ClubFloyd Transcript: Nightfall by Eric Eve
As played on ifMUD on December 7, 2008

The idea behind ClubFloyd is that each week at a pre-arranged time, a group of people meet online to cooperatively play a game of interactive fiction.

Below is a transcript of Nightfall, written by Eric Eve. Nightfall was originally released as part of the 2008 IF Competition, where it took second place. You can learn more about the game, including how to download it, by visiting the ifWiki.

WARNING! Below you will find a transcript of people playing this game, and it goes without saying that the transcript is full of spoilers. So, if you've never played this game, and think you might like to at some point, I do not recommend reading any further. Instead, you might want to return to the interactive fiction page.

Floyd | Are you sure you want to quit? Welcome to the Cheap Glk Implementation,
Floyd | library version 0.9.0.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd | You've lived in this city all your life, but now you may be the last
Floyd | man left here. It's already dusk, and before the next dawn comes --
Floyd | well, it's not quite clear what's expected, but the whole city has fled
Floyd | from it. You could and should have been on that last train. You would
Floyd | have been on that last train but for her.
Floyd |

Floyd | Nightfall
Floyd | An Interactive Short Story by Eric Eve
Floyd | Release 2 / Serial number 081122 / Inform 7 build 5U92 (I6/v6.31 lib
Floyd | 6/12N)
Floyd |
Floyd | Platform 1

Floyd | The train accelerates northwards up the track, its rear carriage
Floyd | disappearing into the distance. Just a minute ago this long, draughty
Floyd | platform was crammed with the last batch of people leaving the city.
Floyd | Now there isn't another soul in sight. The indicator boards are all
Floyd | blank: no more trains will be leaving here today - if ever. Just to the
Floyd | north the bridge across to Platform 2 has been blocked off with a steel

Floyd | gate; the only way out from here is thus east, back to the ticket
Floyd | office.
Floyd |
Floyd | Just as the last echo of the departing train fades away, the sun
Floyd | finally sinks beneath the western horizon.
Floyd |

Floyd | [First time players should type ABOUT].
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |  > Introduction to Nightfall

Floyd |    Instructions for Play
Floyd |    Time and Turns
Floyd |    Hints
Floyd |    Credits
Floyd |    Readme

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Nightfall takes place in a city the Player Character knows well; he's
Floyd | lived there all his life and so has a far better knowledge of the local
Floyd | geography than the player begins with. To help bridge this knowledge

Floyd | gap you can use the command GO TO X or FIND X (these mean the same
Floyd | thing) to go either to a named destination or an object the player
Floyd | knows about. This command will take the player character towards his
Floyd | destination one step at a time. To continue towards the destination,
Floyd | use the CONTINUE command (which you can abbreviate to C). Note that the
Floyd | CONTINUE command can be used after any number of intervening commands,

Floyd | including explicit compass-movement commands.
Floyd |
Floyd | The exit lister in the status line shows a list of directions you can
Floyd | go in from your current location. Any directions in upper case indicate
Floyd | directions to locations you haven't yet visited.
Floyd |

Floyd | Several locations trigger memories the first time you visit them. If
Floyd | you want see the memory associated with the location you're in again,
Floyd | you can use the command REMEMBER. To see the memory associated with
Floyd | another location you've visited, use the command REMEMBER <location
Floyd | name>, for example REMEMBER BAR. You can use the command PLACES to list

Floyd | the names of all the places you've visited. To recapitulate all the
Floyd | memories you've triggered so far, you can use the command RECAP.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can use the command THINK to get some ideas for what to do next.
Floyd | These will be the player character's ideas, and some of them may be
Floyd | better than others. This command helps bridge the gap between player

Floyd | knowledge and player character knowledge. If you're stuck and THINK
Floyd | doesn't give you enough of a hint, you can try the command THINK HARDER
Floyd | (or just THINK HARD), which in some cases may provide a much more
Floyd | explicit hint.
Floyd |
Floyd | In brief, make regular use of the THINK command as an integral part of

Floyd | the game. Use THINK HARDER for hints.
Floyd |
Floyd | To converse with other characters use commands like ASK BOB ABOUT RING
Floyd | or TELL BOB ABOUT DAGGER; these commands may be abbreviated to A RING
Floyd | or T DAGGER. You can also respond to certain questions asked by other
Floyd | characters with a simple YES or NO.

Floyd |
Floyd | Finally, you may not like the ending you get first time round. To avoid
Floyd | having to play all the way through again from the beginning to find a
Floyd | better ending, you may want to save at fairly regular intervals.
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Please press SPACE to continue.

Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |  > Introduction to Nightfall
Floyd |    Instructions for Play
Floyd |    Time and Turns
Floyd |    Hints
Floyd |    Credits

Floyd |    Readme
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |  > Introduction to Nightfall
Floyd |    Instructions for Play

Floyd |    Time and Turns
Floyd |    Hints
Floyd |    Credits
Floyd |    Readme

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Platform 1
Floyd | The station feels sadly deserted, a ghost station in what has already
Floyd | become a ghost city. Not long ago this long, draughty platform was
Floyd | crammed with the last batch of people leaving the city. Now there isn't

Floyd | another soul in sight. The indicator boards are all blank: no more
Floyd | trains will be leaving here today - if ever. Just to the north the
Floyd | bridge across to Platform 2 has been blocked off with a steel gate; the
Floyd | only way out from here is thus east, back to the ticket office.
Floyd |

Floyd | You are carrying a small brown envelope (closed).
Floyd |
Floyd | [You can change inventory listing style with the commands I WIDE, I
Floyd | TALL, I CURT and I MINIMAL]
Floyd |

Floyd | It's a small square envelope, only a couple of inches to a side.
Floyd | There's nothing written on it.
Floyd |

Floyd | A large slatted steel gate has been closed across the foot of the
Floyd | bridge.
Floyd |

Floyd | You slit it open with your finger, and find a small silver key within.
Floyd |

Floyd | It's a small, unmarked silver key.
Floyd |

Floyd | A slightly stocky young man of 28, dressed for a chilly night.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's a distant hoot from the departing train as it rounds some bend
Floyd | on the outskirts of the city.
Floyd |

Floyd | Ticket Office
Floyd | It's the sheer emptiness of this place that strikes you. Just a few
Floyd | minutes ago a press of people were jostling one another in ill-natured

Floyd | queues, increasingly anxious to buy their tickets to safety. Now every
Floyd | ticket position is closed, and there's no one here, just a bare empty
Floyd | hall with nothing to see but the now irrelevant timetables posted on
Floyd | the walls and the station clock ticking ever on into the fateful night.
Floyd | The equally deserted platform is just to the west, while the way out to
Floyd | Station Road lies to the north.

Floyd |
Floyd | While you were queuing for your ticket just a few minutes ago, Jeremy
Floyd | turned to you and said, "She's still in the city, you know. She's not
Floyd | leaving; apparently there's something frantically important she has to
Floyd | do here."
Floyd |

Floyd | "More important than getting away from the Enemy?" you asked.
Floyd |
Floyd | "So she says," he replied, with a dismissive shrug, "Oh, and by the
Floyd | way, I nearly forgot. She asked me to give you this." He handed you a
Floyd | small brown envelope.
Floyd |

Floyd | You didn't need to ask who he meant. There were thousands of women in
Floyd | the city, but only one she - in Jeremy's case because of their
Floyd | relationship; in yours - well, it was then that your notion about
Floyd | staying behind for her finally started to harden into resolve.
Floyd |

Floyd | The clock that hangs here is an old-fashioned round one with a white
Floyd | face and Roman numerals round its dial. According to this clock the
Floyd | time is now three minutes past eight.

Floyd |

Floyd | While you were queuing for your ticket just a few minutes ago, Jeremy
Floyd | turned to you and said, "She's still in the city, you know. She's not
Floyd | leaving; apparently there's something frantically important she has to

Floyd | do here."
Floyd |
Floyd | "More important than getting away from the Enemy?" you asked.
Floyd |
Floyd | "So she says," he replied, with a dismissive shrug, "Oh, and by the
Floyd | way, I nearly forgot. She asked me to give you this." He handed you a

Floyd | small brown envelope.
Floyd |
Floyd | You didn't need to ask who he meant. There were thousands of women in
Floyd | the city, but only one she - in Jeremy's case because of their
Floyd | relationship; in yours - well, it was then that your notion about
Floyd | staying behind for her finally started to harden into resolve.

Floyd |
Floyd | Station Road
Floyd | As you emerge into Station Road you find that the sky has already
Floyd | turned black, but a full moon has risen, bathing the street in ghostly
Floyd | light which blends strangely with that from the row of lamp posts

Floyd | parading eastwards towards the junction with York Street. The entrance
Floyd | to the main railway station lies directly to the south. Otherwise,
Floyd | there's little here but litter.
Floyd |
Floyd | The quiet is momentarily broken by the sound of a loudspeaker in a
Floyd | nearby street. It can't be the Enemy - not yet; after a moment you

Floyd | realize it must be the police. You can't make out what the voice is
Floyd | saying, but you can guess.
Floyd |

Floyd | A couple of lager cans, boxes containing the remnants of take-away
Floyd | meals, scraps of packaging, all left littering the street.
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear a distant rumble of thunder off to the west. At least, it

Floyd | sounds a bit like thunder.
Floyd |

Floyd | The litter looks quite useless to you, and you aren't about to start a
Floyd | new career as a refuse collector.

Floyd |

Floyd | Junction of York Street and Station Road
Floyd | This is normally one of the busiest junctions in the city, mainly due
Floyd | to the traffic from the railway station, but now there isn't so much as

Floyd | a bicycle in sight, just the ever-present street lighting, the river
Floyd | running by to the east, and the sign pointing north towards the City
Floyd | Sports Ground, south towards Mandlebury Bridge and the Hospital, and
Floyd | west towards the Railway Station.
Floyd |
Floyd | You stand at the Junction, considering which way to go next. You know

Floyd | where she lives, of course: in a flat at 18 Gladstone Terrace, a few
Floyd | blocks south of the railway station, so that would be one obvious place
Floyd | to try. The other would be her office, at 12 Devon Road, some way to
Floyd | the east of the station, across the river (you can use the GO TO
Floyd | command to find your way round the city; e.g. GO TO HER OFFICE or GO TO
Floyd | GLADSTONE TERRACE).

