Anonymous 1998-10-28

The room is the living room from "The Simpsons," familiar from the show but strange because it's never before been seen in three dimensions. I imagine it would be on the cold side. There is the famous sofa, so prominently featured in the opening credits. Tacky art adorns the walls, the worshiped TV holds center stage, and the tangy smell of pork and cat dander hangs lightly in the air.

Very tall pine trees are there, and they block most of the sky, so it's quite dim. The forest floor is carpeted with fallen needles, new mushrooms, and various animal flotsam.

The path is comfortably wide, about four and a half feet, and is quite clearly marked. It's packed dirt, but has been kept relatively free of the needles and stuff that coat the rest of the forest floor. It's gnarled a bit from the roots growing below, which occasionally stick out, requiring a bit of caution and dexterity in traversing the path.

The water is crystal clear spring water, which makes a lot of sense as this is where a stream emerges from a large sheath of rock. There is a pump a few yards away from the source with some tin cups hanging from it. The water tastes delightful drunk straight from the stream, pleasantly tinged with minerals. It's very, very cold. Several yards beyond the pump the water hits some falls, which spray it attractively in a nature-photography sort of way.

It's a tin cup, enameled with white-flecked blue enamel. It's larger than the usual drinking glass. It's been kept well rinsed, so it is clean.

The key is an antiquated one with an ornate head, cylindrical body, and large teeth. It's about four inches long, and is unexpectedly heavy for its size. It unlocks an old door or large chest somewhere, I'd expect.