Place Edge "Edge of Chasm"
  with name "wide" "chasm" "road" "daffodils" "clump",
       description
          "The road ends suddenly at a wide chasm.  The road leads upward
           to the north, and you can see it continuing on the southern side
           of the chasm.",
       u_to Up_Road, n_to Up_Road,
       cant_go "The chasm is too perilous to approach.  The only safe way is
               up and to the north.",
       before
       [;  Jump: deadflag = true;
              "You jump bravely into the chasm, and plunge...
               gracefully through the air.  (It gets a bit less noble and
               airy after that.)";
       ];

Object -> snake "hissing snake"
  with name "hissing" "snake",
       initial
         "Lying in a tight coil at the edge of the chasm is a hissing snake.",
       description
         "It has some V-markings, some scaly parts, colours from grey to
          reddish-brown. Is that any help?",
       life
       [; "The snake hisses angrily!"; ],
       before
       [;  Cast:
               switch(the_spell_was)
               {   urbzig_spell:
                       remove self;
                       snakes_cube.initial =
                    "Beside a clump of daffodils is a featureless white cube.";
                       "The snake is replaced by a clump of daffodils.";
                   bozbar_spell:
                       deadflag = true; remove self;
                       snakes_cube.initial =
                      "A featureless cube rests where the snake took off from.";
                      "The snake is transformed into a huge, winged serpent,
                       a dragon which bellows and leaps out into the chasm,
                       backwinging furiously... and knocking you over the
                       edge quite by accident.";
                   yomin_spell:
                      "Horrid reptilian thoughts insinuate their way into you.";
               }
           Take, Remove:
              "The slipperiness of its skin is only one of many reasons
               why this is ill-advised.";
       ],
  has  animate;

FeaturelessCube -> snakes_cube "cube"
  with initial
         "The snake appears to be curled around a featureless white cube.",
       before
       [; if (snake notin nothing) "The snake won't let you near that cube!";
       ];