You play as a kid on your way home from school on a Monday afternoon. Last Friday, ugly crabby Mrs. Pepper took your skateboard away from you when you had a freak spill in front of her driveway. She wouldn't give your skateboard back then, but maybe you can get it back now?
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Version 1.02 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.
You hear a high-pitched voice calling for help from an upstairs window.
> x window.
> n.
Front Porch
> push doorbell. z.(She answers the door, but slams it again when you ask about the skateboard.)
> push doorbell. z.(She threatens to call the police.)
> drop flyer. push doorbell. s.(+4. She takes the bait and drives away.)
Front Yard
> e. n.
Driveway by House
> x can. open can. look in can. put lid on can.
> x house. x window.
> x garage. x garage door.(painted shut)
> x path. nw.
Back Yard
CAUTION: To get the points for finding your skateboard, you must explicitly look under the porch. If you simply examine the crawl space, you see the skateboard, but you don't get any points that way.
> x neighbor. x weeds. x holes. x birdbath.
> x garage. open door.(locked)
> x porch. look under porch.(+2)
> x skateboard. take it.(out of reach)
> x toad.(it's gone)
> greet neighbor.
> ask her about gardening.
> ask her about Mrs Pepper.(She thinks Mrs. Pepper stole her gold brooch.)
> ask her about brooch.
> ask her about Mr Pepper.(He died in an accident.)
> ask her about herself.
> ask her about car. ask her about wigs.
> ask her about skateboard.
> ask her about birdbath. ask her about holes.
> s.
Back Porch
> open door.(locked)
> x ramp.
> n. se.
Driveway by House
> take can. put can under window.(+2)
> stand on can. w.(+3)
Kitchen
> x table. open drawer.
> x flashlight. take it. open it.(no battery)
> open cupboard. take all from cupboard.
> x glass. x knife.
> x sink. x faucet. x stove.
> x fridge. open it. x bread. x cheese. close fridge.
> x door.(needs a key even from inside)
> s. s.
Sitting Room
> x TV. x couch. search couch.
> x table. x book. take it. read it.(paper falls out)
> take paper. read it.(It's a cryptogram key.)
> read book.(has an index)
> x fireplace. x log. x mantel.
> x photo. x Mrs. x man. x wheelchair.
> x remote. open it. take battery.
> put battery in flashlight.
> n. u. n.
Back Bedroom
> x bed. x comforter. look under bed.
> x table. x heads. x wigs.
Using the piece of paper as a cryptogram key, you can decode the tags:
green wig: CAUSE SLEEP.
auburn wig: MAKE WHEELED VEHICLES SWERVE.
blond wig: SUMMON RAIN.
black wig: MAGICAL LOCKING.
> look up wig in book.(Wig magic requires you to wear the wig and perform some other action.)
> take blond wig. take black wig.(You won't need the other two.)
> open drawer.
> x brush. x emblem. read tiny lettering.
> x score. read it.(mentions Trazom, Ireilas Oinotna.)
> take score. x ocarina. take it. play it.
> play score.(no: too complex)
> drop score.
> look up music in book.("see locks, magical")
> look up locks in book.(play a melody)
> look up rain in book.(pour water with bamboo)
> look up sleep in book.(use Scarlet Fish and incantation)
> look up vehicles in book.(That page is missing.)
> x mirror.
> e.
Bathroom
> x bath. x basin. x toilet.
> w. s.
Landing
> open door.(won't open)
> wear black wig.
> play ocarina. open door. remove black wig.
> s.(+3)
Front Bedroom
> x pot. x person. x window. x curtains.
> take pamphlet. read it.(The pot person is a garden elf.)
> look up elf in book.(must stay in soil)
> greet elf.(It weakly asks for water.)
> n. n. e.
Bathroom
> fill glass. turn off faucet.
> w. s. s.
Front Bedroom
> pour water on elf.(no: He needs fresh water.)
> n.
Landing
> push button.(nothing happens)
> d. n. d.
