Morningvale

It's dark. You are unsure of where you are, and you are afraid. There is danger lurking nearby, and yet, beneath the primal fear that crawls through your skin, you feel that no harm will come to you. [[You must find your bearings.|FindYourBearings]] <<set $name = prompt("What's your name?","Aaron Dunning")>> <<if ($name is "SHADOW")>> <<goto "Wiki">> <<elseif ($name is "MARTHA")>> <<goto "Testing Cell">> <<endif>>

Around you exists an old bungalow, dilapidated and rotting. The yard is occupied by dead leaves, a decaying, sickly tree, and what appears to be the rusted remains of a small bicycle. This place has seen better days. A brown picket fence encloses the front yard of the property, and you cannot see beyond it. [[Investigate the bungalow|InvHouseNoKey]] [[Search the yard|SearchYardFindKey]] [[Investigate the tree|InvTree]] [[Investigate the small bicycle|InvBike]] [[Investigate the fence|InvFence]]

The grassy yard is littered with crisp, brown leaves. In the low light, nothing remarkable stands out, save for something glinting near the small bicycle. It draws your attention, and upon closer inspection, appears to be a metal two-tooth key. The key appears to be made from something brittle and old, and you are unsure if it would be of any use before breaking. [[Find your bearings|FYBWithKey]] [[Investigate the nearby bike|InvBikeKey]]

The tree is old, barren, and appears to be near the end of its life. You consider climbing it, but the branches are too high up to grab, and scaling the tree would prove awkward. [[Find your bearings|FindYourBearings]]

The bike looks like it was made for a child, and is in an advanced state of disrepair. The rubber seat of the bike looks like it has been chewed up, the metal is rusted, the chain is torn, and the wheels are delfated and malformed. There is no chance of this bike ever being used again. Your eye catches the light glinting off something nearby. [[Find your bearings|FindYourBearings]] [[Investigate the glinting|BikeFindKey]]

The fence is light brown, and out of everything in this place, seems to be in the best condition. The darkness beyond the fence however, has not dissipated, though from here you can now see a small light in the distance. The amber glow of a lantern, maybe a hundred feet away. [[Stay in the yard|FindYourBearings]] [[Investigate the light|XLight]]

Around you exists an old bungalow, dilapidated and rotting. The yard is occupied by dead leaves, a decaying, sickly tree, and what appears to be the rusted remains of a small bicycle. This place has seen better days. A brown picket fence encloses the front yard of the property, and you cannot see beyond it. [[Investigate the bungalow|InvHouseKey]] [[Search the yard|SearchYardAlreadyFoundKey]] [[Investigate the tree|InvTreeKey]] [[Investigate the small bicycle|InvBikeKey]] [[Investigate the fence|InvFenceKey]]

The small porch creaks as you step onto it. The door is old and made of wood, with a small window and a brass knob. You try to open the door, but the knob only jiggles slightly. The door is locked. It needs a key to open. Luckily, you have a key. Hoping the two are a match, you place the key into the lock and twist. A sharp "click!" is heard, but the key snaps in the lock. You try the door handle once more, and find it turns all the way now, opening the door to the house. [[Enter the house|HLobbyFirst]] [[Return to the yard|FYBWithKey]]

The grassy yard is littered with crisp, brown leaves. In the low light, nothing remarkable stands out. [[Find your bearings|FYBWithKey]]

Upon closer inspection, appears to be a metal, two-tooth key. The key appears to be made from something brittle and old, and you are unsure if it would be of any use before breaking. [[Find your bearings|FYBWithKey]]

The light in the distance grows brighter and closer as you walk towards it. You are leaving the protection of the yard. The sense of danger you felt before is growing now, as you trek through the blackness towards the light. [[Turn back|InvFence]] [[Keep going|XLight2]]

You are almost at the light now, but you're convinced you hear strange noises coming from around you. Noises like breathing, snorting and excited grunting invade your mind and you shudder to think of what source they have. You feel as if you have to push on. You're almost at the light. [[Walk into the light|XLight3]] [[Return to the yard|XLight3X]]

You walk towards the light, and everything fades away from behind you. You feel your fears and worries wash away as the light takes hold of you... But this was not a normal light source. This is not something meant to basked in. This was... something else entirely. A light that attracted shadows? A light meant not for humans? Was this even light you were feeling? But what else could be so bright? You begin to wonder what this all means before you become corrupted by the encroaching shadows. <<display DeathScreen>>

<html> <head> <style> p.ex { color: rgb(255,0,0); } </style> </head> <body> <p>You turn around and walk back to the yard, but too long have you been in the darkness. You've strayed too far from the yard, and cannot find your way back. Which direction was it in? You can't be certain.<br><br> You wander the darkness, blind and afraid, until you succumb to the terrors of the darkness.</p> <p class="ex">But escape from here isn't that easy...<br> (You must restart or reload the game)</p> </body> </html>

You step into the house and close the door behind you. The air of the room seems to call to you. Ahead of you, you see the dining room, where five tall chairs are laid around a table. A chandelier hangs from the ceiling. To your left is a sliding door closet, where guests place their shoes and hang their coats. It gives you a bad feeling. To your right is the stairs leading to the second floor. [[Investigate the dining room|HDiningRoom]] [[Investigate the closet|XCloset]] [[Investigate the second floor|HSecondFloorStairs]] <<set $newhall = 0>> <<set $martha = 0>> <<set $doll = 0>> <<set $bread = 0>> <<set $tripwire = 0>> <<set $marthaaskcellar = 0>> <<set $diarylorna = 0>> <<set $diarythomas = 0>> <<set $kk = 0>> <<set $pianowire = 0>> <<set $takepianowire = 0>> <<set $lureclosetmonster = 0>> <<set $chase = 0>> <<set $nocloset = 0>> <<set $mbkey = 0>> <<set $gotck = 0>> <<set $usecellarkeysondoor = 0>>

The dining room seems to be in good condition, which is a refreshing change of pace from the drab, eroding state the rest of the house appears to be in. Now if only something could be done about this darkness. Everything is in shadows, and what limited light penetrates the grimy windows is just barely enough to illuminate the outlines of various pieces of furniture. To the left, you notice the adjacent living room. To the right, you notice the adjacent kitchen, which has a light flickering from the ceiling. [[Investigate the kitchen|HKitchen]] [[Investigate the living room|HLivingRoom]] [[Return to the hall|HLobby]]

<<if $mbkey eq 1>> An empty closet. This is where Thomas DeCarte was. [[Observe the rest of the hall|HLobby]] <<else>> <<if $nocloset eq 1>> This is the closet where Thomas DeCarte was. He was lured upstairs, and now this closet is empty, save for a small golden-plated key on the floor. You were told that Thomas always kept the key to the master bedroom on his person, but when you searched him, you didn't find anything. The key must've fallen out of his pocket whilst he was in the closet. You pick up the key and place it in your pocket for safe keeping. [[Observe the rest of the hall|HLobby]] <<set $mbkey = 1>> <<else>> <<if $takepianowire eq 1>> The closet gives you an odd feeling as you approach it. You're careful and quiet as you tie the end of the piano wire to the door handle. With this much wire, you decide it would be safest if you pulled the wire from the staircase. [[Observe the rest of the hall|HLobby]] <<set $lureclosetmonster = 1>> <<else>> <html> <head> <style> p.ex { color: rgb(255,0,0); } </style> </head> <body> <p>Despite the odd feeling it gives you, you open the closet door. Within the closet was neither coats nor shoes, but a corpse leaning against the wall. It was wearing a tattered vest and fine pants, and its skin looked burned and rotting.<br><br> It's eyes opened suddenly, and before you can react, it grabs you by the shirt with one of its red claws, pulling you in closer. Everything around you turns black.</p> <p class="ex">But escape from here isn't that easy...<br> (You must restart or reload the game)</p> </body> </html> <<endif>> <<endif>> <<endif>>

<<if $lureclosetmonster gte 1>> You make your way up to about the fourth stair on the staircase, gently leading the piano wire with you until you come to a stop. With the safety of the stairs protecting you from the immediate wrath of what lied behind the closet door, you pulled the wire taut, and with enough maneuvering, you pull open the door. There was a corpse leaning against the back wall of the closet. It was wearing a tattered vest and fine pants, and its skin looked burned and rotting. The corpse's eyes suddenly shot open, alerted by the opening of the door, and it took a careful step out of the closet before making eye contact with you. It turned towards the stairs. You wished it was slower, but it walked at an average human pace. The closet monster is now chasing you. [[Run to the top of the steps!|HSecondFloor]] <<set $chase = 1>> <<else>> You make your way up the stairs. The railing is done in the same wood as the stairs, an old, dark wood like mahogany. You aren't exactly sure what it is, but it commands respect. It's smooth and cold to the touch, and feels strong enough for an elephant to lean against. Half way up the stairs, you remember seeing this house as a bungalow from the outside; It only had one story. But here you were, climbing up the stairs to the second story of the house. The implications of this make your head dizzy, and you begin to wonder how accurate your memories might be. [[You arrive at the top of the steps.|HSecondFloor]] <<endif>>

by Ryan Little

You immediately knew this is the most well-lit room on the first floor. The overhead lightbulb flickered sporatically, but it was more light than came through the grimy windows. In the spurts of yellow light, you can see that the kitchen consists of a fridge, a table, a counter with appliances on it, an oven, and several cabinets. The flooring is a laminated green tile, and the cabinets are a faded green wood. The counter tops are dirty cream in color, and most of the appliances share similar color palettes. The lightbulb is exposed and swings pendulously from the ceiling. This place looked like it was stuck in the 1950's. At the far end of the kitchen, you can also see a door. [[Investigate the fridge|Fridge]] [[Investigate the table|Table]] [[Investigate the counter|Counter]] [[Investigate the oven|Oven]] [[Investigate the cupboards|Cupboards]] [[Investigate the door|HCellarDoor]] [[Return to the dining room|HDiningRoom]]

The living room has a couch propped against the right wall, just below the window. The couch looked good enough to sit on, save for the large chunk of foam torn out of the top right of the cushion. An old TV faced outwards from the left wall. It had bunny-ear antennae that were bent at crooked and odd angles, and the TV screen was shattered. To the left of it was a large painting by some long-dead Italian artist, and to the right was another hallway. The hardwood floor seemed ever-so-slightly sticky to walk on, but the lighting wasn't good enough to discern why. In between the couch and the television was a coffee table. Atop the magazines, you see a coin on the table. [[Flip the coin|FlipCoin]] [[Investigate the new hallway|HNewhall]] [[Return to the dining room|HDiningRoom]]

<<if $chase eq 1>> <html> <head> <style> p.ex { color: rgb(255,0,0); } </style> </head> <body> <p>You ran back down the stairs in a panic. A poor decision, because you ran right into the monster you were running from. That's a Darwin award right there.<br><br> The corpse grabs you, and for the first time, you notice how intense its stare is. Everything around you slowly turns black.</p> <p class="ex">But escape from here isn't that easy...<br> (You must restart or reload the game)</p> </body> </html> <<else>> You return to the hall. The air of this room seems to call to you. You've been here <<print visited() + 1>> times. Ahead of you, you see the dining room, where five tall chairs are laid around a table. A chandelier hangs from the ceiling. To your left is a sliding door closet, where guests place their shoes and hang their coats. It gives you a bad feeling. To your right is the stairs leading to the second floor. [[Investigate the dining room|HDiningRoom]] [[Investigate the closet|XCloset]] [[Investigate the second floor|HSecondFloorStairs]] <<endif>>

You flip the coin, and it comes up <<print either("heads.","tails.","on its side.")>> You've flipped the coin <<print visited()>> times. <<display HLivingRoom>> <<set $aacoinchampion = visited()>>

<<if $newhall gte 3>> This hall leads to three different doors, one of which is boarded up. The bathroom faces from the entry to this hall, and if the door was open, one could get up from the living room couch and walk straight into it. The bedroom is to the right at the end of a small hallway. A few steps down the bedroom door's hall, to the right was the door to the backyard. It faces the rear of the house, much like the windows of the living and dining rooms. [[Investigate the bathroom|HBathroom]] [[Investigate the bedroom|HBedroom]] [[Investigate the backyard door|HBackyard]] [[Return to the living room|HLivingRoom]] <<else>> Leaving the living room, you notice this hall leads to three different doors, one of which is boarded up. The first door faces from the entry to this hall, and if the door was open, one could get up from the living room couch and walk straight into it. The second door was to the right at the end of a small hallway. A few steps down the hall of the second door, to the right was the third door. [[Investigate the first door|HBathroom]] [[Investigate the second door|HBedroom]] [[Investigate the third door|HBackyard]] [[Return to the living room|HLivingRoom]] <<endif>>

<<if visited() lte 1>> <<set $newhall = $newhall + 1>> <<endif>> You enter the room and notice immediately the shower curtains, sink, toilet and tiled floors. What you dearly hope is rust and decay is ground into the floor. There's a mirrored cabinet above the sink, and the shower curtains are drawn. [[Investigate the sink|Sink]] [[Investigate the shower|Shower]] [[Investigate the toilet|Toilet]] [[Return to the hall|HNewhall]]

<<if visited() lte 1>> <<set $newhall = $newhall + 1>> <<endif>> The doorway is boarded up with now-rotting bars of plywood and rusty, bent nails. What was once a secure barrier could now be easily hacked apart with a good crowbar. Upon further inspection, it seems this is the doorway that leads to the backyard. Why it's boarded up remains to be seen. [[Return to hall|HNewhall]]

