the square isa location name Nameless Square description "The long thin shadows of poplar trees stretch across the pavement of a small square where streets converge at odd angles. A flower-shaped fountain takes up the center, surrounded by benches. Now and then, the wind shuffles piles of dead leaves; they're everywhere, even on the greenish rainwater that fills the dead fountain. $pAn especially promising street sneaks away among the buildings to the south." exit south, s, street to nameless_alley does "As you progress south, the street becomes narrower and windier." end exit. exit north, n to square does "You just came from that direction. If you turn back now, you'll never forgive yourself for it." end exit. exit southwest, sw, southeast, se to square does "You wander down side streets, only to end up right back where you started." end exit. end the square. the fountain isa object at square name dead flower fountain name dead flower fount name bronze dolphin name statue name concrete basin name rainwater name rain water description verb examine does only "A bronze dolphin at the center of the fountain used to spray water into the concrete basin, but now it's as still as the rest of it." end verb. verb enter does only "Well, it's not like anyone is around to fine you, or even judge you, but the sun isn't so hot anymore and the water is dirty." end verb. end the fountain. the greenery isa object at square name vegetation name maple linden poplar tree name maple linden poplar trees name dead leaves name leaf piles name poplar name poplars description verb examine does only "You couldn't tell by the weather, but the vegetation knows better: autumn is coming. Not just the poplars, but maple and linden trees are shedding their foliage." end verb. verb search does only if maple_leaf at limbo then "Among all the dead leaves, one in particular grabs your attention." locate maple_leaf here. else "You find nothing else of interest among the dead leaves." end if. end verb. verb climb does only "Ah, to play like a child. So tempting. Maybe later, though. Right now you need to get on with it." end verb. end the greenery. the square_stuff isa object at square name architecture name benches name buildings name bench name building name pavement name square description end the square_stuff. the nameless_alley isa location name Nameless Alley is not visited. description "A narrow street winding among old two-storey buildings. The sky is a bright strip of white between roofs that seem to lean inwards. Balconies lined in wrought iron railings hang above the street, almost touching each other; many have laundry lines above them. Now and then, the nearly total silence is broken by pigeons flapping their wings. It feels like a sacrilege. It feels reassuring. $pUpon a closer look, downsides become apparent: blind and broken windows, cracked paint, dirty walls and missing cobblestones. The neighborhood has seen much better days. $pThe alley continues to the north, twisting and turning." if this is visited then "$pA century-old apartment building shades you from the morning sun, facing an even older house on the other side of the street." else "$pThis is it! The house to the west fits the description you were given. You found him! You look on, while from across the street a century-old apartment building casts its shadow over you, its entrance a rectangle of darkness." make this visited. end if. verb listen does only "You listen carefully, but all you can hear is pigeons being pigeons." end verb. verb knock does only "You knock on the door, first timidly then with more oomph, but there's no answer." end verb. verb yell does only "'Hello?' you call out. 'Hello!' But there's no answer, and you don't dare being too loud out here in the street." end verb. exit north, n, alley to square does "As you progress north, the alley widens into a proper street." end exit. exit east, e to base_of_stairs does "You stumble inside, eyes needing a moment to adjust." end exit. exit west, w to cozy_kitchen check house_door is not locked else "There's a locked door in the way." does if house_door is not open then make house_door open. make kitchen_door open. "(first opening the door)" end if. end exit. exit south, s to nameless_alley does "Not far down the road you start running across crumbling houses, piles of garbage visible through gaping holes in the walls. Hungry dogs eye you warily. Time to go back." end exit. end the nameless_alley. the alley_stuff isa object at nameless_alley name narrow street name old buildings name old houses name sky name roofs name balconies name wrought iron railings name laundry lines name laundry line name laundry name pigeons name blind broken windows name cracked paint name dirty walls name cobblestones name neighborhood description verb listen_to does only "All you can hear is pigeons being pigeons." end verb. end the alley_stuff. the building isa object at nameless_alley name apartment building description verb examine does only "It's one of those early modernist apartment buildings they started putting up in the