The Shore
Sarah Winchester has forgotten being awake. It is night, or predawn morning, and moonless. She is on a sandy strand extending north and south from here. The sea is before her to the east.
A shell lies in the sand here, as if waiting for Sarah to pick it up.
Sarah decides to listen to shell
(She first moves to take the shell.)
So she does.
She holds the shell to her ear for a moment and hears a growing roar. Then the seashell shrinks to a metal cylinder, becoming a rifle shell. She drops the shell in shock as the ocean's roar becomes the sharp report of gunfire. Sea and shore reel back from her.
Then she is up high, descending to a different place. There is a great river, and in it, a massive island. All across the island are roads, cleared spaces, and clusters of buildings: a city.
It is within this city that Sarah finds herself.
[Press SPACE to continue.] _
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|___/ A Novel Machine by Nick Montfort
(C) 1999-2002 Nick Montfort. This is a work of imagination. It states no facts, nor does it offer biographical or psychological information about the historical figure who is the basis for the main character. Type LICENSE for the license agreement.
Created with Inform v6.21 by Graham Nelson, using modified v6/9 library files. Runs on the Z-machine by Joel Berez and Marc Blank.
[Press SPACE to begin.]
Sarah Winchester finds herself at an oddly familiar place.
Armory Gate
Sarah is on the grounds of the armory, by a gap in a granite wall. She stands inside a great iron gate, shut fast. A guard post is on the other side of the gate. Within the wall, to the east, is a large block faced in granite. It is a single story high but broad and long. The building is the same dark gray as the wall. The grounds are covered with grass - grass that is drained of color, more gray than green.
Sarah decides to east
Armory
Sarah is within a large, rectangular building that forms one great room. Huge panels of windows are set in each wall, running the length and breadth of the place. Workbenches nearly fill the room, almost touching each other in a serpentine arrangement. Most other parts of the space are cluttered with bins and boxes. An exit is west.
She can see a table (on which is a rifle) here.
Sarah decides to look at rifle
It is unmistakably the Model 94, a 30-30. The Winchester Model 94.
"Look familiar?" yells a man who strides across the room toward Sarah. She notices nothing else about him but the blood that has caked his chest, around his heart. She realizes that a bullet has struck his heart there - struck him dead.
"Well, Missus Winchester, DOES IT?" the dead man demands, raising his voice further.
Sarah decides to nod
She nods her head in affirmation.
"Yes indeed," the negro says. "It has your name written all over it." The dead man now seems to be white, and wearing a cowboy hat. He spits, glancing away. "At least yer beginnin to take some responserbility." He levels his gaze at her. "But that alone wont wash away yer deeds."
Sarah decides to exit
Armory Gate
Sarah is on the grounds of the armory, by a gap in a granite wall. She stands inside a great iron gate, shut fast. A guard post is on the other side of the gate. Within the wall, to the east, is a large block faced in granite. It is a single story high but broad and long. The building is the same dark gray as the wall. The grounds are covered with grass - grass that is drained of color, more gray than green.
Sarah decides to wait
Time passes.
Sarah decides to wait
Time passes.
The cloud that has been covering the sun seems to burn away, and the gritty sky lightens a bit.
Sarah decides to look at sun
The massive disk of the sun burns through the sky's grit. Staring at it, Sarah sees total blackness for a moment. She has not lost her vision, though. Instead, the whole sky has darkened in an instant. The sun has vanished, as if an eclipse has occurred.
Armory Gate
Sarah is at a gap in a granite wall. A great iron gate, topped with concertina wire, is open, each half propped in place exactly perpendicular to the wall. A guard post is just outside the gate. Within the wall, to the east, is a large block faced in granite. It is five stories high. The building seems to have no interior walls or floors. It is the same dark gray of the wall at bottom; the stone gets lighter, in two stages, up the side of the structure. Floodlights conquer certain regions around the grounds, leaving others to darkness.
She can leave to City on a Hill.
Sarah decides to exit
City On A Hill
Sarah is among brownstones and crooked streets. In some places, asphalt gives way to cobblestones. The fire hydrants are all newly painted in hunter green. They gleam below the streetlamps. The river runs by to the northeast. Loop 66 leads northwest to Windy City and south to New City, while a farm road leads southwest, toward the middle of the island.
Within are: a university, a library, the old town hall, and an armory.