<<if visited() lte 1>> <<set $newhall = $newhall + 1>> <<endif>> <<if $martha gte 1>>You notice a bed is placed against the wall. You expected this to look somewhat like a kid's room, but the walls are barren, and the floor has patches of mold growing out the hardwood. There are no posters or toys to be seen. But the bed was certainly too small to be made for an adult. [[Talk to Martha under the bed|Monster1]] [[Return to hall|HNewhall]] <<else>> You open the door to the room and notice the bed placed against the wall. Considering there was a small bicycle outside, you expected this to look somewhat like a kid's room. But the walls are barren, and the floor has patches of mold growing out the hardwood, no posters or toys to be seen. But the bed was certainly too small to be made for an adult. You see something move from underneath the bed, and your heart jumps. <<if $papercode eq 1>> You know it could be another monster, like the one you saw in the bathroom. <<endif>> It could be a lonely child, who's just as scared and unsure of this place as you are. Or it could be something worse. [[Investigate under the bed|Monster1]] [[Return to hall|HNewhall]] <<endif>>

It's a sink. The tap doesn't work no matter which nob you move, suggesting it's either not connecting to the plumbing or something is blocking it. The bowl of the sink is grimy, and you strongly feel you would be better off not touching it. <<if $papercode gte 1>> [[Investigate the cabinet|Cabinet]] <<else>> [[Investigate the cabinet|CabinetFirst]] <<endif>> [[Observe the rest of the bathroom|HBathroom]]

You pull back the curtains, expecting to find something disgusting, rotting or old behind it, but the bathtub appears to be ordinary. Dust and some accumulated grime have accrued from lack of use, and the nozzle doesn't dispense any water when the taps are turned. <<if $papercode eq 1>> Thankfully, there are no signs of the monster you saw in the mirror. <<endif>> [[Redraw the curtains and observe the rest of the bathroom|HBathroom]]

Gross. [[Observe the rest of the bathroom|HBathroom]]

You open the mirrored cabinet above the sink, and inside you find a few bottles of pills, a deoderant stick, and a slip of paper. The paper reads "<<print random(1,9)>>-<<print random(1,9)>>-<<print random(1,9)>>-<<print random(1,9)>>" in thick black marker. You feel like this might be valuable later, and if it isn't, there's no harm in carrying it around. You put the slip of paper in your back pocket and close the mirrored cabinet. Before you can do anything else, your blood freezes. You look in the mirror and see a shadowy creature, with burning bright eyes and a sickly grin. The shower curtains have been drawn back, and the creature is standing in the bathtub. It's tall, much taller than you, and it looks much quicker too. It's body is shaped like a shadow, licking the air like a fire in the dead of night, and though it stood upright, you feel something distinctly wolfish about its grin and posture. It's staring directly at you, its sinister white eyes are locked onto you with an incredible, fierce hunger, and you feel a terrible sense of danger approaching you. Your heart begins to pound at your chest, and you quickly turn around. The shower curtains are closed once more. You look back to the mirror, and it is no longer there. You feel tense and out of breath, but realize that, at least for now, you're still safe. [[Observe the rest of the bathroom|HBathroom]] <<set $papercode = 1>>

You open the mirrored cabinet above the sink, and inside you find a few bottles of pills, a deoderant stick. Nothing of great importance. [[Close the cabinet and observe the rest of the bathroom|HBathroom]]

<<if $martha lte 0>>Against your better judgement, you look under the bed. The room is dark, and it's much darker under the bed, so you can see almost nothing. But after a few seconds of squinting, two white eyes open near the back. They were bright, ghostly, and stood out like luminous white chalk on a blackboard. <<if $papercode eq 1>> But these eyes lack the hunger of the ones you saw in the cabinet mirror. <<endif>> These eyes looked gentle, hurt... Almost afraid. You call out in a gentle voice, but it only makes the floating orbs recede further into the darkness. "N...No... No thanks..." you hear in the mumbled, nervous voice of a child. You tell the voice that you just want to talk, but you're met with the same response. It doesn't seem like whatever's under there will open up to you unless you can gain its trust somehow. [[Return to the bedroom|HBedroom]] <<if $doll gte 1>>[[Hold out the doll|Monster2]]<<endif>> <<endif>> <<if $martha eq 1>>You look under the bed and see the glowing eyes of Martha. Her eyes are bright, ghostly, and stand out like luminous white chalk on a blackboard. Her expression still looked timid, but for now, she seems willing to talk to you. [[Ask about the house|MarthaAskHouse]] [[Ask about who she is|MarthaAskHistory]] [[Return to the bedroom|HBedroom]] <<if $diarythomas gte 1>>[[Ask about the Morningvale|AskMarthaMorningvale]] [[Ask about the shadow presence|AskMarthaSP]]<<endif>> <<if $kk gte 2>>[[I know where the keys to the cellar are|MarthaCueCloset]]<<endif>> <<if $gotck gte 1>>[[I have the cellar keys|MarthaHaveCK]]<<endif>> <<if $AfterLornaTalkToMartha gte 1>>[[I've been down to the cellar|MarthaCellar]]<<endif>> <<endif>>

<<set $fridge = 1>> The fridge looks like a normal fridge. Tall with rounded corners, and a separate freezer compartment above the fridge compartment. There may be some food or water in there, but you don't feel all that hungry or thirsty. <<if $martha eq 0>> <<if $doll eq 0>>There appears to be something on top of the fridge, but you can't quite reach it.<<endif>> <<endif>> [[Open the fridge|OpenFridge]] [[Observe the rest of the kitchen|HKitchen]]

It's a small round table with two chairs at opposite ends. The lightbulb hangs above it. [[Investigate the lightbulb|KitchenLightbulb]] [[Observe the rest of the kitchen|HKitchen]]

The counter is cold and dusty. It supports several appliances, including a toaster, a microwave, and a blender. There's also an open, empty section of the counter that proved useful when preparing something to eat. <<if $bread gte 1>> Like the loaf of pumpernickel bread you placed there. <<endif>> [[Investigate toaster|Toaster]] [[Investigate microwave|Microwave]] [[Investigate blender|Blender]] [[Observe the rest of the kitchen|HKitchen]] <<if $fridge gte 1>> [[Climb onto the counter|ClimbCounter]] <<endif>>

It's an oven that appears to still be hot. You chance looking inside of it, but a primal rush of fear consumes you and you immediate close it again. [[Observe the rest of the kitchen|HKitchen]]

Drawers that hold kitchen utensils, spatulas and ladles, and cupboards that hold pots and pans. One particular drawer is locked and requires a key to open. [[Observe the rest of the kitchen|HKitchen]] <<if $poembook eq 1>>[[Investigate the locked drawer|CupboardPoemBook]]<<endif>>

The lightbulb is exposed, hanging from a frayed wire with all the circuitry poking out. It swings slowly back and forth while flickering on and off at random. You feel like there could be a use for the wire if you harvested it, but the unstable nature of the lightbulb leaves doubts in your mind on the safety of that venture. [[Touch it.|XTouch]] [[Observe the rest of the kitchen|HKitchen]]

<<if $usecellarkeysondoor eq 1>> It's an old wooden door, but seems to still be in sturdy condition. Kicking it open wouldn't do anything but hurt your foot. There's a large, old-fashioned keyhole placed above the doorknob. You can't help but feel a strange and unfriendly energy coming from it. Just looking at it gives you goosebumps. You have the keys to the cellar and a good idea as to which key you should use. You aren't entirely certain, but you feel as confident as you'll ever be in a situation like this. Here's hoping. [[Use the key with the red band|CellarDoorRed]] [[Use the key with the blue band|CellarDoorIntro]] [[Use the key with the green band|CellarDoorGreen]] [[On second thought, maybe later...|HKitchen]] <<else>> <<if $gotck eq 1>> It's an old wooden door, but seems to still be in sturdy condition. Kicking it open wouldn't do anything but hurt your foot. There's a large, old-fashioned keyhole placed above the doorknob. You can't help but feel a strange and unfriendly energy coming from it. Just looking at it gives you goosebumps. You have the keys to the cellar now, but you're unsure which key opens the door. All of the keys look rather brittle, and you worry about breaking the wrong key in the lock. You feel it's best if you understood a little more about which key was the right one before trying to unlock the cellar door. [[Observe the rest of the kitchen|HKitchen]] <<else>> It's an old wooden door, but seems to still be in sturdy condition. Kicking it open wouldn't do anything but hurt your foot. There's a large, old-fashioned keyhole placed above the doorknob. You can't help but feel a strange and unfriendly energy coming from it. Just looking at it gives you goosebumps. <<if $marthaaskcellar gte 1>> Martha said this was the source of what was happening around here, so I should try to find a way to open it.<<endif>> [[Observe the rest of the kitchen|HKitchen]] <<endif>> <<endif>>

<<if $bread lte 0>>The fridge is mostly empty, save for a few small containers or cartons. You also notice a loaf of pumpernickel bread. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be perfectly fresh and edible. [[Take the bread out of the fridge and place it on the counter|BreadCounter]] <<else>> The fridge is mostly empty, save for a few small containers or cartons. <<endif>> [[Close the fridge door|Fridge]]

<<if $martha eq 0>> <<if $doll eq 0>>You climb onto the counter. From here, you can see what's on top of the fridge better. It appears to be a cat doll, with one of its arms missing. You can tell it's well-worn, not by the condition of the house, but because it's been played with often. [[Take the cat doll|CatDollYes]] [[Get off the counter|Counter]] <<endif>> <<endif>> <<if $doll eq 1>>You climb onto the counter again. The kitchen sure looks different from here. [[Get off the counter|Counter]] <<endif>> <<if $martha eq 1>>You climb onto the counter. This is where you found Martha's cat doll. The kitchen sure looks different from here. [[Get off the counter|Counter]] <<endif>>

It's a red toaster, the only splash of color in the room that isn't green or off-white. It's not plugged into the wall, and there's no cord attached to it, but it still seems to work. <<display Counter>> <<if $bread eq 1>> [[Put a slice of pumpernickel bread into the toaster|Foamy]] <<endif>>

Staring at the microwave makes you crave hot pockets. <<display Counter>>

It's a blender. You press the button to make it go "VRRRRRRRR!!!" but it doesn't turn on, even though the cord is connected to the outlet. <<display Counter>>

You put the loaf of pumpernickel bread on the counter. <<set $bread = 1>> <<display Counter>>

You put two slices of pumpernickel bread into the toaster and press down the lever. 56 seconds later, a blueberry muffin pops out. You are unsure what this means or where the slices of pumpernickel went. [[Observe the rest of the kitchen|HKitchen]] <<set $aaToaster = 1>>

<<set $diceroll = Math.ceil(Math.random()*100)>> <<if $diceroll <=30>> <<set $success = 1>> <<endif>> <<if $success eq 1>> You set to work at the exposed wiring, trying to salvage it somehow. The electricity sparks to life again and shocks you, flinging you off the table. You catch your breath and come to your senses. You realize you're still alive, but think it would be best if you didn't fiddle with faulty electronics. [[Observe the rest of the kitchen|HKitchen]] <<else>> <html> <head> <style> p.ex {color: rgb(255,0,0);} </style> </head> <body> <p>You set to work at the exposed wiring, trying to salvage it somehow. The electricity sparks to life again and shocks you, making your heart stop. You fall off the table and black out on the floor.</p> <p class="ex">But escape from here isn't that easy...<br> (You must restart or reload the game)</p> </body> </html> <<endif>>

You hold the doll out for what lies under the bed. A few seconds of silence pass, and then, slowly, a hand reaches out. It's small and long, like a dog's front paw with the talons of an eagle, and black as the void. The claw grabs the doll by the foot and you let go, and slowly, the doll is dragged into the darkness. "She was my favorite." the child's voice said in a hollow tone. "Before all of this happened." You ask what it's name is. There's a few moments of silence before it answers. "Martha. My name's Martha." "I'm <<print $name>>." you respond. "...It's nice to meet you." <<set $martha = 1>> <<set $doll = 0>> [[You can now talk to Martha|Monster1]]

<<set $doll = 1>> You retrieve the doll from the top of the fridge. [[Get off the counter|Counter]]

You ask Martha if she knows anything about the house. "Yes... I know a few things..." she begins. "Don't open the closet door... My... My dad is in there... I don't think he's in a very good mood... And if you go upstairs, watch out for his study... He doesn't like people going in it, so he set up a tripwire in the doorway. Just... Just step over it and you'll be fine. <<set $tripwire = 1>> ...And the cellar door..." [[Ask about the cellar door|MarthaAskCellar]] <<if $newhall gte 3>>[[Ask about the backyard door|MarthaAskBackyard]]<<endif>> [[Ask another question|Monster1]]

You ask Martha who she is, and why she's here. "My name is Martha... Martha DeCarte. I lived here with my mom and dad, and a few others. I was eight years old. But then something happened, and now everything's like this. I don't remember how long it's been. I just close my eyes and pretend it doesn't exist sometimes..." [[Ask about what happened|MarthaAskHistory2]] [[Ask about the others|MarthaAskOthers]]

"It's locked isn't it? Dad said he got mom to lock it because there was something bad in there. I'm not sure what it is, but... If it's what's causing this sickness... Then I hope you can get to the bottom of it. [[Where's the key to the cellar?|MarthaAskCellarKeys]] [[Ask another question|Monster1]] <<set $marthaaskcellar = 1>>

<<if $kk gte 2>> You ask about the boarded up door outside her room, and Martha falls silent. "The backyard is... There's monsters out there. Like in the darkness beyond the fence. We boarded it up to keep them out, but it didn't work. But since we're one of them now, they don't bother us anymore." [[Ask another question|Monster1]] <<else>> You ask about the boarded up door outside her room, but Martha falls silent. It seems she doesn't want to talk about it. [[Ask another question|Monster1]] <<endif>>

"This sickness. You've seen it, haven't you? How gross the house is now? It's all... brown and smelly. Things creak and... it's all scary. I don't like it. It wasn't always like this. It just started happening one day. Everything got old, everything changed. Now we're stuck here, and everything outside the fence is just blackness. Some people changed. Dad didn't really change, but Mom and I... We're not..." [[You're not human anymore.|MarthaAskHistory3]]

"My dad didn't like them. I'm not sure what happened to them. They were staying in the guest bedroom, but dad said I wasn't allowed to bother them." [[Ask another question|Monster1]]

