There's nothing unusual about it.There's nothing unusual about it.You can't look inside that.You can't put anything in or on the $2.You can't put anything in or on the $2.You must put double quotes around what you want to type.You must put double quotes around what you want to say.You can't look inside that.A few moments pass.Taken.You can't take that. It's an intangible entity.I don't thinkwould care for that.It's perfectly all right where it is.You already have that.Dropped.But you're not carrying that!Opened.It's already open.That's not something you can open.Closed.It's already closed.That's not something you can close.That's not something that can be ulocked.That's not something that can be ulocked.Done.You're not carrying any $1.You can't put things in the $2.Done.You're not carrying any $1.You can't put things on the $2.You concentrate as hard as you can, but no inspiration comes.You strain your ears, but can't hear anything out of the ordinary.Anything in particular you want to smell?It smells pretty much like you'd expect.Have aspirations for the ballet, do you?That doesn't look very appetising.That verb probably doesn't mean what you think it means in this game. Wait until you have a reason to use it.Your prayers go unanswered.You'll have to say what you want to sit on.There's no keyboard or typewriter here.Your random mutterings go unnoticed.The ALAN system doesn't support AGAIN. You'll just have to re-type the command, I'm sorry.You don't seem to have any paint.There's no point in painting that.That wouldn't accomplish anything useful.That wouldn't accomplish anything useful.You pinch yourself as hard as you can, but succeed only in making your arm sore.As far as you can tell, you're not asleep.You'll have to be more specific about how you want to help.Helping ais an interesting concept.There doesn't seem to be anything drinkable here.A deep voice in your head says DEBUGGING VERBS ENABLED.Water is required for that activity.Water is required for that activity.$1? That's a strange direction.Water is required for that activity.This game was originally going to be an entry in Emily Short's Walkthrough Competition, but I didn't quite get it finished in time. Rather than let all the effort go to waste, I decided to enter it in the 2001 Annual Competition instead. $p The premise of the Walkthrough Competition was that Emily had received a walkthrough for an unknown game, and she challenged us to produce a game to match it. Enter WALKTHROUGH to see what she gave us. $p Being a WalkthroughComp game, this game is meant to be played in conjunction with the walkthrough. Some of the puzzle solutions would be almost impossible to guess without it. I make no apology for that. The game Emily was seeking was presumably tough enough to need a walkthrough -- so I made it that way! $p However, if you just stick to the walkthrough, you'll miss a lot of the background and reasons for things going on. So, for maximum enjoyment, I recommend that you treat it like an ordinary game at first, looking around and trying all sorts of things at each new location; then, when you're ready to move on, consult the walkthrough.This is the telegram that Emily Short claimed to have received. It's up to you to decide where the actual walkthrough starts, and how to split it up into commands. $p HERE IS WALKTHROUGH YOU REQUESTED STOP YOU WILL SEE WHAT TO$n DO STOP THINK STOP X UPHOLSTER SEAT ZRBLM TAKE ALL N LISTEN FOLKS$n DRAW SWORD WAVE FAN DANCE ABOUT PAINT FENCE TAKE NEXT TURN SMOOTH$n DUCK DOWN ANESTHETI I EAT IT UNLOCK DOOR SWITCH PLOVER EGG STAND ON$n EAST SWING KNIFE LION PRAY GET MOUSE Z NW WAKE FISH SWIM DRINK DRINK$n READ LOOK UP DRESS BOOK SHIP PACKAGE PRESENT BOWL DROP TOY SLEEP$n PLAY STRING PICK POLISH APPLE EYE MIRROR POSE UNDO TRIM CORSET PUT$n GREY ON BLUE STAKE LIGHT FIRE HELP MAN STATION STOP WATCH XYZZYinventoryYou are carryingYou have only the clothes you stand up in.On the table there isThere is nothing on the table.On the east swing there isThere is nothing on the east swing.On the west swing there isThere is nothing on the west swing.On the blue pedestal there isThere is nothing on top of the blue pedestal.debuggingA deep voice in your head says DEBUGGING VERBS DISABLED.debugging_disabledyour clothesNot having any idea what conditions you'll meet on this expedition, you've chosen clothing that's reasonably warm and sturdy, but not so heavy as to unduly restrict your movements.You've already got them.There's no reason to remove your clothing.your posteriorIt's a little wider than it used to be, but still serviceable.The damage doesn't seem to have been too severe.The pain in your backside upsets your concentration. You really will have to do something about it.The display shows, in quick succession, 'PWD ZRBLM OK', 'PWRNG UP', and 'FIELD ENGD'. The laboratory lights dim as the machine draws a huge surge of power to energise the field coils. Corona discharges crackle all around, and impossible configurations of gravitational forces begin tugging you in unthinkable directions.$n $n You have no way of knowing, as you are sucked out of this universe, about the stray Z-code file (left on the disk from its previous incarnation as your IF backup volume) that is accidentally caught up in the workings of the control program...machine_activationYou promised yourself you wouldn't leave the debugging terminal until you'd found the bug.You'd better give the debugger the eXit command first.This is no time to get cold feet. Start the machine!lab_get_upYou're not at the debugging terminal any more.not_debuggingmakeshift equipmentMost of it is hopelessly outmoded cast-offs from other laboratories in the department, broken gear you've bought second-hand and repaired, and stuff scrounged from the local tip.You're in front of the terminal now, staring at the screen.You're in the pilot's seat of the Machine, ready for a test run. The LCD on the control panel is prompting you for the password to start the system up.$n$nThere's a sharp pain in your posterior. Perhaps you'd better take a look at the seat.position_in_laboratorypauseddebuggerThe screen of the debugging terminal is covered with code and variable dumps. You stare at it with bleary eyes, trying to find the last, elusive bug that you've been chasing for the last 37 hours straight. You're so tired, you're having to make a conscious effort to think.pausedThe debugger is asking whether you want to CONTinue or STOP the program.stoppedThe debugger is asking whether you want to Run the program or eXit the debugger.The debugger is not active.debugger_statepausedThe program runs until the next breakpoint.$n$ncont_cmdpausedstoppedstop_cmdstoppedThe program starts running and stops at a breakpoint.$n$npausedrun_cmdstoppedYou can't stop now, you have to find the bug.You quit the debugging session, get up from the desk, and cross over to the Machine. You unplug the debugging cable and sit down in the pilot's seat.$n$nexitedexit_cmdexitedThe debugger is not active.The debugger says INVALID COMMAND. It's expectingpausedCONTinue or STOPRun or eXitinvalid_cmdtemporary debugging cableIt's a temporary cable connecting the machine's control processor to a terminal on your desk for debugging purposes.It's unplugged at the moment.machineHere, in all its Heath Robinson glory, is the world's first ever Zeiss-Rosenberg Bidimensionary Locational Manipulator. It's been built on a shoestring bugdet, and it shows. The control processor is a clapped-out 386 motherboard with a 5MB hard drive. The power transistors in the gravito-magnetic coil drivers were pulled out of junked hi-fi systems. The control panel consists of a single-line LCD display from an old calculator, an eclectic collection of household power switches and car brake lights, and a joystick stolen from your son's Playstation (last year's model). The pilot's seat is a tatty and hastily re-stuffed lazyboy recliner.