Part 14: Day 3 Part 4: Within The Walls

Day 3 in Saxton has been a tough one so far. After a late night ghost-hunting at churches and museums, Nigel trekked all around town for a practice treasure hunt, had some kind of vision-episode on the beach, and stumbled into a real-life version of the nightmare room from his dreams, complete with dead cats and evil ghosts.

So Nigel does what any respectable Englishman does, and goes for tea.



Nanny Noah is the lady to talk to right now. She's been a bit of a confidant for Nigel, giving him good advice and lucky charms (and unwittingly, the shovel used to break into the museum). Stepping into her old-fashioned parlour and saying hello to George feels a little bit like coming home. We're safe here and we can talk things over a little bit with a sympathetic listener.



Hello George.
Nigel, you look dreadful.
Lucy and I have found something... something...
Well sit down boy, I'll put the kettle on.



(Nanny Noah has nothing new to say about our items, so I'll skip that one.)

The Old Net Hut had a secret room. A nightmare room.
Good heavens, what was in there?
The town's cats, mostly. Skinned alive.
Oh dear god. Whoever would do such a thing?
That's not all... there were hints that someone is continuing the Agers' dark work.
The Agers! Oh, Nigel, you are going to have to take care.


Lucy saw something unexplainable.
She will be asking herself questions about truth and reality. Be careful with her, Nigel.


I finished your treasure hunt.
Oh, well done! It seems a little trivial now, but here's your prize.
But I was only testing your clues.
No matter, take this. It's a lucky ticket, for the May Day raffle.
I could do with some luck. (Really Nigel? I'd say you've been doing pretty dang good so far.)




I believe I may have exorcised the ghost of Emily Travers.
I thought you were up to something. Bless her, is she gone?
Yes, I think so. It's a sad tale. I think William Ager killed her.
Many suspected Ager and his brothers. It wasn't the first time.
The town suspected they were killers?
Oh yes. They were guarding a secret. An ancient secret.
The location of the lost crown?
Don't go looking for it, Nigel. No good can come of finding that cursed thing.
But I believe I'm close to the truth..
It's not your crown to find! Leave things be! (Dew not seek the trea-sure!)


Oh, enough chatter for now. Here, pass me that tea cup of yours.
Oh no, no more tea, thanks.
No, I'm going to read the leaves.
Really? How very quaint!




Hmm, this figure of eight is interesting. A number perhaps? Or maybe an hourglass? That indicates that you need to make a decision of some description.
We all have to make decisions.
Good point. Perhaps time is running out?


This shape reminds me of... oh yes, a cat.
Oh, not again.
In tasseography, it means-
Tasse-what?
Tasseography, the reading of tea leaves. This shape indicates a false friend, or back-stabber.


This circular shape... it indicates success or completion.
Maybe I will be finding my treasure after all. (Or maybe you need to decide not to find it or else get backstabbed??)


Hm, this is a puzzle. A bird? A raven? Maybe a crow?
Yes, definitely a member of the crow family.
Bad news ahead. Maybe a death. Good heavens. That's all for now. Perhaps some more tea?
Yes, I'd like that.




It's going to be a dark night tonight. The eve of May Day. It's a powerful night in the pagan calendar. The Saxons began their celebrations on this night. It was an evening of games and feasting celebrating the end of winter and the return of the sun and fertility of the soil. Torch-bearing peasants and villagers would wind their way up the paths to the top of tall hills or mountain crags, and then ignite wooden wheels which they would roll down into the fields. Tomorrow is May Day itself. Beltane! Named after Bel, the celtic god of the sun. I'm expecting a bright, warm, and glorious day tomorrow. Summer is almost upon us, I can feel it in the air...




Wow, I guess we were there a while. Yesterday seemed to go on forever, but today's just flying by. Nigel doesn't have anything particular to do right now- maybe it's best if we head back to Harbour Cottage and rest up for more ghost-hunting tonight with Lucy.

