This will not be seen again. It belongs to the old ways. The time before the world was made aware. Lo there do I see the past I would prefer to inhabit and having come from that time it pains me, more so than most, the fact I can never be then again.
- excerpt from a diary found amongst the rubble.
There! Did you see it? No. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have exclaimed. It’s my fault. Next time. Maybe if I gave you some pointers it would make things easier. Yes. That’s the ticket.
Watch now. Carefully but not obviously. Just there out of the corner of your eye. It looks like a shadow flicker. But shadows aren’t too abundant at midday, are they? Or are they? Depends on the kind of shadows you expect to see.
Now, you would be lying if you said you’d never seen a movement you couldn’t account for. Little shivers of motion on the edge of your vision. You probably dismiss it some way or another. Logically of course, but a doubt lingers nonetheless. Reasonable doubt.
You weren’t wrong. Only just trained to think you’re wrong. Who did the learning for you and why? Those the real questions. If I had an answer one I would give you all the knowing I own.
Excuse me… just need to take my pill real quick.
Don’t go! This little devil is for nerves. Something of a calmer. No need to make suspicions that lead otherwise. I gave you the benefit of the doubt... why not give me the same?
- transcribed from Dr. Katherine Dylan’s sessions with patient #17396-H, Edward Clancy.
The sketch I’ve attached to this file is the first representation I’ve managed. It is crude, and for that I apologize. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. However, this initial drawing, along with my notes, will provide you with a sufficient understanding of my observations.
I suspect what your reaction will be Howard. Let me caution you. Do not be needlessly skeptical. It may be a hard pill to swallow, but this is real. What wonders are to follow I can only suppose, but we shall be at the forefront. Please write back as soon as possible.
- note from Dr. William Alioto to biologist Dr. Howard Lowe
It moves with such an elegant ease, I must admit to a touch of jealousy. Like a kite in a breeze. It’s more like gliding than moving. I suspect wings though have seen no signs to agree with such an assumption.
Easily six feet tall. At least this one.
No distinguishing marks to take note of. This will make discerning between it and another of its kind difficult. I have to face the possibility I may have already observed more than one without realizing it. Although, given how hard it has been just to eye this one...
You almost have to not be looking.
Tried taking pictures. Only caught blurred fragments. I need harder proof. My own observations can be dismissed. For the time being I have to take care and record every detail while the facts are still fresh in my mind.
Six feet tall. Humanoid upper torso. Purplish shades throughout a dark blue sinewy frame. The darkest blue I’ve ever seen. It borders on black while remaining close to cobalt. Or perhaps the color is fluctuating discretely. Bioluminescent? Long spindly fingers. How many digits are unknown. No sign of legs. Yet it held itself upright with no apparent attachment to the walls. If this is true then it floated. As such the suspicion of wings, but once again, there were no signs to confirm that supposition.
First witnessed on the third of May. Seen again on the seventeenth. Two more sightings before the end of the month, dates unknown. Occurred in the middle of the night. Both of the later instances accidental. The first two were the result of following the Kempff Method.
Nota bene: Look into Kempff’s own research on the creature.
- from the surviving files of Dr. William Alioto
Turn around too quick. Snap a light all of a sudden. Those are the little tricks. There are other ways. But I don’t recommend learning any of those. Once you learn how to see it’s impossible to stop. And you can feel their eyes the same as hands. Or ice.
But don’t get the wrong impression. I still want you to see one. Just one. Just once. That way you’ll know.
- transcribed from Dr. Katherine Dylan’s sessions with patient #17396-H, Edward Clancy.
History does not remember Martin Kempff very well. His contributions to science have been relegated to the forum of the occult and dismissed as spiritualist nonsense. Although he is considered entertaining, Kempff’s “discovery” is not given any serious regard, at least not by anyone with a genuine scientific outlook.