Sarah decides to go to university
University Entrance
Sarah is near a marble arch. A plaza leads in to United University. The well-lit campus is a complex of very different buildings, mostly in yellow brick. To the east is an exception, a five-story brownstone that is home to the College of Arts and Sciences. South is the flat maze of the Business School. To the southwest, a long structure, topped with a great dome, serves as the home of the Technical Institute.
She can leave to City on a Hill.
Sarah decides to go to institute
Technical Institute
Sarah is in an interminable corridor that cuts all the way through the building. The floor is highly polished but old and uneven in places. Pipes, painted gray, run exposed, high along the walls. She is near the middle of this long hallway, where it widens a bit into a sort of lobby. The exit to the center of campus is northeast.
Sarah pauses. Here in the lobby area, a contest is about to start. Students sit blindfolded at a long table, grinning. Before each lies a pile of metal parts. A small crowd is standing about, chatting and looking on.
Someone fires a starting gun. The students reach for the parts and begin - as Sarah knows they will - to assemble guns, some sort of modern carbines. After a flurry of activity, one of them finishes by clipping in an empty magazine and slams the gun down on the table to the cheers of the crowd. The others finish putting together their weapons, then remove their blindfolds.
A few stay to clean up the lobby, smiling as they fold the table and walk off, some taking the table and chairs, others carrying their rifles on their shoulders. With the event over, the whole corridor is left empty.
Sarah decides to wait
Time passes.
Sarah decides to wait
Time passes.
Sarah notices a photograph, which she somehow knows to be a Polaroid, lying on the floor.
Sarah decides to pick up photo a
So she does.
Sarah notices another photograph lying in this lengthy corridor.
Sarah decides to pick up photo b
So she does.
Sarah looks a distance down the floor and sees another photo.
Sarah decides to pick up photo c
So she does.
Sarah spots another photo. They seem placed like a trail of bread crumbs or a silken thread, but this simple hallway is certainly no confusing forest or labyrinth.
Sarah decides to pick up photo d
So she does.
Sarah's eyes follow down from where she notices the previous photograph. Sure enough, there is another. Where a sixth photo would be there is only the exit, at the northeast end of the hall.
Sarah decides to pick up photo e
So she does.
Sarah decides to exit
University Entrance
Sarah is near a marble arch. A plaza leads in to United University. The well-lit campus is a complex of very different buildings, mostly in yellow brick. To the east is an exception, a five-story brownstone that is home to the College of Arts and Sciences. South is the flat maze of the Business School. To the southwest, a long structure, topped with a great dome, serves as the home of the Technical Institute.
She can leave to City on a Hill.
The motion of a shadow atop the arch catches Sarah's attention.
Sarah decides to exit
City On A Hill
Sarah is among brownstones and crooked streets. In some places, asphalt gives way to cobblestones. The fire hydrants are all newly painted in hunter green. They gleam below the streetlamps. The river runs by to the northeast. Loop 66 leads northwest to Windy City and south to New City, while a farm road leads southwest, toward the middle of the island.
Within are: a university, a library, the old town hall, and an armory.
Sarah decides to south
New City
Sarah is on a wide sidewalk, lit by streetlamps and empty of people. Buildings define a long canyon. Yellow taxicabs course, honking, along the spattered street that cuts through here. The river surges by to the east. Loop 66 continues north to the heights of City on a Hill and south to Civic District. A farm road leads west.
Within are: The financial sector, The Town, and the eastern port.
The wind rustles a newspaper sheet. It drifts along the ground.
Sarah decides to south
Civic District
Sarah is in the government sector. She barely notices the brown and red brick buildings that fill the spaces between great white edifices of marble, all faced with columns or at least pilasters. The river bounds United City to the east. To the southwest, Loop 66 leads to South City, while the loop continues north to New City.
Within are: the government complex, a tenement, and the Museum of History.
Sarah decides to go to museum of history
Museum Of History
Sarah is in a wide chamber of medium gray stone. A statue of a man in a toga is on the west side. A Foucoult's Pendulum swings here, suspended from the ceiling and extending down through a gallery. To the east is an exhibit hall.
She can leave to the Civic District.
Sarah decides to east
Early America Exhibit
Sarah is at a history exhibit, among artifacts from an earlier time. She sees the museum's main chamber to the west. A poster is on the wall here, and a diorama fills the center of the room.
