Ghost Story (Island Quest)

Ghost Story Island is the 23rd island on Poptropica. The name was first released to the public on November 11, 2011. The island was released to members on December 15, 2011.

Description
Hemlock Harbor is a town with a secret. Restless spirits are said to haunt its shores, but no one knows who they are, what they want — or how to get rid of them. Can you hunt the ghosts of Hemlock Harbor and uncover the mystery that will set them free?

Sneak Peek Game
For information on Ghost Story Island's sneak peek game, Spook Central visit this page.

Walkthrough
You’ll start in Hemlock Harbor, a small town in New England. Your first stop should be in the offices of the Hemlock Herald, where you should talk with the editor. She’ll tell you that she’s offering $50 to anyone who can provide evidence of ghosts in the town.

Next, leave Main Street to the left and enter the Foggy Forest. When you arrive, you’ll hear a sound and a kid with funny blonde hair arrives from the left. He offers to be your guide but then runs away when the town magistrate appears. He drops a Pamphlet as he runs off and it lands in your backpack. The magistrate warns you to find somewhere to sleep for the night.

Now walk a little bit to the left and you’ll find a guy in a grey suit who looks like he hasn't slept in a while. He’s trying to find the grave location for his uncle, Silas Moon, and needs your help. He wants you to look it up in the archives of the Hemlock Herald. So off we go, back to the newspaper office…

When you get inside, talk to the editor again and she’ll unlock the door down to the archives. Go downstairs and then find the box marked “Cemetery Plots” and then click on it. Keep turning the pages in the archive and eventually you’ll come to the page with the entry for Silas Moon. He’s buried in Lot C, Plot 84. Now run back to the guy outside the cemetery and talk with him. He’ll be very happy that the location of the grave has been found and is eager to get out of Hemlock Harbor. He’ll give you his hotel key because he doesn't need to stay here tonight. The Room B Key will be added to your backpack.

The next step is to head over to the inn, which is in the area just to the right of Main Street. Go inside the inn and talk to the innkeeper. She’ll leave to go find her husband and you can go upstairs to room B. Click on the bed to go to sleep and a short cinematic will begin showing spooky things happening in the room at night. The chair moves, pictures on the wall shake, and it looks like the room is haunted. When you jump out of bed, click on the armor in the middle of the room, and then the innkeeper and her husband will jump out. They were faking the whole thing! They apologize for tricking you and offer you some advice for spotting one of the ghosts. They tell you to play a song on the violin to spot the woman in the window.

Head downstairs to the main room in the inn and go to the right. Click on the violin in the corner and the Violin and Sheet Music will go into your backpack. Now go outside and run down to the right. Talk to the guy standing outside the tent by the water. He’ll speak with you but then the magistrate appears and escorts him away. Pick up the binoculars lying outside the tent. Next, use the violin in your backpack. It will appear. Move the bow back and forth across the strings and a song will start to play. Keep doing this until the progress bar is full. You’ll briefly see some movement in the window in the house up above.

Now use the binoculars to get a closer look. A woman’s figure will clearly appear in the window. Spooky! The next step is to climb up into the house. Jump up to the house and enter through the cellar door at the bottom-right. Go through the cellar and jump up the stairs. If you time it right, you can clear them before they crumble. If they do, then push the crates below them to jump up and try again.

Once inside the house, walk to the right and click on the telescope. Move it to the left so that you can see the lighthouse and you’ll clearly see someone carrying a light up to the top.

Now comes the spookiest part of the island: right when the light gets to the top, you’ll hear actually someone say, “Are you looking for someone?” aloud! That totally made me jump out of my seat. The scene changes and a woman is standing next to you by the telescope. She says she hopes she didn't frighten you. Yeah, right! She’s not a ghost, but she does live in the house and offers to help you out with your search for spirits. She tells you to see Jane the baker and to tell her that Fiona sent you.

Now it’s off to the bakery, known as the Gingerbread House. Head out of the house and then run over to Main Street. Go inside the bakery and talk to Jane the baker. Tell her, “Fiona sent me.” She then walks over to the pastry case and it sinks into the ground. A new case rises up to replace it and it contains all kinds of cool ghost hunting gear! You’ll get a thermal scanner, an EMF detector, a thermometer, and a camera. Now you’re ready to start hunting some ghosts! Before you depart, click on the hot cross buns over on the table. They’ll come in handy while tracking down Warden Jeffries, one of the ghosts.

