Wordlab task and handout

Heres the information from the wordlab lecture that I gave on the 12 of November for those participants that want it.

Thanks for inviting me and I shall see you all again on the 26th of November

John

Firstly heres the task and the images:

The task is a simple experiment intended to get your creative juices flowing. Choose either the pictures or the written text as inspiration. Or both if you want to. Any of these elements can be put together to create a narrative and you can use them in any context that you want to.


Write a piece of poetry or prose of a reasonable length to fit a good narrative in (the prose should be approx 2000 words but write more if you want to) with the theme “Urban Gothic”. Narrative examples in poetry can be found in Tennyson, Coleridge or even Spike Milligan and Edward Lear.

Don’t worry if this not the kind of way that you would usually write as it is a good way of working with your personal cognitive responses and you may find things out about yourself that you may not have done before hand. The best way of tackling the task is not to take the elements literally but search for associations.

For example the “Tempest Prognosticator” image can suggest a coming storm, a piece of furniture, a way of telling the future, Victorian decor, a wood carving or anything else that you would like it to be.

The “antique carriage clock” may just be a way of indicating time, it may just be an indication of antiques, it may even be a murder weapon, or a place to hide a secret. Make it into whatever you want.

The policeman’s whistle can suggest the law, the police themselves, order, justice or even a shrill sound

The Written Elements.

1. A box of tricks.

2. A portrait of a beautiful woman.

3. An old pair of boots.

4. An antique carriage clock.

5. A foggy night.

6. A cane and a pistol.

7. The village idiot.

8. A fortune teller’s tarot pack.

9. A policeman’s whistle.

10. A medical specimen.

11. A church confessional box.

12. Two young ladies.

13. A old English sheep dog.

14. A book of nursery rhymes.

15. A shopkeepers window

16. A pair of ladies gloves

17. A party.

18. A market cross

19. Tolling church bells

20. A compass.

 
 
If you click the image it should make it bigger so that you can print it off. it should be A4.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And heres the generic storylines:
 
1. The Romance
 
A Character is seen to be emotionally lacking/ missing something/ someone.


Something/ someone is seen by the character as a potential solution to this problem- the object of desire.

Barriers exist to stop the character achieving a resolution with the object of desire.

The character struggles to overcome these barriers.

The character succeeds in overcoming some, if not all, of the barriers.

The story is complete when the character is seen to have resolved their emotional problem, and united with their object of desire.
Whether or not the character and the object of desire remain together, and what the form of this union is, is up to you as the writer.
Being united with the object of desire is the end of a romance story, but not necessarily the end of a romance narrative.
Examples: Romeo and Juliet; West Side Story; Hugh Grant in “Four Wedding and a Funeral; Elizabeth Bennett – Pride And Prejudice; Wile E. Coyote;




2.The Unrecognised Virtue

A character with a virtue becomes part of someone else's world.


The Character falls in love with or has a need to associate themselves with a powerful character in this world.

The character seeks to prove themselves desirable to this powerful character, but a barrier or the power in the relationship undermines this.

The character strives to solve a problem for this powerful character.

In attempting to solve the problem, the character’s virtue is recognised by the powerful character.
Whether or not the problem is ultimately solved or not and if the character is united with the powerful character is up to you as a writer.
This a story of rejection and acceptance.
Examples: Louis Lane in “Superman”; Julia Roberts character in “Pretty Woman; Cinderella; Elizabeth Bennett – Pride And Prejudice

 

 
3.The Fatal Flaw

A Character is seen to have a quality, which makes them successful.


With this success the character gains opportunities denied to other characters.

They use the opportunities for their own gain, at the expense of other characters.

They then recognise the damage that they have done to others, and set out for a new challenge.

The quality which brought them success leads to their failure in the face of the new challenge.
What is the meaning of “fatal” and how “fatal” is the flaw? As a writer this is up to you.
In a stand alone narrative this could literally mean the characters demise, in a television episode the fatality is often avoided, meaning that the character can fail again and again
Examples: Dracula; Jack Skeleton in “The Nightmare Before Christmas”; My Name Is Earl; Dr Frankenstein

 

 
4.The Debt That Must be Repaid

The character wants something/ someone.


