The Angel Curse — Explorded!

$game ("The Angel Curse"):

The $game's author is "David Welbourn".
The $game's authoring system is "Inform 6".
The $game's release number is "1".
The $game's serial number is "030112".
The $game's use-American-dialect-option is true.
The $game's verbose-mode is true.
The $game's mention-UNDO-when-game-ends-option is true.
The $game's headline is "An interactive something by David Welbourn for SpeedIF 19".

# {display the banner}

The Angel Curse
An interactive something by David Welbourn for SpeedIF 19
Release 1 / Serial number 030112 / Inform v6.21 Library 6/10

> about

The rules for SpeedIF 19 were:
Write a game that includes decency, a Toys-R-Us Bag of Rusty Lead-Painted Metal Bits, a cursed angel, and the phrase 'thy gills are as unclean as a lobster's arse'. Bonus points for including the darkness intrinsic to the human soul, alligators and the women who love them, or professional girls gymnastics. Sign here with URL when done.

room:

A room is a subclass of object.
A room's tags are lit.

metal-bit ("lead-painted metal bit"):

A metal-bit is a subclass of object.
A metal-bit's input-words are lead, painted, lead-painted, metal, bit.
A metal-bit's plural-name is "lead-painted metal bits".
List together metal-bit in inventory.

Gym ("Gymnasium at St. Catherine's"):

Gym is a room.
North-Hall is east of Gym and vice-versa.

> look {@ Gym}

St. Catherine's has an excellent gymnasium for its female students, but of course it's of little use to you. The only reason you're here is because your friend Amy practically begged you to come with her.

gymnasts ("female gymnasts"):

The gymnasts are in Gym.
The gymnasts's input-words are female, gymnasts, girls, women, pros, professional, pro, athletes.
The gymansts's tags are static, female, pluralname, animate.

> examine gymnasts

There's several women here, including Amy, out practicing for a professional gymnastic competition in Hamburg next Spring. Looking at them fills your mind with envy and self-pity. You cannot join them, and you never will. Such emotions, you upbraid yourself, only illustrate the darkness intrinsic to the human soul. You turn away.

Amy:

Amy is in Gym.
Amy's input-words are amy, friend.
Amy's tags are static, scenery, animate, female, propername.

> examine Amy

Look at her. She's so graceful on the parallel bars. You could never do that. You can't see why she insisted you accompany her here.

Well, okay. It was the decent thing to do. But she's obviously over her performance anxiety, and she's not paying any attention to you. She's too busy working with the rest of the girls.

wheelchair:

The wheelchair is in Gym.
The wheelchair's input-words are wheel, chair, wheelchair.
The wheelchair's tags are enterable, container, open, static.

> examine wheelchair

Your wheelchair. You hate it. But it takes you where you need to go, so you're stuck with it.

> down {before-check when I am in the wheelchair}

Not in your wheelchair, you're not.

> leave wheelchair {before-check when wheelchair is not in South-Hall}

No. Not here. What would be the point?

I / me:

I am the player-character.
I am in the wheelchair.

> examine me

[if I am in the wheelchair] You're a girl in a wheelchair feeling sorry for herself. So what else is new? [else if I wear the pendant] You're a girl with broken legs, forced to crawl. [else] You're a mermaid, until recently under a dread curse.

> answer me

Talking to yourself again?

> ask me about TOPIC

Talking to yourself again?

> dance

You cannot dance. It pains you deeply.

> dance around/about

⇒ dance

> hi/hello

Talking to yourself again?

> hi/hello SOMEONE

⇒ greet someone

> greet me

⇒ hi

> greet SOMEONE

[The someone] ignore[s] your greetings.

> pray

You're not Catholic, or even Christian. You'd hardly know what to say.

> take me

That doesn't make any sense.

> tell me about TOPIC

Talking to yourself again?

> touch me

Touch yourself on your own time, okay?

> touch SOMEONE

It's not that kind of game.

> touch SOMETHING

You feel nothing unusual.

> wake

No one is asleep.

> wake SOMEONE

No one is asleep.

pendant ("angel pendant"):

I'm wearing the pendant.
The pendant's output-article is "an".
The pendant's input-words are white, alabaster, angel, pendant, and pendent.
The pendant's tags are wearable.

> examine pendant

It's a white angel pendant made of alabaster. At least, you think it's alabaster. You're not sure where you got it from, come to think of it. It's pretty, though, and you've always worn it.

> remove pendant {when first attempt}

You try to remove the angel... uhhh...

Your head hurts. You wanted to do something, but what?

> remove pendant

You can't! You can't remove the angel! Ah, the pain! Your mind reels with it.

sack ("Toys R Us bag"):

I'm holding the sack.
The sack's input-words are toys, r, us, bag, and sack.
The sack's tags are container, closed, and openable.

> examine bag

Amy asked you to hold onto her bag for her. What she needed it for, you can't imagine. [if first attempt] Amy always was a little weird. Maybe that's why she's your friend. When you're around, she probably seems almost normal by comparison.

jagged-bit ("jagged white bit"):

The jagged-bit is a metal-bit.
The jagged-bit is in the sack.
The jagged-bit's input-words are jagged, white, bit.

