Play@YSDC

Posted: **Sat Apr 10, 2021 6:30 am**

Wednesday, April 3rd, 1929

7am

Arkham, Massachusetts

The previous afternoon, a surprise lay in store for Alice at the office. Waiting patiently was Henry Glynn, long thought lost after the horrifying events at the abandoned farm. The reunion is a welcome respite from the mysteries of recent events.

But the horror is only just beginning.

The next day, the phone rings in Alice’s apartment just as she is getting up on another fine morning.

“It’s Harden” comes the voice on the other end. “Can you get that group together and come meet me? 374 West Curwen Street.”

The phone clicks off as the receiver is replaced.

Posted: **Sat Apr 10, 2021 8:16 pm**

Alice calls up the rest of the group to let everyone know, then gets dressed and heads out to the location to meet the others.

Posted: **Sat Apr 10, 2021 9:21 pm**

Henry Glynn heads to West Curwen Street to meet Alice and the others. He'd learned the details of the case when he called on her the previous day and decided to take a break from writing. The book he's been working on has been absorbing a lot of his time and he hasn't seen much of his friends of late.

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

Henry Appleton makes his way there as well, greeting the newcomer with formal politeness.He wonders what the police have found out that necessitates the group coming together once again.

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 1:03 am**

Emily would probably get the message when she arrives at work - at least this time having the excuse that the police have asked for her presence.

She introduces herself to the new Henry with, "Hello, I'm Emily. I work at the Exhibit Museum, but I don't think that's why I'm here."
Then asks Alice and the existing Henry, "Has anyone said what's happened? Has Atwater... or... is this something we really buy, that he and that other man could have switched bodies somehow? But, has he shown up?"

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 2:07 am**

"I'm sorry, I really don't know," says Alice. "Detective Harden didn't give me any details before he hung up the phone. I guess he'll fill us in when we see him."

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 3:06 am**

374 W. Curwen St. is a fine old house, built in the colonial style. Whoever owns it is obviously not short of money.

When the companions arrive, they notice a couple of policemen on duty. One of them spots the companions, and calls into the house.

After a moment, Detective Harden steps out and approaches. As a few bystanders have gathered, curious as to why the police are in the neighbourhood, Harden speaks in a low voice so he cannot be overheard.

“Thanks for coming” Harden begins. “I need your help with this.”

He leads the investigators into the house, and stops in the hallway, which is decorated in flock wallpaper. The furniture looks expensive, and the walls are covered in paintings.

“The owner, Mrs. Nina Williams Hope, was found dead last night by her maid who had come to prepare dinner. She had been murdered. Does the name mean anything to any of you?”

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 3:58 am**

"Should it?" Henry asks, careful not to admit his ignorance.

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 4:28 am**

Harden frowns.

"Do you know of any association between her and Henry Atwater?"

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 5:37 am**

"I don't think I've ever heard of her myself," says Alice.

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 6:56 am**

"I'm sure I don't know what you are referring to. What is their relation?"

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:12 am**

“When the maid arrived and opened the door, a man ran past her. From the way she described him, we showed her a picture of Atwater. She positively identified him. So it’s a good bet that he killed Mrs. Hope. But we don’t know what their relationship was.”

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 8:48 am**

"This case gets stranger by the day. What was the murder weapon?" asks Henry Glynn

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 3:47 pm**

"She was bludgeoned with the fireplace poker. Opportunistic, in that sense."

Harden shakes his head.

"Do you know of any relationship between them?"

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 4:04 pm**

"Can't say i do Detective. Who was Mrs Hope? She's got a nice old place here - what business are the family in?" asks Henry Glynn

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 4:50 pm**

“No business. She was eighty-one. Her late husband was an accountant.”

He glances behind him.

“Atwater was looking for something. The library upstairs is in a shambles. But we don’t know what he wanted or if he found it. I’m hoping you can help with that, try and get a sense of what he was after. You lot being educated, and all - you might be able to make sense of the books and records there. Ordinarily the Chief wouldn't let civilians near this place with a ten-feet pole, but we need to get him before he kills again.”

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:03 pm**

"I see why you called us. This could be his second murder. I'll be happy to help." Henry is slightly disturbed by this. Normally he is not given to sentimentalism, but he had always known Atwater to be a friendly fellow; recent events were disturbing in that regard.