She didn't answer, but you could see her sad, glowing eyes nod slowly. [[Ask another question|Monster1]]

Featuring <<print $name>>

This area looked completely different than what the house looked like from both the inside, and the outside. Everything on the ground level was rotting, dillapidated, and in a long-lasting state of abandonment. On the second floor however, the house looked almost untouched. The lights were were operational and steady, though the gentle glow of a few lamps didn't improve lighting conditions. The wallpaper was a dark oak, and floors were done in velvety red carpet. If you didn't know better, you could've sworn this was the hallway for an upscale hotel. Facing the hall to your left, the first door on the right has the words "Study" done in a Victorian font, written on a golden plaque. Further down, the first door on the left bore the word "Storage" in a similar fashion. At the end of the hall was a door that read "Guest Room". Facing to your right, the hall continued for a few steps before stopping quickly at the door to the "Master Bedroom". You can see a hatch above the master bedroom that no doubt leads to the attic. <<if $chase gte 1>>The closet monster is right behind you<<endif>> [[Investigate the study|Study]] [[Investigate the storage room|Storage]] [[Investigate the guest room|GuestRoom]] [[Investigate the master bedroom|MasterBedroom]] [[Investigate the attic|Attic]] [[Go back down the stairs|HLobby]]

<<if $chase gte 1>> You run into the study, making sure to step over the tripwire, and the closet monster saunters after you. One of its bare feet catches the tripwire, and a harpoon-like mechanism drops from the ceiling. With a loud BANG!, the spear shoots into the corpse's face, causing it to stagger backwards and fall onto its back, arms flailing. You wipe your brow and still your heart. You are no longer being chased. [[Investigate the body|StudyCorpse]] <<set $chase = 0>> <<set $lureclosetmonster = 0>> <<set $nocloset = 1>> <<else>> <<if $diarythomas gte 1>>This was the most inviting room yet. There was a small passageway from the door to the main room, where the orange glow of a candle seemed to be inviting you. There's a chair placed against a well-crafted desk with plenty of journals, books and notes upon it. You've found the diaries of both Lorna and Thomas that depict the fate of the families that once lived here, and through the searching for books, a dictionary was unsurfaced as well. [[Read Lorna's Diary again|DiaryLorna]] [[Read Thomas' Diary again|DiaryThomas]] [[Read the dictionary|Dictionary]] [[Return to the second floor hallway|HSecondFloor]] <<else>> <<if $tripwire gte 1>>This door, unlike the others, opened outwards, and gave way to the most inviting room yet. There was a small passageway from the door to the main room, where the orange glow of a candle seemed to be inviting you. You can make out a chair placed against a well-crafted desk with plenty of journals, books and notes upon it. You remember what Martha told you about the study, and carefully step over the tripwire strung across the bottom of the doorway. You walk into the room to get a closer look at the desk and the books. [[Investigate the books|BooksLorna]] [[Return to the second floor hallway|HSecondFloor]] <<if $diarylorna gte 1>>[[Look for more information on Morningvale|BooksMorningvale]]<<endif>> <<else>> <html> <head> <style> p.ex { color: rgb(255,0,0); } </style> </head> <body> <p>This door, unlike the others, opened outwards, and gave way to the most inviting room yet. There was a small passageway from the door to the main room, where the orange glow of a candle seemed to be inviting you. You can make out a chair placed against a well-crafted desk with plenty of journals, books and notes upon it. <br><br> You take a step into the room and your foot catches a tripwire. While you look down to see what your foot caught on, a harpoon-like mechanism drops from the ceiling and shoots a spear into your face. The pointy end of the spear explodes out of the back of your skull, and you fall over dead.</p> <p class="ex">But escape from here isn't that easy...<br> (You must restart or reload the game)</p> </body> </html> <<endif>> <<endif>> <<endif>>

<<if $chase eq 1>> <html> <head> <style> p.ex { color: rgb(255,0,0); } </style> </head> <body> <p>You ran into the storage room in a panic. You realize this is not the study, and quickly turn around to leave the room. <br><br> However, the closet monster is now in the doorway. It's closing in on you, and you can't seem to get away from it. You notice for the first time how intense its stare is. Before you can successfully escape the room, the corpse grabs you, and everything around you turns black.</p> <p class="ex">But escape from here isn't that easy...<br> (You must restart or reload the game)</p> </body> </html> <<else>> The storage room was nondescript and unappealing. It was surprising this room was so drab compared to the rest of the floor, but yet not in a taste of disrepair like the first floor. It was a simple grey room with overhead flickering lights. Filing cabinets took up the majority of the room. Most were locked by key, and labelled with a white sticker and a thick black marker what it's purpose was. A row of them had simple letters like "A-D" on them to indicate alphabetical organization, whereas others were listed categorically. The left half of the room was dedicated to full, folded boxes and furniture that was no longer in use around the house. One filing cabinet stood out in the back right corner of the room where it was separate from all the others. It was simply labelled "Misc" and required a combination lock to open instead of a key. [[Investigate the left side of the room|StorageLeft]] [[Investigate the Misc filing cabinet|StorageMisc]] [[Return to the second floor hallway|HSecondFloor]] <<endif>>

<<if $chase gte 1>> <html> <head> <style> p.ex { color: rgb(255,0,0); } </style> </head> <body> <p>You ran into the guest room in a panic. Why this, of all rooms, you ask yourself. The massacred body had not gone away and neither had the smell. You also realize this is not the study, and quickly turn around to leave the room. <br><br> However, the closet monster is now in the doorway. It's closing in on you, and in this plain room with nothing to hide behind or around, escape or distraction seems utterly impossible. You notice for the first time how intense its stare is. Your legs involuntarily move you backwards, until your back is pressed against the wall and your foot is squishing what you can only assume is intestines. You close your eyes and prepare to join this poor fat man in death. </p> <p class="ex">But escape from here isn't that easy...<br> (You must restart or reload the game)</p> </body> </html> <<else>> You open the door of the guest room. It's a dark room that you can't see the far end of, with two bedframes placed against the right wall, adjacent to the door. An askew mattress sat upon each of the bedframes, and for a moment, the room simply looks off-kilter at best, unkempt at worst. It's then you notice the gutted, mangled body spread across like the room like mayonnaise on bread. The viscera is enough to make you want to puke. From what chunks you can see, you think this may have once been a portly gentleman. It'd be best not to stay here for much longer. [[Leave the room|HSecondFloor]] <<endif>>

<<if $mbkey eq 1>>You approach the door to the master bedroom and use the key to unlock it. The doors swing open, giving way to a luxurious bedroom. The king sized bed took up half of the floorspace, and was positioned in the middle of the room. On the right side of the room, against the same wall at the door, was a grand piano. Across from the piano and against the back wall was the dresser. On either side of the bed were small bedside cabinets, and to the left was a built-in closet. [[Investigate the bed|MBBed]] [[Investigate the piano|MBPiano]] [[Investigate the dresser|MBDresser]] [[Investigate the bedside cabinets|MBCabinets]] [[Investigate the bedroom closet|MBCloset]] [[Return to the second floor hallway|HSecondFloor]] <<if $usecellarkeysondoor gte 1>>[[Read the riddle book again|LastRiddle]]<<endif>> <<else>> <<if $chase gte 1>> <html> <head> <style> p.ex { color: rgb(255,0,0); } </style> </head> <body> <p>You ran into the locked doors of the master bedroom in a panic. Well that's just foolish, wasn't it? You're trying to get the key to this room from the monster you're running from. <br><br> The closet monster is closing in on you, and you realize there's nowhere you can run now without getting caught. You try reasoning with him, adressing him by name and mentioning his wife and daughter, but it's no use. The man once known as Thomas DeCarte is too far gone to even blink at the mention of his previous life. The corpse grabs you, and everything around you turns black.</p> <p class="ex">But escape from here isn't that easy...<br> (You must restart or reload the game)</p> </body> </html> <<else>> You approach the door to the master bedroom, but find that it's locked. [[Observe the rest of the second floor|HSecondFloor]] <<endif>> <<endif>>

<<if $chase gte 1>> You ran into the attic in a panic. This was a terrible idea, <<print $name>>. You can feel danger in this room already without having to bring the closet monster in here with you. You turn around and look down the ladder. <html> <head> <style> p.ex { color: rgb(255,0,0); } </style> </head> <body> <br> However, the closet monster is now blocking your exit. It's closing in on you, and with almost no lighting at all, this place is just as bad as the land beyond the fence. You aren't sure if the corpse will get you first or whatever danger lurks in this attic, but you're certain that your death will be quite painful.</p> <p class="ex">But escape from here isn't that easy...<br> (You must restart or reload the game)</p> </body> </html> <<else>> This is the attic. Undoubtedly the darkest room in the house. You feel a chilling sense of danger up here. (You are likely to be eaten in 3 minutes) <<set $atticdanger = 3>> [[Look around|AtticCrossroad]] [[Return to the second floor hallway|HSecondFloor]] <<endif>>

DIARY OF LORNA CRAWFORD 08.05.1953 I've made a mistake boarding with this family. Thomas DeCarte, his wife Eleanor and his daughter Martha. My husband and I were looking for lodging and they were renting out of a good house for a better price. And of course George's useless brother tags along too. It's not my place to say, but I'm not fond of Owen, whose personality is about as rotund and unappealing as his body. Though he runs a successful business, Thomas is a paranoid maniac at home. He doesn't let anyone in his study, going so far as to set a tripwire across the door for it, and frequently shouts at his wife Eleanor for the smallest, most paultry mistakes. I've seen him raise his hand a few times as well. I fear for the poor girl. George assures me he's looking for new places. I can only be patient at this point. 08.07.1953 I've heard ruckus coming from their bedroom late at night, the DeCartes, and not the kind of ruckus you hope to hear from a married couple. This morning however, I saw it for myself. Eleanor gave Thomas a cold cup of coffee and he gave her the back of his hand. I was sitting at the table, quite opposite of Thomas even, when it happened. He was quick to apologize, hold her in his arms, make some excuse about work making him high strung. She seemed to forgive him, but still looked shaken up for the rest of the morning. I tried talking to her about it after Thomas had left for work, but she was adamant that everything was fine, and he just "gets like that sometimes." I do so fear for the poor girl. 08.10.1953 Thomas has to be going mad. Absolutely daft in the head. I overheard him on my way up the stairs mumbling to himself angrily, and sometimes shouting. I would've sworn he was just fighting with Eleanor again, but she was downstairs with Martha. I know it isn't polite to eavesdrop, but I never did trust him, so I ought to know what he's got on his mind if he's just talking out loud like a lunatic. Unfortunately, I didn't garner anything of use. Just some angry mumblings and swear words over a book. He kept saying "Morningvale", but I don't know if I've heard of such a thing or if it means anything. I asked Owen about it, and then George when he came home from work, but neither had heard of it before. Maybe it's just the devil getting into Mr DeCarte's brain, Lord knows there's enough holes in it. 08.15.1953 I was sitting at breakfast again with the DeCartes when Thomas asked Eleanor a peculier question. He asked her why she still kept a book around, and when she asked which book, he mentioned "Morningvale" again. I didn't quite recall what that meant at the time, but then I remembered my entry from earlier this week about it. Eleanor got all stiff when asked though, and just said "Because" or something like that, which of course made Thomas angry again. They didn't bring it up again, but it had me wondering. I would check the study for a book about a "Morningvale" but I doubt Thomas only has it tripwired, and I'm not risking my head treading into that devil's territory. The people here are driving me crazy, I really wish George would hurry up and find us somewhere else to live. Owen doesn't mind though since the DeCartes let him eat up all their food. 08.17.1953 It's late, and Thomas is tearing into Eleanor once more. Can't be earlier than two o'clock in the morning and he's picking a row with her. George went to try and calm things down so we can all get some sleep. Though Owen won't be bothered, he's out cold after all that food he ate last I heard a gunshot. What do I do? [[There are no further entries|Study]] <<set $diarylorna = 1>>

Invigorated and determined, you fiercly whip through book after book in earnest of finding more information on what you just read. Though you don't find anything specifically related to Morningvale, you find something just as good. "DIARY OF THOMAS DECARTE" [[Read the book|DiaryThomas]] [[Put down the book and observe the rest of the study|Study]]

You go through all the notes, books and journals stacked upon the desk, and take a quick look through how many are sorted on the room's tall bookshelves, until you find one that sticks out to you. "DIARY OF LORNA CRAWFORD" [[Read the book|DiaryLorna]] [[Put down the book and observe the rest of the study|Study]]

