TOY CHEST
There’s a creepy old toy chest sitting against the wall here. It’s probably full of creepy old toys that kids used to play with “back in the day”. You know, like creaky jack-in-the-boxes or dolls with too-real faces. Then again, maybe there’s something of value inside? You pop open the lid. There’s not much in here apart from the mildewy smell, but a few things catch your eye: A stuffed bunny, an oracle board, and a strange photo.
You grab the stuffed bunny and hold it up to get a good look. Wow, this thing looks messed up. What poor kid had this to play with? You’re about to toss it aside when you notice what’s around its neck: a decrepit yet pricey-looking antique pocket watch on a tarnished silver chain.
The pocket watch is very old, and you can’t make out the brand due to all the rust. It has a nice weight to it though, and you could definitely fetch a nice price for it, especially if you could get it working! You manage to pop it open. On the left there’s a barely visible picture of a young girl, and on the right is the clock. It doesn’t appear to be working. If you’d like, you can set the time on the clock here:
You grab the stuffed bunny and hold it up to get a good look. Wow, this thing looks messed up. What poor kid had this to play with? You’re about to toss it aside when you notice what’s around its neck: a decrepit yet pricey-looking antique pocket watch on a tarnished silver chain.
The pocket watch is very old, and you can’t make out the brand due to all the rust. It has a nice weight to it though, and you could definitely fetch a nice price for it, especially if you could get it working! You manage to pop it open. On the left there’s a barely visible picture of a young girl, and on the right is the clock. It doesn’t appear to be working. If you’d like, you can set the time on the clock here:
Now this is one spooky oracle board! You can’t believe kids used to play with these things for fun. What’s so funny about demons!? If you want to try using it, you’ll need to find someone to use the planchette. Once you find a partner, have them scan the QR code below:
Now this is one spooky oracle board! You can’t believe kids used to play with these things for fun. What’s so funny about demons!? If you want to try using it, you’ll need to find someone to use the planchette. Once you find a partner, have them scan the QR code below:
You take a close look at the strange photo. It appears to be of some sort of dial knob:
While searching over the contents of the toy chest, you suddenly feel a chill run up your spine as the hairs on the back of your neck stand on edge. The taste of metal enters your mouth, and you get the feeling that you’re being watched…
Feeling someone’s eyes on the back of your neck, you quickly spin around to see who’s there! Startlingly, you begin to see the figure of a child taking form, molded by the darkness around it. You recognize the ghostly apparition as none other than Elsie McDermott! You wave your hand through the figure and are somewhat unsurprised as it passes right through.
“Who are you?”
“I’m not anyone important.”
“But you can see me, right? Maybe you can help…”
“Maybe I can, maybe I can’t.”
“So you’ll 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. 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.”
“Ghosts? Oh, I guess I am a ghost, aren’t I. Everyone else who died that night is here, too. They’re all “ghosts” now, as you say. There’s the salesman, my aunt, my brother, my neighbor, the lodger, and my stepmother.”
“Mr. Otto! Oh he had such wonderful dolls! He was here 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 so happy Aunt Jane is here with me! When she first came to live with us, she was always crying. We both missed her daughter 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 not anyone important.”
“But you can see me, right? Maybe you can help…”
“Maybe I can, maybe I can’t.”
“So you’ll 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. 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.”
“Ghosts? Oh, I guess I am a ghost, aren’t I. Everyone else who died that night is here, too. They’re all “ghosts” now, as you say. There’s the salesman, my aunt, my brother, my neighbor, the lodger, and my stepmother.”
“Mr. Otto! Oh he had such wonderful dolls! He was here 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 so happy Aunt Jane is here with me! When she first came to live with us, she was always crying. We both missed her daughter 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.”