I will be going through the entire story of Silent Hill 2 here including plot twists. So if you haven’t played Silent Hill 2 either the original or the remake. I recommend them both as they are both fantastic games. I suggest you do so before reading any further.

The Story

Silent Hill 2 was considered one of the best horror games of all time and for a very good reason. Its inclusion of themes such as grief, bullying and abuse and its ability to showcase them in such a mature way set it apart from other horror games that were released at the same time. Bloober Team did a fantastic job in the remake remaining largely faithful to the story while adding in some more elements that further enhance the story.

Silent Hill 2 begins with James Sunderland arriving at Silent Hill. He is searching for his wife Mary after he received a letter from her. In her letter Mary states that she is in Silent Hill waiting for James in their special place. James expresses doubts that she is even there as he even states that she died three years prior from a terminal illness. Nevertheless James enters the town as there is a part of him that believes he’ll find Mary.

On his journey he meets Angela, Eddie, Laura and Maria who all have their own reasons for being in Silent Hill. I won’t go into too much detail about them here as this topic isn’t about them. He also encounters several strange looking creatures including Pyramid Head who relentlessly hunts him down.

James’ search eventually leads him to the Lakeview Hotel which was where he and Mary stayed the last time they were in Silent Hill together. When James finds the map of the hotel in the lobby there is a message on the third floor map in room 312 that says “Waiting for you”. In the remake James makes a comment that room 312 was their room. This confirms that the room is the special place that Mary talked about in her letter.

James eventually finds a video tape and the key to the room and enters. He plays the video tape and this is where the game’s heart-breaking twist is revealed. James killed his terminally ill wife, not three years prior like he previously believed but much more recently. He was so consumed by guilt that he had repressed the memory.

Despite the revelation James continues on his journey and is able to destroy Pyramid Head for good and depending on the ending James is able to have one final conversation with Mary where she forgives him for his actions and gives him the letter she had intended to leave for him after her death.

What is a Villain?

Before we can answer the specific question of whether James is a villain we need to look at what a villain actually is. A villain is someone who engages in cruel and malicious acts often causing harm to others around them. There are numerous reasons why people become villains or commit evil acts. Some of them are just born evil and enjoy harming people. While others were originally good people who suffered a traumatic event which eventually led them to become villains. This type of villain is known as a tragic villain. They aren’t necessarily evil in the traditional sense of the word but more like their actions are motivated by their trauma. Sometimes they feel like it is the only way they can be heard. Regardless of motivations they still committed evil acts that can’t and shouldn’t be condoned even if you sympathise with them.

In fiction the villain is also referred to as the antagonist, someone who is directly against the protagonist who will often block their goals. While villain and antagonist are often used interchangeably not every antagonist is a villain. They can be a rival of the protagonist as well.

Now that we have a clear idea of what a villain is we can get to the crucial question of this essay.

Disclaimer

Just a quick disclaimer in case people get the wrong idea about this essay and my own opinions. I do not condone James’ actions in regards to killing his wife. He was legally and morally wrong for that. However with everything that he went through which I will get into in this essay I can understand and sympathise with him.

Was James really a Villain?

Taken at face value it is easy to say that yes he is a villain. He killed his own wife just so he could get his life back. Something he admitted to in his final conversation with Mary. He committed a crime that if caught could get him some serious jail time. So from a moral and certainly lawful standpoint he is guilty and as such would be considered a villain purely for that act alone.

However, like everything in Silent Hill 2 James’ story is much more complicated and nuanced. James loved his wife dearly and that love is shown very clearly throughout the game. He also felt a lot of guilt and remorse, which was also shown clearly throughout the game. Even if he didn’t remember why on a conscious level. He certainly remembered on a subconscious level. Add the supernatural nature of the town itself into the mix and you get the manifestations that James faces on his journey.

Mary became terminally ill some time prior to the events of the game. Possibly three years prior which does explain why James believed that Mary died three years ago. That would’ve put a lot of strain on their marriage with the physical, mental and financial worries that they would’ve had as a result.

The Health Care System

Silent Hill 2 is set in America and I won’t go into too much detail regarding the American healthcare system. All I know is that it can be criminally cruel to people who are ill, especially for the long term. In Mary’s monologue that you hear before you reach the final boss she states that it would be easier if the hospital just let her die, but that they were making a nice profit off her. This indicates that the treatments were intense, very expensive and most likely weren’t really helping that much. Mary was aware of that and resented the doctors for making her go through it.

Mary spent most of her time in the hospital and James worked full time as an office clerk which may have brought in decent money at the time but he was most likely just about coping with the medical bills on top of the regular bills. James was splitting his time between work and visiting Mary in the hospital and helping her out whenever he could. This put a huge strain on their mental health and their marriage. Mary even became verbally abusive towards James, something that you can clearly hear in Mary’s monologue towards the end of the game.

Do I blame Mary for that? No, she is going through an illness that will kill her eventually and is cooped up in hospital and is frustrated. Do I condone her abuse towards James? Also no, her illness is an explanation and not an excuse. Suffering from an illness and poor mental health is not a get out of jail free card to treat anyone much less a loved one badly. However I do sympathise with Mary a lot and I believe that you can feel sympathy for someone without condoning any bad actions that they take.

This is a sentiment that I share with James. He was also going through a rough time, he saw his wife suffering from a terminal illness and felt largely powerless in the situation. He wanted to help his wife through her illness as best he could but the longer she was ill the more he started to resent her. He felt like his life was at a standstill and he wanted it back so he eventually killed his wife when she was allowed to go home for a visit.

Do I blame James for that? Not entirely, he and Mary had been through a lot already, the illness, the expensive treatments, Mary’s abuse towards James. He had been unable to communicate how he felt to Mary because she was dealing with her illness and he didn’t want to burden her. However this meant that he bottled up his feelings for her sake which caused resentment to set in and fester. It was a stressful situation for both of them which ended tragically because they couldn’t communicate their feelings in a healthy way. Do I condone James’ actions? No, he still killed his wife, again his resentment, his exhaustion, frustration and poor mental health are an explanation and not an excuse. Granted they are what I would call mitigating circumstances, in any normal situation he wouldn’t have even thought about killing his wife. I do sympathise with James a lot but I don’t condone what he did.

Carer Burnout

Carer burnout is also a very real thing and it’s likely that’s what he was experiencing. The physical and mental exhaustion, the increased irritability and his resentment towards Mary all point towards carer burnout. Sadly, it’s not talked about and addressed nearly as often as it should be, especially since a good number of people will take on a caring role at some point and it very often goes unappreciated. More support needs to be provided for the loved ones of ill people especially if they are taking care of them. This support will help carers and loved ones to be open about their feelings and prevent resentment from building up. James never had that support, we don’t know much about his social life but it is assumed that he doesn’t have any family and friends around to lean on. Essentially he had been shouldering the burden alone and with no support network he had burned out.