The purpose of this piece is neither to prove nor disprove the validity of Kempff’s observations, but more so to demonstrate a flaw in the scientific method. Observation through the senses is a useful means of gathering data on the world around us. It is only within recent centuries, however, that the tools to back up those observations have become available. The camera can capture images. Sounds can be recorded. While these documented moments may not necessarily back up the conclusions made, they certainly provide a record of the subject in question as a fact. When the senses alone are applied to the matter of recording data, it is well known how easily they can be deceived, sometimes, tragically, by the observer’s own mind.
Martin Kempff worked in a time when an individual’s own personal observations were the limit of scientific study. In order to back up any data, it was necessary for others to be able to replicate the situation in which particular phenomena was observed. Although some took the man at his word, it is vitally important to note that he did not live in a similar era as we enjoy now. It may sound presumptuous, but we live in a time of more rational thinking. The idea that entities exist, looming over our shoulders, though a good ghost story, is easily recognized as the fantastical imaginings of a sadly sick mind.
- excerpt from the introduction to P. Thomas Haake’s book Science’s Specters
William,
I am writing to you as a friend. Your observations are not news to me. Do not continue this.
Howard.
- note from Dr. Howard Lowe to Dr. William Alioto
My friend,
Think of me what you will. I‘ve said my piece. The young man delivering this letter is my assistant. He has been instructed to help you in whatever manner you require. I will vouch for him, if my word still means anything to you. All he knows is that a great opportunity awaits him, and that I think highly of you.
This is assuming, of course, he finds you well at home. I must confess I sent him primarily to make sure you’re all right. No one has seen or heard from you in several weeks. I blame myself for anything terrible. It was never my intention to send you down this path, though I unwittingly delivered the map. I should have known better. I’m aware of your curiosity and where Haake‘s book would invariably lead. Maybe I was not so unwitting, meaning for you to go where I do not have the courage to tread. If that is true I fear for you even as I am jealous.
Nevertheless, I hope all is well.
Sincerely,
Howard.
- letter from Dr. Howard Lowe to Dr. William Alioto
I did not think I required any assistance, however, Howard’s lad has proven invaluable. Perhaps for no other reason than it shows we are still friends. I shamefully will admit I thought the boy a spy at first. Fortunately, he laid those fears to rest with the way he plunged into the matter. Now I don’t know how I got along without Edward.
Still, I can’t help wondering what it is Howard will not tell. Here my respect for him diminishes. There is no knowledge the world is better off not having, and I thought he understood that. Perhaps it is only a matter of time till he comes around. From the few texts I have discovered on the subject I can see where irrational fears might get the better of a man. Yet, I have never known him to be so timid. Part of me wonders if there might be more to the story.
- excerpt from the diary of Dr. William Alioto
A new behavior! The usefulness of young Clancy increases. I was cataloguing recent notes, while he fiddled with a camera. (Useful photos remain elusive. He suspects timers and randomness may be helpful.) As I bothered with paperwork, one of them drifted up behind Edward. Its fingers spilled into his head. He gave no indication of being aware this occurred. The creature fluttered through various shades of blue before floating away from him. It moved as one might while working a loom, some portion of its hands always inside his skull. Edward appears unaffected by the experience, but I will watch him closely. The affect this behavior has on him may be the key to explaining it.
- from the surviving files of Dr. William Alioto
He didn’t see them. Not the way I did. He only saw floating wonders. My notes? My notes… eating habits. Group behavior. You know road kill isn’t always the fault of a car? Doc said, “Never mind.” Got to be objective. Yeah, right. Fuck that.
They played the Doc. He never knew. I was afraid to say.
Hands right through the skull playing his brain. What’s the tune? I don’t know. What was it before? You sure it’s the same after?
Don’t speak. You can’t tell what hasn’t been told. Screw with them, and they’ll unscrew you.
Wait. I’ll calm down. Wait. WAIT. No needles. OW! NO… no… when you sleep…
- transcribed from Dr. Katherine Dylan’s sessions with patient #17396-H, Edward Clancy.
