Pickman’s Student: part 3
Extracts from the Personal Diary of Dr
Elisa Jamieson MD
After
After
Mr Stimson pulled away the tape and revealed the
painting, the first thing I noticed was that the picture appeared to have been
painted in monochrome which Mr Stimson stated was
quite normal for a Blake painting. (It appeared Mr Blake only adds colour near
the end of his works - go figure!) I noted that the image depicted appeared similar
to the image Adam had described to me after he had experienced a dream two days
previously with a rocky shore depicted alongside a lake or sea and a variety of
ruins (Greek, Roman, Indian and several others I was unable to identify)
peppering the shore.
I
should note here that I do not have the critic’s eye but I know what I like and
somehow I felt I did not like this as I found this a little strange. I also
noted that several members of the team appeared nervous in its presence. But,
other than the mild dislike, I felt nothing; maybe it’s an advantage of having
a thick skin. Anyway Mr Stimson seemed to wish to
cover the painting up so I stepped away and allowed him to do so.
Mr
Stimson then claimed that the painting somehow
affected his dreams the previous evening. From what I could garner it appeared
Mr Stimson slept on the same sofa where Mr Blake had
been discovered by Mrs Tadley and had somehow entered
the painting.
Being
curious, Mr Stimson had then chosen to investigate
the area to ascertain what fate had befallen his friend. It appears in a
previous dream he had observed Mr Blake making his way across the rocky
shoreline depicted within the painting and then had seen him leap into the
water at the base of said rocks and disappear below the surface. Mr Stimson said Mr Blake had not resurfaced. Mr Stimson claimed this dream was the result of something
called a Dream of Revelation, which he appeared to be able to invoke.
Last
evening however Mr Stimson had observed a light mist
riding low over the water but once he was close to the water’s edge he was able
to see the surface relatively clearly, noting as he did so that the water was
unusually still for a sea. Mr Stimson also claimed
that he found it rather difficult to see beyond the surface due to the
combination of mist, poor light and reflections off an oily film on the surface
of the water. However Mr Stimson still felt fairly
certain that he could see seaweed beneath the surface but he was not altogether
sure, it may well have been something else.
After
this he straightened up to look back to where Mr Blake would have stood to
create this image and he was able to observe a vast wooded area within a
hundred yards of the shore - invisible in the painting, as it would have been
outside the artist’s vision. Unusually though, the wood appeared to be composed
solely of large fungal growths somewhat akin to mushrooms or toadstools instead
of trees. The fungi Mr Stimson noted appeared lit up
by eldritch luminescence of blues, greens and lilacs all emanating from the
fungi some of which appeared unnaturally large - he claimed some were as large
as a great sequoia would have been in the waking world. (My suspicion is that
this is the place Malachi warned us about, the so called ‘fungal forest’).
Mr
Stimson at this juncture felt he should take a closer
look at this unusual forest but as he advanced upon it he was overcome by
trepidation as he noted that there was a terrible odour somewhat akin to rot
emanating from it and it also appeared on closer inspection to be extremely
dark and forbidding in there as with the canopy’s coverage it appeared the only
source of light would be from the phosphorescence from the fungi itself.
Feeling only mishap would result if he entered either the wood or the unusual sea
at this time Mr Stimson chose instead to investigate
the shoreline ruins in hope that they might give him an insight as to the
nature of this strange place.
Continuing
on with his investigation Mr Stimson then stated that
he approached the ruins noting that they appeared to be a strange mixture of
periods and cultures. None of them appeared to offer him any inscriptions that
he could discern but he did note that there where some bas-reliefs in evidence.
Mr Stimson then claimed that the Pillar of Indian origin
(depicted to the right of centre on the painting) had some of the
best-preserved examples. He then described what they depicted was a series of
scenes.
The
first of these depicting a collection of what he described as demons huddled
around what appeared to Mr Stimson to be an oversized
goldfish bowl. He noted that each demon was bearing an offering; either a head,
heart or other slightly less recognisable organ or body part. However he
admitted that he was unable to see what was in the bowl, maybe thankfully.
A
second image depicted an unidentified (as far as Mr Stimson
was concerned at least) Hindu style deity with three heads and four arms
sitting at the bottom of an unnamed sea with stylised fish floating by. Traces
of colour remained on this image and it appeared that it may have at one time
been coloured a rich blue very much in Hindu style. The deity he noted appeared
to be smiling and had one arm raised up with the hand making a strange sign
that could possibly have indicated a blessing of some form. Mr Stimson surmised it would most likely require a practicing
Hindu to work out the full significance of this image.
Mr
Stimson observed that the third scene also depicted
this same three-faced water god but on this occasion it appeared he was
depicted with an entourage of half a dozen of what Mr Stimson
described as mermen who he claimed appeared to be playing some kind of wind
instruments possibly flutes. Mr Stimson’s description
of the mermen stated that they had fish heads, flippers for feet and that they
also walked on land. (I believe what he could very well have been looking at
here was a band of Deep Ones, not mermen)
The
fourth and final scene he observed also at first glance appeared to involve a
Hindu deity, (on this occasion he was able to identify the deity as Genesha the elephant-headed god) but it appeared he was
surrounded by water and had his head back looking to the sky. But once he had
viewed the image further it soon became clear that this was an entirely
different deity as the head bore at least half a dozen trunks, which was
clearly wrong. Anyway, that to one side for the moment, Mr Stimson
claimed he felt there was a wrongness about the whole area and the longer he
stayed the more he disliked it, so with this in mind he chose to make his way
further along the shore to investigate some of the other ruins in hopes that
some may have an interior.
However
it appeared that the only building which could have contained an interior was a
tower (it may have been a bell tower) which was offshore on a smaller spit of
land, this would involve either a risky jump or a short swim either of which
would have been very risky as Mr Stimson was alone
and there was no one else around to assist him were he to get into
difficulties, he certainly did not want go the way of his friend Mr Blake.