The character becomes aware that someone/ something is available to them, which will possibly give them what they want… but at a price.

The character agrees that the price will be paid at a later date.

The character pursues the object of their desire.

The character attempts to avoid paying the debt and flees from the debtor.

The character is finally confronted by the debtor or a representative.

The debt is repaid or nullified.

The success and outcome from pursuing the desire and maintaining the pact is up to the writer
In a stand alone narrative then this could literally mean the characters freedom, in a television episode the fatality is often avoided, meaning that the the character can be in debted again and again
Examples: Faust; Del boy in “Only Fools and Horses”; Rodya Raskolnikov and his sister in “Crime And Punishment”; Han Solo; Rumplestiltskin


 5.The Spider And The Fly

The “spider” character wishes to make the “fly” character do their bidding, but they have no power to force them.


The spider devises a plan to trap the fly into doing their bidding.

The spider executes the plan and it works.

The spider achieves their initial goal.

The spider faces a new future in the aftermath of the plan or gets his comeuppance from the fly.
What is the trap is this someone simply being played with? The outcome is up to you as the writer.
In a stand alone narrative then this could literally mean the fly gains freedom or is caught forever, in a television episode the freedom is often avoided, meaning that the fly can be continuously trapped.
Examples: Number 6 in “The Prisoner”; The Police Constable in “The Wicker Man”; Rapunzel’s father; Perseus; Rumpelstiltskin

 

 
6.The Character Who Cannot Be Put Down

The Character demonstrates their prowess.


The character faces a new challenge with even greater forces against them.

The character accepts the challenge.

The character faces a range of antagonistic forces which are then overcome.

The character succeeds and the challenge is accomplished.
This character type is unstoppable, the ultimate hero or heroine. Anything that gets in their way is overcome through brute force, quick thinking or any other resourcefulness
Examples: Miss Marple; Lara Croft; James Bond; Superman; Alladin; Hercules; Jesus; Buddha; Puss In Boots




7.The Quest

The character is set a task to find someone or something.


The character accepts the challenge

The character searches for someone or something.

The character finds what was required

The character is rewarded, or not, for their success of the quest.
What is the Quest, is this someone simply being played with as with the Spider and The Fly? Can the two stories be brought together? The outcome is up to you as the writer.
In a television episode the freedom is often avoided, meaning that the character can be continuously trapped.
Examples: Miss Marple; Luke Skywalker; Indiana Jones; Hannuman the Monkey god ; Parzival (quest for The Holy Grail); Jason And The Argonauts; Jack And The Beanstalk






8.The Rites Of Passage

A Character becomes aware of the next “age” in their life.


The character attempts to learn what they need to know to live in this ”New Age”.

The character attempts to act, as if they have learnt what they need to know to live in the new age and fail.

The character encounters a challenge, which requires them to reach beyond what they have already achieved.

The character succeeds in meeting the challenge

The character enters the new age.
What is the rite of passage and can this be incorporated into the Quest? Can the two stories be brought together?
in a television episode the knowledge is often avoided, meaning that the the character can be continously flawed.
Examples: Raul Duke in “Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas”; Kevin in “The Wonder Years”; Ally Macbeal and everyone in “Sex and The City”; Snow White



9.The Wanderer

The character arrives in a new place.


The character discovers a problem associated with the new place.

In facing The Problem the character reveals why they left the last place, before they arrived at the current situation.

The problem is overcome.

The character attempts to move on again.
Who is the wanderer is this a mysterious stranger or just a character returned?

