Ghost

(if: $sense is "sight")[You're standing in the foyer of the mansion. There are a number of portraits of people in old-fashioned clothes, some vases containing withered old sticks that were probably once plants, and a small table with a pair of couches. A staircase winds up and around the lefthand wall to a hall above, while a set of double doors stands opposite the entrance. Climb the [[stairs->Upstairs]] (if: $knowhall is "false")[Go through the [[doors->Hall]]]\ (else:)[Go to the [[hall->Hall]]]]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[The foyer is nearly silent. You can only hear the faint whisper of wind outside. It's somehow soothing and eerie at once.(if: $clock is "Hall") [You can hear that clock ticking from here.] (if: $clock is "Foyer") [The ticking clock is sitting at your feet. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the clock. (set: $clock to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[The air in here is stale and musty. Nobody must have so much as opened a door for decades.(if: $salts is "Hall") [You can smell those salts from here, eugh.]\ (if: $salts is "Foyer") [The rancid smell of those salts is strong here. (Link: "Take them")[ You take the smelling salts. (set: $salts to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[There's a faint, near imperceptible tingling in the air that you long ago learned to associate with the presence of spirits. It's so faint here though that you're certain they're elsewhere in the manor. Otherwise, nothing leaps out at you, the air is still and isn't warm or cold. (if: $icepack is "Hall")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Foyer")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the icepack. (set: $icepack to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $ghosts is 0)[[[You're done here->Victory]]]\

(if: (passage:)'s tags contains "nosense")[ ]\ (else:)[(unless: $sense is "sight")[Focus on (link: "seeing")[(set: $sense to "sight")(go-to: (passage:)'s name)] ]\ (unless: $sense is "smell")[Focus on (link: "smelling")[(set: $sense to "smell")(go-to: (passage:)'s name)] ]\ (unless: $sense is "sound")[Focus on (link: "hearing")[(set: $sense to "sound")(go-to: (passage:)'s name)] ]\ (unless: $sense is "touch")[Focus on (link: "touch")[(set: $sense to "touch")(go-to: (passage:)'s name)] ]\ (unless: (passage:)'s tags contains "noinventory")[Check your [[Inventory / Objectives]]]]

(set: $knowname to "false")\ (set: $knowhall to "false")\ (set: $knowbedroom to "false")\ (set: $knowbathroom to "false")\ (set: $knowstudy to "false")\ (set: $knowlounge to "false")\ (set: $knowlibrary to "false")\ (set: $knowdining to "false")\ (set: $knowkitchen to "false")\ (set: $GhostLibrary to "false")\ (set: $ghosthall to "false")\ (set: $sense to "sight")\ (set: $ghosts to 3)\ (set: $tap to "true")\ (set: $knife to "false")\ (set: $kitchendoor to "false")\ (set: $salts to "false")\ (set: $clock to "false")\ (set: $icepack to "false")\ (set: $ghostlounge to "false")\ (set: $How to (either: "poison", "club", "gun", "knife"))\ (set: $Where to (either: "bathroom", "bedroom", "study"))\ (set: $Who to (either: "personA", "personB", "personC", "personD"))\ (set: $Why to (either: "Money", "Revenge", "Love", "Conspiracy"))\ (set: $personA to (either: "Lord Cole", "Lady Grey", "Dr. Collins", "Mrs. Livio"))\ (set: $personB to (either: "Mr. Wilkinson", "Sir Thomas", "Madam Lucilla", "Myra West"))\ (set: $personC to (either: "Father Verde", "Miss Thorn", "John Miller", "Ann Sobel"))\ (set: $personD to (either: "Mr. Leung", "W.K. Malory", "Ms. Fitzpatrick", "Mrs. Adams"))\ (set: $logic1 to "1. My distant relative is either motivated by love, or is $personB. 2. Of the person motivated by love and $personC, one is a relative and the other is a business partner. 3. The person who seems in on a conspiracy is either $personD or my business partner. 4. Of the person motivated by love and the person in on a conspiracy, one is $personD and the other is a friend.")\ (set: $logic2 to "1. Of $personB and $personD, one is a friend and the other is motivated by love. 2. $personC is in on a conspiracy. 3. $personB is a relative of mine. 4. The stranger is either $personB or motivated by revenge.")\ (set: $logic3 to "1. Of $personB and $personA, one was a friend and the other was in on a conspiracy. 2. $personB was motivated by money. 3. My business partner was either $personA or was motivated by revenge. 4. $personC was motivated by love.")\ (set: $logic4 to "1. The stranger is either motivated by money or by love. 2. $personC is a relative of mine. 3. $personD is motivated by love. 4. Of $personB and the person in on a conspiracy, one is a friend and the other is a stranger.")\ (set: $hintfriend to "There's a postscript below it in a different hand: Based on the deceased's notes, we believe the friend should be taken in for questioning.")\ (set: $hintstranger to "There's a postscript below it in a different hand: Based on the deceased's notes, we believe the stranger should be taken in for questioning.")\ (set: $hintpartner to "There's a postscript below it in a different hand: Based on the deceased's notes, we believe the business partner should be taken in for questioning.")\ (set: $hintrelative to "There's a postscript below it in a different hand: Based on the deceased's notes, we believe the relative should be taken in for questioning.")\ (set: $guess to (a:))\ You pull your car up alongside the mansion, parking up against a delapidated hedgerow. By the overhead light you read the details of your assignment once more, as little information as it is. "Seller insists there are ghosts in mansion, get in and deal with it. Don't care how, just make enough of an effort that they shut up." How informative. People just don't respect ghost hunting. You sigh and glance out the window at the late evening sky. It's clouding over, probably going to rain before the night is out. You get out of the car and wander over to the mansion. It's in a pretty sorry state, paint peeling wherever you can make it out through the carpet of ivy. You insert the old key the solicitors gave you, the lock giving an awful shriek as the rust turns inside it, thankfully not just breaking. [[Enter->Intro continue]]

You still have $ghosts ghosts left to deal with. (if: $ghosthall is "true")[There's a ghost in the upstairs hall. They seem to have been murdered. Finding out the details seems a good start. ]\ (if: $ghosthall is "done")[You've set the ghost upstairs at ease. ]\ (if: $GhostLibrary is "true")[There's a ghost in the library. It says it's too bright. ]\ (if: $GhostLibrary is "done")[You've set the ghost in the library at ease. ]\ (if: $GhostLounge is "true")[There's a ghost in the lounge. You could only barely make out their presence. Might help to know who they were. ]\ (if: $GhostLounge is "done")[You've set the ghost in the lounge at ease. Probably. ]\ INVENTORY: (if: $knife is "true")[You have a small knife. ]\ (if: $salts is "inventory")[You have some smelling salts. (link: " Drop them") [(Set: $salts to (history:)'s last) You put down the smelling salts. They emit a chemical stench.] ]\ (if: $clock is "inventory")[You have an alarm clock. (link: " Drop it") [(Set: $clock to (history:)'s last) You place the clock down. It starts ticking remarkably loudly.] ]\ (if: $icepack is "inventory")[You have an ice pack.(link: " Drop it") [(Set: $icepack to (history:)'s last) You put the icepack down. The whole room seems to get colder.] ]\ (link-goto: "Return", (history:)'s last)

