do that to something animate. Floyd | Floyd | > | ls asks, "to the crumbling floor then?" | |||
| DavidW asks, "You mean the bedroom?" | ||||
| ls says, "yea, that's what I meant :)" | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Nursery Floyd | Though it hardly looks like the kind of room you spent your childhood Floyd | in, your sixth sense tags this room as a nursery. It's hard to find a Floyd | logical reason for your flight of fancy though; there's a table, chair, Floyd | and a small but comfortable bed, but there are no bars on the solitary Floyd | window, and certainly few things that look like toys. Unless they're Floyd | all inside that wardrobe or the dresser over there, that is. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "l through window" | ||||
Floyd | You find nothing of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "x dresser" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing special, but it does look a bit older than the rest of the Floyd | furniture. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I think we've seen all we can here." | |||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "l under dresser" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing here, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "open it" | ||||
Floyd | Full marks for adventuring acumen, zero for courtesy. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "ok yeah" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I say move on." | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Under the Arch Floyd | Currently, you are standing underneath a tall and imposing arch, that Floyd | serves as a line of demarcation between the wide hall and the more Floyd | residential portion of the house. This small passageway leads further Floyd | north, south back into the hall, and runs on either side to the smaller Floyd | wings of the house. Floyd | There are no lights burning anywhere, except a dim glow off to the Floyd | east, and you can hear faint murmurs off to the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Corridor, Down the West Wing Floyd | A small corridor, leading from the vertical corridor down the middle of Floyd | the house to a darkened room. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | | olethros says, "so I guess the parents don't know anything about the child's disappearence at the moment" | |||
Floyd | Master Bedroom Floyd | You can't see much of the master bedroom, since it's dark; you can make Floyd | out the vague shadows of a writing-table and a dresser (how can you be Floyd | sure that that's what they are?), and a stately four-poster. Are there Floyd | two people in the bed, or are you imagining things? Only light can help Floyd | you here, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | There's a small switch on the west wall. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "x bed" | ||||
Floyd | A very stately piece of furniture, that would have been commonplace Floyd | about ten centuries ago. You can make out two figures in it, but Floyd | nothing else. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "x table" | ||||
Floyd | The presumed writing table is just a dark blot in one corner of the the Floyd | room, but it seems to have stacks of books on it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "get books from table" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "ask figures about bed" | ||||
Floyd | You can only do that to something animate. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "seems we must turn the switch on" | |||
| DavidW says, "I think we must, yes." | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "push switch" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | As you throw the switch, the two people in the bed stir slightly, and Floyd | sit upright..... Floyd | Floyd | They look even more familiar to you now, so familiar that you feel your Floyd | memory will return any moment. A man of slight build, academic in Floyd | appearance, in his late forties; a quiet- looking and intelligent woman Floyd | of about the same age. You know them......but you're not sure how.. Floyd | Floyd | "Would you mind", the man says indignantly, "explaining to us what Floyd | you're doing here?" Floyd | "Perhaps he's come from Mr. Author, Edward", the woman replies. Floyd | Floyd | And then you suddenly remember, with an almost painful clarity. Edward Floyd | and Laura. Literary critics. Thermoconditioners. Their Floyd | thirteen-year-old daughter, Simone. Familiar - of course. Floyd | Floyd | You created them......they're your characters. Characters in the Floyd | prologue of.......The Decline and Fall...... Floyd | Floyd | And suddenly, before you can even speak, the floor seems to crumble Floyd | beneath your feet... Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE......] | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Chapter Two - Errare Humanum Est Floyd | Floyd | Study Floyd | Though you've never seen this room in your life, you can't help but Floyd | feel a strong sense of d?ja vu about the entire place, as if you've Floyd | either lived here once or will live here at some time in the future. Floyd | Perhaps you've just moved in, because the room - apart from a solitary Floyd | table and an old wooden chair - is bare. Floyd | Floyd | The completed manuscript of The Decline And Fall of the Colonial Floyd | Empire, your new novel, lies on the table, sending waves of nausea Floyd | through you. Floyd | Floyd | You can also see a dustbin (which is empty) here. Floyd | Floyd | The very sight of the manuscript irks you. You feel impelled to Floyd | mutilate it in some way. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by thirteen points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "My notes indicate 10 chapters to the game." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Is anyone's client displaying accents in this game correctly? I thought I'd fixed that on my client, but it seems I've not." | ||||
| DavidW says, "My client has never been able to see the accents from ifmud." | ||||
| olethros says, "accents dont work but this is floyd->ifmud->tf crappery" | ||||
| Jacqueline nods. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x manuscript" | ||||
Floyd | Well, at least it's over. But you can't help but feel it's far, far Floyd | worse than your previous novel; it seems poorly written and Floyd | over-ambitious, and all the characters seem to have escaped from a Floyd | Reader's Digest back-issue. You know that's partly intentional - you Floyd | were trying to write a little positively, just for the heck of it - but Floyd | it still sets your teeth on edge. Floyd | Floyd | On second thoughts, perhaps a decent burial? You're not sure. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "hahaha all the characters seem to have escaped from a Reader's Digest back-issue." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "That's harsh." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take it" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | You stare longingly at the manuscript, wondering if it does deserve a Floyd | second chance. Floyd | Floyd | > | ls says, "I'm guessing we throw the manuscript away in the dustbin" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "eat nanuscript" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "eat manuscript" | ||||
Floyd | That's plainly inedible. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to ls), "Good idea." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "put manuscript in bin." | ||||
Floyd | With a decisive sigh, you hurl the Empire and its hapless inhabitants Floyd | into the dustbin. Time enough for it to be thrown out later......you Floyd | haven't slept in days. Floyd | Floyd | You stagger to your bed, and drift away slowly....you can feel yourself Floyd | floating.... Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE....] | Jacqueline says, "Wow. That was quick." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Do we want to undo?" | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chapter Three - Driving With Your Eyes Closed Floyd | Floyd | On a lonely highway, in the back seat Floyd | You are bound hand and foot, completely helpless, in what would appear Floyd | to be the back seat of a slightly outmoded car. The front seat is Floyd | obviously occupied, but it's so unnaturally high that you can't see Floyd | beyond it. Looking out of the window reveals quiet scenery, typical of Floyd | the average English countryside. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by four points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Study Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ls says, "wow, that was a very quick chapter" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x desk" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to ls), "Yeah. Think I'm going to poke around at least a few more turns there." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x table" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | inky says, "floyd probably has his charset done wrong" | |||
| ls says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Study Floyd | Though you've never seen this room in your life, you can't help but Floyd | feel a strong sense of d?ja vu about the entire place, as if you've Floyd | either lived here once or will live here at some time in the future. Floyd | Perhaps you've just moved in, because the room - apart from a solitary Floyd | table and an old wooden chair - is bare. Floyd | Floyd | You can see a dustbin (which is empty) here. Floyd | Floyd | You try telling yourself that someone will actually be interested in Floyd | it, but you know that's self- delusion. Forty-six copies for a Floyd | four-hundred-page novel is not an impressive statistic, and things can Floyd | only get worse. The sooner you put the damned thing in the trash can, Floyd | the better it will be. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I'm gonna get a sandwich. afk for a bit." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Um, there's a table." | ||||
| inky says, "this might fix the accents" | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Study Floyd | Though you've never seen this room in your life, you can't help but Floyd | feel a strong sense of d?ja vu about the entire place, as if you've Floyd | either lived here once or will live here at some time in the future. Floyd | Perhaps you've just moved in, because the room - apart from a solitary Floyd | table and an old wooden chair - is bare. Floyd | Floyd | You can see a dustbin (which is empty) here. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks (of inky), "Oh yeah?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x me" | ||||
Floyd | Harold Banks, auteur manqu?. Floyd | Floyd | > | ls asks, "I didn't read "the sooner you put the damned thing in the trash can..." before - was it there?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Woo" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to inky), "Thanks!" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "look in bin" | ||||
Floyd | You've been doing little discarding of late. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to ls), "No, I think we left before the PC got that far in their internal struggle." | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "take bin" | ||||
Floyd | That's fixed in place. Floyd | Floyd | > | ls nods | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "read manuscrip" | ||||
Floyd | You turn a few pages. You laugh slightly as you pass the comic Floyd | prologue, which seems to be much better written than the six hundred Floyd | and fifty pages following it, but the minute you hit Chapter One, you Floyd | feel like ripping the damned thing to pieces. And kicking yourself for Floyd | writing such uninspired baloney. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "kick myself" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Time passes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Time passes. Floyd | Floyd | > | Fang asks, "What are we playing? How much have I missed?" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "look under desk" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "look under bin" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing here, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I was hoping there'd be more internal struggle." | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Study Floyd | Though you've never seen this room in your life, you can't help but Floyd | feel a strong sense of d?ja vu about the entire place, as if you've Floyd | either lived here once or will live here at some time in the future. Floyd | Perhaps you've just moved in, because the room - apart from a solitary Floyd | table and an old wooden chair - is bare. Floyd | Floyd | You can see a dustbin (which is empty) here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "look under chair" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a completed manuscript Floyd | a blue shawl Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | No way. That manuscript is not going to leave this room alive. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Fang), "Halothane by Ravi Rajkumar." | |||
| inky says, "halothane, and a fair amount" | ||||
| inky says, "things start an hour ago these days" | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "put manuscript in bin" | ||||
Floyd | With a decisive sigh, you hurl the Empire and its hapless inhabitants Floyd | into the dustbin. Time enough for it to be thrown out later......you Floyd | haven't slept in days. Floyd | Floyd | You stagger to your bed, and drift away slowly....you can feel yourself Floyd | floating.... Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE....] | Jacqueline says, "Yeah, we've been starting at 2 Eastern." | |||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chapter Three - Driving With Your Eyes Closed Floyd | Floyd | On a lonely highway, in the back seat Floyd | You are bound hand and foot, completely helpless, in what would appear Floyd | to be the back seat of a slightly outmoded car. The front seat is Floyd | obviously occupied, but it's so unnaturally high that you can't see Floyd | beyond it. Looking out of the window reveals quiet scenery, typical of Floyd | the average English countryside. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by four points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "scream" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ls says, "afk" | |||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "say help" | ||||
Floyd | (to yourself) Floyd | There is no reply. Floyd | Floyd | You can hear voices from the front seat, and strain to listen to them. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | You strain to hear the drivers' voices. Floyd | Floyd | "Ah, yes, you're the Author. You presume to know everything", one voice Floyd | says - an elderly voice, rebuking in tone, probably a man's. "But you Floyd | still have to convince me." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | You strain to hear the drivers' voices. Floyd | Floyd | "What convincing?" the man addressed as the Author says with a swagger. Floyd | "Trouble with these chaps is, they can't handle reality. They create Floyd | something, and are content to leave it at that - they don't realise the Floyd | magnitude of the responsibility they have assumed. Creation is not Floyd | static, as you know." Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | You strain to hear the drivers' voices. Floyd | Floyd | "Reality?" The older man sounds puzzled. "I wonder what you mean by Floyd | that, my friend. To the people I meet every day - those I preside over, Floyd | in fact, this is reality. It's all a question of one's point of view." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "x me" | ||||
Floyd | Harold Banks, auteur manqu?. Floyd | Floyd | "Exactly what I do. The way I see it, friend, all of us are characters Floyd | at one level or the other. We make up one level; the people we create Floyd | make up the next level; and so on. You don't fit into that scheme, of Floyd | course - shall we say you are above such things?" Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "yes" | ||||
Floyd | That was a rhetorical question. Floyd | Floyd | "Quite right. I was years in the making. I have changed forms, assumed Floyd | different identities, occupied different places, both physical and in Floyd | the minds of our citizens, based on the imaginations of all those who Floyd | shaped me. My essence has not changed - it is only the popular Floyd | perception of me that has." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Fang says (to Floyd), "you're a one dimensional plastiche, bastard" | ||||
Floyd | You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "move hands" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "free myself" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | You strain to hear the drivers' voices. Floyd | Floyd | "Anyway, I've profiled our friend in the rear. Nothing wrong with him Floyd | that a little exposure couldn't fix. He's not psychotic, or unstable, Floyd | or anything like that." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "talk to driver" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "ask author about driver" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "He likes to profile our friend in the rear AMATNG." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to olethros), "See? I can be naughty silly, too." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | inky says, "ha ha" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x men" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "heh, page alex about amatng" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x scenery" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ls exclaims, "got to take off for now - thanks for an intro look at Halothane!" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "uncanny x men" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ls has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | Taleslinger says, "bye, ls" | |||
| Jacqueline is eating breakfast now, but reading along in her book. You can enter another command when you hear the IF Fairy's wand go TINKLE. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Sorry. I mean, I'm reading along." | ||||
| olethros has disconnected. | ||||
| olethros was too old and infirm for your purpose. | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Time passes. Floyd | Floyd | "Then why did he destroy all those people?", the old man asks, bemused. Floyd | "To leave the fates of forty-five million people hanging in the balance Floyd | - that is not the act of a sane man, Author." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Okay, I'm done." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "You were *supposed* to free us from our predicament while I was eating, T." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I guess I'll have to do it." | ||||
| Jacqueline sighs. | ||||
| olethros arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "rock and roll" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x seat" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x car" | ||||
Floyd | A polarized glass window through which you can see a peaceful-looking Floyd | countryside. Floyd | Floyd | "There is such a thing as want of confidence.....Here, that 's enough! Floyd | We've arrived. Take our friend out gently, Padre. Don't let him see you Floyd | though. Not now." Floyd | Floyd | With these words, the old man - you cannot see him, still, as he shines Floyd | a light in your eyes - unties your bonds, and gently but firmly escorts Floyd | you out of the vehicle. You hear a faint hum of engines, and the car Floyd | drives away. You now find yourself... Floyd | Floyd | Open Field Floyd | A pleasant expanse of grass, limited in extent; to your east, west and Floyd | south you see high granite walls, but a footpath leads north. The sun Floyd | beams down upon you. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by eight points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "There." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I, um, solved it." | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | I beg your pardon? Floyd | Floyd | > | inky says, "another brilliant solve" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh, no space button." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to inky), "Thank you very much." | ||||
| olethros says, "hehehehe hehe hehe waah" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So now we're bound and in a field and alone." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "At night, the ice weasels will come." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So we'd better get out of this before nightfall." | ||||
| inky says, "no, we're untied" | ||||
| olethros says, "I thought he shined a light in our eyes and yet the sun beams down upon us like.." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "stand" | ||||
Floyd | But you aren't in anything at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "x me" | ||||
Floyd | Harold Banks, auteur manqu?. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "go home" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "x sun" | ||||
Floyd | Looking at the sun directly would blind you, so you content yourself Floyd | with a quick, indirect glance. It seems to be in fine form. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Meadow Floyd | Exactly what you'd expect from the field, the meadow looks like an Floyd | excellent spot for a picnic. Acres and acres of grass stretch around Floyd | you. A footpath leads further north, but a barbed-wire fence blocks Floyd | your progress in other directions, except the way you came from, south. Floyd | The shadow that the fence casts forms, strangely enough, a handsome Floyd | border to the meadow. A single thin tree with a sign on it lies to your Floyd | immediate north, just before the footpath. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "We're.... I missed us getting untied." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x sign" | ||||
Floyd | It's just a small sign nailed to the tree, and hand-painted; not a work Floyd | of art by any stretch of imagination. It seems a little loose, and Floyd | droops to one side. The arrow on it paints to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read sign" | ||||
Floyd | THIS WAY TO THE VILLAGE - HEAD NORTH Floyd | Floyd | The Village is an International Heritage Site under the protection of Floyd | Sweeney and Stroll, Ltd. This is not a tourist resort, and attempts to Floyd | treat it as such are punishable by law. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "North or south?" | |||
| olethros asks, "we just came from the south did we not?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We did, but in a car." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "With strangers." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Who bound us." | ||||
| olethros says, "let's take the picturesque route now then" | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Open Field Floyd | A pleasant expanse of grass, limited in extent; to your east, west and Floyd | south you see high granite walls, but a footpath leads north. The sun Floyd | beams down upon you. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Not with that wall in the way. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "We could track them down and ... oh." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay." | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "climb wall" | ||||
Floyd | (the granite wall) Floyd | If you were fourteen feet tall and had a stepladder, perhaps. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "grow" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "I guess we are forced" | |||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "x walls" | ||||
Floyd | You see nothing special about the granite wall. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "poke wall" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Meadow Floyd | Exactly what you'd expect from the field, the meadow looks like an Floyd | excellent spot for a picnic. Acres and acres of grass stretch around Floyd | you. A footpath leads further north, but a barbed-wire fence blocks Floyd | your progress in other directions, except the way you came from, south. Floyd | The shadow that the fence casts forms, strangely enough, a handsome Floyd | border to the meadow. A single thin tree with a sign on it lies to your Floyd | immediate north, just before the footpath. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | You move to the north, and can make out the dim outline of a tribal Floyd | village - or something of the sort - in the distance, but before you Floyd | can move any further, you stop dead in your tracks, halted by the Floyd | apparition in front of you..... Floyd | Floyd | [depress SPACE......] | olethros says, "man man man this is such a huge textdump" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Apparition?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Spooky." | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | It's a small tin figurine. Staring at it in profile, it looks like a Floyd | 10p coin; but from the front it is indubitably a human likeness. Floyd | Floyd | "Not yet", the apparition admonishes you. "You are not ready to enter Floyd | the Village. You do not understand what lies ahead; and yet you once Floyd | knew......" Its head seems to nod briefly. Its voice is the same as Floyd | that of the older man in the car.....or are you imagining things? Floyd | Floyd | [depress SPACE......] | olethros says, "ahh it's The Village" | |||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | "Yes, you did", it goes on, before you can reply. "Perhaps what you Floyd | need, then, is to be shown the consequences of your actions. It is all Floyd | too easy, in your world as in mine, to see some of the consequences Floyd | without seeing the structure as a whole, to miss the wood for the Floyd | trees. But that is no excuse. Follow me, then....." Floyd | Floyd | Too numbed to reply, you follow the voice to the north; as you do so, Floyd | the village seems to disappear, and you walk down countless Floyd | intersections, until you reach your destination...... Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [depress SPACE] | olethros says, "I imagine Shalalala will be inside" | |||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chapter Four - Everything Can Change Floyd | Floyd | Cold city street, outside a house Floyd | You find yourself standing on the street of what seems to be a fairly Floyd | typical metropolis, with narrow alleys leading north, south and west. Floyd | It's bitterly cold - the temperature must be fairly close to freezing Floyd | point - and the threat of snow seems to increase with every passing Floyd | second. The only thing that brings an ounce of comfort to the scene is Floyd | the wall of the house you're standing outside, on which is a frosted Floyd | window (through which a light, albeit a dim one, escapes) to your east. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by eight points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "score" | ||||
Floyd | You have so far scored 56 out of a possible 360, in 204 turns, earning Floyd | you the rank of Talented Amateur. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "win" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "This does seem like a longish game for Floyd." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Hour and a half in, one seventh of the points achieved." | ||||
| inky says, "you're only on chapter four? I guess it's going to be a while" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Perhaps the next chapter we get 304 points." | ||||
| inky says, "yeah, but you don't have any kids" | ||||
| inky says, "er" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "er" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "NO HINTS" | ||||
| olethros says, "just press space" | ||||
| inky says, "assume the chapters are your children" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, then I have four." | ||||
| inky says, "man, I hope you have a minivan then" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x window" | ||||
Floyd | It's a large, old-fashioned, frosted window, which time hasn't been Floyd | very kind to. The windowsill looks dusty and neglected, and there seems Floyd | to be no locking mechanism attached to the window itself. Behind the Floyd | window you can make out a low light - nothing else. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I have one of those Volkswagon busses." | |||
| olethros says, "man I am glad this game has no sequel" | ||||
| inky says, "halothane 2: DEATHMATCH" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look through window" | ||||
Floyd | Sorry, but it's closed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open window" | ||||
Floyd | As you open the window you can make out the shadows cast by a fireplace Floyd | on a wall, tracing out a sofa, a table, and a stooped figure in the Floyd | sofa itself. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look through window" | ||||
Floyd | Peering into the window, you can make out that the figure is a Floyd | middle-aged woman; nothing more. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x woman" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "um" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x middle-aged woman" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "break window" | ||||
Floyd | Deliquency has few merits in this situation. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "open window" | ||||
Floyd | That's already open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "enter window" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living-room, inside the house Floyd | The room is dark, which is more a consequence of its size than of Floyd | anything else; certainly the fireplace in the far corner is doing its Floyd | best to illuminate its surroundings. Shadows loom around you - a table, Floyd | an unlit chandelier, a sofa, a figure - and, in spite of the actual Floyd | physical warmth of your surroundings, you feel a palpable chill. The Floyd | rest of the room lies to your east, where the sofa casting the shadow Floyd | actually lies. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros asks, "hmm?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Nothing, I guess the woman wasn't in scope." | ||||
| inky says, "ha ha" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x woman" | ||||
Floyd | Peering closely at the shadow of the figure on the sofa, you can see Floyd | that it is the figure of a tall woman. Floyd | Floyd | > | inky says, ""the woman wasn't in scope" sounds like a good way to describe a bad date" | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "touch shadow" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, the circular shadow, the sofa's shadow, the table's Floyd | shadow or the woman's shadow? Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "heh" | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "woman's" | ||||