$n $n In short, it's a pile of junk. But it will work. It MUST work.control processorYou've checked all the connections a dozen times. Everything seems to be in order.displayThe display shows PASSWRD?The display is blank.deskThere is a terminal on the desk, surrounded by an untidy heap of papers covered with scribbled notes and drawings. Sticking out from under the pile is a photocopied paper from a journal.pile of notes and drawingsThey're not important right now.You don't need to pick those up.photocopied groundbreaking journal paper$n$nYou've read it from front to back so many times already that you could recite it in your sleep (and occacionally have).It's Zeiss and Rosenberg's groundbreaking paper, 'On the Possibile Bifurcation of Spacetime Dimensions' (J. Phys. Theory and Speculation, vol. 967, no. 3, pp. 27-35), in which the authors hypothesise that each dimension of space and time has a corresponding 'dual' dimension, along which motion is possible under the right conditions.paper_subjectpilot's seatBattered and worn as it is, the seat is actually quite comfortable. It may seem like an unnecessary luxury, but there's a good reason for it -- calculations suggest that tidal forces during interdimensional translocation could be quite severe.$n$nCloser examination reveals the end of a spring poking nastily up through the cover. Damn! You've already upholstered it once; fortunately, there's enough material left to do it again.You're already sitting in it.There's no point in doing that until you've fixed the bug.You'll have to eXit the debugger first.You carry out a quick repair job on the seat.You've already repaired the seat; it's quite safe now.There doesn't seem to be any need to do that at the moment.springWhoever came up with the idea of filling seat cushions with sharp pieces of metal in a high energy state should have something slow and painful done to them.floral upholstery materialIt's a roll of slightly smoke-damaged upholstery material that you got on the cheap. You probably wouldn't have chosen the floral pattern, but beggars can't be too fussy.white houseYou have a strange feeling you've been here before.It's such a lovely brilliant white, it would be a shame to paint it that horrible pink colour.boarded front doorIt's very, very boarded indeed. There's no way you'll get through it.$p There is anlying on the ground.anElvish sword of great antiquityIt looks familiar somehow, but you can't quite place it.The sword is drawn.The sword is sheathed.The sword rings as you draw it from its scabbard. Its immaculate blade is polished to a mirror finish, and glows faintly with an ethereal light.$n$nThe priest nods his head imperceptibly.It's already drawn.The sword slides smoothly back into its scabbard.It's already sheathed.There is a delicatehere.anOrientaldoll'sfanIt'sa beautifully-detailed miniature fanmade of bamboo and rice paper, and painted with designs that might be Japanese.Done.It's too small to do you much good.A refreshingcurrent of waterbreezewafts across your face. $p (Is it your imagination, or did you faintly hear the words 'three little maids from school' from somewhere?)You'll have to pick it up first.Nobody seems to be taking any notice.Suddenly the leaves rustle and people drop to the ground all around you. They are light-boned and agile, and dressed in simple garments made from the vines and leaves of the forest.$n $n One of them, evidently their leader from his elaborate headdress, stands before you.$n $n 'You speak our name truly,' he says. 'We are the Folks of the Forest. We sense that you are here for a purpose, although you do not know it yet. The purpose is a good one, so we will let you pass.'$n $n He casts an eye over your possessions.'I see you have the ceremonial items,' he says.'However, you do not appear to have the necessary items for the Ritual of the Totem. Without them, I would advise you to proceed no further.'The Folks take no further notice of your words.say_folksforestStandard-issue adventure game forest. We thank you for not handling the trees.green lightIt's just there for atmosphere. You're not supposed to take too much notice of it.A circle has been scribed in the grass. Inside the circle there are some coloured stones.grass'You will need them for the Ritual of the Totem. Be sure to use them correctly,' he says gravely, 'or the priest will be forced to laugh at you.'$n $n He stands aside, and motions you to follow a narrow trail deeper into the forest. The trail twists and turns, until you find yourself in a...forest_items_okcircleActually, it's not quite a perfect circle, but slightly elliptical, a sort of O-shape.coloured gem stonesThe stones are coloured red, green, amber and blue.Something about the stones suggests that trying to steal them might not be wise.ruby red gem stoneIt's a beautiful ruby-red gemstone. Someone seems to have carved the letter 'K' into it.emerald green gem stoneIt's a beautiful emerald-green gemstone. Someone seems to have carved the letter 'F' into it.amber gem stoneIt's a lovely deep amber colour. Someone seems to have carved the letter 'S' into it.sapphire blue gem stoneIt's a beautiful sapphire-blue gemstone. Someone seems to have carved the letter 'L' into it.As you pick the stone up, it suddenly becomes red-hot, forcing you to drop it again.take_stone$n$n The Folks of the Forest are all around.the Folks of the ForestThe Folks are regarding you with a mixture of caution and curiosity.simple garmentsThey have made ingenious use of the natural resources of the forest to clothe themselves.Their leader stands before you.the leaderThe leader is wearing a large headdress made from leaves, twigs, vines and bird feathers.priestThe priest's robes are of the finest silk, intricately embroidered. His dark hair falls in a pony tail to his waist, and his deep black eyes are filled with infinite wisdom.$p He is dancing around the totem.I wouldn't try that. He's probably trained in more martial arts than you've ever heard of.totemStylised animal faces along its length stare at you with eyes of polished bone.altarCountless candles have dripped wax on its smooth, level surface. One burns there now, beside a dish filled with a fragrant substance.You begin to dance about the altar, although it's a bit tricky since there's not much room to pass between it and the totem.burning white candleThe candle is made of white wax, and burns with a steady yellow flame.dish of incenseThe incense is not burning at the moment, but it gives off a strong fragrance even so.The aroma is suggestive of frankincense and pine gum, with a hint of Chanel No. 5.You join the priest in his dance. A couple of turns around the totem later, he stops, and so do you.You begin to dance about the totem, improvising steps as you go.dance_about_totemhouseIt's painted a mauvy shade of pinky russet.plantWhether by genetic engineering or spray painting -- it's hard to tell -- all the plants here are a mauvy shade of pinky russet.soilIt's a mauvy shade of pinky russet. You're not enough of a geologist to know what that reveals about its origin.hedgeLike all the other plants here, it's a mauvy shade of pinky russet.It's the tallest hedge you've ever seen, far too tall to get over.skyThe entire sky is a mauvy shade of pinky russet. It's hard to tell whether it's just a really peculiar sunset, or there's a mother of a snowstorm coming.You'd need a brush with a longer handle to do that.fenceThe fence is painted a mauvy shade of pinky russet.Except for a small patch which has been left as bare, unpainted wood.It's too tall, and there are no handholds or footholds.The paint matches the colour of the fence exactly, and you have just enough to cover the bare patch. You discard the empty paint pot.Alas, you have no paint with which to do that.Alas, you have no paint with which to do that.There's no point. It's already the same colour as your paint.painting_attemptsmall pot of house paint with a brushThe paint is a nice mauvy shade of pinky russet.paint brushIt's a quite ordinary, unremarkable paintbrush.You already picked it up with the paint.You might as well keep the brush with the paint.You might as well keep the brush with the paint.You're not carrying it.mauvy shade of pinky russetThere might be a few people somewhere in the world who like it. Probably living in padded rooms and wearing those jackets with nice long sleeves.long straight trackThe track consists of a single wide rail made of some kind of polished metal.