On the way back to the Cottage, we run into Bob Tawny:



Evening, Bob.
And what an evening it is.




Did you hear what happened at the Net Hut?
I did indeed. Bad business. Who would do such a thing?
It's a police matter now.


About that beam, in Harbour Cottage?
What about it?
You said it was old, from the Armada?
Spanish Armada, the failed invasion. Many ships were lost round these parts back in the 17th century.
Wasn't it the 16th century, Bob?
Yes, that's right. Many of the ships' timbers were re-used to build the town of Saxton as it stands today.
A little morbid, don't you think?
No. Creative and practical.
Like Edward Molina himself?
Oh, he was practical all right... and creative. Especially with his shipping manifest.
He was a smuggler?
Perhaps. But you didn't hear it from me, mind.


What are you doing?
Loudspeakers, for tomorrow.
Oh, of course. May Day.
She's coming. Bright and lovely.
Who?
You'll see.


Any luck with my telescope?
Not as yet. Come find me tomorrow.
Goodnight, Bob.
Night lad. Beltane tomorrow, be up bright and early.


Hmm. I suppose I'm not that surprised to hear that Molina had some shady secrets. His house hasn't tried to kill us or anything yet though, so he's still OK in my book.

Time for bed.




Again?!

Nigel only sleeps a short while, waking up with the town bell strikes three just like last night. It seems 3 am is prime ghost-hunting time. Coincidentally, the Cottage's phone is also ringing.




I suppose we should answer that phone. Of course it's not meant to be ringing in the first place, but since it is...



It's heavily filtered and I can't make all of it out, but here are the clearest parts: Dark now, in the mines. No eyes, blind eyes. Deep down, down in the earth. Knows you, can see you.

Was that a prank call? A message from beyond? Or are they trying to fix the phone line and that's the test message?

As soon as we hang up, the Environmeter computer starts beeping.




Hmmm..... looks like activity in the bedroom.



He doesn't look like an Ager, does he?

The next alert shows us this:



And we can decipher a message from beyond, on the balcony:


It's a small memory mini-game where clicking on portions of the screen plays a word. You have to click on them in order (once you figure the order out) to make a sentence: Evil which lives within the walls.

We can spend a while trying to trigger all the phenomena, but most of them are the same ones we saw last night (wheelchairs appearing, orbs floating by). However we can also see these:




Stupid haunted dress form. >:[

After I've had my fill, Lucy contacts Nigel on the walkie-talkie...



Nigel?
Lucy? Where are you?
Knock knock!
I'm sorry?
(Sound of knocking on the front door)




Alex is on the case. They've sealed the beach.
I know. Are you ok? It was a bit traumatic earlier.
As fine as I can be. I just want answers.
Yes. How about an experiment?
With your gadgets? The Hadden gadgets?
Shall we get started?


Somehow she knew that just past 3am was the best time to come over.

It's kind of nice to have a partner, really. I know that if I were falling all over spooks in my creepy old rented cottage, I wouldn't want to be by myself. I like how Nigel is suddenly an expert on ghost-hunting, even though at the beginning of the game he said he was no ghost hunter. Maybe the fact that he just knows a little more than lucy is going to his head.



I'll man the cameras, you scout about.
Do you know what we're looking for?
Anything unexplainable, I guess. Bear with me.
Good luck.


This time, we let Lucy have the computer and Nigel pokes around the locations. Perhaps Lucy will have a little more belief in ghosts now, if she can actually see the kooky stuff going on herself.

Let's check out the bathroom....



There is indeed something.



After a few moments it fades. Lucy does say a little bit during these sequences, but they're all repetitions of "there is something, but it's weak," "you can feel the power in the air" and "it's gone."

In the kitchen, it looks like there's a new book entry...



Oh my. "Evil which lives within the walls," wasn't that what we heard earlier? And... did they not have hospitals in 1952?

And the sinister wall...





