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,,,,<<widget "MainPopup">><<link $args[0]>><<run window.displayMainPopup($args[1], $args[2])>><</link>><</widget>>
<<widget "ReplaceMain">><<link $args[1]>><<run window.updateMainPopup($args[0], $args[2], $args[3], $args[4])>><</link>><</widget>>
<<widget "OpenPopup">><<run window.displayMainPopup($args[0], $args[1])>><</widget>>
<<widget "TopMain">><<link $args[0]>><<if $mainPopupTop lt 0>><<run window.displayMainPopup($args[1], $args[2])>><<else>><<run window.updateMainPopup($mainPopupTop, $args[1], $args[2], $args[3])>><</if>><</link>><</widget>>
<<widget "InvPopup">><<link $args[0]>><<run window.displayInvenPopup($args[2], $args[1], true)>><</link>><</widget>>
<<widget "InvText">><<if $InvenShowing neq undefined and $InvenShowing.name eq $args[0]>><<set _idname to "textCount" + $cCount>><<print "<span id='" + _idname + "'></span>">><<run window.insertText('#' + _idname, $args[1])>><<set $cCount to $cCount + 1>><</if>><</widget>>
/*<<widget "PopupText">><<if $PopupShowing eq $args[0]>><<set _idname to "textCount" + $cCount>><<print "<span id='" + _idname + "'></span>">><<run window.insertText('#' + _idname, $args[1])>><<set $cCount to $cCount + 1>><</if>><</widget>>*/
<<widget "PassageText">><<if passage() eq $args[0]>><<set _idname to "textCount" + $cCount>><<print "<span id='" + _idname + "'></span>">><<run window.insertText('#' + _idname, $args[1])>><<set $cCount to $cCount + 1>><</if>><</widget>>
<<widget "ReplaceTopText">><<set _class to ".c" + $mainPopupTop>><<replace _class>><</replace>><<run window.insertText(_class, $args[1])>><</widget>>
<<widget "TopPopupGoto">><<run window.updateMainPopup($mainPopupTop, $args[0], $args[1], true)>><</widget>>
<<widget "ReloadTopPopup">><<run window.refreshMainPopup($mainPopupTop, true)>><</widget>>
<<widget "ModalPopup">><<link $args[0]>><<run window.showModalPopup($args[1], $args[2])>><</link>><</widget>>
<<widget "CloseModal">><<link $args[0]>><<run window.closeModal()>><</link>><</widget>>
<<widget "OpenModal">><<run window.showModalPopup($args[0], $args[1])>><</widget>><<run window.closeMainPopups()>>
<<run window.closeModal()>>
<<if $persistAction eq false>><<run window.closeAction()>><<else>><<set $persistAction to false>><</if>><<display "InventoryList">><<run cInv.refresh()>><<set $Inventory to []>>
<<set $Conversations to []>>
<<set $cCount to 0>>
<<set $Friend to {}>>
<<set $RoomNames to {}>><<widget "AddInven">><<run cInv.add($args[0], $args[1], $args[2])>><</widget>>
<<widget "RemInven">><<run cInv.remove($args[0], $args[1])>><</widget>>
<<widget "IncInven">><<run cInv.add($args[0], $args[1], 1)>><</widget>>
<<widget "DecInven">><<run cInv.remove($args[0], 1)>><</widget>>
<<widget "RemindItem">><<if $args[1] eq undefined>><<run cInv.indicateItem($args[0])>><<else>><<run cInv.indicateItem($args[0], $args[1])>><</if>><</widget>>
<<widget "ReloadInven">><<run cInv.refresh()>><</widget>><<for _i to 0; _i lt $Inventory.length; _i++>><<set $temp_name to $Inventory[_i].countName()>>
<<print cInv.buildLink($Inventory[_i])>>
<</for>><<widget Conversation>><<link $args[0]>><<run window.loadConversation($args[1])>><</link>><</widget>><<if tags().length gt 0>><<switch tags()[0]>>
<<case "Outside">>@@.headerOutside;Outside
<<RoomName>>@@
<<case "Main-Floor">>@@.headerMain;Main Floor
<<RoomName>>@@
<<case "Upper-Floor">>@@.headerUpper;Upper Floor
<<RoomName>>@@
<<case "Attic">>@@.headerAttic;Attic
<<RoomName>>@@
<<case "Basement">>@@.headerBasement;Basement
<<RoomName>>@@
<</switch>><</if>><<if $GameStart eq true>>
@@.headerBriefcase;Briefcase@@<</if>><<silently>>
<<Appraisals 7>>
<</silently>>\
The yard in front of the house is sparse, but everything, even the grass, is still growing, despite years of misuse. You expected the yard to be yellow and dead, but it isn't. The <<MainPopup "hedges" "MG - Hedges" "Hedges">> in front of the <<MainPopup "gate" "MG - Gate" "Black-Iron Gate">> are there, but thin. A flagstone path travels over a small <<MainPopup "foot bridge" "MG - Foot Bridge" "Foot Bridge">> and up to the <<MainPopup "porch" "Porch" "Porch">>. A large <<MainPopup "oak tree" "MG - Oak Tree" "Large Oak Tree">> stands off to one side, while the other side is lined with <<MainPopup "poplar trees" "MG - Poplar Trees" "Poplar Trees">> that cast dark shadow over the path. Although the yard is mostly clean, a small pile of <<MainPopup "debris" "MG - Debris" "Debris">> has collected against the side of the house. A smaller [[gate->Behind the House]] leads to a path around the house, open barely wide enough to permit entry.<<silently>>
<<set _highlightDuration to 1>>
<</silently>>\
Several boards have been stripped away on the meager porch. Only the bare foundation and roof remains, sheltering the doorway from the wind and rainy days. Otherwise, the porch is barren, not even a chair. Likely, it's all been picked away by scavengers.\
<<if $FrontDoorLocked eq true>> The <<link "front door">><<ShowAction "The door appears to be locked. You remember that you have the key in your briefcase.">><<set _highlightDuration to _highlightDuration + 1>><<RemindItem "House Key" _highlightDuration>><</link>> stands closed before you<<else>>The [[front door stands open->Entrance]] before you.
\<</if>>\
\
<<Appr "Porch">>
<<linkreplace "Note the state of the porch">><<Appraise "Porch">>Although the porch is in poor repair, it's serviceable enough to sell. The base is sturdy enough to walk on. Whoever buys the house will likely want to renovate, but that isn't really the city's problem.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>><<silently>>
<</silently>>\
<<if visited("Entrance") lte 1>>\
Stepping into the house for the first time, your eyes adjust to the dim interior. Although the windows are unadorned, years of grime shield the room from the sunlight outside. There's no sense in trying the lights, since the house's electricity has been turned off. Besides, you don't notice any lighting fixtures in the room. Knowing that the rest of the house might be darker, you turn on the portable light source hanging about your neck. You've always found this preferable to flashlights when exploring a dark house. You've had this one for about six years.
Light pours into the room. <</if>>The floorboards creak as you move about the large, open room, each one scratched and scuffed. A discoloration spreads across the center of the room, suggesting a rug once greeted people to the house. A large beam runs across the ceiling, a large bracket rests center-beam. The walls appear to be paneled in pine or another light-colored wood, probably a veneer. There are several doors in room, including the door to [[outside->Manor Gate]]. There are also doors on the [[left side of the room->Dining Room]] and the [[right side of the room->Study]]. A small [[closet door->Coat Room]] takes up the left corner of the far wall, next to a grand [[staircase->Hall]] that leads to the upper floor. Above the stairs, you see a set of iron braces in the wall, but nothing is displayed there. Whatever it was, it would have been quite long.<<silently>>
<<Appraisals 4>>
<</silently>>\
\
This room holds a curious sight. Several high-backed <<MainPopup "chairs" "DR - Chairs" "Chairs">> surround a magnificent, if out of place, claw-footed <<MainPopup "tub" "DR - Tub" "Claw-Footed Tub">>. A <<MainPopup "painting" "DR - Painting" "Painting">> looms over the arrangement, as if watching something unfold. A small <<MainPopup "curio" "DR - Curio" "Curio">> rests against the wall between the two interior doors. The glass has been blacked out, preventing you from looking inside. A set of French doors set in the back wall of the room, leading out into the back yard, but years of unchecked growth have caused the hedges outside to cover them entirely.
A [[simple door->Kitchen]] leads to the back of the house, while [[another door->Entrance]] leads to the front.<<silently>>
<</silently>>\
There's just enough space to walk in this room, amidst the rods and shelves that surround you. Shredded coats hang from tarnished hangers, each of which looks ready to break at the slightest touch. A strong smell of mildew and dust hangs in the air.<<Pickup "cane" "Wooden Cane" "I - Cane">> Hanging from one of the rods is a thin, wooden <<item>> with a crook on top.<<OnPickup>><<set $persistAction to true>><<ShowAction "You grab the cane and slip it through one of your belt buckles. It makes walking a bit awkward.">><</Pickup>>
The [[door->Entrance]] leads back into the main room.<<silently>>
<<Appraisals 5>>
<</silently>>\
\
A large, black-stained <<MainPopup "rug" "ST - Rug" "Stained Rug">> runs the length of this long room. A large office <<MainPopup "chair" "ST - Chair" "Office Chair">>, also stained black, sits upon a bunched up section of the rug, lonely and with no apparent purpose. <<Pickup "hammer" "Hammer" "I - Hammer">>A large claw <<item>> is embedded in the wall near the stained office chair.<<OnPickup>><<set $persistAction to true>><<ShowAction "You yank the hammer out of the wall and attach it to your belt. You notice that the hammer's head has been rounded and damaged by use, but the claw is sturdy and usable. A hole remains in the wall where the hammer once was.">><<PickedUp>>Near the stained chair, a small hole peeks through the drywall.<</Pickup>> Some <<MainPopup "shelves" "ST - Shelves" "Shelves">>, filled with binders, books, and curios sit in the area under the back window. A grand <<MainPopup "fireplace" "ST - Fireplace" "Fireplace">> takes up the space between two windows on the north side of the room. A <<MainPopup "painting" "ST - Painting" "Painting">> hangs over the fireplace. Opposite the wall to the fireplace, a small [[spiral staircase->Library]] winds up to the upper floor.
A [[simple door->Kitchen]] leads to the back of the house, while [[another door->Entrance]] leads to the front.<<silently>>
<<Appraisals 5>>
<</silently>>\
Yellow tiles cover the floor of this room. Several <<MainPopup "cabinets" "KIT - Cabinets" "Cabinets">> line the walls, which are otherwise wallpapered in blue. In the center of the rear wall you see a <<MainPopup "sink" "KIT - Sink" "Sink">>, filled with dishes. A large <<MainPopup "map" "KIT - Map" "Map">> hangs over the sink, covering the window. <<if $BasementLocked[0] eq false and $BasementLocked[1] eq false and $BasementLocked[2] eq false>>A large metal door stands opposite the sink, leading down into the [[basement->Workshop]].<<else>>A large, iron <<MainPopup "door" "KIT - Basement Door" "Metal Door">> sits opposite the sink.<</if>> Another [[door->Dining Room]] sits on a side wall, leading out of the room. There is a large, empty space beside it, with a small fan attached to the cabinet above it. A <<MainPopup "refrigerator" "KIT - Refrigerator" "Refrigerator">> stands tall against the other side wall. Beside it, a [[door->Study]] leads out. A small <<MainPopup "painting" "KIT - Painting" "Painting">> has been laid out face up in the center of the floor.<<silently>>
<<Appraisals 3>>
<</silently>>\
The darkness swallows you as you enter the room. The light shining from around your neck barely offers enough light to see. It takes a while for your eyes to adjust. The [[stairs->Kitchen]] up meet the wall and land just before the outer brick of the basement. You turn left into the room. The floor is carpeted, though the carpet is pulled up here and there. Your light catches on dusty cobwebs that hang low from the ceiling, and you can't walk for more than a step before having to detach yourself from your surroundings.
The center of the room is filled with a large <<MainPopup "workbench" "WK - Workbench" "Workbench">>. Surrounding the bench, you discover several <<MainPopup "easels" "WK - Easels" "Easels">> holding unfinished paintings. Then, behind the stairs, you find a small <<MainPopup "table" "WK - Table" "Table">>.<<silently>>
<</silently>>\
Six points of light struggle to cast out the darkness here. Your feet find purchase as you walk forward, even though you cannot see the ground. There are no walls to guide you. You assume the rafters are there, but reaching out, you cannot touch them.
As you near the lights you see that they are tiny flames atop yellow candles. Below them, on the floor, you suppose, a faint, white symbol glows just enough to make out what look like scales or trumpet levers inside a circle surrounded by letters. A woody, floral scent wafts up to your nose, tickling the hairs with its sweet, heady smell.
Behind the candles, you see a stone table or pedestal, just barely there in the candlelight. Fiery metal upon the pedestal reflects the flames, giving you just a glimpse of long, spiky leaves. As you study what little you can see, a dizziness comes over you. Then, you <<linkreplace "blink." t8n>>blink... <<timed 1s t8n>>blink... <<next>> blink... <<next>>
A billow of smoke forms in the center of the candles, rising from the symbol on the ground. For a moment you think you see eyes in the smoke, then perhaps a hand, then a mouth, but when you look right at it, the form fades away into nothingness. After what feels like an eternity, you blink another time, and the smoke has formed into <<ModalPopup "a shape" "Gusion Encounter 1" "The Shape in the Smoke">>.
<</timed>><</linkreplace>><<silently>>
<<Appraisals 4>>
<<set $MirrorSteamed to false>>
<</silently>>\
A small bathroom is nestled here by the stairs. The walls are paved with several white <<MainPopup "tiles" "BATH - Tiles" "Tiles">>, each bearing a name or a word burnt black into the ceramic. A small <<MainPopup "sink" "BATH - Sink and Mirror" "Sink and Mirror">> stands before a modest <<MainPopup "mirror" "BATH - Sink and Mirror" "Sink and Mirror">>, and a <<MainPopup "toilet" "BATH - Toilet" "Toilet">> sits nearby. Along the eastern wall, a large <<MainPopup "writing desk" "BATH - Desk" "Writing Desk">> sits, quite out of place.
The [[door->Hall]] leads back into the hallway.<<silently>>
<<Appraisals 3>>
<</silently>>\
\
A long, narrow hallway runs down the length of the house on the upper floor. There is a landing with [[stairs->Entrance]] that lead down to the main floor of the house. A small wall divides the landing from the rest of the hallway. <<if $AtticOpened is false>>A small, <<MainPopup "metal ring" "HALL - Attic Entrance" "Rings">> sits embedded in the floor just on the other side of the wall. Above it, a similar ring is fitted into the ceiling. A rectangular crack in the ceiling suggests access to the attic.<<else>>A set of stairs on the other side of the wall leads up to the [[attic->Attic]].<<endif>> Across the hall from this, there is a large set of [[double doors->East Room]]. To the south side of the landing, an open [[doorway->Bath]] leads into a small room. Following that south wall around the corner, you come across a <<MainPopup "painting" "HALL - Painting South" "Painting">> that hangs across from a [[closed door->South Room]]. At the far end of the room is a [[small door->Linen]] that sits ajar.
Moving to the northern end of the hallway, you see another [[room->North Room]] through a doorway, the door nowhere to be found. Facing the door hangs another <<MainPopup "painting" "HALL - Painting North" "Painting">> about the same place as the one at the other end of the hall. At the end of this side of the hall sits a closed, heavy [[door->Library]]. A small picture window looks out from each end of the hallway.<<silently>>
<<Appraisals 4>>
<</silently>>\
<<if visited() eq 1>>\
The first thing you see when you step into the room is the massive wooden <<MainPopup "structure" "AT - Barrier" "Wooden Barricade">> blocking off the eastern end of the attic.<<if $AtticCleared is true>> A small [[opening->Dormer]] peeks through one side of the barricade.<</if>> As you step up from the stairs, you nearly slip, as your foot makes contact with several small stones on the floor. Lowering your light, you discover that the stones are actually many large grains of salt embedded in the <<MainPopup "floorboards" "AT - Floorboards" "Floorboards">>.
\<<else>>\
A massive, wooden <<MainPopup "barricade" "AT - Barrier" "Wooden Barricade">> blocks the eastern end of the room.<<if $AtticCleared is true>> A small [[opening->Dormer]] peeks through one side of the barricade.<</if>> The <<MainPopup "floorboards" "AT - Floorboards" "Floorboards">> are covered with embedded salt stones, making walking difficult.
\<</if>> Hanging from the roof's beams are several jars filled with clear liquid, tightly affixed by cords out of arm's reach. The jar lids, on the bottom, are just in reach, though you can't imagine it would be pleasant to open them.
An [[open door->West Room]] leads into a small addition in the attic. The [[stairs->Hall]] lead down.<<silently>>
<<set $WaxSoftened to false>>
<</silently>>\
\
Several shelves line the walls of this tiny room. Each shelf contains moth-eaten cloth, but you can identify what were once sheets, blankets, and towels. A single light bulb hangs from the ceiling, long since burnt out. A small <<MainPopup "box" "LI - Candle Box" "Box on the Shelf">> is tucked away in the corner. Behind a bundle of old linens, you discover a <<MainPopup "painting" "LI - Painting" "Painting">> hidden from the world.
A small [[door->Hall]] leads out into the hallway.<<silently>>
<<Appraisals 7>>
<</silently>>\
\
Entering the room, you see a large circular <<MainPopup "rug" "L - Rug" "Rug">> near the window. A pair of <<MainPopup "footstools" "L - Footstools" "Footstools">> rest upon it. Between the two sits the remains of a small <<MainPopup "table" "L - Table" "Table">>. The back end of the room is lined, wall to wall with <<MainPopup "bookshelves" "L - Bookshelves" "Bookshelves">>.<<if $LibraryOpened is true>> The center shelf stands away from the wall revealing a [[doorway->Hidden Shelves]] behind.<</if>> A large, framed <<MainPopup "painting" "L - Painting" "Painting">> hangs opposite the window. In one corner of the room, there is a small, spiral [[staircase->Study]] leading down.
A [[door->Hall]] leads out of the room.<<silently>>
<<Appraisals 5>>
<</silently>>\
The air in this room is particularly dusty, and a thick layer of dust clings to the walls, obscuring the wallpaper underneath. Somehow untouched by the dust, a <<MainPopup "painting" "SR - Painting" "Painting">> hangs on the wall next to the door. A large pile of <<MainPopup "cans and boxes" "SR - Pile" "Pile of Cans and Boxes">> are heaped in a mound in the center of the room. A cloth covers the <<MainPopup "window" "SR - Window" "Window">> in the room. In the corner of the room, an old, yellow <<MainPopup "crib" "SR - Crib" "Crib">> rests on its side. In the opposite corner, a large, iron <<MainPopup "axe" "SR - Axe" "Axe">> sticks out from the wall. The [[door->Hall]] leads back into the hallway.<<silently>>
<<Appraisals 5>>
<</silently>>\
A sweet, heady smell greets you as you enter this room. Following the smell, you come upon a set of <<MainPopup "drawers" "NR - Drawers" "Drawers">> set off from the corner of the room, but you can find no obvious source of the smell. You find a portion of <<MainPopup "bed frame" "NR - Bed Frame" "Bed Frame">> leaning against the back of the drawers, threatening to fall over at a moment's notice. In the opposite corner of the room, a large <<MainPopup "headboard" "NR - Headboard" "Headboard" is placed against the wall. Laying face down in the center of the room, you find a large oak <<MainPopup "cabinet" "NR - Cabinet" "Cabinet">>, which might be a wardrobe of some kind. A <<MainPopup "stove" "NR - Stove" "Stove">> stands out under the window. The walls are covered in light, wooden paneling and a large <<MainPopup "painting" "NR - Painting" "Painting">> hangs near the entrance. The door to this room has been entirely removed, hinges and all. The [[open cavity->Hall]] where a door once hung leads out into the hallway.<<silently>>
<<Appraisals 6>>
<</silently>>\
\
Faded and peeling blue wallpaper adorns the walls of this large room. The floor is littered with blankets and linens, so much that you feel like you're wading through the room as you walk. Several desiccated <<MainPopup "mattresses" "ER - Mattresses" "Mattresses">> lean against the right-hand wall, sagging and bent over. The only thing keeping them from falling over is a <<MainPopup "pile of wood" "ER - Wood" "Pile of Wood">> and an overturned <<MainPopup "nightstand" "ER - Nightstand" "Nightstand">>. On the other side of the room, a crystalline <<MainPopup "chandelier" "ER - Chandelier" "Chandelier">> lies in a heap, crystal bits reflecting the light from outside. Hanging on a wall near the chandelier, you spy a <<MainPopup "painting" "ER - Painting" "Painting">> just accessible around the mess. Opposite the main door, the room's window has been converted into a set of glass <<MainPopup "double doors" "ER - Glass Doors" "Glass Doors">>, presumably for going out onto a balcony.
