Toitu working mess

(text-style:"sway")[ (link-reveal:"you have disappeared inside yourself") [ (link-reveal: "you are looking out of your body like out of a grave") [ (link-reveal: "all around you the trees sway and bend in amorphous languages that you can't understand") [ //(link-reveal: " shhhhhh") [ (link-reveal: " sshhh") [ (link-reveal: " sshhhh") [ (link-reveal: "sssshhh")[ you are boiling and burning and disintegrating in the walls of [[the house you grew up in]] ] ] ] ] //] ] ] ]

// (transition: "dissolve")[Jubilee Park sits just along from the corner of Maori Road and Serpentine Avenue, nestled into the surrounding native bush of the lower flanks of [[Maori Hill]], one of Dunedin's most exclusive and wealthy suburbs ] //

//(transition: "dissolve")[ in 1888, for the Queen's golden jubilee of the previous year, the land was offered to the crown in order to commemorate the establishment of the southernmost colony of Her Majesty [[the Queen of England]] ]//

//(transition: "dissolve") [ for this purpose, the crown decided to plant a grove of oak trees, to remind the settler's of their homeland and to establish an ecological footprint on a landscape otherwise dominated by (cycling-link: "kauri", "totara", "rimu", "kowhai", "manuka") and [[kahikatea]] ]//

//(transition: "dissolve") [ that same year, the Dunedin Amenities Society established itself with the sole purpose of converting the area of green hillside surrounding the small township into a dedicated [[town belt reserve]] ]//

//(transition: "dissolve") [ these types of reserves were a commonly entertained idea by the early gentry of colonial NZ, and appear all over the country in many different [[shapes and sizes]] ]//

(transition: "dissolve") [ //and the purpose was clear - to preserve the native bush in its natural state as a reminder of [[what was here before->research!!]] // ]

(link-reveal: "first the heavens") [ (link-reveal: "then the forests") [ (link-reveal: "then the rivers and the lakes") [ [[and out towards the sea->research!!]] ] ] ]

the sheets are crumpled up around your ears you've been dreaming again a [[cold sweat]] rests on your forehead

the bedside cabinet hosts the usual clutter: (cycling-link: "a handful of coins", "glass of water", "meds", "moleskin", "book of poetry", "glasses") the sweat on your head has moved to your back, your chest your prescription medication [[stares back at you->double-edged sword]]

whenever you see the doctor they always say, (text_colour:"aqua")[//make sure to exercise exercise releases endorphins//] but a lot of the time you don't feel like exercising you don't feel like exercising today a large senseless weight seems to be [[sitting on your chest]]

below, there are people walking to work you (cycling_link: "watch", "envy") them you wish life was easier you wish you could just wake up one day and [[not be you->today]]

//oh hi, the lonely shape of [[depression->today]]//

you step out onto Serpentine Rd as you have done a thousand times before this area is a small network of slowly gentrifying suburbia amidst a bygone industrial centre - ahead, the [[Bell Tea]] building hovers in the distance, now low-income apartments and storage... to the left the [[Speights Brewery]] rises over the publican centre of what was //the Chinese District//, an area of relative ill-dispute in its time... (link-replace: "to the right") [//(text-colour:"red")[a red car honks its horn aggressively and swerves to avoid you]// you step back suddenly the driver leans across the passenger seat and shouts something rude and unintelligible as he whizzes past (cycling-link: bind $branch1, "you ignore him", "what was that?", "flick him the bird") //[[why is everyone in such a hurry all the time?->people these days]]// ]

a famous Dunedin legacy, this family managed to become landowners of much of this area of town, including hotels, venues, theatres, bars, massage parlours and grocers this building is run by [[Jimmy, one of the youngest sons]]

D N DIN (link-reveal: "G") [(link-reveal: " something") [(link-reveal: " something") [(link-reveal: " W") [(link-reveal: " something") [(link-reveal: " R") [(link-reveal: " something") [(link-reveal: " something") [ the pole is tall and strong and straight looking up it is [[like looking along an arrow]] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

you notice how the lamppost has become entrenched in the environment (cycling-link: "it wears the clothes of the forest floor", "it wears the scars of death and time") it is being eaten, slowly [[engulfed->not for a few more decades at least]]

as much as you'd like to just sit here [[amongst the detritus of forest]]

[[there is work to do]]

you wonder how old it is, and when it was first lit and why there, [[in that spot?->hovering in the mist of the Dunedin night]]

you look back once over your shoulder as you cross the road, the mysterious lantern lost in the dense, dark forest ahead of you the [[Scottish Pipe Band Hall]] sits cradled by the great hill of Mornington

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/7xV3F5PM/SPBH-2.jpg" alt="SPBH 2" border="0"> a little wooden box in the style of an old council flat with decorative doors [[eggshell blue weatherboards]]

a small stucco stoop, with a large cabbage tree sitting in a pot on the step [[a rock garden]]

above the rock garden the french doors shimmer in the grey light they are ruffed with frosted glass, creating [[a pool-like effect]] on the interior of the entryway [[you look through the glass at the empty foyer]]

each door is detailed with an esoteric figure [[the curtains are drawn in every window]]

[[a pair of shoes neatly placed against the back wall->a rock garden]]

on the left hand door there is a picture of a (link-reveal: "Scotsman:") [ he is adorned with bagpipes, a drum, kilt hose [[he wears a large thick tartan->he holds a sword and wears a large thick tartan]] ]

on the right hand door, there is a figure of a Māori chief [[a Rangatira->Rangatira]]

there is a feeling of being completely obscured by time on the door [[two worlds]]

hope and destiny, connection, [[equilibrium->they begin to appear in the night sky]] (set: $matariki to'y')

the speaker of the winds, [[fluent->they begin to appear in the night sky]] (set: $ururangi to 'y')

the sea is reflected in the sky, [[eternal mirror->they begin to appear in the night sky]] (set: $waipunarangi to 'y')

the deep wishing well, [[beckoning->they begin to appear in the night sky]] (set: $hiwaiterangi to 'y')

the skinhead sees you coming, stares you down there is something malevolent in his way [[you stare too long]]

//(text-colour: "red")[Got a fucking eye problem?]//, he says [[he twirls a red lighter agitatedly in his right hand]]

(cycling-link: 'you feel unsafe', 'you scamper') why does this shit [[follow you around?->runaway]]

the entryway glows in its otherworldly light, [[a makeshift artery]]

thru it flows the blood of many, and underneath, [[the bodies decompose]]

you look up towards [[the greeny canopy of trees]]

a brush of sun explodes on a tall bough, [[brightening and magnifying the hillside]]

surrounding the little eggshell blue hall, [[the rockface weeps in the sunlight]]

it is wet, dripping visibly, yet there has been no rain lately, just [[grey day after grey day]]

the rockwall, almost golden in the sun, begins to cast deep shadows against itself, [[a spire here, a nook there]]

as if somebody had torn a pieace of paper, jagged, [[like a mountain range]]

the shadows envelope the little eggshell blue hall the rockwall returns slowly in a filmic dissolve [[everything is grey again]]

against the grey rock you can see, suddenly, as if by magic [[a pink thistle, growing timidly from the wet rock]]

it is bright, small, but [[the colour is strong]]

(link-reveal: "the rock is wet")[ (link-reveal: "the thistle is born on the wind")[ (link-reveal: "in the rockface, tiny holes are formed over time")[ [[and the little pink thistle takes root]] ] ] ]

have you seen this thistle before? it nods to you in the wind, [[as if it feels your eyes watching it]]

you look back down to the door of the eggshell blue hall, but something is different it's the eyes (cycling-link: "the Rangatira", "the Scotsman") it seems now [[as if they are looking at each other]]

their expressions have changed [[the Scotsman now has his bagpipes to his mouth]] [[the Rangatira appears disgruntled]]

was he posing like this before? [[strange->as if they are looking at each other]]

perhaps he just doesn't like [[the sound of it]]

//officially a "musical instrument of war", whose origins are [[mysterious in nature]]//

//some say that the highland bagpipes evolved from an earlier bag and reed combination found in (link-reveal: "ancient Egypt")[ the instrument found its way into the hands of the (link-reveal: "Hittites")[ it passed through Greece, to (link-reveal: "the Romans")[ and then, during the crusades, it made its way to what would become [[England]] ] ] ] //

//there is still debate as to whether or not the highland bagpipes were brought to Scotland by their [[settler Irish]], or whether it was taken up during their [[extensive battles with the Roman Empire]]//

//the Irish were in fact the culture who named Scotland, as well as being [[the missionaries]] who indirectly brought literacy and Christianity back to what was left of Britain [[after the Romans evacuated->England]]//

//most of the clans which would become the tartan heirlooms of Scotland, were [[disparate and unruly tribes living separately across the country]]//

//when the Romans invaded, these tribes had no choice but to band together in order to ward off a [[common enemy]]//

//but the Romans employed namely brass instruments in their war aresenal: (link-reveal: "the tuba")[ (link-reveal: "the cornu")[ (link-reveal: "the bucina")[ (link-reveal: "and the lituus")[ and these instruments became [[the sound of war]] ] ] ] ] //

four horns ring out in an [[animal moan]]

a terrifying sound to hear over the mountains, thru the dark, [[across the sea]]

sometimes, you hear the moan [[in your sleep]]

[[in your dreams]]

the sound of war begins in (link-reveal: "the black and silent darkness")[ like the cracking open of (link-reveal: "a great egg")[ a tiny glimmer appears at its centre and (link-reveal: "radiates outwards")[ (link-reveal: "and grows")[ (link-reveal: "and grows")[ (link-reveal: "and grows")[ until the sound is everywhere, (link-reveal: "colossal")[ and [[you cannot take it anymore]] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

and you are spat out of the reverie, [[a child]]

wondering what went wrong, [[what you did]]

when all that happened was you heard the sound, [[it was calling to you]]

that first thrum, the first distant mew of pity and scorn, [[like the rattle before an earthquake]]

[[the fear of the sound becomes the sound itself]]

and the sound is waiting, [[crouched like a tiger]]

and you can feel it, around you, [[in the silence]]

in the silence is the sound haven't you felt it? ever since [[the first trumpets?->research!!]]

locked indeed perhaps you can come back another time [[there is a sign on the door]]

you trudge up the shallow incline, your $childshoes shoes measuring your ascent your body is now feeling some actual exercise it feels good, [[you remember]]

written in a busy hand: //The Scottish Pipe Band Hall invites new guests and regular members to our bi-monthly meeting and information session, Thurs _____ at 6pm Snacks will be provided (haggis!) BYO drinks - Slideshow of Devon's trip to Edinburgh Tattoo - Informal jig/dancing in the round - Prizes for best Tartan ensembles - Exhibition of select family crests, find your clan! RSVP to Susan - 03 4598733 // shame about the date [[maybe you will call Susan]]

// (set: $typewriterText to "it started with one single drop it trickled thru the broken schist and filtered slowly down to the cold, hanging rock quietly bulging and encasing smaller things before it quivered and slipped until splat and I was touched on the head I was born by the hanging rock the cold angel of rain I opened my eyes" ) (display: "Typewriter") (text-style:"blink")[ [[*->SCENE 1]] ] //

{  (set: $typewriterPos to 1)  |typewriterOutput>[]  (live: 50ms)[  (append: ?typewriterOutput)[(print: $typewriterText's $typewriterPos)]  (set: $typewriterPos to it + 1)  (if: $typewriterPos is $typewriterText's length + 1)[ (stop:) ] ] }

you come to a rise on a sloping low hillside, and stop to catch your breath when you look up, you can see the sun setting gracefully, devouring the expanse of ocean before it the sky is (cycling-link: 'pink', 'orange') and the trees are like rusted warriors looking out over the horizon it has been a few hours since you (cycling-link: 'drank', 'ate') and your body is starting to fail what you know (or what you knew) has been shed, like a skin, clattering and strangling thru the [[dark and mysterious forest]]

(cycling-link: bind $hand, "cracking and blistering", "strong and vengeful", "soft and hairless", "smooth and scarred") the same but [[different->and]] (set: $avatarhands to 'y')

(cyclinglink: bind $foot, "wretched and weathered", "bright with fear", "for ever", "tensing and releasing the world from beneath their fingerly maw") the grass feels soft between your [[toes->and]] (set: $avatarfeet to 'y')

(cycling-link: bind $body, "all breath and cages", "square to rotund", "double-braced for crying and crawling", "the secret windless sound of the spine") somewhere in there, your heart [[beats->and]] (set: $avatarbody to 'y')

(cycling-link: bind $head, "floating, a mirror", "a tabernacle", "the place where your glasses might go") you can feel the evening sun warming the back of your neck and your ears you take a deep [[breath->and]] (set: $avatarhead to 'y')

(cyclinglink: bind $hair, "sleepy and wet", "dry as straw", "10,000 waterfalls", "a rotten patch", "various elements of debris", "a veritable ecosystem") you scratch at your crown, a few bugs coming away in the [[process->and]] (set: $avatarhair to 'y')

you step through the marshy undergrowth you notice the clay beneath your toes, $foot in the trees, you can hear the passing of time as the chorus of birds is diminished, species by species, instrument by instrument the day is passing slowly you can no longer hear (cycling_link:"instrument","bird") no. $timePass (if: $timePass is >3) [ listen... was that a voice? you strain to hear the sound but it fades beneath the babble of the brook] (if: $timePass is >5) [ the voice again! angelic murmurings in the throat [[follow]] [[there is work to do->forage]] ] the moss sits [[cooling on the rocks->nice]]

the hillside is warm you bask in the sun like an ancient lizard ah, [[sunshine]] [[the stream->i am in need of water]] is calling (set: $timePass to $timePass +1)

you begin searching among the roots of trees and grass shoots for whatever you can find there is an abundance of life beneath most logs the forest is alive with the sound of birds, their song seems to calm you as you bring your $hand hands back and forth to your mouth you shovel in some dirt, using your teeth as a grate, your tongue as a soft coersive pillow of flesh the strong scent of the earth is enthralling [[you feel somewhat satisfied]] (set: $timePass to $timePass +1)

the watery music gets louder as you stumble through the long grass is it a voice? or is the stream singing to you? carroling with the birds it seems to be whispering something unintelligible... you lower yourself down amongst the broken roots of trees, the bush is thick here, dense and soft and cool like a body (link-reveal:"down")[ (link-reveal:"down")[ [[down->...]] ] ]

the weather is warm, it must be the end of summer? or maybe it's the start - you can't tell still, there is moisture in the air how many (cycling-link:"birds", "instruments") have you lost? you move towards the edge of the wetland area to scavenge beneath the strange trees for dry bracken and dead fronds it is not difficult your bed tonight will look out upon the stars slowly, surely, [[they begin to appear in the night sky]]

something seems to move amongst the shadows of the trees the forest is getting darker, and the birds are chirruping their goodnights below, there is a gap in the long grasses a path forged out of the tussock... it seems to curl away towards the sound of the stream [[fireflies dance in the shadows->follow]]

down into the [[entrenching dark]]

(link_replace: "//the whispering of the stream is hidden again//")[ you stand like the unhinged doorways of yore] (link_replace: "//the whispering of the stream is muted//")[ long roving ivies, scarred bitumen, and melting tar wrap themselves around your feet] (link_replace: "//the whispering of the stream is phasing peculiarly//")[ you wander into the middle of the road and look up thru the trees into the round bowl of the moon] (link_replace: "//the whispering of the stream is coming from somewhere very close//")[ the road disappears to the (cycling_link:"left","east") and to the (cycling_link:"right","west") where are you? you try to think of a way to mark your position [[in your mind]], [[on the road]], [[in your heart]] ]

you look around the moon shudders between the baying trees, over the jetsom of road blankets, [[broken glass]], discarded trolleys wheelless in the dark it is very dark here to the left in the distance you can make out a small, square structure to the right you can see the moon skimming off of a tall barbed wire fence the whispering of the stream continues somewhere nearby

you look around the moon shudders between the baying trees, over the jetsom of road [[blankets]], broken glass, discarded trolleys wheelless in the dark it is very dark here to the left in the distance you can make out a small, square structure to the right you can see the moon skimming off of a raggedy barbed wire fence the whispering of the stream continues somewhere nearby

you look around the moon shudders between the baying trees, over the jetsom of road blankets, broken glass, [[discarded trolleys wheelless in the dark]] it is very dark here to the left in the distance you can make out a small, square structure to the right you can see the moon skimming off of a tall barbed wire fence the whispering of the stream continues somewhere nearby

you begin to tread slowly down the road, there is a slight decline in this direction the sound of the stream seems to haunt you from the trees on all sides the sound fades as you walk... slowly, slowly, until it is gone... replaced by the soft swishing of your skin, your hair $hair, your legs and your arms brushing against each other (link-reveal: 'you stop')[ it is very quiet, your heart beats in your chest you turn around and look back up the hill the way you have come ... a terrific metallic roar surges along the roadway and you instinctively [[dive for cover!]] ]

you begin to trudge mechanically up the road, tugging your torso, $body there is a slight incline in this direction the stream seems to chirrup and gargle, then the sound disappears suddenly and you feel as if you are walking alone the moon glimmers across the rash of barbed wire, and you see that the structure ahead is much larger than you had first imagined a tall iron gate it looks [[menacing->that]] in the moonlight you can't help but turn back

the blankets are like sleeping bodies you have a sudden desire not to wake them you tiptoe around their flat, shadowy forms they stink - the older blankets having rotted thru to the road, a grizzly face of stones and pebbles for eyes still, sleeping tho you bend down amidst the putrid fibres and touch the face in the stone, a gentle caress as you rise from the black mass your hand snatches on something wrapped in the dark, wet folds ah! [[a splinter]]

the glass is so entirely pulverized it is more like a shiny type of sand your head, $head your reflection swims into view $hair you are trying to imagine a face different to your own you stand, trying to recall the last face you knew how long ago was [[that->nearby]]?

the trolleys look sinister against the cool grey road the wind rushes through them in a menacing song, the groaning of metal rings out into the darkness like the howl of a predatory animal the road is silenced in its path you stare up into the stars in the quiet [[behold! the moon!]] //that is a name, too// the quiet babble of the stream returns to your ears it is [[comforting->nearby]]

it has a name how do you know that? you try to remember a list of names, people you might have known in [[another time->in your mind]] [[their faces->on the road]] [[how they made you feel->in your heart]]

something wooden? the blood throbs to your finger you pick up a broken chair leg from beneath the decay, it is heavy and made from a dark kind of red wood perhaps it was a weapon? one end has been sharpened to a point you drive it into the ground at the side of the road, [[a beacon->that]]

you feel drawn back towards your restful tree overlooking the valley it will be warmer back up the hill, dryer you can watch the sun fall into the ocean, drift to sleep under your blanket of stars to the sound of the little stream the weight of sleep presses down on your body //[[hello old friend]]//

the empty trolleys seem to be rattling in the refrain just the wind you rise and dust yourself from the ground... the road is very dirty and you are covered in broken glass, thistles and leaves, oil, muck you look down the road and feel as if you are staring into the mouth of a great creature, a hungry, breathing beast perhaps you should [[head back for now->comforting]]

it is a way to begin you find yourself staring across the road at a vivid pink flower, sighing in the darkness it is a giant thistle, growing out of the side of a small cliff you mark the thistle in your mind, too [[go left]] [[go right]]

down into the formidable canopies of [[many trees]]

down into the wooden rungs of time, [[alive and breathing]]

down into the forgotten pathways, with doors agape like [[dark secreting mouths]]

down into the rotting, [[fermenting gully]]

down the cold concrete steps of night, eaten by [[tussock and vine]]

at the bottom of a disappearing staircase you stop and feel the cold moist of the gully envelope you what is that? [[below]]?

it looks like [[a road->a road appears]]

sleep has been a great companion you welcome it, like a dog, to sit at the fireside of your heart, to slap its jowls and yawn and stretch something to watch over you to watch over [[your dreams]] you relax into your cacoon the stars are blinding in their black orbit you [[close your eyes->BEYOND]]

//(display: "Typewriter") (text-style:"blink")[[[*->hello old friend]]] (set: $typewriterText to " you dream that you are extremely tall taller than the trees and the houses as tall as the smaller mountains and your body is part of the earth wound like a spring your instinct is to run and you run across the valleys over the forests thru the deep river gullies and you leap the straits in a single bound as you carry yourself across the country from shore to shore burying your feet in the soft black sands at the very edge of the world you stare out over the grey/green waves into the spinning churlish sea and wonder at the mysteries of things that you will never know things that are only over, or to be things that are only beyond yourself") //

//all the while running tripping over the roots of trees courseways of leaf and out again into broad meadows stacked with wild horses who bolt at the sight of you tangled in barbed rosewire feet succumbing to the crag and slip in the canopies the empire of birds (cycling_link: "musical","radiant") like sunshine and you beneath a stoat a skink guided by this strange new language which leads you (link-reveal: "on")[ (link-reveal: "and on")[ (link-reveal: "and on")[ [[and]] ] ] ] //

there is not much light remaining the sun is warm on your body the trees are glowing in the warmth you take in your naked form [[hands]] (if: $avatarhands is 'y')[ [[feet]] ](if: $avatarfeet is 'y')[ [[torso]] ] (if: $avatarbody is 'y')[ you feel your [[head]] with your fingertips (if: $avatarhead is 'y')[your [[hair]] you find comfort in your originality, your singularity ] (if: $avatarhair is 'y')[ far below you there is the faint sound of running water, a rolling sort of meadow of stringy grasses in between surrounded by bush it is [[nice]] here (set: $timePass to 2) ] ]

you sit under a tree in a puddle of sunshine the sun melts out of the sky [[you look around]] it will get cold soon you should gather materials for the nighttime [[if you find water you can clean yourself->i am in need of water]] the [[sunshine]] is captivating [[forage]]

a feeling of calm wells up inside of you what is it about the place? [[ahead]] lies the strange new horizon and [[behind you]], the shadow of the mountain [[to your right]], the gully [[to your left]], the forest

the relentless forest, [[where you came from->nice]]

a fold in the hilly embankment, a dimple behind it the island disappears, [[eons of trees marching over the hills->you look around]]

the ocean is a deep purple now fire splits the clouds you dig your fingers into the rich black soil [[three gulls slice thru the air overhead->you look around]]

one ridge, then another, running away like this appearing, but distant, so distant [[the black mountain in a desert haze->you look around]]

(link-reveal: "you wake")[ (link-reveal: "the year is [[2001]]") [ (link-reveal: "the sheets are crumpled up around your ears") [ (link-reveal: "you've been dreaming again") [ a [[cold sweat]] rests on your forehead] ] ] ]

[[side effects]] include... you pop a harmless looking purple pill from its tin and plastic casing (cycling_link: "swallow", "gulp", "gone") [[another day]]

(link-reveal: "- neurosis")[ (link-reveal: "- sleep deprivation")[ (link-reveal: "- sweats")[ (link-reveal: "- bad skin")[ (link-reveal: "- an inability to reach the inner sanctum of self")[ (link-reveal: "- memory loss")[ - time passes too (cycling-link: "quickly", "slowly") (link-reveal: "- recreational drugs seem to have little or no effect")[ (link-reveal: "- loss of libido")[ (link-reveal: "- loss of social confidence")[ - [[fatigue->double-edged sword]] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

whenever you see the doctor they always say, (text_colour:"aqua")[//"Make sure to exercise exercise releases endorphins"//] but a lot of the time you don't feel like exercising you don't feel like exercising today a large senseless weight seems to be [[sitting on your chest]]

you raise your head from the pillow and look about the room the grey sky paws at [[the window]] you crawl out of bed and throw on whatever, something warm the dresser rattles to the sound of the traffic outside [[the computer]] sits buzzing in the corner of the room your [[bookshelf]] looms at the foot of your bed, near the door

a quiet DOS window hums and skips on the screen floppy discs are strewn across the floor in the disc drive you can see the game [[LOOM]], half ejected there'll be time to play later [[are you hungry?]]

the spines of books, the strict order of them, wrinkled and creased from turning when you look at a spine you see the characters from the book when you look at the bookshelf you see all of the characters, enacting a minor world of their own and their authors [[hovering like gods->are you hungry?]]