After
deciding to give up on the tower Mr Stimson then
claims he took one last look around where he observed a rough-hewn stone
approximately half way to the forest the markings and stains upon the said
stone indicating it had been likely used for sacrifices and other nefarious
rituals. The stone, Mr Stimson claimed, bore no
inscriptions but once again there were carvings on the side depicting desert
scenes and a fierce lion-headed man wielding a heavy mace surrounded by dead
bodies. Mr Stimson suspected the lion-headed man to
be a depiction of another deity.
This
was when Mr Stimson decided enough was enough and
forced himself to awaken, to find himself looking directly at Mr Blake’s
unfinished work. It appeared
Adam and
Alex then revealed that they were able to control their dreams and used the
time to help with what they had been investigating for it appears they had
returned to Celaphais in hope of gaining more information
in regard to Mr Pickman. In doing so they had
discovered that the ghouls of the Dreamlands and maybe even of the waking world
appeared to have a hierarchy and thus Mr Pickman may
actually be one of these upper-class ghouls which may explain his ability to
communicate and write.
After
finishing going over last night’s events we then began the next part of our
investigation. Alex appeared to be extremely keen to see one of Mr Blake’s
other works from the so called Ghadamon cycle, the
painting in question being ‘Karl Marx Lies in Highgate Cemetery’. He believed
that this could be a way to contact the ghouls who would show us the way to the
underworld. This was partially due to the fact that Mr Stimson
had informed Alex that Mr Blake had painted supposedly painted some figures on
this painting which were not all that clear on the copy we had seen but were
much clearer on the original. The figures, Mr Stimson
claimed, were humanoid but had an almost dog like appearance. Alex asked Mr Stimson if he could assist him in this part of the
investigation as it turned out Mr Stimson appeared to
be willing to assist and contacted a Mr Mike Jones at the TUC whom he hoped
would allow him access.
Mr
Stimson’s contact, Mr Mike Jones, appeared at first
extremely reluctant to allow the group access to the painting as he stated it
was in storage and with Mr Blake’s condition the way it was he stated that the
painting may very soon become much more valuable. It appeared likely that if we
wished to see it we would require a court order to allow us do so. With this in
mind Alex phoned Marmaduke Forbush
to organise the paperwork only to be informed that everything would be in place
by
Adam
also asked Mr Stimson if he had any information
regarding the rest of Mr Blake’s paintings from the Ghadamon
cycle; to whit, who presently owned the paintings? This information Mr Stimson was only too happy to provide. The paintings it
appears are in no discernable order but he stated that he himself owned Elder Yuggoth, obviously the final unfinished and unnamed final
painting was here in the room with us and the TUC owned Karl Marx lies in
Highgate Cemetery, so that was three of the five accounted for.
As
to the other two: the first, ‘Fate’, which depicted a four poster bed in a old
dark wood panelled room, was owned by Mrs Beryl Briggs from Richmond; while ‘R’Lyeh Rising’, which depicted an island rising from the
sea, was owned by Mrs Evelyn Bancroft from Worthing. (Bizarre when you think
about it - the end of humanity as a viable species on this planet may begin off
the
Mr
Stimson also informed us he owns another two pictures
painted by Mr Blake which Mr Stimson does not believe
are actually part of the Ghadamon cycle and they are
‘The Outsider’, a painting which depicts men and women fleeing from a room in
abject terror from a hideous undead figure, not
actually visible within the painting as it is outside the artist’s eye line;
and the other is ‘A Walk in the Park’ which depicts a woman walking with a pram
through a park while a great many eyes peer at her through the foliage. In both
of these paintings the time of day is intended to be twilight and while both of
these painting appear quite strange in their own way it appears likely that
they will bare no significance in this case.
As
an aside, when Adam phoned Amanda (Contessa) at MI13
to talk to Tulip (Marmaduke Forbush)
about the court order he also asked Marmaduke if he
had changed his mind regarding allowing us to talk to Toby Higginbotham; he is
an expert on the Book of Eibon and Alex thought this
significant, as it appeared that Mr Stimson had
actually loaned Mr Blake a book entitled ‘Eibon Saith on Dreams’, which was a derivative of the Book of Eibon. Marmaduke stated that he
would need to get back to us on this as it would require some consideration.
Mind
you, this was certainly news to me, for he had not mentioned this in my
presence before. I too had working knowledge of the Book of Eibon
after I had been asked to read it when I first joined MI13 and had even learned
the language Tsath-Yo so I could do so. I informed
the group of this and they admitted they were unaware of my knowledge regarding
the book. Surprisingly Mr Stimson then actually
handed his copy of Eibon Saith
on Dreams to me, which shocked me a little. I am somewhat concerned by this, as
not only is a civilian in possession of a Mythos
tome, but he also actually appears to carry it around with him.
Anyway
that concern is for another time and hopefully I can use Eibon
Saith on Dreams to cross reference information I
gleaned within the Book of Eibon. Note: Eibon Saith on Dreams being a
derivative is of course a lot smaller and is actually barely more than a
pamphlet but due to the way these books are written it would still require at
least a week to fully analyse but as I was only going to use it as a reference
the time scale would be much reduced.
When
Barbara arrived from London Alex asked her to contact the professor they had
been in contact with in
We
now had decisions to make as to what our plans were for the rest of the day. I
of course would have to report for work at
Which left Barbara, Belinda and
The
others all leave to do what needs to be done leaving me to my pamphlet and I
settle down to see what I can reference from Eibon Saith on Dreams, First of all I feel I need to get a break
down of the pamphlet so that everything can be seen in context.
Eibon Saith on Dreams is clearly a late
eighteenth century work, which appears to be little more than a précis of
another much earlier and extensive work named The Book of Eibon,
(which I have read previously at the bequest of MI13, hence why I have taken
the job of referencing the pamphlet). The writer of the pamphlet clearly admits
that the Pamphlet itself is a distillation of the much earlier Book of Eibon which he claims to have been written by two scholars
from ancient Hyperborea. The author of the pamphlet
however appeared to have based the entire pamphlet on an earlier translation by
a Byzantine scholar by the name of Carnomagus rather
than the original.
