Play@YSDC

Posted: **Tue Mar 02, 2021 12:29 am**

Date unknown. 1.00am.
Location unknown.

Outside the wood-panelled room they found themselves in a hallway with an ancient-looking wooden door that lead to the outside. Exiting through the door, they found themselves stood in a large courtyard outside a dark manor house, lit only by the moonlight. In the distance, there was a solitary chime of a church bell.

Snaking from front door, across the gravelled courtyard and through a gate in the opposite wall, two heavy tendrils cast a dark shadow against the lighter stone.

Posted: **Tue Mar 02, 2021 1:24 am**

"We need to find out where we are," says William once the three of them are alone. "I think we've been transported to somewhere in England judging from her accent and the reference to a constable, but I'm not sure exactly where. England's five hours ahead of us, which might explain why it's the middle of the night instead of evening. Brophy, in Miss Dufresne's body, is around here somewhere too. We'll need to track him down. In the morning we can try to find somewhere we can send a telegram to Miss Ripley to let her know what happened to us."

Posted: **Tue Mar 02, 2021 3:32 am**

"We ought to find some place to stay while we're still stranded here; even if we do find Brophy quickly, and that's wishful thinking, it'll still take time to get some transport back home." Lawrence responds, looking around the manor grounds; if this was England, he certainly would have liked to visit under less urgent circumstances.
"Have a look at that." Lawrence notifies the others, pointing out the strange tendrils that wormed across the courtyard; they must lead somewhere, probably somewhere of some relevance to the man they pursued.

Posted: **Tue Mar 02, 2021 5:56 am**

"You both seem to be taking this rather well," Alex remarks skeptically. "I'm assuming this isn't the first time you've traveled through time?" There's a slight tremor in his left hand, a clear sign that the detective is trying to remain calm despite the impossible events that have just occurred. "I'm willing to listen for now, but after this is all over I will have some questions for the both of you."

Posted: **Tue Mar 02, 2021 6:18 am**

"I'm not sure if we've traveled in time or not," says William. "We may have just been moved to a new location. Finding a newspaper will sort that out quickly enough. It'll have the date it was printed at the top. If we have traveled in time, at least we can't be very far from our own. Shotguns have clearly been invented."

Posted: **Tue Mar 02, 2021 1:43 pm**

Posted: **Tue Mar 02, 2021 5:51 pm**

"It's funny that you ask, Detective, because I was going to tell you something: I'm very sure you've figured this out, but Brophy is not a normal criminal, and that story I gave you back at the mansion is not entirely true. When we were marched out to Squatter's Lake at gunpoint, we weren't being robbed; we were being sacrificed." Lawrence uneasily admits, sure that now was as good a time as any to let the truth of this whole fiasco be known; Alex wasn't exactly in any position to doubt him, especially after what they'd all experienced!
"There was this awful, awful thing in the lake- a monster, for lack of any better words. It damn near killed us, and it probably would succeeded if we hadn't driven out of there." Even now, Lawrence dreaded to think of that night out on the lake; that motel was the cause of this all, the catalyst of this entire mess of events that had taken up the past few months. He wished he could burn the whole place to the ground.

Posted: **Tue Mar 02, 2021 7:39 pm**

"It's true," confirms William. "We've seen a lot of weird stuff. Being sent instantaneously across the Atlantic isn't that strange in comparison."

Posted: **Tue Mar 02, 2021 8:14 pm**

On closer inspection, the tendrils turned out to far less sinister than first anticipated. It was a heavy duty electric cable running from the house to a generator parked up on a trailer on the other side of wall.

Some sort of vehicle was parked nearby, but the configuration was different to anything they had seen before. Over in a nearby field were half a dozen bell tents, such as the men recognised from the war.

Posted: **Tue Mar 02, 2021 9:14 pm**

"I don't think we've gone back in time at all," says William. "They probably wouldn't have had electrical equipment like this during the war. Maybe we've gone forward in time instead? Could there be another war?"

Posted: **Wed Mar 03, 2021 5:41 am**

"God, I hope not! It's probably just military surplus; it doesn't cost much, and it's made to last." Lawrence remarks; he'd never actually fought in the Great War, being too young to fight even by the time it ended, but he'd certainly heard and read much about just how terrifying it was. He curiously inspects the odd vehicle as he draws near; he had a pretty decent knowledge on motor vehicles and their inner workings, but he hadn't the slightest idea as to what he was looking at.

Posted: **Wed Mar 03, 2021 9:44 am**

OOC: Posts may be irregular the next few days, getting a new computer.

Alex looks between his companions, his face blank. Finally, he nods. "You're right; I'm not in a position to doubt either of you. Much as I wish I was," He sighs, the impact of the day's events clear on his face. He follows behind the others.

"Shall we inspect the tents?" He offers. "I recognize them from the war. There's also the church; I admit, I'm both curious and a bit hesitant to see what we find in there."

Posted: **Wed Mar 03, 2021 12:05 pm**

Lawrence looked at the vehicle as he approached. It was a clearly a motor van of some description but the styling wasn’t familiar to him. Unlike anything he had previously seen, the cabin and the cargo area was merged into one; he could see all the way to the rear doors through the windscreen.

The vehicle was a dull red colour and the paintwork was scratched and chipped in places, with rust showing through.

Posted: **Wed Mar 03, 2021 3:36 pm**

Lawrence, for all his expertise, has absolutely no idea what this thing is for.

Posted: **Wed Mar 03, 2021 4:09 pm**

Posted: **Thu Mar 04, 2021 3:56 am**

"This is like no vehicle I've ever seen," says William. "That suggests we have gone into the future and not the past. Perhaps far into the future, as it appears to be old now. Let's examine the tents next."

Posted: **Thu Mar 04, 2021 5:52 am**

"It sure as hell isn't anything on the market now; it's just about the smoothest vehicle I've seen in my life. I'd pay a mint just to get to take the thing apart and see how it works." Lawrence notes in fascination, looking over the vehicle for a little longer; just how far into the future had they gone if this thing was old and rusty by now? He reluctantly walks away from the vehicle over to the tents, keeping an eye out for any other human occupants.

Posted: **Thu Mar 04, 2021 8:36 am**

"At least we know this place still has people," Alex notes somewhat wryly. "And that they're not hostile."

Posted: **Thu Mar 04, 2021 11:22 am**

There is a stile over a low stone wall into the field where the tents are located. Most are quiet, although a couple appears to have some sort of light inside and there are voices coming from one one of them. Burning embers from a communal fire cast a reddish glow, although barely enough to light up the tents, which are arranged in a rough horseshoe around it.

Posted: **Fri Mar 05, 2021 3:59 am**

William tries to make out what the voices in the tent are saying.

Posted: **Fri Mar 05, 2021 8:58 am**

Alex does the same.His gun is out and he's cautious.

Posted: **Fri Mar 05, 2021 9:15 am**

Lawrence also listens in on the conversation held within the tent, though not before quietly creeping closer to it.

Posted: **Fri Mar 05, 2021 12:43 pm**

They can’t make out the details of the conversation. Whoever is speaking is keeping their voice low because they don’t want to be overheard or out of deference to people nearby because of the lateness of the hour.

Posted: **Sat Mar 06, 2021 3:42 am**

William stays away from the tent, knowing that he's not very sneaky.

Posted: **Sat Mar 06, 2021 6:16 am**

Alex adjusts his gun and waits to see if Lawrence wants to try his luck with sneaking.

Posted: **Sat Mar 06, 2021 6:30 am**

Lawrence tries his hand at stealthily getting over to the tent, despite an utter lack of skill in such things. As it would happen, a man of Lawrence's size isn't really the best sort for such clandestine matters.

Posted: **Sat Mar 06, 2021 10:52 am**

Lawrence heard the words, ”... we’re behind schedule. We need to push on...” before his foot caught on of the tent’s guy ropes, causing it to come loose and part of the tent wall to sag. The tent flap was pushed open and a young woman with black-rimmed glasses and shoulder-length red hair looked out. Except it wasn’t a woman - it was a man, wearing his hair longer than any of the three of them had ever seen on a man before.

