Shadow Vault Website

Menagerie by DuoDave [David Good]

Introduction

You're Willow Murphy, card-carrying member of Greenpeace, Save the Whales, and the Sea Turtle Preservation Society. Your current membership in PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has brought you to the Waleri Bros. Menagerie and Circus. Your assignment - capture the unethical treatment of animals on your trusty video camera. But you better not get caught! They say those elephant handlers are real animals!

You're at the Midway, where people can play all kinds of games. You see the ring toss here, which costs 1 token. To the east in the distance you see a fortune teller's tent, and to the west is the funhouse, which also costs 1 token. You can also go north to the entrance of the circus tent or southeast to the outdoor stage. The midway continues to the east and south.

People are milling about, playing games. Kids are running around, giggling. You smell freshly popped popcorn in the air. You hear calliope music coming from the direction of the funhouse.

"Ring toss! Ring toss!" calls the carny. "Three tries, just one token!" A carny is here, working the ring toss game.

> south
You move south.
You're at the south end of the midway, where people can play all kinds of games. You can play the wheel of fortune here. To the east is an outdoor stage, and west is an arcade. You can also go north or northeast to the midway.

A mother is wiping mustard from her son's face while her husband fiddles with a video camera. Children are laughing with their parents. The air carries the odors of the animals, which are housed nearby. You hear calliope music coming from the direction of the funhouse.

"Around the wheel goes!" says the carny. "Where it stops, nobody knows!" Wemmie is here, counting tokens. A carny is here, working the wheel of fortune.

> play wheel
"Around the wheel goes!" says the carny. "Where it stops, nobody knows!" You plunk a dollar down on the wheel of fortune, betting on the 10:1 odds. Maybe it's your lucky day.

The wheel spins. . . .

It must be your lucky day! The wheel has come to a stop on your number. The carnival worker hands you a $10 bill.

> north
You move north.
You're at the Midway, where people can play all kinds of games. You see the ring toss here, which costs 1 token. To the east in the distance you see a fortune teller's tent, and to the west is the funhouse, which also costs 1 token. You can also go north to the entrance of the circus tent or southeast to the outdoor stage. The midway continues to the east and south.

People are milling about, playing games. You see a young boy riding on his father's shoulders. You think back on fond memories of baseball games as the aroma of hot dogs drifts over to you. You hear calliope music coming from the direction of the funhouse.

"Three tries, just one token!" says the carny. "Win a Coke!" A carny is here, working the ring toss game.

> north
You move north.
You're at the entrance of the circus. There is a banner above the entrance, and a ticket booth with a sign on it. The midway is to the south.

People are milling about, playing games. A little girl is playing with a stuffed animal won on the midway. The stench of a nearby trash receptacle drifts your way. Marie is here, behind the ticket booth.

> buy 10 tokens
You give Marie $5 and she sells you 10 tokens. You have $6 left, which will buy you up to 12 tokens. The vendor walks toward you from the north-east.

> buy popcorn
The vendor sells you a paper sack full of popcorn for $1.

> buy peanuts
The vendor sells you a bag of peanuts for $1.

> buy crackerjack
The vendor sells you a box of Cracker Jacks for $2.

> south
You move south.
You're at the Midway, where people can play all kinds of games. You see the ring toss here, which costs 1 token. To the east in the distance you see a fortune teller's tent, and to the west is the funhouse, which also costs 1 token. You can also go north to the entrance of the circus tent or southeast to the outdoor stage. The midway continues to the east and south.

People attending the circus are laughing, talking, eating cotton candy. Young kids are playing simple carnival games. The odor of pizza wafts its way over to you. You hear calliope music coming from the direction of the funhouse.

"Win a Coke here!" calls the carny. "Just one token!" Wemmie is here, juggling stuffed animals. A carny is here, working the ring toss game. Wemmie walks away to the east.

> play ring toss
"Win a Coke here!" calls the carny. "Just one token!"