I
was soon able ascertain the main content of Eibon Saith on Dreams, which is that this pamphlet is basically a
distillation of the information about dreams and the Dreamlands found within
the pages of the Book of Eibon. I was soon able to
glean a sizable proportion of information but would clearly need more
information before I could fully resolve the significance of these snippets. I
include what I feel is the significant information I was able to glean from my
research below.
“…and Eibon Saith sayeth that another realm,
beyond that of our poor experience, lieth for those
who dare to enter. Many hath tried potions and elixirs while others commend the
usage of animal magnetism to journey thence to these bizarre and distant
worlds. Thereby, much may be learned…”
“…others hath told of the great artist, Rhydagand, who needeth but to
depict an image of whither he wished to journey, then by sleeping with said
image near to hand such that his slumberous gaze might fall on’t,
thereby was transported in his dreams unto such place…”
“…those who would travel in these, the
darkest parts of this strange world, do well to protect themselves against the
foul denizens liken unto men but yet partaking of dogs that do feed upon the
rotting corpses of men. One such protection is that sign known unto us as that
of Aegyptus, which I discern from Eibon
Saith’s depiction thereof, though he useth another name reverenced muchly
by said foul beasts that dwell in the pestilential burrows of that land…”
“…this odd man, a traveller in foreign
lands, did relate to Eibon Saith
the tale of Ghadamon. How that Ancient Great God hath
been brought to being from the brains of men and secreted beneath a great lake
in a fearsome world of darkness whereat it lyeth for
eternal ages, feeding, growing and waiting for the day when it shall be released
in to our world, the harbinger of the rise of R’Lyeh.
I hath heard this same tale from another, a man of our age of enlightenment,
who said Ghadamon will come upon us soon. I deemed
this man mad ‘ere I read the tract of Eibon Saith, yet soon he was murdered by the Oriental One.”
As it turns
out I just about finish my research in time to set off for work, arriving at
the Royal Berkshire with only ten minutes to spare. As I made my way in I
realised that I must make an effort to be friendly to the nurses, orderlies and
other doctors, to chat and become involved and attempt to interact with my
colleagues. Also I must not interfere and only help them in their work when
they request it and stop giving my own opinions as to the way other doctors
deal with their patients - unless of course they ask for my opinion. In other
words I need to start living instead of just existing and learn to smile more.
Mind you,
what better day to start my new life than the Friday before August Bank Holiday
a day when we can almost guarantee that we will be rushed off our feet. Mind
you, once again the only parking spaces are nowhere near the door and while I’m
quite sure the old Eliza would have griped about this for hours, this is a new
sunnier Eliza who is learning to take the rough with the smooth.
As
expected, it’s busy and when I finally get to take a break I phone the team to
find out how they are progressing to discover that Barbara, Belinda and
He
informed Belinda that Ghadamon is actually an
artificial god (whatever that means) but Toby refused to clarify the statement
any further than that. Toby also hinted that there might still be another way
to block the rise of R’Lyeh by implying that one of
our team could possibly acquire assistance from his unusual friend (by that I
assumed he was implying the link St John appears to have with Nyarlathotep).
Belinda,
in hope of getting him to divulge more information, agreed to discuss Toby’s
request with Marmaduke but it soon became clear when
she contacted Marmaduke that this was clearly not an
option as Toby was far too dangerous and as far as I can understand it the drug
regime is not for his benefit as much as for everyone else’s. From the way
Belinda judged Marmaduke’s reaction to this, it was
clear that Toby had tried this one before as Marmaduke
appeared to know exactly what Toby wanted before the words were out of
Belinda’s mouth.
Alex,
it appeared, had presently run into a brick wall with regard to his request to
see the Karl Marx painting at the TUC and was presently in a holding pattern
while awaiting the court order. One thing he had discovered though was that
Mike Jones was not overly enamoured by the painting and that he found it rather
unpleasant. However the TUC had paid a tidy sum for the painting and, despite
the fact that Mr Jones would be only to happy to see the back of it, they were
determined they would not let the painting go unless they could get a tidy
profit from it.
Apparently
when they first acquired the painting it had hung in the foyer of the TUC
headquarters but they had later chosen to have it removed after several
visitors had seizures while looking at it. Also there was an issue in regard to
Mr Blake’s letter of authenticity that had upset several of the people in power
but it was unclear what had been written as Mr Stimson
had requested Mr Blake write the letter but had not actually seen what Mr Blake
had written. I understood from Alex that Mr Jones also had access to the letter
and that he would allow the team to see it when the court order arrived. I
asked to be kept in the loop but I needed to go back to work.
As
usual, the last Friday in August is busier than downtown
Suddenly
I begin to hear voices coming from one of the cubicles, thinking that the poor
nurse may be experiencing difficulties I decide to poke my head around the door
to see if the nurse requires assistance. As I do so I observe Helen Jenkins
involved in a heated argument with James Doolittle. (What is James doing here I
ask myself?)
Not
wishing to leave the poor girl in a difficult situation I choose on this occasion
to interrupt which allows Helen to get back to doing her job. But that then
causes James to turn and attempt to harangue me, saying that he wants to talk,
I inform him straight away that this is neither the time nor the place for this
as I am on duty but I am able to convince him to step outside, hopefully
causing less disruption. James tells me that he wants to meet me at my place
but I inform him that I don’t really think that it would be a good idea, but I
do agree to meet him at an all night café just up the road once I finish my
shift. I really did not want to meet him at my place as I wanted witnesses.
This appeasement on my part appeared to defuse the situation and he headed off,
after which I find and apologise to Helen for James’ behaviour, as it is
clearly not her job to deal with my psycho ex-boyfriend.