The [[door->Hall]] leads back out into the hallway.<<silently>>
<</silently>>\
\
A small alcove hides behind the bookshelves, <<if $BookChoice lt 2>>brightly lit from the midday sun<<else>>lit orange in the evening sun<</if>> streaming through the window. Specks of dust waver in and out of the rays of sunlight, stirring about as you move through the room.<<Pickup "wrench" "Wrench" "I - Wrench">> A crescent <<item>> hangs from a small hook on the window frame.<<OnPickup>><<set $persistAction to true>><<ShowAction "You lift the wrench off the hook and place the wrench in your briefcase.">><<goto "Hidden Shelves">><<PickedUp>>A small hook pokes out from the frame of the window.<</Pickup>> At one end of the room, you find a small <<MainPopup "shelf" "L - Shelf" "Small Shelf">>. The other end of the room houses a <<MainPopup "lectern" "L - Lectern" "Lectern">> complete with open book. Glancing around the tiny area, you notice a small <<MainPopup "hole" "L - Hole" "Hole in the Boards">> in the floorboards.
The small [[doorway->Library]] leads back into the room.<<silently>>
<</silently>>\
\
A small, wooden balcony sits overtop the entrance of the house, looking out into the yard. From here, the most you can see is the small footpath down to the gate and several trees that block the view. You suppose it must have been a nicer view back when the trees had just been planted.
The open door leads back inside.
: Add optional modal for leaving the balcony for the first time<<silently>>
<<Appraisals 4>>
<</silently>>\
\
A small window in the center of the room draws attention, covered over by loose boards. Handing from the boards are bits of string, each one snapped and frayed. Below the window are several small, polished rocks. One corner of the room is covered in glass from the <<MainPopup "broken mirror" "WR - Mirror" "Corner of the Room">> there. Next to it is a <<MainPopup "bed" "WR - Bed" "Bed">><<if visited("North Room", "South Room", "East Room") gt 0>>, the only one you've found where it should be so far.<</if>> Near to the door stands a large <<MainPopup "wardrobe" "WR - Wardrobe" "Wardrobe">> in lieu of a closet. A large <<MainPopup "painting" "WR - Painting" "Painting">> dominates the inside wall of the small room, dwarfing its contents.
An [[open door->Attic]] leads back into the main room.<<silently>>
<</silently>>\
This side of the barrier is relatively sparse, as though almost everything over here was used to build the foundation of the wall. A large, round <<MainPopup "window" "D - Window" "Window">> takes up a good amount of the eastern wall, letting light filter into the room. In front of the window is a solitary <<MainPopup "round table" "D - Round Table" "Round Table">> with several odds and ends upon it, including a knife on a small stand.
A [[small hole->Attic]] in the barricade leads back to the main room.<<silently>>
<<if $KettleTemp gt 0>>
<<set $KettleTemp-->>
<</if>>
<</silently>>\<<widget "RoomName">><<set _varText to "$RoomNames[\"" + passage() + "\"]">><<if $RoomNames[passage()] eq undefined>><<linkreplace "Somewhere">><<textbox _varText "Somewhere">>
<<link "Set">><<run window.SugarCube.UIBar.update()>><</link>> <<link "Cancel">><<set $RoomNames[passage()] to undefined>><<run window.SugarCube.UIBar.update()>><</link>><</linkreplace>><<else>><<set _origName to $RoomNames[passage()]>><<linkreplace _origName>><<textbox _varText _origName>>
<<link "Set">><<run window.SugarCube.UIBar.update()>><</link>> <<link "Cancel">><<set $RoomNames[passage()] to _origName>><<run window.SugarCube.UIBar.update()>><</link>><</linkreplace>><</if>><</widget>>/* Game Setup */
<<run Casement.newGame()>>
<<AddInven "House Key" "I - House Key">>
Loading...
/* Story Variables */
<<set $hasSteamedMirror to false>>
<<set $hasHeatedKettle to false>>
<<set $hasTastedTheHoney to false>>
<<set $BookChoice to 0>>
/* Gameplay Variables */
<<set $GameStart to true>>
<<set $RoomNames to {}>>
<<set $persistAction to false>>
<<set $PushedEngraving to 0>>
/* Puzzle Variables */
/* Locks */
<<set $FrontDoorLocked to true>>
<<set $BasementLocked to [true, true, true]>>
<<set $AtticOpened to false>>
<<set $LibraryOpened to false>>
<<set $AltarRoomOpened to false>>
<<set $AtticCleared to false>>
/* Map Puzzle */
<<set $FireplaceLit to false>>
<<set $KettleFilled to false>>
<<set $KettleTemp to 0>>
<<set $MirrorSteamed to true>>
<<set $LavatoryTileOpen to false>>
<<SetUpMap>>
/* Attic Entrance Puzzle */
<<set $CurioUnlocked to false>>
<<set $AtticHookPlaced to false>>
<<set $AtticRopePlaced to false>>
<<set $WaxSoftened to false>>
/* Basement Door Puzzle */
<<set $BoltsOiled to false>>
/* Bookshelf Puzzle */
<<SetUpLibrary>>
/* Safe Puzzle */
<<set $SafeNumbers to [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]>>
<<set $SafeSolution to [$SafeNumbers.random(), $SafeNumbers.random(), $SafeNumbers.random()]>>
<<set $SafeDials to [0, 0, 0]>>
<<set $SafeOpened to false>>
/* Appraisals */
<<set $Appraisals to {}>>
/* Friend Variables */
<<set $Friend to {}>>
<<set $fThey to ["ey", "he", "per", "she", "they", "ze"]>>
<<set $fThem to ["em", "him", "per", "her", "them", "hir"]>>
<<set $fTheir to ["eir", "his", "pers", "her", "their", "hir"]>>
<<set $fTheirs to ["eirs", "his", "pers", "hers", "theirs", "hirs"]>>
<<set _rand to random(5)>>
<<set $Friend.they to $fThey[_rand]>>
<<set $Friend.them to $fThem[_rand]>>
<<set $Friend.their to $fTheir[_rand]>>
<<set $Friend.theirs to $fTheirs[_rand]>>
<<set $Friend.plural to "was">>
<<if _rand eq 4>>
<<set $Friend.plural to "were">>
<</if>>
<<set $Friend.storyTopic to "">>
<<set $Friend.holdingWhileDown to "">>
<<set $Friend.yourName to "">>
<<set $NameList to ['Pierre','Cale','Sextus','Christian','Raynard','Eulalia','Kleio','Sal','Carminho','Radhika','Laurie','Mitra','Rowan','Ofir','Hosni','Juraj','Barbara','Rhonda','Serafina','Manoj','Osvald','Uros','Tarmo','Alborz','Abd al-Wali','Tanja','Aoibheann','Adjoa','Kristine','Veronika','Abiodun','Purnama','Madhur','Cary','Aleks','Ricarda','Clyde','Jay','Anni','Ayala','Davin','Frederick','Denver','Barrett','Claud','Desiree','Natasha','Emmie','Lillie','Elise','Kyou','Leslie','Kaede','Makoto','Carey','Tel','Deana','Toni','Alida','Ronald'].shuffle()>>
<<goto [[Introduction]]>>A small silver house key. It's attached to a ring with a tag that reads "127 E. Atterson St."\
\
<<if $FrontDoorLocked eq true>><<ifShowing "Porch">>
<<ModalPopup "Unlock the front door" "Porch Modal" "Unlocking the Door">><</ifShowing>><</if>>\
\
<<ifShowing "DR - Curio">><<if $CurioUnlocked is false>>
<<link "Try the key in the curio">>\
<<ShowAction "The key proves to be far too large for the curio's lock.">><</link>><</if>><</ifShowing>>\
\
<<ifShowing "KIT - Basement Door">><<if $BasementLocked[1] is true or $BasementLocked[2] is true>>
<<link "Try the key in the locks">>\
<<ShowAction "Though the key is the right size, neither lock responds to the house key.">><</link>><</if>><</ifShowing>><<silently>>
<<set _plurals to ["was", "were"]>>
<</silently>>You reach forward to unlock the door when your eye catches on the shape of the key. You're reminded of the time years ago, when you unlocked your college apartment for the first time. You think someone was there, a roommate, perhaps. Yes, @@.decisionText;.perPronoun;.smallWidth;<<cycle "$Friend.they" autoselect>><<optionsfrom $fThey>><</cycle>>@@ @@.decisionText;.proPlural;<<cycle "$Friend.plural" autoselect>><<optionsfrom _plurals>><</cycle>>@@ carrying a box with @@.decisionText;.pronoun;.smallWidth;<<cycle "$Friend.them" autoselect>><<optionsfrom $fThem>><</cycle>>@@. You can almost remember the writing on @@.decisionText;.posPronoun;.smallWidth;<<cycle "$Friend.their" autoselect>><<optionsfrom $fTheir>><</cycle>>@@ box. <<linkreplace "No, that's not quite right..." t8n>><<replace ".perPronoun" t8n>><<textbox "$Friend.they" $Friend.they>><</replace>><<replace ".posPronoun" t8n>><<textbox "$Friend.their" $Friend.their>><<replace ".pronoun" t8n>><<textbox "$Friend.them" $Friend.them>><</replace>><</replace>><</linkreplace>>
<<ModalPopup "Yes, that's right." "Unlock Front Door" "Unlocking the Door">>The memory of <<them>> fades from your mind. You've got a job to do, after all. You shove the key into the lock and give it a turn. It sticks a bit from age, but eventually turns. After a struggle, you remove the key.
<<link "Put the key away">><<set $FrontDoorLocked to false>><<run cInv.putAway()>><<run window.closeModal()>><</link>>/* Usage: <<Decision "variable" optionsList "class name">> */
<<widget "Decision">><<set _classes to "decisionText " + $args[2]>><<set _randOptions to $args[1].shuffle()>><<if State.getVar($args[0]) eq undefined>><<run State.setVar($args[0], _randOptions.random())>><</if>><span class="decisionText"><<cycle $args[0] autoselect>><<optionsfrom _randOptions>><</cycle>></span><</widget>>
<<widget "ShowAction">><<run $("#ActionText").html($args[0])>><<removeclass "#ActionText" "aStowed">><</widget>>
<<widget "Appraisals">><<if $Appraisals[passage()] eq undefined>><<set $Appraisals[passage()] to {}>><<set $Appraisals[passage()].total to $args[0]>><<set $Appraisals[passage()].score to 0>><<set $Appraisals[passage()].objects to {}>><</if>><</widget>>
<<widget "Appraise">><<set _Appr to $Appraisals[passage()]>><<if $args[1] neq undefined>><<set _Appr to $Appraisals[$args[1]]>><</if>><<if _Appr neq undefined>><<if _Appr.objects[$args[0]] eq undefined>><<set _Appr.objects[$args[0]] to true>><<set _Appr.score += 1>><<if _Appr.score gte _Appr.total>><<set _response to either("You glance around the area and decide that you've found everything worth examining here.", "A cursory search of the area reveals nothing that your eyes have not appraised.", "You're not sure why, but you decide that this area has been thoroughly assessed.", "Although there may still be work to be done here, you're certain that you've completed assessment of this area.", "Nothing else here seems particularly interesting to you, so you mark it off on your list.")>><<ShowAction _response>><</if>><</if>><</if>><</widget>>@@.center;.titleImage;[img[Veiled.png]]@@
@@.heading;.center;Veiled@@
@@.subheading;.center;by Michael Thomét@@
[[Start a new game->New Game Setup]]
[[About this game]]The sign on the corner of the street reads "Atterson St." The world seems to pass in slow-motion as you park your car next to the curb. How did you get here? Well, you drove, that much was obvious, but no amount of furtive searching allows you to recall the events of the last few hours.
Instead, your gaze is drawn to the imposing figure of the house looming next to you on the road. You can't take your eyes off of it, even as you exit the car, briefcase in hand. Everyone around here knows the Atterson Street House, of course, but this is the first time you've ever <<linkappend "been in front of it." t8n>>
It's a Gothic revival, the center gable kind, in the middle of the revival part. It sits far back from the road, separated by a thick, black-iron fence and thinning hedge. The siding on the front is removed, exposing the structure underneath. A porch sits over the front door, and above that the remains of a balcony, now ripped out. Further above that is a dormer with a round, roofed window jutting out from the side of the roof. Your guess was that the family was going to replace the small porch with a full-width one, complete with the columns common to the gothic style.
Focusing on the architecture clears your head, and you <<linkappend "approach the blackened iron gate." t8n>> You came here to do a job. You're with the treasury office, and through a series of events this house has become the property of the city. Although you're not really qualified to do an inspection, you do know a thing or two about houses and their furnishings. You're here to make an assessment of the house and the items left behind by the owners. The Atterson Street House has been abandoned for at least five years, but you're certain that no one's lived there for at least as long as you've been alive (25 years). The city wants you to determine if the house is worth saving, or if it should be demolished and sold as land. It might be good to draw up a floorplan with the rooms labeled, as well.
From out here the house looks sturdy, but you won't really know until you get inside. There's a tightness in your chest that forces you to take a deep breath. Then you open the gate and [[step into the yard.->Manor Gate]]<</linkappend>><</linkappend>>@@.heading;.center;Veiled@@
@@.subheading;.center;by Michael Thomét@@
Veiled is a narrative adventure designed for A Game by its Cover 2020. This is a game jam where participants make games to go with fake game art, typically in conjunction with the [[My Famicase Exhibition->http://famicase.com/]] in the same year.
Veiled was inspired by the 2020 Famicase entry [["Veiled"->http://famicase.com/20/softs/036.html]] by [[Dan Ingman->https://www.ingman.work/]]. This project was created with permission granted by the artist to base a game off of their work.
Veiled was created by [[Michael Thomét->http://incobalt.me]] (otherwise known as incobalt). It is a completely original work based on the Famicase design. This project uses a derivative of [[Casement->https://github.com/incobalt/Casement]], a window-focused extension to [[SugarCube->https://www.motoslave.net/sugarcube/2/]] for [[Twine 2->http://twinery.org]].
The fonts used in Veiled are @@font-family: 'Germania One', cursive;[[Germania One->https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Germania+One]]@@ and [[Didact Gothic->https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Didact+Gothic]], both provided by Google Fonts.
[[Back->Title]]<<silently>>
<<Appraisals 4>>
<</silently>>\
The back yard of the house is quite a bit smaller and far more unkempt than the front. A small, uneven <<MainPopup "swingset" "BH - Swingset" "Swingset">> lays nestled under an <<MainPopup "oak tree" "BH - Oak Tree" "Oak Tree">>. Some small, deteriorating steps lead down into what was surely once a small <<MainPopup "herb garden" "BH - Herb Garden" "Herb Garden">>.
The house itself is in fine shape, complete with original siding that will probably need to be replaced with vinyl. Large windows look into to the main floor, all still intact. Smaller windows run along the upper floor, and even a dormer juts from the roof, complete with window. A set of <<MainPopup "French doors" "BH - Dining Door" "French Doors">> leads into the house, overgrown over time. A small [[footpath->Manor Gate]] leads back to the front of the house.Thick bushes line the fence at the perimeter of the house. What once were hedges are now sickly masses of sticks and leaves poking every which way, overtaking the black-iron fence in places. From afar, the hedges look like they simply need a trim, but the inner bark shows signs of rot seeping in.
The fence itself is study, standing taller than you. Its ends come to a rounded point, which isn't the kind of thing you expect from a house with the kind of reputation the Atterson Street House has. Upon closer inspection, you note that a few of the tines have bent, but otherwise the fence is free of rust and wear. For a house that's gone uninhabited for 25 years, the fence is in remarkable shape.\
\
<<Appr "Hedges">>
<<linkreplace "Record your findings about the perimeter of the house">><<Appraise "Hedges">>The fence seems ok, but the bushes probably would need quite a bit of care to replenish them.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>It's dark when you get outside, and you and <<= $Friend.Name>> stop outside the gate to look back at the house. The stars are clear tonight. There's something warmer about the place, even though you know just what's inside. Your head is feeling better, and your walking on your own, but <<= $Friend.Name>> can't stop clinging to your arm. Maybe <<they>> <<pl "feels" "feel">> responsible for you getting hurt, for the whole auction debacle, for something. A part of you is glad it happened. As you watch the house, your eyes drift from room to room. You think you see something moving in the second-floor left window, but no.<<ifAppr "Window" "South Room">> It's just the cloth covering the window there, you're sure of it.<</ifAppr>>
"You're sure you won't take it?" <<= $Friend.Name>>'s voice startles you, and you turn to look at <<them>>. Maybe they don't feel as bad as you think. Still, the question. Do you want the house after all? @@.decisionText;<<cycle "$HouseChoice">><<option "Yes">><<option "No">><</cycle>>@@. <<linkreplace "You've decided." t8n>><<replace ".decisionText">>$HouseChoice<</replace>>You've decided.
<<if $HouseChoice eq "Yes">>"Sure, why not." You put a finger to <<= $Friend.Name>>'s lips before the elation rips them apart. "But not tonight. Where are you staying this time?"<<else>>"What, this dump?" You turn your back to the house. "It would ruin me." You look over at <<= $Friend.Name>>, who is sulking, and lift <<their>> chin with your finger. "But thanks for trying." <<They>> can't resist a slight grin. "Hey, where you staying this time?"<</if>>
"The motel on 8th," <<they>> say, regaining some composure.
"Stay at the apartment, for old time's sake?" You reach in your pocket and pull out your key ring. "I always keep one on me for you if you need it." Twisting a key off the ring you <<linkreplace "hand it over.">><<set $Inventory to []>>hand it over.
At work the next day, you report your findings. <<script>>
var totalObjects = 0;
var scannedObjects = 0;
var roomsNamed = Object.keys(State.getVar("$RoomNames")).length;
var appr = State.getVar("$Appraisals");
for(var k in appr){
totalObjects += appr[k].total;
scannedObjects += appr[k].score;
}
var display = "You turn in a map of the house with //" + roomsNamed + "// of the locations named out of ''20''. Your report includes details about //" + scannedObjects + "// notable items in the house.";
if(totalObjects == scannedObjects){
display += " You think you got everything.";
}else if(totalObjects / 2 > scannedObjects){
display += " You're pretty sure that there was a lot more to note about the house, but most of it was junk, anyway, right?"
}
$(output).wiki(display);
<</script>><<if $HouseChoice eq "Yes">> It doesn't matter anyway, because you tell the office to go through with the original deal anyway. Why not. You feel a connection to the place. It's going to take a lot of work, though. <<= $Friend.Name>> sounds eager to help out.<<else>> The house stays on the market for years. It's not very attractive, after all, and eventually <<= $Friend.Name>> buys it and moves in. A year later, once it's mostly fixed up, you join <<them>>.<</if>><<set $GameStart to false>><<run window.SugarCube.UIBar.update()>>
@@.heading;The End@@
@@.decisionText;[[Play Again->New Game Setup]]
[[Title Screen->Title]]
[[About this game]]@@<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>The black-iron gate sits askew in front of the foot path leading from the sidewalk. Tall, bent spikes of wrought iron loom above you, threatening to impale you should the gate fall. The left door of the gate has come loose from its upper rung, making the thought closer to reality as it swings nervously on the wind. A few of the tines from the right half of the gate lay nearby on the ground, making entry to the yard quite easy, even if the gate //did// have a lock. Which it doesn't, just to be clear.
A further downside with the gate is that it's not wide enough to permit even a small car, so there would be no hope of modernizing the parking situation without tearing down some of the fence itself. You doubt that's going to happen, so the house will be street parking only. Not the best neighborhood for that. A glance out the gate reminds you that your car, while not a junker, isn't nice enough to attract that kind of attention.\
\
<<Appr "Front Gate">>
<<linkreplace "Make a note about the gate's condition">><<Appraise "Front Gate">>Compared to the surrounding fence, the gate is in poor repair, and would probably need replacing.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>
There's no reason to leave via the gate yet. You've got a job to do and you're certain you're not yet finished!Dividing the yard is a long, winding trough of dirt where a stream once ran, before the water to the property was shut off some fifteen years ago (according to the property manifest, at least). The channel is about two feet deep in the middle and three feet across, so it is steep, but not too difficult to step over. The dirt is hard-packed and smooth, but you see several bits of trash and sticks embedded throughout. Some of the sticks might even be bones from long-gone animals, though you don't get close enough to inspect them.
The bridge is five feet of white bricks, sitting above the former stream with a gentle arch. It melds into the flagstone path on either side. If there was ever a guard rail on the bridge, there's no sign of it now. The fall isn't too precarious, but it would be less frightening if there was any water below.\
\
<<if $testedBridge eq undefined>><<set $testedBridge to true>>
You're quite certain that there's no way the bridge can hold up after so many years of disuse. A quick prod of your foot seems hopeful, and so does the extra weight you put on it after. Poised to jump off, you plant a foot on the bridge and then another, and then you're at the center. The bridge makes no indication of shifting. The daredevil inside you calls you to jump, but you settle for just walking across to the other side. A proper inspection will be needed, but it seems safe to walk on.