you have achieved a new level in the game recently you have mastered the use of the musical scale to turn people to stone, to turn hay into gold, to turn youself into a swan nobody knows about this (nobody cares), but it brings you a personal sense of [[pride]]

you head downstairs to the kitchen you pass thru the hall, where family photos hang in a vibrant patchwork of hope you look across the wall, across the array of faces meant for family [[you cannot see yourself]]

there'll be time to play [[later...->are you hungry?]]

the jug boils noisily [[instant]] or [[ground]]?

you heap two teaspoons of granulised coffee powder into a plain white mug before the jug dings you are pouring the water the coffee rises to the top of the cup you sip tentatively, [[blow]]

you find a box of coffee grounds with some italian name across the front (link-replace: "into the plunger") [add the water you set the lid of the plunger on top of the glass and watch the water turn a murky black (cycling-link: "wait", "a little longer", "just a little longer", " push the plunger down") (link-replace: "smells good") [ the coffee and water mixture is strong, the plunger gives slowly, with some satisfaction (cycling-link: "you pour the coffee out into a plain white mug", "the crema drifts like clouds across the surface") you sip tentaively, [[blow]] ] ]

the coffee mug sits steaming on the table out the window, the day beckons just slighty, some handlike gestures in the trees you feel like [[walking]]

you rug up, a beanie, a scarf you put on the (cycling_link: bind $jacket, "green army jacket", "blue bomber", "cream trenchcoat", "black leather jacket", "bright parker with the hood") by the front foor the sound of the quiet city meets you on the verandah you start to feel a terrible melancholy, atomic leaves shimmering in the oaks and the elms the hills are running away beneath the winds of the peninsula [[onwards->down the steps]]

//(cycling-link: "when you were younger you spent a lot of time alone...", "... playing in the cracks in the concrete of the drive...", "the plonk of a small stone...")// down into the [[soft concrete glow]]

//oh hi, the lonely shape of [[depression->today]]//

//(cycling-link: "you have never known your name... [[not your true name]]", "... the bounds of the past have come undone...", "when they die, they take with them the information...")// down into the [[crooked, empty passageways]] between the houses and fences, houses and fences

//(cycling-link: "it's a long story...","... an orphan", "a lie", "a life")// down into colourful suburbia, [[solid wood doors fixed closed like a series of sleeping heads]]

// (cycling-link: "you thought you might be able to live without...", "... but it is fair to say that you are searching now...", "it feels as if you are the one who is full of holes") // down into the [[living, breathing, ambulating city]]

//if you are going to find your true name, you're going to have to [[open some doors...->PART 1]]//

you look closer perhaps this is you [[as a toddler?]]

you see a tired child, dark bags under their eyes, trying to find the energy to pose for the camera you pray this [[isn't you]]

//... the (cycling_link: bind $childpants, "red", "green", "yellow") courdoroy trousers... the (cycling-link: bind $childtop, "rusty", "ashen", "blinding", "autumn") sweater... your (cycling-link: bind $childshoes, "favourite", "ugly", "fancy", "unexplainable") shoes...// you look away head toward [[the kitchen]]

it is spotless, like a fake a large wooden kitchen bench stands free in the middle of the tiled and alien countertops, the shining steel fixtures you open the pantry: (cycling-link: "eggs", "bread and butter", "cereal", "muesli"), all chased to the corners of the shelves the stillness of the kitchen destroys your appetite you decide to make [[coffee]] instead

(if: $branch1 is "you ignore him") [people these days you look up the road as you cross it, [[alert now]] ] (if: $branch1 is "what was that?") [//eeaarrfuuuckinmuppeetttt// you try to think of something witty to yell, but [[they've gone]] ] (if: $branch1 is "flick him the bird") [the car stops suddenly, bouncing on its tires, a little screech of rubber [[the door opens]] ]

a ginger-haired man in a suit and tie climbs out of the car he has beady little eyes and an intense, strong jaw he looks at you over the roof of the car for a second (text-colour: "orange") [//You could get yourself killed, you know? Not looking when you cross the road//] he settles into his pose against the car, [[eager for an argument]]

you stop under the shade of the big rhodedenron up the slight incline of Serpentine you can see the beginnings of industry, and across the road that strange lone box, nestled behind [[the remains of a warehouse->they've gone]]

as the car tears away down Serpentine Avenue you follow it until it has reached the intersection at the foot of the hill from here you can see the back of the Crown Hotel, and that strange in-between area you follow the sound of the car towards [[the old Chinese District]]

you walk towards the box as you approach you see that it is made from cinder blocks, with a flat roof, a sincere oblong protruding from the earth a path is cut around the base of the building a huge kowhai tree nearby drips yellowy petals onto (cycling-link: 'the grass', 'the driveways') it could only be a few metres square [[explore around it->LONE BOX]] [[carry on walking]]

you climb towards the plumbers on your right a lone worker on his ciggie break gives you a nod (cycling-link: bind $hello, "you nod back", "you shrug your hands deeper into your pockets", "you say hello") [[and keep walking]]

(cycling-link: "you move around the first wall", "nothing") (cycling-link: "you move around the second wall", "nothing") (cycling-link: "you move around the back wall", "nothing") (cycling-link: "you move around the last wall", "nothing") (link-reveal: "there doesn't seem to be a way into the box") [ there is no door, only windows, and yet these have been covered over, from the inside, with what appear to be thick tinfoil casings what kind of building has [[no door?]] ]

(if: $hello is "you nod back") [sharkies, clean-shaven, [[wicked smile]] ] (if: $hello is "you say hello") [ (text_colour: "green")[//Hey there friend You interested in making a quick buck?//] you [[stop]] ] (if: $hello is "you shrug your hands deeper into your pockets") [sometimes when you pass people on the street you sense that they are [[judging you->wicked smile]] ]

(text-colour: "green") [//Looking for a little job?//] the worker almost seems to laugh beneath his sunglasses what do you say? (cycling-link: bind $job1, "no thank you", "you're not sure what you're looking for", "ask him about the job", "simply fret") [[you continue to stand there gormlessly]]

that guy had one of those smiles the shifty kind does he (link-reveal: "remind you of someone?") [ you turn back for [[another look->stop]] ]

(if: $job1 is "no thank you") [no thanks, (link-reveal: "you mumble something about having had a busy day") [ (text-colour: "green") [//There's good money in it//] money is hard to come by [[you think about it->PLUMBERS]] ] ] (if: $job1 is "you're not sure what you're looking for") [ (text-colour: "green") [//You look like somebody who is looking for something//] [[ you are looking for something->PLUMBERS]] ] (if: $job1 is "ask him about the job") [ //What's the catch?// the man eyes you for a long time, then he says (text-colour: "green") [//You look like somebody who is good at finding things//] now he has your attention [[you follow him around the building->PLUMBERS]] ]

the plumber waddles in his white dungarees around the corner of the blue building into the yard in front of the plumbers depot you follow him sheepishly a sign over the gate says //[[CEMENT WORKS]]// the yard is large, and relatively barren, an old wheelbarrow [[tipped slightly on its side in a corner]] across the yard a small work van sits gloomily in the harsh grey sun the van is running and [[the lights are on->harsh grey sun]]

the concrete is littered with pink petals, all turning a mushy brown colour like spoilt fruit [[you dance in the petals for a while]]

the plumber begins to roll a smoke, offers you one his hands looks clean(ish) (cycling-link: bind $smoker, "refuse", "go on then") (text-colour: "green") [//The concrete yard... this is where we come to smoke//] he looks across the yard [[ask about the concrete]]

(text-colour: "green") [//Oh yeah. Best thing we ever decided to do, going into concrete//] he surveys the yard and the trees looking down the gully towards the city (if: $smoker is "refuse") [he lights up and relaxes lazily into the pose of a lifelong smoker] (if: $smoker is "go on then") [he lights up, passes you an ornate chrome lighter, butane, with a wick // 'J.R.'// is etched in gothic writing across the front ] //[[Then why do you call yourself 'plumbers'?]]//

the plumber leans back against the building and seems to stare into you, as if he's making sure one last time that this is a good idea (text_colour: "green") [//Well, I'm completely backed up here... no pun intended The boss is away and we're down a few staff Do you happen to know this road very well?//] you look up and down the road, the strange lone box below you, above you the Scottish Pipe Band Hall and beyond, up the gully (text_colour: "green") [//Basically, if you can walk up this road, all the way to the top of the hill, and just call in at a few of these spots along the way... I need to know that these areas are clear of debris, the grates you see... for the water...//] is there something you're missing? //[[For the plumbers...?]]//

//(cycling-link: "Plumbing and cement?", "Pipes are made out of plastic, tho?", "What's this got to do with the hill?", "And the grates and the stream?") // he doesn't answer, just stares at you, thru you, for a long time all this staring is making you nervous he starts to roll another smoke [[(he does not offer you one)->he starts to roll another smoke]]

//a family thing, a blank, [[a gaping hole in the fabric->soft concrete glow]] //

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/TMp7gP7M/Bell-Tea.jpg" alt="Bell Tea" border="0"> the //Bell Tea Co.// label wraps itself around the [[facade of the old brick building->open some doors...]]

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/Kxkrqxm4/Speights-Brewery.jpg" alt="Speights Brewery" border="0"> ominous and brooding, red bricks like [[dusky smog->open some doors...]]

you stand on the sidewalk in silence, your thoughts racing //(cycling-link: bind $panic, "Sorry, bad day", "Well, what's it to you?", "There's no need to yell and scream") // (link-reveal: 'what to say?')[ the man stares at you in utter hopelessness he chews his jaw a bit, forcing the muscles at the sides of his face to expand and contract he sighs, (text-colour: "orange") [ //Might not be so lucky next time//] he climbs back into his car and pulls away [[like a quiet, gliding shark->they've gone]] ]

your heart races your eyes start to water the air in your chest seems to be thin and unbreathable need to sit down perfect, [[a park bench]]

you sit, huddle deeper into your $jacket (if: $panic is "sorry, bad day") [why do you always fold so easily when you're challanged?] (if: $panic is "well, what's it to you?") [some people really love confrontation that guy was a real pisswad] (if: $panic is "there's no need to start yelling and screaming like a lunatic") [sure told him asshole] look down at your shoes and follow the laces with your mind //(cycling-link: "zig", "zag")// you heart begins to [[slow]]

you step out onto Serpentine Avenue as you have done a thousand times before this area is a small network of slowly gentrifying suburbia amidst a bygone industrial centre - ahead, the [[Bell Tea]] building hovers in the distance, now low-income apartments and storage... to the left the [[Speights Brewery]] rises over the centre of what was "the Chinese District"; an area of relative ill-dispute in its time... (link-replace: "to the right") [ //a car honks its horn aggressively and swerves to avoid you// you step back suddenly the driver leans across the passenger seat and shouts something rude and unintelligible as he whizzes past (cycling-link: bind $branch1, "you ignore him", "what was that?", "flick him the bird") [[why is everyone is such a hurry all the time?->people these days]] ] (newtrack: 'bgMusic1', 'https://audio.jukehost.co.uk/01a009a6-e96b-70af-bdb8-7b6af6723bee.mp3') (track: 'bgMusic1', 'loop', true) (track: 'bgMusic1', 'playwhenpossible')

(text_colour: "green") [ //Have a look at this, [[see what you make of it]] // ]

//(text-colour: "green") [What if i told you that he owned it?] (link-replace: "Owned what?") [ (text-colour: "green") [The grates, the hill, the stream. All of it] ] (link-replace: "Who owns it?") [ (text-colour: "green") [The big guy upstairs] ] // you baulk just slightly at this phrasing does he mean (cycling-link: "his boss", "God", "someone more terrifying")? (text-colour: "green") [//Anyway, that's all I can tell you. I shouldn't have told you... forget I said that, OK?//] [[OK->just say yes]]

(text_colour: "green") [//I just mean... I don't have to make the concrete or anything I just work here//] he points behind him at the big blue wall of the plumbers depot he goes quiet momentarily (if: $smoker is "go on then") [you finish your smoke and crush it out on the (cycling-link: "fence", "road", "sewer grate") where's an ashtray when you need one] (if: $smoker is "refuse") [he smokes his cigarette down to the stubb, then he walks past you to the shopfront doorway, where he bends over and pulls from the lower windowsill a deep green ashtray the size of a large dish] (text_colour: "green") [//You wanna hear about this job, or not?//] [[oh yes, the job]]

it must house something important, a motor, a system that shouldn't be tampered with but why is it (link-reveal:"insulated?")[ perhaps whatever is in there is very fragile even volatile if you strain your ears there is a slight //whirring// sound [[coming from within]] ]

//(live: 2s)[ (transition: "dissolve")[ whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr] ]// [[you take a step back]]

the world comes back into focus your $childshoes shoes across the road a motorised door rattles into action you [[look up->HORSE SALE YARD]]

a gaping hole in the facade, a black mouth the red bricks seem to glow in the bright air, the darkness inside the loading bay like an endless tunnel across the top of the building an old-fashioned concrete plaque reads: [[HORSE SALE YARD->HSY]] the motorised door rattles again, and descends, [[swallowing the darkness]]

(text-colour: "pink") [ (link-reveal: "hop") [ scotch in the] (link-reveal: "pink") [ petals $hair while the] (link-reveal: "green tree") [ shivers and drops] (link-reveal: "tender rain") [ from its $hand leaves $head the drips are cool and refreshing on your neck you catch one on your tongue [[the gully is fresh today]] ] ]

this building is run by [[Jimmy, one of the youngest sons]]

Jimmy recently received an award for his services to the Dunedin music community the Crown runs an (cycling-link: 'open-stage policy', 'if you can pay the sound guy, you can play') [[anything goes]]

below the ornate iron balconies and fire escapes three tired-looking punks sit around a keg, smoking their hair is wild and dirty, their leathery jackets and studs gleaming maniacally in the harsh midday gloom in your experience most punks are soft-natured folk these outcasts who group together [[wonder what they're up to]]

you begin to cross the road, and just briefly the sun comes out one of the punks lights another cigarette and (link-reveal: 'blows a hefty plume of smoke into the air')[ the wind stops suddenly and the cloud just hangs there, like a balloon, a speech bubble something out of a comic book, sitting there on the keg, guarding it so dreary and tired and rinsed out (link-replace: "this should be good") [suddenly out of nowhere the punks are joined by a skinhead, who pulls up a seat at the keg and bums a cigarette these people make you feel [[very anxious]] ] ]

you want to stop, but you have already started crossing the road you decide to cross to the corner, then turn around and walk back up [[the way you came from->these types of people]]

at the very foot of Rattray Street, as it joins the race towards the harbour, the city of Dunedin lies like a dog a geographical anomaly presents itself in the bizarre angles and connections of (cycling-link: "High St", "Manse St", "Rattray", "Maclaggan St", "Broadway") the area looks faded, like it is struggling to find the light across the intersection the square white facade of [[the Crown Hotel]] looks up towards the brewery

the street is empty again not a soul you look back up the road and see the startling image of [[the big rhodendendron->THE BIG RHODE]]

you look up the slip of Serpentine Ave into the grey sky a church bell cries out the [[lone box->wonder what it contains]] sits wearily at the first turn in the hill

the box looks bent out of shape, as if it has extra walls somehow located at its interior is a square always a square? or can it be made up of many smaller shapes? what is that? [[trapped beneath the front corner of box?]] (link-reveal: "you tire yourself") [ you look further up the hill the plumbing building is adorned by oak trees, the leaves fading here and there the building is painted [[blue->carry on walking]] ]

finally; (text-colour: "green") [//Can you keep a secret?//] (cycling-link: bind $secret, "yes", "no") the plumber gives you one last look, stubs his cigarette out, maintaining your gaze he spins suddenly around (text-colour: "green") [//Here, I'll draw you a wee map//] he produces from his jacket pocket (link-reveal: "a pen and paper")[ he places the paper against his knee and sort of hunches towards it, then raises his heel from the ground and draws his leg into a slanted table, bending slightly at the supporting knee you watch him, scribbling and muttering to himself, [[curled like a wrestler locked in an invisible embrace]] ]

the plumber holds his map up for you the map shows a squiggly line moving across the paper like a vein (text-colour: "green") [ // You are here // ] he points to the spot on the map that reads //[[PLUMBERS->MAP plumbers]]//

he has drawn a little picture of a [[faucet tap]]

he hands you his map: you trace the squiggly line with your finger as you move from location to location down the page <img src="https://i.ibb.co/Kj2x3Byw/MAP-1.jpg" alt="MAP 1" border="0"> // <div style="text-align: center; width: 0%;">PLUMBERS</div> <div style="text-align: center; width: 90%;">SCOTTISH PIPE BAND HALL</div> <div style="text-align: center; width: 20%;"> POWERBOX</div> <div style="text-align: center; width: 100%;"> ABANDONED BUS</div> <div style="text-align: center; width: 50%;"> PARADISE AVENUE</div> // [[start your quest]]

the sheets are crumpled up around your ears you've been dreaming again a [[cold sweat]] rests on your forehead

you thank him for the map and turn to make your way up the hill (text-colour: "green") [//Hey... one more thing//] his voice trails after you... (text-colour: "green") [//If anyone asks, just say you're doing a favour for old J.R. ... here's proof//] he hands you [[his silver butane lighter->you turn to face him once more]] with // 'J.R.'// etched in gothic writing across the front

the lighter shines in between the two of you you pocket it discreetly he looks tiny in his white dungarees, gathering in plumes about his workboots he nods for you to be on your way (text-colour: "green") [//Just follow the map, you'll find what you're looking for//] [[you sure hope so]]

you begin the slow climb up the gully the birds have gone quiet in the midday trees the sound of traffic and city noise quietly alleviates as you rise higher and higher above Dunedin on your left there is the [[Scottish Pipe Band Hall->Scottish Pipeband Hall]] which means [[to your right there must be...]]

on the map he has drawn the [[Scottish thistle->you sure hope so]]

hmmmm... the map shows a lantern, a kind of old-fashioned one, with a heavy lead chamber for the light, but all you can see across the road is dense bush and the treeline disappearing up a steep embankment (link-reveal:"why would he draw it on the map if it's not there?") [ nobody said you couldn't poke around perhaps you should cross the road and [[investigate]]? ]

on the other side of the road there seems to be a fence made of trees, you have to battle to get thru their spiny branches inside the treeline, the forest [[opens up]]

you are somehow inside, tho very much outside the embankment and the row of trees, the wet foliage underfoot, the canopy overhead you begin to feel naturally at ease, comforted by the softness of the space it is calm in here [[very calm]]

you gaze up into the swaying trunks, the spinning leaves you take a deep, long breath you can taste the dirt you find yourself [[wanting to sit]]

you look around the forest floor but there is nothing but needles, leaves and pinecones everything here seems to shoot out of the earth, and then return to it //(if: $waita is 'y')[ (cycling-link: 'true compass', 'nature')]// [[a simple and yet orderly environment]]

let's see //(link-reveal: "tree")[ (link-reveal: "tree")[ (link-reveal: "tree")[ (link-reveal: "tree")[ wait... [[is that a tree?]] ] ]]] //

about 50 yards away it looks like a tree, the trunk is rotten, and slimed with moss and yet, it seems too perfect to be a tree, too even, too symmetrical you slowly crane your neck as you search the trunk from bottom to top the top of the tree disappears into the canopy [[get a little closer]]

you crackle over the forest floor, and the top of the trunk reveals itself it is not a tree at all, but a large concrete spire nestled quietly on all sides by trees of various shapes and colours the concrete is so old it is nearly turned [[brown]] at the base of the pole, there is some engraving, but it has been lost to time [[maybe this is the lamp the plumber was meaning?]]

you put your hand over the engraving, to see if you can feel it out the concrete is so cold you can barely feel it, your $hand hands respond in like you can almost make out the word Dunedin [[D something N->and then...]] something something

you are under the spell of the [[great magentic blue orb->discarded trolleys wheelless in the dark]]

(text-colour: "green") [ //I want you to walk upstream first, and call in here, here and here // ] he moves his finger up the vein of the map in a zig-zag motion (text-colour: "green") [ // The grates are at these spots: behind the powerbox; at the abandoned bus; and at the beginning of Paradise // ] //[[At the beginning of what?]]//

(link-reveal: "the green forest") [ [[the swaying of the trees]] ]

across the road three houses sit in the wet and the damp, rotting in the shadows they seem to [[huddle together]] for warmth

(link-reveal: "in window 1")[ (link-reveal: "a pot plant, Tibetan prayer flags hang across the top of the frame")[ (link-reveal: "in window 2")[ (link-reveal: "a row of guitar necks peeking above the window sill")[ (link-reveal: "in window 3")[ (link-reveal: "nothing, a plain wall, a bare or empty room... yet the front door is ajar")[ there is some movement from within, the noise of a vacuum cleaner as you walk past directly, craning your neck up to the left to spy thru the front door, you see a body in a haz-mat suit coiling an extension cord strange [[you carry on walking]] ] ] ] ] ] ]

as you round the shadowy hillside, the elms and oaks of Jubilee Park rising up to your right, you finally see it! the first marker on the plumber's map: [[the powerbox]]

something seems to chirrup and gargle nearby the sound wafts around your (if: $head is "floating, a mirror")[floating](if: $head is "a tabernacle")[tabernacle](if: $head is "the place where your glasses might go")[bespectacled] head, (cycling-link: "musical", "radiant") you wander out onto the road, [[following the sound]]

(if: $talkingheads is 'love')[ //water flowing underground...// ] then the sound disappears suddenly and you feel as if you are alone you notice a structure looming to your left [[a tall iron gate]]

(cycling-link: "rash of barbed wire", "menacing", "colossal") the barbed wire gleams [[unnaturally in the shadows]]

up ahead you can see the darkness emerging from behind the (link-reveal: "small turn in the road") [ (link-reveal: "the shadow reaches for the tall gate") [ (link-reveal: "brushing the base of the corrugated iron") [ which runs like little black waves over [[the rusty sidewalk]] ] ] ]

a genuine mountain of orange dust bleeds into the sidewalk, above it a gaping hole about the size of a fist [[go and have a peek]] [[leave it, you are wasting so much time!]]

you near the fence, and place your hands against the cold steel you can feel the flakes of rust coming away [[on your fingertips]]

you start trudging again you begin to heat up in your $jacket the warmth holds you as you rise into [[the shadow of the hill]]

you crouch, and press your eye carefully to the [[fist-sized hole in the fence]]

thru the hole another space opens up to you immediately you're [[not sure what you are looking at]]

a bright pastiche of metals or plastics [[forced amongst each other]]

an enmeshment of broken glass and rubber and colour but without form, without any meaning, [[you see only the materials, the colour, and the decay]]

it is a car yard! [[a car graveyard, to be precise]]

the autos have been [[smashed beyond recognition]]

they seem to crumble and confer with one another you have long held the understanding that cars have eyes, [[faces in their headlights and radiator grills]]

some cars are (cycling-link: "shark-like", "bullyish", "aggressive", "dominating"), while others are more (cycling-link: "pleasant", "happy", "mischeivous", "cheeky", "just plain pretty") yet all these cars look [[sad]]

they're all broken and [[worthless, used->they weren't designed to do anything else]]

so they get sent here, [[to the car graveyard]]

where every now and then somebody comes along and [[picks their bones]]

if you move your head to the right you can see a little further around the yard there is a small office, a gottage resting in the middle of the dusty bowl of tyre marks and puddles of slick mud, oil underneath the lip of the hole, on the other side, you can feel something [[soft and delicate against the back of your hand]] [[no grass grows here]]

the yard is [[silent, still]]

all the miles underfoot wind up here all those trips to the supermarket, to school, to work, to the cemetary [[forgotten]]

you get back to your feet, stretch $body [[carry on climbing->leave it, you are wasting so much time!]]

these common green powerboxes [[pepper the streets of suburban New Zealand]]

a squat little metal tin, great for sitting on [[they usually radiate some heat]]

[[a good way to warm a frosty backside on a cold Dunedin night]]

you cross the road [[the sound of the stream comes crawling back]]

a kind of trickling in your ear you stare into the bushes, [[listening]]