He heads towards the library. Research might be able to help him get into the lad's mind.

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:06 pm**

"We'll help however we can," says Alice. "Let's take a look at her library." She also heads upstairs.

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:20 pm**

"I don't think I've heard of her," Emily says to Detective Harden about Mrs Hope. She nods to the suggestion of searching upstairs and follows Alice.

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:27 pm**

A tall, muscular young man runs up just as Harden was finishing.
“So sorry I’m late; had a bit of a to-do at the rooms. Hullo, you must be Mr Appleton!” Fort grabs Henry A’s hand and pumps it vigorously. “A pleasure to meet you; I’m Garland Fortesque Throckmorton but just ‘Fort’ is fine.
“Did I hear you were going up to the library? Maybe I could have a look around elsewhere, Detective; I’m not too handy with books.”

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:44 pm**

"Pleased to meet you Fort. That's some name you've got there. I'm Henry Glynn, the author. Alice here helps me type up my manuscripts."

"Emily - charmed."

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:22 pm**

"Among other things," says Alice. "I also proofread and edit. Good morning, Mr. Throckmorton."

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:48 pm**

"I'm Henry Appleton!" Henry says hotly. "But yes, good to meet you, Mr. Glynn."

Posted: **Tue Apr 13, 2021 12:49 am**

Emily asks Henry Appleton, "I assume Mr Atwater never seemed like the kind of man who would murder someone with a poker?"

Posted: **Tue Apr 13, 2021 3:35 am**

"I can't say he did. Of course, I hardly knew him on a one on one level, but I never got that impression."

Posted: **Tue Apr 13, 2021 3:46 pm**

Harden leads the way upstairs. “Do not touch anything or go anywhere else without my permission” he warns.

Stopping before they enter the room, Harden says,

“There’s another thing you need to know. The number 1 was carved into her forehead. So we need to find out who number 2 is going to be, as soon as possible.”

He opens the library door. The room is quite large, but is in an absolute mess, with books flung from the shelves and littering the floor. Furniture is overturned.

“As you don’t know what you’re looking for, I suggest you get everything into some kind of order, and then we can determine what, if anything is missing, and how significant it might be. We don’t know for sure that something was taken, but the maid says that Atwater was carrying a bundle on his way out. Mr. Williams died a while back, but his widow kept some of his clothes. Atwater may have been carrying something inside them.”

With that, Harden leaves the room, and goes downstairs.

The investigators get to work, and soon the books are piled together depending on their category. There are a great many novels, mostly of 19th century authors, bounds sets of encyclopedias, an extensive collection of histories of the Civil War. There are also a large number of miscellaneous books, some of them quite old. Some have blood stains on them, which must have occurred when Atwater picked them up.

Eventually, the companions find what appears to be Mrs. Hope’s notebook, in which she has catalogued the collection up to 1927. No begins a period of careful cross-referencing. But it's plain to see – there doesn’t seem to be anything missing.

Posted: **Tue Apr 13, 2021 4:53 pm**

"Say, there doesn't seem to be anything missing" says Henry Glynn "Unless perhaps it's a new acquisition not noted?"

Posted: **Tue Apr 13, 2021 6:18 pm**

Before we start moving things, Emily suggests photographing everything if the police haven't already. Once nothing appears to be missing, she suggests, "Let's look at the bloodstained books. And any that were apart from the general heaps. Even if he didn't take them, if we know which ones he paid attention to, that might tell us something."

Posted: **Wed Apr 14, 2021 1:27 am**

A number of books have blood on them. The companions gather them into a small pile. There doesn’t seem to be any pattern connected to the titles though.

Harden sticks his head in the room.

“Found anything?” he asks.

Posted: **Wed Apr 14, 2021 2:10 am**

"Not yet." Harrison replies to the Harden. Then he says quietly to the others, "In order for this to make sense, I believe we need to approach it from the perspective that somehow Henry and the other man switched consciousnesses. If that were the case, then we should see if there is any connection between the old man speaking that archaic language and this crime scene."

Harrison looks around the room as he continues, "Is it possible that man had some connection to Mrs. Hope? Maybe he is connected to the Civil War in some way?"