This is the classic “Messiah” narrative.
In a stand alone narrative then this could literally mean the characters gains freedom from their inner torment or is caught forever trapped, in a television episode the freedom is often avoided, meaning that the character can be continuously trapped.
Examples: The Man With No Name in “A Fist Full of Dollars”; Mad Max; The Incredible Hulk; Thelma and Louise; Sam Beckett in “Quantum Leap”; Jesus in “The Last Temptation of Christ”; Oddyseus/ Ullyses; Dick Whittington

 

 
10.The Gift Taken Away

The Character is seen to have a gift


The Character loses it.

The character seeks to regain the gift.

The character reconciles themselves to a new situation which they discover in pursuit of the gift.

The gift may return at this point.

The situation is overcome.

The gift is or is not restored.
The gift may or may not be regained, that is up to you as the writer.
Examples: Gollum in “The Lord Of The Rings”; Dan Ackroyd in “Trading Places”; Cordelia in “King Lear”; Han Christian Andersen’s “Death And The Mother”; Pandora’s Box; Portrait of Dorian Gray;


And here are the generic character types:

1. The Idol

The idol heroes abilities are much higher than the average person, with a lack of self doubt, ambivalence and inner confusion.

The appeal is in their forever surprising amount of knowledge and inventiveness under pressure.
 The idol will know the truth instantly, have no doubts of their assessment of a situation and take action without hesitation.
 The idol may have flaws, but these are decorative and do not detract from the heroes abilities to win, for example, Sherlock Holmes use of Cocaine or a super heroes weaker secret identity.

The audience do not acquaint themselves with this character instead they desire to have the idols skills.



2. The Everyman

The everyman heroes abilities are that of the average person, and may be rife with self doubt, ambivalence and inner confusion.

The conflicts that need to be overcome by the everyman are always difficult, the audience will be patient if the conflicts are made believable.
The everyman hero is a realistic interpretation of genuine heroism. They behave not through the absence of fear but despite it.
The everyman hero may find it difficult accepting change, despite their many flaws and weaknesses they rise above their limitations, but if they fail we can sympathise.
If the character takes too long to act, to find the truth, or stalls before the action takes place the audience may feel cheated, however this could be used to a writers advantage.
The audiences emotional bond with this character type is through an association and recognition of similar events in their lives; raising questions such as, “How would I act in that situation?”



3. The Underdog

The Underdog heroes abilities are disadvantaged when compared to the world around them.

Their handicaps can be physical, emotional, social or emotional and must be legitimate in the characters own estimation for the audience to accept them.



The underdog becomes a hero by triumphing over the obstacles that are preventing them for taking control of their lives.

 Underdogs can start out as a loser but must strive to win, planting seeds of greatness in their personalities will help the audience to associate and will indicate an ability to triumph.

 Despite the obstacles the underdog is heroic for repeating their attempts for recognition, or to succeed against the odds, they tend to know what they want early in the story and suffer to achieve it.



4. The Lost Soul

The Lost Soul connects with the darker side of the audiences personality.

They express an aspect of life that most viewers don’t want to deal with personally. Their courage to be bad is admired because they are not stopped by morality or fear of consequences.



When and if the character goes too far the audience abandons their emotional connection to the character.



These characters are life affirming, within the audiences negative space, when the audience disengages with the character they are brought back to “the light” and are glad not to be like them.

The lost Soul changes as the narrative continues taking a downward slide, this is due to the avoidance of action, change, ignoring the truth or taking inappropriate actions.

In Conclusion

A Narrative or character does not need to adhere to one generic story or stereotype, they can borrow from each other.


A main plot maybe The Quest but the sub plot maybe The Romance. The character maybe the underdog but also the idol; Clark Kent/ Superman.

All of these narrative structures and character types can be utilised and manipulated between each other.

Mary Kelly?

Jack the Ripper illustartion thats going in the Whitechapel Society magazine at some point soon.

Click to make it bigger.

Published!!

Just found out that my short story "The Midnight Supper Club" is going to be published in a collection of Jack The Ripper stories. It was enterd into this years Whitechapel Society short story competition and although I didn't win it was selected within the top ten and will be published along with the others by Mythica Publishing.

I'm not going to post the story here yet in case it infringes the contract so watch this space, if I can put it here I will but it might be worth while seeing what happens.

