ClubFloyd Transcript:
La Seine by Derek Sutcliffe, followed by
Dead Like Antsby C.E.J. Pacian
As played on ifMUD on April 5, 2009

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 the two games entered in David Fisher's 2009 EnvComp: La Seine, by Derek Sutcliffe, and Dead Like Ants, by C.E.J. Pacian. You can learn more about these games, including how to download them, by visiting either the page for La Seine or Dead Like Ants on the ifWiki, respectively.

As for the trascripts below, you can jump directly to the second game by clicking here.

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.

Floyd | Thanks for playing!Welcome to the Cheap Glk Implementation, library
Floyd | version 0.9.0.
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |                         L A   S E I N E

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | You feel as though you've been staring hard at something for a long

Floyd | time, yet have suddenly gotten lost.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your eyes are weary, and your legs are stiff.
Floyd |
Floyd | Not remembering how you arrived here, near a large park on the river
Floyd | Seine, you nevertheless decide to take in the scenery and explore a

Floyd | bit.
Floyd |
Floyd | La Seine
Floyd | A short text adventure by Derek Sutcliffe
Floyd | Release 1 / Serial number 090320 / Inform 7 build 5U92 (I6/v6.31 lib
Floyd | 6/12N)

Floyd |
Floyd | Pr?s du parc
Floyd | You're standing on a gently sloping hill near a popular Parisian park.
Floyd | To the north you can see lots of people enjoying the summer day. Those
Floyd | without parasols sit in the shade of beautiful green trees, and in
Floyd | light of the way you're feeling, you might want to follow their lead.

Floyd | It's slightly after noon and the sun is beating down on you.
Floyd |
Floyd | A discarded newspaper lies at your feet.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You're you. Just an innocent tourist trying to broaden your horizons.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | Your French isn't great, but even you notice that something is strange
Floyd | about the paper. Aha, there it is. "La Presse - dimanche 20 juillet

Floyd | 1884." Yeah, it's pretty old. From the various headings, you can tell
Floyd | there are articles on neo-impressionism, champagne, and optometry.
Floyd | Unfortunately, your grammar doesn't match your stunning ability to
Floyd | recognize simple cognates, so you're unable to read the articles
Floyd | themselves.

Floyd |
Floyd | >
Floyd | It's all Greek to you. Er, French.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You're you. Just an innocent tourist trying to broaden your horizons.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a newspaper
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Avec le singe

Floyd | It's nice and shady here. An upper-class Frenchwoman and her male
Floyd | companion (complete with monocle, top hat, and riding crop) are
Floyd | standing here, staring off to the west. The river does look nice, but
Floyd | the persistence of their gaze is unnerving. You can see a woman
Floyd | knitting to the west and a girl holding a bouquet to the north.
Floyd |

Floyd | A small brown dog is here, terrorizing a skinny little monkey on a
Floyd | leash. The monkey's owners don't seem to notice.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | La Seine
Floyd | A short text adventure by Derek Sutcliffe
Floyd | Release 1 / Serial number 090320 / Inform 7 build 5U92 (I6/v6.31 lib
Floyd | 6/12N)
Floyd | Identification number: //2E57B3D6-5C12-4CC8-B7AE-3168A51D4BFE//
Floyd | Standard interpreter 1.0 (2N) / Library serial number 080126

Floyd | Standard Rules version 2/080430 by Graham Nelson
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The monkey's arching his back and hissing as a brown dog yips and nips
Floyd | at it. Someone should teach that dog a lesson.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The monkey's arching his back and hissing as a brown dog yips and nips
Floyd | at it. Someone should teach that dog a lesson.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There is no reply.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A speckled brown dog wearing a pink bow. Its owner doesn't seem to be
Floyd | around.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You can't see any such thing.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | She has a parasol and a pet monkey on a leash. Also, she has a big,

Floyd | round butt. It can't be real. She must be using... Uh, what's it
Floyd | called... A bustle? Anyway, her dress has wiring in it that makes her
Floyd | butt look huge.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There is no reply.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You achieve nothing by this.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | PETA wouldn't be happy with you. Try punishing it a little less
Floyd | severely.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The guy looks really stuck-up.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You give it a swift whack with the newspaper. It's looking pretty
Floyd | obedient now.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by one point.]
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You have so far scored 1 out of a possible 5, in 19 turns.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | There is no reply.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | A speckled brown dog wearing a pink bow. Its owner doesn't seem to be
Floyd | around.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (first taking the small monkey)
Floyd | I don't suppose the small monkey would care for that.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Hm. Doesn't seem interested in talking to you.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You can't talk to animals.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Avec la tricoteuse
Floyd | A woman sits here knitting a delicate white garment. She appears to be

Floyd | accompanied by a mustached man with a top hat and cane who looks
Floyd | across the river. Nearby a boatman smokes a pipe and stares out into
Floyd | the Seine as well. An unoccupied grassy patch of land lies to the
Floyd | north, and to the east you spot an aristocratic couple with a monkey.
Floyd |
Floyd | The woman continues to knit here.

Floyd |
Floyd | A black dog is here, behind the knitting woman, chewing something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You peer closely at the spotty black dog. A pink hat is in his mouth.
Floyd | He looks like a rather docile breed, and the knitting woman seems to
Floyd | be its owner.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Hm. Doesn't seem interested in talking to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Hm. Doesn't seem interested in talking to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Is that really necessary?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There is no reply.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Avec la tricoteuse
Floyd | A woman sits here knitting a delicate white garment. She appears to be
Floyd | accompanied by a mustached man with a top hat and cane who looks
Floyd | across the river. Nearby a boatman smokes a pipe and stares out into

Floyd | the Seine as well. An unoccupied grassy patch of land lies to the
Floyd | north, and to the east you spot an aristocratic couple with a monkey.
Floyd |
Floyd | The woman continues to knit here.
Floyd |
Floyd | A black dog is here, behind the knitting woman, chewing something.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You play a little tug-of-war with the dog before it gives up the hat.
Floyd | The dog returns to sniffing grass around the park. Probably looking

Floyd | for a place to wee.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The hat's made of a light pink or lavender fabric, and has two poof

Floyd | balls strung to it on either side. It looks like the same material the
Floyd | woman nearby was knitting with, albeit a different color.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You put on the hat.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You can't see any such thing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You take off the hat.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The knitting woman looks up from her current task and smiles at you,
Floyd | piecing together what must have transpired. "Merci beaucoup. Ce

Floyd | chien..." She wags a finger at the dog and returns her hat to its
Floyd | proper position at her side.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by one point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Hm. Doesn't seem interested in talking to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Avec un papillon
Floyd | There's not much here besides grass. A nice view of the Seine lies to
Floyd | your west. There's an obnoxious bugler to the north, and you don't
Floyd | like the idea of hearing his warbling tune at a higher volume. Thus,

Floyd | you can only go east or south from here.
Floyd |
Floyd | A butterfly flaps its spotted wings silently in the air several feet
Floyd | off the ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | A small bunch of white-flecked flowers grows here.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Darn. Though it barely seems to move, it flutters swiftly away each
Floyd | time you reach out for it.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | butterfly: Darn. Though it barely seems to move, it flutters swiftly
Floyd | away each time you reach out for it.

Floyd | bunch of flowers: Taken.
Floyd | Parisians: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but
Floyd | it'd probably be missed.
Floyd | parasols: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but
Floyd | it'd probably be missed.
Floyd | sun: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but it'd

Floyd | probably be missed.
Floyd | beautiful trees: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you,
Floyd | but it'd probably be missed.
Floyd | park: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but it'd
Floyd | probably be missed.
Floyd | Seine: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but it'd

Floyd | probably be missed.
Floyd | bugler: I don't suppose the bugler would care for that.
Floyd | ladies: I don't suppose the ladies would care for that.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | They're very tall and slender, with speckled green leaves.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You smell nothing unexpected.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a bunch of flowers
Floyd |   a newspaper
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Remarkably still, you could probably grab it right out of the air.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | This bunch would add to a bouquet nicely, though the flowers look
Floyd | rather like plain white dots on their own.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Darn. Though it barely seems to move, it flutters swiftly away each
Floyd | time you reach out for it.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The butterfly is unimpressed.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Avec un papillon
Floyd | There's not much here besides grass. A nice view of the Seine lies to
Floyd | your west. There's an obnoxious bugler to the north, and you don't
Floyd | like the idea of hearing his warbling tune at a higher volume. Thus,
Floyd | you can only go east or south from here.
Floyd |

Floyd | A butterfly flaps its spotted wings silently in the air several feet
Floyd | off the ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Parmi les fleurs
Floyd | There's a girl here, about thirteen years old, arranging flowers.
Floyd | There's a finished bouquet next to her, and her mother (or aunt, or
Floyd | whatever) sits nearby, gazing at the Seine. Exits are north, toward a
Floyd | little girl and her mother, south, where an aristocratic couple walk a

Floyd | pet monkey, and west, toward an open field.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The girl looks at her tiny clump of flowers, arranging and rearranging

Floyd | the stems. She doesn't seem to like it much, and it certainly doesn't
Floyd | live up to the one by her side.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Parisians: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but
Floyd | it'd probably be missed.
Floyd | parasols: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but
Floyd | it'd probably be missed.
Floyd | sun: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but it'd
Floyd | probably be missed.