> examine jagged bit

Ick. Looks dangerous. Someone could cut themselves with that.

pole ("long red hooked bit"):

The pole is a metal-bit.
The pole is in the sack.
The pole's input-words are long, red, hooked, bit, pole.

> examine pole

Kinda like a pole, with a hook at the end.

dagger ("shiny triangular bit"):

The dagger is a metal-bit.
The dagger is in the sack.
The dagger's input-words are shiny, triangular, bit, dagger.

> examine dagger

"Is this a dagger I see before me?" Naaah.

coin ("small green circular bit"):

The coin is a metal-bit.
The coin is in the sack.
The coin's input-words are small, green, circular, bit, coin.
The coin's tags are lit.

> examine coin

This bit's rather like a coin. Except it's painted green and doesn't have a queen on it, or E Pluribus Uranium, or whatever coins are supposed to have on them.

North-Hall ("First Floor Hallway (North End)"):

North-Hall is a room.
Gym is west from North-Hall and vice-versa.
South-Hall is south from North-Hall and vice-versa.

> look {@ North-Hall}

The hallway outside the gym is nothing special. Some trophies. The Christian cross. An aquarium of fish. The hallway continues south, the gym is west, the chapel east, and the exit to the street is to the north.

> north {@ North-Hall}

No. You can't leave without Amy. You promised.

> east {@ North-Hall}

You peek into the chapel, but the nuns are preparing for some sort of ceremony. A funeral, maybe. Or perhaps just a normal prayer service. You don't know why you're so gloomy today.

northjunk:

The northjunk is in North-Hall.
The northjunk's input-words are trophies, trophy, christian, cross.
The northjunk's tags are unimportant.

aquarium:

The aquarium is in North-Hall.
The aquarium's input-words are aquarium, fish, tank.
The aquarium's tags are static, scenery.

> examine aquarium

You watch the fish swim about for awhile, and you feel the darkness in your soul ebb. These simple fish comfort you. Why?

South-Hall ("First Floor Hallway (South End)"):

South-Hall is a room.
North-Hall is north from South-Hall and vice-versa.
Sewer1 is down from South-Hall.

> look {@ South-Hall}

The south end of the hallway is even less interesting than the north end, except for a sewer grating in the floor.

> north {@ South-Hall} {when I am not in the wheelchair}

You should probably get back in your wheelchair, first.

> down {@ South-Hall} {when I am in the wheelchair}

You'll need to leave the wheelchair, first.

> down {@ South-Hall} {when grate is open}

You'll need to open the grating, first.

> down {@ South-Hall}

Heedless of the risk, you push yourself into the hole, and fall... {...}

grate ("sewer grating"):

The grate is in South-Hall.
The grate's input-words are sewer, grating, grate.
The grate's tags are closed, openable, static.

> examine grating

A sewer grating in the floor. You hear something down there, something alive? Something or someone trapped? The grating is [open or closed].

> open grating {when I am not holding the pole}

You'll need a tool in your hand to open the grating with.

> open grating {replacing default open message}

Using the long hooked bit, you manage to pry open the grating.

Sewer1 ("Sewer"):

Sewer1 is a room.
Sewer2 is east from Sewer1.

> look {@ Sewer1}

You're in the sewer. It's dark and gloomy and smelly. But it's also cool and wet, which you don't mind so much. The hole you fell through is high above you, and the sewer extends east.

> up {@ Sewer1}

You'll never get back up there now. For better or worse, you're committed to the sewers.

> east {@ Sewer1}

You crawl, fall, further down the sewer. {...}

Sewer2 ("Deeper in the Sewer"):

Sewer2 is a room.

> look {@ Sewer2}

The water is deeper here; you can swim. But an alligator blocks further passage east.

> west {@ Sewer2}

You cannot return.

> east {@ Sewer2} {when I wear the pendant}

The alligator blocks your way.

alligator:

The alligator is in Sewer2.
The alligator's input-words are alligator, gator, croc, crocodile.
The alligator's tags are animate.

> examine alligator

[if I wear the pendant] The alligator seems a friendly sort. It grins at you with sharp, sharp teeth. You feel you can trust it. Maybe even love it. But it blocks your way east. [else] The alligator grins at you, and moves to one side to let you pass.

> kiss alligator {when I wear the pendant}

You give the alligator a kiss, and he snaps at you!!

No! At your angel pendant! He crushes it into powder and... {Remove the pendant from the game.}

A miracle! Your broken legs become a fish's tail, and you... you are a mermaid! How? How did this happen? Who put this curse on you? And oh! Your father and mother? How long have they missed you and thought you dead?

> kiss alligator

You give the alligator another kiss in thanks. You will love alligators forever more.

> east {@ Sewer2}

You swim past the alligator joyfully, and swim, swim, SWIM out through the sewers, out of mankind's waterways in into the ocean...

\ \ \ *\ \ \ *\ \ \ *

You swim to an underwater palace, where you find your father, the Merfolk King. He looks at you, unbelieving his eyes, then rushes to embrace you. When the initial shock has worn off, he takes a more critical look at you and says, "Where hast thou been, my child? Thy gills are as unclean as a lobster's arse." You laugh, and hug him again.

*** You have won ***