Sarah decides to look at poster
The poster on the wall seems to be an advertisement from a time early in Sarah's life. It is clearly legible, should she wish to read it. Beside it on the wall, Sarah notices a smaller scrap of paper is loosely stuck. There is also a diagram stuck to the wall by the poster.
Sarah decides to pick up diagram
She pulls the diagram from the wall, not seeing how it was affixed.
Sarah decides to exit
Museum Of History
Sarah is in a wide chamber of medium gray stone. A statue of a man in a toga is on the west side. A Foucoult's Pendulum swings here, suspended from the ceiling and extending down through a gallery. To the east is an exhibit hall.
She can leave to the Civic District.
Sarah decides to exit
Civic District
Sarah is in the government sector. She barely notices the brown and red brick buildings that fill the spaces between great white edifices of marble, all faced with columns or at least pilasters. The river bounds United City to the east. To the southwest, Loop 66 leads to South City, while the loop continues north to New City.
Within are: the government complex, a tenement, and the Museum of History.
Sarah decides to north
New City
Sarah is on a wide sidewalk, lit by streetlamps and empty of people. Buildings define a long canyon. Yellow taxicabs course, honking, along the spattered street that cuts through here. The river surges by to the east. Loop 66 continues north to the heights of City on a Hill and south to Civic District. A farm road leads west.
Within are: The financial sector, The Town, and the eastern port.
The wind rustles a newspaper sheet. It drifts along the ground.
Sarah decides to north
City On A Hill
Sarah is among brownstones and crooked streets. In some places, asphalt gives way to cobblestones. The fire hydrants are all newly painted in hunter green. They gleam below the streetlamps. The river runs by to the northeast. Loop 66 leads northwest to Windy City and south to New City, while a farm road leads southwest, toward the middle of the island.
Within are: a university, a library, the old town hall, and an armory.
Sarah decides to look at moon
The moon is tremendous, no flat, luminous clock face, but a sphere that seems almost tangible. Staring at it, Sarah seems enveloped in its light for a moment. Then, she sees that the whole sky has brightened in an instant, as if an eclipse has ended.
City On A Hill
Sarah is among brownstones and crooked cobblestone streets. The river runs by to the northeast. A wide track runs northwest to Windy City and south to New City, while a farm road leads southwest, toward the middle of the island.
Within are: a university, a library, the town hall, and an armory.
Sarah decides to go to armory
Armory Gate
Sarah is on the grounds of the armory, by a gap in a granite wall. She stands inside a great iron gate, opened wide. A guard post is on the other side of the gate. Within the wall, to the east, is a large block faced in granite. It is a single story high but broad and long. The building is the same dark gray as the wall. The grounds are covered with grass - grass that is drained of color, more gray than green.
She can leave to City on a Hill.
Sarah decides to east
Armory
Sarah is within a large, rectangular building that forms one great room. Huge panels of windows are set in each wall, running the length and breadth of the place. Workbenches nearly fill the room, almost touching each other in a serpentine arrangement. Most other parts of the space are cluttered with bins and boxes. An exit is west.
A man stands here, his chest bloodied.
She can also see a table (on which is a rifle) here.
Sarah decides to give photo e
(to the dead man)
He looks at the photo, then at the rifle. His eyes widen with interest, and the glimmer of an idea. Thoughtfully, he hands the photo back to her.
Sarah decides to give photo d
(to the dead man)
He looks at the photo, then at the rifle. His eyes widen further. Then he glances intently to her for a moment, and hands the photo back to her.
Sarah decides to give photo c
(to the dead man)
He looks at the photo, then at the rifle. His eyes widen further. Then he glances intently to her for a moment, and hands the photo back to her.
Sarah decides to give photo b
(to the dead man)
He looks at the photo, then at the rifle. His eyes widen further. Then he glances intently to her for a moment, and hands the photo back to her.
Sarah decides to give photo a
(to the dead man)
"Yea!" exclaims the gangly, dead boy as he looks he looks at the final photograph in the backwards sequence. "I could get this thing apart like the pictures show, sure." The dead man, now an indian whose bare chest glistens with sweat and blood, looks at her seriously.
"Then you put it out." He indicates the outside, through the windows. "Put the parts far, put the parts out there so the fire will strike in it no more ever." The man turns to face the rifle, and his small black hat dips as he looks down at it.
Sarah decides to wait
Time passes.
