In this large horror game, you play as 14-year-old Diane Lindsay, dragged by your Aunt Caroline to this dreadful set of cabins on the edge of a Mississippi swamp, supposedly for a "sunset picnic" where she insists you wear a white dress. The other guests are acting weird. The owner reeks of evil. And there's a ghost girl flying around a stained altar, and how creepy is that? You need to get out of there before sunset, but how?
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Version 2.0 of the game.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.
Cabin Three: David (napping man, man in wheelchair).
Cabin Four: Owens Mackenzie (man on laptop computer).
Cabin Five: Aunt Caroline and you, Diane Lindsay.
Cabin Six: Unoccupied at first, then briefly Hank Slocum, then unoccupied again.
Map 3: The House
Map 4: Beyond the Slab
Map 5: Red Figures Maze
Location names in this maze will change, based on which exits are currently available. They are "A Dead End" for one exit, "At a Corner" for two exits that aren't opposite each other, or "At an Intersection" otherwise.
To reach the Throne Room, you need to turn the figures at A, B, C, D, and E in that order.
When leaving the Throne Room, you only need to turn the figures at C and E to open an escape route.
This map's notations on pathways indicate which statues open or close that pathway. A plus-sign (+) means the path opens when its associated figure is turned from its initial position; a minus-sign (−) means the path closes when its associated figure is turned from its initial position.
The arrows, of course, show which direction each figure is originally facing. Figures turn 180° each time they are turned, so they each only have two possible orientations.
Map 6: A Thicket of Brambles Maze (EXAMPLE)
CAUTION! This is an example map to show what this maze generally looks like. The game randomizes the maze letters used. A location's letter is chosen when you move the twigs there; the letters are not preset.
Maze connections are mostly stable, except for how the maze connects to the Country Road.
Move twigs whenever they don't display a letter to shape them into a new letter.
The simplest way through this maze is to go west five times, then go east. If that doesn't work, the maze is even more random than I thought, and you'll just have to map it yourself.
Aunt Caroline calls out to be back by 6:30 for the sunset picnic.
👿 Get croquet hoop. Meet the Reverend.
The Middle of the Croquet Court
> x hoops. take hoop.
> e.(Reverend Jimmy Gillespie answers the door.)
> x Rev. ask Rev about himself.
> ask Rev about picnic. ask Rev about aunt.
> ask Rev about resort. ask Rev about God.
Let's move on.
> s.
The South End of the Croquet Court
> e.("come back a little later")
> w.
👿 Check out cabin six.
Cabin Six
The dresser and beds are the same as in cabin five, but the drawers are empty. The closet to the south is empty.
> x painting.(of a dog)
> w.
Bathroom (of cabin six)
Every bathroom fixture has an identical description, suggesting it's just one game object for all of them.
> x sink.
> e. e. s.
👿 Find swamp, altar, ghost, rabbits.
The Shore of the Swamp
> x trees. x swamp. e.
A Meadow
> x fence. x stone.(You see carvings, grass, and residue.)
> x carvings.(The ghost of a girl stops you.)
> x ghost. ask ghost about ghost.(She ignores you.)
> x grass. x residue.
> e.
The East End of the Meadow
> x rabbits. x fence. x grass.
> w. w. w.
👿 Look in the boat shed. Get bucket.
In Front of the Boat Shed
> x shed. x door. x lock.
> sw.
Beside the Shed
> x window. x bucket.
> turn bucket over. stand on bucket.
> x window.(You see a dock, a power boat, a rowboat.)
> x dock.
> get off bucket. take it.
> n. n.
👿 Find incinerator. Climb a tree.
Behind the Cabins
> x incinerator. look in it.
> x ashes. search ashes.
> x cabins. x tree. climb tree.
Up a Tree
> x window. e.(You see a man using a laptop.)
> x man. x laptop.
> d. w.
👿 Get sack, shovel.
A Garden of Junk
The sack is your player's carry-all and can hold quite a lot of stuff. As a bonus, other people don't notice what's inside the sack.
> x shovel. take it.
> x sack. take it. put all in sack.
> x junk. x weeds. x thicket.
> x shack. x window. look in window.
> x screen.(fastened by screws)
> ne.
👿 Meet Tyrone. Get flashlight. Meet Luisa.
In Front of a Shack
> x man. x van.
> ask man about himself. ask him about Beauregard.
> ask him about picnic. ask him about van.
> ask him about aunt. ask him about Rev.
> ask him about resort. ask him about shack.
> get in van.
In the Van
> search van. x flashlight. out.
In Front of a Shack
> w.(Tyrone stops you from entering his home.)
> n. knock on back door.(A woman tells you to go away.)
> ask Tyrone about house. ask him about maid.
> nw.
👿 Meet dog. Explore road. Meet boys.
Gravel Driveway
> x dog. x collar. x leash.
> x doors. x house.
> n.
A Country Road (by sign)
> x sign.("Eternal Springs", was "Bye Bayou")
> x bushes. w.
A Country Road (by barrel)
You need the screwdriver to open this barrel. Tar can help you with two problems in this game (see figurines and mask), but this walkthrough will try to avoid using the tar.
> x barrel.(has lid, smells of tar)
> w.
A Country Road (by gap)
> x gap. x possum. x flies.
> w.
By a Farm
> x gate. x pigs. x boys.
> ask boys about themselves.(They show you a compass.)
> ask boys about compass.
> ask boys about resort.
> e. e. e. e.
A Country Road (by walk)
> x roof. x pole. climb pole.(can't)
> e.
The End of the Road
> x bayou.
> w. s.
👿 Meet Honey. Get her key. Explore her cabin. Get jacket, lotion, pill. Give lotion to Honey.
On the Lawn
Honey Hartwell greets you when you arrive here.
> x Honey. x longue. x magazine.
> x straw purse.(see an ugly figurine)
After four turns with Honey, she gives you her cabin key and asks you to fetch her sunblock from Cabin One.
> s.
The North End of the Croquet Court
> x key. unlock cabin one with key. e.
Cabin One
> x clothing. x magazines. x dresser.
> open top. x jacket. take it. wear it.
> x jacket. put jacket in sack.
> s.(Nothing in closet.)
> e.
Bathroom (of cabin one)
> open mirror. x lotion. x bottle.
> put bottle in sack. take lotion.
> w. w. n.
On the Lawn
> give lotion to Honey.
> ask Honey about herself. ask Honey about Tyrone.
> ask Honey about resort. ask Honey about picnic.
> ask Honey about Beauregard. ask Honey about aunt.
> ask Honey about Rev. ask Honey about ghost.
> x porch. x railing. x wasps.
> x hedge. x flowers. smell flowers.
> w.
👿 Meet Beauregard Phelps.
On the Porch
> x Phelps. x couch. x front door.
> greet Phelps. ask him about picnic.
> ask him about himself. ask him about resort.
> ask him about swamp. ask him about boat shed.
> ask him about Honey. ask him about wasps.
> ask him about Tyrone. ask him about dog.
> w.(Phelps stops you and plies you with his own questions. Eventually you escape to...)
On the Lawn
> sw.
👿 Talk to Tyrone again. Get rid of Bailey.
In Front of a Shack
> ask Tyrone about boys. ask him about Honey.
> ask him about dog. ask him about incinerator.
> nw. n. w. w.
A Country Road (at gap)
> take possum with shovel. e. e. s.
Gravel Driveway
> give possum to dog. pet dog.
> unclip leash. tell dog about rabbits.(He's gone!)