Just who is haunting this house??

We can also make a new recording of the wall, which when played back says "Christina... CHRISTINA!"

On our way to the bedroom, we stop and chat with Lucy.

Are you okay?
Glad for the company, in all honesty.




Have you seen anything... strange?
Well, there have been some reactions... but whether it's paranormal?
Still sceptical, eh?
Always Nigel, always. There's definitely something, but I need hard proof.
Harbour Cottage is a spooky place.
Nothing ventured, Nigel.
I don't want to be alone in the dark. (Nice try)
Shouldn't you have a torch or something, Mr. Ghosthunter?
I'll have a look around, see what I can find.
Let's get on, shall we. I'll man the cameras.


I make Nigel check the phone line again, but nope, still disconnected.



Nah just some schlub



No wait, the cabinet is going a little nuts. The doors and drawers are opening and shutting (only when Nigel isn't looking). That cabinet really does seem to be a focal point for strange activity, in general. I'm not sure if it has to do with the room or cabinet itself, or maybe because Nigel put those Hadden documents inside?

Nigel and Lucy ask a couple of "is there anybody there?" questions, but no luck. Once that episode is over...

There's something on the wooden beam, on the balcony camera. Quick, come and see!




That is pretty creepy. I know if I was Lucy I'd feel pretty uncomfortable sitting right underneath that.

Look there, on the beam. Is that rope?
Yes. Listen!
(Gasping, choking breaths are heard)
What is that? It's glowing...
A shape, perhaps a body? Could it be?
Take a photograph. This is proof! Proof of, I don't know, something!
No, I've a better idea. Keep watching the screen.


We send Nigel upstairs, snap a photo, and make a recording...




Did you hear that? A voice? Is the shape still visible?
Yes, I can see something... but it's weak. There's a shape. A shadow, close to your position.
Is it moving?
It's going...


The ghostly shadow disappears and Nigel automatically goes downstairs.



Have you ever heard an EVP before?
EVP?
Unexplainable voices recorded to otherwise blank tapes.
Let's hear it!


We can now listen to the recording we made on the balcony. It's a deep voice saying "3-4-1-8." HMMMMMMM

What does it mean? Numbers?
I'm not sure. Coordinates, maybe?
But to where, or what?
The treasure...? No, not likely. We'll have to sleep on this one.
Yes, it's been a long day, and night! I'd better make a move.




Will you be ok?
I think so, I feel better with Alex being in town.
So, I'll see you in the morning?
Yes, Beltane is upon us.
Beltane? I thought you didn't believe in that stuff.
Ha! Til tomorrow, Nigel.


That seems to be the end of the night-before-May-Day festivities in Harbour Cottage. It's a big day tomorrow, so it's time for Lucy to go and for Nigel to head back to bed.



Maybe Morgan keeps putting those scissors in his bed because he keeps jamming them into her table.

I drop the new paranormal photos and recordings into the collection, and have a look through what we've got so far:








I don't think I've missed any, I think Nigel just doesn't organize them. They're interesting to review, though- Saxton is a pretty dang haunted place.

Let's try setting this up again:



And back to bed.



Oh hey there's the nightmare room again! Scary music with creepy violin, cats meowing, and occasionally a blue-ish static image shows up for a split second- it's a little hard to pinpoint them without pausing, but in one of them you see an ominious door in a hallway and in another you see one of the paintings in the downstairs hallway.



Err wait a second



That's not right!! Abort, abort! Wake up!



There's something wrong with something, anyway.

No substance... no time...


The house sounds muffled and quiet. At the same time, there are a number of unintelligible whispers. Nigel can look out the windows, but...



Might as well look around the cottage.




Phew, this is not okay



Black mist is billowing out of the sealed door. When Nigel comes into contact with it, he complains of a deafening sound like on the beach and whites out. (Kind of like blacking out, but maybe you can't black out while you're having an out of body/time dream.)