20 December 1930

A tragic multiple homicide has occurred at an orphanage in Cardington
resulting in the deaths of all the children housed there.
Among the dead was one adult, Gregory M. Wilson, a local resident.
Analysis of the crime scene suggests that Wilson shot himself with a pistol.
Police have identified him as their prime suspect in the murders of the children.

Later in the game, at the front gate of the orphanage during the “Once Upon A Time” chapter, Jennifer tells us:

That day, I was escorted from the scene by Officer Doolittle. At first, it was reported that there were no survivors… Then, word got out that, miraculously, I had escaped the tragedy…

The authors of the game had set us up—if we had been diligent about finding all documents during the first playthrough—to expect Jennifer’s death. Then they surprised us by producing a way in which Jennifer could still survive. But what was the reason for the mistaken report? It would be better writing on the part of the authors of Rule of Rose—especially in a mystery game—if there is something that we can figure out to explain this. So let’s see if we can.

The following is a scenario that I think makes sense.

The postman was likely the first to discover the massacre. We don’t know this for a fact, but who else was likely to come to orphanage on a daily basis? The side gate of the orphanage seems to have a mail slot, so it is reasonable to assume that a postman came to the orphanage every day and would have seen the aftermath of the massacre.

The postman reported the massacre to the police.

When the police arrived on the scene, we can reasonably expect that they quickly did a thorough search of the orphanage to make sure that (among other things) there wasn’t another killer hiding inside. They searched all obvious hiding places, such as the large wardrobes in the dormitory, but Jennifer wasn’t found (I will return to this point later).

Finding nobody else alive on the scene, the police—or the accompanying reporters—jumped to the conclusion that there were no survivors. At any rate, one reporter rushed away and wrote up the newspaper account that we found that said that no children survived.

Could it be that Jennifer had fled the orphanage, and that’s why she wasn’t found at first? I don’t think so. She told us, “That day, I was escorted from the scene by Officer Doolittle.” I think that there would be no inclination, on the part of the police, to bring a young child back to that awful scene. So I think that the police must have found her on the scene.

Why was Jennifer not found during the first search? Could it be that she was hiding someplace that the police didn’t think to look? Like inside the grandfather clock in the Reception Room? See my blog-post Did Jennifer Hide in the Grandfather Clock During the Massacre?.

Does it make sense to propose that Jennifer didn’t hide until after the massacre was over? I can’t think of a way in which that makes sense to me. Can you? It seems to me that if Jennifer hid herself, then she must have hidden herself during the massacre.

Let me propose a scenario by which that might have happened.

From inside the classroom, Susan sees Wendy outside and tells the others. Everybody but Jennifer rushes out to see Wendy. But Jennifer doesn’t go with them. Jennifer is still angry with Wendy and doesn’t want to see her.

But Jennifer has no reason to stay in the classroom by herself.

As we do in the game, Jennifer leaves the classroom and hears the sounds of violence and the screams of the other girls.

Unlike in Jennifer’s dream fantasy, where she is fully grown and battles monsters, Jennifer is actually a frightened little girl. She chooses to run to a hiding place. And she hides there for a very long time, and doesn’t come out upon the arrival of the police because she can’t see who is it is from her hiding place, and she doesn’t know if she is hearing the sounds of friend or foe.

Thus, Jennifer never actually saw the massacre, and doesn’t really know how it played out.

But Jennifer is filled with “survivor’s guilt”.

Jennifer fears in her heart that Wendy brought Stray Dog to kill her, and that all of the orphans died because of that.

Is she herself so terrible a person, Jennifer wonders, that two people that she had loved would be willing to kill her?

Could she have saved everyone if only she hadn’t hid herself? Could she have fought and saved them? Or could she have talked to Gregory and gotten him to stop?

Is she to blame for leaving Gregory alone? Or for not turning him in to the police as soon as she escaped from his cellar? Or for influencing Wendy to take his gun away, so that he was prevented from using it to shoot himself (which, had it happened earlier, would also have saved the orphans)?