Floyd |
Floyd | [To see your character's thoughts in future, use the THINK command.]
Floyd |

Floyd | (Gladstone Terrace)
Floyd | (going south)
Floyd |
Floyd | York Street (South)
Floyd | This part of York Street has moved considerably up-market in recent

Floyd | years. The old Victorian terraces lining the west side of the street
Floyd | may be small, and were probably built for Victorian labourers, but the
Floyd | recent hike in property prices makes them the best that many young
Floyd | professionals can afford. They lack nearby parking spaces, but that
Floyd | wouldn't be a problem tonight; there isn't a single car in sight;
Floyd | everyone with a car has used it to get away. The eerily deserted street

Floyd | continues alongside the river to north and south.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going south)

Floyd | Embankment
Floyd | The Embankment is the name given to this short stretch of road by
Floyd | Mandlebury Bridge, which spans the river to the east. To the west the
Floyd | Embankment is lined by a row of shops; to the north it becomes York
Floyd | Street, while to the south it runs into Sussex Street.
Floyd |

Floyd | This is where you found her that dreadful night, seven years ago. Her
Floyd | clothes were soaked of course, but it's the water streaming from her
Floyd | long dark hair that you remember most vividly now - that and the fact
Floyd | that she was kneeling by Kate's body.
Floyd |
Floyd | She looked up, obviously distressed, but then relieved to see a

Floyd | familiar face. "She fell - off the bridge" she gasped, swallowing hard
Floyd | as she wiped the damp hair out of her eyes, "I don't know how - just a
Floyd | few minutes ago - I tried to save her - but - well - I dived in and I
Floyd | managed to get her out - but she's not breathing!"
Floyd |
Floyd | For a moment you just stood there, overcome by shock as you stared at

Floyd | her, unwilling to take in what she had just said. Then she galvanised
Floyd | you into action: "For goodness' sake! Don't just stand there! Fetch
Floyd | help! Go and call an ambulance!"
Floyd |
Floyd | And so off you ran, south towards the city hospital.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going south)
Floyd |

Floyd | Sussex Street (north)
Floyd | A row of large Edwardian town houses lines the west side of the street,
Floyd | overlooking the river to the east. The houses are all in darkness, and
Floyd | the street deserted, making it all seem not quite real -- almost as if
Floyd | you'd wandered onto a film set or were experiencing a dream. Sussex
Floyd | Street continues north to the Embankment and south towards the junction

Floyd | with Gladstone Terrace.
Floyd |

Floyd | I didn't understand that sentence.
Floyd |

Floyd | I didn't understand that sentence.
Floyd |

Floyd | The best way to do that is to find the places that trigger particular
Floyd | memories.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going south)

Floyd |
Floyd | Junction of Sussex Street and Gladstone Terrace.
Floyd | This junction would be well-lit even without the moonlight. Sussex
Floyd | Street continues to north and south while Gladstone Terrace, where she
Floyd | lives, leads off to the west. Further north the street runs along the
Floyd | west bank of the river, but just here the river bends towards the

Floyd | southeast and parts company with the road.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going west)
Floyd | Gladstone Terrace

Floyd | This short cul-de-sac is noticeably less well lit than the main road
Floyd | just to the east; although the bright moonlight compensates for this
Floyd | somewhat, parts of the street lie in mysterious shadow. At its western
Floyd | end, the street terminates at the railway line, along the side of which
Floyd | lie a large number of loose stones. Just short of the tracks the block
Floyd | of flats where she lives stands on the south side of the street.

Floyd |
Floyd | When you walked her home one night, about two years ago, this was as
Floyd | far as you got. You had hoped she would at least invite you in for a
Floyd | coffee. Indeed, for a moment you thought she seemed just on the point
Floyd | of doing so, but then all she said was, "Thank you - it was good to
Floyd | talk." Just before she turned away to let herself in, she added, "I'll

Floyd | see you around." Then she disappeared inside, leaving you standing in
Floyd | the street as if you could not possibly have expected anything else.
Floyd |
Floyd | You have arrived at your destination.
Floyd |

Floyd | You select a large round stone and take that.
Floyd |

Floyd | She lives at number 18. It's three storeys tall, but otherwise a
Floyd | perfectly ordinary block of flats, especially by night, and you can't
Floyd | recall ever having seen it by day. As you might expect, there's a
Floyd | doorbell by the door.
Floyd |

Floyd | You ring the bell for flat G, but no one answers.
Floyd |

Floyd | The street door is locked.
Floyd |

Floyd | You need a key to unlock the street door.
Floyd |

Floyd | (first taking the small silver key)
Floyd | That doesn't seem to fit the lock.
Floyd |

Floyd | You can't see any such thing.
Floyd |

Floyd | It looks extremely solid, as if particularly designed to keep burglars
Floyd | out, but at least there's a doorbell next to it, as well as a large

Floyd | number 18 on it.
Floyd |

Floyd | If she's not at home, her office would be the next obvious place to
Floyd | try. It's at 12 Devon Road, in the northeast part of the city.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going to Her Office)

Floyd | (going east)
Floyd |
Floyd | Junction of Sussex Street and Gladstone Terrace.
Floyd | This junction would be well-lit even without the moonlight. Sussex
Floyd | Street continues to north and south while Gladstone Terrace leads off
Floyd | to the west. Further north the street runs along the west bank of the

Floyd | river, but just here the river bends towards the southeast and parts
Floyd | company with the road.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going north)
Floyd |

Floyd | Sussex Street (north)
Floyd | A row of large Edwardian town houses lines the west side of the street,
Floyd | overlooking the river to the east. The houses are all in darkness, and
Floyd | the street deserted, making it all seem not quite real. Sussex Street
Floyd | continues north to the Embankment and south towards the junction with
Floyd | Gladstone Terrace.

Floyd |

Floyd | (going north)
Floyd |
Floyd | Embankment

Floyd | The Embankment is the name given to this short stretch of road by
Floyd | Mandlebury Bridge, which spans the river to the east. To the west the
Floyd | Embankment is lined by a row of shops; to the north it becomes York
Floyd | Street, while to the south it runs into Sussex Street.
Floyd |
Floyd | A distant clock strikes the quarter-hour; time is marching on.

Floyd |

Floyd | (going east)
Floyd | As you're about to step onto the bridge, you happen to glance up and
Floyd | notice a CCTV camera fixed to a nearby lamp-post. If there are police
Floyd | still in the city, they might see you walk past it, and you'd much

Floyd | rather they didn't, since they'd probably try to make you leave.
Floyd |

Floyd | You hesitate; throwing things at CCTV cameras is the kind of loutish
Floyd | behaviour you've always disapproved of. But tonight of all nights may
Floyd | be a night for bending the rules. The large stone leaves your hand and
Floyd | hits the end of the camera, knocking it so that it now points over the
Floyd | river, into which the stone falls. You have joined the ranks of the
Floyd | louts.

Floyd |

Floyd | (going east)

Floyd | Mandlebury Bridge
Floyd | It's strange - almost unnatural - to see this bridge so deserted.
Floyd | You're more used to seeing it jammed with slow-moving rush-hour
Floyd | traffic, or at least a steady flow. But now there's nothing here apart
Floyd | from the bare tarmac, the street lights (one of which now has a large
Floyd | placard attached to it), the stone parapet, and the river sliding

Floyd | silently past below.
Floyd |
Floyd | It suddenly strikes you that you have, just once before, seen the
Floyd | bridge this deserted - a night burned on your memory. You were walking
Floyd | home from a late party - if only you had left that party a few minutes
Floyd | earlier you might have arrived here just in time to stop Kate falling

Floyd | to her death.
Floyd |

Floyd | It reads
Floyd |

Floyd | EVACUATION NOTICE
Floyd | An Unknown Enemy is coming! They are expected to arrive by nightfall.
Floyd | For your own safety, please ensure that you are well clear of the city
Floyd | before dusk. Extra trains are being laid on for those without any other
Floyd | transport. In case of difficulty, contact the police.
Floyd |

Floyd | I didn't understand that sentence.
Floyd |

Floyd | You have, just once before, seen the bridge this deserted - a night
Floyd | burned on your memory. You were walking home from a late party - if
Floyd | only you had left that party a few minutes earlier you might have
Floyd | arrived here just in time to stop Kate falling to her death.

Floyd | (going east)
Floyd |
Floyd | Mandlebury Road (West)
Floyd | At this point Mandlebury Road is a broad, well-lit street, bordering
Floyd | the shadowy entrance to Mandlebury Park just to the north, and a
Floyd | traditional fish and chip shop to the south. The street continues east

Floyd | towards the city centre and west over Mandlebury Bridge.
Floyd |
Floyd | An old newspaper lies abandoned just outside the fish and chip shop.
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear the sound of a car engine and see a pair of headlights
Floyd | approaching rapidly from the east.

Floyd |

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
Floyd |

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.

Floyd |

Floyd | You step into the shadows of the park entrance just in time to avoid
Floyd | being caught in the beam of the approaching car's headlamps. You stand
Floyd | to watch as the car drives past onto Mandlebury Bridge. As it passes

Floyd | under the street lights in Mandlebury Road you can see that it's a
Floyd | police car. Your first thought is that it has been sent to investigate
Floyd | the CCTV camera you just knocked with that stone, but then it occurs to
Floyd | you it might just be out looking for stragglers left behind in the
Floyd | city. In either case, it seems a good idea to keep out of its way, so
Floyd | you carry on into the park.

