AllThingsJacq.com - Interactive Fiction | ClubFloyd - September 4 - 11, 2022


ToyShop & Floyditorium		#ClubFloyd Discussion


***** SESSION ONE *

Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "load sleepmask bluechairs"
CF ] Stuck in an Attic
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| "Twenty-three dollars," he's saying. "Twenty-three dollars for the
CF \| best dream of your life."
CF \|
CF \| You don't know his name or anything -- he's just the guy you always
CF \| meet at parties thrown by people you've never met. He's nobody's
CF \| friend, exactly, but everyone knows who he is when it's time. Probably
CF \| doesn't even have a name, probably has bagged groceries at some
CF \| godforsaken Shopper's Food Warehouse since high school, but who cares?
CF \| He's here to help you in your hour of need.
CF \|
CF \| "What do you say?" he asks, holding up a repurposed cough syrup bottle
CF \| with something green inside. Green like candy almost never is.
CF \|
CF \| Stuck in an Attic
CF \| Sure, you're used to piece-of-shit architecture (you live in Dundalk,
CF \| for crissake), but this place will be receiving some kind of award
CF \| from you by the end of the night. There's totally unimportant crap
CF \| strewn all over the place -- old sewing machines, an Easy-Bake oven,
CF \| even a set of folding chairs painted carnival blue -- but fortunately,
CF \| almost all of it is in shadow thanks to an underperforming fifty-watt
CF \| bulb directly above.
CF \|
CF \| It's just you and the dude here. The only place in the entire house
CF \| you could get any privacy. It's only ten o'clock and already the call
CF \| to hook up has come down from the heavens.
CF \|
CF \| Stairs lead downward, back to the party and that awful trance-bop they
CF \| keep playing.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Ah. So apparently I recall this being trippy because it is about drugs."
		Jacqueline says, "I suppose we must take the drugs."
		Jacqueline says, "Sam and I have a joke about things like this."
		Jacqueline asks, "There was a game when he was a kid that was about the three bears and at the beginning you were given a choice: Do you want to help the three bears?"
		Jacqueline says, "And if you said NO, then the response from the game was, 'Of course you do!""
		Jade says, "lol"
		Jacqueline says, "And I think Sam is still salty about that false-choice from some obscure text adventure."
		Jacqueline says, "So, 'What do we say?' I say we take the drugs."
		MoyTravis says, "That's what we're here for."
		Jacqueline says, "Anyone up for driving? I remembe nothing, so I could drive if needed, but I don't love driving."
		MoyTravis says, "I mean we could see how long the game lets us not take the drugs."
		Jacqueline says (to Travis), "Oh, sure."
		Jacqueline says, "Or not take them and see if the game ends."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x man"
CF ] Stuck in an Attic
CF \|
CF \| > X MAN
CF \|
CF \| In middle school, he would've been the kind of kid you would have
CF \| written off immediately. Greasy hair and a dirty look in his eyes,
CF \| like he's simultaneously thinking of fucking some cheerleader's brains
CF \| out and calculating how many experience points a red dragon is worth.
CF \|
CF \| The problem is that this is the real world, such as it is, and he's
CF \| still the the same greasy kid. But then again, you're still the same
CF \| loser you've always been at heart.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x me"
CF ] Stuck in an Attic
CF \|
CF \| > X ME
CF \|
CF \| You're Dante Hicks. No, not the main character from Clerks.
CF \| You're at least ten times too smart to be working a convenience store.
CF \| Instead you're maxing it as a sysadmin for this local real-estate
CF \| company. This will probably be important to remember at some point in
CF \| the future, but until then:
CF \|
CF \| You're in full party dress uniform: black jeans and neo-geek T-shirt
CF \| (tonight, "THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE 127.0.0.1") which is admittedly Not
CF \| Cool At All, but you've always held out hope that the shirt will
CF \| someday flag down some amazingly hot chick who also happens to be a
CF \| closet Unix freak. It could happen. Until then, it at least confuses
CF \| people into thinking you might be cool.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Sorry, got called away for a bit. Back now."
		Jacqueline says, "I would totally wear that shirt."
		Jacqueline says (to KO), "No worries. Let us know when you're caught up (and if you're up for driving...) (if not I can just do not want to)."
		Knight_Otu says, "I think I'd preferably not drive today."
		Jacqueline asks, "Travis, you also are not up for it?"
		Knight_Otu says, "Also, caught up."
		Jacqueline says, "This could be in my head, but I swear the mud's response time is noticeably better now that I'm physically closer to the server."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "say no"
CF ] Stuck in an Attic
CF \|
CF \| > SAY NO
CF \|
CF \| (to the guy)
CF \| You don't feel like getting expository on this dweeb.
CF \|
CF \| The guy waggles the bottle a little in case your attention is
CF \| wandering.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x bottle"
CF ] Stuck in an Attic
CF \|
CF \| > X BOTTLE
CF \|
CF \| The label on the side of the bottle reads: PHOLCODINE 5 mg. Mm-hmm.
CF \| The actual liquid looks kind of weird. It's maybe close to the color
CF \| of creme de menthe (ah, college days, where mixed drinks were new and
CF \| exciting) but paler.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take bottle"
CF ] Stuck in an Attic
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE BOTTLE
CF \|
CF \| "Not so fast," the guy says. "You need to give me some actual cash
CF \| here."
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] Stuck in an Attic
CF \|
CF \| > D
CF \|
CF \| Now technically speaking, you have a great deal of free will during
CF \| this story, so you're allowed to call it a night here and now.
CF \|
CF \| You can go ahead and go downstairs if you want to -- surely there's
CF \| something interesting going on in this party. Maybe there's a pretty
CF \| girl with long blonde hair you bump into and end up hooking up with.
CF \| You won't remember whether her name is Alice or Alicia, so you'll bail
CF \| the next morning without a word.
CF \|
CF \| It's okay. You won't see her ever again. And it all happens again the
CF \| next weekend, and the weekend after that, too.
CF \|
CF \| So it's okay if you want to say no to the whole thing.
CF \|
CF \| The guy waggles the bottle a little in case your attention is
CF \| wandering.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Of course we want to help the three bears and take the drugs."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] Stuck in an Attic
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying your wallet, your keys and a pager.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x keys"
CF ] Stuck in an Attic
CF \|
CF \| > X KEYS
CF \|
CF \| You've got five useful keys and twenty you've only used once in the
CF \| course of your life, and as such, their purpose has been lost
CF \| entirely.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x pager"
CF ] Stuck in an Attic
CF \|
CF \| > X PAGER
CF \|
CF \| You're fundamentally opposed to cell phones, Palm Pilots, and even
CF \| those Blackberries you've seen a couple jackasses at work using. But
CF \| you're willing to make an exception for this beauty of a pager. All it
CF \| ever does is tell you if any of the servers at work go down, which
CF \| they never do. The upside of all this being that this little device
CF \| has enabled you to spend countless hours "telecommuting"... what a
CF \| dumb word.
CF \|
CF \| The pager's screen is blank right now.
CF \|
CF \| The guy waggles the bottle a little in case your attention is
CF \| wandering.
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis says, "I don't drive."
		Knight_Otu says, "Are those former work keys? I have a feeling they might be."
		MoyTravis says, "I mean. I do drive, like, cars, but those are easier than parsers really."
		Jacqueline asks (of Travis), "heh. Never??"
		Jacqueline says (to KO), "Possibly, yeah."
		Jacqueline exclaims (at Jade), "I take it you wish to not drive either. It's fine. I can drive!"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x wallet"
CF ] Stuck in an Attic
CF \|
CF \| > X WALLET
CF \|
CF \| You've got exactly twenty-three dollars. How convenient and weird.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to guy"
CF ] Stuck in an Attic
CF \|
CF \| > TALK TO GUY
CF \|
CF \| Try asking or telling him about a particular subject.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask guy about bottle"
CF ] Stuck in an Attic
CF \|
CF \| > ASK GUY ABOUT BOTTLE
CF \|
CF \| "What is that stuff going to do to me?" you ask.
CF \|
CF \| "In the long run, probably kill you," he says, putting on a
CF \| dungeonmaster grin. "Short term, life gets pretty fucking grand."
CF \| Coming from a real drug dealer, it would give you pause. But let's
CF \| face facts: this dweeb probably just put some food coloring into some
CF \| DXM and called it a day.
CF \|
CF \| "Hey, are you going to buy this shit or what?" the guy asks. "Cause
CF \| there are about twenty-three other people I'd rather be talking to
CF \| right now."
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "I am getting a dine for now"
		Jacqueline says, "23 dollars, 23 other people, 23, 23, 23..."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "pay guy"
CF ] Stuck in an Attic
CF \|
CF \| > PAY GUY
CF \|
CF \| The transaction happens quickly: no hesitations, no reconsiderations,
CF \| no refunds.
CF \|
CF \| "Drink it slowly," the guy advises but you're already shotgunning it,
CF \| staring directly at the poor light bulb, so dim it won't even leave
CF \| behind an afterimage on your retinas, so far away now that the sound
CF \| of the party below takes five minutes to reach you, so far now that
CF \| the world is turning blue as it recedes into the distance, so dim now
CF \| that the wires in the bulb... what are they called?
CF \|
CF \| Luminants? No, that isn't the right word, that's not even a word at
CF \| all --
CF \| [...]
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] .
CF ] k metal . "No mor
CF ] k metal . Mr. Preppermi
CF \| "No mor
CF ] . diment?
CF \| .
CF ] Mr. Pre .
CF ] Mr. Preo mor .
CF ] "No mor eppermi
CF ] epperm"No mor
CF ] diment? . . Mr.
CF \| Pre.
CF ] .
CF ] eppermi "No mor
CF ]
CF ] eppermi eppermi .
CF ] .. . k
CF \| metalnt?
CF ] "No mor .
CF \| Mr. Pre
CF ]
CF ] . .
CF ] It seems like now would be an excellent
CF \| time
CF ] Mr. Pre .
CF \| diment? .
CF ] to reflect on why you, once a
CF \| consistently
CF ] .. "No
CF \| mor
CF ] above-average student full of ambition and
CF \| love,
CF ]
CF ] just bought an unknown but almost
CF \| certainly
CF \|		Jacqueline says, "whoa yeah"
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] ing gas
CF ] a Chine . .ing gas
CF \| ing gas
CF ]
CF ] .. 's no d
CF ] oddy pa . a Chine
CF ] . cold 's no d cold aing gas
CF ] ing gas oddy pa
CF ] oddy pa's no d ing gas
CF \| .
CF ] .
CF ] ing gas . . .
CF ] . . .
CF ] . . . ..
CF \| .
CF ] .
CF ] ing gas
CF \| .
CF ] .
CF ] ing gas cold ai . .
CF ]
CF ] a Chine a Chine
CF ] It would be nice if there were a single
CF \| moment
CF ] a Chine
CF ] you could use in the event of
CF \| autobiography
CF ] .
CF \| .
CF ]
CF ] a Chine
CF \| .
CF \|		Knight_Otu says, "My."
		MoyTravis says, "hmm I think the formatting is slightly messed up"
		MoyTravis says, "Just a tad."
		Jacqueline says, "I'm not sure it is."
		MoyTravis says, "I mean the <i>s are supposed to be functional."
		Jacqueline says, "but we are"
		Jacqueline says (to Travis), "Yes, and they will be in our transcript. Sorry about that."
		Jacqueline says, "That's always how the sleepmask works."
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] . .
CF ] all recor B .
CF ] uck Fucore 'em .
CF ] ore 'em Señor BB
CF ] .
CF ] . . ese
CF \| chaB
CF ] . all rec
CF ] . Señor Bñor B
CF ] . . uck
CF \| Fuc
CF ] ore 'em
CF \| ese cha
CF ] ore 'em .
CF ] ore 'em .uck
CF \| Fuc
CF ] ese cha
CF ] ore 'em .
CF ] . Señor B
CF \| .
CF ] . ore
CF \| 'em
CF ] . . .
CF ] uck Fuuck Fuc .
CF ]
CF ] ore 'em . .. .
CF \| uck Fuc
CF ] The truth is, there's no story to be
CF \| told.
CF ] ore 'emore 'em ore 'em
CF ]
CF ] .
CF \|
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] .
CF ] .
CF ] is aski .a voice . .
CF \| a voice
CF ] .
CF ] .
CF ] or name .
CF ] "Hey ma .
CF ] a voice .
CF ] is aski .
CF ] .
CF \| .
CF ] a voice . . a voice
CF ] Dante?" is aski
CF ] Dante?" .
CF ] . or name
CF \| .
CF ] . "Hey ma "Hey ma
CF ] Dante?" a voice
CF \| .
CF ] Dante?"
CF ] . . Dante?"
CF ]
CF ] .
CF ] Blue
CF \| Chairs
CF ] a voice Dais aski . a voiceis aski
CF \| .
CF ]
CF ] . Dante?" a
CF \| voice
CF \|		Jade says, "A psychodelic voyage"
		Knight_Otu exclaims, "Language, game!"
		Jacqueline says (to Jade), "yeah"
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ]
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| "Hey man, is your name Dante?" a voice is asking.
CF \|
CF \| You sit up with a start. "Yeah."
CF \|
CF \| The attic is different now but you couldn't say why. How. You don't
CF \| know how it's different. You're sitting on the floor -- lying on it,
CF \| more accurately -- and for a split second, everything's slowed down
CF \| and peaceful and makes sense, even the Easy-Bake oven.
CF \|
CF \| Then this guy with a dirty baseball cap (what the fuck? how cliched
CF \| are we going to get tonight?) who's been standing over you has to
CF \| start talking to you again and it fucks everything up. No sign of your
CF \| esteemed drug merchant, of course. He's probably onto bigger and
CF \| better prey.
CF \|
CF \| "There's this girl who's been calling everyone's cell phones asking
CF \| for you, man."
CF \|
CF \| You frown.
CF \|
CF \| "Here, talk to her, man, she's been freaking out on me the last
CF \| fifteen minutes."
CF \|
CF \| He presses his cell phone up to your ear, which is a nice thing to do
CF \| considering your arms are completely numb for reasons you don't want
CF \| to think about right now.
CF \|
CF \| "Dante?" asks a voice you recognize in an instant, never mind the cell
CF \| phone, never mind the years: it's Beatrice. If this were a movie,
CF \| there'd be a convenient fade to black to allow you to reminisce about
CF \| your shared past history, perhaps beginning with that sunrise six
CF \| years ago -- but this isn't a movie, kiddo, and she says again:
CF \|
CF \| "Dante, is that you?"
CF \|
CF \| She's crying.
CF \|
CF \| >>		Knight_Otu says, "So now we have a cell, huh."
		Jacqueline says, "Well, someone else has put a cell phone up to our ear."
		MoyTravis says, "Just 'cuz somebody's loaning you their phone doesn't mean it's yours."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "say yes"
CF ]
CF \| u
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ]
CF \|
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ]
CF \|
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ]
CF \|
Jacqueline presses the yellow enter button.
CF ]
CF \|
CF \| You try to speak but the words come out all nonsense. Isn't that the
CF \| final insult? Finally a cell phone conversation worth having and you
CF \| can't even form a single damn word.
CF \|
CF \| "Dante, I'm in trouble," she says.
CF \|
CF \| >>		Knight_Otu says, "I mean..."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask Beatrice about trouble."
CF ]
CF \| u
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask Beatrice about trouble."
CF ]
CF \| u
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask Beatrice about trouble."
CF ]
CF \| u
Jacqueline presses the yellow enter button.
CF ]
CF \|
CF \| You try hard to enuniciate, to make sense, to at least convey some
CF \| mixture of longing and surprise in your tone of voice, but you can't
CF \| do it right.
CF \|
CF \| "I... I can't explain it to you on the phone. But I need you to come
CF \| help me. Do you remember where my house is?"
CF \|
CF \| >>		Jacqueline says, "I don't think we know where or what anything is."
		Jacqueline says, "Also, hard to drive with numb arms."
		Knight_Otu says, "This surely sounds like a different life we're living."
		Jacqueline asks, "Yeah. That we're imagining this, you mean?"
		Jacqueline says, "I agree."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "no"
CF ]
CF \| u
Jacqueline presses the yellow enter button.
CF ] Not Exactly the Same Attic
CF \|
CF \| Of course you remember where her fucking house is. You still remember
CF \| every single thing about her. French toast for breakfast with enough
CF \| syrup to drown yourself...
CF \|
CF \| "It's important," Beatrice says. "Come as soon as you can."
CF \|
CF \| There's a faint click, like a bird's beak tapping on a chalkboard, and
CF \| then she isn't there anymore.
CF \|
CF \| Your arms are working now -- you're pushing yourself up off the floor
CF \| without even realizing it -- and so is your voice. "I've got to go see
CF \| her," you're saying.
CF \|
CF \| The guy with the cell phone gives you as serious a look as a frat boy
CF \| can. "Dude, I've never met you before or anything, but can I give you
CF \| some advice? If I were you, I wouldn't drive anywhere tonight? Not
CF \| with the kind of pupils you've got."
CF \|
CF \| He backs away from you, maybe waiting for a rebuttal. But there's no
CF \| point in arguing with a frat boy who's managed to cobble together some
CF \| kind of personal belief.
CF \|
CF \| "Can you give me a ride?" you ask.
CF \|
CF \| "Nah, man," he says, suddenly displaying an interest in the stairway.
CF \| "I gotta get back downstairs. The dance won't dance itself, you know
CF \| what I'm saying?"
CF \|
CF \| If you were not at all on drugs right now, you'd be able to come up
CF \| with a really killer line, but it doesn't matter. There's got to be
CF \| somebody at this hoedown that can get you to Beatrice.
CF \|
CF \| Not Exactly the Same Attic
CF \| It's the light that makes it different: somehow it's become even
CF \| dimmer than before, so that everything is shadow but your own body and
CF \| the stairs leading down. Who knows what's in the recesses of the dark?
CF \| Probably plenty of useful things: things to keep your shoelaces tied,
CF \| things to remind you of your dentist appointments -- even things that
CF \| could save your own life. But who knows? It's just a pile of stuff you
CF \| don't know how to sort through.
CF \|
CF \| The music downstairs is insistent, even burning.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "Yes I also agree"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] Not Exactly the Same Attic
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying a cough syrup bottle, your wallet, your keys and a
CF \| pager.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Okay. Same inventory."
		Jacqueline nods.
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x bottle"
CF ] Not Exactly the Same Attic
CF \|
CF \| > X BOTTLE
CF \|
CF \| The label on the side of the bottle reads: PHOLCODINE 5 mg. Mm-hmm.
CF \| Right now it's empty.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x wallet"
CF ] Not Exactly the Same Attic
CF \|
CF \| > X WALLET
CF \|
CF \| Right now, the wallet is empty.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Nice."
Roger has arrived.
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x pager"
CF ] Not Exactly the Same Attic
CF \|
CF \| > X PAGER
CF \|
CF \| The pager's screen is blank right now.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "whoops; disoriented by the long weekend"
		Knight_Otu says, "Hey, Roger."
		Jacqueline says, "We're not that far in, if you want to read and catch up. It's something you probably played back in the day, fwiw."
		Jade says, "We are just at the beggining"
		Roger says, "I've spent so much more time in IF attics than in real-life attics"
		Jacqueline says, "I hadn't really thought about it before. I would say 'same', except that I did use to spend a fair amount of time in my grandparents' creepy attic because I wanted to see if it was haunted."
		Knight_Otu says, "They tend to be more adventure-inducing and less visibly spidery than real ones."
		Roger asks, "Is someone actively-driving, or are we just soaking in all this grandeur?"
		Jacqueline says, "We were waiting for you to catch up."
		Jacqueline says, "I take it you are caught up."
		Roger exclaims, "I am!"
		Jacqueline exclaims, "Yay!"
		Jacqueline says, "Also, if you want to drive I am looking for a driver and no one wanted to."
		Jacqueline says, "But I will otherwise drive."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] Second Floor Landing
CF \|
CF \| > D
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Second Floor Landing
CF \| Christmas lights twist around the railing leading down. There are
CF \| enough of them that the the walls of the stairway are the hue of fruit
CF \| salad, the kind with tiny oranges, not the other kind, the kind with
CF \| apple slices. Ugh. That awful shade of brown they turn once they're
CF \| exposed to air for too long.
CF \|
CF \| The music's louder now, and there are echoes of synthesizer burble and
CF \| cymbal crashes. It's starting to make sense in your head.
CF \|
CF \| Stairs go up and down, and there's a hallway to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "I say that we explore this floor before descending."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x lights"
CF ] Second Floor Landing
CF \|
CF \| > X LIGHTS
CF \|
CF \| Just typical college-student decor. Which is of course is a little
CF \| odd, seeing as how the people throwing the party -- friends of a
CF \| friend -- are at least four years out of UMBC. Old habits die hard.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Sure."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "listen to music"
CF ] Second Floor Landing
CF \|
CF \| > LISTEN TO MUSIC
CF \|
CF \| It's hard to follow just one thread of it; you keep losing track of
CF \| it, like voices in a bar.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] A Short Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Short Hallway
CF \| It's a regular old hallway with blank off-white walls. Undoubtedly
CF \| you'll forget all about this one in a couple days -- isn't that sort
CF \| of sad? Then again, it's just a hallway, one of thousands, one of
CF \| millions of moments your brain will eventually discard as unimportant.
CF \|
CF \| There's a door north -- you think it's to a bathroom -- the hallway
CF \| continues west, and the landing is back to the east.
CF \|
CF \| You hear someone cackling hysterically -- not sure what direction it's
CF \| coming from, though.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Heading to the bathroom..."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "listen to laughter"
CF ] A Short Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > LISTEN TO LAUGHTER
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade exclaims, "oh my god!"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] A Short Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \| You can't, since the bathroom door is in the way.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline asks (of Jade), "oh your god what?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open bathroom door"
CF ] A Short Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN BATHROOM DOOR
CF \|
CF \| It's locked.
CF \|
CF \| "Hey," a male voice calls from inside. "I'm in here. Please don't
CF \| bother me."
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "we're not going to turn into an alien bug again are we"
		Jacqueline says, "Maaaaaybeeee"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "knock"
CF ] A Short Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > KNOCK
CF \|
CF \| (on the bathroom door)
CF \| "Look," the voice says. "I just want to be left alone."
CF \|
CF \| A pause, and then a quiet question: "Have you ever felt alone as me?"
CF \|
CF \| >>		Jacqueline says, "Gosh"
		Jacqueline asks, "So, um, be empathetic and say yes?"
		Roger says, "This is a pretty specific level of alone"
		Knight_Otu asks, "I dunno, how alone do they feel?"
		Roger says, "sure, if it'll help him get off the pot"
		Jacqueline says, "How I've missed you, Roger."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "yes"
CF ] A Short Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > YES
CF \|
CF \| "Yeah," you say. "Assuming of course you are not suffering from any--"
CF \|
CF \| "Do you make things up just like me?" the voice asks. "I think
CF \| sometimes that I should believe in made-up things."
CF \|
CF \| There's an audible crack: the door is open a smidge.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x man"
CF ] A Short Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > X MAN
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] A Short Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Short Hallway
CF \| It's a regular old hallway with blank off-white walls. Undoubtedly
CF \| you'll forget all about this one in a couple days -- isn't that sort
CF \| of sad? Then again, it's just a hallway, one of thousands, one of
CF \| millions of moments your brain will eventually discard as unimportant.
CF \|
CF \| There's a door north -- you think it's to a bathroom -- the hallway
CF \| continues west, and the landing is back to the east.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open door"
CF ] An Empty Bathroom
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN DOOR
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| An Empty Bathroom
CF \| What the fuck? There's nobody in here. There's nothing in here. The
CF \| fuck? Seriously. This is not cool.
CF \|
CF \| (To the south is the hallway...)
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "oho"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] An Empty Bathroom
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \| You can't go that way.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu asks, "What was in those drugs, man?"
		Jacqueline says, "I'm sure it was just cough syrup."
		Jacqueline says, "Oh, it put us in the bathroom."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] An Empty Bathroom
CF \|
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| An Empty Bathroom
CF \| What the fuck? There's nobody in here. There's nothing in here. The
CF \| fuck? Seriously. This is not cool.
CF \|
CF \| (To the south is the hallway...)
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] A Short Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Short Hallway
CF \| It's a regular old hallway with blank off-white walls. Undoubtedly
CF \| you'll forget all about this one in a couple days -- isn't that sort
CF \| of sad? Then again, it's just a hallway, one of thousands, one of
CF \| millions of moments your brain will eventually discard as unimportant.
CF \|
CF \| There's a door north that leads to a bathroom; the hallway continues
CF \| west, and the landing is back to the east.
CF \|
CF \| You lose your balance momentarily -- weird. You don't feel
CF \| intoxicated, exactly, not yet...
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] End of the Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| End of the Hallway
CF \| It stops abruptly at a poster of the Sahara desert -- a pretty big
CF \| one, too. All you can hear of the music is the bass line, a steady
CF \| four-four beat straight out of middle school band class.
CF \|
CF \| To the north is an open doorway, and a closed door is south; the
CF \| hallway returns to the landing to the east.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] In a Bedroom with Two Mysterious Girls
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| In a Bedroom with Two Mysterious Girls
CF \| Well, this isn't as cool as you had hoped this kind of thing would be.
CF \| The bed's been pushed to one side of the room, presumably to make more
CF \| room for some kind of insane board game that's being played on a
CF \| ridiculous number of tables, each of which is set up in some obviously
CF \| important position. There are weird little tiles all over them.
CF \|
CF \| As previously advertised, there are two girls kneeling beside the
CF \| tables, planning out some kind of strategy. They look briefly up at
CF \| you, but it's clear that their priorities are elsewhere. The music
CF \| thrums loudly below you, but the girls don't seem to care about that,
CF \| either.
CF \|
CF \| To the south is the hallway.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask girls about game"
CF ] In a Bedroom with Two Mysterious Girls
CF \|
CF \| > ASK GIRLS ABOUT GAME
CF \|
CF \| "Excuse me if I'm being kind of rude here, but what are you guys
CF \| doing?" you ask.
CF \|
CF \| "We're playing Carcassonne," the girl nearest you says. "We're
CF \| building a city."
CF \|
CF \| "Soon it's going to be big enough to have its own airport and ice
CF \| cream factory," the other girl explains.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "I have not played that particular Carcasonne expansion."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x girls"
CF ] In a Bedroom with Two Mysterious Girls
CF \|
CF \| > X GIRLS
CF \|
CF \| The girls are difficult to regard individually. Your eyes just slide
CF \| from one to the other naturally. They're both maybe seventeen if
CF \| you're generous, with black hair they've got done up in matching red
CF \| handkerchiefs. T-shirts and jeans, of course -- you're not sure
CF \| exactly how to classify these two beyond, of course, Too Young for A
CF \| Roll in the Hay But Lest We Not Forget Our Purpose, Probably Old
CF \| Enough to Drive.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Carcasonne: Build the Whole Damn World edition."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "kiss girls"
CF ] In a Bedroom with Two Mysterious Girls
CF \|
CF \| > KISS GIRLS
CF \|
CF \| Come on, man. You're twenty-three years old. These kids are probably
CF \| in high school or something. That ain't right.
CF \|
CF \| You lose your balance momentarily -- weird. You don't feel
CF \| intoxicated, exactly, not yet...
CF \|
CF \| One of the girls pauses for a moment, murmurs a couple words to
CF \| herself, and places a tile down.
CF \|
CF \| "That's interesting," the other says.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x game"
CF ] In a Bedroom with Two Mysterious Girls
CF \|
CF \| > X GAME
CF \|
CF \| The tiles depict little roads and castles and things -- together, they
CF \| form a weird sort of pseudo-medieval landscape. Except there are a
CF \| couple of roads that just run in circles, and there are odd little
CF \| gaps in the map.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Carcassone: A Game That I Don't Care If I Win, So Long As All The Gaps Get Filled"
		Jacqueline asks, "Anything else to do here? Leave?"
		MoyTravis asks, "Ask 'bout getting a ride?"
		Roger says, "good thinking"
		Jade says, "play the game"
		MoyTravis says, "Ask everybody about getting a ride, really."
		Jacqueline says, "Oh THAT"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask girls for ride"
CF ] In a Bedroom with Two Mysterious Girls
CF \|
CF \| > ASK GIRLS FOR RIDE
CF \|
CF \| "Hey, is there any chance either of you could give me a ride? It's
CF \| real important," you say.
CF \|
CF \| The girls look up at you, almost simultaneously, almost enough to
CF \| freak you out.
CF \|
CF \| "We can't go," one says. "We really have to stay until the game is
CF \| over."
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Why did I know that'd be the answer."
		Jacqueline asks, "So, is that two of the same girl?"
		Jacqueline says, "We may never know."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] End of the Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| End of the Hallway
CF \| It stops abruptly at a poster of the Sahara desert -- a pretty big
CF \| one, too. All you can hear of the music is the bass line, a steady
CF \| four-four beat straight out of middle school band class.
CF \|
CF \| To the north is an open doorway, and a closed door is south; the
CF \| hallway returns to the landing to the east.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x poster"
CF ] End of the Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > X POSTER
CF \|
CF \| It's amazing how beautiful a desert is when you really look at it.
CF \| It's not like whoever took this picture really took the time to
CF \| compose it, exactly -- sure, there's a nice outline of a dune on the
CF \| horizon, but still. It looks blank, blank the way no one can fake a
CF \| photo into looking.
CF \|
CF \| Hmm. There's a man in the distance of the poster, almost invisible.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x man"
CF ] End of the Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > X MAN
CF \|
CF \| You can't really tell anything beyond that he's wearing a dark
CF \| business suit.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "For all we know, we're in purgatory and none of this is real."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man for ride"
CF ] End of the Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > ASK MAN FOR RIDE
CF \|
CF \| You can only do that to something animate.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "See here, game, it makes sense that I might try."
		Jade says, "yes"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open door"
CF ] End of the Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN DOOR
CF \|
CF \| It's locked.
CF \|
CF \| "No moleste, por favor," a male voice calls out, obviously occupied
CF \| with something extremely pressing.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "knock"
CF ] End of the Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > KNOCK
CF \|
CF \| (on the door)
CF \| The door doesn't budge. "No consiga el trastorno que no es su avería,"
CF \| someone inside says, his voice a little strained.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "That sounds ... not good"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] End of the Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \| You can't, since the door is in the way.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "knock"
CF ] End of the Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > KNOCK
CF \|
CF \| (on the door)
CF \| The door doesn't budge. "No consiga el trastorno que no es su avería,"
CF \| someone inside says, his voice a little strained.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "'don't get upset -- it's not your fault' says Google Translate"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man for ride"
CF ] End of the Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > ASK MAN FOR RIDE
CF \|
CF \| You can only do that to something animate.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline asks, "I'm not sure there's anything we can do here. Ideas?"
		Roger says, "It's probably enough"
		Jacqueline says, "So back east then."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] A Short Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Short Hallway
CF \| It's a regular old hallway with blank off-white walls. Undoubtedly
CF \| you'll forget all about this one in a couple days -- isn't that sort
CF \| of sad? Then again, it's just a hallway, one of thousands, one of
CF \| millions of moments your brain will eventually discard as unimportant.
CF \|
CF \| There's a door north that leads to a bathroom; the hallway continues
CF \| west, and the landing is back to the east.
CF \|
CF \| You hear someone running upstairs -- scampering, almost.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade asks, "isn't the man something animated?"
		Knight_Otu says, "I suppose depending on how much we're tripping, we might try to enter the poster, but I suspect that isn't implemented."
		Jacqueline says (to Jade), "Yes. I guess he's just not in scope from the game's perspective."
		Roger says, "It's an ambiguous disambiguation"
		Jacqueline says (to KO), "Not a bad idea."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] End of the Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| End of the Hallway
CF \| It stops abruptly at a poster of the Sahara desert -- a pretty big
CF \| one, too. All you can hear of the music is the bass line, a steady
CF \| four-four beat straight out of middle school band class.
CF \|
CF \| To the north is an open doorway, and a closed door is south; the
CF \| hallway returns to the landing to the east.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "enter poster"
CF ] End of the Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > ENTER POSTER
CF \|
CF \| That's not something you can enter.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] End of the Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| You can't go that way.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Darn."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] A Short Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Short Hallway
CF \| It's a regular old hallway with blank off-white walls. Undoubtedly
CF \| you'll forget all about this one in a couple days -- isn't that sort
CF \| of sad? Then again, it's just a hallway, one of thousands, one of
CF \| millions of moments your brain will eventually discard as unimportant.