DIARY OF THOMAS DECARTE 08.10.1953 I found that damn book of hers again. I tried reading it again, but just like the last time it's nothing but gibberish. Weird symbols and words that don't make any sense. And you know what we call things that don't make sense? Witchcraft. Now the Bible, THAT makes sense. I can read the words on the page just fine, even if I need my reading glasses to do so. I don't know why she keeps that stupid book around. Just because it's something her grandfather gave her? How childish can you be? Do you know how many things I had from my family members that I've had to give up? Life isn't a paradise where you can just hold onto the past forever. You have to move on. Even Martha, I see how she's growing up. Turned eight not too long ago, a couple months I think. She's going to be a sweet girl when she grows up. Going to have all the boys after her. But Eleanor doesn't like it, she wants her to be her baby forever, like a doll you dress up and keep in your room like decoration. That damn book is just flips my lid. 08.12.1953 George and his girl got their glasses on, I say. They don't have to say it for me to know, because I know when I'm being snubbed. Giving your landlord attitude will end you up on the streets, with the rest of the gutter trash. I'm the one letting them stay in my house, mind you. Oh, I hear how Lorna doesn't like it here, but I'm sure a day in a cold alley will change that spoiled brat's mind. Those two can jive me all they want but this house is the epitomy of luxury. I've paid good money to make it that way for my family, not theirs, and if they think it's not high-class enough for them... If I had a nickel for every worthless slob I've seen, those chumps who have bigger mouths than wallets, I would be able to quit my job. At least that crumb Owen don't complain much. Most of what he does it just eating. Eating and eating until the sap's gone green, and then he off and goes to bed. He's the biggest freeloader of the bunch, true, but at least he knows his damn place. 08.16.1953 I asked Eleanor about the book yesterday and she didn't have to say much then, when I called her out in front of Lorna. I went and threw it out because she wouldn't say anything of it, and I decided that was that. But look right here, this snake had the nerve to go into the trash bin and pull it out, and now it's right back here where the rest of the books are! She's screwed the pooch now. But that girl must have the devil's luck because she split out of town, visiting her mother, something or other. But when she gets home tonight, boy howdy, she's going to get a whole earful about what I have to say. --------------- George and his bitch wife keep staring at me! I can hear their voices in my head. The humming and groaning... They hate it here. They hate me! Enough of your noises. I don't care for you two. I am the leader of this house, I am the law here! You two... Those two better learn to respect the power that I wield in this household! And they think I'm crazy too! All their stares, their judgement, their condescention. They don't need to say it, they know that, they know I can get the message just fine without it. And they wouldn't dare say it out loud, of course not. But I know The Good Lord is on my side in this, and those who cross a single soldier must contend with the entire army. 08.17.1953 I've made a terrible mistake. I was in the middle of giving Eleanor a piece of my mind when George comes in all hot, trying to interrupt me and send me to bed without supper, like I'm some sort of child. George, of all people! The man I'm harboring out of the goodness of my heart is trying to tell me how to act in my own house! Well, in the heat of the moment, I didn't quite like that. George and his wife might've been freeloaders who got too big for their britches, but... I shot George. I had my gun out already, and when he tried talking down to me, that just blew my top. It took a few minutes to console Eleanor, who was mortified. I was too, honestly. I dropped the gun and put my hands on my face in shock. Was I going to jail now? Who'd take care of Martha? Eleanor? She wouldn't let the girl grow, she'd be a child forever! And The Good Lord forbid the sodding Crawfords take her in. I came to realization at that moment... See, life is what you make of it. It's what you do with what you have that determines where you go in life. After I calmed down my wife, I told her what we could do... We could make this go away. And it'd be fine. Everything would be groovy. I'd stop fighting with her, I wouldn't go to jail, and she wouldn't have to find a job to support herself without me. She just had to do this one thing for me, and our life could go back to being perfect. I gave her the keys to the cellar and told her to go see Lorna in the living room. She'd say I'd gone crazy, and the two of them had to hide from me in the cellar while they waited for the police to arrive. So I picked up George and dragged him down the stairs. I met up with Eleanor in the kitchen, she'd locked the cellar door behind Lorna. She was thumping away and giving all kinds of hell, but that door wasn't going nowhere for nobody without the key. I opened the oven door and shoved George's body in there. With enough time and heat he'd just be ashes, I figure. Getting it closed again was a little tricky. Eleanor handed me back the keys. I always forgot which key opened the cellar, but lucky for her she didn't. I should write that in my book so I don't forget no more. Anyway, she asked what we were going to do about Owen. So I put the keys back in the bedroom and got to my study... I'm sitting here, writing this out and tapping my pen anxiously against the desk, because I'm not sure what to do either. Do I just tell him George and Lorna up and left? I have a bad feeling that even he isn't stupid enough to not suspect something. That reminds me, Lorna's been writing a diary too, right? Best no one else get their hands on that. I'll just put it in here where no one can find it. I'll think of something to do about Owen. --------------- I went to go take care of Owen, but the blasted woman's gone crazy. She's locked herself in the guest room with him and she's taken that damn book in there with her. What, is she going to use some devil magic to kill Owen? Or me? What the hell is this woman thinking? Who's going to pay the bills if I'm not around? She keeps mumbling about that damn book too, I hear her in my head... "Morningvale" this and "shadow presence" that, more of that witchcraft nonsense that's gone to her brain. She's feeling like a woman because of what she did to George and his wife. I tried telling her that Lorna's better off without him, but she wouldn't have it. Women with bad ears should have black eyes I tell you. She doesn't understand that George wasn't right for Lorna. I've seen the way he grabbed her, the way he talked to her when he thought he was alone. And the man was always... angry. Just absolutely red with anger. Like he was always holding it in, just ready to burst at any opportunity. It's one thing to discipline your wife, but George has always been hot under the collar. I've even heard him getting abusive in the guest bedroom! Oh sure, no one else would talk about it, no one else even acknowledged it, but I knew. I knew what was happening. No, he was no good at all. Now Lorna's no star catch, but she could do better than that. She's better off without him. I try to tell her this, but of course she's just being a stubborn hag about it. Can't imagine the cellar's doing miracles for her mood though. --------------- The woman's lost her flipping marbles with how she's speaking to me now! I told her that she'd had her fun but now it was time to open the door already. My watch said it was already half past three in the morning, far too late for her nonsense! But then she started shouting at me! I couldn't believe it. She said I'm "destined to endure an endless, waking death" and that I deserve every bit of it. I tried kicking down the door then but the damn thing's too sturdy. If Owen's still asleep she might've barricaded the door with his body. She said she was trying to protect Martha from me, but I've never even said a cruel word about the girl. It's her own mother she's in danger from! That damned attitude and that confounded book are a bad influence on Martha. She needs to grow up and become a proper lady, and not some miscreant mongrel. Eleanor has until sunrise to come out before I call the fire department and let the whole team give her the spanking of a lifetime. [[There are no further entries|Study]] <<set $diarythomas = 1>>

When you open up the dictionary, you realize it's a book written to tell you how words work, but does so with words, most of which are already defined in the book. [[Look up the word Morningvale|DictionaryMorningvale]] [[Put down the dictionary and observe the rest of the study|Study]]

You find no entry for Morningvale. You do however find some definitions for other words of equal importance and relevancy. morning - noun the period of time between midnight and noon, especially from sunrise to noon. vale - noun a valley (used in place names or as a poetic term). shadow - noun a dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface. used in reference to proximity, ominous oppressiveness, or sadness and gloom. presence - noun a person or thing that exists or is present in a place but is not seen. <<display Dictionary>>

"Morningvale..." she mumbled to herself, as if it were a word from a distant memory, and a time lost long ago. "I remember... I remember my mom mentioning that, back when everything was... normal. She said she was doing it for me, and for dad... But now, all of us are just awful. I wish she'd never done it. I wish she'd never brought the Morningvale to us. I don't know for certain what it is, but I just know... it's nothing good." [[Ask another question|Monster1]] <<if visited() lte 1>> <<set $kk = $kk + 1>> <<endif>>

"Shadow presence..." she mumbled. "Those black, scary creatures that skulk around the house. They have these big white eyes that glow in the dark, and... They're like the boogeyman... They're like me and mom." [[Ask another question|Monster1]] <<if visited() lte 1>> <<set $kk = $kk + 1>> <<endif>>

"You... you do?" she asks hopefully, her already luminous eyes lighting up some more. [[They're in the master bedroom. I read it in a diary.|MarthaCueCloset2]]

"I don't know, Dad was really secretive about these things... He always thought someone was out to get him, watching him... But it might be upstairs." [[Ask another question|Monster1]]

"Oh." she said in a hollow, deflated voice. Her eyes lowered and the hopeful light dissipated. "If they're in the master bedroom... Only dad has the key to that. He carries it with him at all times. But he's in the closet now..." [[So I should open the closet and retrieve it from him then?|MarthaCueCloset3]]

"No!" she shouted suddenly, her eyes firing open with alert concern. "Dad's... He's not well. Not since... this happened. You'll have to lure him out of the closet. T-There's a tripwire in the study. I'm not sure what it activates, but it should be enough to... to knock him down for a few seconds. You can get the key from him then." [[How do I lure him upstairs to the study?|MarthaCueCloset4]]

Martha's eyes shut, and she was quiet for a moment while she figured out how she could pull off this plan. "Upstairs. Dad loved his piano almost as much as he loved his riddles. There's a lot of piano wire in one of the locked filing cabinets... In the storage room. If you tie that to the closet door, and then pull it open at a distance... you could get him to follow you. But you have to be careful! Don't trap yourself, or he'll get you." [[I understand|Monster1]] <<set $pianowire = 1>>

These boxes looked like they were packed for moving, but were never unpacked. Among them were toys, clothes, appliances, dishes, lightbulbs and other such things. The few pieces of furniture were large and bulky, though the chair was comfortable to sit in. [[Observe the rest of the storage room|Storage]]

<<if $papercode gte 1>> You approach the filing cabinet. It's up to your chest in height and looks fairly ordinary. The first two drawers are unlocked and empty, but the third one at the base of the cabinet, the largest one, is shut with a combination lock. You pull the piece of paper out from your back pocket, the one you recovered from the bathroom. It has four numbers written in a thick black marker. You enter code into combination lock and it clicks open. You open the bottom drawer and notice a pile of miscellaneous junk, true the cabinet's label. <<if $pianowire gte 1>>You rummage through the assorted mess of markers, papers, expired coupons and cheap novelty items, until you eventually find a coil of piano wire. There's about four meters of it, which seems excessive to you, but you don't really know enough about pianos to contest it. [[Take the piano wire|StoragePianoWire]] <<else>>There's so much junk you can't really sift through it all.<<endif>> [[Observe the rest of the storage room|Storage]] <<else>> You approach the filing cabinet. It's up to your chest in height and looks fairly ordinary. The first two drawers are unlocked and empty, but the third one at the base of the cabinet, the largest one, is shut with a combination lock. [[Observe the rest of the storage room|Storage]] <<endif>>

You take the piano wire. [[Observe the rest of the storage room|Storage]] <<set $takepianowire = 1>>

This a testing cell designed for use by the developer for quick access to certain points in the story, as every time a bug is discovered, I have to replay the entire story again. This is tedious and inefficient, so for my own convenience, I've designed a testing cell, like an express-service elevator to certain points in the story. [[StoragePianoWire|StoragePianoWire]] [[Continue|RandomRiddle]] <<set $tripwire = 1>>

<html> <head> <style> p.detail { color:#FFFFFF;font-weight:bold;} span.name { color:#FF0000;font-weight:bold; } </style> </head> <body> You kneel down next to the closet monster, certain the threat has been nullified. You pat down its chest and pants looking for a key on its person, but find nothing. At this point, you notice the monster is still breathing. You quickly jump back, but the monster seems to be at rest.<p> You wonder why it doesn't get up and start chasing you again, but slowly, you begin to piece together what's happening here.<p> <br> <p class="detail">"She said I'm destined to endure an <span class="name">endless, waking death</span> and that I deserve every bit of it."</p> <br> The monster is unable to move because it's taken a spear through its brain, and thus its motor skills are no longer functional. But it cannot die, so it lies there still, breathing, living, yet unable to do anything else.<p> A brief moment of sorrow for the once-man passes over you.<p> </body></html> [[Return to the second floor hallway|HSecondFloor]]

Very comfortable. <<display mbair>>

It's a piano. You consider playing with the keys, but worry the noise may attract unwanted visitors. <<display mbair>>

The dresser was only a little taller than the cabinets in the storage room, roughly at chin height. There were three drawers, top, middle, and bottom, plus an assortment of items on the top of the dresser. The drawers contained folded clothing, mostly pants, dresses, socks, and other such apparel one would not hang in a closet. On top of the dresser was a jewelry box with a few rings and earrings, and another box held fine watches. There was also a loose change tray. These were all probably worth quite the sum of money, however, money meant little in this place. [[Observe the rest of the bedroom|mbair]]

There are two cabinets on either side of the bed. They were both only at waist-height, along with the bed, and they each bore two drawers, top and bottom. The cabinet on the left side of the bed had a rotary phone on top of it. In the first drawer was a set of keys, and a few books for nighttime reading. In the second drawer was a Bible. The cabinet on the right side had a few dated magazines on top of it, ranging from beauty tips, cooking tips, and one magazine titled "How to be a better housewife". The first drawer held another pile of magazines, and the second drawers held only a Bible. <<if $gotck lte 0>>[[Take the keys|getcellarkeys]]<<endif>> [[Search the cabinets more thoroughly|getriddlebook]] [[Observe the rest of the bedroom|mbair]]

It's a closet full of suits, shirts, ties and other such formalware. You are thankful there is no corpse in this one. <<display mbair>>

This is a luxurious bedroom. The king sized bed took up half of the floorspace, and was positioned in the middle of the room. On the right side of the room, against the same wall at the door, was a grand piano. Across from the piano and against the back wall was the dresser. On either side of the bed were small bedside cabinets, and to the left was a built-in closet. [[Investigate the bed|MBBed]] [[Investigate the piano|MBPiano]] [[Investigate the dresser|MBDresser]] [[Investigate the bedside cabinets|MBCabinets]] [[Investigate the bedroom closet|MBCloset]] [[Return to the second floor hallway|HSecondFloor]] <<if $usecellarkeysondoor gte 1>>[[Read the riddle book again|LastRiddle]]<<endif>>

You take the keys. There are three metal keys attached to a circular wire key chain. The keys all look fairly similar, save for a small band tied around the neck of each key. The bands were colored red, blue and green. You feel the keys in your hand and realize these keys are just as delicate as the house key - They're fragile enough to snap or break very easily. [[Observe the rest of the bedroom|mbair]] <<set $gotck = 1>> <<set $kk = 0>>

You investigate the shelves a bit more thoroughly. Underneath the Bible in the left cabinet, you find a small book titled "Thomas' Riddle Book". You open it up to the first page and see a series of riddles. After flipping through the pages, you realize the journal is filled with line after line of riddles, carefully penned out and crafted with words. [[Read a random riddle|RandomRiddle]] [[Flip to the last riddle|LastRiddle]] [[Put the book down and observe the rest of the bedroom|mbair]] <<set $aaRiddle = 0>>

