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| The Plot Thickens... |
By Xephronia Warbaum
Steelhead, Washington Territories
Early this morning the headless remains of five victims were discovered in five separate districts of Steelhead. Sheriff Ortega declined to make a definitive statement, but he did intimate that there may be a connection between these atrocities and other unsettling incidents which have transpired over the past few weeks. The condition of the bodies may indeed suggest a connection to the recent rash of graffiti, albeit in a foreign tongue, demanding “offer your heads”. Dr. Ryne Beck, researcher, physician and practical surgeon, continues his involvement and aid to local law enforcement.
Shanghai was particularly hard-hit. Near the cannery in Shanghai, early-risers discovered the body of Bill Symonds, erstwhile fisherman and local “salty character”. Not far away, on the very doorstep of Bell’s Poppy Emporium (a purported medicinal herb shop), the body of one Archibald Tome was discovered by the shop’s owner as she opened her doors for business. She knew little of Mr. Tome, other than that he was a quiet man who lived with his mother. She claimed he was a customer in her shop, and no other relation. We can only imagine the shock she suffered upon sight of this ghastly scene! Says Ms. Milneaux, who lives above her shop, “The strange thing is I heard nothing. Normally the ropes on the
flying bridges warn me of the approach of a ‘visitor.’ I heard nothing!” When asked whether local Chinese gangs might be to blame, Dr. Beck, who runs a practice in Shanghai, was quick to quell that rumour, stating “The Tong prefer much nastier ends than this. These souls were killed horribly, but quickly. The Tong take their time…”
In Steelhead proper, the Library gardens in downtown Steelhead was discovered to contain the remains of James McLaughlin; according to Dr. Beck a long time resident of the city and frequenter of the library reading rooms. Last observed stepping out for a pipe, he will be missed most by his fellow academics. The fourth victim, a woman, was found on the very steps of the Steelhead Town Hall. Her dress and headgear, a nun’s wimple, first led investigators to conclude that the unfortunate girl was one of our local cloistered souls. Closer examination led to the discovery that she was not, in fact, an actual nun, but merely a young lady who had been on her way to a fancy dress party the previous evening. Leticia Fowler, daughter of a local shopkeeper, was reported missing by her father to the local constabulary about the time reports of the various victims began arriving at the Sheriff’s offices. Not realizing she’d never arrived at her destination the night before, he was concerned about her absence in the morning.
One of the bodies was not available for examination, but is understood to be under investigation by a Paranormal Investigations team.
Sympathetic Psychical Phenomenon
Also not to be overlooked is the outbreak of thematically-related nightmares disturbing the slumbers of so many denizens of Steelhead and environs.
Dr. Ryne Beck, upon consulting with Frau Lowey, a fellow scientist and psychical researcher, has surmised that the nightmares “were not were not caused by any environmental factor such as a toxin or miasma,” as was conjectured previously “ but rather by a concentrated shockwave of mental energy, most likely caused by the protracted arrival of the monster the local street urchins or “Scamps” have taken to calling ‘Steal Head’.” This appears to be an apt name for the creature, considering the condition of the five corpses, if they can be laid at its doorstep. Says Dr. Beck, “Each death occurred due to sudden decapitation with no other significant physical injuries found. The heads of these poor folk were simply torn, or in some cases bitten right off. None of the heads have, to this date, been recovered. Until we know why the creature takes only the head, may I just add that the popular and somewhat ghoulish public speculation that they are being eaten is extremely unhelpful and distressing to the families of the victims.”
After spending many hours delving into the stacks of the local library and availing himself of the scholarly aid of Miss Riven Homewood, Dr. Beck discovered references in Frome’s “Pizarro’s Legacy – Blood and Gold” detailing Nasca practices of ritual decapitation. Although there are no known South American populations in our area, it is not without interest that Dr. Beck found mention in the above tome of “a God-like creature the Nasca worshipped (or feared, it is unclear) who swam in the sea as a whale but came to the land to gather and collect the heads of his faithful’s enemies (or the faithful themselves, again this is unclear).”
Only one image exists of the creature in the manner of a small carving carried by fishermen for protection. The carving is indicative of the artistic nature of the the Nasca and appears to show a bi-pedal whale-like creature with a human head clutched in its teeth-laden maw.”
With this ancient legend in mind, Dr. Beck recently participated in an undersea expedition to investigate the local submarine fauna. The good Dr. and his fellow aquanauts claim they observed some sort of pelagic, possibly mammalian creature that could fit the description in the Nasca documents. They certainly encountered something hostile, to which Dr. Beck’s current black eye is a testament!
The Dr. insists that there is a high probability that the creature he observed, and which attacked their submersible ship, is akin to the very creature mentioned in the Peruvian texts, stating that “the Nasca language has been lost but one name comes down to us through the ages. It appears this creature, this God-figure, this head-collector had a name and that name was Ya Yiwama, which could be said to mean The Thief of Heads or, as I’m sure you have realized, Steal Head.”
Mere coincidence? Only time, and the events of the near future, will tell.
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