On top of all this, Jennifer also feels guilty for allowing Brown’s death.

And also for her role in the disappearances of Hoffman, Martha, and Clara?

Does Jennifer feel that she had no right to survive? Does she feel that Olivia was correct when she told Jennifer, during the “Unlucky Clover Field” chapter, “You deserve to be gobbled up”?

Is it any wonder that Jennifer blocked off all of her memories from this time of her life?

As Wendy-as-Joshua tells Jennifer in her dream, acting as the voice of her survivor’s guilt:

Well? Do you remember now what a bad girl you were? You haven’t gotten your memory back yet, have you? Well, you’ve really done many, many bad things. You’ll just have to remember them little by little!

~
For blog-posts arguing that the massacre, in Jennifer’s forgotten past, didn’t happen in the manner in which we see it in the game, see my blog-posts:

Bad Ending vs. Good Ending
The Stray Dog Boss-battle Mystery (Part 1)
The Stray Dog Boss-battle Mystery (Part 2)
The Stray Dog Boss-battle Mystery (Part 3)
The Stray Dog Boss-battle Mystery (Part 4)
The Stray Dog Boss-battle Mystery (Part 5)
~

Mr. Wilson is father to a son who closely matches your description in your letter.

Martha described someone in her letter who turned out to match what Officer Doolittle thought Gregory’s son should look like.

Why did Martha describe that person?

Doolittle wrote:

In your letter, you report suspicious activity on the part of Mr. Gregory Wilson.
After investigating the matter, we have come to the following conclusion.
There is little to indicate that the said individual is connected to the recent kidnappings.

Martha was apparently suspicious that Gregory was connected to the recent kidnappings of children, and in expressing this suspicion to Officer Doolittle described to Doolittle a boy, on Gregory’s property with Gregory, that she did not recognize.

So, if Martha was aware that Gregory had a son Joshua, and had seen that son in the past, she apparently didn’t recognize that boy (that she reported) as being Joshua.

But perhaps Martha didn’t know about Gregory’s son. She saw Gregory acting suspiciously with a boy that she didn’t recognize and described this to the police because she knew of the kidnappings (which had been reported in the newspaper).

If that boy was actually Wendy, disguised as Joshua (which seems to me to be the most probable explanation), then I think that it is clear that Martha did not recognize, at that time, that it was Wendy.

Did the police go to Gregory’s home when they investigated? And did Wendy pretend to be Joshua at that time, successfully convincing the police of it? Is that why Doolittle wrote that “Mr. Wilson is father to a son who closely matches your description in your letter”?

It is interesting to note that in the letter of Martha’s that we actually get to read (which was written after Doolittle’s response to Martha’s previous letter), Martha writes about “Wendy” training Mr. Wilson, not “that boy”:

In the past month, I have sent six letters to your attention, but have yet to receive a response.
Have my letters reached you?
I ask that you please investigate this matter at once for the safety of our children.
Yesterday, I saw them together again… Mr. Wilson and Wendy, a child at our orphanage.
I am very concerned for her safety.
The two of them have been acting quite strangely.
Oh, it’s terribly odd.
By strangely, I mean… Mr. Wilson walking on all fours and nodding… and Wendy appears to be scolding him…
I don’t know how to explain it except that it resembles dog training gone wrong.

Does Martha recognize Wendy because Wendy is now not disguised as Joshua while training Gregory? Or is it because now Martha is no longer deceived by Wendy’s disguise?

It seems to me that even though Wendy had been seen (and not recognized) by Martha before, when Wendy was disguised as Joshua, Wendy is now training Gregory without being disguised as Joshua.

Otherwise, wouldn’t Martha describe to Doolittle, as part of the strange behavior of Wendy and Gregory that troubles her, the fact that Wendy is disguising herself as a boy? And wouldn’t Martha especially want to tell Doolittle about Wendy’s disguise considering that Martha knows that the reason Doolittle dismissed her original report was due, at least in part, to Gregory being (in Doolittle’s words) “father to a son who closely matches your description in your letter.”