The last several pages of Kempff’s own journal leave me concerned. I can understand why people dismissed him so easily. He rambles on as if trying to hold together a mind fracturing into a thousand splinters. His writing sounds meaningless, but I feel some sense of purpose, as of an unaccomplished intention.
These same concerns lead me to mention Edward. He lately claims to have seen the creatures at night. He wakes, and they are hovering over his bed, gone in the blink of an eye, faded out of focus then from view. He has no idea what they want or were doing. I told him these sounded like dreams, but he remained unconvinced. In order to quiet his fears, I proposed that we set up the mirrors so that I could observe him while he slept.
How do I relate what I saw? Several gather in the room around the bed. One at a time they take turns dipping fully into the sleeping body. After experiencing the sleeper, one emerges and another takes its place. This is done until the group has all gone once. What Edward saw were those waiting their turn, but what purpose this all serves is beyond me, though I am brought back to Kempff’s words.
“Before the opening of my eyes I saw no strings. For puppet or for melody? And what of choice, in either regard? This will not be seen again. It belongs to the old ways.”
- excerpt from the diary of Dr. William Alioto
Look I didn’t know he was in the basement. Okay? I started that fire as a distraction. They don’t care for the flame. So I started the fire. To get away.
Lot of good that did me.
What do you think I mean?
Those floaters weren’t just hanging around us two. Or just we two here. You can find them anywhere if you know how to look. Do you want me to teach you? I can teach you. You’ll regret it, but I will.
- transcribed from Dr. Katherine Dylan’s sessions with patient #17396-H, Edward Clancy.
Sometimes patients have been known to talk about their delusions with such conviction that those same apparitions of the mind can become infectious. Consequently, sympathetic persons who interact with such individuals can fall into a shared delusional state. While rare, these occasions have been known to occur, sometimes involving minds we might presume to know better. I am referring, of course, to the now infamous case of Dr. Katherine Dylan. Before I go into the particulars of her psychotic break and what it means in regard to this study, as well as our profession, I would first like to say, not all knowledge is safely shared though all knowledge must be.
- opening to the article Folie à deuxby Prof. Carl Townsend.
- excerpt from a diary found amongst the rubble.
There! Did you see it? No. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have exclaimed. It’s my fault. Next time. Maybe if I gave you some pointers it would make things easier. Yes. That’s the ticket.
Watch now. Carefully but not obviously. Just there out of the corner of your eye. It looks like a shadow flicker. But shadows aren’t too abundant at midday, are they? Or are they? Depends on the kind of shadows you expect to see.
Now, you would be lying if you said you’d never seen a movement you couldn’t account for. Little shivers of motion on the edge of your vision. You probably dismiss it some way or another. Logically of course, but a doubt lingers nonetheless. Reasonable doubt.
You weren’t wrong. Only just trained to think you’re wrong. Who did the learning for you and why? Those the real questions. If I had an answer one I would give you all the knowing I own.
Excuse me… just need to take my pill real quick.
Don’t go! This little devil is for nerves. Something of a calmer. No need to make suspicions that lead otherwise. I gave you the benefit of the doubt... why not give me the same?
- transcribed from Dr. Katherine Dylan’s sessions with patient #17396-H, Edward Clancy.
The sketch I’ve attached to this file is the first representation I’ve managed. It is crude, and for that I apologize. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. However, this initial drawing, along with my notes, will provide you with a sufficient understanding of my observations.
I suspect what your reaction will be Howard. Let me caution you. Do not be needlessly skeptical. It may be a hard pill to swallow, but this is real. What wonders are to follow I can only suppose, but we shall be at the forefront. Please write back as soon as possible.
- note from Dr. William Alioto to biologist Dr. Howard Lowe
It moves with such an elegant ease, I must admit to a touch of jealousy. Like a kite in a breeze. It’s more like gliding than moving. I suspect wings though have seen no signs to agree with such an assumption.