> open doors. e.
👿 Explore cellar. Get locket, photos.
Cellar
> x workbench. x vise. x rafters. x windows.
> u.
The Top of the Stairs
> open door.(locked)
> d.
Cellar
> turn on flashlight. e.
Deeper in the Cellar
> x clutter. x trunk. open it.(locked)
> straighten hoop. unlock trunk with hoop.
> open trunk.(Ghost briefly visits.)
> take all from trunk.
> s.
In a Low Tunnel
> x dirt. x beams. s.
Below the Trapdoor
> open trapdoor.(can't: Something's in the way.)
> n. n. w.
Cellar
> turn off flashlight.
> x locket. open it. x snapshot. x photos.
> put all in sack.
> w. se. s. s. e. e.
👿 Show locket to ghost. Examine carvings.
A Meadow
IMPORTANT: The locket must be open when you show it to the ghost.
> show locket to ghost.(She speaks!)
> ask her about herself.(Her name is Lydia.)
> ask her about Jake. show photos to her.
> ask her about Phelps. ask her about demon.
> ask her about altar. ask her about swamp.
> ask her about map. ask her about boats.
> ask her about resort. ask her about picnic.
> ask her about Tyrone. ask her about locket.
> ask her about heart.
> x carvings.(Depicts two kneeling figures in headdresses, four nude girls on a ramp, and a monster.)
> put all in sack.
> w. w. n. n. nw.
👿 Find SUV. Ask Tyrone about it.
Gravel Driveway
> x SUV. open SUV.(locked)
> se.
In Front of a Shack
> ask Tyrone about SUV.(New guy in Cabin Six.)
> e. s. s. w.
👿 Meet Hank. Witness his murder. Get his map from the incinerator.
Cabin Six
> x Hank. ask Hank about resort.
> ask Hank about SUV. ask Hank about himself.
He's here for a private transaction in the swamp. He shows you a map. Then he hides you in the closet just before Reverend Gillespie and another man enter the cabin and kill him. Then they take the body and his things away.
After you hear the motorboat leave, you emerge from the closet.
> x puddle. e. s.
The Shore of the Swamp
You see an apparition of the swamp monster.
> look.(You see smoke behind the western cabins.)
> fill bucket.
> w. n.
Behind the Cabins
> pour water in incinerator.
> search ashes.(Got the map! But...)
> x map.(...the lines on it are squirming.)
> n.
👿 Enter the house. Unlock pantry door.
In Front of a Shack
Note: Tyrone isn't here.
> knock on back door.(Luisa says you can enter now.)
> n.
Kitchen
> x Luisa. x peas. x stove. x kettle.
> x table. x sink. x fridge. x cupboard.
> open cupboard.(Luisa stops you. You can't handle any kitchen stuff while she's here.)
> ask Luisa about herself. ask her about house.
> ask her about Phelps. ask her about picnic.
> ask her about resort. ask her about Tyrone.
> ask her about swamp. ask her about ghost.
> n.
Pantry
> x door. unlock it.
> x onions. x shelves. search shelves.
> x hatch. open it.(can't: shelves in the way)
> move shelves.(can't: Luisa is watching you)
> s. e.
👿 Get bracelet, poker, tongs, sketchbook, Carr book.
Dining Room
> x table. x chairs. x bracelet.
> put bracelet in sack.
> n.
Entry Hall
> x clock. x table. x telephone.
> take handset. call 911. hang up.
> n.
Living Room
> x furniture. x fireplace. x poker. x tongs.
> put poker and tongs in sack.
> x books. x Carr. read it. put it in sack.
> x large book. read it.(Note the name IXTLOC goes with the altar's carving.)
> put large book in sack.
> s. w.
Office
> x papers. x desk. x window. x table.
> x device. x mirrors. x platform. turn it.
> e. u.
👿 Meet crow, spider. Get key, mirror, fuse, scarf.
Upstairs Hall
> x wallpaper. x baseboard. x grime.
> n.
Dreary Bedroom
> x crow. x window. x bed.
> w.
Closet
> x metal door. open it. x spider. x web.
> kill spider.(can't: too nervous)
> e. s. s.
Abandoned Nursery
> x cradle. rock cradle.(find a grate)
> x grate. look through grate.
> x table. x merry. x base. x keyhole.
> x clown. x window.
> n. w.
West End of the Hall
> x ironing board. x window seat. open it.
> take all from it. x object. x brass key.
> x door. x peephole. s.(locked)
> unlock door with brass key.(no keyhole)
> n.
Bathroom
> x tub. x sink. x mirror. take it.
> s. u.
Attic
> x bed. x dresser. x doll. x blouse. x skirt.
> take skirt. open dresser.
> put all in sack.
> d. e. d. e. e. s.
👿 Get figurine from Cabin Four.
The North End of the Croquet Court
Cabin Four's door is open.
> w.
Cabin Four
The closet and bathroom currently have nothing of interest in them.
> x valise. x lock.("ABACAB")
> set lock to IXTLOC. open valise.
> x figurine. take it.(can't: pain)
> take figurine with tongs. put it in sack.
> close valise. set lock to ABACAB.
> e. s.
👿 Get Reverend's figurine.
The Middle of the Croquet Court
Cabin Two's door is open.
> e.
Cabin Two
> x bible. read it. g. g.
> put bible on door bed.
> s.(Note the floorboard creaking.)
Closet (of cabin two)
> take floorboard. x black figurine. take it with tongs.
> put it in sack. put floorboard on hole.
> n. w. s.
👿 Meet David. Get his figurine.
The South End of the Croquet Court
> e.
Cabin Three
David, a man in a wheelchair, greets you.
Also, now that you have the figurines from Cabins Four and Two, you hear the motorboat return. Beauregard, the Reverend, Tyrone, and the guy in Cabin Four return to their former locations.
> ask David about himself. ask him about resort.
> ask him about picnic. ask him about altar.
> ask him about figurines.(He shows you his.)
> ask him for figurine.
> take white figurine with tongs. put it in sack.
> ask David about map. show map to David.
> ask him about Phelps. ask him about Tyrone.
> w. n. w.
👿 Get aunt's figurine, candle.
Cabin Five
> ask aunt about Carr.
> show Carr to aunt.(She takes it, puts something in the closet, then leaves.)
> w.
Bathroom (of cabin five)
> x candle. put it in sack.
> e. s.
Closet (of cabin five)
> open aunt suitcase.(locked)
> hit it with poker. open it.
> take red figurine with tongs. put it in sack.
> put tongs, map, poker in sack.
> n. e. n. n.
👿 Get Honey's figurine.
On the Lawn
> ask Honey about CD —or— ask Honey about wasps.
> take yellow figurine with tongs. put it in sack.
> put tongs in sack.
If Honey is fetching you a CD, you should wait for it.
> z. z. z. z. z. z. z. z. z.
Honey returns, saying she forgot to pack the CDs.
> sw. nw. e.
👿 Destroy five figurines.
Cellar
> u.
The Top of the Stairs
Because the figurines will go berserk if they see you destroying one of them, I'm going to drop the sack here, away from the vise.
Alternatively, you can roll the barrel of tar into the cellar, open the lid with the screwdriver, which you don't have yet, and make a puddle of tar to trap the figurines in when they start running around. I think my way is simpler.
> drop sack.
> take green figurine with tongs. d.
Cellar
> put figurine in vise. close vise. u.
The Top of the Stairs
> take black figurine with tongs. d.
Cellar
> put figurine in vise. close vise. u.