$p There is a simple control panel in front of you.pink plastic control panelThe controls are very simple indeed. It seems that the only options you have are to take the next turn, or do nothing.next turnA turnoff is approaching fast.You are thrust sideways in your seat as the vehicle turns sharply. The track rises, then dips, then comes to an end, and the vehicle pulls to an abrupt stop. $p The cabin splits open like a flower bud and ejects you onto the ground.last turnThe last turn is receding into the distance behind you.Too late, it's already gone by, and there's no way of stopping the vehicle, let alone reversing it.riverbankStanding and watching the ripples on the water is very soothing.Please don't pollute the river.willow treesStandard issue willow trees. No riverbank scene is complete without them.small flight of stone stepsThey're well-worn with age, and grass is sprouting in the cracks between them.stone archwayWhatever is beyond the archway is hidden in shadow.green grassPerfectly ordinary green grass.$p There is a small brown duck on the steps, waddling around in an agitated manner.It seems to be upset about something.It's upset about its ruffled feathers.$p The duck is paddling around contentedly in the river, occasionally pecking at something in the water.small brown duckTaking a closer look at the duck reveals why it's in such a tizz. Its feathers are all ruffled up, preventing it from being able to swim.The duck seems to be perfectly happy now.The duck goes wild, pecking at you and beating you with its wings, until you let it go.'Thanks!' quacks the duck. 'That feels much better!' As a token of its appreciation, it gives you a small porcelain egg. Then it jumps into the water and splashes about happily.You've already done that.smallporcelain eggIt's a dummy egg made of porcelain. It looks to be exactly the same size as aplover'ssparrow'segg.You'll have to say what you want to switch it with.operating tableSpartan. Clinical. There is a banana here.bananapatientThe note attached to the banana says: $iThanks for your help. -- Nurse P. $iP.S. Beware the dreamfish.He looks a bit nervous. No doubt he's wondering whether the operation is ever going to get under way.You deftly manipulate the equipment, and soon the patient is snoozing blissfully. $p Nurse P. smiles sweetly at you. 'Thanks ever so much, that was a big help. You're welcome to stay and watch the operation if you want.' $p The operation is very interesting, but it goes on for several hours. Unable to stay awake to the end, you sit down in a corner and snooze off. $p When you wake up, everyone is gone. You notice that a banana has been left behind on the operating table. There is a note attached to the banana.That's not necessary. It's a little-known fact that bananas are incapable of feeling pain even when fully conscious.As you munch on the banana, your teeth encounter something hard. It turns out to be a key.doctorHe looks extremely competent and utterly trustworthy. I'd still prefer to be unconscious before he operated on me, though.nurseHer bedside manner is impeccable as she adjusts the patient's pillow and murmurs words of reassurance.anaesthetic equipmentA complicated-looking bundle of gas cylinders, valves and gauges. But after reading the book, you're confident you can handle it.copypocket editionof Anaesthesia for DummiesThe author does an excellent job of making this highly involved and technical subject accessible to the average reader.operating room doorsThe operating theatre has a set of sturdy double-swing doors with round windows. A nameplate with the number OR 301 is attached to the frame at the top. $pThe doors are closed and locked.Whoever left the room last seems to have locked the doors again behind them.You don't seem to have a suitable key.That doesn't seem to work.They're tinted, so you can't see much through them.The nurse hurriedly moves to stop you. 'Touch those doors and I'll call security!'nurse_preventing_unlockingThe key fits, and you open the doors and leave the room. Strangely, they don't seem to lead to the riverbank steps any more...hospital_door_unlockingtinybrass keyIt's a brass Yale-type key with the number OR 301 stamped on it.It's a tiny brass trinket-box key. If you look closely you can just make out the number OR 301 engraved on it.$p There is a zookeeper here$$, tending to the sparrows$$.the zookeeperWhat with his long face and plethora of minor wounds, he's a sorry sight indeed.He's as happy as a lark, tending to the sparrows as they sit on their clutches of miniaturised plover's eggs.plovers nestThe plover notices that the number of eggs in her nest has mysteriously doubled. She examines both eggs carefully, and then tosses out the fake one.The plover squawks at you. Clearly she doesn't like having foreign objects put in her nest.The plover guards her egg diligently.She seems completely unaware that it's a fake.The zookeeper wouldn't appreciate you attacking his plover.The plover flutters out of the way.plover_attackedplover's eggIt looks like a perfectly ordinary plover's egg.You wait until the plover isn't looking and whisk away the egg. But she notices it's missing right away, and attacks you viciously until you put it back.You don't seem to have anything suitable as a substitute.That's hardly likely to go unnoticed!failed_switchingYou wait until the plover isn't looking and deftly exchange her egg with the porcelain one.But she spots that it's suddenly got a lot smaller, and harries you mercilessly until you switch them back.She doesn't bat an eyelid. The deception seems to have worked!egg_switching$p Worryingly, there seems to be an escaped lion just around the corner.escaped lionSuspecting that you're a zookeeper intent on ending his freedom, he growls at you threateningly.The lion seems to be pretty dead.It's perfectly all right where... well, actually, I suppose from your point of view it's not. But attempting to manhandle it wouldn't be a good idea.It's far too heavy to lift, so I'm afraid hiding the evidence will not be an option.Attacking the lion with your bare fists would be a very bad move.You're not much of a swordsman, and you swing the large, heavy weapon clumsily. The lion dodges it easily.The $2 is not very effective as a weapon.You've already killed it as dead as it's going to get.Um... are you sure you don't mean that the other way around?You've already killed it as dead as it's going to get.That would be an excellent idea, if only you had a knife.With a quick thrust of the knife, you dispatch the lion. (You can imagine a gory death scene here if you want; I'm not going to go into details.) $p With its dying breath, the lion growls, 'Beware the dreamfish...'$p Just then, the zookeeper comes back with two other animal handlers. He is aghast at the sight of the dead lion. $i 'That was completely uncalled for!' he exclaims. 'If you'd just waited a minute, we would have had the situation under control! I'm afraid we're going to have to arrest you for damaging zoo property.' $i The two burly lion handlers grab you by the arms. Protestations that help was so long in coming you felt compelled to act in self-defense fall on deaf ears as they cart you away...knife_lionflock of sparrowsThe sparrows are twittering around, doing the things that sparrows normally do.The zookeeper wouldn't appreciate you attacking his sparrows.The sparrows flutter out of the way.sparrows_attackedstrange looking contraptionA pair of children's swings hang from the east and west ends of a giant set of weighing scales. But instead of units of weight, the dial is marked with astrological symbols and other arcane sigils. A small plate is inscribed with the words 'Frobozz Magic Swing Company'.east swingThe east swing dips down to the ground and the west one rises up.There is a faint chiming noise, and your possessions seem to become lighter.$p When you get off, the swings return to their previous positions.west swingThe west swing dips down to the ground and the east one rises up.There is a faint chiming noise, and your possessions seem to become heavier.$p When you get off, the swings return to their previous positions.