(if: $sense is "sight")[You're standing in the upstairs hall. A fairly bare and utilitarian spot, as corridors tend to be. What's the difference between a corridor and a hall anyway? Whatever this is, there's three doors you can see. (if: $knowbedroom is "false")[Go through the [[near right door->Bedroom]]] (else:)[Go to the [[bedroom->Bedroom]]] (if: $knowbathroom is "false")[Go through the [[far right door->Bathroom]]] (else:)[Go to the [[bathroom->Bathroom]]] (if: $knowstudy is "false")[Go through the [[left door->Study]]] (else:)[Go to the [[study->Study]]] Go back [[downstairs->Foyer]]]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[(if: $ghosthall is "false")[Now that you're upstairs, the sound of the wind outside is rather louder, up on the roof. Sounds like it might be raining a little as well. Wait, wait. That isn't rain. [[Listen in closer->GhostHall]]]\ (if: $ghosthall is "true")[You tune out the sound of the wind and listen in for the ghost once more. [[There it is->GhostHall]]] (if: $ghosthall is "done")[There's no more indication of a ghost around here. You relax and listen to the gentle drumming of the light rainfall on the roof. Seems it really was starting up.]\ (if: $clock is "Bedroom")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Bathroom")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Study")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Upstairs")[The ticking clock is sitting at your feet. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the clock. (set: $clock to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[The air is just as stale, but oddly less full of the scent of must and mold. Guess that's heavier than air and has settled to the lower floor over the years. Mind you don't kick it all up off the carpets though. (if: $salts is "Bedroom")[You can smell those salts from here, eugh.]\ (if: $salts is "Bathroom")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $salts is "Study")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $salts is "Upstairs")[TThe rancid smell of those salts is strong here. (Link: "Take them")[ You take the smelling salts. (set: $salts to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[With the open staircase leading down, the air isn't as close as it is in the rest of the manor. Stagnant and still compared to outside, but better. (if: $icepack is "Bedroom")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Bathroom")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Study")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Upstairs")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the icepack. (set: $icepack to "inventory")]\ ]]\

(set: $knowhall to "true")\ (if: $sense is "sight")[You're standing in the downstairs hall. This was probably a pretty boring hallway even before the place was neglected. There's nothing to look at but a broken picture frame on the floor, the string long since snapped. Behind you is the door to the foyer. There are doors to the left, right, and in front of you. Back to the [[foyer->Foyer]] (if: $knowlounge is "false")[Go through the [[door on the left->Lounge]]](else:)[Go to the [[lounge->Lounge]]] (if: $knowdining is "false")[Go through the [[door on the right->Dining room]]](else:)[Go to the [[dining room->Dining room]]] (if: $knowlibrary is "false")[Go through the [[door at the end of the hall->Library]]](else:)[Go to the [[library->Library]]]]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[The hallway has fairly thick carpeting, the small sounds of the mansion are even softer here. Your own heartbeat seems to drum in your ears. (if: $clock is "Foyer")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Lounge")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Library")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Hall")[The ticking clock is sitting at your feet. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the clock. (set: $clock to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[Nothing but the scent of dust and still air. (if: $salts is "Foyer")[You can smell those salts from here, eugh.]\ (if: $salts is "Lounge")[You can smell those salts from here, eugh.]\ (if: $salts is "Library")[You can smell those salts from here, eugh.]\ (if: $salts is "Hall")[The rancid smell of those salts is strong here. (Link: "Take them")[ You take the smelling salts. (set: $salts to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[A hallway is normally one of the airiest rooms in a building as people constantly pass through it, but everything came to a dead stop here decades ago. There's no movement you can sense, nor any other feeling. (if: $icepack is "Foyer")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Lounge")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Library")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Hall")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the icepack. (set: $icepack to "inventory")]\ ]]\

(set: $knowbedroom to "true")\ (if: $sense is "sight")[You're standing in the bedroom. Palatial is the first word that comes to mind. A four-poster bed takes pride of place in the room, with rich red hangings and bedspreads. There are two small tables on either side of the bed, and one wall is mostly taken up with a picture window, looking out over the gardens. Palatial, but as with everything else, ravaged by time. There's a sizeable hole in the window that must have been letting the weather in for years now, and the room is soaked through. Mold and fungus have utterly enveloped everything. All of the fabric looks like it will collapse in a puddle of slime if you touch it. You feel a full body shudder pass through you. Head back to the [[hall->Upstairs]] ]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[The broken window in here means the sound of the gust outside is drowning nearly everything out. Hard to get a clear read. (if: $clock is "false")[There's a loud, rhythmic ticking coming from a bedside cabinet. (Link: "Find it")[ Inside the drawer (which was stuck fast, but the entire front came off with a wet tearing sound when you pulled on it) you located an alarm clock. How on earth this thing is still running eludes you, as does why you'd need one that ticks so loud you couldn't sleep in the first place. You take it with you.(set: $clock to "inventory")] ]\ (if: $clock is "Upstairs")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Bedroom")[The ticking clock is sitting at your feet. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the clock. (set: $clock to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[Oh, no, why. Why did you try and smell things. Everywhere in the house smells of mold. This room smells of *wet* mold. You feel sick to your stomach, but try and focus to see if there are other elements to this nasal cacophany. (if: $Where is "bedroom")[ (if: $How is "poison")[Strange. There's a strong smell of almonds in here. Almonds, but... bitter.]\ (if: $How is "club")[Strange. One of the bedside lamps smells faintly of blood. It's been nearly washed away, but it's there.]\ (if: $How is "gun")[Strange. There's a smell of cordite in the air. Long since settled, but it's there.]\ (if: $How is "knife")[Strange. A nail file on the bedstand smells of blood. More than you'd get from catching a cuticle, that is.]\ ]\ (if: $salts is "Upstairs")[ You can smell those salts from here, eugh.]\ (if: $salts is "Bedroom")[The rancid smell of those salts is strong here. (Link: "Take them")[ You take the smelling salts. (set: $salts to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[The air is cold, damp and clammy. That'll do for things to know about how the room feels. In this heightened state of awareness that comes from concentrating, you *really* don't want to reach out and touch anything in here. Suffice to say it would be slimy. Or furry. Or some other hideous texture you hadn't even considered. Some things are better left unknown. (if: $icepack is "Upstairs")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Bedroom")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the icepack. (set: $icepack to "inventory")]\ ]]\