Floyd | You feel nothing unexpected. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros asks, "the shadow of a figure?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I believe you mean 'the woman doesn't USE scope,' inky." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "er, Scope." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "(Which is a brand of mouthwash here, for those of foreign lands.)" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "Then, heh." | ||||
| olethros says, "oh, ah, hm, heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | You can hear faint music every now and then, but the tune seems to come Floyd | and go in fits and starts, instead of flowing on evenly. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "wake up woman" | ||||
Floyd | You can only do that to something animate. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "date woman" | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "touch woman" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | You feel nothing unexpected. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x table" | ||||
Floyd | A small table in the centre of the hall, of an old-fashioned design. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x sofa" | ||||
Floyd | You can only make out one arm of the sofa at an angle, but the person Floyd | sitting in it is out of your sight. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "sit" | ||||
Floyd | What do you want to sit on top of? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "sofa" | ||||
Floyd | To sit on the sofa, you'll have to move to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Hesitantly, you move to the east.... Floyd | Floyd | By The Fireside Floyd | The east end of the hall receives considerably greater illumination Floyd | from the fireplace, with the result that the impression of obscurity Floyd | seems to have been momentarily dispelled. Apart from the other side of Floyd | the hall, though, there are no visible exits. Of course, there are Floyd | doors to the north and south, but they're both boarded up, and will Floyd | probably never be opened again. Floyd | Floyd | "Good evening, Mr. Banks", the woman says quietly. "I've been expecting Floyd | you. Do take a seat", she says, motioning you towards the sofa. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "bah" | |||
| Taleslinger says, "I am thinking of the oracle scene in matrix reloaded." | ||||
| olethros says, "god help us" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "sit" | ||||
Floyd | What do you want to sit on top of? Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "at least there is no spoon" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "woman" | ||||
Floyd | That's not something you can enter. Floyd | "Don't be afraid", she goes on. "My sole purpose in being here was to Floyd | answer your questions - assuming you have any." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "sit on sofa" | ||||
Floyd | You sit down on the sofa, next to Simone. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger asks, "woman about author" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "ask woman about author" | ||||
Floyd | "I only saw him once, on the night I had to make my escape from our Floyd | house in Europe. He was, I should say, in his late thirties, and by no Floyd | means lacking in confidence." Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros asks, "was that the little girl in the bedroom scene?" | |||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "ask woman about parents" | ||||
Floyd | "Fortunately", Simone sighs, "my father didn't have to be put through Floyd | all this - he was dead at the end of your novel. My mother, however, Floyd | was instrumental in bringing you here, so that you might help us Floyd | escape." Floyd | "Perhaps you're wondering what I'm doing here, Mr. Banks, and that's a Floyd | natural question. But I'm afraid that you might not take my answer very Floyd | seriously." Floyd | Floyd | She laughs gently. Floyd | Floyd | "You see, Mr. Banks, what most authors don't realise is that the Floyd | characters they create actually do take on a life of their own. I mean Floyd | this not theoretically, but literally. We exist in a parallel Floyd | dimension; we lead the lives that you outline for us - and I must thank Floyd | you for doing a commendable job there. However, when a work in Floyd | progress, a work nearing completion, is abandoned......things begin to Floyd | change. We become.......reassigned. To new writers. We take on new Floyd | identities - superficially, that is, for we retain the personalities Floyd | with which we were originally created - and end up in places like this. Floyd | Unlike many people, however, we were warned of the oncoming disaster, Floyd | and managed to lessen the blow in time. All of our creations - those Floyd | from your novel about the Empire, at least - have been relocated. And" Floyd | - she laughs, ironically - "knowing what passes for writing in your Floyd | days, Mr. Banks, you can imagine the roles we have to play. Floyd | Fortunately, there is a solution to all this." Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "which is to write a prequel!" | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "ask woman about solution" | ||||
Floyd | "It's a little difficult to explain, Mr. Banks, simply because I don't Floyd | really know everything - but what it amounts to is that your presence Floyd | here will serve to reverse the actions of those who've been taking your Floyd | place." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "ask woman about date" | ||||
Floyd | "I'm sorry, Mr. Banks", Simone says, regretfully, "but I can't help you Floyd | with that." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "ask woman about me" | ||||
Floyd | "You did excellently, Mr. Banks", Simone says appreciatively. "In an Floyd | age when everyone was sunk in gloom, you created a world which could Floyd | actually be enjoyed by its inhabitants. You had no reason to stop." Floyd | Floyd | Simone glances at you surreptitiously, with something of an air of Floyd | wonder. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "ask woman about old mAN" | ||||
Floyd | "I'm sorry, Mr. Banks", Simone says, regretfully, "but I can't help you Floyd | with that." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "ask woman about old xyzzy" | ||||
Floyd | "I'm sorry, Mr. Banks", Simone says, regretfully, "but I can't help you Floyd | with that." Floyd | Floyd | "You seem a little uncertain as to how to proceed", Simone says, Floyd | calmly. "Never mind that - you'll find out in good time. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Tall and named Simone? Not Matrix... think PeeWee's Big Adventure." | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "ask woman about xyzzy" | ||||
Floyd | "I'm sorry, Mr. Banks", Simone says, regretfully, "but I can't help you Floyd | with that." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "ask woman about manuscript" | ||||
Floyd | "I really find it hard to understand why you destroyed it, Mr. Banks. Floyd | Of course, you didn't know what you were doing then." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "ask woman about book" | ||||
Floyd | "I really find it hard to understand why you destroyed it, Mr. Banks. Floyd | Of course, you didn't know what you were doing then." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "tell her about book" | ||||
Floyd | "No matter what your opinion of it, Mr. Banks", Simone replies, "you Floyd | shouldn't have done that. In a way...." Floyd | Floyd | She pauses. Floyd | Floyd | "You see - this takes some explaining, but I'm glad you brought it up. Floyd | As long as at least one author continues to develop his stories, his Floyd | characters in a particular style, that particular - how shall I put it Floyd | - strain continues to exist in this dimension, and - under suitable Floyd | circumstances - influences the others, including your world. By Floyd | finishing your novel, Mr. Banks, you could have tipped the scales in Floyd | our favour." Floyd | Floyd | "Strange as this world seems, it is real, Mr. Banks", Simone replies. Floyd | "We do have a parallel world of our own - one that fluctuates and Floyd | changes according to the whims of the authors in your dimension, where Floyd | only those social structures that prove to be stable actually survive." Floyd | She smiles. "That's something to be proud of. And the very fact that Floyd | you're here proves that we can actually interact with your dimension, Floyd | and even change it." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Man, I hope maga never plays this." | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "tell her about world" | ||||
Floyd | Simone listens attentively while you tell her some of the plot points Floyd | of your future works. "They sound excellent, Mr. Banks, just like your Floyd | last book." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "He starts to write stuff and then abandons it all the time." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "He has thus fouled up countless parallel worlds." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "; this'll teach him then" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "tell her about me" | ||||
Floyd | I don't think Simone, patient as she is, really wants to hear your life Floyd | story. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "tell her about her" | ||||
Floyd | Simone listens to you, but does not reply. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "kiss her" | ||||
Floyd | Whether or not she resembles Galatea, you're no Pygmalion. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "attack her" | ||||
Floyd | A cowardly and unprovoked act. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask her about her" | ||||
Floyd | "I'm sorry, Mr. Banks", Simone says, regretfully, "but I can't help you Floyd | with that." Floyd | Floyd | "Enough time has passed, Mr. Banks", Simone says, getting up from the Floyd | sofa. "It is time for you to move on." She hands you a small black Floyd | object, which on examination turns out to be a fountain-pen. Floyd | Floyd | "This may sound ridiculous", she goes on, smiling, "but you may find Floyd | this pen far, far more useful than you can ever imagine. I am not sure Floyd | what is in store for you - I know some of the details, but I can't Floyd | explain them to you now. Whatever dangers may await you, I am quite Floyd | sure that you'll succeed." Floyd | Floyd | The whole room seems to dissolve, and you can just make out two more Floyd | words: "Good luck" - before the voice that was speaking to you all the Floyd | time is replaced by silence.....You find yourself floating, not in Floyd | space, but in a liquid of some sort..... Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Please press SPACE] | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chapter Five - The Far Horizon Floyd | Floyd | Red Lake Floyd | You are half-swimming, half-drowning, in a lake filled with a deep red Floyd | fluid of some sort. Currents arround you lead north, south and west, Floyd | and at the bottom of the lake - it's rather shallow - is, surprise of Floyd | surprises, a trapdoor. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by twenty points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "back." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Allo." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x door" | ||||
Floyd | A small trapdoor, seemingly embedded in the lake's bed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "swim" | ||||
Floyd | You never knew how to, and a weird red lake's hardly the best Floyd | starting-point. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | You thrash around for a few minutes, but make no progress. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf2" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "drink fluid" | ||||
Floyd | Actually, the flavour isn't entirely unpleasant; it reminds you of Floyd | pomegranate juice, or something like it. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I hate pomegranate juice." | |||
| DavidW says, "really? I like it" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "maga drinks pomegranate tea all the time and I hate the smell." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And then he bought some pomegranate ice cream." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I think it's more the smell that puts me off." | ||||
| DavidW says, "There's pomegranate soda too." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But to eat something, you pretty much have to smell it." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "So, the trap door, I guess?" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "not when you have a cold" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to T), "True." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | You open the trapdoor in the red lake. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "or an absurdly low smelling sense, like me" | |||
| Corporal_Touchy arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floating On Clouds Floyd | You're floating above a city whose identity is unknown to you, walking Floyd | on what seems to be a cloud but is actually much sturdier. The clouded Floyd | path leads further north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "walk on sunshine" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Clouds. Under a lake." | |||
| Taleslinger says, "i am thinking of super mario bros." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "And abandoning me?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Wah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "okay, though." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "(Like I can stop you.)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Before a Gate Floyd | You are standing in front of a large, barred gate that seems to open Floyd | into a mansion - or at least a large residence - of some sort. Peering Floyd | through the bars you can make out the outlines of trees and a statue, | Taleslinger says, "because of the clouds, lady." | |||
Floyd | but no actual building. To your east, a smaller lane runs into Floyd | darkness. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh..." | |||
| DavidW says, "oh. I thought he was saying the clouds reminded him of the game." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "See, it made me think of Stardust." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Which I just read." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "I was!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "He was, I'm just much too gullible." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x gate" | ||||
Floyd | A large, imposing, barred, gilded gate, closed quite firmly. Whether it Floyd | is locked or not is uncertain. There is a sign on it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read sign" | ||||
Floyd | The inscription on the gate reads: Floyd | Floyd | Where there is no lock, there can be no key. Floyd | You might as well wait for the gate to rust, Floyd | But who can dissolve the King's crown? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a fountain-pen Floyd | a blue shawl Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open gate" | ||||
Floyd | You try opening the gate, but it doesn't seem to open in the usual way. Floyd | A voice seems to float around your ears, saying : "The solution is not Floyd | here, Harold." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x pen" | ||||
Floyd | A simple fountain-pen, of the sort you used to write your second and Floyd | third novels - in fact you're not quite sure if it's the same pen. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "write on shawl" | ||||
Floyd | For a writer of your calibre, graffiti is a come-down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floating On Clouds Floyd | You're floating above a city whose identity is unknown to you, walking Floyd | on what seems to be a cloud but is actually much sturdier. The clouded Floyd | path leads further north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x city" | ||||
Floyd | The clouds surround you and actually form the ground under your feet, Floyd | blocking the view of the city you thought you saw below. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Before a Gate Floyd | You are standing in front of a large, barred gate that seems to open Floyd | into a mansion - or at least a large residence - of some sort. Peering Floyd | through the bars you can make out the outlines of trees and a statue, Floyd | but no actual building. To your east, a smaller lane runs into Floyd | darkness. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Narrow Side-Lane Floyd | Standing on the lane, you can now actually make out that it isn't dark Floyd | at all, and in fact continues to grow brighter as it runs further east. Floyd | In the distance you can make out the outline of a tall tower. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In An Open Field Floyd | A vast, wide open field, completely covered with overgrown grass, and Floyd | with only two well-trodden paths interrupting the carpet; one to the Floyd | north towards a tall building, and one straight down the middle of the Floyd | field, to the east, leading towards the tower. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| inky has left. | Jacqueline asks, "Oh?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "ILAC" | ||||
| Corporal_Touchy goes home. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | At The Base Of The Stairs Floyd | You are at the base of a spiral staircase that leads up to a tall Floyd | tower, which would make a passable lighthouse if it weren't on dry Floyd | land. The stairway leads up, while the path that brought you here runs Floyd | back, to the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Outside The Tower Floyd | Standing at the top of a spiral staircase, a crude hole cut in the wall Floyd | of the tower, to your east, beckons you in; the stairway leads back Floyd | down to solid ground. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Laboratory Floyd | The sights inside the tower are nothing less than breath-taking. They Floyd | remind you in some eerie manner of an alchemist's laboratory, with Floyd | glass tubes and bulbs, filled with liquids of every conceivable colour, Floyd | arrayed along the four walls. In one corner of the room, a huge brass Floyd | pot is boiling, and emits multicoloured fumes; in another lies a crude Floyd | stone table. There seems to be no way to reach the lower levels of the Floyd | tower, and the only exit is to the west. Floyd | Floyd | On the crude stone table is a small glass bottle. Floyd | Floyd | Abandoned amidst all this splendour is a small key. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "takey k then x it" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take key" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "take k then x it" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x key" | ||||
Floyd | A nondescript small key, made of some indeterminate metal. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take bottle" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x bottle" | ||||
Floyd | A small glass bottle, which is currently closed quite tightly. It has Floyd | some faded writing on it, which you can just about decipher. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says (to jacq), "thank you" | |||
| Jacqueline smiles. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read bottle" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | AQUA REGIA Floyd | Floyd | Will Dissolve Silver, Gold, and Just About Everything Else Floyd | Use With Extreme Caution Floyd | Floyd | [Not Approved by the FDA For the Treatment of Jealousy.] Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW | But who can dissolve the King's crown? | The alchemist can, cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good. | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x table" | ||||
Floyd | A roughly-hewn, crude stone table, standing stolidly in one corner of Floyd | the laboratory. Floyd | Floyd | > | inky says, "ha ha" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "heehee" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x fumes" | ||||
Floyd | A small glass bottle, which is currently closed quite tightly. It has Floyd | some faded writing on it, which you can just about decipher. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "To the gate!" | |||
| Taleslinger asks, "right?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Where's the crown, though?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Was it on the gate?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I saw the sign, but not the crown of which it spoke." | ||||
| DavidW says, "er, I don't think the aqua regia is for the gate. But not sure." | ||||
| Taleslinger asks, "maybe search the other part?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Drive the Floydbus, T." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Outside The Tower Floyd | Standing at the top of a spiral staircase, a crude hole cut in the wall Floyd | of the tower, to your east, beckons you in; the stairway leads back Floyd | down to solid ground. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "hm hmmmm missed a lot" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | At The Base Of The Stairs Floyd | You are at the base of a spiral staircase that leads up to a tall Floyd | tower, which would make a passable lighthouse if it weren't on dry Floyd | land. The stairway leads up, while the path that brought you here runs Floyd | back, to the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In An Open Field Floyd | A vast, wide open field, completely covered with overgrown grass, and Floyd | with only two well-trodden paths interrupting the carpet; one to the Floyd | north towards a tall building, and one straight down the middle of the Floyd | field, to the east, leading towards the tower. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Outside a Building Floyd | You are in the immediate periphery of a large building, whose nature is Floyd | - at least, at the moment - a mystery to you. Barring the board above Floyd | the building and the rusty door to the north, there are no windows or Floyd | ornaments of any kind. Floyd | Floyd | The rusty door is quite definitely closed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x door" | ||||
Floyd | A small, rusty, metal door, with a tiny keyhole. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "unlock door with small key" | ||||
Floyd | You unlock the door to the building. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | (first opening the door) Floyd | Floyd | Inside The Building Floyd | The inside of the building looks totally deserted, and the dim corridor Floyd | running further north looms in front of you ominously. An intersecting Floyd | corridor, present at a strangely early stage, runs east to west. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Where did you leave off, again?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I can catch you up fairly quickly, methinks." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I missed all of chapters 3 and 4." | ||||
| olethros asks, "did something more than boring stuff happen?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In a deserted classroom Floyd | Judging by the rows of chairs, desks and disused benches scattered Floyd | haphazardly around the room, you'd venture to guess that this once was Floyd | a schoolroom, or at least a classroom of some sort. There is nothing Floyd | else though - not even a teacher's desk - to interrupt the monotony. Floyd | The exit lies to the east. Floyd | Floyd | In one corner of the room is a tall blackboard. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x blackboard" | ||||
Floyd | A blackboard, with some writing on it. It seems quite firmly anchored Floyd | to the underlying wall. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read it" | ||||
Floyd | ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL STUDENTS AND POSTGRADUATES Floyd | Floyd | Dreamscapes Publishing House, in spite of its reputation of providing Floyd | honest, historical entertainment for millennia, has been shut down by Floyd | orders of the G.H.T. All classes on the design of past worlds are Floyd | henceforth suspended. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "the other sure does have a thing for writing on stuff" | |||
| Taleslinger says, "s /other/author" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "G.H.T.? Has that been seen before?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, I think the important bits are that we tossed a manuscript in the trash, then met up with this Oracle like lady who did not bake us cookies but did tell us that when we abandon writing work we abandon parallel worlds which then flounder and we shouldn't do that, so stop, and here's a fountain pen that will be useful. Then we were kidnapped by some angry characters and abandoned in a field, or maybe that came before the Oracle chyk but it doesn't matter, and now we've gone through a trapdoor in the bottom of a pomegranate lake into a cloud city and have a puzzle to solve about dissolving a king's crown." | ||||
| inky says, "hee hee" | ||||
| inky says, "ok then" | ||||
| olethros says, "oh my we have no pen" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Man, this game didn't seem really weird until I typed all that out." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a small glass bottle Floyd | a small metal key Floyd | a fountain-pen Floyd | a blue shawl Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "we had" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "We have then pen, yeah." | ||||
| DavidW says, "er, we have it" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x fountain-pen" | ||||
Floyd | A simple fountain-pen, of the sort you used to write your second and Floyd | third novels - in fact you're not quite sure if it's the same pen. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x desks" | ||||
Floyd | That's just scenery. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Inside The Building Floyd | The inside of the building looks totally deserted, and the dim corridor Floyd | running further north looms in front of you ominously. An intersecting Floyd | corridor, present at a strangely early stage, runs east to west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In a deserted storeroom Floyd | This room was once a storeroom, but - barring a cardboard box in one Floyd | corner - it is now as bare as it can conceivably be. There are no Floyd | windows, no ventilator vents, and the only exit is back out to the Floyd | west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x box" | ||||
Floyd | An overfilled cardboard crate, left understandably open. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "I wonder if the author has written anything for nanonwrimo" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look in it" | ||||
Floyd | You search among the old paper, shattered glass and other debris for a Floyd | while, but finally unearth a worn leather handbag, in fairly good Floyd | condition considering where it's been stored. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by five points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says (to Jacqueline), "thanks for the recap" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take handbag" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x it" | ||||
Floyd | A worn leather handbag with a broken clasp ornamented in gold foil, Floyd | weakly closed. It seems to have no pockets, decoration or other Floyd | distinctive features. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open it" | ||||
Floyd | You open the leather handbag, revealing a lacy handkerchief and a small Floyd | microfilm badge. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Certainly, o." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x badge" | ||||
Floyd | A small microfilm badge, that can be easily worn, and that obviously Floyd | serves as a form of ID, though you're not sure what for. There is no Floyd | photograph, just a few markings, and the name "Harvey Price". Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "wear badge" | ||||
Floyd | (first taking the small microfilm badge) Floyd | You put on the small microfilm badge. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x lacy" | ||||
Floyd | A lacy, frilled, woman's handkerchief, of a style popular about a Floyd | hundred years ago - counting from your time, that is. In one corner is Floyd | a name : "Marguerite". Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x foil" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Are these names familiar? Harvey Price? Marguerite?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Hm, I don't think so." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search box" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing else in the crate, and I must warn you that that glass is going Floyd | to cut your hands if you mess around with it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x glass" | ||||
Floyd | (the small glass bottle) Floyd | A small glass bottle, which is currently closed quite tightly. It has Floyd | some faded writing on it, which you can just about decipher. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Inside The Building Floyd | The inside of the building looks totally deserted, and the dim corridor Floyd | running further north looms in front of you ominously. An intersecting Floyd | corridor, present at a strangely early stage, runs east to west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | You walk boldly to the north, and hear a loud voice saying, "Good Floyd | morning, Mr. Price. Welcome. Your usual places have been reserved. Floyd | Welcome to the adventure of your choice. Floyd | Floyd | And then the wall dissolves, and you find yourself in the building no Floyd | longer.... Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE...] | Jacqueline says, "my" | |||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | DavidW says, "hoo boy" | |||
Floyd | Floyd | Third Interposition - A Romantic Interlude Floyd | Floyd | Boudoir Floyd | Though you never really knew what a boudoir was, this certainly looks Floyd | like one - or at least its popular conception. The lounge and divan in Floyd | opposite corners of the room, covered in cushions, the fine curtains on Floyd | the windows, the massive bed, the dresser near the bed - this is almost Floyd | a textbook room. There's even a Louis XVI chair here. Floyd | Floyd | The door out of the room is closed. Floyd | Floyd | You can hear voices from behind the door, but cannot make out what they Floyd | are saying. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by sixteen points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "boom-chicka-boom-boom" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf3" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "I am thinking of 2001." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | You are unable to do so. Floyd | Floyd | For some inexplicable reason, you feel a trifle sleepy. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "listen door" | ||||