The man pops a cartridge out of the rifle. The soldier turns to look at her. "You can get rid of this for starters," he says, placing the ammunition in her hand. Then, his black arms begin to labor at the rifle once more.
Sarah decides to exit
Armory Gate
Sarah is on the grounds of the armory, by a gap in a granite wall. She stands inside a great iron gate, opened wide. A guard post is on the other side of the gate. Within the wall, to the east, is a large block faced in granite. It is a single story high but broad and long. The building is the same dark gray as the wall. The grounds are covered with grass - grass that is drained of color, more gray than green.
She can leave to City on a Hill.
Sarah decides to exit
City On A Hill
Sarah is among brownstones and crooked cobblestone streets. The river runs by to the northeast. A wide track runs northwest to Windy City and south to New City, while a farm road leads southwest, toward the middle of the island.
Within are: a university, a library, the town hall, and an armory.
Sarah decides to south
New City
Sarah is on a wide sidewalk, oddly empty of people this morning. This part of the city is solid with buildings that stand five or six stories tall. Horses clop along the brick street, pulling brown cabs. The river surges by to the east. A wide track leads north to the heights of City on a Hill and south to Civic District. A farm road leads west.
Within are: The Town and the eastern port.
Sarah decides to south
Civic District
Sarah is in the almost empty government sector, where the ground has been cleared of trees to make way for development. Smoke lingers in the air. The river bounds United City to the east. To the southwest, Loop 66 leads to South City, while the loop continues north to New City.
Within are: the government complex and a tenement.
Sarah decides to go to complex
Government Complex
Sarah is amid a conflagration, on a grassy knoll. The area is cleared but undeveloped, and the few extant buildings are aflame. A wooden courthouse is consumed entirely by flames to the south. The pale marble edifice of the federal building seems to be only slightly touched by the fire as yet, but it lies behind a wall of flame to the west.
She can leave to the Civic District.
Sarah decides to throw cartridge at fire
Sarah holds her hand into the hottest part of one flame. The powder charge explodes, without smoke. The bullet pops feebly into the earth. The rimfire casing sloughs off the other way and disappears among the conflagration.
Sarah decides to exit
Civic District
Sarah is in the almost empty government sector, where the ground has been cleared of trees to make way for development. Smoke lingers in the air. The river bounds United City to the east. To the southwest, Loop 66 leads to South City, while the loop continues north to New City.
Within are: the government complex and a tenement.
Sarah decides to north
New City
Sarah is on a wide sidewalk, oddly empty of people this morning. This part of the city is solid with buildings that stand five or six stories tall. Horses clop along the brick street, pulling brown cabs. The river surges by to the east. A wide track leads north to the heights of City on a Hill and south to Civic District. A farm road leads west.
Within are: The Town and the eastern port.
Sarah decides to north
City On A Hill
Sarah is among brownstones and crooked cobblestone streets. The river runs by to the northeast. A wide track runs northwest to Windy City and south to New City, while a farm road leads southwest, toward the middle of the island.
Within are: a university, a library, the town hall, and an armory.
Sarah decides to go to armory
Armory Gate
Sarah is on the grounds of the armory, by a gap in a granite wall. She stands inside a great iron gate, opened wide. A guard post is on the other side of the gate. Within the wall, to the east, is a large block faced in granite. It is a single story high but broad and long. The building is the same dark gray as the wall. The grounds are covered with grass - grass that is drained of color, more gray than green.
She can leave to City on a Hill.
Sarah decides to east
Armory
Sarah is within a large, rectangular building that forms one great room. Huge panels of windows are set in each wall, running the length and breadth of the place. Workbenches nearly fill the room, almost touching each other in a serpentine arrangement. Most other parts of the space are cluttered with bins and boxes. An exit is west.
A frustrated man with a bloody chest is trying to take down the rifle, but having difficulty.
She can also see a table (on which is a rifle) here.
Sarah decides to give diagram
(to the dead man)
The man stops his work to look at the diagram. He chuckles dryly. "Ye know, this is handy right now. Let me study on it." The cowboy looks down at it for a long while, then pockets it and turns to the rifle, his naked indian shoulders working.
Sarah decides to wait
Time passes.
Sarah decides to wait
Time passes.
The dead man steps back from the table, finished with the disassembly of the gun. Where the rifle once was lay its components: the stock, the barrel, the action.