Wondering where the stream once started, you make your wat to the ends of the trough, only to find that it dead ends on either side. There don't appear to be any visible pipes, so you wonder just how the stream was fed. Perhaps over time the pipes sank into the mud and the mud hardened over them. Regardless, the whole thing would have to be re-dug and sealed. Not a cheap expense.<</if>>\
\
<<Appr "Foot Bridge">>
<<linkreplace "Jot down some thoughts about the state of the bridge and what's left of the stream">><<Appraise "Foot Bridge">>You think the bridge is in good condition, but who's going to want a bridge over a dirt trough?<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A towering oak tree sits on one side of the yard. The leaves are broad and yellowing from the start of fall. A variety of green and brown acorns hang from the branches and litter the ground below the tree. From the path, the tree looks healthy, but the other side shows deep scars cut into the trunk. A deep red sludge drips slowly from the gashes. <<ifAppr "Back Oak Tree" "Behind the House">>This tree isn't as bad as the one behind the house. You<<aElse>>At first glance, you mistake it for blood, but that can't be possible, right? Trying to focus on anything else, you <</ifAppr>> notice that the leaves on this side of the tree are curled, brown, and brittle.\
\
<<Appr "Main Oak Tree">>
<<linkreplace "Take some pictures of the damage">><<Appraise "Main Oak Tree">>Taking out your phone, you snap some pictures of the damage to the tree. After that, you record your assessment in your notes.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>Beneath the right window of the house rests a pile of debris. Upon closer inspection, this debris is the remains of the old house siding. Long slats of wood sit broken and rotted, partially overgrown with moss and lichen. The roof above provides only minimal shelter from rain, but the nearby trees provided enough shade to foster growth.\
\
<<Appr "House Siding">>
<<linkreplace "Make a note about the siding">><<Appraise "House Siding">>Obviously the siding is of no use to anyone anymore. At least it isn't asbestos.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>Along the right half of the house, a row of poplar trees grows in loose rows, sheltering the house from the neighboring yard and providing shelter for warm days. The poplars look like tall matchsticks, each with a yellow flame. Already, several leaves have fallen to the ground, signaling the changing of the seasons.
In amongst the trees are scraps of paper and old-rotting branches from years past. A small, sturdy fence prevents you from going to the other side of the house. In the darkest corner of the yard, where the poplars are thickest, a small mound of sticks and leaves hides away. As you watch, the ground underneath seems to rustle and shift. You don't stick around to see what pops out.\
\
<<Appr "Poplar Trees">>
<<linkreplace "Mark down the health of the trees">><<Appraise "Poplar Trees">>Overall, these trees seem to be in good shape. That's great because removing the trees is a terrible expense and bother.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>><<widget "they">><<print $Friend.they>><</widget>>
<<widget "They">><<print $Friend.they.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + $Friend.they.slice(1)>><</widget>>
<<widget "them">><<print $Friend.them>><</widget>>
<<widget "Them">><<print $Friend.them.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + $Friend.them.slice(1)>><</widget>>
<<widget "their">><<print $Friend.their>><</widget>>
<<widget "Their">><<print $Friend.their.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + $Friend.their.slice(1)>><</widget>>
<<widget "theirs">><<print $Friend.theirs>><</widget>>
<<widget "Theirs">><<print $Friend.theirs.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + $Friend.theirs.slice(1)>><</widget>>
<<widget "themself">><<print $Friend.them + "self">><</widget>>
<<widget "Themself">><<Them>><<print "self">><</widget>>
<<widget "pl">><<if $Friend.plural eq "was">><<print $args[0]>><<else>><<print $args[1]>><</if>><</widget>>A small, standard key, silver in color. Probably for a door somewhere.\
\
<<ifShowing "KIT - Basement Door">><<if $BasementLocked[1] eq true>>
<<link "Unlock the bolt lock">><<set $BasementLocked[1] to false>><<set _action to "You place the key in the bolt lock and turn. It takes some effort but the heavy bold slides away from view, no longer barring your way.">><<if $BasementLocked[0] eq false and $BasementLocked[1] eq false and $BasementLocked[2] eq false>><<set _action += " With all three barriers out of your way, you take the handle of the door and turn. With a heavy groan of metal on metal, you pull the door open. A set of stairs amid shelves manifest in the darkness beyond.">><</if>><<ShowAction _action>><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>><</if>><</ifShowing>>\
\
<<ifShowing "DR - Curio">><<if $CurioUnlocked is false>>
<<link "Try the key in the curio">>\
<<ShowAction "The key proves to be far too large for the curio's lock.">><</link>><</if>><</ifShowing>>A small brass key, like the kind that you get with a padlock.\
\
<<ifShowing "KIT - Basement Door">><<if $BasementLocked[2] eq true>>
<<link "Unlock the padlock">><<set $BasementLocked[2] to false>><<set _action to "Reaching up, you insert the brass key in the slot on the bottom of the padlock. At first it refuses to turn all the way. Then, the key grinds to its final spot and the padlock pops open. You toss the padlock on the floor.">><<if $BasementLocked[0] eq false and $BasementLocked[1] eq false and $BasementLocked[2] eq false>><<set _action += " With all three barriers out of your way, you take the handle of the door and turn. With a heavy groan of metal on metal, you pull the door open. A set of stairs amid shelves manifest in the darkness beyond.">><</if>><<ShowAction _action>><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>><</if>><</ifShowing>>\
\
<<ifShowing "DR - Curio">><<if $CurioUnlocked is false>>
<<link "Try the key in the curio">>\
<<ShowAction "The key proves to be far too large for the curio's lock.">><</link>><</if>><</ifShowing>>An adjustable crescent wrench, capable of fitting at least one-inch nuts and bolts.\
\
<<ifShowing "KIT - Basement Door">><<if $BasementLocked[0] eq true>>
<<link "Unscrew the bolts on the door">><<if $BoltsOiled is true>>\
<<set $BasementLocked[0] to false>><<set _action to "Lining up the wrench around one of the bolts, you put your shoulder into turning the bolt. Straining from the exertion, the bolt finally moves, sliding off the threads and onto the floor with a clang. After that, you unthread the second, third and fourth bolts. The grate falls to the floor with a bang, and you barely manage to prop it against the nearby counter. Your arms ache.">><<if $BasementLocked[0] eq false and $BasementLocked[1] eq false and $BasementLocked[2] eq false>><<set _action += " With all three barriers out of your way, you take the handle of the door and turn. With a heavy groan of metal on metal, you pull the door open. A set of stairs amid shelves manifest in the darkness beyond.">><</if>><<ShowAction _action>><<ReloadTopPopup>>
\<<else>>\
<<ShowAction "You apply the wrench to the bolts but find that they're rusted in place. You're going to need to loosen them up if you're going to get them off.">>
\<</if>><</link>><</if>><</ifShowing>>An old, rusty hunk of metal sits under the oak tree, bent towards the middle. Only one chain remains affixed to the cross bar, stiff and unyielding due to years of rain and wind. A lone board is affixed to the chain. Another chain descends from the board to the ground, no longer supporting the seat. An occasional wind blows, causing the remnants of the swing to creak loudly with an uneven keening. A second swing, entirely detached, lies in a heap. A prod of your foot reveals that the whole thing has been fused into a solid mass from years sitting in the rain.\
\
<<Appr "Swingset">>
<<linkreplace "Make a note about the swingset">><<Appraise "Swingset">>The swingset is far too rusty to be saved. Regardless, the safety standards have changed significantly over the last 25 years. No chance this swingset will be deemed safe for children.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A sickening smell rises as you approach this knotted oak tree. Several long gashes line the tree's trunk, each one leaking a viscous red liquid dripping down, pooling at the base. <<ifAppr "Main Oak Tree" "Manor Gate">>This tree is far worse off than the one at the front of the house.<<aElse>>At first glance, you mistake it for blood, but that can't be possible, right?<</ifAppr>> All of the leaves on this tree are brown and brittle, crumpled loosely into balls. Several leaves have fallen into a bed of mulch under the tree. The branches twist every which way, and many of them also bear cuts dripping with the same red liquid.\
\
<<Appr "Back Oak Tree">>
<<linkreplace "Document the tree's condition">><<Appraise "Back Oak Tree">>You retrieve your phone and take some pictures for the file. This tree is a total write off. What's more, the damage might indicate that there's something wrong with the soil. The tests for that will be expensive no matter how the land is sold. The city isn't going to like that one bit.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>><<silently>>
<<set _numwords to ["none", "one", "two", "three", "four", "five", "six", "seven", "eight", "nine"]>>
<<set _solution0 to _numwords[$SafeSolution[0]]>>
<<set _solution1 to _numwords[$SafeSolution[1]]>>
<<set _solution2 to _numwords[$SafeSolution[2]]>>
<</silently>>\
Set down from the lawn, a small patch of overgrown weeds collects in the confines of a tiny stone perimeter. Several short steps lead down into the area, where a flagstone walkway takes you around the greenery. The lawn has begun to spill over at the edges, and the green fronds stick up and out every which way, providing almost no clearance to walk. There is a savory smell hanging over the place. It reminds you of food your grandmother would cook when you visited as a child.
As you walk along the pathway, you notice that several different kinds of flagstones make up the pathway. Most of the stones are light-grey stones, but there are some black stones mixed in: none in the front, _solution2 on the right, _solution1 in the back, and _solution0 on the left. A large, brown flagstone indicates each corner.\
\
<<Appr "Herb Garden">>
<<linkreplace "Make a note of the space">><<Appraise "Herb Garden">>You're uncertain of the best approach here. There's not really any benefit the garden might provide, except some aesthetics, but clearing the plot and planting flowers or herbs seems like more work and expense than is prudent. You could fill it in with dirt and lay seed or sod to get rid of it, but the top of the steps will still be visible. Fortunately, you're not the one who will solve the problem.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>Two large French doors invite you to enter the house from the yard, but several years of unchecked growth has caused the hedges lining the yard to block access. The hedges themselves are wild and sturdy, and you're surprised the bushes have not broken any windows in the process.\
\
<<Appr "Dining Door">>
<<linkreplace "Note the need for cutting">><<Appraise "Dining Door">>Trying the handle of the doors you are surprised to find that they are unlocked. Unfortunately, the doors open outwards and the hedges create a firm barrier that can't be worked around right now. The hedges will need to be cut back in order to allow access to the door. This is probably a fire code requirement, and so the labor costs will fall on the city before it can be sold on the market.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>Hundreds of light-green, ceramic tiles line the walls, now dingy with dirt and age. Many tiles have a word burned into them, which must have passed for some sort of decor. The words are all foreign, perhaps Eastern European cities. The grout between the tiles has become black and bears a musty smell.\
\
<<if $LavatoryTileOpen eq true>><<Pickup "shiny brass key" "Brass Key" "I - Brass Key">><br>
Inside a tiny hole in the wall, there's a <<item>>.<<OnPickup>><<ShowAction "You grab the key and put it with your other keys.">><<PickedUp>> In the wall, there is a small, empty hole where one of the tiles has been removed.<</Pickup>><</if>><<Appr "Tiles">>
<<linkreplace "Mark down a note about the strange bathroom aesthetic">><<Appraise "Tiles">>The tiles are strange and dirty, but intact. The grout is old, and you hope against hope that it isn't mold you're smelling.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A once-white pedestal sink stands below a dark, faded mirror. The faucet is a dirty chrome, and no water comes out when you turn the handles. The mirror is set into a small cabinet, but the cabinet has rusted closed to the point of never opening again. A thick, dusty film covers the glass, and you can't quite rub it off, though you don't try very hard.\
\
<<if $MirrorSteamed is true>> <<Pickup "something" "Mirror Photo" "I - Mirror Photo">>With the steam building up, you can see <<item>> forming in the mirror. <<OnPickup>><<ShowAction "You snap a picture of the strange writing in the mirror before the steam fades.">><<set $MirrorSteamed to false>><<PickedUp>>With the steam building up, you can see something forming in the mirror. "$MapAnswer". <</Pickup>><</if>>
\The white stone of the sink is chipped here and there, but otherwise intact, though the fixtures are tarnished black and stuck in place. <<Pickup "ceramic tea kettle" "Kettle" "I - Kettle">>Sitting overturned in the sink is an old <<item>>.<<OnPickup>><<ShowAction "You grab the kettle.">><<PickedUp>>The sink is empty, save for decades of grime.<</Pickup>><<Appr "Sink and Mirror">>
<<linkreplace "Make a note of the sink and mirror">><<Appraise "Sink and Mirror">>The sink is intact, so hopefully the piping will be too. You won't be able to check with the water off, and you're frankly not qualified to do so. The mirror and its associated cabinet are a lost cause. It will need to be ripped out of the wall and replaced.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>An ancient porcelain throne sits in the space between the sink and the tub. The water has long evaporated, but not before a bit of algae took hold in the toilet bowl. That, too, has grown dry and brittle from time and a lack of moisture.\
\
<<Appr "Toilet">>
<<linkreplace "Mark down the toilet's replacement">><<Appraise "Toilet">>If the house was to be listed on the market, this toilet would have to be replaced, hands down. The algae is particularly distressing because it can indicate problems with the plumbing. But that's not actually the city's problem. Toilet accessibility is required by the building code, and no house can go to market without a working toilet. One of the benefits of selling the property in a property tax auction is that all required repairs get passed on to the buyer. But that's no longer possible. You can't remember why, though.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>One of the many notes you're keeping about the house. It reads $MapCoordinates[$MapSelection], which was the city on the map in the $MapSelection coordinate. Surely this will be of use somewhere, won't it?\
\
<<ifShowing "BATH - Tiles">>
<<link "Search for city name on the tiles">><<if $MapSelection eq $MapAnswer>><<ShowAction "You locate the tile with the city you wrote down and give it a tap. You're surprised to discover that the tile shifts a little. Digging your nails into the tiny gap, you manage to pry the tile loose, revealing a small hole with a key behind it. You discard your note, now that it's no longer needed.">><<DecInven "Map Coordinate Note">><<set $LavatoryTileOpen to true>><<ReloadTopPopup>><<else>><<ShowAction "You locate a tile bearing the city's name and give it a tap, but nothing much comes of it.">><</if>><</link>><</ifShowing>>A photograph of the message scrawled on the mirror in the tiny bathroom on the main floor. It reads "$MapAnswer".There's an old, framed map propped against the wall, the glass thick and dirty. You don't recognize the country depicted there, and it's not named, despite several cities being named on the map. The cities have names like Knilog, Biovska, and Delorovo, which doesn't help with identifying the country other than being perhaps Eastern European.
Along the top and side of the map are a grid of coordinates, letters on top and numbers on the side. <<linkreplace "Check a coordinate">>@@.decisionText;Check the <<listbox "$puzX">><<optionsfrom $MapX>><</listbox>> <<listbox "$puzY">><<optionsfrom $MapY>><</listbox>> <<link "coordinate.">><<set _sel to $puzX + $puzY>><<SelectMapCoord _sel>><</link>>@@<</linkreplace>>\
\
<<Appr "Map">>
<<linkreplace "Make a note of the map">><<Appraise "Map">>It's possible that the map has some historic value, so it might make a good piece at auction. It's such a specific area, though, so you're skeptical.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>><<widget "SetUpMap">>
<<set $MapCoordinates to {}>>
<<set $MapSelection to "">>
<<set $MapAnswer to "">>
<<set _locations to ["Kalenkanj", "Tolyan", "Velidomir", "Knilog", "Biovska", "Delorovo", "Delrok", "Miva", "Leskorot", "Apabac"]>>
<<set $MapX to ["a", "b", "c", "d", "e", "f", "g", "h", "i", "j"]>>
<<set $MapY to ["1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9"]>>
<<for _i to 0; _i lt 10; _i++>>
<<set _l to $MapX.random()>>
<<set _n to $MapY.random()>>
<<set _coord to _l + _n>>
<<if $MapCoordinates[_coord] is undefined>>
<<set $MapCoordinates[_coord] to _locations.pluck()>>
<<if $MapAnswer eq "">><<set $MapAnswer to _coord>><</if>>
<<else>>
<<set _i -= 1>>
<</if>>
<</for>>
<</widget>>
<<widget "SelectMapCoord">>
<<if $MapCoordinates[$args[0]] is undefined>>
<<set _action to "You trace your fingers along column " + $puzX + " and row " + $puzY + " but find no cities at that coordinate.">>
<<ShowAction _action>>
<<else>>
<<if cInv.has("Map Coordinate Note")>>
<<set _action to "Checking the coordinates at " + $args[0] + " you find the city of " + $MapCoordinates[$args[0]] + ". You erase your note about the city you last found on this map and write " + $MapCoordinates[$args[0]] + " in its place.">>
<<ShowAction _action>>
<<else>>
<<set _action to "You trace your fingers along column " + $puzX + " and row " + $puzY + " and find the city of " + $MapCoordinates[$args[0]] + " written there. Thinking it might come in handy, you write the name down in your notes.">>
<<ShowAction _action>>
<<IncInven "Map Coordinate Note" "I - Lavatory Tile Clue">>
<</if>>
<<set $MapSelection to $args[0]>>
<</if>>
<</widget>>
<<widget "SetUpLibrary">>
<<set $LibrarySolution to [{}, {}, {}]>>
<<set _LibraryLocations to [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10].shuffle()>>
<<set _BookColors to ["green", "blue", "black", "brown", "orange", "white", "colorful", "red", "pink", "grey"]>>
<<set _BookTitles to ["The Water Babies", "Not After Midnight", "Dreams of a Final Theory", "The Illustrated Treasury of Medical Curiosa", "Existentialism and Religious Belief", "Number Stories of Long Ago", "The Dream-Hunters of Corsica", "Twentieth Century Harmony", "False Scent", "Analytical History and Traditions of Umu-Eze-Chime"]>>
<<set _SectionPassages to ["Folklore Shelf", "Horror Shelf", "Science Shelf", "Medicine Shelf", "Philosophy Shelf", "Mathematics Shelf", "Occult Shelf", "Music Shelf", "Mystery Shelf", "Africa Shelf"]>>
<<set $LibraryShelfProxy to {}>>
<<set $LibraryShelves to [{}, {}, {}, {}, {}, {}, {}, {}, {}, {}]>>
<<for _i to 0; _i lt $LibraryShelves.length; _i++>>
<<set $LibraryShelves[_i].loc to _LibraryLocations[_i]>>
<<set $LibraryShelves[_i].passage to _SectionPassages[_i]>>
<<set $LibraryShelves[_i].inSlot to -1>>
<<set $LibraryShelves[_i].book to {}>>
<<set $LibraryShelves[_i].book.color to _BookColors[_i]>>
<<set $LibraryShelves[_i].book.item to _BookColors[_i].charAt(0).toUpperCase() + _BookColors[_i].slice(1) + " Book">>
<<set $LibraryShelves[_i].book.title to _BookTitles[_i]>>
<<set $LibraryShelves[_i].book.passage to "I - " + $LibraryShelves[_i].book.item>>
<<set $LibraryShelfProxy[$LibraryShelves[_i].passage] to $LibraryShelves[_i].loc - 1>>
<</for>>
<<run $LibraryShelves.sort(function(a, b){ return a.loc - b.loc; })>>
<<run console.log($LibraryShelves)>>
<<set $BookSolution to [_LibraryLocations.pluck(), _LibraryLocations.pluck(), _LibraryLocations.pluck()]>>
<<set $LibrarySolution[0] to $LibraryShelves[$BookSolution[0] - 1]>>
<<set $LibrarySolution[1] to $LibraryShelves[$BookSolution[1] - 1]>>
<<set $LibrarySolution[2] to $LibraryShelves[$BookSolution[2] - 1]>>
<<set $SelectedSection to 0>>
<<set $LibraryBookProxy to {}>>
<<set $LibraryBookProxy[$LibrarySolution[0].book.item] to 0>>
<<set $LibraryBookProxy[$LibrarySolution[1].book.item] to 1>>
<<set $LibraryBookProxy[$LibrarySolution[2].book.item] to 2>>
<<set $ViewingBook to "">>
<<set $ViewingShelf to "">>
<</widget>>An old, ceramic tea kettle with a faded, floral design. The handle is made of a polished walnut that's far less polished than it likely used to be.\
\
<<if $KettleFilled is true>> <<if $KettleTemp gt 5>>Steam roils out of the kettle's spout.<<elseif $KettleTemp gt 2>>The water in the kettle is warm, but not hot to the touch.<<else>>Cold water sloshes around in the kettle.<</if>>\
<<else>> The kettle is empty.