Floyd | In the distance you can make out a lute being played, but you're not Floyd | sure if it isn't a mandolin. Floyd | Floyd | You hear a scream - or was it air rushing out of a balloon? Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "hehe, agatha christie" | |||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "knock on door" | ||||
Floyd | No reply, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | You hear a dull thumping against the door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | In the distance you can make out a lute being played, but you're not Floyd | sure if it isn't a mandolin. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "oh lala" | |||
| Gerynar arrives, full of fun and funk. | Taleslinger asks, "try sleeping?" | |||
| DavidW says, "Or search the room." | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "put ear on door" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Can always save first." | |||
| olethros says, "we just did" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Boudoir Floyd | Though you never really knew what a boudoir was, this certainly looks Floyd | like one - or at least its popular conception. The lounge and divan in Floyd | opposite corners of the room, covered in cushions, the fine curtains on Floyd | the windows, the massive bed, the dresser near the bed - this is almost Floyd | a textbook room. There's even a Louis XVI chair here. Floyd | Floyd | The door out of the room is closed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "look under bed" | ||||
Floyd | You look under the bed, and pull out a cloth-bound journal. Floyd | Floyd | "Giacomo!", you hear someone shouting. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "open cushion" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "look under lounge" | ||||
Floyd | That's just scenery. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "look under chair" | ||||
Floyd | Perfumed dust. (What were you expecting?) Floyd | Floyd | "Begone with you!", another voice shouts. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x window" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x windows" | ||||
Floyd | That's just scenery. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x dresser" | ||||
Floyd | A small dresser by the bed-side, with a single drawer, which is closed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open drawer" | ||||
Floyd | You open the small, delicate dresser, revealing a pile of letters and a Floyd | handwritten note. Floyd | Floyd | You hear the clash of metal on metal. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read handwritten note" | ||||
Floyd | Dear Harold, Floyd | Floyd | I must appreciate, at this stage, your perspicacity. Obviously my Floyd | friend, the Author, is totally wrong about you - he thinks you're a sad Floyd | sheep, when actually you're nothing of the kind. Well, what I wanted to Floyd | say was about the letters. Sorry if I pinched dear Margot's letters Floyd | from Giacomo, but they have nothing to do with your quest. Enjoy these Floyd | letters en lieu - and if you can't, send them to your publisher. Floyd | Floyd | Best wishes, Floyd | The Little Tin God. Floyd | Floyd | Intriguing, to say the least. Floyd | Floyd | You hear the clash of metal on metal. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Ooh - perspicacity." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x letters" | ||||
Floyd | These letters are disappointing, to say the least. They don't fit in Floyd | with the room's d?cor at all - they're written by a man named Clinton, Floyd | or something of the sort, and though they purport to be love letters, Floyd | all they do is detail the symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis. Boring. Floyd | On the other hand, it'd make an excellent post-modern novel. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger asks, "uh?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Just a big fifty-cent word meaning that we understand stuff." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "oh, looked it up" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "You just never see it, that's all." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Boudoir Floyd | Though you never really knew what a boudoir was, this certainly looks Floyd | like one - or at least its popular conception. The lounge and divan in Floyd | opposite corners of the room, covered in cushions, the fine curtains on Floyd | the windows, the massive bed, the dresser near the bed - this is almost Floyd | a textbook room. There's even a Louis XVI chair here. Floyd | Floyd | The door out of the room is closed. Floyd | Floyd | You can also see a cloth-bound journal here. Floyd | Floyd | Heavy breathing can be heard behind the door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read journal" | ||||
Floyd | THE JOURNAL OF A SOUR KRAUT Floyd | Floyd | January 11th. Floyd | Another miserable day. My physician - who comes from a hundred years in Floyd | the future - has prescribed some vile physic, by the name of Paxil, to Floyd | raise my spirits. Its efficacy, to say the least, is nil. Seriously Floyd | considering trip to France - it's such a romantic spot to commit Floyd | suicide in. Floyd | Floyd | January 16th. Floyd | My dear daughter, for mysterious reasons, insists on following me to Floyd | France. Why should she? I don't need her help to kill myself - I'm not Floyd | yet that senile. Well, I must indulge her. She's never really forgiven Floyd | me for breaking it off between her and that nihilistic Russian Floyd | musician...... Floyd | Floyd | January 25th. Floyd | Arrived in France. A fine day, though my dear Konnie has already Floyd | started drawing all the gentlemen's looks. Bother. Floyd | Floyd | January 26th. Floyd | Am besides myself with fury. My suicide plan went kaputt thanks to an Floyd | officious little priest from England. I tell you, it's things like this Floyd | that drive us to World War. Besides, he (the priest, not Herr Hitler) Floyd | is now mooning round my whelp in the most sheepish fashion. I could Floyd | tell him it wasn't worth it, but he wouldn't listen. Floyd | Floyd | January 27th. (Evening.) Floyd | Was spared having a son-in-law older than myself; my daughter finally Floyd | fell for some longhair, anti-establishment artist. In eighty years, Floyd | that fellow's descendants will be playing at Woodstock. Am strongly Floyd | considering disposing of my execrable physician and taking up the Floyd | proposal of Dreamscapes Incorporated. They promise 'historical Floyd | adventure', which is more than my pathetic author ever gave me. Here's Floyd | to life - L'chaim, as the Jews would put it. Floyd | Floyd | "It's no good", a voice says plaintively. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | THE JOURNAL OF A SOUR KRAUT Floyd | Floyd | January 11th. Floyd | Another miserable day. My physician - who comes from a hundred years in Floyd | the future - has prescribed some vile physic, by the name of Paxil, to Floyd | raise my spirits. Its efficacy, to say the least, is nil. Seriously Floyd | considering trip to France - it's such a romantic spot to commit Floyd | suicide in. Floyd | Floyd | January 16th. Floyd | My dear daughter, for mysterious reasons, insists on following me to Floyd | France. Why should she? I don't need her help to kill myself - I'm not Floyd | yet that senile. Well, I must indulge her. She's never really forgiven Floyd | me for breaking it off between her and that nihilistic Russian Floyd | musician...... Floyd | Floyd | January 25th. Floyd | Arrived in France. A fine day, though my dear Konnie has already Floyd | started drawing all the gentlemen's looks. Bother. Floyd | Floyd | January 26th. Floyd | Am besides myself with fury. My suicide plan went kaputt thanks to an Floyd | officious little priest from England. I tell you, it's things like this Floyd | that drive us to World War. Besides, he (the priest, not Herr Hitler) Floyd | is now mooning round my whelp in the most sheepish fashion. I could Floyd | tell him it wasn't worth it, but he wouldn't listen. Floyd | Floyd | January 27th. (Evening.) Floyd | Was spared having a son-in-law older than myself; my daughter finally Floyd | fell for some longhair, anti-establishment artist. In eighty years, Floyd | that fellow's descendants will be playing at Woodstock. Am strongly Floyd | considering disposing of my execrable physician and taking up the Floyd | proposal of Dreamscapes Incorporated. They promise 'historical Floyd | adventure', which is more than my pathetic author ever gave me. Here's Floyd | to life - L'chaim, as the Jews would put it. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "'in eighty years, ... will be playing at Woodstock'? Must be nice to know the future." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I do like the line about France." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen to heavy breathing" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listne" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | In the distance you can make out a lute being played, but you're not Floyd | sure if it isn't a mandolin. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger asks, "hm, do you all know the word kaputt?" | |||
| olethros says, "yes" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, it means 'finished' or 'dashed.'" | ||||
| olethros the all-knowing, says. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Like, he tried and failed badly." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Normally spelt 'kaput'." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Boudoir Floyd | Though you never really knew what a boudoir was, this certainly looks Floyd | like one - or at least its popular conception. The lounge and divan in Floyd | opposite corners of the room, covered in cushions, the fine curtains on Floyd | the windows, the massive bed, the dresser near the bed - this is almost Floyd | a textbook room. There's even a Louis XVI chair here. Floyd | Floyd | The door out of the room is closed. Floyd | Floyd | You can also see a cloth-bound journal here. Floyd | Floyd | You can hear a scratching at the door. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "we use it only to refer to mechanical things that are broken, fwiw." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, that too." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | You are unable to do so. Floyd | Floyd | There is silence behind the door for a while. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "knock on door" | ||||
Floyd | No reply, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | There is silence behind the door for a while. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "YOu wouldn't say : "Mein Weltherrschaftsplan is kaputt!"" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x cushions" | ||||
Floyd | That's just scenery. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x bed" | ||||
Floyd | You've heard about this kind of bed - the King/Queen lies down in it, Floyd | his or her courtiers/servants draw the curtains, and it's off to Floyd | dreamland. There are no curtains here, though, just a frame surrounding Floyd | the bed and attached to it. There are several pillows, if you're Floyd | interested. Floyd | Floyd | The door suddenly opens, and you hear a rush of footsteps. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros asks, "what's the connection address?" | |||
| olethros says, "lac" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "wait here or go north?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take journal" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to T), "Interesting." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "We've sort of expanded the use of the word, I guess." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with key" | ||||
Floyd | There is no visible lock. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "The door is open now." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh, so it is." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "Sorry to distract y'all." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I was too busy thinking about kaput." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | You hear nothing unexpected. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Boudoir Floyd | Though you never really knew what a boudoir was, this certainly looks Floyd | like one - or at least its popular conception. The lounge and divan in Floyd | opposite corners of the room, covered in cushions, the fine curtains on Floyd | the windows, the massive bed, the dresser near the bed - this is almost Floyd | a textbook room. There's even a Louis XVI chair here. Floyd | Floyd | The door leading north stands open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Tower Room Floyd | This small room, which - judging by its construction - is at the top of Floyd | a tower - is extremely claustrophobic. There is no furniture, just a Floyd | small fireplace and a stand that was probably meant for weapons, but Floyd | contains none. There isn't even a window around, so you can't jump out. Floyd | Floyd | On the weapon stand is a green glass bottle (which is closed). Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf4" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros asks, "how come we heard footsteps but saw nothing?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "GHOSTS" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Voices too. And scratching." | ||||
| olethros says, "oh, GHOSTS. In a DREAM." | ||||
| olethros says, "fuck you" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Perhaps ... these are the chambers of the heart." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "No thank you." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm not sure what you're meaning..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x bottle" | ||||
Floyd | (the small glass bottle) Floyd | A small glass bottle, which is currently closed quite tightly. It has Floyd | some faded writing on it, which you can just about decipher. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "shaking a verbal fist at the author" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take bottle" | ||||
Floyd | (the small glass bottle) Floyd | You already have that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "Awww. No weapons." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read bottle" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | AQUA REGIA Floyd | Floyd | Will Dissolve Silver, Gold, and Just About Everything Else Floyd | Use With Extreme Caution Floyd | Floyd | [Not Approved by the FDA For the Treatment of Jealousy.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh wait." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x green bottle" | ||||
Floyd | A green glass bottle meant to contain wine, which is currently closed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take green" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read green bottle" | ||||
Floyd | A green glass bottle meant to contain wine, which is currently closed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look in it" | ||||
Floyd | It's closed, but all you can see in it is red wine. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Bottoms up?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf5" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open green" | ||||
Floyd | You open the green glass bottle, revealing a few mouthfuls of red wine. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "er, what else is here?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "drink wine" | ||||
Floyd | Something tells you not to. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Stoppage." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Not much - hm, the fireplace." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Tower Room Floyd | This small room, which - judging by its construction - is at the top of Floyd | a tower - is extremely claustrophobic. There is no furniture, just a Floyd | small fireplace and a stand that was probably meant for weapons, but Floyd | contains none. There isn't even a window around, so you can't jump out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x fireplace" | ||||
Floyd | A crummy, dirty old fireplace. Nothing spectacular, no logs and few Floyd | cinders. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x fireplace" | ||||
Floyd | A crummy, dirty old fireplace. Nothing spectacular, no logs and few Floyd | cinders. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x cinders" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search cinders" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter fireplace" | ||||
Floyd | What do you expect to find there? A prayer-book? A mahogany rod? For Floyd | heaven's sake, Harold, stop acting like you're in a game or something. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search fireplace" | ||||
Floyd | You dig around the fireplace gingerly for a few seconds, before coming Floyd | up with a small cardboard box, the size of two fingers or so. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by nine points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x box" | ||||
Floyd | A small cardboard box, with the word FEROX underlined in two shades of Floyd | green printed along one side. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open box" | ||||
Floyd | You open the cardboard box, revealing a chelator pill and a package Floyd | insert. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x pill" | ||||
Floyd | A small white pill, with the word "Ferox 250mg" imprinted on both Floyd | sides. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read insert" | ||||
Floyd | Ferox is a chelator - a substance capable of combining with heavy metal Floyd | poisons and inactivating them. Its active principle is Floyd | d-thioferroxamate, which has maximal efficacy against arsenic, antimony Floyd | and lead. It is contraindicated in mercury and other metal poisoning Floyd | and in inorganic intoxication, e.g. phosphorus. Side-effects are minor Floyd | and include nausea, heartburn and mild anaemia with prolonged use. Do Floyd | not use along with fluvoxamine, desipramine, ketoconazole or thiazide Floyd | diuretics. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Put it in the wine?" | |||
| DavidW asks, "You think the wine is poisoned?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "smell wine" | ||||
Floyd | You smell nothing unexpected. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Yes." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I do." | ||||
| Jacqueline | You say (to Floyd), "drink wine" | ||||
Jacqueline | Floyd | Something tells you not to. | ||||
| DavidW says, "well, worth a try, yeah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "put pill in wine" | ||||
Floyd | You need to be holding the chelator pill before you can put it into Floyd | something else. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take pill" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "put pill in wine" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Sensing something fishy about the bottle of wine, you put the chelator Floyd | pill into the bottle, and massive metallic precipitates of antimony Floyd | form in the bottle, inactivating the poison.... In case you really Floyd | wanted to know, you've just aided and abetted an intrigue between the Floyd | Marquise Marguerite and an Italian adventurer named Giacomo - but now, Floyd | out with the commercial spots and on with the game....... Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE....] | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chapter Six - The Sad Caf? Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | From the discreet signs declaring that you are currently in the Floyd | Aviators' Saloon, and from the general look of the furniture, this is Floyd | obviously the reception room or antechamber of a small hotel. The doors Floyd | of the hotel, to your north, seem to be closed, east is a dining-hall, Floyd | and a staircase leads up. The check-in counter stands in front of you. Floyd | Floyd | You still remember the saloon from the day it was created. By you, of Floyd | course. The jolly old receptionist, the reunion of scientist Janus Floyd | Mbelwe with his wife Vanessa. It doesn't look the same now. Floyd | Floyd | An amiable, elderly man is standing behind the counter. Floyd | Floyd | The receptionist stares at you in amazement. "A customer? Thought I'd Floyd | seen the last of 'em a long time ago. Welcome, son, to the Aviators Floyd | Saloon." Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by eight points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I think that's The Sad Cafe with an accent on the end." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "score" | ||||
Floyd | You have so far scored 114 out of a possible 360, in 343 turns, earning Floyd | you the rank of Deserving Writer. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "Ah, I finally realized what this reminds me of: Jigsaw." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I can see the accents now that inky fixed it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It is indeed cafe." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x man" | ||||
Floyd | The old man looks like a receptionist of some sort, but somehow his Floyd | expression suggests that he once held a higher position. Floyd | Floyd | Yes, it is the same man. Why does he look worried? Why is this place Floyd | empty? Floyd | Floyd | Looking around at the room, then at you, the receptionist sighs. "This Floyd | used to be -- well, I won't say it was the Mazina Hotel in Europe, but Floyd | it certainly had a lot more life in it. But ever since that old story Floyd | began, no one steps in here anymore." Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I saw through The Fac Sade." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask man about story" | ||||
Floyd | "The old legend? Well, it's one way to while away time, young man. You Floyd | see, we're a fairly - how d'you put it - rational kind of society. Floyd | Sensible. Not superstitious. That's why, I guess, we were all so scared Floyd | when it happened." Floyd | Floyd | He pauses, and clears his throat a tad dramatically. Floyd | Floyd | "Five years ago, son", he goes on, "- actually four and nine, but who's Floyd | counting? - this place used to be fairly bursting with life. Not that Floyd | it was one of those old-fashioned bawdy houses or burlesques or Floyd | whatchamacallits - it was a nice, cosy kind of hotel, with all kinds of Floyd | people. We used to have refugees from the Kingdoms, travellers from the Floyd | airports, even the Director of Social Sciences and his.. - heck, that's Floyd | how the whole story started. Janus Mbelwe - everyone used to call him Floyd | by his first name, self included - was one of our finest scientists; Floyd | social scientists, that is. Between him and a few of his friends, he'd Floyd | defused a very tricky political crisis, two years ago, relying on sheer Floyd | scientific method. All this at thirty." Floyd | Floyd | He sighs. Floyd | Floyd | "Well, he had been here two years before that; at 'round the same time, Floyd | I guess, there was a young lady staying here. I forgot what she did - I Floyd | gather she was a psychologist of some sort. Anyway, she and the Floyd | Director hit it off just fine - a few of us old fogies thought Floyd | something might come of it, but old Jan - he was myopic if there ever Floyd | was one. Couldn't see a thing - science excluded - even when it stared Floyd | him in the eyes. Anyway, they met again - I can't swear that it was Floyd | coincidence - the next year, and, to use the language of the novelists, Floyd | they just about made a match of it. There was work to be done - Floyd | political stuff - so they decided to wait for about a year or so. The Floyd | next year arrived, and Vanessa Clarke - that was her name - came along Floyd | at just the usual time. Jan arrived two days later, and they were all Floyd | set to tie the knot, if you know what I mean. On the night before they Floyd | left for the Registry for the official ceremony, old Jan was just a Floyd | trifle tardy, and Miss Clarke was growing impatient. I decided to go Floyd | and ask the kid to hurry up - they'd already waited so long, y'know - Floyd | so I went up to his room, opened the door, and there he was. Floyd | Or rather wasn't. Floyd | Janus Mbelwe had vanished into thin air." Floyd | Floyd | "Well, I won't insult your intelligence by telling you that Miss Clarke Floyd | was - uh - rather broken up over the whole thing; no one ever heard of Floyd | her to this day, and all our searches for Jan - we even had the whole Floyd | police force scouring the globe at one stage - came to naught. Ever Floyd | since then, son - until you, that is - no man or woman has crossed the Floyd | threshold of this saloon. That's the whole story." The receptionist Floyd | closes his eyes, remembering. Floyd | Floyd | "I haven't even looked through the rooms since then - they stay clean Floyd | automatically - but if you want to stay here, there are 'bout ten rooms Floyd | upstairs. You're welcome to any of 'em." Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "fascade" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "GAH" | ||||
| Jacqueline scrolls back to read... | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | "Decided to take a look anyhow? Well, good luck to you, son", the Floyd | receptionist calls out. "If you like a room, stay there - if you find - Floyd | um - anything - let me know...." His voice fades as you move away." Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | And the four rooms housed the four scientists that had returned from Floyd | the Provinces. Correction. Used to. Fairbank, Reed, Royal....who was Floyd | the fourth? Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "interesting" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "THe fourth was Mbelwe?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 1, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | A fairly nondescript, and long unoccupied, hotel room, Room 1 boasts of Floyd | no furniture save a bed, a small table by its side, and a writing-desk. Floyd | Floyd | Near the table, a thin manual lies discarded. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x manual" | ||||
Floyd | It's just a single page, and obviously describes the working of the Floyd | table, though in rather technical language. Below the end of the Floyd | manual, someone has scrawled in a few words. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read manual" | ||||
Floyd | Portable AutoLock Users' Manual Floyd | Floyd | 1. Technical Specifications: Floyd | AutoLock Portable Furniture uses 1024-bit technology, S3 scale Floyd | miniaturization, and voice modulation. Two models exist: the DSX - 275 Floyd | and the DSX - 550. Floyd | Floyd | 2. The DSX - 275 and 550: Floyd | The DSX - 275, a simple and lighter model, is a low-syntax machine, Floyd | with zero linguistic comprehension, and easy replaceability. The DSX - Floyd | 550, though far more complex, uses S2.5 scale miniature circuits. It Floyd | understands over twenty English phrases, and can also serve as a Floyd | timepiece. Floyd | Floyd | 3. Locking and Unlocking: Floyd | Locking and unlocking are dependent on a numerical code whose length is Floyd | dependent on the user, though it must lie between three and seven Floyd | digits. The syntax to open the table for the DSX - 275 is "<Name>, the Floyd | code is <Code Number>", where <Name> is the name of the piece of Floyd | furniture (table, dresser, mirror, etc.) and <Code Number> is Floyd | self-explanatory. The DSX - 550 recognizes additional formats. Floyd | Floyd | 4. Changing the Code: Floyd | The code can only be changed with another code number, and requires Floyd | technical assistance. This feature is not recommended for beginners. Floyd | Floyd | Below this, someone has scrawled...... Floyd | Remember your history lessons, dear. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger rubs eyes. | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "table, mbelwe" | ||||
Floyd | The table buzzes angrily. Perhaps it doesn't understand English. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "If I'd play alone, this would be a stopping point." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "So we need a code." | ||||
| DavidW says, "'Remember your history lessons dear' = 84774" | ||||
| WeirdBeard arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | olethros asks, "what was the famous year? 1876?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "If I played much IF alone these days, I'd never get through anything unless I was a beta tester and quite determined - you guys always help me muddle through." | ||||
| DavidW says, "oh year, there's lots of years around." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Wait, 84774?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Jacqueline), "I was just counting the letters in the phrase." | ||||
| DavidW says, "It's a possible code." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "ah" | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "enter code" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "True." | |||
| Taleslinger says, "I've got to 75 points in Child's Play on my own, and a dim memory of the Floyd session." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "table, 84774" | ||||
Floyd | The table buzzes angrily. Perhaps it doesn't understand English. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 1, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | A fairly nondescript, and long unoccupied, hotel room, Room 1 boasts of Floyd | no furniture save a bed, a small table by its side, and a writing-desk. Floyd | Floyd | Near the table, a thin manual lies discarded. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "table, code is 84774" | ||||
Floyd | The table's display briefly prints the words Access Denied, but only Floyd | for a moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "ah. That wasn't it." | |||
| olethros says, "there is a year in (UK?) history which is famous for being the only thing students remember" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh, right - I had the syntax wrong" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "mbelwe, the code is 84774" | ||||
Floyd | You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "table, the code is mbelwe" | ||||
Floyd | The table's display briefly prints the words Access Denied, but only Floyd | for a moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "remember history" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x desk" | ||||
Floyd | A small writing-desk, opposite the bed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x bed" | ||||