Easily six feet tall. At least this one.
No distinguishing marks to take note of. This will make discerning between it and another of its kind difficult. I have to face the possibility I may have already observed more than one without realizing it. Although, given how hard it has been just to eye this one...
You almost have to not be looking.
Tried taking pictures. Only caught blurred fragments. I need harder proof. My own observations can be dismissed. For the time being I have to take care and record every detail while the facts are still fresh in my mind.
Six feet tall. Humanoid upper torso. Purplish shades throughout a dark blue sinewy frame. The darkest blue I’ve ever seen. It borders on black while remaining close to cobalt. Or perhaps the color is fluctuating discretely. Bioluminescent? Long spindly fingers. How many digits are unknown. No sign of legs. Yet it held itself upright with no apparent attachment to the walls. If this is true then it floated. As such the suspicion of wings, but once again, there were no signs to confirm that supposition.
First witnessed on the third of May. Seen again on the seventeenth. Two more sightings before the end of the month, dates unknown. Occurred in the middle of the night. Both of the later instances accidental. The first two were the result of following the Kempff Method.
Nota bene: Look into Kempff’s own research on the creature.
- from the surviving files of Dr. William Alioto
Turn around too quick. Snap a light all of a sudden. Those are the little tricks. There are other ways. But I don’t recommend learning any of those. Once you learn how to see it’s impossible to stop. And you can feel their eyes the same as hands. Or ice.
But don’t get the wrong impression. I still want you to see one. Just one. Just once. That way you’ll know.
- transcribed from Dr. Katherine Dylan’s sessions with patient #17396-H, Edward Clancy.
History does not remember Martin Kempff very well. His contributions to science have been relegated to the forum of the occult and dismissed as spiritualist nonsense. Although he is considered entertaining, Kempff’s “discovery” is not given any serious regard, at least not by anyone with a genuine scientific outlook.
The purpose of this piece is neither to prove nor disprove the validity of Kempff’s observations, but more so to demonstrate a flaw in the scientific method. Observation through the senses is a useful means of gathering data on the world around us. It is only within recent centuries, however, that the tools to back up those observations have become available. The camera can capture images. Sounds can be recorded. While these documented moments may not necessarily back up the conclusions made, they certainly provide a record of the subject in question as a fact. When the senses alone are applied to the matter of recording data, it is well known how easily they can be deceived, sometimes, tragically, by the observer’s own mind.
Martin Kempff worked in a time when an individual’s own personal observations were the limit of scientific study. In order to back up any data, it was necessary for others to be able to replicate the situation in which particular phenomena was observed. Although some took the man at his word, it is vitally important to note that he did not live in a similar era as we enjoy now. It may sound presumptuous, but we live in a time of more rational thinking. The idea that entities exist, looming over our shoulders, though a good ghost story, is easily recognized as the fantastical imaginings of a sadly sick mind.
- excerpt from the introduction to P. Thomas Haake’s book Science’s Specters
William,
I am writing to you as a friend. Your observations are not news to me. Do not continue this.
Howard.
- note from Dr. Howard Lowe to Dr. William Alioto
My friend,
Think of me what you will. I‘ve said my piece. The young man delivering this letter is my assistant. He has been instructed to help you in whatever manner you require. I will vouch for him, if my word still means anything to you. All he knows is that a great opportunity awaits him, and that I think highly of you.
This is assuming, of course, he finds you well at home. I must confess I sent him primarily to make sure you’re all right. No one has seen or heard from you in several weeks. I blame myself for anything terrible. It was never my intention to send you down this path, though I unwittingly delivered the map. I should have known better. I’m aware of your curiosity and where Haake‘s book would invariably lead. Maybe I was not so unwitting, meaning for you to go where I do not have the courage to tread. If that is true I fear for you even as I am jealous.