You give a token to the circus worker and he gives you three rings.

> play ring toss
"Ring toss! Ring toss!" calls the carny. "Three tries, just one token!"

You toss a ring at the coke bottles and it bounces harmlessly off the glass.

> play ring toss
"Win a Coke here!" calls the carny. "Just one token!"

You toss a ring at the coke bottles and it bounces harmlessly off the glass.

> play ring toss
"Simple game of skill!" the carny shouts to the crowd. "Win a Coke for your ladyfriend!"

You won a refreshing bottle of coke! The carnival worker gets hands you the bottle you so skillfully won. Wemmie comes in from the east.

> give crackerjack to wemmie
Wemmie accepts your offer of the box of Cracker Jacks.

"Cracker Jacks!" she says, tearing the box open. "I love these!"

She reaches into the box and pulls out a paper-wrapped prize.

"You were so nice, you can have this."

You now have a cracker jack prize, which seems to be a glow-in-the-dark sticker of a ghost.

> east
You move east.
You're at the east end of the midway, where people can play all kinds of games. You see the duck pond here. To the south is an outdoor stage, and east is the fortune teller's tent. You can also go west or southwest to the midway.

The townys are carrying the prizes they won at the games, while eating carnival food. A little girl is playing with a stuffed animal won on the midway. The odor of freshly popped popcorn hangs in the air. You hear calliope music coming from the direction of the funhouse.

"Guarenteed winner!" says the carny. "Play duck pond!" A carny is here, working the duck pond game.

> play duck pond
"Guarenteed winner!" says the carny. "Play duck pond!"

You give the vendor a token and play the duck pond game.

You won a plush duck toy!

> play duck pond
"Duck pond! Duck pond!" calls the carny. "Everyone wins!"

You give the vendor a token and play the duck pond game.

You won a plastic clown!

> play duck pond
"Everyone's a winner at duck pond!" the carny shouts. "Just one token."

You give the vendor a token and play the duck pond game.

You won a plush frog toy!

> play duck pond
"Duck pond! Duck pond!" calls the carny. "Everyone wins!"

You give the vendor a token and play the duck pond game. You pick up a duck and look at the bottom, which reads "FREE TICKET". The carny worker smiles and says "Congratulations, my good friend, you have won free admission to the circus!"

He hands you a free ticket.

> east
You move east.
Amongst the heavy odor of incense and dim light, you make out the figure of the old gypsy fortune teller, the circus psychic. Madame Elsa the gypsy is here, shuffling a deck of tarot cards. You feel someone bump into you in the crowd. Suddenly you realize your camera case is gone, and your videocamera with it! Oh no! How will you tape the animals for PETA now? Maybe if you can find it...

> ask madame elsa about reading
"That blasted music!" exclaims the old gypsy woman. "I can't even think straight, let alone do a reading!"

> west
You move west.
You're at the east end of the midway, where people can play all kinds of games. You see the duck pond here. To the south is an outdoor stage, and east is the fortune teller's tent. You can also go west or southwest to the midway.

Locals are eating and drinking circus treats, lining up to play midway games. You see a young boy riding on his father's shoulders. A woman wearing too much perfume walks past and you catch a whif. You hear calliope music coming from the direction of the funhouse.

"Everyone's a winner at duck pond!" the carny shouts. "Just one token." A carny is here, working the duck pond game.

> west
You move west.
You're at the Midway, where people can play all kinds of games. You see the ring toss here, which costs 1 token. To the east in the distance you see a fortune teller's tent, and to the west is the funhouse, which also costs 1 token. You can also go north to the entrance of the circus tent or southeast to the outdoor stage. The midway continues to the east and south.

Locals are eating and drinking circus treats, lining up to play midway games. Children with hotdogs and glowsticks are nearby. The odor of the hot dogs in the air reminds you of when you were a kid. You hear calliope music coming from the direction of the funhouse.