”Who are you?” he asked in an exasperated tone. ”Are you the ones William was sending? You’re a bit late, aren’t you?”

Spoiler:

Posted: **Sat Mar 06, 2021 8:14 pm**

"I'm sorry, we were unavoidably delayed," says William. "What have we missed?"

Posted: **Sat Mar 06, 2021 11:58 pm**

The young man glanced at his watch. ”You’re not wrong,” he said dryly. A young woman pushed open the other tent flap and slipped her arm around the waist of the young man. She was brown skinned with a wide smile and was wearing an army great coat which was open to her navel, exposing bare flesh beneath.

“Look, I’m Derek,” said the young man. “We can catch up in the morning. For now, you can sleep in the tent at the end. I don’t think that’s being used, OK?”

Posted: **Sun Mar 07, 2021 12:06 am**

"Thanks, see you in the morning," says William.

Posted: **Sun Mar 07, 2021 3:53 am**

Alex very much wants to say something more, but instead looks questioningly at William before addressing Derek with a bluff. "Do you happen to know,where Brophy is now? We need to tell him about the delay"

Posted: **Sun Mar 07, 2021 6:00 am**

"So, Derek, how do you happen to know William?" Lawrence quizzes in a friendly matter, though speaking of his hated enemy like an associate left him feeling rather strange.

Posted: **Sun Mar 07, 2021 11:25 am**

Derek looked puzzled. ”William,” he said, slowly, “William Jones?” He ducked back into the tent and re-emerged a few second later with a rather dog-eared business card. The card read “William Jones, Casting Agent” and had a London address on the back.

“That’s William,” he said. ”I don’t know anyone called Brophy.” The girl leaned in, causing the front of her coat to gape most alarmingly, and whispered something in his ear, and Derek took a moment to study them in more detail. “Err, you are the ones sent by William, aren’t you?”

Posted: **Sun Mar 07, 2021 7:56 pm**

"Yes, sorry. Brophy is his nickname. Long story, from his childhood." Alex forces a smile. "Probably best you don't let him hear it."

Posted: **Sun Mar 07, 2021 11:28 pm**

“Ok...” said Derek, slowly, looking at them suspiciously. Next to him, the young woman yawned and tugged at his arm. He smiled at her and said, “Look, we’ll sort out the details tomorrow. Like I said, the tent over there is free for you to use. You’ll find camp beds and blankets if you need them.”

He nodded and the young woman waved, and they went back into their tent, leaving Alex, Lawrence and William standing in the dark.

Posted: **Sun Mar 07, 2021 11:30 pm**

"Let's get to our tent," says William, who isn't surprised by the confusion. His own name is William too, after all.

Posted: **Mon Mar 08, 2021 12:31 am**

The tent was a large bell tent. Khaki in colour, it looked like army surplus. Inside, four camp beds were arranged in a semi-circular pattern around the central pole, and a large trunk - which also appeared to be ex-army - sat to one side. On the trunk was an unlit paraffin lamp.

Posted: **Mon Mar 08, 2021 1:03 am**

"Looks like they're making a movie," says William. "That explains a lot of things."

Posted: **Mon Mar 08, 2021 5:11 am**

"That seems to be the case. I'm not much of an actor, and we're looking for a different William entirely, so I say that we hit the road before our lady-haired friend starts asking too many questions." Lawrence utters in a hushed tone, reaching for the lamp so that he may light it; it certainly was the unfamiliar future, but at least good old combustion lighting was still around to stay.
"Once we get out of here, I think our first priority should be finding out where- and when- we are."

Posted: **Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:08 am**

"There are a lot of us Williams," says William. "I think we need to at least spend the night here. Leaving now will accomplish nothing. We won't be able to do anything until morning, and we need sleep. We need to pick up Brophy's trail, or we'll just be wandering around lost. To find out where and when we are, we need a newspaper. That will come in the morning as well."

Posted: **Mon Mar 08, 2021 2:26 pm**

Date unknown. 6.45am.
Location unknown.

The lamp had given out light but not much heat (and in any event appeared to have run out of fuel during the night) so they awoke cold and stiff the next morning. Lying under the blankets, they could hear the occasional noise from outside the tent, some low murmured greetings but mainly birdsong from a few trees nearby.

Posted: **Mon Mar 08, 2021 8:02 pm**

Alex lets out a groan-- much of the man's traditional enthusiasm for police work is nonexistent without his first cup of coffee. But when he remembers what happened, he quickly forces himself awake. He checks to make sure the others are still with him.

"What's our current objective? I suppose finding a paper or something like William suggested to tell us where-- and when-- we are. We need to be careful however. For all we know everyone here is involved with Brophy in someway, so keep your guard up, gentleman."

Posted: **Tue Mar 09, 2021 1:24 am**

"Our objective is getting out of here, immediately. Preferably without anyone noticing, but there's no guarantees." Lawrence quietly replies, having awoken very recently. He gets up to peek out of the tent flap, looking around to see how many people are now in the camp.

Posted: **Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:51 am**

"And go where?" asks William. "We must at least get our bearings first. We can bluff being actors like the others, as long as we avoid giving away information. There is a reason Brophy came here and now. We must find out what that is so we can get back on his trail. We also must find a way back home, and only he knows how to do that. The first thing we should do is find a copy of the morning paper. Some breakfast would be nice too."

Posted: **Tue Mar 09, 2021 12:20 pm**

Outside the tent, Lawrence can see a couple of people sat around a fire, smoking and trying to get it going to heat a kettle of water perched on a makeshift frame. Whatever the film is that is being made, accommodation and catering arrangements don’t appear to have been a high priority...

Posted: **Wed Mar 10, 2021 5:03 am**

"Well, it doesn't look like there's much when it comes to breakfast here." Lawrence states after closing the tent flap behind him.
"Bluffing is only going to get us so far, William, so it's best that we find somewhere else to stay in case our stay here ends up being longer than expected. There's a church somewhere around here, so there's bound to be some kind of settlement in the area."

Posted: **Wed Mar 10, 2021 6:26 am**

"Good idea. Brophy only came through a few seconds before us, so he couldn't have gotten far. Perhaps in the future we should describe him rather than use his name however; he is likely operating under a pseudonym."

Posted: **Thu Mar 11, 2021 12:46 am**

Posted: **Thu Mar 11, 2021 3:10 am**

"Don't forget that Brophy is in Miss Dufresne's body," says William. "I think we should go out there where the others are and find out what's going on here, and preferably find a newspaper. We're adrift otherwise. We need information."

Posted: **Thu Mar 11, 2021 5:27 am**

"What if we had only one person go out there and ask questions, then relay the information to the other two of us? That way, if the one person asks questions that seem weird and obvious, these film people will only find that one person to be strange." Lawrence suggests, quite proud of his own plan.
"Though I'm not really sure about what the other two of us would do. I only came up with this a few seconds ago."

Posted: **Thu Mar 11, 2021 8:33 pm**

"Sounds reasonable. I'd go, but they may already be a little suspicious of me given the questions I asked last night. As for the otyher two, we're new here anyway, so maybe asking where we're supposed to set up and be would seem normal."

Posted: **Fri Mar 12, 2021 5:21 am**

"Maybe I should go," says William. "I think I've aroused the least suspicion."

Posted: **Fri Mar 12, 2021 9:45 am**

It was still quiet outside, with the two sat around the fire being the only people visible.

Posted: **Fri Mar 12, 2021 10:18 am**

"You may as well, seeing as you're the best talker out of the three of us. While you're out there speaking with the cast and crew, I'll tell Reynolds a bit more about what we're dealing with, then have a look around the camp." Lawrence concurs with William's suggestion, being a bit lacking in persuasive talent in comparison to his compatriots; he has his skills, they have theirs, that's just how it goes. Out of curiosity, he tries to open up the ex-army trunk to see what's inside; perhaps the contents would explain what he and the others were apparently sent here to do.

Posted: **Fri Mar 12, 2021 10:33 am**

Inside the trunk, Lawrence found some neatly folded clothes. Both men’s and women’s, they looked to be in reasonable condition, worn, but serviceable. The only thing of note was the design. Lawrence thought they looked like something his parents or even his grandparents may have worn to church on Sunday.