It seems to me that Wendy was able to safely be around, and manipulate, Gregory whether she was disguised as Joshua or not.

But why did Wendy sometimes dress as Joshua, and sometimes not? If you have any ideas about this (or alternative interpretations of the letters) please write about it in the comments area.

One idea that occurs to me, about why Wendy might have stopped disguising herself, is that if Wendy did deceive the police dressed as Joshua when they came to Gregory’s home, this might have been a scary enough experience for Wendy that she became reluctant to disguise herself as Joshua again… as it might lead to her getting into trouble with the police.

~~~

Related documents:

20 October 1930
Re: Mr. Gregory Wilson
Dear Ma’am,

Please forgive the delay in our response.
In your letter, you report suspicious activity on the partof Mr. Gregory Wilson.
After investigating the matter, we have come to the following conclusion.
There is little to indicate that the said individual is connected to the recent kidnappings.
Mr. Wilson is father to a son who closely matches your description in your letter.
Therefore, we have determined that there is insufficient evidence to warrant further investigation.
We appreciate your cooperation and understanding in this matter.

Anthony Doolittle
Cardington Police

~~~

24 November
Officer Doolittle,

My name is Martha Carol, and I work at the Rose Garden Orphanage.
In the past month, I have sent six letters to your attention, but have yet to receive a response.
Have my letters reached you?
I ask that you please investigate this matter at once for the safety of our children.
Yesterday, I saw them together again… Mr. Wilson and Wendy, a child at our orphanage.
I am very concerned for her safety.
The two of them have been acting quite strangely.
Oh, it’s terribly odd.
By strangely, I mean… Mr. Wilson walking on all fours and nodding… and Wendy appears to be scolding him…
I don’t know how to explain it except that it resembles dog training gone wrong.
Ooo… it gives me the shivers just thinking about it.
Please come investigate this matter as

~~~

21 June 1929

Another Unexplained Disappearance

There has been another mysterious disappearance of a child recently. Following missing children reports on the 7^th and 14^th, police are now investigating this case as both a possible kidnapping and a missing person.

Local residents are advised not to allow children outside unsupervised and to take caution around any suspicious individuals.

(“Gingerbread House”, boarded-off room with sky wall paper, newspaper on floor by the chair)

 

 

This is the time period from 20 March 1930 to 20 December 1930.

This is a follow-up to Document-based Time-line: Before Jennifer Arrived at the Orphanage

Four of the documents presented in this time-line, by the way, are ones overlooked in the GameSpot/GameFAQs game-script faq. I marked those documents with ###.

I also included two of Jennifer’s memories that relate to precise dates.

The last of Amanda’s diary entries have no dates. They consist of one written passage and numerous drawings. I included the diary passage, and a summary description of the drawings, out of sequence at the end of this post for completeness. These should date to no earlier than 19 October 1930.

I also left two dated headlines, attributed to the Daily Flamingo newspaper, out of the sequence: I don’t think that these share the reliability of the other documents. But I have included them at the very end of the post, for completeness.

If I have made any errors, or have left out a document that should be here, please let me know in the “comments”.

TIME-LINE:

~~~

Sunday, March 20

Things are going wonderfully!
Today they called me out to the backyard.
As long as that girl is here, I won’t ever be last.
What a relief!
(Working Class Luggage, “Rag Princess Sews”, Amanda’s Diary)

~~~

20 March
From J to W

Wendy,
I’m here now, but I’m kind of afraid.
Everything is new to me.
I’m worried if I’ll get along with everyone.
(Sick Room, “Once Upon a Time”, letter on nightstand)

~~~

25 March
From W to J

My Dear Jennifer,
There is nothing to fear.
I am always by your side.
I will never betray you.
We made an oath remember?
(Filth Room, “Once Upon a Time”, letter on shelf)

~~~

Sunday, April 4

Maybe there really is something wrong with me.
What have I done wrong?
I tattled on Mr. Hoffman as they told me to do, but I failed again.
I’m still lower class, even after that girl came.
I’m scared. I don’t know what to do.
(Working Class Luggage, “Rag Princess Sews”, Amanda’s Diary)

