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"Britain
is celebrating the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, but a small group of
students at Oxford University have other matters on their minds. This group
consists of students - who are studying various degrees - that have formed a
very special out of study club; 'The Spirit Chasers'. While they do like the
'hard stuff', the spirits they chase don't come in bottles! But it’s when they
decide to play with an old Ouija board, found in an attic [that was being
refurbished] that things start to go wrong. Mr. Tibbs is sent to investigate."
Alcohol
– Smoking - Strong language – Violence [including murder] – Strong sexual
references [including sexual assault] – Strong Horror with Demonic references.
Author’s notes about this episode:
[1]
This episode contains strong language and serious sexual references.
[2]
The original Title for this episode was: ‘THE DEVIL’S MESSAGE BOARD.’
[3]
A ‘Jericho Tibbs’ original story.
[4] The picture was found in the Public Domain.
Concept
date: 11th May 2019
First
published: 25th June 2020
Status: COMPLETED & PUBLISHED.
Location: BOOK SERIES 4 – EPISODE 8.
Revisions: 3 [last revised July
2020]
Version:
Final.
Published Episode No. 043
Previous
episode: “Youngblood and the Buffalo
soldiers.”
Next
episode: “The troubled spirits of 153rd
North Street Subway Station.”
Age
recommendation: 15+
Average
reading time: Approx. 30 Minutes.
Angel-in-charge:
Margret
Team
Assigned: Team 74
Human
Time: 1977AD-1397AH
Mission: 5
- 300478 - 5 – 1977
Episode Preview:
“It was last open for business in 1969 when the
owner died and the place closed and was simply never re-opened. His heir, a
nephew didn’t want it and put it up for sale. It never sold obviously. Little
money has been spent on its upkeep as you can see.” John Morris waved a
hand at the derelict building and wiped his face. This evening was unbelievably
warm; the summer of ’76 would go into the history books all right. There were
reports on TV about road tarmac actually melting and a severe drought across
the country. Still, he had persuaded Ellen – his live-in girlfriend – that
sharing the bath water was in the nation’s best interests! He fumbled in the
small canvas bag that was slung over his shoulder and found the key’s that the
Estate Agents had handed him.
The owner was more than happy to co-operate with
the team of ‘Paranormal investigators’ from Oxford University; no-one had gone
near the pub or made an offer since it fell empty in 1969. It had quite a
reputation for strange and almost demonic activity which would not have crowds
flooding back into it. Thus, the little group had arrived to investigate and
record what was happening in the old building.
Dave Clay slung the heavy camera over his shoulder
and stared at the old tavern; “If I owned the boozer, I would certainly change
the bloody name!” he said quietly to Maggie who smiled and heaved a couple of
bags from the back of the Austin Morris estate car. “I think your right Dave;
the ‘Devil and the pit’ won’t attract too many punters in for a good time!”
Dave chuckled and cussed the camera again. He was a second-year student in
Media Studies and had borrowed the damn thing from the University Film
productions Unit. He was becoming quite proficient with it and now believed he
could actually get a job as a cameraman on one of the TV stations. He smiled at
Maggie bending over the bags in her shorts. He harboured some delicious
thoughts about his fellow ‘Ghost Hunter’ and they weren’t all fraternal. But
she was under the spell of ‘JP’ Bonaparte – the Professor of African Studies –
at the university. Like a lot of young female students.
But John speaking to him snapped his attention away
from her delicious backside and he grabbed a bag up. “Come on, let’s
get in. I’ve been told we can have the run of the place and there is still
electricity and water on. But no beer apparently. It’s been broken into
more times than I’ve had a bag of chips.” He waved the keys and they
waited until they were joined by William Weaver, who eased himself from the
car.
Willy was a big man and played Rugby for the
university and a local team. He had already been sought out by several Rugby
league teams who would sign him as soon as he finished his degree in Physics.
He was intelligent as he was big.
Everyone in the ‘Oxford Spirit Chaser’s Club’
always felt a little safer with the big man around. He also had some real
experience of ghostly activity and had been involved in the almost infamous
‘Portsmouth Poltergeist’ incident last year. He became a legend – apparently –
when confronted by a chair throwing entity; he slung the bloody chairs back at
it! He and ‘JP’ had dealt with that one. They were close friends and ‘JP’ also
played rugby for the university. Willy was in his last year – like John – and
was quite a character.