(set: $knowbathroom to "true")\ (if: $sense is "sight")[You're standing in the bathroom. Quite a lovely bathroom, really. Since almost everything in here is porcelain tiles in place of the fabric and wood of the rest of the manor, it's survived without anything more than a layer of dust. The fittings are ornate, the bath and toilet both overly decorated with ceramic curlicues. The mirror is fogged over and is one of the kind with a medicine cabinet behind it. Head back to the [[hall->Upstairs]] ]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[The water stopped running to this place decades back, so there's not even a stray drip to be heard in here. The hard surfaces are reflecting every noise you make back and amplifying it though, meaning this would be a good time to practice singing in the shower if that weren't the most inane idea you've had all day. (if: $clock is "Upstairs")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Bathroom")[The ticking clock is sitting at your feet. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the clock. (set: $clock to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[Thankfully, considering there's a toilet in here, the primary smell you're getting on top of the mansion's background scent is that of soap. It's practically seeped into the walls. (if: $Where is "bathroom")[ (if: $How is "poison")[Strange. There's a strong smell of almonds in here. Almonds, but... bitter.]\ (if: $How is "club")[Strange. One of the ceramic soap dishes smells faintly of blood. It's been nearly washed away, but it's there.]\ (if: $How is "gun")[Strange. There's a smell of cordite in the air. Long since settled, but it's there.]\ (if: $How is "knife")[Strange. One of the razors by the sink smells of blood. Like, more than you'd expect from even a novice shaver.]\ ]\ (if: $salts is "false")[There's a weird smell coming from the medicine cabinet. (Link: "Find it")[ Your search takes only an instant once you open the cabinet: a bottle of smelling salts; you're nearly bowled over by the revolting stench of ammonia. You quickly stuff them in your bag with the lid on tight.(set: $salts to "inventory")] ]\ (if: $salts is "Upstairs")[ You can smell those salts from here, eugh.]\ (if: $salts is "Bathroom")[The rancid smell of those salts is strong here. (Link: "Take them")[ You take the smelling salts. (set: $salts to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[Porcelain walls aren't very good at holding heat, it turns out. This room is noticeably colder than the rest of the mansion. Not enough to be suspicious of though. (if: $icepack is "Upstairs")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Bathroom")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the icepack. (set: $icepack to "inventory")]\ ]]\

(set: $knowstudy to "true")\ (if: $sense is "sight")[You're standing in the study. A relatively small and cozy room that looks to have seen a lot of use. A writing desk covered in notes is in the centre of the wall to the right of where you came in, with a couple of bookshelves on the near side of it and a small couch on the far. There are prints on the opposite wall, though the large windows opposite the entrance have left them sun-bleached beyond legibility. Other than the dust, this room survived the years intact, the same sunlight must have sterilised things a bit. Check the [[desk->Desk]] Head back to the [[hall->Upstairs]] ]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[The wind is sighing gently outside. Besides a vague and possibly half imagined sound of insect life (Woodlice and silverfish, you run into them a lot in this line of work with the number of old houses), there's not a lot of note in here. (if: $clock is "Upstairs")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Study")[The ticking clock is sitting at your feet. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the clock. (set: $clock to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[Smells like paper and ink in here. The blotter on the desk has obviously done its job for a long time. Would that be India ink? You never really known the different kinds of ink, since you don't see the need to pretend ball point pens don't exist. (if: $Where is "study")[ (if: $How is "poison")[Strange. There's a strong smell of almonds in here. Almonds, but... bitter.]\ (if: $How is "club")[Strange. A bronze bust smells faintly of blood. It's been nearly washed away, but it's there.]\ (if: $How is "gun")[Strange. There's a smell of cordite in the air. Long since settled, but it's there.]\ (if: $How is "knife")[Strange. A letter opener on the desk smells of blood. That can't be good.]\ ]\ (if: $salts is "Upstairs")[ You can smell those salts from here, eugh.]\ (if: $salts is "Study")[The rancid smell of those salts is strong here. (Link: "Take them")[ You take the smelling salts. (set: $salts to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[The air is dry as a bone. All the papers here must have wicked away the moisture. That's a thing, right? In any case, dry air. Kind of chilly too, the windows here are letting all the heat out. Not supernatural though. (if: $icepack is "Upstairs")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Study")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the icepack. (set: $icepack to "inventory")]\ ]]\

(set: $knowlounge to "true")\ (if: $sense is "sight")[You're standing in the lounge. The scene is another one of decayed, forgotten opulence. A few large and plush chairs given way to the moldering ruin of the mansion, small tables coated in dust and a long dead fireplace. There's paintings on the walls, but they're long neglected and have faded or been smothered in a layer of grime. (if: $knife is "false")[One of the tables has a small knife on it. A letter opener, probably. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the knife. (set: $knife to "true")]\ ]\ Back to the [[hall->Hall]] ]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[The distant whistle of the wind outside is clearer here, as clogged as the flue is with debris and old bird nests, some air is still getting in. (if: $clock is "Hall")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Lounge")[The ticking clock is sitting at your feet. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the clock. (set: $clock to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[There's a smell in the air of smoke, long soaked into the chairs and carpet and every other surface that can catch it. Woodsmoke from the fire, cigar and pipe smoke from the occupants. It's a change from dust at least. (if: $salts is "Hall")[You can smell those salts from here, eugh.]\ (if: $salts is "Lounge")[The rancid smell of those salts is strong here. (Link: "Take them")[ You take the smelling salts. (set: $salts to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[(if: $ghostlounge is "false")[There's a disturbance in the air here. Probably just wind coming down the fireplace? Unless(link-reveal: "...")[ Yep. (click-replace: "Yep.")[[[It's here->GhostLounge]]]]]\ (if: $ghostlounge is "true")[You know it's here now, so it's easier to focus in on the strange sensation of the ghost. [[Do so->GhostLounge]]]\ (if: $ghostlounge is "done")[The ghost is at rest now, and so too is the air in here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Hall")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Lounge")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the icepack. (set: $icepack to "inventory")]\ ]]\