Floyd | beautiful trees: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you,
Floyd | but it'd probably be missed.
Floyd | park: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but it'd
Floyd | probably be missed.
Floyd | Seine: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you, but it'd
Floyd | probably be missed.

Floyd | flower girl: I don't suppose the flower girl would care for that.
Floyd | finished bouquet: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you,
Floyd | but it'd probably be missed.
Floyd | girl's mother: You'd like to bring this piece of art back with you,
Floyd | but it'd probably be missed.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | Hm. Doesn't seem interested in talking to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There's a pretty bouquet of flowers laid here by the girl, but some of
Floyd | the buds seem faded. They look fresh-picked, but certain colors just
Floyd | have a dingy hue.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | The flower girl is unimpressed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She takes the flowers and adds them to her current bunch, smiling.
Floyd | "Zank you. Ze yellow..." She pauses, glancing at both her bouquet and
Floyd | the grass in the park. "Ze yellow is, how you say, fading..." The girl
Floyd | looks appreciatively at the white adornments to her project.

Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by one point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You have so far scored 3 out of a possible 5, in 55 turns.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Devant la petite fille dans blanc
Floyd | There's a little girl here, holding her mother's hand. Other people
Floyd | are to the north, but there's nothing interesting in that direction,
Floyd | so you can only return south from here.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | Hm. Doesn't seem interested in talking to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | About five years old, wearing a white hat and white dress. The little
Floyd | girl in white stares at you intently, as if she wants to talk to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You begin to speak to the little girl. "Um..."
Floyd |
Floyd | She looks up at you with a blank stare. "Hello. We are grateful for
Floyd | your help."

Floyd |
Floyd | "Oh," you stammer, "you speak English."
Floyd |
Floyd | "Yes," she says, without changing expression.
Floyd |
Floyd | "You're just a little kid, though. Don't you live here in Paris? Is

Floyd | one of your parents from England or America?"
Floyd |
Floyd | "I have learned English from the passers-by who stop to discuss and
Floyd | comment amongst themselves. I am always watching. Some others here are
Floyd | not so motivated."
Floyd |

Floyd | You look around a little. "What do you mean, passers-by? That doesn't
Floyd | make any sense. Here in the park, you mean? You learned English from
Floyd | tourists? That's impres-"
Floyd |
Floyd | "No, in the gallery. Chicago."
Floyd |

Floyd | The name of the city sounds familiar. "You mean you live in Chicago?"
Floyd |
Floyd | "In America for eighty-four years. In Chicago for seventy-six of
Floyd | them."
Floyd |
Floyd | "Whaaat? You've got some imagination, kid." You start walking away.

Floyd |
Floyd | "Wait," she says. "I am telling you the truth. All you see is merely a
Floyd | scene painted one hundred and twenty-five years ago, by a great
Floyd | artist. This place is La Grande Jatte, as seen over a century ago by
Floyd | Georges Seurat."
Floyd |

Floyd | You begin to protest, but now that the thought has been planted into
Floyd | your brain, you can't shake it off. Everything's seemed so restricted,
Floyd | so static. Things barely move, and everything's got the same texture
Floyd | to it. Speckled, spotted, dotted. It's all pointillism. Then you turn
Floyd | and stare at the girl's face.
Floyd |

Floyd | There's no definition to it. It's just a splotch of color. Her two
Floyd | blue eyes are blobs of oil paint. How could you not see this before?
Floyd |
Floyd | You have to get out of here.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by one point.]

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting to get outside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You're not in anything though... or are you?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That was a rhetorical question.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | But you're not sleeping... or are you?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Devant la petite fille dans blanc
Floyd | There's a little girl here, holding her mother's hand. Other people
Floyd | are to the north, but there's nothing interesting in that direction,
Floyd | so you can only return south from here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Parmi les fleurs
Floyd | There's a girl here, about thirteen years old, arranging flowers.
Floyd | There's a finished bouquet next to her, and her mother (or aunt, or

Floyd | whatever) sits nearby, gazing at the Seine. Exits are north, toward a
Floyd | little girl and her mother, south, where an aristocratic couple walk a
Floyd | pet monkey, and west, toward an open field.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Avec le singe
Floyd | It's nice and shady here. An upper-class Frenchwoman and her male
Floyd | companion (complete with monocle, top hat, and riding crop) are

Floyd | standing here, staring off to the west. The river does look nice, but
Floyd | the persistence of their gaze is unnerving. You can see a woman
Floyd | knitting to the west and a girl holding a bouquet to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | A small brown dog is here sitting and scratching behind one ear. It
Floyd | cowers as you approach.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Pr?s du parc

Floyd | You're standing on a gently sloping hill near a popular Parisian park.
Floyd | To the north you can see lots of people enjoying the summer day. Those
Floyd | without parasols sit in the shade of beautiful green trees, and in
Floyd | light of the way you're feeling, you might want to follow their lead.
Floyd | It's slightly after noon and the sun is beating down on you.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You jump on the spot, fruitlessly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You're not in anything though... or are you?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Violence isn't the answer to this one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You can't see any such thing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | But you're not sleeping... or are you?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That's not a verb I recognise.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You aren't feeling especially drowsy.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | What a good idea.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Avec le singe
Floyd | It's nice and shady here. An upper-class Frenchwoman and her male

Floyd | companion (complete with monocle, top hat, and riding crop) are
Floyd | standing here, staring off to the west. The river does look nice, but
Floyd | the persistence of their gaze is unnerving. You can see a woman
Floyd | knitting to the west and a girl holding a bouquet to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | A small brown dog is here sitting and scratching behind one ear. It

Floyd | cowers as you approach.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |

Floyd | Parmi les fleurs
Floyd | There's a girl here, about thirteen years old, arranging flowers.
Floyd | There's a finished bouquet next to her, and her mother (or aunt, or
Floyd | whatever) sits nearby, gazing at the Seine. Exits are north, toward a
Floyd | little girl and her mother, south, where an aristocratic couple walk a
Floyd | pet monkey, and west, toward an open field.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Devant la petite fille dans blanc
Floyd | There's a little girl here, holding her mother's hand. Other people
Floyd | are to the north, but there's nothing interesting in that direction,

Floyd | so you can only return south from here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | She stares at you with her featureless, oily paint-blob face. "Well,

Floyd | are you going to leave  leave La Grande Jatte?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That was a rhetorical question.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You'll have to say which compass direction to go in.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | Art Institute of Chicago
Floyd | You're standing in a long hallway with a brown tile floor and white
Floyd | walls. Your eyes are weary, and your legs are stiff.

Floyd |
Floyd | A white-framed painting adorns the north wall. There's a white
Floyd | porcelain plaque on its right.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a crumpled note here.
Floyd |

Floyd | [Your score has just gone up by one point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte

Floyd |
Floyd | Georges Seurat, 1884-1886
Floyd |
Floyd | Oil on canvas
Floyd |
Floyd | 207.6 cm x 308 cm (81.7 in x 121.25 in)

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A pet monkey on a leash watches a brown dog at his owner's side. A

Floyd | black dog sniffs the grass near a knitting woman, who is busily
Floyd | working her needles. A girl clasps a small bouquet of flowers with an
Floyd | expression both cheerful and forlorn. And a little girl in white
Floyd | stares back at you from the very center of the painting.
Floyd |
Floyd | Yes. At this distance, all seems to be in order.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | When I decided to enter EnvComp, I had no idea what setting I was
Floyd | going to use. But I thought about it for a while, and knew I wanted a
Floyd | slightly deceptive one. A setting the player wouldn't identify

Floyd | correctly right away. It was hard to think of a situation like that,
Floyd | and eventually I settled on the player being stuck in a painting. It
Floyd | seemed like a unique, exciting setting.
Floyd |
Floyd | I'm not actually a huge art lover or anything. I determined which
Floyd | painting I was going to use by searching the internet for "famous

Floyd | paintings," and then picking the first one I recognized. I remembered
Floyd | seeing a reproduction of Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of
Floyd | La Grande Jatte in my dentist's office when I was a kid. Anyway, I had
Floyd | to research its name, author, and history to write the game, because I
Floyd | knew very little about it at first.
Floyd |

Floyd | I tried to drop as many hints in the painting world as possible,
Floyd | hoping that someone familiar with some aspect of the work (its
Floyd | characters, its pointillism, its setting, its author, etc.) may think
Floyd | to try escaping from it without having to solve any puzzles at all.
Floyd | Which is very possible, although the commands available for doing so
Floyd | vary depending how many points you have.

