In this fantasy game, you play as a rag doll named Poppet. You wake in absolute darkness which alarms you. You should be in Polly's bed, ready to protect her, and you should never have slept. And you soon discover the house is in a severe state of decay. What happened? Where is Polly and her family? How long did you sleep?
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Version 1.0 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.
> x bed. x pillow. x window. x wallpaper. x coats.
> n.
Closet
> x morning coat. search morning coat.(You find and take a matchbook.)
> s. e.
Hallway (upstairs, west end)
> x cat. take whiskers.(No reason to.)
> x carpet.
> n.
Lavatory
> x toilet. x bathtub.
> x perfume. take it.
> s. s.
Sewing room
> x drawing.(Art by Polly of her toys.)
> x dummy. x fan. x shelf.
> x hat box.(Out of reach.)
> x machine.(Not functional.)
> x sewing box.(Need a tool to open its clasp.)
> n. e.
Hallway (upstairs, east end)
> x gap. x bookshelf. x window seat.
> s.
Nursery
> x footprints.(Indications of a scuffle.)
> x Birgitta.(asleep or dead)
> x dollhouse.(facade revealed)
> x facade. take it.
> x carriage.(A pushcart)
> x mural.
> n.
Hallway (upstairs, east end)
> use facade on gap. d.
Foyer
Juliette, a china doll, greets you. She fears that Polly is grown up. But she says she has a way to keep the magic alive, then leaves.
> x cabinet. open it.
> x buttonhook. take it. x shoelace. take it.
> x bannister.
Head back to the sewing room:
> u. w. s.
Sewing room
> use buttonhook on sewing box. take scissors. take needle.
> use perfume on fan.(The fan is now full.)
> use matchbook on fan.(The fan blows the hat box off the shelf.)
> x hat box. use scissors on hat box. x face.
Head back downstairs and continue exploring:
> n. e. d. s.
Parlour
> x painting.(It's of Polly's grandfather, aka "Opa".)
> x divan.(Note crumpled paper)
> read paper.(Animations may be fueled with fear and quelled with aid.)
> x fireplace. x ashes. x poker. x curtains.
> take poker.
> w.
Dining room
> x table. x chairs. x fireplace.
> w.(Some force of repulsion is keeping you out.)
> s.
Hallway (downstairs)
> x grate.(No reason to enter there now.)
> w.
Den
> x animal.(It's moving, has gash in its side, has sharp claws)
> x chair. x fireplace. x rug. x heads.
Remembering the paper in the parlour, you can offer to sew up the gash in the animal, quelling the animation that Polly's fear granted it.
> speak to animal. use needle on animal.
After repairing the animal, it becomes lifeless and you spot a copper key in its mouth.
> take copper key.
> e. n. n.
West foyer
> x can. take it.(You kick it instead.)
> x graffiti.("Westside Ha")
> x door. x tiny door.
> n.(tiny door is locked)
> w.(also locked)
Make sure you explicitly refer to the copper key
> unlock door with copper key. w.
Office
Note: "open drawer(s)" doesn't work.
> x figure.(It's a medical skeleton.)
> x desk. open desk.(You find an envelope.)
> x envelope.("Polly, Age 6")
> open envelope.(You find baby teeth which you keep.)
> x tome. read tome.
There's eight topics which you can 'ask' the tome about by chapter number. Read all the chapters:
> ask tome about 1.(re cures)
> ask tome about 2.(re creating poppets)
> ask tome about 3.(re concealed shoes as wards)
> ask tome about 4.(re creating an oracle)
> ask tome about 5.(re toads)
> ask tome about 6.(re creating a charm of disguise)
> ask tome about 7.(re creating a necklace of protection)
> ask tome about 8.(re finding lost things)
> x cabinet. open cabinet. take brass key.
> e.
West foyer
> unlock tiny door with brass key. n.
The space under the stairs
> x gum. take gum.
> s. e. u. w.
Hallway (upstairs, west end)
Now that you know about making an oracle, you can take a whisker.
> take whisker.
> e. d. s. w.
Dining room
From chapter 3 of the tome, you may now suspect that a concealed shoe in the fireplace is stopping you from entering the kitchen.
> use poker on fireplace.(You dislodge a shoe.)
> x concealed shoe. take it.
> take ashes.
> w.
Kitchen
The dolls are making a pile of china.
> x pile. x Jingles. speak to Jingles.
> x Tomas. speak to Tomas.
> x Pirouette. speak to Pirouette.(She's faceless and can't talk.)
> use gum on face.
> use face on Pirouette.(She can talk now!)
> speak to Pirouette.
