Part 12: Day One- Page 12

So far so good. It'll get much bigger as we go. We're pretty much done exploring the town, but there are so many other places to search.


So, we search through the two places attacked to the River Walk, then search south of town, Then hubby. Got it.
This is a big update.
Let's begin...

>e

Riverwalk

>look

Riverwalk
A low, irregular brick wall to the north divides this street from the steep, mud-slick banks of the sinuous Miskaton, while a rusty iron gate provides access to a precarious flight of stone steps leading down the bank to the water's edge. The street bends south here, turning into a misty avenue between the trees. The town square lies west, a vacant lot lies east.

We'll start with the stairs, first, I think.

>Down
You pass through the gate and down the stone steps, which curve northwest as they lead down to the edge of the river.



Under the Bridge
The ponderous stones of Whateley Bridge arch overhead, casting this little concrete ledge into deep shadow. At your feet, the dark waters lap quietly against the stones with a hollow, subterranean sound. Stone steps to the southeast lead back up to street level.

A small metal door, blotchy with rust, is set into the south bank of the river, underneath the bridge.

It's subtle, but I love that first line there telling us how the stairs curve to the NorthWest. Not many people would do that, leaving one confused as to where the exits are and how they got there. Very nice touch, if small.

>look at door
It's just an ordinary-looking small metal door.

>look at water
The Miskaton's waters are sluggish and dark. Some sort of oily film coats the surface, reflecting back ghostly swirls of color.

Ew.

>open door
It seems to be locked.

We must have a key here somewhere.

>i
You are wearing your wedding ring, your trenchcoat and your clothes; in addition, you have in your hands a styrofoam cup, inside which is some cold, murky coffee and your umbrella.

The pockets of your trenchcoat contain a lantern, a flask (which is closed) and a keyring, on which are two keys (a key to the house and a key to the cellar).

Uh... Maybe this cup?

>unlock door with cup
That isn't even a key.

It was worth a try. I guess we'll be back later.

>se

Riverwalk

>East

Vacant Lot
Where once a building stood, there is now only cracked pavement and rampant weeds. A high chain-link fence surrounds this vacant lot; the only breaks lie to the west and southeast.

A filthy old mattress lies among the weeds over in one corner of the lot.

One unexplored exit and one... Matress.

>look at matress
You can't see any such thing.

Oh yeah, it has two T's.

>oops mattress
The mattress is stained and beaten, oozing stuffing in several places. From the cans and food wrappers scattered around it, it looks as though somebody's been using it as a bed.

For those who don't know about this, all Inform games have this feature. If you misspell a noun, you can use the "Oops" verb to fix it. Once I had an action with three nouns and misspelled all of them, then followed up with a chain of oopses. To my surprise, it worked.

>look at wrappers
You needn't worry about that.

>look at weeds
You needn't worry about that.

Well, whatever. There's a opening in the fence on the other side, anyway. No other place to go.

>Southeast

Wharf
The gentle creaking of hawsers and the hollow slap of water beneath the wooden pier provide a faint counterpoint to the endless, rhythmic surging of the sea. The fishing industry (like the paper industry) has all but died away in Anchorhead; nonetheless there are still a few boats tied to the pier. A path leads back through an opening in a chain-link fence to the northwest; otherwise, it's just you and the ocean.

An old, discarded tin of fish oil sits at the end of the pier.

In the distance, you can hear the lonesome keening of a train whistle drifting on the wind.

Ooo! And item!

>look at tin
It's dented and rusty, and you can barely make out the words "Skagen, Denmark" printed along the side. The lid is closed.

Miranda's hand instictively snatches it. It IS portable, after all.

>take tin
Taken.

>put tin in coat
You slip the old tin into the pocket of your trenchcoat.

>look at ocean
The sea is the color of old pewter, surging and chopping restlessly beneath the clouds.

>look at boats
The few fishing boats that remain look barely sea-worthy, held together by barnacles and old habit.

Seems there's nothing else to see here.
Alright, on to the south of town.

>nw
Vacant Lot

A filthy old mattress lies among the weeds over in one corner of the lot.
>w
Riverwalk
>s
Chilly Avenue

A clammy mist hangs thickly in the air, seeping through your clothes and making you shiver.

Let's see what directions we have to play with again...

>look

Chilly Avenue
Perhaps it is merely the effect of some unwholesome vapour rising from the murky waters of the nearby Miskaton, but the temperature along this street seems perceptibly cooler than normal, even for a New England autumn. Two dirt roads lead south and southwest, into the dense woods at the edge of town.

A clammy mist hangs thickly in the air, seeping through your clothes and making you shiver.

These trees really know how to hold in the humidity.

>South

Deserted Lane
The gently winding lane makes its way through the birch woods south of town. New England foliage is famous for its splendid colors in the fall, but the oppressive weather and pervading murk have leached these trees of most of their tint. The road continues south into the increasingly dense forest, and in the other direction heads back to town. A paved walk also leads east through the trees.

Hmmm... That's two exits. One to the East and one to the South.
Best not venture too far. I'll leave choosing what direction to you goons.

>n

Chilly Avenue

A clammy mist hangs thickly in the air, seeping through your clothes and making you shiver.

That just leaves the...

>Southwest
Before you can take more than a few steps, the mist coils its tendrils around you, freezing your marrow with its damp embrace. For one terrifying moment you can feel it probing at your mouth and nostrils, seeking a way in, and then with a sudden wrench you are free, gasping and choking and eyeing the mist with newfound wariness.

