Cloud Dreaming — 6 of 6

Volume 5 - The Story

The park is a room. The printed name of the park is "The Park". The description of the room is "You are lying on the grass, your view framed with trees, a bit of open sky above you, the warmth of the sun on your skin."

Instead of smelling, say "It smells... damp. If [']damp['] can be a smell. Whatever the scent, it's lovely."

The grass is scenery in the park. "You turn your head to the side and lazily glance at the grass. Lush, vivid green. A world unto itself, were you an insect." Instead of touching the grass, say "You run your hands over the grass, first brushing the tops of the blades with your palms, then pushing deeper. Closer to the ground, the grass is thick and still slightly damp with last night's dew." Instead of smelling the grass, say "It smells... damp. If [']damp['] can be a smell. Whatever the scent, it's lovely." Instead of taking the grass, say "You pluck a few blades of grass, rub them gently between your fingers, and feel the dampness of the morning on them before casting them aside."

The trees are scenery in the park. Understand "autumn" or "foliage" as the trees. "The open sky above you is framed on multiple sides by autumn foliage." Instead of touching the trees, say "You can't reach them from here, but you haven't the inclination to get up and touch them just now. Perhaps later." Instead of taking the trees, say "Trees are better left to grow."

The sun is scenery in the park. "Bright, rising, not yet overhead. Warm on your skin, pleasant, not too warm." Instead of touching the sun, say "It is pleasantly warm on your skin." Instead of taking the sun, say "A foolish thought, quickly dismissed."

The sky is scenery in the park. Understand "open sky" or "view" as the sky. "Azure blue. Mostly clear. There are a few white, puffy clouds here and there." Instead of touching or taking the sky, say "You reach out, stretching your arm and examining your hand reaching upward, but know that you can never really touch the sky."

The clouds are scenery in the park. Understand "white" and "puffy" and "cloud" as the clouds. Instead of touching or taking the clouds, say "You reach out, stretching your arm and examining your hand reaching upward, but know that you can never really touch the sky."

Instead of examining the clouds:

say "Bright white in sharp relief on the otherwise clear blue, the clouds float slowly by. Each is unique.[paragraph break]You know they're just a random collection of water vapor, but their shapes spark your imagination...";

say "[if unexamined][line break]...that one, right there, looks like an alligator. Or possibly it's just a dog.";

say "[if the alligator is examined][line break]... that one looks like an airplane, or possibly the space shuttle."

The alligator is scenery in the park. Instead of touching or taking the alligator, say "You reach out, stretching your arm and examining your hand reaching upward, but know that you can never really touch the sky."

Instead of examining the alligator:

say "[if unexamined]Yes, that cloud looks just like an alligator.[paragraph break]You rather like them. Most people are scared of alligators - and possibly you should possess a healthier fear of them - but you spent a pleasant weekend paddling a canoe around in Okefenokee Swamp once, and there were alligators everywhere. They hung out on logs or lazily paddled along, their powerful tails gently moving side to side. They never gave you a second look.[paragraph break]... but wait, no. The cloud's no longer an alligator[otherwise]No, there was a cloud that looked like an alligator... but that cloud has shifted, changed[end if]. Now it's more of an airplane, or possibly the space shuttle.";

now the alligator is examined;

now the clouds are examined.

The dog is scenery in the park. Instead of touching or taking the dog, say "You reach out, stretching your arm and examining your hand reaching upward, but know that you can never really touch the sky."

Instead of examining the dog:

say "[if unexamined]Yeah, more of a dog. It's lying down, that's all. That's what made it look like an alligator there for a second. But the snout is too short.[paragraph break]The more that you look at it, the more you're reminded of Layla, the corgie your family had when you were little. A smile touches your lips as you recall the Easter Sunday when she found every single hidden egg in the house while you were away at church. When you and your mother got home, she greeted you at the door: happy to see you, tail wagging, strings of chewing gum wound completely around her head. [italic type]Maybe they won't notice,[roman type] she was probably thinking.[paragraph break]If dogs think like that.[paragraph break]... but now that you think of it, the cloud doesn't look much like a dog anymore[otherwise]No, there was a cloud that looked like a dog... but that cloud has shifted, changed[end if]. Now it's more of a turtle, or possibly a Volkswagen Beetle.";

now the dog is examined;

now the clouds are examined.

The airplane is scenery in the park. Understand "air plane" or "plane" as the airplane. Instead of touching or taking the alligator, say "You reach out, stretching your arm and examining your hand reaching upward, but know that you can never really touch the sky."