$p There is anlying on the ground.anElvish pocket knife of great antiquityThe blade is of the best Elvish steel, and the handle is inlaid with beautiful runes wrought in ivory.hypnotisingcell doorThere's no way in the world you're going to get through that.Prison cell doors tend to be designed to make that very difficult for those inside the cell.hard mattressless sleeping benchThere is nothing in, on or under it that could be of any use to you.mouseThe mouse stops for a moment and looks straight back at you. There seems to be intelligence in those eyes.The mouse is staring into your eyes, apparently trying to hypnotise you.The doormouse doesn't seem to object to you picking it up. $p 'If you think that I have something to do with the door,' it says, 'you're mistaken. It's not DOORmouse, it's DORmouse, from the French 'dormir', to sleep. Now, sit down on the bunk and relax.' $i You do so, and the dormouse looks deeply into your eyes.'You are feeling sleepy,' intones the mouse. 'Your eyelids are getting heavy...'hypnosisnorthdownCaught up in the fish's dream, youtousle your way through imagined forests of seaweed.try to battle through the grasping tentacles of the anemones.get lost amongst the twists and turns of the reef.Then your senses clear, and you realise that you haven't really moved at all.fishbowl_swimmingwaterWater, water, everywhere...Fishbowl water isn't the nicest for drinking.fishbowl_drinkingfishIt's like no fish you've ever seen before. Its tiny fins seem out of all proportion to its large, bulbous body, and its skin is an impossibly vivid shade of blue. It seems to be in a deep state of sleep.The fish's eyes flutter and blink open. 'Eh? What? Oh, pardon me,' its says (or rather thinks, and you hear its thoughts in your head), 'was I dreaming too loudly?' $i The fish regards you with eyes that are only a slightly paler blue than the rest of its body. 'You'd better get a move on to the surface. You can't really breathe water, you know -- you're only dreaming that you can.' $i It gives a powerful swish of its tail, propelling you upwards at a great rate. You break the surface and gasp for breath.waterYou're too busy treading it to take finer note of its qualities.With the last of your strength, you make it to the edge of the fishbowl and haul yourself over. You're expecting a long drop on the other side, but instead you find yourself crawling onto a hard surface covered with flagstones. $i Glad of the chance to rest, you drift off to sleep, and awake again after a short nap.fishbowl_surface_swimmingpieces of abstract artYou don't need to bother with that.clerkShe smiles at you warmly. 'Hello, Sir. If you'd like to book a passage, that'll be thirty dollars.'Careful. They have security guards here for dealing with people like you.passage'Certainly, sir,' says the clerk cheerfully. 'That will be thirty dollars.'$i You hand over the money, and she gives you a ticket.$i Unfortunately, you don't have enough money.You've already done that.thirty dollar noteIt's just a standard thirty dollar banknote.ferry ticketValid for 001 non-return crossing(s) on the Dyre Strait Ferry. Not transferrable. Not refundable. Must be used on the date of issue. Please Recycle -- Help Keep Our City Clean.fountainIt's a simple affair, a cirular pool ringed by a low stone wall, and a single jet of water rising from the centre. $p There is a plaque with some sort of inscription set into one of the stones.circular poolDrops of water from the jet make little splashes as they rain down on the pool.You kneel down and drink from the waters of the fountain. $pA strange feeling passes over you, and you notice that the blank space on the plaque now seems to be filled with writing in some strange, unintelligible alphabet.You get that strange feeling again. All of a sudden, the symbols on the plaque seem familiar to you, and you're sure that you could read and understand them.You should have heeded the warning. A third dose of the enchanted water is too much for your frail human mind and body. Your possessions fall from paralysed hands, and you lose your grip on this continuum.drink_from_fountainplaque$iDrink once and see. $iDrink twice and understand. $iDrink thrice and regret. $p The rest of the plaque is a blank space.The rest of the plaque is now filled with writing in some strange, unintelligible alphabet.read_plaqueIt seems to be instructions on how to play an unusual musical instrument called a uniharp. It's not clear from the inscription what a uniharp looks like, but if you ever come across one, at least you'll know how to play it.rest_of_inscription$p In one corner there is an advertising display.advertising displayA mannequin dressed in an air hostess's uniform stands beside a cardboard placard extolling the virtues of a two-week holiday in Outer Mongolia.$p There seems to be something sticking out from under the mannequin's dress.There is a thirty-dollar note tucked into the mannequin's suspender. You pluck it out.You'd better not do that again. People are starting to give you strange looks.somestuff for wrapping up a presentIt's the present for the woman's niece and the stuff she gave you for packaging it with.You wrap up the present neatly and strongly, and affix the label and stamp. The woman returns a moment later. $i 'Oh, thank you,' she says. 'I don't know what I would have done without you! I'm afraid I don't have anything to give you in return... oh, wait on, you can have this. I've just got back from my tour of Europe, and I won't be needing it any more.' She hands you a Polish phrasebook.$p The woman hands the parcel over to the postal clerk just as you hear the horn of the approaching ferry. $i Disembarking passengers disgorge from the gangway, an announcement is made that the ferry is ready for boarding, and you embark.sticky address labelIt's the address label the woman gave you for putting on the package.You've already got it.You'd better keep it with the rest of the stuff, so you don't lose it.You'd better keep it with the rest of the stuff, so you don't lose it.Elsie Bigglesworth, 47a Tinker St., Lower Puddlesbury, Kentfordshire, England.Polish phrasebookThis well-thumbed little volume contains translations of many phrases useful to a traveller in Poland, such as 'Please develop this film', 'How much is the sausage?', and 'Am I under arrest?'.dyre strait ferryThe seats are wide and comfortable. The portholes are rather small, but that's probably just as well, because there's not much to look at outside.dyre straitDon't do that. The last passenger who looked at the Dyre Strait for too long had to be carried off in a stretcher with a near-fatal attack of boredom.looking_at_dyre_straitten pin bowling alleyIt's slightly smaller than usual, but otherwise complete and fully-functional.toyAlthough designed as a child's toy, it would in fact be larger than most of the children it's intended for. Heck, it's too big even for *you* to carry comfortably.grassy plainIt's not only a geographic plain, it's a mathematical plane, in the sense of being perfectly flat and not coming to an end anywhere.blue skyThere's not a cloud in it.$p There is a strange one-stringed musical instrument here. Next to it is a music stand bearing a sheet of music.strange instrumentThe instrument is superbly made, the work of a true craftsman. It consists of a simple wooden frame with a single string stretched along it.It's too heavy to pick up. It seems to be designed to be played while resting on the ground.You move to play the instrument again, but find that the sheet of music has turned to dust, and you are unable to remember a single note of it.You pluck the string inexpertly, producing only an uninspiring 'twang'.The inscription on the fountain has given you the knowledge you need to read the music and play the instrument. $p It is a haunting melody that speaks of the eternal cycles of life, death and life again. The notes seem to be not just sounds, but vital forces that penetrate your body to its bones and the earth to its core. $i Suddenly a seedling sprouts from the ground, and grows with supernatural speed into a full-sized tree. Three blooms appear on its branches and wither in the blink of an eye, and three apples swell and ripen in their places.musical scoreThe music is written in some notation that you've never seen before.You can't make head or tail of it.But after reading the inscription on the fountain, you think you might be able to decipher it.