CF \|
CF \| There's a door north that leads to a bathroom; the hallway continues
CF \| west, and the landing is back to the east.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "No Mario 64ing for us."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Second Floor Landing
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Second Floor Landing
CF \| Christmas lights twist around the railing leading down. There are
CF \| enough of them that the the walls of the stairway are the hue of fruit
CF \| salad, the kind with tiny oranges, not the other kind, the kind with
CF \| apple slices. Ugh. That awful shade of brown they turn once they're
CF \| exposed to air for too long.
CF \|
CF \| Stairs go up and down, and there's a hallway to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] In A Foyer, Among the Stoners
CF \|
CF \| > D
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| In A Foyer, Among the Stoners
CF \| The music is incredibly loud, booming even, but that hasn't stopped
CF \| some fucking stoners, too unmotivated to even get up and dance, from
CF \| watching Dr. Who on the old TV set sitting against one wall. They're
CF \| all slumped in different positions on an orange couch, staring idly at
CF \| the newest adventures of a British dude in space.
CF \|
CF \| To the west is what used to be the living room but is now a solid mass
CF \| of people dancing, grooving, groping. They've set up one of those
CF \| budget disco-ball projectors and because of it, you can't distinguish
CF \| people at all in there. It's all just once big dance. The weird part
CF \| is that it looks like there's a pole in the middle of the whole thing.
CF \| What's the story on that?
CF \|
CF \| The front door's to the south, and the kitchen -- which for some
CF \| reason appears to be empty -- is north.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Pole dance time! I hear it's a great workout."
		Roger says, "really blast the abs"
		Jacqueline says, "Yeah."
		Jacqueline says, "But first, I think we should go to the kitchen."
		Knight_Otu says, "I suppose this transcript gets the content warning sticker."
		Jacqueline says, "Yeah. I think you're right."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Kitchen
CF \| An island of calm and fluorescence. The music is just muffled enough
CF \| by the walls that you can't hear any of the words -- instead it's a
CF \| steady humdrum. The kitchen's the usual first-apartment affair: aging
CF \| white tile floor, 60's era cabinets. A dishwasher, maybe still
CF \| functional beyond its design life, and a refrigerator humming softly.
CF \| There's not much decor beyond the series of photographs of drunk
CF \| people, love letters, and past-due notices stuck on the fridge.
CF \|
CF \| To the south is the foyer.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x notices"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > X NOTICES
CF \|
CF \| Enh, you've kind of already seen it all before.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x photos"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > X PHOTOS
CF \|
CF \| Enh, you've kind of already seen it all before.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x letters"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > X LETTERS
CF \|
CF \| Enh, you've kind of already seen it all before.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "read letters!"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > READ LETTERS!
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Darn it, Chris."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open cabinet"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN CABINET
CF \|
CF \| A quick search of the cabinets reveals an unexciting collection of
CF \| food: sugar, flour, salt... three boxes of fettucini... oh hey, look,
CF \| there's a flashlight in here. Why do people keep emergency supplies in
CF \| their kitchen, anyway? You do it too, but thinking over it now, it
CF \| doesn't really make sense.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take flashlight"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE FLASHLIGHT
CF \|
CF \| Taken.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x fridge"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > X FRIDGE
CF \|
CF \| It's that beautiful light brown color old home appliances have -- the
CF \| kind your parents did, and maybe their parents before them.
CF \|
CF \| You hear someone running upstairs -- scampering, almost.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "They got to be somewhere if they exist."
		Jade says, "something more for the inventory"
		Roger says, "everyone's somewhere"
		Jacqueline says, "I kept mind in the bathroom, but that's just because it was the only room with no windows, where I would go when the nukes or hurricanes came."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x dishwasher"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > X DISHWASHER
CF \|
CF \| You know, the usual kind that you don't normally pay attention to.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open fridge"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN FRIDGE
CF \|
CF \| The fridge door opens, revealing a meager selection of beer. Granted,
CF \| a step above a case of Natty Boh, but still.
CF \|
CF \| "Hey, what's your shirt mean?" this girl who apparently has silently
CF \| queued up nearby in hopes you would sometime get around to opening the
CF \| fridge.
CF \|
CF \| "It's a geeky joke," you say.
CF \|
CF \| "Yeah, but what makes it funny?" She seems to earnest on this point,
CF \| not trolling you high school style.
CF \|
CF \| "Uh..." you say, desperately trying to think of some way to turn this
CF \| conversation around.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "tell girl about ip addresses"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > TELL GIRL ABOUT IP ADDRESSES
CF \|
CF \| "Uh..." you bravely venture.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "tell girl about shirt"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > TELL GIRL ABOUT SHIRT
CF \|
CF \| "Well, the thing about the shirt is it's a joke based on the way the
CF \| Internet works... I mean, like everything has an address and stuff,
CF \| just like in real life, so 127.0.0.1" -- here you point at your shirt
CF \| like a dumbass, like she's illiterate -- "is the address for the
CF \| machine you're on... like, it's your home."
CF \|
CF \| "Uh hunh," she says, clearly not really up for IPv4 101.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask girl about girl"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > ASK GIRL ABOUT GIRL
CF \|
CF \| "So, like, what do you do?" you ask.
CF \|
CF \| "For a living?" she asks. "I'm a waitress."
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask girl for ride"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > ASK GIRL FOR RIDE
CF \|
CF \| "Hey, would you mind giving me a ride?" you ask.
CF \|
CF \| the girl looks at you, weighing things for a second. "What, back to
CF \| your place?" she asks.
CF \|
CF \| >>		Jacqueline says, "oh dear"
		Knight_Otu exclaims, "No, not 101 - 127001!"
		Jacqueline says, "hahaha"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "no"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > NO
CF \|
CF \| "Sorry, but no," you say. "I'm on a mission."
CF \|
CF \| "A mission," she says. "A mission. For serious."
CF \|
CF \| She looks at you.
CF \|
CF \| "Can I get a rain check?" you ask.
CF \|
CF \| "Sorry," The girl says. "I'm not Super Fresh."
CF \|
CF \| She turns and walks away a little, then adds just as she turns a
CF \| corner and disappears from your life forever: "I wish sometimes things
CF \| didn't happen the way they do."
CF \|
CF \| Before you can agree, she's gone.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "huh"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \| Kitchen
CF \| [Previous turn undone.]
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \| Kitchen
CF \| [Previous turn undone.]
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Kitchen
CF \| An island of calm and fluorescence. The music is just muffled enough
CF \| by the walls that you can't hear any of the words -- instead it's a
CF \| steady humdrum. The kitchen's the usual first-apartment affair: aging
CF \| white tile floor, 60's era cabinets. A dishwasher, maybe still
CF \| functional beyond its design life, and a refrigerator humming softly.
CF \| There's not much decor beyond the series of photographs of drunk
CF \| people, love letters, and past-due notices stuck on the fridge.
CF \|
CF \| To the south is the foyer.
CF \|
CF \| The girl stands in front of you, looking kind of amused.
CF \|
CF \| The fridge door's open, displaying a depressing selection of beer.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask girl for ride"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > ASK GIRL FOR RIDE
CF \|
CF \| "Hey, would you mind giving me a ride?" you ask.
CF \|
CF \| the girl looks at you, weighing things for a second. "What, back to
CF \| your place?" she asks.
CF \|
CF \| >>
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "yes"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > YES
CF \|
CF \| "Normally, the answer would be yes," you say. "But I'm on a mission."
CF \|
CF \| "A mission," she says. "A mission. For serious."
CF \|
CF \| She looks at you.
CF \|
CF \| "Can I get a rain check?" you ask.
CF \|
CF \| "Sorry," The girl says. "I'm not Super Fresh."
CF \|
CF \| She turns and walks away a little, then adds just as she turns a
CF \| corner and disappears from your life forever: "I wish sometimes things
CF \| didn't happen the way they do."
CF \|
CF \| Before you can agree, she's gone.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Aw. Darn. Illusion of choice."
		Jade says, "yep"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Kitchen
CF \| An island of calm and fluorescence. The music is just muffled enough
CF \| by the walls that you can't hear any of the words -- instead it's a
CF \| steady humdrum. The kitchen's the usual first-apartment affair: aging
CF \| white tile floor, 60's era cabinets. A dishwasher, maybe still
CF \| functional beyond its design life, and a refrigerator humming softly.
CF \| There's not much decor beyond the series of photographs of drunk
CF \| people, love letters, and past-due notices stuck on the fridge.
CF \|
CF \| To the south is the foyer.
CF \|
CF \| The fridge door's open, displaying a depressing selection of beer.
CF \|
CF \| There's a crash somewhere else in the house -- you can't tell where,
CF \| exactly -- followed by a happy shout.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take beer"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE BEER
CF \|
CF \| Taken.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "close fridge"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > CLOSE FRIDGE
CF \|
CF \| You shut the fridge door.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open beer"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN BEER
CF \|
CF \| You open the bottle of beer. Ah, the wonder and majesty of twist-offs.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "drink beer"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > DRINK BEER
CF \|
CF \| No poison like the present. It tastes kind of... chocolate-y? But
CF \| really, thinking about what it's doing to your taste buds is missing
CF \| the point. You feel different -- in a different kind of way than
CF \| before. You aren't as worried, not as rushed: you're looser, if you
CF \| need a word to describe it.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline asks, "Should I drink more beer before we leave?"
		Jade says, "try..."
		Knight_Otu says, "Now let's find some joints to complete the drug trinity."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open fridge"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN FRIDGE
CF \|
CF \| The fridge door opens, revealing a meager selection of beer. Granted,
CF \| a step above a case of Natty Boh, but still.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take beer"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE BEER
CF \|
CF \| (the beer in the fridge)
CF \| Taken.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open beer"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN BEER
CF \|
CF \| Which do you mean, a beer in the fridge or the empty bottle of beer?
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open beer in fridge"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN BEER IN FRIDGE
CF \|
CF \| Which do you mean, a beer in the fridge or the empty bottle of beer?
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "oh dear"
		Knight_Otu exclaims, "Halp!"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "beer in fridge"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > BEER IN FRIDGE
CF \|
CF \| Which do you mean, a beer in the fridge or the empty bottle of beer?
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Okay, enough of that."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "close fridge"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > CLOSE FRIDGE
CF \|
CF \| You shut the fridge door.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Kitchen
CF \|
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Kitchen
CF \| An island of calm and fluorescence. The music is just muffled enough
CF \| by the walls that you can't hear any of the words -- instead it's a
CF \| steady humdrum. The kitchen's the usual first-apartment affair: aging
CF \| white tile floor, 60's era cabinets. A dishwasher, maybe still
CF \| functional beyond its design life, and a refrigerator humming softly.
CF \| There's not much decor beyond the series of photographs of drunk
CF \| people, love letters, and past-due notices stuck on the fridge.
CF \|
CF \| To the south is the foyer.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] In A Foyer, Among the Stoners
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| In A Foyer, Among the Stoners
CF \| The music is incredibly loud, booming even, but that hasn't stopped
CF \| some fucking stoners, too unmotivated to even get up and dance, from
CF \| watching Dr. Who on the old TV set sitting against one wall. They're
CF \| all slumped in different positions on an orange couch, staring idly at
CF \| the newest adventures of a British dude in space.
CF \|
CF \| To the west is what used to be the living room but is now a solid mass
CF \| of people dancing, grooving, groping. They've set up one of those
CF \| budget disco-ball projectors and because of it, you can't distinguish
CF \| people at all in there. It's all just once big dance. The weird part
CF \| is that it looks like there's a pole in the middle of the whole thing.
CF \| What's the story on that?
CF \|
CF \| The front door's to the south, and the kitchen -- which for some
CF \| reason appears to be empty -- is north.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] In A Foyer, Among the Stoners
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \| You can't, since the front door is in the way.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Man, these were the days."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open door"
CF ] In A Foyer, Among the Stoners
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN DOOR
CF \|
CF \| You open the front door.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Front Porch
CF \| You love night breezes. It's hard to say why exactly they make you
CF \| feel as though as something is changing -- swiftly, invisibly -- about
CF \| the whole world. As though you could fly, but only as long as you
CF \| could see the moon.
CF \|
CF \| The porch is built maybe ten feet above ground, and through some weird
CF \| configuration of architecture, the night breeze is stronger than
CF \| you've ever remembered it. Not like a real wind or anything. Just...
CF \| constant. Jesus. Things were getting weird in there. It was too hot in
CF \| there. Unnaturally hot. Something isn't right about that place.
CF \|
CF \| There's a guy passed out in a lawn chair, a photograph clutched to his
CF \| chest, snoring as peacefully as a dog. Downward is the street, and the
CF \| front door is north.
CF \|
CF \| "Zzzzzz," the guy snores.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Put a person in an interactive fiction, and they run head on into all the doors."
		Jacqueline says, "Yes."
		Knight_Otu says, "At least X works here."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "wake guy"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > WAKE GUY
CF \|
CF \| He doesn't stir.
CF \|
CF \| "Zzzzzz," the guy snores.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "kiss guy"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > KISS GUY
CF \|
CF \| No thanks.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x guy"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > X GUY
CF \|
CF \| He's forty years old, which is sort of weird. Most everybody else
CF \| you've seen here has been in their twenties, same as you. And more
CF \| than being old, he's downright scruffy: wife beaters matched with a
CF \| goatee that belongs to a different, uglier place than 2004.
CF \|
CF \| "Zzzzzz," the guy snores.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "He is forty. He is old."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "search guy"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > SEARCH GUY
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything unusual.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "I guess the guy is just setting."
		Knight_Otu says, "He had a photograph, if you insist on prying."
		Jacqueline says, "Oh right"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x photo"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > X PHOTO
CF \|
CF \| Between the guy's fingers, you can see a young man -- not quite enough
CF \| of his face to be sure if you've seen him before. Maybe posed behind a
CF \| mountain of some kind? Maybe smiling?
CF \|
CF \| "Zzzzzz," the guy snores.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take photo"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE PHOTO
CF \|
CF \| With a little deftness, it's yours. You've always wanted to do
CF \| something like that... even though you feel a bit like a bastard for
CF \| stealing a fucking photograph, of all things. Too bad it isn't a
CF \| prison key or something else instead.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline asks, "Too bad it... isn't a prison key??"
		Knight_Otu says, "Wow, Dante."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x photo"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > X PHOTO
CF \|
CF \| The photograph is of you.
CF \|
CF \| It falls to the ground.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline asks, "THE WHAT?"
		Jacqueline says, "It is not."
		Jacqueline says, "We trippin"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x photo"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > X PHOTO
CF \|
CF \| You were wrong. It's just someone who looks a lot like you -- a little
CF \| thinner, honestly, and a tad better looking. He's standing in front of
CF \| some kind of tropical forest, you know, the kind of thing you'd expect
CF \| out of South America.
CF \|
CF \| "Zzzzzz," the guy snores.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "This game, man."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] Standing By the Street
CF \|
CF \| > D
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Standing By the Street
CF \| The rowhouses up and down the block are lit up with people and noise,
CF \| maybe even with parties just like the one you were just in. So many
CF \| people. It's kind of weird if you think about it for too long. Are
CF \| they all dancing? Are they all in love? Is there somebody like you,
CF \| who doesn't really know why they've wandered out here? Maybe hoping
CF \| for someone random to enter their lives and give them a ride?
CF \|
CF \| Fuck it. It's a city block, just like any other in Baltimore. Your
CF \| parked car is a little bit down to the east, and the porch steps lead
CF \| up, back to the house.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "You know, us being named Dante, we could in fact be in purgatory..."
		Roger says, "I sense parsing problems, but is it possible to look at the back of the photo"
		Jacqueline says (to KO), "True dat"
		Jacqueline says (to Roger), "Oh, sure."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > U
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Front Porch		Jade asks, "?"
CF \| You love night breezes. It's hard to say why exactly they make you
CF \| feel as though as something is changing -- swiftly, invisibly -- about
CF \| the whole world. As though you could fly, but only as long as you
CF \| could see the moon.
CF \|
CF \| The porch is built maybe ten feet above ground, and through some weird
CF \| configuration of architecture, the night breeze is stronger than
CF \| you've ever remembered it. Not like a real wind or anything. Just...
CF \| constant.
CF \|
CF \| There's a guy passed out in a lawn chair, snoring as peacefully as a
CF \| dog. Downward is the street, and the front door is north.
CF \|
CF \| You can also see a photograph here.
CF \|
CF \| "Zzzzzz," the guy snores.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take photo"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE PHOTO
CF \|
CF \| Taken.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "look behind photo"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > LOOK BEHIND PHOTO
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything unusual.
CF \|
CF \| "Zzzzzz," the guy snores.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "look at back of photo"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > LOOK AT BACK OF PHOTO
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "read photo"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > READ PHOTO
CF \|
CF \| You were wrong. It's just someone who looks a lot like you -- a little
CF \| thinner, honestly, and a tad better looking. He's standing in front of
CF \| some kind of tropical forest, you know, the kind of thing you'd expect
CF \| out of South America.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu asks, "Turn or flip?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "flip photo"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > FLIP PHOTO
CF \|
CF \| That's not a verb I recognize.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "flip"
		Jacqueline says, "d"
		Jacqueline says, "er"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] Standing By the Street
CF \|
CF \| > D
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Standing By the Street
CF \| The rowhouses up and down the block are lit up with people and noise,
CF \| maybe even with parties just like the one you were just in. So many
CF \| people. It's kind of weird if you think about it for too long. Are
CF \| they all dancing? Are they all in love? Is there somebody like you,
CF \| who doesn't really know why they've wandered out here? Maybe hoping
CF \| for someone random to enter their lives and give them a ride?
CF \|
CF \| Fuck it. It's a city block, just like any other in Baltimore. Your
CF \| parked car is a little bit down to the east, and the porch steps lead
CF \| up, back to the house.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "nop"
		Jacqueline says, "Hm. Maybe I came out here too soon and we should explore the throng of bodies in the living room."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF ] Front Porch
CF \|
CF \| > U
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Front Porch
CF \| You love night breezes. It's hard to say why exactly they make you
CF \| feel as though as something is changing -- swiftly, invisibly -- about
CF \| the whole world. As though you could fly, but only as long as you
CF \| could see the moon.
CF \|
CF \| The porch is built maybe ten feet above ground, and through some weird
CF \| configuration of architecture, the night breeze is stronger than
CF \| you've ever remembered it. Not like a real wind or anything. Just...
CF \| constant.
CF \|
CF \| There's a guy passed out in a lawn chair, snoring as peacefully as a
CF \| dog. Downward is the street, and the front door is north.
CF \|
CF \| "Zzzzzz," the guy snores.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] In A Foyer, Among the Stoners
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| In A Foyer, Among the Stoners
CF \| The music is incredibly loud, booming even, but that hasn't stopped
CF \| some fucking stoners, too unmotivated to even get up and dance, from
CF \| watching Dr. Who on the old TV set sitting against one wall. They're
CF \| all slumped in different positions on an orange couch, staring idly at
CF \| the newest adventures of a British dude in space.
CF \|
CF \| To the west is what used to be the living room but is now a solid mass
CF \| of people dancing, grooving, groping. They've set up one of those
CF \| budget disco-ball projectors and because of it, you can't distinguish
CF \| people at all in there. It's all just once big dance. The weird part
CF \| is that it looks like there's a pole in the middle of the whole thing.
CF \| What's the story on that?
CF \|
CF \| The front door's to the south, and the kitchen -- which for some
CF \| reason appears to be empty -- is north.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] The Edge of the Dance
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| The Edge of the Dance
CF \| The only detail you can seize on is the hardwood floor. This probably
CF \| once was a regular old living room, with bookcases, an easy chair with
CF \| the stuffing half missing -- all that good stuff. But now it's all a
CF \| mess. You can't even count how many people are dancing. Every time you
CF \| start, people start shifting around and you can't remember whether
CF \| you'd counted the guy with highlighter-yellow hair already or left him
CF \| for later. And the pole -- what's up with that pole? It's not exactly
CF \| a pole. It doesn't reach the ceiling entirely but you can't make out
CF \| any other detail.
CF \|
CF \| The music is insane: some Linkin Park shit mixed in with The Flaming
CF \| Lips and maybe the Beatles' Abbey Road, and whoever it is that's DJing
CF \| this thing has got it cranked so loud that you can barely float two
CF \| thoughts in your head at once.
CF \|
CF \| It looks like there's a slight opening in the crowd to the northwest,
CF \| and back east is the foyer.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x polr"
CF ] The Edge of the Dance
CF \|
CF \| > X POLR
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x pole"
CF ] The Edge of the Dance
CF \|
CF \| > X POLE
CF \|
CF \| It isn't so much a problem of distance as it is persistence of vision.
CF \| Whatever it is, it's about six-and-a-half feet tall. And you keep
CF \| catching glimpses of what looks like clothing: is it a totem pole or
CF \| something dressed up a person? It's almost certainly not a real
CF \| person. It's too still to be alive.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "dance"
CF ] Dancing in the Dance
CF \|
CF \| > DANCE
CF \|
CF \| Okay. Time to give it a shot.
CF \|
CF \| Something deep in your stomach goes into action -- you'd like to
CF \| imagine that it's something fundamentally cool, buried deep down
CF \| inside your body. But let's be honest. It isn't anything cool. All the
CF \| beer ever did for you is stop you from thinking you're an idiot.
CF \|
CF \| But what the fuck. It's good enough.
CF \|
CF \| Dancing in the Dance
CF \| You can go anywhere you want. You can see anything you want. Where are
CF \| you? There are five hundred people crammed into this room -- it's a
CF \| miracle of genetic instinct and secular humanism that no one's bumping
CF \| into anyone else, except when they want to, which is always... Why
CF \| don't you touch people more? You never hug people except when they hug
CF \| you first. Your grandmother leaving for a trip to New Orleans, to see
CF \| where her body will reside once she's gone up to wherever it is that
CF \| grandmothers belong after they die...
CF \|
CF \| The pole -- the pole? -- you had noticed before is to the southwest.
CF \|
CF \| "True love is hard to find," a mutated voice sings.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Ah. I'm guessing we wouldn't have danced prior to the beer."
		Knight_Otu says, "Seems likely, yes."
		Jacqueline says, "That was fun how we went from human genetics to people groping one another to why don't I grope people to grandma to grandma dying some day."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "se"
CF ] Dancing in the Dance
CF \|
CF \| > SE
CF \|
CF \| You try hard to move where you need to, but people push back against
CF \| you, like you're their enemy.
CF \|
CF \| Dancing in the Dance
CF \| You can hear it all now. You can know everything. You brush hands with
CF \| someone and for a long descending guitar riff, you have a partner. Who
CF \| it is -- even male or female, hair color, Alice or Alicia -- you don't
CF \| know, but what difference does identity make, anyway? Just be cool for
CF \| once in your life. Just fucking dance. Do you still have a goal in
CF \| mind here? Maybe you should just stay here all night. Maybe this is
CF \| poisonous and you don't know it, and maybe you shouldn't care.
CF \|
CF \| The pole you had noticed before is to the southwest.
CF \|
CF \| "There are 80 windows we can see," a mutated voice sings.
CF \|
CF \| >		olethros asks, "groping?"
		Knight_Otu says, "Fun? I guess for certain definitions of fun."
		olethros says, "ah, the Klimas one"
		olethros says, "I remember that"
		Jacqueline says (to olethros), "Yeah."
		Jacqueline \| There are five hundred people crammed into this room -- it's a miracle of genetic instinct and secular humanism that no one's bumping into anyone else, except when they want to, which is always... Why don't you touch people more?
		Jade says, "and what about the pole"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "sw"
CF ] Dancing in the Dance
CF \|
CF \| > SW
CF \|
CF \| You try your best to direct your groove, but people push back against
CF \| you, like you're their enemy... plus this beer is fucking you up.
CF \| Fucking cheapass swill.
CF \|
CF \| Dancing in the Dance
CF \| Wobble the wobble. Sing the song. How do people write songs? Do the
CF \| words come first or the melody? Probably it depends...
CF \|
CF \| The pole you had noticed before is a few feet away, to the southwest.
CF \|
CF \| "I wanna see their faces," a mutated voice sings.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "sw"
CF ] Dancing in the Dance
CF \|
CF \| > SW
CF \|
CF \| You try your best to direct your groove, but people push back against
CF \| you, like you're their enemy.
CF \|
CF \| Dancing in the Dance
CF \| Once there was a boy named you, and one night he awoke with a start
CF \| because he had forgotten to shut the windows of the house, and all the
CF \| monsters of the world sneaked in... Jesus Christ, you're freaking out
CF \| here. Better get somewhere definite before you're gibbering like a
CF \| children's book author.
CF \|
CF \| The pole you had noticed before is to the west.
CF \|
CF \| "409..."
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu asks, "Gibbering like a children's book author?"
		Jacqueline says, "Apparently."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Dancing in the Dance
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| You try your best to direct your groove, but people push back against
CF \| you, like you're their enemy.
CF \|
CF \| Dancing in the Dance
CF \| You can barely move now -- no, you can barely think. Your brain is
CF \| changing, you think, but it's just the heat. Why is it so hot? It's
CF \| April, isn't it?
CF \|
CF \| The pole you had noticed before is to the west.
CF \|
CF \| "You were dreams..."
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "It's April, and there were Christmas lights in the hallway."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Dancing in the Dance
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| You try hard to move where you need to, but it's like swimming in a
CF \| pool full of screaming children.
CF \|
CF \| Dancing in the Dance
CF \| You find yourself for the briefest moment face to face with someone
CF \| else -- maybe only inches separating the two of you. But then they're
CF \| gone, and you can't remember a thing, so maybe they were never there
CF \| at all. Maybe you are dreaming.
CF \|
CF \| The pole you had noticed before is maybe ten feet away, to the west.
CF \|
CF \| "409..."
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Dancing in the Dance
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| You try your best to direct your groove, but people push back against
CF \| you, like you're their enemy.
CF \|
CF \| Dancing in the Dance
CF \| This doesn't feel right at all. Something's wrong. Something's really
CF \| wrong and you keep dancing.
CF \|
CF \| The pole you had noticed before is maybe ten feet away, to the west.
CF \|
CF \| (every morn I saw)
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Dancing in the Dance
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| You try hard to move where you need to, but it's like swimming in a
CF \| pool full of screaming children.
CF \|
CF \| Dancing in the Dance
CF \| Lost lost lost lost lost lost.
CF \|
CF \| The pole you had noticed before is a few feet away, to the west.
CF \|
CF \| (every morn I saw)
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] At the Center
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| One final step in the right direction and you're in a weird pocket at
CF \| the center of the crowd. A few square feet of emptiness. It feels good
CF \| to be able to breathe.
CF \|
CF \| The music changes. No more beat, no more vocals, no more almost
CF \| anything. It's just a steady tone -- maybe synthesized, maybe not.
CF \| Like the hum of a slot machine paying out three million dollars.
CF \|
CF \| At the Center
CF \| It wasn't a pole at all you were looking at. What the hell is wrong
CF \| with you? It's a guy -- granted, a tall guy who's nearly catatonic.
CF \| His eyes stare straight ahead and his arms are as limp as a mackerel.
CF \|
CF \| Everyone else is still dancing, as if they still hear the music? So
CF \| maybe it's just you? Maybe you've gone selectively deaf? Or maybe they
CF \| lost their hearing a long time ago, but they're so used to dancing
CF \| that they don't even know that everything is different now?
CF \|
CF \| You could probably make cut eastward through the crowd, back to the
CF \| foyer.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to guy"
CF ] At the Center
CF \|
CF \| > TALK TO GUY
CF \|
CF \| Try asking or telling it about a particular subject.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask guy for ride"
CF ] At the Center
CF \|
CF \| > ASK GUY FOR RIDE
CF \|
CF \| He doesn't even blink in response.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "smack guy"
CF ] At the Center
CF \|
CF \| > SMACK GUY
CF \|
CF \| That's not a verb I recognize.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "hit guy"
CF ] At the Center
CF \|
CF \| > HIT GUY
CF \|
CF \| You give him a little shove on his shoulder. He startles awake, like
CF \| he really has been dreaming all this time.
CF \|
CF \| "Are you here to rescue me?" he asks.
CF \|
CF \| >>		Jacqueline asks, "Are we?"
		Knight_Otu says, "..."
		Jacqueline says, "I don't think it matters."
		Knight_Otu asks, "Maybe?"
		Jacqueline says, "Sure"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "yes"
CF ] At the Center
CF \|
CF \| > YES
CF \|
CF \| "Yeah," you say. "I'm your Prince Charming."
CF \|
CF \| "Weird," the guy says. "I always thought I'd get rescued by a hot
CF \| chick, myself."
CF \|
CF \| "Me too," you admit.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask guy for ride"
CF ] At the Center
CF \|
CF \| > ASK GUY FOR RIDE
CF \|
CF \| "Hey, could you by any chance give me a ride?" you ask.
CF \|
CF \| He looks surprised for a moment, then smiles. "Yeah, sure. This party
CF \| kind of sucks, anyway."
CF \|
CF \| On the way out, he says, "By the way, my name's Chris."
CF \| [...]		Jacqueline says, "heh"
		Jacqueline asks, "You got a last name, Chris?"
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Driving Through Baltimore
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Driving Through Baltimore
CF \| You're cruising through some side streets -- turns out Chris knows an
CF \| easier way to 83 than you do. He seems to have come out of whatever
CF \| weird state he was in back at the party. Though he hasn't said that
CF \| much so far, he at least seems alert and somewhat coherent.
CF \|
CF \| His car is kind of nice, though not quite nice enough to write home
CF \| about: there's a decent aftermarket stereo in the middle of the dash
CF \| and only the very bare minimum of crud on the floor. A couple
CF \| Blockbuster receipts, an ice scraper in the back seat. That kind of
CF \| thing.
CF \|
CF \| You've both got your windows up, so the scene is silent and almost
CF \| tranquil.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, ""Nah, I'm like Cher and the Pope in that.""
		Jacqueline says, "Okay, Elvis."
		Jacqueline says, "Blockbuster receipts... that makes me smile."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask Chris about Chris"
CF ] Driving Through Baltimore
CF \|
CF \| > ASK CHRIS ABOUT CHRIS
CF \|
CF \| "Hmm," Chris says.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x Chris"
CF ] Driving Through Baltimore
CF \|
CF \| > X CHRIS
CF \|
CF \| He looks straight ahead at the road, barely blinking.
CF \|
CF \| It's sort of warm in here, now that you think of it -- which is weird,
CF \| considering that the heat's off.
CF \|
CF \| Chris scratches at his ear a little anxiously.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Oh dear"
		Jacqueline asks, "Will our face melt?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "scratch Chris"
CF ] Driving Through Baltimore
CF \|
CF \| > SCRATCH CHRIS
CF \|
CF \| That's not a verb I recognize.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x me"
CF ] Driving Through Baltimore
CF \|
CF \| > X ME
CF \|
CF \| You're in full party dress uniform: black jeans and neo-geek T-shirt
CF \| (tonight, "THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE 127.0.0.1") which is admittedly Not
CF \| Cool At All, but you've always held out hope that the shirt will
CF \| someday flag down some amazingly hot chick who also happens to be a
CF \| closet Unix freak. It could happen. Until then, it at least confuses
CF \| people into thinking you might be cool.
CF \|
CF \| It's getting warmer, and you don't understand why.
CF \|
CF \| Chris leans over and turns the stereo on. What is this? None other
CF \| that Miss Avril Lavigne. Jesus.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "turn on air"
CF ] Driving Through Baltimore
CF \|
CF \| > TURN ON AIR
CF \|
CF \| Hey, don't mess with another man's climate control. Best to ask first.
CF \|
CF \| Goddamn, it's warm.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask Chris about air"
CF ] Driving Through Baltimore
CF \|
CF \| > ASK CHRIS ABOUT AIR
CF \|
CF \| "Hey, can you turn on the AC or something? I'm really warm," you say.
CF \|
CF \| Chris gives you a weird look. "Come on, man. It's fifty out there. If
CF \| you're too hot, open a window or something."
CF \|
CF \| It's unbearably warm. You've got to do something about it.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open window"
CF ] January 20, in a Limousine
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN WINDOW
CF \|
CF \| You crack the window. For some reason, the air outside is freezing
CF \| cold. Cold even for nighttime, cold even for:
CF \|
CF \| January 20, in a Limousine
CF \| It's just before dawn, but you can tell it's going to be a fine day
CF \| for an inauguration, finer by far than 2000 -- too cold that day, too
CF \| many signs held up by the haters, the people who never understood that
CF \| you won it fair and square. Their time has passed. The stars outside
CF \| are magnificent. They all love you.
CF \|
CF \| You decided to ride shotgun this time since Laura and the kids
CF \| couldn't make it, and there's nothing worse than sitting in the back
CF \| of an empty limo.