The Top of the Stairs
> take white figurine with tongs. d.
Cellar
> put figurine in vise. close vise. u.
The Top of the Stairs
> take red figurine with tongs. d.
Cellar
> put figurine in vise. close vise. u.
The Top of the Stairs
> take yellow figurine with tongs. d.
Cellar
> put figurine in vise. close vise. u.
The Top of the Stairs
> take sack. e.
👿 Find dumbwaiter. Get screwdriver. Unscrew alcove grate. Get toast.
Pantry
When the motorboat returned, Luisa stopped shelling peas in the kitchen and went upstairs to start ironing.
> move shelves. open hatch.
> enter cavity.(can't: holding large stuff)
> put tongs in sack. drop sack. in.
Curled Up in a Cramped Box
> x rope. x hook.
> pull rope. tie rope to hook. out.
Beauregard Phelps's Bedroom
> x bed. x dresser. x stuff. take screwdriver.
> look through peephole.(See Luisa ironing.)
> e.
In an Alcove
> x table. x dagger. x figurine. x grate.
> x slab. x carving.
> unscrew grate with screwdriver.
> take dagger.(It animates, and swoops at you!)
It'll go back on the table when you leave.
> w. in.
Curled Up in the Dumbwaiter
> untie rope. d. out.
Pantry
> take sack. s.
Kitchen
> open oven. take toast. x it. close oven.
> e. n. u. n.
👿 Fix fuse. Unscrew nursery grate. Put poker in grate. Meet clown. Give jacket and scarf to him.
Dreary Bedroom
> open window. crumble toast. w.
Closet
> crumble toast. z.(The crow eats the spider and flies away.)
> move web. x circles. take dark fuse.
> x object. put new fuse in fuse box.
> e. s. s.
Abandoned Nursery
> unscrew grate with screwdriver.
> put poker in grate.
> put brass key in keyhole. turn brass key.
> look.(The clown is rippling?)
> touch clown.
In a Confusing Place
> x clown. greet clown.
> ask clown about himself.
> give jacket to clown.
> give scarf to clown.
> ask clown about girl.
> z.(You return to the nursery when the merry-go-round music stops and not before.)
Abandoned Nursery
> n. d. w.
👿 Power up the bracelet. Kayo dagger.
Office
> put mirror in clip.
> put bracelet on platform.
> turn arrow to sun.
> put all in sack.
> e. s. w. n.
Pantry
Don't forget the locket!
> wear bracelet and locket. drop sack. in.
Curled Up in the Dumbwaiter
> u. tie rope to hook. out. e.
In an Alcove
CAUTION: You can only attack the dagger when it's inanimate. You have no need of the dagger, but I want to try to get rid of it, somehow.
> hit dagger with poker. take dagger.
> put poker in grate.
NOTE: You must be wearing the charged bracelet to open the slab.
> touch carving.(The slab opens.)
> e.
👿 Visit other world. Get fruit, ruby, mat, skeleton.
The Room of Seven Doors
> x southwest slab. e.
At the Foot of a Silver Bridge
> x bridge. x chasm. e.(The bridge evaporates behind you.)
Opposite the Doorway
> s.
Overlooking the Guard Room
> x men. n. e.
At the Foot of a Narrow Stairway
This is the beginning of the Red Figures Maze shown on map 5. You may want to save here now and again after you solve it.
> n. w.
A Dead End (figure A)
> x figure. turn it.
> e. s. e. e.
A Dead End (figure B)
> x figure. turn it.
> w. w. n. e. e. n. w.
A Dead End (figure C)
> x figure. turn it.
> e. s. w. w. n.
A Dead End (figure D)
> x figure. turn it.
> s. e. e. s. e.
A Dead End (figure E)
> x figure. turn it.
> w. n. n. e.
Throne Room
> x throne. sit on it.
> x frieze.(Left to right: jaguar, sun, snake, dagger, jug.)
> stand.
I guess I'll drop the dagger here. Who's gonna look here for it?
> drop dagger.
> w. w.
A Dead End (figure C)
> turn figure. e. s. s. e.
A Dead End (figure E)
> turn figure. w. n. w. w. s.
At the Foot of a Narrow Stairway
> w. n.
At a T-Shaped Junction
> x door. n.
A Sumptuously Decorated Chamber
> x mats. x cabinet. x circle.
The trick here is to reverse the frieze's glyphs, guessing that they were written from right to left.
> turn circle to jug. turn it to dagger.
> turn it to snake. turn it to sun.
> turn it to jaguar. open cabinet.
CAUTION: You must be wearing both the helmet and cape before you can safely take the staff.
> x helmet. wear it.
> x cape. wear it.
> x staff. take it.
> s. s.
Opposite the Doorway
> wave staff.(The bridge returns!)
> n. n.
A Sumptuously Decorated Chamber
> put staff in cabinet. take mat. x it.
> n.
On a Narrow Balcony
> x trees. x pillars. d.
A Tropical Garden
> x fruit tree. shake it.
> take fruit. x it.
> u. s. s. e.
Wide Courtyard
> x monkey. give fruit to monkey.(New friend!)
> x pool. x benches.
> n.(The monkey follows you.)
Temple
NOTE: You can't pass by the statue unless you're wearing both the helmet and cape.
> x pillars. x statue. x cube.
> n. n.
The Threshold of the Room of Sand
NOTE: You must have the locket here, or Lydia's jewel won't pulse distinctly.
> x sand. x scorpions. x pedestals. x jewels.
> x jewel.
> point to jewel.(The monkey fetches it for you.)
Several turns after this deed, the monkey will get bored and leave you, but it's difficult to predict when exactly.
> s. s. s. e.
At the Top of a Broad Stairway
> x people. x hovels.
> w. s.
A Room of Bones
CAUTION: Be very careful not to handle the skeleton more than necessary. If it falls apart, you've made the game unwinnable.
> x bones. x skeleton.
> drop mat. put skeleton on mat.
> roll mat. take mat.
> n. w. n.
A Sumptuously Decorated Chamber
You won't take the helmet and cape back to Eternal Springs with you, so I suggest leaving them where you found them.
> put helmet in cabinet.
> drop mat. put cape in cabinet. take mat.
> s. s. w. w.
The Room of Seven Doors
> touch southwest slab. sw.
👿 Give heart to Lydia.
In an Alcove
The rolled mat won't go through the grate or down the dumbwaiter. You'll need to get it through the bedroom door, but not now.
> drop mat. w.
Beauregard Phelps's Bedroom
CAUTION: DON'T open the door! Just unlock it.
> unlock door. look through peephole.
> unlock door.
> in.
Curled Up in the Dumbwaiter
> untie rope. d. out.
Pantry
> take sack.
> put ruby, bracelet, locket in sack.
> s. s. s. s. e. e.
A Meadow
> give ruby to Lydia.(She's restored to life!)
She's going to hide; say "Olly olly oxen free" to call her. She also tells you to get a map, compass, and the key to the boat shed so you can both escape.
> w. w. nw.
👿 Get fishing rod, hook. Make cocoa with pill. Give cocoa to Beauregard. Get key to boat shed.
A Garden of Junk
> unscrew mesh with screwdriver. in.
In the Shack
The mask is a voodoo alarm. It will howl if it sees you taking anything. So you need to blind it first. One way of blinding it is with tar; you'd need the glass and spoon from the kitchen to do that. But the candle method is simpler.
> x mask. x eyes.
> squeeze candle. put wax on eyes.