$p There is an apple tree here.Some apples are hanging from the tree.apple treeOddly, there seem to be different varieties of apple growing on the same tree.There are no apples left on the tree.anItalian appleSomehow you know that this variety of apple is from Italy.It's attached to the tree. You'll have to pick it.It's attached to the tree. You'll have to pick it first.You pluck the apple from the tree and take a bite. As you munch on it, you hear a voice say something in Italian. Unfortunately you don't know any Italian and can't make any sense of it.Chinese appleSomehow you know that this variety of apple is from China.It's attached to the tree. You'll have to pick it.It's attached to the tree. You'll have to pick it first.You pluck the apple from the tree and take a bite. As you munch on it, you hear a voice say something in Chinese. Unfortunately you don't know any Chinese and can't make any sense of it.Polish appleSomehow you know that this variety of apple is from Poland.It's attached to the tree. You'll have to pick it.It's attached to the tree. You'll have to pick it first.You pluck the apple from the tree and take a bite. As you munch on it, you hear a voice say something in Polish. Unfortunately you don't know any Polishand can't make any sense of it.$$... but wait a minute! $i You thumb through the phrasebook, trying to piece together a translation. The sentence was long and complicated, but every word seems to have stuck in your mind as if by magic. Eventually you decide that the voice said something like 'Eye the mirror carefully, and trim along the dotted line.' $p What the dickens is *that* supposed to mean? $p While pondering the matter, you chew away the rest of the apple. At its core, you are surprised to find a small figurine.Before you can wonder at how it got there, your eyes begin to drift open, and you awake to find yourself lying on a bed.small grey figurineIt's a figurine of a short, bipedal creature. It has grey skin, spindly arms and legs, a large bald head, small mouth, almost no nose, and large, black, almond-shaped eyes. It looks like a classic 'grey alien' as reported by many UFO witnesses. $p It seems to be stained with apple juice.decorAt first sight the walls seem to be made of wooden logs, but closer examination reveals they're just thin slices stuck on for appearance.single bedIt's simple but comfortable. And no, you don't need to bother looking in or under it.There's nothing interesting in or under it. Really. It's just here for atmosphere.mirrorA cursory examination of the mirror reveals nothing unusual, just your own face staring back at you.The mirror has been closed again.The mirror has been swung back, revealing a camera lens.You're not the sort of person to go around trashing hotel rooms.Looking more closely at the mirror, you notice that it seems to hinge away from the wall. Swinging it back, you are astonished to find a camera lens behind it! $p A conflicting mix of emotions swirl through your mind. Anger that someone is spying on you, and wry amusement that anyone should consider you worth spying on. You're in two minds as to whether to smash the camera in a fit of rage, or strike a silly pose to say to whoever is watching, 'Sod you, I don't care!'The gall of whoever planted the camera there apalls you.They can spy all they like. You don't care any more.It's not clear why you think you should be able to do that.$p The mirror has been swung back, revealing a camera lens.spy cameraWho on earth would go to the trouble of putting that there?The camera is currently hidden behind the closed mirror.You lash out at the camera with your fist and shatter the lens. $p You have a few moments of satisfaction, until suddenly the door is smashed open and two large men wearing black suits and dark glasses burst in. $i 'You shouldn't have done that,' one of them says menacingly. $i 'Destruction of government property is a serious offence,' says the other. 'We might have been willing to overlook it, but you know too much now. I'm afraid we're going to have to... eliminate you... from this continuum. $i He strips you of your posessions, while his partner points something resembling a flashlight at you. But instead of light, it emits a beam of gravitational waves that pull you out of the universe...mysterious parcelIt's wrapped in brown paper and done up with string, and there is no address or any other markings on it.It's the wrapping off the parcel you just untied.There's no point in wrapping up the parcel again.You summon up your courage and open the parcel. It contains a corset.You've already undone the parcel.open_chateau_parcelcorsetIt's a Victorian-style lady's corset.Someone has drawn a dashed line along it with a felt-tip pen about an inch from the lower edge.There is a gash where you have started to trim a piece off the bottom.Using theswordpocket knife$$, you begin to trim the bottom off the corset. You've only gone a few inches when you find a piece of paper and a key card hidden inside the lining.There doesn't seem to be much point in finishing that now.You don't have anything to trim it with.handwritten noteIt's a hastily handwritten note: $p PLACE THE FIGURE IN POSITION AND ENTER. NO TIME TO EXPLAIN. ALL WILL BECOME CLEAR.key cardIt's a white plastic card the size of a credit card, with a magnetic stripe. There are no markings on it whatsoever.There doesn't seem to be anything here to swipe it through.fireplaceIt has never been lit -- it's really just there for show, as the whole chateau is centrally heated. At each end of the grate there is a metal stake, topped with a small pedestal. One of the pedestals is painted red, the other blue. There is a small white figurine atop the red pedestal, and the other one is empty.red stakeThere is a small white figurine standing on top of the red stake.There's no room for anything else on top of the red stake.small white figurineIt seems to be glued onto the pedestal.It looks like a grey alien, except that it's white.look_at_white_figurineblue stakeThere is a click, and then a rumbling sound, and the fireplace together with a section of wall above it slide backwards and sideways, revealing what looks like an elevator with a card-swipe slot on the wall.You don't have a card that will activate it, though.The pedestal is too small to balance that on.Where the fireplace used to be, there is now an elevator.elevatorThe walls of the elevator are smooth, featureless metal, except for a small box on one wall with a card-swipe slot.You don't seem to have any way of activating the elevator.That's not likely to active the elevator.$i You step into the elevator and try the card. It works! The elevator rises rapidly and then stops abruptly. $p The doors of the elevator open, revealing a snow-covered landscape. You step outside, and the doors close behind you.use_elevatorcamping equipmentThere is nothing remarkable about the camping equipment.You'd better leave the camping equipment here. Its owner will likely need it when he or she comes back.electronic equipmentIt's hard to tell exactly what their function is. One looks like it might be a GPS receiver, and another one could be a two-way radio. The rest are like nothing you've seen before.You wouldn't know what do do with them. Best leave them here.a small camp fireThe fire is blazing nicely.The fire is not yet lit. There is a box of matches nearby.You coax the fire to life, and soon you are warming your hands before a hearty blaze.It's already lit.box of matchesJust what you need for lighting the fire.You'd better not take them away. To the camp owner, they might make the difference between life and death.American agentHe's taking cover behind boulders and snowdrifts, valiantly trying to keep the Russian agents at bay.Russian agentsYou can't see the Russian agents, but you can hear their gunfire.Extraterrestrial Contact StationYou don't have any idea what to do.'What do I need to do?' you call out as the agent ducks from the cover of one boulder to another. $i 'Take this!' He tosses you a small device. 