a) Tom A.  
b) raugost@yahoo.com
c) http://www.geocities.com/gossamerpenguin/
d) commented listing 
#local w=rgb.8;			// gray color
light_source{<0,3,-4>w} 	// the lamp, gives some good shadows
camera{location<-2,5,-9>}	// camera 
#macro a(f)			// ambient macro
  finish{ambient f/9}
#end

#macro e(b,j)			// color map macro, used for 
  color_map{[0w*b/3][.1w*b]}    // both the walls/floor, and
  scale j			// box
#end

box{-x*8-z*10<6,9,5>		// the room
    pigment{crackle		// crackle gives good stone walls
            e(.5,2)}		// based on gray50 color
    a(3)			// a little too dark without this
}

box{<-1,0,4><4,4,0>		// where the thing lives
    pigment{gradient y		// made of wood
            e(<5,4,3>/9,.5)}	// based on brown
    rotate-y*30 		// slightly rotated, off center
    a(5)			// again, too dark without this
}

#local h=2;			// looping variable
#while(h>0)		
  disc{<-2-h*4,.001,2+sin(h*4)>y,h*2 // the blood
       pigment{w*x}		// make it red
       a(3)			// make it show
  }
  #local h=h-.003;		// count down the loop (until it's zero)
  sphere{<2,3.5+cos((.7-h)*6),h*3-1>h/2  // the tentacle
         pigment{rgb y/3}	// green
         a(5)}
#end				// end of loop

triangle{1+z,<-pi,4,0>,<-3,4.5,0>  // the sword, or knife
         finish{reflection 1}	// shiny, reflective
         pigment{w}		// bright
}

//ta3

e) Your companion stabbed the box, but it got him.  Now it's reaching 
for you, and if you can get your legs to move, you'd run.  But it's still
coming .....

Originally, I envisioned a box with a clawed hand or glowing eyes looking out.
The planes and box size killed that idea.  Then I saved some space by reducing 
repetition in the planes, but still not enough, so I added a metal spear or shaft
into the box.  Turning the spear into a sword saved enough room for the blood,
which looks a bit different, but still good when h starts at 1 and is reduced by
.1 each loop.  Then I removed the turbulance I had on the box (which didn't look
that great anyway) and added a handle to the knife.  Even so, the handle wasn't
detailed enough, and I got rid of it, and also converted the planes into an 
enclosing box.  This gave me enough characters to create the tentacle.  I greatly
reduced the size of the loop steps, and changed the start from h=1 to h=2.  This
changed the shape of the blood, but not negatively; and it smoothed out the 
tentacle, and gave it a second bulge behind the main part.

Now all we have to do is get out of here alive.

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STATEMENT.