In which loose ends are tied up and the gang discovers hints of what lurks beneath in the campus tunnels…
- The investigators attend the Parapsychology study, most are quickly ruled out, but both Enid and Lois are invited back for a second screening. Enid’s hypnosis does not go well, she finds herself standing at the edge of a precipice, staring down into a darkness blacker than black, with something coming toward her. She screams and is woken by Associate Professor Warden, who regrets that he was unable to generate the correct response from her with the hypnosis. She discovers that she was under for only five minutes, and dismisses Warden’s explanation that she was having a nightmare. Enid waits until Lois has her turn, looking on other students’ tests and becoming more and more aggravated as most of the others stay in the office for about half an hour. Then it is Lois’ turn, and she is in hypnosis for three quarters of an hour, coming out even more energetic than before, it seems.
- Enid is able to wheedle some of Lois’ experience out of her, apparently she found herself wandering through fairytale visages and villages, interacting with people a little, but mostly taking in the scenery. She is hesitant to relate more as Alex Warden insisted originally that all happenings during the hypnosis are to be kept private, as not to taint the experiment.
- After this the party attends their English class with Professor Abbott, and afterward goes to the creamery for some hot chocolate. There they discuss what they’ve accomplished:
Firstly, solving most of the mystery of the house on Church Street, or at least to the extent of their satisfaction
Lastly, finding out the truth of Frank Charleton’s demise, and ending the sick machinations of Claude Owen.
- Florian realizes that there is still much hearsay and rumor around campus that still has not been fully investigated, and suggests a foray into the Witch House, to attempt to resolve the various mysteries surrounding Walter Gilman’s death. The group agrees, but Gladys also mentions that Stanley Higgins is upgrading his armaments in his attempts to capture one of the hoofed creatures that are stealing biological waste from the basement of St. Mary’s. Furthermore, Logan mentions the strange paper sold to him by an upperclassman at the Fall Formal, and reignites the group’s interest in deciphering it. They decide to tackle their current mysteries in the order of:
1) Translate the spoken passage.
2) Investigate the Witch House
3) Assist Stanley Higgins in capturing his quarry.
- The scrap of paper indeed turns out to by Egyptian in nature, but the Investigators learn it will take some months of study before they are able to translate the romanized Egyptian into understandable English. They instead decide to take the short route, meeting with a Professor of Archaeology, one well-built Francis Morgan, previously from the University of Chicago and a protege of the venerated Abner Ravenwood. He is able to translate the words, informing the students that the incantation is a plea to Thoth, the ibis-headed Egyptian god of knowledge: specifically that of science, religion, philosophy, and magic. According to Morgan, if the incantation is repeated for a period of thirty minutes, the chanter will attain the blessing of Thoth in his or her endeavors. The solid information that the group seems to take from this is that Logan did not waste his money on simple nonsense words. The group resolves to speak the incantation in the Witch House, perhaps to assist them in the discovery of the truth behind Gilman’s death.
- That Friday evening, without either Stanley or Lois-whom Logan admirably succeeded in insulting perfectly-the four friends make their way to the Witch House, carrying electric torches, liquor, a Ouiji board, candles, and Frank’s Victrola. They enter the house, but are immediately ousted by the night watchman, Terrence O’Kelly, who scoffs at their childish antics with their ghost chasin’ and Ouiji boardin’. Deflated, the party make their way to St. Mary’s and Stanley Higgins, intent on solving at least one mystery tonight.
- In the basement of St. Mary’s, the party comes across Stanley in hiding, complaining bitterly about his ill luck trapping the creatures yet again. He takes the group on a tour through the passageway to the incinerators, and Logan notices a latched door leading away from the passage. He inquires about it, and Stanley deftly opens the locked door, revealing a stairway down. Immediately Florian and Logan see that this appears to be the point of entry for the ‘hoofed creatures’ and propose an immediate expedition, convincing Stanley to join them with his tranquilizer rifle and Florian’s electric torch. They wander through passageways, at the first junction taking a seeming dug-out tunnel, and the second taking a declining tunnel that eventually leads them to a strange meeting in a room they will soon come to known as The Cave. Tonight, the meeting is of the Burrowers Beneath, a geological gathering of students, whom both Logan and Enid find themselves invited to join by Eugene Garrison, president of the Burrowers Beneath, or more colorfully, “The Moles”. Florian makes a bit of a fool of himself and is politely ignored, choosing instead to flap jaws with Stanley for the remainder of the club’s social. Upon learning that Enid’s new duties in The Moles involve care and feeding of the school’s badger mascot, he collapses into helpless laughter, and Enid’s ineffectual kick to his rear end does nothing to cease his guffaws.