Floyd | That's just scenery. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "GRR - I *hate* 'that's just scenery' responses..." | |||
| DavidW says, "My notes suggest we haven't seen the code yet." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm thinking we go poke around the other rooms." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 4, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room 4, which was obviously meant to accomodate a couple or a small Floyd | family at least, is a pleasant contrast to the house you came across Floyd | earlier in your wanderings. Even the furniture - double-bed, dresser, Floyd | table and armchair, and the window - have a particular flavour of their Floyd | own. Floyd | Floyd | The window is open, flooding the room with sunlight. Floyd | Floyd | Covering the bed, with a primness that is almost Victorian, is a warm Floyd | quilt of knitted wool. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x quilt" | ||||
Floyd | You've absolutely no sartorial sense, but it does look like a patchwork Floyd | quilt, obviously woollen. Floyd | Floyd | One of the wedding presents Dr. Reed's colleagues gave her, when she Floyd | married an European politician. It's the little things that remind you Floyd | the most of all that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x table" | ||||
Floyd | An old table, in the English fashion - until you remember that in this Floyd | future, which you created, England hasn't existed for over half a Floyd | millennium. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "table, the code is mbelwe" | ||||
Floyd | You can't talk to the old English table. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Just checking." | |||
| Taleslinger asks, "wedding date?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | Floyd | Room 3, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room Three is a spartan and utilitarian room, in sharp contrast to the Floyd | incomplete elegance of the reception area. The chair, bed and table all Floyd | bear a stern, military look, which looks out of place - even gruesome - Floyd | in a lodging-house of this sort. Floyd | Floyd | Perched comfortably on the table is a small computer. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "The code is numeric, and the table is in Room 1." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I was just seeing if the other tables were freaky, too." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh, except I didn't realize for certain that it had to be numeric." | ||||
| DavidW says, "well. ... I guess I shouldn't be hasty with saying it's only numeric." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x computer" | ||||
Floyd | A small, portable computer, with no keyboard or obvious controls, but a Floyd | large screen and an opening in front. A red switch in front subserves Floyd | an obvious function. Below the screen is a manufacturer's mark : Floyd | Compact Newsreader, 2048-Bit. Thompson Electronics. Floyd | The portable computer is currently switched off. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks (of DW), "Have you finished this?" | |||
| DavidW says, "Ages ago." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I've forgotten it all. But I have notes." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "switch on pc" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Set aside thine notes, my lad." | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "switch on computer" | ||||
Floyd | You switch the portable computer on. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "How old is this game, anyway>?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "er, ?" | ||||
| (from Taleslinger) Jacqueline says, "Let the force be your guide." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x computer" | ||||
Floyd | A small, portable computer, with no keyboard or obvious controls, but a Floyd | large screen and an opening in front. A red switch in front subserves Floyd | an obvious function. Below the screen is a manufacturer's mark : Floyd | Compact Newsreader, 2048-Bit. Thompson Electronics. Floyd | The portable computer is currently switched on. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read computer" | ||||
Floyd | Since there is no data supplied, the screen is plaintively blank. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x screen" | ||||
Floyd | An unremarkable computer screen, which is currently displaying about Floyd | half a page of words. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read screen" | ||||
Floyd | Since there is no data supplied, the screen is plaintively blank. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read words" | ||||
Floyd | Since there is no data supplied, the screen is plaintively blank. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "I say 'grr'" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Um... but there's half a page of words." | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "x half page" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "x words" | ||||
Floyd | An unremarkable computer screen, which is currently displaying about Floyd | half a page of words. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "type mbelwe" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter mbelwe" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "ask computer about star trek" | ||||
Floyd | You can only do that to something animate. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says, "Perhaps you need a diskette or similar." | Jacqueline says (to DW), "Okay, I lied. Consult your notes and see if it says anything about the syntax for using this thing." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "*THEN* set your notes aside." | ||||
| DavidW says, "There's a red switch, and we need a disc." | ||||
| Jacqueline blinks. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Red switch." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "huh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "okay, one last room." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | Floyd | Room 2, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | A comfortable but unoriginal room, barring the large bay window covered Floyd | by cretonne curtains. Other than that, the furniture in this room is Floyd | meagre: a single bed and an armchair. Floyd | Floyd | It's all coming back now. This was where Professor Royal stayed a week, Floyd | after being reunited with his sister. You're not even sure if he exists Floyd | anymore. Floyd | Floyd | On the antique armchair is a black disc. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Cretonne?" | |||
| olethros says, "Bretonne" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take disc" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x disk" | ||||
Floyd | A small black disc. Written on it - probably indelibly - are the words Floyd | "news article". Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 3, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room Three is a spartan and utilitarian room, in sharp contrast to the Floyd | incomplete elegance of the reception area. The chair, bed and table all Floyd | bear a stern, military look, which looks out of place - even gruesome - Floyd | in a lodging-house of this sort. Floyd | Floyd | Perched comfortably on the table is a small computer. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "put disc in computer" | ||||
Floyd | The screen glows brightly with half a page of words. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "So you SAY" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read screen" | ||||
Floyd | Chronicles of Global History Floyd | Floyd | 2187 Floyd | Little is known about the world of 2187 A.D., which has given rise to Floyd | much intriguing, though profitless, speculation. The few records that Floyd | we do possess show little signs of the dramatic collapse that was to Floyd | come a mere eighty years later, and - if the truth must be told - there Floyd | were signs of a stability that was long awaited following the events of Floyd | the preceding two centuries. Scientifically and technologically, of Floyd | course, there was nothing but progress; and - for the first time in a Floyd | century and a half - it seemed as if social change, that old sluggard, Floyd | was making an effort to keep up with the advances of mere learning. Floyd | Floyd | Simon Goedler Floyd | Institute of Historical and Social Research Floyd | 2869 A.D. Floyd | Floyd | Almost exactly as you had planned, though you never put it down on Floyd | paper or disc. Whoever's brought you here can obviously read minds. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Okay, there *was* half a page of words. Good." | |||
| olethros says, "grrargh puzzle" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, 2869." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Maybe." | ||||
| olethros says, "no, that's the date of the entry" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Or rather, 2187." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Right" | ||||
| olethros says, "this guy is obviously in the social sciencees" | ||||
| olethros says, "(the author)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 1, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | A fairly nondescript, and long unoccupied, hotel room, Room 1 boasts of Floyd | no furniture save a bed, a small table by its side, and a writing-desk. Floyd | Floyd | Near the table, a thin manual lies discarded. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "about" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "author" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "version" | ||||
Floyd | HALOTHANE Floyd | An Interactive Restoration Floyd | Copyright 1999 by Quentin.D.Thompson. Floyd | License 1999, The Theatre Of The Sensible. Floyd | [Please type 'help' in times of doubt - or just for fun. To toggle Floyd | between default and original colours, use 'colours on' and 'colours Floyd | off'.] Floyd | Release 1 / Serial number 990928 / Inform v6.15 Library 6/8 Floyd | Standard interpreter 1.0 (2N) / Library serial number 981213 Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "table, the code is 2187" | ||||
Floyd | The table swings open. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "w00t" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x table" | ||||
Floyd | This small table - which, grotesquely enough, looks like a briefcase Floyd | perched on four legs - does not appear to have any drawer or concealed Floyd | compartment. On one side, a sentence is written : DSX-275. Voice Floyd | Locking System. Numerical. A display panel alongside this inscription Floyd | displays the word 'Open'. Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "nice going, kitten" | |||
| Jacqueline smacks Taleslinger. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Sorry, couldn't resist." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "I hope you did follow #english" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "Also, me neither" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I did, yes." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Shame it won't appear in the CF transcript." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look in table" | ||||
Floyd | In the small night-table is a personal ID chip. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "I asked if I could use kitten as nickname for small kids and inky said no, so I obviously had to use it, dear transcript reader." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take chip" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x chip" | ||||
Floyd | A small microchip, with the words "Personal ID" written in minuscule Floyd | letters along one border. Floyd | Floyd | And a far cry from the Mind-Computer Chip that was your main plot Floyd | twist. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "put chip in computer" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "yeah, wrong room" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger asks, "which room was the computer in?" | |||
| DavidW says, "3. West." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 3, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room Three is a spartan and utilitarian room, in sharp contrast to the Floyd | incomplete elegance of the reception area. The chair, bed and table all Floyd | bear a stern, military look, which looks out of place - even gruesome - Floyd | in a lodging-house of this sort. Floyd | Floyd | Perched comfortably on the table is a small computer. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "thanks" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "put chip in computer" | ||||
Floyd | That doesn't seem to fit in the computer's drive. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Phone call..." | |||
| DavidW says, "It's an ID chip. It might not be for a computer." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x chip" | ||||
Floyd | A small microchip, with the words "Personal ID" written in minuscule Floyd | letters along one border. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a personal ID chip Floyd | a fountain-pen Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "wasn't there some id thing we where wearing?" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger asks, "wasn't there some id thing we where wearing?" | |||
| DavidW says, "yes, in an earlier chapter." | ||||
| Fang has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | Taleslinger asks, "maybe the chip is important later?" | |||
| DavidW says, "This chapter has a lot in it. Look around more." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 3, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room Three is a spartan and utilitarian room, in sharp contrast to the Floyd | incomplete elegance of the reception area. The chair, bed and table all Floyd | bear a stern, military look, which looks out of place - even gruesome - Floyd | in a lodging-house of this sort. Floyd | Floyd | Perched comfortably on the table is a small computer. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "look under bed" | ||||
Floyd | Under the bed, you find a blue disc. Someone's obviously been playing Floyd | Tom Thumb in this hotel. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by nine points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x disc" | ||||
Floyd | (the blue disc) Floyd | A small blue disc, with no label or inscription on it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "put disc in computer" | ||||
Floyd | (the blue disc in the portable computer) Floyd | You need to be holding the blue disc before you can put it into Floyd | something else. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "take disc" | ||||
Floyd | (the blue disc) Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "put disc in computer" | ||||
Floyd | (the blue disc in the portable computer) Floyd | There's already a disc in the computer. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| WeirdBeard has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "remove disc" | ||||
Floyd | (the blue disc) Floyd | You're not wearing that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "remove disc from computer" | ||||
Floyd | Removed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "put disc in computer" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, the black disc or the blue disc? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "blue" | ||||
Floyd | The screen glows brightly with half a page of words. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "read screen" | ||||
Floyd | LAWYER'S DISAPPEARANCE - UPDATE Floyd | 26th November, 2804 Floyd | Floyd | Even the most complete investigations by European and Colonial police Floyd | forces have failed to reveal the least trace of Colonial legal Floyd | consultant Cassandra Anderson, who was last seen driving away from the Floyd | chambers of the Regional Court of Offences at 9 p.m., about three weeks Floyd | ago. In a statement issued to all major news services, Officer Schultz Floyd | of the European Police Force categorically ruled out a deep political Floyd | plot as the cause of the abduction. "We live in peaceful times Floyd | nowadays, and even the most obdurate reactionaries have learnt the Floyd | danger of rocking the boat", he said. "This is probably an isolated Floyd | act, with no major backing." He added that he was sanguine about being Floyd | able to retrieve Mrs. Anderson safely. Floyd | Floyd | Noel Horton Floyd | Pan European News Services. Floyd | Floyd | Cassie Anderson? Floyd | My God. You hadn't even put her on paper. She was just an idea; the Floyd | successful lawyer in her thirties, her husband Gerald, her two Floyd | daughters....How much damage have you done? Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "Mrs. Anderson..." | |||
| Taleslinger realizes he has done to much Matrix related stuff last week. | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 3, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room Three is a spartan and utilitarian room, in sharp contrast to the Floyd | incomplete elegance of the reception area. The chair, bed and table all Floyd | bear a stern, military look, which looks out of place - even gruesome - Floyd | in a lodging-house of this sort. Floyd | Floyd | Perched comfortably on the table is a small computer. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "look under table" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing here, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Second floor, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The entry to the second floor's chambers has the same homely flavour as Floyd | the previous one, except that a few potted plants here and there add a Floyd | touch of colour to the proceedings. Open doors lead east and west, and Floyd | a locked door lies north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | You don't seem to have the key. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Receptionist's room, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | This room - which, by its lived-in, familial appearance must belong to Floyd | the receptionist - is small, neat and comfortable. A sturdy bed Floyd | occupies the centre of the room, with an open window casting a bright Floyd | beam right on it; besides this, there is little furniture except a Floyd | couch, a bookshelf, and a television. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x bookshelf" | ||||
Floyd | The bookshelf shows obvious signs of being home-made, and contains five Floyd | books. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x books" | ||||
Floyd | There are lots of books here, mostly fiction - historical romances and Floyd | the like. You hardly have the time to browse through them. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline is off the phone. | |||
| Taleslinger asks, "5 books? lots?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Scrolling back... unless someone wants to give me a cracktastic summary like I gave for you all a bit ago..." | ||||
| McMartin arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | Taleslinger says, "welcome back, lady" | |||
| McMartin says, "I shouldn't be here, but I can pay attention with a third of a brain" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Tale found a blue disc, which revealed that Cassie Anderson, the lawyer that hadn't been even written yet, is missing." | ||||
| DavidW says, "And we're now looking at rooms in the 2nd floor up." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Ah yes. They're getting in OUR BRANE now. Got it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Thanks." | ||||
| DavidW says, "North room is locked; we need a key. East room is the receptionist guy's. Haven't been in West room yet." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "And 5 books is lots to the author, she he is obviously into social sciences." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "s/she/so" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Second floor, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The entry to the second floor's chambers has the same homely flavour as Floyd | the previous one, except that a few potted plants here and there add a Floyd | touch of colour to the proceedings. Open doors lead east and west, and Floyd | a locked door lies north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 6, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room 6 was obviously going to be renovated before disaster struck, Floyd | because it's totally bare. It's a nice, pleasant room, or rather it Floyd | would be so if it had any furniture. The only piece worthy of that name Floyd | is a stool. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x stool" | ||||
Floyd | A small wooden stool, conjuring up memories of rustics working away at Floyd | cows' udders. On one side is a maker's name: "Matthew Barringer and Floyd | Sons. Fine Furniture and Padding." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "look under stool" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing bigger than a computer mouse could hide under this. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "take stool" | ||||
Floyd | The stool isn't important! Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "push stool e" | ||||
Floyd | Is that the best you can think of? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "push stool w" | ||||
Floyd | Is that the best you can think of? Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Didn't Matt Barringer write Detective?" | |||
| Taleslinger says, "hm, makers names" | ||||
| McMartin says (to DavidW), "Yes." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "So this is one level up from where we were when my phone rang?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "yes." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "yes" | ||||
| Gerynar has disconnected. | ||||
| Gerynar spins around in circles, faster and faster, until he disapears in a brilliant flash of plaid light. | DavidW says, "I suggested that we look around more." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "That is a good suggestion. Just orienting m'self." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "i did his biding" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Ah. So, if I said look under ... oops, said too much." | ||||
| Gerynar arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | Jacqueline says, "I'm going to let you explore the rest of this level because I don't want to duplicate what you've done." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Except maybe he is gone." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "i think my work here is done" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Eep. Is it?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 6, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room 6 was obviously going to be renovated before disaster struck, Floyd | because it's totally bare. It's a nice, pleasant room, or rather it Floyd | would be so if it had any furniture. The only piece worthy of that name Floyd | is a stool. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Second floor, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The entry to the second floor's chambers has the same homely flavour as Floyd | the previous one, except that a few potted plants here and there add a Floyd | touch of colour to the proceedings. Open doors lead east and west, and Floyd | a locked door lies north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x plants" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Receptionist's room, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | This room - which, by its lived-in, familial appearance must belong to Floyd | the receptionist - is small, neat and comfortable. A sturdy bed Floyd | occupies the centre of the room, with an open window casting a bright Floyd | beam right on it; besides this, there is little furniture except a Floyd | couch, a bookshelf, and a television. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Second floor, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The entry to the second floor's chambers has the same homely flavour as Floyd | the previous one, except that a few potted plants here and there add a Floyd | touch of colour to the proceedings. Open doors lead east and west, and Floyd | a locked door lies north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x plants" | ||||
Floyd | Potted flowers. Rather pleasant, actually. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "search plants" | ||||
Floyd | Come on, Harold. What do you think this is? A text adventure or Floyd | something? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "yes" | ||||
Floyd | That was a rhetorical question. Floyd | Floyd | > | McMartin says, "Next they'll tell us xyzzy won't do anything. =(" | |||
| DavidW says, "Anyway, my hint stands. 'Look under' more often." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Have we done anything with the tele?" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "look under plants" | ||||
Floyd | Come on, Harold. What do you think this is? A text adventure or Floyd | something? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look under television" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x television" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, you went w." | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Receptionist's room, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | This room - which, by its lived-in, familial appearance must belong to Floyd | the receptionist - is small, neat and comfortable. A sturdy bed Floyd | occupies the centre of the room, with an open window casting a bright Floyd | beam right on it; besides this, there is little furniture except a Floyd | couch, a bookshelf, and a television. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x couch" | ||||
Floyd | A small couch with soft cushions, ideal for a good read or an impromptu Floyd | nap. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look under cushions" | ||||
Floyd | Suspicious bloke, aren't you? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look under couch" | ||||
Floyd | Suspicious bloke, aren't you? Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger asks, "save and try to sleep on couch?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "searc cushions" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf6" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "lie on couch" | ||||
Floyd | I doubt the receptionist would appreciate that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "sleep on couch" | ||||
Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting to sleep. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "sleep" | ||||
Floyd | You aren't feeling especially drowsy. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x tv" | ||||
Floyd | Eight hundred years from now, television is still television. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x television" | ||||
Floyd | Eight hundred years from now, television is still television. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look under tv" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing here, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "get on bed" | ||||
Floyd | That's just scenery. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look under bed" | ||||
Floyd | That's just scenery. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "lie on bed" | ||||
Floyd | That's just scenery. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x books" | ||||
Floyd | There are lots of books here, mostly fiction - historical romances and Floyd | the like. You hardly have the time to browse through them. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "look behind books" | ||||
Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting to look. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "look under books" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing here, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Second floor, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The entry to the second floor's chambers has the same homely flavour as Floyd | the previous one, except that a few potted plants here and there add a Floyd | touch of colour to the proceedings. Open doors lead east and west, and Floyd | a locked door lies north. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Since I think I'm playing alone now (Taleslinger is talking to a friend, I think)..." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I shall explore this level again, probably recovering some ground." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 6, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room 6 was obviously going to be renovated before disaster struck, Floyd | because it's totally bare. It's a nice, pleasant room, or rather it Floyd | would be so if it had any furniture. The only piece worthy of that name Floyd | is a stool. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "sit on stool" | ||||
Floyd | Milked any cows lately? Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Actually, you should be exploring the lower levels more first." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "hm" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Second floor, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The entry to the second floor's chambers has the same homely flavour as Floyd | the previous one, except that a few potted plants here and there add a Floyd | touch of colour to the proceedings. Open doors lead east and west, and Floyd | a locked door lies north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | You don't seem to have the key. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 1, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | A fairly nondescript, and long unoccupied, hotel room, Room 1 boasts of Floyd | no furniture save a bed, a small table by its side, and a writing-desk. Floyd | Floyd | The table is open. Floyd | Floyd | Near the table, a thin manual lies discarded. Floyd | Floyd | > | Taleslinger says, "yeah, sorry i'm busy, but it's bedtime anyway" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take manual" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Tales), "No worries - have a good night." | |||
| Taleslinger says, "have fun, looking forward to the transcript" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Thanks for your help." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "of course" | ||||
| DavidW says, "bye, Taleslinger" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "bye dw" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to T), "Bye, kitten." | ||||
| McMartin asks, "Do all kittens get 10s even when the kittens are not in fact kittens?" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to jacq), "Heh, this will stick with me, I fear" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I think it might. heehee" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "write" | ||||
Floyd | What do you want to write on? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "manual" | ||||