(set: $knowdining to "true")\ (if: $sense is "sight")[You're standing in the dining room. It's a rather large room, and what was undoubtedly a beautiful wooden table fills most of it. Past tense, because of course it's now just a mold-addled mess, the cushioning on the chairs surrounding it even worse. The candlesticks still sitting on it are bare (tallow, bees wax... either is organic and won't last) and are tarnished black, they must be silver. A small and unobtrusive door sits on the far wall. Return to the [[Hall]] (if: $knowkitchen is "false")[Go through the [[small door->Kitchen]]](else:)[Go to the [[kitchen->Kitchen]]]]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[Unlike most of the house, there's no carpet in the dining room, just a bare wooden floor. The end result of which is that, combined with the size of the room, most of what you can hear is your own movements, amplified and echoing around. (if: $tap is "true")[ You can hear a strange, arrythmic drumming sound coming from somewhere nearby.] (if: $clock is "Hall")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Kitchen")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Dining room")[The ticking clock is sitting at your feet. (Link: "Take them")[ You take the clock. (set: $clock to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[Nothing out of the ordinary reaches your nose. At one point this place must have been filled with the most wonderful scents of food imaginable, but now nothing but their ghosts remains. Not that you can tell if that's the case. Your sense of smell isn't so good you can smell phantom aromas. (if: $salts is "Hall")[You can smell those salts from here, eugh.]\ (if: $salts is "Kitchen")[You can smell those salts from here, eugh.]\ (if: $salts is "Dining room")[The rancid smell of those salts is strong here. (Link: "Take them")[ You take the smelling salts. (set: $salts to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[As rooms of the mansion go, the dining room is fairly large. You'd struggle to put it into words, but it makes the room *feel* different. Less cozy. Nothing unusual though. (if: $icepack is "Hall")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Kitchen")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Dining room")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the icepack. (set: $icepack to "inventory")]\ ]]\

(set: $knowlibrary to "true")\ (if: $sense is "sight")[You're standing in the library of the manor. This looks like it was a nice room at one point. Bookshelves line all the walls, with the door you came in through set inside an arch of them. One of those movable ladders on rails is resting beside the door so the higher shelves can be reached. There's a small reading table and a couple of ragged old chairs in the centre of the room. Back to the [[hall->Hall]]]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[(if: $GhostLibrary is "false")[As you might expect, it's a library, and quiet as the(link-reveal: "...")[ wait (click-replace: "wait")[[[It's here->GhostLibrary]]]]]\ (if: $GhostLibrary is "true")[The library is quiet, but you know there's something in here. You're pretty sure you're not going to get anything useful out of them by listening more though. Listen in for the [[ghost->GhostLibrary]]]\ (if: $GhostLibrary is "done")[The ghost is at rest. There's nothing else to hear.]\ (if: $clock is "Hall")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Library")[The ticking clock is sitting at your feet. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the clock. (set: $clock to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[Old book smell is typically very pleasant. That doesn't apply to books that are so old and poorly maintained the pages have gone black, as you just found out to your displeasure (if: $salts is "Hall")[ You can smell those salts from here, eugh.]\ (if: $salts is "Library")[The rancid smell of those salts is strong here. (Link: "Take them")[ You take the smelling salts. (set: $salts to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[The books on the walls make for good baffles, and no air is moving in here. It's also surprisingly warm, so they're apparently good insulation. Just a pity they're all so far past reading. (if: $icepack is "Hall")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Library")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the icepack. (set: $icepack to "inventory")]\ ]]\

(set: $knowkitchen to "true")\ (if: $sense is "sight")[You're standing in the kitchen. A somewhat small but well equipped kitchen. There are multiple ovens, a central island countertop and raised cupboards all around the room. Like everywhere else in the mansion though, there's also signs of neglect - not least the thick layer of dust covering everything. Something about a dead kitchen feels sad, it should be alive and bustling. (if: $icepack is "fridge")[A wary glance in the fridge reveals nothing but an icepack. Despite the fridge not being powered (even though the lights are, it must be broken) it's still frozen rock solid. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the icepack, careful not to touch it with your bare hands. It seems to *radiate* cold. (set: $icepack to "inventory")]]\ (if: $kitchendoor is "true")[Go through the [[basement door->Basement]]] Back to the [[dining room->Dining room]]]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[(if: $tap is "true")[The kitchen is... *tunk* is... *pnk* Gah, all you can focus on is the constant plunking sound of that damned tap in a metal sink. It's driving you mad. Why can't it even keep a proper rhythm? (link: "Turn it off")[(set: $tap to "false")(go-to: (passage:)'s name)]]\ (if: $tap is "false")[With the tap off, the kitchen is unsettlingly quiet. No clattering dishes, no hissing stovetops. Somehow it feels even more dead than before. (link: "Turn the tap back on")[(set: $tap to "true")(go-to: (passage:)'s name)]] (if: $clock is "Basement")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Dining room")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Kitchen")[The ticking clock is sitting at your feet. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the clock. (set: $clock to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[Erk. You hadn't noticed it until you focused on it, but there's an awful undercurrent of decay to the air in here. It's been mostly eroded by time, but the rot has seeped into the walls. Given you're in a kitchen the explanation is probably mundane, thankfully, and not a body in the floorboards scenario. Best you don't open any of the cupboards though. (if: $salts is "Basement")[You can smell those salts from here, eugh.]\ (if: $salts is "Dining room")[You can smell those salts from here, eugh.] (if: $salts is "Kitchen")[The rancid smell of those salts is strong here. (Link: "Take them")[ You take the smelling salts. (set: $salts to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[ (if: $kitchendoor is "false")[That doesn't feel right. The air should be as dead as everything else here, but you can feel that it isn't, not quite. Something is stirring it. A short if very slowly conducted search reveals a section of wall at the base of which is a hairline crack. Something has been wallpapered over here. (if: $knife is "false")[Sadly, you don't have any real means to deal with the wallpaper at present, so this discovery is more academic than anything practical. Good to know though. ]\ (if: $knife is "true")[You take the knife you found and carefully cut along the seam. Soon enough, a door is revealed. (set: $kitchendoor to "true")]]\ (else:)[With the basement door revealed, the faint stirring of air is more prominent. Nothing else noteworthy though.]\ (if: $icepack is "false")[ Wait, there's something else. You're not sure how you didn't notice earlier, but the fridge feels unearthly cold. (set: $icepack to "fridge")]\ (if: $icepack is "Basement")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Dining room")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Kitchen")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the icepack. (set: $icepack to "inventory")]\ ]]\

(set: $GhostLibrary to "true")\ The softest voice you've ever heard, the faintest whispering trace of an echo. (link-reveal: "*too bright*")[ (link-reveal: "*please*")[ (link-reveal: "*too bright*")[ (link-reveal: "*help*")[ The voice fades away. It doesn't seem like you'll get anything useful out of it. Seems you have a class #6: Consciousness vestige. The last you'll get out of rationality. There's no manifestation though. That's a little unusual, but ghosts have never quite been agreeable when it comes to fitting into scientific classifications. Dealing with the "too bright" problem is the likely start.]]]] [[Back->Library]]