> x sink. open cupboard. x grease trap.
> x tutu. ask Pirouette about tutu.(You get some muslin.)
> ask Piroutte about china.
> w.
Pantry
> x Winston. x thyme. x bay.
> take thyme. take bay.
> speak to Winston.
> ask Winston about Polly. ask Winston about Juliette.
> ask Winston about china. ask Winston about trapdoor.
> e.
Kitchen
You can't take any grease, but...
> use ashes on grease. use whisker on grease.
> use thyme on grease.(You create an oracle unguent.)
> x unguent. take it.
> e. n. w.
Office
> use unguent on skeleton.
The skeleton is now an oracle. Ask it about everyone to get a cryptic hints about them.
> ask skeleton about Polly.
> ask skeleton about Juliette.
> ask skeleton about me.
> ask skeleton about skeleton.
> ask skeleton about Winston.
> ask skeleton about Pirouette.
> ask skeleton about Jingles.
Head back to the bedroom:
> e. e. u. w. w.
Bedroom
> use bay on pillow.(You're now sure something is in the downstairs hallway grate.)
> e. e. d. w. s. s.
Hallway (downstairs)
> open grate.(You find Jingles' bell!)
> x bell. take it.
> n. w.
Kitchen
> give bell to Jingles.
> ask Jingles about Juliette. ask Jingles about Winston. ask Jingles about china.
Now that Jingles has his bell, he'll let you take one piece of china.
> take china. take eye.(It's Juliette's missing eye.)
> use muslin on eye.(It's now a charm of deception.)
> w.
Pantry
When you enter here, Winston believes you're Juliette and you send him away.
> d.
Basement
> x hole. x boy. speak to boy.
> ask boy about boy.(He's Owen. He wants to join the Westside Hawks gang.)
> ask boy about Juliette.(She tied him up.)
> x dress. ask boy about dress.
> x teapot. x toolbox. open it. take pliers. x pliers.
> ask Owen about Westside Hawks. ask Owen about spraypaint can.
> untie Owen.
Juliette arrives and stops you. She thinks Owen's fear awakened the old magic. Then there's a BUMP upstairs. Juliette says that's probably Birgitta wakening.
> untie Owen.(You can't. Juliette's magic on the ropes is too strong.)
Head to the nursery and Birgitta:
> u. e. e. e. n. u. s.
Nursery
> speak to Birgitta.(She rejects this borrowed life and returns to a lifeless sleep.)
> n. d.
Foyer
As you enter, Juliette asks you about Birgitta. You tell her what happened.
Juliette warns you not to let the boy go, and if you agree, to bring the teapot upstairs.
> s. w. s. w.
Den
> take claw.(using the pliers. A loose claw is now here.)
> pick up claw.
> use claw on shoelace.(You have a claw necklace)
> use teeth on necklace.(You have a teeth n claw necklace)
> e. n. w. w. d.
Basement
I'm assuming you want the good ending? If you want the bad ending, just take the teapot to the kitchen.
> put shoe in hole.(To stop Juliette or the others from entering here.)
> give necklace to boy. untie boy.
Good night, Poppet.
*** Game Over ***
Extras
Artwork
These are thumbnails of artwork in the game. To see the images at full size, please play the game.
Game title
Polly's drawing of her toys
Characters
Poppet is a rag doll and the player-character. She wakes up in the bedroom closet.
Birgitta is a sleepy-time doll in the nursery. When she finally wakes, she rejects her borrowed life and returns to a lifeless sleep on her own.
Juliette is a china doll missing her left eye. She greets you in the foyer and has a plan that will keep all the dolls awake, even though Polly is grown and gone.
Jingles is a plush elephant who has lost his bell. He's collecting china for a tea party.
Pirouette is a dancing ballerina doll. Her painted face has faded away, so she can't talk until she gets a new face.
Tomas is a baby doll. He's helping Jingles and Pirouette collect china.
Winston is a gruff teddy bear guarding the trapdoor to the basement as per Juliette's orders.
A taxidermy animal with a gash in its side and sharp claws is thrashing about in the den.
A medical skeleton in the office can be enchanted with an oracle unguent, letting it answer questions about the past and future.
Owen is a boy tied up on a chair in the basement. He entered this "haunted house" to join a gang, and his fear woke most of the dolls. Juliette kidnapped him while he was spraypainting some graffiti in the west foyer.
Mentioned:
Polly was a girl who used to love her dolls very much, but she's now grown, and the magic that her love created has faded.
Grandfather (Opa) studied and practiced magic.
Grandmother (Oma) made Poppet.
The Westside Hawks is a gang of kids that Owen wants to join.