Floyd | Ironically, you have writer's block. You can't think of a single Floyd | sensible thing to write. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "write on manual with pen" | ||||
Floyd | It might be a better idea to actually write on something. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger has to return some videotapes. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look under bed" | ||||
Floyd | That's just scenery. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look under table" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing here, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look in table" | ||||
Floyd | The small night-table is empty. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Done here?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 3, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room Three is a spartan and utilitarian room, in sharp contrast to the Floyd | incomplete elegance of the reception area. The chair, bed and table all Floyd | bear a stern, military look, which looks out of place - even gruesome - Floyd | in a lodging-house of this sort. Floyd | Floyd | Perched comfortably on the table is a small computer. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | Floyd | Room 2, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | A comfortable but unoriginal room, barring the large bay window covered Floyd | by cretonne curtains. Other than that, the furniture in this room is Floyd | meagre: a single bed and an armchair. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I think room 1 is done, yeah." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm guessing I should hit them numerically." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x armchair" | ||||
Floyd | The armchair is definitely an antique, and has seen better days, Floyd | meaning that it's extremely fragile. Floyd | Floyd | And this was where Mrs. Firebank sat, and elaborated her theories on Floyd | population dynamics to an enthralled audience of four. Yes, that's it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search chair" | ||||
Floyd | There is nothing on the antique armchair. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look under chair" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing here, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look behind curtains" | ||||
Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting to look. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Gerynar has disconnected. | ||||
| Gerynar spins around in circles, faster and faster, until he disapears in a brilliant flash of plaid light. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x curtains" | ||||
Floyd | That's just scenery. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x bed" | ||||
Floyd | That's just scenery. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push chair" | ||||
Floyd | You'd be sure to shatter it if you tried that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "sit" | ||||
Floyd | What do you want to sit on top of? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "chair" | ||||
Floyd | You sit on the chair for a while, but the charm soon palls. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "up" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | Floyd | Room 3, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room Three is a spartan and utilitarian room, in sharp contrast to the Floyd | incomplete elegance of the reception area. The chair, bed and table all Floyd | bear a stern, military look, which looks out of place - even gruesome - Floyd | in a lodging-house of this sort. Floyd | Floyd | Perched comfortably on the table is a small computer. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x computer" | ||||
Floyd | A small, portable computer, with no keyboard or obvious controls, but a Floyd | large screen and an opening in front. A red switch in front subserves Floyd | an obvious function. Below the screen is a manufacturer's mark : Floyd | Compact Newsreader, 2048-Bit. Thompson Electronics. Floyd | The portable computer is currently switched on. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read screen" | ||||
Floyd | LAWYER'S DISAPPEARANCE - UPDATE Floyd | 26th November, 2804 Floyd | Floyd | Even the most complete investigations by European and Colonial police Floyd | forces have failed to reveal the least trace of Colonial legal Floyd | consultant Cassandra Anderson, who was last seen driving away from the Floyd | chambers of the Regional Court of Offences at 9 p.m., about three weeks Floyd | ago. In a statement issued to all major news services, Officer Schultz Floyd | of the European Police Force categorically ruled out a deep political Floyd | plot as the cause of the abduction. "We live in peaceful times Floyd | nowadays, and even the most obdurate reactionaries have learnt the Floyd | danger of rocking the boat", he said. "This is probably an isolated Floyd | act, with no major backing." He added that he was sanguine about being Floyd | able to retrieve Mrs. Anderson safely. Floyd | Floyd | Noel Horton Floyd | Pan European News Services. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take disk" | ||||
Floyd | (the black disc) Floyd | You already have that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "remove disk from computer" | ||||
Floyd | Removed. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "The blue disc is in the computer" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah." | ||||
| DavidW says, "There's 2 discs." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I was hoping it would disambiguate for me." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a blue disc Floyd | an AutoLock Users' Manual Floyd | a black disc Floyd | a personal ID chip Floyd | a fountain-pen Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x chip" | ||||
Floyd | A small microchip, with the words "Personal ID" written in minuscule Floyd | letters along one border. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 4, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room 4, which was obviously meant to accomodate a couple or a small Floyd | family at least, is a pleasant contrast to the house you came across Floyd | earlier in your wanderings. Even the furniture - double-bed, dresser, Floyd | table and armchair, and the window - have a particular flavour of their Floyd | own. Floyd | Floyd | The window is open, flooding the room with sunlight. Floyd | Floyd | Covering the bed, with a primness that is almost Victorian, is a warm Floyd | quilt of knitted wool. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Taleslinger wasn't able to figure out the chip's use yet." | |||
| olethros says, "IRTA microfilm" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look under quilt" | ||||
Floyd | You look around, but find nothing. Strange - you have a feeling that Floyd | there should be something there, but there isn't.... Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take quilt" | ||||
Floyd | You look around, but find nothing. Strange - you have a feeling that Floyd | there should be something there, but there isn't.... Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Gerynar arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | Jacqueline asks (of olethros), "Ideas, sir?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x bed" | ||||
Floyd | Large, sturdy, steady. The very embodiment of that hoary old clich?, Floyd | "the good old days." Two sturdy pillows and a firm mattress do nothing Floyd | to dispel the impression. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look under bed" | ||||
Floyd | Under the bed, you find a box of some sort, and pull it out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open box" | ||||
Floyd | You open the toybox, revealing a crumpled note. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "woo" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read note" | ||||
Floyd | Fran?ois, Ch.2, Lines 18-26 Floyd | Floyd | "Time for a change of scene", the Voice thundered. Floyd | Floyd | "I still think it's a bad idea", the Author murmured sotto voce, but Floyd | the Voice could hear almost anything, and gave him a piece of its mind. Floyd | "He has seen enough, and besides he cannot carry out the rest of the Floyd | quest. Someone else is required." Floyd | Floyd | "Are there no better ways?", the Author enquired once more. Floyd | Floyd | "Absolutely none. You helped me design this plan. What fault do you Floyd | find in it?" Floyd | Floyd | And the Author could find no reply. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read crumpled note" | ||||
Floyd | Fran?ois, Ch.2, Lines 18-26 Floyd | Floyd | "Time for a change of scene", the Voice thundered. Floyd | Floyd | "I still think it's a bad idea", the Author murmured sotto voce, but Floyd | the Voice could hear almost anything, and gave him a piece of its mind. Floyd | "He has seen enough, and besides he cannot carry out the rest of the Floyd | quest. Someone else is required." Floyd | Floyd | "Are there no better ways?", the Author enquired once more. Floyd | Floyd | "Absolutely none. You helped me design this plan. What fault do you Floyd | find in it?" Floyd | Floyd | And the Author could find no reply. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "(Just making sure.)" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x toybox" | ||||
Floyd | A wooden toy-box of the sort that children used to own years before you Floyd | were born, which is, at the moment, open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Gerynar has disconnected. | ||||
| Gerynar spins around in circles, faster and faster, until he disapears in a brilliant flash of plaid light. | DavidW says, "Go down a floor. There's stuff missed from there." | |||
| WeirdBeard arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | Jacqueline says, "Normally I'd poopoo your hints, but I think I need them." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | From the discreet signs declaring that you are currently in the Floyd | Aviators' Saloon, and from the general look of the furniture, this is Floyd | obviously the reception room or antechamber of a small hotel. The doors Floyd | of the hotel, to your north, seem to be closed, east is a dining-hall, Floyd | and a staircase leads up. The check-in counter stands in front of you. Floyd | Floyd | An amiable, elderly man is standing behind the counter. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Dining Hall, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The Aviators Saloon never pretended to be more than a small and Floyd | comfortable lodge - which is why its mess bears an eerie resemblance to Floyd | the dining hall of your own large family. Since - in this age - Floyd | everything is automatic, there is precious little clutter, barring a Floyd | large table, twelve chairs, and a large cupboard at the back of the Floyd | room. Floyd | Floyd | As you walk across the room, your foot seems to brush against something Floyd | under the table. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look under table" | ||||
Floyd | Under the table, you find a small, streamlined device of some sort, Floyd | coloured black. You pull it out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x device" | ||||
Floyd | A small black device, with a slit at the back - which currently is Floyd | empty, and a fairly primitive display in front, which is currently Floyd | blank. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "oooh" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "put chip in device" | ||||
Floyd | You insert the chip cautiously into the slit; the screen lights up Floyd | faintly. It flashes the words "Teleport Complete. Target Room Four", Floyd | then changes to another phrase. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read device" | ||||
Floyd | A small black device, with a slit at the back - which contains a thin Floyd | card, and a fairly primitive display in front, which displays a Floyd | sentence : Room 7. Behind Closed Doors. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x display" | ||||
Floyd | A small black device, with a slit at the back - which contains a thin Floyd | card, and a fairly primitive display in front, which displays a Floyd | sentence : Room 7. Behind Closed Doors. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Hm, no button or anything on it." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | From the discreet signs declaring that you are currently in the Floyd | Aviators' Saloon, and from the general look of the furniture, this is Floyd | obviously the reception room or antechamber of a small hotel. The doors Floyd | of the hotel, to your north, seem to be closed, east is a dining-hall, Floyd | and a staircase leads up. The check-in counter stands in front of you. Floyd | Floyd | An amiable, elderly man is standing behind the counter. Floyd | Floyd | "Someone tried to help me once -- I forget his name. Said he'd send a Floyd | friend of his to -- tie up all the loose knots, he said. Nothing came Floyd | of it, though." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Second floor, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The entry to the second floor's chambers has the same homely flavour as Floyd | the previous one, except that a few potted plants here and there add a Floyd | touch of colour to the proceedings. Open doors lead east and west, and Floyd | a locked door lies north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | You don't seem to have the key. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x device" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "sheesh. Ignored the poor guy." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "GAH" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "So I did. I'm on a mission." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | From the discreet signs declaring that you are currently in the Floyd | Aviators' Saloon, and from the general look of the furniture, this is Floyd | obviously the reception room or antechamber of a small hotel. The doors Floyd | of the hotel, to your north, seem to be closed, east is a dining-hall, Floyd | and a staircase leads up. The check-in counter stands in front of you. Floyd | Floyd | An amiable, elderly man is standing behind the counter. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Dining Hall, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The Aviators Saloon never pretended to be more than a small and Floyd | comfortable lodge - which is why its mess bears an eerie resemblance to Floyd | the dining hall of your own large family. Since - in this age - Floyd | everything is automatic, there is precious little clutter, barring a Floyd | large table, twelve chairs, and a large cupboard at the back of the Floyd | room. Floyd | Floyd | You can see a small black device (in which is a personal ID chip) here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take device" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | From the discreet signs declaring that you are currently in the Floyd | Aviators' Saloon, and from the general look of the furniture, this is Floyd | obviously the reception room or antechamber of a small hotel. The doors Floyd | of the hotel, to your north, seem to be closed, east is a dining-hall, Floyd | and a staircase leads up. The check-in counter stands in front of you. Floyd | Floyd | An amiable, elderly man is standing behind the counter. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x cupboard" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "talk to the nice man" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask man about device" | ||||
Floyd | "It's a tracer. Not sure how to use it? You use it to find a person. Floyd | Put the chap's identity chip or card - depends on the model - into the Floyd | machine, and it's off to the races. Neat." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "ah" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Dining Hall, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The Aviators Saloon never pretended to be more than a small and Floyd | comfortable lodge - which is why its mess bears an eerie resemblance to Floyd | the dining hall of your own large family. Since - in this age - Floyd | everything is automatic, there is precious little clutter, barring a Floyd | large table, twelve chairs, and a large cupboard at the back of the Floyd | room. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x cupboard" | ||||
Floyd | A large, ancient oak cupboard, which is precariously closed. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open cupboard" | ||||
Floyd | You open the oak cupboard, revealing some plates and spoons. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "So there *is* a spoon." | |||
| DavidW asks, "You need a spoon?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x spoon" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing interesting here, just piles of spoons, plates and other items Floyd | of cutlery. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "No, they were just making 'There is no spoon' jokes earlier when we were with Simone." | |||
| olethros says, "it was not a joke it was true" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I missed Simone entirely." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "So, I guess we need to get to that person in that room, but how, my friends? HOW?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "For locked doors, you might need a key." | ||||
| DavidW says, "For hotel keys, you might need to speak to an employee of the hotel." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I thought I had a key." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "That I hadn't used yet." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh- hrm." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Thanks." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "You have a key?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | From the discreet signs declaring that you are currently in the Floyd | Aviators' Saloon, and from the general look of the furniture, this is Floyd | obviously the reception room or antechamber of a small hotel. The doors Floyd | of the hotel, to your north, seem to be closed, east is a dining-hall, Floyd | and a staircase leads up. The check-in counter stands in front of you. Floyd | Floyd | An amiable, elderly man is standing behind the counter. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask man about room seven" | ||||
Floyd | "Can't help you with that, son. Too bad," he says, sympathetically. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask man about room 7" | ||||
Floyd | "Can't help you with that, son. Too bad," he says, sympathetically. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x key" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask man about key" | ||||
Floyd | "It's the key to Miss Clarke's room. Go see what y'can find there, Floyd | son." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take key" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask man about Clarke" | ||||
Floyd | "Nice young lady - almost like my own daughter, son, believe me or not; Floyd | though she's (my daughter, I mean) not here any longer, she's a Floyd | physician out in the East. She was just right for a chap like Jan, Floyd | whose head was in the clouds about nine-tenths of the time. The pity of Floyd | it." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask man about Jan" | ||||
Floyd | "Ah, he was a fine chap, Mr. Mbelwe. The kind of person that any Floyd | author'd be proud of putting in his books - that kind of person. There Floyd | must be some reason for his disappearance, but it's a black mystery to Floyd | me." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask man about computer" | ||||
Floyd | "Ah, that old one - it's badly dated but I haven't the heart to chuck Floyd | it out. Just put a news disc in it, and switch it on - if you've got Floyd | one, that is." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask man about quilt" | ||||
Floyd | "Can't help you with that, son. Too bad," he says, sympathetically. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask man about chip" | ||||
Floyd | "Can't help you with that, son. Too bad," he says, sympathetically. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask man about crumpled note" | ||||
Floyd | "Can't help you with that, son. Too bad," he says, sympathetically. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask man about simone" | ||||
Floyd | The receptionist shakes his head. "I never really studied ancient Floyd | philosophies, son", he replies. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask man about saloon" | ||||
Floyd | "Nice place, isn't it? However, since that damned legend started, five Floyd | years ago, the place's been kinda empty." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask man about legend" | ||||
Floyd | "Sorry, son, I told you just 'bout all I know. There might be a clue Floyd | hidden in yonder rooms upstairs - that's a romantic notion - but after Floyd | five police investigations I doubt there's anything left to be found." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x counter" | ||||
Floyd | A large wooden counter or desk, emitting a low, fluorescent glow. It's Floyd | not a solid block, so there's a space underneath it, which is darker Floyd | than the rest. Floyd | Floyd | And why do you get the feeling that there's something under it that you Floyd | didn't put there in your manuscript? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look under counter" | ||||
Floyd | You look under the counter for a while, and pull out a scrap of paper. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x scrap of paper" | ||||
Floyd | A small scrap of paper, torn at one edge, with words printed on one Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x paper" | ||||
Floyd | A small scrap of paper, torn at one edge, with words printed on one Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read it" | ||||
Floyd | Fran?ois, Ch. 2, Lines 1-17: Floyd | Floyd | "Why did you suppress the first thirty-three verses?", the Author Floyd | complained. Floyd | Floyd | "It's almost painfully obvious if you'll only apply your mind to it", Floyd | the Voice replied, unflappably. "The first lines deal with what he has Floyd | already lived through; to restate them would be unnecessary. Besides, Floyd | he has already acquitted himself most honourably." Floyd | Floyd | "Not enough", the Author replied, sternly. "All he has done is to Floyd | travel through our lands, our landscapes - call them what you will. But Floyd | has he done anything?" Floyd | Floyd | "Well, he did open the gate", the Voice retorted. Floyd | Floyd | "After following prompts that could not bamboozle a two-year-old. The Floyd | challenges we set him were -- elementary." Floyd | Floyd | "Well, we shall have to see. Can he bring back life into this Floyd | place?........" Floyd | [Here the printing stops, abruptly.] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask man about paper" | ||||
Floyd | "Can't help you with that, son. Too bad," he says, sympathetically. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "show paper to man" | ||||
Floyd | (first taking the small scrap of paper) Floyd | You fail to capture the receptionist's interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "kiss him" | ||||
Floyd | How romantic. However, I don't know how he would react. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "show crumpled note to man" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a small scrap of paper Floyd | a small black device Floyd | a personal ID chip Floyd | a blue disc Floyd | an AutoLock Users' Manual Floyd | a black disc Floyd | a fountain-pen Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a small scrap of paper Floyd | a small black device Floyd | a personal ID chip Floyd | a blue disc Floyd | an AutoLock Users' Manual Floyd | a black disc Floyd | a fountain-pen Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "heehee" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "huh" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Must have... guess it's upstairs?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 4, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room 4, which was obviously meant to accomodate a couple or a small Floyd | family at least, is a pleasant contrast to the house you came across Floyd | earlier in your wanderings. Even the furniture - double-bed, dresser, Floyd | table and armchair, and the window - have a particular flavour of their Floyd | own. Floyd | Floyd | The window is open, flooding the room with sunlight. Floyd | Floyd | Covering the bed, with a primness that is almost Victorian, is a warm Floyd | quilt of knitted wool, which shows an unsightly bulge at one point. Floyd | Floyd | You can also see a toybox (in which is a crumpled note) here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask man about table" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take note" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | From the discreet signs declaring that you are currently in the Floyd | Aviators' Saloon, and from the general look of the furniture, this is Floyd | obviously the reception room or antechamber of a small hotel. The doors Floyd | of the hotel, to your north, seem to be closed, east is a dining-hall, Floyd | and a staircase leads up. The check-in counter stands in front of you. Floyd | Floyd | An amiable, elderly man is standing behind the counter. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "show crumpled note to man" | ||||
Floyd | You fail to capture the receptionist's interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask man about table" | ||||
Floyd | "Used to be fashionable nowadays - old Jan's is still here, but heaven Floyd | knows how to open it. You need two goddamned code numbers, one to open Floyd | it, the other to lock it - and then it opens up on its own - at least Floyd | it's meant to. It doesn't even understand proper English, son - you Floyd | have to say something stupid like 'table, code red' or 'table, code is Floyd | 9801' to get it to work. Sloppy programming, I call it", the Floyd | receptionist muses. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Okay, that's funny." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Hooray for author poking fun at his own code." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "This puzzle didn't get nominated for a Xyzzy, I'm thinking." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Sorry to be harsh... just that it's convoluted and taking a bit." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Guess it fits with the plot, though." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x bar" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | From the discreet signs declaring that you are currently in the Floyd | Aviators' Saloon, and from the general look of the furniture, this is Floyd | obviously the reception room or antechamber of a small hotel. The doors Floyd | of the hotel, to your north, seem to be closed, east is a dining-hall, Floyd | and a staircase leads up. The check-in counter stands in front of you. Floyd | Floyd | An amiable, elderly man is standing behind the counter. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | You can't leave - your task here is unfinished. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Check the quilt again." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "mmkay" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 4, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room 4, which was obviously meant to accomodate a couple or a small Floyd | family at least, is a pleasant contrast to the house you came across Floyd | earlier in your wanderings. Even the furniture - double-bed, dresser, Floyd | table and armchair, and the window - have a particular flavour of their Floyd | own. Floyd | Floyd | The window is open, flooding the room with sunlight. Floyd | Floyd | Covering the bed, with a primness that is almost Victorian, is a warm Floyd | quilt of knitted wool, which shows an unsightly bulge at one point. Floyd | Floyd | You can also see a toybox (which is empty) here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x quilt" | ||||
Floyd | You've absolutely no sartorial sense, but it does look like a patchwork Floyd | quilt, obviously woollen. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Remember that you thought there ought to be something under it." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take quilt" | ||||
Floyd | You lift the quilt and search the bed for some time, your conscience Floyd | pricking you all the time, but are rewarded for your efforts by a Floyd | letter. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Did I think that? I could have sworn I looked under the damn thing." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look under quilt" | ||||
Floyd | Uneasily conscious that you're making a mess, you shove the quilt Floyd | around some more. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | Uneasily conscious that you're making a mess, you shove the quilt Floyd | around some more. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "You did look. But the set up wasn't right." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh - I guess I did." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Bah" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, letter." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x letter" | ||||
Floyd | Written on stiff notepaper not bearing any specific letterhead, it Floyd | would probably be a love-letter if its contents weren't so startling. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read letter" | ||||
Floyd | A quick glance at the letter reveals that its contents are of a rather Floyd | personal nature, and your sense of delicacy tells you not to read it. Floyd | Do you still want to do so? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "yes" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Feeling rather a cad, you read the letter once through, quickly.... Floyd | Floyd | Europe, July 14th, 2883. Floyd | Floyd | Dear Vanessa, Floyd | Unforseen circumstances have forced me, without any sensible or Floyd | honourable alternative, to leave you abruptly, without warning, without Floyd | even the consolation - pardon my grandiosity - of a fond farewell. I Floyd | have not been permitted to reveal more than this, even to you whom I Floyd | could trust above anyone else, dearest - for the hand and mind that Floyd | drive me at this moment are not my own. Rest assured that, if you still Floyd | - regardless of your own safety - want to follow me, I have left enough Floyd | traces. Not too explicitly, of course - Nash is a fine old man, but I Floyd | wouldn't want to involve him in this - but I am sure you will find a Floyd | way. The key can be revealed in the usual way: table, place. There is Floyd | little time to say more. Four digits alone. Floyd | Floyd | Yours, Floyd | Janus. Floyd | Floyd | After reading it, you feel strangely vindicated. At least, it was of Floyd | some use, and could help you find a key to this enigma. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Is the door in seven unlocked in the same manner as the table?" | |||