'It looks like a stopwatch, but it's a sub-ether signalling beacon. To activate it you have to stop the count when it reaches 3:47 exactly!'You're already doing that!cancel_everythingstopwatchThe watch reads 00:00The watch reads 03:47The watch has gone past 3:47$$, and is counting.$$. It is stopped.There are controls for stopping, starting and resetting the watch.You stop the watch.You start the watch.You reset the watch.CD-ROMThere is no label or other markings on it. There's no telling what it contains until you can get to a computer.You'd better hang onto that -- the fate of all mankind may rest on it, after all.Strange forces begin to stir the air all around you, and you suddenly realise what was giving you that feeling. You're right in the middle of an interdimensional current nexus! $n$n Spacetime tugs you in an impossible direction. You slide down a dual-dimensional funnel and emerge in...xyzzyinglimestone wallThe letters X, Y, Z, Z, Y have been carved into the wall.NowhereYou shouldn't be here.Select destinationwh: White House -- fo: Forest -- sc: Sacred Clearing -- by: Back Yard -- fv: Futuristic Vehicle -- rb: Riverbank -- ho: Hospital Surgery -- zo: Zoo -- pr: Prison -- fb: Fishbowl -- ft: Ferry Terminal -- fe: Ferry -- ch: Chateau -- mt: Mountaintop -- ca: CaveLaboratoryThis is your laboratory, such as it is, filled with makeshift equipment. The centre of the room is dominated by the Machine. A cable runs from its onboard computer to a terminal on the desk in the corner, for debugging purposes.$n$nWait a minute... yes! There it is! An uninitialised variable, sending a loop into a wild spin. A few strokes on the keyboard and it's fixed.Enough thinking. The bug is fixed -- time to test the machine!$n$nYou're not in the pilot's seat yet.exitedThe debugger is not active.contstoprrunxexitzrblmThe display shows BAD PWD for a few moments, then goes back to the PASSWD? prompt.White HouseYou're west of a white house with a boarded front door.$n$n You're alarmed for a moment when you realise the ZRBLM doesn't seem to have made it through with you. But that's not entirely unexpected -- there was always a chance of quantum fluctuations causing phase space dislocations which... well, anyway, you should be able to get back if you can find a naturally-occurring interdimensional current nexus.The door, as I said, is boarded.Dense forest prevents you from entering unimplemented parts of the game territory in that direction.ForestTrees surround you, and green light filters serenely through the canopy above. Wind sighs gently through the leaves; you can almost imagine that, if you listened, you might hear voices in it.$n $n$n$nThe Leader of the Forest Folks examines your possessions.'Good, you have found the necessary items,' he says.He shakes his head. 'You still do not have all the needed items. Go back and search until you find them.'The trail twists and turns, leading you right back to where you started.The sound of the wind resolves into a multitude of murmuring voices. 'While wind waves the woods we watch, whispering words, awaiting the word. What is the word?''What is the word?' the voices murmur.The Folks of the Forest are silently watching you.folksNobody seems to be taking any notice.'That is not the word,' the voices whisper.The Folks take no further notice of your words.Sacred ClearingThe forest opens out into a small clearing here. In the centre stands an elaborately carved and painted totem pole. In front of it, a large tree stump evidently serves as an altar, for it carries a burning candle and a dish of incense. $pThe priest is dancing about the totem.A robed figure stands beside the totem, watching you expectantly.Something about the priest's steely glare suggests that it would be unwise to leave before the ceremony is completed.Be a little more specific.(totem)Back YardThis seems to be the back yard of a house. It's not the same house as before, though, because this one is a sort of pink colour, as is the fence, the clothesline and the concrete path. And, bizarrely, the hedge, the grass, the soil, all the plants in the garden, even the sky -- all of these are the same garish colour as the house.$$.. all except for one part of the fence.The door and all the windows are stuck fast; there doesn't seem to be any way to get them open. In fact, they look as if they mightn't even be real doors and windows at all.The hedge is impenetrably dense.The fence blocks the way.Futuristic VehicleYou're in some sort of vehicle made entirely of pink plastic. The vehicle is rushing along a long, straight track. Every now and then a turnoff goes by on one side or the other.There doesn't seem to be any way of stopping the vehicle or getting out of it.RiverbankYou're on a grassy riverbank. Willows hang over the river, and the water burbles restfully. A small flight of stone steps leads down under an archway.You try to descend the steps, but the duck spreads its wings and quacks threateningly at you until you back off.It seems to be in a really bad mood for some reason.Its ruffled feathers have got it in a bad mood.The river blocks your way, and the author is too lazy to implement swimming here.The support structure of the vehicle track forms an impassible barrier in that direction.There is an infinite amount of river bank in either direction. Trust me, you don't want to walk all of it.The author is too lazy to implement swimming here.The author is too lazy to implement swimming here.The sound of the water is very restful.Hospital SurgeryThis appears to be the operating room of a hospital.A patient is lying on the operating table, tended by a nurse.A set of anaesthetic equipment stands in one corner.The doors are closed, and hospital regulations forbid opening them while an operation is in progress.They seem to have locked the doors again when they left.ZooYou're in what appears to be the aviary of a small zoo. To one side, a solitary plover sits in a nest, guarding an egg. To the other, a collection of nesting boxes houses a sizeable population of sparrows. There's also a very strange-looking contraption in the corner. The only exit appears to be a door to the northwest.$pThe way out is blocked by a vicious-looking lion.There is a dead lion lying across the exit.$p The zookeeper is covered from head to foot in scratches and small stab wounds. He looks thoroughly dejected. $i 'What on earth happened to you?' you inquire of the unfortunate fellow. $i 'We've been trying all day to get the egg away from the plover, so we can incubate it. But she just won't let it go!'That's weird. Where the hospital doors were a moment ago, there is now just a blank wall.The zookeeper is in front of the door, and he seems to be too preoccupied to get out of your way.You take a peek out the door, and hurriedly pull your head in again. The zookeeper was right -- there's an escaped lion out there!The lion is still there.You step carefully around the dead lion, just in case it's not as dead as it looks. $p As you walk along the path leading away from the aviary, your movements seem to take on a dreamlike quality. It becomes an effort to move your arms and legs, and you feel as if you are floating in the air. $i Soon you realise that it's not air you're floating in, it's water. You're swimming underwater, although somehow you're still able to breathe...Prison CellApart from the door to the west and the hard, mattressless sleeping bench, the cell is completely featureless.$p Well, you're in a right mess now. You'd better pray for a miracle.There's a very thick, very steel, very locked door in the way.A voice in your head says, 'OH, ALL RIGHT, I'LL GIVE YOU SOME HELP. ONLY A TINY BIT, THOUGH. YOU'LL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT THE REST YOURSELF.' $p You notice a doormouse running around on the floor. Strange; there doesn't seem to be anywhere it could have been hiding.You wrack your brains trying to think of a way out, but nothing comes to mind.You lie down on the bunk and close your eyes, but sleep fails to come, so you get up again.You pace around the cell restlessly.FishbowlYou're floating inside what appears to be a giant fishbowl. Right in the centre a large, bright blue fish hangs motionless. Its eyes are closed, and its lips are turned upwards in a faint smile.