In this game, you once again play as Ebenezabeth Scrooge, the little match girl who can travel to other places and times by looking at fire. Pope Pius IX hires both you and Melix, a young man whose similar talent is activated by touching mirrors, to find and retrieve a lost marble statue of a nude woman.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 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.
When visiting the space pirates, use shipboard directions to navigate about on their ship.
Walkthrough
Things to note before you begin:
Ebenezabeth has fire-based powers. Whenever she looks at a flame, she travels to another place and time.
Melix has mirror-based powers. Whenever he touches a mirror, he travels to another place and time.
The Pope has blessed both Ebenezabeth's revolver and Melix's sword. This makes them very effective against vampires.
This game disables the AGAIN and G commands.
If you play the game online as intended, battles happen in real-time. Type your commands quickly before the next part of the battle happens!
If you play the game offline in a standard interpreter such as WinGlulxe, battles are simpler, but you miss the extra content that would otherwise be generated during battles.
CryptRome, 1848
> x me. x Melix. x pope. x revolver. x sword.
> x skulls. x mirror.
> talk to pope.(The statue is of a nude female.)
> touch mirror.(Melix takes your hand and you walk through it to...)
CampsiteFresno Country, 2506
While in this region, the weather changes frequently, but you can ignore it.
> x tree. x posts.
> u. u.
Treehouse
> x elevator. x winch.(crank is missing.)
> w.
Supplies
> x dolly. take it. x crates.
> e. e.
Laboratory
As the woman turns a wheel, the weather changes. You tell the woman that's dangerous. She tells you you're stupid.
> x woman. x orrery.
> x plans. x diagrams.
> talk to woman.(She's Satyamaus.)
> x mirror.("Supposed to repel witches")
> touch mirror.
ShipwreckIndian Ocean, 1953
> x ghost. talk to ghost.(Maddock, for now)
> x wreckage. w.
Cliff's Edge
> x shelf. d. d.
Bottom of the Cliff
> x ribs. e.
Cave
> x merfolk. x table.
> clean table.(no: runes are sharp under the gunk)
> touch table.
Conversation PitThe Floating Palace of Eros
> x couches. x sea.(Melix says we're in Greece.)
> w.
Anteroom
> x columns. n.
Throne Room
Zeus says that Eros is pawing someone north of here.
> x Zeus. talk to Zeus.(Eros has ignored Zeus's summons.)
> x throne.
> e.
Target Range
> x bow. x balloon. take it.
> w. n.
Bedchamber of Eros
> x bed. e.
Boudoir of Psyche
> x couch. x mirror.
> touch mirror.
TunnelPico de Fogo, 1717
> u.(can't)
> n.
Lava Pool
> x lava. x boulders.
> ne.
Tall Chamber
A salamander greets and warns you.
> x salamander. talk to him.(He's Gharm.)
> nw.
Treasure Hoard
> x window.
The chamber falls apart. You both land at...
Lava Pool
> n.
Treasure Hoard
> x tub. x table. x mirror.
> x wolf. x sundial.
> x vases. x cage.
> x amulet. take it. wear it.
> touch mirror.
GatewaySchwartzgalle Caverns, 1929
> x planks. x gap.(bonfire is visible)
> x sign.("KEIN ZUTRITT")
> w.
Slope
> x Kozan.
> d.
Battle with Kozan! Type quickly!
> shoot him.(The blessing insta-kills him.)
> d.
Icy Cave
> x vampire. e.
Battle with Viktor! Type quickly!
> shoot him.
> e.
Banquet Hall
> x Megrim.(She attacks.)
Battle with Megrim! Type quickly!
> shoot her.(Your bullet bounces off her armor, but Melix's sword takes off her head.)
> x table. x chairs.
> d.
Archway
> x archway.
> x golem.
Battle with golem! Type quickly!
> shoot it. shoot it. shoot it.
After three hits, the golem collapses and you see a crank.
> x crank. take it.
> w.
Boudoir of Atë
Atë promises vengeance, but leaves.
> look.
> x throne. x sofas. x mirror.
> touch mirror.
Port DactylSPS Forfex, 3961
> x planet. x consoles.
> a.
Lounge
> x enforcer. talk to him.
> x machine. x games.
> as.
Science Antrum
Ոϑɵɵ teaches you how to pronounce their names.
> x pirate. talk to her.(She specializes in theoretical cosmology.)
