Coraline — 96 of 122

Section of the Talisman

The talisman is a thing. It is carried by Miss Spink and Miss Forcible.

The description is "Actually it looks like a normal stone, but it has a hole in it, which goes all the way through. You can look through it. You got it from Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, because they read your future in your tea leaves and saw that you would be in danger. The stone with the hole in it is something like your lucky charm and a protector to you because of the terrible danger in which you are; so the old ladies told you."

The other description is "In the other world you are able to find the hearts and souls of the ghost children, which the other mother has stolen from them. When you raise the stone with the hole in it up to your eyes and look through the gap, the world seems to be gray and without any colors. But if your glance meets one of the souls of the ghost children in forms of glass marbles, they flicker and nearly seem to burn in the gray setting."

Understand "stone" and "hole" as the talisman.

The talisman can be known or unknown.

Instead of examining the talisman:

display figure of the talisman;

continue the action.

Instead of examining with when the second noun is the talisman:

if the noun is the gray marble:

say "Looking through the talisman, you see the gray marble in a different way.";

substitute the blue marble for the gray marble;

increase marble count by 1;

say marble count;

if the player is in the location of the mother:

say "Fortunately, the other mother moves away at this moment and does not see you.";

move the mother to the Drawing Room; [from the Hallway, so she will be there for the showdown] [could happen in the presence of the other mother]

otherwise if the noun is other Miss Spink and Miss Forcible and the green marble is nowhere:

say "Looking through the talisman, you see something at the feet of the other Miss Spink and Miss Forcible.";

now the green marble is in the location of the player;

otherwise if the noun is the other Mister Bobo and the yellow marble is nowhere:

say "Looking through the talisman, you see something at the feet of the other neighbour.";

now the yellow marble is in the location of the player;

otherwise:

continue the action.

To substitute (new - a thing) for (old - a thing):

now new is in the location of old;

if the player is carrying old, now the player is carrying new;

if the player is wearing old, now the player is wearing new;

if old is supported by something (called x), now new is supported by x;

if old is contained by something (called x), now new is contained by x;

now old is nowhere.

Marble count is a number that varies. Marble count is 0.

To say marble count:

say "'Flee, Miss,' wails a thin voice in your head. 'Flee, now. You have found [marble count in words] of us. Flee this place while your blood still flows.'"

After taking the yellow marble for the first time:

increase marble count by 1;

say marble count.

After taking the green marble for the first time:

increase marble count by 1;

say marble count.