\<</if>>\
<<ifShowing "BATH - Sink and Mirror">>\
<<if $KettleTemp lt 6>>
<<link "Place the kettle under the mirror">><<ShowAction "You place the kettle under the mirror and wait, but nothing happens, probably because it isn't hot enough.">><</link>>
\<<else>>\
<<if $hasSteamedMirror is false>>
<<ModalPopup "Place the kettle under the mirror" "Mirror Modal" "Letting the Steam Rise">>
\<<else>>
<<link "Place the kettle under the mirror">><<set $MirrorSteamed to true>><<ReloadTopPopup>><<ShowAction "You place the steaming kettle under the mirror and wait until the glass fogs up.">><</link>>
\<</if>><</if>><</ifShowing>>\
<<ifShowing "ST - Fireplace">>\
<<if $FireplaceLit is true>>
<<link "Place the kettle over the fire">><<if $KettleFilled is true>><<if $hasHeatedKettle is false>>\
<<set $hasHeatedKettle to true>><<OpenModal "Fireplace Modal" "Lighting the Fire">>
\<<else>>\
<<ShowAction "You place the kettle on the fire and wait for it to heat up. Steam issues from the kettle's spout.">><<set $KettleTemp to 10>>
\<</if>>
\<<else>>\
<<ShowAction "You place the kettle on the fire. The kettle gets hot, but otherwise nothing happens.">>
\<</if>><</link>>
\<</if>><</ifShowing>>\
<<ifShowing "Attic">>\
<<if $KettleFilled is false>>
<<ModalPopup "Fill the kettle from the hanging jars" "Attic Modal" "Getting Drenched">>
\<</if>><</ifShowing>><<silently>>
<<set $hasSteamedModal to true>>
<<set _ages to ["8", "9", "10", "11", "12", "13"]>>
<<set $Friend.movedInAge to _ages.random()>>
<<set $KettleTemp to 5>>
<<set $MirrorSteamed to true>>
<</silently>>\
As you stand there, waiting for the steam to rise and fog up the mirror, you mind wanders to a time when you were a kid. A friend of yours was sleeping over and the two of you were getting ready for bed. It happened just after <<they>> moved in. You must have been @@.decisionText;<<cycle "$Friend.movedInAge" autoselect>><<optionsfrom _ages>><</cycle>>@@, and <<they>> <<pl "was" "were">> the same age as you.
Being a kid, you decided it would be fun to prank your friend. So, after you'd finished taking your nightly shower, you wiped all the steam off the mirror and wrote on the mirror in soap. You had seen it on a show once and thought it would be fun. The message was, "Don't fall asleep!"
Half an hour later, your friend walked out of the bathroom, pale as a sheet and <<their>> eyes wide. Feigning innocence (which was probably more obvious than you thought it was), you investigated the steamy mirror to find that the message had changed: "Don't fall asleep... or you will die!"
The two of you spent the rest of the night wide awake. In the morning, you discovered that your older sister had come in and changed the message between the showers. You didn't appreciate the scare, but your friend... Well that was what started <<them>> on <<their>> lifelong fascination.
<<link "Finally, the glass finished fogging up.">><<run window.closeModal()>><</link>><<silently>>
<</silently>>\
A large, brick fireplace sits on the outside wall. Several boxes of old, dry kindling and logs line the outside, almost untouched by time. <<if $FireplaceLit is false>>\
A dry log and several sticks sit in the fireplace, as if placed just before you entered the room. A metal rack fits over the log.
\<<else>>\
A roaring fire breathes life and heat into the room, casting strange shadows for the middle of the day. A metal rack fits over the fire, just licked by the flames.
\<</if>><<Appr "Fireplace">>
<<linkreplace "Take some notes on the condition of the fireplace">><<Appraise "Fireplace">>This fireplace seems entirely intact, which is great, but a little strange. There's no telling if the airway is clear, and you're not about to stick your head in a chimney that hasn't been cleaned in 25 years to figure it out.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>><<silently>>
<<set $KettleTemp to 10>>
<<set _storyTopics to ["ghosts", "zombies", "demons", "witches", "foxfire", "myconids", "disease", "famine", "the apocalypse", "spooks", "banshees", "seasons", "space", "the darkness", "the trees"].shuffle()>>
<<set $Friend.storyTopic to _storyTopics.random()>>
<</silently>>\
You wait patiently for the kettle to heat, warmed by the crackling fire. Staring into the flames, you watch as they dance about, this way and that, and you're reminded of a time, so long ago, when you were staring into the flames.
You were camping with your family, and your friend came along too. So, there you were, you, your friend, and your sister, sitting close to the fire. Your sister was telling a story. Something about @@.decisionText;<<cycle "$Friend.storyTopic" autoselect>><<optionsfrom _storyTopics>><</cycle>>@@, you think. You and your friend were listening so intently and huddled so closely together that you leapt straight out of your skin when a hand clamped down onto your shoulders.
It was just your father, of course. You had nightmares for a week. Your friend loved it.
As you come back from your reverie, you notice that a thick billow of steam rises from the tiny spout on the kettle.
<<link "Retrieve the steaming kettle">><<run window.closeModal()>><</link>><<silently>>
<<set $KettleFilled to true>>
<<set _items to ["a bat", "some keys", "some papers", "a book", "a photograph", "a tire iron", "a beer"].shuffle()>>
<<set $Friend.holdingWhileDown to _items.random()>>
<</silently>>\
As a precaution, you gather everything that might get damaged by water and put it far out of reach. Then, taking the lid off, you place the kettle on the ground under one of the jars. Reaching above you, you brace the jar with one hand and unscrew the cap with the other. The outer ring comes off with a grinding, but the top seal remains in place. Knowing that you'll regret this immediately, you shove a corner of your fingernail under the seal and tug until.
Wet. You're wet. You're standing in the rain drenched to the bone and someone is shouting. A few moments later, you realize that it's you who is shouting. The rain coursing over your eyes makes it impossible to see clearly. Bright lights from streetlamps blot out your vision, but you can just make out a shape in the road. A heap of shadow in the night. You look down to your hands, and you see you're holding, something. Maybe @@.decisionText;<<cycle "$Friend.holdingWhileDown" autoselect>><<optionsfrom _items>><</cycle>>@@? You can't quite remember what. You walk towards the shape, and the memory fades.
Water drips down your face and arms. You look down and see that at least some water has collected in the small kettle. Gathering it and your other things, you <<link "shake yourself off">><<run window.closeModal()>><</link>> and get on with the inspection.An old, electric stove sits against a headboard in the room. It is covered in grime and grease from decades old meals. <<ifAppr "Stove">>The cord is crudely spliced into a standard extension cord, which is coiled nearby, far from the socket.<<aElse>>The cord is crudely spliced into a standard extension cord, which is attached to a nearby socket.<</ifAppr>><<Pickup "box of matches" "Box of Matches" "I - Matches">> A large <<item>> sits on the stove, completely without sense as the stove isn't gas.<<OnPickup>><<ShowAction "You grab the box of matches and place it in your briefcase.">><</Pickup>>\
\
<<Appr "Stove">>
<<linkreplace "Note the odd location of the stove">><<Appraise "Stove">>Due to energy standards changing over the last twenty years, this stove will likely have to be replaced. If it somehow falls into energy requirements, then it will need a good cleaning and an electrician will need to look at that cord. Speaking of which, you decide to remove the plug from the socket. There's no power now, but it might be dangerous when the power turns back on.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A large box of dozens of matches, for all of your fire-starting needs. The striker is used and old, but not so far off that you'll have too much trouble striking matches.\
\
<<ifShowing "ST - Fireplace">><<if $FireplaceLit is false>>
<<link "Light the fireplace">>\
<<ShowAction "You take out a match and strike it a few times before it comes to life. You gingerly move the flame to some nearby newspaper, and then drape the newspaper along the twigs and sticks in the fireplace. You have to do this twice more before the fire catches enough to spread to the log. With the fire going, you feed it enough wood to keep it alive for hours.">><<set $FireplaceLit to true>><<ReloadTopPopup>>
\<</link>><</if>><</ifShowing>>\
\
<<ifShowing "LI - Candle Box">><<if $WaxSoftened is false>>
<<link "Soften the wax with a match">>\
<<ShowAction "You take out a match and strike it on the starter. It takes a couple tries, but soon you have a bright flame over the red wax in the box. It takes a while, but the wax softens, just in time to singe your fingers with the flame.">><<set $WaxSoftened to true>><<ReloadTopPopup>>
\<</link>><</if>><</ifShowing>>Two metal rings are here, one set into the ceiling, and the other set into the floor.<<if $AtticHookPlaced is true>> A long, thin <<link "cane">><<if $AtticRopePlaced is true>><<set $persistAction to true>><<set $AtticOpened to true>><<ShowAction "You pull on the cane and a set of stairs comes down, with much resistance. When the stairs are at the floor, the two metal rings sit side-by side. Carefully, you thread the small rope between the two rings and make a knot. The stairs threaten to jump back up into the ceiling, but the rope holds. You retrieve the cane.">><<IncInven "Wooden Cane" "I - Cane">><<goto [[Hall]]>><<else>><<ShowAction "You pull on the cane and a set of stairs comes down, with much resistance. When the stairs are at the floor, the two metal rings sit side-by side. Letting go for even a moment causes the stairs to shoot back up into the ceiling. The cane clatters to the floor, so you retrieve it.">><<IncInven "Wooden Cane" "I - Cane">><<set $AtticHookPlaced to false>><<ReloadTopPopup>><</if>><</link>> dangles from the ceiling, hooked through the ring up there.<<else>> The upper ring is out of reach by about a foot.<</if>><<if $AtticRopePlaced is true>> A short coil of rope is threaded through the bottom ring.<</if>>A cabinet made of glass and dark wood rests against the wall. The glass has been blacked out. <<if $CurioUnlocked is true>>Where you might find plates and silver, you instead find several short scraps of rope neatly arranged inside. The cords are thin, and about a foot long, and most are rotted beyond use.<<Pickup "one of the ropes" "Short Rope" "I - Short Rope">> You notice <<item>> appears untouched, strong and sturdy, though still only a foot long.<<OnPickup>><<ShowAction "You grab the bit of rope and put it in your briefcase.">><<ReloadTopPopup>><</Pickup>>\
\
<<Appr "Curio">>
<<linkreplace "Now that the curio is open, take some notes">><<Appraise "Curio">>Although the glass has been blacked out, the cabinet is made from strong, sturdy wood. It's possible that the paint on the glass might even come off with a little work, but you're not going to be the one to do it.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>><<else>>The cabinet is locked. A small, golden keyhole juts out from the wood next to the handle.<</if>>A small length of thin, sturdy cord about a foot long.\
\
<<ifShowing "HALL - Attic Entrance">><<if $AtticRopePlaced is false>>
<<link "Loop the rope through the lower ring">>\
<<ShowAction "You loosely thread the rope through the metal ring on the floor.">><<DecInven "Short Rope">><<set $AtticRopePlaced to true>><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>><</if>><</ifShowing>>Lifting the lid on the small box, you find a mass of hard, red wax and several strings.<<if $WaxSoftened is true>><<Pickup "gold key" "Tiny Golden Key" "I - Gold Key">> A tiny, <<item>> is covered in the softened wax.<<OnPickup>><<ShowAction "You dig the key out of the wax, wipe it off, and put it with your other keys.">><<ReloadTopPopup>><</Pickup>><<else>><<if cInv.has("Tiny Golden Key") eq false>> <<link "Something gold">><<ShowAction "No amount of effort allows you to dig out the golden glint. The wax is too hard.">><</link>> pokes out from the wax.<</if>><</if>>A tiny gold key, much smaller than your standard house key. Appears to go to a simple lock.\
\
<<ifShowing "DR - Curio">><<if $CurioUnlocked is false>>
<<link "Try the key in the curio">>\
<<ShowAction "The lock being so tiny, you try inserting the key in the lock and find that it is a perfect fit. With a short turn, you feel the latch open and the cabinet door swings open.">><<set $CurioUnlocked to true>><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>><</if>><</ifShowing>>\
\
<<ifShowing "KIT - Basement Door">><<if $BasementLocked[1] is true or $BasementLocked[2] is true>>
<<link "Try the key in the locks">>\
<<ShowAction "Try as you might, the key is far too tiny for any of the locks on this door.">><</link>><</if>><</ifShowing>>A thin, sturdy cane made from walnut, you'd guess. The cane is topped with a flat crook for gripping.\
\
<<ifShowing "HALL - Attic Entrance">><<if $AtticHookPlaced is false>>
<<link "Hook the upper ring with the cane">>\
<<ShowAction "With the can firmly in hand, you can easily reach up and slide the crook through the metal ring. A slight tug proves that you could pull something down, when ready.">><<DecInven "Wooden Cane">><<set $AtticHookPlaced to true>><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>><</if>><</ifShowing>>A large, metal door stands on the eastern wall. \
<<if $BasementLocked[0] eq false and $BasementLocked[1] eq false and $BasementLocked[2] eq false>>\
Having gotten through the metal grate, padlock, and bolt lock, the door stands open, [[stairs and shelves beyond->Workshop]].
\<<else>>\
<<if $BasementLocked[0] eq true>>A metal grate covers the heavy door behind it, blocking access to below. The thick bolts affixing it to the wall are rusted and stiff. <<else>>A metal grating sits against the counter next to the door, several bolt heads scattered on the floor. <</if>><<if $BasementLocked[1] eq true>>A heavy bolt lock shows in the narrow door jam, barring entry. <<else>>A heavy bolt lock sits in the door, seemingly unlocked. <</if>><<if $BasementLocked[2] eq true>>Above the bolt lock is a latch with a padlock on it. <<else>>The padlock that once locked the door lies discarded in front of the door.<</if>> Your duty requires you to check out every part of the house. That includes whatever's beyond this door.
\<</if>>Shards of glass litter the floorboards, fallen long ago from the long mirror stand in the corner. The dark, wooden stand swivels in the center to adjust the angle, but a nail has been hammered into place, locking it. You suspect that the nail is what broke the mirror in the first place. Some of the shards still in the frame are coated black and brown.\
\
<<Pickup "oil canister" "Oil" "I - Oil">> Sitting amidst the glass shards is a small <<item>> marked "oil".<<OnPickup>><<ShowAction "You gingerly step around the glass and pick up the canister. Not wanting to dirty your briefcase with oil, you shove the canister into a pocket. It just barely fits.">><</Pickup>>\
\
<<Appr "Mirror">>
<<linkreplace "Record the location for disposal">><<Appraise "Mirror">>Obviously, the mirror is a lost cause. You mark down that it will have to be disposed. It's too bad, because the frame is nice, but ruined beyond repair (within budget, at least). Besides, you suspect that the black and brown coating might not be your regular mirror tarnish.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A metal canister with "oil" written on the side. You're uncertain if this is lamp oil or machine oil. The canister is about half full.\
\
<<ifShowing "KIT - Basement Door">><<if $BoltsOiled is false>>
<<link "Oil the bolts">>\
<<ShowAction "Using a nearby cloth, you dab oil onto each of the four bolts. The cloth becomes stained with rust as you wipe, removing as much rust as possible.">><<set $BoltsOiled to true>><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>><</if>><</ifShowing>>A claw hammer whose head has been rounded by over-use. The claw end looks largely intact, though.\
\
<<ifShowing "AT - Barrier">><<if $AtticCleared is false>>
<<link "Attack the nails in the barrier">>\
<<ShowAction "With a deep breath, you locate the nearest of the large nails and pull it out. You decide to free the largest bits of wood first, hoping to create a passage. That would be the various bits of dining room table, which is removed easier due to the large table legs protruding out. Once that's been removed, you decide to tackle one of the beds near the wall. You manage to get a few nails loose and shove the bed aside, splintering wood the whole way. Light shines through the small hole in the barrier, just large enough to permit you access.">><<set $AtticCleared to true>><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>><</if>><</ifShowing>>\
\
<<ifShowing "WK - Table">>
<<ModalPopup "Pry the wood panels off." "Workshop Modal" "Removing the Panels">>\
<</ifShowing>>Closing off the eastern side of the attic is a huge mass of jagged wood fastened together with huge nails. From what you can tell, several large pieces of furniture make up the barrier, including at least two bed frames and pieces of a dining room table. You can see light peeking in from over the top of the wall. <<if $AtticCleared is true>>A small [[opening->Dormer]] hides behind the remains of a bed frame.<<else>>There seems to be no obvious way over or through.<</if>><<Appr "Barrier">>
<<linkreplace "Estimate the size of the wall for labor costs">><<Appraise "Barrier">>Well, this will be expensive to remove, so you might as well take some measurements. You take out your phone and take some pictures, being sure not to slip on the salt-laden floor. Another app on your phone gives you a rough estimate of fourteen feet wide by eight feet tall.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>The floor glitters as the filtered light catches on the small salt crystals all over the floorboards. The salt seems to be laid out in a rough circle, and several black impressions are left on the wood. You can't tell if it was burnt into the wood or if it was just charcoal, but most of it has rubbed off over time. Only the salt really remains.\
\
<<Appr "Floorboards">>
<<linkreplace "Inspect the floor">><<Appraise "Floorboards">>The state of the floor brings much dismay. After all, damage like this can lead to costly structural repairs. With the toe of your shoe you attempt to dislodge some of the salt. It doesn't budge, so it must be really stuck in there. Being salt, a strong cleaner will probably dissolve it, but you hope the wood is fine otherwise.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>Against the wall lies a small bed with faded brown and red linens. A heavy smell of dust overhangs the sagging mattress and pillows, though at least it isn't rotted through with mold or mildew. The frame itself appears handmade and rough, with splintered wood on the underside here and there. The feet of the frame show a great deal of wear.\
\
<<Appr "Bed">>
<<linkreplace "Make some notes about the bed">><<Appraise "Bed">>Considering the hand-crafted nature of the bed, it might have made a good auction piece, had it ever been sanded down and polished or sealed. From the looks of it, the bed is quite old and in disrepair. Using a small chip of wood nearby, you fold back a bit of the sheet to inspect the mattress. Telltale signs of tiny bedbugs show through the cracks and crevices of the mattress, and you drop the wood chip and back away. It's not surprising, given the lack of sunlight in the room and the age of the mattress. The whole bed is a write off.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>><<silently>>
<<set _book to $LibrarySolution[1].book.color>>
<<set _bookUC to $LibrarySolution[1].book.item>>
<<set _book += " book">>
<<set _bookPassage to $LibrarySolution[1].book.passage>>
<<set _firstLetter to _book.charAt(0)>>
<<set _article to "A">>
<<if _firstLetter is "a" or _firstLetter is "e" or _firstLetter is "i" or _firstLetter is "o" or _firstLetter is "u">><<set _article += "n">><</if>>
<</silently>>\
The large wardrobe takes up the length of the short wall near the door. It's made of light, reddish wood, perhaps cherry. The quality of an expert crafter shines through on the delicately carved grooves and the hand-turned knobs. Opening the wardrobe reveals several bundles of old clothes moth-eaten in a heap on the bottom. The bar for hanging has split in two and tumbled down atop the ruined cloth. A small shelf runs along the top of the wardrobe.<<Pickup _book _bookUC _bookPassage>> _article <<item>> lies nestled on the shelf.<<OnPickup>><<ShowAction "You grab the book and place it in your briefcase.">><</Pickup>>\
\
<<Appr "Wardrobe">>
<<linkreplace "Write down a note about the wardrobe">><<Appraise "Wardrobe">>This wardrobe is an excellent find and will be a good piece to auction off. It's hardwood in good condition. It's quite large, and it has the hallmarks of being handcrafted. The bar will have to be replaced, but that would be easy and quite affordable. The wardrobe may only be 25 years old or so, but you can never go wrong with good hardwood furniture.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A small, silver knife with a double-sided blade about four inches long. Certainly not intended for kitchen use. The handle is made of a rich, reddish wood that has faded from sunlight over time.\
\
<<ifShowing "SR - Crib">><<if cInv.has("Silver Key") eq false>>
<<ModalPopup "Cut the cord on the key" "Crib Modal" "Cutting the Key">><</if>><</ifShowing>>The large, round window takes up a large portion of the outer wall. Based on the construction and shape of the roof, this is a dormer window. The gable of the house goes the other direction. The window faces East. As you look out over the yard, you can see that the house has a clear view all the way to the distant moutains. It's likely to catch the sunrise quite well.\
\
<<Appr "Window" "Attic">>
<<linkreplace "Check the structure of the window">><<Appraise "Window" "Attic">>You run your hand over the window frame and find that the paint is peeling from countless sunrises over the last twenty-five years. A tap on the glass verifies that it's still sturdy, though most inspectors will probably recommend getting double-panes or energy-efficient materials.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>Untouched by anything but the sunlight in the window rests a small, round table made of a dark, polished wood. Walnut, if you had to guess. Around the rim of the table there is a fine white powder, perhaps salt, given the state of the main part of the attic. Strewn about the inside of the ring are old leaves and dried flowers, long brittle with age. Someone has threaded a small silver chain that has become tarnished and weak with time and exposure to the sun. There, at the very center is a simple wooden stand<<Pickup "knife" "Ceremonial Knife" "I - Morning Knife">>, a <<item>> resting carefully atop, exposed to the light of the window.<<OnPickup>><<ShowAction "Reaching your hand over the white circle, you feel the slightest tingle that grows the closer you reach your hand towards the handle of the knife. As soon as your finger makes contact with the wooden grip, the feeling dissipates, and you remember to breathe. With a shake of your head, you lift the knife from its stand and place it in your briefcase. You feel exhausted.">><<PickedUp>>. The stand is empty.<</Pickup>>\
\
<<Appr "Table" "Attic">>
<<linkreplace "Make a note about the table">><<Appraise "Table" "Attic">>Taking care not to disturb what is clearly a careful display, you inspect the table for any flaws, but find none. Even the powder, which you suspect might contain salt, has done nothing to damage the surface of the table. It isn't a particularly dry climate, so you're overall surprised. Really, this table is in remarkable condition. Given its age, it would likely fetch a good price at auction.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>Overturned in the corner rests the remains of a small crib with light yellow slats protecting the interior. Once-soft fabrics lay upon the floor, now soiled and tough with age. The smell of mildew pervades the air. <<if cInv.has("Silver Key") eq false>>Dangling from one corner of the crib is a <<link "key">><<ShowAction "You give the key a sharp tug, but it remains wrapped up and attached to the crib.">><</link>>, wrapped tightly in a strong cord.<<else>>The cut remains of a cord lie strewn about the floor.<</if>>\
\
<<Appr "Crib">>
<<linkreplace "Inspect the crib for damages">><<Appraise "Crib">>The crib appears mostly intact, though the more you look at it, the more off-putting it seems. Perhaps its just the idea of the crib being overturned like this, which suggests that a child was put in danger. Even still, the yellow wood and gentle slope just strike you as... something.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>As you reach out and touch the rope-laden key, something stirs, loosely, in the back of your mind. It's formless and uncertain, but you think, perhaps, you've done something like this before. While you take the knife to the cord, you search your memory for something, anything that seems similar.