<<print either("A blind man is alone on a desert island. He has two blue pills and two red pills that are identical in size, shape and texture. He must take exactly one red pill and one blue pill or he will die. How does he do it? [[Answer|RABlind]]","In my beginning, I am beautiful. In my middle, I am lost. In my end, I am truth. I withstand the test of time. What am I? [[Answer|RAArtifact]]", "I am your most powerful weapon. I come before your eyes. I help you seek the truth, yet I often give you lies. What am I? [[Answer|RABrain]]","I have a name, but it isn't what I'm named. My face shows age, and I'm never blamed. I always mean the same thing, no matter what I say. I'm the night of a person's day. I'm planted, but I never grow. People talk to me and I never go. I'm often stared at, though I'm quite blind. I represent the future of all mankind. What am I? [[Answer|RATombstone]]","Which came first, the chicken or the egg? [[Answer|RAtas]]")>> <<display defaultriddlebook>>

You turn to the last entry in the book, about halfway through the pages of the journal. It's dated 08.17.1953, and this riddle seems to have been written with a shaking hand. "The cellar keys, the answer please, Why with words must you tease The jolly fat man, ate two mens' fill And used the key that made him ill The angry husband struck his wife And used the key that fit his life Choose wisely, and if you do Maybe the curse won't find you." You think it would be a good idea to take the book with you, but something in the room gives you a bad chill. You decide it's not worth the hassle, and that you can always return to the bedroom and look at the book again if need be. [[Put down the riddle book and observe the rest of the bedroom|mbair]] <<set $usecellarkeysondoor = 1>>

The blind man lays all four pills in a line on the sand. He cuts them all in half across the middle, and now has eight pills. He takes the top four pills (which are two one-halfs of a blue pill, and two one-halfs of a red pill) and eats them. <<display defaultriddlebook>> <<if visited() lte 1>> <<set $aaRiddle = $aaRiddle + 1>> <<endif>>

An artifact. <<display defaultriddlebook>> <<if visited() lte 1>> <<set $aaRiddle = $aaRiddle + 1>> <<endif>>

Your brain. <<display defaultriddlebook>> <<if visited() lte 1>> <<set $aaRiddle = $aaRiddle + 1>> <<endif>>

A tombstone. <<display defaultriddlebook>> <<if visited() lte 1>> <<set $aaRiddle = $aaRiddle + 1>> <<endif>>

The rocket-powered fist. <<display defaultriddlebook>> <<if visited() lte 1>> <<set $aaRiddle = $aaRiddle + 1>> <<endif>>

The journal is filled with line after line of riddles, carefully penned out and crafted with words. Thomas really seemed to like collecting these. There are a few good ones in here, too. [[Read a random riddle|RandomRiddle]] [[Flip to the last riddle|LastRiddle]] [[Put the book down and observe the rest of the bedroom|mbair]]

You show her the keys to the cellar, and she seems excited for a moment, before her usual apprehension seeps through the candor demeanor. "Wait, there's three keys. Which one opens the cellar?" [[I was hoping you knew...|MarthaHaveCK2]]

It was too dark to see her shake her head, you could see her bright white eyes moving back and forth. You ask her if she knows of anything that can help, and she pauses for a minute, thinking once more. "He's forgetful, but loves a good riddle... Do you think he wrote about it somewhere? Check upstairs." [[I'll get right on that.|Monster1]]

You put the key into the lock and twist. Instead of a "click!", you hear a "snap!" Pulling the key from the lock reveals the tooth had snapped off in the lock, and the key was thus no longer usable. You realize with a small sense of defeat you've used the wrong key. As you begin to wonder how you will access the cellar now, you look down the kitchen and your blood freezes. Standing in the doorway is the wolfish, ghostly creature you saw in the mirrored cabinet. It's as tall and pitch-black as you remembered it, bearing a sickly smile that swelled with predatory hunger. It's eyes were the most noticable though, for in the darkness of the room, the glowing white shined towards you like a beacon of death. It was the perfect distance away to cause fear to well up in your throat, too. Not so close that it was over quickly, and not so far away that escape or avoiding detection seemed plausible. You could do nothing but stand at the end of the kitchen, next to a door that would not open, as the shadow in corporeal form ran towards you. <<display DeathScreen>>

A behind-the-scenes wiki on all the characters in this game, as a reward for completing it! However, this cell is still under construction, so it's not quite available at the moment. Please accept these pugs as compensation: http://bit.ly/1K2vrPB

You use the key with the red band. <<display CellarDoorDeath>>

You use the key with the blue band. You put the key into the lock and twist. You hear a sharp "click!", followed by a loud "snap!" Pulling the key from the lock reveals the tooth had snapped off in the lock, and the key was thus no longer usable. A sense of satisfaction washes over you as you realize you chose the correct key. There was a dim cellar light at the top of the stairs that you could turn on, which partly illuminated a long stairway. Now you can venture into the cellar and find out whatever horrible secret this house has to hide. Before you can take your first step down the basement stairs, you look across the kitchen and your blood freezes. Standing in the doorway is the wolfish, ghostly creature you saw in the mirrored cabinet. It's as tall and pitch-black as you remembered it, bearing a sickly smile that swelled with predatory hunger. It's eyes were the most noticable though, for in the darkness of the room, the glowing white shined towards you like a beacon of death. It was the perfect distance away to cause fear to well up in your throat, too. Not so close that it was over quickly, and not so far away that escape or avoiding detection seemed plausible. The shadow in corporeal form ran towards you. [[Run down the stairs!|CellarDoorIntro2]]

You use the key with the green band. <<display CellarDoorDeath>>

<html> <head> <style> p.ex { color: rgb(255,0,0); } </style> </head> <body> <p class="ex">But escape from here isn't that easy...<br> (You must restart or reload the game)</p> </body> </html>

You immediately ran down the stairs of the cellar, taking them three at a time and trying not to fall or mis-step. This was very difficult in the receding light of the cellar stairs, and slowly you found yourself wading into blackness. You reach the bottom of the steps and look around. The cellar is nearly barren, with long wisps of cobwebs adorning the corner of support beams and ceilings. You turn around, and the monster is already at the bottom of the stairs, shooting daggers into your heart with its venomous stare. You reel slightly under its gaze and swallow uncomfortably, realizing with a pounding heart that this could be your final moments. Suddenly, a figure jumps between you and the monster. It's too dark to see anything more than an outline, but it bears a large, glowing white cross that radiates the same energy as the monster's eyes. It hisses angrily at the cross, but as the figure slowly crept towards the monster, brandishing the cross like a banishing ward, the shadow turns around and retreats up the staircase. The figure disappears for a moment up the stairs as well. Suddenly, the lights in the cellar jump to life. The figure returns down the stairs, now fully illuminated, and you can see it's a woman, no older than thirty. Her hair was a vibrant ginger and done in the style of Jacqueline Kennedy's Bubble Cut. Her face looked worn and tired, but she had a sharp glint in her eyes. You have a feeling you already know who this girl is. "Careful now," she said. "Eleanor almost got you." [[Who are you?|LornaWho]] [[Eleanor?|LornaEleanor]] [[What did you just do?|LornaWhat]] <<set $lee = 0>> <<set $wall = 0>>

"My name is Lorna. I've been locked in this cellar for... God, I can't even count the days." She gestures to the wall. You notice the thousands of white scratches carved into the chipped paint, each symbolizing a day spent down here. You can't even begin to count them all, but judging from the year you came from and the dated journals, you guess at least ten thousand. [[How are you still alive after all these years?|LornaStillAlive]] [[You're free now. Well, sort of.|LornaMorningvale]] <<set $wall = 1>>

"Yes, Eleanor." she affirmed. "The shadow presence that was following you just a moment ago. Her soul was corrupted into that beastly thing, and it now lurks around the backyard, and can sometimes project itself into the house." [[What's a shadow presence?|LornaShadow]]

She held up the glowing cross. "These creatures... They're scared of the light. That's why so much of this land is darkness. It's where they thrive..." She held the cross in her hands for a quiet moment. "I also like to think that perhaps God is helping me with this, even from this barren and cursed land. His influence still penetrates the corruption around us." [[What do you know about this place?|LornaKnows]] [[I doubt God would let all this happen|LornaGod]]

"This place..." she mumbled ominously, gesturing with the cross to the air of the room. "People never age here. This place is immune to time. You know what I'm referring to right? The Morningvale." [[What is the Morningvale?|LornaExplainsBackstory]]

"Oh, don't you worry. I know what this place is. I may have been locked in a cellar since time immemorial, but I'm not unaware of what's happened out there. The Morningvale has taken hold of this place." [[What is the Morningvale?|LornaExplainsBackstory]]

She took a deep breath, for she knew this would take a while to explain. "The Morningvale is a realm. It's a place that exists part-way between Hell and Earth. There are many other realms like it, so this one is not special. But it's where the shadow presence come from. People with shadowed souls can be lured here, and then become trapped. Do you know what happens when you die? Depending on how much good or bad you've done in your life, your soul does a little... "dip". Doing more bad things will cause your soul to dip towards Hell, and doing more good things causes your soul to dip towards Heaven. You don't go straight to Hell unless you've done a LOT of bad things, and the same goes for Heaven. So if you've lead a fairly uneventful life, your soul does a dip on its way to Purgatory, where you're judged to fit into one place or the other. Sometimes during a dip, either Heaven or Hell will reach out and grab you. The bigger your dip is, the closer you get, and the greater the chance that one of the places will grab you... It sounds complicated, but it's pretty simple. Do good things and you're more likely to go to Heaven, do bad things and you're more likely to go to Hell. I'm pretty sure you already knew this. What sometimes happens though... Souls can be lured into one of these in-between realms. Souls that dip towards Hell enter the "between Hell and Earth" space, and can sometimes become caught between dimensions, like a fly in a spider's web. That's how people are brought to the Morningvale. There are also means that people can invite the Morningvale right to them. This is what Eleanor did. She was fearful over her husband. Mortified for what he'd become. An abuser... A murderer... She was distraught. A book that had been passed down through her family line was still in her possession, which gave instructions on how to summon these various in-between realms; Morningvale was one of them. The book was special though, it could only be read by people of Eleanor's bloodline. I think that's what drove Thomas mad. Or maybe he was just always mad. She locked herself in the guest room and summoned the Morningvale, wishing to protect herself and her daughter from Thomas. And so she cursed him with an endless, waking death. He was forced to endure a constant death-like state without ever dying... Because no one really dies in this place. Your soul has nowhere to go. This place is immune to time, so no one ages. And for Eleanor, that was exactly what she needed. A place where she could keep Martha as her precious child forever, without having to worry about Thomas. But she underestimated the power of the Morningvale, and soon the shadow presence claimed both her and her daughter. She wasn't unprepared though. Just before Eleanor's soul was corrupted, she was able to seal herself to the backyard, and by extension, her own shadow presence. But you've seen it first hand. The seal is weakening. She can project herself into the house for short periods of time now. Those few times she's appeared by me, I've been able to ward her off with the cross. I thought I was the only human left in this place. I suppose that's not the case anymore, since you're here. I'm surprised the shadow presence hasn't already corrupted you. I'm Lorna Crawford. It's nice to meet you. Is there anything else you'd like to know? [[Tell me more about the shadow presence|LornaEBSP]] [[Is Eleanor the only danger to us here?|LornaEBE]] [[Where did you get the cross?|LornaEBC]] [[So does that mean I'm dead?|LornaAaron]] [[Why is it called Morningvale?|LornaMorningvaleName]] <<if $lee gte 5>>[[If you've been locked in the cellar since before all this began, how do you know so much about all this?|LornaExplainsEleanor]]<<endif>>

"The shadow presence are like parasites. They feed off of souls that dwell in this land and latch onto them, corrupting them. They're the native creatures of Morningvale. Eleanor was a woman who used to live here, but when the Morningvale came, her soul was snared and corrupted by the shadow presence, into the beast you've just now seen." [[What is Morningvale?|LornaExplainsBackstory]]

"I know quite a bit." she grumbled. "More than I'd like to. But this place, this sickness that's descended upon the house... It's called the Morningvale." [[What is the Morningvale?|LornaExplainsBackstory]]

Lorna looked downwards. Her shoulders grew heavy and her voice turned morose. "Because... Eleanor told me all of this." she explained. "After I'd been sent down here and had worn myself tired knocking and screaming against the cellar door, she came back and told me what was going to happen. Thomas had fallen asleep in his study, so she had a while to fill me in. She explained the Morningvale, what would happen to this house, what would happen to Thomas, and why it was safer for me down here. At the time, I thought it was just bullshit to make me feel better about being stuck in a cellar for the rest of my short life, that soon enough I was going to starve to death or fall asleep in the dirt here and never awaken. But as the days went on, I felt the cold seeping in. I felt my stomach give no protest to this month's lack of food, or that month, or even the next one. What she told me that night was all I had, it seemed. And it kept me alive. I also... I came to learn things Eleanor hadn't told me. Things that didn't happen until after the Morningvale had already taken the house. How I knew that she was the lynchpin for binding this house to the Morningvale, how I knew that she'd been turned into a shadow presence, and so had Martha. How I knew about the land beyond the fence... I think I started developing a sense for this place. Something that's... not entirely natural." Her expression turned to stone as she finished her sentence, and she stared up the stairs. "But now, the door's been opened, and I find myself too scared to leave the cellar. Funny thing isn't it? But I know... Deep in my gut, I know... Eleanor has to go. If we're ever going to escape this place, this Morningvale, she has to be put down." [[How do you kill a shadow?|LornaK1]]

Her expression turned cloudly and she bit her lip. "You may be right. But still, I cannot give up hope. As far as I know, this cross I bear in His name may be the only hope we have for saving this place from the Morningvale." [[What is the Morningvale?|LornaExplainsBackstory]]