CF \|
CF \| The limo driver beside you scowls a little at the pace of the
CF \| motorcade and scratches his head. Nervous twitch that guy's got. He's
CF \| been putting you on edge all day with that. Needs to calm down.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "wow"
		Knight_Otu says, "Game, what are you doing."
		Jacqueline asks, "What the heck, we're W?"
		Jacqueline says, "I remembered that this game was weird, but I did not remember this."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x me"
CF ] January 20, in a Limousine
CF \|
CF \| > X ME
CF \|
CF \| You're dressed in your finest, of course. Laura helped pick the suit
CF \| out with you, a long time ago, a nice afternoon it must have been
CF \| though you don't quite recall...
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "There was something about a President in the trippy chopped messages."
		Jacqueline asks, "Not sure what to do. Watch this play out? Try to invade Iraq?"
		Jacqueline says (to KO), "Oh, that's true. There was."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "listen"
CF ] January 20, in a Limousine
CF \|
CF \| > LISTEN
CF \|
CF \| You don't hear anything weird.
CF \|
CF \| The limo comes to a stop. "Congratulations, Mr. President," the driver
CF \| says.
CF \|
CF \| It's time to take the last leg of the journey from the ceremony to the
CF \| White House; it's time to take a walk.
CF \|
CF \| "Mr. President," the driver says, looking at the door. "They're
CF \| waiting for you."
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open door"
CF ] On the Path to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN DOOR
CF \|
CF \| "Good luck, sir," the driver says. "I've been praying for you ever
CF \| since the day I turned twenty-three."
CF \|
CF \| On the Path to the White House
CF \| It's a desert. Sand the color of cocoa, as fine a powder as a man can
CF \| ask for. It stretches to the horizon in every direction. Fortunately,
CF \| the White House is exactly due east -- maybe a half hour's leisurely
CF \| walk -- and there seem to be signs stuck in the sand along the way, so
CF \| there's no chance you'll get lost.
CF \|
CF \| This is different from four years ago, of course, but wasn't
CF \| everything? It was so gray then.
CF \|
CF \| The motorcade speeds off into the distance.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "23 again."
		MoyTravis says, "Oh! Laura. hA."
		Jacqueline says, "Yeah. That Laura."
		Knight_Otu asks, "The super secret 23rd circle of hell?"
		MoyTravis says, "It took me a while."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \| The desert has a way of clouding a man's mind -- more so even than the
CF \| string of McDonald'ses and churches that once constituted America
CF \| could. There's no dimension to it, no geography beyond sun and
CF \| horizon. You're lucky you know where you're going. To the east, toward
CF \| the White House.
CF \|
CF \| A sign is stuck in the sand here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x sign"
CF ] A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > X SIGN
CF \|
CF \| "I want to be rescued," the sign, half-sunk in the sand, reads.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu asks, "Are we secretly in Shade?"
		Jacqueline says, "Or invading Iraq, like I said earlier."
		Jacqueline says, "Not sure."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| "Can I ask you a question, Mr. President--" a voice says from behind
CF \| you. You turn and smile immediately; there must be cameras watching. A
CF \| reporter -- she must have run here to catch you, her face is so red --
CF \| is a few feet behind you.
CF \|
CF \| "Anything," you say.
CF \|
CF \| "Were you in love with Beatrice?" the reporter asks.
CF \|
CF \| >>		Jade exclaims, "how poethic!"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "yes"
CF ] A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > YES
CF \|
CF \| "Yeah," you say. "I thought we were supposed to fall in love with each
CF \| other. I kept running into her my first year of college. I thought it
CF \| was fate. I used to believe in it. I used to think things happened for
CF \| a reason. But it was just that her last name was almost the same as
CF \| mine."
CF \|
CF \| "I never tried to talk to her or anything, even though I thought she
CF \| was pretty. It was almost sort of a game. Like in the middle of Intro
CF \| to Poli Sci, I'd glance at her and try to guess what her favorite ice
CF \| cream flavor was. She looked kind of like a mint chocolate chip girl."
CF \|
CF \| "Were you right?" the reporter asks.
CF \|
CF \| "Close," you say. "Peppermint."
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "..."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x her"
CF ] A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > X HER
CF \|
CF \| You can't see "her" (the the girl) at the moment.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Another word from the choppy text."
		Jacqueline asks, "oh?"
		Jacqueline asks, "Peppermint?"
		Knight_Otu says, "Peppermint, yes."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \| The desert has a way of clouding a man's mind -- more so even than the
CF \| string of McDonald'ses and churches that once constituted America
CF \| could. There's no dimension to it, no geography beyond sun and
CF \| horizon. You're lucky you know where you're going. To the east, toward
CF \| the White House.
CF \|
CF \| The reporter's not done with you yet, apparently -- she's still
CF \| following you.
CF \|
CF \| A sign is stuck in the sand here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x sign"
CF ] A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > X SIGN
CF \|
CF \| "I want to be rescued," the sign, half-sunk in the sand, reads.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "maybe the pole in the crowd was a poll in the crowd"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x reporter"
CF ] A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > X REPORTER
CF \|
CF \| She's beautiful, you know. Almost all the Washington press are -- not
CF \| in a beauty pageant kind of way. More like a sleeping princess. She's
CF \| got her blonde hair tied tightly back in a bun, and while her slick
CF \| black suit is certainly professional, she could be so much prettier...
CF \| if she just changed a little bit...
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Sheesh."
		Jacqueline says, "Maybe we should tell the reporter to smile."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask reporter about reporter"
CF ] A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > ASK REPORTER ABOUT REPORTER
CF \|
CF \| Karl warned you: don't try to engage these fuckers in real
CF \| conversation. Just answer the questions they want to ask you. Things
CF \| get complicated when you jump off the script.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Man. Karl."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Further in the Desert
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Further in the Desert
CF \| You're at the peak of a dune, a pretty high one at that -- you can see
CF \| for miles and miles perhaps. Shame there's really not too much to see:
CF \| just sand and more sand. Not even footprints. Folks must have packed
CF \| it in this year. Ah well. No sense in worrying about it. To the east
CF \| is the White House, and you can perhaps pick out the way you came to
CF \| the west.
CF \|
CF \| The reporter's not done with you yet, apparently -- she's still
CF \| following you.
CF \|
CF \| A sign is stuck in the sand here.
CF \|
CF \| "Did you finally make a move?" the reporter asks.
CF \|
CF \| >>		Jacqueline says, "We were the man in the poster."
		Knight_Otu says, "Hm."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "yes"
CF ] Further in the Desert
CF \|
CF \| > YES
CF \|
CF \| "It took me three years. Can you believe it?"
CF \|
CF \| The reporter chortles good-naturedly, ingratiatingly, readying herself
CF \| to ask the deep, incisive question she's waited to ask the leader of
CF \| the free world all her career.
CF \|
CF \| "It was all luck, maybe from start to finish. I decided one night
CF \| senior year to get totally shitfaced. My thesis was done and I was
CF \| just killing time. And I'd never really gotten trashed before. Never
CF \| even had a hangover. I was good at drinking.
CF \|
CF \| "I was walking back, not really knowing where in the hell I was
CF \| walking, and there she was. Just sitting on a curb."
CF \|
CF \| "What was she doing there?"
CF \|
CF \| "I don't know. I didn't even try to guess. I must've said hello or
CF \| tried to talk to her or something, but all I remember is just kissing
CF \| her. Just out of nowhere. Or it's just that I don't remember what
CF \| happened. But somehow it all just... worked.
CF \|
CF \| "I never told her about all the years before then. It would have just
CF \| been creepy. To her, I was just some kid she found, beginning of the
CF \| day, just some kid...
CF \|
CF \| "It was really good," you say. "It was really good for almost a year."
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x white house"
CF ] Further in the Desert
CF \|
CF \| > X WHITE HOUSE
CF \|
CF \| It is the most perfect sandcastle you have ever seen.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "heh"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x sign"
CF ] Further in the Desert
CF \|
CF \| > X SIGN
CF \|
CF \| "No one knows my name," the sign, half-sunk in the sand, reads.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "remember beatrice"
CF ] Further in the Desert
CF \|
CF \| > REMEMBER BEATRICE
CF \|
CF \| That's not a verb I recognize.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline asks, "Keep walking?"
		Knight_Otu says, "I guess."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Halfway to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Halfway to the White House
CF \| It's only maybe another fifteen minutes' walk to the White House. The
CF \| sand rises and falls around you and for some reason, you are acutely
CF \| aware that the air is still cool, that this is the desert's resting
CF \| point. There's a smell of cinnamon in the air for some reason -- just
CF \| a faint smell, the kind that ought to trigger an old memory but
CF \| doesn't. You can continue to the east, to where the sun is rising --
CF \| but then you could always try west.
CF \|
CF \| The reporter's not done with you yet, apparently -- she's still
CF \| following you.
CF \|
CF \| A sign is stuck in the sand here.
CF \|
CF \| "Was it her fault that you broke up?" the reporter asks.
CF \|
CF \| >>
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "no"
CF ] Halfway to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > NO
CF \|
CF \| "No. It was me. I moved. I got this job up in Philly after college --
CF \| turned out to be just another loser startup. Somehow the bust didn't
CF \| catch everyone it should've. But you have to understand why I left. It
CF \| felt like I was going to live the dream."
CF \|
CF \| "The American dream?" the reporter asks.
CF \|
CF \| "No," you say. "The American dream is dead. What used to be the
CF \| American dream, anyway. There's a new one now.
CF \|
CF \| "Breaking up was a mutual thing. It was just logical, you know? She
CF \| liked her life in Maryland. I never liked the state, not even when I
CF \| was a kid. I promised to call her, but I never did."
CF \|
CF \| "Why didn't you?" the reporter asks.
CF \|
CF \| "I don't know, you say. I wish I knew. And when the whole job thing
CF \| fell through and I had to move back in with my parents for a few
CF \| months, I didn't call her. I was ashamed then. I know that. But I
CF \| don't know why I didn't try to call her when I moved out again. It's
CF \| been a long time.
CF \|
CF \| "But then, she never tried to call me either."
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Well, you had no cell, Dante."
		Jacqueline says, "hahahaha"
		Jacqueline says, "Thank you. That was great."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "read sign"
CF ] Halfway to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > READ SIGN
CF \|
CF \| "I'm dreaming," the sign, half-sunk in the sand, reads.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade exclaims, "hahahaha!"
		Jacqueline asks, "It keeps saying that we could go back west. Should we?"
		Knight_Otu says, "Sure, let's try."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Further in the Desert
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Further in the Desert
CF \| You're at the peak of a dune, a pretty high one at that -- you can see
CF \| for miles and miles perhaps. Shame there's really not too much to see:
CF \| just sand and more sand. Not even footprints. Folks must have packed
CF \| it in this year. Ah well. No sense in worrying about it. To the east
CF \| is the White House, and you can perhaps pick out the way you came to
CF \| the west.
CF \|
CF \| The reporter's not done with you yet, apparently -- she's still
CF \| following you.
CF \|
CF \| A sign is stuck in the sand here.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "nah. Nothing."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Halfway to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Halfway to the White House
CF \| It's only maybe another fifteen minutes' walk to the White House. The
CF \| sand rises and falls around you and for some reason, you are acutely
CF \| aware that the air is still cool, that this is the desert's resting
CF \| point. There's a smell of cinnamon in the air for some reason -- just
CF \| a faint smell, the kind that ought to trigger an old memory but
CF \| doesn't. You can continue to the east, to where the sun is rising --
CF \| but then you could always try west.
CF \|
CF \| The reporter's not done with you yet, apparently -- she's still
CF \| following you.
CF \|
CF \| A sign is stuck in the sand here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Close to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Close to the White House
CF \| A man could go mad trying to describe the desert to another man --
CF \| it's easy enough to talk sand, mind you. It's harder to get down to
CF \| brass tacks with endlessness and loneliness, to talk the truth about
CF \| anything, really, except the long white curves of the desert. But
CF \| they're not even curves, really. Maybe closer to waves, maybe closer
CF \| to doodles drawn by a half-asleep Picasso.
CF \|
CF \| The White House is just a little bit to the east, and you can follow
CF \| the trail of footsteps you left behind to the west.
CF \|
CF \| The reporter's not done with you yet, apparently -- she's still
CF \| following you.
CF \|
CF \| A sign is stuck in the sand here.
CF \|
CF \| "I just have one last question, Mr. President," the reporter says.
CF \|
CF \| "Shoot."
CF \|
CF \| "Is any of what you just told me real?"
CF \|
CF \| >>		Jacqueline says, "No>"
		Jacqueline asks, "er, No?"
		Knight_Otu says, "Your choice."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "no"
CF ] Close to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > NO
CF \|
CF \| "I don't like the word 'real' because I don't understand what people
CF \| mean by it. Beatrice told me once that I was the most real person she
CF \| knew."
CF \|
CF \| You turn, look at the reporter squarely.
CF \|
CF \| "I mean, what does it mean to be real? Something's real if you can
CF \| touch if you can see it -- isn't that right? So I'm touchable? So
CF \| people can see me? So I'm really actually a human being? Is that all
CF \| that means?"
CF \|
CF \| The reporter says nothing.
CF \|
CF \| "No more questions," you say. "I've got to get to my office. It's
CF \| almost certainly not real, but at least it's safe."
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x sign"
CF ] Close to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > X SIGN
CF \|
CF \| "I'm waiting for you," the sign, half-sunk in the sand, reads.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| There's a weird noise behind you -- you look, and the reporter's gone.
CF \|
CF \| Outside the White House
CF \| Steps -- milky white sand, packed tightly -- rise from the desert in
CF \| front of you. It takes a careful eye to tell sand from sand, to see
CF \| where nature ends and man's work begins. How long did it take to build
CF \| all the pillars that support the White House's pediment? How long to
CF \| pack all the sand as tight as a man's last breath, to carve perfect
CF \| grooves from top to bottom, and to make sure it never falls?
CF \|
CF \| The great iron doors of the White House are beneath the pediment to
CF \| the east. If you'd like, you can also walk around the White House to
CF \| the northeast and southeast.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a young man is a few feet in front of the steps. Funny. It
CF \| wasn't here four years ago.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x statue"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > X STATUE
CF \|
CF \| It's made from an almost black metal -- you're terrible with the names
CF \| of metals once you get past the Olympics. But whoever made this spent
CF \| a lot of time on it. The young man depicted looks like he's just woken
CF \| up, with scraggly hair and half-closed eyes. As if he's afraid to even
CF \| look to see that he's still alive. He's got on a pair of jeans and a
CF \| T-shirt, of all things, with this mysterious message: "THERE'S NO
CF \| PLACE LIKE 127.0.0.1."
CF \|
CF \| There's a small circular hole at the statue's feet. Not quite wide
CF \| enough for a broomstick, but larger than, say, the point of a sword.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Huh."
		Jacqueline looks at KO.
		Roger says, "let's not stick any part of our body in there"
		Jacqueline says, "Don't stop being you, man."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "put finger in hole"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > PUT FINGER IN HOLE
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger exclaims, "that's the theme of this game!"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x hole"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > X HOLE
CF \|
CF \| It's perfectly circular, and maybe a few inches deep.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu asks, "What does our inventory look like?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying nothing.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "we could try taking sand. Or go back for one of those signs"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take sand"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE SAND
CF \|
CF \| You let a few grains fall through your fingers. Kind of a nice
CF \| sensation.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Beneath the Pediment
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Beneath the Pediment
CF \| There would be shade here if it were afternoon. But it isn't, and
CF \| instead it feels almost clammy. The warmth you felt walking the desert
CF \| is gone. The main doors -- two stories tall, plain iron -- are the
CF \| main feature of this face of the White House. The sand wall still
CF \| holds some suggestion of what this house once was: a filigree here, a
CF \| window frame directly above you. But soon it'll all be gone. Sand can
CF \| only hold memory for so long.
CF \|
CF \| You can head back out to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open door"
CF ] Beneath the Pediment
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN DOOR
CF \|
CF \| The doors don't budge when you pull on them.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "knock"
CF ] Beneath the Pediment
CF \|
CF \| > KNOCK
CF \|
CF \| (on the iron doors)
CF \| The sound is like a church bell. There's no response from inside --
CF \| but then, your staff haven't arrived yet.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Outside the White House
CF \| Steps -- milky white sand, packed tightly -- rise from the desert in
CF \| front of you. It takes a careful eye to tell sand from sand, to see
CF \| where nature ends and man's work begins. How long did it take to build
CF \| all the pillars that support the White House's pediment? How long to
CF \| pack all the sand as tight as a man's last breath, to carve perfect
CF \| grooves from top to bottom, and to make sure it never falls?
CF \|
CF \| The great iron doors of the White House are beneath the pediment to
CF \| the east. If you'd like, you can also walk around the White House to
CF \| the northeast and southeast.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a young man is a few feet in front of the steps. Funny. It
CF \| wasn't here four years ago.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ne"
CF ] White House, North Side
CF \|
CF \| > NE
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| White House, North Side
CF \| This side of the White House is a blank wall, as if someone didn't
CF \| feel up to finishing the blueprint. Quirky. That's what the word for
CF \| it might be. Modern life demands quirkiness -- and what you end up
CF \| with is a blank face and perfect corners. To the southwest is the
CF \| front of the White House; southeast is the rear.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a beautiful woman stares into the desert.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "se"
CF ] White House, East Side
CF \|
CF \| > SE
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| White House, East Side
CF \| At last you can see the sun. It's just over the horizon now, and glows
CF \| a bright orangish red. The back of the White House is all leftovers --
CF \| doors that once led somewhere, a balcony without an entrance. All of
CF \| it is just a surface to reflect the sun's rosy hue. An entire building
CF \| the color of a heart not yet broken. The only door that works is the
CF \| front one, back northwest or southwest.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a young woman smiles at you.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x statue"
CF ] White House, East Side
CF \|
CF \| > X STATUE
CF \|
CF \| She's got a goofy smile on her face, that kind of look girls take on
CF \| when they've decided you're cute. And what's more, there's hope in her
CF \| eyes, that somehow she believes things will be different in a second,
CF \| that everything from now on will be surprising.
CF \|
CF \| The jeans she wears are rumpled, with a patch sewn on her left knee.
CF \| It's amazing how they can capture fabric and skin so realistically
CF \| with cold metal.
CF \|
CF \| There's a small circular hole at the statue's feet. Not quite wide
CF \| enough for a broomstick, but larger than, say, the point of a sword.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "x hole"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x hole"
CF ] White House, East Side
CF \|
CF \| > X HOLE
CF \|
CF \| It's perfectly circular, and maybe a few inches deep.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "we might need to circumnavigate the House"
		Jacqueline says, "So, we need signs."
		Jacqueline says (to Roger), "Yeah, have done so."
		Roger says, "signs are my guess"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "sw"
CF ] White House, South Side
CF \|
CF \| > SW
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| White House, South Side
CF \| The remains of a garden: a square stone wall that once separated
CF \| dandelions from orchids. Aside from that, there's not much worth
CF \| remembering here. It's always the inside of things that counts. The
CF \| east side of the White House is to the northeast; to the northwest is
CF \| the entrance.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a tall man is here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] White House, South Side
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| No, in that direction is your grandmother's grave. There's no time --
CF \| you have a job to do.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "Oh! I thought it would take longer"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] White House, South Side
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| No, in that direction is your grandmother's grave. There's no time --
CF \| you have a job to do.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] White House, South Side
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| No, in that direction is your grandmother's grave. There's no time --
CF \| you have a job to do.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] White House, South Side
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \| There isn't any way into the White House on this side.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] White House, South Side
CF \|
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| White House, South Side
CF \| The remains of a garden: a square stone wall that once separated
CF \| dandelions from orchids. Aside from that, there's not much worth
CF \| remembering here. It's always the inside of things that counts. The
CF \| east side of the White House is to the northeast; to the northwest is
CF \| the entrance.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a tall man is here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "nw"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > NW
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Outside the White House
CF \| Steps -- milky white sand, packed tightly -- rise from the desert in
CF \| front of you. It takes a careful eye to tell sand from sand, to see
CF \| where nature ends and man's work begins. How long did it take to build
CF \| all the pillars that support the White House's pediment? How long to
CF \| pack all the sand as tight as a man's last breath, to carve perfect
CF \| grooves from top to bottom, and to make sure it never falls?
CF \|
CF \| The great iron doors of the White House are beneath the pediment to
CF \| the east. If you'd like, you can also walk around the White House to
CF \| the northeast and southeast.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a young man is a few feet in front of the steps. Funny. It
CF \| wasn't here four years ago.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Close to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Close to the White House
CF \| A man could go mad trying to describe the desert to another man --
CF \| it's easy enough to talk sand, mind you. It's harder to get down to
CF \| brass tacks with endlessness and loneliness, to talk the truth about
CF \| anything, really, except the long white curves of the desert. But
CF \| they're not even curves, really. Maybe closer to waves, maybe closer
CF \| to doodles drawn by a half-asleep Picasso.
CF \|
CF \| The White House is just a little bit to the east, and you can follow
CF \| the trail of footsteps you left behind to the west.
CF \|
CF \| A sign is stuck in the sand here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take sign"
CF ] Close to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE SIGN
CF \|
CF \| The fourth sign comes free of the sand easily.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Halfway to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Halfway to the White House
CF \| It's only maybe another fifteen minutes' walk to the White House. The
CF \| sand rises and falls around you and for some reason, you are acutely
CF \| aware that the air is still cool, that this is the desert's resting
CF \| point. There's a smell of cinnamon in the air for some reason -- just
CF \| a faint smell, the kind that ought to trigger an old memory but
CF \| doesn't. You can continue to the east, to where the sun is rising --
CF \| but then you could always try west.
CF \|
CF \| A sign is stuck in the sand here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take sign"
CF ] Halfway to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE SIGN
CF \|
CF \| (the third sign)
CF \| The third sign comes free of the sand easily.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Further in the Desert
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Further in the Desert
CF \| You're at the peak of a dune, a pretty high one at that -- you can see
CF \| for miles and miles perhaps. Shame there's really not too much to see:
CF \| just sand and more sand. Not even footprints. Folks must have packed
CF \| it in this year. Ah well. No sense in worrying about it. To the east
CF \| is the White House, and you can perhaps pick out the way you came to
CF \| the west.
CF \|
CF \| A sign is stuck in the sand here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take sign"
CF ] Further in the Desert
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE SIGN
CF \|
CF \| (the second sign)
CF \| The second sign comes free of the sand easily.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] On the Path to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| On the Path to the White House
CF \| It's a desert. Sand the color of cocoa, as fine a powder as a man can
CF \| ask for. It stretches to the horizon in every direction. Fortunately,
CF \| the White House is exactly due east -- maybe a half hour's leisurely
CF \| walk.
CF \|
CF \| This is different from four years ago, of course, but wasn't
CF \| everything? It was so gray then.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take sign"
CF ] On the Path to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE SIGN
CF \|
CF \| (the sighs)
CF \| That's too far away.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] On the Path to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| No, in that direction is Cape Canaveral. There's no time -- you have a
CF \| job to do.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "heh"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \| The desert has a way of clouding a man's mind -- more so even than the
CF \| string of McDonald'ses and churches that once constituted America
CF \| could. There's no dimension to it, no geography beyond sun and
CF \| horizon. You're lucky you know where you're going. To the east, toward
CF \| the White House.
CF \|
CF \| A sign is stuck in the sand here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take sign"
CF ] A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE SIGN
CF \|
CF \| (the first sign)
CF \| The first sign comes free of the sand easily.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying the first sign, the second sign, the third sign and
CF \| the fourth sign.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "I saw the sign."
		Jacqueline says, "It opened up my eyes."
		Jacqueline says, "I am happy now."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| There's nothing there, son. Not anymore.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| There's nothing there, son. Not anymore.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Bit Closer to the White House
CF \| The desert has a way of clouding a man's mind -- more so even than the
CF \| string of McDonald'ses and churches that once constituted America
CF \| could. There's no dimension to it, no geography beyond sun and
CF \| horizon. You're lucky you know where you're going. To the east, toward
CF \| the White House.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Further in the Desert
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Further in the Desert
CF \| You're at the peak of a dune, a pretty high one at that -- you can see
CF \| for miles and miles perhaps. Shame there's really not too much to see:
CF \| just sand and more sand. Not even footprints. Folks must have packed
CF \| it in this year. Ah well. No sense in worrying about it. To the east
CF \| is the White House, and you can perhaps pick out the way you came to
CF \| the west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Halfway to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Halfway to the White House
CF \| It's only maybe another fifteen minutes' walk to the White House. The
CF \| sand rises and falls around you and for some reason, you are acutely
CF \| aware that the air is still cool, that this is the desert's resting
CF \| point. There's a smell of cinnamon in the air for some reason -- just
CF \| a faint smell, the kind that ought to trigger an old memory but
CF \| doesn't. You can continue to the east, to where the sun is rising --
CF \| but then you could always try west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Close to the White House
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Close to the White House
CF \| A man could go mad trying to describe the desert to another man --
CF \| it's easy enough to talk sand, mind you. It's harder to get down to
CF \| brass tacks with endlessness and loneliness, to talk the truth about
CF \| anything, really, except the long white curves of the desert. But
CF \| they're not even curves, really. Maybe closer to waves, maybe closer
CF \| to doodles drawn by a half-asleep Picasso.
CF \|
CF \| The White House is just a little bit to the east, and you can follow
CF \| the trail of footsteps you left behind to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Outside the White House
CF \| Steps -- milky white sand, packed tightly -- rise from the desert in
CF \| front of you. It takes a careful eye to tell sand from sand, to see
CF \| where nature ends and man's work begins. How long did it take to build
CF \| all the pillars that support the White House's pediment? How long to
CF \| pack all the sand as tight as a man's last breath, to carve perfect
CF \| grooves from top to bottom, and to make sure it never falls?
CF \|
CF \| The great iron doors of the White House are beneath the pediment to
CF \| the east. If you'd like, you can also walk around the White House to
CF \| the northeast and southeast.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a young man is a few feet in front of the steps. Funny. It
CF \| wasn't here four years ago.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x first sign"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > X FIRST SIGN
CF \|
CF \| "I want to be rescued," the sign reads. It's mounted on a thin steel
CF \| pole.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x second sign"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > X SECOND SIGN
CF \|
CF \| "No one knows my name," the sign reads. It's mounted on a thin steel
CF \| pole.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x third sign"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > X THIRD SIGN
CF \|
CF \| "I'm dreaming," the sign reads. It's mounted on a thin steel pole.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x fourth sign"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > X FOURTH SIGN
CF \|
CF \| "I'm waiting for you," the sign reads. It's mounted on a thin steel
CF \| pole.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu asks, "Third sign for here?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "put third sign in hole"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > PUT THIRD SIGN IN HOLE
CF \|
CF \| The third sign slips into the hole easily.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline asks, "which one for her?"
		Jacqueline asks, "I'm waiting?"
		Jacqueline asks, "Fourth one?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Outside the White House
CF \| Steps -- milky white sand, packed tightly -- rise from the desert in
CF \| front of you. It takes a careful eye to tell sand from sand, to see
CF \| where nature ends and man's work begins. How long did it take to build
CF \| all the pillars that support the White House's pediment? How long to
CF \| pack all the sand as tight as a man's last breath, to carve perfect
CF \| grooves from top to bottom, and to make sure it never falls?
CF \|
CF \| The great iron doors of the White House are beneath the pediment to
CF \| the east. If you'd like, you can also walk around the White House to
CF \| the northeast and southeast.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a young man is a few feet in front of the steps. Funny. It
CF \| wasn't here four years ago.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Waiting seems approriate."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ne"
CF ] White House, North Side
CF \|
CF \| > NE
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| White House, North Side
CF \| This side of the White House is a blank wall, as if someone didn't
CF \| feel up to finishing the blueprint. Quirky. That's what the word for
CF \| it might be. Modern life demands quirkiness -- and what you end up
CF \| with is a blank face and perfect corners. To the southwest is the
CF \| front of the White House; southeast is the rear.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a beautiful woman stares into the desert.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "put fourth sign in hole"
CF ] White House, North Side
CF \|
CF \| > PUT FOURTH SIGN IN HOLE
CF \|
CF \| The fourth sign slips into the hole easily.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x statue"
CF ] White House, North Side
CF \|
CF \| > X STATUE
CF \|
CF \| She peers into the distance through her hands, as if she cannot
CF \| believe what she is seeing. Waiting for someone, maybe, who may not be
CF \| coming. Her dress clings to her body, caught in a slow breeze forever.
CF \|
CF \| How do you know she's beautiful, if you can't see her face? You just
CF \| -- know. Maybe you've met before and just don't remember. You meet so
CF \| many people these days.
CF \|
CF \| "I'm waiting for you," a sign in front of the statue reads.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x statue"
CF ] White House, North Side
CF \|
CF \| > X STATUE
CF \|
CF \| She peers into the distance through her hands, as if she cannot
CF \| believe what she is seeing. Waiting for someone, maybe, who may not be
CF \| coming. Her dress clings to her body, caught in a slow breeze forever.
CF \|
CF \| How do you know she's beautiful, if you can't see her face? You just
CF \| -- know. Maybe you've met before and just don't remember. You meet so
CF \| many people these days.
CF \|
CF \| "I'm waiting for you," a sign in front of the statue reads.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "sw"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > SW
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Outside the White House
CF \| Steps -- milky white sand, packed tightly -- rise from the desert in
CF \| front of you. It takes a careful eye to tell sand from sand, to see
CF \| where nature ends and man's work begins. How long did it take to build
CF \| all the pillars that support the White House's pediment? How long to
CF \| pack all the sand as tight as a man's last breath, to carve perfect
CF \| grooves from top to bottom, and to make sure it never falls?
CF \|
CF \| The great iron doors of the White House are beneath the pediment to
CF \| the east. If you'd like, you can also walk around the White House to
CF \| the northeast and southeast.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a young man is a few feet in front of the steps. Funny. It
CF \| wasn't here four years ago.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x statue"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > X STATUE
CF \|
CF \| It's made from an almost black metal -- you're terrible with the names
CF \| of metals once you get past the Olympics. But whoever made this spent
CF \| a lot of time on it. The young man depicted looks like he's just woken
CF \| up, with scraggly hair and half-closed eyes. As if he's afraid to even
CF \| look to see that he's still alive. He's got on a pair of jeans and a
CF \| T-shirt, of all things, with this mysterious message: "THERE'S NO
CF \| PLACE LIKE 127.0.0.1."
CF \|
CF \| "I'm dreaming," a sign in front of the statue reads.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Beneath the Pediment
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Beneath the Pediment
CF \| There would be shade here if it were afternoon. But it isn't, and
CF \| instead it feels almost clammy. The warmth you felt walking the desert
CF \| is gone. The main doors -- two stories tall, plain iron -- are the
CF \| main feature of this face of the White House. The sand wall still
CF \| holds some suggestion of what this house once was: a filigree here, a
CF \| window frame directly above you. But soon it'll all be gone. Sand can
CF \| only hold memory for so long.
CF \|
CF \| You can head back out to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "knock"
CF ] Beneath the Pediment
CF \|
CF \| > KNOCK
CF \|
CF \| (on the iron doors)
CF \| The sound is like a church bell. There's no response from inside --
CF \| but then, your staff haven't arrived yet.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Outside the White House
CF \| Steps -- milky white sand, packed tightly -- rise from the desert in
CF \| front of you. It takes a careful eye to tell sand from sand, to see
CF \| where nature ends and man's work begins. How long did it take to build
CF \| all the pillars that support the White House's pediment? How long to
CF \| pack all the sand as tight as a man's last breath, to carve perfect
CF \| grooves from top to bottom, and to make sure it never falls?
CF \|
CF \| The great iron doors of the White House are beneath the pediment to
CF \| the east. If you'd like, you can also walk around the White House to
CF \| the northeast and southeast.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a young man is a few feet in front of the steps. Funny. It
CF \| wasn't here four years ago.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying the first sign and the second sign.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "there's the tall man statue too around here somewhere"
		Jacqueline asks, "Is there?"
		Roger says, "and maybe another woman? I lost track"
		Roger says, "yeah I think so"
		Jacqueline says, "I guess I'm tired and missed the other sign holes."
		Jacqueline says, "I'll walk around the building again."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Beneath the Pediment
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Beneath the Pediment
CF \| There would be shade here if it were afternoon. But it isn't, and
CF \| instead it feels almost clammy. The warmth you felt walking the desert
CF \| is gone. The main doors -- two stories tall, plain iron -- are the
CF \| main feature of this face of the White House. The sand wall still
CF \| holds some suggestion of what this house once was: a filigree here, a
CF \| window frame directly above you. But soon it'll all be gone. Sand can
CF \| only hold memory for so long.
