Faithful Companion — 11 of 17

Chapter - The Cemetery

The Cemetery is a room. "Visitors used to sit on the bench here to contemplate their mortality. Apparently the reminders of their mortality have become all too great. A marble door leads inside."

The bench is an enterable scenery supporter in the Cemetery. The description of the bench is "[If the ghost is off-stage]The bench is covered with a light drift of leaves. Apparently the caretaker no longer cares to rake here. But there seems to be something under the leaves.[notice the hidden-key][otherwise]The leaves have risen from this bench." Understand "leaves" as the bench when the ghost is off-stage.

To say notice the hidden-key: set pronouns from the hidden-key.

A rule for reaching outside the bench:

if the person reaching is the player:

say "(first getting off the bench)[command clarification break]";

try silently exiting;

if the person reaching is on the bench, stop the action;

otherwise: [but we also need a special case for doors, because of the rule that we use to get around the door accessibility bug; see under the door chapter]

try the ghost exiting;

if the person reaching is on the bench, stop the action.

After entering the bench: say "You sit down on the bench."

After the ghost entering the bench: say "The leaves swirl back onto the bench."

There is an iron key. The description is "A heavy iron key that seems to fit the lock of the crypt's marble door."

Instead of searching or looking under the bench when the iron key is off-stage:

say "An iron key is under the leaves.";

now the iron key is on the bench.

The hidden-key is privately-named scenery in the Cemetery. Understand "something" as the hidden-key when we have examined the bench and the iron key is off-stage. [This allows us to intercept commands about "something" after we've said that something is under the leaves.]

Before doing anything when the noun is the hidden-key:

try the person asked searching the bench;

if the key is on the bench:

change the noun to the key;

say "([the current action])[command clarification break]";

otherwise: [probably this shouldn't happen]

stop the action.

The marble door is a locked door. It is scenery. It is inside from the Cemetery. The description is "[if the location is the cemetery]The inscription on the heavy marble door reads 'I May Have Peace When I Rest.'[otherwise]The heavy marble door leads back outside.[end if]". The iron key unlocks the marble door. Understand "heavy" or "inscription" as the marble door.

Every turn when (the player holds the key or the turn count is greater than 2) and the ghost is off-stage:

say "You feel a chill. There is no wind, but the leaves fly up from the bench and twirl in the air. Somehow they describe a faintly human shape[if the key is off-stage]. [paragraph break]There was a key under the leaves on the bench[end if].";

now the ghost is in the Cemetery;

if the key is off-stage, now the key is on the bench.