Part 13: Day One- Page 13

The Husband Update




That's not a bad idea, actually...

>North
"Er, that's just the circulation desk," Michael says, placing his hand on your arm. "The exit is that way." He points east.

Bugger. Alright, make a note. On Day Two, we'll check the register. Remind me! I will forget.

>East
The rain is still coming down, so you open your umbrella.

University Court

There are numerous buildings surrounding this cobbled court, but the only one you are interested in is the library to the west.

Michael hurries to catch up.



We'll work our hubby around town while we talk and walk. Miranda is a girl on the move, after all.

>ask about office
He frowns as you tell him about the real estate agent's disappearance. "That is rather odd," he says. "I wonder where she could be?"

>Ask Michael about University
Which do you mean, Miskaton University or the university library?

I didn't think of that. Both?

>Miskaton University
"Isn't it wonderful? A full professorship! At this rate I'll have tenure in just a few years. I think I'm really going to like teaching here."

>Ask Michael about Library
"It's a good library," Michael says absently. "Lots of rare books. I imagine I'll be spending some time there."

>Southeast

Junction

Michael follows you.

>Ask Husband about car
"Strange about the car, isn't it?"

"I apologized about the car, right?" says Michael sheepishly.

Oh, Michael. These things happen. I'll forgive you, just this once, but let's not speak of it again.

>North
"Actually," says Michael, "I think the house is in the other direction."

Oh... I guess he DOES know where the house is. Well, we'll explore a little more on Day two.

>Ask Mike about directions
You can't think of anything to say about that for the moment.

Seriously, game? Miranda's husband knows where the house is, but you won't let him tell us?

>Ask Mike about house
"The Verlac family has been living in that old place for generations; they're an integral part of the history of this whole region. It's really quite interesting."

>East

Narrow Street

Michael hurries to catch up.


Oh yes. Husband, quick! Smell this!

>Take Tin
Taken.

>Show Tin to Mike
"Yuaagh!" Michael explains, making a face and shrinking away from you. "Is that what I keep smelling? What are you carrying that nasty stuff around for?"

A sudden gust of wind blows a cold spray of rain into your face.

Fine! Some people find these things a delicacy.

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

"We really should be getting on to the house, don't you think?" asks Michael. "It's a bit rainy out."

I hadn't noticed. On with the interview!

>Ask Michael about book
"Hmm? Oh, that was nothing important. Just some research."

Overhead, the swollen clouds flicker ominously with a greenish haze of sheet lightning.

Let's talk over a drink, eh?

>North
"Er, I'm not really in the mood for a drink," Michael says, hanging back. "I just want to find our house and get some sleep."

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

Why did I marry you again?

Oh yeah. Your butt.

>South

Whateley Bridge

Michael follows you.

>Ask Mike about bridge
You can't think of anything to say about that for the moment.

>Ask Husband about Verlac
(the Verlac family)
"I don't know too much about them, except for what the lawyers told us about Edward, the one who just killed himself. And even that isn't much."

Wait, what?

>Ask Mike about Edward
"I'd never heard of the guy before; I didn't even know I had a 'third cousin, twice removed'," says Michael. "Kind of creepy, though, don't you think? He went crazy, you know, killed his whole family, then killed himself in his cell up at Danvers. Just terrible. Still, we got the house and I got a professorship, so you won't hear me complaining."

If you don't remember, Danvers Asylum is the only hospital in Anchorhead.

>South

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.

Michael follows you.

Wants a drink, honey?

>Give coffee to Mike
"Yuck," Michael says, not taking it. "What are you carrying around a cup of cold, murky coffee for?"

>Ask Michael about Obelisk
You can't think of anything to say about that for the moment.

What, you mean like WHY IS THERE AN OBELISK IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN?!?!?
Oh yeah. And about the town...

>Ask Michael about Anchorhead
"It takes a little getting used to, I know, but I think we can be happy here."

>Show Mike Courthouse
(first taking the courthouse)
That's hardly portable.



Okaaaay...

>Ask Mike about courthouse
You can't think of anything to say about that for the moment.

>East

Riverwalk

Michael strolls along after you.

Michael scuffs around dispiritedly.


>East

Vacant Lot

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

Michael hurries to catch up.

Miranda: Just a moment, Snuggle-Flubber, I'm need to mess with this filthy mattress for some reason.
Michael: I don't ask questions anymore.

>Lift Mattress
That would accomplish very little.

>Pull Mattress
The mattress is extremely dirty and probably infested with bugs. You'd just as soon not even touch it, much less drag it around with you.

"We really should be getting on to the house, don't you think?" asks Michael. "It's a bit rainy out."

>Drag Mattress West
I only understood you as far as wanting to drag the filthy mattress.

Doesn't seem like something we need to poke around with, yet. Maybe we can look over the romantic ocean.

>SouthEast

Wharf

Michael hurries to catch up.

>Ask Mike about ships
You can't think of anything to say about that for the moment.

>Take flask
Taken.