Can't tell you how excited I feel. It's like I've scored a hat trick!

John

I'm a sick little puppy

Not felt this high after a gig since my friend and mine band as a teenager played a stormer at a theatre in the round in Great Ayton. The Haunted Library night was fantastic. £ groups of kids (not ASBOS) as I was told were taken round the library and fed bullshit stories, and it went down a storm. My last group started off with ten girls, was reduced to three and ended up with two. The best point was when I was standing on a gantry reading the story about how a young librarian had toppled off the top and broke her neck (see the last post for the story) and an actress emerged from the shadows, having previously hidden on the stairs) she walked behind me and the ten girls erupted in the most terrific screams I've ever heard in my life LOL.
there were other people throwing rice from behind book cases.
the first group was full of barvado teenaged lads, who soon shut up when I showed them that it was impossible to fake the dowsing rods without putting loads of effort in and then proceeded to fake them crossing and opening for the rest of their tour. Of course when they mett 22 stone Roger Pickle and saw his noose hanging from the stairway they were pissing themselves laughing but then in the demonically possessed office they were well and truly freaked out when the dowsing rods told them that the evil spirit meant them harm. Several things though that I didn't fake and i can't explain went on in this room. A blue flash went off in the corner and when I went over there with the rods they went fucking crazy. Just behave like its part of the show but I've got to say I was shitting myself.
The second group were awesome. Much younger kids and totally bought into it. We were in the childrens library and there were no actors in there to my knowledge and a book dropped off the shelf. and there was all kinds of freaky noises. I presume it was a mouse, but thats the problem when your faking it, you never know what else may happen.
Great moment in the basement with the last group when 7 of the girls ran out. All hell broke loose and I lost the plot. I hadn't even got to the second sentence of my fake story. One of the girls left was trying to ask the rods a question while another was screaming. She finally said, "Is this man telling lies?" before i Had a chance to make the rods say no, they crossed into a "Yes". I tried very hard to explain it and pull it back on track, but after that she was convinced I was lying. Sounds absurd now but not once did she question why the rods said "Yes" she was far happier believing them than me. Fair enough but I didn't move the buggers. Makes you wonder what happened there, but as Ian the sceptic, metalist, hypnotist, illusionist, magic circle mad , sick bastard says, "There's always something in th a performance that makes you stop and think, it doesn't go to plan but the effect no matter odd works a treat. You just have to deal with it, take it in your stride and work it into the act." I've no idea why at that point the rods crossed and told them I was lying. She'll get home and think it was all a crock of shit the rods told me so and then she'll put 2 + 2 together and think, "Hang on how was he faking it if the rods he was faking told me he was lying" LOL. I love it.
I' am very slightly deaf now in one ear from girls screaming right next to me.
One highlight was stringing up a noose that Ian had brought in for me, for Roger Pickles suicide attempt down the staff staircase. I need 4ft approximately. Not knowing how long the rope was, we strung it up and threw the bundle down in the gap between the stairs where it promptly sank like Led Zeppelin and took out a trolley with coffee and tea on it on the ground floor. The staircase is about 25-30ft high which seemed a lot at the time. Ian told me the rope was 100ft long when I told him about the accident. LOL. He is escaping from it tomorrow night at another gig. you can't make this shit up.
But my highlight was a kid who looked like a 13 year old Kurt Cobain telling the NGI guys that Stuart Irving had touched him in the basement. I should point out that my ghost character Stuart Irving's name was taken from an old mate from school who unfortunately I haven't seen for about ten years. Good mate too. So I've imortalised him in urban myth and now I want everyone to know he touches kids in the basemnet of Middlesbrough Central Library. If you see him, let him know.

speak soon

John

Halloween Terror in Central Library, Ha ha ha

Tonight is going to be a crazy night at The Central Library in Middlesbrough.

I've been roped in to tell stories about the ghosts in the place to a group of kids aged 13 to 19 with Northern Ghost Investigation and a mystery man that is to remain nameless. He's an illusionist and mental magician.