The clouds overhead mutter restlessly to themselves.

Huh? I was genuinely surprised by this reaction. See, I'd never tried coming here this early in the game. I had no idea this mist would stop me.

>look Southwest
The mist seems to gather most thickly to the southwest. You can't see more than a few yards down the road in that direction.

Maybe it was a fluke. I mean, we eventually have to head that way.
Let's try that again.

>Southwest
Before you can take more than a few steps, the mist coils its tendrils around you, freezing your marrow with its damp embrace. For one terrifying moment you can feel it probing at your mouth and nostrils, seeking a way in, and then with a sudden wrench you are free, gasping and choking and eyeing the mist with newfound wariness.

Nope. Nothin' Doin'.
Huh. I guess that just leave checking on Michael, back at the university.

>n
Riverwalk
>w
Town Square

In the center of the square, rising from a circular lawn of unhealthy-looking grass and weeds, stands a strange, stone obelisk. It seems to be a monument of some sort, although you can see no plaque or marker anywhere near it.
>n
Whateley Bridge

The clouds overhead mutter restlessly to themselves.
>n
Narrow Street

The rain slackens off momentarily to a weak drizzle, then returns afresh in a brief, freezing downpour.
>w
Junction
>nw
University Court

There are numerous buildings surrounding this cobbled court, but the only one you are interested in is the library to the west, where Michael told you he'd be until he came back to the real estate agent's office to pick you up. Which, incidentally, he has not yet done.

>West
You close your umbrella, as is your habit after coming indoors.

Library
Shadows roost thickly in the vaulted ceiling, and small, green-shaded desk lamps cast pools of warm radiance here and there around the library's dim interior. You pause a moment to let the hushed peacefulness of this place soak in -- a welcome relief from the unsettling events of the day. An exit lies east, and a small alcove to the north houses the circulation counter.

Peering through the shadows, you spot your husband sitting at one of the reading desks, absorbed in some sort of weighty tome and clearly oblivious to the time.

Michael turns to a new page in the book and begins reading intently.

There he is. Man, Michael, you wouldn't BELIEVE my day.

>Look at Michael



Tall and a bit on the skinny side, in an endearingly awkward sort of way; a serious, thoughtful face topped with an unruly tangle of brown hair; deep brown eyes framed by wire-rimmed glasses -- yep, that's the man you married, all right.

At the moment, Michael is largely absorbed in his reading, and is paying little attention to you.

Michael turns to a new page in the book and begins reading intently.

Before Miranda bugs him, let's check the rest of the library.

>North

Circulation Desk
A high counter divides the public portion of the library from the reserved stacks -- all the more esoteric and mysterious volumes from the university's collection. If anything, the area behind the counter is even more shadowy than the side you're on. The main reading area lies south.

Hanging on the wall next to the counter is a small, printed sign. Beneath the sign sits a heavy, dog-eared register, and sitting next to the register is a bell.

How cozy.

>look at bell
One of those little round bells with the button on top; you ring it for service.

>look at sign
"All restricted books must be signed for on the register, and may not be removed from this building. Please have your faculty ID ready when you make your request."

>look at register
It's basically a log, recording what book was checked out, who checked it out, and when. There must be hundreds of names here.

I wonder if the previous owner of Miranda's house has been in this library.

>look up Verlac
(in the dog-eared register)
You don't find that name on the register.

Guess not.

>South

Library

Peering through the shadows, you spot your husband sitting at one of the reading desks, absorbed in some sort of weighty tome and clearly oblivious to the time.

What's Miranda's dear husband reading now?

>look at book
Michael looks up, startled, then realizes it's you and smiles. "Hi, hon," he says, closing the book and stretching. Then he glances at his watch. "Good grief, what happened to the time? I'm so sorry -- I just lost track." He smiles sheepishly.

"Well?" he asks. "Did you get the keys?"

In a second, Michael. What are you reading...

>Look at book
Michael jerks the book away from you. "Excuse me," he says, a bit more sharply than you had expected, "I'll be done with it in a minute."

Okay, we'll just ask him directly.

>ask Michael about book
Michael casually places his hand on the book, obscuring its title. "Oh, just doing a bit of research. Musty old stuff."

Very helpful.

Here's an odd gimic. To use items in Miranda's Trenchcoat, she first must take them from her coat.

>take keys
Taken.

>show keys to michael
"Great!" says Michael. "You hang on to that. Just a second, I'll put this back." He takes the book up to the circulation desk and hands it to the librarian. "Okay then," he says, returning, "let's go."

Michael suddenly smacks his forehead. "Oh, crap, I forgot to tell you. The car broke down." He spreads his hands. "I don't know what happened to it; one second I'm parking outside, the next second it dies and I can't get it started again. I called a tow truck, but the nearest garage is up in Arkham. They picked it up but won't be able to look at it until next week at the earliest. Anyway, it looks like we'll have to walk back to the house." He offers you a lame smile. "You can hold the umbrella."



Your score has just gone up by two points.

>

Well, we made progress, anyway. Alright, it's going to be two days before I update again (thus the bigness of this update) so I need to know two things.

1. WHAT shall we ask Michael about? Make a list and we'll drain his brain, because this is the only time we'll be able to ask him. At the end of Day 1, he become much to busy to answer us.
2. WHERE shall we take our dear husband. Obviously to our new home, but where is that? Hint: We've been very close to it.

Leave your answers in bold.
I'll be back on Wednesday, roughly.

Items