Floyd |
Floyd | Mandlebury Park
Floyd | Although you've often been here in daylight, you've never visited the
Floyd | park by night before, and it looks quite different by moonlight. By day
Floyd | it's a pleasant, green open space overlooking the river to the west,
Floyd | but now it's shrouded in sinister black, cold and unwelcoming. The main

Floyd | exit onto Mandlebury Road lies to the south, but there's also a narrow
Floyd | lane off to the east leading to the High Street.
Floyd |
Floyd | When time permits you often come here to eat your lunch on the park
Floyd | bench. On one such occasion about four years ago you saw her jogging
Floyd | past on a circuit of the park. The second time round, much to your

Floyd | delight, she stopped to catch her breath and chat. You can't remember a
Floyd | great deal of the conversation - you were just so pleased to be talking
Floyd | with her - but you do remember she was enthusing about some book she'd
Floyd | just read.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Have you read any Stanilev?" she asked.

Floyd |
Floyd | "I've never heard of him," you admitted.
Floyd |
Floyd | "He's a great thinker, you should read him, you really should," she
Floyd | urged you, "Until I read him I never realized anyone else could feel
Floyd | that way. It was so liberating!"

Floyd |
Floyd | But though you promised her you'd look out for a copy of Stanilev's
Floyd | book, somehow you never got round to it.
Floyd |

Floyd | Although you can scarcely make out more than its outline now, you know

Floyd | it to be an old wooden bench, well weathered by years of exposure to
Floyd | the elements.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's a roar overhead. Perhaps it's just a jet airliner, but perhaps
Floyd | it's a warplane, or even an incoming missile. You pause, unconsciously
Floyd | holding your breath as you listen to its approach. But then, at last,

Floyd | it fades away: not a missile, then, at any rate.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Mandlebury Road (West)

Floyd | At this point Mandlebury Road is a broad, well-lit street, bordering
Floyd | the shadowy entrance to Mandlebury Park just to the north, and a
Floyd | traditional fish and chip shop to the south. The street continues east
Floyd | towards the city centre and west over Mandlebury Bridge.
Floyd |
Floyd | An old newspaper lies abandoned just outside the fish and chip shop.

Floyd |

Floyd | You pick up the old newspaper, fumbling a little as you try to keep the
Floyd | separate sheets together while they resist your efforts with the most
Floyd | stubborn display of the innate cussedness of inanimate objects. You

Floyd | eventually manage to tame it, with the surviving sheets forced into a
Floyd | reasonable semblance of order.
Floyd |

Floyd | Most of it is missing, and the rest of it is at least several weeks

Floyd | old. Apart from the grease stains testifying to its use as a
Floyd | fish-and-chips wrapper, it is full of the usual bad news about
Floyd | undesirable things on the increase: inflation, unemployment, taxes,
Floyd | crime, global warming; according to one columnist, there's even a sharp
Floyd | rise in severe personality disorders among the under thirties. The sole
Floyd | surviving page of foreign news is no cheerier, since it bemoans

Floyd | increasing tension in the Middle East coupled with the danger of former
Floyd | Soviet republics selling nuclear weapons on the black market.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going east)
Floyd |
Floyd | City Centre
Floyd | The junction where the High Street crosses Mandlebury Road is generally

Floyd | reckoned to be the central point of the city. From here the High Street
Floyd | runs north up past your office and south towards Preston Bridge and the
Floyd | ring road, while Mandlebury Road runs east towards the police station
Floyd | and west towards the river. Most of the buildings on the junction are
Floyd | closed up, but the supermarket on the northeast corner is partly lit,
Floyd | and lights are blazing from Morgans Bank to the southwest.

Floyd |

Floyd | (going east)
Floyd |
Floyd | Mandlebury Road (East)

Floyd | A large car park lies immediately to the south, while Church Street
Floyd | forks off to the northeast. Mandlebury Road continues to both east
Floyd | (past the Police Station) and west (back to the City Centre).
Floyd |

Floyd | (going northeast)

Floyd |
Floyd | Church Street
Floyd | Church Street runs up the hill to the northeast and down to the
Floyd | southwest past rows of prickly bushes, while directly to the north a
Floyd | lych-gate leads through to St Michael's church yard.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going northeast)
Floyd | Church Street Bus Stop

Floyd | The bus stop stands at the junction of Church Street, which runs
Floyd | northeast and southwest from here, and School Lane, which leads off to
Floyd | the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | A drunken tramp is staggering around in the middle of the street,
Floyd | singing loudly and tunelessly.

Floyd |
Floyd | There are many bus-stops in the city, but only this one holds special
Floyd | memories for you. As a teenager you often used to wait here for your
Floyd | bus home from school. It was on her route home, too, and though she
Floyd | took a different bus from yours, you'd sometimes spot her on her bus
Floyd | when it stopped here. Once or twice she spotted you too, and then she'd

Floyd | always smile and wave, as if you were some long-lost friend. And even
Floyd | as a teenager she was so pretty!
Floyd |
Floyd | The tramp sways unsteadily on his feet, and stares in your direction,
Floyd | as if willing his eyes to focus.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going northeast)
Floyd | The drunken tramp staggers into your path, grabs your arm and says "I
Floyd | must have a drink." He seems determined not to let you pass until he
Floyd | gets what he wants.
Floyd |

Floyd | "Do I take it you'd like something to drink?" you enquire.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hallelujah, the man has more than one brain cell!" the tramp replies.

Floyd |

Floyd | The tramp sways unsteadily on his feet. "Spare some change, mate?" he
Floyd | asks hopefully.
Floyd |

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
Floyd |

Floyd | There's a brief but vicious scuffle, in which you fail to make much
Floyd | impression on him.
Floyd |
Floyd | From somewhere across the city a clock chimes the half-hour.

Floyd |

Floyd | (going to the Supermarket)
Floyd | It looks like you'll have to go back and find another route.

Floyd |
Floyd | The tramp points down the hill. "There's a church down there" he says,
Floyd | "I used to sing in the choir. Would you believe that?" He starts to
Floyd | sing in a distorted parody of plain-chant, "Dies irae, dies illa,
Floyd | solvet saeclum in favilla!" and then offers the following translation:
Floyd | "That day of wrath, when fucking everything ends in ashes."

Floyd |

Floyd | The tramp scratches his head, as if deeply puzzled by your remark. "The
Floyd | whole world is coming to an end, so let's get drunk!" he suggests.
Floyd |

Floyd | It looks like you'll have to go back and find another route.
Floyd |
Floyd | The tramp points down the hill. "There's a church down there" he says,

Floyd | "I used to sing in the choir. Would you believe that?" He starts to
Floyd | sing in a distorted parody of plain-chant, "Dies irae, dies illa,
Floyd | solvet saeclum in favilla!" and then offers the following translation:
Floyd | "That day of wrath, when fucking everything ends in ashes."
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Church Street

Floyd | Church Street runs up the hill to the northeast and down to the
Floyd | southwest past rows of prickly bushes, while directly to the north a
Floyd | lych-gate leads through to St Michael's church yard.
Floyd |

Floyd | Churchyard
Floyd | A churchyard by moonlight is always a little spooky, but it is doubly

Floyd | so tonight, with the city so deserted. The gravestones are little more
Floyd | than looming shadows in the dark; the great bulk of St Michael's Church
Floyd | is just to the north, while the lych-gate to the south leads back out
Floyd | to Church Street.
Floyd |
Floyd | Kate's grave is somewhere here among the others; you used to visit it

Floyd | often. You'll never forget the shock you received when you came one day
Floyd | only a few weeks after Kate's funeral to find the grave desecrated. At
Floyd | least, someone had knocked over the headstone and smashed it, and the
Floyd | flowers were all torn up and strewn around. The police never did catch
Floyd | the culprits, and put it down to local hooligans, but that never seemed
Floyd | quite satisfactory somehow; why should it be Kate's grave that was

Floyd | attacked in this way?
Floyd |
Floyd | It's long since been put right, of course, but the memory of the broken
Floyd | gravestone still leaves a sour taste in your mouth. Kate deserved
Floyd | better than that - much better.
Floyd |

Floyd | It's too dark to make any of them out individually, but you know Kate's
Floyd | is among them somewhere, and you'd have no difficulty finding it in the
Floyd | light.
Floyd |

Floyd | Nave
Floyd | St Michael's has a large nave, built at a time when Victorian
Floyd | congregations were booming. The original wooden pews are still here,
Floyd | facing the chancel to the east, as is the original Victorian stained

Floyd | glass, all but invisible in the poor light. The way out is to the
Floyd | south, next to the large stone font at the rear of the church.
Floyd |
Floyd | You remember when you came here for Kate's funeral, just over six years
Floyd | ago. She was sitting up in one of the front pews, quite unaware of your
Floyd | presence, although your eyes kept wandering to the back of her head. At

Floyd | some appropriate point in the service she went up to the lectern and
Floyd | made some thoroughly fitting speech about the tragically early death of
Floyd | her dear friend Kate, who had had a wonderful life ahead of her. You
Floyd | can't remember precisely what she said; what you remember is how solemn
Floyd | and composed she was as she spoke, saying just the right things in just
Floyd | the right sombre tone, without ever giving way to emotion and tears.

Floyd |

Floyd | The chancel is to the east, set off from the nave for the use of choir
Floyd | and clergy.

Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Chancel
Floyd | Raised slightly above the Nave, which lies just to the west, much of
Floyd | the space in the Chancel is taken up by the choir stalls on either side
Floyd | and the altar at the east end. A small wooden door is set in the wall
Floyd | on the north side of the altar.

