The Murphy House – A choose your own adventure story

Beginning

The abandoned Murphy House at the end of your road was deserted almost 200 years ago by the austere lieutenant Christopher Murphy for reasons unknown. He was a figure shrouded in mystery and intrigue in this small town of yours. His dour face is memorialized through the paintings, statues, and sculptures in your town. A botanical scaffolding made of weeds and vines twists around the frame of the decaying structure and forms a shroud of leaves. Hiding what resided inside… if anything did at all. 

People know that you do not frequent the Murphy House unless you have a death wish. There was one person who had, a while back. But you couldn’t bear to think of them. 

On one autumn day, when the orange leaves are falling like a fiery rain and you are heading home from school, you feel a thump underneath your feet. You’ve stepped on a letter, with your name written on it. From Clarissa, it says on a cream laid envelope. 

Your old friend Clarissa…. 

Do you…. 

1. Open the letter and read its contents. (go to 1)
2. Look around to see if the letter belongs to anyone around. (go to 2) 

1

You must find me. You must save me. 

It is you, and only you that can help. Come to the last place you saw me, you know where it is. 

It won’t be long before he finds you. And when he does, you will suffer a fate worse than death. You must do this before he finds you, or it will be too late for the both of us. 

-Clarissa

You shudder, squinting at the words. Clarissa. A cherished friend. 

A dead friend. 

There were two of you that used to walk home from school together. A month ago, Clarissa had decided to explore inside the Murphy House. You told her to go in alone, and you would wait for her on the sidewalk. You waited and waited, and she never came out. The sheriff issued a search team within the Murphy House, but she was nowhere to be found. Missing persons flyers were posted everywhere — at school, the grocer, the bus and train stations, and the local park. 

If anyone has any information about Clarissa’s disappearance, please phone the Sheriff’s Office. 

Last seen: 135 Gilbert Street. 

The Murphy House. 

Clarissa is a ghost of your past. Or maybe now, she is just a ghost. If she’s still alive, you know you have to help find her. 

Do you…

1. Go to the Murphy House as the letter indicates to find Clarissa. (go to 3)
2. Wait and think about what to do. (go to 4) 

2

An old man is hobbling his way down the street towards you. You ask him about the mysterious letter. He stops and stares with his century-old gaze. “Don’t trust it. In this town, if you get ambushed by the unknown, leave it as it is. Unknown,” he creaks in an archaic inflection and then continues on his way. Your gaze catches the dilapidated roof of the Murphy House peeking through the autumn foliage down the street. 

The letter is apparently from your old friend Clarissa, according to her name written on the envelope. Your thoughts strayed to last month, and the week after Clarissa had disappeared. You were surrounded by constant reminders of her absence, with her face shown on missing person flyers at school, the grocer, the bus and train stations, and the local park. The police searched everywhere to no avail, including the place she had been seen last. 

If anyone has any information about Clarissa’s disappearance, please phone the Sheriff’s Office. 

Last seen: 135 Gilbert Street. 

The Murphy House. 

The letter feels leaden in your hands.

Do you…

1. Read the letter. Your curiosity is too great. (go to 5)
2. Throw the letter out. You don’t want to stir the unknown, like the old man suggested. (go to 6)

3

The Murphy House stands before you. Its foliage flutters in the wind. 

An old man walks by, eyeing you suspiciously. “No good in that house,” he murmurs but does nothing to stop you as you walk towards it. 

You can’t tell if the phantom sounds in the breeze are the rustling of the leaves or the whispers of the house. As you walk in, the door creaks, and you hear a voice. It’s a girl’s voice, maybe Clarissa…

BANG! 

You dive to the right onto a cloth box, missing a falling beam by centimetres. The whispers are louder now and it’s not a girl’s voice. It’s a distorted sound, echoing like rushing water in a canyon. 

You push against the box to stand, and the cloth falls off, revealing someone inside a metal cage. “Clarissa! How are you here?” you exclaim. 

“You shouldn’t have come,” Clarissa whispers to you from inside the cage, the fear and recognition sparking in her eyes. “It was a trap. He’s trapped you in here…” 

The whispers have stopped now. It is deadly silent in the Murphy House. A crack sounds behind you. You look behind you slowly and what you see takes your breath away. 

(go to Ending 1) 

4

Once you are home, you read over the letter again. And again. And again. The penmanship is distinctly Clarissa’s. You can vividly remember how it felt when she first disappeared. 