~~~

###7 April 1930

Every day, that child gives me a headache.
Shirking her duties, doodling on walls, making Olivia cry, etc, etc.
What a wretched child!
(Sick Bay—after boss battle, Sir Peter chapter, Hoffman’s diary)

~~~

###12 April 1930

Today, I gave that child a good scolding.
When I found out she let the rabbit escape, that was the last straw.
As I took out my pointer to punish her, she started quibbling again…
…However, she’s still young.
She gave in and apologized, so I let it go at that.
I’m such a kind, understanding teacher.”
(Sick Bay—after boss battle, Sir Peter chapter, Hoffman’s diary)

~~~

Sunday, April 18

I’m as happy as can be today!
They showed me the symbol of the Aristocrats.
If I can get the red crayon, I, too, will be one of them!
But that girl will NEVER get a crayon.
She’s far too uncouth.
In any case, I’ll never be last again. I’m sure of it.
(Working Class Luggage, “Rag Princess Sews”, Amanda’s Diary)

~~~

Sunday, June 1

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
Those awful things got into my mouth!
She’ll be sorry the next chance I get.
But why me again?
What have I done?
(Working Class Luggage, “Rag Princess Sews”, Amanda’s Diary)

~~~

22 July
From J to W
Dear Wendy,

I have great news. I found something wonderful!
I look forward to every morning now, and hope you will too.
(Sick Room, “Once Upon a Time”, letter on nightstand)

~~~

25 July
From W to J
My dear Jennifer,

I am so relieved that you are well again!
Is that why I couldn’t find you yesterday morning?
It’s no use trying to fool me!
I can see right through your pranks.
Anyway, thanks in advance.
Tee hee hee.
(Filth Room, “Once Upon a Time”, letter on shelf)

~~~

Sunday, July 27

I HATE HER I HATE HER I HATE HER
I HATE HER I HATE HER I HATE HER
Oh, my! I’ve got to sew the rags…
(Working Class Luggage, “Rag Princess Sews”, Amanda’s Diary)

~~~

13 August
From J to W
How are you, Wendy?

You haven’t said anything to me since I showed you the surprise…
Do you like my cute little puppy Brown?
Let’s take care of him together.
(Sick Room, “Once Upon a Time”, letter on nightstand)

~~~

16 August 1930

Today, I was busy catching up on my work, when Clara came by to offer me a hand.
I guess my teaching paid off.
I was grateful for her kindness.
In the wee hours of the morning, she was still working, so I gently took her to bed.
I can hardly believe it. My little Clara, bless her heart, is already 16 years old.
She tells me she wants to stay at the orphanage and help with the daily chores.
Maybe I should seriously consider the offer.
Tomorrow, I’ll discuss it with Martha.”
(Headmaster’s Room, Hoffman’s diary, “Once Upon a Time”)

~~~

20 August
From J to W
My dear Wendy,

This little guy is just so adorable.
When I call his name, he comes bounding to me.
I know you’ll like him too.
(Sick Room, “Once Upon a Time”, letter on nightstand)

~~~

24 August
From W to J
Jennifer,

Thank you for introducing me to Brown.
…But, such a filthy dog is not a good match for you and me.
Just give it to Nicholas or something, and let’s just be content with the two of us.
(Filth Room, “Once Upon a Time”, letter on shelf)

~~~

24 August 1930

This is inexcusable!
My precious koi is gone.
The children must be responsible.
I won’t stand for this.
Where is Diana?
What’s she been up to?
My opinion of her will suffer because of this.
(Headmaster’s Room, Hoffman’s diary, “Once Upon a Time”)

~~~

Sunday, August 31

I HATE HER I HATE HER I HATE HER
I HATE HER I HATE HER I HATE HER
Oh, my! I’ve got to sew the rags…
(Working Class Luggage, “Rag Princess Sews”, Amanda’s Diary)

~~~

10 September
From W to J
My stubborn Jennifer,

Is Brown that important to you?
It’s just a dog. A filthy animal.
Please stop sharing your wonderful smile with that thing…
Please smile only at me.
(Filth Room, “Once Upon a Time”, letter on shelf)

