Front of Davenport House

The mansion towers over you, and you ask yourself again why you came here. It's a rhetorical question, of course. You were dared by your friends to spend the night here in the old abandoned Davenport House, but you are having second thoughts as you look up at the building frowning down at you from the hill. You contemplate turning back, but you know that no good Mike Shafferton is keeping watch from his house down the street, and if you don't go through with it you'll surely never hear the end of it at school.

Swallowing the trepidation climbing up your throat, you pull aside the creaky metal gate and walk through, nearly jumping out of your skin when it closes with a clang behind you. The spacious front porch looms to the west, while the gate you just passed through leading to the street lies east. You can also go north or south to go around the house.

Distant thunder echoes off the hills and rolls through the valley.

> INVENTORY

You are carrying a backpack (closed) and a flashlight (unlit). The backpack contains your math homework, two granola bars, a comic book, a water bottle (closed) and an audio recorder.

> EXAMINE HOUSE

Davenport House is a three-story Chaz-Addams Gothic monstrosity. Most of the windows on the ground floor have been boarded over. Those of the upper floors are either too dirty to see through, or are blocked with curtains. It was once painted brown, but the years have weathered the paint until it looks more grey than brown.

After years of neglect, the yard is more weed than grass now, as are the flower beds. The vining roses have run riot; thorny canes are everywhere.

A wide graveled path runs north and south around the house.

> NORTH

North of Davenport House

The yard here has run riot. Some of the weeds are taller than you are. The roses have covered the entrance to the house here. You would need a chainsaw to cut them away from the door. Against the setting sun, the house looms, lightless and foreboding.

North of the house is a small outbuilding. It is as neglected and battered as the main structure.

The graveled path continues on to the west. It branches north to the outbuilding, and south to the rose-choked door of the house.

> ENTER OUTBUILDING

Outbuilding

This was evidently a pump house and tool shed. Two filthy windows admit a little light. There are cobwebs everywhere. An ancient motor-driven well pump sits in one corner, covered with dust and cobwebs. A few tools are here, but most of them have rusted away to uselessness. There is a kerosene lamp here. The lamp has no oil. There is a wooden extension ladder here. The ladder has no rope.

> LEAVE
Leave what?

> LEAVE OUTBUILDING
You don't have the outbuilding!

> EXIT OUTBUILDING

You are North of Davenport House.

A graveled path leads north, south, east, and west from here. To the north is an old outbuilding.

> WEST

West of Davenport House

You follow the graveled path west around the house. There is a rotting gazebo a few steps off the path. The gravel path encircles a stone fountain. There is little plant life here aside from a few dead shrubs. The grass is mostly dead, but there are a few weeds clinging to life.

> EXAMINE FOUNTAIN

The stone fountain is comprised of three circular tiers, each smaller than the one below it. The fountain is capped with an angel figurine blowing a trumpet. The base of the fountain contains a few inches of murky water. It smells horrible. There is an unidentified object visible protruding over the rim of the middle tier.

> EXAMINE OBJECT

You approach the fountain to examine the object. As you do so, you see a pneumatic spray canister and nozzle leaning against the inside wall of the fountain. The unidentified object in the fountain appears to be a metal ring.

> TAKE OBJECT

The object is too far out of reach.

> ENTER FOUNTAIN

You step into the fountain. As your foot touches bottom, it slips out from under you on the algae-slick surface beneath the water. You fall, striking your head on the edge of the fountain. Your unconscious body lands face-down into the muck. You drown. You become just another name on the list of people claimed by the Davenport House.

Type "Retry" to go back to the beginning of the last area you entered, or "Reload" to go back to your last save point.

> RETRY

Restarting current area... Done.

West of Davenport House

You follow the graveled path west around the house. There is a rotting gazebo a few steps off the path. The gravel path encircles a stone fountain. There is little plant life here aside from a few dead shrubs. The grass is mostly dead, but there are a few weeds clinging to life.

