Slouching Towards Bedlam

clunk The rotating tin cylinder within the phonograph vibrates slightly as a brass needle scrapes against it. The sound of a throat being cleared emerges from the machine's hornshell speaker, followed by a thin, haunting voice. "March the 16th." A deep, shaky breath. "I dread to say it, but I believe I am going mad. The -- moments -- come more frequently now. I fear that I have found what I have sought, and I shall now pay the price for it." The scrape of a chair across flagstone. A sigh. "Chaos treads the halls of Bedlam; her work is evident everywhere..." Slouching Towards Bedlam An entry in the 9th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition (10th Anniversary Edition) by Star C. Foster and Daniel Ravipinto Release 2 / Serial number 140613 / Inform 7 build 6L02 (I6/v6.33 lib 6/12N) [First time players should type 'about'. Credits are available via 'credits'.] Office A massive cedar desk, well-polished and worn, looks elegantly out-of-place among the chaos. Papers, files, and books cover nearly every flat surface in the room. There is a phonograph on the table near the window. A black cube on wheels sits near the door to the south.