> x table. x pole. take it.
> look under bed. open box. tie line to hook.
> put pole, box, screwdriver in sack.
> s. ne. n.
Kitchen
> fill kettle. put it on stove. turn on stove.
> open cupboard. take all from it.
> open envelope. pour mix in mug.
> take kettle. pour water in mug.
> turn off stove. put kettle on stove.
> open pill bottle. put pill in mug.
> put glass, bottle, spoon, envelope in sack.
> e. n. e.
On the Porch
> give mug to Phelps.(He accepts it.)
> e. nw.
A Weedy Flower-Bed
You can see Phelps snoring from here.
> take pole. fish.(You have the key!)
> put all in sack.
> se. sw. n. e. n. u. w.
👿 Distract Luisa. Get Beauregard's figurine and mat.
West End of the Hall
CAUTION: Make sure you unlocked the bedroom door and neutralized the dagger earlier and that you have the tongs and sack with you. You're going to get rid of Luisa briefly, go through the door, grab the purple-eyed figurine and the rolled mat, get back out and re-close the door before Luisa returns.
There's two ways to move Luisa. You can break an egg from the fridge in the kitchen and tell her about the egg. She'll leave to clean up your mess.
The other way is to ask some uncomfortable questions about the doll, which is simpler, so that's the way this walkthrough will do it.
> ask Luisa about doll. ask her about clown.
> ask her about Jessie.(Luisa leaves to cry in the attic.)
> s. e.
In an Alcove
> take figurine with tongs. put it in sack.
> take mat. w. n.
West End of the Hall
> close door. e. s.
👿 Give skeleton to clown. Get coin.
Abandoned Nursery
> put poker in sack.(You're not done with it!)
> turn brass key. touch clown.
In a Confusing Place
> drop mat. unroll it.
> give skeleton to clown.(Get a coin.)
Abandoned Nursery
> x coin. put it in sack.
> n. d. s. w. n. w.
The Top of the Stairs
> close door. d.
👿 Destroy Beauregard's figurine.
Cellar
> take figurine with tongs. put it in vise.
> close vise. x map.(It's now readable.)
> w. n. w. w. w.
👿 Get compass.
By a Farm
> show coin to boys.(You trade it for the compass.)
> x compass. put all in sack.
> e. e. e. s. se. s. s. e. e.
👿 Reunite with Lydia. Go to boat shed. Learn about pouch.
A Meadow
> olly olly oxen free.(Lydia returns.)
> show map to Lydia.
> show compass to Lydia.
> show shiny key to her.
> w. w.
In Front of the Boat Shed
> unlock door with shiny key. s.
In the Boat Shed
> x rowboat. x motorboat.
> s.(A horrible illusion stops you.)
Lydia now tells you that she hid a pouch of leaves in a cranny in the cellar and that eating a leaf makes these visions stop. So now you need to find that pouch.
> n. n.
Behind the Cabins
> n.(can't: Rev, your aunt, and armed men are there. They must be looking for you.)
> u. e. e. s.
👿 Get laptop. Get pouch. Traverse brambles. Get rubber hose.
Closet (of Cabin Four)
> take laptop. n.
Cabin Four
> move bed. open trapdoor. d.
Below the Trapdoor
> turn on flashlight.(It's dead.)
> open laptop. turn it on.(It glows blue.)
> close trapdoor. n. n.
Deeper in the Cellar
You must be in the spooky hole when searching it to find the pouch.
> search clutter. enter hole.
> search hole. x pouch.
> out. s. s.
Below the Trapdoor
> u.(You hear voices up there!)
> n. n. w. u.
The Top of the Stairs
> e.(Voices, including Honey's, are on the other side. You can't go through the house now.)
> d. w.
Gravel Driveway
It's not safe to head south.
> n. w. w.
A Country Road (at gap)
You're finally willing and able to enter the thicket.
> s.
A Thicket of Brambles (several locations)
For this maze, the simplest way through it is to go west five times, then east. Assuming that I understand it, that is. The letters formed are randomly chosen.
> move twigs.(They form a letter, like K.)
> w. move twigs.(They form another letter, like L.)
> w. move twigs.(Yet another letter, like H.)
> w. move twigs.(Another letter, like C.)
> w. move twigs.(Another letter, like A.)
> w.(back at the previous letter, like A.)
> e.
A Garden of Junk
> search junk. take hose.
> se. s.
👿 Give leaf. Eat leaf. Siphon gas tank. Open boat door. Escape.
In the Boat Shed
CAUTION: If you dare try to leave without giving Lydia a leaf, she'll scream and alert the others where you are.
> open pouch. give leaf to Lydia. eat leaf.
Lydia warns you that the motorboat must be disabled somehow.
> s. e.
In the Boat Shed (standing in the power boat)
> x power boat. x controls. x motor.
> open gas cap. put hose in pipe.
> suck hose.(The gas tank should be empty now.)
> w. n. sw.
In the Boat Shed (standing on the catwalk)
> x mechanism. x tab.(has a hole)
> put poker in tab.
> turn tab.(The big door is open!)
> ne. s. w.
In the Boat Shed (in the rowboat)
> put oars in oarlock.
> row rowboat.
Taking turns, and using the map, you row to a public boat landing, where you tell a sheriff how you were kidnapped and threatened by cultists. He believes you. You're safe.
*** You and Lydia are free to live out your lives. ***
Extras
Characters
The people
Diane Lindsay, age 14, is the player-character. She never wanted to come to this run-down resort in the middle of a swamp in the first place, and she likes it even less when she learns that she's meant to be sacrificed to a demon.
Aunt Caroline is Diane's aunt and Diane's only living relative. She's locked herself in Cabin Five's bathroom until you tell her about the Carr novels in the house. Honey says your aunt is a famous novelist.
Honey Hartwell is an attractive but untalented singer who wants to be famous. Her things are in Cabin One, but she spends most of the afternoon on the lawn getting some sun.
Reverend Jimmy Gallespie is in Cabin Two. He wants to be a televangelist.
David is in Cabin Three, an invalid in a wheelchair. He's the only one of the cultists willing to betray them and help you.
Owens Mackenzie is the man seen using a laptop computer in Cabin Four. We learn very little about him. His name only appears in the help text. He's the one who actually kills Hank.
Hank Slocum is presumably a drug dealer, here to do a private transaction in the swamp. He's in Cabin Six only briefly when Owens shoots him dead. Owens and the Reverend dump his body deep in the swamp, intending for gators to eat it, but the body is found almost immediately by someone named Stevie Ray.
Beauregard Phelps is the owner of the Eternal Springs resort. He's fat and repulsive and genuinely evil. He's used his wishes to extend his lifespan.
Lydia is a girl born in 1920 and killed on the altar in 1934. Her heart was devoured by a demon. Yet her ghost somehow survived and manifests by the altar. You have a chance to return her heart to her, restore her to life, and escape from the resort with her.
Tyrone is a large black man trying to fix the van's engine. As hired help, he's not one of the cultists, but he's unable to stop them either. He's also a follower of Voodoo.
Luisa is the Hispanic maid, but she's not particularly friendly. She is also not a cultist and doesn't want to know or think about any of that. She just wants to do her job without interruptions or messes made by you.
Two boys at a farm leer and make crude jokes whenever they see you.
Men armed with rifles can be seen from "Overlooking the Guard Room". Some of them appear later in the resort during the endgame sequence when you're trying to find the pouch of leaves.
Brown-skinned people can be seen going about their day from "At the Top of a Broad Stairway". Possibly Beauregard hired Luisa from this slum.