CF \|
CF \| You can head back out to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Outside the White House
CF \| Steps -- milky white sand, packed tightly -- rise from the desert in
CF \| front of you. It takes a careful eye to tell sand from sand, to see
CF \| where nature ends and man's work begins. How long did it take to build
CF \| all the pillars that support the White House's pediment? How long to
CF \| pack all the sand as tight as a man's last breath, to carve perfect
CF \| grooves from top to bottom, and to make sure it never falls?
CF \|
CF \| The great iron doors of the White House are beneath the pediment to
CF \| the east. If you'd like, you can also walk around the White House to
CF \| the northeast and southeast.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a young man is a few feet in front of the steps. Funny. It
CF \| wasn't here four years ago.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Yeah, tall guy Chris and a young woman."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "se"
CF ] White House, South Side
CF \|
CF \| > SE
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| White House, South Side
CF \| The remains of a garden: a square stone wall that once separated
CF \| dandelions from orchids. Aside from that, there's not much worth
CF \| remembering here. It's always the inside of things that counts. The
CF \| east side of the White House is to the northeast; to the northwest is
CF \| the entrance.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a tall man is here.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Oh, yeah, I walked right past these"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x man"
CF ] White House, South Side
CF \|
CF \| > X MAN
CF \|
CF \| Oddly, he's wearing a T-shirt and jeans, though his clothes aren't
CF \| otherwise notable. He clutches a paperback book in his hands. He
CF \| slouches slightly, as if it had taken him a long time to learn how to
CF \| be tall.
CF \|
CF \| There's a small circular hole at the statue's feet. Not quite wide
CF \| enough for a broomstick, but larger than, say, the point of a sword.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "At least I think that's Chris."
		Knight_Otu says, "If so, then "Rescued?""
		Jacqueline says, "So, 'I want to be rescued' or 'No one knows my name'"
		Jacqueline says, "So yeah, I guess rescued."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "put first sign in hole"
CF ] White House, South Side
CF \|
CF \| > PUT FIRST SIGN IN HOLE
CF \|
CF \| The first sign slips into the hole easily.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "sw"
CF ] White House, South Side
CF \|
CF \| > SW
CF \|
CF \| No, in that direction is Cape Canaveral. There's no time -- you have a
CF \| job to do.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] White House, South Side
CF \|
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| White House, South Side
CF \| The remains of a garden: a square stone wall that once separated
CF \| dandelions from orchids. Aside from that, there's not much worth
CF \| remembering here. It's always the inside of things that counts. The
CF \| east side of the White House is to the northeast; to the northwest is
CF \| the entrance.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a tall man is here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ne"
CF ] White House, East Side
CF \|
CF \| > NE
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| White House, East Side
CF \| At last you can see the sun. It's just over the horizon now, and glows
CF \| a bright orangish red. The back of the White House is all leftovers --
CF \| doors that once led somewhere, a balcony without an entrance. All of
CF \| it is just a surface to reflect the sun's rosy hue. An entire building
CF \| the color of a heart not yet broken. The only door that works is the
CF \| front one, back northwest or southwest.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a young woman smiles at you.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "But Cape Carnival sounds... Oh, Canaveral? Never mind then."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "sw"
CF ] White House, South Side
CF \|
CF \| > SW
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| White House, South Side
CF \| The remains of a garden: a square stone wall that once separated
CF \| dandelions from orchids. Aside from that, there's not much worth
CF \| remembering here. It's always the inside of things that counts. The
CF \| east side of the White House is to the northeast; to the northwest is
CF \| the entrance.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a tall man is here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "nw"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > NW
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Outside the White House
CF \| Steps -- milky white sand, packed tightly -- rise from the desert in
CF \| front of you. It takes a careful eye to tell sand from sand, to see
CF \| where nature ends and man's work begins. How long did it take to build
CF \| all the pillars that support the White House's pediment? How long to
CF \| pack all the sand as tight as a man's last breath, to carve perfect
CF \| grooves from top to bottom, and to make sure it never falls?
CF \|
CF \| The great iron doors of the White House are beneath the pediment to
CF \| the east. If you'd like, you can also walk around the White House to
CF \| the northeast and southeast.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a young man is a few feet in front of the steps. Funny. It
CF \| wasn't here four years ago.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Okay, sorry."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ne"
CF ] White House, North Side
CF \|
CF \| > NE
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| White House, North Side
CF \| This side of the White House is a blank wall, as if someone didn't
CF \| feel up to finishing the blueprint. Quirky. That's what the word for
CF \| it might be. Modern life demands quirkiness -- and what you end up
CF \| with is a blank face and perfect corners. To the southwest is the
CF \| front of the White House; southeast is the rear.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a beautiful woman stares into the desert.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "The young woman smilig should be he last statue."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x woman"
CF ] White House, North Side
CF \|
CF \| > X WOMAN
CF \|
CF \| She peers into the distance through her hands, as if she cannot
CF \| believe what she is seeing. Waiting for someone, maybe, who may not be
CF \| coming. Her dress clings to her body, caught in a slow breeze forever.
CF \|
CF \| How do you know she's beautiful, if you can't see her face? You just
CF \| -- know. Maybe you've met before and just don't remember. You meet so
CF \| many people these days.
CF \|
CF \| "I'm waiting for you," a sign in front of the statue reads.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "se"
CF ] White House, East Side
CF \|
CF \| > SE
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| White House, East Side
CF \| At last you can see the sun. It's just over the horizon now, and glows
CF \| a bright orangish red. The back of the White House is all leftovers --
CF \| doors that once led somewhere, a balcony without an entrance. All of
CF \| it is just a surface to reflect the sun's rosy hue. An entire building
CF \| the color of a heart not yet broken. The only door that works is the
CF \| front one, back northwest or southwest.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a young woman smiles at you.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x woman"
CF ] White House, East Side
CF \|
CF \| > X WOMAN
CF \|
CF \| She's got a goofy smile on her face, that kind of look girls take on
CF \| when they've decided you're cute. And what's more, there's hope in her
CF \| eyes, that somehow she believes things will be different in a second,
CF \| that everything from now on will be surprising.
CF \|
CF \| The jeans she wears are rumpled, with a patch sewn on her left knee.
CF \| It's amazing how they can capture fabric and skin so realistically
CF \| with cold metal.
CF \|
CF \| There's a small circular hole at the statue's feet. Not quite wide
CF \| enough for a broomstick, but larger than, say, the point of a sword.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "put sign in hole"
CF ] White House, East Side
CF \|
CF \| > PUT SIGN IN HOLE
CF \|
CF \| The second sign slips into the hole easily.
CF \|
CF \| There's a dull, scraping-metal kind of noise. It's coming from
CF \| somewhere nearby, but you're not sure where exactly.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline asks, "Check the doors?"
		Knight_Otu says, "I... Yes."
		Roger says, "sure"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "nw"
CF ] White House, North Side
CF \|
CF \| > NW
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| White House, North Side
CF \| This side of the White House is a blank wall, as if someone didn't
CF \| feel up to finishing the blueprint. Quirky. That's what the word for
CF \| it might be. Modern life demands quirkiness -- and what you end up
CF \| with is a blank face and perfect corners. To the southwest is the
CF \| front of the White House; southeast is the rear.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a beautiful woman stares into the desert.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "sw"
CF ] Outside the White House
CF \|
CF \| > SW
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Outside the White House
CF \| Steps -- milky white sand, packed tightly -- rise from the desert in
CF \| front of you. It takes a careful eye to tell sand from sand, to see
CF \| where nature ends and man's work begins. How long did it take to build
CF \| all the pillars that support the White House's pediment? How long to
CF \| pack all the sand as tight as a man's last breath, to carve perfect
CF \| grooves from top to bottom, and to make sure it never falls?
CF \|
CF \| The great iron doors of the White House are beneath the pediment to
CF \| the east. If you'd like, you can also walk around the White House to
CF \| the northeast and southeast.
CF \|
CF \| A statue of a young man is a few feet in front of the steps. Funny. It
CF \| wasn't here four years ago.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Beneath the Pediment
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Beneath the Pediment
CF \| There would be shade here if it were afternoon. But it isn't, and
CF \| instead it feels almost clammy. The warmth you felt walking the desert
CF \| is gone. The main doors -- two stories tall, plain iron -- are the
CF \| main feature of this face of the White House. The sand wall still
CF \| holds some suggestion of what this house once was: a filigree here, a
CF \| window frame directly above you. But soon it'll all be gone. Sand can
CF \| only hold memory for so long.
CF \|
CF \| You can head back out to the west.
CF \|
CF \| The doors leading inside are open, but you can't see inside. It's too
CF \| dark.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Darkness
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Darkness
CF \| This isn't right. There ought to be gilded halls, red carpets, an
CF \| agenda and a mission statement. A reason. That's all you really need
CF \| to get by. All it is is darkness. You can't even really tell how big
CF \| it is in here -- whether this is the entirety of the White House, or
CF \| maybe just one room.
CF \|
CF \| There is one option, however.
CF \|
CF \| A blue chair waits a few feet from you. It's highlighted by a circle
CF \| of light whose source you can't see.
CF \|
CF \| There's a noise behind you and the meek light coming from the doors
CF \| behind you disappears; the doors have closed themselves.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline asks, "Chris, what were you on in 2004?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x chair"
CF ] Darkness
CF \|
CF \| > X CHAIR
CF \|
CF \| Simple and ergonomic. The kind you'd see in every cubicle across
CF \| America -- well, when there were cubicles.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu asks, "A blue chair? What's that doing here?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "sit"
CF ] Darkness
CF \|
CF \| > SIT
CF \|
CF \| (on top of the blue chair)
CF \| It's so nice to finally sit down after your walk across the desert.
CF \| The chair is comfortable, but then all blue chairs are.
CF \|
CF \| "Can you do me a favor?" a voice asks.
CF \|
CF \| Familiar. It's familiar.
CF \|
CF \| "Anything," you say.
CF \| [...]
Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] A Gas Station in the Middle of Nowhere
CF \|
CF \| "Would you run in and grab me a doughnut?"
CF \|
CF \| It hurts to wake up. You feel scared but don't know why. Your throat's
CF \| dry, which always happens to you when you take a nap, and your arms
CF \| hurt, which is new. You're not sure what to think, what to feel.
CF \|
CF \| There's not much to see but you feel confused anyway. The car's parked
CF \| beside a gas pump now, and there's a slight breeze coming through the
CF \| window beside you. The air is just cold enough to be considered cool.
CF \| Your eyes keep shifting over the same things, like you're going to
CF \| catch something being wrong, being fake, being part of the dream
CF \| still.
CF \|
CF \| But you're awake. You really are.
CF \|
CF \| "A doughnut?" you ask.
CF \|
CF \| "Yeah, I gotta fill up the tank," Chris says. "If they have Krispy
CF \| Kreme, that would be ideal."
CF \|
CF \| He plops a couple wrinked bills in your hand and gets out of the car.
CF \| You're still not sure what to do, but what the fuck? Start with
CF \| something simple. Follow his lead, get out of the car. Standing up
CF \| feels weird for half a second, like maybe you're going to faint but
CF \| you've never fainted before or anything, it's just how you imagine it
CF \| might feel. And then the feeling's gone.
CF \|
CF \| You are awake. This is an important fact to remember -- you tell
CF \| yourself this a couple times, to make sure it sinks in.
CF \|
CF \| A Gas Station in the Middle of Nowhere
CF \| Everything's so fucking yellow, like you're a zombie now and your
CF \| optic nerves have fermented or something. It's because of those stupid
CF \| low-energy lights overhead. Saving the planet by turning it ugly.
CF \| Goddammit -- your eyes hurt now.
CF \|
CF \| No one else is here, but that kind of makes sense. You're not sure
CF \| what time it is, but it must be late. The gas station's off some
CF \| two-lane highway, but there aren't any road signs, so you have no idea
CF \| where you are, either. But it doesn't really matter, you guess. Chris
CF \| knows where to go -- you told him, after all.
CF \|
CF \| There's a mini-mart to the east that looks open. Above it is a sign
CF \| that reads LUCKY'S in kind-of shoddy painter's script.
CF \|
CF \| Chris is occupied pumping gas -- he's humming this random sort of song
CF \| to himself that you don't recognize.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Mini-Mart
CF \| It's a classic three-aisle setup: chips, nuts, and sunflower seeds
CF \| down one aisle; chewing gum, cookies, and down another; and canned
CF \| meat and other miscellaneous survivalist/maniac stuff down the third.
CF \| No slurpee machine, which for some reason is kind of a bummer. You've
CF \| always been a fan, though you're not really thirsty at the moment or
CF \| anything.
CF \|
CF \| In clear violation of child labor laws, there's a Chinese kid (we're
CF \| talking middle school here) at the counter, thumbing through an anime
CF \| comic book.
CF \|
CF \| The store continues to the east, and you can head out to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x kid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > X KID
CF \|
CF \| He's got on a faded yellow t-shirt that maybe at one point had a
CF \| cartoon character on it -- maybe. You can see the outlines of a face
CF \| on it. He's pretty engrossed in his comic book, or at least
CF \| unconcerned you're going to steal some Slim Jims or something equally
CF \| critical to this little convenience store microcosm.
CF \|
CF \| The kid laughs at something he's reading and turns the page.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask kid about donuts"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > ASK KID ABOUT DONUTS
CF \|
CF \| "Excuse me, could you tell me where the doughnuts are?" you say.
CF \|
CF \| The kid grins, like you've just made his day, and says, "Back corner!
CF \| Open door."
CF \|
CF \| The kid yawns.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Back of the Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Back of the Mini-Mart
CF \| Rows and rows of milk peer at you through the doors of the
CF \| refrigerated case. Well, except one door that's completely empty. Not
CF \| even a display rack inside. Kind of weird, you guess -- maybe it
CF \| wasn't economically feasible or something? To the west is the front of
CF \| the store.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Back of the Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| You can't go that way.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open door"
CF ] Back of the Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN DOOR
CF \|
CF \| A blast of cold air hits your face.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Back of the Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Back of the Mini-Mart
CF \| Rows and rows of milk peer at you through the doors of the
CF \| refrigerated case. Well, except one door that's completely empty. Not
CF \| even a display rack inside. Kind of weird, you guess -- maybe it
CF \| wasn't economically feasible or something? To the west is the front of
CF \| the store.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "I am in the back corner and have opened the door."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| There is no back to the case -- it just keeps going until you've
CF \| almost forgotten what you're after, what your goal is, who you are --
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| It's cool, almost close to what the first day of fall feels like. This
CF \| is a narrow passage -- hard to say much more because the light is so
CF \| dim here -- without twist or turning.
CF \|
CF \| Things get brighter to the east, and assuming the laws of physics are
CF \| still in effect and the universe is internally consistent, the mini
CF \| mart is west.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "oho"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Aisle 8
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 8
CF \| This is a supermarket aisle -- you're sure of it though it doesn't
CF \| make sense -- but the shelves here are completely empty. A sign
CF \| indicates this would be the snacks aisle (Doritos, pretzels, chewing
CF \| gum -- all the food you wished you could eat as a meal all by
CF \| themselves) if there were anything to buy. Overhead lights at regular
CF \| intervals and an odd melody too soft to be understood...
CF \|
CF \| The north end of the aisle becomes an entrance to what appears to be a
CF \| tunnel, and a gash in the aisle leads west.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "That's a big assumption there in the last paragraph."
		Jacqueline says, "It is.'"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| You can see very little beyond the light of the supermarket to the
CF \| south. You think that perhaps the passage is sloped, but you can't say
CF \| for sure how much or for how long. The passage continues to the north
CF \| as well, further into darkness.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "I'm guessing this is where we turn into an insect, then eat our children, right? I think it all begins in a tunnel..."
		Jacqueline says, "I'm afraid to go north now."
		Knight_Otu says, "More it ends i a a tunnel."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| You're in almost complete darkness here; it's only by groping around
CF \| with your hands that you can tell how the passage runs. East, west,
CF \| and south. It's impossible to tell anything further... how far things
CF \| continue... whether the sensation of going deeper and deeper into the
CF \| earth is really true...
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "be not afraid"
		Jacqueline asks (of Roger), "For thou art with me?"
		Knight_Otu asks, "Do we still have that flashlight?"
		Jacqueline says, "Oh, I was thinking about that earlier when we were George Bush, but yeah, we probably do."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "turn on flashlight"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > TURN ON FLASHLIGHT
CF \|
CF \| You click the flashlight on.
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage branches here east and west, and returns upward to the
CF \| south. The east passage is a little narrower, the clay a bit more
CF \| moist.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "nothing bad has ever happened to anyone trying to find a donut for his friend"
		Jacqueline says, "hee"
		Jade says, "ah, the flashlight"
		Jacqueline says, "Mmm... moistness."
		Jacqueline asks, "So. Moist or non-moist?"
		Jacqueline says, "brb"
		Roger says, "I'll vote east"
		Jacqueline says, "MOIST IT IS"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Mini-Mart
CF \| It's the same one you were just in... isn't it? Except everything
CF \| isn't as it was. Where there were aisles, now there are torn-up bits
CF \| of plywood, as if someone had only five minutes to construct the
CF \| scene. Sawdust all over the floor and windows made of Saran Wrap.
CF \|
CF \| The Chinese kid is still at the counter (its left side crashing to the
CF \| floor -- the thing was built all wrong), but everything is different
CF \| about him, and what's more, there's a display beside him. A sign
CF \| reads: USEFUL ITEMS FOR YOUR LIFE. PLEASE TRADES ONLY.
CF \|
CF \| A blue door lies behind him to the south; passages lead east and west.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline frowns.
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x items"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > X ITEMS
CF \|
CF \| Inside a clear plastic case, the kind you might keep doughnuts or
CF \| maybe birthday cakes, there is a single ornate blue key.
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis says, "'everything is different about him' pray tell game."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying some money that Chris gave you, a photograph, a beer,
CF \| an empty bottle of beer, a flashlight, a cough syrup bottle, your
CF \| wallet, your keys and a pager.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "That sure was some potent off-green liquid we bought."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x kid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > X KID
CF \|
CF \| His face is painted obsidian -- you can tell it's just paint because
CF \| in parts it's faded to a sort of charcoal. He grimaces, though you
CF \| aren't sure whether it's in pain or some long-standing,
CF \| hard-to-contain mirth. The comic book he's reading is completely
CF \| blank.
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis says, "Oh yeah that's pretty different huh."
		Jacqueline says (to KO), "Hey. We paid $23. Expensive stuff."
		Jacqueline says, "Let's trade the empty bottle of beer for that key"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take key"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE KEY
CF \|
CF \| "No!" the kid snaps. He's pretty protective of it.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give empty to kid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE EMPTY TO KID
CF \|
CF \| "No," the kid says. "Drink only show dreams."
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give pager to kid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE PAGER TO KID
CF \|
CF \| "No," the kid says. "Is useful only to you."
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give beer to kid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE BEER TO KID
CF \|
CF \| Which do you mean, the beer or the empty bottle of beer?
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "oh dear"
		Knight_Otu says, "Uh oh."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "drop empty"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > DROP EMPTY
CF \|
CF \| Dropped.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give beer to kid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE BEER TO KID
CF \|
CF \| (the beer to the Chinese kid)
CF \| "No," the kid says. "Drink only show dreams."
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give keys to kid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE KEYS TO KID
CF \|
CF \| "No," the kid says. "Is useful only to you."
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give photo to kid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE PHOTO TO KID
CF \|
CF \| The kid just shakes his head: "No trade."
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying some money that Chris gave you, a photograph, a beer,
CF \| a flashlight, a cough syrup bottle, your wallet, your keys and a
CF \| pager.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give flashlight to kid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE FLASHLIGHT TO KID
CF \|
CF \| The kid just shakes his head: "No trade."
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give money to kid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE MONEY TO KID
CF \|
CF \| "No money," the kid says.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give flashlight to kid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE FLASHLIGHT TO KID
CF \|
CF \| The kid just shakes his head: "No trade."
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give syrup to kid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE SYRUP TO KID
CF \|
CF \| The kid just shakes his head: "No trade."
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline exclaims, "That's right, folks, I'm just trying to brute force this thing!"
		Roger says, "that's the spirit"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give wallet to kid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE WALLET TO KID
CF \|
CF \| "No," the kid says. "Is useful only to you."
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu asks, "I think the kid literally wants our life?"
		Jacqueline asks, "So I guess we go back and take the non-moist tunnel?"
		Roger says, "With this sort of game, I'm not sure there's any alternative"
		Jacqueline says (to KO), "Oh gosh. Maybe. Dang."
		Roger says, "I would guess this needs more exploring"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give kid my life"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE KID MY LIFE
CF \|
CF \| (first taking the display)
CF \| "No!" the kid snaps. He's pretty protective of it.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Mini-Mart
CF \| It's the same one you were just in... isn't it? Except everything
CF \| isn't as it was. Where there were aisles, now there are torn-up bits
CF \| of plywood, as if someone had only five minutes to construct the
CF \| scene. Sawdust all over the floor and windows made of Saran Wrap.
CF \|
CF \| The Chinese kid is still at the counter (its left side crashing to the
CF \| floor -- the thing was built all wrong), but everything is different
CF \| about him, and what's more, there's a display beside him. A sign
CF \| reads: USEFUL ITEMS FOR YOUR LIFE. PLEASE TRADES ONLY.
CF \|
CF \| A blue door lies behind him to the south; passages lead east and west.
CF \|
CF \| You can also see an empty bottle of beer here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage branches here east and west, and returns upward to the
CF \| south. The east passage is a little narrower, the clay a bit more
CF \| moist.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 2
CF \| COOKIES, CRACKERS, SNACKS, a sign above you reads. But here the
CF \| shelves are as empty as before -- dusty, even. It's been a long time
CF \| since anyone has been here, it seems. Darkened passages lead north and
CF \| east.
CF \|
CF \| A little girl lies on the floor, staring at something in the ceiling
CF \| you can't see.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x girl"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > X GIRL
CF \|
CF \| Erin turns nine years old in a few days. It will be the happiest day
CF \| of her life, she knows. All the birthdays before this one don't count.
CF \| They came before she had a daddy.
CF \|
CF \| Her life before her daddy was weird, but she doesn't know it. Maybe if
CF \| she knew the word, she'd call it exciting. There were nighttime
CF \| escapes and lots of hotel rooms. There were bad people everywhere. Her
CF \| mother told her so and Erin believes everything her mom tells her. She
CF \| was the only good person she knew before her daddy became her daddy.
CF \|
CF \| He wakes her up early the morning of her ninth birthday. He whispers
CF \| something to her but she can't hear what he's saying.
CF \|
CF \| This is how it happens. This is how her life changes.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "It's times like this that I wish we were all in the same room and could therefore exchange weird glances."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "dad"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > DAD
CF \|
CF \| That's not a verb I recognize.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x dad"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > X DAD
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| How strange -- there are steps cut into the surface of this passage,
CF \| though the slope downward is very gentle. The passage itself turns a
CF \| tight curve from south to west, widening slightly as it moves west.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "I'm starting to wish I had mapped."
		Jacqueline says, "one sec"
		Jade says, "I thought also this game wasn't so big."
		Roger says, "I'd forgotten most of this part"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| Here in the anteroom of the PO is a wall of mailboxes -- more than
CF \| you've ever seen before, and all in an intense shade of blue, too. One
CF \| of them is open. A mail slot beside them barely registers in your
CF \| mind. The floor is dingy; the air's stale.
CF \|
CF \| To the east is a darkened passage.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "look in box"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \|
CF \| > LOOK IN BOX
CF \|
CF \| In the opened mailbox is a folded piece of notebook paper.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take paper"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE PAPER
CF \|
CF \| Taken.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "read paper"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \|
CF \| > READ PAPER
CF \|
CF \| It's a page torn from a spiral notebook.
CF \|
CF \| Dante,
CF \|
CF \| Today a bird landed at my feet while I was eating lunch outside. It
CF \| looked sort of like a pigeon but it wasn't one. I thought it just
CF \| wanted some of my peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich but I was wrong. I
CF \| threw a little piece on the ground but the bird kept staring at me. I
CF \| didn't know what to do. I felt like there was something I could do for
CF \| it, but I wasn't smart enough to know what it was. I keep thinking
CF \| about it but I don't know why.
CF \|
CF \| What is it like to live a big and exciting life up in Philadelphia? Is
CF \| it fun all the time? Or just most of the time? I think sometimes I
CF \| should get a real job and a real career like you... but I don't think
CF \| I could do it. You're stronger than I am... but you don't need me to
CF \| tell you that.
CF \|
CF \| I still love you. But don't tell anybody I said that... it's a secret.
CF \|
CF \| Beatrice
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline asks, "We... we're the strong one?"
		Jacqueline says, "Okay."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| How strange -- there are steps cut into the surface of this passage,
CF \| though the slope downward is very gentle. The passage itself turns a
CF \| tight curve from south to west, widening slightly as it moves west.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "I guess it's our dream, our rules."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > U
CF \|
CF \| You can't go that way.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says (to KO), "heh. True."
		Jacqueline says, "Okay, so not really stairs, just a bend in the tunnel."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 2
CF \| COOKIES, CRACKERS, SNACKS, a sign above you reads. But here the
CF \| shelves are as empty as before -- dusty, even. It's been a long time
CF \| since anyone has been here, it seems. Darkened passages lead north and
CF \| east.
CF \|
CF \| A little girl lies on the floor, staring at something in the ceiling
CF \| you can't see.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask girl about girl"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > ASK GIRL ABOUT GIRL
CF \|
CF \| She doesn't react.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "look up"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > LOOK UP
CF \|
CF \| You see nothing unexpected in that direction.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying a folded piece of notebook paper, some money that
CF \| Chris gave you, a photograph, a beer, a flashlight, a cough syrup
CF \| bottle, your wallet, your keys and a pager.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give photo to girl"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE PHOTO TO GIRL
CF \|
CF \| She doesn't react.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "girl"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > GIRL
CF \|
CF \| That's not a verb I recognize.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x girl"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > X GIRL
CF \|
CF \| Erin turns nine years old in a few days. It will be the happiest day
CF \| of her life, she knows. All the birthdays before this one don't count.
CF \| They came before she had a daddy.
CF \|
CF \| Her life before her daddy was weird, but she doesn't know it. Maybe if
CF \| she knew the word, she'd call it exciting. There were nighttime
CF \| escapes and lots of hotel rooms. There were bad people everywhere. Her
CF \| mother told her so and Erin believes everything her mom tells her. She
CF \| was the only good person she knew before her daddy became her daddy.
CF \|
CF \| He wakes her up early the morning of her ninth birthday. He whispers
CF \| something to her but she can't hear what he's saying.
CF \|
CF \| This is how it happens. This is how her life changes.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "whisper"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > WHISPER
CF \|
CF \| That's not a verb I recognize.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline asks, "Anything to try here?"
Roger says (to f), "girl, follow me"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > GIRL, FOLLOW ME
CF \|
CF \| She doesn't react.
CF \|
CF \| >
Roger says (to f), "take girl"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE GIRL
CF \|
CF \| She seems too heavy to pick up, which is strange...
CF \|
CF \| >
Roger says (to f), "search girl"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > SEARCH GIRL
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything unusual.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Possibly, but if there is, I don't know it."
Roger says (to f), "hug girl"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > HUG GIRL
CF \|
CF \| It seems wrong somehow.
CF \|
CF \| >
Roger says (to f), "kiss girl"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > KISS GIRL
CF \|
CF \| It seems wrong somehow.
CF \|
CF \| >
Roger says (to girl), "girl, wake up"		Jacqueline says, "That's because it IS wrong, game."
Roger says (to f), "girl, wake up"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > GIRL, WAKE UP
CF \|
CF \| She doesn't react.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "alright, that's enough out of me"
		Jacqueline says, "heh"
		Jacqueline says, "It's okay, Prince Charming. I get it."
		MoyTravis asks, "dump liquid on girl?"
		MoyTravis asks, "attack girl?"
		Jacqueline says, "gosh"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give beer to girl"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE BEER TO GIRL
CF \|
CF \| She doesn't react.
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis asks, "smelling salts?"
		MoyTravis asks, "yell?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage branches here east and west, and returns upward to the
CF \| south. The east passage is a little narrower, the clay a bit more
CF \| moist.
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis says, "I don't think we have smelling salts."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "r"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > R
CF \|
CF \| That's not a verb I recognize.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Mini-Mart		MoyTravis says, "I'm not even sure what smelling salts are."
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Mini-Mart
CF \| It's the same one you were just in... isn't it? Except everything
CF \| isn't as it was. Where there were aisles, now there are torn-up bits
CF \| of plywood, as if someone had only five minutes to construct the
CF \| scene. Sawdust all over the floor and windows made of Saran Wrap.
CF \|
CF \| The Chinese kid is still at the counter (its left side crashing to the
CF \| floor -- the thing was built all wrong), but everything is different
CF \| about him, and what's more, there's a display beside him. A sign
CF \| reads: USEFUL ITEMS FOR YOUR LIFE. PLEASE TRADES ONLY.
CF \|
CF \| A blue door lies behind him to the south; passages lead east and west.
CF \|
CF \| You can also see an empty bottle of beer here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \| You can't, since the blue door is in the way.
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis says, "Oh ask him about the girl."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask kid about girl"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > ASK KID ABOUT GIRL
CF \|
CF \| "Ha! Ha!" the kid says, giving you a disconcertingly serious look.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask kid about covid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > ASK KID ABOUT COVID
CF \|
CF \| "Ha! Ha!" the kid says.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open door"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN DOOR
CF \|
CF \| "Employees only," the kid says by way of warning.
CF \|
CF \| It seems to be locked.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "unlock door with key"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > UNLOCK DOOR WITH KEY
CF \|
CF \| (first taking the ornate blue key)
CF \| "No!" the kid snaps. He's pretty protective of it.
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis asks, "...wait. So was that a custom response or a semi-random one?"
		Jacqueline says, "I think it was random, yeah."
		MoyTravis says, "Ask kid about kid."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask kid about girl"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > ASK KID ABOUT GIRL
CF \|
CF \| "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" the kid says, giving you a disconcertingly serious
CF \| look.
CF \|
CF \| >
Roger says (to f), "take comic"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE COMIC
CF \|
CF \| "No!" the kid shouts.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask kid about kid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > ASK KID ABOUT KID
CF \|
CF \| "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" the kid says, giving you a disconcertingly serious
CF \| look.
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis says, "RIP"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask kid about me"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > ASK KID ABOUT ME
CF \|
CF \| "Ha! Ha!" the kid says.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "ask kid about key"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > ASK KID ABOUT KEY
CF \|
CF \| "Is trade," the kid says, like he's telling you a secret. "Trade
CF \| useful thing for key."
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis says, "oh, hey"
		Roger says, "maybe we should try mailing something? The letter or maybe the photo..."
		Jacqueline asks (of Travis), "hm?"
		MoyTravis says, "Nevermind."
		Jacqueline says, "mmkay"
Roger says (to f), "open flashlight"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN FLASHLIGHT
CF \|
CF \| That's not something you can open.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline asks (of Roger), "Want me to go put the photo in the mail?"
		Roger says, "It seems weird to have a slot with no use"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage branches here east and west, and returns upward to the
CF \| south. The east passage is a little narrower, the clay a bit more
CF \| moist.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 2
CF \| COOKIES, CRACKERS, SNACKS, a sign above you reads. But here the
CF \| shelves are as empty as before -- dusty, even. It's been a long time
CF \| since anyone has been here, it seems. Darkened passages lead north and
CF \| east.
CF \|
CF \| A little girl lies on the floor, staring at something in the ceiling
CF \| you can't see.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| How strange -- there are steps cut into the surface of this passage,
CF \| though the slope downward is very gentle. The passage itself turns a
CF \| tight curve from south to west, widening slightly as it moves west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| Here in the anteroom of the PO is a wall of mailboxes -- more than
CF \| you've ever seen before, and all in an intense shade of blue, too. One
CF \| of them is open. A mail slot beside them barely registers in your
CF \| mind. The floor is dingy; the air's stale.
CF \|
CF \| To the east is a darkened passage.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "oh, I have more girl abuse ideas too"
		Jacqueline says, "That sounds wrong, but I'll let that go."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x mailbox"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \|
CF \| > X MAILBOX
CF \|
CF \| The mailbox is empty.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "put photo in box"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \|
CF \| > PUT PHOTO IN BOX
CF \|
CF \| You put the photograph into the opened mailbox.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "wait"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \|
CF \| > WAIT
CF \|
CF \| Time passes.
CF \|
CF \| >
Roger says (to f), "x slot"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \|
CF \| > X SLOT
CF \|
CF \| A label above the slot reads, FOR LOCAL DELIVERIES ONLY.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu asks, "I look away for a minute and wha do I see?"