Cellar
> turn on flashlight.(+2)
> pull chain.(A bulb lights up.)
> turn off flashlight.
> x machinery.
> x wheel. x cable. x wire. x screw.
> x door. open door. x red switch.("on")
> x wheelchair. x lever.
> look behind lever.
> take keys.(need a thin sturdy tool)
> push keys with knife.(+2)
> take keys.
> x shelf. x jar. take jar.(out of reach)
> pull brake. push chair under shelf.
> push brake. stand on chair. take jar.(+3)
> get off chair.
> open jar.(can't: lid is stuck)
> clean jar. x brooch.
> u.
Kitchen
> unlock door with keys.
> n. n.
Back Yard
> x garden.
> give jar to Mrs.(+2. She smashes the jar open and wears the brooch.)
> ask Mrs for bamboo.(+3; Mrs Dogwood gives a stick, then leaves.)
> x stick. take skateboard with stick.(not quite)
> wear blond wig.
> pour water.(The birdbath is now full.)
> remove wig. fill glass.(+2)
> unlock door. e.
Garage
> x clutter. search it.(nothing)
> x bench. x rake. take it.
> x toolbox. open it. x screwdriver. take it.
> w.
Back Yard
> take skateboard with rake.(+4)
> s. s. d.
Cellar
> pull switch.
> attach wire to screw.(You need both hands free.)
> drop all but screwdriver.
> attach wire to screw.(+5)
> take all.
> push switch.(The machinery starts humming.)
> u. s. u. s.
Front Bedroom
> pour water on elf.(+4)
> ask elf about himself.(His name is Turlix.)
> ask Turlix about Mrs Pepper.
> ask Turlix about pot.
> drop skateboard.
> take pot.(You need both hands free.)
> drop all. take pot. put pot on skateboard.
> take all but pot and skateboard.
> push board north.
Landing
> push button.(+2; the steel door opens)
> push board west.
Small Compartment
> push button.(You go down a floor.)
> push board east.
Hall
> push board north.
Kitchen
> push board north.
Back Porch
> push board north.
Back Yard
The elf leaves the pot and offers a reward if you go to the front yard.
> push board se.
Driveway by House
> push pot south.
Driveway
> push pot west.(+6)
Front Yard
The elf grows an orange on the tree, then he leaves.
> drop all.
> take pot. drop pot.
> take skateboard. take orange.
> x orange. eat orange. g. g. g. g.(Yum!)
> s. w.
You quickly put everything back and lock up the house and garage and put the keys under the back porch before going home with your skateboard.
*** YOU HAVE WON ***
Extras
Characters
Main characters:
Mrs. Pepper is a dreadful woman who wears cheap wigs, tries to run you over with her car, and took your skateboard.
Mrs. Dogwood is Mrs. Pepper's neighbor. She's working in her garden next door.
A garden elf named Turlix is planted in a heavy pot in the front bedroom. He needs fresh water soon or he'll die.
Cameo:
A toad hops under the back porch when you first try to take your skateboard.
Mentioned:
Mr. Pepper is Mrs. Pepper's late husband. He died when he and his wheelchair fell down the cellar stairs. It's very likely that Mrs. Pepper caused the accident using magic and her auburn wig.
Birds avoid the birdbath in the back yard.
Gladys is a friend of Mrs. Dogwood.
Your mother told you the story about how Mr. Pepper died.
"Trazom" is Mozart backwards. He was an Italian classical composer.
"Ireilas Oinotna" is Antonio Salieri backwards. He was another Italian classical composer.
Credits
This is the response to CREDITS:
Mrs. Pepper’s Nasty Secret by Jim Aikin and Eric Eve
Special thanks to:
Mark Engelberg for devising and running the competition that inspired this game (and for some suggestions).
David Fisher for devising and running a second competition we can enter this game into. Mike Roberts for writing TADS 3.
Stephen Granade, for his cquotes extension.
Steve Breslin, for his SpellingCorrector extension.
Nikos Chantziaras, for ncDebugActions (an invaluable aid in debugging).