The NGI folk are taking the floor upstairs showing the kids where they've picked up ghost activity with their EMF gizmos and the like. The mystery man is staging a seance and a spirit cabinet show downstairs and I'm leading them around the library telling them the strange tales of some of the ghosts in there.

So at some point I've been told to volunteer to go into the spirit cabinet with the man of mystery where for some reason I have to roll up my trouser legs, put a large black bin on my head and when I'm touched on the shoulder I have to fall out of the cabinet screaming without pulling it and the "medium" with me. Feels a bit like I'm being initiated into the freemasons. I have no idea why I'm doing this as the mystery man at some point is going to ask me if I've spoken to him about it before hand and my answer has to be authentic. Of course its true I haven't talked to him personally about it, I spoke to Clare from NGI on the phone about it while he told her what to say to me. So tonight Matthew I am going to be one of The Three Stooges.

I'm still very curious as to why I have to have a bin on my head.

Anyway here are my ghost stories, I've deliberately used the random names of people that I know in the stories so that they will appear more authentic and when these ghosts are called forward, the dowsing rods that I'm using during the story telling will behave as accurately as they should do. Those things work best if you already know the answer because obviously you are controlling them yourself. So if you read your own name amongst these stories don't be annoyed its all part of the show. I think its highly unlikely that any of those people are likely to read this but I felt the need to say it anyway.

Basically I had these stories planned in brief and filled them in yesterday so I suppose I am now responsible for the untimely deaths of a 13 year old boy (crushed), a young female librarian (neck snapped) and a loser caretaker (failed hanging and then smashed up in a traffic accident). Its amazing how these stories went from run of the mill to more convincing by attaching a back story, a few real places and the odd date. Hopefully they'll start being repeated and enter the annals of urban myth. I've already stolen some of the elements from other ghost stories from other places, a large dollop of Derek Acorah bullshit, the setup of Sherlock Holmes story and a small bit of Jack the Ripper victim history. I'm not sure if you can tell or not because they're now fairly seamless. Having taken those elements and stitched them into some of the generic storylines and generic character types they all seem to work quite well.

Here they are... obvously they are fake in case you haven't grasped that already.

Haunted Library

1) The main library –

This area has not been noted to be as haunted as the rest of the library but it is a common place for spirit lights to have been observed, cold spots felt and the strong fragrance of “Lily Of The Valley” perfume smelled. People who have witnessed this phenomenon have always said that the presence is a warm friendly one, offering a more welcoming area to the library than many of the other spaces.

One medium claimed that the area is regularly visited by the spirit of a lady who used to use the library herself and loved it so much amongst the books that she has decided to return. She is said to be protective of children in their area of the library.

The medium Alf Brown claimed that the lights that are seen in this area are the spirit of children that lived here before the library was built, it is on this land that they used to play traditional games like hide and seek and kick the can. In the 1800’s the child mortality rate was not how it is today many children not making it into adulthood, their lives hindered by poverty and poor health. It is these children that Alf Brown claimed to be in visitation in this area. Maybe it is because of these children that “Lily” visits also, is she one of their mothers or does she just want to protect these children from the dark and evil presence that can be felt elsewhere.

2) The parcel room/ basement –

In May 1916 the body of a thirteen year old boy was found in the parcel room by library staff. The evidence at hand suggested that the boy had not been trying to break into the library but in fact had been trying to escape through the parcel hatch, in so doing a shelf had accidently fallen on top of him and crushed him. The expression on his face suggested that his torturously slow death had been long and painful as he bled from his injuries, trapped beneath the shelving. At first there was no evidence as to who this boy was and the authorities were at a loss as to how to identify him but within his tattered clothing several objects were discovered that the police thought may add some light on to the investigation; he carried a broken comb, a pocket knife, two shillings and a whistle. But how had the boy got into the library, why was he there and what was he trying to escape from?

His description was printed in The Gazette that evening in the hope that someone would claim the body but strangely nobody came forward until then his body was kept in a morgue at the North Riding Infirmary.