Posted: **Wed Apr 14, 2021 2:40 am**

Harden looks around the room.

“Well, why don’t we take a trip to the hospital and ask him? I’m heading that way. We don’t have any other leads, at present.”

Posted: **Wed Apr 14, 2021 2:45 am**

"Yes, maybe he'll be more talkative this time," says Alice.

Posted: **Wed Apr 14, 2021 3:18 am**

"Even if he does, will he be in any state to tell us?" Having no better idea however he decides to tag along.

Posted: **Wed Apr 14, 2021 3:22 pm**

The party head to their transport and off to St. Mary’s.

The news on the mysterious patient is the same; still very weak, but he is showing gradual signs of recovery. He still claims to be Henry Atwater.

The doctor agrees on letting the man be interviewed, but only for a short time. The companions are led into his room, where he lays in bed, in the same position as before. He is awake though, and his eyes track their movements.

Posted: **Wed Apr 14, 2021 4:09 pm**

"Say, remind me who you think this chap really is?" Henry Glynn asks the others.

Posted: **Wed Apr 14, 2021 8:02 pm**

Fort comes back from nosing around the garden and joins the others as they head to the hospital.

Posted: **Wed Apr 14, 2021 10:45 pm**

The man in the hospital didn't claim to know Emily before, before he didn't specifically say he didn't, so she makes the test again - "Henry, it's Emily. Do you recognise me?" [If this really is Atwater somehow, this ought to be the first time he's heard her name]

Posted: **Thu Apr 15, 2021 2:20 am**

"And I'm Alice Stanton," says Alice. "Do you remember what happened to you?"

Posted: **Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:18 am**

The man ignores Emily’s question. He raises a spindly arm to Alice.

“Bishop!” he croaks, his eyes bright.

Posted: **Thu Apr 15, 2021 8:47 pm**

Harrison will stop a minute with the doctor before going into the room.

"Doctor, have you run any tests on the patient? Can you give me an estimate of how old you believe him to be and if there is any medical condition that causes him to be so hunched over?"

Posted: **Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:23 pm**

"Do you know a Nina Williams Hope?" Henry asks, ignoring the man's theatrics.

Posted: **Fri Apr 16, 2021 1:34 am**

The man’s breathing is shallow, and he begins to cough. The doctor shoos everyone out of the room into the corridor, while he goes to check on the patient.

Posted: **Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:57 am**

"Is Bishop someone's name?" asks Alice. "Or is it a title? Or something else?"

Posted: **Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:41 pm**

Bruce arrived looking somewhat flustered. ”Sorry, I’m late. Had a tutorial session I couldn’t put off. What have I missed?”

Posted: **Sat Apr 17, 2021 12:46 am**

"A name I'd guess," Emily says to Alice. "I can't imagine him having run into an actual bishop out there."

"Hi," she says to Bruce. "There's been a murder. A Mrs Hope, and the police think Mr Atwater did it - they have a description. We tried talking to this man again, and he said 'Bishop.'"

Posted: **Sat Apr 17, 2021 3:20 am**

"We can see if there's a Bishop family in Arkham," says Alice. "If there are, they'd probably be in the telephone directory."

Posted: **Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:43 am**

”That seems as good a place as any to start,” replied Bruce. ”They should have a directory in the main office. Hopefully they’ll allow us to use it.”

Posted: **Sat Apr 17, 2021 3:48 pm**

A quick search of the telephone directory finds no entries for anyone called Bishop.

Posted: **Sat Apr 17, 2021 4:36 pm**

"Maybe we should check the historical records," suggests Alice. "They might not live here any more, but maybe they used to in the past. Or maybe they simply don't have a telephone. There are still folks who don't."

Posted: **Sat Apr 17, 2021 9:13 pm**

“The chap pointed at Alice when he cried ‘Bishop’. Do you have any connection to the clergy, Miss Stanton? Maybe an ancestor in the civil war?” Fort asks her.

Posted: **Sat Apr 17, 2021 9:34 pm**

"I think he was more reaching out to me," says Alice. "In any case, I don't know of any clergy in my family. I had great-grandfathers in the Civil War, but most of us probably did."

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

"This is all so strange," Henry says. "My only suggestion would be looking for churches in the area that have bishops. Perhaps he blames one of them for his plight for some reason." He frowns; he knows it's a long shot and hates it, unaccustomed to not having the answer.