Floyd |
Floyd | The puzzles were simple to make. The plot, however, was difficult to
Floyd | flesh out. Some cultures think that being photographed steals part of
Floyd | your soul. Who's to say that the subject of a portrait or landscape
Floyd | isn't somehow imbued in the canvas? Somehow, the player character
Floyd | enters the dreamlike territory of the painting itself (Maybe it's a

Floyd | special ability?) either without realizing it or without remembering
Floyd | it. He then wanders about, setting things right in the painting, until
Floyd | the little girl in white, the most knowledgeable 'soul' there, tells
Floyd | him where he is. It's up to the player to attempt commands like >LEAVE
Floyd | PAINTING or >EXIT LA GRANDE JATTE after some prodding and hinting from

Floyd | this character.
Floyd |
Floyd | The npcs aren't very fleshed out, but my convenient excuse is that
Floyd | most of them are literally two-dimensional painting characters, ones
Floyd | who have no wish to interact with an outsider anyway. The animals, and
Floyd | the few people that do respond to the character, are simply special

Floyd | cases.
Floyd |
Floyd | Thanks for playing my first game.
Floyd |
Floyd | -- Derek
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |     *** You leave the gallery and get some rest ***
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | In that game you scored 5 out of a possible 5, in 86 turns.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT?
Floyd | >

Floyd |

Floyd | Welcome to the Cheap Glk Implementation, library version 0.9.0.
Floyd |
Floyd | It's spring, finally.  The hard winter months are a fading memory, and
Floyd | the branches bud and blossom with bright colour.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen has sent for you.

Floyd |
Floyd | It'll be the first time in your life that you've spoken to your own
Floyd | mother.
Floyd |
Floyd | Dead Like Ants
Floyd | Malarkey in a tree, by C.E.J.  Pacian

Floyd | Version 6 - Developed with TADS 3
Floyd |
Floyd | [Type 'About' if this is your first time playing.
Floyd | Type 'Credits' to see who made this possible.]
Floyd |
Floyd | Tree Hollow Village

Floyd | This village - your home since birth - sprawls across and up the sides
Floyd | of the tree hollow.  Spittle cottages, fungal fields and twig
Floyd | farmhouses are set among the knotted wood on all sides, even clinging
Floyd | to the roof high above.
Floyd |
Floyd | From here you could head in to the Queen's chamber, or out to the

Floyd | sunlit world beyond the hollow.
Floyd |
Floyd | Close by, a group of your sisters tend to a herd.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Dead Like Ants is a small game intended for David Fisher's EnvComp -

Floyd | an IF competition focusing on unique environments.
Floyd |
Floyd | The main directions you'll be using in this game are IN, OUT,
Floyd | WIDDERSHINS and SUNWISE (those last two you can abbreviate to W and
Floyd | S).  If you're not sure which directions you can move in, type EXITS.
Floyd | Similarly, type TOPICS if you're not sure what you can talk about.

Floyd | Type INSTRUCTIONS for a more comprehensive list of commands.
Floyd |
Floyd | And here's a little pointer: don't think you've lost just because bad
Floyd | things happen.
Floyd |
Floyd | Hugses,

Floyd |    Pacian
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Dead Like Ants by C.E.J.  Pacian
Floyd | Released: 2009
Floyd |
Floyd | Developed using the TADS 3 language and library by Michael J.
Floyd | Roberts, and its comprehensive documentation by Eric Eve.
Floyd |

Floyd | Special thanks to George Oliver, Konstantinos 'Gnome' Dimopoulos and
Floyd | Terry Cavanagh for their feedback and encouragement.  Additional
Floyd | gratitude to Noyb, Farbs and increpare for perceptive advice.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Slender, long-limbed women, a lot like yourself, though of all
Floyd | different ages.  They wear red overalls.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A slender, long-limbed young woman - not very long ago a girl.  Your
Floyd | compound eyes have a bright sheen to them and your antennae twitch

Floyd | eagerly through the air.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You are carrying nothing, and are wearing some red overalls.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Your overalls are comfortable and durable.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | Queen's Chamber
Floyd | Not opulent, as you might expect, but twilit and homely.  Simple,

Floyd | finely crafted lamps cast a warm glow over the phloem walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cots line one side of the chamber, each holding a formless, swaddled
Floyd | bundle.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen, your mother, sits elegantly upon her throne.  She meets

Floyd | your eye and beckons to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You clear your throat and curtsy.  "Hello, your highness."

Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen smiles benevolently.  "My favourite daughter.  I have a very
Floyd | special task for you."
Floyd |
Floyd | (You could ask her about the task, her wings, herself, or your
Floyd | brothers.)

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "You've worked for the village for so many years," you begin, "so

Floyd | selflessly-"

Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen stops you with a hand.  "Hush now.  It's you, my daughters,
Floyd | who have worked the hardest and most selflessly.  And none more so
Floyd | than you in particular."
Floyd |
Floyd | You blush at that, though you're certain it's not true.

Floyd |
Floyd | >
Floyd | You curtsy again nervously.  "What could I possibly do for her
Floyd | majesty?"
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen smiles at your enthusiasm, perhaps a little sadly.  "Every

Floyd | spring," she says, "five dangerous creatures come to the tree and
Floyd | threaten this village.  So I send one of my daughters to negotiate
Floyd | with them, and each year they give us no trouble.  This spring, I want
Floyd | you to be that daughter."
Floyd |
Floyd | You curtsy again from sheer surprise.  "Your majesty!  I would be

Floyd | honoured!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "What are these five creatures like?" you ask.  "Where will I find

Floyd | them?"
Floyd |
Floyd | "You'll find them in each of the tree's nearest five branches," the
Floyd | Queen says.  "They may seem scary compared to your sisters, but
Floyd | they're only up to a little mischief.  Try to help them in any way
Floyd | they require."

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You stare at the Queen's wings, uncertain how to raise the topic.
Floyd |

Floyd | "I wasn't born with them," she says, picking up on your interest.  "I
Floyd | earned them by fulfilling a task for my own mother, long ago.  Who
Floyd | knows - perhaps when you get back from the outside there will be a
Floyd | pair waiting just for you."
Floyd |
Floyd | You blush bright red.  You'd love to have a pair of wings like those.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "You've worked for the village for so many years," you begin, "so
Floyd | selflessly-"

Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen stops you with a hand.  "Hush now.  It's you, my daughters,
Floyd | who have worked the hardest and most selflessly.  And none more so
Floyd | than you in particular."
Floyd |
Floyd | You blush at that, though you're certain it's not true.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The story doesn't understand that command.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | "How are my brothers?" you ask, carefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen sighs.  "They are at... a difficult age.  But in time they

Floyd | will mature and come into their own."
Floyd |
Floyd | She smiles at the little bundles, and you feel a sharp pang of
Floyd | jealousy.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You could ask her about the task, her wings, the five creatures,
Floyd | herself, or your brothers.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You curtsy before you leave.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Good luck," the Queen says, "my favourite daughter."

Floyd |
Floyd | Tree Hollow Village
Floyd | This village - your home since birth - sprawls across and up the sides
Floyd | of the tree hollow.  Spittle cottages, fungal fields and twig
Floyd | farmhouses are set among the knotted wood on all sides, even clinging
Floyd | to the roof high above.

Floyd |
Floyd | From here you could head in to the Queen's chamber, or out to the
Floyd | sunlit world beyond the hollow.
Floyd |
Floyd | Close by, a group of your sisters tend to a herd.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | Bejewelled Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around

Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The entrance to the Tree Hollow Village is set into the bark here.
Floyd | Just below it, a sturdy old branch stretches out into the distance,
Floyd | splitting into three smaller branches.  Suspended magically between
Floyd | the three branch-tips is a pulsating whorl of bright colour.