Several weeks later the truth was revealed and the mystery solved. A 54 year old man named Phillip Willers was arrested by police in the process of breaking and entering into a Doctors house on the Crescent in Linthorpe. During hardened police questioning about his criminal activities Willers finally broke. He informed the police that he had used to work with a young boy who would enter a building through an open window and find a way of opening a door so that Willers could break into the house and perform the robbery. When police questioned him further on whom the boy was and where he could be found Willers admitted to their job on the library and revealed that the boy was an orphaned street urchin named Stuart Irving. Stuarts pocket knife was to being used to loosen windows, his whistle was for calling Willers to their secret entrance and the two shilling was his miserly pay for his criminal act.

Young Stuart had entered the library as any other person wanting to borrow a book and began to observe the place for a suitable way of getting Willers in for the burglary. When he had found a suitable entrance, Stuart would then hide and wait until the library was locked and unattended. It was in this very room where Stuart had been hiding, and it was a hatch (in the very same place as today’s hatch) that he was trying to open to let Willers in. Once opened Stuart would blow the whistle and guide Willers to their secret entrance. It was then that the accident happened. It is said that Willers became scared and unable to help the boy he left him to his long painful death and escaped back through the hatch. Willers was sentenced to death for his numerous crimes and for leaving the boy to die and was hanged in Durham on the 14th of August 1916.

This area is noted for its poltergeist activity and it was always presumed that it was the ghost of Stuart Irving that was responsible for these vicious, ghostly goings on. But in 1983 noted medium Doris Hibbard claimed that the boy’s spirit was evident in the parcel room but was not responsible for the poltergeist activity. The poltergeist was a man who would not show his true identity to her but Stuart had told her that the man scared him and he would run through the library when the man was present and in terror would try to hide from him. The man it seemed took great pleasure in chasing Stuart and his evil spirit was present throughout the library but for one room where Stuart felt safe; the children’s library. The last thing that Stuart had said before his energy grew weak and could no longer communicate with Mrs Hibbard was that it was the evil, dark and nasty spirit of this man who had pushed the shelves down on top of him in May 1916.

3) The Reference Library –

On March the 7th 1923 librarian, Miss Isabelle Parker fell from the gantry in the reference library breaking her neck and dying instantly. The rumour of her affair with the handsome Joseph Montgomery, the head librarian and 10 years her senior had been a topic of the rumour mill for several months. It had been said that they would meet in secret amongst the shelving and carry out their secret liaisons.

Last year a local medium sensed that the couples illicit affair had reached a dramatic ending, she said that Isabelle had become tired of Josephs claims that he would divorce his wife and marry her (a scandalous thing in 1920’s society) but Joseph didn’t ever seem to be any closer to ending his marriage. She had decided that the affair with this older gentleman was going to end and on their last secret meeting amongst the archive shelves she told him that she didn’t want him anymore.

The library, usually known for its deathly silence, was suddenly thrown into panic when the couple’s argument echoed across the still. It has been said that during their argument the young woman lost her footing and fell over the railing, she clung to it terrified that she would fall and Joseph offered his hand to save her but as she started to lose her grip with her own weight pulling her downward she slipped and fell to her death.

Joseph Montgomery died in October 1956 those that knew him said that he blamed himself for the death of the young librarian, from that tragic day onward he became introverted and seem to lose the charm and charisma that made him so attractive to younger women.

People who enter this area speak of feeling as though they are being watched by a handsome man who hides amongst the shelves but as soon as he has been spotted his energy disperses as if he is ashamed of something. Is this the ghost of Joseph Montgomery still feeling the guilt of not being able to save his lover?

The screams of a woman have been heard here several times and people often feel nauseas as if they themselves have the same sense of vertigo and an overwhelming fear that they too are going to fall over the railings.