Who You Gonna Call? Ghostbusters!
Leave the Gingerbread House. When you get outside, the man there will give you some salt. He says it’s helpful to ward spirits away. OK, dude! Whatever you say! The first ghost we want to find is in…you guessed it…the cemetery. Go to the left to the Foggy Forest and then enter the cemetery through the gates. You’re now in the cemetery labyrinth, which is pretty easy to navigate. Here’s the path to take in case you’re having problems: go forward, turn left, go forward, turn right, go forward and turn left. You should see a new gate with the letter A on it. This is the entrance to cemetery plot A. Go through and then jump up on the hill to the right.

A woman appears from behind a gravestone and tells you to hide because she expects a ghost to appear. Hide behind the gravestone with her, and sure enough, a ghost appears. It’s wearing a black shroud and carrying a single rose. He walks up to the grave next to you. Now use the camera in your backpack to take a photo of the ghost. The ghost runs off, but now you have the evidence that the editor at the Hemlock Herald needs! Return through the labyrinth to the cemetery entrance and run back to Main Street. Go inside the Hemlock Herald and give the photo to the editor of the newspaper. She’ll give you $50 as a reward. Now that you have some money, you can put it in the bank. Go next door to the bank and walk downstairs into the vault. Use the money in your backpack and the guard will open the vault so that you can make the deposit. Once inside, the guard dog smells something and runs to the edge of the room. Now use your thermal scanner to find out what’s going on. It will reveal a ghost underneath the vault trying to dig inside. Creepy! Now leave the bank and walk back to the Hemlock Herald. There’s a stack of newspapers outside and all the town residents are reading the paper. Your photo is now on the front page! The magistrate appears and tells everyone it’s just a hoax. He then warns you about ghost hunting and says he’ll be keeping a close eye on you. Uh-oh!

Take to the Water
Run to the right and head to the water’s edge. A boat has docked here and there’s a sailor on board. He’s tired and looking for a place to say. Give him the hotel room key in your backpack and he’ll thank you by letting you use his boat. Jump on board and then sail to the right towards the prison on the island. Dock your boat and then enter the building marked with the “Repent” sign hanging above. Once you get inside, use your EMF Detector and go inside the elevator. Ride to section H.

Leave the elevator and walk to the Warden’s Office. Once inside, place the Hot Cross Buns that you got from the bakery on the table. A ghost will appear and it will walk up to the Hot Cross Buns and eat them. It’s the ghost of Warden Jeffries. He’ll give you a mug shot of an escaped prisoner and tell you a little bit of his sad story. Now leave the office and head for the location written on the mug shot: Section D, Cell 8. Use the elevator to get there. When you walk in the cell, the warden will shut the door behind you, trapping you inside. But lucky you: there’s an easy escape. Push the bed aside to reveal a hole in the ground. Go into the hole and you will discover a tunnel that the prisoner here dug with a pickaxe. Use your thermal scanner, and you’ll see the prisoner in the upper-right corner of the tunnel. Along the way, you’ll also find the pickaxe, a note to prisoner, and some sardines (I hear they go great with salt.) Go up to the prisoner ghost and talk with him. He’ll tell you his own story about Flatbottom and Valiant. Examine the note for more clues. Now leave the tunnel and return to the cell. Use the pickaxe to start digging a new tunnel to escape. Next, return to the elevator and ride it back to floor A, so that you can leave the Prison behind you.

Head for the Lighthouse
Get back in the boat and sail to the left towards the Lighthouse. Dock the boat and then go inside the lighthouse, picking up the torch on the wall before you enter. Once inside, walk up to the fire to light the torch so that you can see clearly in the dark. Start heading up the stairs. You’ll need to duck every few seconds before the wind blows and puts out the flame in the torch and knocks you over. Climb up the rope to reach a small room at the top of the lighthouse. Open your backpack and use the thermometer to place it on the wall. Leave the lighthouse and climb back on board your boat, sailing back to the main island. Once you arrive, you’ll get a notice that the temperature has dropped, meaning there’s ghost activity inside the lighthouse. Return to the lighthouse once more and then use your torch and climb the steps. This time, there will be no gusts of wind. When you reach the top floor, you’ll find the ghost of the lighthouse keeper here and he is crying. He will tell you a short story about how he feels responsible for a ship sinking. He’ll tell you about ship wreckage located to the north. Get back in your boat and sail there to find the wreckage. Examine it and you’ll receive a locket.