Posted: **Sun Apr 18, 2021 9:12 am**

“Did you see any mention of a Bishop in the books in Mrs. Hope’s library?” asks Harden.

Posted: **Sun Apr 18, 2021 3:54 pm**

"No, I'd have remembered if I had," says Alice. "Of course, we didn't have time to read through them all. Now that we know what to look for, maybe we can find references by skimming through them, but that would still take time, and it's a longshot."

Posted: **Sun Apr 18, 2021 11:39 pm**

”It’s worth a shot,” said Bruce. ”It must have meant something to him, whoever he is!”

Posted: **Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:40 am**

“Head back there, then. I’m going to see if I can find out anything at the station” Harden informs the investigators.

The companions return to the Hope house and its library. The police activity has ceased, although there is still an officer on the door, who lets them in.
The library is as they left it, with the books piled into categories, and the blood splattered pile sitting by itself.

Posted: **Mon Apr 19, 2021 3:12 am**

"Let's start with the bloodstained books," says Alice. "He seemed to be interested in those."

Posted: **Mon Apr 19, 2021 4:47 am**

Most of the books are novels, which Atwater must have picked up just to move them out of the way, but one book in particular has more blood than the others. It is a diary, a century old, with torn and mangled pages resulting from it being flung into a corner. An endpaper identifies it as “The Booke of Thoughts of Ethan Williams, for the Year of Our Lord 1814". The writing is hard to decipher and the language slightly archaic.

Posted: **Mon Apr 19, 2021 5:10 am**

Alice hasn't seen anything like this before. Since she has a degree in English and has mastered the language, she volunteers to read the book. The archaic language is not hard for her to understand.

Posted: **Mon Apr 19, 2021 5:16 am**

Reading arcane english texts is something Harrison has a lot of practice in and he makes himself at home and begins going through the books.

OOC: I don't have Cthulhu Mythos skill yet but I got an extreme success reading.

Posted: **Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:18 am**

OOC: Does [dice]1d100[/dice] no longer work?

Posted: **Mon Apr 19, 2021 7:19 pm**

Fort has a free afternoon so he comes up to the library and potters randomly around the books. He’s more interested in the ones with old diagrams and maps in but some of the writing is quite interesting too.

Posted: **Mon Apr 19, 2021 10:57 pm**

Emily should probably put in a day at work, but she takes the opportunity to ask Mr Grewe and the old caretaker whether they know of a Bishop family who once lived in the area.

Posted: **Mon Apr 19, 2021 11:22 pm**

Bruce found himself at a bit of a loose end as Alice and Harrison studied the bloodied book, so he went off to find a telephone directory to see if he could find which of Arkham’s churches had bishops.

Posted: **Tue Apr 20, 2021 3:05 am**

Posted: **Tue Apr 20, 2021 5:53 am**

Henry tries to help decipher the book.

Posted: **Tue Apr 20, 2021 7:36 am**

Henry Glynn doesn't know anything special about the book

Spoiler:

Posted: **Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:49 am**

Emily and Bruce have no luck with their inquiries.

The morning blends into the afternoon, during which time Harrison and the Henrys pore over the book. Glynn eventually gives up, but at around 3pm, and despite parts of the diary being missing, the other two make an important discovery.

OOC: Since the upgrade I notice it's not possible to use paragraphs or italics in the ooc. Apologies for the dense text! Please point out if I'm not doing something correctly.

Posted: **Wed Apr 21, 2021 7:07 pm**

Bruce returned to the room, frustrated that his enquiries hadn’t turned up any new leads. ”I couldn’t find a bishop,” he said.

”Did you find anything?”

Posted: **Wed Apr 21, 2021 7:39 pm**

“Well, the chap certainly did some esoteric reading; take a look at this one!” Fort passes a dusty tome to Bruce.
“ Thaumaturgical Prodigies in the New England Canaan. Not quite the catchy title, what? I think it’s about magic and such.”
If Bruce reads the cover he sees the author is a Rev. Ward Phillips.

Posted: **Wed Apr 21, 2021 7:41 pm**

"We found a Bishop," Henry says, reading the entry aloud.