(set: $knowbasement to "true")\ (if: $sense is "sight")[You're standing in the basement. For such a well concealed room, this isn't as exciting as you'd hoped. In all honesty, it's... a basement. The walls are bare stone, and the only feature of any note is a circuitbreaker set into the wall. How did they even access this? [[Turn off the power->Dark Basement]] [[Back up the stairs->Kitchen]] ]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[There's a faint humming coming from the circuitboard here. Really? That thing is actually still working? You'd almost assumed the lights were on because of some sort of ghostly interference. (if: $tap is "true")[ You can hear a strange, arrythmic drumming sound coming from somewhere nearby.]\ (if: $clock is "Kitchen")[You can hear that clock ticking from here.]\ (if: $clock is "Basement")[The ticking clock is sitting at your feet. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the clock. (set: $clock to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[Most of the mansion smells of mold, and the basement is... actually an exception, to your surprise. Either the spores got sealed out or there's nothing here that interests them. The air is clean, if very stale. (if: $salts is "Kitchen")[You can smell those salts from here, eugh.] (if: $salts is "Basement")[The rancid smell of those salts is strong here. (Link: "Take them")[ You take the smelling salts. (set: $salts to "inventory")]\ ]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[The temperature is rather cool down here in the basement. There's also practically no moisture in the air - this may have also been a storage for food before refrigeration. More of academic interest that practical that, you can't sense anything ghost related. (if: $icepack is "Kitchen")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here.]\ (if: $icepack is "Basement")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor. (Link: "Take it")[ You take the clock. (set: $icepack to "inventory")]\ ]]\

(if: $sense is "sight")[You're standing in the darkened basement. With the power turned off, the house is... alarmingly dark. You can't even see the stairs up out of here anymore. The only thing you can see at ALL anymore in fact is the circuitbreaker - there's some sort of dull emergency lighting. Turn the power back [[on->Basement]]]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[It's silent and loud here at the same time. Without even the tiny vestiges of light making it through your eyelids, your hearing is playing up everything and stopping you from concentrating on the individual details. You can't work out where you are by sound. (if: $tap is "true")[ That said, you can hear a strange, arrythmic drumming sound coming from somewhere nearby. [[Folow the sound->Dark Kitchen]]]\ (if: $clock is "Kitchen") [That said, you can hear that clock ticking from here. [[Folow the sound->Dark Kitchen]]]\ (if: $clock is "Basement")[Other than the ticking clock at your feet of course.]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[You'd never noticed how much your senses were secretly working in harmony. With sight completely gone, even your sense of smell can't seem to make out anything specific - certainly not to tell where you are, anyway. (if: $salts is "Kitchen") [Other than the smell of those salts, eugh. [[Folow the smell->Dark Kitchen]]]\ (if: $salts is "Kitchen")[There is the rancid smell of those salts here though.]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[You try and get your bearings by your sense of touch, but your mind is playing tricks on you in the dark. You're *fairly* sure nothing is out there - besides ghosts, of course. Downside is you have no idea where you are. (if: $icepack is "Kitchen") [The chill of that icepack is reaching here. [[Folow the feeling->Dark Kitchen]]]\ (if: $icepack is "Basement")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor.]\ ]\

(if: $sense is "sight")[It's nearly pitch black in here. The only thing you can make out is the faint glow from that emergency lighting over the circuitbreaker. Head towards [[it->Dark Basement]]]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[It's silent and loud here at the same time. Without even the tiny vestiges of light making it through your eyelids, your hearing is playing up everything and stopping you from concentrating on the individual details. You can't work out where you are by sound. (if: $tap is "true")[There is however the sound of a dripping tap.]\ (if: $clock is "Basement")[That said, you can hear that clock ticking from here. Head towards the [[sound->Dark Basement]]]\ (if: $clock is "Dining room")[That said, you can hear that clock ticking from here. Head towards the [[sound->Dark Dining room]]]\ (if: $clock is "Kitchen")[Other than the ticking clock at your feet of course. ]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[You'd never noticed how much your senses were secretly working in harmony. With sight completely gone, even your sense of smell can't seem to make out anything specific - certainly not to tell where you are, anyway. (if: $salts is "Basement")[Other than the smell of those salts, eugh. Head towards the [[smell->Dark Basement]]]\ (if: $salts is "Dining room")[Other than the smell of those salts, eugh. Head towards the [[smell->Dark Dining room]]] (if: $salts is "Kitchen")[There is the rancid smell of those salts here though.]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[You try and get your bearings by your sense of touch, but your mind is playing tricks on you in the dark. You're *fairly* sure nothing is out there - besides ghosts, of course. Downside is you have no idea where you are. (if: $icepack is "Basement")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here. Head towards the [[feeling->Dark Basement]]]\ (if: $icepack is "Dining room")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here. Head towards the [[feeling->Dark Dining room]]]\ (if: $icepack is "Kitchen")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor.]]\

(if: $sense is "sight")[You have no idea where you are. Turns out with the lights out, you can't see a thing. Who'd have thought. ]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[It's silent and loud here at the same time. Without even the tiny vestiges of light making it through your eyelids, your hearing is playing up everything and stopping you from concentrating on the individual details. You can't work out where you are by sound. (if: $tap is "true")[That said, you can hear that tap dripping from here. Head towards the [[sound->Dark Kitchen]]] (if: $clock is "Kitchen") [That said, you can hear that clock ticking from here. Head towards the [[sound->Dark Kitchen]]]\ (if: $clock is "Hall")[You can hear that clock ticking from here. Head towards the [[sound->Dark Hall]]]\ (if: $clock is "Dining room")[Other than the ticking clock at your feet of course. ]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[You'd never noticed how much your senses were secretly working in harmony. With sight completely gone, even your sense of smell can't seem to make out anything specific - certainly not to tell where you are, anyway. (if: $salts is "Kitchen")[Other than the smell of those salts, eugh. Head towards the [[smell->Dark Kitchen]]]\ (if: $salts is "Hall")[Other than the smell of those salts, eugh. Head towards the [[smell->Dark Hall]]] (if: $salts is "Dining room")[There is the rancid smell of those salts here though.]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[You try and get your bearings by your sense of touch, but your mind is playing tricks on you in the dark. You're *fairly* sure nothing is out there - besides ghosts, of course. Downside is you have no idea where you are. (if: $icepack is "Kitchen")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here. Head towards the [[feeling->Dark Kitchen]]]\ (if: $icepack is "Hall")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here. Head towards the [[feeling->Dark Hall]]]\ (if: $icepack is "Dining room")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor.]]\

