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Key & Compass presents:
By the Lake
by "Eldridge Murray"

By the Lake is a Glulx interactive fiction game written with Inform 7 and is © 2015 by "Eldridge Murray". This game was entered in ShuffleComp: Disc 2, and it was inspired by "The Ghost Who Walks" by Karen Elson.

You play as Alexa, the ghost of your former self who was killed—in the game's prologue—by your now ex-boyfriend, Paul. You want revenge.

This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.


Map

u d branch Island Pier Edge ofthe Woods Shore

Walkthrough 1: Alexa

Shore

You are stabbed by your boyfriend during the prologue.

> x me. i. (You're a ghost.)

> x grass. x spot. x marks.

> w.

Edge of the Woods

As a ghost, your options seem limited to going from place to place and passively looking at things.

> x body. x blue. x him. x shovel. x car.

> e. n.

Pier

> x gun. x island. n.

When you head north from the Pier the first time, the shade of one of Paul's previous victims tells you that you can POSSESS things.

Island

> x tree. x nest. x pit. x nest. x junk. x mouse.

> possess mouse. (You now control the mouse.)

> u.

branch

> push nest. d.

Island

> search junk. x bottle.

> squeeze bottleorjump on bottle.

Commands like "turn on lighter" or "burn nest" don't work. You must...

> possess lighter.

The nest burns, the mouse leaves, and Paul moves to the pier, attracted by the fire's light.

> s.

Pier

> x paul. possess gun. (Paul dies.)

*** You found rest. ***


Walkthrough 2: Paul

Shore

This seems to be a semi-secret alternate story.

> xyzzy. (You are now Paul, the murderer.)

Edge of the Woods

This version of the game doesn't appear to have been debugged at all. For example, the body is still refered to as "your body".

> x me. i. x shovel. x body. x car. x hole.

> put body in hole. e.

Shore

You can see Alexa here, but you shouldn't be able to. And this is the only way the player can learn her name.

> x alexa. ("You can't see any such thing.)

It gets more buggy if you continue this way. Most actions and objects are coded as if you were Alexa. You can take the nail gun from the pier, but still walk across the water and possess things and the nest is too heavy... it's really buggy. Just go back to the car.

> w.

Edge of the Woods

> enter car. e. (Paul drives away.)

*** It continues... ***


Thank You to my Patreon supporters

This walkthrough is provided free of charge since the work it's based on has less than fifteen locations. Please consider it a thank you for your support!

I create larger walkthroughs too! Please visit my Patreon account if you're interested in helping me create more interactive fiction walkthroughs. I appreciate all the help I can get! Thanks again.