~~~

24 September
From J to W
How are you doing, Wendy?

Are you alright?
We’ll always be friends, and Brown can be our friend too.
I know you don’t understand, but I can’t just abandon him.
(Sick Room, “Once Upon a Time”, letter on nightstand)

~~~

Sunday, September 28

I HATE HER I HATE HER I HATE HER
I HATE HER I HATE HER I HATE HER
Oh, my! I’ve got to sew the rags…
(Working Class Luggage, “Rag Princess Sews”, Amanda’s Diary)

~~~

1 October
From W to J
Jennifer the Heartless,

Why didn’t you come?
I waited and waited for you.
Why can’t I see you every morning?
I think only of you…
Are you avoiding me?
(Filth Room, “Once Upon a Time”, letter on shelf)

~~~

Sunday, October 5

After all that time I spent sewing it!
Basil, Fanny, George, Hector, Ida, Leo, Paul!
Why must they always bother me so?
Oh, woe is me!
(Working Class Luggage, “Rag Princess Sews”, Amanda’s Diary)

~~~

6 October
From J to W

You’ve got it all wrong, Wendy.
This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.
I never expected you to react this way.
All I wanted is for us to live happily ever after together.
(Sick Room, “Once Upon a Time”, letter on nightstand)

~~~

Sunday, October 12

Oh, why can’t they all just go to hell!
Basil, have a nap on the railroad tracks!
Fanny, take a dive off the roof!
George, I’ll hang you upside down!
Hector, get run over by a carriage!
Ida, I have some fancy poison jam for you!
Leo, walk across an open manhole!
Paul, get smothered by a great rug!
And lastly, that girl!
The Aristocrats will have their way with her!
Oh, how very delightful life is!
(Working Class Luggage, “Rag Princess Sews”, Amanda’s Diary)

~~~

Sunday, October 19

That wretched girl will do my dirty work.
I’ll work her to the bone!
Oh, I feel wonderful today!
(Working Class Luggage, “Rag Princess Sews”, Amanda’s Diary)

~~~

20 October 1930
Re: Mr. Gregory Wilson
Dear Ma’am,

Please forgive the delay in our response.
In your letter, you report suspicious activity on the partof Mr. Gregory Wilson.
After investigating the matter, we have come to the following conclusion.
There is little to indicate that the said individual is connected to the recent kidnappings.
Mr. Wilson is father to a son who closely matches your description in your letter.
Therefore, we have determined that there is insufficient evidence to warrant further investigation.
We appreciate your cooperation and understanding in this matter.

Anthony Doolittle
Cardington Police

~~~

31 October (corrected date, see this post for details)

From W to J
My dear Prince,

Yes, you are my Prince.
A Prince and a Princess must be together, after all, Jennifer, you are my eternal companion.
Just promise to stay by my side, and save your smiles for me.
That’s all I ask.
We don’t need a filthy dog!
We can’t let anyone come between us.
(Sick Room, “Once Upon a Time”, letter on nightstand)

~~~

(Memory that can be dated to October 31)

“On Halloween, we all dressed up in costumes…
Everyone else wore bags over their heads, and stared at me through tiny holes…
Their blank faces and muffled voices…
It scared me like you wouldn’t believe…
‘Is it really you under there?’ I asked, fearing it was something else.
But, no one would answer me.”
(Closet Room, “Once Upon a Time”, memory at the clothes hangers)

~~~

###November 1930

The children are spreading rumors about a killer named “Stray Dog.”
They say, “He comes at dusk under the cover of darkness and devours the children he kidnaps.”
Disturbingly the rumors seem to be motivated by the recent disappearances that have the public in a panic.
However, I find that the rumors I use to get the children to do their cleaning are working splendidly.
The orphanage is spotless.
I’m such a clever teacher.
(Headmaster’s Room, Hoffman’s diary, “The Funeral”)

~~~

11 November 1930

I’m leaving the orphanage.
Clara’s here to look after things, and the children are quickly growing up.
I’ve done right and fulfilled my duty.
…Bloody hell!
All the trouble started when that wretched child arrived…
I’ve done nothing to deserve this!”
(Headmaster’s Room, Hoffman’s diary, “Once Upon a Time”)

…That’s the end of the diary. We never saw Mr. Hoffman again.