A memory surfaces. You and a friend in an old nursery. <<They>><<pl "'s" "'re">> beckoning you over to a crib turned upside down in the middle of the room. You creep over, every creak and pop of the floorboards causing you to jump. Eventually you reach the crib and your friend mimes lifting the crib up. Taking a corner each, the two of you carefully tilt the wooden box back, peering inside. Then the weight shifts, and a bang hits the floor. Something heavy rolls out from under the open end. You're running. <<They>><<pl "'s" "'re">> running. All the way back to the front door. Locked, of course. That was part of the attraction, after all.
You shake the memory from your head, heart pounding in your ears. Your friend's first "haunted" house, and you were there with <<them>>. It wasn't quite the right memory, you think, but there's no time to waste. You finish cutting through the bonds on the key and let the cord scraps fall to the floor.
<<link "Put the key with your other keys">><<IncInven "Silver Key" "I - Silver Key">><<run window.closeModal()>><</link>><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingBook to "Black Book">>
<<set $AssociatedShelf to "Science Shelf">>
<</silently>>\
//Dreams of a Final Theory// by Steven Weinberg. This is a paperback book featuring a dark, almost black cover with indecipherable lines and shapes in the background. Flipping through the book, you learn that the 1994 book is a heady discussion of physics and the laws of nature. It's somewhat philosophical, rather than technical, and seems to be trying to discover new universal truths about the universe.\
\
<<include "Book Placing">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingBook to "Green Book">>
<<set $AssociatedShelf to "Folklore Shelf">>
<</silently>>\
//The Water Babies// by Charles Kingsley. This book is an unassuming book bound in green leather, with silver lettering. Reading the first few pages, you discover that this is a reproduction of a 1928 children's novel. The story appears to be about a chimney sweep who transforms into a water-baby, whatever that is. There are several impressive illustrations accompanying the text, and as far as you can tell, a water-baby is a baby who is underwater. The story seems to be framed a bit with a narrator telling the tale to a child, who also often speaks.\
\
<<include "Book Placing">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingBook to "Blue Book">>
<<set $AssociatedShelf to "Horror Shelf">>
<</silently>>\
//Not After Midnight// by Daphne du Maurier. This hardcover book features a blue, aquatic cover with a horrible vase in the center. The vase is shaped into a bearded face with a dolphin-encrusted crown. Opening the book, you discover five short stories. The first one involves some creepy twins with psychic abilities, and a vision of the main character's own funeral (which quickly comes to pass). The second story, which bears the same name as the book, is about some curse that causes people drown in the Mediterranean. Before getting too involved, you decide to leave the other stories alone.\
\
<<include "Book Placing">>A large red-and-white patterned rug fills the room, thick and ornate. The pattern is floral with a bit of a fleur-de-lis pattern around the border. A large black stain spreads across the back section of the rug. The stain spills out under the chair and around, with sharp edges in the area in front of where the chair sits. You can see that the rug is especially worn just outside the edges, and the stain occasionally bleeds through to the faded spots. Several more indentations appear in front of the fireplace, resembling the legs of a seating area.\
\
<<Appr "Rug">>
<<linkreplace "Note the sorry state of the rug">><<Appraise "Rug">>Your heart sags at the sight of the stain on the rug. If it had been intact and clean, it would have fetched a fine price at auction. The rug is otherwise good quality, if a bit dusty. The more you stare at the stain on the rug, the more you feel a knot forming in your stomach. Had something happened here? Where was the desk that so clearly once had been in this room?<<if $atticCleared is true>> Were parts of it in the barricade in the attic? You can't quire remember.<</if>><</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A large, leather office chair sits on the rug near the window. This is the kind with real wood for trim and metal casings for wheels. Marring the deep brown leather is a thick, black stain that drips down from the back and off the seat. The arm rests are ripped and black. The chair sits above a larger black stain on the rug.\
\
<<Appr "Chair">>
<<linkreplace "Mark the chair for disposal">><<Appraise "Chair">>Sadly, no amount of care is likely to repair the damage time has wrought on this chair. It must have been expensive. Whomever had sat here must have been important to somebody.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A short set of shelves sits under the rear, south-facing window. Books, papers, binders and knickknacks of all shapes and sizes fill the shelves. You spy a small globe of the world, a seascape snowglobe, a statuette of a horse, and even a few small vases that surely once held flowers or plants. Attempting to move any of them, you discover that they're all fixed in place somehow and won't budge, but they're all marvelous pieces. The binders are filled with blank pages, but you can feel a residue of something, so something was possibly written in them at one time or another. The books are all leather bound copies of older works, including several dictionaries in various languages, a set of old encyclopedias, and at least one manual of style.\
\
<<Appr "Shelves">>
<<linkreplace "Record everything on the shelves">><<Appraise "Shelves">>The shelves are in fine condition, but what really has your eye are the curios. Those are great auction pieces and might make up some costs if they're genuine in any way. The stickler is, of course, that the knickknacks are stuck, but if worse comes to worse, the shelves could be sacrificed to rescue the valuables. The shelves are likely far less valuable.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>><<silently>>
<<set $SelectedBook to 0>>
<<set $SelectedLocation to 0>>
<</silently>>\
A massive bookshelf lines the back wall of the room, filled to the brim with books of every shape, color, and size. Most of the books are hardcovers or are leather-bound, though there are the occasional softcover books here and there. Several books appear to be missing.<<if $LibraryOpened is true>>The center shelf stands away from the wall revealing a [[doorway->Hidden Shelves]] behind.<<else>><<if cInv.hasPickedUp($LibrarySolution[0].book.item) or cInv.hasPickedUp($LibrarySolution[1].book.item) or cInv.hasPickedUp($LibrarySolution[2].book.item)>><<if cInv.has($LibrarySolution[0].book.item) or cInv.has($LibrarySolution[1].book.item) or cInv.has($LibrarySolution[2].book.item)>>Maybe a book you're carrying belongs here.<</if>> Perhaps you could [[arrange some books.->Bookshelf Puzzle]]<</if>><</if>>\
\
<<Appr "Bookshelves">>
<<linkreplace "Count the books and make a rough estimate">><<Appraise "Bookshelves">>You don't even know where to begin. There are so many books. Many of them appear to be rebindings, but some look like first editions. The earliest you find appears to be from the 1920s. Old books are typically good items at auction, but how many of these are just reproductions or commonplace? The treasury will have to bring in an expert, and experts aren't cheap. The final count is 537, though there is space for more. The shelf itself is nice but ripping them out of the wall could be more trouble than it's worth. If the house is sold intact, the shelves and most of the books might just go with it.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>><<silently>>
<<set _shelves to [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]>>
<<set _tempSelection to 0>>
<<set _passProxySelection to 1>>
<<set $ViewingShelf to "">>
<</silently>>\
\
There are many shelves of books. Based on the titles of the books and how they're laid out, you think there might be ten different sections. The order of the sections makes little sense, but one thing is common across all of them. In each section, there is an empty space where a book should go.
<<link "Check out">><<set $SelectedSection to _passProxySelection>><<set _tempSelection to $SelectedSection>><<set _passage to $LibraryShelves[$SelectedSection - 1].passage>><<set _title to "Bookshelf Section " + $SelectedSection>><<OpenPopup _passage _title>><</link>> section @@.decisionText;<<listbox "_passProxySelection">><<optionsfrom _shelves>><</listbox>>@@
You also notice a <<link "small engraving">><<set $PushedEngraving++>><<if window.checkBooks() eq true>><<set $LibraryOpened to true>><<set $persistAction to true>><<ShowAction "You push on the engraving and it gives way a little before chunking deep into the bookshelf. A click sounds and the shelf pushes away from the wall, just a little. Pulling on the shelf it slowly separates from the wall and then glides to the side when there's enough clearance. Behind the shelf you discover a doorway.">><<goto [[Library]]>><<else>><<ShowAction "The engraving gives a little when you push on it, but nothing else happens.">><</if>><</link>> of a three-pointed star in the center shelf. None of the other shelves have one.
[[Step away from the shelf->Library]]<<silently>>
<<set $ViewingBook to "Red Book">>
<<set $AssociatedShelf to "Music Shelf">>
<</silently>>\
//Twentieth Century Harmony// by Vincent Persichetti. This simple, red paperback has only black lettering on the cover. Opening the book, you note that the subject appears to be harmonic procedures for 1900 - 1950. A great deal seems to be focused on chords, breaking it down into thirds, fourths, seconds, and polychords. Additional chapters seem to be about rhythm and harmonic motion, whatever that is. Honestly, the book is highly technical.\
\
<<include "Book Placing">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingBook to "Grey Book">>
<<set $AssociatedShelf to "Africa Shelf">>
<</silently>>\
//Analytical History and Traditions of Umu-Eze-Chime// by Daniel Olisa Okwuchi. This thin, grey-leather book appears to be a binding of undergraduate research involving an anthropological account of the Umu-Eze-Chime, the ancestors of the modern Igbo and several other people. The book goes into art, music, language, and literature of the ancient people, much of which appears to have been preserved through cultural practices. Being undergraduate work, it's pretty rough, but it would be a short read had you ample free time.\
\
<<include "Book Placing">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingBook to "White Book">>
<<set $AssociatedShelf to "Mathematics Shelf">>
<</silently>>\
//Number Stories of Long Ago// by David Eugine Smith. This is a hardcover book with a white cover, featuring a floral border in a woodcut style. The book appears to be a reproduction of a 1919 children's book discussing the use of numbers and counting in various ancient cultures. It's not a very technical book, but the stories seem competent and historical. You imagine that quite a lot of liberty has been taken to present these stories to children. Plus, accuracy is tempered to the standards of 100 years ago. Even still, it's probably quite a bit more advanced than what you might expect from a modern children's book.\
\
<<include "Book Placing">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingBook to "Colorful Book">>
<<set $AssociatedShelf to "Occult Shelf">>
<</silently>>\
//The Dream-Hunters of Corsica// by Dorothy Carrington. This is a hardcover book with a very picturesque image on the cover. The image shows a countryside with a bundle of bones in the foreground. Opening the book, you're presented with an historical look at the customs of ancient Corsica, particularly of people who hunted human-faced animals in dreams which become harbingers of death. The author seems very interested in the mystical, magical processes of the ancient peoples, with a bit of a focus on healing and warding against the "evil eye". You're uncertain how much of this is researched fact or mere conjecture.\
\
<<include "Book Placing">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingBook to "Brown Book">>
<<set $AssociatedShelf to "Medicine Shelf">>
<</silently>>\
//The Illustrated Treasury of Medical Curiosa// by Barbara Newman. This heavy, hardcover book has a dark brown cover with brass lettering. An illustration of a doctor blasting a patient with a French horn shows above the title. Unsurprisingly, the volume contains several drawings of extremely strange medical practices. One drawing that catches you eye is of a grown patient forced into a rocking cradle. Apparently, this was used by some cultures as a form of euthanasia for the senile and terminally ill.\
\
<<include "Book Placing">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingBook to "Pink Book">>
<<set $AssociatedShelf to "Mystery Shelf">>
<</silently>>\
//False Scent// by Ngaio Marsh. This bright pink hardcover features a modern art style cover, with dark lines and blue accents. The book appears to be about an insufferably beautiful actress who holds a grand family gathering for her 50th birthday. You skip around a bit to get the gist of the novel. Her family treats her quite unkindly and she flees the party, only to die after spritzing herself with perfume. A detective arrives and investigates. You don't know much about the overall story, but it sounds exciting!\
\
<<include "Book Placing">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingBook to "Orange Book">>
<<set $AssociatedShelf to "Philosophy Shelf">>
<</silently>>\
//Existentialism and Religious Belief// by David Everett Roberts. This bright orange hardcover features a cover with black spots where the text pokes through. Opening the book, you find a rather dry examination on the benefits of Christianity using evidence from various historical thinkers. Pascal on faith and reason, Kierkegaard on guilt and despair, Sartre on freedom, and a smattering of other names talking about transcendence, metaphysics, and salvation. You note several angry notes in handwriting that you can't quite understand. You can only tell that they're angry dur to several lines and paragraphs being crossed out.\
\
<<include "Book Placing">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingShelf to "Occult Shelf">>
<<set $AssociatedBook to "Colorful Book">>
<</silently>>\
Many of the books on this shelf have leather bindings, and several other are thin and modern. You don't have time to look at all the books, so you give the shelf a cursory glance and see a book titled <<= either("//The Enneagram//", "//Unexplained Mysteries of the 20th Century//", "//Phenomena: A Book of Wonders//", "//The Screaming Skull//", "//Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds//")>>. <<link "Look again.">><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>>
<<include "Shelf Navigation">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingShelf to "Horror Shelf">>
<<set $AssociatedBook to "Blue Book">>
<</silently>>\
Some rather thick, but modern volumes dot this shelf. You don't have time to look at all the books, so you give the shelf a cursory glance and see a book titled <<= either("//Watcher in the Dark//", "//Night Prayers//", "//Demon's Beach//", "//Face in the Fog//", "//Beware the Beasts//")>>. <<link "Look again.">><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>>
<<include "Shelf Navigation">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingShelf to "Mystery Shelf">>
<<set $AssociatedBook to "Pink Book">>
<</silently>>\
Most of the books on this shelf are trade paperbacks, but some volumes have nice hardcovers. You don't have time to look at all the books, so you give the shelf a cursory glance and see a book titled <<= either("//Death is Forever//", "//Five Little Pigs//", "//Puzzle in Patchwork//", "//The Plot Against Earth//", "//House of Cards//")>>. <<link "Look again.">><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>>
<<include "Shelf Navigation">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingShelf to "Folklore Shelf">>
<<set $AssociatedBook to "Green Book">>
<</silently>>\
Several old, thin books dot this section of the shelves. You don't have time to look at all the books, so you give the shelf a cursory glance and see a book titled <<= either("//The Wishing Penny//", "//The Golden Goat//", "//The Red Book of Appin//", "//Peter and the Wolf//", "//Mopsa and the Fairy//")>>. <<link "Look again.">><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>>
<<include "Shelf Navigation">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingShelf to "Music Shelf">>
<<set $AssociatedBook to "Red Book">>
<</silently>>\
Several of the books in this section are quite old and thin. Most seem to have been re-bound. You don't have time to look at all the books, so you give the shelf a cursory glance and see a book titled <<= either("//The Construction of a Timbre Test//", "//The Genetic Aspect of Consonance and Dissonance//", "//Aesthetic Measure//", "//Music of the Incas//", "//Lyrics of the Basotho Migrants//")>>. <<link "Look again.">><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>>
<<include "Shelf Navigation">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingShelf to "Africa Shelf">>
<<set $AssociatedBook to "Grey Book">>
<</silently>>\
Most of the books in this section appear to be modern, and many of them are thin with little wear. You don't have time to look at all the books, so you give the shelf a cursory glance and see a book titled <<= either("//The Road to Freedom//", "//The Blue Nile//", "//'Children of Violence' and Rhodesia//", "//Oral Tradition as History//", "//Lessons from History: A Celebration of Blackness//")>>. <<link "Look again.">><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>>
<<include "Shelf Navigation">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingShelf to "Philosophy Shelf">>
<<set $AssociatedBook to "Orange Book">>
<</silently>>\
The age of the books on this shelf seems to be wildly disproportionate. Some are new, while others are old. At least one has been re-bound in leather. You don't have time to look at all the books, so you give the shelf a cursory glance and see a book titled <<= either("//Exploring Zen//", "//The Truths We Live By//", "//The Enlightenment, an Interpretation//", "//Language and Logic//", "//The Society of Man//")>>. <<link "Look again.">><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>>
<<include "Shelf Navigation">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingShelf to "Science Shelf">>
<<set $AssociatedBook to "Black Book">>
<</silently>>\
This shelf contains a mix of new and old books, all bound in a modern style. You don't have time to look at all the books, so you give the shelf a cursory glance and see a book titled <<= either("//Possible Worlds//", "//Beyond the Quantum//", "//Einstein and the Poet//", "//The Quickening Universe//", "//The Shape of Space//")>>. <<link "Look again.">><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>>
<<include "Shelf Navigation">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingShelf to "Medicine Shelf">>
<<set $AssociatedBook to "Brown Book">>
<</silently>>\
This section is filled with large, dense books, most of them quite new, compared to the other sections. You don't have time to look at all the books, so you give the shelf a cursory glance and see a book titled <<= either("//Healing Herbs of the Upper Rio Grande//", "//Dimensions III: A Changing Concept of Health//", "//The Human Body: Its Functions in Health and Disease//", "//The Neuroanatomy of Leonardo da Vinci//", "//Mutations: Biology and Society//")>>. <<link "Look again.">><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>>
<<include "Shelf Navigation">><<silently>>
<<set $ViewingShelf to "Mathematics Shelf">>
<<set $AssociatedBook to "White Book">>
<</silently>>\
Some of the thick books on this shelf are quite old, but many are new and modern. You don't have time to look at all the books, so you give the shelf a cursory glance and see a book titled <<= either("//Discrete Iterated Function Systems//", "//Mortality Laws and Statistics//", "//Entropy Models in Spatial Analysis//", "//The Book of Squares//", "//The Last Problem//")>>. <<link "Look again.">><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>>
<<include "Shelf Navigation">><<silently>>
<<set _currentShelf to $LibraryShelves[$LibraryShelfProxy[$ViewingShelf]]>>
<<set _bookPlacedHere to _currentShelf.inSlot>>
<</silently>>\
\
<<if _bookPlacedHere neq -1>>\
You've placed a $LibrarySolution[_bookPlacedHere].book.color book titled //$LibrarySolution[_bookPlacedHere].book.title// here. <<link "Pick it up.">><<set _currentShelf.inSlot to -1>><<IncInven $LibrarySolution[_bookPlacedHere].book.item $LibrarySolution[_bookPlacedHere].book.passage>><<ReloadTopPopup>><</link>>
\<</if>>\
<<if $SelectedSection gt 1>>
<<link "Check the previous section">><<set $SelectedSection-->><<set _tempSelection to $SelectedSection>><<set _passage to $LibraryShelves[$SelectedSection - 1].passage>><<set _title to "Bookshelf Section " + $SelectedSection>><<TopPopupGoto _passage _title>><</link>><</if>><<if $SelectedSection lt 10>>
<<link "Check the next section">><<set $SelectedSection++>><<set _tempSelection to $SelectedSection>><<set _passage to $LibraryShelves[$SelectedSection - 1].passage>><<set _title to "Bookshelf Section " + $SelectedSection>><<TopPopupGoto _passage _title>><</link>><</if>>
<<link "Go to">><<set $SelectedSection to _tempSelection>><<set _passage to $LibraryShelves[$SelectedSection - 1].passage>><<set _title to "Bookshelf Section " + $SelectedSection>><<TopPopupGoto _passage _title>><</link>> section @@.decisionText;<<listbox "_tempSelection" autoselect>><<optionsfrom _shelves>><</listbox>>@@<<silently>>
<<set _currentBook to $LibrarySolution[$LibraryBookProxy[$ViewingBook]].book>>
<<set _bookShelf to $LibraryShelves[$LibraryShelfProxy[$ViewingShelf]]>>
<</silently>>\
\
<<if $mainPopupTop neq -1 and _passage neq undefined and _passage.endsWith(" Shelf") eq true and _bookShelf neq undefined>>
<<if _bookShelf.inSlot is -1>><<link "Place the book in this section">><<set _bookShelf.inSlot to $LibraryBookProxy[$ViewingBook]>><<DecInven _currentBook.item>><</link>><<else>><<link "Swap this book for the one placed in this section">><<set _bookCache to _bookShelf.inSlot>><<IncInven $LibrarySolution[_bookCache].book.item $LibrarySolution[_bookCache].book.passage>><<set _bookShelf.inSlot to $LibraryBookProxy[$ViewingBook]>><<DecInven _currentBook.item>><<run cInv.showItem(cInv.get($LibrarySolution[_bookCache].book.item))>><</link>><</if>><</if>>A massive writing desk takes up the west wall. It is made of a dark, hardwood, perhaps walnut, and treated to protect it from age. Where there were once drawers, only empty cavities remain. Atop the desk you find an old-style blotter, the remains of a tearaway calendar, and a leather-bound journal. A cursory glance shows that the journal is empty. A rusted iron bar hangs from the ceiling, encircling the desk just overhead. Several rings cling to the bar, scattered along its length. In the middle, to one side, a large shower head hangs down, threatening to drench the desk. On the wall, a faucet sticks out, barely touching the side of the desk.\
\
<<Appr "Desk">>
<<linkreplace "Make a note about the desk">><<Appraise "Desk">>Why ever is there a desk in here? You quickly jot down a note that the desk will have to be moved before water is restored to the property. You wouldn't want to lose such a fine piece of furniture! Sure, the drawers are missing, but perhaps they can be found elsewhere in the house. Besides, a good quality desk will do well at auction, so the expense of a few custom drawers would be offset. A frown crawls across your face as you glance back to the door and then back to the desk. Will it fit? Of course it will. It got in here, didn't it?<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A tiny shelf rests at one end of the room, covered in dust. Upon it is a brass candlestick, dripping with dried, red wax. The hard crust formed by the wax has cemented the candlestick in place. Several old, dried leaves and flowers clutter the shelf around the candlestick. You can see spaces in the dust where there might have been books shelved, but no books can be seen on this side of the alcove.\
\
<<Appr "Shelf" "Library">>
<<linkreplace "Consider the tiny shelf">><<Appraise "Shelf" "Library">>There's little to no value to the shelf itself. Removing the wax is likely to damage it either way. The candlestick, well, that's a nicer piece. It looks antique, though an expert would have to determine that. The shiny brass is a bit uncommon these days, so it might catch the eyes of some buyers.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>The massive lectern covers one side of the room, just tall enough to comfortably stand and read from. The top of the lectern is raised just a bit in the back, tilting the oversized <<if $BookChoice neq 0>><<link "book">><<ShowAction "You decide against taking a closer look at the book again. You still have a grand headache from the last time.">><</link>><<else>><<ModalPopup "book" "Book Modal" "Reading the Book">><</if>> just enough to help with reading.\
\
<<Appr "Lectern" "Library">>
<<linkreplace "Make some notes about the lectern">><<Appraise "Lectern" "Library">>The lectern itself is made of hardwood and has been finished with a dark stain. It is in remarkably good condition despite its age and might do well at auction. The problem is, it's a lectern. If it were a nice table or a set of chairs, sure, but a lectern isn't something someone typically has a place for in the home.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>><<silently>>
<<set $BookChoice to -1>>
<</silently>>\
Handwritten scribbles dominate each page of this giant tome. The handwriting is frantic and tiny, probably made with a fountain pen considering how the ink has bled and spotted all through the manuscript. The pages are thick and heavy, threatening to crack as you turn each page. The writings mean little to you. A headache stirs as you look through the pages, and the more you try to read, the stronger it gets. As you near the front of the book, the language seems to shift and warp until you're certain it's no longer English. Each page seems to bear drawing of plants, symbols, and formulae that you can't understand. Some pages depict terrifying creatures, and others show acts of torture or medicine. It's impossible to tell which.