> talk to her.(You tell her about the before-the-universe. She tells you the captain isn't doing her job.)
> x table.
> s.
Security Antrum
> talk to pirate.(He won't tell you his name.)
> fs.
Biohazard Containment
> talk to cylinder.
> talk to cylinder.(Melix discourages further chat with whoever's in there.)
> x cylinder. x railing.
> f.
Starboard Pollex
> x captain. x sink. x mirror. x garbage.
> touch mirror.
GullyAshen Vale
> x sky. nw.
Ruins
> x ruins. sw.
Puddle
> x journal. take it. open it.
> read it.(The artist must seek Meaning and make Art.)
> read it.(The artist finds Beauty.)
> read it.(The muse rejects the artist.)
> read it.(The ex-artist gets drunk.)
> read it.(The new monk is ... fine.)
> read it.(The monk's friend says he wasted his talents. A new direction is needed.)
> x pond. touch it.(sticky)
> se.
Piles
> x flowers. x bottles. x luggage.
> x napkins.(random thing written on it)
> x butterflies.
> se.
Miscellaneous
> x statue. x bridge.
> x can. x wet book. x spoon.
> take bridge.(very lightweight)
> take wet book.
> sw.
Information Desk
> x counter.(The computer says the statue you need is in the cave to the northwest.)
> nw.
Cave
> x woman.
Your attempted action is negated. You learn that the statue grants wishes but only when returned to her rightful place.
> x woman.
> drop dolly.
> put statue on dolly.
> push dolly se.
Information Desk
> talk to computer.
> push dolly ne.
Miscellaneous
> push dolly nw.
Piles
> push dolly nw.
Puddle
> push dolly ne.
Ruins
> push dolly se.
Gully
> x jeep.
Starboard PollexSPS Forfex, 3961
> push dolly a.
Biohazard Containment
> push dolly ap.
Security Antrum
The guard (⨈ևߥ) drops a containment membrane over the statue. Melix's sword can't cut it.
> x membrane.
> talk to guard.(He's willing to trade.)
> show amulet to guard.(The trade is made.)
> push dolly p.
Science Antrum
This pirate gifts you with a cloaking beam. You can fire it at something to make it invisible for a few minutes.
> x beam.
> push dolly fp.
Lounge
> push dolly f.
Port Dactyl
> x fire.
Boudoir of AtëSchwartzgalle Caverns, 1929
> push dolly e.
Archway
> push dolly u.
Banquet Hall
> push dolly w.
Icy Cave
> push dolly u.
Slope
> push dolly e.
Gateway
> x fire.
Treasure HoardPico de Fogo, 1717
Don't let the salamander see the marble statue!
> shoot marble with beam.
> push dolly se.
Tall Chamber
> push dolly sw.
Lava Pool
> push dolly s.
Tunnel
> x flame.
Boudoir of PsycheThe Floating Palace of Eros
The marble statue is visible again.
> drop bridge. push dolly w.
Bedchamber of Eros
> take bridge. push dolly s.
Throne Room
Zeus briefly blocks your way, but the three of you quickly convince him that you're not stealing from Eros.
> push dolly s.
Anteroom
> drop bridge. push dolly e.
Conversation Pit
Leave the bridge here.
> x hearth.
CaveIndian Ocean, 1953
> push dolly w.
Bottom of the Cliff
> tie balloon to statue.
The statue and balloon float upwards out of sight, free of the dolly.
> take dolly. u. u.
Cliff's Edge
You and Melix resecure the statue to the dolly.
> take balloon. push dolly e.
Shipwreck
> x lantern.
LaboratoryFresno County, 2506
> push dolly w.
Treehouse
> put crank in winch.
> put dolly in elevator.
> turn crank.
> d. d.
Campsite
You and Melix unload the dolly from the elevator.
> x fire.
CryptRome, 1848
The statue grants one wish to all three of you. Melix immediately wishes to become a specific monster; the wish is granted. His new skin is like a mirror. He launches through the wall into the air.
You wish for the power to stop Melix. You're wreathed in yellow flames.
> save
> wait
Your revolver now says "INVITUS TE DEICIO". Google Translate claims this is Latin for "I let you down unwillingly."
Flying
During this battle, Melix will sometimes fling a snake at you. You can shoot them, but they're just a distraction and they can't hurt you.
> shoot Melix (He summons seven shields to protect him.)
