"The Absence of Miriam Lane" Invisiclues Hints

dfabulich · December 19, 2023, 8:02pm

General notes

Try all of your thoughts everywhere, even on stuff that might not make sense.
Save before giving anything to the absence. (If you give the wrong thing, make a note of that. It’s useful information.)
Save before you tell her story.

There’s something here I can’t see…

In the first part of the game, you’ll eventually solve it if you click on everything and try thinking all of your available thoughts. Try it on every object, and also on the general room description.

Here’s a list of places to check.

Living Room: Nook in the wall, a few framed photographs. Think, "There’s something here I can’t see.
Kitchen: pictures and papers, medical form. Think, "There’s something here I can’t see.
Garden: In the garden, not looking at any particular object, think, "The sky over the garden is too bright.
Upstairs: Turn on the light, then think, “Light and shadow is acting strangely.”
Office: Look at the group photo and think, “There’s something here I can’t see.”
Bedroom: First, not looking at any object, think, “Light and shadow is acting strangely,” and “This is unnaturally aged or faded.” Then, look at the bed, and think all three of your thoughts.

I can see in this Light.

Return to the bedroom and click on “She is absent.”

She Is Absent

At this point in the game, your objective is to find the right items to bring, and present them to her.

In this section, it’s wise to try your new “take” thought literally everywhere, even when looking at objects that don’t immediately seem like you can take them. You’ll pick up a bunch of stuff you don’t need; you can put them back to free up your inventory.

The author provided an additional general hint for this section:

If you’re stuck figuring out what to give her, explore the garden.

If you’re still stuck, just give her things. That will get to AN ending.

Anthony Lane can tell you a lot if you show him things.

I’m dividing these hints up based on the starting point for each of the items you can provide.

Thought: What is her name?

Return to the blurred text.
In the kitchen.
In the pictures and photos.
Think “What is her name?” while looking at the medical form.

Thought: A gardening book is missing.

You can find this thought by clicking on the gardening books in the Sewing Room.

It’s in a pile of books.
In the garden.
Examine the two outdoor chairs.
Examine the pile of books, then think, “A gardening book is missing.”
You can give Miriam the Native Flower Journal.

The magazine on the bedside table in the Bedroom

First, find the missing gardening book. (See above.)
Click on Items, read the Native Flower Journal, and read all of the flowers.
The New England Aster is a native substitute for chrysanthemums.
Click on the flowers in the garden, and “look for a particular flower.” (In the next hint, I’ll tell you exactly what to click on to find the Aster.)
Click on sunlit, blue, dense, then Find Flower.
You should give Miriam a New England Aster. But, before you do, click on Anthony Lane in the Living Room and use the flower on him.
She has another blue flower that’s her favorite.
Consult the Journal for other blue flowers, find them, and show them to Anthony, to see if he recognizes them. (In the next hint, I’ll tell you which flower you need.)
Miriam’s favorite is the Blue Vervain. (In the next hint, I’ll tell you exactly how to find it in the “find flower” section.)
Click purple, blue, lance, serrated, find flower. Be sure to give Miriam both the New England Aster and the Blue Vervain.

The unfinished letter behind the sewing machine in the Sewing Room

First, solve the magazine puzzle, above.
When you find a flower, you can “search around” that flower.
There are two flowers worth searching around. (You could just search around them all.) One of them has to do with the unfinished letter. The other is mentioned elsewhere.
1. Unfinished Letter
  - The letter mentions “goldenrod.”
  - Find the Gray Goldenrod and search around that.
  - Click on sunlit, yellow, toothed and search around that.
2. The other one
  - Miriam has done “something quite silly” with one of the flowers.
  - Miriam wrote that in the Native Flower Journal.
  - It’s in the section on the Celandine Poppy.
  - Find the Celandine Poppy and search around that.
  - Click on yellow, lobed, toothed, sunlit and search around that.