Emily Short, for the NewbieGrammar.h extension (for Inform 6) from which we borrowed and adapted a number of ideas.
And last, but absolutely not least, our intrepid team of beta-testers, without whom this game would have been riddled with distracting flaws: Emily Boegheim, Hannah Boegheim, Chris Jones, Juhana Leinonen, Jeff Liu, Justin Lowmaster, Radical Al, S. John Ross, Mike Snyder, and Mike Tarbert.
Inventory
Items are listed in the order you acquire (or can acquire) them in this walkthrough.
an advertising flyer. It's on the pole on the sidewalk by the front yard, but only after examining the posters first.
On the front porch, drop the flyer, push the doorbell, then go south into the front yard to avoid Mrs. Pepper when she answers the door. She takes the flyer and drives away in her car.
a trash can and a trash can lid. The can is on the driveway by the house. The lid is on the can.
Leave the lid on the can and put the can under the window. Stand on the can. Now you can go west into the kitchen via the open window. Unfortunately, you knock off the can lid, so you can't leave that way.
a small flashlight. It's in the kitchen table's drawer.
Open it and put the AA battery into the flashlight.
When in the cellar, turn on the flashlight to see down there, at least until you pull the chain for the light there.
CAUTION: Dropping the flashlight always turns it off.
a glass. It's in the kitchen cupboard.
First, fill the glass with water from either the kitchen or bathroom faucets.
Second, in the back yard, while wearing the blond wig and holding the bamboo stick, pour the glass. This causes a short rainstorm and fills the birdbath with fresh water. You know now to summon rain by looking up rain in the yellow book.
Third, fill the glass with water from the birdbath.
Fourth, pour the fresh water on the garden elf to revive him. He's in the front bedroom unless you've moved him.
a butter knife. It's in the kitchen cupboard.
In the cellar, push the keys with the knife to free from under the wheelchair's brake lever.
a yellow book. It's on the coffee table in the sitting room.
When you first try to read or open the book, a piece of paper falls out.
Look up several magic-related topics in the book. Known topics include: elf, locks, magic, music, sleep, rain, vehicles, and wig.
a piece of paper. It falls out of the yellow book when you first try to read or open the book.
Read it. It has two phrases, one in English, one in gibberish. Together, they form a cryptogram key that you can use to decode coded text on the wigs' tags.
a remote control. It's on the coffee table in the sitting room.
a framed photo. It's on the mantel in the sitting room.
Examine it and examine everything in the photo, but you don't need to take it. You learn that Mr. Pepper used a wheelchair.
a green wig. It's on a styrofoam head in the back bedroom.
Its tag, when decoded, reads: CAUSE SLEEP; see paper.
You don't need this wig.
an auburn wig. It's on a styrofoam head in the back bedroom.
Its tag, when decoded, reads: MAKE WHEELED VEHICLES SWERVE; see paper.
You don't need this wig.
a blond wig. It's on a styrofoam head in the back bedroom.
Its tag, when decoded, reads: SUMMON RAIN; see paper.
In the back yard, while wearing the blond wig and carrying the bamboo stick and a glass of water, empty the glass to summon rain. The birdbath is now filled with fresh water.
a black wig. It's on a styrofoam head in the back bedroom.
Its tag, when decoded, reads: MAGICAL LOCKING; see paper.
On the landing, while wearing the black wig, play the ocarina to unlock the door to the front bedroom.
a brush. It's in the dressing table's drawer in the back bedroom.
The emblem is a red herring and you can't ever read the tiny lettering.
While the book suggests that you need the brush for the sleep spell, you don't need to put anyone to sleep and you don't need the brush.
a musical score. It's in the dressing table's drawer in the back bedroom.
The score is too complex for you to play.
Take the score to reveal the ocarina that's underneath.
an ocarina. It's hidden under the musical score in the dressing table's drawer in the back bedroom.
On the landing, while wearing the black wig, play the ocarina to unlock the door to the front bedroom.
a pamphlet. It's in the front bedroom.