John was reading Archaeology and Ancient
History. Everyone he met soon formed the same opinion of the quiet man; he was
going places. He already possessed the demeanour and personality of a
professor, and his knowledge of his subjects could only be matched by the ‘Don’s
at the University. Oh yes, he was destined for the top in his chosen
profession. He and ‘JP’ were really close and good friends.
“When is the man himself joining us?” Willy asked
John who was sorting through the keys as they approached the front door. John
grinned; “JP has a little matter of a gorgeous young air hostess to deal with
first. He met her when he flew back from Nairobi a couple of weeks ago. They
are probably deep in conversation about the early African civilizations as we
speak!” Willy laughed out loud and waited for John to open the reluctant door.
Maggie didn’t smile at hearing about the air
hostess and Dave noticed that with a small smile. JP was never short of female
company that was for sure. The dashing new professor of African studies was big
as Willy and was of mixed European and African heritage. His father was a
Surgeon in France and his mother a journalist in Kenya. He spent his time
between the three countries that he loved: France, Kenya and England. Only in
his early thirties he was already a professor. Like John, he had
the talent to go far in his profession. He was also very attractive to
women; very attractive. JP was handsome, charming and intelligent. He also knew
about the supernatural and paranormal, which didn’t surprise anyone; his
maternal grandfather had been a very famous Witch Doctor! Well, that was the
rumour and JP encouraged it without actually confirming it.
Maggie really missed the other team member tonight,
Rose McGovern. They were good friends, but Rose was at a dinner dance at the
local police station; she was ‘seeing’ a Detective police sergeant who was
divorced and about ten years older than her. But they seemed to get along
really well. Maggie suspected that Rose was a lot more taken by the Sergeant
than she would ever admit to her friend, at the moment. Rose also had a real
sense of humour and could make anyone laugh. She was straight off a Belfast
housing estate on a scholarship paid by some big Irish Whisky company. She
[Rose] always said that she was just getting back some of the money that her
father and Uncles had given the distillery!
They gathered in the old main bar which was
dominated by the original pub sign – taken down to avoid theft – that showed
the devil standing before a pit filled with flame and screaming souls. Maggie
found the kitchens and brewed a huge pot of tea which was welcomed by everyone.
They sat at one of the tables by a boarded-up window and John briefed the team.
“Apparently there has been a tavern on this site
since the fourteenth century. It was a coaching Inn in the 17th and
18th centuries. It has changed hands many times and been called
by several names; but the name ‘The Devil and the Pit’ is the original
fourteenth century name; resurrected by the owners in 1866 for some insane
reason only known to them!” John sipped his mug of dark tea and turned the page
of his notebook.
“There have been all sorts of incidents recorded
here over the years, ghostly apparitions and poltergeist activity. The most
well-known one was a stag party in 1952 which came to an abrupt end when a
demon appeared and attacked the two strippers in the middle of their act!
Apparently the two girls ran up the road in just their stockings, followed by
the men. That appeared in several papers at the time.” He chuckled to himself
and looked about the place adding; “Maybe if Maggie or Rose took off their
clothes on the bar, we may get some action.” He grinned at the two fingers
stuck up by Maggie. He knew that Rose would have retorted with some humour; but
Maggie wasn’t Rose. John actually grinned to himself; Rose probably would
have taken off her clothes, if it would conjure up a poltergeist or two!
“So apart from Rose or Maggie stripping what else can we do to attract the spirits that apparently infest this dump?” Dave asked and finished his tea; he could murder a cold beer. John smiled and heaved up his old black satchel that he always carried and slowly pulled the old cardboard box out. Everyone stared at it.
The box was old and faded and everyone knew what it
contained.
An Ouija Board. “It’s late Victorian and was
found in the attic’s here when the place was closed down by one of the workmen.
I brought it from that little Curiosities shop in the city. Apparently, the
storekeeper said that the workman gave it to him and ran out the shop!” He
carefully opened the fragile box and removed the wooden board and placed it on
the table. “I should have paid about five or six pounds for it, but when I
explained that I was from the university and our little club, he gave it to me
for a pound. Actually, I think he would have given it to me; he seemed more than
happy for me to take it.”