(water)Surface of the WaterYou're treading water at the surface of the giant fishbowl. You're not the strongest swimmer, so you'd best get out of there. It doesn't matter what direction you go in, just swim.Well, except that one.You're already at the surface.Well, except that one.You're already at the surface.(water)Ferry TerminalThis is the terminal and booking office for the ferry that crosses the Dyre Strait. The waiting area is tastefully decorated with various pieces of abstract art, and the seating is comfortable. A fountain surrounded by flagstones forms the centrepiece. $p A clerk serves behind the desk at the booking and check-in area. Postal services also seem to be available.$p Judging by the soaking-wet state of your clothes and the fact that you're lying on the flagstones in a puddle of water, you must have just dragged yourself out of the fountain. But that's impossible, since it's only six inches deep.It's odd, but there don't seem to be any doors leading to the outside.(from fountain)(plaque)On Board the Dyre Strait FerryTo keep passengers entertained during the crossing, the ferry company has thoughtfully installed a ten-pin bowling alley on the ship. This is fortunate, because the Dyre Strait is considered to be the most boring stretch of water in the universe. $p There are really only two things to do here: bowl, or sleep.Unless you feel like swimming the rest of the Strait, you'd best stay on board.There's only one deck where passengers are allowed, and you're on it.The bowling has worn you out. You think maybe you could sleep through the rest of the crossing now.Time passes excrutiatingly slowly.You're too tired to do any more bowling. Besides, if you won any more prizes, you'd be too weighed down with stuffed animals to get off the ferry.You pick up a ball and launch it down the alley in what you hope looks like a competent manner. $p At first it looks like your shot is headed for the gutter, but then the ship rolls and the ball veers back towards the centre of the lane. It hits the lead pin head-on. You've scored a strike! $p 'Congratulations!' says a steward who was watching you play. 'That's the first strike anyone's got all day. You win a prize!' $i He hands you a large, white, fluffy toy rabbit.You close your eyes, but you have too much pent-up energy to go to sleep.The seating on the ferry is soft and comfortable, and soon you drift off.But the rabbit's long fur gets up your nose and makes you sneeze, waking you up again.You have a dream...Dream on the FerryYou're standing on a grassy plain that extends to infinity in all directions. There is nothing else all around but blue sky.That won't do any good. One point is as good as any other on this featureless plain.Even though this is a dream, it's not the sort where you can fly.Chateau RoomThis appears to be the room you had reserved at the Chateau Champou, a popular tourist resort on the northern shore of the Dyre Strait. The decor is rustic log-cabin style. There is a single bed$$, a mirror on the wall, and a fireplace.and a mirror on the wall.$p It's not clear how you got here. The only explanation seems to be that you slept right through the arrival of the ferry, and some kind soul found out where you were staying and carried you here. Either that or the author couldn't be bothered writing the intervening scenes. $p You seem to be clutching a small grey figurine in your palm.It's too soon to go sightseeing yet. You ought to get settled into your room first.Why in the world would you want to do that?You'd better not do that again. You don't want to receive any more disturbing parcels!You stand with one hand on your hip and thumb your nose with the other. Then you forget all about the camera, and set about unpacking your luggage and getting settled into the room. $p A few minutes later, there is a knock at the door. Answering it reveals a tall, thin man wearing dark glasses and carrying a parcel. $i 'Parcel for Room 42,' he says, handing it to you and disappearing. $i Something about his manner fills you with foreboding as you close the door and examine the parcel. Is it dangerous? Dare you undo the string? To undo or not to undo, that is the question.(mysterious parcel)MountaintopYou're high on a snow-covered slope on the other side of the mountain ridge that rises behind the chateau. Someone has made a crude camp here, with a sleeping bag, some simple cooking utensils, and some pieces of wood stacked to make a small fire. There are also some items of electronic equipment here.Lighting a fire, for instance, would be a good move at this point.Lighting the fire is becoming a matter of considerable urgency.No further inspiration comes to you.CaveYou are in an underground cave with smooth limestone walls. There's a peculiar feel about this place, but you can't quite pin down what it is. $n$n Someone has carved something into the rock.Something tells you that the way out lies here in this very chamber.Your voice echoes impressively off the cave walls.xyzzy$n$nMeNo time for that now, you have to get the machine working.All your usual body parts are present and accounted for.The priest produces a fan of his own and returns the gesture. Then he begins to move, stretching out his arms and dancing about the totem. $p He continues to dance about as you watch, glancing in your direction every so often. Maybe he expects you to do the same?$p The priest smiles, evidently satisfied by your performance. He raises his hand, and a wind springs up, whipping leaves and twigs from the ground into a frenzy, although strangely neither he nor you are touched by it. Then you are enveloped by a green light that blocks out all vision.$p That appears to have been the wrong thing to do, for the priest looks surprised for a moment and then throws back his head and laughs. Well, sticks and stones may break your bones, but... $p Too late, you realise that his ridicule has the force of arcane power behind it. Overcome with shame, you cast your pointless, pathetic possessions to the ground and fall to your knees. $p The priest's laughter grows louder and louder in your ears. The pressure of your humiliation becomes physical, strong enough to distort time and space. You feel yourself being drawn out of the universe once more...$n$n **************************************************************** $n$n Laboratory$n When your head stops spinning, you realise that you are back in your laboratory, lying on the floor beside the ZRBLM. You feel a moment of exhilaration -- it worked! It actually worked! But then your heart sinks when you realise that you have brought back no proof of your extraordinary journey. Without something to show the skeptics, you will never be believed.$n $n Your despair is complete when you see that one of the field coils, the most expensive parts of the machine, has blown out. Since you have no money left to repair it, the machine will never work again.$n $n You are doomed to destitution and obscurity.$p Everything around you is now exactly the same colour! This visual assault begins to play tricks with your eyes, and the scene around you melts and changes, becoming something different entirely...$p The next turn looms up ahead, while the last one recedes behind you.$p The next turn rushes by.$p Behind you, the vehicle closes up and speeds away.$p A gowned figure in surgical gloves enters. $i 'Is the patient ready, Nurse P.?' $i 'Yes, Doctor M.,' the nurse replies. 'It's Mr. I. He's in for a gall bladder transplant.' (Apparently, everyone here is on a first-letter basis.) $i The doctor looks around. 'Where is the anaesthetist?' $i 'I don't know. Mr. R. doesn't seem to have turned up!' $i The doctor turns to you. 'Perhaps you would be kind enough to assist us?' $i 'But I don't know anything about administering anaesthetics,' you protest. $i 'Don't worry, there's nothing to it. Just skim through this.' He tosses you a copy of 'Anaesthesia for Dummies.'$i After briefly flicking through the pages, you feel you have a fairly good grasp of the subject.$p The zookeeper's face lights up when you hand him the egg. 