| DavidW says, "no. You need a normal key." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "There's only the one lockbox table, though, right?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And we already opened it." | ||||
| DavidW says, "But the letter could help you find a key [to this enigma, yadda]" | ||||
| DavidW says, "There's just the one lockbox table, yes." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | From the discreet signs declaring that you are currently in the Floyd | Aviators' Saloon, and from the general look of the furniture, this is Floyd | obviously the reception room or antechamber of a small hotel. The doors Floyd | of the hotel, to your north, seem to be closed, east is a dining-hall, Floyd | and a staircase leads up. The check-in counter stands in front of you. Floyd | Floyd | An amiable, elderly man is standing behind the counter. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask man about key" | ||||
Floyd | "It's the key to Miss Clarke's room. Go see what y'can find there, Floyd | son." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a crumpled note Floyd | a small scrap of paper Floyd | a small black device Floyd | a personal ID chip Floyd | a blue disc Floyd | an AutoLock Users' Manual Floyd | a black disc Floyd | a fountain-pen Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x key" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "What key?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Is this one of those 'you can ask him about the key even though you haven't actually seen it yet' sorts of things?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "He thinks you've already got it. Miscoded response." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Which is a touch confusing." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I was thinking I'd seen and misplaced it or something." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Second floor, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The entry to the second floor's chambers has the same homely flavour as Floyd | the previous one, except that a few potted plants here and there add a Floyd | touch of colour to the proceedings. Open doors lead east and west, and Floyd | a locked door lies north. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline scrunches up her face, thinking. | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search plants" | ||||
Floyd | Come on, Harold. What do you think this is? A text adventure or Floyd | something? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Receptionist's room, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | This room - which, by its lived-in, familial appearance must belong to Floyd | the receptionist - is small, neat and comfortable. A sturdy bed Floyd | occupies the centre of the room, with an open window casting a bright Floyd | beam right on it; besides this, there is little furniture except a Floyd | couch, a bookshelf, and a television. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Second floor, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The entry to the second floor's chambers has the same homely flavour as Floyd | the previous one, except that a few potted plants here and there add a Floyd | touch of colour to the proceedings. Open doors lead east and west, and Floyd | a locked door lies north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Room 6, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room 6 was obviously going to be renovated before disaster struck, Floyd | because it's totally bare. It's a nice, pleasant room, or rather it Floyd | would be so if it had any furniture. The only piece worthy of that name Floyd | is a stool. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Only three rooms this level, oops." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Second floor, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The entry to the second floor's chambers has the same homely flavour as Floyd | the previous one, except that a few potted plants here and there add a Floyd | touch of colour to the proceedings. Open doors lead east and west, and Floyd | a locked door lies north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | You don't seem to have the key. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x north" | ||||
Floyd | You see nothing special about the north wall. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x door" | ||||
Floyd | As Gertrude Stein would probably put it, a door is a door is a Floyd | door....you get my drift. It has a lock, if you're interested. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x lock" | ||||
Floyd | As Gertrude Stein would probably put it, a door is a door is a Floyd | door....you get my drift. It has a lock, if you're interested. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | From the discreet signs declaring that you are currently in the Floyd | Aviators' Saloon, and from the general look of the furniture, this is Floyd | obviously the reception room or antechamber of a small hotel. The doors Floyd | of the hotel, to your north, seem to be closed, east is a dining-hall, Floyd | and a staircase leads up. The check-in counter stands in front of you. Floyd | Floyd | An amiable, elderly man is standing behind the counter. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "check=in" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "check-in" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask man about rooms" | ||||
Floyd | "Can't help you with that, son. Too bad," he says, sympathetically. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask man about man" | ||||
Floyd | "Can't help you with that, son. Too bad," he says, sympathetically. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask man about me" | ||||
Floyd | "Can't help you with that, son. Too bad," he says, sympathetically. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x man" | ||||
Floyd | The old man looks like a receptionist of some sort, but somehow his Floyd | expression suggests that he once held a higher position. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "check in" | ||||
Floyd | A large wooden counter or desk, emitting a low, fluorescent glow. It's Floyd | not a solid block, so there's a space underneath it, which is darker Floyd | than the rest. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "check in = x counter" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Huh - I was just using its own spelling." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, so it seems." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask him about dining hall" | ||||
Floyd | "Can't help you with that, son. Too bad," he says, sympathetically. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Dining Hall, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The Aviators Saloon never pretended to be more than a small and Floyd | comfortable lodge - which is why its mess bears an eerie resemblance to Floyd | the dining hall of your own large family. Since - in this age - Floyd | everything is automatic, there is precious little clutter, barring a Floyd | large table, twelve chairs, and a large cupboard at the back of the Floyd | room. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "lemme know when you want another push" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x cupboard" | ||||
Floyd | A large, ancient oak cupboard, which yawns open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "lookin cupboard" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look in cupboard" | ||||
Floyd | In the oak cupboard are some plates and spoons. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take spoons" | ||||
Floyd | The cutlery isn't important. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take plate" | ||||
Floyd | The cutlery isn't important. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Okay, nudge." | |||
| DavidW says, "Do something with the letter you found." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf7" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | From the discreet signs declaring that you are currently in the Floyd | Aviators' Saloon, and from the general look of the furniture, this is Floyd | obviously the reception room or antechamber of a small hotel. The doors Floyd | of the hotel, to your north, seem to be closed, east is a dining-hall, Floyd | and a staircase leads up. The check-in counter stands in front of you. Floyd | Floyd | An amiable, elderly man is standing behind the counter. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "show letter to man" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a crumpled note Floyd | a small scrap of paper Floyd | a small black device Floyd | a personal ID chip Floyd | a blue disc Floyd | an AutoLock Users' Manual Floyd | a black disc Floyd | a fountain-pen Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Okay, that's annoying." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Second floor, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The entry to the second floor's chambers has the same homely flavour as Floyd | the previous one, except that a few potted plants here and there add a Floyd | touch of colour to the proceedings. Open doors lead east and west, and Floyd | a locked door lies north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Receptionist's room, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | This room - which, by its lived-in, familial appearance must belong to Floyd | the receptionist - is small, neat and comfortable. A sturdy bed Floyd | occupies the centre of the room, with an open window casting a bright Floyd | beam right on it; besides this, there is little furniture except a Floyd | couch, a bookshelf, and a television. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Second floor, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The entry to the second floor's chambers has the same homely flavour as Floyd | the previous one, except that a few potted plants here and there add a Floyd | touch of colour to the proceedings. Open doors lead east and west, and Floyd | a locked door lies north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | Floyd | Room 4, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | Room 4, which was obviously meant to accomodate a couple or a small Floyd | family at least, is a pleasant contrast to the house you came across Floyd | earlier in your wanderings. Even the furniture - double-bed, dresser, Floyd | table and armchair, and the window - have a particular flavour of their Floyd | own. Floyd | Floyd | The window is open, flooding the room with sunlight. Floyd | Floyd | Covering the bed, with a primness that is almost Victorian, is a warm Floyd | quilt of knitted wool. Floyd | Floyd | You can also see a strange letter and a toybox (which is empty) here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take letter" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | From the discreet signs declaring that you are currently in the Floyd | Aviators' Saloon, and from the general look of the furniture, this is Floyd | obviously the reception room or antechamber of a small hotel. The doors Floyd | of the hotel, to your north, seem to be closed, east is a dining-hall, Floyd | and a staircase leads up. The check-in counter stands in front of you. Floyd | Floyd | An amiable, elderly man is standing behind the counter. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "show letter to man" | ||||
Floyd | If the receptionist wasn't suffering from senile arthritis, he would Floyd | certainly have jumped twenty feet. As it is, he stares at you. "Where Floyd | did you find it! That's a miracle. We're going to find the Director, Floyd | son, you can count on that! Wait......I have something he gave me once, Floyd | it might help you, though he gave it to me the year before he Floyd | disappeared...." The receptionist places a key on the counter, which Floyd | you look at appraisingly. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by six points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Crikey." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take key" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chambers, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The landing of the Aviators Saloon opens into four rooms, one Floyd | corresponding to each point of the compass, the doors to which (being Floyd | of the electrical kind) are open. The stairs lead back down, and Floyd | continue further upwards. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Second floor, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | The entry to the second floor's chambers has the same homely flavour as Floyd | the previous one, except that a few potted plants here and there add a Floyd | touch of colour to the proceedings. Open doors lead east and west, and Floyd | a locked door lies north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | (unlocking Vanessa's door first) Floyd | (opening the door) Floyd | Floyd | Vanessa Clarke's room, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | If there's anything concealed in Miss Clarke's room, it cannot be under Floyd | a bed, since this room is without one. A wardrobe and a glass-topped Floyd | table - charming in their simplicity - are the only adornments visible. Floyd | There are no windows, surprisingly, except one covered by curtains, Floyd | which is in the wrong position as far as illumination is concerned. Floyd | Floyd | A closed wardrobe stands impassively in a corner. Floyd | Floyd | On the glass-topped table is a glazed vase (in which are some dead Floyd | flowers). Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "ha ha" | |||
| DavidW says, "NOT under the bed. Got it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "No, most certainly NOT under the bed." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But I'm guessing there's something else somewhere, given the not subtle hint." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look in vase" | ||||
Floyd | In the glazed vase are some dead flowers. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take flowers" | ||||
Floyd | Who needs them? They're not even pressed. And, for some obscure reason, Floyd | they won't budge. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look under vase" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing here, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x table" | ||||
Floyd | Just four black wooden legs, with a delicate pattern in the grain, and Floyd | a glass slab. Simple and stylish. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Amazing. You jumped right over the simplest and most obvious command for the vase." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "I did?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "empty vase" | ||||
Floyd | The flowers won't budge, and the whole vase seems heavier than is Floyd | usual. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "break fase" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "break vase" | ||||
Floyd | You shove the vase a little, but nothing happens. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take vase" | ||||
Floyd | The flowers won't budge, and the whole vase seems heavier than is Floyd | usual. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | the key to Vanessa's room Floyd | a strange letter Floyd | a crumpled note Floyd | a small scrap of paper Floyd | a small black device Floyd | a personal ID chip Floyd | a blue disc Floyd | an AutoLock Users' Manual Floyd | a black disc Floyd | a fountain-pen Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "smash vase" | ||||
Floyd | You shove the vase a little, but nothing happens. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Just .. y'know, LOOK AT it." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push vase off table" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I thought I - hm, guess not." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x vase" | ||||
Floyd | A simple, glazed, ceramic vase. On one side, fairly low - strangely - Floyd | is a small hole about the circumference of your little finger. A few Floyd | wilting flowers are still inside it. On the other side is an Floyd | inscription: Floyd | "Triumph shall come here at last, Floyd | We should ask not 'how', but 'when' - Floyd | From a stone take then a sword, Floyd | In this vase, place now a......." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "stick pen in hole" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "put pen in hole" | ||||
Floyd | You have an uncanny feeling that you'll need the pen for something Floyd | better than that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "put pen in vase" | ||||
Floyd | As you insert the pen into the vase, a blinding light dazzles you, and Floyd | a low haze envelops you. You struggle to find your way out of it, but Floyd | to no avail. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE......] | Jacqueline says, "Gah syntax." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Glad I kept trying." | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | When you awake, you are in a shrine of some sort, lying supine. A tall Floyd | man, concerned but not stern, with a long face, looks down on you. Floyd | Floyd | "Ah, Harold. I have misjudged you, and I apologize. But first -- let me Floyd | introduce myself. I am that sadistic personage, 'Mr. Author', who has Floyd | brought you here so far. Your mission -- but let me explain myself. The Floyd | creation of your novel set in motion certain events in a parallel Floyd | dimension; its destruction will not only undo them but replace them Floyd | with worse ones. Simone, Edward, Laura - even people inhabiting your Floyd | world, but not created by you, like Janus Mbelwe - have had to suffer Floyd | the consequences. It was with this aim that I brought you here, but now Floyd | you can go no further. The remaining tasks in this dimension will need Floyd | to be carried out by one of its own citizens.......All we shall need Floyd | will be some of your memories, to help her find her way." Floyd | Floyd | The man looks down. Floyd | Floyd | "Close your eyes, Harold, and think." Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE....] | DavidW says, "You might want to go back a bit and examine the wardrobe contents. Or not." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Is it critical?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "There's 8 points in it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Fair enough." | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | You close your eyes -- memories, thoughts, ideas that you had and that Floyd | you never had, all seem to swirl, to be involuntarily wrenched from Floyd | you...... Floyd | Floyd | And then you remember no more. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE......] | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Cold. Damp. Overdramatizing, as usual. Floyd | Floyd | You struggle to your feet, smooth down your crumpled coat, shake your Floyd | head and brush the hair out of your face, a strange air of unreality Floyd | (indeed!) surrounding you. Ideas that never entered your mind till this Floyd | moment flicker by, leaving hardly a trace. You look ahead. Straight Floyd | ahead. There is nothing more intimidating than your home ahead. So much Floyd | for mystery. Floyd | Floyd | Your car has gone. But did you take it home, or did you walk? The last Floyd | thing you remember was leaving the Court of Appeals.......nothing more. Floyd | Floyd | Chapter Seven - Recalled From Life Floyd | Floyd | Outside your house Floyd | Though you've been here time and time again, there is something Floyd | comfortable and inviting about this small walk up to your house, where Floyd | you have lived for the last twelve years. The trees move gently in the Floyd | wind - it is, after all, late in November - but the lights in your Floyd | home, like a lighthouse, guide you unerringly on, to the north. The Floyd | street you came out of is to your east. Floyd | Floyd | Your heart gives a single leap of relief. Nothing has really changed, Floyd | after all. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by eighteen points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Vanessa Clarke's room, in the Aviators Saloon Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x wardrobe" | ||||
Floyd | It looks like an ordinary enough wardrobe, but has a certain air of Floyd | impassivity. Floyd | Floyd | And once contained a modulator of neurological signals. From here, a Floyd | nation was once felled. Once upon a time. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look in wardrobe" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see inside, since the large wardrobe is closed. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline takes a moment to breathe and calm down. | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open wardrobe" | ||||
Floyd | You open the large wardrobe, revealing a long brown coat and a pale Floyd | blue dress. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x coat" | ||||
Floyd | A long brown coat, which would reach almost to mid-calf if the wearer Floyd | were of average height, with a clean-cut collar. It has a single Floyd | pocket, which is unusual. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x dress" | ||||
Floyd | An elegant dress in shades of pale blue, its frills and flounces are Floyd | evocative of a much earlier era. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look in coat pocket" | ||||
Floyd | Rummaging through the pocket, you find an identity card of some sort, Floyd | and pull it out. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by eight points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x id" | ||||
Floyd | (the identity card) Floyd | A small plastic card, with a photograph showing a young woman's face, Floyd | wearing the same brown coat, and a few lines of print accompanying it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read id" | ||||
Floyd | ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL CONSULTANTS Floyd | (Affiliated to the Department of Internal Affairs) Floyd | Floyd | Name : Cassandra Anderson, R.I.L. Floyd | Age : 34 Floyd | Grade : Consultant in International Law - Civil Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "put pen in vase" | ||||
Floyd | As you insert the pen into the vase, a blinding light dazzles you, and Floyd | a low haze envelops you. You struggle to find your way out of it, but Floyd | to no avail. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE......] | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | When you awake, you are in a shrine of some sort, lying supine. A tall Floyd | man, concerned but not stern, with a long face, looks down on you. Floyd | Floyd | "Ah, Harold. I have misjudged you, and I apologize. But first -- let me Floyd | introduce myself. I am that sadistic personage, 'Mr. Author', who has Floyd | brought you here so far. Your mission -- but let me explain myself. The Floyd | creation of your novel set in motion certain events in a parallel Floyd | dimension; its destruction will not only undo them but replace them Floyd | with worse ones. Simone, Edward, Laura - even people inhabiting your Floyd | world, but not created by you, like Janus Mbelwe - have had to suffer Floyd | the consequences. It was with this aim that I brought you here, but now Floyd | you can go no further. The remaining tasks in this dimension will need Floyd | to be carried out by one of its own citizens.......All we shall need Floyd | will be some of your memories, to help her find her way." Floyd | Floyd | The man looks down. Floyd | Floyd | "Close your eyes, Harold, and think." Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE....] | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | You close your eyes -- memories, thoughts, ideas that you had and that Floyd | you never had, all seem to swirl, to be involuntarily wrenched from Floyd | you...... Floyd | Floyd | And then you remember no more. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE......] | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Cold. Damp. Overdramatizing, as usual. Floyd | Floyd | You struggle to your feet, smooth down your crumpled coat, shake your Floyd | head and brush the hair out of your face, a strange air of unreality Floyd | (indeed!) surrounding you. Ideas that never entered your mind till this Floyd | moment flicker by, leaving hardly a trace. You look ahead. Straight Floyd | ahead. There is nothing more intimidating than your home ahead. So much Floyd | for mystery. Floyd | Floyd | Your car has gone. But did you take it home, or did you walk? The last Floyd | thing you remember was leaving the Court of Appeals.......nothing more. Floyd | Floyd | Chapter Seven - Recalled From Life Floyd | Floyd | Outside your house Floyd | Though you've been here time and time again, there is something Floyd | comfortable and inviting about this small walk up to your house, where Floyd | you have lived for the last twelve years. The trees move gently in the Floyd | wind - it is, after all, late in November - but the lights in your Floyd | home, like a lighthouse, guide you unerringly on, to the north. The Floyd | street you came out of is to your east. Floyd | Floyd | Your heart gives a single leap of relief. Nothing has really changed, Floyd | after all. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by eighteen points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Heehee. Hooray for 'Cold. Damp. Overdramatizing, as usual.'" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x me" | ||||
Floyd | You look at yourself uncertainly, but you're still the same - Cassandra Floyd | Anderson, lawyer, on her way home from the Court of Appeals. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "We're Cassandra now." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "So we are." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | a strange letter Floyd | an identity card Floyd | a long brown coat (being worn) Floyd | a pale blue dress (being worn) Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "my" | |||
| olethros asks, "do we have any prophecies?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "heh. We might." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter ouse" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf8" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter house" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Outside your house Floyd | Though you've been here time and time again, there is something Floyd | comfortable and inviting about this small walk up to your house, where Floyd | you have lived for the last twelve years. The trees move gently in the Floyd | wind - it is, after all, late in November - but the lights in your Floyd | home, like a lighthouse, guide you unerringly on, to the north. The Floyd | street you came out of is to your east. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "anyway, I've closed by E to I notes binder. I'll not peek further unless needed." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "mmkay" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, afk just a sec" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "back" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front porch, outside the house Floyd | A neat little porch, currently devoid of the usual floral ornaments - Floyd | it's hardly the season for them right now - but still welcoming enough. Floyd | In front of you is the door to your house, and the recognition panel Floyd | lies next to it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x panel" | ||||
Floyd | It's a recognition panel, the 29th Century's answer to the good old Floyd | lock and key; touch it, and your fingerprints are sufficient to unlock Floyd | and open the door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says (to Floyd), "score" | ||||
Floyd | You have so far scored 155 out of a possible 360, in 610 turns, earning Floyd | you the rank of Straight Speaker. Floyd | Floyd | > | olethros says, "still!" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "STILL" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "shoot me" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "touch panel" | ||||
Floyd | You put out a finger and touch the panel lightly; but it's cold to the Floyd | touch, rather than mildly warm, and nothing happens. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Forgot to pay the power bill again, I see, Cassandra." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push panel" | ||||
Floyd | Such force is not required. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Wait, the lights are on in the house, though." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "remove gloves" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Outside your house Floyd | Though you've been here time and time again, there is something Floyd | comfortable and inviting about this small walk up to your house, where Floyd | you have lived for the last twelve years. The trees move gently in the Floyd | wind - it is, after all, late in November - but the lights in your Floyd | home, like a lighthouse, guide you unerringly on, to the north. The Floyd | street you came out of is to your east. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "oh. So maybe walk right in." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Why would you want to go back there? At this point in time, you'd love Floyd | to be back home. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front porch, outside the house Floyd | A neat little porch, currently devoid of the usual floral ornaments - Floyd | it's hardly the season for them right now - but still welcoming enough. Floyd | In front of you is the door to your house, and the recognition panel Floyd | lies next to it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | You can't, since the door to your house is in the way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | With a light push, you open the door. Strange - even in the trusting Floyd | world of 2804, doors usually are locked. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in your house Floyd | The lights in the antechamber, strangely, seem to be malfunctioning, Floyd | and burn so dimly as to resemble feeble candles; you can barely make Floyd | out the oft-trodden pathways to your more private chambers, east, and Floyd | to the drawing-room, north. Immediately next to you is a coat-stand. Floyd | You can hardly even make out the wallpaper covering the walls. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "remove coat" | ||||
Floyd | (the long brown coat) Floyd | You take off the long brown coat. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "put coat on coat-stand" | ||||