Floyd |

Floyd | The altar is currently quite bare, the altar furniture no doubt locked
Floyd | away to protect it from burglaries.
Floyd |

Floyd | (first trying to open the small wooden door)
Floyd | The small wooden door is locked.
Floyd |

Floyd | It may be small, but it looks pretty solid, with large iron hinges and
Floyd | an arched shape at the top. It's currently closed.
Floyd |

Floyd | That doesn't seem to fit the lock.
Floyd |

Floyd | You knock on the small wooden door, but there is no response.
Floyd |

Floyd | Two rows of dark wooden stalls line either side of the chancel.
Floyd |

Floyd | The choir stalls is empty.
Floyd |

Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |

Floyd | You get into the choir stalls.
Floyd |

Floyd | You get out of the choir stalls.
Floyd |

Floyd | Chancel
Floyd | Raised slightly above the Nave, which lies just to the west, much of
Floyd | the space in the Chancel is taken up by the choir stalls on either side
Floyd | and the altar at the east end. A small wooden door is set in the wall
Floyd | on the north side of the altar.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Nave
Floyd | St Michael's has a large nave, built at a time when Victorian
Floyd | congregations were booming. The original wooden pews are still here,

Floyd | facing the chancel to the east, as is the original Victorian stained
Floyd | glass, all but invisible in the poor light. The way out is to the
Floyd | south, next to the large stone font at the rear of the church.
Floyd |

Floyd | It's a large round font, made of stone, and covered by a wooden lid.
Floyd |

Floyd | Removing the lid reveals a large iron key in the font.
Floyd |

Floyd | Just a little reluctantly, you lift the iron key from its naively
Floyd | trusting hiding place, where it was perhaps left for the use of a
Floyd | church cleaner or some dear old lady coming to arrange the flowers.

Floyd | You're not that eager to add robbing churches to your achievements.
Floyd |

Floyd | (first putting the lid back on the font)
Floyd |
Floyd | Chancel
Floyd | Raised slightly above the Nave, which lies just to the west, much of
Floyd | the space in the Chancel is taken up by the choir stalls on either side
Floyd | and the altar at the east end. A small wooden door is set in the wall

Floyd | on the north side of the altar.
Floyd |

Floyd | You unlock the small wooden door.
Floyd |

Floyd | As a distant clock chimes quarter to the hour, it occurs to you it
Floyd | might be time to pay a visit to her office.
Floyd |

Floyd | You open the small wooden door.

Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Vestry
Floyd | A plain wooden table runs under the window of this small, narrow room,

Floyd | with an old-fashioned safe set into the opposite wall. The only way out
Floyd | is via the door to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the table is a large blue diary.
Floyd |

Floyd | (first taking the large blue diary)
Floyd | You flick through the diary. It's mainly a record of services and
Floyd | parish meetings, but you find an entry from two days ago that catches
Floyd | your eye: "Meet DS at KA 2 pm". "KA" is likely to be the Kings Arms,
Floyd | the pub in the High Street.
Floyd |

Floyd | All you can see of it is the green-painted metal door set into the
Floyd | wall. It's unlikely to contain anything of interest, just crosses,
Floyd | candlesticks and communion wafers.

Floyd |

Floyd | The safe is locked.
Floyd |

Floyd | That doesn't seem to fit the lock.
Floyd |

Floyd | That doesn't seem to fit the lock.

Floyd |

Floyd | Dropped.
Floyd |

Floyd | Vestry
Floyd | A plain wooden table runs under the window of this small, narrow room,
Floyd | with an old-fashioned safe set into the opposite wall. The only way out
Floyd | is via the door to the south.

Floyd |
Floyd | You can see a large blue diary here.
Floyd |

Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |

Floyd | The window looks out over part of the churchyard.
Floyd |

Floyd | You can't see any such thing.
Floyd |

Floyd | Which do you mean, the small wooden door or the safe?
Floyd |

Floyd | All you can see of it is the green-painted metal door set into the
Floyd | wall. It's unlikely to contain anything of interest, just crosses,

Floyd | candlesticks and communion wafers.
Floyd |

Floyd | It may be small, but it looks pretty solid, with large iron hinges and
Floyd | an arched shape at the top. It's currently open

Floyd |

Floyd | You can't see any such thing.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Chancel
Floyd | Raised slightly above the Nave, which lies just to the west, much of
Floyd | the space in the Chancel is taken up by the choir stalls on either side
Floyd | and the altar at the east end. A small wooden door is set in the wall
Floyd | on the north side of the altar.

Floyd |

Floyd | You close the small wooden door.
Floyd |

Floyd | You lock the small wooden door.
Floyd |

Floyd |

Floyd | Nave
Floyd | St Michael's has a large nave, built at a time when Victorian
Floyd | congregations were booming. The original wooden pews are still here,
Floyd | facing the chancel to the east, as is the original Victorian stained
Floyd | glass, all but invisible in the poor light. The way out is to the
Floyd | south, next to the large stone font at the rear of the church.

Floyd |
Floyd | Somewhere in the distance a dog barks. You're not sure whether it's a
Floyd | local stray or the advance guard of the enemy, perhaps using dogs to
Floyd | flush out anyone remaining in the city. After a short while the barking
Floyd | stops.
Floyd |

Floyd | The font is closed.
Floyd |

Floyd | You pick up the round wooden lid and examine it.
Floyd |
Floyd | It's made of some dark wood, and looks both well-worn and solid.
Floyd |

Floyd | You put the large iron key into the font.
Floyd |

Floyd | (first putting the lid back on the font)
Floyd |

Floyd | Churchyard
Floyd | A churchyard by moonlight is always a little spooky, but it is doubly
Floyd | so tonight, with the city so deserted. The gravestones are little more
Floyd | than looming shadows in the dark; the great bulk of St Michael's Church
Floyd | is just to the north, while the lych-gate to the south leads back out
Floyd | to Church Street.

Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Church Street
Floyd | Church Street runs up the hill to the northeast and down to the

Floyd | southwest past rows of prickly bushes, while directly to the north a
Floyd | lych-gate leads through to St Michael's church yard.
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear the sound of a car, and see headlights approach, so you
Floyd | instinctively dive into the shadows. A police patrol car drives past
Floyd | again, hopefully not looking for you, but you don't want them to see

Floyd | you.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going to the Supermarket)
Floyd | [To continue an existing journey you can use the command CONTINUE or

Floyd | just C]
Floyd | (going southwest)
Floyd |
Floyd | Mandlebury Road (East)
Floyd | A large car park lies immediately to the south, while Church Street
Floyd | forks off to the northeast. Mandlebury Road continues to both east

Floyd | (past the Police Station) and west (back to the City Centre).
Floyd |

Floyd | (going west)
Floyd |

Floyd | City Centre
Floyd | The junction where the High Street crosses Mandlebury Road is generally
Floyd | reckoned to be the central point of the city. From here the High Street
Floyd | runs north up past your office and south towards Preston Bridge and the
Floyd | ring road, while Mandlebury Road runs east towards the police station
Floyd | and west towards the river. Most of the buildings on the junction are

Floyd | closed up, but the supermarket on the northeast corner is partly lit,
Floyd | and lights are blazing from Morgans Bank to the southwest.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going northeast)

Floyd | The supermarket is all locked up; you can't get in.
Floyd |

Floyd | The supermarket occupies the entire corner on which it stands, and was
Floyd | seemingly designed by an architect desperate to win the International

Floyd | Bland Building of the Millennium contest. Through its plate glass
Floyd | window you can see the front part of the shop is partially lit, perhaps
Floyd | as a security measure. An unmistakeable security measure is the burglar
Floyd | mounted just above the entrance.
Floyd |

Floyd | It's a square, red box with "Metro Alarms" printed on it.
Floyd |

Floyd | Through the window you can see the partly-lit interior of the shop,
Floyd | with a rack of budget CDs prominently displayed near the front.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going to the Lounge Bar)
Floyd | (going south)

Floyd |
Floyd | High Street (South)
Floyd | The High Street runs north to the City Centre and continues to the
Floyd | south. A narrow alley runs off to the east, opposite a newsagent to the
Floyd | west.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going south)
Floyd | High Street (Outside Hairdressers and Pub)

Floyd | Amongst the various buildings lining the street here you particularly
Floyd | notice two: the glass-fronted Ladies' Hairdresser to the east and the
Floyd | mock-Tudor olde worlde pub - the Kings Arms - which stands directly
Floyd | opposite it to the west. The High Street continues to both north and
Floyd | south.
Floyd |

Floyd | You'll never forget the terrible shock you got when you happened to be
Floyd | passing this way not long after Kate's funeral (which had left you
Floyd | feeling pretty down in any case). She (not Kate - she) had stepped out
Floyd | of the Hairdressers, and for a moment you almost failed to recognize
Floyd | her, she'd had her hair cut so dreadfully short. You hated it at once;
Floyd | she'd had such a glorious mane of long dark hair, but this - well, it

Floyd | must have shown in your face, since she remarked, more than a little
Floyd | snippily. "I thought it was time for a change", and then stalked off up
Floyd | the street before you could reply.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the event she must have agreed with your judgement, though, since
Floyd | she never had her hair cut like that again; instead the way she let it

Floyd | grow longer year by year suggested she hardly had it cut again at all.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going west)
Floyd | It seems that the Kings Arms is one more place left open in the rush to

Floyd | flee the city. You walk inside without any difficulty.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lounge Bar
Floyd | The interior of the Kings Arms matches its exterior, going for an olde
Floyd | worlde feel. On balance, you consider that a good thing, since even if
Floyd | the old-fashioned rustic look is largely a bogus marketing creation,

Floyd | the Lounge Bar of the Kings Arms at least feels as if it has some kind
Floyd | of character beyond the plastic blandness imposed by all too many
Floyd | soulless breweries. Besides, you really rather like the cosy feel the
Floyd | exposed wooden beams give to the place, and the way it divides the
Floyd | space into irregular nooks and crannies.
Floyd |

Floyd | The bar must have been evacuated in a hurry, since half the lights have
Floyd | been left on, the street exit to the east has been left wide open, and
Floyd | the counter left unattended.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the bar counter are a matchbook and a bar mat.
Floyd |

Floyd | You met her here about three years ago. You'd been giving her some
Floyd | routine legal advice on the phone, and you'd managed to drop the
Floyd | suggestion of a drink into the conversation. A little to your surprise
Floyd | she'd agreed, and that evening, you only had to wait for about five
Floyd | minutes before she walked in, spotted you from across the bar and came
Floyd | and joined you at your table.

Floyd |
Floyd | "Tell me," she said, once you'd bought her a drink and you'd both
Floyd | settled down for a chat, "What would you like to be remembered for?"
Floyd |
Floyd | "I'm not sure I'd ever given it much thought," you replied, "I suppose
Floyd | I'd be pretty content to be remembered as a decent sort of bloke."