Posted: **Sat Mar 13, 2021 3:38 am**

"Those must be costumes for the movie," says William. "Must be a historical picture." He examines the clothing to try to determine what era based on the style. "Probably from late in the last century."

Posted: **Sat Mar 13, 2021 9:06 am**

The style of the clothes certainly suggested that era to William.

From outside another voice could be heard. Louder, with seemingly little consideration for anyone who might still be asleep. ”’Morning, Barry! Have you got a fag I can cadge? I’ll be buggered if I’m walking to the village at this time of the morning!”

Posted: **Sat Mar 13, 2021 9:33 pm**

William doesn't notice anything else about the clothes.

Posted: **Sat Mar 13, 2021 11:54 pm**

Alex looks to Lawrence. "So, what exactly are we dealing with?" He asks.

OOC: I've read the past games, so feel free to give just a brief summary.

Posted: **Sun Mar 14, 2021 1:50 am**

"Honestly? I don't know much, but I know this for sure: there is a hell of a lot more to the world than most people would think. There are other things besides what was living in Squatter's Lake: awful insect-things that can disguise themselves as men, a creature that was just a pile of meat covered in eyes, and dead-looking people that walked like they were still alive." Lawrence feverishly explains the awful and unnatural things he's seen; there was a sense of catharsis in letting other people know what he'd experienced without the risk of getting called insane.
"But there's worse out there: gods, or things that are worshipped just like them. Yig, the god of serpents; the Egyptians, the Aztecs, the Indians, they all praised it under different names. There was this thing Brophy worshipped, he called it Gla'aki; he said it granted knowledge and eternal life."

Posted: **Sun Mar 14, 2021 5:15 am**

"I've just traveled to a different land, and perhaps time, so I have a bit of an open mind at the moment."" Alex admits. He listens to the tale with somberness. If even half of it was true, he's not at all sure what he could hope to do. But he puts on a brave face.

"Apparently this Gla'aki very well may have; you both seemed pretty certain Brophy was dead last time. Do you have any idea how we can even begin to go about defeating him for good?"

Posted: **Sun Mar 14, 2021 11:45 pm**

William exits the tent and heads over to where the others are gathering.

Posted: **Mon Mar 15, 2021 12:31 am**

”Aye, Aye! There’s a new chap in camp!” said the man standing by fire. He wore some blue denim work trousers and a waist length jacket made of leather. His dark brown hair reached his collar and he had a smile on his face.

”What’s your name, squire?” he asked. The two men sat on wood stumps by the fire looked over with mild curiosity.

Posted: **Mon Mar 15, 2021 12:50 am**

"That's the real problem. Killing Ms. Dufresne would cause more problems then it would solve, being both illegal and just an awful thing to do. What we have to do is find some way to force the old bastard out, and make sure he stays out of anyone else." Lawrence uncertainly answers, not sure how they would actually go about doing such a thing; surely, if travelling through time was possible, so was forcing Brophy out of his stolen body.

Posted: **Mon Mar 15, 2021 2:12 am**

"William," says William as he approaches, his hand held out to shake. "What's yours?"

Posted: **Mon Mar 15, 2021 5:15 am**

"I suppose our best option at the moment is to do what William is doing; try to blend in and learn all we can. Where and when we are, for a start." Alex offers. "Shall we go out and see what's going on?"

Posted: **Mon Mar 15, 2021 2:40 pm**

”Jim. Jim Fearon,” said the man in the leather jacket, shaking William’s hand. He didn’t bother to introduce the two others sat by the fire.

”Is that an American accent?” he asked, his face creasing into a smile. ”Barry didn’t say anything about having any Yanks on board!” He picked up an empty beer can from beside the file and lobbed it onto the tent where William had spoken to the man and woman the night before. “Baz! You’ve got one of our American cousins out here!” he called out.

From the tent, there was some muffled swearing and Barry stuck his head out, glasses all askew. “You’re American?” he asked with incredulity. He clearly hadn’t picked up on it the night before. “What the hell was he thinking of, sending me Americans?”

Posted: **Tue Mar 16, 2021 2:23 am**

"That's right, I'm a Yank," says William. "Say, is there any breakfast around here? I usually drink coffee, but I'll gladly have a cup of tea if there's any to be had. I don't suppose there's a copy of the morning paper lying around, is there?"

Posted: **Tue Mar 16, 2021 3:17 am**

"May as well, as I haven't got a whole lot more I can tell you; all of this is just as much of a mystery to me as it is to you." Lawrence concludes, with nothing else left for him to recount; at least, nothing left that he wanted to recount. With that said, he exits the tent to go meet with the people outside.

Posted: **Wed Mar 17, 2021 12:27 am**

One of the men by the fire wordlessly poured William his tea into a white enamelled mug. It was a deep brown and looked as if had been stewing for a while. Fearon glanced around and said, ”No morning paper here. Don’t think anyone’s been off-site yet. You might find yesterday’s in there, though!” He nodded in the direction of a tall, singular tent set back from the rest, which William reckoned must be the latrine. Whether it had been left there as reading material to pass the time or whether toilet paper was something else that was being economised upon, was anyone’s guess...

As Alexand Lawrence pushed open the flap on their tent, the man standing by the fire caught sight of them. With an amused look in his eye, he said, ”Who’s this then? Are you two Yanks as well? Was there a sale on?” He nudged one the men sat by the fire and laughed at his own joke.

Posted: **Wed Mar 17, 2021 2:08 am**

"Thank you," says William. He goes over to the indicated tent to see if there's a copy of yesterday's paper as he sips the tea. All he really needs are the date and the name of the city it's from, though he wouldn't mind getting some news from the future.

Posted: **Wed Mar 17, 2021 4:16 am**

"We're cheaper to hire; no need to pay for tea breaks." Lawrence dryly remarks, a wry smile crossing his face; it was good to meet with a friendly individual, even (or, perhaps, especially) when he was transplanted into some other place and time.
"It's a pleasure to meet you; my name is Lawrence."

Posted: **Wed Mar 17, 2021 6:43 am**

"My name is Alex. I do a very good English accent." The detective attests. "Hoy, Govnir!" It's hard to tell if he's being serious or not.

"What exactly is this production for? This is my first acting role so I didn't fully read the details, I was so excited."

Posted: **Wed Mar 17, 2021 12:51 pm**

It did indeed appear to William that toilet paper was being economised upon, as yesterday’s paper was torn into squares and tucked into a pocket on the tent wall. Nevertheless, there was enough to be able to tell that it was a copy of the Daily Mirror - it had a red banner with the name at the top - which said that an IRA boss was help in a sea swoop and that a new curb on guns was planned, and that the date yesterday was 30 March 1973!

By the fire, Alex’s attempt at an English accent had induced howls of mirth. ”’Allo, Mary Poppins!” shouted the man in the leather jacket, before breaking into a bizarre, high kicking, elbow waving dance, much to the amusement of the men sat by the fire. ”When dukes or maharajahs pass the time o' day wi' me, I say me special word and then they ask me out to tea! Oh, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious, if you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious! Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!“ he sang and one of the others got up, took his arm and they danced a reel.

The young woman from the night before stuck her head out of the tent she shared with Barry. ”What on earth is going on?!” she asked, with a incredulous look on her face. ”Anu, me darlin’!” cried the leather-jacketed man. ”This is Alex and Lawrence - two more Yanks to join our merry band! Just don’t tell Baz they haven’t read the script!”

Posted: **Thu Mar 18, 2021 2:47 am**

William actually uses the toilet while he's in there, as it's been a while, and he might as well take the opportunity. Once he finishes, he emerges and rejoins the others.

Posted: **Thu Mar 18, 2021 4:54 am**

Alex frowns a little at the reaction-- evidently he had honestly thought he had pulled a compelling one off!

"A pleasure to meet all of you," he nods, the reference being lost on him as the book had not been written yet, to say nothing of the movie.

