TOY CHEST
You find a much-loved toy chest by the wall. Despite the years, the pink aura of love and security still envelopes it. You gently ease the toy chest open, and find a few items inside: a plush bunny, an antique oracle board, and an odd photo.
You pick up the well-worn stuffed animal and are momentarily overcome with warmth like a summer afternoon and a bubbling happiness that almost makes you giggle. The sight of an old-fashioned pocket watch snaps you from the impulse. The beautiful, but rusted, pocket watch is hanging from a tarnished silver chain around the bunny’s neck.
The pocket watch is heavy with ornate engraving. It was probably lovely when it was first made, but now it’s unfortunately mostly rusted over. You find a less tarnished seam to apply a little pressure to and manage to convince the watch to open. This reveals the aged and faded photo of none-other than Elsie McDermott on the left, and a stopped clock on the right. If you’d like, you can change the time on the clock here:
You pick up the well-worn stuffed animal and are momentarily overcome with warmth like a summer afternoon and a bubbling happiness that almost makes you giggle. The sight of an old-fashioned pocket watch snaps you from the impulse. The beautiful, but rusted, pocket watch is hanging from a tarnished silver chain around the bunny’s neck.
The pocket watch is heavy with ornate engraving. It was probably lovely when it was first made, but now it’s unfortunately mostly rusted over. You find a less tarnished seam to apply a little pressure to and manage to convince the watch to open. This reveals the aged and faded photo of none-other than Elsie McDermott on the left, and a stopped clock on the right. If you’d like, you can change the time on the clock here:
Though some skeptics may consider these simple toys, your profession would certainly never allow one of these in a kid’s toybox. It’s worn around the edges, but in surprisingly good condition otherwise. The planchette is also undamaged. If you had someone to help operate the planchette while you grounded the board, perhaps you could get some answers.
Get someone to help by having them scan the QR code below:
Though some skeptics may consider these simple toys, your profession would certainly never allow one of these in a kid’s toybox. It’s worn around the edges, but in surprisingly good condition otherwise. The planchette is also undamaged. If you had someone to help operate the planchette while you grounded the board, perhaps you could get some answers.
Get someone to help by having them scan the QR code below:
You take a close look at the odd photo. It appears to be of some sort of dial knob:
While trying to picture in your mind what could have happened, you suddenly feel a chill run up your spine as the hairs on the back of your neck stand on edge, a sharp contrast to the love you felt from the toy chest just moments ago. The bitter taste of metal enters your mouth, but beyond that you somehow sense the presence of what you’re certain is the owner of the stuffed bunny, a young girl.
You center yourself and focus on the presence of the young girl. Bewildered, you slowly begin to see the figure of Elsie herself appear before you!
“Who are you?”
“I’m a kindred spirit.”
“I’m not supposed to talk to strangers, but…”
“I just want to help.”
“I’ve been asking for help for so long! My poor papa… he was here for such a long time, trying to help, and then he went away… Please help me! Please help us all!”
“I… I can only remember a little. I was sick, so I was made to lie down early in bed while mother, Virgil, Aunt Jane, and Mr. Emmett went to town for something. Someone… someone woke me cause I needed to take my medicine. I can’t remember who it was but… the medicine tasted awful. I felt so sleepy. I can’t remember who it was. Then, I was looking at myself in my bed. It felt very strange. Papa came. He was very sad, and I tried to talk to him but I couldn’t. I can’t remember how long it was, but Papa found a way. He found a way to hear me! I didn’t know I had died until he told me… I didn’t know I had been poisoned until the others came.”
“Everyone else who died that night. There’s the salesman, my aunt, my brother, my neighbor, the lodger, and my stepmother.”
“Oh, Mr. Otto! He had such wonderful dolls! He said they came all the way from Paris, which is even farther away than New York! He brought them over just the day before it all happened. I begged my stepmother to buy one for me, but she told me I’d have to wait until Papa was home. I knew Papa was away on a work trip though, and wouldn’t be back in time. When I saw Mr. Otto again, after he died, I was so excited at first because I thought I could play with his dolls as much as I’d like, but… they didn’t come with him. He said he was sorry. Do you have any dolls?”
“I’m just so happy I can be here to keep Aunt Jane company! When she first came to live with us, she was always crying. We both missed Rose very much. She was always asking my brother and I what had happened, but all I could remember was seeing the strange man in the hat just before Rose disappeared. The longer she lived with us though, the happier she became. Her crying stopped, and she even started to smile again.”
“Virgil doesn’t really talk to me a lot. But he never did, I guess. Sometimes we would play together, and it would be so fun, but then he’d suddenly change. He’d get angry with me, or he’d just be quiet and lock himself away in his room. I never knew what I was doing wrong to make him upset. He did always write wonderful stories though, and still does! Sometimes I can get him to read me a story, but they never have happy endings.”