November 16, 1814 Memories of Bishop plague me still. Though of our band all are now dead before me, Bishop is but Sealed Away. I have once more beheld Bowen Bridge and examined our craftsmanship thereto. The column stands strong and the sigil that we chiseled into the stone is intact and bright. Still, I fear the years to come, for fear of Sermon Bishop’s great curse upon our Seed and his venjance there against. And yet more I dread my soul’s judgement before Heav’n, as Punishment for the contractilities I spoke to bind that wizard. Having taken his Carnamagos Booke, it fell to me to call upon the Powers he favoured. Treating with such Powers has stained my heart, and left me fearing all matters quizzical, foreign, and dark. So much fearing, never did I dare read nor speak the Forbidden Words and to call upon the Name, though doing so likelied our oppressor’s final death and true dissolution.

"It's all occultist nonsense, but it sounds as though we should investigate Bowen Bridge-- is it possible they sealed a body in its construction?"

"Hard to believe this old woman had such titles in her otherwise respectful home, but perhaps they belonged to her ancestors."

Posted: **Wed Apr 21, 2021 9:08 pm**

”Bowen Bridge?” asked Bruce. ”Do we know where that is?”

Posted: **Thu Apr 22, 2021 12:51 am**

After work, Emily makes her way back to Mrs Hope's house, figuring either the rest of the group will be there or someone will be able to tell her to find them. She reports her failure to find anything on an extant Bishop family.

In reponse to the question of Bowen's Bridge, she says "I don't know where it is, but we found Mr Cardigan and the other man near a creek. DId either of the boys have an interest in folklore? Maybe they'd heard of this Sermon Bishop."

HoneyDog wrote: ↑Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:49 am OOC: Since the upgrade I notice it's not possible to use paragraphs or italics in the ooc. Apologies for the dense text! Please point out if I'm not doing something correctly.

OOC: I don't know of any way round it.

Posted: **Thu Apr 22, 2021 2:37 am**

"We need to find Bowen Bridge," says Alice. "Let's tell Detective Harden what we found. He may know where exactly the bridge is, or he can provide a map that shows it."

Posted: **Thu Apr 22, 2021 5:48 am**

Luckily, the officer on duty at the door knows the location of the bridge.

“It’s not used anymore” says the officer. “I’m not even sure if most of it is still standing. It’s at the end of Bowen Road, running north from Aylesbury Pike, about four miles west of Arkham. Bowen Road is just a dirt track as far as I know. Be careful driving on it.”

Posted: **Thu Apr 22, 2021 7:26 pm**

“It does sound like nonsense but it seems like the fellow took it all very seriously back then. I wonder if this is his book- or perhaps the wizard’s.” Fort tucks his book into a pocket for further perusal.
“I say, isn’t it lunchtime? How about we trot up to the bridge after lunch?”

Posted: **Thu Apr 22, 2021 11:30 pm**

”We can take my car,” said Bruce. ”By the sounds of it, it’ll be the best vehicle for the job.”

He glanced at his watch. ”It’s three ‘o’ clock, Mr Fortesque. I think dinner was a few hours ago, but I’ve got some trail rations in the truck to keep you going.”

Posted: **Fri Apr 23, 2021 2:18 am**

"Does anyone else think this sounds awfully close to where we went searching?" Emily says.

Posted: **Fri Apr 23, 2021 4:23 am**

"It must be," says Alice. "The boys were probably there. Let's go."

Posted: **Fri Apr 23, 2021 5:25 am**

"I'm quite certain that this has something to do with our missing friend. If there is magic involved, that would explain how the bodies and minds were switched." Harrison offers. "However improbable it might seem that there is a magical way to change consciousnesses, we must maintain open minds as we investigate."

Posted: **Fri Apr 23, 2021 6:17 am**

"So... just so we're all on the same page, we are considering that the man in the hospital might be the real Henry Atwater, and someone else is running around in his body?" Emily asks.

Posted: **Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:02 am**

”I don’t know,” replied Bruce, with a frown. ”I encourage my students to keep an open mind, but magic?” He shook his head.

”I’ve heard that people diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia can hallucinate and hear voices, even have multiple personalities. There’s never been any proven evidence for magic, so that seems a more plausible explanation to me.”