Floyd | (the long brown coat on the coat-stand) Floyd | You put the long brown coat on the coat-stand. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "It feels like a trap." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf9" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I agree. Or a break-and-enter." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | You move north, expecting to find someone there, but bump into Floyd | something. Yes -- it is a brick wall. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Corridor, in your house Floyd | This short corridor leads, at your insistence, directly from the Floyd | antechamber to the east wing of the house; it offers a quick retreat to Floyd | your own chambers, and helps you avoid embarrassing or annoying Floyd | visitors. It runs east to west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | End of corridor, in your house Floyd | At the end of the corridor, you can see exits to your north and south, Floyd | the former leading into your bedroom, and the latter into your small Floyd | study-cum-office. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros says, "I need sleep" | ||||
| olethros says, "good night all" | Jacqueline says, "Night, o." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | You step into your office..... Floyd | Floyd | The sight that greets you is nothing more than shocking. All your Floyd | papers, all your books, are gone. The shelves lie, damaged and broken, Floyd | face down....but, even more chillingly, though the room is empty, there Floyd | are splashes of blood on the wall. Floyd | What on earth has happened here? Floyd | Trembling, you return to the corridor. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE......] | ||||
| olethros has disconnected. | ||||
| olethros was too old and infirm for your purpose. | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | The voice rushes into your ears again. Floyd | Floyd | "This is only the beginning, Harold. Without you, without the Floyd | continuity you were about to provide, this world is about to undergo Floyd | autolysis - self-destruction if you prefer. It is not a pleasant Floyd | process." Floyd | Floyd | "Until now, you have followed the tracks we set you, followed the Floyd | side-lanes that we planted signposts along......but now it is less Floyd | simple. With your memories, with the one item that you were able to Floyd | save from the deluge, Cassandra will have to - almost - begin all over Floyd | again. All this as a result of your rash act." Floyd | Floyd | Somehow, you lack the will to protest. Maybe because you're immobile, Floyd | maybe because you never were much good at arguing anyway, but you Floyd | don't. Floyd | Floyd | "I can assure you, once again, Harold", the voice goes on, "that it is Floyd | not pleasant." Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE.....] | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | End of corridor, in your house Floyd | At the end of the corridor, you can see exits to your north and south, Floyd | the former leading into your bedroom, and the latter into your small Floyd | study-cum-office. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Author's a big ol' meanie." | |||
| DavidW asks, "Is the one item that we saved the flower?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | a strange letter Floyd | an identity card Floyd | a pale blue dress (being worn) Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Yep" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | You can't bring yourself to go in there again. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x flower" | ||||
Floyd | It's unlike any flower you've ever seen before; it has a single whorl Floyd | of four pink petals, with irregular angles that hardly look natural, as Floyd | if they represented some strange form of origami. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Master bedroom, in your house Floyd | With a sigh of relief, you walk into your bedroom and look around, Floyd | quickly. Everything seems to be normal - at a glance. Floyd | The lighting in this room is much better than in the rest of the house, Floyd | so that it's a welcome contrast to the dimly lit corridors. Somehow Floyd | this room has never seemed as welcoming to you as it does now - the Floyd | bed, the wardrobe and the armchairs take on the appearance of old Floyd | friends. The entry to the bathroom is west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open flower" | ||||
Floyd | That's not something you can open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x wardrobe" | ||||
Floyd | Just your average wardrobe. This one is meant exclusively for clothes, Floyd | clothes and more clothes, though you do keep a stash of handkerchiefs Floyd | in here sometimes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open wardrobe" | ||||
Floyd | You open the wardrobe in search of a change of clothing, and something Floyd | falls out. Not a coat hanger, not even your dressing-gown. Floyd | Floyd | It's a corpse, and judging by all appearances, it hasn't been one very Floyd | long. Floyd | Floyd | You stagger backwards, then take a few steps forward. The wardrobe has Floyd | been ransacked. Nothing, not even the hanging rods or the air filter, Floyd | has been left behind. Floyd | Floyd | It looks like you have a murder on your hands. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by seven points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "eep" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I love writing like that, but anyone who's read my reviews knows this." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It is not a hanger, it is not a dress, it is a corpse." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "As if one would think that upon seeing a corpse." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Always makes me giggle when I see stuff like that in IF." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "body" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x body" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | You force yourself to look at the body for a few minutes.... Floyd | Floyd | Oh, God.....Gerald! Floyd | Floyd | A second glance serves to dispel your unwarranted fears. Though the Floyd | man's body does eerily resemble your husband, you're quite sure it Floyd | isn't him. The man must have been nearing forty, and is greying at the Floyd | temples. The cause of his death, as far as you can see, is a deep stab Floyd | wound on the left side of his chest. Floyd | Floyd | > | WeirdBeard says, "Jacqueline Well, you wouldn't want to accidently wear a corpse to a fancy restaraunt; major faux pas." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search corpse" | ||||
Floyd | You search the man's pockets, apprehensively, and pull out a plastic Floyd | card. Barring this, the man is carrying no identification or money. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "'It's not a hatter, tailor, or your dressmaker, it's just li'l ol' me, the undertaker.'" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to WeirdBeard), "That is very true." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x card" | ||||
Floyd | (the identity card) Floyd | It's your identity card. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Wait, OUR identity card?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh, wait." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x plastic card" | ||||
Floyd | A cash card, made of plastic. It bears a photograph that, to your Floyd | surprise, can easily be mistaken for yours, and a few lines of writing Floyd | below it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read plastic card" | ||||
Floyd | EUROPEAN CREDIT EXCHANGE Floyd | Floyd | Name: Angela Bradbury Floyd | Floyd | Profession: Psychologist Floyd | Floyd | Age: 38 years Floyd | Floyd | This card is non-transferrable and non-renewable. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Wow - parallel Gerald and a parallel me." | |||
| WeirdBeard says, "So except for her age, name and occupation she had no identification." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Let's go buy some new clothes to replace the ones that were stolen, and hire a cleaning company to come mop up all the blood in our study." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Master bedroom, in your house Floyd | The lighting in this room is much better than in the rest of the house, Floyd | so that it's a welcome contrast to the dimly lit corridors. Somehow Floyd | this room has never seemed as welcoming to you as it does now - the Floyd | bed, the wardrobe and the armchairs take on the appearance of old Floyd | friends. The entry to the bathroom is west. Floyd | Floyd | You can see a plastic cash card and a man's corpse here. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "And maybe call the police." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, maybe." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take cash card" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Thanks, David. I keep expecting the game to do those things automatically for some reason." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look under bed" | ||||
Floyd | Nervously, you look under the bed, nameless fears gripping at your Floyd | mind. But, since anyone in the 29th can be an excellent housekeeper Floyd | without trying, you don't even find dust. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search chair" | ||||
Floyd | You can see the floor. So there. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Bathroom, in your house Floyd | A clean-tiled floor, bright lighting and a pleasant smell. Nothing Floyd | else. All the fixtures, from the tub to your own favourite, the Floyd | steam-free mirror, have vanished. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Not my steam-free mirror!" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "VERY clean." | ||||
| DavidW says, "ok, who would steal a tub? Like, really." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, it's no big deal, as we can buy a new one with Angela's cash card." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Master bedroom, in your house Floyd | The lighting in this room is much better than in the rest of the house, Floyd | so that it's a welcome contrast to the dimly lit corridors. Somehow Floyd | this room has never seemed as welcoming to you as it does now - the Floyd | bed, the wardrobe and the armchairs take on the appearance of old Floyd | friends. The entry to the bathroom is west. Floyd | Floyd | You can see a man's corpse here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | End of corridor, in your house Floyd | At the end of the corridor, you can see exits to your north and south, Floyd | the former leading into your bedroom, and the latter into your small Floyd | study-cum-office. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Master bedroom, in your house Floyd | The lighting in this room is much better than in the rest of the house, Floyd | so that it's a welcome contrast to the dimly lit corridors. Somehow Floyd | this room has never seemed as welcoming to you as it does now - the Floyd | bed, the wardrobe and the armchairs take on the appearance of old Floyd | friends. The entry to the bathroom is west. Floyd | Floyd | You can see a man's corpse here. Floyd | Floyd | > | WeirdBeard says, "Mr. Haney would, and then sell it back to you when you bought the house." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | End of corridor, in your house Floyd | At the end of the corridor, you can see exits to your north and south, Floyd | the former leading into your bedroom, and the latter into your small Floyd | study-cum-office. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | You can't bring yourself to go in there again. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | It's a dead end. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Check the newspapers. Maybe Tubby McBath's Warehouse-O-Rama is having a sale." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Corridor, in your house Floyd | This short corridor leads, at your insistence, directly from the Floyd | antechamber to the east wing of the house; it offers a quick retreat to Floyd | your own chambers, and helps you avoid embarrassing or annoying Floyd | visitors. It runs east to west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in your house Floyd | The lights in the antechamber, strangely, seem to be malfunctioning, Floyd | and burn so dimly as to resemble feeble candles; you can barely make Floyd | out the oft-trodden pathways to your more private chambers, east, and Floyd | to the drawing-room, north. Immediately next to you is a coat-stand. Floyd | You can hardly even make out the wallpaper covering the walls. Floyd | Floyd | On the coat-stand is a long brown coat. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Mysteriously, a wall seems to block your way. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Why is our drawing room bricked up?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x wallpaper" | ||||
Floyd | A nice pattern in the style of 2600, with several species of flowers. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "That is annoying." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x flowers" | ||||
Floyd | A nice pattern in the style of 2600, with several species of flowers. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "rip wallpaper" | ||||
Floyd | There's nothing hidden under it. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "wow" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Didn't expect that, eh?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "no" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It's too bad there's not another corpse behind the wallpaper." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "What now, boys?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x coat stand" | ||||
Floyd | A tall coat-stand, almost as high as you are, with hooks at several Floyd | levels. Floyd | Floyd | > | WeirdBeard asks, "Did you check the coat?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x hooks" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x coat" | ||||
Floyd | (the coat-stand) Floyd | A tall coat-stand, almost as high as you are, with hooks at several Floyd | levels. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x my coat" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| WeirdBeard says (to floyd), "x brown coat" | ||||
Floyd | This old coat, next to your thermoconditioner, is the ideal companion Floyd | for a long winter. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "call police" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "phone police" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a plastic cash card Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | a strange letter Floyd | an identity card Floyd | a pale blue dress (being worn) Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| WeirdBeard says (to floyd), "take brown" | ||||
Floyd | Nervously, you grab the coat once more. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Where did that coat come from?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "wear coat" | ||||
Floyd | (the long brown coat) Floyd | You don't really need the coat now that you're indoors. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search coat" | ||||
Floyd | (the long brown coat) Floyd | You find nothing of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x pocket" | ||||
Floyd | This old coat, next to your thermoconditioner, is the ideal companion Floyd | for a long winter. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look in pocket" | ||||
Floyd | You find nothing of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in your house Floyd | The lights in the antechamber, strangely, seem to be malfunctioning, Floyd | and burn so dimly as to resemble feeble candles; you can barely make Floyd | out the oft-trodden pathways to your more private chambers, east, and Floyd | to the drawing-room, north. Immediately next to you is a coat-stand. Floyd | You can hardly even make out the wallpaper covering the walls. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Corridor, in your house Floyd | This short corridor leads, at your insistence, directly from the Floyd | antechamber to the east wing of the house; it offers a quick retreat to Floyd | your own chambers, and helps you avoid embarrassing or annoying Floyd | visitors. It runs east to west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | End of corridor, in your house Floyd | At the end of the corridor, you can see exits to your north and south, Floyd | the former leading into your bedroom, and the latter into your small Floyd | study-cum-office. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | You can't bring yourself to go in there again. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Master bedroom, in your house Floyd | The lighting in this room is much better than in the rest of the house, Floyd | so that it's a welcome contrast to the dimly lit corridors. Somehow Floyd | this room has never seemed as welcoming to you as it does now - the Floyd | bed, the wardrobe and the armchairs take on the appearance of old Floyd | friends. The entry to the bathroom is west. Floyd | Floyd | You can see a man's corpse here. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "hm. The lighting is poor in the other rooms. Forgot." | |||
| WeirdBeard asks, "Wait, what's so bad about the office that we'd rather be with a body?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x lighting" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline nods. | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take corpse" | ||||
Floyd | That's hardly easy, and pointless besides. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to WB), "I was wondering that myself." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look under corpse" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing here, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x armchairs" | ||||
Floyd | A set of four, that you fell in love with while vacationing in France Floyd | and eventually bought. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| WeirdBeard says (to floyd), "search armchairs" | ||||
Floyd | You can see the floor. So there. Floyd | Floyd | > | WeirdBeard says, "Time to get them reupholstered, sounds like." | |||
| DavidW asks, "If we can't call the police, can we run away?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | End of corridor, in your house Floyd | At the end of the corridor, you can see exits to your north and south, Floyd | the former leading into your bedroom, and the latter into your small Floyd | study-cum-office. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | It's a dead end. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Corridor, in your house Floyd | This short corridor leads, at your insistence, directly from the Floyd | antechamber to the east wing of the house; it offers a quick retreat to Floyd | your own chambers, and helps you avoid embarrassing or annoying Floyd | visitors. It runs east to west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Antechamber, in your house Floyd | The lights in the antechamber, strangely, seem to be malfunctioning, Floyd | and burn so dimly as to resemble feeble candles; you can barely make Floyd | out the oft-trodden pathways to your more private chambers, east, and Floyd | to the drawing-room, north. Immediately next to you is a coat-stand. Floyd | You can hardly even make out the wallpaper covering the walls. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Mysteriously, a wall seems to block your way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x north wall" | ||||
Floyd | You see nothing special about the north wall. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x lights" | ||||
Floyd | The rows of lights are all right at first glance, but the lighting they Floyd | emit is dismal. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "fix lights" | ||||
Floyd | You would achieve nothing by this. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "put coat on coat stand" | ||||
Floyd | (the long brown coat on the coat-stand) Floyd | You put the long brown coat on the coat-stand. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Mysteriously, a wall seems to block your way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push wall" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, the north wall, the south wall, the east wall, the Floyd | west wall, the northeast wall, the northwest wall, the southeast wall Floyd | or the southwest wall? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "north" | ||||
Floyd | That's seldom useful. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "In 2600 you don't need phones to call the police, I guess." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cry" | ||||
Floyd | Oh, you're not that depressed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take brown coat" | ||||
Floyd | Nervously, you grab the coat once more. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front porch, outside the house Floyd | Everything has changed. The absence of plants, which you would have Floyd | once accepted purely as normal, now gives the entire place a sinister Floyd | appearance, and the gravelled path leading away from the house is dark Floyd | and uninviting. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I think we *are* that depressed, actually." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "close door" | ||||
Floyd | You close the door to your house. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "lock door" | ||||
Floyd | What do you want to lock the door to your house with? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "finger" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Outside your house Floyd | The lane is dark and clouds hover uneasily over you, though the rain Floyd | will not come. Looking at a house that has strangely changed on one Floyd | side, and a narrow road on the other, it is hard to decide which way to Floyd | go. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x house" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x clouds" | ||||
Floyd | Not even a silver lining; just a thick blanket of ugly, depressing Floyd | clouds. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Dark Lane Floyd | You can barely suppress a shiver as you return to the place where you Floyd | woke up, confused, just moments ago. It's a small, narrow lane, with no Floyd | obvious source of illumination, running further east and back west to Floyd | the house. Floyd | Floyd | Standing uncomfortably near you is a cab-caller machine. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| McMartin will admit that his propensity for solving problems by killing evil people might give the uneducated the impression that he's unreasonable. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x machine" | ||||
Floyd | Simple in principle and in practice as well; put your cash card in the Floyd | slot, and a cab appears within five minutes - or less if you're lucky. Floyd | Unfortunately, your cash card is - or rather was - in what once was Floyd | your study. It's definitely gone by now. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "put cash card in machine" | ||||
Floyd | You insert the card, hum a little tune, and wait for a cab to take you, Floyd | far away from this nightmare scenario......Never mind where - perhaps Floyd | your sister's place out North..... Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | [Press SPACE.....] | ||||
| DavidW pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | KABOOM! Floyd | Floyd | It's hard to say what actually happened. It's conceivable that the Floyd | machine exploded, though if that had actually happened, you would Floyd | hardly be alive. In fact, you wake up even more dishevelled than you Floyd | first were, utterly bewildered..... Floyd | Floyd | Chapter Eight - Where The Sun Always Shines Floyd | Floyd | 500 miles away from home Floyd | This could be the middle of nowhere - in fact, it is. Apart from the Floyd | railway tracks disappearing into the distance north, and the signpost Floyd | to the east, there is nothing but dry, arid land. Floyd | Floyd | The sun beats down on you, and you regret having left your parasol at Floyd | home. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by twenty-six points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Goodness." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x signpost" | ||||
Floyd | A signpost made of rotting wood, a few words painted over it in black Floyd | paint or tar. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| WeirdBeard asks (of floyd), "who am i?" | ||||
Floyd | You'll have to find your own answers, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | On second thoughts, the parasol would've blown away in a sandstorm. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read it" | ||||
Floyd | DESERT (As if you didn't know that already...) Floyd | Floyd | ..There is no need to beware of cacti, scorpions, wild animals or Floyd | highwaymen, as they are all kept at bay by what you should beware of -- Floyd | sunstroke. Floyd | Floyd | Eastern Colonies ...... 500 MILES NORTH Floyd | Charlestown ........... 0.02 MILES EAST Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x me" | ||||
Floyd | You look at yourself uncertainly, but you're still the same - Cassandra Floyd | Anderson, lawyer, on her way home from the Court of Appeals. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I say we go to Charlestown." | |||
| DavidW says, "That cab isn't getting a tip." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I don't think we're on our way home anymore, either." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf10" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "yes, Charlestown sounds delightful." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "3" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Outside Charlestown Floyd | 0.02 miles must be a much smaller distance than you bargained on, Floyd | because immediately to your east the railway tracks stop, and through a Floyd | thick fog or mist, you can make out the unmistakable outlines of Floyd | buildings. Apart from this, the desert continues north and west. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Wait. Fog? Mist? In the desert?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Valiantly, disregarding your lack of an umbrella, you march into the Floyd | fog........... Floyd | Floyd | Town Square, in Charlestown Floyd | The signposts everywhere announce that you are inside a small but Floyd | flourishing metropolis by the name of Charlestown, which, however, is Floyd | as unlike the popular conception of a Wild West town as possible. This Floyd | is the town square, in the middle of which stands a large statue; large Floyd | buildings lie to your north and south, and the main street continues Floyd | east. Floyd | Floyd | The entire square is shrouded in thick fog. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "oo-oo-oo" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x fog" | ||||
Floyd | Thick clouds of mist or fog obstruct your vision. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Office of the Charlestown Times Floyd | Judging by the signs, this was once the office of the local newspaper, Floyd | but now seems totally abandoned. A single shelf, once probably filled Floyd | with superfluous newsprint, lies to one side, containing a few papers; Floyd | apart from this, the office continues into a darker zone to the north. Floyd | Floyd | The torn front page of a newspaper lies here, unsung. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Perhaps it's not fog fog. Maybe it's the fog of nothing at all." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Yes." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x newspaper" | ||||
Floyd | It's the first page of an issue of the Charlestown Times, with one Floyd | large article and little else. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read newspaper" | ||||
Floyd | THE CHARLESTOWN TIMES - July 28th, 1883 Floyd | Floyd | ---- STUNNING EXPOS? BURIES CHARLESTOWN POLITICIANS --- Floyd | From Our Special Correspondent Floyd | The corrupt, brutal and unnatural orphanage of Charlestown has, through Floyd | the miraculous intervention of Mr. Joel Sweeney, television Floyd | personality, been all but routed. Although the sickening practices of Floyd | the local politicians were known to many, few apart from the valiant Floyd | Mr. Sweeney were willing to confront them face to face. "I do not give Floyd | a cosmic egg", he told our reporter, "if the children in our Floyd | institutions are well-treated; such yardsticks belong to the Middle Floyd | Ages. Any system of education and development that does not liberate Floyd | the inner self, and offer a holistic approach to spiritual development, Floyd | is a monstrosity and a perversion." On the evidence of Mr. Sweeney, Floyd | over 650 children - half of them orphans - were rescued from these dens Floyd | of skepticism and placed along the right path. His close associate and Floyd | friend, Doctor Osborne Sharma (the author of "Ingest, Assimilate, Floyd | Absorb" and "Ageless Mind Over Ageing Matter") is actively involved in Floyd | the process of rehabilitation. Floyd | Floyd | ANNOUNCEMENTS Floyd | Floyd | DECEASED : on July 26th, 1883, at his residence, LEON. E. GOLD, Floyd | schoolmaster. Mr. Gold was recently under a shadow following the Floyd | scandal in education. He is survived by his wife Judith. Floyd | APPOINTED : as Superintendent of Education and Human Potential, ALBERT Floyd | ROMANOV. Mr. Romanov, for years, was a tireless campaigner of Mr. Floyd | Sweeney's causes, and his appointment comes as no surprise. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Is that - hm, I guess it's not *supposed* to be 2883, but I have trouble with televisions and cosmic eggs in the nineteenth century, except that the game is crazy and I'm just starting to not be shocked by anything and next there will be a giant green bunny rabbit named Frank who will eat us alive." | |||
| DavidW says, "I don't think bunnies are carnivores." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "You've never watched Big Bunny, obviously." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Though he is pink." | ||||
| WeirdBeard asks, "Television personalities in 1883? Is that a typo or is this an alternate universe?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But in this game, all bets are off." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to WB), "Alternate universe." | ||||
| WeirdBeard says, "Or Monty Python and the Holy Grail" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh. I hope not. When the historian gets killed is when the movie starts to get really boring." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Archives of the Charlestown Times Floyd | This room, all empty shelves and dust, once stored all the back issues, Floyd | manuscripts and other paraphernalia that are the birthright of a Floyd | newspaper office - or so it seems. There are no obvious exits except Floyd | the one back south. Floyd | Floyd | The only piece of furniture remaining, bar the shelves, is a horsehair Floyd | chair, in none too good a condition. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x shelves" | ||||
Floyd | That's just scenery. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x chair" | ||||