Floyd |
Floyd | "Oh, I'm sure you'll be remembered for that, David!" she laughed, "But
Floyd | I've been thinking; how sad it must be to pass through life and never
Floyd | leave any kind of impression."
Floyd |
Floyd | "You seem to have made quite an impression round here already," you

Floyd | remarked.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Maybe -- but is it enough?" she wondered, "There are times when I feel
Floyd | that whatever I do, it's never quite enough!"
Floyd |
Floyd | "It sounds like you're demanding too much of yourself," you suggested.

Floyd |
Floyd | For a moment she stared at you, as if pondering how best to respond to
Floyd | this idea. Then she suddenly brightened, briskly changing the subject,
Floyd | "Sorry, I'm sure you don't want to hear about my existential angst all
Floyd | evening --  so, tell me about your day."
Floyd |

Floyd | So you did, and from there the conversation wandered on to other
Floyd | topics, till she quite suddenly announced that she had to leave.
Floyd |
Floyd | You have arrived at your destination.
Floyd |

Floyd | matchbook: You pick up the matchbook and examine it.
Floyd |
Floyd | It's the sort of matchbook you see all over the place used to advertise
Floyd | the establishment that handed it out; from the front cover it's

Floyd | apparent that it must have come from the Grand Hotel (in Market
Floyd | Street). This one has no matches left in it, but inside someone has
Floyd | doodled:
Floyd |
Floyd |       H
Floyd | MASTEMA

Floyd |   H   C
Floyd |   E   K
Floyd |   D   E
Floyd |  TEMPTRESS
Floyd |   V     C
Floyd |  MILLIONAIRE

Floyd |   L     M
Floyd |
Floyd | bar mat: You pick up the bar mat and examine it.
Floyd |
Floyd | The front of it bears a crude depiction of the Kings Arms, and a slogan
Floyd | advertising "Mottles Real Ale". On the back someone has scribbled:

Floyd | "2M -> Uzbekistan
Floyd |
Floyd | arm's deal?
Floyd |
Floyd | whats the plan?"

Floyd |

Floyd | Lounge Bar
Floyd | The interior of the Kings Arms matches its exterior, going for an olde
Floyd | worlde feel. On balance, you consider that a good thing, since even if

Floyd | the old-fashioned rustic look is largely a bogus marketing creation,
Floyd | the Lounge Bar of the Kings Arms at least feels as if it has some kind
Floyd | of character beyond the plastic blandness imposed by all too many
Floyd | soulless breweries. Besides, you really rather like the cosy feel the
Floyd | exposed wooden beams give to the place, and the way it divides the
Floyd | space into irregular nooks and crannies.

Floyd |
Floyd | The bar must have been evacuated in a hurry, since half the lights have
Floyd | been left on, the street exit to the east has been left wide open, and
Floyd | the counter left unattended.
Floyd |

Floyd | The usual selection of brandy, martini, gin, whisky, sherry and the
Floyd | like are on display behind the bar counter.
Floyd |
Floyd | From somewhere across the city a clock chimes the hour. Time may be
Floyd | starting to run out.

Floyd |

Floyd | You don't really like the idea of looting your local, but telling
Floyd | yourself that it's in a good cause you reach over the counter and take

Floyd | a bottle of scotch.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going to Church Street Bus Stop)
Floyd | (going east)
Floyd | You walk back out into the street.
Floyd |
Floyd | High Street (Outside Hairdressers and Pub)
Floyd | Amongst the various buildings lining the street here you particularly

Floyd | notice two: the glass-fronted Ladies' Hairdresser to the east and the
Floyd | mock-Tudor olde worlde pub - the Kings Arms - which stands directly
Floyd | opposite it to the west. The High Street continues to both north and
Floyd | south.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going north)
Floyd |
Floyd | High Street (South)
Floyd | The High Street runs north to the City Centre and continues to the

Floyd | south. A narrow alley runs off to the east, opposite a newsagent to the
Floyd | west.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going east)

Floyd |
Floyd | Car Park
Floyd | It's normally near impossible to find a parking space in this town
Floyd | centre car park at any time between 8 am and midnight, but now there's
Floyd | not a vehicle in sight. The main car park exit into Mandlebury Street
Floyd | is to the north, but there's also a narrow alley leading west to the

Floyd | High Street.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going north)
Floyd |

Floyd | Mandlebury Road (East)
Floyd | A large car park lies immediately to the south, while Church Street
Floyd | forks off to the northeast. Mandlebury Road continues to both east
Floyd | (past the Police Station) and west (back to the City Centre).
Floyd |

Floyd | (going northeast)
Floyd |
Floyd | Church Street
Floyd | Church Street runs up the hill to the northeast and down to the
Floyd | southwest past rows of prickly bushes, while directly to the north a

Floyd | lych-gate leads through to St Michael's church yard.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going northeast)

Floyd |
Floyd | Church Street Bus Stop
Floyd | The bus stop stands at the junction of Church Street, which runs
Floyd | northeast and southwest from here, and School Lane, which leads off to
Floyd | the south.
Floyd |

Floyd | A drunken tramp is staggering around in the middle of the street,
Floyd | singing loudly and tunelessly.
Floyd |
Floyd | You have arrived at your destination.
Floyd |
Floyd | The tramp staggers around, singing raucously, "Beautiful mushroom,

Floyd | cloud over me!"
Floyd |

Floyd | You hand the bottle to the tramp saying, "Here, mate; have this!"
Floyd |

Floyd | The tramp takes the bottle from your grasp and stares at it blearily
Floyd | for a few moments. Then he removes the top with his teeth and takes a
Floyd | large swig. "Thanks, mate; that's just the ticket!" he declares.
Floyd |
Floyd | Still singing, he staggers away, probably to be picked up by the police
Floyd | before long.

Floyd |

Floyd | (going to Her Office)
Floyd | (going northeast)
Floyd |

Floyd | Junction of Devon Road and Church Street
Floyd | This three-way road junction is well lit. Devon Road leads off to the
Floyd | north, Tilbury Road to the east, and Church Street to the southwest.
Floyd | Immediately to the south of the junction stands the High School you
Floyd | attended as a teenager.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going north)
Floyd |
Floyd | Devon Road (mid)

Floyd | Devon Road continues north and south between leafy gardens and the
Floyd | occasional small office. In the latter category is the student letting
Floyd | office where she works, which stands just to the east.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going east)
Floyd | (first trying to open the letting office door)
Floyd | The letting office door is locked.
Floyd |

Floyd | You unlock the letting office door.
Floyd |

Floyd | You open the letting office door.
Floyd |

Floyd | Her Office (in darkness)
Floyd | Too little light filters in from the outside for you to be able to see
Floyd | much in here apart from vague dark shapes, but you think the light
Floyd | switch is by the door. The way out is to the west.

Floyd |
Floyd | You've been here once or twice before; she's occasionally used your
Floyd | firm for legal advice. She set up in business here shortly after
Floyd | graduating, specializing in student lets. The business seems to have
Floyd | been moderately successful - at least, it's still going and she's not
Floyd | obviously poverty-stricken - but it's never grown, since she still

Floyd | works by herself after seven years at it.
Floyd |

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.

Floyd |

Floyd | You switch the light switch on.
Floyd |
Floyd | Her Office

Floyd | Her office is almost painfully tidy. The modern pine desk standing in
Floyd | the middle of the floor is quite uncluttered. Behind it on the back
Floyd | wall is a small safe, right next to an impressive collection of
Floyd | certificates. The sole door is out to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the modern pine desk are a blotter and a green telephone.

Floyd |

Floyd | On the blotter she has scribbled the words "Borodino Overture", and
Floyd | then a little further down "Home Office" and finally "No danger".
Floyd |

Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |

Floyd | It's of a clean, plain, modern design, large enough both to afford
Floyd | plenty of working space and to impart a certain status to its owner. A
Floyd | set of three drawers forms a pedestal down the right-hand side.
Floyd |

Floyd | On the modern pine desk are a blotter and a green telephone.
Floyd |

Floyd | You hesitate to start rifling through her desk; apart from a guilty
Floyd | feeling of sleazy dishonesty at behaving like a common burglar, you

Floyd | sense that searching her office drawers might be to cross the line from
Floyd | interest to infatuation; you are almost as much relieved as
Floyd | disappointed to find all the drawers locked.
Floyd |

Floyd | It's a standard handset.
Floyd |

Floyd | It's a standard-looking wall-safe, of the sort one might keep papers

Floyd | in, equipped with a combination dial.
Floyd |

Floyd | It's a large numbered dial, which can be turned to any of the digits 0
Floyd | to 99.

Floyd |

Floyd | Okay, you turn the dial to 88.
Floyd |

Floyd | Okay, you turn the dial to 46.
Floyd |

Floyd | Okay, you turn the dial to 26.

Floyd |

Floyd | (first trying to unlock the small safe)
Floyd | It looks like you'll need to use the dial to unlock the safe.
Floyd |

Floyd | From the look of it, the way to use the dial is to turn it to any
Floyd | number between 0 and 99.
Floyd |

Floyd | You can't see any such thing.
Floyd |

Floyd | The certificates show a range of her achievements, but her degree
Floyd | certificate is conspicuous by its absence.

Floyd |

Floyd | The certificates are not your immediate concern.

Floyd |

Floyd | "Borodino Overture"  -  With a chuckle you realize that these words
Floyd | point to precisely the same number as "Home Office", which, after all,
Floyd | probably doesn't refer to the government department.
Floyd |

Floyd | Okay, you turn the dial to 18.
Floyd |

Floyd | As you turn the dial to 12 you hear a faint click.

Floyd |

Floyd | The safe door swings open easily. She did mean you to open it, you tell
Floyd | yourself, otherwise she wouldn't have sent you the key to her office

Floyd | and left that clue on the blotter.
Floyd |
Floyd | Inside the safe you see a small brass key and some miscellaneous
Floyd | papers.
Floyd |
Floyd | The green phone suddenly starts ringing.

