Gamebooks (Choose Your Own Adventure Style)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

El Misterio de la Casa Abandonada Alternate Endings Part 5


Picking Door #2 in CHOICE #7 results in a better outcome.


"You prefer to open Door #2.  You open it and a strong flash illuminates your eyes.  You later see your friends receive you with a big hug, and a smile illuminates their faces.  Later, magically and surprisingly, you are all outside the abandoned house.


'Luckily, Miguel's here and we could leave that place alive', says Juan.


'Yes, but I won't give you a second chance!', shouts that voice that belongs to someone you'll never meet.  END".


Our evil wizard is going to risk his experiment on a coin flip chance?  Oh well, that's how wizards behave in bad fiction.  If you pretend to be "mysterious", you can do things that make no sense, and only criticasters like me would question you.


Will our heroes question their perceptions of the world now that they know magic exists?  Probably not any more than the Dragons Realm cast.


Results So Far


3 Good Endings

1 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

El Misterio de la Casa Abandonada Alternate Endings Part 6


Investigating the mansion in CHOICE #6 makes me rummage around the "salón delantero".  "You've seen in movies that there are secret passages behind pictures or bookshelves".  But the passage is under a rug on the floor.


The room underneath the trapdoor has a light at the bottom.  CHOICE #8 is to either continue, or call my friends for help.  Advancing solo produces a picture of an old bald man with a thick mustache holding a rope.


"It seems best to save your friend Miguel, who's tied up and gagged.  When you advance a few steps more, you feel a little heat on your legs, but it's too late.  An infrared ray has recorded your presence and sounded the frenetic alarm.  You see someone come.  It's a thin bald (pelado) man with a mustache.  He has a wicked face and comes with rope.  He discovers you and pursues you to tie you up.  You try to escape, but your attempt is in vain.


After tying you up, he begins to move you through a hallway full of computers, radars, and other electronics, finally reaching a compartment and locking you inside.  After passing through the hall, where there was a lot of light, your eyes become accustomed to the semi-darkness of this new environment.  You manage to see two shadows.  You look and discover it's your uncle Gerardo and his assistant Juan.


After greeting you, Juan breaks the silence:  'That man who tied you up is a demented professor.  He's crazy.'  'But why does he have Miguel with him?', you ask.  'He's going to use him for his 'scientific experiments', he answers.  'If we could only get out of here'.


After thinking for a few moments, you remember the small knife, Gonzalo, your friend from school (colegio), gave you.  You carefully slide it from your pocket to your pants.  You begin to fight and untie yourself completely.  You do the same with your friends.  'We have to make a plan', you say.


After a few minutes, you begin to prepare everything for the 'work'.  Juan pretends to feel bad and screams in pain.  Gerardo is behind the door with a stick, and you're with him.  When the mad professor comes to see what's happening, he opens the door and you uncle hits him with the stick.


Now that you're free, you untie Miguel and everyone brings the professor outside the house.  From there, you transfer him to the nearest police station.  But after all that, you've earned a reward. . .the gold!  END".


This time, the Misterio de la Casa Abandonada universe's villain is retconned into being a mad professor, instead of a wizard or a common kidnapper with a gun.  This might be the sequel to La Isla de los Dodos.


We win by using the old "pretend to be ill" ploy that was cliche long before now.


Results So Far


4 Good Endings

1 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

El Misterio de la Casa Abandonada Alternate Endings Part 7


Trying to call for my friends gives me CHOICE #9 instead of an ending.  I don't find anyone, so I have to return to the secret passage.  I remember I have Gonzalo's retcon knife in this path too, though his name isn't mentioned here.  Now I could either free Miguel immediately, or investigate further. 


Freeing Miguel is another successful scenario.


"You decide to free Miguel.  Although he tries to say something, you feel a heat on your feet when you approach, and you quickly hear an alarm.  In a few seconds, an old half-mad man presses you and ties you up with ropes (sogas).  You look around and find your uncle Gerardo and Juan at his side.


'Why is Miguel separated from us?', you ask.  'That doctor is going to use him for experiments.  He's demented', your uncle says.  While he talks, you free yourself from the bonds thanks to the knife you kept lightly when you saw the crazy old man.


Finally free, you do the same with your friends.  You find a stick and knock on the door.  When the old man opens it, a few seconds later, you push him forward and everyone leaves.  You have the key, now that you seized the old man when you pushed him, and he's fallen on the floor.


You close the room, and while you free Miguel, the rest destroy the malevolent artifacts of the crackpot professor.  In a few moments, you bring him to the nearest police station.  END".



No gold reward this time?  But we did practically the same thing as before.  These so-called "malevolent artifacts" are infrared scanners at worst.  "Old man" is both "viejo" and "anciano" here.  None of the polite "hombre mayor" stuff for this guy!


Results So Far


5 Good Endings

1 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

El Misterio de la Casa Abandonada Alternate Endings Part 8


I'll investigate in CHOICE #9 instead of trying to save Miguel.  It doesn't take long to get a new ending.