> EXAMINE HOUSE

The west side of the house is much the same as the other three. The paint is weathered and grey, the lower windows are boarded over. The vining roses have overgrown most of the lower wall, but for some reason the vines here are dead. There is a door here, which the vines have not covered. It looks like they were chopped away.

> OPEN DOOR

The door is locked, you can't open it.

> LOOK

You are west of Davenport house. There is a rotting gazebo a few steps off the path. The gravel path encircles a stone fountain. There is little plant life here aside from a few dead shrubs. The grass is mostly dead, but there are a few weeds clinging to life.

The path continues west and around, to the south side of the house.

> WEST

South side of Davenport House.

The path runs straight east here, along the south side of the Davenport House. To the south is what may once have been a topiary maze. Over the years, the shrubs and the weeds have grown to the point that the maze -- if that is what it was -- appears impassible. The path splits here: one branch enters the maze, the other runs east and around to the front of the house. The ubiquitous rose vines are here, covering most of this side of the house, even the upper floors. There is no visible door on this side of the house.

> EAST

Front of Davenport House

> PORCH

You are on the porch of the Davenport House. The porch extends the full width of the house, and is raised some four feet off the ground. There are stairs at the north and south ends of the porch, as well as in the center. Though the vining roses have crept around the corners, most of the front of the house is clear of them. The large windows are all boarded over. In the center of the porch is a double door; obviously the main entrance.

> ENTER

You grasp the iron door knob and give it a turn, but it is apparently locked.

> EXAMINE DOOR

The large double door appears to be constructed of solid oak, or some other hardwood. There is an simple, unadorned iron knocker on the right door. Also on that door is an iron door knob, sculpted with a design that appears to be a rather intricate impression of a rose. Above the door knob is a key hole. The door frame is covered in vines, though the door itself is unobstructed. The vines appear to have been chopped away in order to reveal the door.

> EXAMINE KEY HOLE

You look into the key hole and see a whole lot of dark.

> OPEN DOOR

The door is locked.

> KICK DOOR

You kick the door (such violence). Aside from the loud thud of your foot contacting the door, nothing happens.

> BREAK WINDOW

The windows are boarded up. You cannot possibly break the boards. You seem to have anger issues. Have you considered counseling?

> FI#J KH#%$#%JYO

I'm sorry, I don't know what a FI#J KH#%$#%JYO is.

> EXIT PORCH

You exit the porch down the stairs.

Front of Davenport House

The Gate leading to the street is to the East. A wide graveled path runs North and South around the house.

> SOUTH

South of Davenport House

The path runs East and West here.

> WEST

West of Davenport House

The path runs North and South here.

> EXAMINE FOUNTAIN

The stone fountain is comprised of three circular tiers, each smaller than the one below it. The fountain is capped with an angel figurine blowing a trumpet. The base of the fountain contains a few inches of murky water. It smells horrible. There is an unidentified object, which appears to be a ring, visible protruding over the rim of the middle tier. There is a pneumatic spray canister with nozzle sitting in the bottom of the fountain.

> TAKE CANISTER

You're just able to reach the canister, and take it from the water.

> USE CANISTER ON FOUNTAIN

You shamelessly try to graffiti the fountain, but nothing comes out.

> EXAMINE CANISTER

After close examination, you find that the canister is completely empty. You do hear a faint rattling when you shake it, however.

> WEST

South side of Davenport House.

The path runs straight east here, along the south side of the Davenport House. To the south is what may once have been a topiary maze. Over the years, the shrubs and the weeds have grown to the point that the maze -- if that is what it was -- appears impassible. The path splits here: one branch enters the maze, the other runs east and around to the front of the house. The ubiquitous rose vines are here, covering most of this side of the house, even the upper floors. There is no visible door on this side of the house.

> EAST

Front of Davenport House

While you were busy at the fountain, a pair of animals have chased each other here.

> EXAMINE ANIMALS

It looks like a cat is chasing a squirrel around in front of the porch. You feel the urge to throw something their way, but boots are expensive.