“Miss Birdie used to live here before my papa bought the house, and now she lives here again! She never liked me or my brother though, and I think she blames all of this on me. I remember when I was lying in bed, I heard her downstairs. She must have come over to complain, I think I had been playing near her house earlier in the day and might have stepped on some of her flowers.”
“Mr. Emmett is one of my friends. He was always very quiet around the others, but with me he was so fun! We played word games and shared riddles all the time. He was very good at riddles, and at doing tricks like switching letters with numbers and then I had to figure out what secret message he was telling me and… I don’t think he really liked it here. He was going to leave the night everything happened, and I feel sorry for him being stuck here now.”
“Oh, you mean Vera? She’s okay, I guess. She’s the one who made me go to bed early that night. At first, I was happy to see her still here after I woke up that last time, but she didn’t seem happy to see me at all. Now, I’m glad the others are here with me to keep me company. Vera only likes to spend time with Virgil, but back when Papa was still around she would always ask me what we talked about.”
“I wish I could tell you, I really do! I tried my best to be good! Papa asked me to remember who it was, but I couldn’t… I’m sure it was someone I knew, someone who was here in the house, but I can’t remember their face! He told me that if I could only remember what time it was that I died, it might all come back to me. I tried real hard to remember, but I just couldn’t. I only know that… whoever it was, they’re still here. It’s hard to describe, but I can feel it.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m a kindred spirit.”
“I’m not supposed to talk to strangers, but…”
“I just want to help.”
“I’ve been asking for help for so long! My poor papa… he was here for such a long time, trying to help, and then he went away… Please help me! Please help us all!”
“I… I can only remember a little. I was sick, so I was made to lie down early in bed while mother, Virgil, Aunt Jane, and Mr. Emmett went to town for something. Someone… someone woke me cause I needed to take my medicine. I can’t remember who it was but… the medicine tasted awful. I felt so sleepy. I can’t remember who it was. Then, I was looking at myself in my bed. It felt very strange. Papa came. He was very sad, and I tried to talk to him but I couldn’t. I can’t remember how long it was, but Papa found a way. He found a way to hear me! I didn’t know I had died until he told me… I didn’t know I had been poisoned until the others came.”
“Everyone else who died that night. There’s the salesman, my aunt, my brother, my neighbor, the lodger, and my stepmother.”
“Oh, Mr. Otto! He had such wonderful dolls! He said they came all the way from Paris, which is even farther away than New York! He brought them over just the day before it all happened. I begged my stepmother to buy one for me, but she told me I’d have to wait until Papa was home. I knew Papa was away on a work trip though, and wouldn’t be back in time. When I saw Mr. Otto again, after he died, I was so excited at first because I thought I could play with his dolls as much as I’d like, but… they didn’t come with him. He said he was sorry. Do you have any dolls?”
“I’m just so happy I can be here to keep Aunt Jane company! When she first came to live with us, she was always crying. We both missed Rose very much. She was always asking my brother and I what had happened, but all I could remember was seeing the strange man in the hat just before Rose disappeared. The longer she lived with us though, the happier she became. Her crying stopped, and she even started to smile again.”
“Virgil doesn’t really talk to me a lot. But he never did, I guess. Sometimes we would play together, and it would be so fun, but then he’d suddenly change. He’d get angry with me, or he’d just be quiet and lock himself away in his room. I never knew what I was doing wrong to make him upset. He did always write wonderful stories though, and still does! Sometimes I can get him to read me a story, but they never have happy endings.”
“Miss Birdie used to live here before my papa bought the house, and now she lives here again! She never liked me or my brother though, and I think she blames all of this on me. I remember when I was lying in bed, I heard her downstairs. She must have come over to complain, I think I had been playing near her house earlier in the day and might have stepped on some of her flowers.”
“Mr. Emmett is one of my friends. He was always very quiet around the others, but with me he was so fun! We played word games and shared riddles all the time. He was very good at riddles, and at doing tricks like switching letters with numbers and then I had to figure out what secret message he was telling me and… I don’t think he really liked it here. He was going to leave the night everything happened, and I feel sorry for him being stuck here now.”
“Oh, you mean Vera? She’s okay, I guess. She’s the one who made me go to bed early that night. At first, I was happy to see her still here after I woke up that last time, but she didn’t seem happy to see me at all. Now, I’m glad the others are here with me to keep me company. Vera only likes to spend time with Virgil, but back when Papa was still around she would always ask me what we talked about.”
“I wish I could tell you, I really do! I tried my best to be good! Papa asked me to remember who it was, but I couldn’t… I’m sure it was someone I knew, someone who was here in the house, but I can’t remember their face! He told me that if I could only remember what time it was that I died, it might all come back to me. I tried real hard to remember, but I just couldn’t. I only know that… whoever it was, they’re still here. It’s hard to describe, but I can feel it.”