~~~

24 November
Officer Doolittle,

My name is Martha Carol, and I work at the Rose Garden Orphanage.
In the past month, I have sent six letters to your attention, but have yet to receive a response.
Have my letters reached you?
I ask that you please investigate this matter at once for the safety of our children.
Yesterday, I saw them together again… Mr. Wilson and Wendy, a child at our orphanage.
I am very concerned for her safety.
The two of them have been acting quite strangely.
Oh, it’s terribly odd.
By strangely, I mean… Mr. Wilson walking on all fours and nodding… and Wendy appears to be scolding him…
I don’t know how to explain it except that it resembles dog training gone wrong.
Ooo… it gives me the shivers just thinking about it.
Please come investigate this matter as

~~~

28 November
From W to J

You still have that filthy dog?
I’ll never forgive you.
Have you forgotten your oath, the rule of rose?
Good-bye, Jennifer.
You will regret choosing that dog over me.
(Sick Room, “Once Upon a Time”, letter on nightstand)

~~~

###20 December 1930

A tragic multiple homicide has occurred at an orphanage in Cardington resulting in the deaths of all the children housed there.
Among the dead was one adult, Gregory M. Wilson, a local resident.
Analysis of the crime scene suggests that Wilson shot himself with a pistol.
Police have identified him as their prime suspect in the murders of the children.
(Smoking Room, Sir Peter chapter, Goat Sisters chapter, newspaper)

~~~

Front gate:

–At the orphanage sign to the left of the gate:

“The Rose Garden Orphanage…
That day, I was escorted from the scene by Officer Doolittle.
At first, it was reported that there were no survivors…
Then, word got out that, miraculously, I had escaped the tragedy…
When rumor spread that I was also the sole survivor of a horrific airship accident in which the passengers were all presumed to be dead,
the media went into a frenzy.
And so, the tragic murder of the residents of a rural orphanage was instantly bumped from the front cover of the daily newspaper to an obscure corner…
I’m sorry everyone.
You don’t deserve to be forgotten…
But I’ll remember you.
Thank you all for the precious memories.”

~~~

END OF TIME-LINE

~~~

~~~

(Amanda’s diary, undated last written entry, the entry preceding it was dated 19 October):

I’m so worried…

I just don’t know what’s going to happen…

(Working Class Luggage, “Rag Princess Sews”, Amanda’s Diary)

Drawings by Amanda, apparently of herself, follow this entry. In these drawings more and more stars surround Amanda and she is smiling, then she sprouts wings and flies up, at first happy, but then she apparently crashes. The subsequent drawings consist of scribbles that are hard to interpret: the last scribble might be Amanda dead and buried, but that is a speculative interpretation by me.

~~~

~~~

~~~

July 21, 1930

Daily Flamingo

Husband “Borrows” 60 Pounds From Wife’s 365-Pound Bank Account.

(Room 26, “Bird of Happiness”)

~~~

(July 21, 1930)

Daily Flamingo

Husband Swipes 60 Pounds From Wife’s 365-Pound Bank Account.

(when you read the above article from your inventory)

~~~

July 1930

Daily Flamingo

Husband Borrows Yet Another 30 Pounds From Wife’s Bank Account

(Room 9–Clara’s Cabin, “Bird of Happiness”)

We see Martha bound, bagged, and lying motionless on the floor in Clara’s cabin during the “Sir Peter” chapter.

Both of those chapters are set aboard the airship. Is there any reason to suspect that, sometime during Jennifer’s forgotten past at the orphanage, Martha was ever really attacked?

I think that there is.

And I think that one of the best ways to recognize this possibility is to try to think like a story-writer.

We should ask ourselves: why might a story-writer place an interrupted letter, like Martha’s letter, as a puzzle-piece in a puzzle game?

Here’s Jennifer’s account of Martha’s letter, preceded by the related letter from Doolittle, in context as they are found in the “Once Upon a Time” chapter:

Martha’s room:

–On the bed:

“There are a couple of letters here. It’s a letter from the police…”

~~~

20 October 1930

Re: Mr. Gregory Wilson

 

Dear Ma’am,

Please forgive the delay in our response.