Posted: **Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:27 am**

Lawrence had no idea why the leather-jacket-clad man and his friend broke into a song and dance number about some sort of nonsense word, but he found it incredibly amusing nonetheless, if just for how absurd it was.
"Now that it comes to my mind, do you suppose my friends and I could get some scripts?" Lawrence requests.

Posted: **Fri Mar 19, 2021 1:01 am**

”We’re just pulling your leg,” grinned the man in the leather jacket, who introduced himself as Jim.

From inside his jacket, he pulled out a rather creased script and handed it over. On the front was written ‘Demon in the Dungeon’, except ‘Demon’ had been crossed out, with ‘Danger’ written in pen above it, which in turn had also been crossed out and replaced with a question mark. Beneath the title it stated ‘Script by Georges Goldstein’ and ‘Produced & Directed by Barry Palmer’.

Posted: **Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:09 am**

"Pulling pranks already?" asks William as he returns. "I thought April Fool's Day wasn't until tomorrow."

Posted: **Fri Mar 19, 2021 5:50 am**

Alex realizes that this was William's way of telling them the date-- evidently they had skipped a few weeks.

"No harm done," He tells Jim. "I've never acted before, but I like to think myself a fast learner."

Posted: **Fri Mar 19, 2021 10:47 am**

Jim glanced at the tent but Barry and Anu had gone back inside. He said quietly, ”You’re not the only one. I’ve been on the big screen before but most of the others...” He shrugged and gave a wry smile. ”I think Georges and Barry fancy themselves as the new Rusoff and Corman but they just ain’t got the money behind them.”

”So, whereabouts in the States are you fellows from? And is that what they’re wearing there, nowadays?”

Posted: **Sat Mar 20, 2021 4:15 am**

"Arkham, Massachusetts; it's not a very large town, but it's my home just the same. You know how small towns are, when it comes to clothes: always behind the times." Lawrence explains, just now realizing that his group's choice of clothing probably stuck out like a sore thumb; that would have to be dealt with later, as there were more pressing matters to deal with now. He thumbs through the script, trying to get an idea of what this film is about.

Posted: **Sat Mar 20, 2021 4:21 am**

"Maybe we should get more with the times and not be so old-fashioned," says William. "It is 1973, after all."

Posted: **Sat Mar 20, 2021 8:39 am**

Alex's eyes grow wide, and he appears shocked. He opens and closes his mouth a few times before giving a brief nod.

"Sometimes I feel I was born in a different time," He offers.

Posted: **Sat Mar 20, 2021 9:58 pm**

The script could only be described as a work in progress. Like the frontispiece, it was full of crossings-out and changes, but the story seemed to revolve around a character called Steve Parrish, a handsome young racing driver, and his girlfriend, reporter Jamie Stevens, who had been staying at a country house, left to them by Jamie’s father. He was a sorcerer - unknown to them - and when they find his spell book and Jamie wants to bring her beloved father back, things start to unravel quickly...

Posted: **Sat Mar 20, 2021 11:41 pm**

Spoiler:

Lawrence takes the news of just how far into the future he has travelled surprisingly well, in that he does not immediately begin to panic; experience has got a way of instilling (possibly false) confidence into a man.

"I'm not much of an expert on the making of movies, but this thing looks unfinished, and that's a bit worrying." Lawrence notes, still flipping through the script's pages; it seemed that three of the actors being from almost half a century ago would not be this film's greatest issue.

Posted: **Sun Mar 21, 2021 3:39 am**

Posted: **Sun Mar 21, 2021 10:54 am**

”Are you ok?” Jim asked Alex. ”You’ve gone as white as a sheet. I know the script isn’t great, but surely it isn’t as bad as all that!” He laughed but there was an uneasy look in his eyes.

He glanced at Barry’s tent and nodded away to indicate that they should move out of earshot. Once clear of the tent, he dropped his usual bombast and said quietly. ”Between you and me, things haven’t been going well. One of the backers dropped out but things were too far gone to pull out. Filming has started but...” He shrugged. ”Georges is apparently on his way out here to try to rescue the situation. Frankly, I’m just hanging around until I get paid!”

At that point, Barry and Anu emerged from their tent. Barry eyed Jim suspiciously, wondering what they were talking about, but Jim gave him a winning smile and the bonhomie returned. ”Baz! Anu! Just bringing the new chaps up to speed! Looking forward to another day’s filming? Should be a good one!”

Posted: **Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:13 pm**

"No, I'm fine. Just... my allergies are bad today." Alex asserts, recovering quickly. "I think the script has potential." He says, being nice. But his stare grows serious as Jim confides in them. "What sort of problems?" He asks. When the others emerge from the tent he also puts on a show of being in good spirits.

Posted: **Sun Mar 21, 2021 11:24 pm**

"Are we the only new people who have shown up, or are there others?" asks William.

Posted: **Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:57 am**

”Later,” said Jim, through the side of his mouth, his grin fixed on Barry.

Barry approached the fire to warm himself while Anu passed eggs, bacon, sausages and tinned tomatoes to the two men by the fire so they could start breakfast. More people were starting the emerge from the tents and soon there was lively chatter going back and forth. As the food was served, Barry spoke up. ”Georges will be joining us later for some err... script edits,” he said, looking somewhat embarrassed. ”Obviously, there’s no point in filming at this stage, so the cast can take the morning off. Be back here at one ‘o’ clock.”

Posted: **Mon Mar 22, 2021 1:33 am**

"Where is there to go around here?" asks William.

Posted: **Mon Mar 22, 2021 4:07 am**

"Preferably someplace we can eat; the journey here wasn't very pleasant, and we've not had a meal in a while." Lawrence adds, quite relieved to have some time off to do what he actually came here to do; never before had he been glad to be in a potentially delayed and questionably competent production, but he'd never been in a film before in the first place.

Posted: **Tue Mar 23, 2021 12:25 am**

The two men by the fire looked mildly affronted at Lawrence’s suggestion that they might go somewhere to eat, given that they were about to start cooking breakfast. ”I hasn’t poisoned anyone yet!” grumbled one of them, to which a grinning Jim commented sotto voce, ”“Not for want of trying...!”

~ ~ ~

The cooked breakfast had turned out to be better than expected and there was plenty of it. Even Lawrence had had enough to eat. Once finished, Jim announced that he was going to nip into town and persuaded Barry to loan him the van that they had seen parked next to the house the day before. Barry had reluctantly agreed and soon Alex, Lawrence and William, with Jim at the wheel, found themselves bouncing along the road to the nearest town, which the road sign they passed identified as “Brichester (6 miles)”.

As he drove, Jim said, ”It’s a bit of a mess! I think Baz has bitten off more than he can chew. He wants to step up to the big league but hasn’t made a name for himself yet. One of the backers got jittery and pulled out and now he’s not sure he’s got the money for the special effects - it could look a bit shit without them!”

Posted: **Tue Mar 23, 2021 2:52 am**

William pretends to ignore the profanity, wondering if everyone in the future curses like a sailor. He has to wonder if he'll have to put up with it all the time when he's an old man, but that would presume he gets home. If he doesn't, he won't have to wait until he gets old.

Posted: **Tue Mar 23, 2021 3:27 am**

"I see." Alex offers, wondering just how much he should tell the man and if he should reveal he's a police officer. But first he'd have to ask the others. "Is there any reason the backer got spooked?"

Posted: **Tue Mar 23, 2021 12:06 pm**

”You saw Georges’ script, didn’t you? The problem was, so did the backer!” laughed Jim, somewhat ironically. ”So I heard, he took one look at it and walked out, taking a chunk of the budget with him. Apparently Baz tried to talk him around, claiming that the fact that the script wasn’t finished wasn’t a concern, but the backer wasn’t buying it. Called them ‘unprofessional’ apparently!”

Jim shook his head. ”I mean, it’s not uncommon for the script to be changed during filming but everything else was in place so Baz and Georges decided the show must go on. Our leading lady has got another job starting soon - so it was film now or miss the slot and have to re-cast. She’s a bit of a corker and I reckon she’ll go far. She’s got a part in the next ‘Carry on’ film, apparently. If she does well in that, they’re hoping that’ll rub off on ours ... ...”