After
apologising to Helen I headed to my next patient, when I was somewhat surprised
to find myself accosted by Mr Hammond, one of the hospital administrators,
regarding this incident, stating that I should keep my private life out of the
workplace. I attempt to inform him that I am at a loss as to how I am supposed
to stop James, stating that he is after all an ex-boyfriend, but he doesn’t
want to listen. (What surprised me, however, was not the warning but the fact
that Mr Hammond was still on site at six o’clock on a Friday, let alone the
Friday before the Bank holiday, plus not only does he appear to know where the
Accident and Emergency department is he actually appears to know who I am -
mind you, I suppose I am wearing an identification badge.) Mr Hammond told me
in no uncertain terms that I should not let it happen again and I told him I
will try but of course I can’t guarantee that James will listen.
It
is then that I notice that I had received a text from Alex timed at four thirty
which stated that the team had finally got access to the Karl Marx painting and
that he and the rest of the group would be out of contact as they intended to
dream within its presence, it appeared that there are in fact figures on the
painting and that they may indeed be ghouls, (or maybe they are just dogs). One
of the figures is actually lying at the foot of the tomb itself.
Alex
states the team’s intention is to sleep the night in the presence of the picture
within a private room within the TUC itself, he has seemingly requested a room
to study the painting with a number of experts and Mr Jones has allowed it and
has requested they not be disturbed during the investigation. (Wonder, what
they would say if they knew what he intended to do in that room?)
I
also note that there is also a photo attachment to the text of Mr Blake’s
authentication letter. Mind you, once I read it, I could understand why the TUC
were rather upset by his comments. However, I appreciated his sentiment, after
all I lean towards a more Conservative side of political divide, plus I am a
very strong royalist and a quite strong opponent of Marxist ideals. I have to
admit I found the letter in some parts rather amusing. For completeness I have
included the letter below.
Letter
of authentication to the TUC for Karl Marx Lies in
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Thank you for purchasing Karl Marx Lies in
Highgate Cemetery. This work, as with all my work, was inspired by a dream, in
this case after an evening walk in Highgate Cemetery. As such the canvas
depicts the dream rather than reality.
You will have noticed that the tomb is
depicted in red, as opposed to the grey colour it is in reality. While the picture
was on exhibition I heard many viewers speculate that the colour reflects
Marx’s politics. Others of a more cynical bent have assumed the tomb is stained
red from the blood of those who have died for, or at the hands of, the Marxist
cause. I have never pretended to political aspirations: the tomb is red because
that is how it appeared in my dream. If there is any meaning beyond that I
assure you it is entirely subconscious.
You will notice a supine figure at the foot
of the tomb, this is Karl Marx himself. I apologise if his appearance causes
offence; no offence is intended, this is merely how he appeared in my dream. He
spoke with me and told me that after his burial his ‘essence’ was removed and
thereby he walks in dreams still. He still dreams of revolution. Perhaps you
may find this thought reassuring. I personally found him inspiring and look
forward to the ultimate revolution myself.
I trust this information enhances your
enjoyment of this work. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate
to ask.
Yours in dreams,
Nelson
Blake
Finally
I noticed right at the bottom of the text that Alex has stated that at some
stage during the evening I should expect to be contacted by Gallowsman
(Andy Price) in regard to an operation he refers to only as ‘Operation
Backstop’, what ever that may be. Mind you, if it involves Andy Price it
implies it will be something involving violence up to the level of lethal
force.
In
the end it is five past nine before I receive a message from Andy Price but as
I was stitching up a young lady’s wounds at that time he was required to wait a
couple of minutes. When I finally took the message I noticed that the message
was asking me to meet Andy outside. (Wow! Two SAS men in one night - looks like
they’re out in force in Reading tonight!) Anyway I am required to burn my final
break in order to find the time to step outside and see him.
However,
when I do find him I notice that he is smoking, (a disgusting and anti-social
habit if there ever was one). I indicate straight away that he needs put his
cancer tube out before I will come up to him. Andy, seeing my displeasure,
throws the cancer-tube on the floor, stamps it out and actually spits on the
floor. (If anything that was even more disgusting than the smoking - good grief
the man is a barbarian!)
Anyway
my personal views to one side Andy had arrived to go over the details of
Operation Backstop with me, stating that this operation was intended to be a
final sanction in case the rest of the team failed in their mission. The
operation appeared simple enough and involved Andy removing Mr Blake from the
equation via the judicious application of high-speed lead through his frontal
lobes. Mind you, I am a little sceptical as to the effectiveness of this plan.
Surely if Mr Blake was to be observed moving about then Ghadamon
would be in the driver’s seat? Strangely enough, I don’t really believe high
speed lead would have much of a detrimental effect on a god, even a constructed
one.
My
only part in this operation, it appears, is to ensure that the nurse assigned
to Mr Blake’s room and Miss Tilstrom are actually out
of the room. I don’t really know how I am supposed to do this but I suggest a
fire alarm or bomb threat. One thing is for sure, I am certainly not keen to do
this. Andy then gives me a number to call him in when the need arises. I am to
achieve this by ringing the number he gave me and letting it ring three times,
stating that he will not answer the phone but will automatically know this to
be the signal. With that he disappeared off into the night leaving me standing
outside the hospital feeling somewhat peeved.
Note:
as a doctor I object in principal to this entire plan and would like very much
to have a word with whoever it was that came up with this half-baked scheme.
For a start Andy is severely unstable, so much so that we couldn’t even send
him in against the Star Vampire, a creature that was to all intents and
purposes invisible, yet here we were putting him up against something
infinitely scarier. Plus most modern hospitals actually are equipped with CCTV
cameras which are active twenty-four/seven and these would clearly pick him up
especially if a fire alarm has been sounded and there is nothing I can do about
that as I am not a security guard and I just don’t have the authority.
Stepping
back into the hospital, I am clearly still thinking about what Andy has just
asked me to do and debating within my own mind whether if it comes down to it I
can do what he has asked. It clearly goes against my oath as a doctor. This is
clearly showing as a concern in either my face or my body language as Helen
Jenkins asks me if I am all right and, while quite obviously this is not the
case, I cannot dump this onto Helen so I lie. (That’s one for the confessional
I suppose - mind you, I have to think to myself whether this was for my own
benefit or hers?) I came up with some cock and bull story about some fellow
smoking outside the front door, and imply that this mystery person was on the
edge of violence and that I was only concerned because I thought he was going
to hit me. I don’t know whether she bought it or not. Hopefully she did as I
rather like Helen.