The Plot Thickens
Now return to the main island and dock the boat once more. Return to the beach near the mansion and examine the locket. You’ll see a letter for Valiant written by Fiona. Go back inside the mansion and return to Fiona’s room at the top floor. Fiona will be standing beside her bed. Speak with her and give her the locket and the note. She’ll give you her story about how Valiant was tricked with the forged letter. She also tells you that the ring she was given is now at the bottom of the fountain in town. She’ll start crying and then leaves. Go down and you’ll find a scrapbook. Examine it and you’ll discover that Henly Flatbottom, Fiona and Valiant were all once friends with each other. This story is getting tangled!

Leave the mansion and return to Main Street. Locate the fountain, which has a seagull perched up top. She won’t let you get near, so you need to distract her with the sardines you found in the prison tunnel. Once the seagull leaves, click on the nest and you’ll find Fiona’s ring. Now it’s time to return to the Cemetery. Once inside, walk forward, right, forward, left and then go forward three times followed by a right turn. You’ll be in front of a gate marked with the letter B. Go through the gate and then in the next area, walk to the right. Enter the engraver’s shop. There’s an old man here: show him Fiona’s ring. He’ll tell you that you can learn more about the story if you find the newspaper archive for August 18, 1929.

Leave the shop and work your way back through the labyrinth in the Cemetery to the main entrance. Then proceed to Main Street and go inside the Hemlock Herald. Walk downstairs to the archives and find the microfilm machine. Use it and turn the handles until you reach the year 1929. Zoom in on the newspaper and you’ll discover that Henry Flatbottom is now known as the Magistrate! The same one who is trying to stop people from looking for ghosts. Dum-dum-dum!

Confronting the Magistrate
Once again, return to Lot A in the Cemetery. Walk to the left and you’ll find an un-sealed grave. Click on the cover to push it and you’ll find a ladder that goes inside. Climb down inside the tomb (creepy!) and you’ll find you’re inside another labyrinth. To navigate, simply follow the flower petals that appear. You’ll arrive at another ladder leading up to the tree stump located just outside the cemetery. You’ll hear someone coming and hide. The ghost that wore the dark cloak appears and then sneezes. Hmmm, ghosts don’t sneeze! You’ll confront the “ghost” but it runs away and escapes down the tree stump ladder. Follow him down and you’ll arrive in Lot A. Chase him to the right, where you’ll find the grave on which he appeared to place the rose before. When you get close to him, you’ll throw salt into his eyes with your handy salt shaker (that came in handy after all!) He’ll throw back his hood and exclaim that the salt stings his eyes. It’s the magistrate! He’ll confess to being the “ghost” and explains the rest of the story. He also reveals that Fiona died many years ago and is a ghost. He visits the grave and leaves a rose to ask for forgiveness. The spirit of Fiona then appears along with all the other ghosts. Fiona accepts the magistrate’s apology and forgives him. All the ghosts can now rest in peace, and then disappear. The magistrate then presents you with the island medallion as a thank you. Congratulations!

Items

 * Ghost Net (Spook Central)
 * Ghost Files (Spook Central)
 * Salt
 * Room B key
 * Pamphlet
 * Violin and sheet music
 * Binoculars
 * Camera
 * Thermal Scanner
 * Thermometer
 * EMF detector (also a item used in Spook Central)
 * Hot Cross Buns
 * Photo
 * $50
 * Mug Shot
 * Sardines
 * Pickaxe
 * Note to Prisoner 4601
 * Torch
 * Locket
 * Ring
 * Medallion

Characters (In Order Of Appearance)

 * Salt Man
 * Tourist (Male)
 * Salesman
 * Cemetary Visitor (Looking for his uncle)
 * Blond Ghost Hunter
 * Henry Flatbottom Magistrate
 * Hamlock Herald editor
 * Innkeeper
 * Innkeeper's wife
 * Ghost Hunter (camper)
 * Fiona
 * Baker
 * Tourist (Female)
 * Banker lady
 * Security Guard
 * Dog
 * Cemetery Camper
 * Boat Owner
 * Warden's Ghost
 * Prisoner 24601's Ghost
 * Lighthouse keeper's Ghost
 * Headstone Engraver
 * Fiona's Ghost
 * Valiant's Ghost