The van came around a corner to find a herd of cows blocking the road, with a couple of farmers trying to usher them into a field. Jim applied the brakes and the van coasted to a halt. He sat tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for the road to clear. ”So, is there anything you’re after in town?” he asked.

Posted: **Tue Mar 23, 2021 9:49 pm**

"I can't blame the backer; I'm no businessman, but an unfinished script isn't what you'd want to see from something you're about to sink a wad of cash into." Lawrence plainly expresses, not very surprised by that turn of events; it was the actual film crew's problem, anyways, and there wasn't a whole lot this temporally displaced farmer could do about it.
"We don't really know what's around here, so we're relying on your judgement; I'd like to go someplace where we could have breakfast, or perhaps a library."

Posted: **Wed Mar 24, 2021 1:57 am**

"Is there somewhere we can exchange our money?" asks William.

Posted: **Wed Mar 24, 2021 11:34 am**

”A library? You guys certainly know how to party!” laughed Jim, looking over at Lawrence. ”I’m pretty sure I saw one the other day and there’s a bank as well, so you should be able to change some of your Yankee dollars!”

Posted: **Thu Mar 25, 2021 1:31 am**

Posted: **Thu Mar 25, 2021 3:39 am**

Posted: **Thu Mar 25, 2021 5:00 am**

Posted: **Thu Mar 25, 2021 7:42 pm**

Posted: **Fri Mar 26, 2021 4:21 am**

Spoiler:

Posted: **Fri Mar 26, 2021 4:38 am**

William might be classy in 1930 America, but in 1973 England he just comes across as strange.

Posted: **Fri Mar 26, 2021 5:09 am**

Posted: **Sat Mar 27, 2021 1:39 am**

Staff at the Midland Bank on Brichester High Street were taken aback at the three somewhat anachronistically-dressed Americans who turned up to exchange their money on a Saturday morning. Some discussion took place between the cashier and the bank manager but when the assistant manager came over to talk to them, he and Alex seemed to hit it off and everything went much more smoothly after that.

While the staff counted and checked the various bills that were presented, the assistant manager chatted to them, saying how much he had always wanted to visit America and asked if it was anything like the films. He asked how they had arrived in England and spoke about a plane that was being developed called Concorde that would fly over the Atlantic in about 3-4 hours. Given the distance, it seemed barely believable, but then they were standing in a bank half way around the world, more than forty years into their future so they had to concede that it was possible...

With the money exchanged, they made their way outside to find Jim hanging around, smoking a cigarette and chatting up one of the cashiers. With a wink he said goodbye to her as they approached and said, “All sorted, gents? Where to next?”

Posted: **Sat Mar 27, 2021 4:03 am**

"How about the library?" suggests William.

Posted: **Sat Mar 27, 2021 5:11 am**

If Alex can get a moment of relative alone time with the other two men, he will quickly speak to them.
"I still have my badge, and Jim already seems to have misgivings. Maybe I can say we're police investigating a counterfeiter or smuggler potentially involved with the movie and describe the woman we saw and Brophy, and see if he's seen either of them. Of course if you think it's too risky I can refrain, but we're sort of adrift without a lead here otherwise, it would seem."

***
He has no objection to going to the library and nods in agreement.

Posted: **Sat Mar 27, 2021 7:33 pm**

"I don't know, it might arouse more suspicion," says William. "We have obvious American accents, so we'd be out of our jurisdiction here."

Posted: **Sat Mar 27, 2021 8:54 pm**

"If all else fails, we could give him a piece of the truth; leave out the fact we came from the past, obviously, but say that the people we're looking for are some awful bastards who managed to slip past the law in America." Lawrence suggests, quite used to the solution of telling only pieces of the true story; it had worked in Arkham, so why wouldn't it work here?

He obviously has no problem with going to the library, as it was his suggestion in the first place.

Posted: **Sun Mar 28, 2021 3:45 pm**

Posted: **Sun Mar 28, 2021 7:25 pm**

"I also think we could say we're from America, and that the people we're looking for are criminal figures who have fled America and restarted their business here-- it may even be true." Alex says, before looking at William."But I only want to do it if we're all on the same page. I trust Jim to know how to keep a secret, and he already seems to have misgivings as to what is going on here. But if you think it's a bad idea, we can look to see what we discover on our own first."

OOC: Library seems like our next move either way.

Posted: **Sun Mar 28, 2021 9:56 pm**

"Let's see what we can find out on our own first," suggests William. "We can always reveal that later. We can't take it back once we've revealed it, though. Well, tomorrow we could if we did it then. We could say it was all an April Fool's joke."

Posted: **Sun Mar 28, 2021 11:03 pm**

The library was housed in a old, red brick building just off the market square. Above the door were the words ‘Free Public Library’ and the date ‘1887’ - presumably the year it first opened.

Entering via a small lobby lined with public notices - council meetings, gardeners, babysitters wanted and even a drummer looking for a band - the main room of the library was high-ceilinged and cathedral in its quietness. A middle-aged woman with prematurely-greying hair and round glasses looked up from behind the desk as they entered. ”May I help you?” she asked.

Posted: **Mon Mar 29, 2021 2:27 am**

"I'm looking for books about history. Preferably American, but I'll read anything you've got." says Lawrence; if this was the future, knowing what happened between now and the past could prove indispensable.

Posted: **Mon Mar 29, 2021 4:42 am**

"I'm also interested," Alex says, thinking this was a good idea. "Anything from the 1920's on is of particular focus." The officer has to admit that even with the seriousness of whatever Brophy is planning and they were trying to stop, he was a little interested to learn how the last 50 years had gone. He wondered how Prohibition was going; it had gotten off to a bit of a rocky start, but surely by now everyone had committed to sobriety.

Posted: **Mon Mar 29, 2021 5:10 am**

"As I'm I," says William, "though I'd be interested in British history as well." As long as they're here, they ought to know more about what's happened in Britain in recent decades.

Posted: **Mon Mar 29, 2021 6:50 pm**

Posted: **Mon Mar 29, 2021 8:38 pm**

Spoiler:

Posted: **Tue Mar 30, 2021 12:19 am**

The librarian showed the three men to the reference section, pointing out the rather small history section.

The book on British history was relatively recent, having been printed in 1970. It detailed the ascension to the throne of King Edward IIIV in 1936 and his subsequent abdication because of his desire to marry an American divorcee called Wallis Simpson. Scandalised by the development, William read on.

With mounting dread, he realised that for those in this time period, The Great War was not the last war. It had just been a precursor to an even more widespread confrontation, spanning the globe, with the systematic and industrialised murder of civilians and soldiers alike. Britain and its Empire stood as the sole bastion of freedom, holding out as other nations crumbled under Nazi tyranny. Reading through the timeline of the war, the horrors mounted with its progress, culminating with the discovery of the death camps and the detonation of the Atom Bomb over Hiroshima, Japan.

From that nadir of human history, it seemed that Britain had struggled to recover. Rationing had lasted for more than a decade and the county went through some considerable changes before it started to re-emerge into the 1950s and 1960s. A young Queen ascended to the throne and the drab colours of post-war years (although the wars never really went away - they were just fought on a smaller scale), gave way to the bright colours of the Swinging Sixties, as they were styled, with music and young people coming to the fore, looking to finally put the war years behind them.

Lawrence and Alex had chosen books about American history and were troubled to learn about the global recession that loomed over their own time back home. The photographs of the destitute living in camps and the soup kitchens for those down on their luck were particularly concerning. Lawrence especially wondered how his family might survive if the bank foreclosed on the mortgage on his farm.

Towards the end of that decade, things had started to improve again, even as it looked like Europe might be dragged into another war. President Roosevelt condemned German aggression and supplied ships and materiel to the British, even as America pursued a non-interventionist strategy, refusing to send its boys to die in another European war.

That approach came to a violent and abrupt halt one December day in 1941 when the Pearl Harbour naval base was attacked by the Japanese without warning. Mutual declarations of war brought Japan into Germany’s Axis fold and America firmly into the Allied camp with the British and the Russians, spreading war around the globe for the second time in little over a generation...

