The Physhbowl

MAG 46 - Literary Heights

4 min read

Pre-Statement

Statement of Herbert Knox, regarding a repeat customer to his bookshop in Chichester.

Case Number

9982112

Audio By

Jonathan Sims

Author

Herbert Knox

Date of Statement

1998-12-21

Date of Event

February 1998

Locations

  • Chichester

Meta Info

AudioTranscriptContent Warnings

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Last Episode

Blood Bag

Next Episode

The New Door

Release Date

2017-01-05

Statement

Herbert Knox owns a bookshop in Chichester called Lion Street Books. Michael Crew, a student at the university, comes by on a semi regular basis to browse the older books. He is short and thin and has a branching scar up his neck that he normally keeps concealed.

The first time Michael came to Lion Street Books, he came looking for Dictionnaire infernal, by Jacques de Plancy, the older the better. A smell appeared, similar to that before a storm breaks, and Michael paid in cash and left. Three weeks later he purchased more books on demonology, each time that strange smell appeared and he quickly left. Herbert also started to notice that the light bulbs got brighter when Michael was around and he would occasionally get shocked.

In January, Kirsten Bowman, another book dealer in Salisbury, who Herbert had had a fling with many years ago, passed away, leaving her book collection to him. Herbert remarked that many book dealers had died recently, but the police were not able to find any connections between the deaths. Among Bowman’s books was Ex Altiora, a Leitner tome. Herbert is first annoyed when he discovered that the book was a one of a kind as it makes it an artifact more fit for a museum than for sale which is more work than is worth the profit. But as he read the book, he became dizzy and nauseous. He even fell off his chair a few times and booked an appointment with his doctor to help with the dizzy spells.

A week later, Michael returns to the shop and rejects the books Herbert had set aside for him to look at, although he doesn’t find that behavior abnormal. However, when Michael spots Ex Altiora, he states that he needs to buy it. Herbert described the furious desperation in Michael’s expression and thought that Michael would kill him to acquire the book. Herbert named an extremely high figure and Michael wrote him a cheque before leaving quickly. When Herbert tried to cash the cheque it bounced, and he headed to Michael’s house to confront him about it. The sky was overcast and seemed to be ready to storm. When he arrived, the room looked and smelt like Michael hadn’t left it in weeks, and there were pages of Latin all over the room. Michael didn’t acknowledge Herbert, and as it started to rain he went pale and fled with Ex Altiora in hand.

Giving chase, Herbert followed Michael into the Chichester Cathedral bell tower, unclear on how or why the tower was unlocked. At its summit, he found Michael holding Ex Altiora in front of him, chanting in Latin, including “Vertigo” and “The Vast”. A branching, glowing figure stood before him. As he crescendoed, he shouted, “I am yours” and jumped out of the window. The branching figure screamed and was pulled through the window with Michael. The body of Michael was not found, and from the outside the bell tower’s windows are clearly sealed permanently shut.

Post-Statement

Jonathan Sims believes that Michael was using the book as some kind of ward, and says that Herbert didn’t mention anything about the starless sky with the Lichtenberg Figure that Dominic Swain talked about. Jonathan wonders if Michael tried to use The Boneturner’s Tale but ultimately found it didn’t help.

Supplemental

The trap door has been unlocked. John suspects someone has been down there, although his colleagues deny anything. There is nothing amiss, although spiders have moved in and have eaten the worms. This disturbed John, and he left the tunnels.

Continuity

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