Blue Lacuna — 208 of 467

Chapter - Treehouse

The prose name of Treehouse is "the treehouse". The description of Treehouse is "[treehdesc].". To say treehdesc:

if longform begin; say "This child-sized house was obviously built with love-- the detailed [o]etchings[x] of flowers along the length of the doorjamb, if nothing else, speak to that-- but the child for whom it was constructed must now be long grown. Greenery overruns every surface, vines and leaves blurring the lines of cut boards and straight railings. The tree has grown, too, tilting the floor and setting the shelves and windows subtly askew[dot]";

otherwise if night; say "Vines and leaves [if moonup]ride the moonlight piercing the treehouse, like green foam on a frozen wave[otherwise]crawl from the night into the black interior of the treehouse[end if], and the man-made lines and flat surfaces under the greenery almost vanish into indistinctness, as if you stand in some natural hollow in the tree around you[dot]";

otherwise if raining; say "You are glad to have refuge from the rain under the still-solid eaves; you watch waves of the downpour move through the forest around you[dot]";

otherwise if sunrise or morning or midmorning; say "Birds take flight as you [if we are going]step inside the treehouse[else]stir[end if], shaking and twirling the vines and leaves as they glow in the warm morning light[dot]";

otherwise if midday or afternoon; say "Things are cool and quiet in the shade of the treehouse; the vines and overgrowth spill eagerly through the windows as if trying to escape from the heat of the day[dot]";

otherwise if evening or sunset; say "Sunlight slants into the treehouse, filtered by thousands of lemon-yellow leaves that shimmer faintly in the wind and cast the interior into a warm golden glow[dot]";

otherwise; say "A lone bird calls from somewhere high in the tree above, like a ghost-cry breaking slowly over the treehouse's indistinct, abandoned interior[dot]";

end if;

if Tsunami Sequence has ended, say "One support of the wooden shelf has been shaken loose, and it swings sad and loose; the clockwork [o]head[x] lies near the [o]hammock[x], both seemingly undamaged";

otherwise say "A small wooden shelf attached to the trunk [if clockwork head is not on shelf]sits gathering dust[otherwise]supports the clockwork [o]head[x][end if], just above a [o][tree2-hammock][x] neatly hung in one corner[if clockwork head is not on shelf]. Something [o]round[x] and wooden lies in a dusty corner underneath it, forgotten[end if]";

say ".[paragraph break][exits]".

The printed name of Treehouse is "Inside the Treehouse". The exits text of Treehouse is "The only exit from the one-room treehouse is [down] the rope ladder you came in on".

Report going from Treehouse: say "You grip the leaf-covered lintel and lower yourself onto the rope ladder, quickly descending six or seven rungs to the ground below.".

Instead of climbing or going up in Treehouse, say "You're already up in this tree." Instead of exiting in Treehouse when player is not enclosed by tree2-hammock, try going down.

Check going to Treehouse: move tree2 to Treehouse. Check going to Big Tree: move tree2 to Big Tree.

The detailed etchings are a setpiece in Treehouse. Understand "etching/carving/carvings" as etchings. The description is "Years of rain have softened the carvings, but even so they remain a marvel of craftsmanship. The detail is such that it is hard to tell where the real leaves and vines end and the carvings begin.". Instead of touching detailed etchings, say "You run your hands delicately over the intricate carvings. The craftsmanship is remarkable for so simple a thing.".

The greenery is a setpiece in Treehouse. The description is "Vines and creepers stretch up from both the forest floor below, and the [o]tree[x] itself, encircling the outside and inside walls as if slowly embracing it as part of itself.".

The tree2-hammock is an enterable undescribed container in Treehouse. It is not openable and open. The printed name of tree2-hammock is "hammock". Understand "hammock" as the tree2-hammock. The description is "The carefully twined ropes that make up this hammock must be spaced in a way disagreeable to the otherwise ubiquitous vines, as they have not progressed too far along it. It's tied between the treehouse railing and a thick main branch of the tree, and still seems to be in good shape." Instead of taking the tree2-hammock, say "It's anchored with ropes long since past the time they could be untied." First report entering the tree2-hammock: say "[one of]The hammock is covered with a layer of settled dirt and twisted vines, but after a few minutes of untangling and brushing, you find it still looks surprisingly intact. You sit down gingerly, but the hammock supports your weight just fine[or]You sit on the hammock, the ropes creaking and stretching taut beneath your weight[stopping]. It is surprisingly comfortable." instead. First report getting off when player was on tree2-hammock: say "You stand to your feet again, ducking your head slightly to avoid scraping the roof." instead. Instead of pushing tree2-hammock: say "It rocks gently back and forth.". The dream-text of tree2-hammock is "rolled hammocks". The sleep message of Treehouse is "Stretching out in the comfortable hammock, you soon find yourself drifting into a deep, bottomless sleep.".

A wooden shelf is an undescribed supporter in Treehouse. The description is "The simple shelf, [if Tsunami Sequence has ended]swaying loose from its one remaining support[otherwise]slightly out of plumb[end if], [if shelf supports something]supports [a list of things on the shelf][otherwise]is covered in a faint sheen of dust[end if].". Understand "fix shelf" as a mistake ("You'd like to, but you don't have any of the tools you need.") when location is Treehouse and Tsunami Sequence has ended. Check putting something on wooden shelf: say "At the angle it's slanted out, you doubt anything would stay there." instead.

Treehouse-stuff is stuff in Treehouse. Understand "window/windows" as Treehouse-stuff when location is Treehouse. Instead of leaping treehouse-stuff: if player is hale begin; say "Standing hunched awkwardly in the tiny doorway, you leap forward with a little thrill and land awkwardly but unhurt on your feet."; move player to Big Tree; otherwise; say "Not with your injured leg."; end if.