Floyd |
Floyd | One of your sisters lies curled up in the furrowed bark, dead.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Little more than a dried out husk now, she must have passed on some
Floyd | time ago.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Your sister does not appear to be edible.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The list of exits will now be shown in both the status line and in
Floyd | each room description.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | Your faceted eyes struggle to make it out in any detail.  A spiral of
Floyd | flickering colour seems to dance in time with the wind.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The whorl of colour is too far away.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | This tree is a huge enough world in itself.  Leaving it seems
Floyd | pointlessly suicidal.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | Highest Branch
Floyd | You cover your mouth and swear.  Holy shit.
Floyd |

Floyd | Your eyes have never been that good over long distances, and this has
Floyd | got to be the longest distance you've ever seen.  The green jungle
Floyd | stretches off to the horizon - something you had always thought a myth
Floyd | - where a jumble of strange shapes seem frozen in the act of rearing
Floyd | up into the sky.
Floyd |

Floyd | Tall, green-topped structures stand in a great cluster around the tree
Floyd | that you call home.  They can't be other trees, surely?
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Down
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You haven't the faintest clue what they might be.  All you can tell is
Floyd | that they're enormous, and so far away that you find it difficult to
Floyd | conceive of the distance.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | Stunning.  Confusing to look at.  Do the land and sky stretch on
Floyd | forever in parallel?  Do they meet at the horizon?  Or is it something
Floyd | else even harder to understand?

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The word "fly" is not necessary in this story.
Floyd |

Floyd | (If this was an accidental misspelling, you can correct it by typing
Floyd | OOPS followed by the corrected word now.  Any time the story points
Floyd | out an unknown word, you can correct a misspelling using OOPS as your
Floyd | next command.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It's the strangest thing, but neither you nor any of your sisters can
Floyd | get all your feet off the ground at the same time.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Bejewelled Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The entrance to the Tree Hollow Village is set into the bark here.

Floyd | Just below it, a sturdy old branch stretches out into the distance,
Floyd | splitting into three smaller branches.  Suspended magically between
Floyd | the three branch-tips is a pulsating whorl of bright colour.
Floyd |
Floyd | One of your sisters lies curled up in the furrowed bark, dead.
Floyd |

Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Down, In, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Branch Tip, Beneath the Rainbow Net

Floyd | Someone has stretched a vast net from the tip of this branch to the
Floyd | tips of two others high overhead - an impressive feat, to say the
Floyd | least.  Flurries of blossom sail past on the wind, catching in the net
Floyd | and painting it bright, quivering colours.
Floyd |
Floyd | A solitary black figure stands in the centre of the net above.

Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, In
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Hundreds of colourful petals float past on the wind.  Those that have
Floyd | become trapped in the net above tremble in the breeze.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Exactly what purpose it serves, beyond collecting blossom, you can't
Floyd | ascertain.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You set your feet on the net.  You have a natural aptitude for walking
Floyd | at all angles, but it helps that the net happens to be quite sticky.
Floyd |
Floyd | Centre of the Rainbow Net
Floyd | From here, thin threads of silk extend in every direction, weaving a
Floyd | circular net in the air that catches delicate petals of blossom.  The

Floyd | net seems remarkably sturdy, for something so insubstantial, and
Floyd | you're confident you can get down from here with ease.
Floyd |
Floyd | A tall, pale widow stands in the centre of the net, watching her
Floyd | threads with keen interest.
Floyd |

Floyd | Obvious exits: Down
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A tall, pale woman: slender and long-limbed, clothed in a flowing

Floyd | black dress.  There's an icy, elegant beauty to her that almost takes
Floyd | your breath away.
Floyd |
Floyd | Her eight eyes watch the world from behind a black lace veil that
Floyd | stops just above her voluptuous red lips.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | "Um," you begin, "excuse me..."
Floyd |
Floyd | The widow turns to face you and smiles broadly.  "One of the Queen's

Floyd | little darlings!  What a pleasure to meet you."
Floyd |
Floyd | She leans forwards to kiss you and, surprised, you step back.
Floyd |
Floyd | "You poor creature," she says.  "You needn't be frightened of me.  I'm
Floyd | just a lovelorn woman with a penchant for bright blossom."

Floyd |
Floyd | (You could ask her about her husband, kissing, the net, the Queen, or
Floyd | the tree.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "And to think," the widow interrupts, smiling, "that your pretty
Floyd | little head has so many words in it."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "This net is quite a feat of engineering," you say, hoping to talk
Floyd | shop.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Darling," the widow says, "all I know is that it lets me catch some

Floyd | colourful blossom to ameliorate my view.  The construction nous seems
Floyd | to come quite effortlessly to me, and I prefer not to think about it
Floyd | too deeply."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The widow seems poised to answer when she frowns suddenly.  "When is
Floyd | tea time, by the way?  One mustn't skip too many a meal, you know."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The widow rolls her eyes as you try and speak.  "But of course,
Floyd | darling."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You're not sure exactly how to ask, not sure you even want to ask, but
Floyd | the words come spilling out anyway.  "Are you... okay?  All alone out
Floyd | here.  Has your husband been...  Has it been long?"
Floyd |

Floyd | The widow offers you the most beautiful smile.  "Aren't you just a
Floyd | delight?  I could eat you up.  Darling, there have been plenty of men
Floyd | in my time.  Most steal in at the end of the day when I'm tired and in
Floyd | need of company.  When I wake up the morning after, they're long gone.
Floyd | Simple creatures really, easily pleased."
Floyd |

Floyd | A sad look comes over her.  "But then there are some like precious
Floyd | jewels - bright and full of character.  You want to keep them around
Floyd | forever, close by where they bring joy into your heart.  And you do,
Floyd | for a while.  But then one day you wake up covered in blood, and who
Floyd | knows what has happened, and you can't even bring yourself to eat for
Floyd | a week."

Floyd |
Floyd | You listen with wide eyes.  True love is a lot more frightening than
Floyd | you realised.
Floyd |
Floyd | The widow covers her face with a black-gloved hand and composes
Floyd | herself.  "But better to have loved and lost, I think."

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Do you know of my mother, the Queen?" you ask.
Floyd |

Floyd | The widow waves the suggestion away with a delicate movement.  "But of
Floyd | course, darling.  You can't beat good breeding."
Floyd |
Floyd | She looks at you then, and winks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The word "wink" is not necessary in this story.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You could ask her about her husband, kissing, the net, the Queen, or
Floyd | the tree.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "What do you know about this tree?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | The widow smiles.  "I came here blown on the wind, my net and I.  A
Floyd | colourful place, don't you think?  Though I do tend to keep to my

Floyd | corner of it."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "I'm very sorry that I flinched," you say meekly.  "It's just that

Floyd | only my sisters have ever..."
Floyd |
Floyd | "Oh, think nothing of it," she quips.  "But in polite society it is
Floyd | quite normal for ladies to kiss on meeting."
Floyd |
Floyd | You nod, uncertain what to say.  You're not all that sure you qualify

Floyd | as a lady - nor that you even want to.
Floyd |
Floyd | As if she knows what you're thinking, the widow leans forward and
Floyd | touches a black-gloved finger to her lips, smiling warmly as you
Floyd | blush.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | This is so unlike your work in the village.  Blushing, you lean
Floyd | towards the widow, and plant a hesitant kiss on her soft lips.  A
Floyd | strange thrill runs through you, your lips tingling, almost numb.  You

Floyd | shiver.
Floyd |
Floyd | "There," the widow says.  "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
Floyd |
Floyd | The numbness becomes more pronounced, spreading to your cheeks and
Floyd | down your throat.  You shiver again.

Floyd |
Floyd | "Poor darling," the widow says soothingly, "you look so cold.  Let me
Floyd | wrap you in this blanket..."
Floyd |
Floyd | The numbness has spread across your whole body, your vision is closing
Floyd | in.  You barely notice as you are wrapped in something smooth and

Floyd | warm.
Floyd |
Floyd | ***YOU WERE EATEN***
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen smiles at your enthusiasm, perhaps a little sadly.  "Every
Floyd | spring," she says, "five dangerous creatures come to the tree and

Floyd | threaten my nest.  So I send one of my daughters to negotiate with
Floyd | them, and each year they give us no trouble.  This spring, I want you
Floyd | to be that daughter."
Floyd |
Floyd | You curtsy again from sheer surprise.  "Your majesty!  I would be
Floyd | honoured!"

Floyd |
Floyd | Queen's Chamber
Floyd | Not opulent, as you might expect, but twilit and homely.  Simple,
Floyd | finely crafted lamps cast a warm glow over the phloem walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cots line one side of the chamber, each holding a formless, swaddled

Floyd | bundle.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen, your mother, sits elegantly upon her throne.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Out
Floyd |

Floyd | (Your score has just increased by one point.)
Floyd | (If you'd prefer not to be notified about score changes in the future,
Floyd | type NOTIFY OFF.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You curtsy before you leave.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Good luck," the Queen says, "my favourite daughter."