The pain blots out your vision for a moment, and you lean against the wall to keep your balance. A wave of exhaustion comes over you and you close your eyes. When you open them again, the light has shifted. Checking your phone, an hour has passed. The headache is still there. Perhaps it's best to <<CloseModal "leave the book alone">>. Before you do, though, you notice a cloth bookmark peeking from late in the book. Is it wise? <<ModalPopup "Do you dare look?" "Bookmark Modal" "Reading the Book">><<silently>>
<<set $BookChoice to 1>>
<</silently>>\
Against better judgment, you plant yourself back in front of the lectern, and steady yourself on the lip of wood at the front. Taking the pages in hand, you turn to the page marked by the cloth. It is quite late in the tome and the handwriting has changed, become clearer.
On the page is a drawing of a long knife backed by a symbol that you take for the sun rising over the mountains. The page is titled, "Morning Knife" in thick, red lettering. Beside the drawing is a passage of text, lettered in a careful hand. <<linkreplace "Read it.">> It reads:
"The Morning Knife is a tool for severing the bonds of this world and piercing the veil into the realm of spirits. Using this blade, one can cut through the shackles of binding lashed onto a trapped spirit. Then, by cutting through the veil between worlds, the spirit can be sent back. The veil will quickly mend, so no malevolence can spill through, but beware! Particularly evil spirits and demons may attempt to trick you into piercing the veil so that they may pull more of their brethren through."
You close your eyes for a moment as the pain in your head flares to new heights. Hanging on to the sturdy lectern is the only thing that truly keeps you on your feet. When you open your eyes again, you realize your head has tilted back impossibly far. You bring it forward, new pain blossoming in your neck. @@.choice;<<link "Perhaps you should stop">><<ShowAction "You step away from the book and massage your temples, hoping to relieve the pressure.">><<run window.closeModal()>><</link>>, but @@<<linkreplace "the text continues on the facing page">><<remove ".choice">><<set $BookChoice to 2>>Continuing on:
"To fashion the Morning Knife, start with forming a blade made from the moon's metal. Affix it to wood from a tree of sustenance. Then, place the knife in a place sheltered from the midday sun. Ensure that only the rays of the morning sun may strike it, reflecting in the argent sheen. Let this knife bask in the morning sun for at least one turn of the Goddess. For each cycle, the Morning Knife becomes stronger."
"If you believe yourself in danger of freeing a spirit against your will, then you may resort to another function of the Morning Knife: destroying the bindings that hold a spirit together, eradicating the spirit altogether. Drive the knife deep into the spirit's core, and it will be undone. Note: for powerful spirits, the Morning Knife needs to be powerfully charged."
Accompanying the text are diagrams showing sunlight striking the knife and the shape and length of the blade. As you stare at the drawings, your vision wavers and then <<ModalPopup "darkness" "Dream Modal" "In the Darkness">>.<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><<silently>>
<<set $Friend.yourName to $NameList.random()>>
<</silently>>\
Darkness. In the inky depths of your mind you feel your heart thrumming in your chest, threatening to choke your last breath.
"Hey, you ok?" <<They>> <<pl "says" "say">>.
Your eyes snap open. You're in <<their>> car, driving down a dark road in the middle of the night. Where you're going, you can't tell. "Huh?" you say, still uncertain about your surroundings.
The car slows as the rain begins to fall. <<They>> <<pl "turns" "turn">> to you and give you that grin <<they>> always have. "Wake up sleepy head!" The wiper blades start drifting over the windshield as the rain picks up.
"Where are we going?" Your voice is hoarse, as if you'd been sleeping for a while.
"There's this house," <<they>> <<pl "begins" "begin">>.
<<linkreplace "You sigh and shake your head.">>You sigh and shake your head. "Aren't we a little old for haunted houses?" The words escape your lips before you can stop it.
<<They>> <<pl "looks" "look">> down for a moment. "I know you don't approve of what I've done with my life-"
"Hey, I'm sorry." You sit up straight in your seat and clap a hand on <<their>> shoulder. "Tell me about the house."
The grin comes back and <<their>> face snaps back to yours. "Yeah, so the house! It's that one, the one you mentioned the other day!"
Something about <<their>> tone bothers you. "What about it? Hey, keep your eyes on the road!"
<<They>> <<pl "glances" "glance">> askance at the road. "I'm watching!" <<They>> <<pl "doesn't" "don't">> skip a beat. "I heard from a little bird that it's your house now... is it?"
"No." Your voice forms a hard line. <<Their>> hand slips at the statement and the car veers a little in the road. "Not anymore," you add, to reinforce your meaning.
"What do you mean, 'not anymore'?" The hand comes back to the space between you two. "Didn't it close today?"
<<linkreplace "Heat crawls up your neck.">>Heat crawls up your neck. "That was you, wasn't it?"
<<They>><<pl "'s" "'re">> still looking at the road. "Well, you seemed like you weren't going to do it on your own. I-"
"I didn't want it!" You try to focus on your breathing. "I told you I didn't want it!"
"So what did-"
"I had it revoked." You look away from <<them>> and out the window instead. "They're furious with me! I should report you!"
"Woah, woah!" The car swerved a bit in the rain but evened out. "You can't report that! I can't afford the house. I'd have bought it for you if I could!"
"I didn't want it!" You shout it again and jerk your head back to face <<them>>. "Why couldn't you understand that?"
"But the house! I told you-" <<They>> <<pl "turns" "turn">> to look directly at you.
<<linkreplace "Then the world goes sideways.">>Then the world goes sideways. In an instant, you're back in the darkness. Pain erupts from your head. Something cuts into your chest. You struggle to open your eyes, but nothing. Then you hear <<them>>. <<They>><<pl "'s" "'re">> calling out over the rain. A name, but which one? It was hard to make out over the pain. "@@.decisionText;.replaceMe;<<cycle "$Friend.yourName" autoselect>><<optionsfrom $NameList>><</cycle>>@@" <<linkreplace "No, it was something else..." t8n>><<replace ".replaceMe" t8n>><<textbox "$Friend.yourName" $Friend.yourName>><</replace>><</linkreplace>>
Right. <<ModalPopup "Your name." "Waking Up Modal" "Waking Up">><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>You open your eyes. You're back on the floor behind the bookshelves. Your head aches. Your shoulder aches. You feel something cutting across your chest, but when you look, nothing is there. It's darker now, the light filtering in from the window a deep orange. You reach into your pocket for your phone.<<if cInv.has("Oil")>> Your hand first finds the oil can you stuffed in your pocket earlier.<</if>> With phone in hand, you check the time. It's six. How long were you out?
Realizing that you can't stay on the floor forever, [[you get up.->Hidden Shelves]]A small circular rug sits near the window. It bears a blue, geometric design and is quite thick, despite its age. Several indentations show that there were once chairs resting on the rug, likely forming a seating area.\
\
<<Appr "Rug">>
<<linkreplace "Inspect the rug">><<Appraise "Rug">>There's really nothing special about this rug. It was probably relatively new 25 years ago, and it looks to be mass marketed rather than handmade. It would probably stay with the house and the eventual buyer would likely just replace it.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>Two heavily padded ottomans lay overturned on the rug. They are upholstered in sturdy, brown fabric that appears faded from ages in the light of the window. Knocking on the light wood produces an open, full sound. Buried in the padding, you find tiny latches that reveal a hollow space inside the footstools. Both are empty, but quite clean.\
\
<<Appr "Footstools">>
<<linkreplace "Make a note about the footstools">><<Appraise "Footstools">>The footstools are good pieces. They're not hardwood, so they're not going to sell for as much. They don't have any fancy detailing, just simple wood construction with good-quality cushions. This will make them easier to sell as individual pieces. It would be much better with matching chairs, of course, but it is what it is.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>Several bits of wood are piled in the center of the rug. It's clear that it was once a small round table, but each piece of it has been stripped out and laid on the floor. Three curved feet form a rough circle. Inside the table mast has been set, laid on its side. A small drawer lies dismantled to one side. All that is missing is the tabletop itself.\
\
<<Appr "Table">>
<<linkreplace "Make a small note about the table">><<Appraise "Table">>What is the worth of a dismantled table? Is it really a table anymore? It doesn't even have a surface, the primary function of a table, so in what way could it be used? Perhaps, if the wood isn't treated, it might make for firewood, in a pinch.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>><<silently>>
<<set _book to $LibrarySolution[0].book.color>>
<<set _bookUC to $LibrarySolution[0].book.item>>
<<set _book += " book">>
<<set _bookPassage to $LibrarySolution[0].book.passage>>
<<set _firstLetter to _book.charAt(0)>>
<<set _article to "a">>
<<if _firstLetter is "a" or _firstLetter is "e" or _firstLetter is "i" or _firstLetter is "o" or _firstLetter is "u">><<set _article += "n">><</if>>
<</silently>>\
A massive, claw-footed, porcelain tub sits directly in the center of the room, surrounded by chairs. Heavy iron feet cradle and lift the basin off the floor just enough to give it that decadent look tubs like it have.<<Pickup _book _bookUC _bookPassage>> At the bottom of the tub, under the curtain, you discover _article <<item>>.<<OnPickup>><<ShowAction "You grab the book and place it in your briefcase.">><</Pickup>>\
\
<<Appr "Tub">>
<<linkreplace "Mark down the location of the tub">><<Appraise "Tub">>What is this tub doing here? It can't be where it's supposed to be, can it? After all, there's no faucet, or shower, or drain! Even if it were filled by hand, it would be quite impractical. And what's with all the chairs? What went on here? You shake your head and note the location of the tub. On the plus side, moving it will be easy from here. And it is an exceptional tub. Something like this will do well at auction. Provided, of course, that it survives transport.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>Several chairs surround the massive tub in the center of the room. The chairs are high-backed and made of finished cherry. Each one has a padded back and seat, though the padding on several has come out and spilled onto the floor. The upholstery shows a floral design on a beige backdrop, but several tears shoot through the fabric. The edges of the wood are carved with delicate, swooping details, reminding you of a bouquet. The chairs are placed in a rough circle, facing in towards the tub in the center of the room.\
\
<<Appr "Chairs">>
<<linkreplace "Make an inventory of the chairs">><<Appraise "Chairs">>There are twelve chairs in all. Seven of them are in fine condition. Five are scuffed, and four are torn, but that can be fixed. A full set of high-backed hardwood chairs is a blessing. They would have to be reupholstered, of course, and the scuffed ones definitely need to be re-finished. Otherwise, they'll likely be one of the best pieces of the house.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>/*Vanitas-Still Life with Violin, Score, Flower Vase and a Skull by Pierfrancesco Cittadini */\
A large, still-life painting adorns the wall between the windows on the south side of the house. The painting depicts a long table draped in red and gold cloth. Upon the table sits a violin and music score beside a pile of books. One book stands open to you, filled with Italian. A candlestick looms in front of the book, its candle burnt low and extinguished. A bundle of red and white flowers floats above the table, perhaps supported by a vase that has been lost to time. And of course, there's the skull. Sitting atop the pile of books, a skull leers out at you, breaking the tranquility of the scene.\
\
<<Appr "Painting">>
<<linkreplace "Make an inventory of the chairs">><<Appraise "Painting">>The image is haunting and tranquil. You guess it's probably Renaissance or perhaps Baroque period. Art isn't your thing, really. It makes no difference, though. This painting is a reproduction. It's a nice piece that will probably stay with the house, and it appears to be printed on canvas, but it is a print through and through. Which is probably for the best. Finding an actual oil here could just cause a hassle. Though you are excited by the idea of discovering a long-lost piece of art history.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>/* Vanitas Still Life with Self-Portrait by Pieter Claesz */\
The small painting over the fireplace depicts a rich, golden-colored violin on a small, wooden table. The violin leans against several books and papers which also support a tipped glass that features several glass spikes below the flared portion. A cracked walnut sits nearby. Behind the violin, you see what looks like a candle holder without any candle, and an incense burner on a stick and cord lies towards the foreground. In front of that, a mechanical device shows its innards. Perhaps it is a music box, for a small, brass key hangs over the side of the table, held by a delicate blue ribbon. In the corner of the table, a small, silver sphere reflects the room in that way that bends and distorts. A tiny image of the artist with easel watches from inside. Taking one last look at the picture, you realize that you've entirely missed a skull hiding behind the books on the right side. It is almost unrecognizable, just a mass of tan and brown, twisting in a way not dissimilar to the revealed insides of the walnut.\
\
<<Appr "Painting">>
<<linkreplace "Record the painting in your notes">><<Appraise "Painting">>The painting is just the right size for the fireplace and it looks rather nice. As you examine the piece, you realize that the tiny painting in the silver sphere is set on a wood panel, while the painting before you is on canvas. Running a hand across the work, you verify that it is merely a print, and not worth much. It's quite a nice bit of work, though, and it might stay to help sell the house. The skull imagery, while unsettling, is a bit unrecognizable at a glance, so it might not be too off-putting.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>/* GREAT VANITY by Sébastien Stoskopff */\
A large painting hangs on the wall opposite of the window in this room. The simple beveled frame stands out against the striking depiction in the work. The image shows several motifs with a skull and several books central upon a work table. One book lays open showing a musical score, while a drawing of a man hangs out of another one. The smallest book, a black-clad diary, is closed by chains but displayed prominently. The skull sits on a case and gazes at a globe on a circular stone table. The globe bears beasts and ships, rather than land. Looming above the globe is a black helmet with gold trimmings, an elaborate sword hanging from the wall just behind. An hourglass floats between the sword and an open, cherry wood cabinet. The interior of the cabinet shows only darkness.
Upon a black-clothed display in the back of the room there are three extravagant sculptures of gold and silver that look like decorative trophies one might present to a king or a god. In front of the display, resting on the table, there is a segmented, gold, container, closed. Hanging on the front of the table you see a small black chalkboard with some writing that you can't make out. A jar rests on a tiny wooden podium in the front, almost invisible.\
\
<<Appr "Painting">>
<<linkreplace "Record the painting in your notes">><<Appraise "Painting">>This is quite a large painting and might have been an exciting find if it had been original. Unfortunately, this painting is merely a print on canvas. It's still worth a fair bit, but you're expecting hundreds rather than hundred-thousands an original might fetch. The frame might actually be worth more than the print itself.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>/* Vanitas - Still Life with Bouquet and Skull by Adriaen van Utrecht */\
The large painting on the wall shows a beautiful, if macabre, still life with several objects placed on a dark, wooden table. A skull wrapped in a vine features prominently in the center, placed upon a large book along with a long, ivory pipe and some delicate jewelry. Behind it are some glasses, one long, gold-rimmed flute, and two wide, goblets, one glass the other gold, a figure dancing on the rim. A full hourglass stands between the glasses, mostly covered by an open bit of metal that appears to be worn. Perhaps over a shoulder? It looks terribly uncomfortable whatever it is. A large bouquet of red, white, and yellow flowers splays out over a vase on the left side of the table. The space in front of the vase shows a string of pearls, an open, golden pocket watch, and several coins.\
\
<<Appr "Painting">>
<<linkreplace "Record the painting in your notes">><<Appraise "Painting">>The rich colors and realism suggest that this might be a painting from the Baroque or Renaissance period. That would be an interesting find, except that this is clearly a canvas print. The paint layer is merely printed ink. It's held up remarkably well for its age, but you suppose that not having people around to touch it would reduce wear. It's a nice piece, though the skull imagery won't likely make it a good selling point except to certain proclivities.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>
<<silently>>
<<set _book to $LibrarySolution[2].book.color>>
<<set _bookUC to $LibrarySolution[2].book.item>>
<<set _book += " book">>
<<set _bookPassage to $LibrarySolution[2].book.passage>>
<<set _firstLetter to _book.charAt(0)>>
<<set _article to "A">>
<<if _firstLetter is "a" or _firstLetter is "e" or _firstLetter is "i" or _firstLetter is "o" or _firstLetter is "u">><<set _article += "n">><</if>>
<</silently>>\
A large, framed painting hangs on the wall. The picture shows a small plot of dirt with several bushes and plants growing wildly about. Several dots of butterflies hang about the plants, while a few field mice dash just under foot. A path made of flagstones travels around the small field. corner, a small doll hangs from a stick planted in the dirt. The doll faces away, gazing down the left side of the path.