As it turns
out it is just a usual busy Friday night, including the ubiquitous ass
grabbing’s and drunken hugs. But fortunately no weird mechanical gods are
observed patrolling the corridors of the Royal Berkshire so I am able to just
get on with my job. Which as per usual only gets worse after eleven. It is hard
work but I don’t mind; after all, I am in my element. Mind you, I think I was a
little still a little distracted by the thought of what I may have to do to
justify my part of this assignment but not distracted enough to affect my work.
Mind
you, as it approached midnight I had one worrying thought. I was due to go off
duty and I suddenly realised that I had no way to contact Andy other than via
the trigger. With this in mind I stepped into a side room and attempted to
contact MI13 to inform them of this dilemma, hopefully getting a message passed
on to Andy about this. James Elliot was on duty (obviously someone does not
like this guy, he always seems to get the graveyard shift) and I informed him
of the situation but he claimed it is my job to be on station and that
Operation Backstop will not function without me being there, which still leaves
me with the dilemma. I don’t have a clue what I am supposed to do next. Anyway,
I had arranged to see James Doolittle and have a serious word with him
regarding his recent behaviour and I would decide what to do about Operation
Backstop after that.
After
finishing briefing my replacement as to what needs to be done with my patients
I set off for my car feeling exhausted. But while making my way I observed the
silver car we had identified as being driven by James Doolittle waiting on the
road nearby and there appeared to be a driver inside. This was unacceptable as
I had clearly arranged to meet him in the all-night café nearby and he had
disregarded everything I had said so I began to storm over to give him a piece
of my mind, totally ignoring the little voice in my head screaming at me that
this was a very bad move.
Suddenly
three figures interposed themselves between the silver car and me. My little voice
instantly kicked in and gave me a ‘told you so’. The three figures were all
large humanoids, well over six feet in height with decidedly toad-like features
and smelling remarkably like Mr Blake had when they brought him in. I noted the
creatures had slightly disproportionally short and
muscular bandy legs, flippered feet and hands, a
large central trunk and well-muscled arms. One, I noted, bore a spear while a
second was carrying an axe. The third carried what appeared at first glance to
be a fairy wand and bore a crown upon its head (note: this crown was the only
clothing of any kind that they were wearing) making the creature look almost
comical if it wasn’t for the fact that my little voice was screaming ‘mage’.
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, a name jumped into my head, a name I
recalled from the previous evening when a nurse was attacked - ‘Deep One’!
Well
I now had four choices open to me: I could stand my ground and likely be ripped
to pieces; attempt to fight my way through two warriors and a mage using my
wonderful fighting skill (clearly not an option); run for my car (and most
likely get caught just as I am about to unlock the door and once again be back
to option one); or run back to the hospital.
Well
it didn’t take more than millisecond to come to the conclusion that there was
only one safe option and that was the hospital. So I turned and sprinted back
the way I had come with every intention of setting a new personal best for the
hundred metres. However, I had not got more than a half dozen steps before I
felt something was very wrong; I was finding it very hard to breath and after a
few more steps I felt my mouth beginning to fill with seawater. I still don’t
fully know how I managed to get back into the hospital. All I remember is that
I was nearly through the doors when everything went black.
When
my senses kicked back in I realised I was lying on a hospital bed with a tube
down my throat and I had a terrible headache - most likely from banging my head
against something near the doors. Fortunately someone appeared to have found me
and managed to save my life, for which I must admit I am eternally grateful.
After an hour or so Doctor Farooq looks in on me,
takes out the tubes and declares that I am now fit for discharge. However, before
I can go I am questioned by the Thames Valley Police about the incident and I
make up a story about being attacked by three men who I couldn’t describe
because they where wearing Halloween style masks.
Even though
I am a doctor they want to keep the bed for other patients so they won’t keep
me in and send me home in a taxi. With all the drama involved in this incident
I completely forget about my appointment with James Doolittle.
As soon as
I am home I phoned MI13 and manage to croak my report on the incident to James
Elliot, attempting as much as possible to stick to the codes ‘illegal aliens’
and ‘sparklers’. I did this mostly so that James could contact Andy and inform
him that a number of new players are involved, which would very likely pose a significant
threat to the successful conclusion of Operation Backstop. Mr Elliot informed
me that he will inform Gallowsman of the situation
but will leave it up to Gallowsman to decide whether
or not to continue with the operation. To be honest with the threat that these
three possibly pose I think the operation is dead in the (salt?) water. I also
text Alex to inform the team leader of the incident as I am already aware he is
presently involved in his own quest within the Dreamlands and out of contact.
I
then attempted to go and get some sleep but every-time I closed my eyes all I
could see were those giant toad men. Unable to sleep, I decided to self
medicate my poor abused throat by digging out a large spoon and some ice cream.
I then got to work on writing my report for MI13. As it turned out I was only
just finishing the report when the doorbell rang and this made me jump. (I
don’t think I have ever felt this much on edge.)
Collecting
my thoughts, I made my way to the door to see who was calling and, after noting
via the monitor that it is Alex Douglas, I buzzed him upstairs. As I had not
been expecting visitors I was not dressed and was still dressed in my
nightclothes (old oversized tee shirt and briefs) and my hair was just hanging
loose; hopefully he would be a gentleman and not remark. (I missed my run this
morning because oddly enough, I did not feel up for it, but let’s be honest, I
nearly drowned in a car park last night and that has clearly unsettled me.)
My
throat was still feeling a little raw due to the combination of salt water and
medical tubes, they will do that to you. Mind you, the ice cream helped some.
Anyway I didn’t want to strain my throat any more than necessary so I gave Alex
my written report to read while I offering to make him some food. I personally
didn’t feel up to the strain of eating breakfast but made some for Alex; I
chose to stick with my ice cream.