"Play ring toss!" calls the carny. "Three for a token!" The vendor is here. Wemmie is here, watching someone else play a game. A carny is here, working the ring toss game.

> west
After paying 1 token to the midway worker, You move west.
The funhouse has numerous funny mirrors and moving floors. It's fun. Skippy the Clown is here, laughing maniacly. Bill is here, playing the calliope. The mad clown attacks you with the foam bat, but you manage to avoid it.

> x bill
Bill, a circus musician, is dressed as a clown, and he is playing the calliope.

> x mirror
The wacky mirrors are warped, making your reflection look really odd. The mirrors are rather entrancing, maybe even distracting. You see Bill reflected in the mirror.

> show mirror to bill
You show Bill the funhouse mirror. He stops playing the calliope and starts preening in the wavy mirror. He laughs at his silly image. The mad clown attacks you with the foam bat, but you manage to avoid it.

> give popcorn to bill
You give the sack of popcorn to Bill.

"Thanks!" he says. Bill munches on the popcorn a while. "Hey, I'm thirsty. I'll be right back."

Bill departs.

> x calliope
The colorful calliope has many tubes and pipes all over it, and looks like a great big portable organ on wheels. No one is playing it. A tip jar is on the calliope.

> get tip jar
As you you take the tip money from Bill's tip jar, it accidentally slips off the calliope and shatters on the funhouse floor.

In a mad scuffle, you and Skippy the Clown scurry around gathering up change. You manage to gather up about $5, but it looks like Skippy managed to make some bills disappear into his costume. You now have $7 in your purse. The mad clown attacks you with the foam bat, but you manage to avoid it.

> east
You move east.
You're at the Midway, where people can play all kinds of games. You see the ring toss here, which costs 1 token. To the east in the distance you see a fortune teller's tent, and to the west is the funhouse, which also costs 1 token. You can also go north to the entrance of the circus tent or southeast to the outdoor stage. The midway continues to the east and south.

A mother is wiping mustard from her son's face while her husband fiddles with a video camera. A little girl is playing with a stuffed animal won on the midway. The odor of pizza wafts its way over to you.

"Win a Coke!" calls the carny. "Three tries for a token!" The vendor is here. Wemmie is here, tossing a ring. A carny is here, working the ring toss game.

People are milling about, playing games. A little girl is playing with a stuffed animal won on the midway. You smell the freshly roasted peanuts being sold by the food vendor.

"Stuffed animals galore!" the carny says. "Just one token, play duck pond!" A carny is here, working the duck pond game.

> ask madame elsa about reading
Madame Elsa beckons for you to sit down. She then hands you a deck of cards, and asks you to shuffle. After shuffling, you return the cards to her and she slowly deals out three cards.

The first card has a XI at the top. This card has a picture of a woman seated in some sort of throne, with the word "JUSTICE" written below it.

The second card has a X at the top. The card has a picture of a man lying on a shore, with swords sticking out of his back.

The third card has a IV at the top. The man depicted in this card is being offered a cup, yet is turning it down.

Madame Elsa makes the sign of the cross and says, "My child, the fates frown upon you. Mark my words, you'll be dead before the sun sets!"

Amongst the heavy odor of incense and dim light, you make out the figure of the old gypsy fortune teller, the circus psychic. There are three tarot cards on the table. Madame Elsa the gypsy is here, shuffling a deck of tarot cards.

Locals are eating and drinking circus treats, lining up to play midway games. Kids are running around, giggling. You smell freshly popped popcorn in the air.

"Duck pond winner!" calls the carny. "Could be you - just one token!" A carny is here, working the duck pond game.

> south
You move south.
This area isn't much of a stage, but basically a roped off area where various musicians, dancers and acrobats can entertain before the actual circus begins.

The townys are carrying the prizes they won at the games, while eating carnival food. Children are laughing with their parents. You smell the freshly roasted peanuts being sold by the food vendor. Cecily the belly dancer is here, shaking her hips in a suggestive manner.