On your ninth reread of the letter, you have made up your mind. You must go save your friend. She was seen last at the Murphy House and that is where you need to go. But first, you need supplies. 

You check if you still have your flashlight and Swiss army knife on you. In your backpack, you replace your school supplies with a rope and whistle. As you leave your bedroom, you catch a glimpse of a chocolate energy bar on your desk. You dump the snack into your backpack, heading out the door. 

Do you…

1. Take the long way to the Murphy House. (go to 7) 
2. Take the shortcut to the Murphy House. (go to 8) 

5

You must find me. You must save me. 

It is you, and only you that can help. Come to the last place you saw me, you know where it is. 

It won’t be long before he finds you. And when he does, you will suffer a fate worse than death. You must do this before he finds you, or it will be too late for the both of us. 

-Clarissa

You recognize Clarissa’s penmanship. Your heart skips a beat. After all this time, she’s alive!  You know what you need to do. The old man’s warning echoes but there is no time to dwell. You have to act fast. The police searched the place she had last been seen, but maybe there was something they missed. 

You make a detour for the convenience store. You grab a rope, a Swiss army knife, and a flashlight. While checking out, a chocolate energy bar catches your eye. You add it into the pile of supplies on the counter.  

Exiting the store, you take a breath to put everything in your backpack. You then make your way to the Murphy House. 

Do you…

1. Take the long way to the Murphy House. (go to 7) 
2. Take the shortcut to the Murphy House. (go to 8) 

6

It has been three days since the ominous letter, and for some reason, every time you pass the Murphy House, a tingle runs up your spine. That was the last place Clarissa was seen. The letter you had received was ostensibly from her, but you can’t understand how she could have sent it. Was someone playing a cruel prank on you? 

On your way back home from school, you pass by the Murphy House. You dare to peek into one of the front windows. 

A glint, and a flash, and then darkness once more. 

You stop in your tracks. Was there someone inside? 

Another flash of white catches your eye. Could it be… 

The longer you stand there, the more compelled you feel to see if there’s anyone inside. An unbidden thought flits through your mind. 

Maybe it’s Clarissa.

You steel yourself, and walk towards the front door. 

(go to 8) 

7

The Murphy House looms before you in all its terrifying glory. Its main door creaks on its hinges in the wind. The phantom whispers flutter and make their way to you, and your feet, almost on their own accord, begin to carry you inside. Once inside, you hold your flashlight. It’s not too dark inside, but the flashlight makes you feel more prepared. 

A noise from a cloth covered box on one side of the staircase landing startles you. You creep towards it and shove the cloth away. It’s a cage, with Clarissa in it! You use a Swiss army knife from your backpack to break the lock and help her out. Before you can ask her what has happened, a voice sounds behind you. 

“You came for your friend after all.” 

You whirl around to find yourself face to face with Christopher Murphy. But no, it’s not his face in the way you’ve seen him depicted in paintings and sculptures. It’s ghastly and iridescent. His body is glowing and levitating. He is a ghost. 

“You never left this house?” You whisper. “What do you want?” 

“I didn’t think it would be so easy to lure another one.” He murmurs to himself. “Another soul… I won’t need another one for at least a year. Imagine that, an entire year of sustenance!”

It suddenly becomes crystal clear to you that Clarissa has been kept here to eventually be consumed by the ghost of Murphy. And now you have joined her, two lambs to the slaughter.

Do you… 

1. Grab Clarissa’s hand and flee the scene. The front door is close enough for you guys to get away. (go to 9)
2. Stay and challenge him. You and Clarissa have a chance if you stand your ground. (go to Ending 2)

9

You drop your Swiss army knife and rush to the exit with Clarissa. But Murphy’s ghost is fast and he apparates to the door and with one flick of his wrist the door slams shut. You and Clarissa stare up at Murphy’s imposing figure, aghast. There was no way out now. 

(go out to Ending 1) 

8

It is cold and damp in the Murphy House. Your fingers tremble as you flash a light around to get a sense of your surroundings. It’s not too dark, but the flashlight helps you feel more prepared. You are standing on a landing leading to a main staircase. A sound to the left of you from a cloth covered box rouses you. You creep up to it, readying your nerves to whip the cloth off the box. 

“Clarissa!” You exclaim in surprise. She’s trapped in a locked cage, but you use a Swiss army knife from your backpack on the lock to free her. Before you can ask her where she had been for the past month, she yells: “Go, go! We have to go before he realizes!” 

