Book Three: Out of Time

[DadsAngry]

Marius:

Continues to pull up Edith slowly.
"Not too fast Doc. We don't want the sheet to tear anymore."

[Grognardsw]

Reginald Wilkins is deep in thought outside the locked room of Dr. Clarke. The bookdealer is pondering the possibilities of the occult when a door opens down the hall. An old man totters out.

"There's a woman flying outside my window!"


Two floors above...


Dr. Morgan and Marius pull Edith back into the room.

"What possessed you to climb out a window?! You could have died!" exclaims Prof. Balandabar, not thinking about his choice of words in the heat of the moment.

[Mant72]

Dr. Francis Morgan:

Frank gestures to Prof. Balandabar to hold his voice down and whispers, ”We don’t want to attract the attention of the officer outside the room.”

[SocraticLawyer]

Reginald Wilkins, possibly hallucinating bookdealer

Reginald Wilkins is deep in thought outside the locked room of Dr. Clarke. The bookdealer is pondering the possibilities of the occult when a door opens down the hall. An old man totters out.

"There's a woman flying outside my window!".

Reginald 's first instinct is to rush to the window. He moves towards the door, but remembers that he must ensure that David/Aseneth remains under constant surveillance.

Reginald wonders if the old man is real, or a figment of his imagination. He wonders too if the flying woman is real. He remains by the door.

[DadsAngry]

Dr. Clarke (Edith)

Unable to stop crying David tries his best to speak through his womanly wails. "Frank! I didn't know what else to do. I had to find you. You have to get me out of here. Something terrible has happened. It's me, David! I'm trapped... inside this body."

[DadsAngry]

Marius:

Marius moves back over to the door once Edith is safely in the room. He places his back and all his weight against the door restriction it from being opened easily. He watches and listens to Edith's explanation.

[Mant72]

Dr. Francis:

”Edi...David...What...?” Frank looks at the form of Edith claiming to be David. ”How can this be? This is all so...”

Frank’s knees buckle as he steadies himself and slides into a chair.

He looks up at Edith/David, ”Can you explain to us what is happening?”

[Grognardsw]

Reginald resists the temptation to investigate the old man’s claim of a flying woman.

A nurse comes over and attends to the possibly deranged man. She brings him back into the room.

Meanwhile...

Dr. Morgan, Marius and Prof. Balandabar await Edith’s explanation.

[DadsAngry]

Dr. Clarke (Edith):

"I wish I could old chap but you have to trust me it's me, David. One minute Edith and I were having tea at my home and the next minute I was in here in her body. Then my body violently began attacking me. I tried my best to fight myself off but how could I succeed in this woman's body. I did get a few good strikes with a pan. It's was quite surreal hitting yourself. None the less I had to protect Edith from myself, my body that is. We struggled for a time before I knew I could not overcome myself with her strength. It is then I made the choice. The hardest choice any man could make. I had to sacrifice myself for Edith. I made a break for my bedroom where I kept my revolver. I got a hold of it and fire a couple of shots, one hitting myself in the shoulder I think. I tried to kill myself to save Edith but my body was stronger. It overtook me, beat me until I was unconscious. The next thing I knew I was here, in this hospital room with a policeman preventing me from leaving. I guess the neighbors heard the ruckus and alarmed the police. I'm lucky to be alive. The policeman said my body was alright, is it? Was he telling me the truth? Did I kill myself? Frank, you have to tell me, please. Am I dead?"

[DadsAngry]

Marius:

"She talks like the doc does. I think Reginald is right. The doc is in there."

[Mant72]

Dr. Francis Morgan:

Still somewhat skeptical, Frank answers, ”Yes, your body is fine, David. You haven’t killed yourself. Now,...please don’t take offense, but this is truly hard to fathom. David, if it really is you in there, can you tell me something only you and I know? Sorry if I seem so mistrustful.”

[Grognardsw]

“This woman is clearly insane!” Prof. Balandabar ejaculates in shock and seeming indignation that academic men should so easily swallow such balderdash. ”This clearly seems a case of schizophrenia. She needs immediate care and should be restrained lest she try to commit suicide again.”