"The shadow presence are like parasites," she explained. "They're the native creatures of Morningvale. Demonic energy that gains its strength from the shadows and use it to feed on people's souls. Some ghost stories you hear about are from the few shadow presence who are strong enough to jump into Earth. Even stronger ones are able to take control of humans. People call them skinwalkers. Before they can do any of that, they must feed off of souls that dwell in this land. Souls that are caught in-between, like I said. Once a shadow presence has taken control of a soul, it becomes corporeal. This makes it much stronger, and much easier to feed on other souls. Eleanor is one such example. Keep in mind, the shadow presence don't actually control anyone. As I said, they're a parasite, latching onto a host soul. That's why a child like Martha isn't also trying to kill us." Her gaze turned hard for a moment as she looked to the side. "Not yet, anyways." [[If the shadow presence doesn't control people, why did Eleanor try to kill me?|LornaEBSP2]] <<if visited() lte 1>> <<set $lee = $lee + 1>> <<endif>>

"So far, yes. Eleanor is the lynchpin for holding this house in Morningvale; As such, it's her domain. There are other shadow presence in the land beyond the fence, but I'd recommend you not tread there. Chances are, if you've seen a shadow presence here, it's probably been Eleanor." [[Why can only her bloodline read the book you mentioned?|LornaEBE2]] <<if visited() lte 1>> <<set $lee = $lee + 1>> <<endif>>

"The cross has always been down here." she noted, pointing to a chest in the back corner of the cellar. "I guess Thomas bought it one day and then forgot about it. It's powered by something... I don't know what. But it's as bright a shooting star and just feels... pure." The cross definitely emitted a startingly white glow of light in all directions. It seemed to be made of glass or a strong plastic, and would make for a very good torch or flashlight. [[Ask another question|LEBdisplay]] <<if visited() lte 1>> <<set $lee = $lee + 1>> <<endif>>

"It's possible." she nodded grimly. "Being present in the ritual area is the only way to enter the Morningvale while still alive. And that was..." <<if $wall eq 0>>She gestured to the wall. You notice the thousands of white scratches carved into the chipped paint, each symbolizing a day spent down here. You can't even begin to count them all, but judging from the year you came from and the dated journals, you guess at least ten thousand. <<else>>She once again gestured to the wall with the white scratches.<<endif>> "It seems you were caught by the Morningvale. But you're not corrupted yet. I wonder why?" [[Shrug your shoulders|LEBdisplay]] <<if visited() lte 1>> <<set $lee = $lee + 1>> <<endif>>

"The shadow presense makes a person rely more on their instincts than their brain. Eleanor wanted to protect Martha and her home. Likewise, Martha's only ever wanted friends. That, and the souls of children are much harder to judge by Heaven and Hell than adults, so the shadow presence cannot rule her behavior as much as they would Eleanor." [[Ask another question|LEBdisplay]]

Is there anything else you'd like to know? [[Tell me more about the shadow presence|LornaEBSP]] [[Is Eleanor the only danger to us here?|LornaEBE]] [[Where did you get the cross?|LornaEBC]] [[So does that mean I'm dead?|LornaAaron]] [[Why is it called Morningvale?|LornaMorningvaleName]] <<if $lee gte 5>>[[If you've been locked in the cellar since before all this began, how do you know so much about all this?|LornaExplainsEleanor]]<<endif>>

"The ritual you have to do to summon the Morningvale involves waiting until morning, or rather, just before. It freezes the ritual area in time to a space just before the sun rises, which technically causes an eternal night. It's like running late for a bus that leaves at 5 P.M., only it's 4:59 P.M. for much longer than just one minute, so you can take your time getting to it, if that makes any sense. The shadows sort of brace for impact from the light of the sun, but it never comes, and they realize that night is now eternal upon the ritual area. So they claim it as their own, a place where they will never die in the sunlight, and then it warps into the Morningvale." You find your head spinning from all this new information. [[Ask another question|LEBdisplay]] <<if visited() lte 1>> <<set $lee = $lee + 1>> <<endif>>

"These types of books aren't just what you'd buy at a normal bookstore. They're made very carefully for one specific person to use, so that the secrets within can't be stolen by just anyone. The caveat is it can also be used by their children, since children by nature are part of their parents. That's why Eleanor could read the book, but Thomas probably only saw gibberish. Now that I think about it, I bet Martha could read the book too." [[Ask another question|LEBdisplay]]

"It's not just a shadow, it's a soul." she said, handing you the cross. "If you strike Eleanor with this, her soul will be purified of the shadow presence, and her soul will able to pass on peacefully. I'd suggest you do the same thing to Martha as well, for her own sake." You're initially taken aback, but she continues. "Think about it. She's a poor eight year old girl stuck in a place like this. You've seen what she's become. You know people here do not die. They just exist forever. Look at what happened to Thomas! Everyone here has the curse of immortality, the curse of living like a beast for the rest of time. Don't you think they both would rather go to Heaven and be rid of this hellish nightmare?" [[You're asking me to make a tough decision, Lorna...|LornaK2]]

"I know." she nodded gravely, and you could see the weight of emotion in her eyes. "But I think it's for the best. I'll give you some time to consider what I've said." [[I understand|AfterLornaUpstairs]] <<set $gotck = 0>> <<set $AfterLornaTalkToMartha = 1>>

You walk back up the stairs and out of the cellar. You're in the kitchen once more, and you feel a strong burden laid upon your shoulders. You feel it would be best if you talked to Martha now. <<display HKitchen>>

"Really? And... And what was down there? Was it scary?" [[It was quite scary. But it's okay for now|MarthaCS]] [[A woman named Lorna was down there|MarthaCL]]

Her eyes light up in a small smile. "I knew you could do it... But, this place... How do we get rid of it? The Morningvale..." You explain to Martha what Lorna has told you, about the Morningvale, the shadow presence, and how Eleanor was binding the house to this place. Martha grew quiet, slightly looking away with sad eyes. "But... she's not a bad person. She just did this to protect me..." [[She brought you into a realm full of soul-sucking demons to protect you?|MarthaCS1]] [[The road to Hell is paved with good intentions... literally in this case|MarthaCS2]]

"Oh, Lorna... I remember her." she nodded slowly. "Is she... like me? Does she know how to get rid of this... Morningvale?" You explain to Martha what Lorna has told you, about the Morningvale, the shadow presence, and how Eleanor was binding the house to this place. Martha grew quiet, slightly looking away with sad eyes. "But... she's not a bad person. She just did this to protect me..." [[She brought you into a realm full of soul-sucking demons to protect you?|MarthaCS1]] [[The road to Hell is paved with good intentions... literally in this case|MarthaCS2]]

"Adults get scared too." she grumbled after a few quiet moments. "If there's one thing I know... Adults don't always make the right choices. Sometimes they just do what they think is best, and it doesn't go the way they want it to." [[We can't get the house out of Morningvale as long as she's still around.|MarthaK1]]

"All she wanted was a family. She loves me very much. Dad wasn't very nice to her, but she said she stayed with him because he liked me a lot. But... now we're here. Mom is in the backyard and Dad is upstairs... I don't feel like I have a family anymore." [[We can't get the house out of Morningvale as long as she's still around.|MarthaK1]]

"W-Well..." she began, and you see something clicking behind her eyes. "Maybe. You said the shadows... They just latch onto someone right? So, wouldn't it be possible to get it off?" You explain that the cross purifies the persons soul, thus ridding them of the shadow presense and letting them pass on peacefully. "I wonder... I wonder if someone can do that on their own..." She sounds like she has a plan, so you stay quiet and let her think. "Mom has a poem book in the kitchen. She kept it locked away from Dad because he liked to make fun of them. If you read her one of the poems, it might bring her back to her senses... To what she was before. I just want my mom back the way she was. There's still a way, I just know it." [[I understand|MarthaK2]] <<set $poembook = 1>>

You step out of Martha's bedroom and cross your arms, leaning against the wall. The thoughts and decisions of what you've heard between Lorna and Martha buzzes around in your head. Before you grow too lost in thought, you decide it would be best to get the poem book from the kitchen. <<display HNewhall>>

You investigate the locked drawer. This is probably where the poem book was, but you needed a key to get it open. You ponder for a moment before it hits you. The cellar keys. You still have the keys with the red and green bands left. And almost the entire kitchen was painted the color green. You place the key with the green band into the lock and twist. You hear a "click!", and the drawer pulls out from counter. Inside is only one thing, a small journal with the handwritten words "Eleanor's Poem Book" written on the cover. You open up the poem book, and it's filled with poems, some of which are about flowers and others which are about dogs or cats. They're all very charming and artsy, but nothing really sticks out to you. You flip to the last page of the poem book and find a poem written in a different colored ink than the rest of the book. Wheras most of the book was penned in either black or blue pen ink, this passage was written in red ink. It was also written the most elegantly out of any poems you've read thus far in the book. The light no longer shows While the feeling of danger grows And I feel that time slows While the devil comes in close For the shadow presence Haunts its captive tenants And I can see its eyes - They glow You realize that this is the one. Quickly, you close the book. Dread sets in. [[You have a decision to make...|Decision]]

You walk into the dining room and take a seat in one of the chairs. You place the glowing cross on the table before you, and beside it, the poem book. Two different people have asked you for help, but you can only help one of them. You realize that certain options from both sides have consequences... If you help Lorna, you will have the purify both of the shadow presence in this house. Are you doing them a favor? Is it right to have them live like this forever? Or could you reason with Lorna if you told her about the poem book? If you help Martha, you may have to give up ever leaving this place. Do you truly want to be stuck in Morningvale forever? Or is there some way to convince Martha that the past is past? [[I'll help Lorna|HelpLorna]] [[I'll help Martha|HelpMartha]] <<set $endinglornacross = 0>> <<set $endinglornabook = 0>> <<set $endingmarthacross = 0>> <<set $endingmarthabook = 0>>

You decide that you're going to help Lorna. With that in mind, you take a deep breath, and head down to the cellar. She greets when you arrive once more. "Have you considered what I've said?" You nod grimly. "Alright. If we're going to escape, you need to purify Eleanor. She's in the backyard, but that's been boarded up. I did some looking around here and found you a crowbar, maybe that will help." [[Head off to purify Eleanor with the cross|HelpLornaCross]] [[Mention the poem book|HelpLornaBook1]]

You decide that you're going to help Martha. With that in mind, you take a deep breath, and head over to the bedroom. You look under the bed, and Martha's glowing white eyes are still there. "Martha. I've decided I'm going to help you." you say to her. Her eyes light up into a happy smile. "You're going to help me bring mom back?" [[Yes, I'll use the poem book and try to bring her back|HelpMarthaBook]] [[I need to purify her with the cross so we can escape this place|HelpMarthaCross]]

"Now remember," Lorna begins. "As soon as Eleanor's purified, this place will warp back to Earth. We won't have much time in between, and I don't know if we can purify Martha as a shadow presence on Earth. I think it'd be best if you did her first." You understand, even if you don't like it. You step out of the cellar and walk towards Martha's room. She's still under the bed, like she's always been. "Martha, there's something I need to tell you." you say to her. "What... What is it?" she asks. "Martha... You've become a shadow presence. You're a creature of the Morningvale now. Do you really want to live like this forever? Under the bed without a real mother or father for all eternity?" Martha is silent. "I..." you look down at the glowing cross in your hand. It's bright enough that Martha probably sees it too. "I was told to come purify your soul, but... I don't have to. No. But I do have to purify Eleanor. She's the lynchpin that's holding this house here in Morningvale. If I touch her with this, it will repel the shadow presence from her soul, and she'll be able to go to Heaven. From there, the house will be put back on Earth, and we can all go back to our normal lives." Martha was still quiet. You open your mouth to speak again when she interrupts you. "You know... before all this... we were a family that worshipped The Good Lord." Her glowing eyes appeared just below the foot of the bed. And they were getting closer. Slowly, Martha climbs out from under the bed, until she's standing right in front of you. She looked like Eleanor's shadow presence. Made of a black, smoky shadow with bright, glowing eyes that were nothing but large, white circles. Her figure looked far more human, more feminine, and far less wolfish than her mother's. She only stood at about four feet tall. "If you're going to send her to Heaven... I'd like to join her there. Maybe then we can finally be a family left in peace." You're unsure what to say. You slowly back up against the wall, realizing this was worse than any scare or fright one could possibly endure. "You have to do it before she finds us." Martha said. "She will know something is up. But... please make it quick. I don't want it to hurt." You nod slowly, clenching your teeth tight as you walk towards her, step by step, holding the cross in front of you. You touch it against the center of her chest, and a white light bathes the room. For a brief moment, you see her. Martha. She had short brown hair. Freckles across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She had a button nose and a crooked smile. Her eyes were closed and... She looked happy. Then she vanished. But as the euphoria slowly subsided, you realized with a thumping heart that she knew. Eleanor knew. No time to lose. You had one more purification to perform. You ran out of the bedroom and down the hall that lead to the backyard door. It was still boarded up, but the wood was old and frail. You strike a wooden plank with the crowbar and tear it from the door. And another. And another. By the time the door is clear, you hear a defeaning noise. Steadfast in your determination despite your primal fear going off the charts, you open the door to the backyard. You immediately realize you will have to fight a very, very pissed off Eleanor. <<display SaveHerePls>>

You mention the poem book to Lorna. She looks at you strangely for a moment, but after you explain it in greater detail, she begins to consider it. "Eleanor's Poem Book, huh? Yeah... Yeah I can see that being useful. I mean, if you're going to purify Eleanor anyways, it's probably not going to be easy. I wouldn't want to try and fight the beast she's become. Maybe if you use this... It'll calm her down enough that you can get an easy shot in." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's up to you if you think it'll work." [[I'll just use the cross|HelpLornaCross]] [[I'll use the book to get her guard down|HelpLornaBook]]

