Scorpion's Tale

Wishbringer: As Told by Scorpia

Scorpia

WARNING! This article contains spoilers. Avert your eyes!

WARNING! Scorpion's Tale contains hints on solving computer adventure games. If you do not want help, do not read on.

Ah, it's that time of year again. Cold winds outside, a roaring fire inside. Just the right atmosphere for getting cozy with a good adventure game. So, draw your chair a little closer to the fireplace, while Fred pours your favorite drink. Now, all you need is that adventure, so just... make a wish.

So, here you are, a grubby little postal clerk, staring at the sky and wishing for better things. Considering that you work for a twit like Mr. Crisp, I don't blame you. However, if you don't get back inside and pick up that strange letter, nothing much will be happening, so you better hop to it!

On the other hand, you have some time to deliver that mysterious missive, so use it to good advantage. Explore the town and its environs carefully. Look everywhere, making your own map if need be (even though a nice one comes with the game). Things are going to change pretty soon, and you don't want to miss anything!

Of course, you can't go very far until you get past that rotten little dog (I cheerfully admit I tried kicking it, but that didn't work...sigh). So, while you think of something to do, why not take a stroll through that delightful cemetery; it might even prove helpful!

Once past the dog, you shouldn't have any problems for awhile (at least not until you come out of the Magick Shoppe). Just keep in mind that postal carriers also pick up mail as well as deliver it, and you should be ok. When you finally do get to the Shoppe, you'll meet a pretty weird old lady, but don't let that scare you. She's pretty nice, and even offers you a gift. I'd accept it, if I were you.

When you leave, you find that somehow things have changed a bit. There's a lot of fog around, but that shouldn't bother you, after all, you made a map of the way up, right? (Well, I hope so, anyway!) Then again, maybe you'd prefer to stay in the fog, since there's that vulture sitting on a branch at the bottom of the hill. Lucky for you, you don't have to worry about that (but it sure is creepy).

You realize things have changed a LOT when you try to cross the bridge and find a nasty creature there demanding payment first (sounds like a troll bridge to me!). Anyway, you do need to get over to the other side, so you better give him something.

So now you can enter Witchville. Huh? WITCHVILLE??? Hmmm, maybe that nice old lady wasn't so nice, after all! Look what she's gotten you into here. You better check this out, cause things aren't the way you remember them from before! There certainly wasn't a piranha in the town fountain last time you looked. And there sure weren't any boots patrolling around to pick up curfew violators, either. Not to mention, the tiny poodle has somehow grown into a full-fledged hellhound! And what's that sinister castle doing there where the post office used to be?

Never fear, you can get through it, and without using any wishes. In fact, you can only get a perfect score by NOT using any wishes to get past obstacles. So, what can you do? Well, it would be wise to avoid the patrols for now, while you go around the town and see how much has been changed. Don't forget the areas outside of town too, such as the lake, among others. You will find a creature in need of help. What a platypus is doing in this place, I won't even attempt to speculate on, but it would be nice to get it out of the hole. It can't jump, but it can climb, if only it had something solid to grip.

Now, what are you going to do with that whistle? Well, what is usually done with them? Aha! That should help you a lot on your quest (the things you have to do to rescue a cat...). And after that would be a good time to visit the town jail. You can let yourself be picked up by the boot patrol, or walk in the door. Either way, you will soon find yourself in a cozy (?) cell.

Actually, the accommodations are not all that thrilling, and you really don't want to stay here too long. Take a good look around at everything, and don't be afraid to exert a little force if need be. And make sure you don't leave empty-handed. Then it's off to the Grue lair (and if you don't know where that is, you haven't been looking very hard!).

Ever wonder what Grues keep in their refrigerators? Why not open it and find out? Hmmm. Well, perhaps you should do something about baby Grue first, 'cause Momma Grue is NOT someone you want to meet! If you could just figure out some way of keeping the baby from being bothered by the light, you'd be ok. Well, you can't cover the light, so...

And then there's that piranha. Nasty little thing, isn't it? Maybe you have something it would prefer to nibble on, besides your precious fingers. Remember, it's a fish.

You certainly have been doing a lot of running around here. Why not relax and enjoy a good movie? It may seem a little strange that Miss Voss is selling the tickets, but go ahead and buy one. Hmmm. Seems that it's a 3-D feature, and the ticket-taker is all out of those funny glasses (and isn't it strange that the place is open at night when there's a curfew on?). Oh well, go on in anyway. Don't forget to look around while you're there.

Hey, so far, so good! How about a little trip to the arcade now? There's one machine in particular you should check out. It looks like a pretty strange game, but go ahead and play it anyway. Keep an eye on your map while you do that. And, by golly, here you are at the castle. Now, if you could just get that drawbridge down. It's all in how you say it.

Then again, maybe you're wishing right now you hadn't entered the place, since it seems you just walked into a trap. Mr. Crisp is even nastier than you ever imagined. There you are, chained to the wall, and there is the platypus, stuck inside an insidious machine and about to be ground into mush. Don't panic (err, sorry, wrong game!). Remember, you are still a mail carrier. Think about it.

Gee, Crisp sure took off in a hurry, didn't he? Of course, you're still chained to the wall, but you can do something about that. Stretch a little. Ahhhh, that's better! Don't forget to free the platypus, too! And by the way, while it's not really cricket, you might want to read someone else's mail. Under the circumstances, it's forgiven.

Now it's time to explore around a bit. How about that fuzzy room? Fuzzy..does that remind you if anything? When you can see clearly again, check out everything in the room. Pay special attention to the levers. You still have to find the way out, though. I hope you're an art lover.

You're almost finished now. A quick trip to Voss's cottage (the hellhound should be no problem), a thorough examination of everything, and then it's off to the library. Those display cases look interesting. There seems to be a cat statue in one of them. Too bad you can't get the case open. Well, sometimes it DOES pay to be violent!

So here's the statue. Odd, there seems to be a small piece missing. Just a tiny piece, about the size of....well, I think you can guess what it is, and what you have to do. And I hope you make the right choice..good luck!

Looks like that's it for this issue. Remember if you have a game question, you can reach me at:

Scorpia
P.O. Box 338
Gracie Station
New York, NY 10028

Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your questions. See you next time!

---

---

These historical, out-of-print articles and literary works have been GNUSTOed onto InvisiClues.org for academic and research purposes.