> THROW CANISTER AT SQUIRREL

You hit the squirrel, who screams loudly. Suddenly, you are surrounded by at least two dozen squirrels. Upon smelling the granola bars in you backpack, the squirrels jump you and attack with incessant nibbling. They then drag you, kicking and screaming, to their dark lair. You were never seen again.

Type "Retry" to go back to the beginning of the last area you entered, or "Reload" to go back to your last save point.

> RETRY

Front of Davenport House

While you were busy at the fountain, a pair of animals have chased each other here.

> THROW CANISTER AT CAT

You throw the cannister at the cat, and just barely miss it. The impact frightens the cat, which turns and jumps on and over some flowerpots on the porch railings. Several of the flowerpots fall off the railing onto the porch. The cat vanishes under the porch. On the railing where one of the flowerpots used to be, you can see the glint of something metallic.

> EXAMINE RAILING

There is a key here. It looks like a standard Yale housekey. It was obviously a spare that someone left in the event they forgot their own.

> UNLOCK DOOR

You don't have a key.

> TAKE KEY

You have the spare housekey.

> UNLOCK DOOR

The lock is a bit stiff, but the key opens it.

> OPEN DOOR

The door opens silently and smoothly, revealing a dusty foyer.

> ENTER HOUSE

You are in the foyer of Davenport House. The wallpaper is peeling off in places, and there is dust and cobwebs everywhere. The rug looks like it might have once been expensive. The wainscoting is of a very dark wood, like mahogany. The rug and the wallpaper both have rose patterns to them. There is a small fireplace to your right, about five feet from the door. A hat rack and umbrella stand sit across the foyer from the fireplace. There is a painting above the fireplace. Though it is quite dusty, it appears to be a painting of some stern, stuffy Colonial gentleman, perhaps Cornelius Davenport himself.

It is quite dark in here. The only light is coming through the open door. Given that the sun will soon be down, it's going to become impossible to see your hand in front of your face.

> USE FLASHLIGHT

The bright beam from the flashlight shows that there are two doors to your left and two to your right down the hall. There is a grand staircase at the end of the foyer. The stairs go up a few steps to a landing, then go right and left up and into the gloom of the second story. On the wall above the landing, there is another dusty painting, this time of a blonde woman in Colonial dress. She is quite lovely, but she seems sad, somehow.

> RIGHT

You don't fit into the fireplace.

> FORWARD

You are between the first two doors. The one to your left is closed. The one to your right is ajar.

> RIGHT

Library

The door slams shut behind you. You try the handle but it is locked securely.

You are in a midsized room. Every square inch of the walls is covered in bookshelves. The moldy stench of old paper is thick in the air. There are no windows.

> TAKE BOOK

Which book do you want to take?

> EXAMINE BOOKSHELVES

They appear to be bookshelves.

>Look

You are in a midsized room. Every square inch of the walls is covered in bookshelves. The moldy stench of old paper is thick in the air. There are no windows.

>Left

You cannot move left.

You are getting hungry.

>Use granola bar with self

That doesn't seem to work.

>Consume granola bar.

You feel much better, having eaten the granola bar.

>Search bookshelves

Hundreds of books are shelved in their dusty jackets. Many of the books are on the topic of art history, particularly from an architectural aspect. A box of matches rests on one of the shelves. The corner bookcase is pulled out, slightly, from the wall.

>Take matches

You take the box of wooden matches. There are 4 matches inside.

>Move Bookcase

You pull the corner bookcase away from the eastern wall, revealing a downward stairwell.

>Save

Save game on record 1-3?

>1

Your progress has been saved on record 1.

>East

You stand at the top of the stairwell. There are sconces on the wall, containing large candles. Baroque piano etudes resonate faintly from the hallway at the foot of the stairwell.
Your flashlight begins to grow dim.