The county sheriff, at game's end, hears your story and gets you and Lydia to safety.
Stevie Ray is the man who found Hank's body and alerted the sheriff.
One other man is also assisting the sheriff.
The animals
Some rabbits are in the east end of the meadow, doing whatever rabbits do in the tall grass.
The guard dog, Bailey, is chained up to the cellar doors. He's not friendly at first, but you can change that with the right gift.
Some wasps have a nest under a corner of the roof near the lawn and porch.
A huge white spider is spinning its web in the house's fuse box.
A crow outside the dreary bedroom's window wants to be let inside. It's looking for something to eat.
A little monkey is in the courtyard of the other world. He's nervous at first, but you can show that you're friendly with the right gift.
Several scorpions are running about on top of the shifting sands where Lydia's heart can be found.
Supernatural characters
A clown, who is just a painting on the nursery wall, partly comes to life when the merry-go-round music plays. It is very unclear how he gained this quasi-existence, but regardless, he wants your help in becoming a real person.
The demon of the swamp, IXTLOC, briefly appears as a misty apparation. If you lose the game, he will manifest fully and devour your heart. He grants wishes to those people who bring him appropriate victims.
The figurines are IXTLOC's emissaries and possibly parts of himself. They will run around in the cellar, frightened, if they see you destroy one of their number in the vise.
The black statue in the temple is another representative of IXTLOC. It animates to stop you if you try to go past it without wearing the helmet and cape.
The curved dagger animates into a flying dagger if you try to take it or the purple-eyed figurine.
Mentioned characters
A dark-haired woman with a 1920's hairstyle is depicted on the snapshot in the locket. Possibly Lydia's mother?
Groups of people from the 1930's appear in the faded photographs. The people shown include Beauregard Phelps, Lydia, and her cousin Jake.
Jake was Lydia's cousin and a gambler. He's the one who brought Lydia to Phelps.
Friends of Hank's were supposed to meet him in the swamp for a private transaction.
John Dickson Carr wrote several mystery novels. Aunt Caroline is a big fan of his, and Beauregard has several of his novels in his living room.
Jessie was a girl who grew up in the nursery until she became one of Beauregard's victims. Luisa kept her doll.
Many other female victims have fallen prey to IXTLOC over centuries, based on how many jewels are in the Room of Sand, and how each jewel represents a victim's heart.
An old black man gave Lydia the pouch of leaves years ago, for "heart". It's implied (subtly) that he was Tyrone's grandfather.
Alligators and other nasty things inhabit the swamp. Lydia, Hank, and Tyrone all warn you about them.
Aztecs used the altar long before Phelps did, according to David.
The other demons named in the sketchbook are HUATLI, OLTIOC, ZIATLI, MAZIDI, and UMIXIM.
Credits
The response to CREDITS is very brief:
Lydia’s Heart by Jim Aikin
The response to ABOUT is:
Lydia’s Heart was developed between September 2006 and August 2007. The amazing graphic image (not viewable in some Macintosh interpreters, sad to say) was created by Tim Simmons.
Version 1 of this story, which was entitled Last Resort, was written in Inform 6. It was materially improved by the suggestions of numerous beta-testers, especially David Jones and Radical Al. It’s available from the Interactive Fiction Archive, in the games/glulx directory. Lydia’s Heart is, in effect, version 2.0 of Last Resort, but I changed the title. The pun just didn’t wear well.
Lydia’s Heart was written in TADS 3. TADS (The Adventure Development System) is a freeware programming language specifically for interactive fiction. It was developed and is maintained by Mike Roberts. Beta-testers for version 2 included Radical Al, Lorne Benore, Greg Boettcher, Kathleen Fischer, Harry Giles, Jeff Liu, Marius Müller, Aaron Reed, Paul Sheckarski, and Chih-Wei Wang. Thanks also to Eric Eve, Dan Shiovitz, Krister Fundin, Steve Breslin, and other TADS experts who gave generously of their time in order to answer my many questions, and especially to Emily Short for some great suggestions about how Last Resort could have been better.
If you should spot any bugs in Lydia’s Heart, I’d appreciate it (and other players would too!) if you’d report them to me. Using copy-and-paste, copy the last hundred lines or so of your gameplay, up to and including the buggy output, to a text file. Email the file to me (either as an attachment or in the message body) at email redacted or email redacted. Important: Please be sure to give your email a subject line that includes the words “Lydia’s Heart.” If you use a vague subject line like “Big Problem,” there’s a good chance I’ll think the message is spam and delete it without reading it.
Lydia’s Heart is dedicated to Jan A., in memory of the many happy hours we spent doing puzzles together.
Also, if you READ LABEL of the sequined jacket, the game says:
In a tiny, flowery script that looks hand-stitched (in glossy pink thread, naturally), the label says, "Another fine item of personal adornment from the Garmenteria d'Frobozz. Post-release bugs found and reported by Daphne Brinkerhoff, David Silberman, and Arnel Legaspi."
Endings
You have died on the altar of an ancient demon.
if almost anyone (including Tyrone!) sees you carrying one of the figurines.
if you open Beauregard's door while Luisa is ironing on the other side.
if you don't give a leaf to Lydia after eating one.
if you don't disable the power boat before rowing the rowboat.
if you don't have both the map and compass with you when rowing the rowboat.
You and Lydia are free to live out your lives.
if you both successfully escape via the rowboat.
Also, you have made the game unwinnable...
if the skeleton falls apart because you handled it too much.
if you get stuck in Beauregard's bedroom with no safe way to use any of the exits.
if you can no longer get Honey to leave her straw purse and you didn't get everything you need out of it.
if you can no longer get Luisa to leave her ironing and you still need to use Beauregard's bedroom door.
There may well be other ways to lose the game that I missed.
Inventory
Electronics
a flashlight. Find the flashlight by searching the van when in the van.
The flashlight only helps you early in the game, when you first search the cellars and unlock the trunk with the straightened croquet hoop.
The flashlight's batteries will be dead by the endgame, no matter how careful you are at conserving their power. Use the laptop computer as an alternate light source.
a handset. It's part of the telephone in the entry hall.
Take it and listen to it: there's no dial tone. Hang up. You can't call anyone for help.
an bad fuse. It's in the fuse box in the closet west from the dreary bedroom.
First get rid of the spider and its web to even see the fuse; see toast.
Take out the bad fuse and replace it with a new fuse. Discard the bad fuse.
a new fuse. It's in the window seat at the west end of the upstairs hall, and originally styled as a small round threaded object until it's identified.
Show the object to Tyrone to learn it's a fuse.
In the closet west of the dreary bedroom, after getting rid of the spider (see toast) and removing the bad fuse, put the new fuse into the fuse box. You can now make hot cocoa in the kitchen; see kettle, envelope, mug, pill.
a laptop computer. During most of the game, a man (Owens Mackenzie) is using the laptop in Cabin Four.
During the endgame sequence, after Lydia has told you to find a small sack in the cellar, enter Cabin Four via the tree. The laptop is now in Cabin Four's closet. Take it.
You need the laptop for its light when navigating the dark cellar now, because the flashlight's batteries have died. Open the laptop and turn it on; it's now lit.
Figurines
You can't touch the figurines directly; take them with the tongs or shovel. Put them into the sack or your suitcase for carrying elsewhere. Take each figurine to the cellar, put it in the vise and close the vise, crushing the figurine into powder. When all six figurines are destroyed, the map becomes readable.