(link-reveal:"down")[ (link-reveal:"down")[ (link-reveal:"down")[ down into the deep valley of [[fleshy green onionweed and tripping vine]] ] ] ]

you use your hands to grab at the weeds, as your $childshoes shoes sink into the muddy bank [[you come to a stumbling halt at the bottom]]

the stream is right in front of you, slightly hidden by onionweed and the fronds of aspiring daffodils //[[hello]]//

the stream seems to gurgle back now [[where is this grate?]]

you peel back some large greeny leaves, (link-reveal:"the stream reveals itself to you")[ (link-reveal: "a plodding trickle")[ (link-reveal: "then a pool")[ and to your right [[a splashing, watery hum]] ] ] ]

you plunge your hands into the pool the coolness shoots up your arms and generates a shock of joy at the base of your neck your $hand hands refract neatly beneath the surface of the water [[to the first grate]]

you peer over the edge of a dam about a foot below you catch sight of it, the steel grate sticking out amongst the greeny fronds, [[rocks and silt]]

a crystal clear stream of water rides over the lip of the dam and plummets neatly into the twirling pool below [[something is in the grate]]

what is that? it is wrapped around the grate [[how deep?]]

you reach over the edge of the dam and plunge your arm into the second pool, directly over the steel grate something is knotted into the bank [[pull it free]]

the grate makes a large sucking sound, like a spluttery cough, and the second pool begins to slowly drain in your hands you are holding something black and slimy you hold it up to [[examine it in the light]]

it is builder's plastic - almost brown from being beneath the earth so long maybe it was accidentally left here when they put in the grate? you look around the two pools, [[one filling slowly, the other emptying quickly]]

you should probably try and take the plastic with you (cycling-link: bind $plastic, "tie it around your waist", "just leave it on the bank") [[climb back up to the roadside]]

you stand on the grassy verge next to the powerbox again the stream is still talking behind you, but it sounds different from before (cycling-link:"lighter", "fuller") somehow (link-reveal: "it is changed")[ you feel a wee surge of accomplishment [[upwards, onwards]] ]

you pull out your map the plumber has indicated a grate somewhere behind the powerbox [[go check it out]]

the next location on the map is the [[abandoned bus]] as you rise above the city, rounding the final bend in the road before the long straight march up to Mornington, [[a particular house catches your eye]]

he has drawn a little squiggly bus with [[headlamps and wheels->upwards, onwards]]

it seems to loom into view at the intersection of (cycling-link: "Maori Road", "Serpentine", "Queen's Drive", "Meadow Street") (link-reveal: "perfectly symmetrical")[ (link-reveal: "two great columns in a gothic style")[ (link-reveal: "a large, almost comical door")[ (link-reveal: "and eyes like a doll's house")[ (link-reveal: "two enormous white windows")[ [[they seem to follow you as you approach]] ] ] ] ] ]

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/qYgZ350K/E-D-2.jpg" alt="E D 2" border="0"> and is that... [[a moat??]]

the house appears to have a sort of bridge leading across its front entrance either side two huge cherry trees scatter pink and white blossoms all over the footpath the sound of the stream re-emerges as you draw [[nearer to the opulent facade]]

the house stares right at you it does not move you are locked in a staring competition with a house that hasn't blinked for over 100 years //what has it seen?// [[you turn around]]

the house has a perfect view of Serpentine Avenue as it wends past [[the roll in the hill]], [[thru the darkness]], [[past the little houses]] to the rusty fence of the [[car graveyard]] (link-reveal:"- the road disappears into the shadows")[ but reappears again further below at the little blue square of the (link-reveal: "Scottish Pipe Band Hall")[ which sits across from the plumbers, the road then skirting to the left back towards the Chinese District, the Crown, (link-reveal: "and in the distance...")[ the spinning covenant of churches, cathedrals, clocks and belltowers spires reaching [[like the hunched shoulders of mourners]] ] ] ]

above, the oaks of Jubilee Park [[shine bright in the grey sky->you turn around]]

it seems to look wet, the darkness, [[from here->you turn around]]

the person in the haz-mat suit is walking down the steps of the property carrying an [[overflowing rubbish bag->you turn around]]

still [[as ever->you turn around]]

(link-reveal:"the city speaks...")[ (link-reveal: "but the sound is the washing, clunking sound, of cars and trucks and buses")[ (link-reveal: "a plane flies overhead")[ you follow it as it disappears over the Mornington hill and away [[to Taieri and the airport]] ] ] ]

up ahead, at the fork in the road behind the house you can see the headlights of the bus glinting in the grey light the abandoned bus! [[this must be grate two]]

you wander around the grand old house, out of view of its peircing (cycling-link: "windows", "eyes") the sound of the stream grows again [[the moat is damp, sodden, but not full]] there is a trickling sound, and the sound of air being compressed, [[the wheezing sound of pipes]]

the grass verge behind the house is thick and full, slightly run-down across a thin metal road the bus is backed into a corner near a large steel cage [[the face of the bus looks forlorn]]

hasn't seen any action in a good while rainwater has collected in the headlights giving the bus a particularly teary expression it appears to be leaning on one knee, having lost a tyre [[like a camel bowing before a ride]]

you approach the bus you run your fingers along its chrome detailing, lost to rust and weather there are spiky holes, and the metal is cold to the touch behind the bus [[the big steel cage beckons]]

you peer over the top of the grate a sincere drop, like a wishing well, inside a brick cylinder about the size of a person [[no wonder they keep the grates on]]

you imagine what it might be like, to fall into the depths of the underworld a mishap, an accident, and suddenly you could be [[tumbling down the wishing well to god knows where]]

or simply just stuck, trapped for eternity in your [[damp, moss covered grave]]

(link-reveal: "what's this?")[ there appears to be something gleaming at the bottom of the well a trickle of water is pumped in sporadically from a small cavern about halfway up the brick wall of the drain, the water level [[bubbling away just below]] ]

you can get your arms fully thru the grate, but the water level is still well out of reach you notice a padlock on the grate, and hinges along one side of the steel frame it appears that the top of the grate can be removed or latched open [[if only you had a key]] you rattle the steel cage to [[see if it gives]] what is that stuck down there [[at the bottom of the drain?]]

you'd think that the plumber would have given you one if there was one available? [[right?->bubbling away just below]]

[[it doesn't->bubbling away just below]]

(cycling-link: "urinal", "rubbish bin") this is as close as some people get to recycling putting all their dead soldiers into the same [[public trash hole]]

the bottles seem bountiful if only you had something strong, bendy, light... (if: $plastic is "tie it around your waist")[ you could use the plastic you took from the first grate, [[maybe as a type of hammock?]] ] (if: $plastic is "just leave it on the bank")[ [[you might have to go back]] ]

you take the plastic in one hand and (link-reveal: "push your arm thru the steel grate")[ you then push your other arm thru (link-reveal: "at the other end of the grate")[ you dangle the builders plastic and [[try to swing it into the other hand]] ] ]

there was something you left behind... earlier [[the builder's plastic]]

you skip [[back to the first grate]]

around the house with the big (cycling-link: "eyes", "windows") towards the darkness, the little houses [[back to the power box]]

(link-reveal: "down")[ (link-reveal: "down")[ down into the wet, green world you use your $hand hands to grab at the weeds, as your $childshoes shoes sink into the muddy bank there again, the stream, running now, the two pools [[evenly filling and dispensing]] ] ]

where is it? the black plastic sheet [[there, on the bank]]

(set: $plastic to "tie it around your waist") it is slimy and muddy as before, but [[it will do]]

you climb back up to the roadside the stream is gargling behind you you head back up towards the abandoned bus, past the house with the big (cycling-link: "windows", "eyes") [[the grate sits patiently in the sun]]

you peer over the lip of the brick well, past the frame of the steel cage, [[down into the bottom of the slimy pool->maybe as a type of hammock?]]

(link-reveal: "you miss")[ (link-reveal: "you miss again")[ (link-reveal: "got it!")[ now you roll the plastic over so that it creates a flat sheet or a [[kind of dish]] ] ] ]

you slowly lower more and more plastic (link-reveal: "thru your hands")[ eventually the plastic touches the water (link-reveal: "and sinks below the surface")[ [[you lower it down slowly->letting gravity work against the water]] ] ]

as it nears the bottom the bottles become disturbed a grey-ish plume of muck congeals around them as they bounce and bob from the bottom of the drain [[you lose sight]]

you begin to [[pull]]

the black plastic matting catches on something as you heave upwards [[it is really heavy]]

you slowly pull the plastic back thru the steel grate, curling the black band around your wrists by creating tight little circles with your fists the weight becomes immense as the mucky hammock nears the surface of the water with one last heave the bottles and gunk finally break the surface [[you tie each end quickly to the steel great]]

now the hammock hangs gently beneath the grate, holding approximately 50 or so empty beer bottles (all Speights it seems) the drain below sucks and gnashes as it empties a whirlpool of debris, (cycling-link: "leaves", "cardboard", "chippie packets", "flecks of paper"), slowly drains away to nothing [[you half expect the grate to belch]]

at least no more litter will end up blocking the grate, thanks to your ingenious hammock across the road, [[the moat breathes]] [[the bus winks its approval]]

//aaaaahhh// [[a big sigh of relief->you half expect the grate to belch]]

you come back off the small metal road and face back up the hill, [[up Serpentine]]

the road straightens, [[the houses thicken]]

you have virtually reached the top of the hill, and [[the end of the plumber's map]]

and there it is... //(if: $waiti is 'y')[ (cycling-link: 'melodious', 'angelic')]// [[Paradise]]

the road curls around [[to the right]] (track: 'bgMusic1', 'fadeout', 6)

a couple small houses, a tiny bridge to [[a walkway]]

you can hear the stream calling as you approach the bridge (cycling-link: "bubbling", "babbling") again, [[that sweet whistling sound]] (newtrack: 'paradise1', 'https://audio.jukehost.co.uk/01a00847-60b7-7155-a8f0-a40dc264b929.mp3') (track: 'paradise1', 'playwhenpossible')

you stand in the middle of the wee bridge over the edge to your right there is a concrete channel built into the small gully emerging from (link-reveal:"a pipe beneath you")[ (link-reveal:"that's strange")[ [[the concrete channel is completely dry]] ] ]

you peer over [[the other side of the bridge]]

it is green and white silvery like the underside of ferns this place has a particular vibe about it, you can feel it in the trees hear it in the slow churning of the wind thru the leaves like a little engine [[pumping energy into the world]]

and then it is right there, in front of you below the fronds and the branches held by the spiny hands of flax so quiet, so still (cycling-link: "a pocket of water", "a pond", "an oasis") silently [[brimming with life]]

a slimy rock protrudes from the water, washed smooth and red like skin strands of wavy green weed cling to it they (cycling-link: "blossom", "bloom") a large mosquito floats by like (cycling-link: "a king", "a castaway") the fern fronds dip and sag into the pool in the shape of (cycling-link: "a sacred baptism", "a watery vestige") above, the trees breathe and stretch (cycling-link: "the creaking in their limbs", "the sound of time easing knots") and somehow this deep, natural pool [[welling up out of nowhere]]

suddenly [[a fantail]] appears and rests itself inquisitively on a spindly branch

//hello// it seems very interested in you [[talk to it]]

//Hey little buddy, what's the go?// ... to your surprise [[the fantail responds]]

//(text-colour: "brown")[You are a very big animal]//, it says still staring, bobbing its head momentarily from [[side to side]]

a talking fantail, who knew? //Well, yes [[I am a lot bigger than you]]//

//(text-colour:"brown")[Yes, you are]// it seems to pause its little dance, thinking //(text-colour:"brown")[Do you think you could help me and my friends? Seeing as you are so big]// //[[What friends?]]//

you look around the greeny paradise you are not sure (cycling-link: "what", "who") you are looking for //(text-colour:"brown")[My friend, the eel, and my other friend, the skink]// the bird wafts thru the air overhead and sits on the other side of the bridge, pointing with its beak [[overlooking the arid concrete channel]]

//(text-colour:"brown")[The water used to run from the pool here down this slipway into the collection grate at the bottom, but something has stopped the pipe beneath us ]// the third grate - that must be it there, shimmering in the darkness below you, [[in the bushes, in the shade]]

you look at the little brown bird //(text-colour:"brown")[Will you help us unblock the concrete pipe?]// //[[Of course]]//

dust dry hasn't seen water for a while down below, the grate shines mystically and beneath the bridge [[the gaping mouth of the pipe]]

it is about the diameter of a dinner plate you look into the blackness there is no light, just the sound of a [[distant dripping]]

(link-reveal: "drip")[ (link-reveal: "drip")[ (link-reveal: "drip")[ ... [[you hold your arm out towards the mouth of the pipe]] ] ] ]

slowly the shadow eats your fingers, your wrist a deep, dark cold holds your arm and reaches out $hair $foot [[it feels as if you are underground]]

you want to pull away, but you can't the cold wraps itself around you around (cycling-link: "your neck", "your shoulders") you can feel it winding its way into (cycling-link: "your nose", "your lungs", "your synuses") [[the bird speaks]]

//(text-colour:"brown")[Hey! Wake up! What are you doing in there?]// you start backwards, and fall on your backside the tunnel glares at you [[like a big black pupil]]

//Couldn't reach anything from this side// perhaps you could try the pool-side, [[there might be something stuck in the opposite end]]

you clamber back over the side of the bridge, hoisting yourself up skillfully across the bridge and to your immediate left the pool sits [[as still as a painting]]

there is the skink, sitting on a large tree root [[in a speckle of sun]]

//Oh, hello there// the skink seems to roll its eyes... [[or did it?]]

//I'm here to help with the water...?// [[just thought you'd mention]]

//(text-colour: "grey")[Well why didn't you ssssay ssssoooo?!]// the skink clambers down off it's rock and zaps along a tree branch towards the base of the bridge [[think you're supposed to follow]]

you push thru some soft ferns and kneel at the edge of the stream the skink is nowhere to be seen... [[or is it?]]

the skink is blending in with its surroundings its colour kind of lends it to almost any woody or earthy tone [[hard to spot]]

//(text-colour:"grey")[Psssst! Over here]// the skink is up against the soft white concrete of the base of the bridge it looks like a leaf caught in a spider's web, [[just dangling there]]

//(text-colour:"grey")[It'ss been like thiss for a while now The water comesss up from beneath the hill and forms in thisss pool It has been thiss way for eonsss, for as long as any living being can remember Sssince the gratess were put in, the water has not been free to flow to all the areasss it iss usssed to ]// you pull away some dead trees and leaves from around the base of the pipe, which sits about two inches underwater the water is freezing up here [[the cold feeling of the underground returns]]

you pull your arm out of the water, some weed and mud coming away your $hand hand is almost purple, red in patches [[the pond bubbles in response]]

you are going to have to put your hand in the pipe under the water [[and feel around for what is blocking it]]

(link-reveal: "deep breath")[ you may not be able to keep you hand under there for very long [[ready]] ]

this will be cold (link-reveal: 'plunge')[ (live: 3s)[ (transition: "dissolve")[ (link-replace: "you feel the lip of the pipe")[the smooth concrete] (link-replace: "your fingers fan out in the cold")[nothing, nothing] (link-replace: "the back of your hand catches on")[a twig? a pelt?] (link-replace: "just grab it")[a handful of hair, (cycling-link: "thick", "fibrous", "filthy") [[eject!!]] ] ] ] ]

you fall back on the bank of the little pool huffing and puffing the pond chugs and gurgles into action as the pipe finally fills with water your hand throbs from the cold the thing you yanked out [[lies next to you, stinking->turn over and face it]]

what is it? (cycling-link: "a possum?", "a rat?", "a dead dog?") you begin to feel a bit sick [[you stand up]]

it lies on the grassy bank in front of you, coated in mud and leaves, but sure signs of fibres creeping thru the muck gross [[just kick at it?]]

you touch it gently with your $childshoes shoes it is heavy you hook your foot underneath it and [[roll it over]]

it unfurls in [[a perfect oblong shape]]

it is like a hairy little wall about A2 in size, [[like a giant flounder with fur]]

it is (link-reveal: "a doormat!")[ one of those flexible wire kinds with thick organic fibre for the mat seen better days, for sure you can still vaguely make out the "WELCOME" sign [[across the front->"WELCOME" sign across the front]] ]

you bash the mat out on the bank, some of the mud and leaves staining the green hillside the fantail rests politely on a tree directly before you //(text-colour: "brown")[Thank you so much for your help!] // [[you bow in gracious acceptance]]

as if from nowhere, a small black eel comes slithering thru the now visible mouth of the pipe, the water level having succumbed to gravity she plops into the pond a happy dance ensues below the surface as she moves around the pool //(text-colour: "Navy")[Much more room in here]// her head rests on the edge of the pool [[think she wants a little pat]]

//[[May I pet you?]]//

you reach out your hand, which is warming now, and let her nuzzle your fingers she almost purrs, [[like a kitten]]

//(if: $tupuanuku is 'y')[ (cycling-link: 'plenty', 'for ever') ]// [[yup, there is something special about this place]]

you sit under a tree in a puddle of sunshine the sun melts out of the sky your animal friends resting nearby the serenity of the pond and the ferns and the forest and the wind [[feels like a dream]]

but time still passes the day starts to fade past midday and into the afternoon [[you still have one grate to uncover]]

you stand the skink rattles down your leg and onto the brown dirt the mother eel loops in the pond the fantail sits on the edge of the bridge [[you begin to move off]]

//(text-colour: "brown")[Wait! Where are you going?]// you explain that you have a job to do //(text-colour: "brown")[Oh, the grate? Well we can help with that - one of us will go with you]// [[just one?]]

(if: $daemon is "the fantail")[//Come with me then// you leave the skink on a sunny rock, the eel in her happy place] (if: $daemon is "the skink")[//Come with me then, skink// you leave the fantail flitting thru the leaves, the eel in her happy place] (if: $daemon is "the eel")[//Come with me then, eel// you leave the skink on a sunny rock, the fantail flitting thru the leaves] [[you and your new pal leave Paradise]]

you clamber thru the bush, basically falling towards the sound of the stream beside you the pond eeks out down the concrete slipway and joins the watery grate below many small waterways meet here //(if: $daemon is "the fantail")[ (text-colour: "brown") [This is the beginning of the Toitū stream... it is an old stream, made up of millions of little estuaries from within the hillside] ]// //(if: $daemon is "the skink")[ (text-colour: "grey") [This is the beginning of the Toitū stream... it is an old stream, made up of millions of little estuaries from within the hillside] ]// //(if: $daemon is "the eel")[ (text-colour: "navy") [This is the beginning of the Toitū stream... it is an old stream, made up of millions of little estuaries from within the hillside] ]// you listen to the Toitū knowing for the first time [[its name]]

and you swear, it is talking, (cycling-link: "gurgling", "babbling", "whistling", "piping", "breathing", "spluttering", "choking", "whispering") inside the grate there are multiple inlets, and the concrete well is filling up fast, now that the natural source of the stream has been undammed but again, the collecting pool at the bottom of the well is filled with black mud and leaves, [[silt upon silt upon silt]]

this grate is much bigger, deeper, darker the steel cage will not budge [[ask for help from your wee friend]]

finally, they emerge! (if: $daemon is "the fantail")[the fantail settles on a nearby tree and preens their feathers //(text-colour: "brown")[There was a huge build up of leaves and muck, I had to pull a few tangled pieces out one by one]// ] (if: $daemon is "the eel")[the eel slurps into the stream and flops on her back, breathing heavily //(text-colour: "navy")[There was a huge build up of leaves and muck, I had to pull a few tangled pieces out one by one]// ] (if: $daemon is "the skink")[the skink runs out of the well and situates himself on a dry rock //(text-colour: "grey")[There wasss a huge build up of leavesss and muck, I had to pull a few tangled piecess out one by one]// ] the well is emptying a sense of resolve settles over the valley, the sound of the stream attenuates to the slope of the hill [[a long, low thrum ensues]]

you look around the sun is slowly descending, ducking in and out behind the great grey clouds (if: $daemon is "the fantail")[//(text-colour: "brown")[I wish there was a way we could keep this grate from filling up with leaves and things... ]// ] (if: $daemon is "the eel")[ //(text-color: "navy")[I wish there was a way we could keep this grate from filling up with leaves and things... ]// ] (if: $daemon is "the skink") [//(text-color: "grey")[I wissh there was a way we could keep thisss grate from filling up with leavess and thingsss... ]// ] the grassy hillside shudders in the breeze what could you do, to stop the grate from filling up [[in the future?]]

the map now shows not only the grates, but also [[the patch of darkness]], [[the cold little houses]], [[and the car graveyard]] it is updating itself by magic and at the very top, between the two grates [[the house with the moat]] watching, [[seeing all]]

[[a deep pool of crosshatched terror->it is changed]]

three little triangles with walls, [[huddled close->it is changed]]

a mesh, [[a lattice->it is changed]]

two large eyes, two columns [[a weather vane->it is changed]]

you feel as if the day is done, your task complete a doziness comes over you [[retire back home]] [[you had better return to the plumbers and let him know]]

(if: $daemon is "the fantail")[you look up into the trees and the fantail seems to have already read the situation it flies down thru the grate and into the darkness of the well] (if: $daemon is "the skink")[you pull open your shirt pocket and blow gently inside in a split second the lizard is down your leg, and disappearing over the lip of the well] (if: $daemon is "the eel")[you scan the rocks and dead logs in the gully - there is the eel nestled against a big boulder she slithers past your feet and slips thru the steel teeth of the grate] [[some minutes pass]]

[[she nods in agreement]]

you look down at the three of them (cycling-link: bind $daemon, "the eel", "the skink", "the fantail") they seem to speak silently to one another however will you [[choose?]]