>Use matches with candles

You use one match to ignite the wall-mounted candles to either side. They greatly illuminate the stairwell and hallway below. Shortly after you've lit them, the piano music stops.

>Turn off flashlight

You turn off and stow away the flashlight.

>Take candle

You remove a brightly burning candle and hold it as a torch.

>Descend

You are in a stone hallway underneath Davenport house. Thick purple curtains are hung about the walls. There is a wooden doorway to the left. The hallway extends ahead of you and bends so that you cannot see all the way down. The air is still with silence.

>Use candle with curtains

That doesn't seem to work.

>Use granola bar with curtains

That doesn't seem to work.

>Load

Load game from record 1-3?

>1

...

You are in a midsized room. Every square inch of the walls is covered in bookshelves. The moldy stench of old paper is thick in the air. There are no windows. One of the bookshelves has been pulled away from the eastern wall, revealing a downward stairwell.


>East

You stand at the top of the stairwell. There are sconces on the wall, containing large candles. Baroque piano etudes resonate faintly from the hallway at the foot of the stairwell.
Your flashlight begins to grow dim.

>Use audio recorder

You switch on the audio recorder, and capture a few minutes of the piano melodies. The distance from the source, and natural reverb of the stairwell lends an ethereal quality to the recording. You return the audio device to your backpack.

>Use matches with candles

You use one match to ignite the wall-mounted candles to either side. They greatly illuminate the stairwell and hallway below. Shortly after you've lit them, the piano music stops.

>Turn off flashlight

You turn off and stow away the flashlight.

>Take candle

You remove a brightly burning candle and hold it as a torch.

>Descend

You are in a stone hallway underneath Davenport house. Thick purple curtains are hung about the walls. There is a wooden doorway to the left. The hallway extends ahead of you and bends so that you cannot see all the way down. The air is still with silence.

> FORWARD

You are at the end of the hallway. The hallway is dimly lit, but you can see that this chamber is very different from what you've seen of the rest of the house. There is a gigantic door in front of you, blocking your progress.

> OPEN DOOR

You pull at the door. It feels strange, as though it should move easily, but that something is holding it in place.

> EXAMINE DOOR

The door is covered in strange zigzag and spiral patterns, scrawling images of monsters, and the unintelligible scrawlings of madmen, which you can't understand (something in the back of your mind adds "yet"). In the center, there is a space for something, as though it could be inserted there. There is a message bolded in gold on the door.

> EXAMINE SCRAWLINGS

You can only make out one word amongst the madness, "fetch," and an arrow pointing to the message on the door.

> EXAMINE WALLS

The patterns extend into the walls, and lead to the empty space and the message, which you should really stop wasting time and read.

> READ MESSAGE

It says: "THE INNER SANCTUM IS BEYOND. INSERT THE AMULET OF MIND." Below that, you see a smaller message: "One triplet mother of the feast, of meal and bread, from West to East, and bringing life to man and beast. In it's namesake will this search be ceased."

> WHAT?

Huh?

> BREAK DOOR

The door refuses to be broken by you.

> BACK

>Back

There is a wooden doorway to the left. The hallway extends ahead of you and bends so that you cannot see all the way down.

>Open door

The wooden door creaks open

>Enter door

You stand in a large room without windows. It illuminated by small covered lamps in each corner. Its sturdy stone walls act as structural foundation for the large house above. There is an elaborate red and white Victorian rug in the center of the floor. On the north side of the room is a dark, oak table with one chair. On the south side of the room there is a worn consolette piano.

>Look piano

The ivory has been stained with grime, and in some spots, torn away. There are holes in the soundboards that suggest mice have frequently resided in the instrument.

>Save record 1

Your progress has been saved on record 1

>Play piano

You sit at the piano, and begin fleshing out an idea for a song that you've been humming lately. You begin tying lyrics and melody to the chords. Feeling quite proud of yourself, you start singing loudly. Suddenly, long icy fingers wrap around your neck. You are too shocked to turn and see who the fingers belong too. They petrify your shoulders as their fatal grip tightens. Your head falls loudly on the piano keys, and your consciousness leaks away.