America’s industrial might changed the course of the way, with the map of Axis-controlled countries shrinking as the war progressed. Like William, they read of the horrors of the slaughter of the death camps and the final mushroom clouds of thermonuclear doom that finally brought the war to an end.

Except in didn’t; the protagonists just changed. Instead of fighting the Germans, the Americans found themselves facing their erstwhile allies - Russia - in a series of proxy wars in Asia and Africa, and in potential flashpoints in Berlin and Cuba that seemed to take humanity to the very brink of World War III, a war that threatened to rain fire upon the Earth and from which there would be few survivors...

And yet, somehow, America managed to emerge from this with a technological achievement that Alex and Lawrence could barely believe. Even as their county was racked with fears over communism and race riots, it had managed to send men to the moon. A double page, full colour photo showed a man in a metallic suit, stood on a grey rocky surface next to an American flag, with the Earth illuminated in blues and greens against the blackness of deep space...

Posted: **Tue Mar 30, 2021 1:22 am**

"It's hard to believe the mighty British Empire fell so low," says William to the others after they finish their research. "Still, it seems to be on the upswing. How did America turn out?"

Posted: **Tue Mar 30, 2021 4:00 am**

Lawrence stares at the picture of the man on the moon for a few moments, utterly stunned; just as that man had travelled through space, he had travelled through time, although nobody aside from himself and his companions would ever know of this wondrous deed.

"Good god, it's insane; the economy goes all to hell for a few years after 1929 thanks to that stock market crash, then in 1941 we get in a war with Germany, Japan, and Italy. We created a bomb, stronger than any that has ever existed before, a bomb so strong that dropping only two of them on Japan was needed to end this second great war; there was nearly a war with Russia afterwards, a war that could have wiped out much of mankind with the very same sort of bombs." Lawrence explains in an anxious whisper; the world of the future was just as fearful as it was incredible, and he would have to return to deal with the consequences of economic recession after this excursion was over. Staying in the future seemed almost tempting, for a moment.
"But there is something good, William: we put a man on the moon."

Posted: **Tue Mar 30, 2021 4:23 am**

After reading all of this, Alex is rather somber. "I can't believe it... another war, and against Germany again," He whispers. "And Japan and Italy, weren't they our allies in the last one?

"It's awful to read about and know so much destruction is coming in the future, but there seem to be some positive things as well. And at least we can change some things; I'm going to encourage my family to take our money out of the market." Like Lawrence he was briefly tempted to stay in their current time-- his relationship with his family was not close, and he's not sure he wants to live through the next four decades powerless to really change anything...

"Still, nothing I read seems to suggest Brophy or whatever he's planning ever becomes known to the wider world. I'm wondering if we're even still in the same time as him. We followed right after him and have seen no sign of him so far. Is it possible he's somewhere else?" He's uncertain if this is a good or bad thing.

Posted: **Tue Mar 30, 2021 5:48 pm**

"A man on the moon," says William, looking at the picture. "I don't believe it. The world's going to go through some terrible times, but there are at least some good things coming, and it could have been worse. That Third Great War never happened. Yet. And maybe we can change some larger things too if we can get back, but even if we can't, at least we can position ourselves to weather the storms. I actually got out of the market myself back in November. I took a loss, but I can see I made the right move. It's only going to get worse for the next several years. I have no idea how we're supposed to find Brophy here. He has a big headstart on us, and we don't know what his plan is. Did he choose to come here at random merely to escape, or does he have a specific goal in mind? Maybe we should read up on the local area and see if there's any weirdness going on. If there is, there's a good chance he'll be there."

Posted: **Tue Mar 30, 2021 9:38 pm**

Posted: **Tue Mar 30, 2021 10:08 pm**

William quickly finds what he seeks.

Posted: **Wed Mar 31, 2021 9:07 pm**

"The location couldn't have been a complete coincidence; we know that he's from England, so this could be some place important to him, like a home town.I don't know why he'd want to go forward 43 years, but I don't think that's a coincidence either; Brophy is a lot of awful things, but stupid is not one of them." Lawrence speculatively states, joining William's search for any odd information, although with less success than his colleague.

Posted: **Wed Mar 31, 2021 11:53 pm**

Alongside the History section, an even smaller section - little more than a box file - was marked Local History. Inside the box file were a handful of cheaply printed pamphlets. A couple were about the history of Brichester, one about the Siege of Gloucester in the English Civil War and the last pamphlet was mythical tales about ghosts and ghouls to be found in the Gloucestershire countryside.

Posted: **Thu Apr 01, 2021 12:13 am**

"This might be what we want," says William, reading the pamphlet about ghosts and ghouls.

Posted: **Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:58 am**

"Ghosts?" Alex pales. With everything else that was strange going on it made sense, but that didn't make him happier about it. "I suppose that could be it. You're both sure Mr. Brophy is deceased, correct?"

Posted: **Thu Apr 01, 2021 5:02 am**

"Quite sure," says William. "Which I suppose makes him a ghost too."

Posted: **Thu Apr 01, 2021 2:52 pm**

"I saw him die in that wreck with my own two eyes." Lawrence attests, conveniently leaving out the fact that he'd also kicked Brophy to death in a ditch with his own two feet. It seemed that ghosts would have to be added to the imaginary "Things that are real" list, although they seemed almost quaint in comparison to some of the horrors he'd seen and heard of.

Posted: **Thu Apr 01, 2021 11:14 pm**

The pamphlet detailed a number of sites around the county where ghosts and ghouls abounded.

Berkeley Castle echoed with the ghostly screams of Edward II who died a hellish death at the behest of his wife’s lover and usurper, Roger Mortimer. In Brichester, the shade of Aggie Skerne, the witch of the lake who had been tried for witchcraft in the 1800s, was reputed to curse those who walked the lake shore but did not throw a penny in for the privilege.

In Dursley, locals could go missing for days in Hetty Peglar’s Tump - a pre-historic barrow where time is said to move at a different speed, and at Chavenage, another King - this time Charles I - was said to drive a ghostly hearse to collect the souls of the head of the family when they died, in revenge for their acquiescence in his regicide.

In Winchester, the bloody Psalter of the evil Quendreda could be seen. Legend had it that her eyeballs exploded as she recited Psalm 109 backwards to curse the cortège that bore the body of the young prince who she had had murdered. In Woodchester, a mansion was left abandoned, unfinished because of murder on-site and was also reputedly haunted by Canadian soldiers from WWII who had died there while preparing for the invasion of Europe.

Posted: **Thu Apr 01, 2021 11:46 pm**

"There seems to have been a lot of supernatural activity in the area," says William. "I can't be sure which of these places, if any, would interest Brophy. Maybe Hetty Peglar's Tump, with time moving at a different speed. Let's see what the rest of these things say." He reads the pamphlets about the history of Brichester next.

Posted: **Fri Apr 02, 2021 3:44 am**

"It doesn't seem to pay to be royalty" Alex adds, noting the number of legends concerning them.

"That could be related to what we're going through,' he nods at William. "But Brophy was interested in lakes, correct? Maybe this lake in Brichester could also be of interest." He joins the man in reading the pamphlet.

Posted: **Fri Apr 02, 2021 4:08 am**

"Yeah, that's a good point," says William. "We should check out the lake when we get a chance. At least we now have pennies to throw into it. Funny thing about the money here. I never thought they'd go decimal."

Posted: **Fri Apr 02, 2021 3:21 pm**

The librarian coughed politely. ”We will be closing shortly, gentlemen. Is there anything else I can help you with?” she asked.

Posted: **Fri Apr 02, 2021 5:45 pm**

"Thank you," says William. "Do you have a map of the area?"

Posted: **Sat Apr 03, 2021 1:28 pm**

The librarian fetched a file from under the desk and thumbed through until she found the map she was looking for. She turned to a boxy, white machine where she lifted one part of it and placed the map on the glass sheet underneath. She closed the lid and pressed a button on the front of the machine. The was a ‘clonk’ and a whirring noise, a white light moved across the front of the machine and then a sheet of paper emerged from the side. The librarian picked up the sheet of paper and placed it on the desk - it was a map of Brichester and the surrounding area.