The Human Element

James felt a lot of guilt and remorse for what he did. It is part of his story, it is what drew him to Silent Hill in the first place. All the monsters including Pyramid Head were manifestations made physical by his subconscious. Pyramid Head came from James’ guilt and desire for punishment. Once James had regained his memory and accepted it he no longer needed Pyramid Head. He was ready to face the consequences of his actions himself. In his final conversation with Mary he states that the reason he did it was because he hated her and wanted his life back. However that wasn’t entirely true, as Mary states that if that was true then why was he so sad? That line is very telling, James thought that he hated Mary but that was his resentment talking. It was his hate that drove him to kill her but it was his love that made him feel guilty afterwards. He loved and hated his wife at the same time and in a single moment the hate took over.

It is easy to look at someone’s actions on a surface level and automatically assume the worst and write them off as a villain. But when you look deeper you realise that things are much more complicated than they appear. James did a terrible thing but that doesn’t make him a villain. It makes him human.

James is an interesting and polarising figure in gaming history because he is the game’s protagonist but he also committed a terrible crime. This was incredibly rare in the video game industry in 2001 when Silent Hill 2 was initially released. Before then it was pretty cut and dry who the heroes were and who the villains were. But James Sunderland offered a different alternative. That of a deeply flawed man who has to eventually face what he did. Each ending not only highlights how James eventually dealt with (or didn’t) deal with his grief and trauma (leaving the town with Laura in the Leave ending) or (Driving his car into the lake in the In Water Ending) or (when he leaves town with Maria in the Maria ending) it is also reflected in the game play (self preservation) vs (behaving recklessly) makes each ending more personal to the player.

James Sunderland was one of the first video game protagonists to be guilty of a crime as severe as murder which is why he is still polarising even to this day. But polarising doesn’t mean bad, it means that whether you sympathise with him or not he is an unforgettable character.

What are your Thoughts?

Do you agree with my take? Do you have your own takes on James’ actions? Do you believe that James doesn’t deserve grace and understanding because of his actions? Let me know in the comments! I read and reply to all of them.

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We returned home and everything was normal for a while, that was until we heard a strange sound coming from my parents’ bedroom. We weren’t sure what it was at first and we had to hear it a few more times before we realised it was the Mike doll talking on its own without any input. Now I know what you’re all thinking, the battery was probably running low. That is a perfectly logical explanation and at first we thought that was what it was.

But it kept going and it had five different phrases that it would say. However, it would only ever say one phrase when it went off:

“I’ve got my eye on you!”

That was terrifying to hear especially at night and especially when you were on your own while your family went to visit your sister at uni and you were old enough to be home on your own and your dog didn’t like going into the kennel. I was in bed and the dog was in the room with me when I heard it.

”I’ve got my eye on you!”

I couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night, I turned the light on in my room and my dog was watching the door all night growling. When my parents returned home the next day I told them what happened and I don’t fully remember what happened to the doll. I think they put it in the attic. They don’t have it anymore but it was scary, It didn’t move but hearing those six words every time sent a chill down my spine.

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Hi everyone! With book 4 of my series on the horizon I thought I would share some quotes from my 3rd book in the series Bloodlust. This is the book where the overall tone of the series began to shift. Sirensong and Sirensong Encore had a more cosy maritime mystery vibe to them. It allowed me to write something that was meaningful but was still in safe perimeters while I was starting out. I did notice that cosy mystery was a popular genre so I leaned into that while I was working on my writing skills.

I did originally intend for Bloodlust to have the same cosy mystery vibe as Sirensong and Sirensong Encore the story itself seemed to have other ideas. I couldn’t write a story about nightly vampire attacks and an antagonist at war with his own nature without straying into darker territory. I chose these quotes because they capture the atmosphere of small town rumours, a vampire hiding in plain sight and haunting whispers in another wise ordinary suburban street.

Are you OK with a tonal shift in a book series? Do you find it jarring when the tone does change from one book to the next? Or do you actually prefer it when a series takes a darker turn? I would love to hear your thoughts, please share your thoughts on the topic in the comments or click on the link and vote in the poll. I value feedback and will read and replay to any feedback I receive.

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The fourth book in my YA book series Little Hamlin Chronicles is close to being published. So I thought I would share some quotes from the book before it’s released.

Just a quick shout out to everyone who has been following along so far. It means a lot to me that you choose to listen to my story. I love and appreciate every single one of you.

Jasper wants to help Eric to make up for the way he treated him. Help Jasper find Eric by visiting my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShadyKitsune?ref=dashboard-header

Your continued support always means the world to me but if you wanted to support me in other ways but you aren't sure how, now you can by clicking on the "keep the song alive" button on my public rss page. It will take you directly to my Ko-Fi page where you can donate. There's no pressure and you can donate as much as you like. Donations go directly to my PayPal so I would receive 100% of donations. If you can't or don't want to donate that's OK you can still support me by listening to my podcast and spreading the word. Alternatively here is the link to my Ko-Fi page: https://ko-fi.com/shadykitsune

Just a quick shout out to everyone who has been following along so far. It means a lot to me that you choose to listen to my story. I love and appreciate every single one of you.

Jasper and Eric have finally stopped reacting and started investigating. You can help them out by visiting my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShadyKitsune?ref=dashboard-header

It looks like Jasper may have gained a teammate. You can also join him by visiting my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShadyKitsune?ref=dashboard-header

Jasper's desire to solve the mystery has left him unprepared. But you don't have to be. Visit my Etsy shop to help prepare yourself and Jasper for the danger ahead: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShadyKitsune?ref=dashboard-header

You too can join in Jasper's investigations with your very own notebook and thinking cap. Be fashionable and atmospheric with an anime designed t-shirt, hoodie and sweatshirt. Follow Jasper as he unravels the mystery from the comfort of your own home, drinking your favourite beverage from your very own investigator mug. Find these and more "Sirensong Podcast" merchandise in my Etsy shop. Just click on the link and you too can be an amateur sleuth like Jasper: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShadyKitsune?ref=dashboard-header#about

I created more beaded bracelets. This time I used 6mm crackle beads from an online shop called the Bead Shop. It’s a great place right at your finger tips that sells all kinds of beads and jewellery making supplies of great quality at reasonable prices. Crackle beads are great for simple and elegant designs that aren’t overstated.

Check out the shop by clicking on the link:

https://www.the-beadshop.co.uk/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=174414857&gbraid=0AAAAAD-iHstBvQ-lP9ZB5Wm5JP7ik8R9k&gclid=CjwKCAjwtIfPBhAzEiwAv9RTJmpXKc5afPsI0y2aAHqUYQ08Xu-713cAe3fv35uHQwjYRPSDe6wEZxoCifgQAvD_BwE

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In chapter four Jasper takes matters into his own hands when recent events don't add up. Will Eric with him or will Jasper's refusal to back down just push him even further away?

“Eric, wake up.”

There was a soft groan as Eric felt himself being shaken. He opened his eyes and stared at the silhouette standing right next to his bed. “What do you want Jasper?” He asked grumpily, he was annoyed that he was woken up in the middle of the night.