CAUTION: If a figurine sees another figurine getting destroyed, it will animate, frightened, and run around the cellar. To catch them, push the barrel of tar into the cellar and pry it open with the screwdriver. The figurines will get trapped by the puddle of tar and you can take them again.
a black-eyed figurine. It's under a loose floorboard in Cabin Two's closet.
Your opportunity to do anything in Cabin Two is limited to when the Reverend has gone to help the others get rid of Hank's body.
a green-eyed figurine. It's in the locked valise in Cabin Four.
To unlock the valise, set the lock of the valise to the name of the demon: IXTLOC. It's the demon pictured on the carving on the stone block in the meadow and named in the sketchbook. As far as I can tell, this name is not randomized; it's always IXTLOC.
a yellow-eyed figurine. It's in the straw purse beside Honey on the lawn.
Ask Honey about the wasps and she'll run back to her cabin in fright, abandoning her purse. Take her figurine while she's gone.
Alternatively, ask Honey about CD, and she'll run to her cabin to get you an autographed copy. Take her figurine while she's gone. (Alas, when Honey returns, you learn she forgot to pack any CDs.)
a white-eyed figurine. David has it in his suitcase in Cabin Three.
First ask David about the figurines and he'll show you his, but then he locks it away again.
Second, show the tongs to David to prove you can take it from him. He'll bring his figurine back out so you can take it.
a red-eyed figurine. Aunt Caroline has it with her in the Cabin Five bathroom.
Coax your aunt out of the bathroom by asking her about Carr. When she pops her head out to see proof, show her the Carr book. She'll take it and run off to the house, but before she does so, she locks up her figurine in her suitcase in the Cabin Five closet.
Hit your aunt's suitcase with the poker to break it open.
a purple-eyed figurine. It's on the table in the alcove east of Phelps's bedroom, guarded by an animated dagger.
One way to defeat the dagger is to hit it with the poker while it is "sleeping". If the dagger is already attacking you, this won't work; you'll have to leave the alcove and return.
Another way to defeat the dagger is to capture it by using either the bucket or floorboard as a shield. HOLD UP the bucket or floorboard to do it.
To get the tongs to this figurine, you'll need to bring them through the bedroom door while Luisa is away. There are two ways to temporarily move Luisa. For the first method, ask Luisa about the doll (seen in the attic), then about Jessie. She leaves to cry in the attic for a while. For the second method, break the egg in the kitchen then tell Luisa about the egg. She leaves to clean up your mess.
Move the purple-eyed figurine out of the bedroom area at the same time you move the rolled mat containing the skeleton out of there. Work quickly!
Don't forget to close the bedroom door before Luisa returns!
Food and Drink-related items
Note that you can't open the kitchen cupboard, oven, or fridge until Luisa has gone upstairs.
a piece of burnt toast. It's inside the kitchen's oven.
In the dreary bedroom, open the window to let the crow in, then crumble the toast to get the crow down from the windowsill.
Head west into the closet and crumble the toast again. The crow will follow you in, and start eating the crumbs. After a turn, it will notice the spider, attack it, eat it, and fly away.
Note that after crumbling the toast, it is restyled as a partially crumbled piece of burnt toast.
At the gravel driveway, give the possum to the dog. The dog is now friendly, and you may safely pet it and untie its leash.
a pill bottle containing a little white pill. It's inside the medicine cabinet in Cabin One's bathroom.
The pill is a sleeping pill. Put the pill in the mug when making hot cocoa for Beauregard Phelps.
a piece of golden fruit. It's on the tree in the tropical garden.
Shake the tree. The fruit will fall to the ground.
In the courtyard, give the fruit to the monkey. The monkey is now friendly and will follow you everywhere east of the silver bridge until you obtain the ruby. Several turns after you get the ruby, the monkey leaves you.
a tea kettle. It's on the stove in the kitchen.
You won't be able to use the kettle until you've replaced the bad fuse with a new fuse, and Luisa has left the kitchen.
Use the kettle to boil water when making a mug of cocoa.
Never used a kettle to boil water before? Take the kettle. Fill the kettle (with water). Put the kettle back on the stove. Turn on the stove. When the kettle starts to whistle, take the kettle then pour the water into the mug. Finally, turn off the stove and put the kettle back on it.
an egg. It's inside the kitchen's refrigerator.
One way to get Luisa to leave her ironing in the West End of Hallway is to break the egg in the kitchen, then tell her about the egg. She'll leave to clean up your mess, giving you a chance to enter Beauregard's bedroom via the door. (This is a very difficult thing to guess to do, if you ask me, even though Luisa tells you more than once not to make a mess.)
a stained blue mug. It's inside the kitchen cupboard.
Make doctored cocoa. First, boil water in the kettle. Put cocoa mix (from the brown envelope) into the mug, then pour hot water into the mug from the kettle. Finally, put the pill in the mug.
Go to the porch and give the mug of cocoa to Beauregard.
CAUTION: He won't fall asleep until you leave the porch, and he'll wake up if you return there; the door and porch both squeak.
Putting Phelps to sleep is part of your plan to get his shiny key.
a brown envelope. It's inside the kitchen cupboard.
Open the envelope. It contains cocoa mix. Put the cocoa mix into the mug.
a juice glass and a teaspoon. They're inside the kitchen cupboard.
These two items can be used for a rather outlandish alternate solution for the mask puzzle in Tyrone's shack. First, go to the barrel of tar (which you can pry open with the screwdriver) and fill the glass with tar. Now you can "apply" the tar to the mask's eyes with the spoon. When the mask's eyes can't see, you can now take the fishing pole and cigar box without the mask alerting Tyrone of your theft.
a little cloth pouch containing two dry brown leaves. Find it by first getting in the spooky hole in "Deeper in the Cellar", then searching the hole.
It's impossible to find the hole or the pouch until Lydia tells you to look for a little sack that she hid in the cellar. And she won't tell you that until she's in the boat shed and sees you try to go south onto the dock and are repelled by an unpleasant hallucination.
When back in the boat shed, open the pouch. Give one leaf to Lydia to eat. Eat the other leaf. Now you can approach the boats safely.
Keys
a croquet hoop. Take it from any of the three croquet court locations between the cabins.
At "Deeper in the Cellar", first straighten the hoop, then unlock the trunk with the straightened hoop. The trunk contains a gold locket and some faded photographs.
the key to Cabin One. At "On the Lawn", Honey gives you her key after four turns in her presence. She wants you to bring back her sunblock.
The key unlocks the door to Cabin One, as expected.
an old-fashioned brass key. It's inside the window seat at the west end of the upstairs hall.
In the abandoned nursery, search the base of the model merry-go-round to notice the keyhole.
With this key, wind the model, then touch the clown mural that's rippling in response to the music. You'll find yourself in a confusing place with the clown.
a shiny key. It's in Beauregard Phelps's pants pocket.
Ask Tyrone about key to learn that the Phelps has the key to the boat house in his pants.
First, make Phelps sleepy by giving him a mug of hot cocoa with a sleeping pill in it.
Unfortunately, he doesn't fall asleep until he's alone on the porch, and approaching him through the screen door or up the porch steps is too noisy. He'll just keep waking up.
When he's asleep, take the fishing pole with the fish hook tied to its line to the weedy flower-bed and FISH to obtain the key.
In the meadow, show the map of the swamp, compass, and shiny key to Lydia to begin the endgame.
The shiny key unlocks the door to the boat house from the outside. Unfortunately, you can't lock the same door from the inside.
