SPECIFICATION

We describe the project in terms of how the completed construction would
appear to the ideal traveller. This traveller may be of either gender
but takes female pronouns herein. Estimated build time: 8 years. See
supplement C for financials.

FIRST ANTEROOM (hereafter 1A)
Cubical, 10' sides. Wall murals depict scenes of violence. Against back
wall is a low table holding wood - gold - viscera. (Viscera must be
replaced daily by first caretaker, hereafter 1C.) Far door unlocks when
traveller places her staff or cane in depression nearby. Unlocking also
causes ANY AND ALL images of Houghton in wall murals to close their
eyes.

WOOD CORRIDOR
Irregular walls, at most 6'/at least 5' apart at all times as measured
perpendicular to main axis. 1C appears at far end as absorbent materials
in ceiling begin to weep hazardous liquid starting from anterior end,
driving traveller deeper inside. When separated from traveller by less
then one body-length, 1C flees. Diagram (to follow) demonstrates
optional inclusion of living quarters for 1C alongside corridor.

SECOND ANTEROOM (2A)
Snub cube, 15' sides. Walls bear calendars with Houghton adjustments
marked in red. Traveller's entrance triggers a series of screams
recorded in mortal agony broken by 5-millisecond gap every 100ms in
first scream, every 95ms in second scream, etc. With 19th and final
scream, far door is blocked with half-height stone. The corners of this
room contain delicious food.

GOLD CORRIDOR
Murals as in 1A, but none of the figures have eyes. Murals also cover
'floor' and 'ceiling', as entire corridor rotates 90 degrees when
certain panels take more than 40lbs weight. If the traveller examines
these panels in isolation from the others, they are seen to form a
Margaret Parson sequence (qv).

ABYSS
On leaving the corridor, traveller drops down no less than 18 inches
onto a small ledge overlooking 200' drop. A second caretaker may be
visible strapped to left face of abyss substantially below ledge. Exit
is at least 15' above entrance on opposite wall of abyss with inverted
ledge along its top edge.

VISCERA CORRIDOR
Ten small alcoves within the flesh of this corridor (cleaned daily by
2C) have zippers at the front with which the traveller may seal herself
in. After three minutes of occupancy an alcove darkens and begins to
'breathe' as per Houghton. Sixth alcove contains 2lbs gold at
installation, to be replaced with wooden skeleton if it is taken.

MAIN CHAMBER
The traveller's quarry lies on a long shelf attached to far wall. Armed
2C may try to prevent her from going farther but MUST NOT allow weapons
of any kind to touch the traveller's eyes. Chamber's dimensions vary by
final budget.

HOUGHTON CORRIDOR
1C appears wearing wings. Even the ideal traveller may now feel pain or
regret. The wings worn by 1C do not function, but if traveller requests,
1C is instructed to let her have them.

written for Yoz Grahame while standing up 5/12/04

Sometimes you write for an hour and a half only to realize at the end of it that you unconsciously ripped off Indiana Jones. The abyss really has to stay, even on revision, but I can change the part before that with the panels.

Maybe I could have gone farther out with this one -- maybe I even *needed* to to counteract the tone. Still, pretty happy with the results. A few things seems wrong... the wooden replacement object shouldn't be a skeleton, but something less portentous and more useful. And I spent a long time trying to figure out what happened when time ran out in the second anteroom, without any ideas satisfying me.

Oh yeah, the description of the abyss didn't go so well. It's supposed to be clearly impossible to jump or climb from the entrance to the exit, but the way I wrote it I have no idea what mental image I produced. I suppose the word "abyss" is pretty expressive.

Still warming back up.

- everything is by Aaron Mandel; please ask first if you're about to steal something -

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