Play@YSDC

Dunwich Beach - Dunwich, England
Late morning, Unknown Date

As Brook went off to the north, the old man with the metal detector approached from the south. Since the sun was above the sea and Story and Elizabeth knew the coast faced east, it had to be late morning. The old man puttered along, moving his metal detector from side to side and completely unaware of their presence so far, as his gaze was still fixed on the ground.

Story walks over to the old man. "Hello." Smiles. "May I ask what are you searching for on this fine morning?"

"Huh?" said the man, looking up. "Oh, sorry, didn't see you there, Mister. I'm looking for anything of value made of metal. Coins usually, but once in a while I find something better. There's gold in these parts. Not having any luck today, though. Good morning to you." He nodded to Elizabeth. "And to you, as well, Miss." He then noticed the TARDIS. "What the devil? That's one o' them old police boxes. I haven't seen one of those in yonks. What's it doing here?"

Story looks back at the TARDIS before returning his attention to the old man. "I can't say why it is right there...but perhaps it's in the best place for it to be." Smiles. "Any luck treasure hunting this morn?"

"No, not yet," said the man. "Every so often I find something. I'm better at fishing, I suppose. O' course, there's been good fishing in these parts for the last forty years or so."

"Really? Only in the last forty years has the fishing became good? Any theories behind that?" Looks out at the sea for a moment. "Of course I did see a rather huge shape swimming out there a few minutes ago. I suppose with big predator out on the fringe it keeps all the fish close to the shore for the fishermen to easily prey on." Scratching his head Story looks back at the old man.

"Could be," muttered the old man, glancing out at the water. "I can't see it, but it wouldn't surprise me none. The water's dangerous. Don't ever go swimming in it. Why has the fishing got better? Could be that predator, like you said. Or maybe it's 'cause the local waters weren't fished so much during the war and the fish had a chance to recover. There's some what give credit to old Josiah Lake turning Dunwich around after he came back from the war."

"What did Josiah Lake do to turn the community's fortunes around?" asks Elizabeth, intrigued.

"Well, nobody's exactly sure," said the man. "He came back a war hero, and he was flush with gold. Nobody knows quite where he got it, but maybe he found a stash of it that the Japanese had hidden. He spread it around like it was nothing to him, won a lot of friends that way. The fishing improved around the same time, and some people just think he brings good luck. The Lake family and their friends have done real well, but Dunwich is still nothing like what it was hundreds of years ago. If it weren't for tourists, I don't know how we'd get by. We wouldn't starve thanks to all the fish, but that's all we'd have. Still, some of the folks in these parts don't much like outsiders."

"Interesting." said Story. "I'd like to chat with this Mr. Lake if the chance ever arises." Smiles. "See, I'm a historian of sorts and I like to hear stories...especially strange, and fascinating ones." Snaps his finger. "My good sir please forgive me...I failed to introduce myself. You can call me Professor Story and this," Turning to his companion. "Is my lovely friend and assistant Ms. Young."

"Pleased to meet you, Professor Story and Miss Young," said the man, smiling. "The name's Zeke Baker, and welcome to Dunwich. We get historians here quite often. If you're wanting to talk to old Captain Lake, you'll be needing a dark room, a table, some candles, and a bunch of folks holdin' hands. He died fifteen years back. Murdered. The head of the household's his son, Bertie Lake, but he ain't been seen in years. They say he's sickly, and he hardly ever leaves Lake Manor. It's located a ways south of St. James Street.

"If you're interested in history, you should stop by the Dunwich Museum. It's run by Amelia Cressy, and she's a real sweet lady about my age. You'll like her. There's a lot about Dunwich's past you can learn there. You can find that on St. James Street, a few doors down from the Ship Inn."

"Oh I'd love to see the Dunwich Museum," says Elizabeth. "The history of this place is fascinating."

OOC,Everyone is moving to the thread linked below.

Welcome to Dunwich