Floyd |

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
Floyd |

Floyd | You pick up the green telephone.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hello, I am just checking that the delivery of the merchandise was
Floyd | satisfactory. Central car park, as we agreed - you know what to do
Floyd | now?" asks a slightly accented voice.
Floyd |

Floyd | "Hello," you reply, trying to place the accent, "Who is this? I'm
Floyd | afraid..."
Floyd |
Floyd | "I am sorry, I must have a wrong number." the phone abruptly goes dead
Floyd | again.
Floyd |

Floyd | You replace the receiver, still trying to place the accent. It sounded
Floyd | vaguely Russian.
Floyd |
Floyd | As a clock chimes the quarter-hour you hear a dreadful scream from not
Floyd | far away. Your heart races momentarily until you realize it's just the
Floyd | yowling from a cat-fight.

Floyd |

Floyd | small brass key: You pick up the small brass key and examine it.
Floyd |
Floyd | It's the kind of small brass house key that might unlock any of a
Floyd | billion homes. On it is stamped "18G".
Floyd |
Floyd | miscellaneous papers: You pick up the miscellaneous papers and examine

Floyd | them.
Floyd |
Floyd | They appear to relate to her letting business; you look through them
Floyd | quickly, but without knowing what you're looking for it's hard to find
Floyd | anything of interest.
Floyd |

Floyd | Among these otherwise uninteresting papers you discover a printed
Floyd | email.
Floyd |

Floyd | It's a printed copy of an email, addressed to her from one

Floyd | edward.dawlish@freegov.org. The main body of the email reads:
Floyd |
Floyd | > So I hope you will give very serious consideration to my
Floyd | > application to represent the party at the next general
Floyd | > election.

Floyd |
Floyd | We have given your CV and letter the most serious consideration but
Floyd | regret to inform you that we felt unable to add your name to our
Floyd | short-list of candidates. As I'm sure you will appreciate this has long
Floyd | been a safe seat, and we thus have an unusually strong field of
Floyd | potential candidates, many of whom already have considerable

Floyd | parliamentary experience.
Floyd |
Floyd | > I have been active in many aspects of local life,
Floyd | > and I believe this makes me uniquely well suited
Floyd | > to represent this community.

Floyd |
Floyd | Your participation and achievements in the life of this city have
Floyd | indeed been remarkable, and we recognize that. We accordingly feel you
Floyd | would make an *excellent* candidate for the city council, and very much
Floyd | hope you will consider offering yourself as a candidate for the
Floyd | forthcoming local elections (we could virtually guarantee to find you a

Floyd | winnable ward). Any experience gained as a local councillor would also
Floyd | stand you in very good stead should you wish to pursue parliamentary
Floyd | ambitions at some later date.
Floyd |
Floyd | The email is dated about two years ago. At the bottom of it is written
Floyd | in large red letters: "NO!".

Floyd |

Floyd | You switch the light switch off.

Floyd |
Floyd | It is now pitch dark in here!
Floyd |

Floyd |

Floyd | Devon Road (mid)
Floyd | Devon Road continues north and south between leafy gardens and the
Floyd | occasional small office. In the latter category is the student letting
Floyd | office where she works, which stands just to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | Out of the corner of your eye you catch a fleeting glimpse of someone

Floyd | walking off into the distance to the north. You're not sure if it was
Floyd | her or not. You're not even sure it wasn't just a trick of the light.
Floyd |

Floyd | You close the letting office door.

Floyd |
Floyd | You lock the letting office door.
Floyd |

Floyd | (Gladstone Terrace)
Floyd | (going south)
Floyd |

Floyd | Junction of Devon Road and Church Street
Floyd | This three-way road junction is well lit. Devon Road leads off to the
Floyd | north, Tilbury Road to the east, and Church Street to the southwest.
Floyd | Immediately to the south of the junction stands the High School you
Floyd | attended as a teenager.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going southwest)
Floyd |
Floyd | Church Street Bus Stop
Floyd | The bus stop stands at the junction of Church Street, which runs
Floyd | northeast and southwest from here, and School Lane, which leads off to
Floyd | the south.

Floyd |

Floyd | (going southwest)
Floyd |
Floyd | Church Street

Floyd | Church Street runs up the hill to the northeast and down to the
Floyd | southwest past rows of prickly bushes, while directly to the north a
Floyd | lych-gate leads through to St Michael's church yard.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going southwest)
Floyd |
Floyd | Mandlebury Road (East)
Floyd | A large car park lies immediately to the south, while Church Street

Floyd | forks off to the northeast. Mandlebury Road continues to both east
Floyd | (past the Police Station) and west (back to the City Centre).
Floyd |

Floyd | (going west)
Floyd |
Floyd | City Centre
Floyd | The junction where the High Street crosses Mandlebury Road is generally
Floyd | reckoned to be the central point of the city. From here the High Street
Floyd | runs north up past your office and south towards Preston Bridge and the

Floyd | ring road, while Mandlebury Road runs east towards the police station
Floyd | and west towards the river. Most of the buildings on the junction are
Floyd | closed up, but the supermarket on the northeast corner is partly lit,
Floyd | and lights are blazing from Morgans Bank to the southwest.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going west)
Floyd |
Floyd | Mandlebury Road (West)
Floyd | At this point Mandlebury Road is a broad, well-lit street, bordering
Floyd | the shadowy entrance to Mandlebury Park just to the north, and a

Floyd | traditional fish and chip shop to the south. The street continues east
Floyd | towards the city centre and west over Mandlebury Bridge.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going west)
Floyd |
Floyd | Mandlebury Bridge
Floyd | It's strange - almost unnatural - to see this bridge so deserted.
Floyd | You're more used to seeing it jammed with slow-moving rush-hour
Floyd | traffic, or at least a steady flow. But now there's nothing here apart

Floyd | from the bare tarmac, the street lights (one of which now has a large
Floyd | placard attached to it), the stone parapet, and the river sliding
Floyd | silently past below.
Floyd |
Floyd | You distinctly hear someone sneeze in a nearby street, just off to the
Floyd | east.

Floyd |

Floyd | (going west)
Floyd |
Floyd | Embankment
Floyd | The Embankment is the name given to this short stretch of road by
Floyd | Mandlebury Bridge, which spans the river to the east. To the west the
Floyd | Embankment is lined by a row of shops; to the north it becomes York

Floyd | Street, while to the south it runs into Sussex Street.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going south)
Floyd |

Floyd | Sussex Street (north)
Floyd | A row of large Edwardian town houses lines the west side of the street,
Floyd | overlooking the river to the east. The houses are all in darkness, and
Floyd | the street deserted, making it all seem not quite real. Sussex Street
Floyd | continues north to the Embankment and south towards the junction with
Floyd | Gladstone Terrace.

Floyd |

Floyd | (going south)
Floyd |
Floyd | Junction of Sussex Street and Gladstone Terrace.

Floyd | This junction would be well-lit even without the moonlight. Sussex
Floyd | Street continues to north and south while Gladstone Terrace leads off
Floyd | to the west. Further north the street runs along the west bank of the
Floyd | river, but just here the river bends towards the southeast and parts
Floyd | company with the road.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going west)
Floyd | Gladstone Terrace
Floyd | This short cul-de-sac is noticeably less well lit than the main road
Floyd | just to the east; although the bright moonlight compensates for this

Floyd | somewhat, parts of the street lie in mysterious shadow. At its western
Floyd | end, the street terminates at the railway line, along the side of which
Floyd | lie a large number of loose stones. Just short of the tracks the block
Floyd | of flats where she lives stands on the south side of the street.
Floyd |
Floyd | For some reason you feel you are being watched. You're not quite sure

Floyd | what it was, perhaps a movement half-glimpsed out of the corner of your
Floyd | eye, but whatever it was you see nothing when you turn round to look.
Floyd | You stop and listen, and half-hear a single footstep disappearing to
Floyd | the east, but then everything is quiet.
Floyd |
Floyd | You have arrived at your destination.

Floyd |

Floyd | You unlock the street door.
Floyd |
Floyd | A distant clock chimes the half hour.

Floyd |

Floyd | You open the street door.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Hallway
Floyd | This communal hallway serves all the flats in the building. To east,
Floyd | west and south are the doors to flats 18A, 18B and 18C respectively,
Floyd | while a staircase leads up to the floor above. The street door is to

Floyd | the north.
Floyd |

Floyd | (the street door)
Floyd | You close the street door.

Floyd |

Floyd | You lock the street door.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Landing
Floyd | This small landing provide access to all the flats on this floor. To
Floyd | north, east, west and south are respectively the doors to flats 18D,
Floyd | 18E, 18F and 18G. The staircase leads back down to the floor below and

Floyd | up to the floor above.
Floyd |

Floyd | You unlock the door to flat 18G.
Floyd |

Floyd | You open the door to flat 18G.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Tiny Hall
Floyd | The hall is tiny, little more than an entrance lobby. There are rooms
Floyd | off to east, southeast, south and west, while her front door is to the
Floyd | north.
Floyd |

Floyd | You hardly notice any details at first; you are too struck by the
Floyd | potent mixture of excitement and guilt at having penetrated her private
Floyd | domain. For a moment or two you hold your breath, half-expecting her to
Floyd | burst out of one of the rooms to protest at your invasion, but the flat
Floyd | remains silent, and curiosity begins to overcome guilt.
Floyd |

Floyd | You close the front door.
Floyd |

Floyd | You lock the front door.
Floyd |

Floyd | Tiny Hall
Floyd | The hall is tiny, little more than an entrance lobby. There are rooms

Floyd | off to east, southeast, south and west, while her front door is to the
Floyd | north.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Bedroom
Floyd | You find yourself almost tip-toeing into the room, as if afraid to
Floyd | disturb her, or rather, as if afraid of being caught invading somewhere
Floyd | so private. The bedroom looks almost obsessively neat, with virtually
Floyd | nothing on view apart from the double bed that occupies about a third

Floyd | of the floor space, the bedside cabinet right next to it, and the doors
Floyd | to what is presumably a large built-in wardrobe in the north wall.
Floyd | You're not sure what you expected: probably something more exotic and
Floyd | more sensual, but this, while by no means utilitarian, is nonetheless
Floyd | somehow disappointing. Perhaps what's lacking is simply her.
Floyd |

Floyd | On the bedside cabinet is a black telephone.
Floyd |

Floyd | It's very neatly made, as if its owner had been trained as a nurse in
Floyd | an old-fashioned hospital. But what's most interesting is that it's a

Floyd | double, given that she lives alone. You wonder whether anyone else has
Floyd | slept there, and if so who.
Floyd |

Floyd | As you suspected, the owner of this bed is far too tidy to leave any

Floyd | clutter underneath it.
Floyd |

Floyd | (the bedside cabinet)
Floyd | It's a smart wooden cabinet with a single shallow drawer.