//(if: $daemon is "the fantail")[ (text-colour: "brown")[So, I will be your eyes and ears] ] (if: $daemon is "the skink")[ (text-colour: "grey")[I can ride with you in your sssshirt pocket] ] (if: $daemon is "the eel")[ (text-colour: "navy")[I am surprisingly maneuverable] ]// you feel a lot better with some company in tow hopefully they can help you with [[the final grate]]

you roll down the hill, blindly, silently towards the bottom of Serpentine Ave (link-reveal:"the lone box on your right now")[ the big rhododendron bathes languidly in the twilight to your left you turn up the hill to your left now [[steps]] ]

you drag your tired body back down the hill (cycling-link: "you roll", "you tumble", "you stumble") sincere build up of [[lactic acid in the thighs]]

[[the doormat!]]

you run back up the hilly embankment to the bridge there it is, sitting on the hillside, the mud drying and crumbling in its fibres you fetch it and [[return to the final grate]]

you slide the welcome mat beneath the grate, weaving it between the steel bars (link-reveal: 'like a flax leaf')[ it fits like a glove, locked in place by its exposed wires now, the grate will stay clean forever, the stream will continue to flow freely - //well done!// you feel a true sense of achievement, having completed the task of the plumber [[you look down at your map->map2]] ]

(link-reveal:"past the abandoned bus")[ (link-reveal:"past the house with eyes")[ (link-reveal:"past the powerbox")[ (link-reveal:"thru the darkness")[ (link-reveal:"beneath the little houses")[ (link-reveal:"beneath the towering oaks and gums of Jubilee Park")[ (link-reveal:"around the roll in the hill")[ (link-reveal:"past the Scottish Pipe Band Hall")[ (link-reveal:"and the old street-lamp rotting in the forest")[ [[back to the big blue building of the plumber's]] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

the place looks shut as you approach the doors a security light comes on the gates to the concrete yard are bolted shut [[looks like he's not here->retire back home]]

(link-reveal: "left")[ (link-reveal: "right")[ (link-reveal: "left")[ (link-reveal: "right")[ (link-reveal: "left")[ (link-reveal: "right")[ (link-reveal: "left")[ (link-reveal: "right")[ (link-reveal: "left")[ (link-reveal: "right")[ [[pause to catch your breath]] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

you are about [[halfway up]] heave-ho! (link-reveal: "left")[ (link-reveal: "right")[ (link-reveal: "left")[ (link-reveal: "right")[ (link-reveal: "left")[ (link-reveal: "right")[ (link-reveal: "left")[ (link-reveal: "right")[ (link-reveal: "left")[ (link-reveal: "right")[ [[you reach the top of the steps]] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

the city is now below you once more //(if: $waipunarangi is 'y')[ (cycling-link: 'the sea', 'mirrors', 'the sky')]// you are puffed you rest your hands on your knees and your head droops between your shoulders [[get your bearings]]

ahead lies the [[strange new horizon]] and behind you, [[the shadow of the mountain]] to your right, [[the gully]] to your left, [[the forest]]

the ocean is a deep turquoise thunder splits the clouds [[the stream strickles along like an old friend ->get your bearings]] you dig your $hand fingers into your pockets and carry on [[home->PART 2]]

one ridge, then another, running away to the West coast appearing and disappearing like the pages of a book [[what story could those hills tell?->get your bearings]]

a fold in the hilly embankment, a dimple so small, all the way down there you follow the trail of Serpentine Ave with your index finger - your walk today behind Mornington the island disappears, [[speckles of trees and burnt clearings->get your bearings]]

the towering transplanted forest of Jubilee Park, [[the oaks and the gums->get your bearings]]

(text-style:"sway")[ you are boiling and burning and disintegrating in the walls of the house you grew up in the day is (cycling-link: "sharp bright", "dull grey") ] it [[begins to rain]]

you hear it building, from a small spattering against the window panes and gutterings, to a thundering rattle across the heavens the corrugated iron rooftops of these old villas provide [[a wonderful steel drum effect with the rain]]

that is the sound of sleep first (link-reveal:"iterative")[ then (cycling-link: "saturating", "saturated") ] [[go back to sleep]] [[get up and start your day]]

(set: $timepass to $timepass +1) dozing... [[just dozing->go back to sleep]] (if: $timepass is <5)[//when we dream, we are not asleep//] (if: $timepass is >4)[//we soar across the heavens formed in our waking lives//] (if: $timepass is >5)[//as the unhappy clown said in the film//] (if: $timepass is >6)[//"but sleep is wonderful//] (if: $timepass is >7)[//and when you're dead, you don't ever get to sleep again//] (if: $timepass is >8)[//which means no more dreams"//] (if: $timepass is >9)[[an alarm startles you awake->get up and start your day]]

your bookshelf - [[read in bed?]] [[the computer sits humming in the corner of your room]]

you pull up the squeaky office chair and get into your regular position for playing games and surfing the net: (cycling-link: "legs tucked slantways beneath you, feet sticking out the side of the chair", "cross-legged like a monk", "one knee shot up beneath your chin") you are [[comfortable now]]

you pick up a paperback from beneath the bedside table it is a collection called [[Landfall: 1997]]

imagine it [[bristling and growing and fading across the island]]

you snap from your reverie the eggshell blue building feels closed, the curtains drawn but the Scotsman and the Rangatira now seem to be giving you the inquisitive eyebrow [[you try the door]] (if: $susan is 'yes')[ the sign on the door - it is made of [[something you recognise]] ] [[you carry on your way]]

you log on and open internet explorer the computer makes a beautiful yet dissonant (cycling-link:"bleeping", "hissing") sound as it connects to [[the internet]]

the world wide web is your oyster what do you want to do today: [[check emails]] [[play a game]] [[join a chat group]] [[research!!]]

you open your (link-reveal:"user account")[ [[you have one new message]] ]

you go to favourites and find the [[website link]]

you log in at psychobabble.com your username is: (cycling-link: bind $username, "4xwolves", "tuffkookie", "albeiteinstein", "paradoodle134", "jstpeache", "yurassicfark", "warrinpeas", "rubadub7", "dotcong", "tkmewtyu") [[enter password]]

you can't stop thinking about ... [[Jubilee Park->search websites]] [[the plumber]] [[the word: saturation->saturation]] [[those skinheads you saw->these types]] [[the stream]] [[the museum job]] [[the bagpipes->bagpipes]]

<a href="https://classicreload.com/#" target="_blank">emulators</a> [[exit game->the internet]]

you enter a forum entitled [[0nlyLover$left]]

a story is being written by the other players in the forum a blinking green number in the bottom left hand corner indicates that there are [[17 other players]]

they themselves have a raft of ridiculous names: (cycling-link: "annamouse2", "sleepinz", "carrottop22", "crystalclair", "dred", "fascistmutt24", "bornfree18", "trendytildeath", "justmorself", "and so on and so on...") the algorithm randomly assigns you [[a selection of phrases generated by the computer]]

(cycling-link: bind $psychobabble, "and in on all fours came a creature so repulsive", "when things are bad, things are really bad, he said", "truly no finer a structure had ever existed", "they tend to meet with fame or disaster", "but there are no trophies for the last horse", "until the deacon arrives", "sixteen years was a long time when you really looked into it", "in England, they were wearing their shirt sleeves rolled", "as good as a clip around the ears", "she had finally gone completely off her rocker", "it had the ears and eyes to infect the dead", "could be rain, could be hypothermia", "and so on and so on", "...", "(and so on)") and above, in the middle of the screen the story read (so far): (link-reveal:"Once upon a time, in a patchy row of beanstalks") [ (link-reveal:"an intelligent gentleman") [ (link-reveal:"rowing a boat")[ (link-reveal:"in a duststorm, near an oily little town")[ (link-reveal:"he cried out across the parking lot")[ (link-reveal:"which was red and yellow and purple in the sunlight")[ (link-reveal:"'Tally ho!'")[ (link-reveal:"what a stallion!") [ (link-reveal:"...") [ (link-reveal:"now it is your turn") [ [[select]] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

//J.R. - wonder what it stands for// you feel for the little butane lighter the plumber gave you [[it is still in your pocket]]

you enter the name of the stream into the search engine (cycling-link:"yahoo", "askjeeves") // (set: $typewriterText to "Toitu" ) (display: "Typewriter")// [[you press search]]

you think about what it might be like to work at the museum (cycling-link:"dry", "dusty", "boring", "exciting", "weird") all the things in their shiny cases it is interesting that the museum is named after a stream that [[everybody seems to have forgotten about]]

you find a search engine you like (cycling-link: "yahoo", "askjeeves") you enter your query // (set: $typewriterText to "Jubilee park" ) (display: "Typewriter")// [[Press search->Lists]]

a list of websites arranges itself slowly before your eyes... the computer hums and hisses you impatiently [[click the top link->Jubilee Park]]

you turn the lighter over //J.R.// [[there it is]]

you examine [[the underside of the lighter]], which has a flat sheathe of metal inserted as a base

there it says, in a gothic style, in a tiny print D U N E D I N G A S W O R K S [[this seems familiar->research!!]]

a list of websites appears beneath the searchbar, ticking up slowly across the computer screen... the first link is to the <a href="https://www.toituosm.com/" target="_blank">Toitu Otago Settler's Museum website</a>, where you were thinking about getting a job the second link is to the <a href="https://maoridictionary.co.nz/search?idiom=&phrase=&proverb=&loan=&histLoanWords=&keywords=Toit%C5%AB" target="_blank">online Māori dictionary</a> the third link is to an <a href="https://www.toitu.co.nz/home" target="_blank">envirocare company</a> that helps businesses achieve sustainability targets, whatever that means [[and that is it...]]

[[why is there no information about the stream?]]

you decide to look further into this, [[if possible->research!!]]

you enter your search query // (set: $typewriterText to "skinheads and punks Dunedin" ) (display: "Typewriter")// [[search]]

down by the wharf, in that [[industrial row between town and the harbour]]

the day beckons [[the branches rattle against the walls of the house]]

it's that time again [[time to go walking]]

you head downstairs to the kitchen (cycling-link:"not hungry", "not thirsty") grab your $jacket [[off the coatrack->jacket]] [[and out the door]]

(link-reveal: "down")[ (link-reveal: "down")[ (link-reveal: "down")[ down past the houses [[staring at you, questioningly]] ] ] ] (newtrack: 'bgMusic2', 'https://audio.jukehost.co.uk/019ffcfb-0eea-7229-bdd2-c790668e7293.mp3') (track: 'bgMusic2', 'loop', true) (track: 'bgMusic2', 'playwhenpossible')

(link-reveal:"down")[ (link-reveal:"down")[ (link-reveal:"down")[ [[down beneath the shiny overgrown hillside]] ] ] ]

down into [[the empty hollow of the valley]]

you walk out onto Serpentine to your right, across the little road, the Scottish Pipe Band Hall [[sits meditating->the scottish pipe band hall sits meditating]] to your left, [[the coven of the lamp]]

you spy thru the branches of the dense greeny bush [[you try to spot the lamppost]]

the Rangatira the Scotsman [[you regard them both slowly]]

the sun emerges from behind a squat cloud and lights up their outlined figures [[they wave and wink and laugh at you]]

it is too bright [[you turn away->the empty hollow of the valley]]

where was it? (link-reveal:"there?")[ (link-reveal:"there?")[ [[hmmm]] ] ]

you begin to slowly trudge down the hill, all the while [[keeping an eye on the greeny forest]]

to your left, [[the plumbers]]

blue and deep against the glossy green hillside [[a light is on]]

you see a small figure moving in the top floor office, [[shadowy, dark]]

//[[the big man upstairs]]//

you huddle into your $jacket and wander [[onwards, downwards]]

across the road the tiny lone box shrinks itself against [[the mighty kowhai->the brazen red bricks of a factory selling tiles]]

you enter the industrial area of Serpentine Avenue (cycling-link: 'below the plumbers', 'before the Horse Sale Yard', 'underneath the hovering castle of the Speights Brewery') to your left, the concrete works and above it [[an old train line shelter]] to your right a seemingly abandoned set of offices, turned flats, advertising a garage sale from [[some ancient date, some ancient year]]

[[never noticed that before->the brazen red bricks of a factory selling tiles]]

you stop underneath the big rhododendron the pavement is a smoosh of orange and pink petals up the hill small industry plunders away you begin to notice [[the buildings here, their various signages]]

behind a menacing little iron fence, (link-reveal:"a small bed of deep red roses")[ (link-reveal:"the vintage bricks of a hundred years, still standing")[ (link-reveal:"and a handpainted wooden swinging sign, hung by a rusty cord, that reads:")[ [["Enter Here"]] ] ] ]

you look around the Horse Sale Yard looms mysteriously across the road at the foot the low rise, as it flows down into the Exchange and the Chinese District [[there's nobody on the street]]

[[you hop the menacing wee fence]]

[[you duck the rose red flowers]]

you pass by the handpainted sign "Enter Here" [[it swings in the breeze->you touch it with your hand as you pass]]

the bricks seems to breathe and [[squeeze you with their breath]]

suddenly the sun disappears altogether and you are plunged into [[a blackness you've never experienced before]]

you can only [[reach out and feel the walls ]]

they are wet with (cycling-link:"slime", "dirt", "clay", "bugs", "slugs", "blood or what feels like blood", "holes", "cracks of every kind") you press your palms to the bricks and count them as you pass (link-reveal:"one...")[ (link-reveal:"two...")[ (link-reveal:"three...")[ (link-reveal:"four...")[ (link-reveal:"five...")[ (link-reveal:"six...")[ (link-reveal:"seven...")[ suddenly the wall gives way and you are in a [[cold open space]] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

no walls, no light, [[but you have felt this cold before]]

[[it is the cold from the head of the stream]]

[[eating you]]

//(if: $tupuarangi is 'y')[ (cycling-link: 'eaten', 'by the cold')]// [[devouring you]]

you feel yourself press up against a hard, steel object [[the metal is cold to the touch]]

it is long and rounded, [[like the hull of a boat]]

you follow the cold metal with both hands, which seem to come to a point the object is shaped like a [[strange, long boat with a nose ]]

it is so cold and smooth it feels alien, as if made by aliens [[a gust of wind blows thru the chamber]]

you feel it rush from the alleyway tunnel you just emerged from thru your legs, and up over your head [[look up]]

there is light - [[just a small opening in the ceiling]]

you feel your way past the big metal object in the dark, [[tho perhaps you can make it out ever-so-slightly]]

it is like a giant tin can, [[a giant soda can, with a nose]]

you reach the wall and feel along for a second or two [[a ladder]]

you test the rungs as you climb, carefully [[the light grows stronger]]

you climb [[and the light grows stronger]]

you feel as if you are up quite high now you bump your head on [[something hard above]]

you test it with all your strength but it will not budge you find a chink in the wood [[can you peer thru?]]

you seem to be looking up from beneath a small platform, into the roof of a small room, perhaps a shed or an old outhouse [[natural light moves across the roof of the space above you]]

[[you look down]]

the small chamber is lit, the metal boat sits gleaming below you you notice [[a door-shaped hole in it, slightly askew]]

[[you clamber back down the ladder]]

in the pit the cold returns the doorway to the great beastly ship hums and beeps [[you board the ship]]

inside the small doorway you find a cockpit just to the left, a seat and a display with some ancient looking buttons, a joystick, a walkie-talkie [[you sit in the pilot's chair]]

in front of your eyes in the gloom you can make out a faded sticker in gold relief that reads: [[THE TAIERI BULLET]]

before you the tiny dial screen, (cycling-link:"blank", "dead"), and below it a lever on your right, [[the ancient walkie-talkie]] on your left, what appears to be a type of [[rudimentary periscope]]

it is so clean, so perfectly hung on its little hook you pick up the receiver and hold it to your ear ... [[nothing->THE TAIERI BULLET]]

you gently pull the persicope towards you and [[look thru the eyepiece]]

clear as day, you can see Serpentine Avenue, from an angle you've never seen it before you seem to be spying from somewhere below the plumbers, perhaps behind the rhododendron, just between the road and [[the old rail shack]] you look up towards the plumber, turning the persicope to the right (cycling-link:"the lone box", "the plumbers", "the pipe band hall") and then back down towards the Chinese District (cycling-link: "the Horse Sale Yard", "the Crown", "Speights Brewery") [[the lens is clean, the image is sharp]]

that will be [[where the ladder leads->look thru the eyepiece]]

you get the feeling that [[the Taieri Bullet has been used recently]]

but by who? [[what for? ]]

you look around you in the cockpit for some sign of life but it is clean, untouched, ready for use and then you notice - there, next to the lever obscured by the pilot's right knee, is a [[large red button->Bullet Operation 1]]

the Bullet trembles and begins to glide smoothly along the track, [[it is not a bumpy ride]]

suddenly the Bullet slows, then comes to a halt altogether, tho still chugging away almost silently [[periscope]] [[walkie-talkie]]

you pull the persicope to your face thru the lens you can't see much, just a bright shape, like a half circle in the middle of a great darkness [[you notice a blinking light out the corner of your eye]]

the line is [[completely silent->it is not a bumpy ride]]

the little screen is blinking it reads //FstCh// with [[a little blinking dot]]

you reach out and touch [[the blinking dot]]

and suddenly the screen [[blossoms, blooms, and opens into a map]]

it is a map that looks a lot like your map from J.R. each blinking dot is accompanied with a short text (cycling-link: "Speits", "FstCh", "Oct", "CrglsM", "BNZ", "QGs", 'Plmbrs') and each blinking dot is placed along a route that looks very similar to the Toitū, only it reaches what appears to be the harbour, then returns, past the Exchange and over the other side of the gully [[is this what you think it is?]]

you pick one at random... (link-reveal:"QGs")[ the blinking light moves to the QGs indicator [[you pull the lever again]] ]

the Bullet trembles and begins to glide smoothly along the track, [[it is not a bumpy ride the second time]]

suddenly the Bullet slows, then comes to a halt altogether, tho still chugging away almost silently [[look thru periscope]] [[use walkie-talkie]]

you pull the persicope to your face above ground you can make out a row of trees, encircled by a busy road [[you turn the periscope]]

you pick up the walkie-talkie and you hear a [[click]]

more trees [[trees on all sides]]

and cars beyond, racing around and around in circles and between you and the trees a lot of grass - there are people sitting in the grass - (cycling-link:"reading", "eating", "playing with a dog") this is [[Queens Gardens]]

suddenly the Bullet slows, then comes to a halt altogether, tho still chugging away almost silently [[look thru periscope]] [[use walkie-talkie]] ... [[go out and explore]]

you exit the Bullet and locate a ladder nearby at the top of the ladder there is a hatch [[you lift the hatch]]

(text-color: 'green')[ //Hello?// ] you cannot answer [[you know that voice->return to dashboard]]

above ground you are surrounded by oak trees, the wailing wind sinking thru the branches and scattering acorns all over the grass //(if: $pohutukawa is 'y')[ (cycling-link: 'buried', 'in their graves')]// people sit on the ground talking and eating, laughing, they have little picnic blankets and a dog on a leash and those people have some kind of [[wooden game]]

you are in the centre of Queens Gardens at the foot of the cenotaph dedicated to the fallen soldiers of the world wars the square is green and and operates as a type of elongated roundabout for the flow of trucks and traffic heading towards South Dunedin the people play their wooden game (cycling-link: 'kerplonk', 'kerplink') the little wooden blocks rattle with [[the sound of the trucks]]

the square is broken into quadraints by the walkways leading to the cenotaph, each walkway taking the walker in either direction: [[towards Cargils Monument]] [[towards First Church]] [[towards the Toitū Settlers Museum]] [[towards the dockside]] at the forefront of the gardens sits an [[eight foot-tall statue of Queen Victoria]] (if: $museum is 'yes')[ well above you the clouds [[gather and conspire]] ]

it starts to bucket down! you run back to the entrance of the hatch and [[hurl yourself inside]]

you wander along the pathway towards Cargils Monument the trees wave and shutter above the snaking row of one-way traffic the people on the grass hold their hands out, [[checking for rain]]

you walk the pathway along towards First Church, it hovers above you on the craggy hillside ahead below it the old gaol, now a carpark, and [[the Leviathan Hotel]]

from the park you can see ahead of you the old museum building, fading away in the Dunedin grey the traffic slows for a pedestrian in the rain, their umbrella getting sucked inside out by the wind in the middle of the crosswalk inside the museum all the little things are (link-reveal: 'locked away safe')[ the doors remain closed along the stretch of motorway looking north, the trucks race alongside the train track and in the distance you can just make out [[the train station]] ]

along the pathway to the dockside you can admire the buildings set along the motorway more closely they are grand in their design, with little railed balconies jutting out everywhere, and ornamental blocks of stone the size of small cars some of these buildings are [[forever untenanted]]

at the corner the traffic lights blink and siren ahead of you, across the street, you can see Cargils Monument, all knowing, all effacing, like a plughole at the very basin of Dunedin itself people scurry along below it, plumping their umbrellas [[it starts to rain]]

you'd better [[head back->the sound of the trucks]]

[[the pious and the pitiful]]

at the corner the rain calms just enough for you to make out a light coming from the church, it seems to be signalling holy glory [[as if lit from below]]

the rain comes down, the traffic never stops [[you can't cross here->the sound of the trucks]]

at the corner, the wind whips rain and sea air into your face the abandoned dockside seems (cycling-link: 'joyless', 'restless') [[nobody is fishing today]]

you don't feel like exploring the smelly jetty as you turn to leave you notice something out the corner of your eye a small piece of trash [[caught underneath the power box]]

it flickers in the wind like a candle [[grab it]]

it is a scrap of a story, another scrap from the same writer it seems: <img src="https://i.ibb.co/xt8ZNVRY/snowman.jpg" alt="snowman" border="0"> (set: $snowman to 'yes') [[interesting->the sound of the trucks]]

(set: $museum to 'yes') the museum glares like a rock beneath it, the Toitū stream finds its new entry to the ocean [[a gurgling, pathetic pipe]]

no grass, no mud or muck, no insects or fish or birds just pipes and pipes and pipes (cycling-link: 'turning', 'screwing', 'bending', 'jagged') moving it further and further away from [[its natural place]]

its natural way it has changed its course [[they have changed its course->the sound of the trucks]]

inside the hatch is pleasantly still the traffic from outside ceases as you near the end of the ladder [[you peer along the tracks of the Bullet]]

back in the Bullet: you think you have got the [[handle of this thing now]]

you sit down snug into the pilot's seat and (link-reveal:"push ignition")[ a light shoots from the nose of the craft and illuminates, thru a small windscreen at eye level, a thin track before you, which leads into a (link-reveal:"dark, deep tunnel")[ the Taieri Bullet rumbles into a quiet purr you motion thru the map locations: your destination (cycling-link: bind $trip, "Speits", "FstCh", "Oct", "CrglsM", "BNZ", "QGs", 'Plmbrs') [[pull the lever once more]] ] ]

you have already been here it was a windy rainy hellscape and [[everything was closed->handle of this thing now]]

(if: $trip is 'Speits')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/Kxkrqxm4/Speights-Brewery.jpg" alt="Speights Brewery" border="0"> [[to the Speights Brewery]] ] (if: $trip is 'FstCh')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/vrtTvv9/First-Church.jpg" alt="First Church" border="0"> [[to First Church]] ] (if: $trip is 'Oct')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/nswjtkKR/Octagon.jpg" alt="Octagon" border="0"> [[to Octagon]] ] (if: $trip is 'CrglsM')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/VpcVL1RQ/Cargils-Monument.jpg" alt="Cargils Monument" border="0"> [[to Cargils Monument]] ] (if: $trip is 'BNZ')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/NdxJh8Wr/BNZ.jpg" alt="BNZ" border="0"> [[to BNZ]] ] (if: $trip is 'Plmbrs')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/PvLYvLYL/industry.jpg" alt="industry" border="0"> [[to Plumbers]] ] (if: $trip is 'QGs')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/rRJG8X4Q/Queens-Gardens.jpg" alt="Queens Gardens" border="0"> [[to Queens Gardens]] ]

the Bullet croaks and groans slightly uphill, towards the beginning of the old Chinese District underneath the Speights Brewery the sound of water is unmistakable it is (cycling-link: 'churning along', 'gushing', 'hosing') thru the pipes and channels [[periscope->peri SB]] [[walkie-talkie->walkie SB]] [[up the hatch->hatch SB]] [[get out of here->handle of this thing now]]

the Bullet slides along the rails like a dream beneath the church, a cool wind glimmers in the darkness [[periscope->periscope ch]] [[walkie-talkie->walkie ch]] [[up the hatch]] [[get out of here->handle of this thing now]]

the Bullet slides along the hollow echoing chambers beneath Dunedin beneath the Octagon the quiet thrum of car motors bellies up from all sides there is the smell of urine and decay [[periscope->peris oct]] [[walkie-talkie->walkie oct]] [[up the hatch->hatch octagon]] [[get out of here->handle of this thing now]]

the Bullet cranks and turns, jostling its way across town on the subterranean loop you arrive at the stop beneath Cargils Monument [[periscope->peri CM]] [[walkie-talkie->walkie CM]] [[up the hatch->hatch CM]] [[get out of here->handle of this thing now]]

the Bullet rolls underneath the fractured streets of Dunedin, slowly now, almost cautiously approaching the stop beneath the Exchange, at the site of the Bank of New Zealand building [[periscope->peri BNZ]] [[walkie-talkie->walkie BNZ]] [[up the hatch->hatch BNZ]] [[get out of here->handle of this thing now]]

on the concrete foreyard of the church the building leers over you like a colossal thug, a vendetta like no other [[with an eye fixed upon a huge towering spire]] (set: $coins to 'not')

above the ground thru the periscope you can make out a small congression of people making their way into the church across the grass a neat array of tombstones grow from the soft gums of the earth a huge oak tree casts an impenetrable shadow which licks the skirts of the church and covers the courtyard in a [[purple gloom->to First Church]]

you pick up the walkie-talkie and hear a (link-reveal: 'click')[ [[...nothing->to First Church]] ]

you enter the church quietly, cautiously at the entrance a pew and [[a small sacramental basin]] either side [[two doors]] (if: $coins is 'pocket')[ back outside into the weather, ugly, ugly [[quickly back into the Bullet->to First Church]] ]

you approach the basin above it, a cherubim leans across the masthead of the table and seems to watch over the tiny blessing [[holy water]] (set: $timePass to $timePass +1)

[[the left door]] [[the right door]]

towards the left door the sound of singing becomes clearer from within the church hall the voices warble and synchronize like tape the organ trumpets and yawns (link-reveal: '...')[ you hear the small congregation sit, the squeaking of chairs a dull voice begins its monotonous droning [[an incantation]] ]

as you head towards the right door you notice that there is a light coming from inside the thick smoky glass pane, and a hallway extends along beyond the church hall to a stairwell it feels as if somebody is watching you [[you go thru the door]] [[you turn back->with an eye fixed upon a huge towering spire]]