Floyd |
Floyd | Tree Hollow Village
Floyd | This village - your home since birth - sprawls across and up the sides
Floyd | of the tree hollow.  Spittle cottages, fungal fields and twig
Floyd | farmhouses are set among the knotted wood on all sides, even clinging
Floyd | to the roof high above.

Floyd |
Floyd | From here you could head in to the Queen's chamber, or out to the
Floyd | sunlit world beyond the hollow.
Floyd |
Floyd | Close by, a group of your sisters tend to a herd.
Floyd |

Floyd | Obvious exits: In, Out
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Bejewelled Branch

Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The entrance to the Tree Hollow Village is set into the bark here.
Floyd | Just below it, a sturdy old branch stretches out into the distance,

Floyd | splitting into three smaller branches.  Suspended magically between
Floyd | the three branch-tips is a pulsating whorl of bright colour.
Floyd |
Floyd | One of your sisters lies curled up in the furrowed bark, dead.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Down, In, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Branch Tip, Beneath the Rainbow Net
Floyd | Someone has stretched a vast net from the tip of this branch to the

Floyd | tips of two others high overhead - an impressive feat, to say the
Floyd | least.  Flurries of blossom sail past on the wind, catching in the net
Floyd | and painting it bright, quivering colours.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, In
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You set your feet on the net.  You have a natural aptitude for walking
Floyd | at all angles, but it helps that the net happens to be quite sticky.
Floyd |

Floyd | Centre of the Rainbow Net
Floyd | From here, thin threads of silk extend in every direction, weaving a
Floyd | circular net in the air that catches delicate petals of blossom.  The
Floyd | net seems remarkably sturdy, for something so insubstantial, and
Floyd | you're confident you can get down from here with ease.
Floyd |

Floyd | A large silk bundle has been tied to the centre of the net.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Down
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A fair size, kind of curved.  No telling what might be inside it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Outside the village, you hear it's important to respect property
Floyd | rights.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Branch Tip, Beneath the Rainbow Net
Floyd | Someone has stretched a vast net from the tip of this branch to the
Floyd | tips of two others high overhead - an impressive feat, to say the
Floyd | least.  Flurries of blossom sail past on the wind, catching in the net

Floyd | and painting it bright, quivering colours.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, In
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Bejewelled Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.

Floyd |
Floyd | The entrance to the Tree Hollow Village is set into the bark here.
Floyd | Just below it, a sturdy old branch stretches out into the distance,
Floyd | splitting into three smaller branches.  Suspended magically between
Floyd | the three branch-tips is a pulsating whorl of bright colour.
Floyd |

Floyd | One of your sisters lies curled up in the furrowed bark, dead.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Down, In, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You walk sunwise around the tree trunk, stopping when you encounter
Floyd | the next branch growing out from its bark.
Floyd |
Floyd | Forest of Blossom

Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | A thin, young branch sprouts from the bark at your feet, rapidly
Floyd | dividing into a forest of smaller twigs, each decorated with thick,

Floyd | colourful blossom.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Highest Branch
Floyd | You cover your mouth and swear.  Holy shit.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your eyes have never been that good over long distances, and this has

Floyd | got to be the longest distance you've ever seen.  The green jungle
Floyd | stretches off to the horizon - something you had always thought a myth
Floyd | - where a jumble of strange shapes seem frozen in the act of rearing
Floyd | up into the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | Tall, green-topped structures stand in a great cluster around the tree

Floyd | that you call home.  They can't be other trees, surely?
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Down
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Forest of Blossom
Floyd | A thin, young branch sprouts from the bark at your feet, rapidly
Floyd | dividing into a forest of smaller twigs, each decorated with thick,
Floyd | colourful blossom.

Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Blossom Glade
Floyd | This peaceful clearing is surrounded on all sides by wiry twigs
Floyd | bearing blossom.  At its centre, a stubby knot spirals out of the
Floyd | youthful bark, its top glazed over with amber.
Floyd |
Floyd | A long-haired artist stands at his easel - paintbrush and palette in

Floyd | hand.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist turns to offer you a warm smile.  "Aha!  Just what this
Floyd | scene was missing: a model."

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A young man, though still a fair bit older than yourself.  His
Floyd | features have a refined gentleness to them, and he moves with a

Floyd | leisurely grace.
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist is carrying a paintbrush and a palette, and he's wearing a
Floyd | little black dress and a red cloak.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You inch closer to the artist, uncertain how to begin.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Relax," he says.  "I don't bite."
Floyd |

Floyd | (You could ask him about the Queen, the tree, the painting, his cloak,
Floyd | or art.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It's clearly supposed to be a painting of the view in front of the
Floyd | artist, but your engineer's eye easily picks out numerous
Floyd | inaccuracies.  The colours are too bright, the blossom too vague, the
Floyd | sky too blue.  And yet, for all that, it seems almost more real than
Floyd | the scene itself.
Floyd |

Floyd | The centre of the canvas is blank and untouched.
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist leans towards you.  "It really needs something interesting
Floyd | to go in the middle, doesn't it?  Something sitting on that knot of
Floyd | bark..."
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | "What are you painting?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist waves his hand in front of him.  "This.  It's beautiful

Floyd | you'll agree, but it needs a focal point...  A conscious presence.
Floyd | Something for the viewer to identify with."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Is this... all that you do?" you ask, trying not to sound either
Floyd | disapproving or envious.
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist seems to understand what you mean.  "Don't be fooled: it's
Floyd | a pretty frugal life I have to live.  But I don't mind so much.  As
Floyd | everything slips through your fingers like sand, I think it's

Floyd | rewarding to try and catch hold of a few grains and hold them up to
Floyd | the light."
Floyd |
Floyd | You just smile and nod.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "I like your cloak," you say.
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist looks over his shoulders.  "Well, it keeps my wings dry."
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | "You have wings?" you ask, trying not to stare.
Floyd |
Floyd | He pushes his cloak back slightly, and you get a glimpse of thin,

Floyd | shiny membranes.  "They're very precious to me.  I don't think I could
Floyd | survive without being able to take flight."
Floyd |
Floyd | You bite your lip.  Maybe, if you finish this task for the Queen...
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Do you know of my mother, the Queen?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I've corresponded with her, yes," the artist says quietly.  "It's
Floyd | easy to criticise leaders for making harsh decisions, but I suppose we

Floyd | might well do the same in their place."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "What do you know about this tree?" you ask.

Floyd |
Floyd | The artist smiles.  "A beautiful world, replete with inspiration.
Floyd | Every spring I find myself compelled to visit ."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Just the right height for sitting on.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You look at the artist and try to form your question.  "I don't...
Floyd | what does your painting need?"
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist winks.  "It really needs something interesting to go in the
Floyd | middle, doesn't it?  Perhaps something sitting on that knot of

Floyd | bark..."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You sit on the smooth amber atop the knotted bark, feeling rather
Floyd | self-conscious.  One of a thousand sisters, you've never been the
Floyd | centre of attention before.
Floyd |
Floyd | "That expression," the artist says.  "Whatever it is, don't change
Floyd | it."

Floyd |
Floyd | And with that, he begins to paint you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The word "sneeze" is not necessary in this story.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You attempt a smile.  It feels kind of strange.
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist bites his paintbrush in alarm.  "No, no...  Your expression
Floyd | is just perfect as it is."
Floyd |
Floyd | You relax your face, and the artist sighs with relief.

Floyd |
Floyd | It's not easy to sit still like this, feeling the artist's eyes on
Floyd | you, wondering how you'll appear in the end result.  But it's not like
Floyd | you've never had to bear hardships before, so you sit through it.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Don't change your expression," the artist chides.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | As you sit in the sun, surrounded by colour, you watch the artist's
Floyd | brush flowing over the canvas.  Idly you wonder if you could ever take
Floyd | up painting as a hobby.  You're sure you might be able to cadge the
Floyd | supplies together, especially if you succeed in your task, but could
Floyd | you really teach yourself?
Floyd |

Floyd | "There," the artist says, "all done.  Stand up and come over here."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You stand up awkwardly.

Floyd |
Floyd | The artist smiles and gestures at the canvas.  "Go on," he says, "take
Floyd | a good look."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Taking pride of place in the canvas, surrounded by colourful blossom,
Floyd | is your likeness: sitting uneasily, and smiling in a most peculiar
Floyd | way.  Undeniably you, and not any of your sisters.
Floyd |

Floyd | "So?" the artist asks.  "What do you think?"
Floyd |
Floyd | (You could gasp, gawp, or praise.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "It's amazing!" you gush.  "Most of my sisters can't even recognise
Floyd | me, but this...  Thank you so much!"
Floyd |
Floyd | The artist sniffs and wipes his cheeks with his delicate hands.  You

Floyd | realise that he's crying.  "It means a lot to me that you like it.
Floyd | I'm actually going to give it to your mother.  It's part of our
Floyd | arrangement."
Floyd |
Floyd | "What arrangement?" you ask, only half interested, still looking in
Floyd | awe at the canvas.