You cannot comprehend what is happening as she grabs your shoulder and wrenches you to the open front door. 

Just as the two of you reach the threshold, a gust of cold wind rushes past you and suddenly, the two of you are standing face to face with Christopher Murphy. But no, it’s not his face exactly, the way you’ve seen in the paintings and the sculptures. It’s ghastly, and iridescent. Glowing like an ominous beacon in the darkness. His body is glowing, and levitating. He is a ghost. 

“You never left this house?” You whisper. “What do you want from us?” 

“I am nothing without the souls I consume,” he whispered in a slimy, slithering, parasitic voice. 

“I didn’t think it would be so easy to lure another one,” he murmurs. “I won’t need another one for at least a year. Imagine that, an entire year of sustenance!”

Murphy motions to Clarissa, causing her to levitate and hurls her back. Wooden beams and debris crash down all around. You hear Clarissa moan in pain. She is sprawled on the ground, her ankle contorted into an unnatural shape. 

Murphy faces you, ready to do the same to you. You are at the threshold of the front door, the daylight just inches away. One step, and you would be able to get away. 

Do you… 

1. Stay and help Clarissa up to her feet so that the two of you can escape together. (go to Ending 3) 
2. Leave by yourself and think of another plan of action to save Clarissa. (go to Ending 4) 

Ending 1 

Oct. 31, 2025 – Missing Person Case 

Authorities are asking for the public’s assistance in locating an individual last seen in the area around Gilbert Street on October 14. The person has been officially reported missing by family members and was last seen at approximately 4:45 p.m., carrying a black backpack. 

If anyone has any information on their whereabouts, please phone the Sheriff’s Office.  

Last seen: 135 Gilbert Street. 

The Murphy House.

Ending 2 

Never in your life had you been flooded with fear so paralyzing and terror inducing. You have to snap out of it. Snap out of it! 

“Clarissa, look through my backpack to see if there’s anything that can help!” You yell, and toss her your backpack as Murphy advances on you, murder in his lumeniscent countenance. The Swiss army knife is ready in your hand. 

Clarissa rummages, and the chocolate energy bar falls to the ground. In her haste, she accidentally steps on it, breaking the packaging and releasing the trapped air, with a loud POP. 

The crinkles of the packaging reverberates around the decrepit house, and it seems to distract Christopher’s ghost for just a second. A second is all you need. 

“Clarissa, run!” You yell, and zoom past Murphy’s ghost, jamming the knife into his side as you run past. The knife goes through his body, but he still makes a sound, as if the motion elicited a discomfort nonetheless. 

Clarissa is hot on your trail and the two of you bound through the front door and all the way down the neighbourhood street, collapsing onto the sidewalk beyond. 

She holds the ruined energy bar to you as you lay panting on the cement, offering you the first bite. “Want some?” 

Ending 3 

You run as fast as you can to reach Clarissa and help her stand. She leans on you heavily, limping. 

Murphy is floating towards you. He points, and the cage door swings open, as if waiting for its next inhabitant. There’s an evil glint in his eyes as he turns to you. If he gets to you, both of you will be stuck in that cage forever. 

Your grip tightens around Clarissa as you hobble towards the light of the door, the dimness of the dreary house making it hard for you to see clearly. “We have to get to the front door!” you yell. 

Murphy appears in front of you. “Escape is impossible.”

He motions for the door to shut but with quick thinking, you throw your Swiss army knife toward the narrowing gap and it embeds into the creaking wood of the door frame, stopping the doof from closing. The two of you barrel through Murphy’s body and a cold slithering feeling runs through your body, making you nauseous. You heave the door open and push Clarissa out before you. 

“Not so fast, little one…” You feel a rancid breath travel across the nape of your neck. Before you can step across the threshold to join Clarissa, a force pulls you back. The door snaps shut in your face and all light disappears. You lose consciousness to the sound of the metal cage closing shut.  

Ending 4 

“I’m sorry, Clarissa,” you whisper. You dash over the threshold and daylight blinds your senses. As you glance over your shoulder, you catch Clarissa’s gaze, just before Murphy lays the burlap sack over her face. You will never forget the betrayal in those eyes. You failed her. 

You walk home, a fire burning in your heart. You know you must return to save Clarissa. Next time you will be more prepared and more equipped… There will be a next time.