”Clever, isn’t it?” said the librarian. ”I must confess I don’t know how it works, but it’s very popular with people who use the library.”

She turned back to the machine to remove the original map. ”I can’t help but notice your accents,” she said, conversationally. ”Are you here on holiday? We often get people coming here trying to trace their ancestors.”

Posted: **Sat Apr 03, 2021 5:30 pm**

"Thank you," says William, accepting the map with a smile. "Yes, it's very clever. I don't know how it works either, but I'm very glad they invented it." He had of course used mimeograph machines in his work many times before, but this was so much more convenient. "We're actually working on a movie, but I wouldn't mind knowing more about my ancestors."

Posted: **Sat Apr 03, 2021 6:23 pm**

The librarian glanced at the clock again, but then smiled. ”Well, we should be closing but my hubby will be off watching the football this afternoon, so it’s this or the ironing....” she said.

”I presume your family were local to Gloucestershire. Do you have a name?”

Posted: **Sat Apr 03, 2021 7:05 pm**

"My family name is Preston," says William. "I know I have some English ancestry, but I'm not entirely sure from where in England my ancestors came. They settled in Boston in colonial times, centuries ago, and I haven't traced them back further than that."

Posted: **Sat Apr 03, 2021 8:00 pm**

”We have local records, but beyond that, you’ll need Somerset House in London. That’s where the central records are kept.” replied the librarian.

”Would you like to check the local records?”

Posted: **Sat Apr 03, 2021 8:14 pm**

Alex gets an idea. "Brophy is mine, if you could find out some,thing about that it would be great to share with my relatives. Can I check the local records?"

Posted: **Sat Apr 03, 2021 8:17 pm**

"It's worth a look," says William.

Posted: **Sat Apr 03, 2021 11:34 pm**

”Err, yes. If you’d to come over here, I’ll bring them to you.” She lead the way to a large table with four chairs towards the rear of the library. She returned shortly with an armful of records.

”Here you go,” she said.

Posted: **Sun Apr 04, 2021 12:11 am**

William notices something about the librarian.

Posted: **Sun Apr 04, 2021 2:03 am**

"Would you happen to know of any good places to visit in the Brichester area? I'm just a mutual family friend of these two, and I'd like to get know this place better." Lawrence innocuously asks, looking curiously at the strange paper-copying machine; calling such a fascinating device a novelty would be an understatement. He picks up the copied map and looks over it; yet again, it seemed that their pursuit of Brophy would take then near a lake. At this rate, it wouldn't surprise him if that old bastard tried to create another hotel.
"You wouldn't mind if I borrowed this map, would you?"

Posted: **Mon Apr 05, 2021 1:18 am**

”That’s your copy. There’s no charge,” said the librarian to Lawrence.

William noticed that something in the librarian‘s demeanour had changed. Like a switch had been pulled, the friendliness had gone and she was stony-faced.

Posted: **Mon Apr 05, 2021 2:12 am**

"Do you have something against the Brophy family?" asks William.

Posted: **Mon Apr 05, 2021 10:56 am**

The librarian turned back, her face flushed. ”I’m sorry,” she said. “A Brophy did my family a great disservice many years ago.”

She looked at Alex. ”It was a long time ago. I’m sure much water has passed under the bridge by now. Please forgive me.”

Posted: **Mon Apr 05, 2021 7:12 pm**

Alex nods in understanding. He leans in close and whispers to her, trying to appear casual.

"We're on the same page, then. I'm a detective from America. Mr. William Brophy is wanted for several crimes in that country. We have reason to believe he fled here and may be attempting to resume his criminal activities. Anything you could tell us about him or his family would be a great service; he knows the area far better than us, and without assistance he could easily disappear."

Posted: **Mon Apr 05, 2021 7:24 pm**

A look of confusion crossed the librarian’s face and she stepped back, with her arms crossed defensively. ”I thought you said that your name was Brophy,” she said to Alex.

Posted: **Tue Apr 06, 2021 2:08 am**

"He should not have deceived you," says William. "I think he was concerned that some of the locals might be friendly with the Brophy family and wasn't sure whom to trust. We believe Mr. Brophy may be protected by his kinfolk." However, she doesn't seem convinced.

Posted: **Tue Apr 06, 2021 4:04 am**

"Whatever the Brophys did to your family, we can make at least one of them pay for it; all we need is your help, to learn what you know about the family." Lawrence offers, trying to appeal to whatever sense of vengeance the librarian might have for the Brophy family.

Spoiler:

Posted: **Tue Apr 06, 2021 4:30 am**

"I am sorry about that. But Mr. Brophy is very dangerous; we'd not be tracking him across the Atlantic if he was a run of the order criminal. Anything you can tell us about him, or at least pointing us at anyone who may know more about him or his family, will go a long way to bringing him to justice. And of course your name would be kept out of it."

Posted: **Tue Apr 06, 2021 7:17 pm**

The librarian looked uncertain but didn’t walk away. She pointed at the pamphlet that William had read. ”Aggie Skerne was a relative of mine - from a long time ago, obviously. She was tried as a witch - a man called Thomas Lee accused her, but my grandma always said there was a William Brophy and his brother behind the scene, pulling Thomas Lee’s chain, as it were. She’d heard that from her grandma, who’d heard it from old Aggie herself.”

Posted: **Wed Apr 07, 2021 1:50 am**

"Are there any members of the Brophy family still around here today?" asks William.

Posted: **Wed Apr 07, 2021 8:54 am**

The librarian shook her head. ”Not that I know of,” she replied. ”As far as I’m aware, there was just the two of those Brophy brothers. They left after the trial. Aggie’s family had been living away but when they heard about her troubles they came back to town to help her out.”

“I don’t know the details. According to my grandma, none of the family would ever talk about it.”

Posted: **Wed Apr 07, 2021 8:13 pm**

"And what year was this around if you recall it, ma'am?" Alex asks. "In any event, it gives me no pleasure to tell you the family's still rotten to the core. We'll do everything we can to bring them to justice."

Posted: **Wed Apr 07, 2021 9:06 pm**

”Oh, it was more than 100 years ago. Those Brophy brothers will be long dead by now. I don’t think they were young men when they left Brichester,” replied the Librarian.

Posted: **Wed Apr 07, 2021 11:27 pm**

"The Brophy we're after must have been named after the old William, though I find it a bit odd that he'd be able to sire children at such an age; to be honest, I'd prefer not to think about it." Lawrence observes. "What became of Thomas Lee? If he has any living descendants, our William Brophy may try to manipulate them; he did it once before, back in the United States."

Posted: **Wed Apr 07, 2021 11:58 pm**

”He disappeared about the same time as the Brophys did,” explained the Librarian. ”With them gone, Lee had no-one to look after him, so he upped sticks and left, as I heard it. He wouldn’t have been missed - they were a bad lot...”

Posted: **Thu Apr 08, 2021 2:15 am**

"What do you know about the lake?" asks William. "The Brophy we're looking for seems to be obsessed with lakes, and that lake's history would probably draw him."

Posted: **Thu Apr 08, 2021 5:50 pm**

”Brichester Lake?” asked the Librarian. ”Well, technically it’s called Deepfall Waters but everyone around here refers to it as ‘The Lake’. It’s been there for time immemorial - Thomas Lee and the Brophys lived in an old Manor House up there apparently, although that’s long gone and there’s houses on there now.”

Outside they heard the strident ringing of a bell like you might hear on a police car or fire tender, followed by the town clock sounding a quarter past noon.

Posted: **Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:15 pm**

Alex exchanges a look with the others. He suspects they may want to go up to the lake and see if anything from the house remained.

Posted: **Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:40 am**

"Thank you for your help," says William. "I think that's all we need for now."

Posted: **Fri Apr 09, 2021 5:30 am**

"I'm not particularly familiar with the area; about how long would a drive to the lake take us?" Lawrence asks, concerned with the waning amount of time until they would have to return to the film set; with any luck, he wouldn't have to do any acting just yet.