"You decide to investigate.  You get a little closer, always stealthily and you manage to see the old professor typing on a keyboard with his bony fingers.  You try to get a little closer, just when you detect a fine red light near the floor, that crosses from wall to wall.  without a doubt, it's a laser motion sensor.  If you touch it, surely an alarm will sound. . .or perhaps something worse.


You silently jump over it and untie Miguel with a small knife you had in your pocket.  You rapidly leave and exit to the outside hallway.  Right there Miguel tells you everything and says where the others are. 


'We have to enter again', you say.  'No', says Miguel.  'I know a hatch (compuerta) in the cave.  Let's go over there'.


A few minutes later, you reach the cave, opening the door silently and entering.  The place is dark and there's a shortage of light there.  However, thanks to the flashlight Miguel's carrying, you manage to advance.  You find Gerardo and Juan this way.  You free them and you rapidly escape to the forest.  END".



More of a Neutral Ending for this mad scientist subplot.  The crackpot professor isn't defeated, and we get no reward. 


Results So Far


5 Good Endings

1 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

El Misterio de la Casa Abandonada Alternate Endings Part 9


In the CHOICE #6 path where I go to the cave, I still have the knife.  We see Miguel tied up, and a strange man is counting money nearby.  CHOICE #10 is to either tell Gerardo to attack the "ruffian" from behind, give the knife to Miguel directly, or silently throw the knife to him.


My attempt at knife throwing gives me a Good Ending.


"You prefer to throw the small knife to Miguel.  You throw it silently to him, and after a few minutes he frees himself.  But contrary to what you were thinking, he doesn't go toward you.  But he gets behind the wicked one and applies a great ninjutsu strike.


After tying him up with the same rope that he had used to tie up Miguel, your uncle heads to the abandoned mansion again, and later goes out to the police station, with the wicked man in the car.


The same night, your uncle takes you home.  You think you liked the recent adventure you had a lot.  END".


Why couldn't Miguel have beaten up an old man with his alleged "ninjutsu" skills?  Andrés Reina often uses the phrase "Luego de. . ." instead of "Después de. . ." or some other expression.  These subtleties of authorial style are lost in my translations.



Results So Far


6 Good Endings

1 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

El Misterio de la Casa Abandonada Alternate Endings Part 10


Let's sic Gerardo on the "ruffian" in CHOICE #10 and see what happens.


"You tell your uncle what you've planned, and he rapidly reacts.  He stealthily approaches the wicked man and applies a strong and precise karate chop to him.  You hurriedly throw the small knife to Miguel and he quickly unties himself.


'With the rope that tied up Miguel, we'll tie up that strange man', says Juan.  After a few moments, you bring the subject to a police station.  From there, they bring you home.  You're very happy and lucky to have participated in this adventure".


Another quick Good Ending.  Not much of a story in these routes!  At least José had a name.


Results So Far


7 Good Endings

1 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

El Misterio de la Casa Abandonada Alternate Endings Part 11


Trying to hand the knife to Miguel personally doesn't work.


"You decide that the best thing to do will be to reach him personally.  You approach silently, but when you're only a few steps from Miguel, you unintentionally step on a dry branch that's on the ground.  Upon hearing the noise, the subject rapidly turns around, at the same time he takes out and wields a gun.


'Let's go.  Everyone must leave.  I warn you not to follow me!', he says to you, and he hurriedly directs you to a basement.  There, you descend, and the wicked man ties you up with thick yellow ropes, and leaves toward the surface. 


'And now, how are we going to get out of this one?', says Miguel, uncomfortably tied by the hands.  'Don't worry', you say to them, very calmly.  'I still have the small knife in my power.  The man didn't see it when he tied me up.'


After a few minutes, which seem like hours to you, you manage to free yourself from your bonds.  When you finished untying the others, you try to open the cavern's exit door.


With the help of the others, you manage to open it, and you're the first one to leave so you can hide.  A few seconds later, everyone's behind the rock.  But lamentably, the wicked man was behind you when you began to hide.  Without hesitating (titubear), he begins to shoot, mortally wounding everyone.  END".



And so we die at the last minute after a few paragraphs of false hope.


Results So Far


7 Good Endings

2 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

El Misterio de la Casa Abandonada Alternate Endings Part 12


Going solo in CHOICE #1 gives us a route that's quite different from the others.


"You pursue the shadow and direct yourself to a semi-abandoned house.  The shadow had entered and you very slowly open the door and enter.  You hide behind a wall.  There's a very long hallway that you don't know where it leads.  The person seems to enter another room to the left.  When you try to leave your hiding place, you see a gigantic shadow in front of you.  Someone comes from behind and hits you.  You're unconscious".


There's now a "little man of short stature, and thin like a lighthouse guardian? (farol guardián).  He has small glases and a hat very high above his head, but the most notable thing is that he has a large white mustache"


(I'm stumped when it comes to the "farol guardián" part.  An exact word search on Google doesn't seem to get me any results.  It must be obscure even in Spanish.)