4) The Staff Staircase -

In 1937 the caretaker of Middlesbrough library was a lonely, depressive man named Roger Pickle. He was known as a man of few words and would rarely speak to the other members of staff but despite his timid countenance he was always punctual, hard working and his appearance was always pristine. Few librarians felt as though they knew Roger very well at all as he hardly spoke to them other than the occasional “Good evening” as they left their workplace on an evening. It’s not that they didn’t like him more of case that they didn’t know him, it almost seemed as though there was nothing about him to know. When they did find out about Roger's life all of the people who worked at the library were shocked to know the truth.

Roger Pickle had been raised around horses, his father had been a successful Jockey and having been raised in that environment it became perfectly fitting that Roger himself would spend the time that he had free around racetracks, book keepers and gamblers. Roger of course had two major problems, firstly his life had gone from a happy and exciting childhood around racing folk to one based on the occasional flutter on the horses to one obsessed with racing and ending with a formidable addiction to gambling; the second problem is that he was one of the most unluckiest men to ever step foot into a book keepers shop; in fact Roger’s nickname around the track was “Rubbish Rodger”. His debts spiralled out of control and unable to pay his debtors and facing imprisonment for bankruptcy, as was common in those days, Roger (having turned to drink) decided to end it all. But for a man who lived alone, how could he make sure that his body would be found so as to make sure that his funeral was attended, blessed by the church and buried on hallowed ground?

Well on the 1st of April 1937, fitting for a man of his type being April Fool’s Day, Roger climbed theses stairs for the last time, he threw 4 feet of rope over the banister on the top floor tying it tightly so that it would not come undone and tied the other end round his throat. Can you imagine the fear in his mind as he looked over the edge?

He may have sat here wondering how his life had gone from bad to worse before throwing himself off the banister to the deep drop below.

But Roger’s stream of bad luck did not end there; Roger was too large to fit the gap between the staircases, he bounced off the sides as he tumbled and as the rope pulled tight around his neck, his 22 stone body snapped it, he fell the remainder of the drop and broke his leg. The next day he was found battered and bruised and smelling of drink and rushed to hospital but on the way the ambulance swerved to miss a dog that was loose on Albert Road darting between the traffic. The ambulance driver was said to have struggled to keep control of the vehicle but unable to do so the ambulance smashed into the front of a solicitor’s office; the driver, the doctor and Roger were all killed.

Roger’s ghost is said to still be in this area, a sad emotionally draining entity that on occasion has been seen flitting about on the staircase. The smell of strong alcohol is said to linger on the stairs and on more than once has been seen perched on the banister before jumping down the middle of the staircase.

5) Office on the first floor –

It is here in this room that we must return to our old friend the dark mysterious man from the basement as it is in this room (that is if he was ever human) that he is most active. The activity in here has been described as most strange. Doors that are supposed to be locked have been found unlocked and even open, the lights malfunction, they don’t just flicker, they switch themselves on and off and there is no rational reason for it as the electrics in the building have been tested again and again and there’s nothing technically wrong with them, it has even been said that the light drains out of the bulbs slowly until the room is completely in the dark and on occasion that the bulbs have actually gone bang as if there the circuit has been broken by an electrical surge. On top of this objects go missing and reappear in odd places. You may be thinking of small objects such as a pencil sharpener or an eraser or something even slightly larger such as stapler or a hole punch.

You’d be wrong.

In this area Chairs go missing and when they turn up again they might be in a different room altogether.

On one occasion an unopened ream of A4 paper vanished from a desk. The workers in here could not find it; they looked everywhere and eventually had to open another one instead. Later in the day the missing paper was discovered on the top of the stairs, thrown down the stairs and even in the staff toilets. Several pieces looked as though they had been torn and savaged by something with claws or even a knife. Ghostly footsteps have been heard in this room, these aren’t like the pitter-pattering of a mouse these can sound like a gallop as if someone has ran through the room but on other times they are slow and heavy and on occasion members of staff have felt as though there is a tall man behind them literally breathing down their necks or on occasion blowing in their ears to which they have ear ache for the next few days.

