Track 11: Spooky

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"How did you meet the Sandman?" Zara asks, just loud enough that the rest of the children might hear too.

"I was taking a nap," Petey say sleepily, "and I had a funny dream . . ."

He drifts off.

"Yeah," Susie adds. "A big white poofy cloud with big eyes . . ."

She too falls asleep.

After a moment, the children's monitors sound quiet alarms. Doctor Hoffman calls out, "More whole blood, stat!"

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"That's got rid of them," says Liz. "One skill I've learned from being in academia is how to use a lot of words to say absolutely nothing. They could just air that footage without the audio, and their ratings would be fine. The camera loves me, and I'm sure the male viewers will too." She tries to think of what she knows about occult references to the legend of the Sandman.

The situation brings to mind the tale Der Sandmann (1816) by the German fantasist E. T. A. Hoffmann (no relation to the doctor, who spells her name differently.) Rather than the more benign versions of the legendary figure, who brings pleasant dreams, the character in that macabre tale is a sinister being. From an English translation:

He is a wicked man, who comes to children when they won't go to bed, and throws a handful of sand into their eyes, so that they start out bleeding from their heads. He puts their eyes in a bag and carries them to the crescent moon to feed his own children, who sit in the nest up there. They have crooked beaks like owls so that they can pick up the eyes of naughty human children.

[jp1885]

P steps back, allowing the hospital staff to attend to the emergency.

The child said ‘there’: was the Sandman actually present? While not particularly attuned to the supernatural (least not without specialist equipment), the scans the ward for anything unusual, bidding Otto to do likewise.

“Something is making these children draw occult symbols and draining them of blood in the process,” he whispers to his companions.

[SunlessNick]

"And telling them it's a game," Zara says in a colder and more angry tone than either of the others have ever heard from her.

With the Sandman's influence active right now, she takes out a pad and starts to draw, hoping to capture something of its essence.

[Mr. Handy]

Liz quickly takes out her chalk and draws a circle around the children and herself, taking care to pronounce the words correctly. "Everyone in the circle!" she says. "It will protect those inside from evil."

[jp1885]

P and Otto step smartly into the circle.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

2d20

Examining the room carefully, P is able to detect a thin mist, or vapor, lurking in a corner of the room, hardly visible, although, once one has detected it, one can see it change from nearly colorless to very, very pale pink. At the same time, Otto smells something living that wasn't there before.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"And telling them it's a game," Zara says in a colder and more angry tone than either of the others have ever heard from her.

With the Sandman's influence active right now, she takes out a pad and starts to draw, hoping to capture something of its essence.

Her pen nearly breaks her wrist as it produces words on the page, in the manner of automatic writing.

you failed me and the innocent must pay

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Liz quickly takes out her chalk and draws a circle around the children and herself, taking care to pronounce the words correctly. "Everyone in the circle!" she says. "It will protect those inside from evil."

The crisis passes as the transfusion of whole blood restores the children's vital signs, at least for the moment.

Doctor Hoffman does not seem entirely surprised by Liz's action.

"I've witnessed the psychosomatic effect of symbolic rituals before," she says. "The problem is, we can't keep these children confined to a small, protected area forever."

[jp1885]

P nods at the strange mist and scowls.

“There’s the fellow, over there in the corner.”

Squaring his shoulders, he points his pen towards it.

“Now then, explain yourself! What is the meaning of this nonsense? Tricking young children into drawing occult sigils and taking their blood: for shame I say. For shame!”

[Mr. Handy]

"Then let me see if I can banish it from this dimension entirely," says Liz. Focusing on the area where P has spotted the mist, she prays to send the entity back whence it came.

Using Exorcism.

[SunlessNick]

Zara yelps at the pain in her wrist and drops her pad and pencil. She doesn't step into the protective circle, but instead turns to face the corner where the spirit seems to be. "You didn't give me time. We were still travelling when you did this to them."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Attempt to resist exorcism with WIS 12d20

The mist-like entity does not appear to be effected in any way by the attempt at exorcism. If anything, it has grown large, more substantial, and redder in color, coming to form a vaguely humanoid shape. Extruding a finger-like protrusion from one of its limbs, it marks the wall with dark red letters.

fulfill the bargain

These prove to be written in fresh human blood.

[jp1885]

“Fascinating,” says P as the entity writes. “If the lives of children weren’t involved, this would be a most interesting phenomenon to study.”

“As it is, however, our options are reduced to fighting it or sating its appetite. Zara, if you like I could fetch the, erm, hat I’ve been working on; or we could simply roll up our sleeves and ask the good doctor to perform a blood letting.”

[Mr. Handy]

"Right," says Liz. "Let's do what it wants, then, but from inside the circle. Good thing my dress is sleeveless."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Perhaps given certain prior experiences, Doctor Hoffman does not seem entirely shocked by what has happened, nor by the willingness of the investigators to become blood donors, so to speak. (It remains to be seen if Zara and Otto will both agree to do so, particularly the latter.)

While the donation is being set up, the children make a nearly miraculous recovery, and are discharged from the hospital in good health, to be monitored closely at home.

As a standard amount of blood is taken from the two volunteer donors, the fog-like entity grows darker in color, and more nearly human in size and shape. As soon as each bag is filled, it vanishes, leaving only emptiness behind.

[jp1885]

P glares at the darkening mist.

“I take it you are satisfied, hm?”

[Mr. Handy]

"Well, that's a relief," says Liz. "I prescribe tea and biscuits for all of us. That'll help cope with the blood loss." She nods to Dr. Hoffman. "I see you already have some familiarity with the paranormal, Dr. Hoffman."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

P glares at the darkening mist.

“I take it you are satisfied, hm?”

Using the same method of communicating as before, a message appears on the wall.

not enough

The entity points a more distinct, but still poorly formed, limb at Otto and Zara.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"Well, that's a relief," says Liz. "I prescribe tea and biscuits for all of us. That'll help cope with the blood loss." She nods to Dr. Hoffman. "I see you already have some familiarity with the paranormal, Dr. Hoffman."

"I suppose that must be obvious. However, I haven't seen anything quite like this. A certain patient of mine . . . Well, let's just say he suffered from a similar affliction, but lacked this . . . being's evident malevolence. Not that I have encountered persons who were . . . less than benign, let us say.

"Shall I proceed?" Doctor Hoffman indicates that the next two donors should ready themselves, if they wish to participate.