(text-color: 'gold')[ //since the dawning of the apostles and the heavenly gates crashing with the waves of sorrow, where man alone cast himself upon the shores of knowledge and sought only to replace himself to replace himself... // ] (link-reveal: 'the speaker drones on')[ (text-color: 'gold')[ //for when the body is no longer and the story is no longer and man has lost his holy name forever then he must find a symbol to reconstitute his great power at home, on earth amongst the wicked... // ] //[[amongst the wicked]]// ]

it is hard to trust the church, after all [[after all->with an eye fixed upon a huge towering spire]]

you can't go in though maybe [[he is onto something]]

the hallway is short and clumsy at the bottom of the stairs you can hear a sound like metal rasping [[tip-toe up the stairs]]

you coil around the staircase, up and up and up, until you come to a tiny landing with two doors and a small window the floor is gritty and dirty [[peek out the window]] [[you try the first door]] [[you try the second door]]

the first door is locked, tight behind the door you can hear a voice... no an instrument of some kind [[listen harder]]

the second door [[slides easily open]]

thru the small head-sized window you can see straight into the heart of Dunedin from the Octagon, all the way down George St to Knox Church, to the university, the hospital, the mall, and the terraces and flats that make up the student quarter it is amazing how much of the Octagon you can make out: (cycling-link: 'little people', 'cars and scooters', 'doors flapping open and shut', 'a swirl of public life') all of the bars open out onto the pavement [[like mouths->tip-toe up the stairs]]

you press your ear to the door the door vibrates with the low moans coming from within it seems to say, (text-color: 'purple')[//Help me! Help me!//] ... the sound fades, [[ringing slightly in your ears->tip-toe up the stairs]]

inside you are met with a very strange sight a man, dressed in what looks like a suit of armour, is hunched over a huge lathe in the middle of the room, his back to you, heaving and grunting with extreme effort sparks fly before him, but you cannot see what he is holding, what he is working on [[you approach the man]]

cautiously, you reach out and touch the man on his elbow just softly [[he jumps! startled]]

he spins and looks directly at you he is definitely wearing a full suit of armour the grinding stone comes to a halt on the low flat table, some sparks flicker in the corners of the room, [[and then extinguish]]

(text-color: 'green')[ //Oh! It's you!! I didn't think I'd ever see you again...// ] [[who is this madman]]

(text-color: 'green')[ //It's me! J.R!// ]he says, pulling up his shiny silver visor // [[What on earth are you doing here?]] //

J.R. removes his helmet completely, revealing a long spat of shiny brown hair you never noticed how his eyes gleamed like that he stands there with the helmet tucked under his arm like a basketball (text-color: 'green')[ // After I sent you on that mission for the grates I never heard back from you!// ] he pauses and stares at you for a second (text-color: 'green')[ // Here, I've got something for you//] he says, as he reaches into some impossible pocket beneath his armoured chest he pulls out a small velvet bag, [[with gold rope]]

the bag looks heavy he tosses it about in his hand for a sec then says, (text-color: 'green')[ // Here ya go//] [[the bag is heavy]]

you empty the contents slowly into your palm the strange lighting from the street creeps thru the window and rests upon the golden coins they are large, weighty they seem unreal // [[What are these?]] //

(text-color: 'green')[ // They're coins, stupid! It's gold. Real gold//] he says flatly, eyeing you (text-color: 'green')[ // Thanks for the work, must have been one hell of a job clearing those things, but the stream is pumping along nicely now... I just hope this rain holds up// ] you stare at him half wondering if you are dreaming // [[The Toitū stream?]] // (set: $coins to 'pocket')

J.R. stares into you (text-color: 'green')[ // It doesn't matter what it's called, it has a job to do, and it does it well... It services all of these things we have//] he says, opening his arms in a widening circle around himself (text-color: 'green')[ //The plumbers of course, like I said... the concreters also, we built all of the pipes to divert the stream... that industrial area below the plumbers, that is where the pipes were made and lowered into the earth... back in the day it was a roaring busy place, with people running around like ants in and out of the earth, moving this stream like it was a big wet noodle...// ] you maintain his eye contact he seems to be revealing to you [[a secret]]

something settles in him and he continues... (text-color: 'green')[ // Anyway, so after years of moving the stream we thought, well, why not harness the stream at the same time - seems logical? All that power going nowhere, out to sea, wasted... all that water, that precious water...// // The Horse Sale Yard used to use the water to wash the floors and clean the ponies and cattle and the sheep shit... it was a disgusting mess you see, had to go somewhere Before we channeled the stream it was scraped and pushed and raked towards the place where it met the water and kind of just dumped there at the shore... where the Exchange is now... awful smell// ] (link-reveal: 'you hold his gaze still')[ (text-color: 'green')[ // All this, Princes Street in its entirety, used to be the shoreline, you see The stream would end right here - right at the Exchange - used to be this great big puddle, from carts and horses moving across it in the rain Mud everywhere! Half the town was mud So, we moved the stream, so that it didn't stop there any more And we moved there so that there was not there either - what used to be the shoreline was built on top of - people were encouraged to throw their waste into the lot to use as fortification for the embankment//] (link-reveal: 'you continue to hold his gaze')[ (text-color: 'green')[ //And then it was easy - where do we want the stream to flow?? ... // ] you want to ask him exactly what he means, but there are too many questions and he seems to have grown cold to your visit (text-color: 'green')[ // Take the gold and move along! I'd forget about the stream if I were you... everybody else has// ] he spins around, reasserting his helmet, and begins [[grinding away again]] ] ]

you peer over his shoulder as sparks leap and dance across his shiny silver body the lathe spins against the underside of a piece of what looks like brass, a dark curved piece that warps and rolls like a wave... [[it must be a bell?]]

you walk backwards out of the room, puzzling at J.R. who is this guy? [[the coins feel heavy in your pocket]]

down the stairs, along the hallway, [[back into the foyer->with an eye fixed upon a huge towering spire]]

(there may be more to explore utilising the Bullet, while you still have it [[at your disposal!->handle of this thing now]]) (if: $coins is 'pocket')[ the Bullet charges into gear back towards the first stop, beneath [[the industrial part of Serpentine Ave]] ]

you dip your fingers in the water it feels cool and fresh suddenly a gust of wind blows thru the open church doors and sends a barrage of leaves and dust [[whirling around you]]

when you open your eyes the basin is full of leaves you scoop the leaves out one at a time, they are big and sloppy and wet [[oak leaves]]

you gather the leaves in one hand and notice that the basin is now only half full, some of the water being splashed around the table and the floor is this okay? then the basin bubbles and jiggles, and a rumbling comes from beneath your feet [[slowly but surely, the basin refills itself]]

fascinating... there must be some kind of system designed to pump the water thru you wonder where the water comes from... you search the table for pipes and valves but find nothing... the water must come from directly beneath the basin, which is concrete and fixed to the floor there's something here, blown in onto the carpet [[another scrap of paper]]

again, the same odd notes: <img src="https://i.ibb.co/kgpr0X32/image-1.jpg" alt="image 1" border="0"> (set: $image1 to 'yes') [[the collection grows->with an eye fixed upon a huge towering spire]]

thru the periscope, above ground you seem to be located precisely in the centre, underneath the statue of Robbie Burns sometimes he appears with a bright orange road cone stuck on his head the grass looks soft and melow, inviting Burns looks cast to the centre of the naughty, windy city, [[to pay out his penance in verse->to Octagon]]

you pick up the walkie-talkie and hear gurgling noise, followed by (link-reveal: 'a low hiss')[ then... [[nothing->to Octagon]] ]

you climb out into a small room, tiles on all sides the smell of damp is strong there is the sound of movement overhead, faint conversations, murmurs sunlight sneaks in thru some old frosted glass at the very top of the tiled walls [[the glass is dusty and dirty]]

you step forward towards the glass, a few tree roots and creeping ivies swatting you in the face the smell of urine dissipates as the cool of the undergrowth enters the little tiled room you use your $jacket sleeve to wipe some of the dust away and suddenly the little room is flooded with golden light, like a beam thru the clouds [[you look around you]]

you are standing in what looks to be a men's urinal the tiles on the wall are all chipped and broken, but the pattern and the arrangement look familiar [[where have you seen them before?]]

one wall has [[a low sink, slightly sunk on one side]] the other wall hosts three urinals, two of which are completely smashed and broken, with pieces of debris [[strewn all across the floor]] (if: $mirror is 'seen')[ (cycling-link: 'the mirror hovers before you', 'you stare back at you') ] (if: $name is 'forget')[ it's time to get out of this [[smelly dungeon->to Octagon]] ]

the foor is tiled too, the same pattern (cycling-link: 'white', 'then green', 'then red', 'then green', 'and white again') it is hypnotising the little green tiles have tiny ornamental leaves carved into them they are [[little oak leaves it seems]]

you approach the sink in front of you, a tiny shard of an old mirror is still stuck to the rectangular piece of tile you check yourself out in the dirty, dusty silver glisten your $jacket your $childtop face your $childpants pants $body $hair your $childshoes shoes in the sink below you there is a scap of paper [[could it be]] (set: $mirror to 'seen')

some pieces of tile have fallen from the walls in other places the tiles have been completely painted over with scum and muck, little ferns sprouting out of them, searching for the sun above each of the urinals is a little tag, a little logo scratched into the tile [[broken urinal one]] [[broken urinal two]] [[urinal three]] (if: $name is 'forget')[ [[check the other wall->where have you seen them before?]] ]

above the first broken urinal the smell is musty and damp looking down you can see some way into the bowl beneath the urinal casing, most of which lies in chunks beneath your $childshoes shoes the pieces feel crumply and uncertain underfoot the scratch in the tile reads //'mutiny'// inside the bowl you can almost hear a slippery voice calling your name ... [[your name?]]

this urinal is reeeally broken, it's basically just a pipe sticking out of the wall the pipe is dripping (link-reveal: 'drip')[ (link-reveal: 'drip')[ (link-reveal: 'drip')[ (link-reveal: 'drip')[ ] ] ] ] it is hypnotic, [[like the tiles]]

above urinal three there is a little picture of a faucet tap [[you've seen that faucet tap before]]

the same one that J.R. drew you on his little map, [[it's identical]]

you look down into the urinal and notice that there is a flower growing out of the middle smack bang in the middle, a pure white daisy is growing from the depths of the old urinal pipe, which you suppose is now filled up with dirt and mud the flower seems to nod at you (text-color: 'yellow')[ // Yes, yes//] it seems to say [[should you pick the flower?]]

it's not harming anybody (cycling-link: bind $pick, 'pick the flower', 'leave the flower') [[you might need it]]

[[have you forgotten your name, too?->little oak leaves it seems]] (set: $name to 'forget')

(cycling-link: 'white', 'green', 'red', 'green', 'white') (link-reveal: 'drip')[ (link-reveal: 'drip')[ (link-reveal: 'drip')[ [[the world blurs]] ] ] ] (if: $moodstate1 is 'yes')[ [[infinity passes]] ]

you are staring into the broken pipe you feel the cool of the stream engulf you it (cycling-link: bind $mood, 'calms', 'scares') you [[what is going on here?->like the tiles]] (set: $moodstate1 to 'yes')

your vision adjusts and before you marked into the tiles above the broken urinal are the words //'you are now entering the human fart'// [[you spin away->little oak leaves it seems]]

another lost piece of the puzzle <img src="https://i.ibb.co/N6nmKnY6/screaming.jpg" alt="screaming" border="0"> (set: $screaming to 'yes') [[intriguing->where have you seen them before?]]

the Bullet hums along beneath the city and eventually takes a slight incline as it rises to the foot of Serpentine Ave, beneath the plumbers and the concrete yard the journey is longer than the rest, bumpier the ageless innards of Dunedin squirm and bunch around you as you move you eventually come to a stop right back at where you first found the Bullet, beneath the abandoned factories and [[rows of industrial warehouses]] (track: 'bgMusic2', 'fadeout', 6)

above ground thru the periscope you can see down into the enclave of backalley motels and businesses, jagged lines and intersecting wiry streets of the Chinese District the arrangement is set against the grey clouds and haze spanning out towards the beach and St. Clair South Dunedin is nestled in a bowl of sub-sea level paranoia when it rains, the water gathers at the plugholes, the sinkholes, and the sea rises up thru the floorboards (link-reveal: 'you turn the periscope')[ behind you a steep rise extends up to the verdant town belt behind (link-reveal: 'St. Josephs Cathedral')[ you can just make out the flags, tied in many different colours, flailing miserably in the wind on the wrought iron fence ] even from here you can smell the scent of hops and barley [[stewing in their juices->to the Speights Brewery]] ]

you pick up the walkie-talkie and place it to your ear... you hear a faint (link-reveal: 'click')[ ... then a voice, surely, a voice it crackles thru the wire, it beckons with its rough sibilance (text-color: 'indigo')[ //shhhining ccggoolddennn ghhhoookke... sshhiininggggoollddeennhhooooo-kk...// ] then (cycling-link: 'a pinging, ear-splitting high pitched tone', 'a crackle', 'a pop') and [[silence->to the Speights Brewery]] ]

the hatch lets you out in a dark, shiny old concrete bay, somewhere inside the factory you can hear traffic over the tall iron gate the space around you is clean, spotless, the only sign of life being the rubber tyre marks from the trucks and trailers shifting in and out, moving barrels upon barrels of the antiquated ale the whole yard smells like [[sweet, rotten hay]]

you spy a door leading further into the enclosure it reminds you of another door [[funny]]

you emerge onto an even larger forecourt, out in the open, underneath the grey Dunedin sky in one corner there is [[a pile of old tractors and flatbeds]], decaying in the evergrey, a small row of seagulls perched on top of their heads and elbows to your right, [[the huge chimneys of the factory]] pump unneeded mank into the sky, in great plumes of shimmering gas and steam ahead the courtyard ends, and [[a small brick wall]] contains a sheer drop to the little flats and bedlams of the dusty motel district below (if: $fire is 'warm')[the people are returning to their business in the streets below the dripping city fills the gutters with water endless water [[the sound of pipes rattling, ushering]] ] (if: $arklow is 'yes')[ //Arklow//] (if: $plate is 'keep it')[ //Eire Donegal//]

you approach the tractors and the birds maintain their positions, staring into you, cockheaded [[a greeny tractor with no wheels catches your eye]]

as you approach the massive smokestack chimneys the smell becomes overwhelming (cycling-link: 'your eyes burn', 'your mouth waters', 'the air in your lungs seems to dry up') you forge ahead, holding your hands out in front of you [[for some reason]]

you approach the low brick wall and notice that a rudimentary scaffold has been designed down the side of the brick factory base, staggering down into the hillside, into the wild thorny undergrowth below the scaffold looks sturdy, if a little basic [[go down the scaffolding]]

under the harsh grey light the tractor looks almost purple as you get closer the birds on top of the greeny tractor shuffle and hop to a different vantage point, jostling their buddies for viewing space the tractor is held up by two old tractor tyres laying on their sides [[you climb up to the seat]]

the steering wheel is painted gold and the gear mechanism is painted dark blue on the little square of tractor facing you there is a large steel label that reads: //EIRE DONEGAL// [[with embossed letters and all]]

you run your hands over the little plate, the little bumpy letters (link-reveal: 'E')[(link-reveal: 'I')[(link-reveal: 'R.')[ (link-reveal: 'E')[(link-reveal: 'E')[(link-reveal: 'DO.')[(link-reveal: ' N')[ ... suddenly the plate falls off into your lap [[umm.. ok]] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

(cycling-link: bind $plate, 'try and stick it back on', 'keep it') yep, [[that's what you'll do]]

(if: $plate is 'try and stick it back on')[ you walk back to the centre of the yard having re-attached the plate to the tractor... [[Eire Donegal...huh->funny]] ] (if: $plate is 'keep it')[ you walk back to the centre of the yard, holding the steel plate in your warm hand, $hand [[Eire Donegal...huh->funny]] ]

you are waving the steam and gas away from your face and thrashing your way closer to the chimneys (link-reveal: 'in small shuffling steps')[ suddenly, the wind changes the gas is all sucked away from you for an instant and [[you can finally look up at the roaring mouths of the brewery]] ]

brick and clay, the design seems to represent a type of curvilinear cone that tapers towards the spout the bricks are arranged to always face outwards, slowly changing angle as they ride the wave of the chimney [[the wind whips and adjusts]]

before the nasty gas cloud turns back to you, you can barely make out the name written on the bricks //ARKLOW// (set: $arklow to 'yes') all of the bricks say //[[ArklowArklowArklow->funny]]// curving around and around the form of the chimney

you hang off the first port and lower yourself slowly, tier by tier now, rung by rung (link-reveal: 'down')[ (link-reveal: 'down')[ (link-reveal: 'down')[ (link-reveal: 'down')[ down into the collecting green darkness and the ovulating clay all around you the rock has been carved, sliced into [[square little platforms of human life]] ] ] ] ]

at the base of the scaffold you are in shadow the smell of the city lurks below you venture out onto [[a little hillock before you]]

below the hillock is [[a path leading down towards the back of the motel district]], and the seemy little flats and rancid old buildings, with their leaky gutters and their broken backs [[they lean against one another in order to hold themselves up]]

you can hear the church bells ringing, and the little ants, responsive or not, scurry ever faster [[...dominoes, dominoes...->a little hillock before you]]

you take the path, [[it is steep and floral]]

along the path there are [[three large patches of lily on your right]] and on your left what looks to be [[an abandoned shelter of some kind]], hidden almost beneath the dripping trees straight ahead the dirt path meets the concrete inset above the melancholy gothic walkway which would bring you down into the [[meddling little arts district of Dunedin]] (if: $fire is 'warm')[ the stranger may return at any time [[back up the scaffolding to the brewery courtyard->funny]] ]

dare you? it looks recently lived in [[you go in under the trees into the little shelter]] [[turn back->it is steep and floral]]

the steps can only be described as [[a set of lungs hoisted side by side]]

under the trees there is a certain warmth, cosied up against the grey murky clay of the hillside [[no real sign of life]]

[[an old busted couch sits rotting in the clay]] [[a pile of phone books next to the couch]] [[an old tv, with the screen completely smashed in, sits propped in front of the couch on a cinder block]] next to the cinder block, the blackened ashy pit of what was [[a small fire]]

you can see the human groove marked into the fabric the couch looks sunken, dead, [[like a body->no real sign of life]] in the corner of the couch there is something sticking out, [[a little note]]

the phone books have been slashed into, with gashes and rips and whole innards torn out the phone books have such bizarre artworks on the covers (cycling-link: 'vapid pastorals', 'strange silent figures', 'colourful kaleidoscopes of nothing', 'a church between two palm trees', 'a white dove on fire') [[they must have been burning the pages for fuel->no real sign of life]]

the screen is comical, with bits of coil and glass poking thru its face inside, somebody has placed [[little figurines]]

in the fire pit you can see little coloured bits of paper (cycling-link: 'pink', 'light blue', 'grey') and on the paper is little names and little numbers lists and lists of the little ants you put your hand out to (link-reveal: 'grab a piece of burnt pink paper, but...')[ the fire is still slightly warm you recoil and decide it best to [[quickly move on->it is steep and floral]] (set: $fire to 'warm') ]

the scene looks like some kind of post-apocalytpic zoological nightmare, with the broken coils and wet glass giving a bizarre filmic effect (cycling-link: bind $tv, 'a giraffe', 'an action figure', 'a matchbox car') behind the tv, the light reflecting from the hotels shines splendidly thru the coils, further illuminating the little story [[leave them to their scene->no real sign of life]] (set: $tvfigure to 'y')

another forbidden text: <img src="https://i.ibb.co/FbfFBnTf/thecode.jpg" alt="thecode" border="0"> (set: $thecode to 'yes') //[[I shall not speak another word...->no real sign of life]] //

they lock into each other, ribs setting around ribs and somehow they provide a bridge from this world of the squatting telephone fire to that of the fumbling ambitions of the townspeople below [[you stand at the top of the stairs]]

below you Princes Street cuts the view, walkers constantly to and fro from each side of Dowling Street, the majestic bank buildings hovering behind them you can make out Queens Gardens in the mist, the little red Anzac flowers blinking off the white crosses planted along the front lawn [[they are for the cars, the crosses]] [[and the rain is for the people]]

//"... to find a place beside the graves, in the soft grass..."// [[what was it?->you stand at the top of the stairs]]

(link-reveal: 'brolleys out')[ the heavens open up, and pour a freezing cold ice sheet of twisting bitter rain down upon the thankless hordes it's really hammering now people scatter in the distance, the statue of Queen Victoria looks from you to Cargils Monument and back you blink stupidly, standing drenched atop the staircase [[like a phantom]] ]

the shower passes the sun lowers and almost breaks thru a light patch of cloud for a moment the street is bare, the wetness glistens and purrs [[it looks almost inviting]]

then //they// return, and the appeal completely wears off the hustling, the bustling [[give me an empty city and I will give you paradise->it is steep and floral]]

at the corner of Princes Street and Moray Place the street is flooding with water the very intersection where the pedestrians gather in the cold is now shooting water 3 feet into the air above the cold wet pavements of Dunedin people stand around gawking in amazement, pointing, laughing a shopkeeper runs out and hurriedly sandbags his door with whatever he can find some people slip and get up looking all angry and disparaged [[others laugh at them]] the slippery scene makes you laugh, too [[there's nothing you can do about the weather]]

//"it's just a bit of water"//, they say [[just a bit of water->the sound of pipes rattling, ushering]]

[[there's nothing you can do about the weather... sort of?]]

sometimes it seems there are (cycling-link: 'things that can be altered', 'and things that cannot') [[you will ponder this on your trip back down to the Bullet]]

back into the enclosed foreyard the tyre marks on the floor the soft, soft concrete you notice [[something written against the exterior wall of the building]] [[down the hatch again->handle of this thing now]]

it is written in an elaborate hand, as if by an painter's hand from an age ago to your strange surprise it reads: //ARKLOW POTTERY EIRE DONEGAL// and below it, jutting out ever so casually from the wall is a little golden hook and below that it says, in a tiny cursive: //'please return all industry mugs'// [[how did you not notice this before?->you will ponder this on your trip back down to the Bullet]]

you pull the periscope to your eye and as you do so a small watery whirring is heard the periscope seems to rise, [[up and up and up]] (set: $timePass2 to 25)

you pick up the walkie-talkie and you hear (link-reveal: '...')[ ... nothing, again the sound of people's footsteps echoes softly above you, hard shoes ricocheting off the [[angular bricks->to Cargils Monument]] ]

out of the Bullet above the hatch you find there is no way to street level the hatch opens only to a small windowless room, about enough space for an adult person if they were to hunch up you tuck your knees to your chest and [[hunch your shoulders]]

high above the city you orient the scope in the direction of $CM (if: $CM is 'High St')[ High Street meanders and leapfrogs its way up towards the Roslyn shops the street is bare of cars but many people use it as a crossing, some on bicycles this spine connects Caversham with Maori Hill - it is dotted all along with kowhai and totara trees somewhere underneath the hillside, [[the stream waits->up and up and up]] ] (if: $CM is 'George St')[ George Street - so long, so straight - connects the CBD with the university, the hospital, and further towards the North East Valley thru the periscope you can see all the busy little people, (cycling-link: 'in', 'out') thru the spinning doors of restaurants all day [[the Octagon looks like a crop circle from here->up and up and up]] ] (if: $CM is 'Princes St')[ Princes Street, also straight and narrow, but a little bumpy, connects the butt end of the Dunedin township to the Caversham raceway and the road towards the beach the area has a downtrodden delapidated vibe to it, a heavy heavy gloom the old, crusty shopfronts are let to energetic collectors of delectable trash, hawking their wares to [[any passing stranger->up and up and up]] ] (if: $CM is 'Rattray St')[ Rattray Street is the street that runs all the way from St. Josephs, down past the Speights Brewery and flows right to the foot of Cargils Monument from here you turn the periscope it continues with the grunting, heaving traffic, to lie just under First Church, which sits atop its little mound like a jewel in a crown Rattray Street wraps itself around the neck of Queens Gardens [[like a concrete shawl->up and up and up]] ] (set: $timePass2 to $timePass2 + 1)

you can't always see the monument but the monument can always [[see you]]

a full 360 view gives you a glimpse of every possible angle of Dunedin, leading away from you, at the centre (cycling-link: bind $CM, 'High St', 'Rattray St', 'George St', 'Princes St', ) [[at the centre]] (if: $timePass2 is >27)[ [[the monument is clever]] ]

and the Bullet like a vein and somehow this all has to do with (cycling-link: 'the stream', 'the plumbers', 'First Church and J.R.') [[what to make of it all??->to Cargils Monument]]

you are in a tiny little dock (if: $smoker is 'go on then')[you can smell rum and honey, tobacco] above you a single light bulb hangs unlit there doesn't seem to be anything in the tiny little space, just enough room for one [[but who?]]