> shoot red
> shoot orange
> shoot yellow
> shoot green
> shoot blue
> shoot indigo
> shoot violet
> shoot him
> shoot him
> shoot him
Melix is defeated and also delighted that no Pope will ever hire him again. Of course, you're now the Pope's favourite.
*** The End ***
"But you were saying: Started to what?"
> suspect
Nine months later, Pius uses the cloaking beam to escape the rebels who want his head on a platter.
Extras
Characters
Hans Christian Andersen is the author and narrator of this beloved fairy tale.
Ebenezabeth Scrooge is the main protagonist and sometimes called "the little match girl". Her main talent is that she can travel to other places and times whenever she looks at fire.
Melix is a young man who can travel to other places and times by touching mirrors. He works with Ebenezabeth for the majority of this adventure.
Pope Pius IX seems a bit too pleased at bringing Ebenezabeth and Melix together for his assignment: find and return a lost marble statue.
Satyamaus is the tattooed astrologer in the treehouse's laboratory. She's only interested in her orrery which moves the solar system at will, changing the weather rapidly. She thinks you're stupid and wants you to go away.
Maddock is the ghostly sailor holding a lonely vigil on the shipwreck in the Indian Ocean. At least, he thinks his name is Maddock.
Zeus, the ruler of the Greek gods, is angrily pacing in Eros's throne room.
Gharm is the huge salamander with the color-changing skin you meet in Pico de Fogo. He welcomes you to admire his treasure hoard all you like, but don't steal anything!
Kozan is a seven-foot-tall vampire with a bloodstained shovel. He's walking up the slope.
Viktor is a sullen vampire in the icy cave. He's wearing spectacles and summoning snowflakes.
Megrim is an armored vampire perching on a chair in the banquet hall. She wields a spiked flail.
A golem paces in front of an archway. It's made of stone, has huge glowing eyes, and is fifteen feet tall.
Atë, the Queen of Vampires scorns you and your magic gun and promises to torture you... later.
Four repto-insectoid space pirates:
Ͻ≷և is the morale enforcer in the lounge. He names you as intruders, but no one comes to his aid.
Ոϑɵɵ is a friendly scientist in the science antrum. She's genuinely pleased to meet you.
⨈ևߥ is the guard in the security antrum. He can be bribed.
℧Ⰾ℈ is the captain. She's in the starboard pollex, morose and surrounded by trash.
Someone is encased inside a black cylinder in the biohazard containment section of the pirate ship, but they don't say who they are.
The computer at the Ashen Vale's info desk helpfully gives directions to the statue you're looking for, but is quite stupid in the way most computers are.
The marble statue of a nude woman is waiting in a cave in the Ashen Vale. When you return her to the Vatican, she grants everyone one wish.
Glimpsed:
A glittering lizard is briefly seen amongst the skulls in the Roman crypt.
Eros (also known as Cupid and as the god of love) and Psyche (his girlfriend) are seen as two winged silhouettes tussling behind the canopy of Eros's bed. Their panting, giggling, and pillow talk make it plain what those two are doing.
Found dead (not counting ghosts and vampires):
Several skulls adorn the Roman crypts.
A whale's skeleton festooned with sea-things lies at the bottom of the cliff in the Indian Ocean.
A skeletal merfolk is stretched over a scrying-table in an underwater cave.
Blackened bones are in the huge birdcage. (Are they from a phoenix?)
Mentioned:
Ariosto is quoted when the game begins.
Yul and Deborah are mentioned by Melix as a known example of two operatives who learned how to work together as a team.
Poseidon is named by Zeus; he asks if his brother sent you.
Urimedonte, the first vampire that the little match girl slew, is mentioned by Atë.
The journal's author presents himself as an Artist; later, as a monk. He also mentions his friends and his muse.
The name of the sculptor of the lost statue is also lost. He was a contemporary of Raphael and Michelangelo.
Several gods may be mentioned in the final battle, including Poseidon.
Ebenezabeth's Papa is mentioned when she accepts the Pope's generosity. From other games in the series, we know he's Ebenezer Scrooge.
In the postscript, rebels (aka revolutionaries or rioters) have invaded the Papal state. The Pope's minister was assassinated.
Credits
This is the response to CREDITS:
(Thank you for playing The Little Match Girl and His Holiness Pope Pius IX. I hope you're enjoying it. It was tested by Robert Eggleston, Jason Love, and Sarah Willson.