(if: $sense is "sight")[You have no idea where you are. Turns out with the lights out, you can't see a thing. Who'd have thought. ]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[It's silent and loud here at the same time. Without even the tiny vestiges of light making it through your eyelids, your hearing is playing up everything and stopping you from concentrating on the individual details. You can't work out where you are by sound. (if: $clock is "Foyer")[That said, you can hear that clock ticking from here. Head towards the [[sound->Dark Foyer]]]\ (if: $clock is "Lounge")[That said, you can hear that clock ticking from here. Head towards the [[sound->Dark Lounge]]]\ (if: $clock is "Dining room")[That said, you can hear that clock ticking from here. Head towards the [[sound->Dark Dining room]]]\ (if: $clock is "Library")[That said, you can hear that clock ticking from here. Head towards the [[sound->Dark Library]]]\ (if: $clock is "Hall")[Other than the ticking clock at your feet of course. ]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[You'd never noticed how much your senses were secretly working in harmony. With sight completely gone, even your sense of smell can't seem to make out anything specific - certainly not to tell where you are, anyway. (if: $salts is "Foyer")[Other than the smell of those salts, eugh. Head towards the [[smell->Dark Foyer]]]\ (if: $salts is "Lounge")[Other than the smell of those salts, eugh. Head towards the [[smell->Dark Lounge]]]\ (if: $salts is "Dining room")[Other than the smell of those salts, eugh. Head towards the [[smell->Dark Dining room]]]\ (if: $salts is "Library")[Other than the smell of those salts, eugh. Head towards the [[smell->Dark Library]]]\ (if: $salts is "Hall")[There is the rancid smell of those salts here though.]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[You try and get your bearings by your sense of touch, but your mind is playing tricks on you in the dark. You're *fairly* sure nothing is out there - besides ghosts, of course. Downside is you have no idea where you are. (if: $icepack is "Foyer")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here. Head towards the [[feeling->Dark Foyer]]]\ (if: $icepack is "Dining room")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here. Head towards the [[feeling->Dark Dining room]]]\ (if: $icepack is "Lounge")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here. Head towards the [[feeling->Dark Lounge]]]\ (if: $icepack is "Library")[The chill of that icepack is reaching here. Head towards the [[feeling->Dark Library]]]\ (if: $icepack is "Hall")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor.]]\

(if: $sense is "sight")[You have no idea where you are. Turns out with the lights out, you can't see a thing. Who'd have thought.]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[(if: $GhostLibrary is "true")[Alright. You're fairly sure you're in the library. Listen in for the [[ghost->DarkGhostLibrary]]]\ \(if: $GhostLibrary is "false")[It seems even more quiet in here. You have a strange feeling that you're here early and should read that walkthrough more carefully.] \(if: $GhostLibrary is "done")[The ghost is at rest. There's nothing more to hear.] (if: $clock is "Hall") [You can hear that clock ticking from here. [[Folow the sound->Dark Hall]]]\ (if: $clock is "Library")[The ticking clock is at your feet.]]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[You'd never noticed how much your senses were secretly working in harmony. With sight completely gone, even your sense of smell can't seem to make out anything specific - certainly not to tell where you are, anyway. (if: $salts is "Hall") [Other than the smell of those salts, eugh. [[Folow the smell->Dark Hall]]]\ (if: $salts is "Library")[There is the rancid smell of those salts here though.]]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[You try and get your bearings by your sense of touch, but your mind is playing tricks on you in the dark. You're *fairly* sure nothing is out there - besides ghosts, of course. Downside is you have no idea where you are. (if: $icepack is "Hall") [The chill of that icepack is reaching here. [[Folow the feeling->Dark Hall]]]\ (if: $icepack is "Library")[The air is cold around the icepack you left on the floor.]\ ]\

(set: $GhostLibrary to "done")\ (set: $ghosts to $ghosts - 1)\ The voice, still as soft as can be, now sounds more at ease. (link-reveal: "*thank you*")[ (link-reveal: "*it's over*")[ (link-reveal: "*can go now*")[ (link-reveal: "*thank you*")[ The voice fades away. You don't think you're going to have to do any more to help this one. You sure wish you had any idea what was going on with them, but sometimes it's just like that. Not every ghost spills their story. Just get the job done and move on, it's all the living can hope for.]]]] [[Return->LibraryGhostDone]]

(set: $salts to "done")\ (set: $clock to "done")\ (set: $icepack to "done")\ (set: $sense to "sight")\ You navigate your way back to the fusebox, gathering up the items along the way. You don't think you're going to need them anymore. [[Continue->Basement]]

(set: $ghostlounge to "true")\ The physical sensation of a ghost is an odd one. It's not cold, but it feels cold. It's the feeling of being watched. It's the certainty of presence. This ghost is what you refer to as a class #8: Little more than a vague suggestion of a long departed existence. Give it another twenty, thirty years and they might just evaporate completely, onto... wherever they go. Still, that's an undignified end and you're a professional. There must be some way to help the lost soul. Usually helps to know who they are, for a start. (if: $deskchecked is "true")[(if: $knowname is "false")[*Wait, didn't you see something about a name upstairs?*](if:$knowname is "true")[Speak the ghost's [[name->Ghostmadness]]]]\ [[Back->Lounge]]

(if: $ghosthall is "true")[You don't exactly have to concentrate hard to hear the ghost. Their strident voice quickly reaches you. "Ah! At last! If you're QUITE finished wasting time faffing about instead of LISTENING to me, perhaps you can put that damned scoundrel behind bars! One would think you'd bother to ask the victim of such a brutal assault, though given your treatment of the case so far, I am no longer inclined to help!" Seems the ghost has a bit of a memory problem. Getting caught in a temporal loop like that does tend to happen to them a fair bit. Still, makes your job easier if you happen to mess this up. Time to solve the case, do you think?] (if: $ghosthall is "false")[You hear the voice of a ghost, caught mid-sentence. The voice is faint, but it's clear it's in the midst of a furious tirade. "...their treachery! Nobody crosses ME and gets away with it! When those officers get back I shall give them a piece of my..." You feel the attention of the spirit fall upon you. "Ah! At last! If you're QUITE finished wasting time faffing about instead of LISTENING to me, perhaps you can put that damned scoundrel behind bars! One would think you'd bother to ask the victim of such a brutal assault, though given your treatment of the case so far, I am no longer inclined to help!" Hm. Ghosts vary quite widely in terms of how well they maintain coherence. This one is what you categorise as a class #2: Has its marbles together, but is caught up in a holding pattern of obsession, and doesn't seem to be aware of their own departed status. Pretty common. Only way to break it is to provide some closure, then they typically move on without any further prompting. Do you feel like playing the role of the police, or is it time to look around the crime scene some more? (set: $ghosthall to "true")\ ] (if: $deskchecked is "true")[Lay out the [[case->Crime]]] [[Go back->Upstairs]]