you fumble around in the dark against the walls for a light switch the walls feel cold and shiny [[you know that touch]]

eventually you reach out in front of your face and find a string dangling quietly before you [[you pull it]]

the room lights up and it is like déjà vu //the tiles// (cycling-link: 'white', 'green', 'red', 'green', 'white again') and the little oak leaves carved into the greeny hue the whole little room is tiled this way [[the floor]] [[the walls]] [[the ceiling]]

the tiles, the tiles, again and again and again [[hypnotic->you pull it]]

four walls, the tile pattern against one wall [[you see something else you recognise]] the room almost [[contains you->you pull it]]

as you look closely at the ceiling you can see that it has a small hole in the centre tile, with an optical attachment for the periscope from the Bullet [[ingenious->you pull it]]

its another walkie-talkie, similar to the one found onboard the Bullet it hangs there on a shiny golden hook fixed to one of the tiles, a headset and com [[you pick up the walkie-talkie and adjust the headset]]

thru the wires comes a nervous, endless crackling half water, half torture, like a radio being tuned extensively and slowly for no reason you can hear so many voices, (cycling-link: 'so many conversations', 'bits of nonsense', 'gibberish', 'caterwhauling and screaming', 'sniffling, sobbing', 'sorrow and sorrow', 'and sometimes laughter (but is it nice laughter?)', 'twisting gurgling passages') until (link-reveal: '...')[ [[a voice finally comes thru clear]] ]

there is no background noise, no armour the voice says (text-color: 'purple')[ //Eat your turnip, Eat your turnip, Eat your turnip,// ] slowly rolling the words around in its mouth like a cow //Hello?// you try... the voice ignores you and simply keeps repeating (text-color: 'purple')[ //Eat your turnip, Eat your turnip, Eat your turnip,// ] it is completely unresponsive [[but where is it coming from?]]

you return the headset to the wall, the [[shiny golden hook]]

as you hang the headset, the wire catches on the hook and pulls the tile out from the wall ever so slightly [[what's this?]]

you tug on the shiny golden hook and the tile comes too, revealing [[a low flat drawer]] set into the wall of the little room

inside the drawer you find three incredible things: [[a patch for a pair of workman's overalls with the name J.R.]] [[a signed deed for the purchase of the Horse Sale Yard]] [[another scrap of this forlorn manuscript!]] (if: $really is 'yes')[ you close the drawer and [[exit the little room thru the hatch->to Cargils Monument]] ]

signed by none other than our good friend J.R. - two gigantic whispy letters and then an illegible scribble for the surname you can't make it out let's find out this guy's [[real name]]

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/7xc1ftFr/image-2.jpg" alt="image 2" border="0"> (set: $image2 to 'yes') [[seems familiar->a low flat drawer]]

you look for the tiny printed namesake below the wafty signature there it is written in miniscule, damn near invisible writing... you would need [[a microscope to read it!->a low flat drawer]] (if: $magnify is 'yes')[ you reach for the magnifying glass and (link-reveal: 'the letters become clear')[ //[[James Robert Arklow]]// ] ]

//Arklow// (set: $Arklow to 'yes') so he's a descendent of the brickmakers? the (cycling-link: 'plumber', 'concreter', 'bricklayer') [[the bricks that built Dunedin->a low flat drawer]]

you pull the periscope to your eye above ground the bank looms like a giant stone vault sent from the heavens its harsh, monotone grey columns seem to hold up the sky, [[which lashes and storms above you]] as you turn the periscope you can see all along (cycling-link: 'Princes street', 'up Manse Street towards the Musicians Club', 'past the warehouses on Stafford Street') behind you Jetty Street folds down towards the harbour and the [[noodly overpass]]

you pick up the walkie-talkie you can hear a faint sizzling in the eirpiece... [[then nothing->to BNZ]]

thru the hatch and [[up the ladder]]

you have a memory from childhood a dark, grey day (link-reveal: 'the sun never rose')[ at school we huddled together in the corner of the classroom, wondering if the sun would ever come up again it was a (cycling-link: bind $memory, 'special', 'terrifying') day the memory gives you a physical sensation that you [[can't name->peri BNZ]] ]

the cars seem to chase each other around [[a silly little track]]

back towards the Exchange, the Bell Tea building towers over everything outside the Musicians Club a van of leather clad misfits unload hefty black boxes in the drizzly rain the pipes are filling with water, it cascades down the grey rock from the valley down the bricks and chutes of the city down towards the endearing plughole, the Exchange and splits along (cycling-link: 'Manse', 'Stafford', 'Princes', 'Jetty') Street to gutter elsewhere down to Cargils Monument, at the foot of it all, [[a bastion in the rain->to BNZ]]

the ladder seems to be longer than usual [[warm air wafts down from the breach above->top of hatch]]

you are in what looks to be a small office on the first floor of the bank building the air is warm and smells of [[frankincense]] on the right wall hangs a series of elegant portraits depicting [[a range of grey-haired gentlemen]] on your left there is [[a low table with a collection of decanters and liquor]] directly before you stands [[a great fireplace]], still burning, and to the left of that, the only door in or out directly behind you is [[a stately oak desk with a lamp]] the ceiling is very, very high (if: $JR is 'seen')[ you hear a footfall on the stair, a door closing softly in a faraway room you stare at the door to the office, willing it not to open ... [[the door creaks ajar]] ]

you can taste the aromatics (cycling-link: 'old dead wood', 'pine', 'turpentine', 'balsam', 'citrus', 'gunsmoke') sharp and [[somehow sleepy->warm air wafts down from the breach above]]

they are strange in their captured poses all looking beyond the eye of the painter (cycling-link: 'away', 'outwards'), into [[yonder]]

the liquors are housed in some sort of trap-box a [[tantalus cabinet]]

the fireplace is tall but not wide along the shelf of the fireplace there is [[a marble bust]] and on the very end to the right, [[a small bowl]] the fire glows bright in the hearth [[the wood is burning down nice and slow]]

you move around behind the desk there is no chair from here it looks like [[a very serious room]]

the bowl is made of deep, blood red wood same as the shelf itself it must be [[rimu]] inside the bowl there is [[a little gold key on a piece of string]] [[you stare into the flames->a great fireplace]]

somebody must have lit the fire [[you'd better not muck around too long->warm air wafts down from the breach above]]

(cycling-link: bind $goldkey, 'grab it', 'leave it be') it looks [[important->a small bowl]]

you could swear it was a bust of J.R. but he has aged his nose is pointier and his ears are bigger, bittier [[but the eyes are the same->a great fireplace]]

the names and faces start to ring a few bells below each face there is a name, and below each name there is a little screed of text (link-reveal: 'Captain William Cargil')[ //"Leader of the Free Church Settlement and Founder of First Church"// ] (link-reveal: 'Edward Gibbon Wakefield')[ //"Architect of the NZ Wakefield Settlements of the New Zealand Company"// ] (link-reveal: 'Donald Reid')[ //"Founder and President of the Early Settlers' Association"// ] (link-reveal: 'Rev. Charles Creed')[ //"Missionary to Otago Maoris, welcomed the Free Church emigrants and baptised the first European boy and girl born in Dunedin"// ] (link-reveal: 'Henry Monson')[ //"Our Humanitarian Gaoler"// ] (link-reveal: 'Thomas Gabriel Read')[ //"Found gold at Gabriel's Gully, 1861"// ] (link-reveal: 'James Macandrew')[ //"Superintendent of Otago, despatched the first shipment of wool to London"// ] what a strange and [[interesting array of heads->warm air wafts down from the breach above]]

there are three bottles, each a different browny hue the lid of the tantalus is locked tight you can see the bottles, but you can't get to them, [[that's the design]]

because you don't want little nymphs [[getting their hands on the sweet ambrosia]]

the front of the box has a little gold lock on it the box is [[impenetrable->warm air wafts down from the breach above]] if you had a key... (if: $goldkey is 'grab it')[ you place the key in the lock [[and turn]] ]

the box clicks you lift the lid and the [[sides of the box open simultaneously]]

the three liquor bottles rattle together you can now remove them out the sides you pull one out, a tall square bottle filled about halfway with a dark amber liquid (cycling-link: 'remove the lid', 'have a whiff') the liquor is certainly a whiskey, a truly dark single malt with [[heavy peat overtones]]

reminds you of Scotland you see the [[Scottish thistle blooming]] with each sniff

you return the bottles to the box, and [[lock it up tight again->warm air wafts down from the breach above]]

the desk is bare, smooth, and clean is it warm? you reach to your right and turn on the green bankers lamp by touching its frame below it is lit [[a small Newton's cradle]]

you reach out and pull the last ball on the cradle string (link-reveal: 'and release')[ the ball clacks into the row of four other balls, the energy guided along the row [[by its own momentum]] this releases the ball at the other end, [[which repeats the action in reverse]] ]

//clack clack clack clack clack// ... the balls keep [[a steady rhythm->a small Newton's cradle]]

thus containing the power the power is [[centralised]]

as you reach to stop the clacking cradle you notice the drawers of the desk lined up at your right foot [[you bend down]]

the drawers are [[two on top]] and [[a larger sliding]] door for the bottom well

you try (link-reveal: 'the second drawer')[ ... it slides easily open within it you see nothing but a list of (cycling-link: 'names', 'numbers', 'dates') with big black crosses thru them in jotty, shaky lines (link-reveal: 'meh')[ [[you try the top drawer]] ] ]

inside the sliding drawer you find something [[virtually unexplainable]]

... it doesn't budge there is a little lock in its face, [[steadfast]] but no key? (if: $goldkey is 'grab it')[ [[you place the key in the drawer lock and turn]] ]

the drawer slides open inside there is [[a magnifying glass]], [[a letter opener]], and [[a piece of paper folded in two]] (if: $opener is 'yes')[ remove yourself from [[behind the desk]] ]

there is [[no reason to linger here->warm air wafts down from the breach above]] not without a key

you pick up the magnifying glass it makes [[everything on the desk appear bigger]]

lo and behold, it is another scrap of writing <img src="https://i.ibb.co/N2jT8w6t/advocate.jpg" alt="advocate" border="0"> (set: $advocate to 'yes') [[these scraps are so vivid->you place the key in the drawer lock and turn]]

you pick up the letter opener its handle is ornate, a steel knight standing with his sword between his legs (set: $opener to 'yes') it feels electrified, buzzing mysteriously in your hot palm (link-reveal: 'you place it back down upon the desk')[ in this light the blade glimmers majestically the little knight, [[he has jewels for eyes->you place the key in the drawer lock and turn]] ]

that's what they do, magnifying glasses anything that enters the frame looms bigger than it actually is (cycling-link: bind $magnify, 'take the magnifying glass with you', 'leave the magnifying glass') [[you like to see things properly->you place the key in the drawer lock and turn]]

as you enter the centre of the room again you see behind you, on the wall behind the desk, so big you had not even noticed it before a huge portrait of a man (cycling-link: 'pointed nose', 'gummy ears') and below the portrait it says in gold glittery writing //James Robert Arklow// [[James Robert... of course->warm air wafts down from the breach above]] (set: $JR to 'seen')

you panic and race for the opening, concealing yourself in the nick of time //[[that was a close one]]//

below the office you can hear the sound of heavy steel boots [[scraping and clattering against the hardwood floors]]

a look at [[the window->here we are]]

and you are right in the middle of the park [[return to dashboard]]

is that chainmail you hear? the footsteps scuttle away into the centre of the building as you lower yourself back down [[into the safety of the Bullet->handle of this thing now]]

//[[PART ONE->open some doors...]]//

a time-honoured music venue and bar the building is owned and operated by the [[Chin family]] there are usually a few punters hanging around outside smoking ciggarettes

you press your face to the grate the gleaming intensifies, multiplies, and you can make out the well-known browny colour of beer bottles in a pond the way that the light from the grate catches the shape of the bottles below the surface of the water [[the smell of the damp]]

//saturation// 1a: the act of saturating : the state of being saturated (link-reveal: "b: SATIETY, SURFEIT") [ 2: conversion of an unsaturated to a saturated chemical compound (link-reveal: "(as by hydrogenation)") [ 3: a state of maximum impregnation: such as (link-reveal: "a: complete infiltration : PERMEATION") [ (link-reveal: "b: the presence in air of the most water possible under existent pressure and temperature") [ (link-reveal: "c: magnetization to the point beyond which a further increase in the intensity of the magnetizing force will produce no further magnetization") [ 4a: chromatic purity : freedom from dilution with white (link-reveal: "b(1): degree of difference from the gray having the same lightness") [ (link-reveal: "(2): degree of difference from the achromatic light-source color of the same brightness") [ 5: the supplying of a market with as much of a product as it will (link-reveal: "absorb") [ 6: an overwhelming concentration of military forces or firepower(link-reveal:"*")[ [[*]] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saturation ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]

bgMusic1: https://audio.jukehost.co.uk/01a009a6-e96b-70af-bdb8-7b6af6723bee.mp3 bgMusic2: https://audio.jukehost.co.uk/019ffcfb-0eea-7229-bdd2-c790668e7293.mp3 paradise1: https://audio.jukehost.co.uk/01a00847-60b7-7155-a8f0-a40dc264b929.mp3 finalpart: https://audio.jukehost.co.uk/01a017b3-8cb7-70ce-a815-748dce83bb18.mp3

//TOITŪ: the story of a hidden stream...// <div style="text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <img src="https://i.ibb.co/Gv72Nf7d/Toitu-screenshot.jpg" alt="Toitu screenshot" border="0"></div> //<div style="text-align: center; width: 150%;">[[PROLOGUE->In the Beginning]]</div> //

he also wears what looks like a tartan cloak and holds a patu he has a feather in his hair, which is worn in a high bun he looks out of the glass [[directly into you]]

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/wfRs53L/Horse-Sale-Yard.jpg" alt="Horse Sale Yard" border="0"> a magical entryway of some kind the doorways have [[a knowing about them->HORSE SALE YARD]]

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/F4F3055Y/MAP-2.jpg" alt="MAP 2" border="0"> [[it is changed]]

what looks to be a preserved human (link-reveal: 'head in a jar')[ the eyes bulge the hair curls thru the watery viscous solution like [[meteor tails thru space]] ]

did the face have some sort of markings on it?? (cycling-link: 'the drawer is dark', 'you feel a bit ill') [[you cannot bear to look any longer->you bend down]]

top of the hatch [[and out->warm air wafts down from the breach above]]

the tracks groan and mutter [[hideous unhearable words]]

a little tangled piece of paper caught underneath the cinder eave at the base of the building (link-reveal: 'the wind attacks it')[ instinctively you reach out and [[snatch the paper up]] ]

it looks to be a page torn from a manuscript <img src="https://i.ibb.co/27YqPnwB/octagon.jpg" alt="octagon" border="0"> [[how bizarre->you take a step back]] (set: $octagon to 'yes')

in the browny crunchy floor you can see all kinds of colours (cycling-link: 'dirt', 'dung', 'earth', 'pitch', 'text') (link-reveal: '... text?')[ it is a scrap of paper, with [[words on it->another piece of story on it]] ]

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/5g5QkX2m/underground.jpg" alt="underground" border="0"> [[interesting...->get a little closer]] (set: $underground to 'yes')

you turn the handwritten note over and discover... <img src="https://i.ibb.co/7dmh8YQV/dust.jpg" alt="dust" border="0"> [[how very intriguing->bristling and growing and fading across the island]] (set: $dust to 'yes')

got it! <img src="https://i.ibb.co/BKrPrGcR/birds.jpg" alt="birds" border="0"> (set: $birds to 'yes') [[another one!->picks their bones]]

you don't know why, but you lower yourself down into the moat, [[hands on each side of the top]]

the lush green grass feels good in your hands underfoot, your $childshoes shoes stomp around in the shallow muck pieces of bottles and old plates and rubbish seem to make up a lot of the depth underneath the house [[they peer out of the clay wall like pieces in a museum]]

you run your hands over the facade of debris and dirt, [[the moat wall]]

the clay is hard and solid at the base of the wall [[a piece of paper sits soaking in the shallow moat]]

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/FLccn9pD/reservor.jpg" alt="reservor" border="0"> (set: $reservoir to 'yes') [[well what do you know?]]

you pocket the piece of writing and [[hoist yourself back out of the moat->to Taieri and the airport]]

you turn and face the unfolding city below you (cycling-link: 'power lines cut the view', 'three gulls slice the air overhead') you look down at you $childshoes shoes, hands on knees to [[catch your breath]]

under your foot, right there on the pavement... [[... another one]]

you pick it up and examine: <img src="https://i.ibb.co/1YVNRSMJ/swans.jpg" alt="swans" border="0"> (set: $swans to 'yes') [[you are collecting quite a bundle of these wee scraps now->pause to catch your breath]]

you type the word directly into the search engine (cycling-link:"yahoo", "askjeeves") // (set: $typewriterText to "saturation" ) (display: "Typewriter")// [[you press search->the word: saturation]]

you type into the search engine (cycling-link:"yahoo", "askjeeves") // (set: $typewriterText to "bagpipes" ) (display: "Typewriter")// [[you press search->the bagpipes]]

(text_colour: "yellow")[[Once in a lifetime by Talking Heads->the house you grew up in2]] wafts delicately from the kitchen radio //"Letting the days go by water flowing undergound"// (cycling-link: bind $talkingheads, "love", "hate") this song

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/wNmSkKT7/tuwhare-copy.jpg" alt="tuwhare copy" border="0"> (set: $tuwhare to 'read') [[the letters make your eyes itch->get up and start your day]]

it is from your penpal in Australia [[read]] back to [[the internet]]

//(set: $typewriterText to "Hey bud - just a quick line to say that we are moving - AGAIN! I know right... kill me now there's nothing like moving to make you feel like a total loser, what is with that? all your stuff piled up in boxes kinda makes you feel like you're just a set of things THINGS uh.. anyway we're off to Bendigo at the end of the month... BOOMTOWN BABY I don't know much about the place other than it used to be Australia's biggest goldmine looks a lot like where you are from tbh ... anywho, smell ya later I'll send you a message when we are all settled in dare you to respond this time?? jokes A" ) (display: "Typewriter")// (set: $letter to 'read') [[respond later->the internet]]

//(transition: "dissolve")[ this is one of the oldest colonial sites in all of Dunedin - what used to be known as Tomlinson's Paddock - once a makeshift campsite for the movement of hordes of diggers to the goldfields of Central Otago before Dunedin was much more than a [[muddy waterside trading post]] ]//

outside the Bullet the wind whips and roars thru the tunnels what an elaborate setup it all is above you, [[the light from the little junk room shines brightly]]

you clamber back up the ladder and this time the lid to the hatch is open [[you poke your head thru the hole]]

in the little room you see a desk and in the corner, a makeshift bed [[the coast is clear]]

inside the room it is very warm sun enters from the northern side like water thru a crystal glass behind you, the desk sits unattended, [[some papers and drawings scattered on top]] the makeshift cot is made [[two workman's boots peek out from beneath the frame]] in the corner amongst an array of tools, there is [[a pair of white dungarees hanging on a shiny golden hook]] to your left, [[a telephone and radio]] to your right, [[a door leading to the outside]]

the desk is covered in coffee stains and marks from tracing an arm over wet ink and pencil in plain sight before you, amongst a litter of (cycling-link: 'novels', 'history books', 'criticism', 'newspapers', 'journals old and new'), you see [[something you definitely recognise]]

the little cot looks worn out certainly in use you kneel down and [[place your hands over the little mouths of the boots]]

you approach the bundle of tools and things (cycling-link: 'shovels', 'pickaxes', 'stakes') you pull the dungarees towards you and [[turn the nametag out]] (if: $patch is 'yes')[ on the wall underneath the dungarees [[you see a handwritten sign]] ]

beneath the telephone is a list of dispatch codes for certain wires (cycling-link: 'CM', 'Fch', 'BNZ', 'QG', 'ED', 'SpB', 'Hsp', 'HSY') and next to them [[their numbers]]

[[you won't hang around]]

the nametag is missing, a light patch with [[little frayed nerves where the stitching was->a pair of white dungarees hanging on a shiny golden hook]] (set: $patch to 'yes')

//please return all industry mugs// [[... this again->the coast is clear]]

it is the map <img src="https://i.ibb.co/ymxHN7y3/MAP-desk.jpg" alt="MAP desk" border="0"> (link-reveal: 'your map')[ but it is [[changed again]] ]

you pull your own map (link-reveal: 'from your $jacket pocket:')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/KxLQvZkd/MAP-3.jpg" alt="MAP 3" border="0"> [[one and the same]] ]

but there are some new additions to the map... (cycling-link: 'the mental hospital', 'the Bell Tea building', 'this strange octagonal arrangement in the trees', 'the steps and a path home to sleep') the map seems to follow your path it [[sees what you see]]

beneath the maps there is another map, [[even larger than the first]]

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/Cp10T8rx/BIGMAP.jpg" alt="BIGMAP" border="0"> (link-reveal: 'this map is very detailed')[ there are little scribbles everywhere and lines drawn from spot to spot connecting certain items the map seems to know you intimately it is too much [[it makes your head spin->the coast is clear]] ]

they are all 03 numbers [[the code for Dunedin]]

from the window next to the telephone you notice that you can see the spire of Cargils Monument, leering at you from between [[the boxed in walls of the city]]

it reminds you of the lone box [[power contained]]

suddenly (link-reveal: 'the phone rings')[ it bleats repeatedly in your hand [[answer it]] [[don't answer it]] ]

you tap the receiver and say quietly into the phone //Hello?// (link-reveal: '...')[ // (text-color: 'green')[ I knew it was you You're a real snooper, aren't you? ... Hang around, if you'd like I'll be back to the birds nest after I've finished all my wee jobs]// [[he knows it's you]] ]

you let it ring you don't really wanna talk to [[whoever is on the other end->he knows it's you]]

//[[whoever you are]]//

out the windows Cargils Monument [[winks its beady eye->the coast is clear]]

are they warm? it feels as if somebody's feet have been busy in them, $foot [[you can guess whose->the coast is clear]] [[on the pillow there is a folded scrap of paper]]

outside the little cramped box the air is fresh and pure [[you breathe in deeply]]

and release a plume of foggy mist into the air your breath catches the sun to your left, across the rooftops of the old factories, you can see [[directly into the Speights Brewery]] to your right, [[a huge ancient chimney stack, rotting in the vines]] before you, [[a set of steps heading down to the street level]]

you can see little workers toting huge barrels around a wide empty space on little trucks and tractors (if: $plate is 'keep it')[ the little plate in your pocket seems to emit a faint metallic pulse //EIRE DONEGAL// ] the musty smell [[lingers in your nostrils->you breathe in deeply]]

down the rickety steps the cold meets you in the tiny little crevices at the corners of the backs of the buildings inside, the ancient workstations are [[eaten by millipedes and slaters]] (newtrack: 'finalpart', 'https://audio.jukehost.co.uk/01a017b3-8cb7-70ce-a815-748dce83bb18.mp3') (track: 'finalpart', 'loop', true) (track: 'finalpart', 'playwhenpossible')

//Arklow//, [[of course->you breathe in deeply]]