		Jacqueline asks (of KO), "Roger having girl ideas?"
		Knight_Otu says, "Yeah."
Roger says (to f), "put letter in slot"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \|
CF \| > PUT LETTER IN SLOT
CF \|
CF \| The folded piece of notebook paper disappears into the slot without a
CF \| sound.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take photo"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE PHOTO
CF \|
CF \| Taken.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "I hope that was ok"
		Jacqueline says, "Oh the slot, not the box."
		Jacqueline says, "I hope it was okay, too."
		Jacqueline says, "I can undo"
		Jacqueline says, "There is multiple undo."
		Jacqueline asks, "Did I try to give the kid the letter?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| [Previous turn undone.]
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "und"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \|
CF \| > UND
CF \|
CF \| That's not a verb I recognize.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| [Previous turn undone.]
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying some money that Chris gave you, a beer, a flashlight,
CF \| a cough syrup bottle, your wallet, your keys and a pager.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| [Previous turn undone.]
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| [Previous turn undone.]
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| [Previous turn undone.]
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] Post Office, Hopeless
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying a folded piece of notebook paper, some money that
CF \| Chris gave you, a beer, a flashlight, a cough syrup bottle, your
CF \| wallet, your keys and a pager.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "What are your girl ideas? Because I don't think the letter will get us the key."
		Jacqueline says, "(Though maybe)"
		Roger says, "go over there and I'll show you"
		Jacqueline says, "Well okay then"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| How strange -- there are steps cut into the surface of this passage,
CF \| though the slope downward is very gentle. The passage itself turns a
CF \| tight curve from south to west, widening slightly as it moves west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 2
CF \| COOKIES, CRACKERS, SNACKS, a sign above you reads. But here the
CF \| shelves are as empty as before -- dusty, even. It's been a long time
CF \| since anyone has been here, it seems. Darkened passages lead north and
CF \| east.
CF \|
CF \| A little girl lies on the floor, staring at something in the ceiling
CF \| you can't see.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Go fer it"
Roger says (to f), "lie down"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > LIE DOWN
CF \|
CF \| I didn't understand that sentence.
CF \|
CF \| >
Roger says (to f), "lie"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > LIE
CF \|
CF \| (on top of Erin)
CF \| That's not something you can lie down on.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "ROGER"
Roger says (to fl), "lie on floor"
Roger says (to f), "lie on floor"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > LIE ON FLOOR
CF \|
CF \| (the floor)
CF \| That's not something you can lie down on.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "Well I guess I'm out of ideas"
Roger says (to f), "ask girl about daddy"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > ASK GIRL ABOUT DADDY
CF \|
CF \| She doesn't react.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "sleep"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > SLEEP
CF \|
CF \| You don't feel sleepy.
CF \|
CF \| >
Roger says (to f), "push girl"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > PUSH GIRL
CF \|
CF \| It seems wrong somehow.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "hit girl with beer"
CF ] Aisle 2
CF \|
CF \| > HIT GIRL WITH BEER
CF \|
CF \| It seems wrong somehow.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "That's because it is wrong."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage branches here east and west, and returns upward to the
CF \| south. The east passage is a little narrower, the clay a bit more
CF \| moist.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Mini-Mart
CF \| It's the same one you were just in... isn't it? Except everything
CF \| isn't as it was. Where there were aisles, now there are torn-up bits
CF \| of plywood, as if someone had only five minutes to construct the
CF \| scene. Sawdust all over the floor and windows made of Saran Wrap.
CF \|
CF \| The Chinese kid is still at the counter (its left side crashing to the
CF \| floor -- the thing was built all wrong), but everything is different
CF \| about him, and what's more, there's a display beside him. A sign
CF \| reads: USEFUL ITEMS FOR YOUR LIFE. PLEASE TRADES ONLY.
CF \|
CF \| A blue door lies behind him to the south; passages lead east and west.
CF \|
CF \| You can also see an empty bottle of beer here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "give letter to kid"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE LETTER TO KID
CF \|
CF \| The kid just shakes his head: "No trade."
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Hrm."
Roger says (to f), "s"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \| You can't, since the blue door is in the way.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Wish we could write a letter back. That feels like something worth mailing."
		Knight_Otu asks, "I forget, were we further east from here?"
Roger says (to f), "ask boy about donut"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > ASK BOY ABOUT DONUT
CF \|
CF \| "Ha! Ha! Ha!" the kid says, giving you a disconcertingly serious look.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "No. This is as far east as we've been in the weird place."
		Roger says, "yeah I think so"
		Jacqueline says, "Wonder if Chris is out there. Still pumping gas."
		Roger asks, "man who built this crazy map? A couple of young kids playing Carcassone?"
		Jacqueline says, "Mysterious ladies."
		Roger says, "let's see what awaits us to the east"
		Jacqueline says, "I am almost tempted to look for a hint."
		Jacqueline says, "We never even found the donuts."
		Knight_Otu says, "The donut is a lie."
		Jacqueline says, "yay"
Roger says (to f), "e"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage undulates as it moves west to east, curving back and forth
CF \| with a kind of reassuring regularity. The walls are rough here, as if
CF \| the passage had just been carved hours ago.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "err, whoops"
		Jacqueline says, "No, this is good, i think"
		Roger says, "oh good"
Roger says (to f), "e"
CF ] Aisle 10
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 10
CF \| You never spend any time in this aisle: the sign above you indicates
CF \| dog food, cat food, baby food. Not that it really counts or anything
CF \| -- the shelves are empty here as well. Passages lead west and east.
CF \|
CF \| An elderly man stands frozen in the middle of mopping the floor.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "I guess at least we aren't transforming into some weird alien worm insect."
		Roger says, "Hey it's the janitor from Control"
		Jacqueline says (to KO), "Yeah, there's that."
		Jacqueline says, "I thank the universe every day when that doesn't happen to me."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x man"
CF ] Aisle 10
CF \|
CF \| > X MAN
CF \|
CF \| Michael has worked at the supermarket coming up on three years. He
CF \| doesn't need the money -- he's long been retired. He just likes
CF \| feeling useful.
CF \|
CF \| On a Tuesday afternoon, 2:13 pm precisely, he falls to the floor of
CF \| aisle 10, his heart stopped. His life is saved, but the doctors tell
CF \| him it will happen again someday soon, and when it does, there will be
CF \| no coming back. There is no way to fix anything permanently, but there
CF \| are ways to mitigate the risk. That what the doctor says: mitigate.
CF \| When he really should say postpone.
CF \|
CF \| This is how it happens. This is how his life changes.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The path turns from west to south, high above a vast, still pool of
CF \| water. You can just barely see it from here -- it must be hundreds of
CF \| feet below you. The water goes on as far as you can see, though that
CF \| not may be saying much, and the roof above you becomes cavernous, with
CF \| thin stalactites.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \| There is a hole -- maybe better described as a pit -- about fifteen
CF \| feet wide, right in the middle of the lobby. It looks as though no one
CF \| has been here in a long time: the glass separating tellers from people
CF \| is cracked in several places, and a desk (the kind new accounts,
CF \| loans, and foreclosures are negotiated over) teeters halfway into the
CF \| pit, rocking gently in a breeze you can't feel.
CF \|
CF \| To the north is the darkened passage you entered from, and south is
CF \| the safe deposit vault. For some reason, the metal of the vault door
CF \| is painted blue.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "It is either blue or has the number 23 on it. Everything does."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x desk"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > X DESK
CF \|
CF \| The desk is rotting away at one corner, and its surface is covered in
CF \| useless papers. It doesn't even have drawers -- but the customer would
CF \| never know that. So many things you aren't allowed to see. A placard
CF \| on one corner reads: ASST BANK MANAGER.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x pit"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > X PIT
CF \|
CF \| The light of your flashlight ends sometime before the pit itself does,
CF \| though you can see odd bits of construction -- wiring, concrete, rebar
CF \| -- embedded along the sides of the pit.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \| You can't, since the safe deposit vault door is in the way.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open vault"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN VAULT
CF \|
CF \| The vault door doesn't budge.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x lock"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > X LOCK
CF \|
CF \| Numbers from 0 to 36 run along the circumference of the combination
CF \| lock's knob.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "turn lock to 23"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > TURN LOCK TO 23
CF \|
CF \| You turn the dial to 23.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open door"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN DOOR
CF \|
CF \| The vault door doesn't budge.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x dial"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > X DIAL
CF \|
CF \| Numbers from 0 to 36 run along the circumference of the combination
CF \| lock's knob.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "But, but."
		Jacqueline asks, "IKR??"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "unlock door"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > UNLOCK DOOR
CF \|
CF \| What do you want to unlock the safe deposit vault door with?
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "my mind"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > MY MIND
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Harsh."
		Jacqueline looks at the floor.
		Jacqueline says, "I'm so demoralized after the game insulted my intelligence that I don't know what to do now."
Roger says (to f), "push desk"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > PUSH DESK
CF \|
CF \| You are unable to.
CF \|
CF \| >
Roger says (to f), "kick desk"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > KICK DESK
CF \|
CF \| You've never been a very violent kind of guy.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "I thought for sure that would work"
Roger says (to f), "d"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > D
CF \|
CF \| You can't go that way.
CF \|
CF \| >
Roger says (to f), "enter pit"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > ENTER PIT
CF \|
CF \| For a second, you really consider doing it. But you stop yourself --
CF \| this is insanity...
CF \|
CF \| >
Roger says (to f), "g"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \|
CF \| > G
CF \|
CF \| The feeling of nothingness is... comfortable? It doesn't feel like
CF \| falling, doesn't feel like you may die at any moment --
CF \| [...]
Roger says (to f), "push space"
CF ] Half-Asleep
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| It's hard to explain how you found your way back to your apartment and
CF \| slept until your mind ran out of dreams -- hard to say how you are
CF \| here again, where everything is safe and temperate. The office has a
CF \| way of making memory slip from your fingers, of erasing everything but
CF \| a present that plods forward.
CF \|
CF \| Half-Asleep
CF \| It gets warm down here in the afternoon -- something to do with poor
CF \| ventilation, maintenance told you once. The day has been slow,
CF \| thankfully. A chance to get yourself together, to re-establish a sense
CF \| of reality.
CF \|
CF \| The computer on your desk beeps and brings up an alert box you've
CF \| never seen before: "Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game or
CF \| QUIT?"
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "erm... whoops? I dunno"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \| Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \| [Previous turn undone.]
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Whew."
		Jacqueline says, "So, I think we missed a thing."
		Roger says, "there's a lot of numbers in this game"
		MoyTravis says, "Hahaha, that's an interesting early end."
		Jacqueline says, "One sec."
		Jacqueline says, "I think (maybe) we were supposed to do more before we entered the fridge."
		Jacqueline asks, "May I?"
		Knight_Otu says, "Sure."
		Roger says, "go for it"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The path turns from west to south, high above a vast, still pool of
CF \| water. You can just barely see it from here -- it must be hundreds of
CF \| feet below you. The water goes on as far as you can see, though that
CF \| not may be saying much, and the roof above you becomes cavernous, with
CF \| thin stalactites.
CF \|
CF \| A fluttering of wings in the distance.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Aisle 10
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 10
CF \| You never spend any time in this aisle: the sign above you indicates
CF \| dog food, cat food, baby food. Not that it really counts or anything
CF \| -- the shelves are empty here as well. Passages lead west and east.
CF \|
CF \| An elderly man stands frozen in the middle of mopping the floor.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage undulates as it moves west to east, curving back and forth
CF \| with a kind of reassuring regularity. The walls are rough here, as if
CF \| the passage had just been carved hours ago.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Mini-Mart
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Mini-Mart
CF \| It's the same one you were just in... isn't it? Except everything
CF \| isn't as it was. Where there were aisles, now there are torn-up bits
CF \| of plywood, as if someone had only five minutes to construct the
CF \| scene. Sawdust all over the floor and windows made of Saran Wrap.
CF \|
CF \| The Chinese kid is still at the counter (its left side crashing to the
CF \| floor -- the thing was built all wrong), but everything is different
CF \| about him, and what's more, there's a display beside him. A sign
CF \| reads: USEFUL ITEMS FOR YOUR LIFE. PLEASE TRADES ONLY.
CF \|
CF \| A blue door lies behind him to the south; passages lead east and west.
CF \|
CF \| You can also see an empty bottle of beer here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage branches here east and west, and returns upward to the
CF \| south. The east passage is a little narrower, the clay a bit more
CF \| moist.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage is subtly graded, sloping downward and widening as it
CF \| heads north. The air grows colder and thinner -- there was a humidity
CF \| you hadn't noticed before -- the further down you go. Upward, to the
CF \| south, is the light of the supermarket.
CF \|
CF \| "Dante," a voice says... but you're just imagining things...
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] Aisle 8
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 8
CF \| This is a supermarket aisle -- you're sure of it though it doesn't
CF \| make sense -- but the shelves here are completely empty. A sign
CF \| indicates this would be the snacks aisle (Doritos, pretzels, chewing
CF \| gum -- all the food you wished you could eat as a meal all by
CF \| themselves) if there were anything to buy. Overhead lights at regular
CF \| intervals and an odd melody too soft to be understood...
CF \|
CF \| The north and south ends of the aisle become entrances to what appear
CF \| to be tunnels, and a gash in the aisle leads west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| It's cool, almost close to what the first day of fall feels like. This
CF \| is a narrow passage -- your flashlight reveals that the walls look
CF \| something close to clay, with kind of a deep reddish tint -- without
CF \| twist or turning.
CF \|
CF \| Things get brighter to the east, and assuming the laws of physics are
CF \| still in effect and the universe is internally consistent, the mini
CF \| mart is west.
CF \|
CF \| Far off, a single note on a harp sounds.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Aisle 4
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| The tunnel feels unfamiliar, like it turns a different way now than
CF \| you remember it, but the light grows and grows, a familiar friend, a
CF \| sign that you aren't lost, not really this time, just maybe a little
CF \| misplaced, and then you emerge in:
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 4
CF \| The sign overhead reads SOUP, PASTA, SAUCES, but the aisle is bare.
CF \| You seem to be in a supermarket of some kind -- slick off-white tile
CF \| floor and a faint forgotten melody -- but it's only one aisle; drab
CF \| walls rise above the shelves. Rough holes in the walls lead east and
CF \| south.
CF \|
CF \| There's a man gazing intently at a solitary can of tunafish here. He
CF \| doesn't seem to notice your presence.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x man"
CF ] Aisle 4
CF \|
CF \| > X MAN
CF \|
CF \| Jeff is twenty-six now; married for four years now. It was so sudden,
CF \| the way it happened, but it also felt inescapably right. He is in
CF \| love, maybe always will be. He has a graveyard shift job, but it's not
CF \| important. It's enough right now to be able to come home to a home
CF \| whose every corner he knows, and Amanda asleep for so long already.
CF \|
CF \| His father leaves messages for him at work -- somehow he found him.
CF \| Jeff deletes them all without listening to them. Some things can't be
CF \| forgiven.
CF \|
CF \| One night after work, he notices a light on in his house. He doesn't
CF \| know what to think -- the front door is still locked. The stairs in
CF \| his house creak so loudly. He doesn't hear anything happening. He
CF \| opens the bedroom door.
CF \|
CF \| This is how it happens. This is how his life changes.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "..."
		Jacqueline says, "damn"
		MoyTravis says, "Hmm."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The moist clay walls of this tunnel curve from north to west, maybe
CF \| twenty feet long. The ceiling's so low -- not quite short enough you
CF \| have to stoop to walk, but low enough to feel weird, like this was
CF \| designed for someone else.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] A Blue Chair in the Dark
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Blue Chair in the Dark
CF \| You can see nothing but a single blue chair in the center of the room.
CF \| A spotlight whose... this seems familiar? But you can't remember why.
CF \| There's nothing else here to fix your eye on. Everything is darkness;
CF \| everything else is gone and forgotten.
CF \|
CF \| (Didn't you have your flashlight on or something? Didn't you have a
CF \| flashlight?)
CF \|
CF \| A darkened passage leads east.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Huh."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] A Blue Chair in the Dark
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying a folded piece of notebook paper, some money that
CF \| Chris gave you, a beer, a cough syrup bottle, your wallet, your keys
CF \| and a pager.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline asks, "Where is the damn flashlight??"
		Jacqueline asks, "Are we George W again?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x me"
CF ] A Blue Chair in the Dark
CF \|
CF \| > X ME
CF \|
CF \| Dante is lost. He has a collection of belongings, a place to live, a
CF \| job, even a retirement plan. But he's never tasted hardship -- the
CF \| real kind, that leaves scars -- and never really tasted happiness
CF \| either -- the real kind, that lasts forever.
CF \|
CF \| He wants to have a story. So badly. He tries not to think of himself
CF \| as a princess trapped in a tower, though he surely is trapped. Maybe
CF \| he can be a pilgrim lost in the dark, or an antihero waiting for the
CF \| right moment to stage his return. These are all fictions -- not
CF \| stories. They are comfortable.
CF \|
CF \| He reads so many books now. He watches so many people.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade exclaims, "oops!"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "sit"
CF ] A Blue Chair in the Dark
CF \|
CF \| > SIT
CF \|
CF \| (on top of the blue chair)
CF \| The chair feels nice. The chair feels calm. Same as it always does.
CF \|
CF \| "Happy birthday to you..." voices sing. You can't see where they're
CF \| coming from, but they are familiar and scary for a reason you don't
CF \| understand...
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "listen"
CF ] A Blue Chair in the Dark
CF \|
CF \| > LISTEN
CF \|
CF \| You don't hear anything weird.
CF \|
CF \| "Happy birthday to you..." Faces becomes just barely apparent-- your
CF \| mother, your father. But different somehow. One on the left, one on
CF \| the right. Both singing. Their voices are odd, like you are
CF \| underwater, maybe drowning... maybe still asleep...
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "I do think we hear something weird, honestly."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x mother"
CF ] A Blue Chair in the Dark
CF \|
CF \| > X MOTHER
CF \|
CF \| Are these really your parents? They certainly look like it. Your
CF \| father's nose, your mother's eyes.
CF \|
CF \| Wait, no, these aren't your parents at all... something about their
CF \| eyes...
CF \|
CF \| "Don't worry," the one you thought was your mother says. "We're
CF \| monsters. We're here to help you..."
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "..."
		Jacqueline says, "I am never, ever, ever doing drugs again."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "father"
CF ] A Blue Chair in the Dark
CF \|
CF \| > FATHER
CF \|
CF \| That's not a verb I recognize.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x father"
CF ] A Blue Chair in the Dark
CF \|
CF \| > X FATHER
CF \|
CF \| Their eyes are different. That's what makes them monsters. They're
CF \| black, solid black -- all pupil, all reflections of your own face.
CF \|
CF \| "Happy birthday, dear Dante..." they sing. What you thought was your
CF \| mother is carrying a cake in front of her. Twenty-three candles.
CF \| Simultaneously they smile. Pointed teeth.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x cake"
CF ] A Blue Chair in the Dark
CF \|
CF \| > X CAKE
CF \|
CF \| They got you chocolate this year -- you never figured out why. You
CF \| hate chocolate cake, always have, and your parents know it.
CF \|
CF \| There are twenty-three candles on the cake, of course.
CF \|
CF \| "Happy birthday to you..." the monsters sing. Their breath is awful,
CF \| like a July afternoon dumpster...
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "blow out candles"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \|
CF \| > BLOW OUT CANDLES
CF \|
CF \| A quick puff of air and they're all gone.
CF \|
CF \| Congratulations.
CF \|
CF \| You've just turned twenty-three. This is the year where things stop
CF \| feeling fun, where you no longer look forward to summer. You still
CF \| nurse crushes in a distant kind of way, but you don't bother anymore
CF \| to daydream of leaving those girls a note (they always look just
CF \| barely like Beatrice, like you are doomed to one true love), finding
CF \| the right words, kissing them... You worry about the future, but only
CF \| in a logistical sense. Where will you live? How will you pay the rent?
CF \| What to eat on a Tuesday night? How to spend Friday?
CF \|
CF \| The question of who you will be no longer seems relevant. Because you
CF \| aren't growing anymore -- this is the year you finish all that.
CF \|
CF \| This year is when things end.
CF \|
CF \| Bare Light, Empty
CF \| The room is superordinary. The walls are blank, formless, pale green.
CF \| Someday this could be a bustling office or a hospital room or even a
CF \| bedroom -- but that would take furniture and care. Until then, it's
CF \| the kind of room you spend too much time in, the kind of room you wish
CF \| you could forget entirely.
CF \|
CF \| Darkened passages lead north and east.
CF \|
CF \| A tiny yellow envelope lies where the blue chair was before.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Yikes"
		Knight_Otu says, "That's not bleak at all."
		Jacqueline says, "Nope. Not at all."
		Jacqueline says, "Also, I'm now not sure where we are. Like, those aren't the directions that I was expecting."
		Jacqueline exclaims, "Oh! Envelope!"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "take envelope"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \|
CF \| > TAKE ENVELOPE
CF \|
CF \| Taken.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x envelope"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \|
CF \| > X ENVELOPE
CF \|
CF \| It's just barely as wide as your thumb is long, and sealed tight. Your
CF \| mother's handwriting on the front lists the address of your apartment
CF \| over in Dundalk -- it even has a stamp in the upper-right corner.
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis asks, "'Dundalk'?"
		Jacqueline asks, "I... guess we mail this?"
		MoyTravis says, "Oh it's a place in Baltimore okay."
		Jacqueline says (to Travis), "Yeah, it was referenced earlier."
		MoyTravis says, "Sure why not."
		Knight_Otu asks, "Or ope it?"
		Jacqueline says, "Hrm. I guess we could open it."
		MoyTravis says, "I mean it's for us."
		Jacqueline says, "There is, after all, undo."
		Jacqueline says (to Travis), "Oh, true."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open envelope"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN ENVELOPE
CF \|
CF \| You have to rip the envelope apart to open it, it's sealed so tight.
CF \| There's a birthday card inside.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "read card"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \|
CF \| > READ CARD
CF \|
CF \| A cartoon bear waves at you from the front of the card. "A Special
CF \| Message For Our Special Son," it says in cute, cartoony writing.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline asks, "Why do I imagine this bear as being a Five Nights At Freddies bear?"
		MoyTravis says, "I wonder if this was before 'special' was euphamism treadmill'd."
		Jacqueline says, "I think it's just meant to be nice, maybe."
		Jacqueline says, "I still want to try mailing it."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \| Bare Light, Empty
CF \| [Previous turn undone.]
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \| Bare Light, Empty
CF \| [Previous turn undone.]
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \| Bare Light, Empty
CF \| [Previous turn undone.]
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying a tiny yellow envelope, a folded piece of notebook
CF \| paper, some money that Chris gave you, a beer, a cough syrup bottle,
CF \| your wallet, your keys and a pager.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger asks, "we're not even going to read it?"
		Jacqueline asks, "I thought we did?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open envelope"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN ENVELOPE
CF \|
CF \| You have to rip the envelope apart to open it, it's sealed so tight.
CF \| There's a birthday card inside.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x card"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \|
CF \| > X CARD
CF \|
CF \| A cartoon bear waves at you from the front of the card. "A Special
CF \| Message For Our Special Son," it says in cute, cartoony writing.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "open card"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN CARD
CF \|
CF \| The inside of the card is nearly blank. Where a message would be,
CF \| there's only a typewritten number: 6620.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Oh"
		MoyTravis says, "We didn't read it."
		Jacqueline says, "OH"
		Roger says, "Thank you"
		MoyTravis says, "Ha! The safe."
		Jacqueline says, "What the heck, game? WHYYYY"
		Knight_Otu says, "I mean, until now I would have said we read it..."
		Jade says, "6620"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \| Bare Light, Empty
CF \| [Previous turn undone.]
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \| Bare Light, Empty
CF \| [Previous turn undone.]
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \| Bare Light, Empty
CF \| [Previous turn undone.]
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x envelope"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \|
CF \| > X ENVELOPE
CF \|
CF \| It's just barely as wide as your thumb is long, and sealed tight. Your
CF \| mother's handwriting on the front lists the address of your apartment
CF \| over in Dundalk -- it even has a stamp in the upper-right corner.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \|
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Bare Light, Empty
CF \| The room is superordinary. The walls are blank, formless, pale green.
CF \| Someday this could be a bustling office or a hospital room or even a
CF \| bedroom -- but that would take furniture and care. Until then, it's
CF \| the kind of room you spend too much time in, the kind of room you wish
CF \| you could forget entirely.
CF \|
CF \| Darkened passages lead north and east.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage ends abruptly to the north at a plain gray wall. It
CF \| doesn't look like the wall has been painted gray, though its surface
CF \| is smooth, almost like drywall.
CF \|
CF \| Seems like your only option is to return south.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu asks, "But didn't the safe only go to 36?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "hit wall"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > HIT WALL
CF \|
CF \| You don't even put a dent into the wall.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying a tiny yellow envelope, a folded piece of notebook
CF \| paper, some money that Chris gave you, a beer, a cough syrup bottle,
CF \| your wallet, your keys and a pager.
CF \|
CF \| You lose your balance for a second.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "x wall"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > X WALL
CF \|
CF \| You stare at it for a little, trying to see if there's a hidden
CF \| entrance or something like that, but you come up empty.
CF \|
CF \| Applause rings out in the distance.
CF \|
CF \| >		Roger says, "lack of a flashlight is hurting us, I think"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "z"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > Z
CF \|
CF \| Time passes.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline asks, "What happened to it?"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \| You manage to catch yourself right before you smack into a wall. Have
CF \| to be careful -- it's so dark.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| You manage to catch yourself right before you smack into a wall. Have
CF \| to be careful -- it's so dark.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| You manage to catch yourself right before you smack into a wall. Have
CF \| to be careful -- it's so dark.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu asks, "Game purloined it I guess?"
		Jacqueline says, "It seems so."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] Bare Light, Empty
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Bare Light, Empty
CF \| The room is superordinary. The walls are blank, formless, pale green.
CF \| Someday this could be a bustling office or a hospital room or even a
CF \| bedroom -- but that would take furniture and care. Until then, it's
CF \| the kind of room you spend too much time in, the kind of room you wish
CF \| you could forget entirely.
CF \|
CF \| Darkened passages lead north and east.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage curves -- you can tell that much at least by trailing a
CF \| hand against the wall -- but it's hard to say how much, or even how
CF \| far the passage goes. There is light to the north and west. The
CF \| supermarket?
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Aisle 4
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 4
CF \| The sign overhead reads SOUP, PASTA, SAUCES, but the aisle is bare.
CF \| You seem to be in a supermarket of some kind -- slick off-white tile
CF \| floor and a faint forgotten melody -- but it's only one aisle; drab
CF \| walls rise above the shelves. Rough holes in the walls lead east and
CF \| south.
CF \|
CF \| There's a man gazing intently at a solitary can of tunafish here. He
CF \| doesn't seem to notice your presence.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| It's cool, almost close to what the first day of fall feels like. This
CF \| is a narrow passage -- hard to say much more because the light is so
CF \| dim here -- without twist or turning.
CF \|
CF \| Things get brighter to the east, and the tunnel continues to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Aisle 8
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 8
CF \| The shelves here are completely empty. A sign indicates this would be
CF \| the snacks aisle (Doritos, pretzels, chewing gum -- all the food you
CF \| wished you could eat as a meal all by themselves) if there were
CF \| anything to buy. Overhead lights at regular intervals and an odd
CF \| melody too soft to be understood...
CF \|
CF \| The north and south ends of the aisle become entrances to what appear
CF \| to be tunnels, and a gash in the aisle leads west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| You can see very little beyond the light of the supermarket to the
CF \| south. You think that perhaps the passage is sloped, but you can't say
CF \| for sure how much or for how long. The passage continues to the north
CF \| as well, further into darkness.
CF \|
CF \| A bird flutters its wings somewhere you can't see.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| You manage to catch yourself right before you smack into a wall. Have
CF \| to be careful -- it's so dark.
CF \|
CF \| "Dante," a voice says... but you're just imagining things...
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Did we make this unwinnable? The PO is to the west."
		Jacqueline says, "Well, W, then N, then W."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| You manage to catch yourself right before you smack into a wall. Have
CF \| to be careful -- it's so dark.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] Aisle 8
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 8
CF \| The shelves here are completely empty. A sign indicates this would be
CF \| the snacks aisle (Doritos, pretzels, chewing gum -- all the food you
CF \| wished you could eat as a meal all by themselves) if there were
CF \| anything to buy. Overhead lights at regular intervals and an odd
CF \| melody too soft to be understood...
CF \|
CF \| The north and south ends of the aisle become entrances to what appear
CF \| to be tunnels, and a gash in the aisle leads west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| It's hard to see anything at all in this passage, beyond the fact that
CF \| it turns from north to east -- it's just too dark. There's a small
CF \| breeze, though it's hard to say where it's coming from.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Okay, actually angry."
		Jacqueline says, "One sec, going to pull the transcript, see what happened to the darn light."
		Roger says, "back when men were men and cruel games were cruel"
		Knight_Otu says, "It disappeared before we got to the second blue chair, I think."
		Jacqueline says, "Nothing happened to our flashlight in the transcript."
		Jacqueline says, "We just had it, and then we did not have it and were asked 'Didn't you have your flashlight on or something? Didn't you have a flashlight?'"
		MoyTravis says, "Game yoinked it."
		Roger says, "thanks a lot, George W Bush"
		Jacqueline says, "hahaha"
		Knight_Otu says, "That said, we're at the three hour mark."
		Roger says, "That's also a good point"
		Jacqueline says (to Roger), "No, no, no. I'm sure this is Obama's fault."
		Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I guess we call it."
		Jacqueline says, "Super weird, though."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "save"
CF \| >
CF \| > SAVE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to write:
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "cfheymyflashlight"
CF ] A Darkened Passage
CF \| Ok.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jacqueline says, "Sure. Save it. But I feel like it's maybe unwinn-hahahaha. Good save name."
		Knight_Otu says, "I suppose it might be."
		Jacqueline says, "I am tempted to look for a hint."
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "hint"
CF ] Hints for the Jaded
CF ] N = next subject P = previous
CF ] RETURN = read subject Q = resume game
CF ]
CF ]
CF ] > Prologue
CF ] The Party
CF ] In Chris's Car
CF ] The Desert
CF ] The Gas Station
CF ] Darkened Passages
CF ] After You've Finished
CF \|		Jacqueline says, "OH THERE ARE HINTS"
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Hints for the Jaded
CF ] N = next subject P = previous
CF ] RETURN = read subject Q = resume game
CF ]
CF ]
CF ] Prologue
CF ] > The Party
CF ] In Chris's Car
CF ] The Desert
CF ] The Gas Station
CF ] Darkened Passages
CF ] After You've Finished
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Hints for the Jaded
CF ] N = next subject P = previous
CF ] RETURN = read subject Q = resume game
CF ]
CF ]
CF ] Prologue
CF ] The Party
CF ] > In Chris's Car
CF ] The Desert
CF ] The Gas Station
CF ] Darkened Passages
CF ] After You've Finished
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Hints for the Jaded
CF ] N = next subject P = previous
CF ] RETURN = read subject Q = resume game
CF ]
CF ]
CF ] Prologue
CF ] The Party
CF ] In Chris's Car
CF ] > The Desert
CF ] The Gas Station
CF ] Darkened Passages
CF ] After You've Finished
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Hints for the Jaded
CF ] N = next subject P = previous
CF ] RETURN = read subject Q = resume game
CF ]
CF ]
CF ] Prologue
CF ] The Party
CF ] In Chris's Car
CF ] The Desert
CF ] > The Gas Station
CF ] Darkened Passages
CF ] After You've Finished
Jacqueline says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Hints for the Jaded
CF ] N = next subject P = previous
CF ] RETURN = read subject Q = resume game
CF ]
CF ]
CF ] Prologue
CF ] The Party
CF ] In Chris's Car
CF ] The Desert
CF ] The Gas Station
CF ] > Darkened Passages
CF ] After You've Finished		Jacqueline says, "Wel, at least this indicates that we are near the end."
Jacqueline presses the yellow enter button.
CF ] Darkened Passages
CF ] N = next subject P = previous
CF ] RETURN = read subject Q = previous menu
CF ]
CF ]
CF ] > This maze sucks.
CF ] What am I supposed to be doing here?
CF ] I'm totally stuck.
CF ] What's up with the people in here?
CF ] What can I do with the can of tunafish?
CF ] What can I do with the lantern?
CF ] How do I survive the room with the blue chair?
CF ] What can I do with this tile I've been given?
CF ] What can I do in the bank lobby?
CF ] What can I do in the mini-mart?