Floyd |
Floyd | "I have to eat," the artist says.  "Not often, but more than I'd like.
Floyd | I'm very sorry."
Floyd |
Floyd | He reaches into his cloak and retrieves a small, snub-nosed revolver.
Floyd | You're still smiling, quizzically.  It almost doesn't make sense to

Floyd | you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Without realising it, you die happy.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | ***YOU WERE EATEN***

Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen smiles at your enthusiasm, perhaps a little sadly.  "Every
Floyd | spring," she says, "five dangerous creatures come to the tree and
Floyd | threaten my nest.  So I send one of my daughters to negotiate with
Floyd | them, and each year they give us no trouble.  This spring, I want you
Floyd | to be that daughter."

Floyd |
Floyd | You curtsy again from sheer surprise.  "Your majesty!  I would be
Floyd | honoured!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Queen's Chamber
Floyd | Not opulent, as you might expect, but twilit and homely.  Simple,

Floyd | finely crafted lamps cast a warm glow over the phloem walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cots line one side of the chamber, each holding a formless, swaddled
Floyd | bundle.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen, your mother, sits elegantly upon her throne.

Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Out
Floyd |
Floyd | (Your score has just increased by one point.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Please select a file in which to save the current position >

Floyd | Saved.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The word "usurp" is not necessary in this story.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You curtsy before you leave.

Floyd |
Floyd | "Good luck," the Queen says, "my favourite daughter."
Floyd |
Floyd | Tree Hollow Village
Floyd | This village - your home since birth - sprawls across and up the sides
Floyd | of the tree hollow.  Spittle cottages, fungal fields and twig

Floyd | farmhouses are set among the knotted wood on all sides, even clinging
Floyd | to the roof high above.
Floyd |
Floyd | From here you could head in to the Queen's chamber, or out to the
Floyd | sunlit world beyond the hollow.
Floyd |

Floyd | Close by, a group of your sisters tend to a herd.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In, Out
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Bejewelled Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around

Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The entrance to the Tree Hollow Village is set into the bark here.
Floyd | Just below it, a sturdy old branch stretches out into the distance,
Floyd | splitting into three smaller branches.  Suspended magically between
Floyd | the three branch-tips is a pulsating whorl of bright colour.

Floyd |
Floyd | One of your sisters lies curled up in the furrowed bark, dead.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Down, In, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You walk widdershins around the tree trunk, stopping when you
Floyd | encounter the next branch growing out from its bark.
Floyd |
Floyd | Graveyard of Shells

Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | This thick branch is dotted with dozens of coiled grey shells - most
Floyd | of them broken or shattered to some degree.

Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Grey and utilitarian, they seem very well constructed indeed.  You
Floyd | wonder how exactly so many of them came to be in such a state of
Floyd | disrepair.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Path to the Spiral House
Floyd | Gargantuan broken shells cast a cold shadow over this narrow path as
Floyd | it winds between them.  Conspicuous among the ruin is a single intact
Floyd | shell, spiral and grey, with a smart wooden door set into its opening.

Floyd |
Floyd | A knotted piece of rope hangs beside the door, dangling over a brass
Floyd | plaque.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | By Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen
Floyd | Cornu Aspersa Esq.
Floyd | Attorney at Law

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A very finely constructed piece of rope - not much use for practical
Floyd | work, but certainly nice to look at.  It's been knotted in a way that

Floyd | suggests pulling on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You pull the rope.  Somewhere inside the house, a bell rings.

Floyd |
Floyd | The door is answered by a smartly dressed gentleman with no arms or
Floyd | legs.  "Ah yes," he says.  "You're expected.  Please, come right in."
Floyd |
Floyd | He leads you inside, up some stairs, around a corner and down a slope.
Floyd |

Floyd | Curved Parlour
Floyd | The floor and ceiling of this room are both curved, and you're not
Floyd | entirely sure which way up you are.  Antique chairs and a coffee table
Floyd | are stuck to the carpet with discreet blobs of tree sap.  Bookcases
Floyd | line the walls like the slats of a folding fan.
Floyd |

Floyd | On the coffee table are a jar of sauce and a rotary telephone.
Floyd |
Floyd | A limbless aristocrat stands here, balanced on his tail.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Down
Floyd |

Floyd | "Good thing you turned up, what?" the aristocrat says.  "There might
Floyd | be something you can help me with."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lining a curved room with huge bookcases is the kind of inspired but
Floyd | futile feat of engineering that you're always both impressed by and
Floyd | derisive of.  The books seem kind of interesting, though.

Floyd |
Floyd | Your eye's also drawn to a framed photograph sitting on the shelves.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The photograph seems to be of a portly old gent with no arms or legs.
Floyd | Limblessness aside, though, he's clearly no close relative of the
Floyd | aristocrat.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Ah yes," the aristocrat says, "the old owner of this place.  Still a
Floyd | few things of his around, you know."

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (asking the aristocrat)
Floyd | "So, the former owner of this house..." you begin.

Floyd |
Floyd | "Yes," the aristocrat says, "an upstanding man of the legal
Floyd | profession.  A good friend of mine, don'cha know, if troubled at
Floyd | times.  A tough trial can be murder, my good girl, and even the best
Floyd | counsel may find himself getting eaten alive by his opponent."
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | It would be a bit rude to stand in the aristocrat's house reading his
Floyd | books.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You could ask him about help, the Queen, the spiral house, his arms
Floyd | and legs, or the tree.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | "Do you get on all right living by yourself?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | "You mean with no arms and legs?" the aristocrat says.  "They're

Floyd | entirely worthless appendages anyway.  All one needs is a good strong
Floyd | body and a nice set of gnashers."
Floyd |
Floyd | He opens his mouth for you to observe his rows of big, sharp teeth.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Of course," he goes on, "that doesn't stop people from assuming that

Floyd | one does have arms and legs, and thereby adding needless obstacles to
Floyd | one's life."
Floyd |
Floyd | He glances at the jar of sauce.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The label recommends serving with escargot, whatever that is.  It's
Floyd | closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | The aristocrat clears his throat.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You don't want to just up and open this jar uninvited.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | "How can I help you?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | The aristocrat looks embarrassed.  "I'm afraid that for all the

Floyd | vaunted consumer choice of this age, they just don't make jars that
Floyd | one can open without hands - without opposable thumbs even.  If you
Floyd | would be so gracious, young madam, I would be extremely pleased if you
Floyd | could open this jar of sauce for me."
Floyd |
Floyd | Open the jar.  Right.  If your sisters spoke like this, nothing would

Floyd | ever get done.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Opening a jar of sauce.  Seems like an easy enough task.  You take the
Floyd | jar in both hands and grip it firmly, twisting the lid in an

Floyd | anti-clockwise motion.  The jar opens.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Excellent," the aristocrat says.  "Most excellent indeed.  I'll dine
Floyd | well over the coming weeks, though she could have sent a less scrawny
Floyd | specimen."
Floyd |

Floyd | Your heart skips a beat.  Does he mean-?
Floyd |
Floyd | The aristocrat head butts you, and everything goes black.
Floyd |
Floyd | ***YOU WERE EATEN***
Floyd |

Floyd | The Queen smiles at your enthusiasm, perhaps a little sadly.  "Every
Floyd | spring," she says, "five dangerous creatures come to the tree and
Floyd | threaten my nest.  So I send one of my daughters to negotiate with
Floyd | them, and each year they give us no trouble.  This spring, I want you
Floyd | to be that daughter."
Floyd |

Floyd | You curtsy again from sheer surprise.  "Your majesty!  I would be
Floyd | honoured!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Queen's Chamber
Floyd | Not opulent, as you might expect, but twilit and homely.  Simple,
Floyd | finely crafted lamps cast a warm glow over the phloem walls.

Floyd |
Floyd | Cots line one side of the chamber, each holding a formless, swaddled
Floyd | bundle.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen, your mother, sits elegantly upon her throne.
Floyd |

Floyd | Obvious exits: Out
Floyd |
Floyd | (Your score has just increased by one point.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A high-backed and ornate chair, perhaps the most comfortable chair in
Floyd | the hollow.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen is sitting on the throne.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There's no room for you to sit on the throne.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | The word "curtsey" is not necessary in this story.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You curtsy.  You're very good at it by now.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen smiles benevolently.  "Don't be frightened, my child.  Head
Floyd | out into the branches and make me proud."