"Alright." she nodded with a grin. "But remember. Eleanor is the binding force of this place to Morningvale. Once she's gone, the place will warp back to Earth. I suggest you purify Martha beforehand." "Well..." you begin, thinking of some way to spare the poor girl. "If I'm using the book to placate Eleanor, won't purifying Martha first make her really angry?" Lorna opened her mouth to object, but immediately closed it. "Hmm... You're right. Well, there is a small window between when you purify her and when the Morningvale fades from the house. If you hurry, you might be able to manage. But I'm not so sure if she can be rid of the shadow presence once on Earth..." "I'll be quick about it." you lie. You've never had any intention of "purifying" Martha. You step out of the cellar and head towards the backyard door. It's still boarded up, but the wood is old and rotting enough to be pried away fairly easily. You strike a wooden plank with the crowbar and tear it down from the door. This follows for every wooden plank boarded across the door, until there is nothing stopping you from entering the backyard. You enter the backyard and close the door behind you. Near the back of the property, you can see the shadow. It was skulking around, like a hungry coyote looking for food, but when it sees you, it stands up straight. You open the book and begin reading the poem in a soothing voice. "The light no longer shows... While the feeling of danger grows..." The beast cocks its head towards you, curious as to what you're saying. Rather than stalking or running at you, it steps closer slowly, cautiously, while you continue reading. "And I feel that time slows... While the devil comes in close..." The beast is much closer now, but still doesn't seem very hostile. You can sense its hostile nature slowly wane into apathy, as if wondering how to proceed from here. "For the shadow presence... Haunts its captive tenants..." The aforementioned shadow presence is now less than a foot away from you, standing tall over your own form as you read the final few verses of the poem. Being this close to it finally, you reason it has to be at least eight feet tall. "And I can see its eyes - They glow." You close the book and stare into the eyes of the monster. It looked... confused. Perplexed. Maybe even sorrowful. But most importantly, it was not hostile, nor was it expecting you to attack it. You instantly drive the cross through its chest and catch it off guard. You can feel it in the air. Betrayal. Loss. Rage. Mostly just pure rage. Nobody likes being tricked. But it's for the best: You and Lorna and Martha, everyone needed to escape this hellish realm. And it could only happen if Eleanor was purified. A glorious white light begins to pierce through the shell as the beast as cracks form in its exterior, before suddenly the entire backyard is bathed in white light... But you feel it instantly. The beast, though slain, was not defeated. A dangerous aura sets in around you. You've used the cross, a weapon of purity and holiness, in an underhanded and dishonest way. You've gained the monsters trust only to betray it grevously. While Eleanor may now be purified, the Morningvale grew hungrier than ever, and the newly formed shadow presence needs a new host. You are that host. Realization sets in too late as the shadow swarms you, attacking for your very soul for the sin you've committed. You shout and flail your arms, but there's no escaping your punishment. It's over before you know it, but... But you aren't fazed. You feel almost unaffected. You look down and around at your body now. Just as Eleanor was, and Martha still is, you are a shadow presence. Your body is made of a smoky black shadow, your hands are long and skinny but bear three talon-like claws at the end of your wrist. And though you cannot see your own face, you're certain it's just as wolfish as Eleanor's was, if not even more so. But you're puzzled - You feel exactly the same as you did before, maybe a little more arrogant and confident, but that doesn't feel justified. Eleanor was reduced to animalistic instincts, she'd become a beast who was only concerned with protecting Martha and her home. Did she have a normal thought process? Was what you're feeling now just an illusion, and in reality you were now as primitive as she was? Then you recall... Lorna said you were caught by the Morningvale. Caught. In a realm that exists between Hell and Earth. You realize... after you died, you were on your way to Hell. Or at least you "dipped" past it on your way to Purgatory. You're a little shocked to realize that, despite all the times you've said in jest "I'm going to Hell for this", you were literally going to Hell after you died. But Eleanor and Martha were women of good intentions and better faith! That had to be why - You took to the shadow much better than they could because you were not holy. Your transformation was not one of oil and water, but one of unity and two synchronizing forces. The evil of the Morningvale, and the evil within. You feel it now... You may have repressed some of it during your ventures through the DeCarte house, but you can feel the beckoning sense of... maliciousnes. Savagery. It calls to you like a warm fire on a cold night. And what of Lorna? The woman who so thought this was a curse? You do not feel cursed. You feel imbued with power. You realize now that you're stronger, faster, and you can walk through walls. She claimed the shadow presense were monster, were... what was the word she used? Parasites. But you've been in any danger from them. All her talk of danger, and the only real danger you've faced so far has been avoided with the help of Martha. Lorna has done nothing but given you a history lesson before making you her errand boy. You take a look at the cross lying beside you. The light coming from it makes you squint, where it hadn't before, but that's to be expected. More importantly, this means Lorna was without her only weapon. Well, she thinks the shadow presence are so dangerous right? Why not show her how dangerous they can really be. You open the door to the backyard and walk back inside the house, trying to contain your laughter as you walk through the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen. You can imagine the look on her face. But you don't have to imagine for very long. You arrive at the bottom of the cellar steps and stare into her eyes. The color drains from her face, and she realizes who you are. Not Eleanor. But <<print $name>>. A conscious, thinking, cunning shadow presence. You slowly walk towards her. Lorna is helpless to do anything but babble incoherently as she's backed against the wall. She finds the wall quicker than she would've liked, and honestly quicker than you'd like her to as well. You stopped about two feet in front of her and just stared at her for a moment. She was desperately trying to wedge herself through the solid wall, and hunched over in fear. You let out a short, sinister laugh before you raise your claw in the air and strike her down. Once she's on the floor, bleeding, you jump onto her and begin ripping her apart, until there's nothing left but a pile of flesh and organs that vaguely resembles the guest room. With that taken care of, you head back up the stairs and into the bedroom. "Martha." you speak in a tone booming with authority. She slowly pokes her head out from under the bed, taking in your ghostly form for the first time. "You... You're like me now..." she mumbled, sounding unhappy. "I am." you nod, getting down on one knee and putting your finger under her chin. "But it is alright. You don't need to be scared of what I am. Or what you are. You are still Martha." "But..." "Come out from under the bed, Martha. Don't hide anymore." Reluctantly, Martha slowly crawled out from under the bed. Her own shadow presence seemed much more feminine in shape than Eleanor's, and beared more resemblance to the shadow of a little girl than one of a wolf. She stood only four feet tall. You place your hands on her shoulders and look into her large white eyes. "Whoever said this was a bad thing? Whoever said to you that... This wasn't something you could embrace? Martha, I think you were just scared. You're in this strange shadow place, you're unsure what to do, you're different and you feel alone... Your mother wasn't herself, and your father was destined for eternal death. But Martha, everyone has to grow up some time. You cannot spend the rest of your life under the bed, scared of the changing world around you. There would've come a time in your life where you would've grown into a young woman, you would've had to move out of your parents place, and find your own way in the world." You stand up and offer her your hand. "You are still young though. You still need a guiding hand. Someone who can take of you. Someone you can put your trust in. Let me show you that this is but a new chapter in your life, one you can build upon and find happiness from." She stares at you for a few quiet seconds, before putting her hand in yours. "Okay... I'll trust you." "That's a good girl." you say with a wide smile. "Now come on, I think I know of where we can start our first adventure together." The two of you leave the house hand-in-hand, walking down the porch and across the front yard, into the land beyond the fence. A familiar light shines in the distance. A light that attracts shadows. A light meant not for humans. The two of you smile once more to each other as you're transported to Earth. Let the haunting begin. [[The End|THEEND]] <<set $endinglornabook = 1>>

<html> <head> <style> p.ex { color: rgb(255,255,0); } </style> </head> <body> <p class="ex">(You should probably save here)<br><br>FIGHT!</p> </body> </html> You close the backyard door behind you. Whatever you may be carrying, you drop. All save for the cross, which glows with a radiant, pure energy from within your grasp. Eleanor, the soul consumed by the shadow presence, stood at the other end of the yard, snarling with the twisted, dangerous aura of a far-beyond-upset beast. You don't have much time else to think before the shadow is upon you, with its jagged claw drawn in the air, ready to strike. [[Dodge the attack!|FightLornaCross]]

<<set $EleanorStrike1 = Math.ceil(Math.random()*100)>> <<print $EleanorStrike1>> <<if $EleanorStrike1 <=25>> <<set $EleanorKillsYou = 1>> <<endif>> <<if $EleanorKillsYou eq 1>> You try to dodge the strike, but it's too fast. The beast claws you across the face and into the ground. The cross goes flying from your hand as you fall, and just before you black out, you see the white eyes of the shadow presence ever-so-close to your face. <<display DeathScreenBoss>> <<else>> You duck under its attack and jump out of the way while the beast is still recovering from the swing. You prepare to strike it with the cross, but its arm comes flying forwards, knocking the cross from your hands. It goes tumbling across the backyard grass before it comes to stop at the other end of the yard. The beast raises both its arms over its head. [[Jump out of the way!|FightLornaCross2]] <<endif>>

<<set $EleanorStrike2 = Math.ceil(Math.random()*100)>> <<print $EleanorStrike2>> <<if $EleanorStrike2 <=25>> <<set $EleanorKillsYou2A = 1>> <<elseif $EleanorStrike2 <=50>> <<set $EleanorKillsYou2B = 1>> <<endif>> <<if $EleanorKillsYou2A eq 1>> You were too stunned to move out of the way and took the full force of the beast's downward smash. Your spine snapped and you fell to the ground in a broken, dizzy heap. Just before you black out, you see the white eyes of the shadow presence ever-so-close to your face. <<display DeathScreenBoss>> <<elseif $EleanorKillsYou2B eq 1>> You snapped to attention quick enough to dive out of the way of the oncoming double-smash. Quickly, you scramble towards the glowing cross. You get mere inches away from it before the beast grabs your foot and drags you backwards. You're demolished by a series of powerful strikes to the head and body. Just before you black out, you see the white eyes of the shadow presence ever-so-close to your face. <<display DeathScreenBoss>> <<else>> You snapped to attention quick enough to dive out of the way of the oncoming double-smash. Quickly, you scramble towards the glowing cross. You grab the cross and turn around, still on the ground, to see the beast lunging towards you, already airborne and ready to pounce on you for a savage, fatal beating. You have a shot to strike the beast with the cross, one that requires careful timing and extremely good luck. [[.......NOW!|FightLornaCrossFinal]] <<endif>>

<html> <head> <style> p.ex { color: rgb(255,0,0); } </style> </head> <body> <p class="ex">But escape from here isn't that easy...<br> (It's a tough boss battle. Reload and try again!)</p> </body> </html>

<<set $EleanorStrike3 = Math.ceil(Math.random()*100)>> <<print $EleanorStrike3>> <<if $EleanorStrike3 <=75>> <<set $EleanorKillsYou3 = 1>> <<endif>> <<if $EleanorKillsYou3 eq 1>> You timed the strike wrong, and the beast tears into you before you can land a hit with the cross. Just before you black out, you see the white eyes of the shadow presence ever-so-close to your face. <<display DeathScreenBoss>> <<else>> YOU DID IT!! With an astounding amount of luck and timing, you strike the shadow presence right in the chest with the cross as it bears down upon you. With a ghostly howl that shook the property around you, a blinding light began to slowly crack through the forming crevices in its body, until it exploded in a bastion of holy light. All was left was you, breathing heavily, sitting in the backyard of the house. And slowly, like condensation evaporating off a mirror, the shadows around you were dispelled. The Morningvale had lost its lynchpin, and thus no longer had a hold on the house. The sky appeared above you, and the city appeared around you. Lorna ran out of the house and threw open the back door, looking towards the outside world for the first time in ages. And back down to you. "You did it!" she shouted, jumping in the air. "I... I suppose I did." you say sheepishly, still shooken up. The two of you head out of the front door. Before you, you see not the land beyond the fence, but the rest of the city. Buildings bloomed around you, cars puttered by on the street in front of the house, and pedestrians walked on either side of the road on sidewalks. "Oh, it feels good to be back in the world! The sun, the clouds, the fresh air on my face!" Lorna shouts, spinning around as she skipped out of the fence. You hesitantly remain on the porch, looking around. Some of your memories are coming back. You were crossing the street and a truck had not noticed the light turning red. As you wonder on how closely life and death might be, Lorna encouraged you to come out onto the sidewalk with her. You shake off the feelings of dread and skip out of the house after you. "Well, now that we're out in the real world again... My God am I hungry. I feel like I haven't eaten in decades! How about lunch then, my treat?" You realize you haven't eaten in some time too, and nod amicably. As the two of you walk down the street, you feel a great sense of relief as the cool breeze hits your face. But you also feel... regret. Did you really have to purify Martha? Wasn't purify just a fancier word for kill? You are unsure if you made the right decision. You look up to the sky and watch the clouds drifting by, contemplating your decisions. Which is when you see it. It may have just been the wind, but you see a small cloud form into a smaller hand. It waves to you once just before dissipating into vapor, and joining the rest of its shapeless bretherin. You smile to yourself. And you feel happy. [[The End|THEEND]] <<set $endinglornacross = 1>> <<endif>>

<<if $endinglornacross eq 1>> <<display purityending>> You've also recieved the following achievements: <<display axName>> <<display axCoin>> <<display axToaster>> <<display axRiddle>> <<display axRaven>> <<display goodbye>> <<elseif $endinglornabook eq 1>> <<display beastending>> You've also recieved the following achievements: <<display axName>> <<display axCoin>> <<display axToaster>> <<display axRiddle>> <<display axRaven>> <<display goodbye>> <<elseif $endingmarthabook eq 1>> <<display familyending>> You've also recieved the following achievements: <<display axName>> <<display axCoin>> <<display axToaster>> <<display axRiddle>> <<display axRaven>> <<display goodbye>> <<elseif $endingmarthacross eq 1>> <<display justiceending>> You've also recieved the following achievements: <<display axName>> <<display axCoin>> <<display axToaster>> <<display axRiddle>> <<display axRaven>> <<display goodbye>> <<endif>>