 

In your letter, you report suspicious activity on the part

of Mr. Gregory Wilson. After investigating the matter,

we have come to the following conclusion.

 

There is little to indicate that the said individual is

connected to the recent kidnappings. Mr. Wilson is

father to a son who closely matches your description

in your letter. Therefore, we have determined that

there is insufficient evidence to warrant further

investigation.

 

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding in

this matter.

 

Anthony Doolittle

Cardington Police

~~~

“It’s a letter from Martha…”

~~~

24 November

Officer Doolittle,

 

My name is Martha Carol, and I work at the Rose Garden

Orphanage.

 

In the past month, I have sent six letters to your attention,

But have yet to receive a response. Have my letters reached

you?

 

I ask that you please investigate this matter at once for the safety

of our children.

 

Yesterday, I saw them together again… Mr. Wilson and Wendy,

A child at our orphanage. I am very concerned for her safety.

The two of them have been acting quite strangely. Oh, it’s terribly

odd. By strangely, I mean… Mr. Wilson walking on all fours and

nodding… and Wendy appears to be scolding him… I don’t know

how to explain it except that it resembles dog training gone wrong.

Ooo… it gives me the shivers just thinking about it.

 

Please come investigate this matter as

~~~

“The letter ends there…
Perhaps if the matter had been addressed publicly, things wouldn’t have turned out as they did.
Adults are so selfish.”

No other letter or diary entry in the game is presented to us ending mid-sentence.

And, as Jennifer finds this letter in Martha’s room, we know that it was never sent (otherwise it wouldn’t still be in Martha’s room). Yet, clearly Martha considered the subject matter of the letter to be urgent. “Please investigate this matter at once for the safety of our children,” she begs Officer Doolittle in the letter. So why didn’t she ever send the letter?

Did the game-authors want us to think that Martha was permanently interrupted as she wrote that last incomplete sentence?

There is no record of Martha after that date. Jennifer says only, “One day, Mr. Hoffman suddenly disappeared. Clara and Miss Martha soon followed, leaving me and the other orphans alone…”

Do the game-authors expect us to believe that Martha, who writes in the letter that she is very concerned for Wendy’s safety, is just about to go away and leave all of the orphans unattended? Or do they want us to suspect that Martha disappeared because something happened to her? Something that interrupted her last letter mid-sentence?

Another important clue, I think, is this part of Martha’s letter:

In the past month, I have sent six letters to your attention,

But have yet to receive a response. Have my letters reached

you?

Note that Doolittle’s letter to Martha is dated 20 October and her interrupted letter is dated 24 November. Thus the six letters sent to Doolittle, “in the past month”, without response, were sent during the time after Doolittle’s letter to Martha. He responded once. Why did he never respond again to any of her six letters? Because he thought she was a crazy lady?

I think that the game-authors gave us a nudge away from drawing that conclusion by having Martha ask, “Have my letters reached you?”

The game authors, I think, wanted us to consider the possibility that Martha’s letters might not have reached officer Doolittle. So they came right out and had Martha ask, “Have my letters reached you?” Nudge, nudge.

Why wouldn’t Martha’s letters have reached Officer Doolittle?

Could the letters have been intercepted by one or more of the orphans?

How?

If I was one of the game-authors, and I wanted this solution, that orphans intercepted the letters, to be the solution to the puzzle of Doolittle’s lack of response to Martha’s letters, then I would want to show that the orphans had the opportunity to intercept her letters.

I would show the mailbox. That’s what I would do.

Is there a mailbox, or equivalent, shown to us in the game?

I think so.

There is a slot in the wall, by the side gate, that we have our attention directed to by the game-authors by the requirement that Jennifer must put a boarding pass into this slot in order to be able to enter through the gate. I think that the purpose for which this slot was designed and built into the wall was to serve as a mailbox.