//(if: $tupuarangi is 'y')[ (cycling-link: 'eaten by the wind', 'devoured') ]// the sun and the vines come [[thru the roof]]

you slide back into the brick passageway (cycling-link: 'so dark', 'so satisfying') (link-reveal: 'and out into the little alley')[ behind the deep red roses and back [[over the gate]] ]

and onto Serpentine once more it is starting [[to feel comfortable]]

you stand beneath the flushing petals of the great rhododendron and [[look up into the clouds]]

little flecks of blue (link-reveal: 'shoot thru the wastrel grey clouds')[ the air brightens, tightens the [[gutters gutter]] ]

up and down Serpentine Avenue looks fresh and clean the whole area seems to gather itself and (cycling-link: 'shine', 'shimmer') to your left the [[cars slide into the intersection]] at the bizarre angles and connections of (cycling-link: "High St", "Manse St", "Rattray", "Maclaggan St", "Broadway") (if: $fire is 'warm')[on the hillside overlooking the city you can just make out a small fire on the little bank underneath the Speights Brewery] (if: $tvfigure is 'y')[ you recall the tv scene $tv ] a little plume of smoke [[wafts quietly into the air]]

their sticky wheels pick up water off the road and each car says quietly //SSSHHHHHHH--// //SSSSSHHH--// at the end of the road (link-reveal: 'the Crown sits in the afternoon sun')[ shiny and new (cycling-link: 'revived', 'refreshed') [[the streets shimmer in the stillness->gutters gutter]] ]

ahead of you the Horse Sale Yard stares with its three gaping (cycling-link: 'eyes', 'mouths') the giant round blackness of the entryway [[seems to call to you]] to your right, Serpentine wraps its way [[up to Roslyn and Maori Hill]]

you trudge up towards [[the plumbers and the lone box]]

you cross the road the awning of the building casts a deep interior shadow [[you step inside]]

the door rattles closed behind you and you are in [[the pitch black]]

from the centre of the darkness comes a voice it bristles and moves across the concrete floors of time towards your feet like the cracking open of (link-reveal: "a great egg")[ a tiny glimmer appears at its centre and (link-reveal: "radiates outwards")[ (link-reveal: "and grows")[ (link-reveal: "and grows")[ (link-reveal: "and grows")[ until the sound is everywhere, [[colossal]] ] ] ] ] ]

the huge concrete interior echoes and volleys the voice all around you //(if: $ururangi is 'y')[ (cycling-link: 'speaker', 'fluency')]// you can hear the whistling and glimmering [[of its entire mouth]]

the teeth like mountains to climb the tongue like a moving hillock of grit and everywhere the breath, [[the breath]]

the cool, cold breath of the stream [[the Toitū]]

you say its name [[into the darkness]]

it responds //(if: $thetype is'yes')[ a roaring, like the sound of an empty shell which house only the memory of the tide]// [[a deep, low rolling sound]]

like (link-reveal: 'the earth speaking')[ (if: $memory is 'special')[ a special energy the plastic jet planes all on the floor and the teacher saying, //hurry up children, hurry up children// as if the rapture was about to happen ] (if: $memory is 'terrifying')[ a terrifying power the plastic jet planes all on the floor and the teacher saying, //hurry up children, hurry up children// as if the rapture was about to happen ] [[it reminds us of ourselves]] ]

to be (link-reveal: 'swallowed alive')[ ... and [[spat back out]] ]

back on the street the Horse Sale Yard's giant mouth [[arches over you]]

where have you just been? ... the cold of the stream clings to your $jacket, your $childpants pants [[how very strange->wafts quietly into the air]]

the lone box [[looks extra safe and squat]] the plumbers [[casts no shadow over the concrete yard]]

the whirring sound ensues the kowhai rattles its branches magically over the head of the little powerful box [[louder than before]]

you climb closer to the yard the gates are locked - padlocked shut - but the regular plumbers van is parked up inside the yard [[with its lights on, running]]

you stand at the fence for a bit, but nobody comes out of the building the van is empty [[the lights shine and the motor ticks over]]

you notice, sitting in the backseat of the van amongst the bits of pipe and plastic a suit of armour, gleaming in the sunshine [[how peculiar]]

you rattle the cage once more (if: $smoker is 'go on then')[ you wish you had a cigarette ] the stream is calling you [[onwards again, upwards]]

the day sparkles and gleams in the fleeting sunlight it catches on the trees and the leaves above the little grove and [[the steps carrying on up to home and sleep]] ahead the Scottish Pipe Band Hall sits [[sheltered in the crook of the hill]]

the whirring seems to be saying //[[feed me, feed me->the plumbers and the lone box]]//

it's a hefty walk up the steps again (cycling-link: 'trudge', 'puff', 'pant') [[tiring stuff]]

you finally make it to the middle platform, the rest stop //(if: $waipunarangi is 'y')[ (cycling-link: 'the sky', 'devours', 'the sea')]// above you the path meanders [[onwards and home]] towards the burning Dunedin horizon three gulls slice thru the air overhead and the sound of a [[church bell peels across the valley]] to your right, [[a path you never noticed before]]

you feel that if you go home now, you will never leave the house again - the computer is calling you too - but the call of [[the stream is greater->tiring stuff]]

the Bell Tea building appears to be watching over the city too [[a sleepy sentinel->tiring stuff]]

you have to duck in under the eaves of a bushy little [[rata tree]] beneath the canopy [[a small dirt path unfolds into the hillside]]

crunchy leaves underfoot a young kowhai tree shimmers at the base of the small hill you trample your way across the forgotten pathway, [[scrunching as you go]]

eventually you reach a small climb, and [[a wee grove of ash trees]]

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/PGsvTZF2/Jubilee.jpg" alt="Jubilee" border="0"> when you reach the top of the rise you find [[the great black onyx octagonal shape from the map]]

the black onyx octagon is [[a memorial]] a memorial (cycling-link: 'for the memorial', 'of the memorial') behind the shape a raft of kids play soccer in the afternon sun, their knees all grubby and grass-stained [[a dog tears across the field in fetch of a ball]] all around you the trees shudder and drop their stubborn acorns, spreading them [[everywhere]]

something inscribed (link-reveal: 'on the marbly face...')[ //“Thro’ the coming years we trust When we are voiceless in the dust Dunedin’s children brave and strong, Will guard Victoria’s Grove from wrong”// //[[voiceless in the dust->the great black onyx octagonal shape from the map]] // ]

you imagine the field dotted with hundreds of makeshift campsites, billies boiling over smoky fires with bedraggled looking men setting their hopes on gold //gold at Gabriel's Gully!// (link-reveal: 'fortunes to be made and lost')[ (if: $letter is 'read')[ boomtown baby] the dog barks into the cold air the owner walks around the edge of the park not watching the dog, [[his hands in his pockets->the great black onyx octagonal shape from the map]] ]

at the very far end of the field a man appears out of nowhere, tiny he is dressed in a kilt tartan and stockings (set: $ghost to 'seen') and suddenly [[the sound]]

it rips the sky open, the sheer force of the first honking notes the man squeezes the bag under his arms with all his might [[the pipes choke]]

the sound drives you away from the field, across the grove of ash trees and [[down a more well-trodden public path]]

away from the noise, the mighty choking bagpipes beneath the yellowy canopy away from the ghosts of old [[Tomlinson's Paddock]]

//(cycling-link: 'like a ghost', 'or the end of the world', 'something dreadful about to happen')// and down, deeper now, nearer now [[nearer to the stream]]

[[it calls you]] just as you are about to [[re-enter the grove above Serpentine Ave->grove circle]]

from the looks of the strange new magic map, there is also a way to get to [[another section of interest]]

you scarper off the track, to the left, and (link-reveal: 'down')[ (link-reveal: 'down')[ (link-reveal: 'down')[ (link-reveal: 'down')[ down amongst [[the onionweed and the ferns and the moss]] ] ] ] ]

the little stream is (cycling-link: 'babbling', 'bubbling') away near [[a wooden stepover bridge->a man-made little bridge]], the stream channels itself beneath you and gargles into the open momentarily, before slinking back underground [[into the concrete chutes of man->grove circle]]

under the butts of the steps, a piece of paper is [[caught on a twig]]

you guessed it <img src="https://i.ibb.co/VrsJgt3/russian.jpg" alt="russian" border="0"> [[another bundle of words->the onionweed and the ferns and the moss]] (set: $Russian to 'yes')

past the grove on the right now, [[the lamppost hiding amongst the trees->the tall straight lamplight no longer needed]]

at the entrance to the Scottish Pipe Band Hall you notice [[some movement from within the entryway]]

the Rangatira and the Scotsman are folded into the entryway with the double doors they appear upon they seem to be [[welcoming you inside]]

you poke your head around the door and say //Hello?// and a voice calls from within // (text-color: 'pink')[ Be with you in a minute!]// [[you wonder]]

a woman emerges from the foyer with a head of thick bouncy ginger hair she is panting and breathless, slightly flushed [[perhaps she has been highland dancing]]

//Susan?// you venture she responds with a broad smile and by [[giving you a massive bearhug!]]

you take down her number (set: $susan to 'yes') a breeze picks up the building looks warm and safe, nestled there against the hill [[onwards->bristling and growing and fading across the island]]

you are shocked at her forwardness, but it is a warm surprise //(text-color: 'pink')[ Aah, I know a friend when I see one! We haven't met but you have the look of a poet written all over you!! And I LOVE poets! ]// [[you stare at her for a sec]]

//(text-color: 'pink')[So, what have you been working on, young poet?]// you stare a bit harder //Well actually, I've been working on this thing, this story, well the name of this story...// [[you trail off]]

//(text-color: 'pink')[ Well I can see you are busy yourself, I shan't keep you... but remember, a friend is a friend, and you can always stop in and say hello anytime]// [[... there is actually one thing]]

you ask her about the note //(text-color: 'pink')[ Oh yes, the note about the meet up! We have one every other month]// //Yes, well I was wondering about the actual scrap of paper it was written on - the text - from the story??// [[she glares at you]]

//(text-colour: 'pink')[ Do you want to know the true story?]// [[you nod your head]]

Susan leans back against the stoop and looks up into the clouds as (link-reveal: 'she begins her tale')[ //(text-color: 'pink')[ Well, there was a poet who lived here, not too long ago either, she grew up around Southland and all over really, moving with her daddy as he worked the trains Her family were not wealthy, and they were visited by a lot of sadness - she lost a sister, two sisters, to drowning But she was touched you see, or so they thought, she couldn't concentrate and didn't do well at her studies and she heard voices, or [[she heard something]] ] // ]

the sound beckons to you from somewhere within [[its bony voice]]

//(text-color: 'pink')[ Anyway, the more she tried to resist the more they stratified and contained her They gave her all the drugs under the sun, labelled her crazy, an invalid, labelled her schizophrenic no doubt And she was locked away - right here - just above us, on the hillside here - there was a famous mental hospital for castaways, known as Seacliff A special doctor came from overseas - he said it was the best thing for them - the electro shock therapy, the convulsions So she had all that and still, through all that still she wrote]// you look up above the hillside into the greeny suburbs [[a lofty gothic building peeks thru the trees]]

//(text-color: 'pink')[ They changed the course of history when they did that She was a great poet, one of the greatest]// she seems to have worked herself into a bit of a state, her eyes tear up you look down at your $childshoes shoes [[the information is unsettling to say the least->sorry]]

behind her, against the grey clay wall, a bright pink Scottish thistle waves its head in the breeze //I'm sorry to bother you//, you say earnestly //Perhaps I'll come back another time// [[you turn and continue up the hill]]

past the little blue eggshell building and [[into the loop of hills and darkness]]

another clue <img src="https://i.ibb.co/fd1JDpqv/turnips.jpg" alt="turnips" border="0"> (set: $turnips to 'yes') [[turnips?->the coast is clear]]

some of the furry little red fronds brush against your cheek [[it tickles->a path you never noticed before]]

the ash trees seem to provide a gateway towards the mass of oaks surrounding Jubilee Park, which rises out of [[the sunny horizon at the top of the hill]]

//(text-color: 'pink')[ Then one day they decided another step must be taken The poet was to be lobotomised, right here, right here in Dunedin They strapped her down to the table and they fed her the ointment and they gave her all the right splashes of water in all the right places and then they stuck a hoop of wire into her brain and jiggled it about until they were satisfied They cut her brain open right there]//, she says, motioning towards the hill //(text-color: 'pink')[...and what were they expecting to find?? - secret words?! Aliases? Daft]// [[you can't believe what you're hearing]]

her eyes are kind of wild, she looks eager to get back to whatever it was (if: $susan is 'yes')[ but... [[this must be Susan!]] ] [[you seem to have interrupted her->the information is unsettling to say the least]]

//I'm sorry to hear all that//, you say //(text-color: 'pink')[ Well, that's not even the worst of it - the worst part is that the manuscript she had written while she was interned - while they prepared her for the lobotomy The manuscript had made its way into some of the hands at the top And there was a great section of the arts community and the literary community who saw in it something fantastic, unequalled, something new While the powers that be simply saw her as a misfit, and her gift as a threat .. Anyway, the Dr. managed to convince even her own mother... funny what a man in a coat can achieve ... She was a seer, a listener, a deep thinker]// //[[a man in a coat]]//

you look into each other for a while the hall sits like a lost blue egg in the gutter of the hill //(text-color: 'pink')[ Anyway, the note, the scrap of text... that's hers... I collect them! I don't know what magic it is, but they seem to be littered around this area constantly Like leaves]// //Yes - I have a collection of my own//, you say [[you profer a handful of the scraps you've found]]

they rattle in your hand, $childtop //(text-color: 'pink')[ They are yours, your notes.. cherish them]//, she says she puts her hand over your hand and closes your fist around the pages she gives you [[one last knowing smile]]

you begin to walk off, (link-reveal: 'then remember...')[ //Oh... what was her name? The poet?// Susan looks upset //(text-color: 'pink')[ Well, that's just it... sadly, no one can remember]// [[you both sigh->the information is unsettling to say the least]] ]

as you rise above the city, the city is forgotten below you the sound dissipates the greeny hillside encroaches and swallows the little concrete sliver of Serpentive Avenue below you in the stormwater drains you can hear the [[Toitū flowing happily]] to your left [[the car graveyard sits drying in the sun]] above you to your right, [[the great oaks of the Queens Jubilee]] ahead the patch of darkness and [[the little frozen houses]]

forgotten stream(if: $susan is 'yes')[, forgotten poet] the world cannot keep up with the [[barreling wheels of time->into the loop of hills and darkness]] (if: $tuwhare is 'read')[ //..like the echo of sad footfalls in my heart fading away..// ]

the rusty red corrugated iron wall gathers more oxygen from the rain, deepening the colour the barbed wire hosts rows of little droplets of rain, like (cycling-link: 'birds on a wire', 'words in a sentence') [[the hill shivers->into the loop of hills and darkness]]

the wind whistles you can hear, as if pouring from the heavens themselves, the [[faintest notes of a faraway bagpipe->into the loop of hills and darkness]]

at the bottom of the steps leading up the row of cold little flats the haz-mat team have cleared out and a team of painters has replaced them with vigour they are crawling all over the house with rollers like tongues, racing, really slapping the paint on [[the colour is an incredibly neutral grey]]

as you round the bend in the hill the darkness is felt the cold at this corner is ancient (link-reveal: 'you imagine the stream from before')[ from before the concrete chutes - when it was just a natural flowing thing, speaking its own language, talking its own rhyme [[no longer]] ]

at the end of the darkness you finally lay eyes again on the house with the moat, peering down Serpentine towards the harbour the (cycling-link: 'eyes', 'windows') are calling to you they squint in your direction as if they are making out your face amongst a crowd [[does the house somehow know you?]]

you begin to approach the house once more the green, green grass gives the place a (cycling-link: 'rich', 'derelict') look at the entryway you see that the moat is now full and the little drawbridge across it has been pulled up you can feel that there is something in that house that you need to know, [[that you need to see]]

around behind the house to where you found the big grate (link-reveal: 'the bus is gone')[ in its place there is a real estate sign claiming [[fast turnaround on your property]] ]

you turn back around and face downstream, downhill from the house (if: $ghost is 'seen')[ to your left you can hear the old ghost playing his bagpipes at Tomlinson's Paddock] to your right in the greeny hillside you can make out the gothic structure of [[the abandoned mental hospital craning its neck over the road]]

[[go and check it out]]

you discover a direct path leading from the house up behind a row of elm trees to a small hillock overlooking the plumbers, the Scottish Pipe Band Hall tucked away right beneath you [[the little houses have painters crawling all over the roof]] under a huge kowhai tree [[you see a sign for the hospital]]

like lizards, [[skinks->go and check it out]]

there is a photo and a small text: <img src="https://i.ibb.co/ymTZX1hc/nurses-seacliff.jpg" alt="nurses seacliff" border="0"> //Ahead lie the ruins of the Seacliff Lunatic Asylum, one of the most well-respected psychiatric hospitals in the South Pacific In 1942 a great fire tore through the building, destroying an entire wing and taking 37 lives on a locked ward The wing was rebuilt and the hospital carried out its work for another 30 years Once the largest building in all of New Zealand, the Seacliff Lunatic Asylum was drafted and angineered by Arklow Architects of Dunedin// [[explore the ruins->grizzly]] [[too grizzly]]

around past the sign and onto the front lawn, the building looks [[more like a crumpled cardboard box]]

the towers and spires are long fallen in the spaces where they once stood, huge holes open into the building, filled with bracken and moss, leaves, dirt, and layers upon layers of birdshit the trees reach down and kiss the broken turrets the trees look inside the second floor rooms with their long green arms [[the front entryway lies dusty and dirty in the gloom]]

you approach the entryway two glass doors, both smashed and cracked thru stand aside at odd lengths from the walls, [[wrenched open it would seem]]

maybe somebody was [[looking for shelter]]

inside you are standing in a dirty, smelly foyer red dusty bricks beneath your feet and on the walls ahead of you the stairwell looms, [[darkening downwards in a square spiral]] to your right [[a long, scary corridor]] to your left, [[an elevator]] (if: $trike is 'yes')[ your breathing feels strained in this environment [[time to head back outside]] ] (set: $coins to 'pocket')

you peer over the bannister below you you see that the stairwell is filled with stacks and stacks of chairs and debris little legs smashed and folded into each other, bent, contorted [[look up the stairwell]]

above the stairwell you can see light - daylight - streaming in thru a giant hole in the ceiling [[even in this tragic, terrible place it feels warm on your skin->looking for shelter]]

you turn and (link-reveal: 'thumb the call button')[ to your surprise the elevator works a low buzzing ensues and then you hear the motor lowering the elevator from above [[it dings]] ]

you take a breath it looks and smells awful down there [[go into the corridor]] [[get away from here->looking for shelter]]

you step thru the doorway and the feeling of the corridor (link-reveal: 'grabs at your skin')[ you get goosebumps, (link-reveal: 'your hair stands on end')[ along the corridor are three doors [[the doors are all open]] ] ]

you enter the first door the darkness engulfs you, you cannot see a thing [[the smell is awful->the doors are all open]]

you enter door two in the corner you can see that a rotting mattress is leaning against the only window, blocking out the sun [[move the mattress]] [[yuck->go into the corridor]]

the third door is so dark that you cannot actually enter the corners of the room seem to harbour (cycling-link: 'ghosts', 'demons', 'things your brain cannot stop imagining') there is a sound coming [[from within]]

you reach out and pinch the edge of the fraying mattress (link-reveal: 'and pull')[ sunlight floods the room the floor is covered in what looks like blood and oil [[spraycans lay like dead soldiers beneath the window]] (set: $mattress to 'yes') ]

against the wall somebody has written in an endless, one line scrawl, all in red //[[can't you hear the terrible screaming?!?!->the doors are all open]]//

you listen closely, your ear to the terrifying darkness it seems to be the sound of [[pigeons]]

they must be [[roosting in the ceiling->the doors are all open]]

each door is dark and strangely inviting but it is not a dark like the dark of the stream it is a different kind of darkness [[door one]] [[door two]] [[door three]] (if: $mattress is 'yes')[ the light shines a little across the floor of the corridor outside door one, just at the base of the doorframe [[you spy another lost little scrap of paper]] [[enough of this haunted place->looking for shelter]] ]

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/C5QwtmHc/theword.jpg" alt="theword" border="0"> (set: $theword to 'yes') [[the word->the doors are all open]]

you watch as (link-reveal: 'the doors slide open')[ in the middle of the otherwise empty elevator is a child's tricycle a red tricycle with big white wheels it has a little tray, [[a wee box it drags along behind for putting toys in]] ]

inside the tray is full of cigarette butts it seems as if people have been using the tricycle as a moveable ashtray behind the tricycle [[the elevator buttons appear to be completely busted]]

you feel like you need a hard hat and a mask just to be here you could try the elevator, [[just to the first floor]] the upstairs doesn't look safe for exploring anyway [[time to go->looking for shelter]] (set: $trike to 'yes')

back into the sun and the warm the smell disappears below the abandoned hospital [[the Toitū slides on->too grizzly]]

you head back down the hill, [[back towards the house with the moat]]

as you descend the last little number of steps thru the elm trees, you notice the little van from the plumbers, from the concrete yard, sitting in the backyard of the green, green grass of the little house [[its lights are on]]

you approach the van yep, running still (link-reveal: 'and in the back')[ a suit of armour! ] [[you reach thru the open window and turn the motor off]]

that was bold the van scutters to a stop, the lights dim ever so slightly you walk back around the front of the house, [[the eyes watching you as you approach]]

you approach the drawbridge and yell into the interior of the house //HELLOOO?// [[...->JR]]

there is a scuttling noise from inside at the back of the hall a figure moves across the light on the floor //(text-color: 'green')[ Ah, it's you again]// the voice trails into another room //(text-color: 'green')[ One second - let me get the drawbridge]// [[you wait]]

eventually a little chugging motor starts beneath the bridge and slowly the dense wooden plank is released and lowered across the moat [[you tread over the moat carefully]]

(if: $reservoir is 'yes')[ // close to its concealed bed, no longer wishing to communicate with us // ] it seems to be trying to speak trying to say //wait, wait// but the water is [[garbled by the house]]

inside you see that the house is very, very old very old and very quiet the wooden floors have deep grooves from the boots of a thousand footfalls the hallway extends to the very back of the house where [[a window lets in a rash of natural light]] to the left the staircase, which wraps its way up to [[a tiny landing]] and then [[further upwards into the eaves of the house]] at your feet, [[the weather vane sits idle]] on your right a door to [[what must be a sitting room, slightly ajar]]

you walk to the back of the hallway, the back of the house out the window the van sits on the lawn with its lights on looking very tired and rundown in the backseat the [[shiny silver armour reflects the sun]]

on the landing there is a small table with a similar radio headpiece to the one in the Bullet, [[a list of names and figures->further upwards into the eaves of the house]]

[[you climb the stairs tentatively]]

you plop down on the stool and [[put your eye to the lens]]

thru the tiny head-sized gap in the wall and the powerful telescope you can see right into the heart of Dunedin at the very centre of the eye of the telescope, the eye of Cargils Monument, staring back at you, [[forever watching]]

between here and the monument [[the entire course of the stream is told]]

what began as [[one single drop]]

what trickled thru the broken schist and filtered slowly down (link-reveal: 'down')[ (link-reveal: 'down')[ [[down to the cold, hanging rock]] ] ]

(cycling-link: 'the stream', 'the Toitū') the expanse of it is too much (cycling-link: 'all that water', 'all that power') they silenced the river (if: $susan is 'yes')[ they silenced the poet] they will try to silence you, too, if you are not careful (cycling-link: 'the only way to remember your name is to be heard', 'the only way to be heard is to remember your name') [[to be heard]]

thru the powerful telescope you can see (cycling-link: 'First Church', 'Speights Brewery', 'the BNZ building', 'Cargils Monument', 'the Crown Hotel', 'the shiny pink petals of the big rhododendron', 'the Horse Sale Yard', 'the lone box', 'the plumbers', 'the Scottish Pipe Band Hall', 'the car graveyard shining in the mud', 'the darkness and the three little painted houses', 'the green power box') to your left, surmounted on the hill is Tomlinson's Paddock (if: $ghost is 'seen')[ a ghostly figure in tartan parades across the hills, his howls trailing him for generations ] to your right, the vestige of the abandoned mental hospital looks out over Dunedin [[like a charred gargoyle]] in the distance you can make out the Bell Tea building [[hovering over the Exchange]]

behind it all, under the weather and the watchful eye, Queens Gardens oscillates the city like a motor churning and guttering the traffic onwards, onwards parading the little white crosses [[like jewels in her very own crown->you climb the stairs tentatively]]