Posted: **Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:12 am**

"Will we all fit in the truck?" asks Henry Glynn

Posted: **Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:15 am**

Posted: **Fri Apr 23, 2021 6:08 pm**

“I can stand on the running boards.” Says Fort gallantly.

Posted: **Fri Apr 23, 2021 6:13 pm**

“Alice and I will ride up front” says Henry Glynn

Posted: **Fri Apr 23, 2021 10:36 pm**

"I don't mind sitting in the back of the truck." Harrison says. "And yes, I do believe the most probable theory at this point is that someone else is in possession of Atwater's body." He replies to Emily.

Posted: **Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:44 pm**

"Don't be absurd," Henry Appleton responds somewhat snidely. "May I remind you all that we are firmly within the 20th century. Reason must guide our action rather than superstition. "I don't understand fully yet what happened here, but I'm confident there's a reasonable explanation. That being said, it very well may be that Atwater and those who wrote this book believed in magic and other superstitions."

He seems unhappy with the cramped arrangements but voices no disagreement.

Posted: **Sat Apr 24, 2021 1:15 am**

Emily's pretty tiny, so she's happy to cram into the back.

Posted: **Sat Apr 24, 2021 3:33 am**

"There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Mr. Appleton," says Alice, getting in the front. "I think we should keep an open mind - just not so open that someone trades places with one of us."

Posted: **Sat Apr 24, 2021 7:17 am**

Posted: **Sat Apr 24, 2021 7:37 am**

"I used to think like you Appleton but I've seen things to change my mind" says Henry Glynn

Posted: **Sat Apr 24, 2021 7:31 pm**

‘Ho, Ho! Excellent jest, Miss Stanton!” Fort beams. “I have a car but it’s at the garage still, I had a bit of a bump. I’m sure it’ll be ready any day and if we have to go further afield I’ll be glad to take anyone.”

Posted: **Sun Apr 25, 2021 8:46 am**

The investigators board the truck and set off for the Aylesbury Pike. As directed, the site of Bowen Road is upriver from Cabot Road, which they took in order to join the search party.

The road itself is little more than an overgrown dirt track, disappearing into Bowen Woods, a ragged forest of hardwoods and evergreens. Fort, on the running board, is whipped by passing branches, making his position untenable.

Posted: **Sun Apr 25, 2021 11:48 am**

Bruce brought the car to a halt and looked at the bedraggled Fort. ”You’ll have to squeeze in the back, in the trunk or walk,” he said. ”If you stay there you’ll be torn to shreds.”

Posted: **Sun Apr 25, 2021 7:08 pm**

"Is there a rumble seat?" asks Alice.

Posted: **Sun Apr 25, 2021 10:03 pm**

”I’m afraid not,” replied Bruce. ”This model doesn’t have one.”

OOC: This is Bruce’s car.

Posted: **Sun Apr 25, 2021 10:16 pm**

“If I may.” Replies Fort. He is looking rather ragged.
“If I may be so bold, you could sit on my lap.” He asks Alice shyly. “That way we’ll only take up one seat between us.”

Posted: **Sun Apr 25, 2021 11:18 pm**

"I'd really rather not," says Alice.

Posted: **Mon Apr 26, 2021 12:00 am**

”I’m sure Mr Throckmorton’s intentions are purely honourable, Miss Stanton,” said Bruce. ”It’s that, or some of you will have to walk.”

Posted: **Mon Apr 26, 2021 1:19 am**

Posted: **Mon Apr 26, 2021 4:06 am**

Posted: **Mon Apr 26, 2021 6:22 am**

"If there's no other option, I could sit on your lap," Henry offers Font. Anything to stop him from being squished in between the others!

Posted: **Mon Apr 26, 2021 7:16 pm**

“Well I must say, I wasn’t intending to be forward.” Agrees Fort, slightly hurt; these American girls are taking a little bit of getting used to.
“You can certainly sit on my lap, old chap; rather that then the other way around!” He says to Henry and he squeezes into the car, forcing all the others to breath in and move up. He makes room for Henry.

Posted: **Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:03 pm**

"Well, I don't mind a walk in the woods. You've gotten us the better part of the way already." Harrison offers. "I'm not going to run to keep up but I can follow the path."