Type "Retry" to go back to the beginning of the last area you entered, or "Reload" to go back to your last save point.

>Reload

...

You stand in a large room without windows, lit with small covered lamps in each corner. Its sturdy stone walls act as structural foundation for the large house above. There is an elaborate red and white Victorian rug in the center of the floor. On the north side of the room is a dark, oak table with one chair. On the south side of the room there is a worn consolette piano.

>Play audio recorder

With the volume at 10, You play back the piano music recorded on your audio device. You feel a chill as the melodies bounce from the stones in the walls and ceiling. To your disbelief, a figure beneath a tattered, black shawl ascends slowly through the solid floor. The head of an old woman, her skin tight to the skull it dresses, emerges from the black cloak. From her neck hangs a silver amulet on a chain. Her tiny dark eyes glare right through you, as if she cannot even see you. You begin to step back, and the recording ends.

As the music stops, she is suddenly aware of your presence. She reaches out her long arms and advances toward you.

On instinct, you fear that she is not nearly so frail as she appears.

>Give comic book to ghost

You hold out the comic book from your backpack. The puzzled ghost snatches it from your hands. She stops in her tracks as she opens it and begins reading. Her lips gutturally utter a word, "Torg". She dissolves below the floors of the room, taking the comic with her. Where she stood, the silver amulet remains.

>Take amulet

You take the amulet that the ghost was wearing.

>Wear amulet

When you place the amulet on your shoulders, you feel very clear-headed and thoughtful.

>Exit room

There is a wooden doorway to the left. The hallway extends ahead of you and bends so that you cannot see all the way down.

>Forward

You are at the end of the hallway. There is a gigantic door in front of you, blocking your progress.

>Remove amulet

You take off the amulet, and feel slightly cloudy headed.

>Use amuley with door

I don't understand "amuley"

>Use amulet with door

The giant door swings open.

> FORWARD

You are now in a large chamber. There is are more designs on the walls here, more scrawlings of madmen, and one madman who looks as though he has finished scrawling for today. On the far side of the chamber are more sockets like the one you put the amulet into.

> ATTACK MADMAN

Are you sure?

> YES

You attack the madman. He springs upon you and, using a knife you didn't see, repeatedly stabs you while chanting. You attempt to pathetically crawl away, only to be stabbed in the back of head. You lie, dead. The last thing you hear is "... what a pity... we thought he looked nice..."

Type "Retry" to go back to the beginning of the last area you entered, or "Reload" to go back to your last save point.

> RETRY

> FORWARD

You are now in a large chamber. There is are more designs on the walls here, more scrawlings of madmen, and one madman who looks as though he has finished scrawling for today. On the far side of the chamber are more sockets like the one you put the amulet into.

> EXAMINE SOCKETS

There are six of them, and they appear to be the the same kind of mechanism as before, this time opening a gigantic door. There are five smaller amulet sockets surrounding a gigantic one.

> TALK TO MADMAN

He speaks: "Finally... freedom. Free. FREE!!! HAhahahahaaahahahahah. It has been quite some time before a fool such as yourself entered the madness house, but we are glad to see you. We have been trapped here, in the center of the chamber, ever since the Master's plans went awry, and now we are glad to finally be able to leave, with what we have learned. Can you not see the truth in the words on the wall? They speak the truth of reality and annihilation. Yesss... they certainly do."

> ASK MADMAN ABOUT DOOR

"Are you the Master's successor?"

