Counterfeit Monkey — 146 of 292

Section 2 - Abandoned Park

The Abandoned Park is east of Tall Street. "In contrast with the parks in the more savory parts of town, this is a bit of [patchy grass] where local dogs occasionally come out to do their business. A granite [war memorial] is fixed at the cen[ter][one of], which is why tourist maps optimistically call the place Monument Green. But the memorial is only moderately monumental and the grass hardly green at all[or][stopping]."

Understand "monument" or "green" as the abandoned park.

The introduction is "It is a place that might have been developed long ago; only it is known that there are remains of Roman settlement here, and there is a risk that digging out the foundations would turn up some of those ruins, exposing a large number of Latin-language objects to the light of day. To prevent this catastrophe the whole area has been placed off limits to development."

A war memorial is scenery in the Abandoned Park. Understand "granite" as the war memorial. The description is "It's a curious thing: it stands taller than a person and yet seems almost embarrassed and self-effacing. The lettering is cut quite small, and the names thereon are tightly spaced. Since 1829 there have been only thirty-five officially sanctioned surnames on the island, which means that, for reasons of space, the names have been truncated to numbers, and the result is a list that looks almost like a table of Biblical quotations: John 31, Mark 12, Paul 29.

The reason for all this compactness is that the memorial is dedicated to the dead of [i]all[/i] wars. Deaths from the War of Secession and the Civil Dispute of Standard[ization], losses from islanders volunteering in the French Foreign Legion, and the hefty cost of World Wars I and II, all are crammed into the upper left corner, leaving room for a long and bloody future."

A poppy is on the war memorial. Understand "flower" as poppy. The description is "Not a real, fresh poppy, but a construct of bright red fabric with a black heart."

A description-concealing rule when the poppy is marked for listing:

if the poppy is not seen and the poppy is not handled:

now the poppy is not marked for listing.

Test poppy with "look / x memorial / look" in abandoned park.

The patchy grass is scenery in the Abandoned Park. Understand "dirt" or "ground" or "soil" as the patchy grass. The scent-description is "dusty ground". The patchy grass is diggable. The description of the patchy grass is "It's growing in dry flat tufts, from dusty earth."

Instead of digging in the patchy grass:

if the dog is not seen:

move the dog to the player;

say "There does seem to be something metal just under the surface. A bit of scrabbling at the dirt is enough to excavate it: [a dog], made of metal, which might be almost any age.";

otherwise:

say "There's nothing else obviously close to the surface."

The description of the dog is "A small, heavy metal figurine representing a watchdog. He looks ferocious, on the verge of attacking. The teeth are especially savage." Understand "metal" or "small" or "heavy" or "figurine" or "watchdog" as the dog. The heft of the dog is 2.

Test dog with "tutorial off / dig / g / x dog / test dog-placing" in abandoned park.

Test dog-placing with "put dog on pedestal / get god / n / autoupgrade / wave z-remover at kudzu / look behind bushes / put god in shrine / look" in Roget Close.

A twig is a thing in Abandoned Park. "[one of][You] step on a [twig] before I back away again.[or]A [twig] lies in the grass.[stopping]". The description is "Nine or ten inches long, very thin and somewhat flexible. There are no leaves left on it."

Instead of propping a door with the twig:

say "A nice thought, but the twig is too short and supple to make an effective prop. One needs something a bit longer."

Rule for listing exits when looking in the Rotunda:

do nothing instead.

The used furniture shop is a facade in Abandoned Park. It fronts east. The description is "Like just about everything else, the shop is closed, but were it open, it would be just the place to buy cracked mirrors, scuffed end tables, and wobbly chairs painted with a thick layer of off-white paint." It is scenery.

The veterinary clinic is a facade in Abandoned Park. It fronts north. It is scenery.

The description is "From outside it looks just the same as almost any kind of professional office: there could just as well be a doctor in there, or a lawyer, or a psychiatrist."