Posted: **Mon Apr 26, 2021 11:53 pm**

Bruce waited patiently while his passengers sorted themselves out, the suspension creaking as they climbed over and/or sat upon one another.
Once everyone was settled, he put the car in gear and drove on.

Posted: **Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:31 am**

Alice keeps her eyes open as they get closer to the bridge.

Posted: **Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:44 am**

Emily keeps an eye out as Bruce drives, wondering if Henry Atwater, or whoever he is, might come here.

Posted: **Tue Apr 27, 2021 7:20 am**

"Say, we must be nearly there!" says Henry Glynn

Posted: **Wed Apr 28, 2021 12:01 am**

”I certainly hope so!” said Bruce, who was wrestling with the steering. He was privately worried if his car’s suspension was up to the task.

Posted: **Sat May 01, 2021 4:17 pm**

Once the companions have sorted themselves out, the vehicle continues bouncing down the overgrown, rutted track. Bruce maintains a constant speed, but owing to the undergrowth it is difficult to get a good view of the road ahead. The occupants, cramped together and thrown around, begin to doubt the wisdom of their decision.

Posted: **Sat May 01, 2021 5:50 pm**

Alice can't see the forest for the trees.

Posted: **Sat May 01, 2021 9:56 pm**

“Oh confound this for a game of soldiers! Stop the car and let me out.” Fort calls to Bruce.
“I reckon I’ll get along quicker under my own steam. And it will be less painful for all concerned.”

Posted: **Sat May 01, 2021 11:55 pm**

”Just wait a minute!” Bruce said irritably, the effort of steering the overloaded car making him short-tempered. Up ahead, something caught his eye, and he eased off on the accelerator as he tried to work out what it was.

Posted: **Tue May 04, 2021 12:45 am**

Posted: **Tue May 04, 2021 8:49 am**

Posted: **Tue May 04, 2021 8:55 am**

Bruce stepped on the brake sharply, bringing the car to an abrupt stop.

”Sorry folks!” he said in response to cries of consternation from his passengers, ”But it looks like we’re all walking from here.” He switched off the engine, pulled on the hand brake and climbed out of the car to take a closer look at the sign.

Posted: **Tue May 04, 2021 9:02 am**

Emily lets out an audible sigh of relief as she slithers out of the car. She joins Bruce at whatever he's examining, stretching her muscles with each step.

Posted: **Tue May 04, 2021 9:15 am**

Henry Glynn helps Alice out of the car

Posted: **Tue May 04, 2021 9:22 am**

”I don’t suppose anyone brought a map?” Bruce called over his shoulder, wondering how far they might have to walk if the road was out.

Posted: **Tue May 04, 2021 9:29 am**

"Yeah," Emily says, fishing one out of her purse. [Archaeologists love maps]

Posted: **Tue May 04, 2021 6:32 pm**

Fort unfolds out of the car and stamps the circulation back into his feet.
“Have we arrived?” He looks around interestedly.

Posted: **Tue May 04, 2021 7:41 pm**

Henry Appleton emerges from the vehicle. "And exactly how far are we going to be walking?" He asks, this expedition quickly losing his enthusiasm.

Posted: **Wed May 05, 2021 2:29 am**

"Thank you," says Alice, taking Henry Glynn's hand and emerging from the car. She also approaches the sign to take a look at it.

Posted: **Wed May 05, 2021 7:22 am**

Harrison will walk over to Emily as she takes out her map. "How far do you think we need to go to get to the old bridge?" He says as he looks for the river on the map.

Posted: **Thu May 06, 2021 1:25 am**

Walking onward up the track, the investigators soon come to a wooden barrier, blocking the bridge approach. It is clear that had they carried on at the speed they were going, they would have likely crashed into the barrier, into the river below.

There is little remaining of the bridge. It juts out about twelve feet above the water, with the remains of the other side visible across the river. The river is fairly narrow here, about 100 feet across, but is fast-moving.

About fifty feet away in the water stands the remains of the central stone pillar that supported the bridge.

Posted: **Thu May 06, 2021 2:24 am**

"This must have been where the lightning struck," says Alice. "We'll need a boat if we want to take a closer look at that pillar."

Posted: **Thu May 06, 2021 5:29 pm**

Emily takes another look at the map, trying to calculate how easy it would be for someone on foot to get from here to the place where Cardigan's body and the man saying he's Atwater were found.