Paper goods
some faded photographs. They're in a locked trunk in "Deeper in the Cellar". Unlock the trunk with the straightened croquet hoop.
Examine the photos. Optionally, show them to some of the other characters like Lydia, Tyrone, David, and even Phelps. Honey and the boys ignore them.
an indecipherable map. Hank briefly shows it to you in Cabin Six, but he's murdered immediately afterwards and his stuff, including the map, is put into the incinerator behind the cabins.
Fill the bucket with swamp water and pour the water into the incinerator. Then search the wet ashes to find the map.
The map is unreadable until all six figurines have been destroyed. Learn this by showing the map to David in Cabin Three.
After all the figurines are destroyed, the map is now readable and restyled as a map of the swamp.
In the meadow, show the map of the swamp, compass, and shiny key to Lydia to begin the endgame.
a mystery by John Dickson Carr. Find it by examining the books in the living room.
In Cabin Five, ask or tell Aunt Caroline about Carr to get her to pop her head out of the bathroom to look at you, then show the Carr book to her. She'll take it and run off to the house to find the others, leaving behind a candle in the bathroom, and her red-eyed figurine locked in her suitcase in the closet.
a sketchbook. This the the oversize book you see on the bookcase in the living room.
Read it to learn the names of some demons. The name of the demon whose image matches the carving on the stone block in the meadow will be used as the code that unlocks the suitcase in Cabin Four.
a Gideon bible. It's in Cabin Two, on the bed near the door.
Read it, if you want to, but put it back on the bed when you're done. You don't need it for anything, and taking it would just alert the Reverend that someone's been in his cabin.
Wearables
your clothes. You're wearing them.
Leave them on and ignore them. Anything else you might want to wear in this game goes on top.
a white dress. It's in Cabin Five, on the bed by the door.
Ignore it. You don't want to wear it and you're unwilling to take it from the cabin. If you're ever forced to wear it, it means you've lost the game.
a sequined jacket. It's in the top drawer of the dresser in Cabin One.
Put the jacket in the sack. You don't want Honey to see that you've stolen her jacket.
Give it to the clown in the confusing place. When you've given him the jacket, the skeleton, and the scarf, he gives you the gold coin in exchange.
a stone bracelet. It's on the dining room table.
In the office, put the bracelet on the platform, put the hand mirror into the bracket, then turn the arrow to the sun. Concentrated sunlight will somehow charge the bracelet with energy.
In the alcove upstairs, touch the slab while wearing the charged bracelet to open the slab.
a gold locket. It's inside the locked trunk in "Deeper in the Cellar". Unlock the trunk with a straightened croquet hoop.
In the meadow, open the locket then show the locket to the ghost to stop her wailing. Now you can talk to the ghost, Lydia, like any other character. She also no longer stops you from examining the carving on the stone block there.
Take the locket to the Threshold of the Room of Sand where all the scorpions and jewels are. The locket's presence will make one jewel the brightest and most swiftly pulsing jewel. With the monkey present (see fruit), point at the jewel and the monkey will fetch the ruby for you.
a golden helmet and a golden cape. They're both in the locked cabinet in the sumptuously decorated room.
The cabinet combination can be seen by sitting on the throne in the throne room. Read the sequence from right to left.
Wear the helmet and cape. You must be wearing both of them before you can carry the staff. You also must be wearing these when going north past the statue in the temple.
Put the staff, helmet, and cape back into the cabinet before returning west across the bridge. You may not take them across with you.
a faded yellow scarf. A doll in the attic is wearing this scarf as a skirt.
If you like, you can use the suitcase as a container in the same way you can use the burlap sack, but you don't need the suitcase if you're using the sack.
a wooden bucket. It's beside the shed.
At the side of the boat shed, you can turn over the bucket and stand on it so you can look into the window.
When Hank's things are being burnt in the incinerator, fill the bucket with water from the swamp then pour the water into the incinerator to put out the flames. Search the soggy ashes to find Hank's map of the swamp.
One way to deal with the dagger in the alcove is to HOLD UP the bucket when the dagger is attacking. The dagger will stab the bucket and be caught.
an old shovel. It's in the garden of junk.
On the country road, take the dead possum with the shovel.
You can also use the shovel to carry a figurine instead of using the tongs.
a burlap sack. It's in the garden of junk.
This is your player's carry-all. Not only will it help you carry quite a lot of stuff, it'll let you hide that stuff from other people's casual view. You probably don't want Phelps to see you openly carrying any of the figurines, for example.
Unhappily, you won't be able to take the sack into the dumbwaiter, nor push the sack through any grates.
a tube of suntan lotion. It's in Cabin One's bathroom's medicine cabinet.
Return to Honey, on the lawn, and give the lotion to her. You have no use for it, but she does, and she did ask you for it.
a fat white candle. It's in the Cabin Five's bathroom, left behind by Aunt Caroline.
You cannot light this candle. There's no matches or lighters anywhere.
KNEAD or SQUEEZE the candle into a lump of white wax.
In Tyrone's shack, put the wax on the eyes of the voodoo mask. Now it won't see you take his fishing pole or cigar box.
For an alternate solution for the mask, see juice glass.
a floorboard. This loose floorboard in in Cabin Two's closet.
You can only enter Cabin Two during the time when the Reverend is helping dispose of Hank's body in the swamp.
In the alcove, you can HOLD UP the floorboard to capture the dagger when it's attacking you.
a poker. Find it by examining the fireplace in the living room.
After Aunt Caroline locks her red-eyed figurine in her suitcase, hit her suitcase with the poker to break its lock.
In the alcove, when the dagger isn't moving, hit it with the the poker to "kill" it. Note that if the dagger is already attacking you, this won't work until you leave and return.
In the boat shed, on the catwalk, put the poker into the tab then turn the tab to open the big door.
some fire tongs. Find them by examining the fireplace in the living room.
a hand mirror. It's in the house's upstairs bathroom.
In the office, put the mirror into the empty clip of the strange device.
a screwdriver. It's on the dresser in Beauregard Phelps's bedroom.
In the abandoned nursery, unscrew the grate with the screwdriver. To find the grate, rock the cradle.
In the alcove, unscrew the grate with the screwdriver.
In the garden of junk, unscrew the window screen with the screwdriver. Now you can enter the window to get inside Tyrone's shack.
Pry the barrel (of tar) with the screwdriver to open it.
a curved dagger. It's on the table in the alcove east of Phelps's bedroom.
CAUTION: If you try to take it or the purple-eyed figurine, it flies up and tries to attack you. Leave the alcove and it will return to the table and "sleep" again. If you try to fight the dagger while it's flying, you will fail to damage it.
While the dagger is resting on the table, hit it with the poker. This "kills" it, and you can now treat it like a normal dagger.
Alternatively, you can capture the dagger if you HOLD UP either the floorboard or the bucket while it's flying around. The dagger will attack your wooden item and get stuck.
Once the dagger is "dead" or stuck, you have no further use for it and can ignore it.
a straw mat. Take one from the mats hanging in the sumptuously decorated room.
In the room of bones, drop the mat and quickly put the skeleton onto the mat, then roll the mat. You can now safely carry the skeleton inside the rolled-up straw mat without the skeleton falling apart.
Drop the mat in the alcove and unlock (but don't open!) the door to Beauregard's bedroom from the inside.
Circle around to the west end of the hallway and get Luisa away from the door for a while. One way is to ask her about the doll, then about Jessie: she'll run off to the attic to cry. Another way is to drop the egg in the kitchen and tell her about the mess you made: she'll leave to clean it up.