> YES

You lie, but he seems to buy it. He continues: "There are six more amulets in addition to the one you have gained, which will open the door here into the master's inner sanctum, where you will be judged. The master left a [i]puzzle outside as to where the master amulet lies, but you will not be able to get to it before gaining the others. Be joyous, for the more amulets you possess, the more the house itself will connect with you, and, soon, it will become one with you, just as it has us! We bid you on your way, for you have many clues to find. We will be here to see the end, we have waited so long, freedom can wait. Yesssss... we have waited, we have. Talk to us if you have questions. Answers we might have, yesss... we certainly might..."[/i]

>SAVE RECORD 1

Your progress has been saved on record 1

> TALK TO MADMAN

He takes a break from spouting gibberish to give you a hint. "The Master said something about this place being one of fractures and cracks, reined in by the magic of the amulets, which each control all. Perhaps what goes one place when one amulet is used will go a different place when encounters another. Perhaps these doors here are not the only things that the Amulets can control. We do not know. Noooo... we certainly don't..."


> BACK

You are at the end of the hallway. The door slams shut the moment you exit, prompting a moan from the madman inside.

> TAKE AMULET

You think that maybe the Amulet Of Mind might still be useful. You take it, and put it on, and, with a bit more clarity and focus, notice that a few things have changed in the message on the door.

> READ MESSAGE

The message has changed: It says: "YOU HAVE OPENED THE SANCTUM. LINEARITY IS JUST AN ILLUSION." The riddle has not changed: "One triplet mother of the feast, of meal and bread, from West to East, and bringing life to man and beast. In it's namesake will this search be ceased."

> SIGH

You breathe a sigh of relief, and enjoy the feeling of relative calm. However, the house has taken your sense of security as an insult, and has redoubled it's attempt to kill you. You are now playing on Super Hell Mode.

> BACK

You take a step forward, and suddenly fall through a trapdoor. You try in vain to grab onto the wall, and slip down into the darkness below. You land safely, and are just about to take another sigh of relief, only do be covered in spiders the moment you move. You are so covered in spiders that you cannot move, and are slowly eaten alive.

Type "Retry" to go back to the beginning of the last area you entered, or "Reload" to go back to your last save point.

> RETRY

You are now playing on normal mode again. Word of caution, do not taunt the house.

You are at the end of the hallway, in front of the door to the inner sanctum. The hallway is still dimly lit, and the door, without it's magical power, again blocks your progress.

> BACK

You are standing at the foot of the stairs in the secret passage. The wall-mounted candles greatly illuminate the stairwell and hallway. Thick purple curtains are hung about the walls. There is a wooden doorway to the right.

> ASCEND

Library

You are in a midsized room. Every square inch of the walls is covered in bookshelves. The moldy stench of old paper is thick in the air. There are no windows. The bookcase in the North-East corner is pushed aside, revealing a stairwell leading down.

The door into the Library, which had previously slammed shut behind you as you entered this room, is now sitting ajar. The door is to your South.

> SOUTH

Foyer

As you enter the Foyer, a gust of wind blows out your candle.

You are in the foyer of Davenport House. The wallpaper is peeling off in places, and there is dust and cobwebs everywhere. The rug looks like it might have once been expensive. The wainscoting is of a very dark wood, like mahogany. The rug and the wallpaper both have rose patterns to them. There is a small fireplace to your right, about five feet from the door. A hat rack and umbrella stand sit across the foyer from the fireplace. There is a painting above the fireplace. Though it is quite dusty, it appears to be a painting of some stern, stuffy Colonial gentleman, perhaps Cornelius Davenport himself.

It is quite dark in here. Twilight provides some light through the open door to the East, while a small amount of light from the library manages to make its way here. Given that the sun will soon be down, it's going to become impossible to see your hand in front of your face.

> EAST

You are on the porch of the Davenport House. The porch extends the full width of the house, and is raised some four feet off the ground. There are stairs at the north and south ends of the porch, as well as in the center to the east. Though the vining roses have crept around the corners, most of the front of the house is clear of them. The large windows are all boarded over. In the center of the porch, to the West, is a double door; obviously the main entrance. The door is open.

You see a pneumatic spray cannister and nozzle, which you threw at the cat, laying on the porch.

> EXAMINE CANNISTER

You see a pneumatic spray cannister and nozzle laying on the porch. You will need to pick up the cannister to exammine it further.