<<if $SafeOpened is false>>As you press against the frame, you hear a slight click and the painting swings away, revealing a small safe behind it. A small dial pokes out from the center above a slight handle. You suppose there might be a combination. Taking the dial in hand you set it to @@.decisionText;<<listbox "$SafeDials[0]" autoselect>><<optionsfrom $SafeNumbers>><</listbox>>@@ left, @@.decisionText;<<listbox "$SafeDials[1]" autoselect>><<optionsfrom $SafeNumbers>><</listbox>>@@ right, @@.decisionText;<<listbox "$SafeDials[2]" autoselect>><<optionsfrom $SafeNumbers>><</listbox>>@@ left, and then <<link "pull the handle.">><<if $SafeDials[0] is $SafeSolution[0] and $SafeDials[1] is $SafeSolution[1] and $SafeDials[2] is $SafeSolution[2]>><<set $SafeOpened to true>><<ShowAction "You grasp the handle on the safe and pull it. At first it seems unyielding, but then you hear a clunk and the handle shifts. The safe swings open.">><<ReloadTopPopup>><<else>><<ShowAction "You grasp the handle on the safe and pull it, but it refuses to budge. Perhaps there is a hint somewhere.">><</if>><</link>><<else>>Behind the painting a safe sits ajar. <<Pickup _book _bookUC _bookPassage>>The safe reveals _article <<item>> hiding inside, and nothing more.<<OnPickup>><<ShowAction "You grab the book and place it in your briefcase.">><<ReloadTopPopup>><<PickedUp>>The safe hides nothing at the moment.<</Pickup>><</if>>\
\
<<Appr "Painting">>
<<linkreplace "Record the painting in your notes">><<Appraise "Painting">>This painting appears to be in an impressionist style, though the hand that painted it doesn't seem very well-trained. The paint sticks to the canvas in thick daubs here and there. A strong shine glistens from the painting, and you smell varnish when you get close. You're not an expert on art, but you'd be surprised if the painting were made more than fifty years ago. That said, it's an original painting of someone. That's all you need, a long, drawn-out authentication process. It was probably painted by the house's former owner.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>/* Vanitas-Still Life by Maria van Oosterwijck */\
The large painting on the wall hangs in a delicate golden frame. The overall look is several objects displayed against a dark background. The largest objects, in the back, are a bouquet of red and white flowers beside a globe that depicts creatures and people rather than land. A thick, loose manuscript lies against the base of the globe, with some books and a bag placed next to it. A feather quill and China inkwell lay across the books, and an hourglass rests upon it. The sand has run out.
In front of the bouquet is something, brown and yellow, and it takes your eyes a moment to realize that it's a skull, tilted to gaze up at the neighboring globe. The other objects there, a recorder on a book and a bit of maize, and a tiny mouse feasting on a stem of grain. In amongst all that, a large-bottomed glass bottle holds a deep, red liquid and reflects a window and perhaps a face, if you look closely enough.\
\
<<Appr "Painting">>
<<linkreplace "Record the painting in your notes">><<Appraise "Painting">>You think that this might be a Renaissance or Baroque period painting, but you're no art historian. If it were, it might fetch quite a price at auction, a year or two down the road after it had been identified and certified. Art is always a good auction draw, but so much work goes into authentication. Fortunately, you notice that there's no actual paint on the canvas. It's merely a print. It won't fetch much, but neither would a real painting right at the moment.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>/* Still life of fruit, dead birds and a monkey, by Clara Peeters */\
The painting laying under the table shows a still life with a large basket of fruit on a table at center stage. The basket overflows with grapes, apples, pears and peaches, some of which spills over onto the table. Contrasting the succulent fruit, several dead birds lay piled next to the basket. In the background, a monkey eats a nut while discarded nutshells sit on the table nearby.\
\
<<Appr "Painting">>
<<linkreplace "Record the painting in your notes">><<Appraise "Painting">>You think that the painting might be a Baroque period piece, though it's hard to distinguish from Renaissance paintings for you. You only took one art history class in undergrad, after all. You're surprised to see actual daubs of oil paint and brush strokes on the canvas. It looks like a common, commercial canvas, though, definitely not one from the 16th century, so your best guess is that this is a recent painting done in the old style, perhaps a copy of an original. It's a competent piece that will probably sell alright at auction.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>/* Vanitas stilleven by Harmen Steenwijck */\
This small, square painting shows the right half of a sturdy, wooden table. Upon the table you see several objects with a left-facing skull atop a book right in the center. A Japanese sword sticks out from behind the skull, with a red cloth and a jug behind that. In the foreground, light shines off a spiral shell and two, long, porcelain pipes, discarded and empty. Some kind of flute peeks out behind a partially open book. At the end of the table, a brass and pewter candlestick holds a just extinguished candle. An overturned goblet rests at the edge of the table, reflecting a window that cannot otherwise be seen.<<ifAppr "Painting South">> This appears to be a companion piece for the picture at the other end of the hallway.<</ifAppr>>\
\
<<Appr "Painting North">>
<<linkreplace "Record the painting in your notes">><<Appraise "Painting North">><<ifAppr "Painting South">>Like the painting at the other end of the hall, this painting is a canvas print with a faux oil finish. Perhaps the two could be sold as a pair.<<aElse>>Getting very close to the painting, you see thick daubs of oil paint clinging to the canvas. You smell varnish, and the more you look at the painting, you realize that it must be a reproduction. The brush strokes in the paint don't match the strokes in the painting itself. It's just an effect to make it seem like an original. You suspect it's a print and, sadly, not very valuable at this size. It is on canvas, though, so it will probably sell. If it weren't for the skull in the picture, it might simply stay with the house as decor.<</ifAppr>><</linkreplace>><</Appr>>/* An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life by Harmen Steenwijck */\
This rather small painting depicts the left half of a strong, wooden table with a number of objects placed upon it. Most notably in the center front is a human skull leering at you and missing several teeth. It rests, somewhat awkwardly, upon a small, wooden flute. A leather journal leans against it, threatening to push the skull to the floor. Another book sits, barely open, on a draped blue cloth, while the bowl of an instrument, perhaps a coronet, presses down into the cover. At the rear of the table, a pink satin wraps around a Japanese sword, which is sandwiched between a large, brown water vase and an overturned basket. An old clamshell pocket watch lies opened just in front of the sword's grip. Just behind the sword is an ornate golden burner of some kind, a thin trail of smoke rising from a tiny spout. At the far end of the table you see a spiral shell, barely resting on the table, all alone.<<ifAppr "Painting North">> This appears to be a companion piece for the picture at the other end of the hallway.<</ifAppr>>\
\
<<Appr "Painting South">>
<<linkreplace "Record the painting in your notes">><<Appraise "Painting South">><<ifAppr "Painting North">>Like the painting at the other end of the hall, this painting is a canvas print with a faux oil finish. Perhaps the two could be sold as a pair.<<aElse>>Getting very close to the painting, you see thick daubs of oil paint clinging to the canvas. You smell varnish, and the more you look at the painting, you realize that it must be a reproduction. The brush strokes in the paint don't match the strokes in the painting itself. It's just an effect to make it seem like an original. You suspect it's a print and, sadly, not very valuable at this size. It is on canvas, though, so it will probably sell. If it weren't for the skull in the picture, it might simply stay with the house as decor.<</ifAppr>><</linkreplace>><</Appr>>/* Allegory of Vanity by Antonio de Pereda */\
An absolutely massive painting fills the interior wall. It's so large that it's impossible to get a good look at it in the narrow confines. This richly colored canvas print shows an angelic figure dressed in red and white robes and bearing golden wings. She's holding a framed cameo of a main, perhaps a saint. With her other hand, the angel is pointing at a globe. You think it might be indicating somewhere off the coast of China, but it's really impossible to tell. The globe rests upon a table bearing a red and gold cloth. Together on the table is a clock shaped like a cathedral, several portraits of a woman, many coins, and a string of golden garland.
Contrasting the rich decadence of the table in red, a second, wooden table stands nearby. Upon it you notice an old flintlock rifle and ancient armor. An hourglass and some cards share the space, as well as some old, leather-bound books and an ornate candlestick dripping with wax. Piled upon the books and table are a set of several skulls. They blend in just enough that you don't notice the skulls at first, but they're there, turned every which way.\
\
<<Appr "Painting">>
<<linkreplace "Record the painting in your notes">><<Appraise "Painting">>You'd love to say that this is a particularly valuable painting that would fetch a good price at auction. You can't, though. It's a canvas print reproduction. The period seems to be around the Renaissance or Baroque periods, but you didn't go to school for art history. The print is massive, and you can see the brush strokes represented in the image, so you're curious if the picture is to scale. Either way, it might fetch a fair price, but not the price an original might garner.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>/* Still-Life with a Skull by Philippe de Champaigne */\
A small, framed picture hides in the darkness on one shelf. The picture shows three objects placed on a brat up wooden shelf. At the center looms a reddish skull, staring out at you. Several teeth are missing, and the hollows fade into the same darkness as the background. Beside the skull, an hourglass ticks away, spilling sand into the lower end. On the other side of the shelf, a glass bottle houses a pink and white flower with long, upright petals. Light from a window reflects in each object, though the window cannot otherwise be seen.\
\
<<Appr "LI Painting" "Hall">>
<<linkreplace "Record the painting in your notes">><<Appraise "LI Painting" "Hall">>The tiny painting is a framed print, the pigment pressed directly onto canvas. The size of the painting is barely larger than a sheet of paper. It has little to no value on its own. You can't imagine the picture will make the house more appealing, either, so it will likely be discarded.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A heady, sweet smell hangs over you as you look at the set of drawers. The squat drawers are the kind that might go at the end of a bed, just short enough to prop your feet on, but tall enough to store your clothes. It holds three drawers in all. The piece is probably oak to match the paneling on the walls. On the top you can see several scratches where there might have been trinkets or knickknacks, all lost to time.
The brass fittings resist you but move after some effort. Opening the top drawer, you discover the source of the smell. Inside, a yellowish, crystalline <<if $hasTastedTheHoney is false>><<ModalPopup "substance" "Honey Modal" "Lost in the Smell">><<else>>substance<</if>> spills out of an overturned mason jar. The smell is practically alcoholic. Just standing over it is enough to blur your vision. What was once liquid has hardened over time, but not before it pooled into the corners of the drawer. The second drawer opens with a snap and you notice a dark, yellowish stain all down its side. The third drawer isn't as bad off, but still stained. All of the drawers are otherwise empty.\
\
<<Appr "Drawers">>
<<linkreplace "Make a note of the damage">><<Appraise "Drawers">>Although the drawers are nothing much to write home about, furniture tends to do well at auction, especially hardwoods. It's a shame that the set is so badly damaged. You're fairly certain that it's honey, but you have no clue how long it has been there. Perhaps if it had been cleaned up when it was spilled, it would be fine. You're not sure, though. The interior of the drawers is unfinished, so the honey would have soaked in. It probably would have been sticky forever.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A large, oak headboard stands by itself in the corner. Floral designs and carvings adorn the curved border at the top. Thin, grooves run down the central panel, creating a neat, pinstripe effect. Several bolts and fixtures hide underneath the headboard, far more than would be needed to attach the headboard itself. Incidentally, the headboard looks to be free standing, anyway.\
\
<<Appr "Headboard">>
<<linkreplace "Write a note about the headboard">><<Appraise "Headboard">>While a headboard on its own isn't terribly exciting, the craftwork and detail on the borders suggests hand carvings. Handcrafted hardwood furniture is always a good auction piece. Oak is fairly common, though, so it probably won't go for something as nice as antique cherry. At least it appears to be in good condition.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A series of wooden slats and columns lean against the back of the drawers. You can see from scratches in the hardwood that there was once a bed here, but the mattress is nowhere to be seen. The amount of would you find also can't be enough for a full bed frame, so you wonder what happened to it. Oak comprises the wood frame, heavily lined by black grain. A smooth finish works over each piece.\
\
<<Appr "Bed Frame">>
<<linkreplace "Mark down the wood for removal">><<Appraise "Bed Frame">>Since most of it isn't here, the frame will have to be removed. The room itself will probably be left unfurnished as a result, allowing potential buyers to imagine what they would use it for. A shame, too, as the frame looks to be part of a four-poster bed.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>><<silently>>
<<set _drinks to ["tea", "bourbon", "whiskey", "lemonade", "milk", "coffee", "rose water", "seltzer water", "vodka", "cola", "rum", "apple juice", "mate"].shuffle()>>
<<set $Friend.yourDrink to _drinks.random()>>
<<set $hasTastedTheHoney to true>>
<</silently>>Standing there over the drawers, breathing in the sticky fumes, your head starts to reel. In your daze, you reach out and touch the jar, and then the substance spilling out of it. The light, yellowish crystals loosen with the heat from your hand, and after a moment or four, you pull your finger away. A dark, golden strand stretches from you to the surface. It snaps and congeals into a drop on the tip of your finger. For some reason, against your better judgment, you pop the finger into your mouth.
It's bitter and sweet and reminds you of a bad beer left out for a year. You spit and scrape your tongue, but the taste lingers. Somewhere in the midst of all that, a rich sweetness emerges, <<linkreplace "and it takes you back.">>and it takes you back.
You're sitting on the steps of the porch, lit by the streetlamp. Your friend comes out and hands you a mason jar before sitting across from you. Taking a sip, you taste the honey first, then the @@.decisionText;<<cycle "$Friend.yourDrink">><<optionsfrom _drinks>><</cycle>>@@. It's your favorite drink, and <<they>> <<pl "knows" "know">> it. You look over the jar at <<them>> and say, "They send you out here on a peacekeeping mission?"
Your friend laughs for a moment and looks up at the stars. "Nice night, isn't it? You could get lost out here." <<They>> <<pl "holds" "hold">> <<their>> own jar under <<their>> chin but <<pl "doesn't" "don't">> take a drink.
You do, though. The sweetness swirling around your tongue as you fight to keep the tears in. "How could they keep it from me for so long?"
"Does it matter?" your friend says. "They're your parents."
"Are they though?" You set the jar down on the steps. "We're about to go away to college, couldn't they have said something years ago?"
<<They>> <<pl "puts" "put">> a hand on your shoulder and lean down to look you in the eye. "They are. They're trying your best. You know that." A moment passes and you nod. The hand goes away and you raise your head to watch <<them>> take a sip. "God, how can you drink this? It'll rot your teeth!"
<<CloseModal "The memory fades.">><</linkreplace>>Just in front of the doorway, you find a small hole in the floorboards, about an inch in diameter. Several scratches adorn the wood around the hole, though the hole appears to be smooth and perfectly round. Moving your phone over the hole for light, you peer through. The hole seems to go through the boards here and the ceiling below, as you can see down into the lower room. All you can see on the other side is a bit of black, perhaps a chair, and a dark-colored rug. You think, anyway. It's hard to tell from here.A large, oaken box lies face-down in the center of the room. You can see black hinges on the long sides of it, so you're certain this has doors. Along one side you find scratches and you notice a similar set of scratches on the floorboards along one wall of the room. The cabinet, or wardrobe perhaps, looks to be about four feet wide, and a little taller, maybe six feet. The whole piece has been finished and so the wood is slick and shiny.\
\
<<Appr "Drawers">>
<<linkreplace "Make an attempt at getting it upright">><<Appraise "Drawers">>Where to even start with this? You put your hands on either side of the top and lift, only to lose your grip immediately. Taking a lower angle, you try again. You manage to get it an inch off the ground, but then it comes loose and slams back into the floor. Whatever's in there will have to wait for another body, you surmise.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>/* Game Setup */
<<run Casement.newGame()>>
<<AddInven "House Key" "I - House Key">>
Loading...
/* Story Variables */
<<set $hasSteamedMirror to false>>
<<set $hasHeatedKettle to false>>
<<set $hasTastedTheHoney to false>>
<<set $BookChoice to 0>>
/* Gameplay Variables */
<<set $GameStart to true>>
<<set $RoomNames to {}>>
<<set $persistAction to false>>
<<set $PushedEngraving to 0>>
/* Puzzle Variables */
/* Locks */
<<set $FrontDoorLocked to true>>
<<set $BasementLocked to [true, true, true]>>
<<set $AtticOpened to false>>
<<set $LibraryOpened to false>>
<<set $AltarRoomOpened to false>>
<<set $AtticCleared to false>>
/* Map Puzzle */
<<set $FireplaceLit to false>>
<<set $KettleFilled to false>>
<<set $KettleTemp to 0>>
<<set $MirrorSteamed to true>>
<<set $LavatoryTileOpen to false>>
<<SetUpMap>>
/* Attic Entrance Puzzle */
<<set $CurioUnlocked to false>>
<<set $AtticHookPlaced to false>>
<<set $AtticRopePlaced to false>>
<<set $WaxSoftened to false>>
/* Basement Door Puzzle */
<<set $BoltsOiled to false>>
/* Bookshelf Puzzle */
<<SetUpLibrary>>
/* Safe Puzzle */
<<set $SafeNumbers to [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]>>
<<set $SafeSolution to [$SafeNumbers.random(), $SafeNumbers.random(), $SafeNumbers.random()]>>
<<set $SafeDials to [0, 0, 0]>>
<<set $SafeOpened to false>>
/* Appraisals */
<<set $Appraisals to {}>>
/* Friend Variables */
<<set $Friend to {}>>
<<set $fThey to ["ey", "he", "per", "she", "they", "ze"]>>
<<set $fThem to ["em", "him", "per", "her", "them", "hir"]>>
<<set $fTheir to ["eir", "his", "pers", "her", "their", "hir"]>>
<<set $fTheirs to ["eirs", "his", "pers", "hers", "theirs", "hirs"]>>
<<set _rand to random(5)>>
<<set $Friend.they to $fThey[_rand]>>
<<set $Friend.them to $fThem[_rand]>>
<<set $Friend.their to $fTheir[_rand]>>
<<set $Friend.theirs to $fTheirs[_rand]>>
<<set $Friend.plural to "was">>
<<if _rand eq 4>>
<<set $Friend.plural to "were">>
<</if>>
<<set $Friend.storyTopic to "">>
<<set $Friend.holdingWhileDown to "">>
<<set $Friend.yourName to "">>
<<set $NameList to ['Pierre','Cale','Sextus','Christian','Raynard','Eulalia','Kleio','Sal','Carminho','Radhika','Laurie','Mitra','Rowan','Ofir','Hosni','Juraj','Barbara','Rhonda','Serafina','Manoj','Osvald','Uros','Tarmo','Alborz','Abd al-Wali','Tanja','Aoibheann','Adjoa','Kristine','Veronika','Abiodun','Purnama','Madhur','Cary','Aleks','Ricarda','Clyde','Jay','Anni','Ayala','Davin','Frederick','Denver','Barrett','Claud','Desiree','Natasha','Emmie','Lillie','Elise','Kyou','Leslie','Kaede','Makoto','Carey','Tel','Deana','Toni','Alida','Ronald'].shuffle()>>
<<MainPopup "p" "ER - Painting" "P">>
<<linkreplace "<<they>> <<pl 'speaks' 'speak'>> in barely a whisper.">><</linkreplace>>
<<ModalPopup "here." "Workshop Modal" "Workshop">>Test that popup!
<<MainPopup "PopupTest" "PopupTest" "PopupTest">>
<<MainPopup "Lotre Popup" "Lotre Popup" "Lotre Popup">>Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!Test that popup!
<<MainPopup "PopupTest" "PopupTest" "PopupTest">>
<<MainPopup "Lotre Popup" "Lotre Popup" "Lotre Popup">>Several mattresses slump against the wall, sagging in the centers and bent over the floor. There are four top mattresses and two box springs, though the wooden frames of the box springs have been ripped apart. What's left is a mass of coils and fabric barely held together.\
\
<<Appr "Mattresses">>
<<linkreplace "Check if anything is salvageable">><<Appraise "Mattresses">>You sift through the remains of the mattresses and find one of them in somewhat new condition. You won't really know if the mattress is good without tests for bedbugs and the like. Really, you don't think it much matters. Mattresses aren't really an auction item, and you're unlikely to use the mattresses without a box spring and bed frame. Even still, each mattress appears passable at the worst, so it could be donated to a shelter, if nothing else.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A disheveled pile of wood props up against the mattresses, pinning some of them in place. The pile comes up to your knees and contains all manners of wood: cherry to oak, pine to ash, and even some particle board. Every piece of wood seems splintered, as though ripped from wherever it came from. Occasionally, you spy a bent nail.\
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<<Appr "Wood">>
<<linkreplace "Note the need for wood disposal">><<Appraise "Wood">>Although there are many uses for wood, selling this house won't be one of them. You mark it down for removal. Perhaps there's a lumber yard that will purchase it. Or, maybe, the wood might go to that artist program at the city landfill, the one about using reclaimed materials.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A mass of crystal bits and brass huddles on the left side of the room, splayed out in the tangled mess of bed dressings on the floor. Every move of your head catches a new glint, spotting your vision as you move about the room. Compared to the room you're in, the frame of the chandelier rises too steeply to be hung from the ceiling. You don't know why the chandelier is in this room, but you suspect that it wouldn't fit in a room with a standard door.\
\
<<Appr "Chandelier">>
<<linkreplace "Carefully inspect the chandelier">><<Appraise "Chandelier">>You don't even know where to start. There're glass bits everywhere, tangled up in elaborate swoops of brass. The fixtures seem intact, though there aren't any bulbs that you can see. The apparatus takes small bulbs, probably 15 or 20 watt. Taking a nearby sheet to protect your hand, you run it along the floor under the mess. You don't think there are any loose bits or broken bobs. If you can manage to get this out the front door, it might make an interesting auction piece, but chandeliers don't sell as well as furniture. Besides, it's brass. Wood and chrome are pretty popular right now, not brass.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A toppled over nightstand braces one mattress that leans dangerously close to crushing the squat bit of wood and gold fixtures. Careful not to let that happen to you, you discover a small drawer in the side of the nightstand, jammed shut. You don't dare move the stand for fear of the entire mattress falling and pinning you there. It would take days before anyone came out to check on you.\
\
<<Appr "Nightstand">>
<<linkreplace "Mark down a warning about the nightstand">><<Appraise "Nightstand">>You'll want to make sure that the inspector takes care not to run afoul this clearly devious trap set by the previous inhabitants of the house. Perhaps you're being too cautious. Even if you are and you know it's foolish, you're not going to be the one to pull the nightstand away from the wall.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>You throw open the glass doors and catch yourself just in time before stepping out into nothing. Where there was once a balcony, now is only air. A few feet below, the top of the porch starts, making a surface to stand upon. From up here, though, the top of the porch looks unstable.\
\
<<Appr "Balcony">>
<<ModalPopup "Write a note about the danger" "Glass Doors Modal" "At the Precipice">><</Appr>><<silently>>
<<set _constellations to ["Aquarius","Aquila","Aries","Canis Major","Cassiopeia","Cygnus","Gemini","Leo","Lyra","Orion","Pisces","Scorpius","Taurus","Ursa Major","Ursa Minor"].shuffle()>>
<<set $Friend.star to _constellations.random()>>
<<Appraise "Balcony">>
<</silently>>\
Standing there at the edge of the upper floor, looking out over the grounds, you mind wanders back to a time, years ago. It's dark, and you and your friend, roommate, are hanging out on the roof of your apartment building. The wind is cold and blustery. The smell of a barbeque surrounds you up here, probably from the courtyard below.
