CAT'S MANSION
Lyuba Alekseeva
Game Plot: Cat’s Mansion
Nikki’s husband, Tom, has disappeared. Nikki travels to Stranger Hills to visit Tom’s mother, Bertha, hoping to find him there. Before vanishing, Tom mentioned wanting to return to his childhood town.
Bertha lives in a huge mansion filled with five cats and old junk. Nikki begins investigating her husband’s disappearance while also helping her mother-in-law restore the mansion. Bertha swears she constantly hears strange noises in the house. Someone is watching her... Recently, she even received a letter from Tom claiming he’s on a business trip, but the handwriting isn’t his...
In the hall, Nikki discovers drafts of Tom’s letters. She suspects Bertha is forging them to hide her son’s disappearance! But it turns out Bertha had stolen the letters from the neighbor, John, believing he was the kidnapper. John studied with Tom back in the day—they were top students—but Tom outperformed him and got his dream job. It later turns out that John tried to forge Tom’s handwriting to write a recommendation letter, framing Tom. John is a fraud, but not a kidnapper.
The investigation hits a dead end. But soon, Nikki’s friend, Cinthia, shows up at the mansion with a letter, claiming that Tom has simply fallen out of love with Nikki and no longer wants to be with her!
Nikki tries to distract herself by fully focusing on restoring Bertha’s mansion. Cinthia helps her. While working, Cinthia drops a handkerchief… Tom’s handkerchief. Nikki immediately recognizes the gift she gave her husband.
It turns out Tom has been locked up all this time in the treehouse on Bertha’s property! That’s why she and the cats heard strange noises and felt someone’s presence. Cinthia had become obsessed with Tom. When they find him, he is barely alive and keeps pointing toward the house, muttering, “Red door… red door.” But there is no red door in Bertha’s house! Now, it’s up to Nikki, Bertha, and the cats to uncover this mystery...
End of the First Story.
Intro Cinematic: The opening cinematic briefly outlines the start of the story (approximate text):
I’m Nikki, a novice interior designer. This is my husband, Tom, an engineer. Recently, he went missing.
I’m heading to his mother Bertha’s place in Stranger Hills, where she lives with five cats. Tom had planned to visit before he disappeared… The police are doing nothing. I must find him!
Dialogues:
Start, Quest 0:
Bertha:
1. Nikki, you’ve arrived! No wonder the cats have all hidden. They usually only fear the scarecrow in the garden... Come, sit down, I’ll get you some tea.
Nikki walks up the mansion steps, placing her suitcase down. Bertha greets her.
Nikki:
2. Great to see you, Bertha. Thanks for the tea. It’s really rich… with cat fur.
ZTM. Nikki sits in a chair on the porch. Tea is on the table before her. Bertha sits nearby. Nikki takes a sip from her cup and places it back on the table.
Bertha:
3. How are you, dear? Still wearing gloves even while you sleep?
Nikki:
4. You know I have a fear of germs and parasites.
Bertha:
5. Oh, someone used to sit in this chair who was quite the parasite…
Nikki:
6. What?! A parasite?!
Nikki jumps up in alarm, brushing herself off nervously.
Bertha:
7. My ex-husband. Shall we swap the chair? It’s a good chance for you to show off your design skills!
Quest 1: Replace the Chair
Bertha:
1. Beautiful! My cats will love scratching their claws on this chair.
Chair selection. Customization. Joyful animation for Nikki and Bertha.
Bertha:
2. Nikki, I received a strange letter from Tom. But this isn’t his handwriting! Take a look.
Bertha awkwardly hands Nikki the letter, but the envelope slips from her hands and falls through a crack in the floor.
Nikki:
3. Oh no, the letter fell through! Well, now we have a reason to fix the floor.
Bertha:
4. But a crew just repaired the floor recently...
Nikki:
5. Really? Doesn’t seem like much has changed.
Bertha:
6. Oh, it did! My wallet’s much lighter now.
St. Petersburg, 2021