Sarah decides to take rifle stock
She extends her hand toward it. The man looks to her, then the stock. The indian picks it up and hands it over to her. The cowboy drops his hands to his side. "Go on, see what ye can do to git rid of that."
Sarah decides to exit
Armory Gate
Sarah is on the grounds of the armory, by a gap in a granite wall. She stands inside a great iron gate, opened wide. A guard post is on the other side of the gate. Within the wall, to the east, is a large block faced in granite. It is a single story high but broad and long. The building is the same dark gray as the wall. The grounds are covered with grass - grass that is drained of color, more gray than green.
She can leave to City on a Hill.
Sarah decides to exit
City On A Hill
Sarah is among brownstones and crooked cobblestone streets. The river runs by to the northeast. A wide track runs northwest to Windy City and south to New City, while a farm road leads southwest, toward the middle of the island.
Within are: a university, a library, the town hall, and an armory.
Sarah decides to northwest
Windy City
Sarah is just south of where a long river breaks in two. Wooden offices and a few stone buildings are clustered at the core of this district. Along the road, Rainy City is southwest, while City on a Hill lies southeast. A farm road lies to the south.
Within is a sawmill.
She feels a thrill of cold as the wind blows down off the river to the north.
Sarah decides to go to sawmill
Sawmill
Sarah on a bare earth plaza, before a sawmill. The structure nearby is of wood, rough and unfinished, and part of it sits above the river. The mill is quiet now, and there is no obvious way to enter the place.
She can leave to Windy City.
She can see a bundle of twigs here.
Sarah decides to put rifle stock in twigs
She slides the stock into the bundle, nestling it among the twigs.
Sarah decides to exit
Windy City
Sarah is just south of where a long river breaks in two. Wooden offices and a few stone buildings are clustered at the core of this district. Along the road, Rainy City is southwest, while City on a Hill lies southeast. A farm road lies to the south.
Within is a sawmill.
Sarah decides to southeast
City On A Hill
Sarah is among brownstones and crooked cobblestone streets. The river runs by to the northeast. A wide track runs northwest to Windy City and south to New City, while a farm road leads southwest, toward the middle of the island.
Within are: a university, a library, the town hall, and an armory.
Sarah decides to go to armory
Armory Gate
Sarah is on the grounds of the armory, by a gap in a granite wall. She stands inside a great iron gate, opened wide. A guard post is on the other side of the gate. Within the wall, to the east, is a large block faced in granite. It is a single story high but broad and long. The building is the same dark gray as the wall. The grounds are covered with grass - grass that is drained of color, more gray than green.
She can leave to City on a Hill.
Sarah decides to east
Armory
Sarah is within a large, rectangular building that forms one great room. Huge panels of windows are set in each wall, running the length and breadth of the place. Workbenches nearly fill the room, almost touching each other in a serpentine arrangement. Most other parts of the space are cluttered with bins and boxes. An exit is west.
A man stands here, his chest bloodied.
She can also see a table (on which are a rifle action and a rifle barrel) here.
Sarah decides to pick up barrel
She extends her hand toward it. The man looks to her, then the barrel. The indian picks it up and hands it over to her. The cowboy drops his hands to his side. "Go on, see what ye can do to git rid of that."
Sarah decides to exit
Armory Gate
Sarah is on the grounds of the armory, by a gap in a granite wall. She stands inside a great iron gate, opened wide. A guard post is on the other side of the gate. Within the wall, to the east, is a large block faced in granite. It is a single story high but broad and long. The building is the same dark gray as the wall. The grounds are covered with grass - grass that is drained of color, more gray than green.
She can leave to City on a Hill.
Sarah decides to exit
City On A Hill
Sarah is among brownstones and crooked cobblestone streets. The river runs by to the northeast. A wide track runs northwest to Windy City and south to New City, while a farm road leads southwest, toward the middle of the island.
Within are: a university, a library, the town hall, and an armory.
Sarah decides to southwest
Heartland
Sarah is at the center of the island, which is covered with farmland. Other parts of United City lie along farm roads that radiate out in every direction save south.
Within is the Central Common.
Sarah decides to southeast
South City
Sarah is among neat white buildings by a calm tree-lined street. The eastern branch of the river runs by. A wide track leads northeast to Civic District and southwest to Lone City, while a farm road leads northwest.
Within are: a plantation, the French quarter, and residence row.
Sarah decides to southwest
Lone City
Sarah is by a dusty street. The wooden facades around are two stories tall, but the windows of the second story look through to the sky. The river's two branches join just to the south. To the northwest, a wide track stretches on to the City of Dreams, while it runs northeast to South City.
Within are: a plain and an old church.
Sarah decides to go to plain
Plain
Sarah stands upon a cleared plain. Soil, rich but yet bearing no vegetation, covers the ground.
She can leave to Lone City.
Sarah decides to wait
Time passes.
Sarah's eye is attracted by motion. A tall, wiry man in homespun clothing is removing a wooden pole from the ground. He spills some seeds into the hole from a bag, then packs the earth down on top tight with his bare feet. The he strikes the short pole into the ground again, twisting it, and it snaps. He takes the pieces in his hands, muttering to himself. Without noticing her, he strides off.
Sarah decides to put barrel in hole
She slides the barrel - which seems a reasonable substitute for the planting pole - into the hole.
Sarah decides to exit
Lone City
Sarah is by a dusty street. The wooden facades around are two stories tall, but the windows of the second story look through to the sky. The river's two branches join just to the south. To the northwest, a wide track stretches on to the City of Dreams, while it runs northeast to South City.
Within are: a plain and an old church.
Sarah decides to northeast
South City
Sarah is among neat white buildings by a calm tree-lined street. The eastern branch of the river runs by. A wide track leads northeast to Civic District and southwest to Lone City, while a farm road leads northwest.
Within are: a plantation, the French quarter, and residence row.
Sarah decides to northwest
Heartland
Sarah is at the center of the island, which is covered with farmland. Other parts of United City lie along farm roads that radiate out in every direction save south.
Within is the Central Common.
Sarah decides to northeast
City On A Hill
Sarah is among brownstones and crooked cobblestone streets. The river runs by to the northeast. A wide track runs northwest to Windy City and south to New City, while a farm road leads southwest, toward the middle of the island.
Within are: a university, a library, the town hall, and an armory.
Sarah decides to go to armory
Armory Gate
Sarah is on the grounds of the armory, by a gap in a granite wall. She stands inside a great iron gate, opened wide. A guard post is on the other side of the gate. Within the wall, to the east, is a large block faced in granite. It is a single story high but broad and long. The building is the same dark gray as the wall. The grounds are covered with grass - grass that is drained of color, more gray than green.
She can leave to City on a Hill.
Sarah decides to east
Armory
Sarah is within a large, rectangular building that forms one great room. Huge panels of windows are set in each wall, running the length and breadth of the place. Workbenches nearly fill the room, almost touching each other in a serpentine arrangement. Most other parts of the space are cluttered with bins and boxes. An exit is west.
A man stands here, his chest bloodied.
She can also see a table (on which is a rifle action) here.
Sarah decides to pick up action
She extends her hand toward it. The man looks to her, then the action. The indian picks it up and hands it over to her. The cowboy drops his hands to his side. "Go on, see what ye can do to git rid of that."
Sarah decides to exit
Armory Gate
Sarah is on the grounds of the armory, by a gap in a granite wall. She stands inside a great iron gate, opened wide. A guard post is on the other side of the gate. Within the wall, to the east, is a large block faced in granite. It is a single story high but broad and long. The building is the same dark gray as the wall. The grounds are covered with grass - grass that is drained of color, more gray than green.
She can leave to City on a Hill.
Sarah decides to exit
City On A Hill
Sarah is among brownstones and crooked cobblestone streets. The river runs by to the northeast. A wide track runs northwest to Windy City and south to New City, while a farm road leads southwest, toward the middle of the island.
Within are: a university, a library, the town hall, and an armory.
Sarah decides to southwest
Heartland
Sarah is at the center of the island, which is covered with farmland. Other parts of United City lie along farm roads that radiate out in every direction save south.
Within is the Central Common.
Sarah decides to northwest
Rainy City
Sarah is in a thicket, by a few empty huts. South along a road is the City of Gold, while the same road leads northeast to the Windy City. A farm road runs southeast.
A slight drizzle sifts down from the sky.
Sarah decides to look at sun
The massive disk of the sun burns through the sky's grit. Staring at it, Sarah sees total blackness for a moment. She has not lost her vision, though. Instead, the whole sky has darkened in an instant. The sun has vanished, as if an eclipse has occurred.
Rainy City
Sarah is by a few grand buildings with small ornamental columns and marble adornments, amid more recent midrises. South along Loop 66 is the City of Gold, while the loop leads northeast to the Windy City. Another road runs southeast.
Within are: a street corner and a campus.
A slight drizzle sifts down from the sky.
Sarah decides to go to corner
Corner
Sarah is at an intersection, with closed boutiques and a giant, dark bookstore visible behind some of the windows. Two places are still lighted: To the east, a service garage with an attached coffeehouse. South of here, another coffeehouse, this one with a neon sign in the shape of a computer.
She can leave to Rainy City.
A slight drizzle sifts down from the sky.
Sarah decides to south
Cyber Coffeehouse
Sarah is in an L-shaped building, with hardwood floors and creamy yellow walls. The frosted light fixtures are close to the ceiling. A counter with coffee-producing apparatus is opposite the entrance. Tables, each different, are placed all about. Battered computers and monitors sit in a pile on the floor. They are shut off. The other furnishings of the room are chairs, bursting with padding.
A girl in an undersized T-shirt, seemingly the only person here, is walking out. She passes Sarah. "Cool dress," she says to her, in reference to Sarah's Edwardian attire. Then she slips out, into the night. Sarah steps outside for a moment to see if she can find her, but the girl has disappeared. So Sarah returns to the coffeehouse.
Sarah decides to put action in pile
She finds a place for the the action, inserting it into the heap of computers.
Sarah decides to exit
Corner
Sarah is at an intersection, with closed boutiques and a giant, dark bookstore visible behind some of the windows. Two places are still lighted: To the east, a service garage with an attached coffeehouse. South of here, another coffeehouse, this one with a neon sign in the shape of a computer.
She can leave to Rainy City.
A slight drizzle sifts down from the sky.
Sarah decides to exit
Rainy City
Sarah is by a few grand buildings with small ornamental columns and marble adornments, amid more recent midrises. South along Loop 66 is the City of Gold, while the loop leads northeast to the Windy City. Another road runs southeast.
Within are: a street corner and a campus.
A slight drizzle sifts down from the sky.
Sarah decides to southeast
Heartland
Sarah is at the center of the city. This region is not built up. Instead there is series of fields, lined with crops. A few large pieces of machinery are making their way slowly across the fields in the darkness. Other parts of United City lie along farm roads that radiate out in every direction. The only outlying area that can be clearly seen is to the south, where the lights of Amusement Park gleam.
Within are: a farm, the Central Common, and a stadium.
Sarah decides to northeast
City On A Hill
Sarah is among brownstones and crooked streets. In some places, asphalt gives way to cobblestones. The fire hydrants are all newly painted in hunter green. They gleam below the streetlamps. The river runs by to the northeast. Loop 66 leads northwest to Windy City and south to New City, while a farm road leads southwest, toward the middle of the island.
Within are: a university, a library, the old town hall, and an armory.
Sarah decides to look at moon
The moon is tremendous, no flat, luminous clock face, but a sphere that seems almost tangible. Staring at it, Sarah seems enveloped in its light for a moment. Then, she sees that the whole sky has brightened in an instant, as if an eclipse has ended.
City On A Hill
Sarah is among brownstones and crooked cobblestone streets. The river runs by to the northeast. A wide track runs northwest to Windy City and south to New City, while a farm road leads southwest, toward the middle of the island.
Within are: a university, a library, the town hall, and an armory.
Sarah decides to go to armory
Armory Gate
Sarah is on the grounds of the armory, by a gap in a granite wall. She stands inside a great iron gate, opened wide. A guard post is on the other side of the gate. Within the wall, to the east, is a large block faced in granite. It is a single story high but broad and long. The building is the same dark gray as the wall. The grounds are covered with grass - grass that is drained of color, more gray than green.
She can leave to City on a Hill.
Sarah decides to east
Armory
Sarah is within a large, rectangular building that forms one great room. Huge panels of windows are set in each wall, running the length and breadth of the place. Workbenches nearly fill the room, almost touching each other in a serpentine arrangement. Most other parts of the space are cluttered with bins and boxes. An exit is west.
A man stands here, his chest bloodied.
She can also see a table here.
The dead man looks up at Sarah as she enter. "So," the cowboy says to her, holding her gaze for a long moment. "Ye took care of the rifle." He looks down and breathes deeply into his pierced chest. Then he rests his hatless head in his hands, covering his face.
Sarah decides to wait
Time passes.