//[[... 37 dead...->to be heard]]//

the statue depicts Victoria robed and crowned flanked by the bronze female figures of Wisdom and Justice in her hands she holds [[the Sovereign’s Orb]] and [[the Sovereign’s Sceptre]] the statue stands on a [[12 foot bluestone pedestal]]

symbolising Godly power and claiming the monarchy as [[God’s representative on earth->eight foot-tall statue of Queen Victoria]]

representing the temporal power of the monarch, associated with [[fair governance->eight foot-tall statue of Queen Victoria]]

the statue has been vandalised a number of times once a person splashed it all over in [[red, bloody paint->the sound of the trucks]] (if: $snowman is 'yes')[ //... the latitude and longitude of death...// ]

at the top of the stairs the roof is low, the walls are close facing back towards the front of the house you now see a little head-sized window and a telescope at the end of a short hallway a little stool [[sits before the telescope]] [[back downstairs->garbled by the house]]

the sun is gong down (if: $reservoir is'yes')[ //...it suddenly slides down quick as the chopped off head of a golden eel...// ] behind the hills [[into the sea->garbled by the house]]

inside you find J.R., as you had expected he is now wearing a tidy business suit with a hat he is standing over a huge oak desk, hands flat on the table, with [[a cigarette hanging out of his mouth]] behind him on the wall is [[a carved wooden sign and a row of golden hooks]] before him the two big old windows of the house [[look out onto Dunedin]] [[he completely ignores your presence]]

out the windows the hillsides of the peninsula have begun to turn electric pink in the setting rays of the sun (link-reveal: 'soon they will be orange')[ (link-reveal: 'then bright yellow')[ (link-reveal: 'then mauve')[ then gone eaten by the darkness and the lights of the city will glow in [[the warm hearth of Dunedin->push it slowly open]] ] ] ]

plumes of smoke gather [[at the centre of the room->push it slowly open]] (if: $smoker is 'go on then')[ the air smells warm and sweet, tasty] (if: $smoker is 'refuse')[ the air is stuffy, hot]

the sign reads //EIRE DONEGAL// (if: $plate is 'keep it')[ you feel for the little metallic plate in your pocket] and below it in a handwritten cursive it says //please replace all industry mugs// and below that there is a selection of [[little glass cases with little scraps of paper in them]]

the print is so small and scratchy that you can't make it out with your eyes alone (if: $magnify is 'take the magnifying glass with you')[ you reach into your pocket and [[pull out the magnifying glass]] ] [[strange little cases->push it slowly open]]

there are seven little cases you pull the magnifying glass to your eye and peer at (cycling-link: bind $case, 'case 1', 'case 2', 'case 3', 'case 4', 'case 5', 'case 6', 'case 7') [[look]]

(if: $case is 'case 1')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/HLNRV5JY/the-gully.png" alt="the gully" border="0"> ] (if: $case is 'case 2')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/5XtRcxMm/swamp.png" alt="swamp" border="0"> ] (if: $case is 'case 3')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/cXRfxjqY/kowhai-trees.png" alt="kowhai trees" border="0"> ] (if: $case is 'case 4')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/jZ8tbsn4/soft-music.png" alt="soft music" border="0"> ] (if: $case is 'case 5')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/SwDNLNDn/the-cemetary.png" alt="the cemetary" border="0"> ] (if: $case is 'case 6')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/xS4BkVVq/the-tub.png" alt="the tub" border="0"> ] (if: $case is 'case 7')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/TMWgy5NN/bridges-grew.png" alt="bridges grew" border="0"> ] [[perhaps somebody else was following the stream->little glass cases with little scraps of paper in them]]

you approach the table beneath him is a copy of the large intricate map from before with (cycling-link: 'scratches' , 'marks' , 'blurs' , 'cuts' , 'holes' , 'divots' , 'cigarette burns all over it') <img src="https://i.ibb.co/Cp10T8rx/BIGMAP.jpg" alt="BIGMAP" border="0"> //(text-color:'green')[ Well - what do you make of it?]// he asks, [[not looking away from the great map]]

you stare over the thorny veins and scratchy messy hashmarks it looks like it is bleeding, visibly weeping onto the page //It's OK I guess...//, you say ... //J.R. ... (if: $Arklow is 'yes')[Mr. Arklow...] there are some things I need to ask you -// [[he cuts you off]]

//(text-color: 'green')[ No, I get it - the maps, the Bullet, all that... you wanna know You just have to know, don't you?]// he spins towards you and [[stares malevolently->holds your gaze]]

J.R. leans back against the brim of the large table, folding himself forwards slightly //(text-color: 'green')[ My grandfather liked to say, "We are the architects" - the Arklow's - and we have been here ever since the first sailor stranded himself on the shores of Murderer's Beach I come from the long line of gentlemen who built this town, who oversaw the creation of the great little economy of Dunedin We began as shepherds, then thieves, then publicans, then traders, then industrialists, then bankers... eventually we had fingers in almost every pie around the place My great grandfather James Robert Arklow built half the town himself I've been buying up all his buildings you see, keeping them tight for the family name He designed all of these: First Church, the Horse Sale Yard, the BNZ building, Seacliff, and even this opulent masterpiece we are standing in...he designed the lot of them He even designed the train stations, the monuments, and the factories of ours below the plumbers there - Arklow Pottery Eire Donegal - that is where we began the work on the stream]// //[[Work on the stream?]]//

//(text-color: 'green')[ You know what I mean... the... diversion The alteration We built the pipes that changed its course and the chutes and channels we designed to deliver the precious thing all along our desired route ... You see those little cases against the back wall?]// he asks //[[Yes, I was going to ask about those...]]//

//(text-color: 'green')[ We had to design the stream in more ways than one We had to master the story, to remove the stream not just from the hillside but from people's minds Those,]// he motions to the cases, //(text-color: 'green')[ are the only things we know of that were ever recorded about the stream We had to stop them from being published To remind ourselves of the cost, of what is at stake, we keep them on display here]// you dare not ask about the fate of the author (if: $susan is 'yes')[ let alone the fate of the poet] //[[And the maps?]]//

he pauses before continuing //(text-color:'green')[ Well, along the way we might have picked up some voodoo from some of the shenanigans of my forefathers - I mean, dodgy dealings - shrunken heads, the works, you name it... Probably why he wound up killing himself... right here, in this house actually]// (if: $JR is 'seen')[does he mean his great-grandfather Arklow? took his own life? //here??// ] you can feel the blood and oil on the hardwood floor he seems [[boastfully proud of this fact]]

//(text-color: 'green')[ All in a day's work, isn't it The family line continues, seed begets seed We draw a line on the map, the line appears Are we not gods?]// he looks up at you from beneath his brow - the question seems to be sincere because you cannot lie, you answer by giving him the answer to another question a question he asked you long ago, [[at the beginning]] you answer, $secret [[it's all you can do]]

[[(can you keep a secret?)->boastfully proud of this fact]]

the sun explodes across the windows of the houses on the peninsula hill, momentarily reflecting a pool of orange light into the face of J.R. his face twists and grows old his eyes dull, his ears gum he begins to look [[more like a dusty red brick than he does a man]]

//I will take my leave then//, you say (link-reveal: 'you head for the door')[ then, without thinking, you spin and return to the great oak desk you take the butane lighter from your pocket and, flicking it back and forth a couple times, place it on the desk at the very corner of the map, out of his way (if: $goldkey is 'grab it')[ you place the gold key on the table, next to his right arm] (if: $magnify is 'take the magnifying glass with you')[ you place the magnifying glass on the table to his left] he doesn't look up at you, he just grunts and goes on reading and re-reading his map you think about [[the bag of gold that J.R. gave you]] ]

(if: $return is 'return the coins')[ you plonk the bag down in the middle of the map, a quiet shiny sound you feel lighter already] (if: $return is 'keep the coins')[ in your pocket the coins chatter away quietly to themselves, scheming ] you will not look back this time [[you leave J.R. fussing over his maps]]

[[the year is 2001]]

[[you cross the little drawbridge and the moat]]

[[the Toitū chatters at you from all sides]]

it is good to know its name and yours? [[maybe that wasn't the point]]

you chug down hill (cycling-link: 'the green power box', 'the dark', 'the three little houses all shiny and new', 'the pipe band hall like a cracked blue egg') you stop at the bottom of the steps again, at the foot of the grove with the ancient lamppost //D U N E D I N G A S W O R K S// [[the city breathes around you]] the steps wend up towards [[nighttime and sleep, home and normality]]

the computer sits [[humming, waiting->maybe that wasn't the point]]

you are fortified against it because you know the name of the stream the source of the power and in the darkness, under the hill beneath the roads, beneath the city, (link-reveal: 'you know the name of it')[ //[[you have a name too->your name]]// ]

you sit on the park bench across from the Horse Sale Yard and breath deeply (if: $mood is 'scares')[ the idea frightens you] (if: $mood is 'calms')[ the idea calms you] the smell of the rhododendron comes to you the sun melts out of the sky, the peninsular is electric purple you trace the pattern of your $childshoes shoelaces (cycling-link: 'zig', 'zag') (if: $flower is 'lapel')[ the little daisy in your lapel smells sweet] [[to be heard properly]]

// eat your turnip (if: $birds is 'yes')[ tell me the name] (if: $octagon is 'yes')[ beside the graves, in the soft grass] (if: $underground is 'yes')[ peace in this dark world of sin] (if: $turnips is 'yes')[ his eyes saying elbows off the table] (if: $thecode is 'yes')[ whether the hawks are scarce or plentiful] (if: $swans is 'yes')[ earwig and slater and spider] (if: $snowman is 'yes')[ the lines are joined. Everything is named] (if: $screaming is 'yes')[ how can you possibly live with it?] (if: $theword is 'yes')[ well, I shall write it upon a piece of paper] (if: $Russian is 'yes')[ the black seeds stuck in our hair] (if: $reservoir is 'yes')[ pinned with a drawing pin against the sky] (if: $image1 is 'yes')[ the faded leaves upon the carpet] (if: $image2 is 'yes')[ the small print of the contract] (if: $dust is 'yes')[ from impersonal bones and skulls] (if: $advocate is 'yes')[ a supply of anecdotes, dates, Christian names] (if: $thetype is 'yes')[ such habits only encourage the mice] // (link-reveal: 'take a screenshot, the poem is yours')[ the words feel good and true and that is good, at the end for this is the end of (cycling-link: 'the stream', 'the breath', 'the dust', 'the thistle', 'the poet', 'the war', 'the endless screaming') you take the poem with you always as you walk home (cycling-link: 'to sleep', 'to dream', 'to the end') ... [[the end of the story]] ]

before the house the doorway stands wide open, showing some way into a small hallway before a staircase on the hardwood to the right is a huge brass weather vane the little drawbridge is [[still up]]

it is a heavy-looking, black thing, showing (cycling-link: 'N', 'S', 'E', 'W') along its double axis the very top is adorned with [[a little image of a castle]] hovering above [[a little image of a ship]] [[they seem very familiar]]

the castle looks a bit like the Horse Sale Yard three spires with flags a deep dark doorway and [[a drawbridge->the weather vane sits idle]]

the ship is a little 'U' shaped hull, with three sails a flag flies [[at the top mast->the weather vane sits idle]]

<a href="https://imgbb.com/"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/nMZyB66z/dunedin-crest.jpg" alt="dunedin crest" border="0"></a> //[[MAIOREM INSTITUTIS UTENDO]]//

somewhere in the back of your mind you remember that this means: //...using the customs and institutions of our ancestors...// [[the crest is like the doors of the little eggshell blue hall->garbled by the house]]

you move towards the door, and [[push it slowly open]]

it is heavy in your pocket //(cycling-link: bind $return, 'return the coins', 'keep the coins')// [[it's the right decision]]

you stroll thru the hallway, your $childshoes shoes signalling [[another thousand footfalls to come]], another millenia

you put your hand in the pocket and [[feel a slip of paper]]

to be heard properly you compose a poem you write a poem (link-reveal: 'based off the texts you have found along your travels')[ the little bundle rustles gently in your hands as you flick thru them, pulling lines like feathers you will wear the poem proudly [[it goes like this->write a wee poem together]] ]

//Toitū: the story of a hidden stream// was designed and written by Adam Stewart as part of his work towards a PhD in Digital Literature at the school of English & Linguistics, University of Otago, Ōtepoti / Dunedin <img src="https://i.ibb.co/tM6jLQC6/DUNEDIN-title.png" alt="DUNEDIN title" border="0"> texts directly quoted in this game include: //Early Dunedin in Pictures; AH and AW Reed, Wellington, 1956// //Landfall: a NZ journal; Number 194, Spring 1997// //You Are Now Entering the Human Heart; Janet Frame, 1983// //Watercourses; JAD Adams, publication date unknown// <img src="https://i.ibb.co/d0Cz3wBr/bullet-1.jpg" alt="bullet 1" border="0"> the TAIERI BULLET is based on a real-life machine known as //The Platypus// //<a href="https://www.1964.co.nz/middlemarch-submarine/" target="_blank">you can read more about it here</a> <a href="https://middlemarchmuseum.nz/submarine/" target="_blank">or here</a>// many of the buildings in Dunedin were in fact designed by the same architect, R. A. Lawson - he designed (cycling-link: 'First Church', 'the Horse Sale Yard', 'the Musicians Club', 'the Railway Station', 'the BNZ building', 'Larnach Castle', 'Knox Church', 'Otago Boys High School', 'Seacliff'), just to name a few!! //<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_of_Robert_Lawson" target="_blank">you can read more about him here</a>// the music for the game was composed by Adam and can be downloaded by visiting //<a href="https://jukehost.co.uk/library?category=019ffcfa-c566-71d5-8c6e-6f441f102c65&sort_by=title" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">this link</a>// the paratextual elements are made up of scans from the Janet Frame short story collection, //You Are Now Entering the Human Heart// in the //Toitū//, the writer is lobotomised - in reality, Janet Frame was saved from a lobotomy by winning a prestigious literary award, prompting a doctor to cancel the operation //The Lagoon and Other Stories//, which won the prize, was the first of over 20 titles published by the author <img src="https://i.ibb.co/Psb93zGX/janet-1.jpg" alt="janet 1" border="0"> Adam highly recommends the 1990 NZ film, //An Angel at My Table//, directed by Jane Campion Adam also wishes to acknowledge Kāi Tahu and Kāti Māmoe iwi, the tribes of Te Wai Pounamu, the South Island of Aotearoa / New Zealand //Tihei Mauri ora!// this game is dedicated to Janet Frame, the Toitū stream, and Ōtepoti / Dunedin Adam would like to thank the University of Otago, his supervisors Dave and Edwin, and his daughter Eru thank-you for playing : //(link-reveal: 'keep watching the skis')[ <img src="https://i.ibb.co/hxnRvHrz/IMG-1285.avif" alt="IMG 1285" border="0"> ... I mean skies]// Adam xxx

//to the Romans, Britain was the edge of the known world to the Irish, these islands were [[home->England]] //

he smiles at you, a knowing smile, and then gazes [[towards the windows]]

//(if: $matariki is 'y')[ (cycling-link: 'hope', 'destiny', 'connection', 'equilibrium')]// (cycling-link: 'the day is done', 'the poem is told', 'the stream is known') you can be proud of all (cycling-link: 'your wandering', 'your wondering') now back to (cycling-link: 'your room', 'your home', 'your cocoon') [[FIN]]

he looks at you questioningly (text-colour: "green") [ //Paradise... Paradise Avenue? // ] you make an understanding noise, perhaps you do not know the hill as well as you thought (text-colour: "green") [ //You'd better take this, by the sounds of things // ] //[[THE MAP]]//

//J.R. !! J.R. !!// who is this guy, [[really?->a low flat drawer]] (set: $really to 'yes')

(text_colour: "green") [//For the concrete, you duffer!//] you mull this over he carries on staring [[just say yes]] [[ask more about this strange concreting business]]

[[the ancient native evergreen->a small bowl]]

(text_colour: "green") [//I'm just lucky really, was here before we picked up the concreting thing. So I get to ride on the tailcoats of the plumbers too It's not my business entirely see, but I've been here for a long time, I'm loyal We do both... plumbing... concreting//] he looks upstairs to the top floor of the plumbing building (if: $smoker is "refuse") [he drags robotically on his cigarette you can't see where he's looking behind his dark glasses] (if: $smoker is "go on then") [you drag mechanically on your cigarette it tastes like rum and honey] a gust of wind picks up across the yard, blowing dust and concrete into small whirlwinds (text_colour: "green") [//Anyway, the job...//] [[oh yes, the job]] ask him what he means by [["lucky"]]

the sign seems to point you down a small alleyway, perhaps just a shoulder-width between the two buildings you turn your body side-on and [[begin to shuffle quietly down the alley]]

the hanging stone sign gives the place a quarry-like feel cement dust [[whips its way around the courtyard->PLUMBERS]]

rainwater and leaves sleeping [[in its mouth->PLUMBERS]]

psychobabble is a series of forums dedicated to story-writing a player can enter any forum at any time the more players in a forum the longer it takes to [[have your turn]]

// Once upon a time, in a patchy row of beanstalks an intelligent person rowing a boat in a duststorm, near an oily little town cried out across the parking lot which was red and yellow and purple in the sunlight 'Tally ho!' what a stallion! $psychobabble // [[nice->the internet]] ... the game wends on

//[[PART TWO->home]]// (track: 'paradise1', 'fadeout', 6)

you hurl yourself up over the side of the bridge and down onto [[the dry concrete below]]

you circle the little grove on your left now, the lamppost hiding somewhere in the milky leaves below you follow the remaining steps back down to [[rejoin Serpentine Ave->the tall straight lamplight no longer needed]] across the road from the Scottish Pipe Band Hall

hmmmm <img src="https://i.ibb.co/DHv7BkR1/thetype.jpg" alt="thetype" border="0"> (set: $thetype to 'yes') [[how did that get in there?->time to go walking]]

what is in a name? somehow it feels as if there can be [[power in staying nameless->powername]]

you wander along the footpath towards the park bench you can feel spring in the air the gloom lowers itself over Dunedin, and [[the lamps light up]]

remember there is power in others not knowing your mind (cycling-link: 'take the stream with you', 'you are connected now') and take with you [[the words of the poet->silly]] (if: $susan is 'yes')[and the lesson of the poet]

you sit the electricity hums, the lights are an orangey sparkle in the windows of the bank buildings across the road you can spy (cycling-link: 'the Horse Sale Yard', 'the lone box') whirring and sinking in the darkness drunk people cry out (link-reveal: 'from the Exchange')[ the stream, unnamed, carries on unharried, creating new channels, new ponds, new paradises below the hillside (if: $susan is 'yes')[ the poet, unnamed, peppers the streets with the forbidden word] the avatar, //you//, you may continue your mysterious journey, beyond the game, [[without any specific goal in mind]] ]

beautiful, but [[poisonous->it is steep and floral]]

like the way J.R. (link-reveal: 'never revealed his full name')[ there was power in keeping Arklow from you, for some reason and yet he proferred his name, J.R., as proof that you were doing his bidding, by lending you his silvery butane lighter these people, the ones who own and control the narratives [[they understand the power of a name->power in staying nameless]] ]

(if: $pick is 'pick the flower')[ you place it [[in your lapel->little oak leaves it seems]] (set: $flower to 'lapel') ] (if: $pick is 'leave the flower')[ you leave it [[shining in the urinal->little oak leaves it seems]] ]

you hurl your body, $body, back up Serpentine Avenue, away from the punks and the skinhead the blood rushes to your head and you [[begin to sweat->like a quiet, gliding shark]]

melodious, resplendent [[chorus of angels->they begin to appear in the night sky]] (set: $waiti to 'y')

the one true compass, [[rule of nature->they begin to appear in the night sky]] (set: $waita to 'y')

the food that is eaten by the wind, [[devoured->they begin to appear in the night sky]] (set: $tupuarangi to 'y')

plenty, as it was [[always->they begin to appear in the night sky]] (set: $tupuanuku to 'y')

can you name them? //(if: $timePass is >5) [[Matariki]] (if: $timePass is >6) [[Ururangi]] (if: $timePass is >7) [[Waipunarangi]] (if: $timePass is >8) [[Waitī]] (if: $timePass is >9) [[Waitā]] (if: $timePass is >10) [[Tupu-ā-rangi]] (if: $timePass is >11) [[Tupu-ā-nuku]] (if: $timePass is >12) [[Pōhutukawa]] (if: $timePass is >13) [[Hiwa-i-te-rangi]] // [[not all of them->i am in need of water]]

the buried ones, [[the ancestors->they begin to appear in the night sky]] (set: $pohutukawa to 'y')

you step into the elevator and [[jam the buttons]]

the doors close, the tricycle rolls against your leg the whole elevator smells like an ashtray the elevator bumps into gear and you (link-reveal: 'start moving')[ ... not up, but [[down]] ]

the elevator lowers you gently thru the guts of the building and comes to a halt at a basement level the door opens onto a concrete caryard [[somewhere beneath the great ruin]]

you step out into the carpark and walk to its perimeter below the drop from the hillside lays Serpentine Avenue, the three little houses, and at the corner of the road ahead [[the little grove of trees]]

looks cosy today the wind [[knocks the tops of the trees together]]

as you turn back around you notice a service path leading around the edge of the hillside [[back towards the upper level and the lawn]]

you follow it wild lillies grow all across the front of the hillside below, at the top of Serpentine, you can see the cherry tree [[covering the front of the grand house with the eyes]]

on the lawn now, on the otherside of the entrance to the hospital a washing line stands at the end of [[a small row of stones set into the dirt]] an old kowhai tree drips its yellowy petals all over (cycling-link: 'the grass', 'the driveway') the grass is overgrown and there are flowery weeds [[shooting up everywhere]]

you prefer a garden like this, it is [[paradise, eden->covering the front of the grand house with the eyes]]

the stones go away from the washing line and around the side of the delapidated building [[follow the stones]]

in a dark little corner of the property, under a grizzly old gum tree, [[the path leads to a stone well]]

//(if: $hiwaiterangi is 'y')[ (cycling-link: 'portal', 'a way thru')]// it is like (link-reveal: 'a wishing well')[ it is deep and empty - you cannot see the bottom above the well a winch made of wood, with a small length of frayed and broken rope [[still attached to it]] ]

no bucket... you pick up a small stone and (link-reveal: 'toss it into the inviting mouth of the well')[ there is no sound... just air (link-reveal: 'then')[ //splat!// [[a muddy plonk]] ] ] (set: $coinPass to 1)

the well is very deep you could [[make a wish]] (if: $coinPass is >15)[if you hadn't thrown all your gold coins down the well already] [[carry on]]

[[you will need something to throw...->a muddy plonk]] (if: $coins is 'pocket')[ you have the [[gold coins from J.R.]] ]

you continue back around the side of the house and [[to the front yard again->time to head back outside]]

the bag feels heavy as you unwind the golden string you pull (link-reveal: 'a single gold coin from the bag')[ it seems to want to return to its friends it struggles, but finally separates you hold it over the gaping hole and (link-reveal: 'release')[ there is no sound... (link-reveal: 'then')[ ... nothing its as if the coin never hit the bottom [[curious->a muddy plonk]] ] ] ] (set: $coinPass to $coinPass + 2)

(link-replace: "you cannot answer")[ (link-replace: "you can only stare longer")[ (link-replace: "you want to say something")[ (link-replace: "but what?")[ the skinhead leaps out of his seat and [[throws his cigarette in the gutter]] ] ] ] ]

then splat! [[by the cold angel of rain]]

an interesting video appears at the top link it seems the punks and the skinheads were lumped together by the police <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G9Imm-TAWY&t=93s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Other Dunedin Sound</a> a lot of the punks used to live in a commune near the abandoned mental hospital known as Seacliff [[exit->research!!]]

the footsteps move to your left and the bottles rattling in their locked box (if: $goldkey is 'grab it')[ //the key!!// ] the footsteps hurry back to the centre of the room then forwards to the fireplace [[an abrupt halt]]