However you got rid of Luisa, she won't be gone long. Quickly get to the alcove via the bedroom door and get the mat and the purple-eyed figurine in the same trip. Don't forget to close the door when you leave the bedroom.
Take the mat to the confusing place where the clown is (see brass key). Drop the mat, unroll it, and give the skeleton to the clown.
a wooden staff. It's in the locked cabinet in the sumptuously decorated room.
The cabinet combination can be seen by sitting on the throne in the throne room. Read the sequence from right to left.
First wear the helmet and cape. You must be wearing both of them before you can carry the staff.
Note: The staff isn't necessary for getting past the statue in the temple.
At opposite the doorway, wave the staff to re-create the silver bridge.
Put the staff, helmet, and cape back into the cabinet before returning west across the bridge. You may not take them across with you.
a skeleton. It's in the room of bones.
Drop the mat and quickly put the skeleton onto the mat, then roll the mat. You can now safely carry the skeleton inside the rolled-up straw mat without the skeleton falling apart.
CAUTION: If the skeleton ever falls apart because you've handled it directly too much, the game is now unwinnable!
See mat regarding how to get the mat out of the bedroom en route to the clown.
Take the mat to the confusing place where the clown is (see brass key). Drop the mat, unroll it, and give the skeleton to the clown.
a very large, softly pulsing ruby. It's one of many jewels seen at the threshold of the room of sand.
You won't be able to spot this ruby amongst all the others unless you have the locket with you. You don't have to be wearing the locket, but it must be there.
With the monkey present (see fruit), point at the jewel. The monkey will fetch the ruby for you, evading the scorpions.
This ruby is Lydia's heart. Return to the meadow and give the ruby to the ghost. Lydia is restored to life!
a fishing pole. It's on the table in Tyrone's shack, but you can't take it until you've first blinded the mask either with wax (see candle) or with tar (see juice glass).
While Phelps is sleeping on the porch (because you give him a mug of cocoa with a sleeping pill in it), go to weedy flower-bed and FISH (using the pole with the hook tied to it) to obtain the shiny key.
a cigar box. Acquire it by looking under the bed in Tyrone's shack, but only after you've blinded the mask either with wax (see candle) or with tar (see juice glass).
a gold coin. The clown in the confusing place (see brass key) gives this coin to you when you give him the jacket, scarf, and skeleton.
Show the coin to the boys by the farm. They'll trade their compass to you for it.
a compass. The boys by the farm have it.
Show the gold coin to the boys. They'll give you the compass in trade for it.
In the meadow, show the readable map, compass, and shiny key to Lydia to begin the endgame. She now follows you into the boat shed.
a rubber hose. Acquire it by searching the garden of junk during the endgame.
You won't find it until after you've traversed the thicket maze.
When standing in the power boat, open the gas tank, put the hose in the gas tank, then suck the hose to siphon the gas out. Now Phelps and the others can't use the power boat to persue you into the swamp.
some oars. They're in the rowboat.
Put the oars into the oarlock, then row the boat!
Score
The response to SCORE is:
You have thus far performed number-of-completed-tasks of the 70-odd significant actions you can take to move the story forward. (For a list of the tasks you have accomplished, type ‘full score’.)
The response to FULL SCORE is:
You have moved the story forward by:
picking up a croquet hoop
discovering the ghost
using the burlap sack to carry things
finding the flashlight
exploring Honey Hartwell’s cabin
taking the sequined jacket
absconding with the pill bottle
picking up the dead possum
making friends with the dog
getting rid of the dog
unlocking the old trunk
exploring the tunnel
making friends with the ghost
examining the carvings on the block
putting out the fire in the incinerator
finding the hatch in the pantry
opening the window seat
taking the scarf
unlocking the valise
picking up a figurine
finding Reverend Gillespie's figurine
luring Aunt Caroline out of the bathroom
getting the white candle
breaking the lock on Aunt Caroline's suitcase
using the dumbwaiter
getting the crow to eat the spider
fixing the fuse box
winding up the merry-go-round
meeting the clown
giving the sequined jacket to the clown
giving the scarf to the clown
putting the mirror in the brass clip
adding power to the stone bracelet
dealing with the flying dagger
exploring the labyrinth of stone tunnels
unlocking the inlaid wood cabinet
restoring the silver bridge
taking the mat
getting the golden fruit from the tree
making friends with the monkey
getting past the statue in the temple
getting the softly pulsing jewel
rolling up the skeleton in the mat
restoring Lydia to life
unscrewing the screen
blinding the ebony mask
finding the cigar box under the bed
brewing a cup of cocoa
serving the cocoa to Beauregard
fishing the key from Phelps’s pocket
giving the skeleton to the clown
getting the gold coin from the clown
crushing all of the figurines
trading the gold coin for the compass
climbing in through the bathroom window
switching on the laptop
finding the cloth pouch
finding a path through the thorn thicket
finding the hose
giving Lydia a leaf
siphoning the fuel out of the outboard motor
opening the big door in the boat shed
Note that your accomplishments will be listed in the order you achieve them, not necessarily in the order listed here.
I found 62 accomplishments. Are there any more that I missed?
Time
Time in this game advances in response to completing scorable tasks. Significant events enacted by others, including Hank Slocum's murder, do not advance the time.
Your character, Diane, don't have a watch or cell phone, but she can estimate the time by using the TIME command. Estimated time roughly advances 15 minutes with every four scorable tasks that you complete. It's not exactly that, though. A more specific time is available if you examine the grandfather clock in the entrance hall.
Without access to the source code, my best guess on how game time actually works is that three out of every four tasks take four minutes of game time, and one out of every four tasks take three minutes each, and the estimated time is the real game time rounded down to the nearest fifteen minutes.
The game begins at 2:30 in the afternoon. Aunt Caroline wants you to return to the cabin by 6:30 to get ready for the "sunset picnic". But by the time 6:30 comes, you're hiding from everyone but Lydia as they search for you.
Hank's arrival in Cabin Six, and his SUV arriving in Gravel Driveway, is triggered by you showing the open locket to the ghost. This is also when Lydia starts talking to you and can tell you that you need a map.
Hank is murdered when you ask him about himself. Several other events happen immediately afterwards:
The doors to Cabins Two and Four are now open because the Reverend and Owens are getting rid of Hank's body.
Tyrone leaves to dispose of Hank's SUV.
Beauregard has left also, probably to help with the boat.
The boat shed door is open, and the power boat is missing.
Luisa will now let you into the house. She's in the kitchen, shelling peas.
David in Cabin Three ends his nap and will now talk to you, particularly about the figurines.
A few turns after you obtain both the figurines from Cabins Two and Four, and you're no longer near those cabins, the van, the porch, or the boat shed, you hear the motorboat return.
The Reverend is back in Cabin Two.
Owens is back in Cabin Four.
Beauregard is back on the porch.
Tyrone is back at the van.
The boat shed is re-locked, and the motor boat is back inside it.
Luisa has moved upstairs. She's now ironing in front of Beauregard's bedroom door. You can now access the dumbwaiter and use the kitchen.
When Lydia enters the boat shed, the endgame begins. Most travel routes are now blocked by searchers and your only way into the cellars is via the trapdoor in Cabin Four.
When you obtain the pouch, the trapdoor is also blocked, but you may now enter the thicket from the country road.
Leaving the thicket maze is the earliest time you can find the rubber hose in the garden of junk.