There are cold and hot spots in this room that dissipate. A red light the size of a Christmas tree bauble has been seen flittering around like a devilish tinker bell, and the smell of drains and sewage has been smelled here that can be so strong that the library staff feel like wretching. But most interesting of all is the shadowy figure of a dark man that has been seen with the naked eye. He stands by the doors, sometimes he stares through the glass and sometimes he appears to be sitting next to you while you are busy at work but when you turn to look he seems to have just vanished. A strange sense that you haven’t just seen something that was there and then disappeared before your very eyes more as though something was there, now it’s not and a feeling as though something is missing out of place and slipped away.

So who is the shadow man?

Research into the past has shown that this land was owned by a Saxon Village. Their wise women often held ceremonies here. Talk of Witchcraft and black magic are plenty from these periods but we must remember that this was not how the people who lived then saw these practices; they were pagan people practicing their traditions. Traditions steeped in their culture and traditions that we may never understand.

It is these traditions that one Psychic claimed to have picked up in this area with regard to the shadow man. Alf Brown the spiritualist in question said the mysterious entity was purely demonic and had been summoned by witches to rid the area of their enemies. If you like the place has been cursed which could explain the bad luck that some have had whilst working here. I presume that you are all wearing the crucifixes or other protective charms that you were asked to bring with you, because as we move through this area you may well need them.

6) Main Stairs -

Stories of what was present on this land before the library are a cricket ground as well as housing. Both of these could explain the stories of a person presumably a man wearing large black boots that has been seen descending the staircase. Library staff have nicknamed the ghost “Bootsy” as this is all that has been seen but often the sounds of his boots have been heard walking on the stairs. The last time” Bootsy” was seen was in 1987 a library worker was leaving on an evening, her story describes the feelings that she was being followed down the stairs and presumed it was one of her co workers that she had had a disagreement with earlier in the day. As she descended the stairs she said that she had no intention of speaking to her colleague whom she thought was trying to get her attention and catch her up as she left the building. As she reached the bottom steps she felt as though her follower was so close behind her that it was too uncomfortable, she turned round to tell her colleague to behave and it was then that she saw the ghostly legs wearing the large black boots which then disappeared. Since then the spirit of “Bootsy” has not been seen but could he be the angry man that is said to linger in other parts of the library.

Call me sick but I should add that the kids have not been asked to bring any crucifixes or protective charms with them as I thought that by suggesting that they had been asked, will probably make them think, "Hang on, nobody said I had to bring that, I don't have one." and it'll scare the shite out of them a bit more

.

Don't worry they're all kids with ASBO's so see it as societies revenge for the last time your car was scratched, nicked or you ended up having eggs thrown at you from a Vauxhall Nova with a burnt out engine, blasting out bad techno music. Maybe thats just my experience of living in Middlesbrough.

 

speak soon

 

John aka Derek Acorak the Third

Thanks for the comments

Cheers for everybody making comments, I've disabled the need to "follow" the site to be able to leave comments here on the page. Don't want to sound cheeky but if you are going to make comments can you do it here as the page looks a bit empty of followers and most people are messaging me on facebook or commenting there. I've just got more chance of getting published etc if peoples appreciations are seen on the page.

Thanks to everyone for saying such dandy things anyway its much appreciated.

and click on the older posts link on the bottom of the page to see more.

John

And another

Not sure what to say about this one. Been going through sketch book material and reusing images to build up a varied portfolio. I had the idea of coming home to find a stranger sitting in your front room wearing your novelty slippers. I was also thinking of the Anthony Hopkins film where he plays a ventriloquist with a murderous puppet. For the life of me I can't remember what its called. Click it to make larger as the bishop said to the actress.

Theres going to be some cute cuddly ones coming soon I promise.

The Man In The Moon

Just finished this today, enjoy.



The Man In The Moon.


The man in the moon came tumbling down


And asked his way to Norwich;

He went by the south and burnt his mouth

With supping cold pease porridge.

(click the picture to enlarge it)

My Greatest Cartoon About Chickens