*0
Just last week you received a letter
from your grandfather inviting you to
come visit. He seemed quite anxious that
you visit as soon as possible...
*2
You're on a train to your grandfather's
house. He lives far away across the
mountains.

There is a knock on your compartment
door.
*3
It's the conductor. She has a telegram
for you.

"Please sign here to receive your
telegram," the conductor says.
*4
Sign your name here, and press ENTER:

Name:
*5
Your name is [NAME].
Is this correct?
*6
Another line of the telegram has space
for you to write a password.

Write your password here, and press
ENTER:





(If you don't have a password, just
press ENTER.)
*7
The conductor nods and hands you the
message inside:

WELCOME BACK [NAME] STOP PREPARE TO
RESUME YOUR CONFRONTATION WITH VERBAL
VON DOOM STOP

You hear the train's wheels screech to a
halt. You're in the town of Truism!
*8
You step off of the train and find
yourself back at the Truism train
station.

Suddenly, a yellow notepad is thrust in
front of your face.
*9
"Ah! [NAME]," your grandfather has
written, "I'm so glad you came back!"
Your grandfather pulls the pad back.
Lexi, his cat, meows once and then jumps
into your arms.

You think, "What is going on? Why is
Grandfather writing notes instead of
talking to me?"

Your grandfather writes, "Things are
still a frightful mess here. There are
still [CNUM] Saying Spells that need to
be undone!"
*10
"Do you need me to remind you what has
happened here?" your grandfather
scribbles. "Or do you want to go
straight to town and start undoing the
terrible deeds of Verbal von Doom?"
*11
That's not the right password. If you do
not know the right password, press
"Continue." If you want to try another
password, press "Try Again."
*12
The conductor hands you the telegram and
you look it over closely.

"How mysterious all this is," you think.

You rip open the telegram and see that
the message is from your grandfather.
*13
DEAR [NAME] STOP MUST MEET YOU IN SECRET
STOP COME TO "UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE" WHEN
YOU ARRIVE STOP EXPLAIN LATER STOP LOVE
GRANDDAD
*14
Before very long you feel the train slow
down. "Truism! Next Stop!" the conductor
bellows.

You pull into the Truism Train Station
and see several people waiting on the
platform. But you can't see your
grandfather anywhere!
*16
You wander around the station until you
see a door with a sign that says
"UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE." You open the door
and step inside. You are surrounded by
hundreds of old dusty bags. Suddenly,
you hear a loud sigh from behind a large
steamer trunk. You peer behind it and
see--your grandfather!

"Granddad!" you cry.
*20
"Are you OK?" you ask with concern.

Your grandfather pulls out a felt-tipped
marker and a yellow pad. Slowly he
starts to write.

"[NAME]," he writes, "I am so glad to
see you! Something terrible has
happened! Verbal von Doom has returned
to Truism! He is using Saying Spells of
the nastiest kind to enslave everyone.
He has even taken away my voice so I
can't undo his spells!"
*22
Lexi, your grandfather's orange tabby
cat, jumps up onto his shoulder and
purrs loudly. She is wearing a small
black bow tie.

"I saved Truism once," your grandfather
writes, "but without my voice I can't do
it again. [NAME]--it's up to you and
Lexi to save the town of Truism!"
*1000