> TAKE CANNISTER

You take the pneumatic spray cannister.

> EXAMINE CANNISTER

The "ACME Industries Garden Sprayer 200," or so the logo on the side says. The cannister is approximately two feet long, ten inches in diameter, with an attached hose and sprayer nozzle. A three-foot-long black rubber hose connects the cannister to the spray nozzle. The nozzle is a brass tube of about two feet in length. The sprayer end of the nozzle is bent at a fourty-five degree angle to the length of the tube. The pneumatic pump handle is slightly rusty, but appears to be functional. As you are turning the cannister over to exammine it, you hear a faint rattling.

> OPEN CANNISTER

With a little effort, you are able to twist the pneumatic pump handle in the "open" direction, and pull the pneumatic cylinder out of the cannister.

> LOOK IN CANNISTER

It's too dark to see into the cannister.

> USE FLASHLIGHT IN CANNISTER

You turn on your flashlight, which is dimming, and look into the cannister. The cannister contains no liquid, as is typical of such a device, but you see a metal ball at the bottom.

> TAKE BALL

You up-end the cannister and catch the metal ball as it falls out. You put the cannister back together after retreiving the ball.

> INVENTORY

You are carrying a backpack (closed), a flashlight (dimly lit), a pneumatic spray cannister and spray nozzle, and are wearing the Amulet of Mind. The backback contains your math homework, one granola bar, a water bottle (closed), a box of matches containing 3 matches, a candle (unlit), and an audio recorder.

> TURN OFF FLASHLIGHT

You turn off your fading flashlight and stow it in your backpack.

> SOUTH

You descend the stairs to the South.

South of Davenport House.

The path runs straight east here, along the south side of the Davenport House. To the south is what may once have been a topiary maze. Over the years, the shrubs and the weeds have grown to the point that the maze -- if that is what it was -- appears impassible. The path splits here: one branch enters the maze, the other runs east and around to the front of the house. The ubiquitous rose vines are here, covering most of this side of the house, even the upper floors. There is no visible door on this side of the house.

> WEST

West of Davenport House

You follow the graveled path west around the house. There is a rotting gazebo a few steps off the path. The gravel path encircles a stone fountain. There is little plant life here aside from a few dead shrubs. The grass is mostly dead, but there are a few weeds clinging to life.

> EXAMINE FOUNTAIN

The stone fountain is comprised of three circular tiers, each smaller than the one below it. The fountain is capped with an angel figurine blowing a trumpet. The base of the fountain contains a few inches of murky water. It smells horrible. There is an unidentified object visible protruding over the rim of the middle tier. From here, the object appears to be a metal ring.

> USE CANNISTER ON OBJECT

The cannister is a very ungainly object to use for this purpose. Perhaps you should try something else?

> USE NOZZLE ON OBJECT

Carefully holding the cannister in your left hand, you use the spray nozzle with your right hand to extend your reach. You steadily slip the hooked end of the nozzle into the loop of the ring, retreiving the object, which isn't a ring at all. The ring was merely the visible portion of the Amulet of Water.

You suspect that the Amulet of Mind gave you the mental and physical clarity to pull this stunt off, as your natural clumsiness would have likely caused you to fall into the fountain and drown in the muck.

>Wear amulet of water

As you slip the amulet of water over your head, you immediately receive an urgent call. It's from Nature. Not wanting to use the dilapidating fountain as a toilet, you remove the amulet of water and feel much more comfortable.

>Save record 2

Your progress has been saved on record 2.

The final light of the sun has dipped behind the horizon.

>Sleep

You spread out in the thick grass by the fountain. The evening is temperate and you are able to relax under the blanket of the night sky. Your mind races, reflecting on riddles of madmen, until you drift into a well-deserved slumber. You continue to dream as a ring of wild wolves stealthily encircles you. Your dreams loft you gently into a gondola bouncing softly on a rolling, blue river. You weave casually in the even current under a lazy sun. As you continue to dream, the jaws of the alpha wolf bare down swiftly upon your throat.

