Blue Lacuna — 151 of 467

Chapter - Center Beach

The prose name of Center Beach is "the middle of the beach". Center Beach is a room in Beachfront. Understand "center" as south when location is North Beach. The printed name of Center Beach is "Beach, Near the [if Hut is visited]Abandoned[otherwise]Log[end if] Cabin". The description of Center Beach is "[centerbeachdesc].". To say centerbeachdesc:

if longform begin; say "The beach widens here in the middle of its sweeping curve around the lagoon, rising in graceful white dunes to the sudden black slope of the old lava [o]flow[x]. Up against the flow is built a log [o]cabin[x], looking long-neglected but still intact";

otherwise if night; say "The log [o]cabin[x] is barely distinct in the darkness, almost swallowed up by the looming lava [o]flow[x] behind it";

otherwise if morning or sunrise; say "The long shadow of the lava [o]flow[x] stretches all the way to the water, leaving the ripples of the beach and the [o]cabin[x] in shadowless morning";

otherwise if midmorning; say "Morning sunlight beams over the top of the lava [o]flow[x], warming the sand and the roof of the [o]cabin[x] in patches";

otherwise if midday or dawn or twilight; say "[A sentence about the lagoon]";

otherwise if raining; say "[A sentence about the lagoon]";

otherwise if afternoon; say "The sand burns hot under your feet in the afternoon light, [if tidein]forcing you closer to the cool damp sand near the waves[otherwise]the tide too far off to cool it[end if], and the black cliff of the lava [o]flow[x] silently absorbs the heat";

otherwise if evening or sunset; say "The sun sinks slowly towards the waves, which sparkle in brilliant reflections of gold and silver, sending dancing patterns of light over the black lava flow behind the [o]cabin[x]";

end if;

say ". [A sentence about the nearby beach][dot][exits]".

The exits text of Center Beach is "The beach stretches away [if dir][bw of North Beach]to the [north] and [bw of South Beach][south][otherwise][bw of South Beach]towards the cluster of [d]boulders[x] or [bwt of North Beach]the rocky [d]rise[x][end if], or you could [extcb]". To say extcb: say "also [approach ocean bit]. The cabin lies [bw of Hut][dr]up[x] the beach[if dir] to the [east][end if]". Understand "boulders/boulder" as south when location is Center Beach. Understand "rise" as north when location is Center Beach. [Understand "cabin" as east when location is Center Beach. ]

The log cabin is a setpiece in Center Beach. Understand "house" or "shack" as cabin. The description is "The small cabin lies well [up] above the high water mark, but stains and crusted salt near its base indicate spring tides have reached it in the past, and give the small building the feel of a place abandoned. The cabin rests flush against the black lava [o]flow[x] behind it.". Check entering the log cabin: try going inside instead. Check attacking the log cabin: say "Despite its ramshackle appearance, upon closer examination the construction is solid and the cabin seems undamaged." instead. The dream-text of log cabin is "felled trees notched for cabin construction".

The cb-rise is a setpiece in Center Beach with printed name "rise". Understand "flow" as cb-rise. The description is "Now black and hardened, rising to some five or six times your height in steep, sharp angles, this lava flow sliced across the island decades or centuries ago, descending from the ruined cone of the volcano to the ocean near the rise.".

Report going from Center Beach to North Beach: say "You amble along the soft white sand of the beach, working your way [if dir]north [end if]around the edge of the bay." Report going from Center Beach to Hut: say "You clamber up the slipping sand past seaweed and shells at the high-water mark, then onto sturdier ground, before finally arriving at the building[if Hut is unvisited]. First peering cautiously through the doorway, you step inside[otherwise] and stepping inside[end if][if raining], grateful to be out of the rain[end if][if night] the black interior[end if]." Report going from Center Beach to South Beach: say "You walk around the edge of the beach towards some rockier terrain[if dir] near its southern end[end if][if a random chance of 1 in 2 succeeds][time-of-day-bit][end if]."