The development of The Little Match Girl and His Holiness Pope Pius IX was made possible by the generous Patreon support of Emily Short, Sammy El-Bahrawy, Janice M. Eisen, Q. Pheevr, Matt Schneider, Sarah Nerboso, Jenni Polodna, Rus Whang, Jenelle Marie, Maiko Ziegler, Grant Veeder, Magnus Buchanan, Sarah Willson, Doug Orleans, Jason Love, Greg Frost, Karl Ove Hufthammer, Nils Fagerburg, Rich Cheng, Julia Ramsey, Carolyn VanEseltine, Jacques Frechet, Matthew Zimmermann, Jessica Seidl, Derek Sotak, Yerrik, Zach Hodgens, Carl Muckenhoupt, Allen Tan, Robin Johnson, Robert Paloutzian, Jordan Eash, Mark, Jeremy Wright, Benjamin Slade, Jason Farrell, Dominia, Tobias V. Langhoff, Stephen Norris, BrettW, Robert Eggleston, Josh Lawrence, and Evan Hahn. If you'd like to support my work (and play the next Little Match Girl game before anyone else), you can sign up at patreon.com/rcveeder.)
Inventory
your revolver. You're carrying it.
Note that your revolver is newly blessed by the pope. You can now kill vampires with a single bullet, unless they have protection.
On the slope (of Schwartzgalle Caverns), examine the vampire (Kozan) then try to get past him. He attacks you. Shoot him!
In the icy cave, try talking to the sullen vampire (Viktor). He attacks you. Shoot him!
In the banquet hall, examine Megrim. She can hear the narrator talking and she attacks you. Shoot her! Oh, but she has armor. Oh, Melix cuts her head off.
In the archway, shoot the golem three times to defeat it.
In the crypt, Melix wishes to become a silvery beast, and you wish for the power to defeat him. You're flying! First shoot Melix: he summons seven shields, each a different color. One-by-one, shoot each shield to destroy them. Finally, shoot Melix three times to defeat him. (You can also shoot any snakes he hurls at you, but the snakes are unimportant.)
a dolly. It's with the supplies on the west side of the Fresno treehouse.
Carry the dolly all the way to the cave in the Ashen Vale. Drop the dolly there, then put the marble statue onto it (with Melix's help).
Laboriously push the statue-laden dolly all the way back to the pope in Rome. There will be some complications.
See amulet for getting the statue past the space pirate/guard.
See beam for getting the statue past Gharm the salamander.
See bridge for getting the statue across Eros's clouds.
See balloon for getting the statue up the underwater cliff in the Indian Ocean.
See crank for getting the statue down the redwood tree.
a balloon. It's in Eros's target room.
When the dolly and marble statue are at the bottom of the cliff in the Indian Ocean, tie the balloon to the statue. The balloon carries the statue upwards to the cliff's edge. There, put the statue back onto the dolly and take the balloon (off the statue).
a metal crank. After you destroy the golem in the vampires' archway, the crank is sticking out of the rubble.
In the treehouse, put the crank into the winch. After you (and Melix) put the dolly with the statue into the elevator, turn the crank to lower the elevator to the forest floor.
an amulet. It's on the sundial in the treasure hoard (Pico de Fogo).
Feel free to wear the amulet.
Never take the amulet into the tall chamber where the salamander, Gharm, is stationed.
In the security antrum, after the space pirate/guard, ⨈ևߥ, has dropped a containment membrane onto the marble statue, talk to the guard to learn he'll accept something of equal or more value in trade. Give the amulet to him; he frees the statue.
a leather journal. It's beside the viscous puddle in the Ashen Vale.
Read it several times to learn the story of an artist who becomes a monk.
a rainbow bridge. It's in the miscellaneous section of the Ashen Vale.
In Psyche's boudoir, drop the bridge so you can push the dolly west to Eros's bedchamber. Take the bridge again.
In Eros's anteroom, drop the bridge so you can push the dolly east to Eros's conversation pit.
a soaked book. It's in the miscellaneous section of the Ashen Vale.
You don't need it, but feel free to read it.
a cloaking beam. The space pirate/scientist, Ոϑɵɵ, gives the beam to you when you push the dolly bearing the marble statue into the science antrum.
In the treasure hoard, shoot the marble statue (not the electrum one) with the beam. The marble statue is now invisible for a few turns. Quickly push the seemingly-empty dolly past the salamander, Gharm, before the marble statue regains its visibility. If Gharm sees you with the statue, he thinks you're stealing it from his hoard.