> x dancer
Cecily has long dirty-blonde hair and is medium-tall. She is wearing a low-riding skirt and revealing, beaded push-up bra. She is wiggling her hips back and forth in an unnatural manner.

> tip dancer
You reach into your purse and pull out a dollar, which you offer to the dancer. Cecily smiles and shakes her hips as she lets you tuck it into her top.

"Thanks!" she says. "Hey, did you ask Madame Elsa to give you a reading? I hear she is good."

> west
You move west.
You're at the south end of the midway, where people can play all kinds of games. You can play the wheel of fortune here. To the east is an outdoor stage, and west is an arcade. You can also go north or northeast to the midway.

"One play for a buck!" says the carny. "Win money!" A carny is here, working the wheel of fortune.

People are milling about, playing games. A little girl is playing with a stuffed animal won on the midway. The stench of a nearby trash receptacle drifts your way.

"Ring a Coke bottle!" says the carny. "Three tries, one token!" A carny is here, working the ring toss game.

> north
You move north.
You're at the entrance of the circus. There is a banner above the entrance, and a ticket booth with a sign on it. The midway is to the south.

Locals are eating and drinking circus treats, trying to find good seats. Kids are running up and down the bleachers, giggling. The air carries the odors of the animals, which are housed nearby.

There are seats to the northeast and northwest. Due north is the center ring. Marie is here, behind the ticket booth.

> buy popcorn
The vendor sells you a paper sack full of popcorn for $1.

> buy 4 tokens
You give Marie $2 and she sells you 4 tokens. You have $3 left, which will buy you up to 6 tokens.

A mother is wiping mustard from her son's face while her husband fiddles with a video camera. Children with hotdogs and glowsticks are nearby. The odor of the hot dogs in the air reminds you of when you were a kid.

"Ring a Coke bottle!" says the carny. "Three tries, one token!" A carny is here, working the ring toss game. The vendor slinks in from the north.

People are milling about, playing games. You see a young boy riding on his father's shoulders. The odor of the hot dogs in the air reminds you of when you were a kid.

"Play the wheel!" calls the carny. "Win real money!" A carny is here, working the wheel of fortune.

> west
You move west.
This is a sorry excuse for an arcade. Most of the games have screens that are dark or are unplugged. The only ones that don't have "Out of Order" signs are a "Ms. Pac-man" game and a pinball machine that says "Flip-Flop". You can go east to the south end of the Midway.

The townys are carrying the prizes they won at the games, while eating carnival food. Kids are running around, giggling. The stench of a nearby trash receptacle drifts your way. Zap is here, playing the pinball game.

> give popcorn to zap
You give the sack of popcorn to Zap.

Zap grunts at you. He drops the camera case and heads off to the east in search of a drink.

> get case
You pick up the camera case.

> play pinball
Your token goes ker-chunk as you drop it into the pinball game. Your ball flips around going ching-bing against the bumpers. As your third ball gets eaten up by the gods of pinball, you wonder how long it's been since you played.

> x pac-man
The Ms. Pac-man game's screen is dark, probably because it isn't plugged in.

> plug pac-man in
You take the Ms. Pac-man cord and plug it into a nearby extension cord.

> play pac-man
After plunking a token into the Ms. Pac-man machine and play a game. As the ghosts eat up poor Ms. Pac-Man's last life, you feel a few brain cells die. You probably won't miss them.

> east
You move east.
You're at the south end of the midway, where people can play all kinds of games. You can play the wheel of fortune here. To the east is an outdoor stage, and west is an arcade. You can also go north or northeast to the midway.

People are milling about, playing games. A little girl is playing with a stuffed animal won on the midway. The odor of pizza wafts its way over to you.

"Real cash!" calls the carny. "Win big!" A carny is here, working the wheel of fortune.

Locals are eating and drinking circus treats, lining up to play midway games. Young kids are playing simple carnival games. The familiar odor of hot nachos wafts over to you.