I got this school spirit, my little two-nugget-combo-of-love. Want a snort?

>Show flask to Mike
Michael raises his eyebrows. "Where on earth did you find that?" he asks. "No, you can keep it; I'm certainly not going to drink it."

Another wave crashes against the rocks, sending a cloud of spray into the air.

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

>nw
Vacant Lot

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

Michael follows you.
>west
Riverwalk

Michael follows you.

We can try it.

>south

Chilly Avenue

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

Michael hurries to catch up.

>South
"Actually," says Michael, "I think the house is in the other direction."

Oh, was it... Uh...

>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.

Michael waits patiently nearby.

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

Sometimes I forget which way is which.

>Southwest
You hesitate at the edge of the mist, but Michael has already started up the road. Without a word, he walks through the insubstantial vapors, which part before him almost deferentially before dissolving away into nothing.

The ground begins to rise sharply as the road climbs up into the hills south of town.

Scenic View
The treeline falls away on the north side of this northwest-northeast bend in the road, giving way to a panoramic view of the Miskaton River Valley and the grubby little town of Anchorhead nestled within it. From here you can see the paper mill almost directly to the north; the solitary lighthouse and surrounding ocean to the northeast; and the dilapidated stone church below you to the east. Winding through it all is the oily black ribbon of the Miskaton, and almost directly in the center lies the little clearing of Town Square. You can just make out the shape of the obelisk from here.

Michael is here waiting for you.

The geometry of how this view is possible feels non-euclidian, but maybe that my imagination failing me. I can't tell if we live on a hill or at the top of a spiral or what! We clearly live about the town.

>Look at mill
The dark structure of the paper mill squats broodingly in the crook of the Miskaton river.

We missed that on Day one, but we'll have our chance later.

>Look at lighthouse
The lighthouse stands tall against the horizon, a dingy white tower amidst a gray sky and a grayer sea. Despite the ominous cast to the weather, no beacon is shining from the tower's top.

Ooo! That looks important.

>Look at Miskaton
The Miskaton winds down from the northwest, then bends in a more easterly direction some miles west of town. Its last half-mile or so neatly divides the town of Anchorhead in half before emptying into the sea. Its waters are murky and torpid, hiding many old secrets in its languid depths.

"I apologized about the car, right?" says Michael sheepishly.

You son of a bitch! I told you not to bring up the car again!
No safe word for you tonight!

>Look at Town Square
You can just make out the shape of the obelisk from here.

>Look at obelisk
You can just make out the shape of the obelisk from here.

Very helpful.

>Ask mike about lighthouse
Michael scratches his head. "I don't really know much about that," he says.

The rain slackens off momentarily to a weak drizzle, then returns afresh in a brief, freezing downpour.

>Ask Mike about mill
Michael scratches his head. "I don't really know much about that," he says.

A sudden fit of coughing from Michael makes you worry. You need to find the house soon, or your husband will catch cold.

Oh no! Don't get sick!
We should move on, I guess.

>Northwest



Outside the House
The lane runs up from the southeast and ends at a wide clearing surrounded by gnarled and ancient trees. A wide, curving driveway runs up to the front door of your house, which lies north.

The fabled Verlac family mansion looms before you in the gloom, its dark creaking presence dominating the clearing and, somehow, even though it is not visible through the trees, the entire valley. The foreboding shadow of the Verlacs seems to enshroud all of Anchorhead from here.

A typewritten notice has been attached to the front door.

Michael strolls along after you.

"Well," says Michael, "this must be the place. We finally made it, honey. We're home!"

This is it! Hell sweet Home.

>Look at house
(the Verlac mansion)
The house comprises two stories and an attic, and a smaller domed cupola atop the roof. Its windows are unlit and tightly shuttered, its roof steep and precipitous, and its grounds unkempt and strewn with weeds. The place unmistakably radiates an aura of thick, cold malevolence.

>Read note
It's a letter from the Arkham Regional Utilities Company, explaining that, due to wiring difficulties, the electricity will not be installed until next week. No phone service, either.

"Well, that's wonderful news," remarks Michael dryly, reading over your shoulder.

Klepto-senses tingling.

>Take note
Taken.

>Put note in coat
You slip the typewritten notice into the pocket of your trenchcoat.

>look at trees
The woods are ancient, thick with undergrowth and full of shadows. Branches creak, leaves rustle beneath unseen, half-imagined footsteps, and strange birdcalls echo through the trees.

>Look at door
The front door is a huge, paneled slab of black oak adorned with a brass knocker in its center.

>look in windows
You can't see in through the closely-spaced slats of the shutters.

>open door
It seems to be locked.

Ah, but as the game has given us so many points for...

>Unlock door
You unlock the front door.

>Open door
You open the front door.

Overhead, the swollen clouds flicker ominously with a greenish haze of sheet lightning.

>

I think that's enough for today.
This will also give you guys one last chance to think up questions, because once inside, I don't think we'll be able to interview out hubby again.

Any last ideas?

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