Dr. Morgan expresses his skepticism. “David, if it really is you in there, can you tell me something only you and I know?”

[DadsAngry]

Dr. Clarke (Edith):

"Frank, do you remember our time in New York? The valet you carried everywhere you went. Most of us know what was inside of it so that is not my answer. Do you remember the night you knocked on my room? The things you told me that night? If you'll permit me to come closer I will whisper your secret back to you so it can remain so." Edith slowly leans forward into Frank's personal space. He can feel her breath on his ear as she says...

For Frank's ears only

"You came to me that night in hysterics. You had retrieved the valet from the hotel safe but had no memory of it. You even signed the ledger releasing it back to your care but you and I were at the Historical Society at the time. More disturbing you confinded in me and me only which I never told any other soul... the crystal was alive...sentient. It whispers to you."

Edith exits Franks personal space and waits for his reaction. While that sinks in David turns to Dr. Balandabar.

"Prof. Balandabar have you ever met this woman before you? No. Yet I know you are. You are Dr. Baba Balandabar, Professor of Ancient Languages at the Miskatonic University and a close friend of Reginald Wilkins. We met just this morning at my home. Granted your name was familiar from the prof. list at the university but we never conversed more than a polite greeting at the last academic gathering when you first joined the ranks. That morning you, Reginald, Frank, and Marius went to visit Clare Ford at her home while I visited Florence Randolph and numerous bookstores to retrace the steps of Raymond Randolph's research once he returned to Arkham." Edith pauses for a moment lost in thought.

"Oh my God! How could I forget? Frank, he's alive! Raymond! He's alive in our dreams or rather a dreamlike world. The books I reconstructed from his research all point to some kind of afterlife in dreams. He's there. I believe he has found a way to live on. We must collect them... my home! Are the books gone! Did I destroy them before I was brought here! Wait, the list. I pasted the list of Raymond's books to the bottom of my dresser drawer. We must retrieve the books if not the list!" Edith says with great enthusiasm.

[Golem]

"This is just ridiculous!" Balandabar blurted, shaking his head while searching about his person for his briar pipe. "The mad yet clever ravings of a woman obviously suffering from some malady of the mind."

"I've seen this sort of thing. This is pure theatrics. Carnival tricks! I say, don't fall for this. I know! Since women are often excluded from such scholarly pursuits, especial those of an esoteric nature...if Doctor Clarke is indeed inside her, perhaps he can regale us with say a short treatise of something regarding the field of archaeology. As if addressing an audience room full of his peers."

[Mant72]

Dr. Francis Morgan:

Hearing only secrets David would know, Frank is dumbfounded but convinced that this is truly his friend trapped within his former paramour’s body. ”David... It really is you. Thank God!”

He turns to the disbelieving Dr. Balandabar, ”Professor, I know how unbelievable this all sounds, but I am certain this is Dr. David Clark. There are things that only he and I are privy to, and he has proven himself by recounting these secrets. You have to believe us.”

[SocraticLawyer]

Reginald Wilkins, bookdealer
Reginald waits outside of the room containing the body of Dr. Clarke, and the mind of an insane cultist with mind-transference and who knows what other abilities.

He tries not to think of how they are going to deal with the cultist. For now, he just tries to remember the call signs, and hopes the others have not forgotten them. Beehive, lavender, beehive, lavender.....

[Grognardsw]

Reginald Wilkins, bookdealer
Reginald waits outside of the room containing the body of Dr. Clarke, and the mind of an insane cultist with mind-transference and who knows what other abilities.

He tries not to think of how they are going to deal with the cultist. For now, he just tries to remember the call signs, and hopes the others have not forgotten them. Beehive, lavender, beehive, lavender.....

As Reginald ponders, a nurse approaches and begins to unlock David Clarke’s door.

[DadsAngry]

Marius:

"Great so now we know who's who. The bigger question, how do we get her and his body out of here?"

[Mant72]

Dr. Francis Morgan:

Uncertain about how to proceed, Frank shakes his head in consternation and suggests, ”Perhaps we could distract the officer or disguise Reginald as a physician to help get Frank out of this room?“

[DadsAngry]

Marius:

"Stop it Doc. Things are already confusing. You mean Edith right?"