Read it to learn about garden elves.
a bunch of keys. In the cellar, the keys are wedged under the wheelchair's brake lever.
a glass jar. It's on the high shelf in the cellar.
To get the jar safely off the shelf, you can push the wheelchair under the shelf and stand on the wheelchair to reach it. Of course, you first need to pull the brake lever before pushing the chair, and push the lever down again before standing on the chair.
You can also take the jar with the rake. The jar falls onto the floor and shatters, but that's okay.
If you have the intact jar, you can clean it so you can see what's inside: a gold brooch.
The only way to open the jar is to break it.
You can give the clean jar to Mrs. Dogwood instead of just the brooch. She'll break the jar in a heartbeat to get her brooch back.
In the back yard, ask the neighbor (Mrs. Dogwood) about Mrs. Pepper to learn that Mrs. Pepper stole her gold brooch. Give the brooch to Mrs. Dogwood.
a bamboo stick. Bamboo is growing in Mrs. Dogwood's garden, as seen from the back yard.
After giving the brooch to Mrs. Dogwood, ask her about the bamboo. She will gladly cut a bamboo stick and give it to you. She goes back inside her house immediately afterwards.
a rake. It's in the garage.
In the back yard, take the skateboard (from under the porch) with the rake.
In the cellar, you can take the jar (from the high shelf) with the rake. The jar breaks, but that's okay. You only want the brooch that's inside.
a toolbox. It's on the workbench in the garage.
Open it and take the screwdriver that's inside. You don't need the toolbox itself.
a screwdriver. It's in the toolbox on the workbench in the garage.
In the cellar, after turning the power switch (that's behind the metal door) off, attach the black wire to the screw (using the screwdriver). Turn the switch on again; the elevator is now operational.
your skateboard. It's out of reach in the crawl space underneath the back porch, as seen from the back yard.
In the front bedroom, drop the skateboard and put the pot on it. Now you can push the skateboard all the way to the back yard, using the elevator to get from upstairs to downstairs. When you arrive in the back yard, if the elf isn't thirsty, he will leave his pot and be free.
a heavy pot. It's in the front bedroom, and it has a weak garden elf planted in it.
Talk to the elf to learn he needs water, but if you try to pour tap water on the elf, you learn that only fresh water will do.
In the back yard, while wearing the blond wig and carrying the bamboo stick and a glass of water, empty the glass to summon rain. The birdbath is now filled with fresh water. Fill the glass with water from the birdbath and pour that water on the elf to revive him.
In the front bedroom, drop the skateboard and put the pot on it. Now you can push the skateboard all the way to the back yard, using the elevator to get from upstairs to downstairs. When you arrive in the back yard, if the elf isn't thirsty, he will leave his pot and be free.
an orange. The elf makes it grow on the tree in the front yard after you bring his pot to the back yard then follow him to the front yard.
Take it. Feel free to eat it and enjoy it; you've earned it.
Score
This is the response to SCORE:
In several moves, you have scored your-score of a possible 50 points.
(To see a detailed accounting of your score, type FULL SCORE.)
Points are awarded as follows:
1 point for taking the flyer from the telephone pole
4 points for getting Mrs. Pepper to leave the house
2 points for locating your skateboard
2 points for moving the trash can underneath the window
3 points for climbing through the window
3 points for getting into the front bedroom
2 points for getting the small flashlight to work
2 points for recovering the bunch of keys
3 points for getting the glass jar down from the shelf
2 points for giving Mrs. Dogwood back her brooch
3 points for getting the bamboo stick from Mrs. Dogwood
2 points for filling the glass from the birdbath
4 points for retrieving your skateboard from under the porch
5 points for attaching the wire to the machine
4 points for watering the elf
2 points for using the elevator
6 points for freeing the elf from the pot
Note that if you water the elf by making it rain on him, you have no need to fill the glass from the birdbath. So in that case, instead of getting two points for filling the glass, you'll get two points when you pick the orange.