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | In 88 moves, you have scored 3 of a possible 6 points.  This makes you
Floyd | another daughter.

Floyd |
Floyd | (To see a detailed accounting of your score, type FULL SCORE.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | In 88 moves, you have scored 3 of a possible 6 points.  This makes you
Floyd | another daughter.  Your score consists of:
Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the spider
Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the ladybird
Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the parasitic worm
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You curtsy before you leave.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Good luck," the Queen says, "my favourite daughter."

Floyd |
Floyd | Tree Hollow Village
Floyd | This village - your home since birth - sprawls across and up the sides
Floyd | of the tree hollow.  Spittle cottages, fungal fields and twig
Floyd | farmhouses are set among the knotted wood on all sides, even clinging
Floyd | to the roof high above.

Floyd |
Floyd | From here you could head in to the Queen's chamber, or out to the
Floyd | sunlit world beyond the hollow.
Floyd |
Floyd | Close by, a group of your sisters tend to a herd.
Floyd |

Floyd | Obvious exits: In, Out
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Bejewelled Branch

Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The entrance to the Tree Hollow Village is set into the bark here.
Floyd | Just below it, a sturdy old branch stretches out into the distance,

Floyd | splitting into three smaller branches.  Suspended magically between
Floyd | the three branch-tips is a pulsating whorl of bright colour.
Floyd |
Floyd | One of your sisters lies curled up in the furrowed bark, dead.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Down, In, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You walk widdershins around the tree trunk, stopping when you

Floyd | encounter the next branch growing out from its bark.
Floyd |
Floyd | Graveyard of Shells
Floyd | This thick branch is dotted with dozens of coiled grey shells - most
Floyd | of them broken or shattered to some degree.
Floyd |

Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | Split Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.

Floyd |
Floyd | The base of this branch has partially split through, and some strange
Floyd | shimmering mirror is wedged between the two halves.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | Mirror Pool
Floyd | Rainwater has collected in this cleft in the branch, forming a calm,
Floyd | clear pool that perfectly reflects the blue sky.

Floyd |
Floyd | A pointed hat is floating on the mirror surface of the pool.
Floyd |
Floyd | A delicate damsel sits on a twig, crying softly to herself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In, Out She makes a big show of pretending she hasn't

Floyd | seen you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Emerald blue and ridiculously tall.  Not that you know much about

Floyd | fashion, but it would go rather nicely with the damsel's outfit.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can feel the damsel peeking at you hopefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The pointed hat is too far away.  You'd have to swim in the pool.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You carefully approach the delicate damsel and ask her if everything
Floyd | is okay.
Floyd |
Floyd | She raises her head and wipes her dainty nose on her wrist.  "Does
Floyd | everything look all right?  I was flying over that pool and my hat

Floyd | fell in.  Now I can't get it back because if my wings get wet I'll
Floyd | drown."
Floyd |
Floyd | (You could ask her about the pointed hat, her wings, the mirror pool,
Floyd | the Queen, the tree, or swimming.)
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | "Your wings are very beautiful," you say, a little shyly.
Floyd |
Floyd | The damsel shifts about to look at them.  "Yes, I know.  But in the

Floyd | water they'd drag me down so I'd drown and never come back up."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A delicate waif of a girl, crying into her tiny hands.  Your heart

Floyd | breaks for her.  Her dainty wings glitter with rainbow light.
Floyd |
Floyd | The damsel is wearing an emerald dress and some high-heeled shoes.
Floyd |
Floyd | The damsel meets your eye.  "It's rude to stare," she says, "if
Floyd | understandable."

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You look at the pool uncertainly.  "How deep do you think it is?"

Floyd |
Floyd | The damsel glances at the still water.  "Deep enough that if you sank
Floyd | into it you'd never be found again in a million years."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You look at the pool uncertainly.  "Do you know much about swimming?"
Floyd |
Floyd | The damsel sniffs.  "Only that I can't ever do it.  It can't be that
Floyd | hard if you don't have wings, though.  Just move your arms like this

Floyd | and kick your feet."
Floyd |
Floyd | She waves her arms and legs about convulsively.  You try to pay close
Floyd | attention.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (in the mirror pool)
Floyd | You wade out into the water until it's up to your armpits and then try
Floyd | kicking and splashing to move.  It doesn't work.  You just end up face
Floyd | down, making a lot of noise and trying to only breathe in when your

Floyd | head is above water.
Floyd |
Floyd | With a melodious giggle, something lands on your back.  Delicate hands
Floyd | take tight hold of your hair, and push your face down into the pool.
Floyd | Thrumming wings beat into the water, throwing up stronger splashes
Floyd | than your feeble attempts to struggle.  As the life starts to leave

Floyd | you, a set of small, but very sharp teeth close around the back of
Floyd | your neck.
Floyd |
Floyd | ***YOU WERE EATEN***
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen smiles at your enthusiasm, perhaps a little sadly.  "Every

Floyd | spring," she says, "five dangerous creatures come to the tree and
Floyd | threaten my nest.  So I send one of my daughters to negotiate with
Floyd | them, and each year they give us no trouble.  This spring, I want you
Floyd | to be that daughter."
Floyd |
Floyd | You curtsy again from sheer surprise.  "Your majesty!  I would be

Floyd | honoured!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Queen's Chamber
Floyd | Not opulent, as you might expect, but twilit and homely.  Simple,
Floyd | finely crafted lamps cast a warm glow over the phloem walls.
Floyd |

Floyd | Cots line one side of the chamber, each holding a formless, swaddled
Floyd | bundle.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Queen, your mother, sits elegantly upon her throne.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Out

Floyd |
Floyd | (Your score has just increased by one point.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | In 101 moves, you have scored 4 of a possible 6 points.  This makes
Floyd | you another daughter.  Your score consists of:
Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the spider
Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the ladybird
Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the parasitic worm
Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the damselfly

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You curtsy before you leave.

Floyd |
Floyd | "Good luck," the Queen says, "my favourite daughter."
Floyd |
Floyd | Tree Hollow Village
Floyd | This village - your home since birth - sprawls across and up the sides
Floyd | of the tree hollow.  Spittle cottages, fungal fields and twig

Floyd | farmhouses are set among the knotted wood on all sides, even clinging
Floyd | to the roof high above.
Floyd |
Floyd | From here you could head in to the Queen's chamber, or out to the
Floyd | sunlit world beyond the hollow.
Floyd |

Floyd | Close by, a group of your sisters tend to a herd.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In, Out
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Bejewelled Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.

Floyd |
Floyd | The entrance to the Tree Hollow Village is set into the bark here.
Floyd | Just below it, a sturdy old branch stretches out into the distance,
Floyd | splitting into three smaller branches.  Suspended magically between
Floyd | the three branch-tips is a pulsating whorl of bright colour.
Floyd |

Floyd | One of your sisters lies curled up in the furrowed bark, dead.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Down, In, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You walk widdershins around the tree trunk, stopping when you
Floyd | encounter the next branch growing out from its bark.
Floyd |

Floyd | Graveyard of Shells
Floyd | This thick branch is dotted with dozens of coiled grey shells - most
Floyd | of them broken or shattered to some degree.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |

Floyd | Split Branch
Floyd | The base of this branch has partially split through, and some strange
Floyd | shimmering mirror is wedged between the two halves.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |

Floyd | Rotten Branch
Floyd | The fertile brown bark of the tree stretches in all directions: up
Floyd | into the blue sky, down to the exotic green jungle, and curving around
Floyd | on itself both sunwise and widdershins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The branch here writhes out from the trunk as if racked with agony.

Floyd | Its cracked bark and gnarled flesh sprout bizarre clusters of twisted
Floyd | fungi.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Up, Out, Sunwise, Widdershins
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Fungal Bloom
Floyd | Strange, asymmetrical fungi sprout out from within this branch,
Floyd | splitting the bark and corrupting its offshoots into weird, bloated

Floyd | shapes.  One particularly corpulent mushroom bulges out of the bark
Floyd | beneath a tall, healthy twig.
Floyd |
Floyd | The twig ends in a bright green leaf.
Floyd |
Floyd | An enormous knight towers over the area, clad in black armour.  It

Floyd | shows only the vaguest interest in the soft white baby lying at its
Floyd | feet.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby reaches out vainly towards the leaf.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Enormous.  Pale.  Soft.  Its mouth a gaping black hole.

Floyd |
Floyd | It reminds you painfully of your brothers.  Only much, much bigger.
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby reaches out for the leaf and wails in frustration.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A giant of a person, covered from head to toe in thick black plate
Floyd | mail.  Its helmet sports a ridiculous pair of curved horns.
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby emits a high, keening wail.  You cover your ears.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The knight does not respond.  Deep inside that ridiculous helmet, it's
Floyd | possible that the knight can't even hear you.