Floyd |
Floyd | On the bedside cabinet is a black telephone.
Floyd |

Floyd | You open the cabinet drawer, revealing a business card and a crumpled

Floyd | piece of paper.
Floyd |

Floyd | business card: You pick up the business card and examine it.

Floyd |
Floyd | It's one of her business cards. On the front is printed:
Floyd |
Floyd |  "The TAS Agency
Floyd |  Timely Accommodation for Students
Floyd |  12 Devon Road

Floyd |  01921 833758
Floyd |  tas@tas.co.uk"
Floyd |
Floyd | On the reverse side of the card another phone number has been written
Floyd | by hand: 01921 743589
Floyd |

Floyd | crumpled piece of paper: You pick up the crumpled piece of paper and
Floyd | examine it.
Floyd |
Floyd | It's her degree certificate, showing that she graduated with an
Floyd | excellent first class degree. Despite your best efforts to straighten
Floyd | it out, the certificate remains a bit scrumpled.

Floyd |
Floyd | The phone starts ringing.
Floyd |

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
Floyd |

Floyd | You pick up the black telephone.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hello," you say.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hello," answers a brisk voice, which you immediately recognize as
Floyd | hers, "I assumed you'd find your way into my flat. Look, we have to

Floyd | talk - the Enemy - well, I'll explain when I see you. I'll meet you at
Floyd | the hospital, but if I'm not there when you ..."
Floyd |
Floyd | At that moment the phone goes dead, and she's cut off.
Floyd |

Floyd | The wardrobe doors are locked, and you can't see where she's put the
Floyd | key.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Tiny Hall
Floyd | The hall is tiny, little more than an entrance lobby. There are rooms
Floyd | off to east, southeast, south and west, while her front door is to the

Floyd | north.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Kitchen

Floyd | The kitchen could hardly be neater and cleaner if it had just been
Floyd | prepared for a health and safety inspection. It is also compact and
Floyd | modern, with some smart kitchen units along two walls, and a small pine
Floyd | table off to one side. The way out back to the hall is to the north.
Floyd |

Floyd | Presumably this is where she eats, but from the modest size of the
Floyd | table you reckon she must mostly eat alone.
Floyd |

Floyd | Just the usual blend of cupboards and drawers to hold cooking and
Floyd | eating utensils. You're not really interested in pots and plates and
Floyd | pans right now, but of course you never know what you might find.
Floyd |

Floyd | The first few drawers you come to contain a collection of cooking
Floyd | utensils of no immediate use to you, but then you come to the cutlery
Floyd | drawer.
Floyd |
Floyd | You open the cutlery drawer, revealing a sharp kitchen knife.
Floyd |

Floyd | You pick up the sharp kitchen knife and examine it.
Floyd |
Floyd | It's a large, sturdy knife with a black handle and a long blade.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Tiny Hall
Floyd | The hall is tiny, little more than an entrance lobby. There are rooms

Floyd | off to east, southeast, south and west, while her front door is to the
Floyd | north.
Floyd |

Floyd |

Floyd | Bathroom
Floyd | The bathroom has all the usual fittings you'd expect. The way out is to
Floyd | the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gold ribbon adorns one wall of the bathroom, opposite the bath.
Floyd |

Floyd | One side of the ribbon is printed in large purple letters "Beauty Queen
Floyd | 1999"; the other is marked "Apollo Theatre".
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Tiny Hall
Floyd | The hall is tiny, little more than an entrance lobby. There are rooms

Floyd | off to east, southeast, south and west, while her front door is to the
Floyd | north.
Floyd |

Floyd |

Floyd | Living Room
Floyd | So this is where she relaxes. The living room is a good size, and is
Floyd | smartly furnished, as you would expect. A comfortable modern settee has
Floyd | been strategically placed to face the large flat screen television
Floyd | sitting in the corner, while a large black and white poster adorns one
Floyd | wall. The way out is to the east.

Floyd |
Floyd | On the mantelpiece are a menu, a familiar birthday card, a small gold
Floyd | trophy and a concert programme.
Floyd |

Floyd | (first taking the familiar birthday card)

Floyd | You recognize it at once. It is the card you sent her for her birthday
Floyd | a few weeks ago, a safe, arty kind of card that showed you were
Floyd | thinking of her without suggesting anything soppy. You're surprised,
Floyd | but highly gratified, that she should have kept it this long.
Floyd |

Floyd | It's a monochrome photograph of a painting depicting sunset over the
Floyd | city. You recognize it as the winning entry in a recent art
Floyd | competition; the original hangs in the Art Gallery Market Street. The
Floyd | black and white photo is not nearly so striking as the oil-colour
Floyd | original, but perhaps the original would be too overpowering for a

Floyd | living room - at least you always find it a bit disturbing to look at.
Floyd | The photograph differs from the original in another odd way: the
Floyd | signature in the bottom right-hand corner should be her name, but
Floyd | instead it looks like MASTEMA.
Floyd |

Floyd | (first taking the menu)
Floyd | It's a menu from Lafayette's (in York Street). The selection of food

Floyd | looks as appetizing as ever, but it's of purely academic interest since
Floyd | they obviously won't be serving anything there tonight. In any case, a
Floyd | closer look at the menu reveals that it's several weeks old; the date
Floyd | at the top was her birthday.
Floyd |

Floyd | You can't see any such thing.
Floyd |

Floyd | It's a menu from Lafayette's (in York Street). The selection of food
Floyd | looks as appetizing as ever, but it's of purely academic interest since
Floyd | they obviously won't be serving anything there tonight. In any case, a
Floyd | closer look at the menu reveals that it's several weeks old; the date
Floyd | at the top was her birthday.
Floyd |

Floyd | Living Room
Floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
Floyd |

Floyd | From the look of it, it's obviously a tennis trophy. This is in any
Floyd | case confirmed by the inscription on its base: "City Sports Ground
Floyd | Tennis Competition".
Floyd |

Floyd | (first taking the concert programme)
Floyd | It's a programme for a performance of The Marriage of Figaro at the
Floyd | Fairfax Hall. On the inside cover someone has pencilled "Voi che
Floyd | sapete? You know what that means! Well done indeed!"

Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Tiny Hall
Floyd | The hall is tiny, little more than an entrance lobby. There are rooms
Floyd | off to east, southeast, south and west, while her front door is to the
Floyd | north.
Floyd |

Floyd | (first unlocking the front door)
Floyd | You open the front door.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Landing
Floyd | This small landing provide access to all the flats on this floor. To
Floyd | north, east, west and south are respectively the doors to flats 18D,
Floyd | 18E, 18F and 18G. The staircase leads back down to the floor below and

Floyd | up to the floor above.
Floyd |
Floyd | It suddenly occurs to you that MASTEMA is an anagram of her name.
Floyd |

Floyd | (with the small brass key)
Floyd | (first closing the door to flat 18G)
Floyd | You lock the door to flat 18G.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Hallway
Floyd | This communal hallway serves all the flats in the building. To east,

Floyd | west and south are the doors to flats 18A, 18B and 18C respectively,
Floyd | while a staircase leads up to the floor above. The street door is to
Floyd | the north.
Floyd |

Floyd | (first unlocking the street door with the small brass key, then opening
Floyd | the street door)
Floyd |
Floyd | Gladstone Terrace
Floyd | This short cul-de-sac is noticeably less well lit than the main road
Floyd | just to the east; although the bright moonlight compensates for this

Floyd | somewhat, parts of the street lie in mysterious shadow. At its western
Floyd | end, the street terminates at the railway line, along the side of which
Floyd | lie a large number of loose stones. Just short of the tracks the block
Floyd | of flats where she lives stands on the south side of the street.
Floyd |
Floyd | You begin to feel you are being followed. You keep hearing footsteps

Floyd | behind you and seeing fleeting movements out of the corner of your eye

Floyd | when you look round. But every time you stop the footsteps stop, and
Floyd | you are left uncertain whether you're perceiving anything more than
Floyd | echoes and shadows.

Floyd |

Floyd | You don't need any more stones.
Floyd |

Floyd | (with the small brass key)
Floyd | (first closing the street door)
Floyd | You lock the street door.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going to the Hospital Reception)
Floyd | (going east)
Floyd |

Floyd | Junction of Sussex Street and Gladstone Terrace.
Floyd | This junction would be well-lit even without the moonlight. Sussex
Floyd | Street continues to north and south while Gladstone Terrace leads off
Floyd | to the west. Further north the street runs along the west bank of the
Floyd | river, but just here the river bends towards the southeast and parts
Floyd | company with the road.