inter-war period, its facade a complex interplay of straight lines." end verb. verb enter does only locate hero at base_of_stairs. end verb. end the building. the house isa object at nameless_alley name old house name main gate description verb examine does only "It's a three-story row house that must be a century and a half old by now, and looking it. The main gate, that used to lead through a gangway to the backyard, has been boarded up, but there's a smaller door in rather better shape." end verb. verb enter does only if house_door is locked then "There's a locked door in the way." else if house_door is not open then make house_door open. make kitchen_door open. "(first opening the door)" end if. locate hero at cozy_kitchen. end if. end verb. end the house. the house_door isa door at nameless_alley name wooden door name lock has otherside kitchen_door. has key none. description verb examine does only "The greenish paint has started to crack and peel, but the hinges are new. The door doesn't fit the frame very well; there's a sizable gap on the swinging side." end verb. verb knock_on does only "You knock on the door, first timidly then with more oomph, but there's no answer." end verb. end the house_door. the door_gap isa object at nameless_alley name door gap name door crack description verb examine, search check house_door is not open else "The door is open, so the gap is kinda moot." does only if house_door is locked then "You can see the latch on the other side, but you can't quite reach." else "You can't see anything interesting inside." end if. end verb. verb put_in when obj2 check house_door is locked else "You've already unlocked the door." does only if obj <> postcard then "That doesn't seem to help much." elsif postcard is folded then make house_door not locked. make kitchen_door not locked. "You poke around carefully with the folded postcard. A little push, and the latch comes free." else "You try to jiggle the latch free with the postcard, but the thin card stock just bends." end if. end verb. end the door_gap. the base_of_stairs isa location name Base of Stairs description "You are at the bottom of a stairwell; narrow stone steps spiral upwards into the gloom. Crude daylight filters in from the west, forming stark contrasts. $pThere used to be another stairwell going to the basement, but it's been filled with broken furniture." exit out, west, w to nameless_alley. exit up, u to top_of_stairs does "About halfway up, the stairs turn from stone to wood; their incessant creaking as you climb is hardly reassuring." end exit. end the base_of_stairs. the stone_steps isa object at base_of_stairs name spiral stone steps name spiral stone stairs name spiral stone stairwell is portable. description verb climb does only "About halfway up, the stairs turn from stone to wood; their incessant creaking as you climb is hardly reassuring." locate hero at top_of_stairs. end verb. verb take does only "About halfway up, the stairs turn from stone to wood; their incessant creaking as you climb is hardly reassuring." locate hero at top_of_stairs. end verb. end the stone_steps. the broken_furniture isa object at base_of_stairs name broken furniture description end the broken_furniture. the top_of_stairs isa location name Top of Stairs description "The landing at the top of the stairs is barely wide enough to stand on, and the thick layer of dust over everything speaks volumes. Creaky wooden steps spiral abruptly down. It's eerily silent; these old brick walls absorb sound like cotton." verb listen does only "So quiet... You can hear your own heartbeat." end verb. exit down, d, stairs, out to base_of_stairs does "About halfway down, the stairs turn from wood to stone. No less dizzying, but more solid-feeling." end exit. end the top_of_stairs. the corkboard isa object at top_of_stairs name corkboard name board name cork name wire name sturdy screws is portable. description "$pA corkboard hangs loosely on the wall, but there's nothing pinned to it anymore." verb examine does only "It's well-anchored, but doesn't sit flush with the wall." end verb. verb take does only "It's tied with wire to a couple of sturdy screws." end verb. verb look_behind does only if postcard at limbo then locate postcard here. "As you pull at the corkboard, something flat falls to the floor -- an old forgotten postcard." else "There's nothing else behind the corkboard but dust." end if. end verb. end the corkboard. the wooden_steps isa object at top_of_stairs name spiral wooden steps name spiral wooden stairs name spiral wooden staircase is portable. description verb climb does only "About halfway down, the stairs turn from wood to stone. No less dizzying, but more solid-feeling." locate hero at base_of_stairs. end verb. verb take does only "About halfway down, the stairs turn from wood to stone. No less dizzying, but more solid-feeling." locate hero at base_of_stairs. end verb. end the wooden_steps. the top_of_stairs_stuff isa object at top_of_stairs name old brick walls name old brick wall name brick name bricks description end the top_of_stairs_stuff.