The two of you are sitting on the edge of the building looking down, looking out, looking up, at everything. You must be four drinks in by now. Your long, lazy gaze drifts up to the Spring sky, and you see some stars that look familiar. "Hey, look. @@.decisionText;<<cycle "$Friend.star" autoselect>><<optionsfrom _constellations>><</cycle>>@@!" <<linkreplace "You point up at it.">>You point up at it.
A moment or two passes before your friend follows your finger. "Where?" <<They>> <<pl "leans" "lean">> <<their>> head against your shoulder to get a better look.
"There, and there." Your finger wavers in the night air.
"Nice." Your friend's voice is slow and slurred. <<They>> <<pl "doesn't" "don't">> pull away, and you don't push <<them>> away. Instead you wrap your arm around <<their>> shoulders and steady both of you.
Time passes like this. You gazing up to the stars pointing them out, <<them>> half asleep trying to follow along. Then, as the sky begins to brighten, <<linkreplace "<<they>> <<pl 'speaks' 'speak'>> in barely a whisper.">><<they>> <<pl 'speaks' 'speak'>> in barely a whisper.
"I took the job."
Vertigo washes over you as you lean out over the edge and catch yourself on the doorframe. The light of the day washes over you and you barely manage to hold on to your phone. Shaking your head, you write down a note warning people that the upper floor balcony is missing. A shame. That will be an expensive repair. Though that doesn't seem quite as important right in the moment.
<<CloseModal "Step away from the edge">><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>A large, double-bladed axe sticks out of the wall, one side of the head fully embedded within the wall. It appears to be blackened iron, though the edge on the blade looks shiny and very sharp. The piece is massive, longer than you are tall, and the head is at least as wide as your shoulders.\
\
<<Appr "Axe">>
<<linkreplace "Try to lift the Axe">><<Appraise "Axe">>Putting your shoulder under the long handle of the axe, you push up and away from the wall with all the strength in your legs. You manage to move the weapon a fraction of an inch, but no further. The size of the axe, and being totally made of metal, leads you to believe that this particular curio weighs in the hundreds of pounds. That's too much for you. But your efforts aren't unrewarded. Trying to manipulate the axe has shown that it is in excellent condition, and the blade does appear sharp. Although it's a bit of a brutal decorative piece, but there's a hearty market for medieval weaponry right now.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>In the center of the room, several cans and boxes pile high into a pile. You notice everything from beans to raisin bran to pumpkin pie filling. Every box is sealed with clear tape, and the cans, though often dented, seem intact. As you look, you notice an expiration date for twenty years ago.\
\
<<Appr "Pile">>
<<linkreplace "Look for anything salvagable">><<Appraise "Pile">>Sifting through the pile a bit, but everything seems expired. Even the canned goods seem well out of date. You wonder why they've been gathered here as you jot down a note about the need for disposal.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>Thick, blue cloth covers the space where the window should be, blocking out sunlight from streaming into the room. The cloth is held in place by metal flashing and several screws. One section of the cloth has shredded away, allowing you to look through to the other side. There's only the glass and frame on the other side.\
\
<<Appr "Window">>
<<linkreplace "Note the damage to the window">><<Appraise "Window">>There are so many screws in the frame of the window that you suspect the entire frame will have to be replaced or at least puttied to appear palatable to a buyer.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>Next to one of the doors out of the room, you find a large refrigerator. It's the old style of refrigerator, with a single door on the bottom and a smaller door on the top for the freezer. The white plastic covering has faded to a dark yellow, and you notice cuts and peeling all over. The chrome handles have long since turned black with age.\
\
<<Appr "Refrigerator">>
<<linkreplace "Make a note of the refrigerator.">><<Appraise "Refrigerator">>There's no way you're opening any part of the refrigerator. You have no idea what might have been left inside over 20 years ago, and really you don't need to find out. The fridge is too old to be kept and will likely be disposed. You do make a note that the refrigerator should be removed before power is restored, just in case, as refreezing anything that might be in the freezer could expand and pop the door open.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>Several cabinets line the walls of the room, surrounding the whole area with white-painted wood and pressboard. Every one stands open. The cabinet doors are painted white and have simple, wooden handles. Several of the handles have broken off over time. Most of the cabinets appear bare.\
\
<<Appr "Cabinets">>
<<linkreplace "Check the cabinets for anything of interest">><<Appraise "Cabinets">>You look in every cabinet and find... nothing. They're all empty. The cabinets are fine on their own, though not anything to write home about. The fact that they're painted wood will make them unattractive to buyers, since the modern market prefers natural wood. Even still, the cabinets are sturdy. Checking the hinges, you find that most of the hinges have rusted in place. Hopefully a good bit of oil will get them working again.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>You reel from the sour smell as you approach. A pile of unwashed dishes piles high in the stainless-steel sink. Ancient particles of food stick to plates and bowls. Cracked and dried film lingers at the bottom of every glass. The faucet is tarnished from years of dust and humidity. You notice that there are no utensils in the sink, only plates, cups and bowls.\
\
<<Appr "Sink">>
<<linkreplace "Mark down the contents of the sink">><<Appraise "Sink">>Without actually moving anything, you give a rough count of the plates, cups, and bowls in the sink. Since the sink is stainless steel, the dirt and grime will clean up. You hesitantly open the cabinet beneath the sink and look at the piping. You're somewhat surprised and relieved to see plastic piping. That suggests that the plumbing in the house is relatively modern.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A small rectangular table rests nestled in a small alcove behind the stairs. Wood paneling lines the wall behind it. The table stands a few feet tall and holds a clay pot filled with dirt. A thin, dry twig sticks up from the dirt, the remains of many old dry leaves scattered about the table surface and ground. The legs are small and stylized, carved into swirls and florets. A false drawer peeks out from under the front lip of the table.\
\
<<Appr "Table">>
<<linkreplace "Record the table">><<Appraise "Table">>The table is a polished, finished hardwood piece. The detailed, slender legs are in style right now. It's unfortunate that the drawer is only a façade, but some people like that. As you finish writing your notes, you realize that the wall to the right is brick, but the back of the wall is wood paneling.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>A large, wooden bench fills the center of the room. It's made of a sturdy, havy wood, and you can tell that moving it up the stairs would be arduous. Not to mention impossible, due to the bench being too large. Atop the bench, you find several scraps of wood arranged in rough piles. A series of small drawers cover each side of the bench.\
\
<<Appr "Workbench">>
<<linkreplace "Make a note about the bench and check the drawers">><<Appraise "Workbench">>Each drawer is stiff but moves with some effort. You find a deluge of screws, nails, bolts, washers, and other fixtures in the drawers. Occasionally, you find rusted tools. You even find a hammer, but no different than the one you're already carrying. Overall, the workbench is of good quality. Since it's not getting out of the room, it will probably remain with the house as it is being sold.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>>Many wooden easels stand arranged around the room, an old canvas on each one. Some of the canvases remain blank, but others have half-finished paintings upon them. It's a bit too dark to really study them as a whole, but the paintings all seem to be still lifes of different parts of the house. One shows a bit of a fireplace. Another shows bookshelves. Every one has a circular shape drawn in with pencil.\
\
<<Appr "Easels">>
<<linkreplace "Look for any complete pieces">><<Appraise "Easels">>You go from easel to easel but find no finished paintings. What's worse, the medium appears to have been oil, but layers of dirt and grime have covered the paint. As a result, each painting is dull and bland. Due to the lack of varnish a finished painting might have cleaning is not very viable. No one is likely to purchase unfinished paintings by an unknown artist, so you can't imagine auctioning them at all. The easels are a bit makeshift, perhaps handcrafted by the artist. They might sell, but it might be better to donate them to art supply or a school, instead.<</linkreplace>><</Appr>><<silently>>
<<set $Friend.Name to $NameList.random()>>
<</silently>>\
Taking the hammer in hand, you find a small gap in the panels and slide the claw of the hammer between the wood. Applying a bit of pressure, the corner of the panel pops off with a snap. Continuing to the next corner, you snap it off as well. The panel comes loose with a yank. You look through the gap and see a glimpse of a room on the other side. As you get to work on the other panels, your mind wanders.
You're driving a nail into the wall above your couch. Your friend stands at the ready nearby, awkwardly holding a portrait of a woman <<they>><<pl "'s" "'ve">> just presented you. Breaking the tension in the room, <<they>> <<pl "says" "say">>, "Hey, so I heard the Atterson Street House is going to be sold."
You tap the nail up a tad in the wall. "Yeah. Taxes finally lapsed long enough that it's going up for tax auction." You offer the hammer.
<<They>> <<pl "trades" "trade">> the hammer for the portrait. "Wouldn't it be cool to own a place like that?"
You slip the portrait up over the nail and catch it on the back. "You thinking of buying it?"
Your friend scoffs. "With what money? But that place is hella haunted, it'd be so cool! You couldn't—"
You stop <<them>> with your hand. "I can't get you a discount. Back taxes minimum and it's an auction, so you'd have to bid against everyone else." <<linkreplace "You adjust the portrait on the wall.">>You adjust the portrait on the wall.
The picture is a wonderfully illustrated portrait of a woman seated at a table. Long, dark hair flows about her, draping along her bare shoulders. A simple, brown halter compliments her complexion. She's looking down at the table next to her, into the ivory mirror laid upon it. She frowns with her eyes. One hand clutches at her hip. The other reaches back to a wicker cradle behind her. You turn to your friend. "Who is it?"
<<They>> <<pl "cocks" "cock">> <<their>> head. "The owner said that it's supposed to be that woman who got away from the Atterson Street House."
You narrow your gaze. "And they just gave the painting to you?"
Your friend averted <<their>> gaze. "Well, it's a haunted painting, of course."
You put both hands on your friend's shoulders. "You're so weird, @@.decisionText;<<cycle "$Friend.Name" autoselect>><<optionsfrom $NameList>><</cycle>>@@." That's right. That's <<their>> name. <<linkreplace "Or was it something else...">><<replace ".decisionText" t8n>><<textbox "$Friend.Name" $Friend.Name>><</replace>><</linkreplace>>
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As you pass into the room, your light goes out, leaving you in complete darkness. You reach back to feel your way to the opening but find nothing there. It's as though the darkness has swallowed you up and now only you exist.
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</svg><<silently>>
<<set _desires to ["money", "fame", "power", "love", "friendship", "hope", "purity", "oblivion", "safety", "security", "bliss", "joy", "mirth", "ecstacy", "sex", "nothing"].shuffle()>>
<<set $Friend.Desire to _desires.random()>>
<<for _i to 0; _i lt 1; _i++>>
<<if $Friend.Desire eq "nothing">>
<<set $Friend.Desire to _desires.random()>>
<<set _i-->>
<</if>>
<</for>>
<</silently>>\
"What do we have here?" The voice comes from nowhere, everywhere. "Oh, I see!"
Formed of smoke and candlelight, a figure floats before you. A distinctly animalistic face bears beady eyes that somehow glisten as if glass. The face is that of a dog, or no, perhaps an ape, or something in between. Fur sprouts from its head, along with two, large pointed ears, like that of a small dog. The fur falls down the figure's chest and then ends as the body becomes that of a naked human, crouched and tattooed. You don't understand quite how you can see the details of the shining skin, being made only of the smoke in the candlelight, but it's there, it's clear.
"Have you come to free me from my bonds?" The voice swings high and low as the creature speaks. "Or have you come wanting something? To banish another of my kind, perhaps? Oh, but I think the need for that has long since passed, hasn't it?"
You open your mouth to speak but find no words. "Ah, ah, ah, I know what's going on in that heart of yours. Everybody wants something for the service. So here is the deal: Sever my bonds to this accursed place and I shall give you your heart's desire."
What is it that you desire the most? Is it @@.decisionText;<<cycle "$Friend.Desire" autoselect>><<optionsfrom _desires>><</cycle>>@@?
<<link "That's right. That's what you want.">><<nobr>>
<<switch $Friend.Desire>>
<<case "nothing">>
<<OpenModal "Gusion Nothing" "Making a Bargain">>
<<case "friendship" "love">>
<<OpenModal "Gusion Friendship" "Making a Bargain">>
<<default>>
<<OpenModal "Gusion Boring" "Making a Bargain">>
<</switch>><</nobr>><</link>>"Nothing? Nothing at all?" The creature frowns. "Oh, but there must be something you want in that heart of yours."<<if $BookChoice gt 1>> The expression turns to anger. "Or do you seek to destroy me? To remove me from this world ''and'' the next? How callous. After all I have suffered and all I have offered you..."<</if>>
A sadness crosses the figure's eyes. "Oh, you are just like her. I should have realized. She meant for this to happen. She meant to fail and for you to take up the reigns of her own self-imposed duty. But why?"
Confusion crosses your face, and in that moment you realize it is too late. A grin spreads across the creature's face. "No, no you don't know any of that. You don't know what happened all those years ago. You don't know why I was even bound here in the first place. How could you? She left you." <<linkreplace "The figure sighs.">>The figure sighs.
The tone shifts to a sadness you feel in your own soul. "How strange to be tied by the same fate. Abandoned just the same, twenty-five years ago. Don't you see? I wish only to leave. You got to experience those years, but I sat here and waited for someone who could never grace my presence anymore. The one who brought me here. Please, send me home."
The figure outstretches one hand and a gleaming, silver string appears between two pinched fingers. "So delicate, is it not? It's trapped me here, beyond my will, for twenty-five long, lonely years. Won't you take your knife and sever it?"
Your hand finds the knife you've been carrying. You didn't move at all, it just found its way there.<<if $BookChoice gt 0>> This must be the Morning Knife the book upstairs had mentioned!<</if>> Your hand moves on its own towards the silver strand until the blade rests upon the tiny thread.
@@.decisionText;<<ModalPopup "Cut the strand" "Gusion Freed" "Cutting the Bonds">>\
<<if $BookChoice gt 1>>
<<ModalPopup "Drive the knife into the creature" "Gusion Unmade" "Unmaking the Beast">>\
<</if>>@@<</linkreplace>>"Yes, that's what I thought. There is someone very dear to you. You've forgotten them, haven't you?" The creature hold out a hand filled with strands of beads. "This one, yes?"
As you watch, memories fly by.<<if $Friend.movedInAge neq undefined>>Memories of when you were <<= $Friend.movedInAge>>, and the scary message in the bathroom mirror.<</if>><<if $Friend.storyTopic neq undefined>> Memories of your sister telling a story about <<= $Friend.storyTopic>> while you and your friend huddled close around a fire.<</if>> Memories of the first haunted house <<they>> pulled you along, and getting freaked out by a rigged crib.<<if $Friend.yourDrink neq undefined>> Memories of drinking <<= $Friend.yourDrink>> on the porch the day that your parents told you.<</if>> Memories of handing <<them>> <<their>> key to the apartment the two of you shared all of college.<<if $Friend.star neq undefined>> Memories of seeing <<= $Friend.star>> on the roof, in a drunken, tender moment.<</if>><<if $Friend.holdingWhileDown neq undefined>> Memories of the accident, and you rushing to <<them>> with <<= $Friend.holdingWhileDown>> in hand.<</if>><<if $Friend.yourName neq undefined>> Memories of how <<they>> always called out <<= $Friend.yourName>> when <<they> <<pl "was" "were">> scared. Especially that night.<</if>>
<<linkreplace "Memories of your friend.">>Memories of your friend. Of <<= $Friend.Name>>. How could you forget <<them>>?
"That's what you really want, isn't it? <<= $Friend.Name>>?" A soft smile grows over the figure's face. "Mending relationships is one of my many specialties. And yours has taken quite the shake recently, hasn't it?"
The figure outstretches one hand and a gleaming, silver string appears between two pinched fingers. "So delicate, is it not? It's trapped me here, beyond my will, for twenty-five long, lonely years. Take your knife and sever it, and you and <<they>> will be reconciled. Simple as that."
Your hand finds the knife you've been carrying. You didn't move at all, it just found its way there.<<if $BookChoice gt 0>> This must be the Morning Knife the book upstairs had mentioned!<</if>> Your hand moves on its own towards the silver strand until the blade rests upon the tiny thread.
@@.decisionText;<<ModalPopup "Cut the strand" "Gusion Freed" "Cutting the Bonds">>\
<<if $BookChoice gt 1>>
<<ModalPopup "Drive the knife into the creature" "Gusion Unmade" "Unmaking the Beast">>\
<</if>>@@<</linkreplace>>"Oh, is that all?" A grin forms on the figure's face. "And here I thought you wanted... oh, well no matter. Your heart's made up. Now..."
The figure outstretches one hand and a gleaming, silver string appears between two pinched fingers. "It's so delicate, is it not? Make no mistake." The voice tumbles into a growl. "This damned tether has kept me here for ages. Break! Burst! Destroy! Slice through this mortal link and deliver me from this world!" The figure brandishes its other hand, a bundle of beads hanging there.
Your hand finds the knife you've been carrying. You didn't move at all, it just found its way there.<<if $BookChoice gt 0>> This must be the Morning Knife the book upstairs had mentioned!<</if>> Your hand moves on its own towards the silver strand until the blade rests upon the tiny thread.
"Now! Cut!"
@@.decisionText;<<ModalPopup "Cut the strand" "Gusion Freed" "Cutting the Bonds">>\
<<if $BookChoice gt 1>>
<<ModalPopup "Drive the knife into the creature" "Gusion Unmade" "Unmaking the Beast">>\
<</if>>@@<<silently>>
<<DecInven "Ceremonial Knife">>
<</silently>>\
It only takes a flick of your wrist to slice the knife through the thread. The knife disappears and the thread shatters. There is a century-long sigh. "Thank you," the figure says, and then is gone.<<if $Friend.Desire neq "nothing">> You wonder, briefly, if the creature kept the bargain.<</if>>
<<include [[Waking Up]]>><<silently>>
<<DecInven "Ceremonial Knife">>
<</silently>>\
It only takes a flick of your wrist to shift the knife from the thread to the beast and drive the knife home. There is a gasp of pain from the figure, then a century-long sigh, as light forms around the blade of the knife and engulfs the smoke and candlelight. It takes years. It takes an instant. It's gone.
<<include [[Waking Up]]>>The darkness whisks away, no longer a memory, and your encounter fades from your memory. You're laying on the cold dirt, looking up at the ceiling. It aches to move your head, but you do. The candles are overturned. The chalklines are mussed. The stone table is broken in two, its contents vanished.
<<if $Friend.yourName neq undefined>>"<<= $Friend.yourName>>!"<<else>>"Hey!"<</if>> The voice comes from the opening you made just earlier. The patter of rushed feet and a slump next to you, and <<= $Friend.Name>>'s face is there above you, worry in the eyes, but smile on the lips. "You ok?"
You nod. "What are you doing here?"
<<= $Friend.Name>> looks away for a moment. "It got late and I got worried. Your office said you were here. Why didn't you tell me?"
"You know why."
<<= $Friend.Name>> turns back and tears are in <<their>> eyes. "I'm sorry. It was a stupid thing to do."
You lift up on your elbows, and your vision <<linkreplace "swims.">>swims. "Yeah it was. Help me up."
<<They>> <<pl "reaches" "reach">> out and wrap <<their>> arms around you, supporting you as <<they>> lift you up. When you're back on your feet, unsteady as it is, you find <<= $Friend.Name>> hasn't let go. Wrapping an arm around <<their>> shoulder, you say, "It's ok. Let's get out of here."
As you leave the room, you notice a beam on the ground nearby where you had been laying. Is that what happened, or was it something else?
[[You slowly make your way out of the house.->The End]]<</linkreplace>><<if $GameStart is undefined or $GameStart eq false>>\
[[Start->New Game Setup]]
[[About this game]]
\<</if>>