'Well done! Thanks a bunch!' $i Then he does something rather strange. He goes over to the odd contraption and stands on the east swing, which dips to the ground. There is a faint chiming noise, and he steps off again, showing you the egg. It has shrunk to the size of a sparrow's egg. $i 'We're suffering from a shortage of space, so we use the compactifactor to make the eggs smaller. That way we can use the sparrows as surrogate mothers.' He slips the egg into one of the sparrow's nesting boxes. 'When the eggs hatch, we use the other swing to return the plover chicks to full size. Clever, isn't it?' $i He checks his watch. 'Well, nice talking to you. Got to go -- time to brush the otters.' He opens the aviary door and slips outside. $p Before he can close the door again, he sees something outside which makes him scream. You hear him running away, shouting 'The lion is loose! The lion is loose!'$p The small grey mouse scurries around on the floor.$p 'You'll have to stay still, or this won't work!' says the mouse in an irritated tone. 'Let's try it again, shall we?' $iSoon the mouse's words have the desired effect, and you sink into a state of deep sleep. As you drift off, you think you hear the mouse say, 'Remember, beware the dreamfish...' $p After an unknown amount of time, you awake, and are surprised to find yourself back in the aviary. Who or what got you out of the cell is a mystery.$p The fish dreams, and its dreams become your dreams. You dream ofseaweed fronds waving in the ocean current, while tiny fish dart between them.sea anemones plucking tiny morsels from the water with their tentacles.the joy of swimming amongst the multicoloured marine diversity of a coral reef.$p As you turn to leave the ticket queue, a woman approaches you. 'Could you do me a favour and package this for me?' she asks. 'It's a present for my niece. I have to go and change some traveller's cheques, and I don't have time to do both or I'll miss the ferry!' $i She thrusts a box into your hands together with some wrapping paper, a roll of sellotape, a sticky label with an address written on it, and a stamp. Without waiting for an answer, she rushes off.$p You have an uncanny feeling that you're being watched.$p It's extremely cold up here, and you're starting to get chilled even with the thickish clothes you're wearing. You'd better start thinking of doing something about it.$p You're starting to feel awfully chilly.Now might be a good time to light the fire.$p You're becoming hypothermic. If you don't find some warmth soon, you'll be in serious trouble.$p The temperature of your body core drops below critical. Your possessions fall from your numb, frozen hands, and you feel yourself slipping from the universe...$p A man dressed in thick alpine clothing approaches the camp. As he draws closer, you see that he is also wearing dark glasses. $i 'We had hoped to observe you for a while longer before making contact,' he says, 'but you've forced our hand. We'll have to bring you in on the operation sooner than we expected. $i 'This is Extraterrestrial Contact Station X-17,' he explains. 'A rendezvous has been arranged here that could be of incalculable benefit to the human race, and we believe that you can provide invaluable assistance...' $i Suddenly, a gunshot rings out across the mountainside. 'Get down!' shouts the man, pushing you down behind a snowdrift and drawing a pistol. 'It's the Russians! They're trying to steal the technology and keep it for themselves. Help man the station while I hold them off!'$p A shot from the Russians whistles over your head, and the American returns fire.$p You hear shots in the distance as the Russian and American agents engage in a gun battle.$p There is one final shot, and the American agent yells out and then falls silent. All sounds of battle cease. $p You hear footsteps in the snow behind you. A voice says something in Russian, and a blow is delivered to the back of your head.Your possessions fall onto the snow as youYouslump to the ground unconscious.$p You keep a close eye on the reading of the watch. $iIt reaches 03:47. Time to stop the watch!Too late, the reading has gone past 03:47.It has gone past 03:47.$p An indicator lights up on the watch. Nothing seems to happen at first, but after a few minutes a strange disk-like object appears in the sky. It comes towards you, growing larger and larger, until it is directly overhead. A bright beam of light shines down from an opening in its underside, surrounding you with brilliance. $p You find yourself hanging in space, white light all around, facing two creatures just like the ones depicted by the figurines, only life-sized and real. You hear their voices in your head. $i 'Your species shows great promise, but it is destroying itself by polluting its planet. Your scientists are starting to become aware of the problem, but it is worse than you yet know, and the steps you are taking to solve it are far too slow. We wish to give you a gift which will speed your progress. Take it, and use it wisely. The survival of your species depends on it.' $i A silvery disk floats towards you, and you take it from the air. $i 'We return you now to a place which we believe you will find familiar, and from which you will be able to find your way home.' $p The light around you fades, and you are back on solid ground.$n$n Laboratory$n After a moment's disorientation, you realise you're standing in your laboratory beside the ZRBLM. You're completely astonished that it actually worked -- and not at all sure how you'll get anyone to believe the fantastic tale of your journey. $i You go through your possessions, to see what sort of evidence you've got to show them.$i The CD! You rush over to your PC to see what's on it... $p The disc turns out to contain complete theoretical and engineering details of a completely clean, cheap, inexhaustible energy source based on cold fusion. Almost overnight you become the head of a major research and development project that grows to span continents and revolutionises civilisation worldwide. Thanks to you, humanity has a bright future. $p And what's even better, Smythe gets fired from the department. $p ------------------------------- Credits -------------------------------$n Thanks are due to Kenneth Finlayson (kaf03@uow.edu.au) for$n excellent beta testing, Emily Short (emshort@mindspring.com)$n for coming up with the Walkthrough Competition, and Thomas$n Nilsson (thomas.nilsson@progindus.se) and Goeran Forslund$n (gorfo@ida.liu.se) for creating ALAN, without which writing$n this game wouldn't have been nearly as much fun. -----------------------------------------------------------------------Huh?I don't understand.There doesn't seem to be anything you can $v.I don't know what you mean by 'it'.I don't know what you mean by 'them'.You can't refer to multiple objects with '$v'.I can't guess what you want to $v.You must supply a noun.You must give an object after 'but'.You can only use 'but' after 'all'.That doesn't leave much to $v!I don't know which $1 you mean.I can't see any $1 here.You can't go that way.You can't do that.You can't $v the $1.There is nothing here that you can $v.There is$$, and here.is here.Thecontains, and $$.Theis empty.You have scoredpoints out ofI don't know that word.(again)Enter file name to save inThat file already exists, overwrite (RETURN confirms) ? Sorry, save failed.Sorry, could not open that save file.Sorry, the save file was created by a different version.Sorry, the save file did not contain a save for this adventure.Enter file name to restore fromAre you sure (RETURN confirms) ? Do you want to RESTART, RESTORE or QUIT ? aHow that nincompoop Smythe ever became head of department you'll never know. Convinced that Zeiss and Rosenberg are crackpots, he's consistently refused you any funding for your research into their theories. Well, you're about to show him. And everyone else who's scoffed. The Machine is almost finished, and when it works, when you *show* the world that you're right, fame and fortune will be yours, and research grants will fall into your hands like manna from heaven.$n $n All you have to do is get the last bug out of the control software...$n $n TO OTHERWHERE AND BACK$n An Interactive Implausibility$n by Gregory Ewing, greg@cosc.canterbury.ac.nz$n http://www.cosc.canterbury.ac.nz/~greg/$n $n WARNING: This is an unusual game. Enter ABOUT for more information.