(set: $guess to (a:))\ You put on your best official voice as you take a guess at what happened. "We've concluded our investigation, and you have no more need to worry. Our understanding is that... You were in... |where>[\ (link: "the study")[(replace: ?where)[the study](set: $guess to $guess + (a: "study"))] (link: "the bedroom")[(replace: ?where)[the bedroom](set: $guess to $guess + (a: "bedroom"))] (link: "the bathroom")[(replace: ?where)[the bathroom](set: $guess to $guess + (a:"bathroom"))]\ ] when someone entered. It was... |who>[\ (link: "$personA")[(replace: ?who)[$personA](set: $guess to $guess + (a: "personA"))] (link: "$personB")[(replace: ?who)[$personB](set: $guess to $guess + (a: "personB"))] (link: "$personC")[(replace: ?who)[$personC](set: $guess to $guess + (a: "personC"))] (link: "$personD")[(replace: ?who)[$personD](set: $guess to $guess + (a: "personD"))]\ ] they then killed you by... |how>[\ (link: "shooting you")[(replace: ?how)[shooting you.](set: $guess to $guess + (a: "gun"))] (link: "poisoning you")[(replace: ?how)[poisoning you.](set: $guess to $guess + (a: "poison"))] (link: "stabbing you")[(replace: ?how)[stabbing you.](set: $guess to $guess + (a: "knife"))] (link: "bludgeoning you")[(replace: ?how)[bludgeoning you.](set: $guess to $guess + (a: "club"))]\ ] It was... |why>[\ (link: "for your money")[(replace: ?why)[for your money.](set: $guess to $guess + (a: "Money"))] (link: "for their lover")[(replace: ?why)[for their lover.](set: $guess to $guess + (a: "Love"))] (link: "for revenge")[(replace: ?why)[for revenge.](set: $guess to $guess + (a: "Revenge"))] (link: "part of a conspiracy")[(replace: ?why)[part of a conspiracy.](set: $guess to $guess + (a: "Conspiracy"))]\ ] Does that all sound [[correct?->Result]]

(if: $guess contains $Where and $How and $Who and $Why)[The ghost's blustering consternation stops (click-replace: "dead.")[dead*er*.] "Killed me? But I'm not... Don't be..." they stammer out. "I can't..." There's a sigh like the wind rolling through a tomb. "I am, aren't I. Look at this place. Nobody has been alive in these walls for years, have they?" Their voice is so much smaller than before, resignation settling in. "I don't suppose you know if they got the bastard who did this to me?" they ask, the spark of hope barely present. You shake your head and shrug. For all you know they died before you were born. "Hrmph. Well with any luck, I'll get a chance to meet them. Though on second thought, I'd rather hope I'm not going wherever a murderer ends up, so that's not perhaps the smartest wish." Their voice is fading now. Awareness of death is typically enough to free the spirit. "All the same, my thanks to you. You've freed me from a prison I didn't know I was in." With that, the voice vanishes entirely, even beyond your highly attuned hearing. You smile to yourself at a task done well, and at the rare chance to receive thanks from those you're helping. Times like these make the job worthwhile. ...you are definitely going to make enquiries at the police though, for your own curiosity if nothing else. (set: $ghosthall to "done")\ (set: $ghosts to $ghosts - 1)] (else:)[There's a furious and incoherent blustering and ranting. "What the devil sort of officer are you? That's not right at all, it makes no sense! Get out of my sight!" Whoops. Seems that wasn't how things went down. The good news is that ghosts are pretty spectacularly forgetful in your experience... you should be able to try again.] (set: $sense to "sight")\ [[Back->Upstairs]]

(set: $deskchecked to "true")\ There's only a couple of pages that are even vaguely legible here, the rest either faded to nothingness or written in an illegible spidery scrawl. "Ever since the ghastly business in the library and the tragedy with poor Tim Swift down in the study, I have reason to suspect there is something afoot.(if: $ghostlounge is "true")[*(Hang on, that must be the lounge ghost's name. Better remember that.)*(set: $knowname to "true")] As such, I have decided to make records of the people who have passed through here recently, in case that should prove pertinent." "There are four people I believe may be involved, $personA, $personB, $personC and $personD. Of these people, one is my business partner, one a family friend, one a distant relation of mine and the last a stranger to me who passed through recently." (if: $Who is "personA")[(if: $Why is "Money")[$logic3 $hintfriend](if: $Why is "Love")[$logic1 $hintrelative](if: $Why is "Revenge")[$logic2 $hintstranger](if: $Why is "Conspiracy")[$logic4 $hintfriend]]\ (if: $Who is "personB")[(if: $Why is "Money")[$logic1 $hintfriend](if: $Why is "Love")[$logic2 $hintrelative](if: $Why is "Revenge")[$logic4 $hintrelative](if: $Why is "Conspiracy")[$logic3 $hintstranger]]\ (if: $Who is "personC")[(if: $Why is "Money")[$logic4 $hintrelative](if: $Why is "Love")[$logic3 $hintstranger](if: $Why is "Revenge")[$logic1 $hintpartner](if: $Why is "Conspiracy")[$logic2 $hintpartner]]\ (if: $Who is "personD")[(if: $Why is "Money")[$logic2 $hintfriend](if: $Why is "Love")[$logic4 $hintpartner](if: $Why is "Revenge")[$logic3 $hintpartner](if: $Why is "Conspiracy")[$logic1 $hintstranger]]\ Back to the [[study->Study]]

"Tim Swift" you speak to the empty room. For a moment, nothing happens. Seconds tick by in silence. (link-reveal: "Then")[ [[It all gets a bit strange->Madness]]]

deafening purple (colour: "#31F405")[stench] caress your (text-style: "shudder")[skin] while the flavour of (colour: "#3856EA")[summertime] screaming assaults your (text-style: "mirror")[eyes], the (align: "=><==")[(colour: "#EAF50D")[endless]] (align: "====><==")[instant] (align: "==><==========")[ceaseless] (align: "=======><=")[moment ] of the stretching tearing (text-style: "shadow")[burning] brightness of how (colour: "#5C0E55")[bitter] the touch of c a r d a m o m of the taste of (text-style: "blur")[velvet] of red red opera's (text-style: "upside-down")[scent] in (colour: "#F50D0D")[bulging] bloom of babies (colour: "#FF8D05")[crying] prods and (text-style: "emboss")[pokes] and pulls and presses and pries your eyes wide to hear it (text-style: "fade-in-out")[allllllllllllllllllllllllllllll] [[FOCUS->Clarity]]

(set: $heldsense to "coughing")\ (set: $touch1 to "metallic")\ (set: $touch2 to "crackling")\ (set: $touch3 to "burgundy")\ (set: $sight1 to "ticking")\ (set: $sight2 to "plush")\ (set: $sight3 to "smoke")\ (set: $smell1 to "warm")\ (set: $smell2 to "blurred")\ (set: $smell3 to "murder")\ (set: $sound1 to "amber")\ (set: $sound2 to "dizzy")\ (set: $sound3 to "brandy")\ You draw a deep breath in desperation, holding it while you squeeze your eyes shut and cover your ears. Even still your senses are being bombarded, the feeling of the floor below is far too loud, the smell of the room too bright. Synaesthesia is not a typically recognised symptom of ghost interaction, though goodness knows it's not a fully explored field, especially not with regards to senses on par with yours. If you manage to get out of this one you might just have a paper to publish. Normality isn't resuming, but this moment of calm has left it feeling more manageable. You'll have to try and get your senses back to making sense before trying anything else with the ghost. [[You pick up the scent of coughing and put it in your pocket->Focusing]]