After
Alex had read my report he informed me that he believed that things might
shortly be coming to a head. It appeared that when he awoke he swiftly found my
text and on the grounds of this had contacted the Thames Valley Police. After
talking to detective in charge of the case about the incident he had come to
see how I was doing.
Alex
informed me that Thames Valley had since the incident stepped up their patrols
around the Royal Berkshire, as it appeared the attack I had suffered was not an
isolated incident - a nurse had also been attacked a few hours later by two
figures that she described as being dressed up in rubber frogman suits. In her
statement she had claimed that one of the men had threatened her with the tip
of a spear, pushing it up against her throat while the other had actually
committed the rape. The second assailant was described as being armed with an
axe. (This sounded similar to the group that accosted me, without the mage of
course.)
The
Police reported officially that she had been raped and severely beaten and I
have to consider that this could very easily have been my fate had I not turned
tail and fled. Of course I can only speculate on this. Mind you, is it really
paranoia if they do have it in for you? (I know it is horrible but a thought
does spring into my mind, can these Deep One creatures actually breed with
humans?)
It
is only then that I realise James Doolittle had not contacted me after I had
inadvertently stood him up. This seems to me to be a little strange, after all
he had seemed very interested in talking to me the previous evening. Mind you,
I was hoping for a quite day because being the direct target of an attack the
previous evening I had been instructed not to report in to work today.
Those
hopes where ruthlessly quashed as Alex remarked that I might be required to
assist him in what he hopes will be the positive conclusion of this mission
where it appears the entire team plus Mr Stimson will
once again enter the Dreamlands where some of us will be required to learn
spells and in this I am included.
(Note:
Mr Stimson while not technically speaking a member of
the MI13 roster presently, has been included in our operation. It appeared to
me that Alex intends to offer him a permanent position with the team when this
mission is over, well I suppose he is in charge).
The
rest of the group, Alex informs me, are presently involved in preparing to set
out. Barbara has been given time off and has apparently gone home to spend the
day with her husband and children. Adam and Belinda are presently involved in
some investigation at MI13 and finally St John and Mr Stimson
have gone off to the Royal Berkshire to check on Mr Blake’s present condition.
Before we set out, however, Alex briefed me on what occurred during his quest
within the Dreamlands. (Does this really mean we are all going to be sleeping
together within a room in the TUC headquarters?)
Anyway,
back to Alex’s report: the group reconvened at the TUC headquarters at
approximately quarter past four the previous evening and each member had at
least one ankh. Alex personally bore the ankh we had acquired from Mr Blake’s
personal effects while the others carried ones bought from either the local
trinket shop in Reading or the British Museum. The courier had arrived with the
court order that Alex had requested and with this clutched it in Alex’s hand,
the team entered the building to meet Mr Jones.
After
showing Mr Jones the court order the wheels began to turn and the group were
invited into a small ante room as Alex had already explained to Mr Jones that
this strange group of individuals were all experienced investigators. In Alex’s
opinion, Mr Jones was not overly convinced by his explanation, especially when
he looked at the parade of hippies and weirdoes Alex had brought with him.
Anyway,
that to one side, they were ushered into a side room and allowed access to both
the painting and the letter of authentication which he had subsequently texted on to me. Alex then requested that Mr Jones leave
the room so that he and his team could check the painting out properly. By this
stage I assumed Mr Jones was getting a little blasé about all this so he had
agreed, with the proviso that neither the painting nor the letter will be
removed from the building. So by approximately quarter past five the group were
ensconced within a private room somewhere inside the TUC headquarters.
They
all then settled down and prepared to enter the Dreamlands using the painting
as a target point. To assist with this entry they used something called ‘dream
dust’ that Mr Stimson had kindly provided and Alex
activated his ‘Chains of the Pilgrims’ spell in hopes of keeping the group
together. However certain members of the group found it harder to get to sleep
than others so they arrived in the Dreamlands rather haphazardly.
Once
there, Belinda again dropped into her Gloriana
persona. Mind you, despite their scattered arrival they were at least
successful in achieving their targeted landing point, as Karl Marx’s tomb was
clearly identifiable when they arrived, as was the figure reclining at its
base.
As
they approached the figure rose to reveal a male humanoid with a noticeable
canine bent, obvious to all as a ghoul. Two other figures also appeared from
the nearby foliage and were rather similar in features to the original
humanoid.
The
ghouls spotted the team and instantly began to close on the team until Alex displayed
his ankh. This caused them to halt their advance. Suspecting that the initial
humanoid was the one that Mr Blake had described as being Karl Marx, Alex then
addressed the creature, to find that it could not only talk but could actually
convey in dream speak, somewhat surprisingly with a deep German accent. So it
appeared that the ankh does work against these creatures after all, just as the
Eibon Saith said it would
do.
However
it should be noted here that this is not the true Karl Marx but is a ghoul
version, as is the case with the other two ghouls in attendance. One was a
ghoul equivalent of the 35th President (John F Kennedy) while the
other one was introduced as the Pearly King and Queen.
It
appeared that the ghouls could not attack while Alex was holding the ankh and
Alex overheard one of the group muttering something about ‘the sign of Aegyptus’. Taking this on board Alex then requested that
the ghouls lead the group to Mr Pickman who it
appeared might also be a ghoul. Somewhat reluctantly they agree to his request,
especially once Alex informed them that the ankh he bores was the one the Pickman ghoul had supposedly given to Mr Blake.
The
ghouls took the lead and guided the group through darkened caverns and
passageways to a cave where a further ghoul was standing near an easel. This
one Alex quickly surmised to be Pickman.
On
the way Alex talked to the ghouls and discovered that while most ghouls are
little more than beasts some are able to form select clans which can speak and
have names acquired by the correct conclusion of a number of rituals and
finally culminating in the devouring a human brain, thus achieving
consciousness. (Literally, when it comes to ghouls consuming brains, you are
who you eat, I suppose.)
