Gnu in the Zoo — 7 of 30

Section 5 - Passing of time

[Here we use the scene paradigm for altering descriptions nearer dawn (some here, some later). Actually, no-one should spend this long in the game, but the machinery is here in case we have a player who isn't easily bored.]

Night-Time is a scene. Night-Time begins when play begins. Night-Time ends when the time of day is 4:00 AM.

When Night-Time begins:

now the description of the sky is "There is nothing above you but velvety blackness, studded with glittering stars and a conspiratorial full moon."

Pre-Dawn is a scene. Pre-Dawn begins when Night-Time ends. Pre-Dawn ends when the time of day is 5:00 AM.

When Pre-Dawn begins:

say "You sense a change of atmosphere: you can’t quite put your finger on it, but the zoo doesn’t seem quite so [italic type]still[roman type] any more. It must be nearing dawn: you’d better hurry.";

now the description of the sky is "Directly above, the sky is blue-black with a few bright stars persisting to observe your progress. As you look east, it pales to a dark blue."

Dawn is a scene. Dawn begins when Pre-Dawn ends. Dawn ends when the time of day is 6:00 AM.

When Dawn begins:

say "The pervasive quiet you have experienced so far has started to give way to the gentle rustling of the zoo waking from its slumbers. In the distance, you can hear the first bird calls of the morning, and just on the edge of your hearing is the faint rumbling of traffic. It won’t be long before the keepers arrive.";

now the description of the sky is "A solitary star remains in the dark blue sky. Dawn is breaking in the east."

When Dawn ends:

if the location is Your Stall or the location is Affero's Stall:

say "As if from nowhere, your keeper Lee appears. 'Good morning!' he says, chirpily. 'Sleep well?'";

end the story saying "There is no escape.";

otherwise:

say "As if from nowhere, your keeper Lee appears. 'There you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere,' he says. 'Let’s get you back to your enclosure.'";

end the story saying "There is no escape."