Type "Retry" to go back to the beginning of the last area you entered, or "Reload" to go back to your last save point.

>Load record 2

West of Davenport House

You follow the graveled path west around the house. There is a rotting gazebo a few steps off the path. The gravel path encircles a stone fountain. There is little plant life here aside from a few dead shrubs. The grass is mostly dead, but there are a few weeds clinging to life.

The final light of the sun has dipped behind the horizon.

>Use flashlight

You turn on your flashlight. It is enough to see ahead, but it will have to be recharged soon.

>East

South of Davenport House.

>Look


The path runs straight east here, along the south side of the Davenport House. To the south is what may once have been a topiary maze. Over the years, the shrubs and the weeds have grown to the point that the maze -- if that is what it was -- appears impassible. The path splits here: one branch enters the maze, the other runs east and around to the front of the house. The ubiquitous rose vines are here, covering most of this side of the house, even the upper floors. There is no visible door on this side of the house.

In the darkness a strange light can be seen emitting from the overrun thickets of the topiary maze to the south. You shiver as the lone howl of a single wolf meets your ears from the west.

>South

Entrance of topiary maze

Clearly, years have passed since the foliage of the maze was last pruned. A reddish yellow light is radiating through the tangled briers. The light glints off of a spot in the nearby brambles.

>Look brambles

You examine the reflection in the bush and find a rusting, yet functional pair of hedge shears.

>Take shears

You take the rusty shears.

>Use shears on topiary maze

The discarded shears are blunt, and misaligned. Hours of exhaustive exertion pass as you hack away at thorns and branches toward the light at the center of the maze. Your hands ache as you finally emerge into a clearing to discover the source. A ring of white and red flames burn brightly in the night air. Although the fiery tongues tower taller than your head as they dance, they show no sign of spreading. And although they burn at a gluttonous intensity, they show now sign of diminishing.

Center of topiary maze

>Turn off flashlight

You disengage your flashlight to conserve its charge.

>Wear amulet of water

You nearly jump from the shock you feel as you place the amulet of water around your neck. There is only one possible course of immediate action.

Nearly five whole minutes later you stand above a series of smoldering embers. The fires have been extinguished. You blush slightly, and hope that no one has been watching. You remove the amulet of water from your shoulders, and feel very dehydrated.

>Drink water

You take the water bottle from your backpack, drink half of it, and put it away.

>Search embers

Amid the hot embers, you see another amulet, glowing orange with heat.

>Take amulet

The amulet of fire is much to hot to take.

>Use water with Amulet

You pour the rest of the water bottle's contents onto the amulet of fire. The contact of the liquid on the hot metal radiates a hissing sound that would intimidate an adult python. You return the empty water bottle to your backpack

>Take Amulet of fire.

You have the amulet of fire.

As the glowing embers fade into the aging evening, darkness falls upon the foliage. Having hacked a winding path through layers of hedges, you feel that you are in a safe place.

>Sleep

Exhausted from the long day, you collapse on soft grass and quickly drift into a peaceful state of rest.

Dawn beckons the sun to climb gently back to its celestial throne. The new light of morning awakens you. You feel rested, but you are getting hungry.

>Look

You are in the center of the overgrown topiary maze. There is a large circular, black region burnt into the grass nearby. Throngs of wild strawberries are growing on bushes. The Path that you have cut in the bushes leads north.

>Eat Strawberries

The strawberries are delicious. You feel well rested and your hunger is satiated.

>Save record 2

Your progress has been saved on record 2.

>Inventory

You are carrying a backpack (closed), a flashlight (dimly lit), a pneumatic spray cannister and spray nozzle, and are wearing the Amulet of Mind. The backback contains your math homework, one granola bar, an empty glass bottle (closed), a box of matches containing 3 matches, a candle (unlit), an audio recorder, and amulets of water and fire.