"Thank you. I... I really appreciate this. I just wanted my family back for so long..." Martha's voice cracked with happiness. "I really hope this works." you tell her. You are uncertain if reading Eleanor a poem will bring her back from what she's become. "Here. This should help a little. It's been here for a while, I just never thought to do anything about it." You're confused as to what Martha is talking about, but then you see her slowly handing you a crowbar. This would be very useful in getting access to the backyard. You leave the bedroom and walk down the hall to the backyard door. It's boarded up with old, rotting planks of wood and rusty old nails, but you find you can make short work of this crumbling barricade with a good few swings from the crowbar. You slowly open the door to the backyard. You see Eleanor lurking around the backyard, like a caged animal biding time before its escape. It spots you suddenly and stands up straight. You can barely see its form in the darkness, but its eyes shine as bright as flashlights. You realize you've brought the cross with you. It's just never occurred to you to put it down yet. As a sign of good faith, you slowly place the cross on the ground and kick it to the side. The beast stops for a moment, as if puzzled. You open the book and begin reading the poem in a soothing voice. "The light no longer shows... While the feeling of danger grows..." Rather than charging or leaping at you, the beast starts taking tentative steps towards you, cocking its head like an owl discovering a strange mouse. You continue reading. "And I feel that time slows... While the devil comes in close..." The beast is much closer now, and you can sense its hostile nature slowly wane into apathy, as if it doesn't know why it's reacting the way it is. "For the shadow presence... Haunts its captive tenants..." You look up from your poem book for a moment, and see the monster less than a foot away from you, standing tall over your own smaller figure. This is the first time you've been this close to it. The beast had to be at least eight feet tall. You read the final line of the poem. "And I can see its eyes - They glow." You close the book and stare into the eyes of the monster. It looked... confused. Perplexed. Maybe even sorrowful. But then the ferocious glint returns to its eye, and it draws it claw into the air. You glance to the side and consider quickly grabbing the cross, but before you can, the beast swings its claw down and strikes... ...itself. It takes a wounded step backwards, hands on its head, yelling and snarling in some gutteral cry for help, and you can see something bubbling beneath the shadow. You realize an opportunity. "Martha's waiting for you, Eleanor." There's a loud screench, like someone letting air out of a balloon, before the beast errupts into a black explosion. All of the shadow corruption was expelled outwards from a central point, where the weak body of Eleanor fell to one knee and hobbled about the ground for balance. The woman appeared to be in her fifties, but only looked slightly older than Lorna. She had grey wispy hair and a strong stare about her. Age creased her face lightly, and she wore two gold earings. She seemed to be in shock, but still mumbling, even if wasn't aware of it, about Martha. You help her to her feet and usher her inside. She follows you to the bedroom. "Martha, come out from under the bed. Your mother wants to see you." Eleanor's glowing white eyes immediately appeared at the foot of the bed. You can see the shock quickly melt away from Eleanor as she lays eyes on her child. "Oh, Martha." she smiled, as the girl crawled out from under the bed. Despite being a shadow presence, she had a more child-like, feminine outline than the wolfish one Martha had. She only stood four feet tall. "Mom... Can you... Can you fix this?" Martha gave you a knowing smile. "Well, I am the lynchpin of this house." She gently touched Martha's forehead with her finger, and the shadow slowly faded away from her, turning her back into a human. She had short brown hair, freckles across the bridge of her nose, hazel eyes and a button nose. Martha hugged her mother tightly. "I'm so glad to have you back." Eleanor patted her back, and turned to you. "Thank you. I know that you probably wanted to purify my soul, but it means so much to mean to be back with my daughter." "It felt like the right thing to do." you nod. "But now we have a bigger problem. Now that you're both back to being human, how do we escape the Morningvale?" "We don't." someone said in a terse voice. You turn around and find Lorna standing in the bedroom doorway, holding a crowbar in her hand. That's not your crowbar was it? No, yours was still tucked into your belt. There were two crowbars? "As long as Eleanor is still alive, we can't leave the Morningvale. She's the lynchpin binding this house to this realm!" she argued angrily. Eleanor held up her hands. "Now, wait Lorna, there's still a way..." Lorna raised her crowbar, but you were quicker, smashing her in the face with your own crowbar. She falls backwards and hits her head on the wall, sliding to the floor unconscious. Eleanor raised her eyebrows. "That's twice you've saved my life." "What were you saying about another way?" you asked. You'd initially given up hope of leaving the Morningvale, feeling that it was better Martha and her mother were reunited. "She wasn't wrong. As long as I'm alive, I'm a binding force for this house to the Morningvale. But I'm not the only one." "What do you mean?" "I'm not a shadow presence anymore. The Morningvale has a weakened hold on this house. And neither is Martha, or you for that matter. If we can find a way to take advantage of that weakened state, we can find our way home." "I don't mean to be rude, but it wasn't exactly a part of your plan to become a shadow presence in the first place. How are you sure that won't happen again?" "I... I was sorely tempted." she bowed her head shamefully. "When I brought this upon the house, I was lost in grief and anger at my husband. I wanted to protect my daughter forever, and the only place I could think to do that was here. In my blindness, I was taken advantage of by the dark forces here. But let me tell you, it takes far more strength to repel a shadow already bound to your soul than to stop one from taking root. I don't see that ever happening again. And as long as we stay here in this house, I can remove the shadow presence from either of you, without having to go through all that dramatic purifying mumbo jumbo." You take a moment to stare at Eleanor, and then Martha. "So then. Our plan is to sabotage the Morningvale?" "Definitely." she gave a wicked grin. "We've already weakened it. We just have to keep driving the wedge between this place and the house." Martha chimed in. "Well then." you smile, grabbing Eleanor and Martha's hands. "Let's get it on." [[The End|THEEND]] <<set $endingmarthabook = 1>>

"What?" she asks in an emotional, distaught voice. "Nooooo..." "Martha. We can't escape unless she's purified. I know it's hard, but... There comes a point in life where we all have to move on. Sometimes... you have to let go of the past, and work on making a better future. What future do you have here, in this place? Don't you want to go back home?" She sniffles a little. "I want to go back home with mom." "I'm sorry, but in life, there are tough decisions you'll have to make. What do you want more, Martha? Do you want me to try and bring your mom back, but stay in this place forever? Or do you want to go back to Earth? Do you want to be rid of this nightmare or do you want to share it?" She seems quiet for a minute longer, but you stay by the bed waiting for her answer. "You can't stay under the bed forever, Martha. Sometimes, things have to change. And I know you're a smart enough girl to realize that too." You hear her mumble a few sob-muffled words, before you pick out "I miss ice cream." "When we go back to Earth, I promise I'll get you some ice cream." ".............And a puppy?" You laugh a little to yourself. "Yes, and a puppy." There's another long silence. "Okay... Just do it quickly..." "I'm proud of you Martha." Just as you get up, you see something flung out from under the bed. On closer inspection, you realize it's an old crowbar. This would be useful for getting into the backyard. You leave Martha's bedroom and turn down the next hall to the backyard door. It's boarded up with a few old, rotting planks of wood and rusty nails, but with a few hard strikes from the crowbar, you tear them all down. You open and close the backyard door. Eleanor is there, skulking in the back 40 like a wild animal. This is what Martha's mother had become. It spots you out of the corner of its eye, and its glare turns hostile. It's staring you down as it slowly walks towards you, now standing upright, but you're undaunted. For the first time in your life, you feel the weight of not fighting for yourself, but fighting for someone else. The brandish the cross in two hands as you hone your focus to its zenith. The creature suddenly jumps forward, with its claw extended and swinging towards you. With a mighty swing of your own, you strike its oncoming arm with a powerful swipe that sends a low ripple of energy throughout the yard. The creature's arm flies back from the holy energy of the cross, giving you a wide opening. With all the power you can muster, you drive the cross forward, striking the beast in its abdomnen. It lets out a startled shriek of a prey slaughtered, as light begins to shine through the cracks forming in its shadowy body. Soon after, the entire backyard is bathed in a cleansing light. When the light settles, there is nothing left of Eleanor. The shadow presence has been washed from her soul and she was free to pass on to Heaven. A sense of relief overcomes you, and you fall backwards against the backyard door. Slowly, like condensation evaporating off a mirror, the darkness around the house is dispelled. The sky turns blue dotted with white clouds, houses sprout up on either side, and you can hear the rumble of cars on pavement and the chatter of pedestrians on sidewalks. Your first thought is Martha. You stand up and run back into the house. You look under the bed, but no glowing eyes meet you this time. You stand up, worried, wondering if something had happened to her, when you see an arm come out from under the bed. Slowly, the rest of Martha appears before you. As a human. She had short brown hair and freckles across the bridge of her nose. She had hazel eyes and a button nose. And she looked happy. The two of you take a step outside and deeply inhale the fresh air. The world might've changed a little since Marth entered the Morningvale, but no doubt she could learn of what she'd missed. Lorna joined the two of you on the patio, amazed that she was back on Earth and no longer trapped within the Morningvale. "You did it!" she cheered. "Oh, I can't believe we're back now. This is great!" "Indeed." you smile weakly. She spins and twirls along the front yard joyously and Martha grabs your hand. "Well, now that we're out in the real world again... My God am I hungry. I feel like I haven't eaten in decades! How about lunch then, my treat?" she called from the end of the yard. You tell Martha to wait on the porch while you go talk with Lorna. "Up for lunch then?" she asked again as you approached her. "Right now, my main concern is taking care of Martha." you inform her. "And you can't be a part of that, because of what you've asked me to do. You know what I'm talking about." Lorna looks slightly hurt, but she grudgingly nodded her head in agreement. She couldn't have a hand in caring for a child she'd wanted you to "purify", which you begin to think was just a nicer way of saying "kill". Lorna went off on her own way down the sidewalk. You return to Martha and give her a big hug. "So, about that ice cream..." [[The End|THEEND]] <<set $endingmarthacross = 1>>

<html> <head> <style> h3{ font-weight: bold; color: #00ffff; font-size: 32px; } </style> </head> <body> <h3 style="font-family:verdana">The End!</h3> <h2> THE FAMILY ENDING </H2> </body> </html>

<<if ($name is "Aaron Dunning")>><<set $aaOriginal = 1>><<if $aaOriginal eq 1>>ORIGINAL - Use the default name.<<endif>> <<else>><<set $aaDifferent = 1>><<endif>><<if $aaDifferent eq 1>>DIFFERENT - Give yourself a unique name.<<endif>>

Thank you for playing my game, and I hope you had a lot of fun. If you want to replay the game again and see if you can get a different ending, or if you want to try and get different achievements, you can always start again from scratch or reload an older save. As a bonus for completing the game, here's a special cheat code. When it asks you to enter you name, type in SHADOW, all caps, for a secret. Thank you and have a good day!

<<if $aacoinchampion gte 5>>COIN CHAMPION - Flip the coin at least five times. <<endif>>

<<if $aaToaster eq 1>>AMITYVILLE TOASTER - A blueberry muffin...?<<endif>>

<<if $aaRaven eq 1>>NEVERMORE - Discover the easter egg in the attic.<<endif>>

<<if $aaRiddle gte 5>>RIDDLE ME THIS - Read the answers to all five riddles. <<endif>>

<html> <head> <style> h3{ font-weight: bold; color: #ccc; font-size: 32px; } </style> </head> <body> <h3 style="font-family:verdana">The End!</h3> <h2> THE JUSTICE ENDING </H2> </body> </html>

<html> <head> <style> h3{ font-weight: bold; color: #fff; font-size: 32px; } </style> </head> <body> <h3 style="font-family:verdana">The End!</h3> <h2> THE PURITY ENDING </H2> </body> </html>

<html> <head> <style> h3{ font-weight: bold; color: #ff0000; font-size: 32px; } </style> </head> <body> <h3 style="font-family:verdana">The End!</h3> <h2> THE BEAST ENDING </H2> </body> </html>

<<if $atticdanger lte 0>> Before you can leave the attic, something grabs you. You are eaten before you ever find out what it was. <<display DeathScreen>> <<else>>You look around the attic, though you can't really see much because of how dark it is. After a minute of fumbling around, you notice two points of interest before you: A small table to your right and a lumpy bag to your left. <<set $atticdanger = $atticdanger - 1>> (You are likely to be eaten in <<print $atticdanger>> minutes.) [[Investigate the table|AtticRaven]] [[Investigate the bag|AtticBag]] [[Return to the attic door|AtticHub]] <<endif>>

<<if $atticdanger lte 0>> Before you can leave the attic, something grabs you. You are eaten before you ever find out what it was. <<display DeathScreen>> <<else>>You walk towards the small table and notice a locked strongbox sitting on the table. It requires a key to open. <<set $atticdanger = $atticdanger - 1>> (You are likely to be eaten in <<print $atticdanger>> minutes.) [[Return to where you were|AtticCrossroad]] <<if $AfterLornaTalkToMartha eq 1>>[[Use the key with the red band|AtticRaven2]]<<endif>> <<endif>>

<<if $atticdanger lte 0>> Before you can leave the attic, something grabs you. You are eaten before you ever find out what it was. <<display DeathScreen>> <<else>>You travel closer to the bag, and look inside to wonder what you will find. Inside, you find a body. You're quite shocked, but thankful it's not trying to kill you. <<set $atticdanger = $atticdanger - 1>> (You are likely to be eaten in <<print $atticdanger>> minutes.) [[Return to where you were|AtticCrossroad]] <<endif>>

<<if $atticdanger lte 0>> Before you can leave the attic, something grabs you. You are eaten before you ever find out what it was. <<display DeathScreen>> <<else>>This is the attic. Undoubtedly the darkest room in the house. You feel a chilling sense of danger up here. <<set $atticdanger = $atticdanger - 1>> (You are likely to be eaten in <<print $atticdanger>> minutes) [[Look around|AtticCrossroad]] [[Return to the second floor hallway|HSecondFloor]] <<endif>>

You unlock the strongbox with the key with the red band, and find a picture inside. It's a polaroid picture of a raven on a fencepost wearing sunglasses. On the back is a brief caption written in thick black marker "Quoth the raven, swag galore." Beneath the photo you notice a peculier gem. This is the Stone of Elgen, and it will be very useful later. You do not take it. <<set $aaRaven = 1>> [[Quickly leave the attic|HSecondFloor]]