Posted: **Thu May 06, 2021 6:23 pm**

Henry Glynn looks around for anything that might be used to build a one person raft.

Posted: **Thu May 06, 2021 7:16 pm**

Fort looks at the bridge to check that it has recently collapsed and then at the river.
“It’s too fast to swim. What you want is a coricle. We use them on the lake back home to clear the waterlillies. It’s so light anyone can carry it a fair old way.”

He measures the distance with his eye.
“And a rope.”

Posted: **Thu May 06, 2021 10:16 pm**

Posted: **Fri May 07, 2021 3:44 am**

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Henry Appleton asks."Perhaps the pillar holds the remains of this 'wizard' or what have you." His tone is flippant.

Posted: **Fri May 07, 2021 4:21 am**

"I'm not sure," says Alice, "but we'll know it when we see it. It should be possible to swim out there, but I'm not a very good swimmer. I'm not exactly dressed for it either."

Posted: **Fri May 07, 2021 8:20 am**

"Say Bruce, you look like a strong swimmer and there's some wading gear in your car here." says Henry Glynn

Posted: **Fri May 07, 2021 6:03 pm**

Fort looks at Bruce too,
“I’m game if you are; it will be safer with two in the water. Or three.” He looks at Henry Glynn.

Posted: **Fri May 07, 2021 7:13 pm**

“Sure why not, the ladies aren’t dressed for it and Appleton and Harrison don’t look much like swimmers.” Says Henry Glynn

Posted: **Fri May 07, 2021 7:14 pm**

”I think appearances may be deceiving,” said Bruce, wryly. “I mean I can swim, but I’m no Duke Kahanamoku.”

He looked at the river. “If we use a rope, we should be able to make it safely across.”

Posted: **Sat May 08, 2021 3:17 pm**

Posted: **Sat May 08, 2021 11:10 pm**

Checking the trunk of his car, Bruce sighed as he realised he didn’t have any rope. He nodded to Fort to accept the challenge of swimming the river and started to unbutton his shirt. ”Ladies,” he said, “You may wish to look the other way...”

Posted: **Sun May 09, 2021 12:18 am**

Alice politely turns her back.

Posted: **Sun May 09, 2021 1:23 am**

Emily does likewise.

With the men otherwise occupied, she whispers something to Alice.

Posted: **Sun May 09, 2021 4:21 am**

Posted: **Sun May 09, 2021 7:32 am**

Henry allows the more athletic Bruce to do the swimming. He keeps an eye out for anything else of interest. I do really wish I had brought lunch.

Posted: **Sun May 09, 2021 11:23 am**

Tentatively, Bruce stepped into the water, wading out until it felt deep enough to swim. The water was cold, but bearable for a short while and with a measured stroke, he started to swim towards the far bank.

Posted: **Sun May 09, 2021 4:27 pm**

Henry Glynn gestures to Fort and tentatively follows Bruce into the water

Posted: **Sun May 09, 2021 7:29 pm**

Fort strips off with enthusiasm, his muscled torso showing a fair few bruises. He takes a running dive into the water and then, with long strokes, quickly catches the others up.
“Wahoo! It’s bracing!” He shouts happily.

Posted: **Mon May 10, 2021 12:57 am**

Posted: **Mon May 10, 2021 6:38 am**

Posted: **Mon May 10, 2021 9:25 am**

Spoiler:

Posted: **Mon May 10, 2021 11:01 am**

Not the greatest of swimmers, Bruce found the going hard...

Posted: **Mon May 10, 2021 11:15 am**

Posted: **Mon May 10, 2021 3:46 pm**

Posted: **Mon May 10, 2021 6:46 pm**

Posted: **Mon May 10, 2021 7:11 pm**

Henry Appleton looks over at Emily and Alice, wondering what they're whispering about. Probably some girlish gossip, he decides.

Posted: **Mon May 10, 2021 10:24 pm**

"Do mind the current." Harrison offers. He'd offer to swim it himself but currents scare him.

Posted: **Tue May 11, 2021 12:29 am**

Posted: **Tue May 11, 2021 3:25 pm**

Posted: **Tue May 11, 2021 6:33 pm**

Play@YSDC

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