You're reliving your $heldsense... (if: $sense is "sight")[You're sat in a large chair, lined with beautiful (link: $sight1)[$heldsense(set: $change to $sight1)(set: $sight1 to $heldsense)(set: $heldsense to $change)] velvet. Across from you, the recent guest of the house sits, though your vision is somewhat (link: $sight2)[$heldsense(set: $change to $sight2)(set: $sight2 to $heldsense)(set: $heldsense to $change)]. As your eyes slowly shut, the last thing you focus on is the (link: $sight3)[$heldsense(set: $change to $sight3)(set: $sight3 to $heldsense)(set: $heldsense to $change)] liquid in the glass in front of you...]\ (if: $sense is "sound")[The fireplace is gently (link: $sound1)[$heldsense(set: $change to $sound1)(set: $sound1 to $heldsense)(set: $heldsense to $change)] away to itself, while the clock's (link: $sound2)[$heldsense(set: $change to $sound2)(set: $sound2 to $heldsense)(set: $heldsense to $change)] marks the seconds passing. Those gradually fill the room as the last of your wet (link: $sound3)[$heldsense(set: $change to $sound3)(set: $sound3 to $heldsense)(set: $heldsense to $change)] dies away to silence.]\ (if: $sense is "smell")[A gentle memory of (link: $smell1)[$heldsense(set: $change to $smell1)(set: $smell1 to $heldsense)(set: $heldsense to $change)] rises from the ashtray in front of you, the rich smell of (link: $smell2)[$heldsense(set: $change to $smell2)(set: $smell2 to $heldsense)(set: $heldsense to $change)] from the glass. Above them both in your mind is the harsh (link: $smell3)[$heldsense(set: $change to $smell3)(set: $smell3 to $heldsense)(set: $heldsense to $change)] smell and taste of the blood running down your shirt from your mouth.]\ (if: $sense is "touch")[The thick (link: $touch1)[$heldsense(set: $change to $touch1)(set: $touch1 to $heldsense)(set: $heldsense to $change)] embrace of the chair you're in seems to envelop you. The room is far too (link: $touch2)[$heldsense(set: $change to $touch2)(set: $touch2 to $heldsense)(set: $heldsense to $change)] for you, you shudder all the same. You're feeling (link: $touch3)[$heldsense(set: $change to $touch3)(set: $touch3 to $heldsense)(set: $heldsense to $change)].]\ (if: $sight1 is "burgundy")[(if: $sight2 is "blurred")[(if:$sight3 is "amber")[(if: $sound1 is "crackling")[(if: $sound2 is "ticking")[(if: $sound3 is "coughing")[(if: $smell1 is "smoke")[(if: $smell2 is "brandy")[(if: $smell3 is "metallic")[(if: $touch1 is "plush")[(if: $touch2 is "warm")[(if: $touch3 is "dizzy")[ [[It's all in order.->Resolution]]]]]]]]]]]]]]\

Yes, that's how it happened. You recall it so clearly now. The burning of the poison in the brandy, the last desperate efforts to draw breath into lungs that wouldn't take it, the taste of your own blood frothing in your mouth and the enveloping darkness. Wait. No you don't. This isn't your memory. [[Wake up->Waking]]

(set: $ghostlounge to "done")\ (set: $ghosts to $ghosts - 1)\ (set: $sense to "sight")\ With a jolt, you come to your senses, still in the lounge of the mansion, wondering what the hell just happened. Ghost hunting is your job, your passion and your life, but once in a while you really do wish it would be a trifle more consistent so all the categorisations you make for it would work. Efforts to make it a scientific discipline seem determined to fail. Still. You can't sense anything else now, and letting a ghost get their tale across does seem to be a pretty reliable method of resolution. For lack of evidence to the contrary, you decide that this one is dealt with.(if: $ghosthall is "done")[ You briefly wonder if that person you saw for a moment through the ghost's eyes was $who. Seems likely, but it's more a curiosity than anything else.] [[Continue->Lounge]]

That... seems to be it. For thoroughness' sake you perform a brief ritual, but it only confirms what your senses told you: there are no more ghosts within this mansion. Your work is done. Already the air in here feels more still in a way that has nothing to do with mundane reasons. Two cases of murder and a probable third. Not a happy tale, but you don't find a lot of those in this line of work, and hopefully you managed to grant some peace. You quietly set aside the knife you'd picked up, step outside and shut the door behind you. It's well and truly dark now, the rain starting to come down harder as you dart over to your car and clamber in, quickly starting it and cranking the heating up. Three ghosts in a couple of hours work. That's pretty good! As you pull out of the driveway and onto the wooded road away from here, you wonder about the ever mysterious nature of spirits, the ongoing and never finished nature of your work, and most importantly: When you're going to get paid for this. [[Credits->Credits]]

CREDITS The lot: Alex Hutchinson Rubberduck supreme: AlmightyJanitor Special thanks: Everyone who was nice when I kept complaining about this, you who played this whole messy business This is the end result of me trawling the twine wiki and going "ooh that looks interesting" on every command there is. Forgive a man his second ever attempt at making a game, and especially forgive the hideous spacing of anywhere there's a hidden if:, ie. basically all of it. Thank you again for playing!

Inside, you're surprised to see that not only are there electric lights, they're working, and already burning. The contractors were pretty adamant nobody had been in here for weeks since the inspection, and they wouldn't have left them on. You're already sure there's supernatural affairs afoot, but you perform the ritual to be certain. Better safe than sorry. A moment later, you get confirmation. Three ghosts, though the signals are faint. You can't narrow it down any further without equipment you don't have on you. Thankfully, that's where your specialty comes in. Long ago you realised that with the endless bombardment of stronger sensory stimuli, it's easy to lose details in the mix. By focusing in on one sense at a time, you've developed the ability to detect things anyone else can miss. Even, to your initial astonishment, the spirits of the dead. [[Continue->Intro3]]

Since then you've been trying to build a name in the field of ghost research, though your credibility is still considered lacking. If you can just make this a properly studied field instead of the pseudo-mystical nonsense it's viewed as... Well. That all takes time, and time is money, so for now you're making ends meet by hiring out your services clearing ghosts out. It more or less pays the bills and you get to do some good and advance your research, so you're happy with it. Enough reflection. There's ghosts to find. [[Begin->Foyer]]