Instead of examining the airplane:

if the dog is unexamined and the alligator is unexamined:

say "You can't see any such thing.";

stop the action;

if the dog is examined:

say "You can't see any such thing.";

stop the action;

otherwise:

say "[if unexamined]You flew a plane once. All by yourself. You left the earth, circled around the airport, and returned unscathed. They were even able to use the plane again.[paragraph break]All the studying, the hours spent with the instructor, they had paid off.[paragraph break]But then things came up. Life happened. You couldn't keep working on the license. Couldn't afford to rent the plane time or pay the instructor anymore.[paragraph break]Perhaps one day you'll take it back up again. Perhaps...";

wait for any key;

clear the screen;

say "You drift off to sleep in the warm sun, and dream of being free. Flying through the sky, the plane an extension of your mind and body, responding to your every touch.";

wait for any key;

say paragraph break;

center "*** THANK YOU ***";

say paragraph break;

say paragraph break;

try crediting;

stop game abruptly.

The shuttle is scenery in the park. Understand "space shuttle" or "space ship" as the shuttle. Instead of touching or taking the shuttle, say "You reach out, stretching your arm and examining your hand reaching upward, but know that you can never really touch the sky."

Instead of examining the shuttle:

if the dog is unexamined and the alligator is unexamined:

say "You can't see any such thing.";

stop the action;

if the dog is examined:

say "You can't see any such thing.";

stop the action;

otherwise:

say "[if the dog is examined]Your eyes drift to another cloud, one that looks like the space shuttle.[line break]";

say "[if unexamined]Elementary school. You remember how your fourth grade science teacher had applied to go aboard the Space shuttle, and how you and others in your class had been saddened by the Challenger disaster, yet thankful that Mrs. Quickstad hadn't been chosen to be on that mission. That could have been her.[paragraph break]And somehow you knew things would get better for the space program. They [italic type]had[roman type] to. That's why you were going to go into the Air Force and then become an astronaut.[paragraph break]Unfortunately, someone you respected - an Air Force pilot, no less - told you to forget that dream. 'You're a girl, there are few roles for you, your career would be over by the time you were thirty. You need something longer lasting.'[paragraph break]And damn it, you listened to that advice.[paragraph break]Your life has turned out wonderfully anyway, but sometimes you think of what it would have been like to touch the stars.";

wait for any key;

clear the screen;

say "You drift off to sleep in the warm sun, and dream of being far away. First the moon, then Mars.";

wait for any key;

say paragraph break;

center "*** THANK YOU ***";

say paragraph break;

say paragraph break;

try crediting;

stop game abruptly.

The tortoise is scenery in the park. Understand "turtle" as the tortoise. Instead of touching or taking the tortoise, say "You reach out, stretching your arm and examining your hand reaching upward, but know that you can never really touch the sky."

Instead of examining the tortoise:

if the dog is unexamined and the alligator is unexamined:

say "You can't see any such thing.";

stop the action;

if the alligator is examined:

say "You can't see any such thing.";

stop the action;

say "[if unexamined]No, not so much a turtle as a tortoise. A lot people use the words interchangeably, but you know the difference.[paragraph break]You had a tortoise once, though now as an adult you think that keeping her was probably the wrong thing to do. Her name was Tenny, short for Tennessee. You'd 'rescued' her - she was crossing a busy highway, begging to be smooshed. And so you convinced your mother to pull the car over and let you 'save' her.[paragraph break]But the rest of her life was spent in a big cardboard box. You'd brought her lovely fruit and veggies, and sometimes let her out to crawl slowly across the yard, but she never saw her home again.[paragraph break]You can't help but think that if she'd made it across that highway safely without your help that she would have lived a longer, more free life. And probably populated the world with more lovely box turtles...";

wait for any key;

clear the screen;

say "You drift off to sleep in the warm sun, and dream of being a child again, exploring the woods of Appalachia. Crawling over logs and up steep hills, one ridge to the next.[paragraph break]You see a turtle crawling through dry, brown leaves, and this time you let it be.";

wait for any key;

say paragraph break;

center "*** THANK YOU ***";

say paragraph break;

say paragraph break;

try crediting;

stop game abruptly.

The Volkswagen is scenery in the park. Understand "car" or "bug" or "beetle" as the Volkswagen. Instead of touching or taking the Volkswagen, say "You reach out, stretching your arm and examining your hand reaching upward, but know that you can never really touch the sky."

Instead of examining the Volkswagen:

if the dog is unexamined and the alligator is unexamined:

say "You can't see any such thing.";

stop the action;

if the alligator is examined:

say "You can't see any such thing.";

stop the action;

otherwise:

say "[if unexamined]Yes, round and compact, like that old [']78 Beetle your parents used to own.[paragraph break]You used to love riding in that thing with the top down, even though the black vinyl seats soaked up sun and became so hot you couldn't sit on them in shorts. You always wore shorts. You burned your legs several times before finally having the bright idea to put a towel down on the seat. Then the heat of the seats was reduced from scorching to soothing...";

wait for any key;

clear the screen;

say "You close your eyes and feel the sun on your face. Your mind wanders back to old road trips, riding shotgun with your mother, oldies playing on the Bug's ancient 8-track, that pleasantly warm seat reclined just enough to encourage napping as the wind whipped through your hair...";

wait for any key;

say paragraph break;

center "*** THANK YOU ***";

say paragraph break;

say paragraph break;

try crediting;

stop game abruptly.