"Play ring toss!" calls the carny. "Three for a token!" The vendor is here. Wemmie is here, counting tokens. A carny is here, working the ring toss game.

> drink coke
How refreshing! You chug down the coke and pitch the bottle into the glass recyclables container.

> north
You move north.
You're at the entrance of the circus. There is a banner above the entrance, and a ticket booth with a sign on it. The midway is to the south.

The townys are carrying the prizes they won at the games, while eating carnival food. Kids are running up and down the bleachers, giggling. The familiar odor of hot nachos wafts over to you.

There are seats to the northeast and northwest. Due north is the center ring. The vendor is here. Marie is here, behind the ticket booth. The vendor walks out to the north-east.

> ne
You move northeast.
The portable bleachers are made of aluminum. They aren't very comfortable. To the northwest is the back door, to the southwest is the main entrance, and to the west is the center ring.

Patrons are talking amongst themselves. Children are laughing with their parents. You smell the freshly roasted peanuts being sold by the food vendor. The vendor is here.

> x bleachers
You look under the east bleachers and think you can detect movement, a small dark figure.

> down
You move down.

You're under the metal bleachers. You can see the supports of the collapsable bleachers here, criscrossing above your head. The odor of the hot dogs in the air reminds you of when you were a kid. Pringles the monkey is here.

> give peanuts to monkey
Pringles greedily takes the bag of peanuts from you and starts eating them. She drops the toy knife and disappears to the north-west.

> get knife
You pick up the toy knife.

> up
You move up.
The portable bleachers are made of aluminum. They aren't very comfortable. To the northwest is the back door, to the southwest is the main entrance, and to the west is the center ring.

People attending the circus are laughing, talking, eating cotton candy. A little girl is playing with a stuffed animal won on the midway. The familiar odor of hot nachos wafts over to you.

> west
You move west.
The center ring is where most of the circus performances take place. To the north is the back door, to the south is the main entrance, to the east and west you see bleachers. Above you, mounted on a pole, is a platform where aerial performers launch from, which is accessed by climbing a ladder.

People are milling about, playing games. You see a young boy riding on his father's shoulders. You smell the freshly roasted peanuts being sold by the food vendor.

> up
You move up.
You're standing on a platform about a hundred feet up, looking down on the bleachers and center ring. This is where the aerial acrobats launch their acts from. You can climb down the ladder to the center ring, but the faster way down is of course, gravity. Also here is the battery.

> get battery
You pick up the battery.

> down
You move down.

The center ring is where most of the circus performances take place. To the north is the back door, to the south is the main entrance, to the east and west you see bleachers. Above you, mounted on a pole, is a platform where aerial performers launch from, which is accessed by climbing a ladder.

The townys are carrying the prizes they won at the games, while eating carnival food. Children with hotdogs and glowsticks are nearby. The stench of a nearby trash receptacle drifts your way. Lance the ringmaster is here, announcing acts and working the crowd.

> north
You move north.
The back door is where the performers and animals enter the big top. To the southeast and southwest you see bleachers, to the south is the center ring.

People are milling about, playing games. Children with hotdogs and glowsticks are nearby. The odor of the hot dogs in the air reminds you of when you were a kid.

> north
You move north.
You're behind the circus tent, in an area where animals and performers prepare. There is a lot of straw and sawdust on the ground here. To the south is the backdoor to the big top. To the north you see some animal cages, to the east and west are trailers used as dressing rooms. Barb walks in from the north.

> north
You move north.
This is where the animal cages are. There is straw and sawdust on the ground here. You see an elephant cage, a lion cage, a tiger cage, and a gorilla cage. There is also a stable here. The rear entrance to the big top is to your south, as are the dressing rooms.

> x tiger cage
The lone tiger in this cage is of the rare white tiger variety. She is named Nevada, which is Latin for "snowy". Although appearing somewhat docile in the cage, you don't plan on sticking your fingers through the bars.