Floyd |
Floyd | The baby looks at you as if it's not really sure what to make of you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The baby just gurgles stupidly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The smooth faceplate of the knight's helmet has only the slightest of
Floyd | slits to see through.  Ridiculous horns curve up from the helmet and
Floyd | into the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | From down here it's difficult to say how far the horns extend upwards,
Floyd | but they must add a least an extra head to the knight's height.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It would look rather delicious, if you were much of a leaf eater.
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby reaches out for the leaf and wails in frustration.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You've never been much of one for eating leaves.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The leaf is tantalisingly out of reach.
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby emits a high, keening wail.  You cover your ears.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | That is not something you can climb.
Floyd |

Floyd | The knight shifts slightly on its feet.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Fungal Bloom

Floyd | Strange, asymmetrical fungi sprout out from within this branch,
Floyd | splitting the bark and corrupting its offshoots into weird, bloated
Floyd | shapes.  One particularly corpulent mushroom bulges out of the bark
Floyd | beneath a tall, healthy twig.
Floyd |
Floyd | The twig ends in a bright green leaf.

Floyd |
Floyd | An enormous knight towers over the area, clad in black armour.  It
Floyd | shows only the vaguest interest in the soft white baby lying at its
Floyd | feet.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: In

Floyd |
Floyd | The baby stretches out a fat-fingered hand towards the leaf.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It looks like it must be swollen with rotten ooze.  But it could
Floyd | probably take your weight.
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby looks at you as if it's not really sure what to make of you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Okay, you're now standing on the mushroom.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The mushroom does not appear to be edible.
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby reaches out vainly towards the leaf.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You stand on tiptoe and grasp the fresh green leaf in your hands.
Floyd | With one tug, it separates from its twig, and you fall forwards,
Floyd | towards the baby.  It catches you in its fat fingers.

Floyd |
Floyd | You smile, holding out the leaf triumphantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | The baby pulls you towards its gaping mouth.  Wait, this wasn't what
Floyd | you-
Floyd |

Floyd | ***YOU WERE EATEN***
Floyd |
Floyd | It's done.  For another year, the village is safe.  Now come the
Floyd | spring festivities, the rejoicing and singing.
Floyd |
Floyd | Queen's Chamber (sitting on the throne)

Floyd | Not as nice as your mother's place, but you've made yourself
Floyd | comfortable here.  Simple, finely crafted lamps cast a warm glow over
Floyd | the phloem walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cots line one side of the chamber, each holding a formless, swaddled
Floyd | bundle.

Floyd |
Floyd | One of your daughters leans a framed painting against the wall and
Floyd | curtsies, before leaving hurriedly.
Floyd |
Floyd | Sounds of merriment and raised voices carry into the chamber from
Floyd | outside.

Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Out
Floyd |
Floyd | (Your score has just increased by one point.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | In 121 moves, you have scored 5 of a possible 6 points.  This makes
Floyd | you the Queen.  Your score consists of:
Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the spider
Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the ladybird

Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the parasitic worm
Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the damselfly
Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the beetle
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Innocent and helpless.  Little darlings.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A bright, expressionistic portrayal of one of your daughters - you've
Floyd | no idea which one.  She's smiling in the most peculiar way.  There's
Floyd | something about this painting, some portent or emotion that you can
Floyd | almost but not quite grasp.  But then, there always is, and it's
Floyd | always different.

Floyd |
Floyd | You'll leave the painting out, for now, to remind you - as you're sure
Floyd | he wanted it to.  And then you'll have it stowed away with the others.
Floyd |
Floyd | Sounds of merriment and raised voices carry into the chamber from
Floyd | outside.

Floyd |
Floyd | (Your score has just increased by one point.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | In 123 moves, you have scored 6 of a possible 6 points.  This makes
Floyd | you the Queen and a mother.  Your score consists of:
Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the spider
Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the ladybird
Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the parasitic worm
Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the damselfly

Floyd |    1 point for appeasing the beetle
Floyd |    1 point for looking, if not understanding
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Not young any more, but still elegant and beautiful.  Your wings are
Floyd | as breathtaking at ever.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (off of the throne)
Floyd | You stand up from your throne.  Your daughters will be waiting for you
Floyd | outside, eager to celebrate the renewal of the seasons.
Floyd |
Floyd | Sounds of merriment and raised voices carry into the chamber from
Floyd | outside.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You step serenely out of your chamber, into the village.  A thousand
Floyd | of your daughters await you, cheering happily, waiting for you to
Floyd | begin the spring festival.  Blissfully ignorant.
Floyd |
Floyd | You raise your hand in salute, and spread your wings.
Floyd |

Floyd | *** THE END ***
Floyd |
Floyd | In 126 moves, you have scored 6 of a possible 6 points.  This makes
Floyd | you the Queen and a mother.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTORE a saved position, RESTART the story, UNDO

Floyd | the last move, see your FULL SCORE, see some AMUSING things to try,
Floyd | read the AFTERWORD, or QUIT?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Have you tried:

Floyd |
Floyd | Tasting all of the different characters?  Tasting yourself?  Singing,
Floyd | dancing, crying, jumping or screaming as the Queen or one of her
Floyd | daughters?  Typing 'god save the queen'?  Getting up while the artist
Floyd | paints you and/or trying to sneak a peak at the unfinished portrait?
Floyd | Sitting on the damsel's twig... while she's still sitting on it?

Floyd | Asking the aristocrat about Cornu Aspersa?  Sitting on the
Floyd | aristocrat's carpet?  Rocking in the aristocrat's rocking chair?
Floyd | Rocking elsewhere?Examining your surroundings while in conversation
Floyd | with the more talkative characters?  And finally, have you tried
Floyd | typing 'xyzzy'?
Floyd |

Floyd | Would you like to RESTORE a saved position, RESTART the story, UNDO
Floyd | the last move, see your FULL SCORE, see some AMUSING things to try,
Floyd | read the AFTERWORD, or QUIT?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | I'm sure all sorts of meanings can be read into this game, but really
Floyd | I just tried to write a human story about being an ant.  The
Floyd | inhabitants of the tree hollow all wear red because they're red ants.
Floyd |

Floyd | The widow isn't supposed to be any kind of spider in particular, and
Floyd | certainly not an actual black widow.  It's my understanding that the
Floyd | chief problem any male spider has while attempting to procreate
Floyd | involves approaching a female spider in her web without appearing to
Floyd | be edible - which, of course, he actually is.  I'm sure that some
Floyd | females are easier to get close to than others.

Floyd |
Floyd | You may have noticed that the only character in this game with a name
Floyd | is the late Cornu Aspersa Esq.  His name is the Latin term for a
Floyd | common snail, in case you didn't already know.
Floyd |
Floyd | This game owes something of a debt to Hans Christian Andersen, Lewis

Floyd | Carroll and Anna Anthropy's In The Woods.
Floyd |
Floyd | -C.E.J.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTORE a saved position, RESTART the story, UNDO
Floyd | the last move, see your FULL SCORE, see some AMUSING things to try,

Floyd | read the AFTERWORD, or QUIT?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Taking back one turn: "out".

Floyd |
Floyd | Queen's Chamber
Floyd | Not as nice as your mother's place, but you've made yourself
Floyd | comfortable here.  Simple, finely crafted lamps cast a warm glow over
Floyd | the phloem walls.
Floyd |

Floyd | Cots line one side of the chamber, each holding a formless, swaddled
Floyd | bundle.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your throne stands against the wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | A framed painting leans against one wall.

Floyd |
Floyd | Sounds of merriment and raised voices carry into the chamber from
Floyd | outside.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obvious exits: Out
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | She ain't no human being!
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Unbidden, some ancient instinctual meme crawls up from your
Floyd | subconscious.  Your lips dance of their own accord.  "Xyzzy," you say.
Floyd |
Floyd | You begin to twitch and shudder, your tiny brain cartwheeling into an

Floyd | ouroboros of self-referential insanity.  "Xyzzy," you repeat.
Floyd | "Xyzzy."
Floyd |
Floyd | You don't even notice as your legs give way and you collapse to the
Floyd | ground.  Your senses have closed in, your mind shut down.  And all
Floyd | that is left... is xyzzy.

Floyd |
Floyd | (Your score has just decreased by twenty points.)
Floyd |
Floyd | *** GAME OVER ***
Floyd |
Floyd | In 127 moves, you have scored -14 of a possible 6 points.  This makes

Floyd | you a xyzzy.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTORE a saved position, RESTART the story, UNDO
Floyd | the last move, see your FULL SCORE, or QUIT?
Floyd |
Floyd | >