Play@YSDC

Monday September 16th, 6 pm

French Hill, Arkham

The companions meet outside the house of Elisa Phillips in the French Hill district.

The door is opened by a lady who announces herself to be Elisa’s mother, and shows our investigators to the parlor where Elisa is waiting. She offers refreshments.

Elisa herself is a rather plain, mousy young woman with in her mid-twenties with brown hair and spectacles. After rising to greet them and making introductions, she sits down and takes up some embroidery.

“I hope you don’t mind if I continue with this” she says. “I promised a friend that it would be ready as a birthday gift.” She deftly works her needle with the material.

“Beth said that you wanted to talk about Margaret” she continues. “Especially about her writing. I feel awful about what happened” she says sorrowfully. “I wish there was something I could do for her.”

Henry Glynn

"Yes, we understand you may have collected some of her work? I do a bit of writing myself - perhaps you've read The Ghastly Chamber or The Music of Dr Cazlab?"

Elisa perks up in surprise.

“Why, yes! Are you that Henry Glynn?” she asks.

Henry Glynn

"The very same. I hope you enjoyed the books."

"And I'm Alice Stanton," says Alice. "I typed, proofread, and edited some of his books. They are very good, aren't they? Dr. Cazlab is based on an actual acquaintance of ours. I knew Margaret from the secretarial pool at the university, but I hadn't known until recently that she was a writer. I'd really like to read her work. I've heard she's highly talented."

“You have a wonderful imagination, Mr. Glynn” says Elisa, impressed. “It’s hard to believe that such a bizarre person as Dr. Cazlab could exist in reality.”

“Yes, I’ve always admired Margaret’s writing” Elisa says in response to Alice.

Putting down her embroidery, she reaches down next to her chair and picks up a basket, which is full of papers and magazines. “I have a lot of what she wrote. Please take it, but promise me you’ll return it when you’re finished.”

Henry Glynn

"That's very kind of you. We'll take the greatest care of tbe material. Tell me, what did you think of the section where Dr Cazlab discover's Olivia's true identity? Alice suggested that bit."

Henry takes the papers and smiles at Alice.

“I was genuinely shocked!” exclaims Elisa. The conversation is obviously cheering her up.

“Don’t tell me that Olivia is based on a real character too!”

Henry Glynn

"A certain cousin of Alice's" confides Henry.

Elisa nods slowly, her eyes wide.

Henry Glynn

"Of course she's not a zombie." Henry adds.

Elisa blushes. “You’re teasing me, Mr. Glynn” she warns.

Henry Glynn

Henry starts to say something else but smiles and falls silent.

"Thank you, Elisa," says Alice. "I look forward to reading them. We'll bring them back when we're done."

Private to Keeper,SAN 57 [dice]0[/dice] .................. :shock: SAN loss [dice]1[/dice] Down to 56

Isadora Carmichael

Isadora has been awfully quiet and passive so far. She arrived slightly late to the meeting, and she looks terrible: there are dark circles under her eyes, her hands are trembling.

Then suddenly...

"NO! NO!! WHERE DID YOU GET THIS PATTERN?"

She screams at Elisa, and yanks out the embroidery from her hands.

Elisa shrinks back on the sofa, eyes wide.

“Wha… what are you talking about?” she stammers, staring at Isadora incredulously.

Alice & Henry & Harrison,You can't see anything strange about the pattern, it resembles paisley.

Isadora Carmichael

Isadora unfolds the embroidery, like an ancient scroll, and holds it up stretched out before the others.

"Can't you see?! This is the crawling madness, the same as the wallpaper in Margaret's room!"

Henry Glynn

"Perhaps you've read The Curse of the Gold Sarcophagus also? offers Henry lamely.

Alice puts a comforting hand on Isadora's arm. "Please, you're frightening her," she says quietly.

Elisa’s mother enters, looking concerned at the shouting. “I everything alright, dear?” she asks, looking around at the group.

Elisa is looking strangely at Isadora, and answers without looking at her mother.

“It’s okay, mother” she says. “Nothing to worry about.”

Mrs. Phillips withdraws with a suspicious glance at the group, but says nothing more.

Elisa addresses Isadora, who is examining her embroidery.

“You’re talking about that awful wallpaper in her room? She showed me once and I can assure you this is nothing like it? Why would I want to repeat that pattern? Margaret hated that wallpaper.”

"I'm sorry we startled you. I don't think I was introduced but I'm Harrison Matthews." Harrison interrupts. "You say that Margaret spoke of the pattern? Did she, by chance, confide anything else about the house with you? Anything about hearing sounds in the walls or other odd things that would belong more in stories than reality?

Elisa nods, an uncomfortable look on her face.

“She mentioned the pattern early on after they moved into the house, when she showed me it. But the last time I saw her was a couple of months before… you know. She looked terrible, pale and wan. She hardly spoke and then she could only mumble at me. She did say one really strange thing though, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. She asked me if I had seen ‘her’ in the house. I tried to ask her who she meant as it was clear she didn’t mean Beth, because when I suggested that she laughed and said “No, the woman who creeps around the house when Thomas isn’t looking. The woman who is very angry with me for trying to stop her from coming back.” I tried to find out more but Thomas arrived soon afterward and insisted that it was time for her meal.”

Elisa begins to sob. “She had snapped, poor thing. I wish I could have done more.” She covers her face and cries.

"It wasn't your fault, Elisa," says Alice. "Nobody could have foreseen what would happen. I wonder how Margaret thought she could stop this 'woman' from coming back."

Elisa gets herself under control. “I don’t know” she says as she shakes her head.

"Thank you again," says Alice. "Maybe we'll be able to find out more once she's allowed visitors."

"One last thing." Harrison says. "How would you describe Thomas' demeanor towards Margaret from what you saw. Was he kind to her or did he treat her harshly as he kept her isolated in their home."

“Oh, he was never harsh to her” replies Elisa. “He genuinely loved and cared for her. Beth would never have stood for it anyway. But what good is it to keep someone isolated from their friends if they are feeling low? I hardly saw Margaret after Tabitha was born. The last time I saw her, I told him quite directly that he was making a mistake, but he was pretty rude to me and said that it was probably my visit which had upset her!”

Elisa’s cheeks colour as she relates this. It is obvious that she is still angry.

“He was a very arrogant man in some ways, and Margaret suffered for that.”

Isadora Carmichael

Isadora mumbles something, that might be taken as an apology for her behavior. Or it might be something else. She grabs the basket with Margaret's works, and storms out of the house.

OOC,I'm good to move on.

The companions share the writings between them, and after they part they spend the evening poring through the journals and manuscripts, reading the poems and stories that Elisa has collected. The work is imaginative, even quite vivid, but has a melancholy air. It is often tinged with dream-logic, but there are no mentions of mysterious cities or women in walls.

Overall, the writings show Margaret to be quite a skilled story-teller who is capable of conjuring highly-descriptive dream-like mysteries.

OOC:   I will begin the next chapter tomorrow, and you will be able to discuss any thoughts you have.