CF ] What can I do in the post office?
CF ] What can I do in the waiting room?
CF ] How do I get to the pool?
CF \|		Jacqueline asks, "Wait. There's a lantern?"
		Jacqueline says, "Okay, okay, fine. We can pick this up next week."
		Knight_Otu asks, "Lantern?"
		Jacqueline exclaims, "Apparently!"
		Jade says, "it seems so"
		Jacqueline says, "Also, I did not think to take the tuna."

***** SESSION TWO *
		Knight_Otu says, "We started Blue Chairs, I think, last week."
		DavidW says, "gosh"
		Knight_Otu says, "It's been, literally, a trip."
		Roger says, "I can't remember if we got to an ending or not"
		DavidW says, "yes. I never finished that game."
		DavidW asks, "I think I got as far as a convenience store?"
		Knight_Otu says, "We didn't get to an ending. We are in some kind of dream cavern/mall/town, looking for, I want to say donuts for our aquaintance."
Jade has arrived.		DavidW says, "fwiw, I've moved from Waterloo to Kitchener and I've regained what-passes-for-normal internet."
		Knight_Otu says, "We've sat on two blue chairs so far, and our flashlight has been stolen."
		Jade says, "Hello"
		DavidW says, "hi Jade"
		Knight_Otu exclaims (at David), "Glad to hear that!"
		DavidW says, "Who would dare steal an adventurer's flashlight? Besides zombies, of course."
		MoyTravis says, "I think we're near the end of Blue Chairs though."
		Knight_Otu says, "The game itself, apparently."
		DavidW says, "A zombie stole my flashlight in an old DOS game."
		Jade exclaims, "ah, the flashlight, of course!"
		Knight_Otu says, "Jacq was afraid that this meant the game might be unwinnable, but apparently, there is a lantern somewhere."
		DavidW says, "hm. In another game, there was a lantern in a side alley beside a museum under renovation. One of the construction workers left it there."
		Jade asks, "how do you know about a lantern?"
		Jade says, "ok, answered."
		DavidW says, "no, that wasn't an answer"
		Knight_Otu says, "Jacq tried the hint menu. Just the titles, no specifics."
		DavidW says, "Lanterns can also be in barns/stables. It could be jack-o-lantern on a porch, I suppose."
		DavidW says, "And there's always the pawnshop."
		Knight_Otu says, "Since Jacq was driving, I'm uncertain about the geography, but I suspect it may have changed as well."
		DavidW says, "I don't know the geography at all."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] Darkened Passages
CF ] N = next subject P = previous
CF ] RETURN = read subject Q = previous menu
CF ]
CF ]
CF ] > This maze sucks.
CF ] What am I supposed to be doing here?
CF ] I'm totally stuck.
CF ] What's up with the people in here?
CF ] What can I do with the can of tunafish?
CF ] What can I do with the lantern?
CF ] How do I survive the room with the blue chair?
CF ] What can I do with this tile I've been given?
CF ] What can I do in the bank lobby?
CF ] What can I do in the mini-mart?
CF ] What can I do in the post office?
CF ] What can I do in the waiting room?
CF ] How do I get to the pool?
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "q"
CF ] Hints for the Jaded
CF ] N = next subject P = previous
CF ] RETURN = read subject Q = resume game
CF ]
CF ]
CF ] Prologue
CF ] The Party
CF ] In Chris's Car
CF ] The Desert
CF ] The Gas Station
CF ] > Darkened Passages
CF ] After You've Finished
CF \|
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "q"
CF \|
CF \|
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| It's hard to see anything at all in this passage, beyond the fact that
CF \| it turns from north to east -- it's just too dark. There's a small
CF \| breeze, though it's hard to say where it's coming from.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF \| >
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying a tiny yellow envelope, a folded piece of notebook
CF \| paper, some money that Chris gave you, a beer, a cough syrup bottle,
CF \| your wallet, your keys and a pager.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW asks, "hm. Moisten a finger?"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "lick finger"
CF \| >
CF \| > LICK FINGER
CF \|
CF \| That's not a verb I recognize.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "moisten finger"
CF \| >
CF \| > MOISTEN FINGER
CF \|
CF \| That's not a verb I recognize.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "okay, not that then."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "touch walls"
CF \| >
CF \| > TOUCH WALLS
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "If we had a match, candle, lantern, the flame would point the way the breeze is blowing to."
		Knight_Otu says, "I mean, that's kind of true."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x breeze"
CF \| >
CF \| > X BREEZE
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "At the game, though David also says the truth."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Waiting Room, Empty
CF \| The furniture lies on its side, near the corners. Someone threw it
CF \| there -- who knows why. A single light bulb hangs at the center of the
CF \| room, casting odd shadows over everything. The receptionist's desk is
CF \| empty.
CF \|
CF \| A blue door leads south, and the darkened passage is back to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x door"
CF \| >
CF \| > X DOOR
CF \|
CF \| The door is plain midnight blue, with a brass knob.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "open it"
CF \| >
CF \| > OPEN IT
CF \|
CF \| It seems to be locked.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "Considering the game is called Blue Chairs, I'm suspicious of anything that's blue here."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x knob"
CF \| >
CF \| > X KNOB
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu asks, "I don't recall this room, but I think the door was previously in the kid's shop?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "knock on door"
CF \| >
CF \| > KNOCK ON DOOR
CF \|
CF \| There's no response from whatever's on the other side.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x desk"
CF \| >
CF \| > X DESK
CF \|
CF \| You scan over the desk quickly, just to make sure it's empty.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "look under desk"
CF \| >
CF \| > LOOK UNDER DESK
CF \|
CF \| You find nothing of interest.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "look behinhd desk"
CF \| >
CF \| > LOOK BEHINHD DESK
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "o behind"
CF \| >
CF \| > O BEHIND
CF \|
CF \| There is nothing on the receptionist's desk.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x bulb"
CF \| >
CF \| > X BULB
CF \|
CF \| The bulb looks sort of strange, like there's something wrong with it
CF \| -- but you aren't sure how.
CF \|
CF \| The light buzzes for a moment.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "take bulb"
CF \| >
CF \| > TAKE BULB
CF \|
CF \| That's hardly portable.
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis says, "What's "o""
		DavidW says, "o is short for oops"
		MoyTravis says, "Ah."
		DavidW says, "It lets you correct a misspelling sometimes. Doesn't always work."
		Jade exclaims, "ah!"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "stand on desk"
CF \| >
CF \| > STAND ON DESK
CF \|
CF \| That's not something you can stand on.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "unscrew bulb"
CF \| >
CF \| > UNSCREW BULB
CF \|
CF \| You are unable to.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "break bulb"
CF \| >
CF \| > BREAK BULB
CF \|
CF \| You stare at the light for a moment, just thinking -- then you punch
CF \| it, an awkward, angry, sort of punch. The bulb cracks, not all the
CF \| way, but that's enough to send the whole room into darkness. The room
CF \| plunges into darkness and there's a brief tinkling sound, maybe like a
CF \| dime dropping on the floor.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF \| Waiting Room, Empty
CF \| [Previous turn undone.]
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "cf11"
CF \| >
CF \| > SAVE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF \| > SAVEOk.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "break bulb"
CF \| >
CF \| > BREAK BULB
CF \|
CF \| You stare at the light for a moment, just thinking -- then you punch
CF \| it, an awkward, angry, sort of punch. The bulb cracks, not all the
CF \| way, but that's enough to send the whole room into darkness. The room
CF \| plunges into darkness and there's a brief tinkling sound, maybe like a
CF \| dime dropping on the floor.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "take dime"
CF \| >
CF \| > TAKE DIME
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "touch floor"
CF \| >
CF \| > TOUCH FLOOR
CF \|
CF \| It doesn't feel out of the ordinary.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "search floor"
CF \| >
CF \| > SEARCH FLOOR
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything unusual.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF \| >
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Waiting Room, Dark
CF \| It's pitch dark in here -- can't see anything at all, nothing,
CF \| nothing, and what's worse is you can no longer remember what the room
CF \| once contained, what it once was.
CF \|
CF \| The dim light of the darkened passage is to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "the bulb has something strange"
		DavidW says, "There was something inside it that fell when I broke it."
		DavidW says, "A coin or something the same size."
		DavidW says, "Like a die or a marble or computer chip."
		Knight_Otu says, "Hm."
		DavidW says, "But we can't see anything in here now."
		DavidW says, "So that might've been a mistake."
		DavidW says, "Feel free to restore."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "RESTORE"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "cf11"
CF \| >
CF \| > RESTORE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to read:
CF \| Ok.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "Igame says " We don't know what the room contains""
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF \| >
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Waiting Room, Empty
CF \| The furniture lies on its side, near the corners. Someone threw it
CF \| there -- who knows why. A single light bulb hangs at the center of the
CF \| room, casting odd shadows over everything. The receptionist's desk is
CF \| empty.
CF \|
CF \| A blue door leads south, and the darkened passage is back to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "That's the author being weird."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x shadows"
CF \| >
CF \| > X SHADOWS
CF \|
CF \| The shadows are odd and pointed, like what a mechanical object might
CF \| cast.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "okay, so some sort of mech is in the bulb."
		Knight_Otu says, "Or rather that we are under drug influence, or that we are dreaming."
		Jade says, "yes"
		DavidW says, "well, yes."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "push bulb"
CF \| >
CF \| > PUSH BULB
CF \|
CF \| You are unable to.
CF \|
CF \| The light buzzes for a moment.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "pull bulb"
CF \| >
CF \| > PULL BULB
CF \|
CF \| You are unable to.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Hm."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| It's hard to see anything at all in this passage, beyond the fact that
CF \| it turns from north to east -- it's just too dark. There's a small
CF \| breeze, though it's hard to say where it's coming from.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 8
CF \| The shelves here are completely empty. A sign indicates this would be
CF \| the snacks aisle (Doritos, pretzels, chewing gum -- all the food you
CF \| wished you could eat as a meal all by themselves) if there were
CF \| anything to buy. Overhead lights at regular intervals and an odd
CF \| melody too soft to be understood...
CF \|
CF \| The north and south ends of the aisle become entrances to what appear
CF \| to be tunnels, and a gash in the aisle leads west.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW asks, "I think breaking the bulb is the only way to get what's inside. Maybe if there was a bucket underneath?"
		Knight_Otu says, "I guess the lantern, whereever that maybe, is needed."
		DavidW says, "I'm not sure."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "listen"
CF \| >
CF \| > LISTEN
CF \|
CF \| You don't hear anything weird.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| It's cool, almost close to what the first day of fall feels like. This
CF \| is a narrow passage -- hard to say much more because the light is so
CF \| dim here -- without twist or turning.
CF \|
CF \| Things get brighter to the east, and the tunnel continues to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 4
CF \| The sign overhead reads SOUP, PASTA, SAUCES, but the aisle is bare.
CF \| You seem to be in a supermarket of some kind -- slick off-white tile
CF \| floor and a faint forgotten melody -- but it's only one aisle; drab
CF \| walls rise above the shelves. Rough holes in the walls lead east and
CF \| south.
CF \|
CF \| There's a man gazing intently at a solitary can of tunafish here. He
CF \| doesn't seem to notice your presence.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "cf12"
CF \| >
CF \| > SAVE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF \| > SAVEOk.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "get can"
CF \| >
CF \| > GET CAN
CF \|
CF \| You carefully pry the can from his hand.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x it"
CF \| >
CF \| > X IT
CF \|
CF \| The label on the side reads: PHLOCODINE.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x man"
CF \| >
CF \| > X MAN
CF \|
CF \| Jeff is twenty-six now; married for four years now. It was so sudden,
CF \| the way it happened, but it also felt inescapably right. He is in
CF \| love, maybe always will be. He has a graveyard shift job, but it's not
CF \| important. It's enough right now to be able to come home to a home
CF \| whose every corner he knows, and Amanda asleep for so long already.
CF \|
CF \| His father leaves messages for him at work -- somehow he found him.
CF \| Jeff deletes them all without listening to them. Some things can't be
CF \| forgiven.
CF \|
CF \| One night after work, he notices a light on in his house. He doesn't
CF \| know what to think -- the front door is still locked. The stairs in
CF \| his house creak so loudly. He doesn't hear anything happening. He
CF \| opens the bedroom door.
CF \|
CF \| This is how it happens. This is how his life changes.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Right. These eerie interludes."
		DavidW says, "What's phlocodine? Sounds like a drug."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x shelves"
CF \| >
CF \| > X SHELVES
CF \|
CF \| Clean, white metal.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "tuna can"
		DavidW says, "I know it's on the can but that doesn't sounds like tuna at all."
		MoyTravis exclaims, "Take the drugs!"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "ask jeff about can"
CF \| >
CF \| > ASK JEFF ABOUT CAN
CF \|
CF \| He doesn't react.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "open can"
CF \| >
CF \| > OPEN CAN
CF \|
CF \| You don't see how to do it without a can opener.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "I was trying to search it. A misspeling did lead me to pholcodine, which is a drug I gather."
		Jade says, "ok, good search"
		DavidW says, "I know I've heard of codine before, but I don't remember if it's in pain relieve pills or sleeping pills or what."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "climb shelves"
CF \| >
CF \| > CLIMB SHELVES
CF \|
CF \| That wouldn't really help.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "I guess keep moving to new locations."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF \| >
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 4
CF \| The sign overhead reads SOUP, PASTA, SAUCES, but the aisle is bare.
CF \| You seem to be in a supermarket of some kind -- slick off-white tile
CF \| floor and a faint forgotten melody -- but it's only one aisle; drab
CF \| walls rise above the shelves. Rough holes in the walls lead east and
CF \| south.
CF \|
CF \| There's a man gazing intently at nothing here. He doesn't seem to
CF \| notice your presence.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage curves -- you can tell that much at least by trailing a
CF \| hand against the wall -- but it's hard to say how much, or even how
CF \| far the passage goes. There is light to the north and west. The
CF \| supermarket?
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Bare Light, Empty
CF \| The room is superordinary. The walls are blank, formless, pale green.
CF \| Someday this could be a bustling office or a hospital room or even a
CF \| bedroom -- but that would take furniture and care. Until then, it's
CF \| the kind of room you spend too much time in, the kind of room you wish
CF \| you could forget entirely.
CF \|
CF \| Darkened passages lead north and east.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Okay, I think this is the room we woke up in after the second blue chair."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage ends abruptly to the north at a plain gray wall. It
CF \| doesn't look like the wall has been painted gray, though its surface
CF \| is smooth, almost like drywall.
CF \|
CF \| Seems like your only option is to return south.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x wall"
CF \| >
CF \| > X WALL
CF \|
CF \| You stare at it for a little, trying to see if there's a hidden
CF \| entrance or something like that, but you come up empty.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "break it"
CF \| >
CF \| > BREAK IT
CF \|
CF \| You don't even put a dent into the wall.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Bare Light, Empty
CF \| The room is superordinary. The walls are blank, formless, pale green.
CF \| Someday this could be a bustling office or a hospital room or even a
CF \| bedroom -- but that would take furniture and care. Until then, it's
CF \| the kind of room you spend too much time in, the kind of room you wish
CF \| you could forget entirely.
CF \|
CF \| Darkened passages lead north and east.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage curves -- you can tell that much at least by trailing a
CF \| hand against the wall -- but it's hard to say how much, or even how
CF \| far the passage goes. There is light to the north and west. The
CF \| supermarket?
CF \|
CF \| A drop of water lands on your head.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| You manage to catch yourself right before you smack into a wall. Have
CF \| to be careful -- it's so dark.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 4
CF \| The sign overhead reads SOUP, PASTA, SAUCES, but the aisle is bare.
CF \| You seem to be in a supermarket of some kind -- slick off-white tile
CF \| floor and a faint forgotten melody -- but it's only one aisle; drab
CF \| walls rise above the shelves. Rough holes in the walls lead east and
CF \| south.
CF \|
CF \| There's a man gazing intently at nothing here. He doesn't seem to
CF \| notice your presence.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| It's cool, almost close to what the first day of fall feels like. This
CF \| is a narrow passage -- hard to say much more because the light is so
CF \| dim here -- without twist or turning.
CF \|
CF \| Things get brighter to the east, and the tunnel continues to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 8
CF \| The shelves here are completely empty. A sign indicates this would be
CF \| the snacks aisle (Doritos, pretzels, chewing gum -- all the food you
CF \| wished you could eat as a meal all by themselves) if there were
CF \| anything to buy. Overhead lights at regular intervals and an odd
CF \| melody too soft to be understood...
CF \|
CF \| The north and south ends of the aisle become entrances to what appear
CF \| to be tunnels, and a gash in the aisle leads west.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW asks, "was there a pipe in the ceiling where the water dripped?"
		Knight_Otu asks, "Since it was a darkened room, maybe?"
		DavidW says, "should go back and look up"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| It's cool, almost close to what the first day of fall feels like. This
CF \| is a narrow passage -- hard to say much more because the light is so
CF \| dim here -- without twist or turning.
CF \|
CF \| Things get brighter to the east, and the tunnel continues to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 4
CF \| The sign overhead reads SOUP, PASTA, SAUCES, but the aisle is bare.
CF \| You seem to be in a supermarket of some kind -- slick off-white tile
CF \| floor and a faint forgotten melody -- but it's only one aisle; drab
CF \| walls rise above the shelves. Rough holes in the walls lead east and
CF \| south.
CF \|
CF \| There's a man gazing intently at nothing here. He doesn't seem to
CF \| notice your presence.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage curves -- you can tell that much at least by trailing a
CF \| hand against the wall -- but it's hard to say how much, or even how
CF \| far the passage goes. There is light to the north and west. The
CF \| supermarket?
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "look up"
CF \| >
CF \| > LOOK UP
CF \|
CF \| You see nothing unexpected in that direction.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x ceiling"
CF \| >
CF \| > X CEILING
CF \|
CF \| You see nothing unexpected in that direction.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x water"
CF \| >
CF \| > X WATER
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x pipe"
CF \| >
CF \| > X PIPE
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "hmm. Perhaps just an atmospheric message."
		DavidW says, "Sorry. Thought it was a clue."
		Knight_Otu says, "I guess if we had a light, we'd know for sure."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 4
CF \| The sign overhead reads SOUP, PASTA, SAUCES, but the aisle is bare.
CF \| You seem to be in a supermarket of some kind -- slick off-white tile
CF \| floor and a faint forgotten melody -- but it's only one aisle; drab
CF \| walls rise above the shelves. Rough holes in the walls lead east and
CF \| south.
CF \|
CF \| There's a man gazing intently at nothing here. He doesn't seem to
CF \| notice your presence.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| It's cool, almost close to what the first day of fall feels like. This
CF \| is a narrow passage -- hard to say much more because the light is so
CF \| dim here -- without twist or turning.
CF \|
CF \| Things get brighter to the east, and the tunnel continues to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 8
CF \| The shelves here are completely empty. A sign indicates this would be
CF \| the snacks aisle (Doritos, pretzels, chewing gum -- all the food you
CF \| wished you could eat as a meal all by themselves) if there were
CF \| anything to buy. Overhead lights at regular intervals and an odd
CF \| melody too soft to be understood...
CF \|
CF \| The north and south ends of the aisle become entrances to what appear
CF \| to be tunnels, and a gash in the aisle leads west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| You can see very little beyond the light of the supermarket to the
CF \| south. You think that perhaps the passage is sloped, but you can't say
CF \| for sure how much or for how long. The passage continues to the north
CF \| as well, further into darkness.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| You're in almost complete darkness here; it's only by groping around
CF \| with your hands that you can tell how the passage runs. East, west,
CF \| and south. It's impossible to tell anything further... how far things
CF \| continue... whether the sensation of going deeper and deeper into the
CF \| earth is really true...
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 2
CF \| COOKIES, CRACKERS, SNACKS, a sign above you reads. But here the
CF \| shelves are as empty as before -- dusty, even. It's been a long time
CF \| since anyone has been here, it seems. Darkened passages lead north and
CF \| east.
CF \|
CF \| A little girl lies on the floor, staring at something in the ceiling
CF \| you can't see.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x girl"
CF \| >
CF \| > X GIRL
CF \|
CF \| Erin turns nine years old in a few days. It will be the happiest day
CF \| of her life, she knows. All the birthdays before this one don't count.
CF \| They came before she had a daddy.
CF \|
CF \| Her life before her daddy was weird, but she doesn't know it. Maybe if
CF \| she knew the word, she'd call it exciting. There were nighttime
CF \| escapes and lots of hotel rooms. There were bad people everywhere. Her
CF \| mother told her so and Erin believes everything her mom tells her. She
CF \| was the only good person she knew before her daddy became her daddy.
CF \|
CF \| He wakes her up early the morning of her ninth birthday. He whispers
CF \| something to her but she can't hear what he's saying.
CF \|
CF \| This is how it happens. This is how her life changes.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| You have to step carefully here; the ground is uneven though you
CF \| aren't sure how, exactly, beyond the fact that you keep almost losing
CF \| your balance. Making things more complicated is the fact that the
CF \| passage itself turns from south to west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| You manage to catch yourself right before you smack into a wall. Have
CF \| to be careful -- it's so dark.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| Here in the anteroom of the PO is a wall of mailboxes -- more than
CF \| you've ever seen before, and all in an intense shade of blue, too. One
CF \| of them is open. A mail slot beside them barely registers in your
CF \| mind. The floor is dingy; the air's stale.
CF \|
CF \| To the east is a darkened passage.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "mail slot"
		Knight_Otu says, "The post office. Jacq wanted to reach that."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF \| >
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying a can of tunafish, a tiny yellow envelope, a folded
CF \| piece of notebook paper, some money that Chris gave you, a beer, a
CF \| cough syrup bottle, your wallet, your keys and a pager.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "cf13"
CF \| >
CF \| > SAVE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF \| > SAVEOk.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "open envelope"
CF \| >
CF \| > OPEN ENVELOPE
CF \|
CF \| You have to rip the envelope apart to open it, it's sealed so tight.
CF \| There's a birthday card inside.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "open card"
CF \| >
CF \| > OPEN CARD
CF \|
CF \| The inside of the card is nearly blank. Where a message would be,
CF \| there's only a typewritten number: 6620.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "6620"
		DavidW asks, "Is that a mailbox number?"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x mailboxes"
CF \| >
CF \| > X MAILBOXES
CF \|
CF \| They aren't numbered, or named, or even locked, as far as you can
CF \| tell. There are no keyholes, no combination locks, nothing -- you have
CF \| no idea how to open them at all.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x mailbox"
CF \| >
CF \| > X MAILBOX
CF \|
CF \| Inside the mailbox is a photograph.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "get photograph"
CF \| >
CF \| > GET PHOTOGRAPH
CF \|
CF \| Taken.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x it"
CF \| >
CF \| > X IT
CF \|
CF \| You were wrong. It's just someone who looks a lot like you -- a little
CF \| thinner, honestly, and a tad better looking. He's standing in front of
CF \| some kind of tropical forest, you know, the kind of thing you'd expect
CF \| out of South America.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF \| >
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying a photograph, a can of tunafish, a ripped yellow
CF \| envelope, a folded piece of notebook paper, some money that Chris gave
CF \| you, a beer, a cough syrup bottle, your wallet, your keys and a pager.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "put envelope in mailbox"
		Knight_Otu says, "Huh, I was certain that we had that photograph... did Jacq put it into the slot last week? I don't recall."
		DavidW says, "I wasn't here."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "put envelope in slot"
CF \| >
CF \| > PUT ENVELOPE IN SLOT
CF \|
CF \| It feels a little odd to try to mail a ripped-up envelope, but you
CF \| toss it into the slot. Nothing happens; no sound or movement or
CF \| anything. But what were you expecting to happen, anyway?
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "I know."
		Jade says, "I don't remember"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x mailbox"
CF \| >
CF \| > X MAILBOX
CF \|
CF \| The mailbox is empty.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "RESTORE"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "cf13"
CF \| >
CF \| > RESTORE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to read:
CF \| Ok.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "put envelope in slot"
CF \| >
CF \| > PUT ENVELOPE IN SLOT
CF \|
CF \| It lands with a clank inside the mail slot. A clank? No time to think
CF \| about why or how -- the entire matrix of mailboxes rolls upwards (how
CF \| insubstantial they all must have been -- right?), revealing a simple,
CF \| ordinary, blue door to the south. It remains there no matter how long
CF \| you stare at it.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x door"
CF \| >
CF \| > X DOOR
CF \|
CF \| The door is plain midnight blue, with a brass knob.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Hello again, brass-knobbed door."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "open it"
CF \| >
CF \| > OPEN IT
CF \|
CF \| The door opens silently.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| In A Map Room With Two Mysterious Girls
CF \| They look up at you, smiling at you, expecting you. They're kneeling
CF \| on the floor at opposite sides of a deep circular recess where it
CF \| looks like they're still playing that game you saw them with before.
CF \| The room itself is circular, and the walls are painted a brilliant
CF \| shade of blue. You can return the way you came to the north.
CF \|
CF \| "You made it," one of the girls says warmly. "We're happy to see you."
CF \|
CF \| "We were a little worried about you," the other adds. "It took you so
CF \| long to figure things out."
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x game"
CF \| >
CF \| > X GAME
CF \|
CF \| You step in for a closer look. It's breathtaking. Spread across the
CF \| map is the party and 83, stretching all the way from Baltimore to
CF \| Beatrice's house and beyond. So many houses you could count them for
CF \| days... and at the center is the mini-mart, with a tunnel extending
CF \| from its back...
CF \|
CF \| There are just four spaces left to you: one is beside a mini mart;
CF \| another is beside a waiting room; one next to a bank lobby; and one is
CF \| in the middle of what looks to be a large underground pool of water.
CF \|
CF \| "It got kind of tangled up towards the end," one of the girls says.
CF \| "So we apologize if things got confusing."
CF \|
CF \| "Here," one of the girls says, holding out a tile from the game.
CF \| "We're almost done with our map. You should place the last one down."
CF \|
CF \| You take the tile from her and consider it for a moment.
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis says, "huh"
		MoyTravis says, "yeet the tile"
		Knight_Otu says, "These were the girls playing carcassone at the party."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x tile"
CF \| >
CF \| > X TILE
CF \|
CF \| The tile shows a blue bed drawn in a friendly, open style.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "They're saying where the other blue doors are, I guess."
		Knight_Otu says, "That seems likely, yes."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x map"
CF \| >
CF \| > X MAP
CF \|
CF \| You step in for a closer look. It's breathtaking. Spread across the
CF \| map is the party and 83, stretching all the way from Baltimore to
CF \| Beatrice's house and beyond. So many houses you could count them for
CF \| days... and at the center is the mini-mart, with a tunnel extending
CF \| from its back...
CF \|
CF \| There are just four spaces left to you: one is beside a mini mart;
CF \| another is beside a waiting room; one next to a bank lobby; and one is
CF \| in the middle of what looks to be a large underground pool of water.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW asks, "if you put the tile in the waiting room on the map, does a real bed appear in the actual waiting room?"
		Knight_Otu asks, "Maybe?"
		MoyTravis says, "That's what I bet will happen."
		MoyTravis says, "I wonder if this is how you pick your ending."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "cf14"
CF \| >
CF \| > SAVE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF \| > SAVEOk.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW asks, "So maybe the bulb thing can fall on the bed?"
		Jade says, "uf, I don't know"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "put tile beside waiting room"
CF \| >
CF \| > PUT TILE BESIDE WAITING ROOM
CF \|
CF \| The tile fits perfectly.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Hm."
		DavidW says, "I'm just guessing wildly."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF \| >
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| In A Map Room With Two Mysterious Girls
CF \| They look up at you, smiling at you, expecting you. They're kneeling
CF \| on the floor at opposite sides of a deep circular recess where it
CF \| looks like they're still playing that game you saw them with before.
CF \| The room itself is circular, and the walls are painted a brilliant
CF \| shade of blue. You can return the way you came to the north.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to girls"
CF \| >
CF \| > TALK TO GIRLS
CF \|
CF \| Try asking or telling them about a particular subject.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "ask girls about game"
CF \| >
CF \| > ASK GIRLS ABOUT GAME
CF \|
CF \| "So, what, is this part of your game?" you ask.
CF \|
CF \| "This isn't a game, not exactly," one of the girls says.
CF \|
CF \| "We'd like to think this is a story and not a dream," the other says.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "ask girls about tile"
CF \| >
CF \| > ASK GIRLS ABOUT TILE
CF \|
CF \| "What should I do with this tile you gave me?" you ask.
CF \|
CF \| "Duh," one of the girls says, gesturing towards the circular recess.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Hm."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "ask girls about tuna can"
CF \| >
CF \| > ASK GIRLS ABOUT TUNA CAN
CF \|
CF \| The two girls look at you, weighing your question, and laugh a little
CF \| bit.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "I guess I'll try to get to the waiting room."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| Where there was once were mailboxes, there is now a single blue door
CF \| leading south. The rest of the wall is simple clay, the kind you've
CF \| seen in the tunnels and passages you've passed through before.
CF \|
CF \| To the east is a darkened passage.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| You have to step carefully here; the ground is uneven though you
CF \| aren't sure how, exactly, beyond the fact that you keep almost losing
CF \| your balance. Making things more complicated is the fact that the
CF \| passage itself turns from south to west.
CF \|
CF \| "I hope I'm dreaming," a voice says in the distance.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 2
CF \| COOKIES, CRACKERS, SNACKS, a sign above you reads. But here the
CF \| shelves are as empty as before -- dusty, even. It's been a long time
CF \| since anyone has been here, it seems. Darkened passages lead north and
CF \| east.
CF \|
CF \| A little girl lies on the floor, staring at something in the ceiling
CF \| you can't see.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| You're in almost complete darkness here; it's only by groping around
CF \| with your hands that you can tell how the passage runs. East, west,
CF \| and south. It's impossible to tell anything further... how far things
CF \| continue... whether the sensation of going deeper and deeper into the
CF \| earth is really true...
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| You can see very little beyond the light of the supermarket to the
CF \| south. You think that perhaps the passage is sloped, but you can't say
CF \| for sure how much or for how long. The passage continues to the north
CF \| as well, further into darkness.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 8
CF \| The shelves here are completely empty. A sign indicates this would be
CF \| the snacks aisle (Doritos, pretzels, chewing gum -- all the food you
CF \| wished you could eat as a meal all by themselves) if there were
CF \| anything to buy. Overhead lights at regular intervals and an odd
CF \| melody too soft to be understood...
CF \|
CF \| The north and south ends of the aisle become entrances to what appear
CF \| to be tunnels, and a gash in the aisle leads west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| It's hard to see anything at all in this passage, beyond the fact that
CF \| it turns from north to east -- it's just too dark. There's a small
CF \| breeze, though it's hard to say where it's coming from.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Waiting Room, Empty
CF \| The furniture lies on its side, near the corners. Someone threw it
CF \| there -- who knows why. A single light bulb hangs at the center of the
CF \| room, casting odd shadows over everything. The receptionist's desk is
CF \| empty.
CF \|
CF \| A blue door leads south, and the darkened passage is back to the west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x door"
CF \| >
CF \| > X DOOR
CF \|
CF \| The door is plain midnight blue, with a brass knob.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "no bed"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "open door"
CF \| >
CF \| > OPEN DOOR
CF \|
CF \| It seems to be locked.
CF \|
CF \| The light shifts to a red hue for a second -- you look up at it,
CF \| confused -- and then jumps back to white.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Hm."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "push desk"
CF \| >
CF \| > PUSH DESK
CF \|
CF \| You are unable to.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "I think there was a branch I haven't seen yet."
		Knight_Otu says, "In the fully dark portion, yes."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| It's hard to see anything at all in this passage, beyond the fact that
CF \| it turns from north to east -- it's just too dark. There's a small
CF \| breeze, though it's hard to say where it's coming from.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "yeah"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 8
CF \| The shelves here are completely empty. A sign indicates this would be
CF \| the snacks aisle (Doritos, pretzels, chewing gum -- all the food you
CF \| wished you could eat as a meal all by themselves) if there were
CF \| anything to buy. Overhead lights at regular intervals and an odd
CF \| melody too soft to be understood...
CF \|
CF \| The north and south ends of the aisle become entrances to what appear
CF \| to be tunnels, and a gash in the aisle leads west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| You can see very little beyond the light of the supermarket to the
CF \| south. You think that perhaps the passage is sloped, but you can't say
CF \| for sure how much or for how long. The passage continues to the north
CF \| as well, further into darkness.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| You're in almost complete darkness here; it's only by groping around
CF \| with your hands that you can tell how the passage runs. East, west,
CF \| and south. It's impossible to tell anything further... how far things
CF \| continue... whether the sensation of going deeper and deeper into the
CF \| earth is really true...