Birdseed in the Garden under the chairs

Take it and use it on the birds in the garden.
You’ll have to leave the garden and return to have an effect.
After you give birdseed to the birds, leave, return, and look at the birds, you’ll find a sparrow feather, which you can give to Miriam.

Taking things that might not seem worth taking

In the Living Room, in the nook on the wall, try taking the stereo system.
- Classical or musical? You can save your game and guess, or, there’s another way.
- Pick one and show it to Anthony Lane. He’ll tell you what Miriam liked.
- Take the musical CD.
In the Sewing Room, there are two important things to take.
- Take an item while looking at the gardening books. You’ll take a generic gardening book, which, in turn, is worth showing to Miriam.
- On the cork board, take the dress pattern. You can then take the bird sketch, and give that to Miriam.

Full list of items to give (major spoiler)

Click below to see all seven items you can give to Miriam, and where to find them. (They’re all described in hints above.)

Musical CD: Take while looking at the stereo system in the Living Room
Native Flower Journal: Look at the gardening books in the Sewing Room, then think about the missing book while looking at the pile of books under the chairs in the Garden.
Gardening Book: Take a generic gardening book from the gardening books in the Sewing room.
New England Aster: Find a flower (sunlit, blue, dense) in the garden, and give that.
Blue Vervain: Find a flower (purple, blue, lance, serrated) in the garden, and give that.
Bird’s Nest: Find the Gray Goldenrod (sunlit, yellow, toothed) and search around it.
Tattered Poem: Find the Celandine Poppy (yellow, lobed, toothed, sunlit) and search around it.

Tell Her Story

Save before you tell her story.
You’ll get most of this information from the stuff on the refrigerator.
Take those and show them to Anthony Lane.
There are multiple right answers. (And multiple wrong answers.)
This is much, much easier if you give Miriam all seven items in the previous section.

Page 1

Two children
- From the letters on the refrigerator.
- Arthur and Stacy.
She’s a ____ mother
- From the unfinished letter in the Sewing Room
- Loving or supportive will work.
But they’ve
- From the letters on the refrigerator. (Show them to Anthony, too.)
- Left home.

Page 2

Fixture in
- The calendar on the refrigerator covers this.
- The church
Responsibilities, including
- The calendar on the refrigerator covers this.
- Any of these will do: event organization, childcare (Sunday School), baking, and emotional labor.
She takes on
- The calendar says that she’s doing a lot.
- Either “more than she’s comfortable with” or “everything” will work.
Because
- This is a matter of interpretation.
- Either “because she’s bad at saying no” or “feels empty at home” will work

Page 3

Sister
- See the medical form on the refrigerator
- Sarah
who
- Show the medical form on the refrigerator to Anthony
- She has memory problems, which is a symptom of just one of these options
- has Alzheimers
Miriam is
- This is a matter of interpretation.
- Dutiful.
But it
- This is a matter of interpretation.
- Wears on her.

Page 4

Husband named
- He’s in the Living Room.
- Anthony.
He is a
- Review the sketchbook in the office.
- Architect.
He thinks her interests are
- This is a matter of interpretation.
- Quaint or small works.
and
- This is a matter of interpretation.
- Cute, sweet, and uninteresting all work.
He does
- Ask him about a flower.
- He remembers her favorite flower.
But he
- Any answer works here.

Page 5

She might have once liked
- Try restoring to a saved game and giving her items from various hobbies.
- Baking and sewing.
She enjoys
- Based on which items work when you give them to Miriam.
- Musicals and reading.
But
- Review the Native Flower Journal entry on the Celandine Poppy.
- She is embarrassed that her tastes are childish.
She wants to
- What has she kept hidden?
- Draw birds or write poetry both work.
But
- Review the Native Flower Journal entry on the Celandine Poppy.
- She is embarrassed by her own lack of skill.

Page 6

Try restoring to a saved game and giving her items from various hobbies.
Gardening and bird watching

If you give her all seven items and get a perfect score, you’ll unlock a happier ending.