John looked about the table and asked quietly; “I
take it everyone has used one of these before?” Willy folded his arms and
nodded; “Yeah, a couple of times and nothing bleeding happened.” He smiled as
Dave grunted; “Little wonder, the spirit didn’t want a bloody chair broken over
its head.” That broke the sombre mood, except for Maggie who kept looking at
the old pub sign. She would find something to cover that before they started.
So it was decided to try the board before the
summer evening descended into darkness. Maggie made more tea and handed out the
sandwiches she had made and several bags of ‘Chipmunk’ crisps. Everyone ate in
relative silence and Maggie found a bright red tablecloth and threw it over
the pub sign. As she did, she suddenly realized that her nipples were standing
up and she shivered a little. The closed pub was oppressively hot and the men
were openly sweating. But a cold sensation had swept over her. She really
wanted to get out the place but stopped herself thinking about that and
returned to the table, where John had set up the board and Dave the camera and
tape recorder.
Maggie had her large notebook, clock and pencils.
She wouldn’t touch the board; just record the session. Only Willy and John
would actually use the board. Two battery powered lamps were placed on the
table and the lights dimmed. John spoke carefully and quietly as he and
Willy placed their hands upon the Planchette. Maggie noted the time 6.46pm and
date; Friday August 13th, 1976. She wiped her face, Friday the
thirteenth!
John called several times if anyone was there.
Nothing.
Willy now took over and called out if anyone was
there. The pub lights flickered a couple of times, and everyone looked at each
other. Maggie noticed that her hand shook a little as she wrote that down.
Willy called out again and the lights dimmed and went out. Dave quickly
switched on the two lamps, and everyone sat in silence. Willy called out again and suddenly the Planchette
moved slowly to ‘Yes’. Both John and Willy whispered – quite nervously – that
they weren’t pushing the bloody thing! John wiped his face and spoke softly;
“Who wishes to make contact?” he repeated it and watched as the Planchette
moved to each letter in turn.
Maggie – with a real shaking hand – wrote down the
reply and noted the time; 6.50pm. She whispered the word to the others;
“Norman.” Everyone stared at each other, and Dave almost smiled; “A bloody
spirit called Norman?” John drew a deep breath and asked; “What do you want to
say Norman?”
The Planchette moved again, and Maggie wrote down
the answer. “Get out now my friends. Now. Now. Now.” John wiped his face again
and said quietly; “Why Norman, are we in danger?” The Planchette moved quickly
around the board with Willy and John shouting that they couldn’t take their
fingers off the damn thing! Maggie kept her head and wrote down the words
spelled out. “Get out now! Get out now! He’s coming!”
Suddenly the Planchette flew from the board and
spun around like a top and fell from the table onto the floor. Willy and John
were holding their fingers and cursing; “It feels like my fingers are fucking
alight!” John shouted and jumped up. Willy stuck his fingers into his mug of
cold tea and cursed soundly. No one noticed the strange smile on his face.
Everyone calmed down a little and Dave slowly
lifted the camera and managed to gasp; “For fuck's sake! Look at the pub sign!”
The red tablecloth that covered the picture was being consumed by little red
and yellow flames; the burning cloth fell to the floor leaving the picture
untouched apparently. That’s when everyone stared in utter horror as
the Devil raised his pitchfork and gestured to the damned souls in the pit;
they were screaming and pleading as the flames consumed them.
The little group went through the door almost as
one.
Everyone sat in the car in absolute silence and took a swig from Dave’s hipflask of whisky. Finally, John whispered; “We best find a phone box and ring JP.” No one argued with that.
End of Preview.
"ALEXANDRA AND THE OXFORD SPIRIT CHASERS." 
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
“All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of some well-known historical figures, are products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Where real-life historical figures appear, the situations, incidents, and dialogues concerning those persons are entirely fictional and are not intended to depict actual events or to change the entirely fictional nature of the work. In all other respects, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.”
CAUTION:
“SOME OF THESE EPISODES CONTAIN VERY STRONG LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE, HORROR AND SEXUAL REFERENCES. Some are RECOMMENDED suitable for persons aged 15+ years only.”
THE AUTHOR.