Floyd | The chair has a certain dignity - even though it could hardly bear the Floyd | weight of your six-year-old daughter in the state it's currently in. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x chair" | ||||
Floyd | The chair has a certain dignity - even though it could hardly bear the Floyd | weight of your six-year-old daughter in the state it's currently in. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look under it" | ||||
Floyd | You examine the chair from all angles, look under it, and finally Floyd | uncover a legal form - of the kind that you know by heart, but blank - Floyd | under the chair. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by six points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "(By the way: [LINK] )" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take form" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x form" | ||||
Floyd | Legal Form 67 is what any witness in a case involving the International Floyd | Code of Ethics, consequent upon its 23rd Amendment in the year 2786, is Floyd | required to fill out. As such, it is devoid of interest to you, being Floyd | blank. The other side, however, has something printed on it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read it" | ||||
Floyd | Harold, Ch. 3, Lines 1 - 10 Floyd | Floyd | "This is not what I had in mind", the Creator said, irritably. "This is Floyd | not it at all." Floyd | Floyd | "Silence!", said the Voice, not sternly, as was its wont. "You have Floyd | already seen the consequences of your own actions, and I hope you Floyd | realize how totally senseless they were....." Floyd | Floyd | "No need to rub it in", the Creator replied, calmly. "But why should Floyd | someone else pay the price?" Floyd | Floyd | "For simple proof, Harold. Proof that, even in the face of a threat, Floyd | that someone else - who originated, after all, in your own mind - would Floyd | be able to withstand it. If someone else stands in your place, she Floyd | stands there so that you may prove yourself." Floyd | Floyd | "Tortuous reasoning", the Creator replied, "but you're starting to make Floyd | sense. When, then......" Floyd | [Here the printing is abruptly cut short.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Wait, 2786, 1883?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Nevermind." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I suppose someone ought to fill this form out." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "move shelves" | ||||
Floyd | That's just scenery. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Archives of the Charlestown Times Floyd | This room, all empty shelves and dust, once stored all the back issues, Floyd | manuscripts and other paraphernalia that are the birthright of a Floyd | newspaper office - or so it seems. There are no obvious exits except Floyd | the one back south. Floyd | Floyd | The only piece of furniture remaining, bar the shelves, is a horsehair Floyd | chair, in none too good a condition. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Office of the Charlestown Times Floyd | Judging by the signs, this was once the office of the local newspaper, Floyd | but now seems totally abandoned. A single shelf, once probably filled Floyd | with superfluous newsprint, lies to one side, containing a few papers; Floyd | apart from this, the office continues into a darker zone to the north. Floyd | Floyd | The torn front page of a newspaper lies here, unsung. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take page" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Continue to the building to the south?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Town Square, in Charlestown Floyd | The signposts everywhere announce that you are inside a small but Floyd | flourishing metropolis by the name of Charlestown, which, however, is Floyd | as unlike the popular conception of a Wild West town as possible. This Floyd | is the town square, in the middle of which stands a large statue; large Floyd | buildings lie to your north and south, and the main street continues Floyd | east. Floyd | Floyd | The entire square is shrouded in thick fog. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x buildings" | ||||
Floyd | Towering over you, on either side, to the north and south, are two huge Floyd | buildings. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Workhouse, in Charlestown Floyd | From its attitude of desolation, from its decrepit appearance, you Floyd | realize that this cannot be anything other than that despised Floyd | institution, the workhouse. Strangely, no cries, no disturbing sounds, Floyd | can be heard though you strain your ears, and though the place is Floyd | deserted and disused, there are no signs of outright squalor. The Floyd | furniture is of surprisingly good quality, though probably second-hand, Floyd | and there is nothing creaky about the floor-boards as you tread on Floyd | them. The passage you came through leads north, and another corridor Floyd | seems to leads east. Floyd | Floyd | Merging with the floor is a closed wooden door, probably leading to a Floyd | cellar, an eerie light gleaming at its edges. Floyd | Floyd | The passage to the east is blocked by a black door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "listen to wooden door" | ||||
Floyd | You hear nothing unexpected. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open it" | ||||
Floyd | You open the cellar door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look down" | ||||
Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting to look. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x black door" | ||||
Floyd | A dark black door, on the east wall. There is something painted on it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read it" | ||||
Floyd | JOEL SWEENEY'S LAIR Floyd | Floyd | --- Private --- Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "which way?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "hm" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, east, I guess." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | You haven't got the key. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, right." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "The door is - sorry. I'm an idiot." | ||||
| DavidW says, "down it is, then." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Underground, in the workhouse Floyd | You are in a large, spacious, white-tiled passageway, illuminated Floyd | brightly and almost blindingly by light from an unknown source. It runs Floyd | further east almost endlessly, and seems not to have any side-passages. Floyd | Floyd | A small glass vial lies at your feet. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Timing, sorry." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x vial" | ||||
Floyd | An empty vial, with a faint chemical odour, and a label half-torn from Floyd | it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read it" | ||||
Floyd | THIOPENTONE SODIUM B.P. Floyd | [Pentothal (R)] Floyd | Floyd | Contains 0.25 mEq Thiopentone Na / mL Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "truth serum, eh?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take vial" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "So, yeah, I think so." | |||
| DavidW asks, "except, empty?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Underground Passage, in the workhouse Floyd | The white-tiled corridor continues further east with no end in sight, Floyd | ominously, as if to suggest that your safest course would be an Floyd | unceremonious retreat to the west. However, the monotony is punctuated Floyd | by an open passageway, to your north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Kitchen, in the underground Floyd | This small room, with its pantry-cupboard and blackened fireplace, Floyd | probably once served as a kitchen to the inmates of this unfortunate Floyd | place. There are no windows, no ventilation vents, and the smell is Floyd | stifling. Aesthetics demand an immediate exit, to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x cupboard" | ||||
Floyd | A rugged wooden construction, which is currently closed Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Yeah, unfortunately." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open it" | ||||
Floyd | As you open the cupboard, an insect falls at your feet, and you shudder Floyd | and move an inch away. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x insect" | ||||
Floyd | On closer inspection, it's not an insect, but a small microphone, Floyd | embedded in dull grey metal - a bug in an entirely different sense. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look in cupboard" | ||||
Floyd | In the pantry cupboard is a stack of aluminium cartons. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x cartons" | ||||
Floyd | Inside the cupboard, there is a stack of aluminium cartons, oozing Floyd | grease, and in an advanced stage of decomposition. It has all the charm Floyd | of a neglected sewer. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search cartons" | ||||
Floyd | You gingerly lift the lid of one of the cartons, revealing rotten and Floyd | maggot-infested remnants of various TV dinners. Suppressing a retch, Floyd | you withdraw your hand. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take bug" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | WeirdBeard says, "We were more grossed out by a microphone than by the corpse." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "snrk" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "True." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x fireplace" | ||||
Floyd | A large, blackened, sooty fireplace, large enough to hold several Floyd | people - including yourself, if you're interested. There's no pot of Floyd | gruel - or anything else - in it at present. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I wish you hadn't said that just as I was taking a sip of coffee, WB." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search fireplace" | ||||
Floyd | The fireplace is empty. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter fireplace" | ||||
Floyd | You step into the fireplace, and to your amazement, you can see a Floyd | bright, dazzling light shining from a hole in its roof, though you're Floyd | not sure where its source is. Your curiosity satisfied, and your attire Floyd | a little more sooty, you step out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x ashes" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x hole" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search bug" | ||||
Floyd | You find nothing of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x bug" | ||||
Floyd | A small microphone, in dull grey metal. You have no idea whether it Floyd | still works. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open it" | ||||
Floyd | That's not something you can open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Underground Passage, in the workhouse Floyd | The white-tiled corridor continues further east with no end in sight, Floyd | ominously, as if to suggest that your safest course would be an Floyd | unceremonious retreat to the west. However, the monotony is punctuated Floyd | by an open passageway, to your north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Intersection, in the underground Floyd | You seem to have come to an intersection in the underground passage, Floyd | with a room to your south : the entry to it is glowing (so it seems) Floyd | with a bright light, and the continuations of the corridor east and Floyd | west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chapel Floyd | Every detail, every item of furniture or ornament in this room, is Floyd | drowned out in a blinding light. Floyd | Floyd | A giant bulb, from one corner of the room, is the obvious source of Floyd | this dazzling illumination. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x furniture" | ||||
Floyd | The light prevents you from doing so. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "bulb" | ||||
Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x bulb" | ||||
Floyd | A large glass bulb......you can make out nothing more. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "We must get rid of the light." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "break it" | ||||
Floyd | Desperately, you lunge at the bulb. Surprisingly, it's not warm, it's Floyd | stone cold. A simple blow almost shatters the entire glass framework to Floyd | pieces, and as the fragments clatter to the floor, you notice that Floyd | there was no filament. There never was. Floyd | Floyd | The room seems to fill with sunlight, all of a sudden. Floyd | Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by fifteen points.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Chapel Floyd | A large, pleasant room, with sun shining through an open window. There Floyd | are rows of benches and an altar at the back of the room, which Floyd | confirms your opinion that this must be a chapel of sorts. Floyd | Floyd | The bulb is now totally dark and shattered. Floyd | Floyd | You can also see a golden key here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take key" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x key" | ||||
Floyd | A small yet heavy golden key. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x altar" | ||||
Floyd | Though it is easily recognizable as an altar, it is merely a rough-hewn Floyd | stone fixture; its covering cloth and other paraphernalia are gone. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x benches" | ||||
Floyd | Regulation benches, with the customary kneel-space in front of them. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x window" | ||||
Floyd | That's just scenery. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look under benches" | ||||
Floyd | Just the floor. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x bulb" | ||||
Floyd | A broken and functionless mess of glass. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search glass" | ||||
Floyd | (the glass vial) Floyd | You never read descriptions, do you? The vial is empty. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search broken glass" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing but glass fragments; you have no use for them. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "You never disambiguate properly, do you? We didn't mean the vial glass." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push altar" | ||||
Floyd | That's seldom useful. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "pray" | ||||
Floyd | Somehow, this seems like a good place to do so, if you were so Floyd | inclined. However, you can hear a voice in your head: "Not to me - not Floyd | now." Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Have we seen a place for a key? Or continue east?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I can't believe it took us that long to pray." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I think e." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Intersection, in the underground Floyd | You seem to have come to an intersection in the underground passage, Floyd | with a room to your south : the entry to it is glowing (so it seems) Floyd | with a bright light, and the continuations of the corridor east and Floyd | west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Dead end, in the underground Floyd | The seemingly interminable underground passage comes to an abrupt and Floyd | unexpected end here, with no exits save a series of steps leading Floyd | upwards, and a return back west, where you came from. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x steps" | ||||
Floyd | That's just scenery. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | The steps end abruptly in a series of partially broken boards. Those Floyd | remaining are too strong to be dislodged, but through the spaces you Floyd | can see a small chamber. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x chamber" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x boards" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | You can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | You are carrying: Floyd | a golden key Floyd | a small metal bug Floyd | a glass vial Floyd | a torn newspaper page Floyd | Legal Form 67 Floyd | a yellow flower Floyd | a strange letter Floyd | a pale blue dress (being worn) Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read letter" | ||||
Floyd | You don't know how the letter got here, and it's not addressed to you. Floyd | Anyway, you read it through... Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Europe, July 14th, 2883. Floyd | Floyd | Dear Vanessa, Floyd | Unforseen circumstances have forced me, without any sensible or Floyd | honourable alternative, to leave you abruptly, without warning, without Floyd | even the consolation - pardon my grandiosity - of a fond farewell. I Floyd | have not been permitted to reveal more than this, even to you whom I Floyd | could trust above anyone else, dearest - for the hand and mind that Floyd | drive me at this moment are not my own. Rest assured that, if you still Floyd | - regardless of your own safety - want to follow me, I have left enough Floyd | traces. Not too explicitly, of course - Nash is a fine old man, but I Floyd | wouldn't want to involve him in this - but I am sure you will find a Floyd | way. The key can be revealed in the usual way: table, place. There is Floyd | little time to say more. Four digits alone. Floyd | Floyd | Yours, Floyd | Janus. Floyd | Floyd | Bizarre, indeed. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x flower" | ||||
Floyd | It's unlike any flower you've ever seen before; it has a single whorl Floyd | of four pink petals, with irregular angles that hardly look natural, as Floyd | if they represented some strange form of origami. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Dead end, in the underground Floyd | The seemingly interminable underground passage comes to an abrupt and Floyd | unexpected end here, with no exits save a series of steps leading Floyd | upwards, and a return back west, where you came from. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "hm" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x east wall" | ||||
Floyd | You see nothing special about the east wall. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "back to town?" | |||
| DavidW says, "like, we almost need a ladder." | ||||
| WeirdBeard says (to floyd), "x ladder" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Yeah, esplore more of town." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Sorry - went to put on a sweater." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Intersection, in the underground Floyd | You seem to have come to an intersection in the underground passage, Floyd | with a room to your south : the entry to it is glowing (so it seems) Floyd | with a bright light, and the continuations of the corridor east and Floyd | west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Underground Passage, in the workhouse Floyd | The white-tiled corridor continues further east with no end in sight, Floyd | ominously, as if to suggest that your safest course would be an Floyd | unceremonious retreat to the west. However, the monotony is punctuated Floyd | by an open passageway, to your north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Underground, in the workhouse Floyd | You are in a large, spacious, white-tiled passageway, illuminated Floyd | brightly and almost blindingly by light from an unknown source. It runs Floyd | further east almost endlessly, and seems not to have any side-passages. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Workhouse, in Charlestown Floyd | From its attitude of desolation, from its decrepit appearance, you Floyd | realize that this cannot be anything other than that despised Floyd | institution, the workhouse. Strangely, no cries, no disturbing sounds, Floyd | can be heard though you strain your ears, and though the place is Floyd | deserted and disused, there are no signs of outright squalor. The Floyd | furniture is of surprisingly good quality, though probably second-hand, Floyd | and there is nothing creaky about the floor-boards as you tread on Floyd | them. The passage you came through leads north, and another corridor Floyd | seems to leads east. Floyd | Floyd | The cellar door, under your feet, is open and leads into an illuminated Floyd | passage. Floyd | Floyd | The passage to the east is blocked by a black door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with key" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, the cellar door or the east door? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "east" | ||||
Floyd | That doesn't seem to fit the lock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock black door with key" | ||||
Floyd | That doesn't seem to fit the lock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "knock on black door" | ||||
Floyd | No reply, I'm afraid. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x furniture" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Town Square, in Charlestown Floyd | The signposts everywhere announce that you are inside a small but Floyd | flourishing metropolis by the name of Charlestown, which, however, is Floyd | as unlike the popular conception of a Wild West town as possible. This Floyd | is the town square, in the middle of which stands a large statue; large Floyd | buildings lie to your north and south, and the main street continues Floyd | east. Floyd | Floyd | The fog seems to have dissipated, and the town square is now brightly Floyd | lit. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "huh. Fog go buh-bye." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x statue" | ||||
Floyd | It's the statue of a rather fat man, of ridiculously ill-matched Floyd | proportions, holding a club or baton of some sort, and resting on a Floyd | large pedestal which bears an inscription. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "huh" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read pedestal" | ||||
Floyd | JOEL SWEENEY (1814-1892) Floyd | Floyd | Benefactor of the Oppressed Floyd | Scourge of the Oppressor Floyd | Liberator of the Masses Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x club" | ||||
Floyd | It's the statue of a rather fat man, of ridiculously ill-matched Floyd | proportions, holding a club or baton of some sort, and resting on a Floyd | large pedestal which bears an inscription. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Hm." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "pull club" | ||||
Floyd | That's seldom useful. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "(Secret passage...)" | |||
| WeirdBeard says (to floyd), "x baton" | ||||
Floyd | It's the statue of a rather fat man, of ridiculously ill-matched Floyd | proportions, holding a club or baton of some sort, and resting on a Floyd | large pedestal which bears an inscription. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "The x club response shows club = statue. Isn't a separate item." | |||
| WeirdBeard says (to floyd), "read inscription" | ||||
Floyd | JOEL SWEENEY (1814-1892) Floyd | Floyd | Benefactor of the Oppressed Floyd | Scourge of the Oppressor Floyd | Liberator of the Masses Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Town Square, in Charlestown Floyd | The signposts everywhere announce that you are inside a small but Floyd | flourishing metropolis by the name of Charlestown, which, however, is Floyd | as unlike the popular conception of a Wild West town as possible. This Floyd | is the town square, in the middle of which stands a large statue; large Floyd | buildings lie to your north and south, and the main street continues Floyd | east. Floyd | Floyd | The fog seems to have dissipated, and the town square is now brightly Floyd | lit. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Main Street, in Charlestown Floyd | This is a slightly brighter and more residential portion of Floyd | Charlestown. North of you is a small house, whose door stands open, and Floyd | south of you is a large, imposing mansion. The street leads back west, Floyd | as well as continuing east. Floyd | Floyd | Logically enough, the door to the mansion is closed. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Because you broke the bulb?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "That's why the fog lifted?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I think the bulb and fog are linked, yes. We let the sun shine in." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We opened up our heart." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And let the sun shine in." | ||||
| DavidW says, "<grin>" | ||||
| Jacqueline holds hands with David and WeirdBeard and begins swaying back and forth, smiling. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x mansion" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x door" | ||||
Floyd | A gilded door, small and stylish, with a nameplate on the outside. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read nameplate" | ||||
Floyd | "Sailors' Rest" Floyd | Leon and Judith Gold Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "oh. We've seen those names before." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with key" | ||||
Floyd | You unlock the gilded door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | You open the gilded door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the shack Floyd | A dull, dingy, dirty place, with absolutely no redeeming feature save a Floyd | hundred years' dust and neglect. All the 29th Century aesthete in you Floyd | revolts against it. Even assuming that you can conquer those Floyd | tendencies, though, there seems to be no exit, except the way you came Floyd | in. Floyd | Floyd | A voice transmitter, as sooty as the rest of the shack, lies neglected. Floyd | Floyd | > | WeirdBeard asks, "Anyone remember when Pebbles and Bam-Bam sang that, and then they began using it for the closing song?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "No." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I remember that cartoon, kinda. But not the date." | ||||
| WeirdBeard says (to Jacqueline), "Lucky." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Bet it's on youtube." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I suspected by your description that I was lucky to not remember it, yeah." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x transmitter" | ||||
Floyd | It looks like a radio or voice transmitter module, with a speaker and a Floyd | switch, but no other buttons. Floyd | The voice transmitter is currently switched off. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn on transmitter" | ||||
Floyd | As you flip the switch, the transmitter suddenly comes to life. Floyd | Floyd | "Ah, your game is up, Mbelwe", an unctuous voice says, through the Floyd | distorting speaker. "No one can save you now." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take transmitter" | ||||
Floyd | That's fixed in place. Floyd | Floyd | There is silence for a while. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search dust" | ||||
Floyd | You can't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "huh" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||||
Floyd | You hear nothing unexpected. Floyd | Floyd | There is silence for a while. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x transmitter" | ||||
Floyd | It looks like a radio or voice transmitter module, with a speaker and a Floyd | switch, but no other buttons. Floyd | The voice transmitter is currently switched on. Floyd | Floyd | "Now, are you going to tell me where that insult to humanity, Author, Floyd | is hiding? I shall wring his neck!" Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Time passes. Floyd | Floyd | Silence. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Time passes. Floyd | Floyd | "Go to hell", a voice replies, faintly. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Just keep waiting?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf11" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Can we talk to the transmitter?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Hm, dunno." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "And is Mbelwe the one who had to drink the pentathol?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "speaker, hi" | ||||
Floyd | You can't talk to the voice transmitter. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| WeirdBeard says (to floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the shack Floyd | A dull, dingy, dirty place, with absolutely no redeeming feature save a Floyd | hundred years' dust and neglect. All the 29th Century aesthete in you Floyd | revolts against it. Even assuming that you can conquer those Floyd | tendencies, though, there seems to be no exit, except the way you came Floyd | in. Floyd | Floyd | A voice transmitter, as sooty as the rest of the shack, lies neglected. Floyd | Floyd | Incoherent spluttering sounds of rage can be heard. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh - that might be." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "That makes one groggy drunk sorta, right?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I only know from watching Jumpin' Jack Flash." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push transmitter" | ||||
Floyd | That's seldom useful. Floyd | Floyd | Incoherent spluttering sounds of rage can be heard. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I hate incoherent spluttering sounds of rage." | |||
| DavidW asks, "hm. Now what. Wait here? Explore more?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "They are - well, the word 'spluttering' is quite a nasty word." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We can't take the transmitter with us." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Maybe wait a couple turns to see if anything else of import is said." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Time passes. Floyd | Floyd | "For the last time, are you going to tell me?" Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "We probably need a way into Sweeney's." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Time passes. Floyd | Floyd | "I'm giving you till the count of ten to answer..." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I saved earlier, thank goodness." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Let's see if he offs 'im." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Time passes. Floyd | Floyd | "ten"..... Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Time passes. Floyd | Floyd | "nine"..... Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Time passes. Floyd | Floyd | "eight"..... Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Time passes. Floyd | Floyd | "seven"..... Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Time passes. Floyd | Floyd | "six"..... Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Time passes. Floyd | Floyd | "five"..... Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), | ||||