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Mini-Mart
CF \| It's the same one you were just in... isn't it? Except everything
CF \| isn't as it was. Where there were aisles, now there are torn-up bits
CF \| of plywood, as if someone had only five minutes to construct the
CF \| scene. Sawdust all over the floor and windows made of Saran Wrap.
CF \|
CF \| The Chinese kid is still at the counter (its left side crashing to the
CF \| floor -- the thing was built all wrong), but everything is different
CF \| about him, and what's more, there's a display beside him. A sign
CF \| reads: USEFUL ITEMS FOR YOUR LIFE. PLEASE TRADES ONLY.
CF \|
CF \| A blue door lies behind him to the south; passages lead east and west.
CF \|
CF \| You can also see an empty bottle of beer here.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "oniric world"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x display"
CF \| >
CF \| > X DISPLAY
CF \|
CF \| Inside a clear plastic case, the kind you might keep doughnuts or
CF \| maybe birthday cakes, there is a single ornate blue key.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x key"
CF \| >
CF \| > X KEY
CF \|
CF \| There are curves and swirls carved into the surface of the key.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "trade for flashlight"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "trade life for key"
CF \| >
CF \| > TRADE LIFE FOR KEY
CF \|
CF \| That's not a verb I recognize.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF \| >
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying a can of tunafish, a tiny yellow envelope, a folded
CF \| piece of notebook paper, some money that Chris gave you, a beer, a
CF \| cough syrup bottle, your wallet, your keys and a pager.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "give can to kid"
CF \| >
CF \| > GIVE CAN TO KID
CF \|
CF \| The kid just shakes his head: "No trade."
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF \| >
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Mini-Mart
CF \| It's the same one you were just in... isn't it? Except everything
CF \| isn't as it was. Where there were aisles, now there are torn-up bits
CF \| of plywood, as if someone had only five minutes to construct the
CF \| scene. Sawdust all over the floor and windows made of Saran Wrap.
CF \|
CF \| The Chinese kid is still at the counter (its left side crashing to the
CF \| floor -- the thing was built all wrong), but everything is different
CF \| about him, and what's more, there's a display beside him. A sign
CF \| reads: USEFUL ITEMS FOR YOUR LIFE. PLEASE TRADES ONLY.
CF \|
CF \| A blue door lies behind him to the south; passages lead east and west.
CF \|
CF \| You can also see an empty bottle of beer here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage runs at odd angles -- you keep one hand on a wall to keep
CF \| from getting confused. To the west, things grow lighter; to the east,
CF \| darker.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 10
CF \| You never spend any time in this aisle: the sign above you indicates
CF \| dog food, cat food, baby food. Not that it really counts or anything
CF \| -- the shelves are empty here as well. There are passages west and
CF \| east, and a gap in the shelves leads north.
CF \|
CF \| An elderly man stands frozen in the middle of mopping the floor.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "aisle 10"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x man"
CF \| >
CF \| > X MAN
CF \|
CF \| Michael has worked at the supermarket coming up on three years. He
CF \| doesn't need the money -- he's long been retired. He just likes
CF \| feeling useful.
CF \|
CF \| On a Tuesday afternoon, 2:13 pm precisely, he falls to the floor of
CF \| aisle 10, his heart stopped. His life is saved, but the doctors tell
CF \| him it will happen again someday soon, and when it does, there will be
CF \| no coming back. There is no way to fix anything permanently, but there
CF \| are ways to mitigate the risk. That what the doctor says: mitigate.
CF \| When he really should say postpone.
CF \|
CF \| This is how it happens. This is how his life changes.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "get mop"
CF \| >
CF \| > GET MOP
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage here is airy, though you aren't sure why. There's no wall
CF \| along the outside part of the curve -- the path seems to curve from
CF \| west to south -- and you can hear a faint wind, and maybe... water?
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \| There is a hole -- maybe better described as a pit -- about fifteen
CF \| feet wide, right in the middle of the lobby. It looks as though no one
CF \| has been here in a long time: the glass separating tellers from people
CF \| is cracked in several places, and a desk (the kind new accounts,
CF \| loans, and foreclosures are negotiated over) teeters halfway into the
CF \| pit, rocking gently in a breeze you can't feel.
CF \|
CF \| To the north is the darkened passage you entered from, and south is
CF \| the safe deposit vault. For some reason, the metal of the vault door
CF \| is painted blue.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x vault"
CF \| >
CF \| > X VAULT
CF \|
CF \| In the center of the door is a simple combination lock, the kind you
CF \| remember from middle school. It's marked with numbers from 0 to 36.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "set lock to 6"
CF \| >
CF \| > SET LOCK TO 6
CF \|
CF \| You turn the dial to 6.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "set lock to 6"
CF \| >
CF \| > SET LOCK TO 6
CF \|
CF \| You turn the dial to 6.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "set lock to 20"
CF \| >
CF \| > SET LOCK TO 20
CF \|
CF \| You turn the dial to 20, and the vault door clicks satisfyingly.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "open vault"
CF \| >
CF \| > OPEN VAULT
CF \|
CF \| The door opens silently.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "the number on the postcard"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "cf15"
CF \| >
CF \| > SAVE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF \| > SAVEOk.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu nods.
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Gray Room
CF \| The room is square, gray, featureless. Not even clay: just flat. A
CF \| door returns north.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "I guess the tile would have been better plced here."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Bank Lobby, Bottomless
CF \| There is a hole -- maybe better described as a pit -- about fifteen
CF \| feet wide, right in the middle of the lobby. It looks as though no one
CF \| has been here in a long time: the glass separating tellers from people
CF \| is cracked in several places, and a desk (the kind new accounts,
CF \| loans, and foreclosures are negotiated over) teeters halfway into the
CF \| pit, rocking gently in a breeze you can't feel.
CF \|
CF \| To the north is the darkened passage you entered from, and south is
CF \| the safe deposit vault. For some reason, the metal of the vault door
CF \| is painted blue.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage here is airy, though you aren't sure why. There's no wall
CF \| along the outside part of the curve -- the path seems to curve from
CF \| west to south -- and you can hear a faint wind, and maybe... water?
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 10
CF \| You never spend any time in this aisle: the sign above you indicates
CF \| dog food, cat food, baby food. Not that it really counts or anything
CF \| -- the shelves are empty here as well. There are passages west and
CF \| east, and a gap in the shelves leads north.
CF \|
CF \| An elderly man stands frozen in the middle of mopping the floor.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage feels claustrophobic -- you can see the rough surface of
CF \| the ceiling above, and you can run your hands against both sides of
CF \| the tunnel just by stretching your arms a little. The passage runs
CF \| north and south.
CF \|
CF \| "Are you lost?" a voice asks, somewhere in the distance.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 1
CF \| The produce aisle is wider and larger than the aisles you've passed
CF \| through before, and it is dead empty. Where there would be canteloupe,
CF \| watermelon, strawberries, lettuce, even radishes, there are only bare
CF \| green plastic displays. Darkened passages lead north and south.
CF \|
CF \| In the center of the room is a mirror.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x mirror"
CF \| >
CF \| > X MIRROR
CF \|
CF \| Dante is lost. He has a collection of belongings, a place to live, a
CF \| job, even a retirement plan. But he's never tasted hardship -- the
CF \| real kind, that leaves scars -- and never really tasted happiness
CF \| either -- the real kind, that lasts forever.
CF \|
CF \| He wants to have a story. So badly. He tries not to think of himself
CF \| as a princess trapped in a tower, though he surely is trapped. Maybe
CF \| he can be a pilgrim lost in the dark, or an antihero waiting for the
CF \| right moment to stage his return. These are all fictions -- not
CF \| stories. They are comfortable.
CF \|
CF \| He reads so many books now. He watches so many people.
CF \|
CF \| In the mirror, there is a familiar girl behind you, a lantern in her
CF \| hand.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x girl"
CF \| >
CF \| > X GIRL
CF \|
CF \| Alice is good at waiting. This is a joke she tells herself and no one
CF \| else; she works as a waitress in an Italian restaurant she would call
CF \| "nice enough." So much of her life is nice enough. She went to a
CF \| decent college -- not a state school, but not really prestigious,
CF \| either. She tried to get into grad school, but she wasn't accepted
CF \| anywhere.
CF \|
CF \| The funny thing is it didn't feel bad to get all those rejection
CF \| letters. She just moved on to what was possible. A small apartment and
CF \| a small job. Not small -- nice enough. She doesn't feel bad. When she
CF \| knows what she wants to be, she'll know.
CF \|
CF \| It just takes time. She believes this without question. Does that
CF \| count as faith?
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "oh, the lantern"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "take lantern"
CF \| >
CF \| > TAKE LANTERN
CF \|
CF \| It slides easily from her fingers.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x it"
CF \| >
CF \| > X IT
CF \|
CF \| It's an anachronism, only in reverse -- a lantern? It seems
CF \| unbelievable. But it shines brightly, faithfully.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "get mirror"
CF \| >
CF \| > GET MIRROR
CF \|
CF \| That's fixed in place.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF \| >
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 1
CF \| The produce aisle is wider and larger than the aisles you've passed
CF \| through before, and it is dead empty. Where there would be canteloupe,
CF \| watermelon, strawberries, lettuce, even radishes, there are only bare
CF \| green plastic displays. Darkened passages lead north and south.
CF \|
CF \| A girl stands looking into space.
CF \|
CF \| In the center of the room is a mirror.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| Stairs -- real stairs, measured carefully and cut at precise angles --
CF \| lead downward in a tight clockwise circle. A slight, moist breeze
CF \| comes from below. To the south is the supermarket.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF \| >
CF \| > D
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The stairs end abruptly at a flat, blank gray wall to your north.
CF \| Nothing. It feels wrong somehow -- you don't know what you should
CF \| expect here, but you are certain there ought to be more. The stairway
CF \| leading up is behind you.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "So we took the lantern from the reflection of a girl that wasn't there."
		Knight_Otu says, "Well, she is now."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF \| >
CF \| > U
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| Stairs -- real stairs, measured carefully and cut at precise angles --
CF \| lead downward in a tight clockwise circle. A slight, moist breeze
CF \| comes from below. To the south is the supermarket.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 10
CF \| You never spend any time in this aisle: the sign above you indicates
CF \| dog food, cat food, baby food. Not that it really counts or anything
CF \| -- the shelves are empty here as well. There are passages west and
CF \| east, and a gap in the shelves leads north.
CF \|
CF \| An elderly man stands frozen in the middle of mopping the floor.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Uhm."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage runs a short way, north to south. The ceiling above you is
CF \| just barely high enough to allow you to walk without ducking your
CF \| head, and the walls are close around you.
CF \|
CF \| "Are you lost?" a voice asks, somewhere in the distance.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 1
CF \| The produce aisle is wider and larger than the aisles you've passed
CF \| through before, and it is dead empty. Where there would be canteloupe,
CF \| watermelon, strawberries, lettuce, even radishes, there are only bare
CF \| green plastic displays. Darkened passages lead north and south.
CF \|
CF \| A girl stands looking into space.
CF \|
CF \| In the center of the room is a mirror.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Huh."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage runs a short way, north to south. The ceiling above you is
CF \| just barely high enough to allow you to walk without ducking your
CF \| head, and the walls are close around you.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 10
CF \| You never spend any time in this aisle: the sign above you indicates
CF \| dog food, cat food, baby food. Not that it really counts or anything
CF \| -- the shelves are empty here as well. There are passages west and
CF \| east, and a gap in the shelves leads north.
CF \|
CF \| An elderly man stands frozen in the middle of mopping the floor.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The path turns from west to south, high above a vast, still pool of
CF \| water. You can just barely see it from here -- it must be hundreds of
CF \| feet below you. The water goes on as far as you can see, though that
CF \| not may be saying much, and the roof above you becomes cavernous, with
CF \| thin stalactites.
CF \|
CF \| "Hello?" a voice calls in the distance.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x stalactites"
CF \| >
CF \| > X STALACTITES
CF \|
CF \| The stalactites point like fingers downward.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "look down"
CF \| >
CF \| > LOOK DOWN
CF \|
CF \| You see nothing unexpected in that direction.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "A voice..."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 10
CF \| You never spend any time in this aisle: the sign above you indicates
CF \| dog food, cat food, baby food. Not that it really counts or anything
CF \| -- the shelves are empty here as well. There are passages west and
CF \| east, and a gap in the shelves leads north.
CF \|
CF \| An elderly man stands frozen in the middle of mopping the floor.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage undulates as it moves west to east, curving back and forth
CF \| with a kind of reassuring regularity. The walls are rough here, as if
CF \| the passage had just been carved hours ago.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW asks, "wasn't one door in an underground pool?"
		Knight_Otu asks, "Yeah. I think that's the one where the staircase would have led us?"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Mini-Mart
CF \| It's the same one you were just in... isn't it? Except everything
CF \| isn't as it was. Where there were aisles, now there are torn-up bits
CF \| of plywood, as if someone had only five minutes to construct the
CF \| scene. Sawdust all over the floor and windows made of Saran Wrap.
CF \|
CF \| The Chinese kid is still at the counter (its left side crashing to the
CF \| floor -- the thing was built all wrong), but everything is different
CF \| about him, and what's more, there's a display beside him. A sign
CF \| reads: USEFUL ITEMS FOR YOUR LIFE. PLEASE TRADES ONLY.
CF \|
CF \| A blue door lies behind him to the south; passages lead east and west.
CF \|
CF \| You can also see an empty bottle of beer here.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "I don't remember any staircase."
		Knight_Otu says, "North of aisle 1, I think."
		DavidW says, "oh, missed what's north of Aisle 1. Thought you hadn't been there yet."
		Knight_Otu says, "If I am moving too fast, please say so."
		DavidW says, "It's been okay so far."
		DavidW says, "It's just a confusing sort of game."
		Jade says, "yes, fine"
		Knight_Otu says, "I think the kid wants the lantern, but I want to explore wwith it a bit."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "cf16"
CF \| >
CF \| > SAVE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF \| > SAVEOk.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage branches here east and west, and returns upward to the
CF \| south. The east passage is a little narrower, the clay a bit more
CF \| moist.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 2
CF \| COOKIES, CRACKERS, SNACKS, a sign above you reads. But here the
CF \| shelves are as empty as before -- dusty, even. It's been a long time
CF \| since anyone has been here, it seems. Darkened passages lead north and
CF \| east.
CF \|
CF \| A little girl lies on the floor, staring at something in the ceiling
CF \| you can't see.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "Maybe we can break the bulb in the waiting room now that we have the lantern."
		Knight_Otu says, "Yeah."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| How strange -- there are steps cut into the surface of this passage,
CF \| though the slope downward is very gentle. The passage itself turns a
CF \| tight curve from south to west, widening slightly as it moves west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \| You can't go that way.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| You can't go that way.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| Where there was once were mailboxes, there is now a single blue door
CF \| leading south. The rest of the wall is simple clay, the kind you've
CF \| seen in the tunnels and passages you've passed through before.
CF \|
CF \| To the east is a darkened passage.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| In A Map Room With Two Mysterious Girls
CF \| They look up at you, smiling at you, expecting you. They're kneeling
CF \| on the floor at opposite sides of a deep circular recess where it
CF \| looks like they're still playing that game you saw them with before.
CF \| The room itself is circular, and the walls are painted a brilliant
CF \| shade of blue. You can return the way you came to the north.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x girls"
CF \| >
CF \| > X GIRLS
CF \|
CF \| They're wearing pajamas now -- cute ones, with little moons and stars
CF \| -- and their hair is done up in simple ponytails. Like this is a
CF \| slumber party. For some reason, this is intimidating to you... maybe
CF \| bad middle school memories.
CF \|
CF \| It's hard to say what they're more interested in now, you or the game
CF \| before them. Their eyes keep darting up at you.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "ask girls about kid"
CF \| >
CF \| > ASK GIRLS ABOUT KID
CF \|
CF \| The two girls look at you, weighing your question, and laugh a little
CF \| bit.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "ask girls about lantern"
CF \| >
CF \| > ASK GIRLS ABOUT LANTERN
CF \|
CF \| The two girls look at you, weighing your question, and laugh a little
CF \| bit.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Post Office, Hopeless
CF \| Where there was once were mailboxes, there is now a single blue door
CF \| leading south. The rest of the wall is simple clay, the kind you've
CF \| seen in the tunnels and passages you've passed through before.
CF \|
CF \| To the east is a darkened passage.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| How strange -- there are steps cut into the surface of this passage,
CF \| though the slope downward is very gentle. The passage itself turns a
CF \| tight curve from south to west, widening slightly as it moves west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 2
CF \| COOKIES, CRACKERS, SNACKS, a sign above you reads. But here the
CF \| shelves are as empty as before -- dusty, even. It's been a long time
CF \| since anyone has been here, it seems. Darkened passages lead north and
CF \| east.
CF \|
CF \| A little girl lies on the floor, staring at something in the ceiling
CF \| you can't see.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage branches here east and west, and returns upward to the
CF \| south. The east passage is a little narrower, the clay a bit more
CF \| moist.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| The passage is subtly graded, sloping downward and widening as it
CF \| heads north. The air grows colder and thinner -- there was a humidity
CF \| you hadn't noticed before -- the further down you go. Upward, to the
CF \| south, is the light of the supermarket.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Aisle 8
CF \| The shelves here are completely empty. A sign indicates this would be
CF \| the snacks aisle (Doritos, pretzels, chewing gum -- all the food you
CF \| wished you could eat as a meal all by themselves) if there were
CF \| anything to buy. Overhead lights at regular intervals and an odd
CF \| melody too soft to be understood...
CF \|
CF \| The north and south ends of the aisle become entrances to what appear
CF \| to be tunnels, and a gash in the aisle leads west.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Darkened Passage
CF \| This tunnel turns from north to east. The walls here are almost
CF \| perfectly smooth, maybe worn down with age -- it's just a guess,
CF \| though. There's a small breeze, though it's hard to say where it's
CF \| coming from.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Waiting Room, Empty
CF \| The furniture lies on its side, near the corners. Someone threw it
CF \| there -- who knows why. A single light bulb hangs at the center of the
CF \| room, casting odd shadows over everything. The receptionist's desk is
CF \| empty.
CF \|
CF \| A blue door leads south, and the darkened passage is back to the west.
CF \|
CF \| The light buzzes for a moment.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "break bulb"
CF \| >
CF \| > BREAK BULB
CF \|
CF \| You stare at the light for a moment, just thinking -- then you punch
CF \| it, an awkward, angry, sort of punch. The bulb cracks, not all the
CF \| way, but that's enough to send the whole room into darkness. As the
CF \| light evaporates, you catch sight of something metallic falling from
CF \| the bulb. It falls too fast for you to be sure what it was -- but you
CF \| know it's important, and what's weirder is that you knew it would be
CF \| there, too...
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF \| >
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Waiting Room, Dark
CF \| Your lantern casts shadows over the furniture discarded into the
CF \| corners of the room. The reception desk looks spooky in the dark; it
CF \| should have a sign-in sheet, a nametag... something.
CF \|
CF \| A blue door leads south, and the darkened passage is back to the west.
CF \|
CF \| A blue key lies in the middle of the floor, surrounded by broken glass
CF \| and debris.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "get key"
CF \| >
CF \| > GET KEY
CF \|
CF \| Taken.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "unlock door with key"
CF \| >
CF \| > UNLOCK DOOR WITH KEY
CF \|
CF \| The door unlocks without complaint.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "open it"
CF \| >
CF \| > OPEN IT
CF \|
CF \| The door opens smoothly.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "ok"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Gray Room
CF \| The room is square, gray, featureless. Not even clay: just flat. A
CF \| door returns north.
CF \|
CF \| A blue bed stands in the center of the room.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "cf17"
CF \| >
CF \| > SAVE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF \| > SAVEOk.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "lie in bed"
CF \| >
CF \| > LIE IN BED
CF \|
CF \| You close your eyes, just for a second, and it happens.
CF \| [...]
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
CF \|
CF \| (What does it mean to dream you are dreaming?)
CF \|
CF \| "Do you love me?" she asks in the dark -- she's had another nightmare.
CF \| She always has nightmares on Wednesday nights... something about what
CF \| happened to her as a kid... something she never really explained to
CF \| you...
CF \|
CF \| "Yes," you say.
CF \|
CF \| "Will you always love me?" she asks.
CF \|
CF \| (Does it mean that what happens next is less than imaginary?)
CF \|
CF \| "Yes..."
CF \|
CF \| "Even after we break up?"
CF \|
CF \| "We're not going to break up," you say.
CF \|
CF \| (But this happened to you -- you remember it)
CF \|
CF \| "We will, someday... I know we will... and you'll hate me, or I'll
CF \| hate you, or maybe things will really go wrong, and we'll both hate
CF \| each other..."
CF \|
CF \| You hate it when she starts talking like this.
CF \|
CF \| "Will you really love me then?" she asks.
CF \|
CF \| (Or is this just another dream you're remembering?)
CF \|
CF \| >>
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
CF \| >>
CF \| >
CF \|
CF \| Please answer yes or no.>		MoyTravis says, "Let's say no, I want to see what happens."
		Knight_Otu says, "Shall we ... okay."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "no"
CF ] Fuck Fuck Fuck
CF \|
CF \| > NO
CF \|
CF \| "I don't know..." you say. "I... don't know."
CF \|
CF \| She sighs, turns away from you, and says: "I forgive you. You should
CF \| remember that. It might be important."
CF \|
CF \| You lie there together in the darkness.
CF \|
CF \| "What were you dreaming about?" you finally ask.
CF \|
CF \| She laughs. "You were looking for a doughnut and then your beeper went
CF \| off..."
CF \|
CF \| Fuck Fuck Fuck
CF \| You're running down the road to the office, cursing endlessly,
CF \| monotonously -- you overslept again, and this time they'll notice it,
CF \| and this time you will have to come up with justifications and
CF \| apologies and promisary notes. The sun's so bright it feels like your
CF \| skin is burning.
CF \|
CF \| Your pager's still going off, has been since you woke up, but forget
CF \| it -- you've got to head into the building to the north.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Ugly Ugly Lobby
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Ugly Ugly Lobby
CF \| The lobby is a lie; lobby's just a way to trick those stupid enough to
CF \| actually enter the building into believing this is a legitimate
CF \| business and not an excuse for jackasses of all religious convictions
CF \| (yours truly included, surely) to pull down a sucker's salary.
CF \| Business transacted, legitimacy guaranteed -- all bullshit, all lies,
CF \| the 21st century's used car salesmen, all of them --
CF \|
CF \| West, west -- that's where you've got to get before that evil hot
CF \| receptionist bothers to note your presence and brings it up in the
CF \| middle of some godforsaken all-hands meeting designed to build team
CF \| morale and destroy the weak --
CF \|
CF \| The pager in your pocket sounds again, drawing eyes from all over.
CF \| You've got to get out of sight before someone arrests you.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "I'm gotten very tired. I need to lie down. Sorry."
		Knight_Otu says, "No problem."
		MoyTravis says, "No worries."
		Jade says, "ok"
		MoyTravis says, "Dante should really find a job that's less oppressive."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Veal Fattening Pens
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Veal Fattening Pens
CF \| At least that's what Douglas Coupland called them in that book
CF \| Beatrice gave you -- he was wrong, though, like most writers and all
CF \| Canadians. There's not a mooncalf to be found here, just the deadening
CF \| smell of old, awful coffee and those it addicts. These chumps aren't
CF \| evil yet, won't yet try to steal your sheep and eat your pie, but they
CF \| will someday. Their fate is not amenable to change.
CF \|
CF \| At least you don't have to live here -- your destination's the
CF \| basement. You get to pick: elevator to your north, stairway west.
CF \| Stairway's normally safer, but you've got to go past a bunch of
CF \| offices that may or may not be occupied with people who hate you.
CF \|
CF \| (Word passes between the walls: can you get your email? No, me
CF \| neither... I'll try rebooting just to be sure...)
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu asks, "Stairs, or elevator?"
		Roger says, "hey"
		Jade says, "try one of them"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| The elevator area's dead empty -- evidently middle management's all
CF \| tied up in a meeting or something. They've got this weird thing for
CF \| using the elevator all the time, even just to go down a single floor.
CF \| At first, you chalked it up to plain old laziness, but now you're
CF \| certain that their fat beliies have developed sentience, Star
CF \| Trek style, and demand more and more potato chips and lack of
CF \| physical activity from their hosts, so as to ensure the continued
CF \| existence of the octopoids from Omicron Persei 8.
CF \|
CF \| The elevator's right in front of you, to the north.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \| You can't, since the elevator doors are in the way.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "open doors"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN DOORS
CF \|
CF \| Gee, maybe that call button there beside the elevator might be of some
CF \| use. Did you forget to notice that?
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "push button"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \|
CF \| > PUSH BUTTON
CF \|
CF \| You jam on the button mercilessly, because the fucker no longer lights
CF \| up when you push it. Somebody broke it a long time and no one cared...
CF \|
CF \| The doors slide open immediately, which is coincidence but somewhat
CF \| spooky coincidence.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \| Just as the doors close, who slides in but Señor Big-Nose himself, the
CF \| acknowledged-by-all grand high samurai lord of assholes --
CF \|
CF \| "Dante," he says pleasantly, almost happily.
CF \|
CF \| "Mr. Werner," you say, nodding your head. Just two fucking chums about
CF \| to embark on an epic voyage to the basement. (Why is he going to the
CF \| basement?)
CF \|
CF \| "I was just talking to your supervisor... uh..."
CF \|
CF \| "Mike," you helpfully interject. This is getting dangerous, too
CF \| friendly. You're either fired or about to get promoted.
CF \|
CF \| "Yes, Michael... good man..." he says, thinking for a moment. "How
CF \| much are you making right now?"
CF \|
CF \| (What the fuck?)
CF \|
CF \| >>
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \|
CF \| >
CF \|
CF \| Señor Big-Nose thinks for a minute -- God knows exactly what's so
CF \| interesting about what you've just said --
CF \|
CF \| "You should work more hours," he says. "You probably need more money,
CF \| don't you?"
CF \|
CF \| >>
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \|
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \|		Knight_Otu says, "I guess the game wants a yes/no answer."
		Jade says, "it seems so"
		Knight_Otu asks, "Anyone have a preference?"
		Jade says, "I say NO to work even more hours"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "no"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \|
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \|		Knight_Otu says, "Uh."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "no"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "no"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "yes"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "yes"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "yes"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "yes"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u		MoyTravis asks, "Try another input?"
		Knight_Otu asks, "Er, did we break something?"
		MoyTravis asks, "Wait? x him?"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "wait"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x him"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u		MoyTravis says, "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhm."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u		MoyTravis says, "That seems not intended."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u		MoyTravis asks, "Load, maybe?"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "RESTORE"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "cf17"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u		Roger says, "well well well"
		MoyTravis says, "hm."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "RESTORE"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "cf17"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "%showpartial"
CF says (to Knight_Otu), "No partial line. Bo-ring."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "quit"
CF ] Twiddling Your Fucking Thumbs
CF \| u
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "%quit"
CF says, "game ended by request of Knight_Otu."		Jade asks, "??"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "load sleepmask bluechairs"
CF ] Stuck in an Attic
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| "Twenty-three dollars," he's saying. "Twenty-three dollars for the
CF \| best dream of your life."
CF \|
CF \| You don't know his name or anything -- he's just the guy you always
CF \| meet at parties thrown by people you've never met. He's nobody's
CF \| friend, exactly, but everyone knows who he is when it's time. Probably
CF \| doesn't even have a name, probably has bagged groceries at some
CF \| godforsaken Shopper's Food Warehouse since high school, but who cares?
CF \| He's here to help you in your hour of need.
CF \|
CF \| "What do you say?" he asks, holding up a repurposed cough syrup bottle
CF \| with something green inside. Green like candy almost never is.
CF \|
CF \| Stuck in an Attic
CF \| Sure, you're used to piece-of-shit architecture (you live in Dundalk,
CF \| for crissake), but this place will be receiving some kind of award
CF \| from you by the end of the night. There's totally unimportant crap
CF \| strewn all over the place -- old sewing machines, an Easy-Bake oven,
CF \| even a set of folding chairs painted carnival blue -- but fortunately,
CF \| almost all of it is in shadow thanks to an underperforming fifty-watt
CF \| bulb directly above.
CF \|
CF \| It's just you and the dude here. The only place in the entire house
CF \| you could get any privacy. It's only ten o'clock and already the call
CF \| to hook up has come down from the heavens.
CF \|
CF \| Stairs lead downward, back to the party and that awful trance-bop they
CF \| keep playing.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "RESTORE"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "cf17"
CF \| >
CF \| > RESTORE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to read:
CF ] A Gray Room
CF \| Ok.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] A Gray Room
CF \|
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Gray Room
CF \| The room is square, gray, featureless. Not even clay: just flat. A
CF \| door returns north.
CF \|
CF \| A blue bed stands in the center of the room.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Right before we went to sleep. Not too much."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "lie in bed"
CF ] A Gray Room
CF \|
CF \| > LIE IN BED
CF \|
CF \| You close your eyes, just for a second, and it happens.
CF \| [...]
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
CF \|
CF \| (What does it mean to dream you are dreaming?)
CF \|
CF \| "Do you love me?" she asks in the dark -- she's had another nightmare.
CF \| She always has nightmares on Wednesday nights... something about what
CF \| happened to her as a kid... something she never really explained to
CF \| you...
CF \|
CF \| "Yes," you say.
CF \|
CF \| "Will you always love me?" she asks.
CF \|
CF \| (Does it mean that what happens next is less than imaginary?)
CF \|
CF \| "Yes..."
CF \|
CF \| "Even after we break up?"
CF \|
CF \| "We're not going to break up," you say.
CF \|
CF \| (But this happened to you -- you remember it)
CF \|
CF \| "We will, someday... I know we will... and you'll hate me, or I'll
CF \| hate you, or maybe things will really go wrong, and we'll both hate
CF \| each other..."
CF \|
CF \| You hate it when she starts talking like this.
CF \|
CF \| "Will you really love me then?" she asks.
CF \|
CF \| (Or is this just another dream you're remembering?)
CF \|
CF \| >>
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "yes"
CF \| >>
CF \| > YES
CF \|
CF \| "Yes," you say.
CF \|
CF \| "Are you lying to me now? Because I'll forgive you."
CF \|
CF \| >>
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "no"
CF ] Fuck Fuck Fuck
CF \|
CF \| > NO
CF \|
CF \| "I'll always love you," you say.
CF \|
CF \| You pause without really knowing why.
CF \|
CF \| "You know, I'm going to be president one day."
CF \|
CF \| She laughs a little bit, the way she does when you tell her about your
CF \| dreams about dogs.
CF \|
CF \| "It's not funny, I'm serious. They're going to elect me president of
CF \| nowhere and they're going to put me in charge of nothing. They're
CF \| going to give me a crown and a scepter and they're going to tell me I
CF \| can never say a true word, and I won't mind.
CF \|
CF \| "They're going to take away my life. I'm not going to have a story.
CF \| It'll all be mixed up instead. They're going to make me walk through
CF \| supermarkets and post offices and waiting rooms, and they're going to
CF \| make me drinks at parties to ensure I keep smiling... and I'm going to
CF \| hate it all. Not the way I hate things now -- for reasons, you know?
CF \|
CF \| "I mean, I hate Disney World because I never liked any of the
CF \| cartoons, and I hate chocolate chip cookies because chocolate tastes
CF \| weird to me. What's going to happen is... I'm going to hate things
CF \| without feeling angry. And it's going to be terrible. I'll be
CF \| hopeless. I'll do everything without understanding why."
CF \|
CF \| "But... I'll still love you. It'll be the only thing I'll have left."
CF \|
CF \| She probably isn't listening now. When you talk like this, she calls
CF \| it babbling, and maybe's she's right about all the other times -- you
CF \| do talk too much, it's in your nature, or at least it used to be --
CF \|
CF \| "What were you dreaming about?" you finally ask.
CF \|
CF \| She laughs. "You were looking for a doughnut and then your beeper went
CF \| off..."
CF \|
CF \| Fuck Fuck Fuck
CF \| You're running down the road to the office, cursing endlessly,
CF \| monotonously -- you overslept again, and this time they'll notice it,
CF \| and this time you will have to come up with justifications and
CF \| apologies and promisary notes. The sun's so bright it feels like your
CF \| skin is burning.
CF \|
CF \| Your pager's still going off, has been since you woke up, but forget
CF \| it -- you've got to head into the building to the north.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Ugly Ugly Lobby
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Ugly Ugly Lobby
CF \| The lobby is a lie; lobby's just a way to trick those stupid enough to
CF \| actually enter the building into believing this is a legitimate
CF \| business and not an excuse for jackasses of all religious convictions
CF \| (yours truly included, surely) to pull down a sucker's salary.