Also:
A dessicated cat is rotting away in the upstairs hallway. Disgusting.
Bitter Karella can also be found on twitter at @bitterkarella
Special thanks to playtesters Rafferty, Sarah Adams, and Davy B!
Endings
Good morning, Poppet.
if you bring the teapot to the kitchen, agreeing with Juliette's plan to use Owen's fear to keep all the dolls animated.
Good night, Poppet.
if you untie Owen. He escapes from the house and you soon fall asleep, forever.
Inventory
In the approximate order you'll acquire them:
matchbook. Acquire it by searching the morning coat in the closet.
In the sewing room, after using the perfume on the fan, use the matchbook on the fan. The fan will blow the hat box off the shelf down to the floor. (The matchbook is now gone.)
perfume. It's in the lavatory.
Because of its age, it's just alcohol now.
In the sewing room, use the perfume on the fan to fuel it up.
dollhouse facade. Find it by examining the dollhouse in the nursery.
In the east end of the upstairs hallway, use the facade on the gap. Now you can go downstairs.
buttonhook. It's inside the cabinet in the foyer.
In the sewing room, use the buttonhook on the sewing box to open its clasp. (The buttonhook is now gone.)
shoelace. It's inside the cabinet in the foyer.
Before using the shoelace, you should first ask the tome (in the office) about (chapter) 7 to learn that a necklace of bears' claws and children's teeth will protect a child.
Use the teeth on the shoelace to create a tooth necklace.
Use the claw on the shoelace to create a claw necklace.
When both the teeth and claw are on the shoelace, it's called a teeth n claw necklace.
After putting the shoe into the hole in the basement wall (so Juliette can't enter and interfere), give the teeth n claw necklace to Owen to protect him from Juliette's magic. Now you can untie him to win the game.
knitting scissors. It's inside the sewing box in the sewing room; use the buttonhook on the sewing box to open its clasp.
Use the scissors on the hat box to acquire a cardboard face. (The scissors and the hat box are now gone.)
threaded needle. It's inside the sewing box in the sewing room; use the buttonhook on the sewing box to open its clasp.
In the den, use the needle on the animal to repair you. You'll then spot a copper key in its mouth.
hat box. It's on a high shelf in the sewing room.
To get the hat box off the shelf, use the perfume, then the matchbook on the fan. The fan blows the hot box down to the floor.
Use the scissors on the hat box to acquire a cardboard face. (The scissors and the hat box are now gone.)
cardboard face. Acquire it by using the scissors on the hat box.
Use the gum arabic on (the back of) the face to make it sticky.
In the kitchen, use the face on Pirouette. Now she can talk! Ask her about her tutu to get some muslin.
crumpled paper. Find it by examining the divan in the parlour.
Read it to learn that animations may be fueled with fear and quelled with aid. For example, you can use the threaded needle on the taxidermy animal in the den to de-animate it.
copper key. In the den, the copper key appears in the animal's mouth after you use the threaded needle on the animal.
In the west foyer, unlock the door with the copper key.
envelope. Find it by opening the rolltop desk in the office.
Examine it and open it to find and acquire some of Polly's baby teeth that were inside.
In the west foyer, unlock the tiny door with the brass key.
gum arabic. It's in the space under the stairs.
Use the gum arabic on (the back of) the cardboard face. Now you can use the face on Pirouette.
poker. It's in the parlour.
In the dining room, use the poker on the fireplace to dislodge a concealed shoe.
concealed shoe. Find it in the dining room by using the poker on the fireplace there.
In the office, ask the tome about (chapter) 3 to learn that concealed shoes stop unnatural influences from crossing a threshold. The shoe in the chimney was stopping you from entering the kitchen.
In the basement, put the shoe in the hole. This will stop Juliette from entering the basement.
whisker. It's part of the cat carcass in the west end of the upstairs hallway.
Note that you won't take it until you have a reason to. After asking the tome (in the office) about (chapter) 4, you know that a cat's whisker is one of the ingredients for creating an oracle.
In the kitchen, use the whisker on the grease.
muslin. In the kitchen, after using the cardboard face on Pirouette so she can talk, ask her about her tutu to receive some muslin.
If you agree to Juliette's plan to keep Owen a frightened prisoner, using his fear to keep all the dolls animated, bring the teapot upstairs to the kitchen. Otherwise, leave it alone.
the support of Robin Johnson, Ville Lavonius, Andrew Schultz, Kenneth Hon, Carl Muckenhoupt, Mark Musante, Phil Tatro, Mitch, Astringer, and Vivienne Dunstan;
the generous support of Janice M Eisen and Matthew Foxley;