"That means I can leave now," says the American soldier, who turns into a negro in an instant, then into an indian. The man reaches beneath his tongue with his fingers, taking out a strange coin with a pentagonal hole in the middle. "My way is set," he says. Hesitating, he reaches under his tongue again and retrieves a key, handing it to Sarah. "I've been holding on to this," says the gangly boy, "but you may want to go on home now." He hands her the key.
Sarah decides to exit
Armory Gate
Sarah is on the grounds of the armory, by a gap in a granite wall. She stands inside a great iron gate, opened wide. A guard post is on the other side of the gate. Within the wall, to the east, is a large block faced in granite. It is a single story high but broad and long. The building is the same dark gray as the wall. The grounds are covered with grass - grass that is drained of color, more gray than green.
She can leave to City on a Hill.
Sarah decides to exit
City On A Hill
Sarah is among brownstones and crooked cobblestone streets. The river runs by to the northeast. A wide track runs northwest to Windy City and south to New City, while a farm road leads southwest, toward the middle of the island.
Within are: a university, a library, the town hall, and an armory.
Sarah decides to southwest
Heartland
Sarah is at the center of the island, which is covered with farmland. Other parts of United City lie along farm roads that radiate out in every direction save south.
Within is the Central Common.
Sarah decides to southwest
Valley of Sand
Sarah is in a dry valley. A single small house, closed and shuttered, seems to be the only sign of settlement. Northwest, the valley opens onto the City of Gold. A farm road leads northeast.
Within is the desert.
Sarah decides to go to house
Sarah touches the key to lock, and feels a rustling of sheets. Her eyes flutter open...
[Press SPACE to continue.]
Sarah Winchester awakes. She lies on an orthopedic bed - the single furnishing of this secret bedchamber, deep within her mansion. Thirteen doorways open onto walls of bare brick.
A doctor and a distinguished-looking nurse turn from their quiet conversation as she awakes.
"Good morning," says the woman, who, as Sarah now remembers, is actually the doctor. "I hope your sleep was decent. You were a bit restless. But overall, I think you're doing very well for a woman of a hundred and sixty-two years."
"And you did well on your trip," the male nurse says. "We saw a lot of the country during those two weeks. It was incredible, wasn't it? I was really impressed, but I'm sure it was incredible for you, after almost eighty years asleep. But now you're safe, back at home. And the secret of your long life here is safe, too."
"Sarah," the lady doctor says calmly, "You always have problems remembering just after you wake up. But since we brought you out of the mesmeric trance, you've suffered from a speech aphasia. You're not going to be able to talk to us like that." From a compartment in a bare brick doorway, she wheels in a keyboard and monitor.
"There's one more thing I should tell you, Sarah. We got some bad news during the night. You already know that Doctor Leary declined the freezing, and won't be joining you for the coming of the millennium. Well, I'm afraid ... Mister Disney didn't survive being brought out of hibernation. He won't be with us either."
The male nurse glances up. "Maybe this is a bad time, but I'll ask my question once more," he says. "You've been cagey about it before. Of course, you can keep the secret if you want. But I simply have to ask. Will you tell - will you explain why it was that you built this strange house? Why you spent thirty years, day and night, building onto it?
The doctor sighs, and the nurse raises her eyebrolws with a shrug. Sarah smiles enigmatically.
Winchester's Nightmare was written and programmed in Inform by Nick Montfort <nickm@media.mit.edu>, who also designed the physical components of the hardcover edition.
Special thanks go to software testers who carried out particlar assigned tasks, helping to complete the development of the software: Inna Braude, Janis Breeze, Jane Gorjevsky, Katherine Isbister, and Herb Newhouse.
Many others spent a session - in some cases brief, in other cases quite lengthy - interacting with an early version of Winchester's Nightmare. Thanks go to Adam, Alan, Bill, Chris, Clarence, Emily, John, Mary Lou, Stuart, Tanya, Tim, and all the others who interacted with and provided comments on aspects of this work.
Winchester's Nightmare is coded in Inform, by Graham Nelson. The libraries used are modifications of his standard libraries, along with adname.h by Andrew Clover. Thanks go to the community of Inform programmers, who are quick and helpful in posting explanations on the newsgroup rec.arts.int-fiction.
Inform compiles story files to run on a virtual, software computer. Winchester's Nightmare runs on this "Z-machine." This truly novel machine was developed by Joel Berez and Mark Blanc.