Top 10 Finishers

 * 1) Shiny Star
 * 2) Mighty Coyote
 * 3) Golden Lightning
 * 4) Thirsty Sky
 * 5) Grumpy Icicle
 * 6) Shaky Raptor
 * 7) Lone Wolf
 * 8) Fearless Tornado
 * 9) Brave Berry
 * 10) Super Bean

Trivia

 * The guy that asks you to find his uncle's grave looks like PeeWee Herman.
 * It's the third island were you hear a Poptropican speak, which is Fiona. The other two are Time Tangled Island and Game Show Island.
 * In the grave plots book (In the Archives room) it says there is a Section C in the graveyard but when you enter the graveyard, its not there.
 * It is the second time a Haunted House is seen. (The first time being Haunted House mini island)
 * It is also the second time you can control a ship out on the water. (The first time being Skullduggery Island)
 * If you go to The Gingerbread House and at the photos, there's one that looks like the Gamer guy from Zomberry Island.
 * In the hotel you see the same picture from Cryptids Island.
 * The prisoner's number is 24601, the same number as Jean Valjean from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables
 * The boat that arrives is also seen in Counterfeit Island, the owner, however, isn't the same.

Reviews

 * Golden Bug: This island is on my top 3 list, and has the best plot of all Poptropica islands. It's not really scary, but it is still very good. If you don't know what to play, I suggest this island.
 * Popular Shell: One of the best islands so far. The story, the plot, everything is just perfect!  I highly recommend this island to all newbies out there.
 * Maroon Snowball: Oh my gosh I was so creeped out when Fiona said "Are you looking for someone?" I screamed really loud.
 * Shaky Noodle: That "Are you looking for someone?" Scared my pants over the sky! Seriously Romantic? Not even close.
 * Pikachu4807/Super Hawk: Such a romantic island! The ending was so moving! As Shakespeare once said: "Parting is such a sweet sorrow".
 * Fearless Tornado: An okay island, but not one of my favorites. 5 out of 10.
 * Happy Spinner: A good island but when the part that Fiona says Looking for someone? I was just went to Jupiter. I was so scared! and Fearless Tornado are you the 8th finisher of the island? It says at the blog (In the older posts).
 * Rough Fang: Awesome. Creepy at some points, (are you looking for someone?) but the plot was amazing! I love how the little pieces of the puzzle slowly fall together as you complete the island. Beautiful, eerie and complicated. A recipe for DEATH-I mean, a recipe for an amazing island!
 * Red Leopard (redbigcat): this was my 9th island on my first main account for poptropica... and its still my favorite

Glitches

 * Salt Glitch: Even if you don't collect the salt from the man shaking the salt in front of the bakery, you still throw it at the Magistrate to reveal himself.
 * Balloon Glitch 2: Revenge of the Boat : If you have the 4th birthday balloon or a follower, and ride the boat, then the balloon or follower will appear in the water. The boat is not affected by it. Tested on a PC.
 * Fiona Glitch: When you show the letter to Fiona that you found in the locket, she will cry, but a glitch can occur and she will cry endlessly. If you reload the page or log out, then you appear back in Fiona's room, but she will be at the telescope, and she will say, "Tell Anne the Baker I sent you." You will still have your items, but you will still need to start over from the beginning, losing all of your progress.
 * Infinite Lockets Glitch:  Every time you examine the shipwreck, you get a locket, even if it's already in your inventory! Screen_Shot_2013-04-25_at_7.22.58_PM.png you give a locket to Fiona, only one locket is "given" to her, but all others are removed from your inventory.
 * Jumping Through Wall Glitch: When in the Warden's Office, you go to a room in the back. There's a key-ring, hanging on the wall. Jump from there and up against the 'wall' to the left and you'll move through.
 * Money Glitch: Even after giving the picture of cemetry ghost to the editor,  you can go in the cemetry and take photo of ghost again and give it to the editor. She will then give you money another time and you can deposite it in the bank another time.