- It appears, however, that the party has stumbled upon the tail-end of the Moles’ meeting, and in a short while the newly discovered society departs, leaving Enid, Logan, Stanley, Gladys, and Florian in the Cave, where they decide to recite the incantation. Most recite halfheartedly, giving little of their concentration or belief into the chant, but Florian is a bit more energetic in his ministrations, feeling more drained than anyone else after the chant is complete. Each investigator focuses on some aspect of his or her life that they would like resolved. Enid thinks about poor Frank, and hopes he finds some peace at last. Gladys wishes for a relationship with Stanley. Florian focuses on his academics, feeling that he has neglected his Mathematics enough to warrant a need for some supernatural assistance.
- At the conclusion of their chanting, they ignore the advice of another Mole to avoid the tunnels and immediately jump back into them, aiming to reemerge in the basements of St. Mary’s. Instead, the party finds itself turned around and, almost en-masse, Gladys, Stanley, and Enid collapse and slide down a steep embankment, landing fifty feet down, injuring themselves badly. Florian and Logan manage to stay at the top, and Florian is able to keep hold of the electric torch, which he gives to Logan, who volunteers to brave the tunnels and search for help.
- They do see Logan in the tunnels again. He finds himself lost and is subsequently chased through the dug-out tunnels, finally arriving at a wooden door, which leads into the Museum of Antiquities. He is ousted by a night watchman and his growling mastiff, and decides to make his way to the Hospital.
- The waiting becomes grating, and Enid injures herself further attempting to climb the steep slope, giving up at the last of her strength. Frustrated, Florian calls down that he is going to search for a rope or someone to help them, as it seems that Logan has gotten himself lost. Florian is somehow turned around himself, but eventually finds himself moving in the correct direction again and emerges in the Cave, and takes the far door, which leads to a ventilation shaft and the school Gymnasium’s locker room, which he is very familiar with, being on the fencing team. With some luck, he is able to avoid the watchman in the Gym, steal a length of climbing rope, and outfit himself with a fencing foil from his team’s equipment. Thus equipped, he returns to the Cave and tunnels below and finds himself back at the precipice, where he drops the rope and pulls his friends up to safety.
- At the top of the climb, he administers rudimentary first aid to Gladys and Enid, giving his most focused attention to his sister’s multitudes of injuries, and the diminished party sneaks off through the Gymnasium and meets Logan on their way to St. Mary’s. There they receive treatment, again Florian has to explain to a long-suffering nurse that Stanley has taken another unfortunate spill “down the stairs”. Being past midnight once they have finished being tended to, the boys escort Gladys and Enid to the Mayhew household and then make their ways back to their respective dorms.
- The party recovers and studies up for the remainder of the semester, and Florian is fully inducted into the Delta Phi fraternity after relating the harrowing tales that took place in the tunnels. Lodge Jarvis shows him to the basement, and reveals that Delta Phi has its own Miskatonic tunnel access, leading both to the Library (for late-night cram sessions), and back to the Cave (for raucous parties). Florian immediately sees value in the tunnels as avenues for pranks.
- Enid befriends a Burrower and ex-roommate of Stanley Higgins, one Kenneth Pickering, and is able to obtain a working map of the tunnel system beneath Miskatonic U. A great portion of the map remains undocumented.
- Gladys and Stanley begin walking out together, and soon develop a romantic relationship.
- Logan does…stuff.
- At the conclusion of finals and the reveal of semester grades, everyone finds that they did even better than they thought, seeming according to the energy they put into the chant to Thoth. The only unfortunate casualty was Gladys, who failed one of her courses.
Comments
Sorry it took so long to get up, guys. My recorder was corrupted somehow and I lost the data! So yeah, all from memory. Fill in whatever else you remember, I seem to blank whenever I think of Logan doing anything, probably because he’s one of those stuck-up Sigmas.