CF \| Business transacted, legitimacy guaranteed -- all bullshit, all lies,
CF \| the 21st century's used car salesmen, all of them --
CF \|
CF \| West, west -- that's where you've got to get before that evil hot
CF \| receptionist bothers to note your presence and brings it up in the
CF \| middle of some godforsaken all-hands meeting designed to build team
CF \| morale and destroy the weak --
CF \|
CF \| The pager in your pocket sounds again, drawing eyes from all over.
CF \| You've got to get out of sight before someone arrests you.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Veal Fattening Pens
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Veal Fattening Pens
CF \| At least that's what Douglas Coupland called them in that book
CF \| Beatrice gave you -- he was wrong, though, like most writers and all
CF \| Canadians. There's not a mooncalf to be found here, just the deadening
CF \| smell of old, awful coffee and those it addicts. These chumps aren't
CF \| evil yet, won't yet try to steal your sheep and eat your pie, but they
CF \| will someday. Their fate is not amenable to change.
CF \|
CF \| At least you don't have to live here -- your destination's the
CF \| basement. You get to pick: elevator to your north, stairway west.
CF \| Stairway's normally safer, but you've got to go past a bunch of
CF \| offices that may or may not be occupied with people who hate you.
CF \|
CF \| (Word passes between the walls: can you get your email? No, me
CF \| neither... I'll try rebooting just to be sure...)
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "cf18"
CF \| >
CF \| > SAVE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF ] Veal Fattening Pens
CF \| Ok.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Offices and Burnouts
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Offices and Burnouts
CF \| Office doors are closed, half-closed, just barely open. So hard to
CF \| tell the difference between those that just prefer to pretend they
CF \| have privacy and those that have something to hide. Who can be saved
CF \| and who can't. There is no triage unit in the building, no doctor to
CF \| pronounce time of death. You could take an afternoon stroll around the
CF \| cubicle farm before you realize your heart's stopped beating and
CF \| you've got no reflection.
CF \|
CF \| Keep running, for God's sake. The stairwell's right there, west of
CF \| where you're standing.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] A Sea of Blue Chairs
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| You fly down the stairs so fast, it seems like you could fly if you
CF \| just clapped your hands, like Tinkerball --
CF \|
CF \| A Sea of Blue Chairs
CF \| They store 'em down here, you knew that, but things are different this
CF \| morning. The blue chairs are arranged in straight rows that block the
CF \| door to the server room, and maybe weirdest of all is the fact that
CF \| there's a Krispy Kreme box on the floor in front of all the chairs.
CF \|
CF \| The whole scene's got this Wile E. Coyote trap vibe, like if you make
CF \| the wrong move, a pack of ravenous interns will eat you alive.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Huh."
		MoyTravis exclaims, "oooh donuts!"
		MoyTravis exclaims, "Eat the donuts, Dante!"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "get donuts"
CF ] A Sea of Blue Chairs
CF \|
CF \| > GET DONUTS
CF \|
CF \| Taken.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "eat them"
CF ] A Sea of Blue Chairs
CF \|
CF \| > EAT THEM
CF \|
CF \| Come on, no time to screw around here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "open door"
CF ] A Sea of Blue Chairs
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN DOOR
CF \|
CF \| The blue chairs block the way, which seems absurd, ridiculous...
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "push chairs"
CF ] A Sea of Blue Chairs
CF \|
CF \| > PUSH CHAIRS
CF \|
CF \| It takes more than a significant amount of time to clear yourself a
CF \| path through the chairs -- the cloth sticks to your hands though there
CF \| is no spilled soda, no inexplicable trace of coffee creamer to blame.
CF \|
CF \| The chairs keep sliding back into place, like they've got little
CF \| demented brains, but fuck it -- it's not like you have anywhere to be.
CF \| Nowhere better, anyway. People always talk about going to New Orleans
CF \| and skiing in Colorado... but how is that different, anyway? It's not
CF \| like you'd feel any better about things if the sun was shining on your
CF \| face...
CF \|
CF \| At last, the way to the door is clear.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "open door"
CF ] A Sea of Blue Chairs
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN DOOR
CF \|
CF \| You throw the door open.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "enter door"
CF ] A Gas Station in the Middle of Nowhere
CF \|
CF \| > ENTER DOOR
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| A Gas Station in the Middle of Nowhere
CF \| Holy shit, you're outside and it's night and this is really happening,
CF \| all of it. Chris is sitting on the hood of his car, pointedly bored
CF \| and waiting. The gas station's parking lot is otherwise empty. The
CF \| dead of the night; a breeze stirs past you. The world is dreaming but
CF \| -- let's be clear here because things are getting a little bit more
CF \| than confused -- you are not.
CF \|
CF \| How do you know? Maybe it's just the sound of the door of the
CF \| mini-mart closing behind you. Dreams never have that kind of detail in
CF \| them.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] A Gas Station in the Middle of Nowhere
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying your wallet, a pager, your keys, a Krispy Kreme box,
CF \| a blue key, a lantern, a can of tunafish, a tiny yellow envelope, a
CF \| folded piece of notebook paper, some money that Chris gave you, a beer
CF \| and a cough syrup bottle.
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis says, "Did we just yoink the donuts? That's real rude."
		MoyTravis says, "You should pay for those, that's what the money's for."
		Knight_Otu says, "I have no idea what truly is happening."
		MoyTravis says, "Look we got the donuts let's give'm to Chris and see if he's willing to drop us off."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "give donuts to chris"
CF ] A Gas Station in the Middle of Nowhere
CF \|
CF \| > GIVE DONUTS TO CHRIS
CF \|
CF \| Chris opens the box, smiles. "Nice," he notes appreciatively, and
CF \| starts wolfing down a doughnut.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade asks, "are we awaken?"
		Knight_Otu says (to Jade), "It is very unclear."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "ask chris about dream"
CF ] A Gas Station in the Middle of Nowhere
CF \|
CF \| > ASK CHRIS ABOUT DREAM
CF \|
CF \| Chris looks at you a moment, kind of dumbfounded.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "ask chris about donuts"
CF ] A Gas Station in the Middle of Nowhere
CF \|
CF \| > ASK CHRIS ABOUT DONUTS
CF \|
CF \| Chris looks at you a moment, kind of dumbfounded.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "ask chris about car"
CF ] A Gas Station in the Middle of Nowhere
CF \|
CF \| > ASK CHRIS ABOUT CAR
CF \|
CF \| Chris looks at you a moment, kind of dumbfounded.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "it seems we are still sleep"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "ask chris about money"
CF ] A Gas Station in the Middle of Nowhere
CF \|
CF \| > ASK CHRIS ABOUT MONEY
CF \|
CF \| Chris looks at you a moment, kind of dumbfounded.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "sit in car"
CF ] A Gas Station in the Middle of Nowhere
CF \|
CF \| > SIT IN CAR
CF \|
CF \| "No love, huh?" Chris says as he climbs in the driver's seat.
CF \|
CF \| "Oh, geez, I forgot," you say -- but it seems by the grace of Krispy
CF \| Kreme, all is forgiven.
CF \|
CF \| The ride passes in silence. What could you talk about now, anyway?
CF \| Would you like to talk about how you are now a shrill right-wing
CF \| lawyer's wet dream, unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy,
CF \| undoubtedly due to some overflow of mass media and loneliness and
CF \| drugs? Nobody wants to hear that kind of thing, least of all some
CF \| near-stranger who's agreed to give you a ride to a place he's never
CF \| been to before.
CF \|
CF \| You have a feeling you're about two inches away from really screwing
CF \| this up, so you just spend your time watching the stars, the moon, the
CF \| ground rushing past.
CF \|
CF \| Everything is so dark.
CF \| [...]
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] In Front of Beatrice's House
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| "Is this the place?" Chris asks.
CF \|
CF \| You check the number on the mailbox, just to be sure. "Yeah, it is."
CF \|
CF \| He doesn't say anything as you get out.
CF \|
CF \| In Front of Beatrice's House
CF \| The front yard is well-maintained, just as you remember it. Neatly
CF \| trimmed grass, a yellow mailbox at the edge of the road, and a thin,
CF \| almost reedy dogwood tree on the right side of the flagstone path that
CF \| leads to the house.
CF \|
CF \| But the house has been destroyed. Fire. The smell of it is thick in
CF \| the air -- ten thousand marshmallows cooked over a hundred bonfires, a
CF \| million campfires forgotten in the woods -- and the house looks like
CF \| it has been gutted. The roof is still there, but one corner is coming
CF \| loose, and the entire front of the house has been burned black. All
CF \| windows gone. Where the front door was, there is a bare doorway
CF \| leading north.
CF \|
CF \| The Corolla idles in the street.
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis says, "oh, wow"
		MoyTravis says, "Yeah that's a good reason to call in a panic."
		Knight_Otu says, "I mean, yes, but also..."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Inside
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Inside
CF \| The smell is horrible, the air barely breathable. You remember
CF \| everything: the pictures of her seven uncles that used to hang on that
CF \| wall there, the chair with a wobbly leg, the bookcases full of books
CF \| no one had read in a long time. Rabelais. Carson McCullers. It was
CF \| always warm here, especially in the summer.
CF \|
CF \| There is little now beyond ashes and pieces of things. Things you
CF \| could identify, paste together maybe, if you made it your life's work.
CF \| To the west is what remains of the living room, and the dining room is
CF \| north. A fractured, humbled staircase leads up, and you can leave to
CF \| the south.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x staircase"
CF ] Inside
CF \|
CF \| > X STAIRCASE
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Living Room
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Living Room
CF \| The couch now faces you and nothing else. It once was against the
CF \| opposite wall, facing the television set that's now only a puddle of
CF \| plastic in a rough rectangular shape. (So many summer nights spent
CF \| watching some old movie you'd never bothered to watch before...)
CF \| Shards of blackened wood and bits of broken metal cover the floor. The
CF \| walls are blotched white with chemical residue. A bathroom door is
CF \| north, and the entrance to the house is back to the east.
CF \|
CF \| You can see a bathroom door here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "open door"
CF ] Living Room
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN DOOR
CF \|
CF \| The door seems stuck fast.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "kick it"
CF ] Living Room
CF \|
CF \| > KICK IT
CF \|
CF \| You pound on the door, but it doesn't budge.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Inside
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Inside
CF \| The smell is horrible, the air barely breathable. You remember
CF \| everything: the pictures of her seven uncles that used to hang on that
CF \| wall there, the chair with a wobbly leg, the bookcases full of books
CF \| no one had read in a long time. Rabelais. Carson McCullers. It was
CF \| always warm here, especially in the summer.
CF \|
CF \| There is little now beyond ashes and pieces of things. Things you
CF \| could identify, paste together maybe, if you made it your life's work.
CF \| To the west is what remains of the living room, and the dining room is
CF \| north. A fractured, humbled staircase leads up, and you can leave to
CF \| the south.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Dining Room
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Dining Room
CF \| A view onto the backyard. The wall is gone; in its place are the studs
CF \| holding the house together and a spray of broken glass. You and
CF \| Beatrice ate here alone once, her parents away on a trip. You stared
CF \| out at the playground then. You wish you could remember what you were
CF \| thinking of. The night felt perfect. It felt like whatever happened
CF \| next, it would happen for a reason.
CF \|
CF \| The playground is still there. You can see it. No one and nothing has
CF \| touched it. You can return to the house's entrance to the south.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x playground"
CF ] Dining Room
CF \|
CF \| > X PLAYGROUND
CF \|
CF \| It's a simple, plastic one, the kind you'd buy at Toys 'R Us except no
CF \| one you knew ever did, and you always wondered what it would be like
CF \| to have one. A playground just for you and no one else.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Dining Room
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \| Though you can see through the wall studs, you don't see a way to move
CF \| past them.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] Inside
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Inside
CF \| The smell is horrible, the air barely breathable. You remember
CF \| everything: the pictures of her seven uncles that used to hang on that
CF \| wall there, the chair with a wobbly leg, the bookcases full of books
CF \| no one had read in a long time. Rabelais. Carson McCullers. It was
CF \| always warm here, especially in the summer.
CF \|
CF \| There is little now beyond ashes and pieces of things. Things you
CF \| could identify, paste together maybe, if you made it your life's work.
CF \| To the west is what remains of the living room, and the dining room is
CF \| north. A fractured, humbled staircase leads up, and you can leave to
CF \| the south.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF ] Stairs
CF \|
CF \| > U
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Stairs
CF \| Planks creak uneasily beneath your feet. It will take care to make it
CF \| up and down now. The two middle steps are gone. There's just emptiness
CF \| there now, a place no one has ever visited and no one will -- an
CF \| emptiness that you ought to be able to step over gingerly, carefully,
CF \| just barely frightened, without breaking anything more than it already
CF \| is.
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis says, "We should, like, yell."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "yell"
CF ] Stairs
CF \|
CF \| > YELL
CF \|
CF \| I didn't understand that sentence.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "shout"
CF ] Stairs
CF \|
CF \| > SHOUT
CF \|
CF \| I didn't understand that sentence.
CF \|
CF \| >		MoyTravis says, "Well I guess we shouldn't then."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "call beatrice"
CF ] Stairs
CF \|
CF \| > CALL BEATRICE
CF \|
CF \| That's not a verb I recognize.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF ] Landing
CF \|
CF \| > U
CF \|
CF \| You step carefully over the gap, testing the next step with your foot.
CF \| It feels solid, though it surely can't be -- this is dangerous, you
CF \| know. This kind of thing should not be done.
CF \|
CF \| Landing
CF \| The smell of smoke isn't as bad up here, and the walls retain some
CF \| reminder of what was once here -- a dark scrap of wallpaper, a
CF \| shattered picture frame, a corner of the red rug. The kind of things
CF \| you only remember when they're gone. Beatrice's room is west, its door
CF \| a wreck on the ground. The hallway that leads to her parents' bedroom
CF \| is north, and stairs lead down.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Beatrice's Room
CF \| The first time you saw this room, you were laughing. It was Christmas,
CF \| after dinner, and you were flush with the wine her parents insisted
CF \| you drink -- maybe because you seemed so nervous -- and there you saw
CF \| them: all those paper cranes hanging from the ceiling. She made them,
CF \| one by one, to remember things worth remembering. Her sixteenth
CF \| birthday. When she stopped taking ballet classes. You caught her
CF \| reaching for a piece of origami paper on her bureau that night. She
CF \| thought you had fallen asleep.
CF \|
CF \| All of the cranes are gone. Everything is gone.
CF \|
CF \| The only thing left now is the metal frame of the bed. There are holes
CF \| everywhere in the walls, even the ceiling. The second-floor landing is
CF \| east.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x frame"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > X FRAME
CF \|
CF \| It used to have bright blue blankets, the color of robins in the
CF \| morning. It's stripped bare now, strong but empty.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade asks, "are we dead?"
		Knight_Otu says, "We might be in purgatory. We are named Dante, after all."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Landing
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Landing
CF \| The smell of smoke isn't as bad up here, and the walls retain some
CF \| reminder of what was once here -- a dark scrap of wallpaper, a
CF \| shattered picture frame, a corner of the red rug. The kind of things
CF \| you only remember when they're gone. Beatrice's room is west, its door
CF \| a wreck on the ground. The hallway that leads to her parents' bedroom
CF \| is north, and stairs lead down.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "ah, yes, yes"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Hallway
CF \| The hallway comes to an abrupt end where the entire left wall has
CF \| fallen inward. The gap beneath where the wall fell is crowded with
CF \| odd, pointed fragments of things you can't quite recognize: wood,
CF \| metal, plastic. The things that make up all domestic dreams. The
CF \| bedroom door, behind the wall, looks intact.
CF \|
CF \| To the south is the landing.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "open door"
CF ] Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > OPEN DOOR
CF \|
CF \| You can't get to it -- the collapsed wall is in the way.
CF \|
CF \| The house is dead silent.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "push wall"
CF ] Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > PUSH WALL
CF \|
CF \| You can't seem to move the wall. It's just too heavy.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| You can't go that way.
CF \|
CF \| >
Lionheart has arrived.
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| You can't go that way.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] Hallway
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying your wallet, a pager, your keys, a blue key, a
CF \| lantern, a can of tunafish, a tiny yellow envelope, a folded piece of
CF \| notebook paper, some money that Chris gave you, a beer and a cough
CF \| syrup bottle.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] Landing
CF \|
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Landing
CF \| The smell of smoke isn't as bad up here, and the walls retain some
CF \| reminder of what was once here -- a dark scrap of wallpaper, a
CF \| shattered picture frame, a corner of the red rug. The kind of things
CF \| you only remember when they're gone. Beatrice's room is west, its door
CF \| a wreck on the ground. The hallway that leads to her parents' bedroom
CF \| is north, and stairs lead down.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x rug"
CF ] Landing
CF \|
CF \| > X RUG
CF \|
CF \| You don't see anything like that around.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] Stairs
CF \|
CF \| > D
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Stairs
CF \| Planks creak uneasily beneath your feet. It takes care to make it up
CF \| and down now. The two middle steps are gone. There's just emptiness
CF \| there now, a place no one has ever visited and no one will -- an
CF \| emptiness that you ought to be able to step over gingerly, carefully,
CF \| just barely frightened, without breaking anything more than it already
CF \| is.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] Inside
CF \|
CF \| > D
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Inside
CF \| The smell is horrible, the air barely breathable. You remember
CF \| everything: the pictures of her seven uncles that used to hang on that
CF \| wall there, the chair with a wobbly leg, the bookcases full of books
CF \| no one had read in a long time. Rabelais. Carson McCullers. It was
CF \| always warm here, especially in the summer.
CF \|
CF \| There is little now beyond ashes and pieces of things. Things you
CF \| could identify, paste together maybe, if you made it your life's work.
CF \| To the west is what remains of the living room, and the dining room is
CF \| north. A fractured, humbled staircase leads up, and you can leave to
CF \| the south.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Living Room
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Living Room
CF \| The couch now faces you and nothing else. It once was against the
CF \| opposite wall, facing the television set that's now only a puddle of
CF \| plastic in a rough rectangular shape. (So many summer nights spent
CF \| watching some old movie you'd never bothered to watch before...)
CF \| Shards of blackened wood and bits of broken metal cover the floor. The
CF \| walls are blotched white with chemical residue. A bathroom door is
CF \| north, and the entrance to the house is back to the east.
CF \|
CF \| You can see a bathroom door here.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x door"
CF ] Living Room
CF \|
CF \| > X DOOR
CF \|
CF \| The door is distorted and twisted and black.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "knock on it"
CF ] Living Room
CF \|
CF \| > KNOCK ON IT
CF \|
CF \| You pound on the door, but it doesn't budge.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x shards"
CF ] Living Room
CF \|
CF \| > X SHARDS
CF \|
CF \| Things best forgotten.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Inside
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Inside
CF \| The smell is horrible, the air barely breathable. You remember
CF \| everything: the pictures of her seven uncles that used to hang on that
CF \| wall there, the chair with a wobbly leg, the bookcases full of books
CF \| no one had read in a long time. Rabelais. Carson McCullers. It was
CF \| always warm here, especially in the summer.
CF \|
CF \| There is little now beyond ashes and pieces of things. Things you
CF \| could identify, paste together maybe, if you made it your life's work.
CF \| To the west is what remains of the living room, and the dining room is
CF \| north. A fractured, humbled staircase leads up, and you can leave to
CF \| the south.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF ] Stairs
CF \|
CF \| > U
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Stairs
CF \| Planks creak uneasily beneath your feet. It takes care to make it up
CF \| and down now. The two middle steps are gone. There's just emptiness
CF \| there now, a place no one has ever visited and no one will -- an
CF \| emptiness that you ought to be able to step over gingerly, carefully,
CF \| just barely frightened, without breaking anything more than it already
CF \| is.
CF \|
CF \| >
Jade has left.
Jade has arrived.
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Stairs
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| You can't go that way.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Stairs
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| You can't go that way.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF ] Landing
CF \|
CF \| > U
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Landing
CF \| The smell of smoke isn't as bad up here, and the walls retain some
CF \| reminder of what was once here -- a dark scrap of wallpaper, a
CF \| shattered picture frame, a corner of the red rug. The kind of things
CF \| you only remember when they're gone. Beatrice's room is west, its door
CF \| a wreck on the ground. The hallway that leads to her parents' bedroom
CF \| is north, and stairs lead down.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Beatrice's Room
CF \| The first time you saw this room, you were laughing. It was Christmas,
CF \| after dinner, and you were flush with the wine her parents insisted
CF \| you drink -- maybe because you seemed so nervous -- and there you saw
CF \| them: all those paper cranes hanging from the ceiling. She made them,
CF \| one by one, to remember things worth remembering. Her sixteenth
CF \| birthday. When she stopped taking ballet classes. You caught her
CF \| reaching for a piece of origami paper on her bureau that night. She
CF \| thought you had fallen asleep.
CF \|
CF \| All of the cranes are gone. Everything is gone.
CF \|
CF \| The only thing left now is the metal frame of the bed. There are holes
CF \| everywhere in the walls, even the ceiling. The second-floor landing is
CF \| east.
CF \|
CF \| There's a noise above you... a footstep? But it sounds too far away.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] Landing
CF \|
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Landing
CF \| The smell of smoke isn't as bad up here, and the walls retain some
CF \| reminder of what was once here -- a dark scrap of wallpaper, a
CF \| shattered picture frame, a corner of the red rug. The kind of things
CF \| you only remember when they're gone. Beatrice's room is west, its door
CF \| a wreck on the ground. The hallway that leads to her parents' bedroom
CF \| is north, and stairs lead down.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x ceiling"
CF ] Landing
CF \|
CF \| > X CEILING
CF \|
CF \| You see nothing unexpected in that direction.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF ] Landing
CF \|
CF \| > U
CF \|
CF \| You can't go that way.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Beatrice's Room
CF \| The first time you saw this room, you were laughing. It was Christmas,
CF \| after dinner, and you were flush with the wine her parents insisted
CF \| you drink -- maybe because you seemed so nervous -- and there you saw
CF \| them: all those paper cranes hanging from the ceiling. She made them,
CF \| one by one, to remember things worth remembering. Her sixteenth
CF \| birthday. When she stopped taking ballet classes. You caught her
CF \| reaching for a piece of origami paper on her bureau that night. She
CF \| thought you had fallen asleep.
CF \|
CF \| All of the cranes are gone. Everything is gone.
CF \|
CF \| The only thing left now is the metal frame of the bed. There are holes
CF \| everywhere in the walls, even the ceiling. The second-floor landing is
CF \| east.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "cf19"
CF \| >
CF \| > SAVE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \| Ok.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "lie on bed"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > LIE ON BED
CF \|
CF \| It's very uncomfortable -- what were once box springs are now twisted,
CF \| pointed.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "stand on bed"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > STAND ON BED
CF \|
CF \| But you're already on the metal bedframe.
CF \|
CF \| There's that noise again. From above.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "look up"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > LOOK UP
CF \|
CF \| You see nothing unexpected in that direction.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x ceiling"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > X CEILING
CF \|
CF \| (the holes in the ceiling)
CF \| You can't see anything through the holes in the ceiling -- it's just
CF \| darkness.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "knock on ceiling"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > KNOCK ON CEILING
CF \|
CF \| (the holes in the ceiling)
CF \| You've never been a very violent kind of guy.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "climb bed"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "stand"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > STAND
CF \|
CF \| You get off the metal bedframe.
CF \|
CF \| Beatrice's Room
CF \| The first time you saw this room, you were laughing. It was Christmas,
CF \| after dinner, and you were flush with the wine her parents insisted
CF \| you drink -- maybe because you seemed so nervous -- and there you saw
CF \| them: all those paper cranes hanging from the ceiling. She made them,
CF \| one by one, to remember things worth remembering. Her sixteenth
CF \| birthday. When she stopped taking ballet classes. You caught her
CF \| reaching for a piece of origami paper on her bureau that night. She
CF \| thought you had fallen asleep.
CF \|
CF \| All of the cranes are gone. Everything is gone.
CF \|
CF \| The only thing left now is the metal frame of the bed. There are holes
CF \| everywhere in the walls, even the ceiling. The second-floor landing is
CF \| east.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "climb bed"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > CLIMB BED
CF \|
CF \| It's very uncomfortable -- what were once box springs are now twisted,
CF \| pointed.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "jump"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > JUMP
CF \|
CF \| You hop a little, just because.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "wait"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > WAIT
CF \|
CF \| Time passes.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "stand"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > STAND
CF \|
CF \| You get off the metal bedframe.
CF \|
CF \| Beatrice's Room
CF \| The first time you saw this room, you were laughing. It was Christmas,
CF \| after dinner, and you were flush with the wine her parents insisted
CF \| you drink -- maybe because you seemed so nervous -- and there you saw
CF \| them: all those paper cranes hanging from the ceiling. She made them,
CF \| one by one, to remember things worth remembering. Her sixteenth
CF \| birthday. When she stopped taking ballet classes. You caught her
CF \| reaching for a piece of origami paper on her bureau that night. She
CF \| thought you had fallen asleep.
CF \|
CF \| All of the cranes are gone. Everything is gone.
CF \|
CF \| The only thing left now is the metal frame of the bed. There are holes
CF \| everywhere in the walls, even the ceiling. The second-floor landing is
CF \| east.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "push bed"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > PUSH BED
CF \|
CF \| You are unable to.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "climb on bed"
		Knight_Otu says, "Climbibg it didn't seem to help."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You are carrying your wallet, a pager, your keys, a blue key, a
CF \| lantern, a can of tunafish, a tiny yellow envelope, a folded piece of
CF \| notebook paper, some money that Chris gave you, a beer and a cough
CF \| syrup bottle.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > U
CF \|
CF \| You can't reach high enough to get a good hand hold -- you aren't tall
CF \| enough.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "climb on hole"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "stand on bed"
CF ] Beatrice's Room
CF \|
CF \| > STAND ON BED
CF \|
CF \| It's very uncomfortable -- what were once box springs are now twisted,
CF \| pointed.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF ] Attic
CF \|
CF \| > U
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Attic
CF \| You've never been here before tonight, so you don't know what had been
CF \| collected here and is now lost. The smell of smoke is thin, though the
CF \| attic is charred black and empty. A large chunk of the roof has
CF \| crumbled at the north end of the attic, leaving a space about as wide
CF \| as your arms can reach. The dim starlight seems warm somehow, drawing
CF \| you forward, upward, onto the roof.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Okay, you were right, sorry."
		Jade says, "perfect"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF ] Roof
CF \|
CF \| > U
CF \|
CF \| You lift yourself onto the roof awkwardly.
CF \|
CF \| Roof
CF \| Shingles tumble into the gutter as you steady yourself on the slow
CF \| slope of the roof. The night sky is clear of clouds; stars are
CF \| everywhere. The dim glow of Baltimore is in the distance.
CF \|
CF \| Beatrice... Beatrice is here. She stands at the opposite edge of the
CF \| roof, looking down.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "no worries, we are trying"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "x beatrice"
CF ] Roof
CF \|
CF \| > X BEATRICE
CF \|
CF \| (Beatrice)
CF \| Even with her back turned to you, you can tell it's her. Her hair is
CF \| rough and frazzled, and her clothes are faded and ripped, like old
CF \| pajamas. But she still is beautiful.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "ask beatrice about trouble"
CF ] Roof
CF \|
CF \| > ASK BEATRICE ABOUT TROUBLE
CF \|
CF \| (Beatrice about that)
CF \| "What... what are you doing here?" you ask.
CF \|
CF \| She turns and looks at you curiously. "You're here. You really came."
CF \|
CF \| "Of course I did," you say. "What happened to your house?"
CF \|
CF \| "I was dreaming," she says with a sudden, awkward smile. "I was
CF \| dreaming of monsters."
CF \|
CF \| ("You always dream about monsters," you start to say...)
CF \|
CF \| "And when I woke up, everything was burning."
CF \|
CF \| She doesn't say anything for a long time, like she's remembering
CF \| something. But then she says: "This isn't really happening, is it? It
CF \| seems so impossible."
CF \|
CF \| Beatrice stands up, walks to you, places a hand on your chest. Feeling
CF \| your heart beat.
CF \|
CF \| "Is this real?"
CF \|
CF \| >>		Knight_Otu says, "I mean, I guess no, but I want to say yes."
		Jade says, "ok then"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "yes"
CF ] Roof
CF \|
CF \| > YES
CF \|
CF \| "Wait -- don't answer that," she says, and takes two steps backwards,
CF \| so that her feet no longer touch the roof.
CF \|
CF \| She should be falling now, but she isn't. She's standing on the air
CF \| itself.
CF \|
CF \| "Dante," she says. "This is real."
CF \|
CF \| A snowflake dwindles through the sky behind her.
CF \|
CF \| >		Jade says, "save & go"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "cf20"
CF \| >
CF \| > SAVE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF ] Roof
CF \| Ok.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] Roof
CF \|
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \| There's nowhere to go but down.
CF \|
CF \| The snow grows steady. It makes no sense -- but that doesn't bother
CF \| you as much as it should.
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "ask beatrice about roof"
CF ] Roof
CF \|
CF \| > ASK BEATRICE ABOUT ROOF
CF \|
CF \| (Beatrice about that)
CF \| She doesn't say anything, just waves you forward, asking you to jump.
CF \|
CF \| The snow becomes a torrent, a blizzard -- it's magic and it's yours.
CF \|
CF \| "Dante," Beatrice says. "Just jump. You won't fall."
CF \|
CF \| >
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "jump"
CF ] Holding Beatrice, Falling
CF \|
CF \| > JUMP
CF \|
CF \| You step off the roof, not knowing what should happen next. Gravity
CF \| seizes you for a brief, frightening moment, and then you are:
CF \|
CF \| Holding Beatrice, Falling
CF \| Beatrice has her arms around you, and yours are around her. Who is
CF \| holding whom up? You are floating in mid-air, though your weight must
CF \| be the reason you're drifting downward slowly, two leaves caught in a
CF \| friendly autumn breeze -- but it isn't autumn, it's not even spring
CF \| anymore. It's snowing, snowing so hard it's almost impossible to see
CF \| her blue eyes. It's snowing but it isn't cold.
CF \|
CF \| You keep drifting, keep falling.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Sooo."
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "kiss beatrice"
CF ] Holding Beatrice, Falling
CF \|
CF \| > KISS BEATRICE
CF \|
CF \| (Beatrice)
CF \| It's perfect. (But how else could it feel?)
CF \|
CF \| You drift down to the ground silently. The landing is perfect, but
CF \| that's because the world is covered in snow now: almost 8 inches now.
CF \| It's amazing. Maryland only gets this much snow maybe three times a
CF \| year. Everything will be closed tomorrow. It'll be great. No work, no
CF \| need to go anywhere.
CF \|
CF \| It's time, you know. It's time for Beatrice and you to run through the
CF \| snow, to fall over and lose your balance when she tries to chuck a
CF \| snowball right into your face. It's time for hot chocolate; lots of
CF \| marshmallows for you, none for her. For staring out a window and
CF \| thinking how hard the day had been and how easy it has become. Time
CF \| for books. For kisses.
CF \|
CF \| It's time for nights that grow longer and longer, though you don't
CF \| miss the sun. Lamplight keeps you warm. Time for sweaters and long
CF \| coats. Time for some things to be remembered and most things to be
CF \| forgotten.
CF \|
CF \| It's time for a New Year's Eve that never ends.
CF \|
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game or QUIT?
CF \| >		Jade says, "I don't know even if we are floating or falling"
		Knight_Otu says, "Well, we reached an ending."
		Knight_Otu says, "I am uncertain if it's a winning ending, but we reached it."
		Jade asks, "yes, but what happened with the office we saw before crashing?"
		MoyTravis says, "Dunno."
		Knight_Otu says, "I guess yet another dream we had."
		MoyTravis says, "Well, good game, I guess."
		MoyTravis says, "Thanks for driving."
		Jade says, "This is a great game."
		Knight_Otu says, "Also quite weird."
		Jade says, "ok, and thank for driving the game, k_o"
		Knight_Otu exclaims, "Also, thanks to Jacq for driving the first half of the game!"
		Jade asks, "so were we dead?"
		Knight_Otu says, "I'm starting to lean towards yes."
		MoyTravis says, "Seems likely."
		Knight_Otu says, "I suppose there are multiple endings whicj may shine a light on that."
		Jade says, "we were dopped in some point of the game and dead in other"
		Jade says, "So, we are done by now."
		Knight_Otu says, "I suspect there are two points that set the ending - the signs placed in the dream sand White House last week, and the tile we set this week."
		Knight_Otu says, "Not going to play through the game to check though."