Floyd |

Floyd | (going south)
Floyd |
Floyd | Sussex Street (south)

Floyd | Although so far as you know this part of the city never suffered any
Floyd | bomb damage, some group of town planners rapidly made up for the
Floyd | negligence of the Luftwaffe by tearing down whatever was here before
Floyd | and replacing it with a mass of soulless fifties architecture seemingly
Floyd | inspired by Soviet brutalism. The most striking eyesore is the City
Floyd | Hospital, which lies immediately to the east. Sussex Street continues

Floyd | to north and south.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going east)
Floyd | Hospital Reception

Floyd | Hospitals can be depressing places at the best of times, and
Floyd | considerable effort has been put into ensuring that this one is no
Floyd | exception. The flickering light from a couple of fluorescent tubes does
Floyd | nothing to help, but the drab seating in the waiting area is the
Floyd | clincher. Opposite this seating stands the reception desk, currently
Floyd | unstaffed. Corridors lead off in all directions to operating theatres,

Floyd | offices, and wards, but the only one that looks at all tempting is the
Floyd | one that leads back out to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the reception desk are a blue cassette and a brown telephone.
Floyd |
Floyd | You'll never forget waiting here, with her beside you, still wet from

Floyd | her misadventure and shaking from cold and shock. She made no objection
Floyd | when you put your arm round her, and even nestled her head on your
Floyd | shoulder, but there was nothing amorous about it, you were both worried
Floyd | sick about Kate and just looking for comfort. It didn't last all that
Floyd | long anyway, for it was only a few minutes until the doctor came out to
Floyd | confirm that Kate was dead.

Floyd |
Floyd | So then you spent the next few hours talking to the police.
Floyd |
Floyd | You have arrived at your destination.
Floyd |

Floyd | You pick up the blue cassette and examine it.
Floyd |
Floyd | It's just a standard tape cassette.
Floyd |

Floyd | You think you hear a helicopter over a distant quarter of the city, but
Floyd | before you can pinpoint the sound, it fades away.
Floyd |

Floyd | It's a rather large model, with lots of extra buttons.

Floyd |

Floyd | You see no reason to try doing that.
Floyd |

Floyd | The reception desk is a long, flat surface behind which there would
Floyd | normally be situated a receptionist busily engaged in keeping visitors
Floyd | from patients, patients from doctors, and useful information from
Floyd | absolutely everyone (with the possible exception of the police and
Floyd | security services). Right now, however, it is as deserted as everywhere
Floyd | else.

Floyd |
Floyd | On the reception desk is a brown telephone.
Floyd |

Floyd | On the reception desk is a brown telephone.

Floyd |

Floyd | There's no need to look behind anything.
Floyd |

Floyd | It's just a standard tape cassette.
Floyd |

Floyd | That Russian-sounding voice you heard when you picked up the green
Floyd | phone in her office said something about delivering some merchandise to
Floyd | the central car park; perhaps that would be worth checking out.
Floyd |
Floyd | The signature MASTEMA on the poster in her flat makes you curious; if
Floyd | you happen to be passing the local art gallery in Market Street you'd

Floyd | like to check what's on the original.
Floyd |
Floyd | It would be interesting to know the significance of the phone number
Floyd | scribbled on the back of her business card.
Floyd |

Floyd | Which do you mean, the familiar birthday card or the business card?
Floyd |

Floyd | It's one of her business cards. On the front is printed:
Floyd |

Floyd |  "The TAS Agency
Floyd |  Timely Accommodation for Students
Floyd |  12 Devon Road
Floyd |  01921 833758
Floyd |  tas@tas.co.uk"
Floyd |

Floyd | On the reverse side of the card another phone number has been written
Floyd | by hand: 01921 743589
Floyd |

Floyd | You pick up the phone but there's nothing: no dialling tone, no static,
Floyd | just silence. You try to recover a dialling tone, but the phone remains
Floyd | obstinately dead, so you replace the handset.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Sussex Street (south)
Floyd | Although so far as you know this part of the city never suffered any

Floyd | bomb damage, some group of town planners rapidly made up for the
Floyd | negligence of the Luftwaffe by tearing down whatever was here before
Floyd | and replacing it with a mass of soulless fifties architecture seemingly
Floyd | inspired by Soviet brutalism. The most striking eyesore is the City
Floyd | Hospital, which lies immediately to the east. Sussex Street continues
Floyd | to north and south.

Floyd |
Floyd | As you pause in your stride, you fancy you hear some distant footsteps
Floyd | receding to the north. Looking around, you notice a golden object lying
Floyd | on the ground under one of the streetlights.
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd | (first taking the gold brooch)
Floyd | It's a gold brooch, in the form of a scorpion. The design is quite
Floyd | distinctive, and you're sure she has a brooch like that. You've often
Floyd | wondered what kind of statement it's meant to make: not that she's

Floyd | poisonous, to be sure, but you suspect she'd not be averse to
Floyd | suggesting she's not to be messed with.
Floyd |
Floyd | A small piece of paper is attached to the brooch by its pin.
Floyd |

Floyd | Which do you mean, the small piece of paper, the crumpled piece of
Floyd | paper or the old newspaper?
Floyd |

Floyd | It's tightly folded and pinned to the brooch.
Floyd |

Floyd | You release the clasp of the brooch and pull the small piece of paper
Floyd | from the pin, unfolding it impatiently.

Floyd |

Floyd | The handwriting is as small as the piece of paper it's written on, but
Floyd | you still recognise it as hers. It reads, "Sorry, couldn't wait - just
Floyd | discovered I've lost something I must recover: a small, grey, flat

Floyd | metal key. I may have dropped it when I went for a run (in the usual
Floyd | place) or when I went to the knowledge factory. We must make sure they
Floyd | don't get it. It would be a big help if you could search those two
Floyd | places while I look elsewhere. See you later."
Floyd |
Floyd | No doubt she was deliberately trying to be cryptic in case the Enemy

Floyd | saw her note. She often used to go for a run in Mandlebury Park, so she
Floyd | might mean that - or she might mean the City Sports Ground. "Knowledge
Floyd | Factory" was her disparaging nickname for the University, so she could
Floyd | be referring to somewhere on campus, but she could equally well be
Floyd | talking about the Public Library.
Floyd |

Floyd | That's not something you can close.
Floyd |

Floyd | (Gladstone Terrace)
Floyd | (going north)

Floyd |
Floyd | Junction of Sussex Street and Gladstone Terrace.
Floyd | This junction would be well-lit even without the moonlight. Sussex
Floyd | Street continues to north and south while Gladstone Terrace leads off
Floyd | to the west. Further north the street runs along the west bank of the
Floyd | river, but just here the river bends towards the southeast and parts

Floyd | company with the road.
Floyd |
Floyd | Once again you feel sure you are being watched, but each time you turn
Floyd | round to check, the shadows mock you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Whatever it was you thought you heard a few moments ago, there's no

Floyd | sign of anyone here now.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going west)

Floyd |
Floyd | Gladstone Terrace
Floyd | This short cul-de-sac is noticeably less well lit than the main road
Floyd | just to the east; although the bright moonlight compensates for this

Floyd | somewhat, parts of the street lie in mysterious shadow. At its western
Floyd | end, the street terminates at the railway line, along the side of which
Floyd | lie a large number of loose stones. Just short of the tracks the block
Floyd | of flats where she lives stands on the south side of the street.
Floyd |
Floyd | You have arrived at your destination.

Floyd |

Floyd | (first unlocking the street door with the small brass key, then opening
Floyd | the street door)
Floyd |

Floyd | Hallway
Floyd | This communal hallway serves all the flats in the building. To east,
Floyd | west and south are the doors to flats 18A, 18B and 18C respectively,
Floyd | while a staircase leads up to the floor above. The street door is to
Floyd | the north.
Floyd |

Floyd | (with the small brass key)
Floyd | (first closing the street door)
Floyd | You lock the street door.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Landing
Floyd | This small landing provide access to all the flats on this floor. To
Floyd | north, east, west and south are respectively the doors to flats 18D,

Floyd | 18E, 18F and 18G. The staircase leads back down to the floor below and
Floyd | up to the floor above.
Floyd |

Floyd | (first unlocking the door to flat 18G with the small brass key, then

Floyd | opening the door to flat 18G)
Floyd |
Floyd | Tiny Hall
Floyd | The hall is tiny, little more than an entrance lobby. There are rooms
Floyd | off to east, southeast, south and west, while her front door is to the
Floyd | north.

Floyd |

Floyd | (first closing the front door)
Floyd | You lock the front door.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Living Room
Floyd | The living room is a good size, and is smartly furnished. A comfortable

Floyd | modern settee has been strategically placed to face the large flat
Floyd | screen television sitting in the corner, while a large black and white
Floyd | poster adorns one wall. The way out is to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the mantelpiece is a small gold trophy.
Floyd |

Floyd | The TV is a modern, flat screen model. The screen is blank, presumably
Floyd | because the TV is not switched on.
Floyd |

Floyd | You can't see any such thing.
Floyd |

Floyd |

Floyd | Tiny Hall
Floyd | The hall is tiny, little more than an entrance lobby. There are rooms
Floyd | off to east, southeast, south and west, while her front door is to the
Floyd | north.
Floyd |
Floyd | Somewhere a clock strikes ten. As the final stroke dies away you listen

Floyd | for any other sound, such as might be made by an arriving Enemy, but
Floyd | all falls quiet.
Floyd |

Floyd |

Floyd | Bedroom
Floyd | The bedroom looks almost obsessively neat, with virtually nothing on
Floyd | view apart from the double bed that occupies about a third of the floor
Floyd | space, the bedside cabinet right next to it, and the doors to what is
Floyd | presumably a large built-in wardrobe in the north wall.
Floyd |

Floyd | On the bedside cabinet is a black telephone.
Floyd |

Floyd | It's one of her business cards. On the front is printed:

Floyd |
Floyd |  "The TAS Agency
Floyd |  Timely Accommodation for Students
Floyd |  12 Devon Road
Floyd |  01921 833758
Floyd |  tas@tas.co.uk"

Floyd |
Floyd | On the reverse side of the card another phone number has been written
Floyd | by hand: 01921 743589
Floyd |

Floyd | You pick up the phone but there's still absolutely nothing, making you
Floyd | wonder if the Enemy have cut communications; in any case you can't get

Floyd | a dialling tone so you replace the handset.
Floyd |

Floyd | You can't break anything with the sharp kitchen knife.
Floyd |

Floyd | (going west)
Floyd |

Floyd | Tiny Hall
Floyd | The hall is tiny, little more than an entrance lobby. There are rooms
Floyd | off to east, southeast, south and west, while her front door is to the
Floyd | north.
Floyd |