Posted: **Fri Apr 09, 2021 11:18 am**

”Around twenty minutes in the car, I would think,” replied the Librarian. ”Not many go up there, to be honest. Just a few kids in the summer, swimming. We lose one every three or four years, sadly. There’s warning signs up there but you know kids. Always think nothing bad will happen to them.”

Posted: **Fri Apr 09, 2021 8:58 pm**

"They drown?" Alex asks with alarm. Of course, he's beginning to suspect a more nefarious fate is befalling them.

Posted: **Fri Apr 09, 2021 11:42 pm**

She nodded. ”It’s quite common, sadly. But yes, you lose one and everyone says we must do something about it, but then time passes and people forget again. It’s probably been a couple of years since we lost a young lad called Nigel up there.”

Posted: **Sat Apr 10, 2021 1:01 am**

"A tragedy to the community I am sure. Did Nigel's family remain in the area or did they move away after the loss? ?" Alex asks delicately. These deaths may very well be random, but they could also be part of Brophy's machinations. It might be worth it to speak with them.

Posted: **Sat Apr 10, 2021 2:51 am**

"Did they find his remains?" asks William.

Posted: **Sat Apr 10, 2021 10:27 pm**

The librarian shook her head sadly. ”No, they never did. Some people say that the lake has no bottom, but that’s just local nonsense. As for his parents, the stress of it all caused them to divorce and they both moved away soon after. Nice couple, but they couldn’t get over not finding his body and being able to give him a proper funeral.”

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 2:47 am**

"Must be one hell of a tragedy to outlive your own son. I couldn't ever imagine it." Lawrence mournfully states, shaking his head. "Why do you suppose it happens there so often? I imagine that 'bottomless' myth was probably created as a way to explain drownings in the past, but this is the modern day, so there must be some scientific reason behind it."

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 10:43 am**

”I’m not sure it happens more than anywhere else,” she shrugged. ”The local kids like going up there because it’s a nice place for a dip on a warm day and it’s far enough away from town that parents aren’t likely to be watching over them. My husband and I are local to the town and we both went up there when we were younger.”

”As for it being bottomless, that’s just what everyone around here says about it. I shouldn’t imagine anyone actually knows. It’s not like Loch Ness where it’s been surveyed to death by Uncle Tom Cobley and all!”

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:04 pm**

"Thank you for all your help," says William, waiting to see if the others have anything further to ask before they go.

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:05 pm**

"Thank you for your help," Alex says. "And if we do happen upon any of the Brophy's involved with nefarious activities, we'll be sure to bring them to justice for Aggie and all of the family's other victims."

He looks to see if the others have any further questions.

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 8:28 pm**

"Well, if it isn't too late, I'd like to borrow a book." Lawrence politely requests; the information held in that history book he'd read would be valuable beyond any known price once he returned to 1930, especially if he brought back the book itself.

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 10:17 pm**

”Sorry,” replied the Librarian, apologetically. ”You need to be a member, but if you’re only here visiting, you’re not eligible for membership.”

Posted: **Tue Apr 13, 2021 3:56 pm**

"That's a bit disappointing, but we need to get going anyways." Lawrence remarks; it seemed that he would just have to return another day, but such an option was limited by the many other things he and his fellow temporal castaways would have to do. Hunting Brophy always had to take the first priority.

Posted: **Tue Apr 13, 2021 9:16 pm**

The librarian showed them to the door, explains that the library would re-open at 9.00am on Monday morning. Outside, they found Jim waiting with the transit van, another cigarette on the go. He grinned when he saw the three men. ”The public library!” he chortled. “You boys certainly know how to let your hair down!”

He pushed the door open. “We’d better be getting back. Baz will be losing the plot if we’re late!”

Posted: **Wed Apr 14, 2021 2:34 am**

"Thanks," says William, getting into the van. They'll just have to check it out when they next have some free time.

Posted: **Wed Apr 14, 2021 3:19 am**

"The librarian was telling us about Deepfall Waters," Alex admits when they get back in the van. "It seems like that's the sort of location that has a bit of a history behind it."

Posted: **Wed Apr 14, 2021 3:13 pm**

"The whole town's got some interesting history behind it, but that's to be expected of most old towns here in England." Lawrence observes as he hauls his lanky frame back into the van. "Jim, have you ever heard of Aggie Skerne? That's an interesting bit of legend, right there."

Posted: **Thu Apr 15, 2021 2:05 am**

"It could make for a good movie," adds William.

Posted: **Thu Apr 15, 2021 7:14 pm**

”Aggie? I don’t think so,” replied Jim with a grin. “Unless that’s the name of the barmaid from the pub the other night!” He laughed uproariously, as if it was the funniest joke he’d ever heard.

The journey back to the site was uneventful. They could see the road up towards the lake but judging by the speed Jim was driving, there wasn’t time for a diversion. As they pulled up to the house, they could see a stony-faced Barry waiting for them. It was after one ‘o’ clock but it wasn’t them with whom he was angry.

“Have you seen Georges?!” he snapped. “He should have bloody well been here by now!”

Posted: **Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:20 pm**

"When was the last time you saw him, and did he mention anything about where he was going?" Alex asks, slipping into detective mode.

Posted: **Thu Apr 15, 2021 11:21 pm**

“What are you?!” snapped Barry. “A policeman?!”

He shook his head. “I saw him last week in London. I spoke to him yesterday and he was heading up today, straight after breakfast. He should have been here by now. I need to know which parts of the script are changing and which parts aren’t so we can at least get on and doing some filming,” he said, slowly, as if talking to a child.

Posted: **Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:55 am**

"Maybe something happened on his way here," says William. "He could have broken down or something. If we retrace his route, we might be able to spot his car, if you know what it looks like."

Posted: **Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:22 am**

"About how long is a jaunt between London and Brichester?" Lawrence inquires, giving William a knowing glance. This situation seemed familiar: someone disappearing while travelling on the road, a lake, and Brophy possibly being in the area; it looked like they could be dealing with a repeat of the Squatter's Lake incident.
"Are there any places Georges could have stopped over at on the way?"

Posted: **Fri Apr 16, 2021 6:51 pm**

“He lives this side of London so two hours? Maybe less?” grumbled Barry. “If he left after breakfast, I expect him to be here by eleven at the latest! And we need to get this sorted out - he hasn’t got time to stop off for sightseeing!” He threw his hands in the air in exasperation and stomped off towards his tent.

”We could have stopped off on the way. I could have found out the name of that barmaid...” said Jim with a wry smile.

Posted: **Sat Apr 17, 2021 2:52 am**

"You might get your chance, if we go now and retrace the route," says William, nodding to Lawrence.

Posted: **Sat Apr 17, 2021 9:02 am**

”I’ll ask him,” said Jim, and he went to have a word with Barry.

He was back seconds later. ”He told me to bugger off, so I’m going to take that as filming is suspended for the day!” he grinned. Around him some of the crew groaned, bored with the inactivity, but it didn’t both Jim who just smiled and rubbed his hands together gleefully.

“What’s it to be?” he asked, juggling the keys to the van. “The pub, or the fleshpots of Brichester?”

Posted: **Sat Apr 17, 2021 3:31 pm**

"As tempting as that is," says William, "we really should look for Georges. We can stop off at pubs along the way, of course, to ask if anyone's seen him."

Posted: **Sat Apr 17, 2021 10:43 pm**

"I'm all for some moderate debauchery," Lawrence rather unconvincingly states; even in his native time and place, he was no rapscallion. "but I'll have to agree with William. This film has enough problems as is, and losing Georges is just another albatross 'round its neck."

Posted: **Sun Apr 18, 2021 12:10 am**

"I agree," Alex says. "Someone must have seen him on his way in; we can retrace his route like William suggested."

Posted: **Sun Apr 18, 2021 10:39 am**

Jim disappeared to talk to Barry, returning shortly with a phone number on a scrap of paper. ”Baz has got the right hump but I got Georges’ number from Anu so we’ve got the ok to take the van as long as I give him a ring.”

Leading the way back to the van, he said, “Right, where do you want to go first?”

Play@YSDC

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