The group
informed the Pickman ghoul why they had come to see
him and as to Ghadamon’s rise. In this the Pickman ghoul claimed to be completely ambivalent, however
he was willing to aid the team in their search as he claimed that he would
still like to be able visit the waking world on occasion which might prove
difficult were R’Lyeh to actually rise. Yet Alex
believed that the Pickman ghoul was clearly
concealing some other ulterior motive as he appeared somewhat sly.
Pickman
informed the group that a large number of ghouls are pro-Ghadamon
and the ghoul Karl Marx has clear leanings towards that side for Pickman claimed he still had dreams of revolution. While on
the other hand some ghouls, like the Pearly King and Queen and himself, are
neutral would be able to aid the team.
Pickman
also gave the group some very useful information. It appeared that Ghadamon was indeed, as stated within the Book of Eibon, an artificial god and that he was originally created
by the Mi-Go as the so-called ‘Harbinger of the End Times’. Pickman
did not actually know how it would be possible to stop Ghadamon
but informed the group that they may need to contact an ancient sorceress who
perished eons ago as it appears she had the power to enter Ghadamon’s
lair at will and return without becoming possessed. The group would very likely
need access to the sorceress’ grimoire to figure out
how she actually achieved this and Pickman stated
that the grimoire was likely to be in her tomb, which
he claimed the Pearly King and Queen could lead the group to. Pickman then excused himself for a moment while he called
over the Pearly King and Queen to have a quite word and Alex noted that while
they talked the Pearly King and Queen also appeared to be acting somewhat
shiftily.
The Pearly
King and Queen once again was appointed to serve as guide to the sorceress’
tomb. The group would need to slip away while Pickman
distracted Karl Marx and Kennedy, it was abundantly clear that Marx would not
agree to what the group wished to achieve and would attempt to sabotage any
attempts to stop what is coming about. However it was unclear where Kennedy’s
allegiance lay, as Pickman did not inform the group
of his politics.
Once away
the group were led down more dark passageways until finally they saw a pale
silvery light at the end of the tunnel. The Pearly King and Queen then
indicated that the group should continue on without him but would wait for
them. The group found themselves within a graveyard emerging from an open grave.
Alex admits he found this rather odd that the Pearly King and Queen did not
accompany the group out of the hole and appeared rather shifty and somewhat
nervous. This is extremely unusual behaviour for ghouls, to be actually afraid
of a graveyard.
Anyway,
Alex continued on. The graveyard itself was shrouded in a low mist and was
dotted throughout the mist with a large number of dark obsidian gravestones
bearing engravings and strange inscriptions. The area itself was also quite
dark, despite the moon being up. This only succeeded in giving the whole place
an eerie glow. This did reveal, however, a slight hillock bearing an obsidian
crypt at its apex. The description Alex gave of this place appeared to tie in
very much with the dream Belinda told us she had experienced the previous
night.
Suddenly
the group heard a noise somewhat akin to a creaking and cracking of bones,
oddly from very close. The group turned towards the source of this strange
noise to find what Alex described as a hideous sight: it was that of a huge undead hag some seven feet in height and wearing a dress
that was certainly not doing her any favours. It appeared that Gloriana had also vanished but Alex initially suspected
that maybe she had chosen to remain with the Pearly King and Queen.
Alex
admitted he was somewhat unsettled by the hag and Mr Stimson
had distanced himself from the figure ensured Alex was between him and the
creature. Alex stated that Adam also appeared somewhat unsettled. However he
noted that the worst affected appeared to be Barbara who was presently backing
away from the hag with a look of abject terror on her face and St John who it
appeared had actually lost the ability of speech and was clearly frozen in
place by fear.
Alex
reported that the creature began to talk, attempting to convince the group that
it was in fact Belinda despite its hideous appearance. The voice however was
more fitting to the monster than to Belinda’s own dulcet tones. Alex admits it
took a few minutes before the creature was able to convince him and the rest of
the group that this was in fact the truth. Belinda also claimed that this was
what actually dwelt within the tomb on the hill. However if the creature was
with the team, what did that imply that there was actually a second one of
these things within the tomb or would it be something else? One thing was for
sure, the grimoire was inside that tomb and someone
would need to go in and get it.
In
the end it was Alex and the Belinda monster who grasped the nettle and entered
the tomb while Mr Stimson admitted he would follow
them at a safe distance. Belinda then took the lead and opened the door
revealing that she not only had a hideous visage but also the strength to
match. Inside the tomb it was just as she had described it from her dream with
the bones strewn across the floor, the candles burning on the shelves and the
glass-topped obsidian sarcophagus at the far end with the grimoire
resting on the shelf above it.
Alex
carefully made his way inside the tomb, edging carefully down the left side of
the sarcophagus while Belinda moved down the right. Both tried as best they
could to avoid stepping on the bones but in Belinda’s case this was impossible
as her feet were far too big.
Within
the coffin, clearly visible through the lid, lay a beautiful maiden with long
raven black hair, very reminiscent of Snow White. But Alex had to put this out
of his mind; they were only here to get the grimoire.
Alex
finally reached the far end while Belinda stopped about half way down. Alex
then reached over to take the grimoire from its
shelf. Alex found the grimoire was extremely heavy
and, as he touched its cover, the maiden opened her eyes and slid the lid of
the sarcophagus to one side. It crashed to the floor and the maiden rose up
from the sarcophagus to reveal herself transformed as Belinda!
Alex,
however, knowing it not to be Belinda, fled from the tomb with the Belinda
monster. Once outside he handed the grimoire to Mr Stimson and told the group to run for the hole. Meanwhile,
inside the tomb sorceress Belinda began intoning words and phrases while
monster Belinda attempted to close the door of the tomb. Unfortunately for
monstrous Belinda, while she was successful in closing the door she was just a
split second too slow as she crumpled into a boneless heap on flesh on the
floor outside the tomb.
Alex
was stunned by this for a moment, claiming to be unsure as to how he was
supposed to get Belinda out of there, when suddenly the flesh pile began to
expand, bubble and turn dark and within moments the flesh mass had transformed
into a shoggoth!
