December 1880. The characters are tasked to assist in the case of a suspected haunting by a recently murdered landowner on Dartmoor. Investigations will drag them into a confrontation with an ancient horror, and a terrible curse.
Alexander,It is too dark for [b]Alexander[/b] to see anything clearly, but there is definitely nothing obstructing his view.
Isolde,[color=#FF0000]“Why yes, I am”[/color] says [b]Amanda [/b]firmly.[color=#FF0040] “I’m sure that there is another world beyond ours. W[b]illiam[/b] must be trying to reach me from it.”[/color]
Alexander,Alexander still cannot make anything out in the gloom. But he hears a noise; it sounds like a breath being drawn inward, very close to the door.
Isolde,"I'm convinced these disturbances are Lord Allingham's ghost trying to communicate. We just have to translate the signs. That's why it's so important nothing is disturbed. Lady Allingham, do you mind me asking; has Ursula been much affected- beyond normal expected grief for the loss of a father?
I only ask because the young are more in tune with the supernatural, they have less prejudices and often see things as they really are. Ursula seems a thoughtful, careful child and I wonder if she is receiving her own messages in some way from the other side."
Isolde,[b]Amanda [/b]is silent as she contemplates what [b]Isolde[/b] has told her.
After a while, she asks; [color=#FF0000]“Do you think that [b]Ursula’s[/b] sleepwalking could be the result of [b]William[/b] trying to communicate through her?” [/color]Her eyes are wide as she considers this possibility.
Isolde,"It may be; or it could be that Ursula knows something without realising it and her subconscious is trying to communicate. Have you followed her when she sleepwalks? Does she always go to the same place?
Isolde,[color=#FF0000]“Why, yes. She always goes to the schoolroom window…”[/color]
They are suddenly interrupted by a noise. It sounds like a child screaming.
[color=#FF0000]“[b]Ursula![/b]” [/color]shouts [b]Amanda[/b]. She runs from the room.
FitzWilliam,Fitzwilliam is interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of screaming. It is coming from upstairs, and it sounds like a child.
Percy,Percy is interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of screaming. It is coming from upstairs, and it sounds like a child.
Alexander,Alexander is interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of screaming. It is coming from nearby, and it sounds like a child.
Captain FitzWilliam,[b]Captain FitzWilliam[/b] started at the scream then spun around and ran for the stairs, climbing as quick as he could. At the top of the stairs he stopped and tried to work out where the screaming was coming from.
There is a small knot of worried-looking servants crowded around the entrance to Ursula’s room. The screaming has ceased but Ursula can be heard crying inside.
Lady Amanda comes racing up the stairs and pushes her way into the room. As the companions approach the servants respectfully step aside.
Ursula, who was previously being comforted by a worried-looking Josephine, is now being held by her mother. She sobs uncontrollably, but her mother’s presence and soothing words eventually calms her down.
“Ursula, dearest!” exclaims Amanda. “It was just a bad dream! What was it dear? Can you tell me what you dreamed about?”
Ursula’s words cannot be heard clearly by the companions, but they can see Lady Amanda’s face crease with concern. She looks up at Isolde, who has also entered.
"Comfort her but excuse me for just two minutes!" Isolde immediately turns and traces Ursula's sleepwalking route to the school room window and looks out, hoping to see what it is that usually attracts the young girl at this time of night.
"It's all right now, Ursula," says Alexander in a reassuring tone. "Dreams cannot hurt us. They're just our mind's way of sorting through things while we sleep. Who is the burnt man?"
Quietly but firmly, Captain FitzWilliam said to the servants, ”I think it would be a good idea if everyone went back to their rooms. Miss Ursula has had a fright and she’ll be better for not knowing that she’s woken everybody up.”
Last edited by Philulhu on Mon Dec 10, 2018 11:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Isolde & Percy,The view from the schoolroom window merely shows the frozen gardens and their facilities, and the moors stretching beyond. There are no signs of life.
FitzWilliam,The servants, assured by Ursula’s safety and used to the tones of authority, obey FitzWilliam’s request and with a few backward glances return to their rooms.
Alexander,Ursula shakes her head and cries harder. [color=#FF0000]“It might be better to wait until the morning”[/color] says Lady Amanda. [color=#FF0000]“I will stay with her tonight.”[/color]