“I needed to talk to you,” Jasper whispered in Eric’s ear. He was practically bouncing up and down, clearly excited about something. “It’s really important.”

Eric sighed irritably, “do you have any idea what time it is?” He questioned, not taking his bleary eyes off the boy. “What if matron heard you?”

Jasper scoffed at Eric’s questions, “it’s only midnight.” He responded dismissively completely ignoring the scowl that Eric was giving him. “Matron is probably sound asleep. She only does a patrol once and that’s way before midnight.”

Eric let out a huff, he just wanted Jasper to get to the point so he could go back to sleep. He didn’t utter a word, instead he waited for Jasper to explain why he woke him up in the middle of the night.

“Remember those cookies in the kitchen?” Jasper asked Eric as he sat down on the edge of Eric’s bed. “The ones Matron said we couldn’t have because they were cooling.”

Eric frowned at Jasper, why was he sitting on his bed? Why couldn’t he just go to sleep? “I remember,” Eric murmured as he kicked at Jasper to get him off his bed but he couldn’t quite reach. “Are you planning on taking them?”

“We are going to take them.” Jasper corrected as he leaned in closer to Eric’s face. He was so close that their noses were almost touching. Eric gritted his teeth as he tried to resist the urge to push Jasper away. He saw the Cheshire cat grin and it made him uncomfortable. “And we’re going to do it tonight.”

Eric blinked once, then twice as he stared at Jasper without uttering a word. Was he out of his mind? What made him think that he could steal cookies late at night without waking anyone up? Jasper looked at Eric expectantly, he wanted an answer and Jasper wasn’t going to leave him alone until he got one. “Goodnight Jasper.” Eric responded quickly and bluntly as he turned on his side away from Jasper. Hopefully that would send a clear message.

Jasper frowned at his friend’s response. It wasn’t like Eric to turn him down like that. This would not do, he needed to rectify the situation. He needed to get Eric back on side. He leapt off the bed to the side where Eric was facing and turned on the lamp on the bedside table. Eric groaned at the sudden light shining in his face and quickly sat upright shielding his eyes with his arm. “Why?!” He cried out suddenly causing the other boys in the room to wake up glaring at them.

“It’s fine, Eric just had a bad dream.” Jasper explained to the annoyed boys in the room. “I’m taking care of it.” The boys grumbled under their breaths, calling Eric a crybaby before they lay back down and went to sleep.

Jasper heaved a sigh of relief but Eric wasn’t amused. “I was having a bad dream, really?” He hissed at the other boy, he wasn’t happy about being thrown under the bus like that. “Those guys already think that I’m the worst and you say that?”

Jasper smiled sheepishly at Eric, “it was the first thing that popped into my head.” Jasper explained as Eric shook his head and rolled his eyes at him. “So are you in?”

“It’s not like I have a choice,” Eric remarked as he climbed out of bed. “You wouldn’t leave me alone unless I said yes.”

“Am I really that bad?” Jasper questioned. He only received a nod in response. “Whatever,” Jasper scoffed as he crept towards the door. “Let’s go.”

Eric followed him, Jasper reached into his bag and pulled out a torch. He switched it on and opened the door, shining the light into the dark hallway. The torchlight wasn’t particularly bright but it was enough to allow him to see. He looked left first towards the bathroom and staff bedrooms and saw nothing. He then looked right towards the girls’ room and the stairs. It was all clear there too.

“It’s clear,” he whispered to Eric. They pushed the door open wider and walked through before quietly closing the door behind them. They didn’t want anyone to get suspicious.

Jasper stepped forward holding the torch out in front of him so he could see where he was going. Eric was close behind him, he looked around nervously. It was the same hallway that he walked through every day. Except in the pitch darkness with a torch as the only light made the place seem eerie. “This place is really spooky at night.” Eric whispered in Jasper’s ear.

“Come on Eric, it’s not that bad,” Jasper remarked as he tried to sound as encouraging as possible. “No one’s around except us and the monsters have gone away.”

“If you say so,” Eric muttered as the two kept walking towards the stairs. They were cautious with each step they took out of fear that they may step on a creaky floorboard and wake everyone up. With each step they took they held their breath then released it with each successful step. Once their feet touched the coarse carpet at the bottom they looked around to make sure no one else was downstairs.

They didn’t hear any footsteps or see any other light source so they made their way to the kitchen. Eric stayed close to Jasper, the strange shadows frightened him. “How much further to the kitchen?” He whispered as he glanced around at the overstretched shadows of the hallside table and lamp. He wanted to turn the lamp on to give them more light but that could potentially wake everyone up.

“Not much further,” Jasper whispered back as the two continued to tip toe down the hall. They soon came to a stop at a door that was slightly ajar. Jasper carefully pushed it open and even in the dim torchlight he could see that the room was the kitchen. He looked around and he saw the cookie jar resting on top of the fridge. “There it is!” Jasper exclaimed though not loud enough to wake anyone up. He nudged Eric’s arm and pointed towards the cookie jar.

“It looks really high up, beyond our reach.” Eric uttered as he started to walk away. “I’m going back to bed.”

“Wait, don’t go.” Jasper grabbed Eric’s arm and pulled him back. “We made it this far, we can make it all the way. We just need to walk into the kitchen, grab a chair and use it to get to the jar on top of the fridge. It’s really that easy.”

Eric frowned at Jasper as he tried to stifle a yawn. He just wanted to get back to bed, he wasn’t even in the mood for cookies. “I’m starting to think I need a better friend.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“Alright, let’s go, we’ll go together on the count of three. One, two, three.” They both took a step into the kitchen and froze looking around to make sure they didn’t somehow wake everyone up. But when they didn’t hear anything they started to walk towards the kitchen table.

As they walked Eric stopped, “something doesn’t feel right.” He uttered as Jasper turned to face him.

“It’s probably just you being paranoid,” Jasper remarked dismissively as he took another step. “Come on.”

Eric groaned but he continued to follow Jasper. Though with each step they took their vision started to blur. “I really don’t feel right.” Eric spoke up once more as he rubbed his eyes, but that didn’t do much to clear his vision.

“Yeah, me too. I feel dizzy.” Jasper murmured as he almost lost his balance. “What’s happening?”

Eric didn’t say a word, everything around him was spinning and he started to feel sick. He fell to his knees wanting to cry. “I want to go back to bed.” He whispered as he closed his eyes tightly.

“We can get through this,” Jasper reassured him though he wasn’t entirely sure himself. It couldn’t have been something they ate, they would’ve felt sick much sooner. Was it something in the kitchen? “We just need to wait a moment and we’ll be fine.”

Eric opened his eyes and his vision seemed to clear but then everything started to appear bigger. “Jasper, I think everything has grown bigger.”

Jasper looked around and everything did seem to be growing. Then he looked down at his feet and gasped. “Eric, I don’t think everything’s growing bigger.” He uttered, there was a hint of concern in his voice for the first time that evening. “I think we’re getting smaller.”

Eric looked down and let out a cry, although it sounded more like a squeak. “You’re right! We’ve shrunk! Now what do we do?!”

“Let’s not panic here,” Jasper responded as he tried to keep calm though he was finding it increasingly difficult. “This is just a little setback that’s all.”

“A little setback!” Eric yelled as he glared at Jasper through tired eyes. “We’re no bigger than mice! How are we supposed to get to the cookies now?!

“We’ll find a way, stop yelling at me,” Jasper moaned as he looked around. “Let’s get to the top of the table.”

“How do we do that?”

“We climb, duh?”

Eric scowled at him before he walked over to the nearest chair. It wasn’t anything special, just a standard wooden chair that could be found in any kitchen. It was a little worn but with their size they should be able to climb it without issue. Eric turned to look back at Jasper. “Give me a boost.”

Jasper blinked at him. “I was going to ask you that.”

“I’m not asking, I’m telling.”

“Since when did you become so bossy?”

“Since you woke me late at night and dragged me into your little scheme. I’m not going to repeat myself, Jasper.”

Jasper sighed and walked over to Eric, “fine, but just so you know I’m not used to someone else calling the shots.”

“I know,” Eric retorted with an amused smile spread across his face. Jasper cupped his hands and held them out for Eric. He winced as Eric placed his foot onto his hands but he was able to boost Eric up enough for him to reach the rung on the chair.

Eric gripped it tightly to stablise himself. He looked down for a second and instantly regretted it. It was much higher than he had anticipated. “You don’t look so good Eric!” Jasper called out to him. “Want to swap and I can climb?!”

Eric shook his head, “not a chance!” He called down to Jasper he didn’t want to give him the satisfaction especially after everything he did so far. He took a deep breath and started to pull himself towards the front chair leg. He examined it as he got close. It was thick enough to support the chair, but not too thick that he couldn’t use it to climb further up.

He reached out for the leg and wrapped his arms and legs around it and carefully climbed up the chair leg to the seat. When he was safely on the seat he let out a relieved sigh and carefully peeked over the edge. He couldn’t see Jasper clearly anymore and he quickly stepped back feeling dizzy. He would never see the kitchen table the same again. He looked at the back of the chair and saw the wooden pillars that gave the back its shape. The gaps were wide enough that he could climb them.

Eric climbed up the columns and pulled himself up to the top of the chair. Fortunately the table wasn’t too far away and he was able to ease himself on to it. He looked around the top of the table, there was a bowl of fruit on there, not really unusual and what looked like a knitting kit with multi-coloured balls of yarn. He smiled at that, the yarn would be useful. He walked over to the nearest one, it was a ball of royal blue yarn. On closer inspection he saw the end of the yarn sticking out. That meant it had been used recently, good, he could use it as a rope for Jasper to climb up. He grabbed the end of the thread and pulled on it to extend it, he walked with it to the end of the table. He placed it down and went back to the ball of yarn and pushed a notebook in front of it. That way it wouldn’t be dragged down by Jasper climbing on the yarn.

Jasper was pacing round the bottom of the table, he paused to look up to see where Eric had gotten to before he resumed pacing. “What’s taking him so long?” He muttered as he tapped his foot impatiently. “He must’ve reached the top by now.” His eyes widened as he saw the blue yarn drop down and land next to him. He smiled as he approached the yarn and grabbed hold of it.

As he started to climb he wasn’t aware of a large shadow looming towards him. He smiled as he saw Eric peering over the edge of the table. However, Eric didn’t smile back. His eyes were wide as he stared at something approaching Jasper. “Behind you Jasper!” He called out as he pointed a shaky finger.

Jasper turned around confused only to duck down just as paw swiped at him. Jasper stared wide eyed at a large tabby cat crouched at the table. “No Archie! Go away!” Jasper called out to it. The cat simply stared up at Jasper licking its lips before it swiped its paw at him again. “Eric! Pull me up!”

Eric ran over to the hanging yarn and began to frantically pull it up. Jasper clung on for dear life as he was slowly but surely being pulled up to safety. Archie didn’t give up so easily though. He kept jumping up with his claws outstretched trying to catch Jasper. Eric pulled on the yarn faster and faster until Jasper had reached the top of the table. Jasper panted as he tried to steady his rapidly beating heart. He couldn’t believe that the orphanage cat had tried to catch him and eat him.

Jasper and Eric peered over the table to see Archie staring up at them meowing and hissing. The cat turned its head and saw the chair, he crouched down and prepared to jump on to the chair. Eric and Jasper quickly pushed the ball of yarn off the table and it rolled passed Archie. The cat’s eyes widened as he chased after the ball of yarn instead as it rolled out of the kitchen. Jasper and Eric sighed with relief. “That should keep him busy for a while.” Eric remarked as Jasper murmured in agreement. Eric looked at Jasper confused. “Why was Archie trying to catch you?”

“Probably mistook me for a mouse,” Jasper answered. It was the only explanation he had and it was the only one that made sense. They were no bigger than mice and to a cat like Archie it wouldn’t make a difference. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.”

Eric frowned as he heard those words. “Oh so NOW you think it was a bad idea?!” He scolded Jasper, he was tired, frustrated and small. He wanted to go back to bed but he couldn’t until they figured out a way to return to their regular size.

“I didn’t know this would happen,” Jasper protested as he tried not to shrink back from Eric’s fury. It was rare but when he did lose his temper everyone knew it. “We’ll figure it out and then we can get the cookies.”

Eric let out a sigh, “or we could just go back to bed.”

“It’s too late for that now!” Jasper exclaimed as he recovered from the trauma of the cat attack. “The cookies are just there,” he pointed towards the cookie jar still resting on the fridge. “We just need to get to the other side.”

“How are we supposed to do that?”

Jasper’s heart sank as they looked over at the other side. There was a large gap between the table and the counter and there was a great distance to the ground. If they fell, Jasper didn’t even want to think about it. He turned his attention to the middle of the table to look for anything they could use to bridge the gap. He spotted the knitting needles but they wouldn’t help much. A small pile of books but they would’ve been too big and heavy to move. There was the sugar bowl with a spoon still inside it.

Jasper stared at it for a moment and wondered. He looked over at Eric, “I think I have an idea.”

Eric blinked at Jasper and kept a neutral expression. “Words I don’t think I ever want to hear from you again.”

“Just come and help me.

“Fine.”

Eric ran over to Jasper and looked at the spoon in the sugar bowl. “That’s your plan?”

“Help me get the spoon out of the bowl.” Jasper spoke as he crouched down so Eric could climb on to his shoulders. He reached up to grab the handle of the teaspoon and carefully pulled on it. The spoon flipped and landed on the table. Eric climbed down from Jasper’s shoulders and the two looked at it. It was definitely going to take both of them to move it. They pulled the spoon over to a paper weight in the middle of the table and carefully balanced it on top of the weight. Jasper looked around and he spotted something slightly sticking out of the rim of the overhead light.

“Is that a marble?” Eric asked as he looked up and saw that the object was a coloured ball.

“Yeah, it must’ve gotten stuck up there earlier. We just need to pull it down so that it’ll land on the spoon.”

Eric stared at the balanced spoon nervously, “I’m not sure I like this idea.” He uttered as Jasper ignored him and grabbed hold of some loose yarn and tied one of it into a loop. He and Eric then climbed up and sat in the bowl part of the spoon. Jasper spun the yarn round over his head before he launched it towards the marble. It missed and fell back down.

Jasper tried it again and missed a second time. He grew frustrated and swung it round much harder before launching it. He winced as he felt the yarn connect with something and tighten. He smirked as he pulled on the yarn pulling the marble down. It fell and landed on the other end of the spoon propelling it and the boys upwards and over the gap.

Eric screamed as he held on to Jasper for dear life while Jasper was laughing the whole time. That was what he called a plan. The two landed on top of a small pile of neatly folded tea towels. They regained their bearings and looked over at the table and Jasper cheered, “we did it! I knew my plan would work!”

“I don’t feel so good,” Eric groaned as he held his stomach.

Jasper laughed and patted Eric on the back, “oh come on you’ll be fine, just a little further.” Eric wretched as he threw up on the counter. “Eric, you gotta learn to hold it in.” Jasper muttered as he stared at Eric in disgust.

“I’ll bear that in mind the next time you want to throw me over a chasm.”

“Stop whining, we’re almost there,” Jasper remarked as he pointed to the fridge.

“How are we supposed to get up there?!” Eric questioned as he looked up at the cookie jar. “That is way too high!”

“We just need to find things that we can use to climb.” Jasper responded as he patted Eric on the shoulder. “Just relax, it’ll be fine.”

“I’ll relax when we’re back to normal.”

Jasper shook his head and he looked around. He spotted a large bread bin and he and Eric pushed it up against the fridge. They found smaller containers and pushed them up against the bread bin to act as makeshift stairs. They found smaller items to pile on top of the bread bin. Onwards and upwards they climbed and added things until eventually they reached the top.

“We did it!” Jasper cried out as he pulled Eric into a one armed hug. “I knew we could!”

“I never doubted you for a second.” Eric muttered sarcastically.

“Don’t be such a sourpuss,” Jasper complained as he and Eric reached out to the cookie jar. As soon as they touched it they were met with the same dizzying sensation.

“My eyes have gone funny again!”

“Mine too!”

“Are we shrinking further?”

“No, I think we’re growing bigger!”

They sighed with relief as everything in the kitchen looked like normal again. They opened the jar and Jasper was about to take a cookie when they heard the sound of footsteps. They looked over as a middle aged woman wearing a dressing gown was standing in the doorway. “Put the cookie back.” She called out sternly as she approached them. Jasper obeyed and he put the jar back down.

“How did you know we were here?” Eric asked the woman.

“I heard a lot of commotion coming from down here. So I went to check on you all.” She explained as she frowned at the two of them. “I saw that your beds were empty and I knew that you would try something.”

“Fair, but why did we shrink?”

She smiled at hearing that, “so my spell did work. How was it being the size of a mouse?”

“Horrible,” Eric complained, “everything was so big and then Archie tried to catch us. Was he part of it too?”

The woman shook her head, “Archie was just behaving like cats do.” She answered as she reached out to both of them. “Let’s get you down from there.” She brought them both down from the fridge but she wasn’t done with them yet. “I had told you Jasper that you would have to wait until tomorrow for cookies but patience has never been your strong suit. I expected you to pull a stunt like this but you Eric.” She turned to look at him. “I expected better from you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t blame Eric, it was all me. I dragged him into it.” Jasper admitted. “If you want to punish me further then go ahead but for Eric being shrunk is punishment enough. Especially with all the things we had to do to get to the cookie jar and break the spell.”

She looked at them puzzled, “I didn’t put a spell on the cookie jar.” She told them, the whole point of it was to stop them from getting to it. “And if you’d have waited twenty minutes it would’ve worn off.”

“You’re kidding me!” Eric shouted as he glared at Jasper. “You had us do all of that and all we had to do was wait for it to wear off!?”

“How was I supposed to know?!”

“Boys please, you’ll wake the whole place up. Let’s get you to bed and we can discuss your punishment in the morning.” She spoke calmly as she began to usher them out of the kitchen.

“Can we at least have a cookie?” Jasper asked as she stared down at him.

“No, I’m not going to reward you for going against my orders.” She told him flat out as they entered the hallway. “Now get upstairs to bed, we’ll talk more in the morning.”

“Yes matron,” Eric and Jasper spoke at the same time as they walked up the stairs to their room. They were tired and annoyed that they didn’t get the cookies in the end but all they wanted was to go back to bed.

As soon as they went upstairs the matron walked back into the kitchen and had a look around. She had noticed that one of her balls of yarn was missing. Archie probably got hold of it. She would get it back from him later. She spotted the teaspoon lying at the edge of the table and everything stacked up on the counter at the side of the fridge. She couldn’t help but chuckle, despite their disobedience they had used what resources were at their disposal to reach their goal.

“Those boys really are something special.” She whispered to herself as she turned the kitchen light off and closed the door behind her.

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I've made it to three episodes which I know isn't huge in the podcast world but it is still a milestone worth celebrating. Thank you to those who have listened to the previous episodes and have stuck around. Your support means the world to me.

I used stretchy elastic which meant no messing around with pliers and clasps. I doubled over the elastic to increase the strength while still maintaining the elasticity. I used 8mm glass beads which I bought from Amazon and 66mm crackle beads which I bought from the Bead Shop. It is a British online shop which sells a variety of beads and jewellery making supplies at reasonable prices and of great quality.

.“I’ve got the job?”

“Immediate start? Yes I can start right away! Thank you!”

I hung up the phone practically shaking with excitement. It had been a couple of months since I left my home and my ex husband. The divorce was tough, moving back to my hometown to make a fresh start was even tougher. My ex husband at one point wanted to call it off, claimed that he still loved me, that we could work it out. She didn’t mean anything to him etc. All excuses, he didn’t care about me when I found them together in my bed, it was only when he realised that he was going to lose me and half of everything that he wanted to fight for our marriage. But I stood firm, I was done. Done with his philandering ways, done with his excuses, done with trying to make a broken marriage work. I was done playing the role of the good, loyal housewife waiting at home while he was off with his female co-worker. It took a while and many tears on his part, but I think he finally got the message. He didn’t ask for a reconciliation after that.

When the divorce was finalised I decided that I no longer wanted to stay in town. We only moved there because of his career and it was closer to his family. I hated the place and I hated that no one I knew was there. When I told my best friend I was thinking of moving she immediately offered to let me stay in her spare room until I could get back on my feet. I jumped at the chance and packed what little possessions I had and moved back to my hometown. I was still living at her place when I got the call saying that I got the job. It was hard finding a job when I spent so long out of work because of my ex husband’s insistence that he would take care of me. But persistence and my best friend’s network of friends paid off. Now I was looking at a brand new career and the chance to really start over. I love my best friend but I had already burdened her enough. It was time to pull myself together and work towards getting my own place.

I went into the bathroom to shower, before picking out some clothes for the first day on my new job. “That skirt is too short, that blouse is too low cut, does this shirt even fit me anymore?” It was a whole half hour of throwing clothes all over the place before I settled on a nice black knee length skirt and a mint green blouse. I put on my shoes, tied up my hair into a bun and gave myself a quick once over in the mirror.

“Not too shabby,” I turned to get a better view of my back and everything appeared to be fine. I dusted myself off before grabbing my bag and hurrying out the door. Fortunately the new place was a short walk from my friend’s home. The street was quiet but not unbearably so, people were pleasant enough when I waved but they didn’t strike up a conversation. Fair enough, some people just liked to go about their own business. I missed my hometown, I missed the tranquility of it compared to the hustle and bustle of where I was living before. Now I could just take my time and not have to worry about much. A few minutes later I arrived at a rather old but very well kept building. The local library and archives, I remember going to it as a child and would stay from when it opened all the way until it closed on weekends much to my mother’s enjoyment. She could leave me in there whenever she needed to run some errands and I would happily read as many books as I could before closing. There was a cheerful looking woman in a business suit at the entrance waiting for me when I arrived. She waved to me and shook my hand as I approached her.

“Ruby, I’m so glad you could make it on such short notice!” She greeted me enthusiastically as she vigorously shook my hand. It took all my mental fortitude to not cry out from her strong grip. Eventually she released my hand and I shook it gently to get rid of the numbness. “Jennifer spoke very highly of you.”

I felt my face going red, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to thank Jen or pull her into the proverbial hole with me. I understood why she did it though, in her own way she was trying to help. But did she really have to puff me up like that? It would’ve been so embarrassing if I messed up. I felt the woman’s eyes on me and figured that I’d better do or say something otherwise she might have second thoughts about hiring me. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity,” I spoke enthusiastically as the smile returned to the woman’s face.

“Good, shall we get on with the tour? I can talk to you a little about your duties, you can meet your colleagues as well.” I nodded and followed her inside. The entrance hall was fairly simplistic but elegant in its design but we didn’t stay in there long. She took me through to the main library, the high ceiling and tall bookshelves made me feel incredibly small but not in a bad way. I was just in awe with the sheer size of it. As we walked through and I listened to the woman give an explanation of the history of the library I spotted people who I assumed would be my colleagues diligently shelving the books in the order they should be in and working the desk helping people who came into the library.

“You can have a much better look of the library and speak with your colleagues after the tour,” the woman spoke up as she noticed that I was keen to examine every nook and cranny in that place. But she had to hurry the tour along if I was to see everything. She led me to the back of the library towards a door and she quickly put a code into it. There was a beep and she pulled the door open holding it for me. I quickly slipped through not wanting to keep her waiting. “I will give you the code to that door so you can pass through here whenever you like.”

I was grateful for that, the last thing I wanted was to forget or to be reliant on others to open the door for me whenever I needed to enter. She led me through the employee area which had the toilets, the break room which was just a basic sitting area with a kitchenette. Nothing to write home about but it had all the amenities to bring your own lunch in. The room I was interested in was an area where old and valuable books were stored and repaired if needed. “Once you’ve been with us for a while we can start training you on how to properly store and repair our more valuable books.”

I was excited at that prospect, I loved old and valuable books and to be able to work with them would be a dream come true. But for now it would have to wait, she led me to a room at the back and opened the door allowing me inside. It was an office, she went to the desk and sat down behind it before gesturing for me to have a seat. I quickly sat down on the chair opposite her and waited for her to speak.

“I understand that you went through a difficult time with your divorce.” She spoke, the cheeriness in her voice had gone. That didn’t sound good, still I didn’t say a word and waited for her to continue. “Jen is a good friend of mine so when she asked me for this favour I didn’t hesitate because I wanted to help someone get back on their feet.” Damn, how much did Jen tell this woman? I could feel my face heating up with embarrassment. I wished the ground would’ve swallowed me up.

“It was difficult,” I responded once I managed to regain my composure. “But I’m ready for a fresh start and I’m looking forward to working here.”

The woman smiled at me, “glad to hear it.” She stated as she handed me some paperwork. I quickly read through it and signed it before sliding it back to her. She filed it away in a drawer under her desk. “Welcome to the family.” She shook my hand again and stood up making her way to the door. “I’ll take you out into the library and leave you in the care of your new colleagues.”

“Thank you,” I uttered as I stood up and followed her. This was the part I was looking forward to, being out there and meeting my new colleagues. As we approached the door leading back into the library she paused and turned to look at me. The smile had gone and was replaced with a seriousness I didn’t think she possessed. “Ruby, before we go back out I should warn you that sometimes spooky things can happen in this building.”

“What kind of spooky things?” I asked, I had to admit my curiosity was piqued at that. It was an old building, it made sense that it was haunted. I just wanted to know what to expect so I could be prepared.

“Nothing major, books would be occasionally out of place. Books flying off the shelves sometimes. There were some reports of voices being heard in the bathroom.” The woman paused and gave me that same serious look as before. “I just wanted to make sure you’d be able to handle it, not everyone can.”

“I think I’ll be fine.”

Just like that the smile had returned to her face and it was almost as if the conversation never happened. “Great,” she clapped her hands and pushed a button next to the door and pushed it open. She held it open for me and we were back in the main library. I walked with her to the desk where there were a couple of middle aged women. They smiled at me when we arrived. “This is Ruby, she’s just started with us. I want you to make her feel welcome.”

I gave a shy wave to them but they simply pulled me into big hugs. It seemed like everyone was really friendly around here. Satisfied that I was in good hands, the woman that showed me around had left. Most likely back to the office. My colleagues began to show me the ropes and I soon learned pretty quickly how to do the job. I asked them about the strange occurrences that happened in the library.

“She told you about those, did she?” One of them asked in a slightly gruff voice, it wasn’t unkind. On the contrary she sounded how my grandmother used to and it was oddly comforting. I simply nodded and she leaned back in her seat. “Personally I haven’t seen anything but every so often we’d get reports about the books and hearing voices. I don’t put much stock in ghost stories personally but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

I hung on to her every word, I didn’t believe in ghost stories much either. To me they were stories children used to tell to scare each other. Daring each other to enter haunted houses to prove how brave they are. But, something about this was different though I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. So I tried my best to put it out of my mind for now. However, when I was putting some books away a small part of me was keeping an eye out for anything. I even peered round corners carefully just in case some wayward book travelled my way. But there was nothing, maybe it was just a way for them to scare the new girl. It was amusing at first but it grew tiresome after a while.

The rest of the day was uneventful, I finished my shift, grabbed my belongings and made my way home. As I entered the apartment I noticed that I was alone, I put my things down in the hallway and made my way to the kitchen. On the fridge there was a note which read:

Sorry Ruby had to pull another late shift so I won’t be home until after midnight. There’s plenty of leftovers in the fridge so help yourself. Hope the first day in your new job went OK. I’ll see you in the morning. Love Jen.

I smiled when I saw the note, reading it one more time before opening the fridge. I wasn’t particularly hungry so I simply grabbed a bottle of wine and poured myself a glass. I walked into the living room and pulled back the curtains looking out into the town. It hadn’t changed much since I was a child. I wasn’t sure if it was nostalgia but I smiled as I looked out at the quaint houses and roads. It looked like it was frozen in time and maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing, I’d heard many horror stories of small towns being developed and losing their soul. Fortunately my hometown didn’t have to pay that price. I pulled the curtain back into place and sat down on the sofa drinking my wine. “Here’s to new beginnings.” I chuckled as I finished my wine and looked at the clock on the mantle piece. Time had barely moved, I walked over to the clock and tapped it. Definitely out of batteries, I made a mental note to buy a clock battery the first chance I got.

I wasn’t feeling particularly tired but I decided to go to my room. I changed into something a little more comfortable and turned my bedside lamp on before turning the main light off. I grabbed the book I was reading from my bed and turned to the page I was up to. I had barely read the first line when I heard a sound coming from outside. I ignored it at first, it was probably a raccoon or something rummaging through the bins. A few minutes later, the same sound happened again. This time I put my book down and climbed out of bed, I crept slowly to the window and carefully pulled back the curtain. I looked outside but I didn’t see anything. Whoever or whatever it was must’ve gone.

I closed the curtain and climbed back into bed, I picked up my book and resumed reading. There were sounds every now and again but they sounded further away so I paid them no mind. After reading a few pages I started to feel tired. I tried to push through it so I could finish the page I was on but my eyelids were so heavy I could barely keep them open. I put the bookmark in the book to keep my page before I put it back on the bedside table. I reached over and turned off the lamp plunging the room into darkness. I’ll admit I felt a little unsettled after the sounds I heard but I was too tired to move at that point. So I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep.

There was something to be said for a solid routine, and my new routine was as solid as you could get. I would wake up, go to work, finish for the day, go home, rinse, repeat. That was my life and though it was uneventful I didn’t mind it. It was much better than the chaos of my old life, working every hour to keep our home in top shape while my ex was just taking care of himself. He made my life miserable and then threw our relationship away like it meant nothing. Yet, there was a part of me that still missed him. No, I couldn’t miss him, that would’ve just been playing into his hands and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. I made my way home and Jen was working late again. Cue the note on the fridge about left overs and my nightly glass of wine. I mentally kicked myself when I saw that the mantlepiece clock was still frozen. I had forgotten to get a clock battery, perhaps tomorrow.

I went to my room and read my book, listening to the sounds outside that I had now grown accustomed to. I read a few more pages of my book, marked the page and went to sleep. That was my life and I loved it, it brought me a sense of peace that I had never known before. Yet despite that, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. I couldn’t explain it, but every time I turned around I was sure I could see something out of the corner of my eye. But by the time I was able to properly look, it was gone. I simply chalked it up to my imagination but now I wasn’t so sure.

The next day I woke up and went to work. I was alone today. It wasn’t a big deal, it happened from time to time and this place wasn’t always busy. I simply carried out my tasks as I normally would. I walked towards an aisle to put some books back and I just about managed to pull back as a book flew passed me just missing my face. My heart pounded in my chest, the one time I’d forgotten to check round corners I ended up with a book being launched at me. It had to be a prank, that was the only logical explanation. I plucked up my courage and walked down the aisle with all the authority I could muster.

“This is a library stop throwing…”

I stopped as I saw to my surprise that the aisle was empty, this confirmed what the woman had said to me on my first day. Maybe the place really was haunted. No, there had to be an explanation. How do you explain a book throwing itself? I went to grab the book and put it back on the shelf and put the other books on the shelf as well before moving to the next shelf. I placed more books on the shelf and I noticed that there was one book that was out of place. I was warned about that too but I always thought it was because of human carelessness. It happened from time to time, it must’ve happened yesterday and was forgotten about. I picked it up and went to put it on its rightful place on the shelf.

The sound of laughter made me freeze, it wasn’t an adult laugh but one that was made by a child. There was a children’s area which parents mainly took their children to but every so often a stray child would be running around believing that the library was a playground. I followed the source of the noise and got ready to scold a child for running around and making noise in a library. As soon as I turned the corner there was silence. I stared at an empty staircase with no child in sight. Maybe they had already run back to their parents. I made my way to the children’s area to lecture some parents about keeping an eye on their children.

But it was empty. I looked around at the colourful walls with well known book characters painted on them to the seating area and there was no one. What was going on?

I jumped at a loud creak that was coming from behind me and I was relieved when I saw that it was just an old rocking chair. I must’ve brushed passed it as I entered the children’s library. I shook my head, it was all in my imagination. I quickly walked out of the children’s area before something else happened. I entered the back and made my way to the break room and made myself a cup of coffee. I sat at the table and breathed deeply as I looked down at my cup. “No need to freak out, these things are expected, you were warned about them. Just don’t think about it.” I whispered to myself over and over, but it didn’t make me feel any better about the situation. The one time when I was alone things started to happen.

I drank my coffee and washed my cup in the sink. I almost dropped it when I heard a loud sound. “What now?” I asked myself as I put the cup on the draining board and hurried out of the breakroom. There were flashing red lights as well as the sound and it only took me a few seconds to realise that it was the fire alarm. Panicking I ran for the nearest fire exit, after all it wasn’t like I had to evacuate anyone. As I ran passed the bathroom I was hit by a wave of thick smoke, I coughed as I covered my face with my arm. It was coming from the bathroom, so someone was here afterall. I became annoyed again, someone was smoking in the staff bathroom, someone who should’ve known better. I walked over to the door trying not to breathe in too much smoke. I pushed open the door ready to yell at someone for being a potential fire hazard.

But there was no one.

I lowered my arm from my face as I noticed that the smoke had disappeared and the alarm had stopped. Did I just imagine that? The alarm went off. I was certain of it yet there was no sign of a fire or anyone smoking. Unnerved, I backed out of the room and closed the door behind me. What was going on? I made my way back out to the main library and everything seemed to be back to normal. I let out a quiet sigh of relief and resumed my work. For a while at least there didn’t seem to be any more issues. But it was all still in the back of my mind, why now? Why am I seeing these things? Is this place truly haunted?

I decided to stay at the counter and just catalog some of the books into the computer. The repetitive task helped to keep my mind focused and I wasn’t worrying about any of the strange occurrences. Maybe it was over and I wouldn’t have to deal with any of it for the rest of the day. When I had finished I noticed a strange smell, or was it always there and I just wasn’t thinking about it? I wrinkled my nose in disgust, it smelled like cigarettes. Maybe someone had crept in while I was busy and started smoking somewhere. I listened expectantly for the fire alarm but it didn’t go off this time.

“Strange,” I thought as I stood up and followed the smell to its source. I groaned as I saw that it was the public bathroom. I paused for a moment, I knew that it was probably a malicious being or my own mind playing tricks on me but I had to investigate. I pushed the bathroom door open and I saw that no one was in, not a big surprise. But what surprised me was that the room was filled with smoke. I coughed as I backed out of the room and quickly closed the door behind me. “Where did all that smoke come from?” I didn’t see it before. I quickly made my way to the employee area and grabbed my phone from my bag. I found the number for my boss, she had said to call her should I ever run into any trouble. I rang the number and pressed my phone to my ear and waited for her to answer.

“The number you have dialled couldn’t be reached, please try again later.”

Curse that generic voice, I swore under my breath as I tried the number again but I received the same message. I hung up and found Jen’s number. I knew there was nothing she could do but hearing her voice would provide some comfort. I quickly called the number and waited, silently praying that Jen would pick up.

“Hi this is Jen, I’m not able to take your call right now but just leave your name, number and message and I’ll get back to you.”

“...beep…”

“Jen it’s Ruby, something really strange is happening here and I don’t know what to do. I know you’ve been working late recently but hearing your voice would be a real comfort right now. Call me back.”

I hung up the phone, hopefully Jen will have received my message and got back to me. I stayed in the back a little longer to gather my nerves before going back outside. I made my way back to the bathroom and went inside. Sure enough the smoke was gone, maybe I imagined the whole thing and now Jen would be worried. I had a tendency to overreact to every little thing, or so I was told. My ex certainly liked calling me a drama queen. Fortunately it was the end of the day and I could go home and not think about it.

Jen never did get back to me which was unusual, she always answered her messages when she was able to. Did it even go through? Was Jen just unreachable now? That thought filled me with dread, but I had to carry on as normal even when everything around me had gone crazy. Or was I the one going crazy? I went to grab my bag and pulled out a notebook and I wrote about the strange events that happened today.

My ex had developed a nasty habit of accusing me of overreacting to everything. I cried at a sad scene in a film, “you’re always so sensitive”. My keys would go missing and as I searched the house I would hear “you’re panicking over nothing, they’ll turn up.” I cooked him his favourite meal one night only for him to tell me that he wanted something else, followed by a round of “you never listen to me.” I started writing notes after that.

When I finished writing my notes I read them, somehow having them written down made me feel calmer. It made me feel like I wasn’t going crazy that someone else was with me and they were confirming that I had seen those events with my own eyes. But, as I read my notes there was that voice right at the back that would always creep in. A voice that would always say:

“Are you sure it’s not just all in your head?”

Still no sign of my boss or my colleagues, I’m alone again and the incidents would occur much more frequently. I was better prepared for those now and didn’t bat an eye when books would fly at me, or rearrange themselves randomly or when there was phantom smoke all over the place. I didn’t bother checking those instances, I knew that as soon as I got to the source that no one would be there.

As I was putting some of the books away I was sure I could smell something burning. Panicking, I ran to get the fire extinguisher and followed the source of the smell. I looked down one of the aisles and saw to my horror that the books were on fire. I used the fire extinguisher on the flames and it seemed to work on them. But I couldn’t rest for long as more fires started appearing in different areas of the library and I ran around frantically trying to put them out. But, there was no heat coming from the flames and the fire alarm didn’t go off, but there they were clear as day. My mind was playing tricks on me and I fell for it. I quietly placed the fire extinguisher back and sighed. The isolation was getting to me, I looked around and for the first time the place felt empty and abandoned. It filled me with dread, did I imagine this job and the people that were there?

I shook my head, no, Jen recommended the job to me. Why would she give me details for a fake job? Then again, I haven’t seen her since I first started this job. I froze in place, the fear and loneliness began to over take me. I needed to get out, I needed to go home, see Jen or any human for that matter. I just wanted a fresh start but it was all too much for me.

I went to the back and grabbed my things. I wrote a letter of resignation and left it on my boss’ desk. With a heavy heart I left the office and made my way back to the main library. It was filled with thick smoke. I pulled my shirt up to cover my nose and mouth and entered the smoke hoping that it would eventually go away. But it didn’t, it remained and grew thicker, so thick I could barely see. But I pushed through and tried my best to memorise the way. Then I heard it,

Breathing.

Slow, steady breathing.

I stopped and looked around, surely breathing meant another human. Was I saved? My heart skipped a beat when I heard footsteps, I wanted to call out to them but I could barely breathe through the smoke. I almost screamed in horror at what I saw. A tall being dressed all in black and wearing a strange looking mask. I ran as fast as I could away from it, but it followed me. I turned the corner and spotted another one, so I ran the other way. I turned so fast that I didn’t see where I was going. I just needed to get away from those things.

They were gaining on me, I could hear their breathing and their footsteps just behind me. I lost my footing and I slipped, falling to the ground. They were right on top of me and I didn’t have a chance to get up before they approached. I curled up waiting for them to take me, but they just walked passed me. I was confused, weren’t they chasing me? I stood up and saw three of them gathered around something. I crept closer and I could see that they were all wearing the same uniform.

“Is this her?”

My eyes widened as I heard that, I crept closer and I realised that these creatures weren’t creatures at all. They were humans, firemen. Why were firemen here? Who did they find?

“Yeah,” another fireman answered solemnly as I made my way over to them.

“What’s going on here?” I asked them, “why are you here? Who did you find?”

They ignored me, just continued with what they were doing. I pushed passed them and gasped in horror as I saw charred remains. How did this happen? How did I miss this?

“It’s a tragedy,” one of the firemen remarked as he looked through the charred person’s bag and found a charred driving license. I leaned in to get a closer look. It was a picture of a woman and I cried when I saw it. It was me.

“Such a pretty girl.”

“At least now we can give her back to her loved ones.”

They picked up the remains and carried them away. As I watched them leave everything around me began to melt away. The books turned to dust and the beautiful wooden structures of the library were burned out and rotten. I laughed to myself, it finally all made sense.

There was a fire here and I didn’t survive. I was simply reliving the same day over and over until I could finally remember what happened.

Well, I definitely remember now.

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I apologise for the delay in recording and airing this episode. I'm still trying to work out a schedule that works for me and doesn't keep you all waiting. I also had a sore throat and wouldn't have been able to record properly. I'm better now so please enjoy episode 2 of Sirensong.

This is my first time doing a podcast episode and I wanted to share my stories with the world and with so many mediums around nowadays I wanted to tell my stories in my own voice in the very literal sense of the word. This chapter is a roller coast of maritime tension, an amnesiac survivor and a boy who is highly sensitive to the supernatural even if he doesn't realise it yet.