If so, then we have been shown by the game-authors that the orphans could easily have noticed an outgoing letter to the police, indeed they could have easily monitored all outgoing mail.

It would have been an easy thing for the orphans to intercept Martha’s letters to Officer Doolittle.

Martha had successfully gotten Doolittle to investigate Gregory once, and Martha was now spying on Wendy’s activities with Gregory. I think that somebody didn’t want any further investigations by the police. So Martha’s letters got intercepted.

But she wouldn’t stop.

Six letters intercepted and yet Martha didn’t give up.

Eventually she might figure out what was happening with the letters.

Or go to see the police in person.

So,

finally,

Martha was stopped.

24 November
Officer Doolittle,

My name is Martha Carol, and I work at the Rose Garden Orphanage. In the past month,
I have sent six letters to your attention, but have yet to receive a response.
Have my letters reached you?

I ask you to please investigate this matter at once at once for the safety of our children.

Yesterday, I saw them together again… Mr. Wilson and Wendy, a child at our orphanage.
I am very concerned for her safety. The two of them have been behaving quite strangely.
Ooo… it is terribly odd. By strangely, I mean Mr. Wilson walking on all fours and nodding…
and Wendy appears to be scolding him. I don’t know how to explain it, except that it
resembled dog training gone wrong. Ooo… it gives me the shivers just thinking about it.
Please come investigate this matter as

I think that there is good reason, however, to believe that Wendy was not training Gregory for revenge upon the orphans at the time of Martha’s letter. Instead, I think that the massacre came about later by a relatively spontaneous and unpremeditated act by Wendy shortly after she was “deposed” as Princess of the Rose and violently dumped by Jennifer.

Wendy was deposed, apparently, in connection with the incident where Jennifer slapped her at the time of Brown’s death. You can view the YouTube video of the scene here: “Jennifer Slaps Wendy“. But this incident hadn’t yet occurred at the time of Martha’s letter. Martha’s letter dates to 24 November, but we know that Brown was definitely still alive as as late as 28 November because of the evidence provided by this letter (which can be found in the Sickroom during the “Once Upon a Time” chapter) from Wendy to Jennifer:

28 November From W to J
You still have that filthy dog? I’ll never forgive you. Have you forgotten your
oath, the rule of rose? Good-bye, Jennifer. You will regret choosing that dog
over me.

So Wendy had not yet lost her rank as Princess of the Rose at the time that Martha saw her training Gregory, which means that Wendy had no motive to punish the other orphans at that time. She must’ve been training Gregory for other reasons.

If we assume that all of the events of the “Stray Dog and the Lying Princess” chapter occurred on the same day, as seems to be the way that the chapter presents itself (although I think that events separated in time are jumbled together in most of the other chapters, so this might be a dangerous assumption to make), then I think Wendy’s fall from power occurred very shortly before the massacre.

At the beginning of “Stray Dog and the Lying Princess” we can overhear the following conversation between Amanda and Susan:

Susan: What? Really?
Amanda: Really!
Susan: How? Ouch!

I think that this is Susan hearing, for the first time, about Jennifer having slapped Wendy. And, I think that if Susan IS hearing about it for the first time, it is very likely that the slapping of Wendy happened very shortly beforehand (I would think that gossip about the slapping of the Princess of the Rose would be likely to get around quite quickly among the orphans). So I think that this likely places Wendy’s fall from power, and the creation of her motive to punish the other orphans, very shortly before the time of the orphanage massacre in December.

If so, Wendy did not coldly plan to train Gregory for revenge, train him over a period of time, and then bring him to the orphanage. Rather, she acted spontaneously and quickly in the heat of being violently dumped by Jennifer and being deposed as Princess.