Upon
seeing this Alex decided to leave as quickly as he could and began to run back
to the hole, having already seen Barbara disappear down the hole followed quickly
by Mr Stimson (still bearing the grimoire).
Alex was the next to enter the hole and because he was bearing a light source
he could clearly see that Barbara and Mr Stimson had
tripped in the dark and were presently in a heap on the floor while two pairs
of gleaming eyes could be seen peering at them out of the darkness. Alex was of
course able to identify these eyes as belonging to the ghoul guide.
St
John and Adam were presently not in the hole but he could clearly hear Adam
shout something that sounded very much like an order, Adam then joined the
group in the hole finally followed by St John who was acting somewhat
strangely, he was also quite noticeably walking slightly more upright and had a
curious smile spread across his face somewhat akin to ecstasy. This was unlike
St John; Alex suspected that he had had a severe mental breakdown and that his
alter ego, Cameron, was now in charge.
However
this was a distraction; the goal now was to get the grimoire
somewhere safe where they could peruse it at their leisure. With this in mind
Alex directed the Pearly King and Queen to lead him to the surface of the
Dreamlands and the ghoul did indeed lead them out.
The
group finally emerged near Baharna on Oriab Island. Once they emerged Adam noted that Belinda was
once again back with the group and back in her Gloriana
persona; no longer a formless blob. I find this rather odd, as it appears in
these Dreamlands each persona, even if inhabiting the same body, is a
completely independent entity, with their own mental problems and with even
physical injuries and wounds not being passed over.
Baharna, Alex informed, was yet another of these
beautifully crafted cities. It was also a major harbour and overshadowed by the
volcano Mount N’Granek. The group were quite
fortunate and were quickly able to acquire passage on a ship travelling to Celaphais. The group had chosen Celaphais
as a safe base to peruse the grimoire.
This
appeared to not only be a grimoire of spells but also
turned out to be a personal record of the sorceress called Talia,
whose persona in the real world appeared to have been of a Slav. Alex was
unclear if Talia was her real name or just the name
she used in the dreamlands. Mind you, I suppose this was not really relevant.
The great sorceress had been a manifestation developed over years within the
Dreamlands and had continued on long after her human form had turned to ashes.
It appeared the great sorceress persona had continued for many years until life
had finally lost its lustre she had then chosen to retire to her tomb the same
tomb that the group had found her in.
Once
in Celaphais Alex asked Mr Stimson
to study the grimoire. Alex had decided that Mr Stimson was the best option for this and I suppose he had
his reasons so I will not criticise but it soon became clear that it would take
a while to peruse the full contents of the grimoire,
maybe several weeks in all, and while this may have been a problem in the real
world, in the Dreamlands time travels at a different speed. Several months can
pass by the Dreamlands during a single night in the real world. (Interesting,
does that mean you actually age quicker if you are in the Dreamlands? Once
again I need to concentrate on what Alex is saying as my mind is wandering
again).
Mr
Stimson after a short time reported that he had found
a number of spells within the grimoire and some of
these sounded rather unpleasant. However there was one spell in particular that
appeared very useful as Mr Stimson claimed the spell
was able to expel someone’s consciousness from the Dreamlands no matter who or
what was holding them there. Mind you, he did note that it is rather short
ranged and would actually require us to enter Ghadamon’s
lair.
Fortunately
the grimoire also instructed him as to how to enter Ghadamon’s lair and leave again without becoming possessed.
This could be achieved by acquiring a small pale blue fungi of some kind from
the Fungal Forest. However it should be noted that they are not surprisingly
extremely hard to find and the usual way to do so would be to ask the master of
the Fungal Forest who it appears usually takes the form of a gnome-like
creature sitting within a faerie ring, much akin the creature St John had
described in his strange dream form the previous evening.
However
this is a moot point; it appears that the master of the Fungal Forrest requires
a sacrifice of some kind to allow us to acquire the blue fungi but as to what
this sacrifice could be there is no clue. We would of course need to discover
what this would be before we go to face him so as to judge whether we can
afford his toll. So it appears I was wrong in my belief that the blue fungi in
St John’s dream was merely symbolic.
Saturday August 30th
2008
Alex
then informed of what had occurred after the group had awoken. It appears Adam
had been examining Barbara, Belinda and St John for their suitability to
continue in an active role as all appeared to have suffered rather badly within
in the last few missions. Judging from his report to Alex, Adam appears to be
under the impression that both Barbara and St John are very unlikely to be
risked any further as their mental state is clearly on very shaky ground.
Belinda’s Gloriana persona appears slightly more
stable but Belinda herself clearly has other problems and may also be very
shortly required to cease active operations. If this is the case however I
can’t understand why Alex allowed St John to go and check on Mr Blake’s
condition as I am not aware that he has any medical knowledge and if Mr Blake
has continued to deteriorate the way he has been in the last few days then it
may cause St John to have a total breakdown.
As it
turned out, just as he finished getting me up to speed we received a phone
call. Noting that caller ID showed it had come from Mr Stimson
who had just left the Royal Berkshire. It appeared Dr Jones has not got a clue
what to do with Mr Blake (not surprisingly) and had actually quarantined Mr
Blake’s room and is refusing anyone access to the room without a full noddy suit.
St John, we
are led to understand, was able to contact MI13 and received an override on
this from Marmaduke but soon regretted it because
when he entered the room it appeared that he suffered a complete breakdown and
Dr Jones was required to actually drag him from the room.
From
what Mr Stimson was able to tell, the room had now
descended into a complete horror show. Dr Jones admitted that one Jamaican
nurse is the only member of staff he can get to stay in the room and he doesn’t
believe even she will last much longer.
Mr Stimson is not presently
a member of MI13 but it appears that he soon will be. One thing is for sure it
will be vital that he teaches the banishing spell to as many of the other team
members as possible so that we are not left with all our eggs in one basket.
Alex feels he is not quite mentally strong enough for this and Belinda, Barbara
and St John are clearly not suitable so presently this would just leave Adam
and myself.