He then talks.  "Hello, human!  I seem to have struck you, but in another way, you may have escaped.  I'm a small ghost who can be found in difficult situations. . ."


His name is Fritz, and he clams to be a ghost who comes from the planet Riwenlandia.  Or more likely he's just very short, and went mad after reading too many New Age books.


CHOICE #11 is to either hide, or confront 2 men who are allegedly hostile to Fritz.


Electing the more rational option gives me a new ending.


"You prefer to hide behind the bed next to Fritz.  You see the door opening, and 2 individuals enter.  The small ghost makes gestures towards you, making you understand that those are the two men who are chasing him.


The light turns on, and these men begin to turn everything over:  drawers, closets, and even chairs.  Just at the moment when one of them crouches to look behind the bed, Fritz takes out a very bright powder from one of his pockets.  The ghost throws it on the man who sticks out and begins to scream desperately.  You two escape while the other man assists his friend.


'Where are you going now, little one?', your nice friend asks you.  'We're going to find my uncle!', you answer.  You know the road and you quickly leave.  Your uncle was looking for you, so you find him sooner than you suppose.  You tell him very quickly about everything that happened, and you ask him to accompany you to that large house.


Without a doubt, your uncle carries a gun with him, because the situation seems very serious.  You arrive at the house, and your uncle, upon seeing the two men leave, stops to confront them at the main door.


'Hands up, scoundrels (pillo)!', he shouts at them forcefully.  The two men, seeing themselves trapped, lift their hands in the gesture of surrender.  Then Juan and Miguel quickly tie their hands and arrest them.


After all this, Fritz tells you:  'I'm returning to my planet, friend.  I've proven that this world is too dangerous for me.'  Everyone says goodbye, and Fritz disappears as though by magic, leaving a brilliant phosphorescent light.


When Juan and Miguel arrive at that place, you tell them what happened, and you very happily return home.  You think you'd like to have another adventure like this.  END".


How could a ghost be in danger from humans?  Do Riwenlandian ghosts have corporeal forms?  Are the two men Ghostbusters?  Or at least Italian plumbers from the Mushroom Kingdom?


Results So Far


8 Good Endings

2 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

El Misterio de la Casa Abandonada Alternate Endings Part 13


Let's try to confront the 2 men pursuing Fritz in CHOICE #11.  I find a tree branch that's almost as big as I am according to the illustration.  The people who approach are only Gerardo, Juan, and Miguel.  This contradicts the other CHOICE #11 route, leading me to believe that Tommy is one of those CYOA protagonists who unwittingly teleports to another parallel universe with each CHOICE.


But then some others approach the back door, who are likely the villains in these realities.  CHOICE #12 is to either keep holding the giant branch, or hand it to Gerardo.


Gerardo's karate skills have been proven in one ending already, so let's see what he can do with a primitive weapon.


"You decide the best thing to do is to give the stick to your uncle who is of age.  The door opens, and your uncle firmly hits both men on the head.  Fritz instantly recognizes them and tells them that they are the ones who were chasing him.  Juan and Miguel tie the men's hands and bring them to a small house to the side.


While in the room, Fritz makes himself hard like a lamp post.  After a few seconds, the ghost tells  you that he just received a telepathic notification informing him that the war on his planet finally ended.  He says goodbye in an amiable way, and later disappears in radiant colorful sparkles. 


Minutes later, you're in the car with your uncle and his assistants.  They carry the men to jail and some paperwork later, you find yourself in your uncle's car again, this time going home.  END".


Are there any laws in the United States dealing with alien ghosts?  What evidence would these guys have to convict them with?  I'd love to see the paperwork about arresting someone for. . .vaguely threatening a dead man from another planet that no one knows about.



Results So Far


9 Good Endings

2 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

El Misterio de la Casa Abandonada Finale


Keeping the branch for myself in CHOICE #12 reveals the final ending.


"You choose to keep holding the stick.  The steps are getting louder and louder.  The door opens with a tremendous slam.  The men enter without knowing where you are.  Soon, Miguel reacts and gives a strong blow to one of the evildoers.  At the same time, you trip up (hacer una zacandilla) another, and he loses his balance.  Juan takes care of that.


Finally, Fritz gets out from under the bed and congratulates everyone.  While Juan and Miguel are tying up the criminals (malviviente), Fritz calls you and you two plan something.


After delivering the two men to the police, you announce to everyone that you'll stay with Fritz until the war on his planet ends.  Everyone accepts that contentedly.  END".


What do these characters do with the revelation that aliens and an afterlife exist?  Nothing!  They behave like Dragons Realm people who don't realize any implications of the laws of physics being overthrown.  The "not caring about the afterlife being proven" thing is particularly strange as Andrés Reina mostly writes Christian self-help books.


"Malviviente" appears to be a word used only in the Southern Cone region of South America.  Apparently Andrés Reina now lives in Argentina, so he picked up a few words from there, but not things more characteristic of that dialect like the "vos" pronoun.  


This was a strange gamebook, like many of our Spanish language installments.



Final Results


10 Good Endings

2 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

2 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings