story Chapter 1

[DogTheGoblin]

Maria's reaction took Martin by surprise. The quick hail Mary and the urgent calling for Livingston came out of apparently no-where. Not as surprising as Coupard's exclamation. Stone turned his head to the suddenly frantic professor. "Professor Coupard! Get a hold of yourself!" He shouted, looking around towards the frozen Malcolm. "These outbursts are only frightening Miss Stephanie who, if I need to remind you, is already quite scared of those birds." 

 

 

[Caystodd]

Livingston froze, mouth open, as her mind faltered, failing to catch up with her eyes. The bird, the glowing rock, the girl, these birds and their knowing and uniform behavior—her Livingston raced to correlate that content and came up mind-numbingly short.

 

She opened her mouth again, but nothing came out. She took an involuntary step back away from the birds as she tried to master herself.

[Butchern]

On 9/15/2022 at 8:19 PM, matt_s said:

Coupard stands up perfectly straight as a rail, petrified with his hair almost standing on end. He points at the flock and shouts

Their eyes, they burn black as the midnight sun, unrelenting and terrible!

The birds didn't react to the loud noises. They kept on staring, all in unison. And then, one by one, they began to fly away, heading in all directions. It took about a minute for them all to disperse, until one lone bird remained in the highest branch of the tree. The bird watched but did not move other than to occasionally adjust its head.

 

"I've never seen anything like that," Dr. Boudreaux said. He put his fingers to his neck. "My heart is pounding. They are just birds but . . . oh my . . . that was strange. And that one bird still up there . . . unsettling."

 

The doctor and both nurses were clearly unsettled, but Stephanie seemed fine. She didn't seem to notice the one bird that remained, though it was all everyone else could think about.

[matt_s]

Coupard shook his head as if waking from a nightmare and spoke falteringly.

 

I thought I believed in order, but order should only be where an order ought to be. Flocks should be whirling and dancing in endless patterns, not moving in unison. I prefer my geology, where crystals that cool slowly are always large, and ones that cool quickly are always small, and the newer sediment is always on top of the older ones per the good ol' principle of superposition. But those blasted birds, those birds. Only Stephanie seems wholly unperturbed, and to that I wonder. I don't think you have seen any of those birds around here before, fine nurse and doctor?

[Caystodd]

"Very unnerving," Livingston agreed. She had mastered herself again and waited to hear the answer to Coupard's question before speaking. "Doctor, I think our presence here is becoming more of a disruption than a help, and that is not what we want. Would it be possible to make a quick examination of Stephanie's room while she is out here? You should supervise us, of course. I would hope to find some clue as to her connection to Abraham Broder, so we might put this matter to bed entirely and leave you to your good work."

[Sir Lazeabout]

"Ah, yes," Malcolm says. He tries for his usual easy grin but manages only a rictus-like facsimile of it. "I think I would like to take my leave of this place. I fear it is causing my ever-active imagination to run away with me in not entirely pleasant ways."

[DogTheGoblin]

Sense seemed to return to the party, though it only baffled Martin more of what that was about. "I second that. At the very least, I believe we need a mental rest."

[LaChupa]

Maria bent down and picked up a rock. She looked up at the bird but quickly sized up the range. Too far away. She didn't drop the rock.

 

"Do you talk to the birds, Stephanie?" Maria asked. "Do they talk to you?"

[Butchern]

On 9/17/2022 at 8:06 PM, matt_s said:

I don't think you have seen any of those birds around here before, fine nurse and doctor?

The doctor looked at the nurse. She shrugged and shook her head.

 

"I've seen crows around the grounds," the doctor said. "Never that many though. They've been here since the spring, I suppose."

 

On 9/18/2022 at 4:08 PM, Caystodd said:

Would it be possible to make a quick examination of Stephanie's room while she is out here? You should supervise us, of course. I would hope to find some clue as to her connection to Abraham Broder, so we might put this matter to bed entirely and leave you to your good work."

"Oh . . . I don't know. That would be improper," the doctor said. "I'd need to get permission from her legal guardian first. But . . ." He thought for a second. "I don't suppose it would hurt if I took a look at her things for you. And if I see anything that might connect her to you or Professor Broder, I'll send word to you."

 

23 hours ago, LaChupa said:

"Do you talk to the birds, Stephanie?" Maria asked. "Do they talk to you?"

"Oh no," Stephanie said. "They don't talk. They are just birds." She paused and scratched at the side of her head. Maria noticed that Stephanie had a raw place on her scalp right where she was scratching. "But they do watch me. All the time now." She hissed and jerked her head to the side and then scratched at her scalp again. "I don't think they are from around here."

[matt_s]

Coupard takes his leave from the doctor and nurse and walks back over to Stephanie. He is about to suggest moving on when he hears Stephanie explain about the birds. In a quiet voice, he asks,

They just watch you? I suppose there is no harm in that. It must feel special to have all of their attention. Do you enjoy watching them back? And do you remember when they showed up, as in, a few days, a week, a month, or a year? One more question, I know you have been very patient with us today and I thank you for it, when you say you think they are not from around here, what gives you that idea?

 

Once Stephanie answers, he will in a whisper say to the nurse,

You see how she is clawing part of her scalp raw, yes? Do you know how long that has been going on? I am no man of medicine, but it saddens me to see her agitated in such a manner.

[Caystodd]

21 hours ago, Butchern said:

"Oh . . . I don't know. That would be improper," the doctor said. "I'd need to get permission from her legal guardian first. But . . ." He thought for a second. "I don't suppose it would hurt if I took a look at her things for you. And if I see anything that might connect her to you or Professor Broder, I'll send word to you."

Livingston tried to hide her disappointment.

 

"Understood. Thank you for the consideration." Livingston produced a calling card and handed it the doctor. "You can reach me here or by leaving word at the College of Charleston."

[Butchern]

The doctor took Livingston's card and thanked her.

 

On 9/21/2022 at 4:09 PM, matt_s said:

They just watch you? I suppose there is no harm in that. It must feel special to have all of their attention. Do you enjoy watching them back? And do you remember when they showed up, as in, a few days, a week, a month, or a year? One more question, I know you have been very patient with us today and I thank you for it, when you say you think they are not from around here, what gives you that idea?

"I don't like them," Stephanie said. "They are very dull. I don't like watching them. They don't do anything. They just sit. I don't know how long they have been watching . . . the whole time I've been here, I guess." She hissed and jerked her head violently again. The tic seemed to be getting worse. "They aren't real birds, I mean, they are real, but they aren't normal birds. Normal birds don't act like that. When I look up at the sky at night and I see the black spaces between the stars, they remind me of the bird. I think that is where they are from."

 

On 9/21/2022 at 4:09 PM, matt_s said:

You see how she is clawing part of her scalp raw, yes? Do you know how long that has been going on? I am no man of medicine, but it saddens me to see her agitated in such a manner.

"It's recent," the nurse said when she could respond to Coupard without Stephanie hearing. "Part of her delusions. So sad. She thinks there's a worm in her head. She once told me that maybe the birds would eat the worm and then she'd be normal again. The wound isn't serious though. Just irritated skin where she scratches. We keep an eye on it and keep it clean. If it gets worse, we'll have to start binding her hands, poor thing."

[matt_s]

Coupard nods sadly. Thank you for letting me know. Poor thing indeed, but at least her care is in good hands. I hope our presence was not too intrusive here, and I wish you and your colleagues all the best.

[Caystodd]

Livingston said her thank-yous to the doctor and joined Coupard and the nurse. As they talked, she leaned in to try to see the place on the girl's head. She nodded at the nurses' answer.

[DogTheGoblin]

Martin took the chance to maintain a semblance of peace, taking the cue from the doctor to gloss over the groups bout of craziness. The professor and their own doctor dealt with nurse, leaving Stone with little to do beyond looking around while he listened to Stephanie. Her words as she talked about the birds... she had a very vivid imagination, a shame it landed her here. "They're not of this world?" Stone asked, turning his head to the girl. "Why would they be watching you, Miss Stephanie?"