THE RAVEN : Copyright (c) 1845 By E. Poe <edgar@l33tp0ets.com>

Release 17 / Serial Number 821022

The Study

You wake at your desk in the study, weak and weary. You must have dozed off there for a few moments. Pictures adorn every wall of your study. On the plinth above the massive door on the south wall is a bust of Pallas. Behind it is your secret stash of laudanum. The door itself is grand and stately; the kind of door you read about rich folks having. Through the small exterior windows, you see a storm clouds roiling and the beginnings of a rain-storm.

 A faint tapping can be heard at the door.

 EXAMINE DESK

 On the desk is a forgotten volume of unknown lore, looking quaint and curious is opened to a page about birds. A desk calendar shows it is in the month of "Bleak December," which comes after the month of "Razor-burn November" in the new revised calendar. The desk contains a panoply of drawers, containing pens, loose-leaf paper and the detritus of a writer's life (including bottles of Whiskey and Absinthe.)

OPEN DOOR

You reach for the gilded handle of the large oaken door, but ennui engulfs you in a cloud of indecision. You shrug and sink back into your comfortable leather armchair to contemplate the dark void of despair which is your life.

 DRINK LAUDANUM

 What do you mean, the Laudanum behind the Bust of Pallas or the Laudanum hidden behind the Absinthe bottle in the desk drawer?

 DRINK LAUDANUM BEHIND THE BUST OF PALLAS

 *GULP* Yikes! That stuff is bitter! The self-rationalization of your addiction distracts you briefly, yet you still feel bland and bitter. After a few moments the pangs of life and loss pass you by.

 OPEN DOOR

You reach for the gilded handle of the large oaken door, but melancholy envelops you.

DRINK LAUDANUM IN DESK

 *GULP* Okay. The second bottle is MUCH nicer than the first.

 Hey! Do you hear rapping? rapping at your chamber door?

OPEN DOOR

 Your drunken hand manhandles the oaken door; outside you see a gathering storm, a dark garden and a forgettable river beyond. You see nothing that would have produced a rapping noise. (Perhaps it's the neighbor kids playing a prank?)

 GO SOUTH

 Dark Garden

You are in the garden to the south of your abode. To the north is an open door leading to your chamber. To the south is a path leading to the less than memorable river. It is dark here. If you continue you are likely to be eaten by a Grue. A lamp sits on the ground nearby.

 GET LAMP. TURN ON LAMP.

Got Lamp.

Lamp is now on.

 GO SOUTH

 Plutonian Shores

You have reached the plutonian shores of the River Lethe. Dare you wade in it's surprisingly warm waters? To the north a path leads to a garden, shrouded in inky blackness. To the south you may wade in the perfumed river. A nearby sign alerts you that no lifeguard is on duty.

 A tapping can be heard to the north.

 GO SOUTH

 Nepenthe Waters

Into the waters you daintily tip-toe. The perfumed waters of the River Lethe are rumored to relieve weary travellers of painful memories. Maybe it takes a while? You still remember tubercular Richmond and whats-her-name, your old girlfriend. Heck. What WAS her name!?

 SAY "LENORE"

 In the distance a bird can be heard.

 GO NORTH

Plutonian Shores

 GO NORTH

 Dark Garden

GO NORTH

 The Study

A large black bird is here. (This is what happens when you leave the door open.) The bird is holding a note in its beak and is mumbling something that sounds like "EVER-SMORP." (Perhaps the bird is from the north where all accents are queer and wondrous.)

TAKE NOTE. READ NOTE.

 The bird is at first reluctant to give you the note. You eventually hit on the idea of tempting the bird with a shiny coin. The bird drops the note to grab coin and flies up to the bust of Pallas.

 Addressed to you, the note is writ in the fine penmanship of respectable society, but much of it made unreadable with the stain with tears. What little you can make out is "...I miss you so; the months since your passing have been difficult... Love, Lenore"

 YOU HAVE DIED OF TUBERCULOSIS.

Your score is 5 of 150 points which ranks you as "BULWER-LYTTON"

Do you want to try again? (Y/N)

Y

 The Study

You wake at your desk in the study, weak and weary. You must have dozed off there for a few moments. Pictures adorn every wall of your study. On the plinth above the massive door on the south wall is a bust of Pallas. Behind it is your secret stash of laudanum. The door itself is grand and stately; the kind of door you read about rich folks having. Through the small exterior windows, you see a storm clouds roiling and the beginnings of a rain-storm.

 DRINK LAUDANUM BEHIND THE BUST OF PALLAS

 *GULP* Yikes! That stuff is bitter! The self-rationalization of your addiction distracts you briefly, yet you still feel bland and bitter. After a few moments the pangs of life and loss pass you by.

Meadhbh Hamrick is a human living in the more rural districts of downtown Seattle. Evidence indicates Meadhbh was born, attended college, was married and reproduced by budding; some scientists still disagree.