> x elephant cage
Technically, this isn't a cage per-se. The four large elephants in this area are chained to a large truck to keep them from wandering about. A fifth elephant seems to be a baby - some baby - it is probably close to 400 pounds.

> x horses
Horses of a variety of types are housed in this temporary stable.

> x gorilla cage
The wheeled cage is about 40 feet long and contains a pair of gorillas, named Carla and Ethan, who are grooming each other. They look rather run down. You think they should be in the wild, with other gorillas, or at least in a zoo where they would be treated better.

> x lion cage
You're very grateful that between you and the African lions are bars of reinforced steel. There is a male named Sasha and a female named Nadiya in this cage. You feel sad that these majestic beasts should be on the plains of the savannah, not in some cage. The videotape is inside the lion cage.

> wait
Time passes...

Barb sashays in from the south.

> ask barb about videotape
"Oh, what's that doing there?" Barb says. She reaches into the lion cage and retrieves the video tape. "Is this yours?"

She hands you the video tape.

> south
You move south.
You're behind the circus tent, in an area where animals and performers prepare. There is a lot of straw and sawdust on the ground here. To the south is the backdoor to the big top. To the north you see some animal cages, to the east and west are trailers used as dressing rooms. Barb saunters in from the north.

> east
You move east.
This trailer is where the clowns change their clothes. You see racks of clown costumes and a trunk of props, a lit makeup mirror and table. The exit is to the west. Pringles the monkey is here. Zippo the cowboy clown is here, applying makeup. The clown attacks you with the toy gun, but you manage to avoid it.

> x trunk
You suppose the trunk is probably used for clown props. It is locked. The trunk is closed.

> give toy knife to clown
You hand Zippo the toy knife and he smiles at you. He soundlessly puts his gun in the holster and the knife in a belt sheath. He goes back to applying makeup.

> x lock
The combination lock has a dial you can turn. The numbers go from 0-20. The padlock is locked.

> turn lock to 11
You turn the lock to the number 11.

> turn lock to 10
You turn the lock to the number 10.

> turn lock to 4
You turn the lock to the number 4. There is a click as the lock opens.

> open trunk
You open the trunk.

> x trunk
The trunk contains a variety of props that the clowns use for their acts, like oversize shoes, funny wigs, red noses, and foam baseball bats. The trunk is open. The videocamera is inside the trunk.

> get videocamera
You take the videocamera from the trunk.

> put tape in camera
You put the videotape inside the videocamera.

> put battery in camera
You put the battery inside the videocamera.

> west
You move west.
You're behind the circus tent, in an area where animals and performers prepare. There is a lot of straw and sawdust on the ground here. To the south is the backdoor to the big top. To the north you see some animal cages, to the east and west are trailers used as dressing rooms.

> tape animals with camera
You film the animals with the video camera. Wow, it seems your mission is a success! Congratulations!

At this point you can either relax and enjoy the show, or you can go home at any time.

> go home
Having successfully filmed the lions, tigers and bears (Oh my!) you mosey on your way toward the parking lot.

You start to pull your car out of the parking lot, when suddenly a circus vehicle (that may or may not have noticed you) slams into your Saturn. Luckily, your video camera is taken with you to the hospital, and in your last gasping breath you manage to ask an ER nurse to deliver the video to PETA for you.

I'm afraid you have died - but you can rest in peace knowing you have achieved your lifelong goal of selflessness.

For your self-sacrifice, PETA plants a Willow tree in your name with a brass plaque under it for all to see, and they write a nice letter to your family thanking them for the sizable life insurance check that was donated to their organization.

After being fined for animal cruelty, the Waleri Bros. Menagerie and Circus declared bankruptcy and merged with another circus. Your new friend Wemmie attended your funeral, then moved to another state.

Skippy the Clown is still at large.

Congratulations! You completed the game and scored the maximum number of points possible. Unbelievable. You didn't cheat, did you?