Nevertheless, I hope all is well.
Sincerely,
Howard.
- letter from Dr. Howard Lowe to Dr. William Alioto
I did not think I required any assistance, however, Howard’s lad has proven invaluable. Perhaps for no other reason than it shows we are still friends. I shamefully will admit I thought the boy a spy at first. Fortunately, he laid those fears to rest with the way he plunged into the matter. Now I don’t know how I got along without Edward.
Still, I can’t help wondering what it is Howard will not tell. Here my respect for him diminishes. There is no knowledge the world is better off not having, and I thought he understood that. Perhaps it is only a matter of time till he comes around. From the few texts I have discovered on the subject I can see where irrational fears might get the better of a man. Yet, I have never known him to be so timid. Part of me wonders if there might be more to the story.
- excerpt from the diary of Dr. William Alioto
A new behavior! The usefulness of young Clancy increases. I was cataloguing recent notes, while he fiddled with a camera. (Useful photos remain elusive. He suspects timers and randomness may be helpful.) As I bothered with paperwork, one of them drifted up behind Edward. Its fingers spilled into his head. He gave no indication of being aware this occurred. The creature fluttered through various shades of blue before floating away from him. It moved as one might while working a loom, some portion of its hands always inside his skull. Edward appears unaffected by the experience, but I will watch him closely. The affect this behavior has on him may be the key to explaining it.
- from the surviving files of Dr. William Alioto
He didn’t see them. Not the way I did. He only saw floating wonders. My notes? My notes… eating habits. Group behavior. You know road kill isn’t always the fault of a car? Doc said, “Never mind.” Got to be objective. Yeah, right. Fuck that.
They played the Doc. He never knew. I was afraid to say.
Hands right through the skull playing his brain. What’s the tune? I don’t know. What was it before? You sure it’s the same after?
Don’t speak. You can’t tell what hasn’t been told. Screw with them, and they’ll unscrew you.
Wait. I’ll calm down. Wait. WAIT. No needles. OW! NO… no… when you sleep…
- transcribed from Dr. Katherine Dylan’s sessions with patient #17396-H, Edward Clancy.
The last several pages of Kempff’s own journal leave me concerned. I can understand why people dismissed him so easily. He rambles on as if trying to hold together a mind fracturing into a thousand splinters. His writing sounds meaningless, but I feel some sense of purpose, as of an unaccomplished intention.
These same concerns lead me to mention Edward. He lately claims to have seen the creatures at night. He wakes, and they are hovering over his bed, gone in the blink of an eye, faded out of focus then from view. He has no idea what they want or were doing. I told him these sounded like dreams, but he remained unconvinced. In order to quiet his fears, I proposed that we set up the mirrors so that I could observe him while he slept.
How do I relate what I saw? Several gather in the room around the bed. One at a time they take turns dipping fully into the sleeping body. After experiencing the sleeper, one emerges and another takes its place. This is done until the group has all gone once. What Edward saw were those waiting their turn, but what purpose this all serves is beyond me, though I am brought back to Kempff’s words.
“Before the opening of my eyes I saw no strings. For puppet or for melody? And what of choice, in either regard? This will not be seen again. It belongs to the old ways.”
- excerpt from the diary of Dr. William Alioto
Look I didn’t know he was in the basement. Okay? I started that fire as a distraction. They don’t care for the flame. So I started the fire. To get away.
Lot of good that did me.
What do you think I mean?
Those floaters weren’t just hanging around us two. Or just we two here. You can find them anywhere if you know how to look. Do you want me to teach you? I can teach you. You’ll regret it, but I will.
- transcribed from Dr. Katherine Dylan’s sessions with patient #17396-H, Edward Clancy.
Sometimes patients have been known to talk about their delusions with such conviction that those same apparitions of the mind can become infectious. Consequently, sympathetic persons who interact with such individuals can fall into a shared delusional state. While rare, these occasions have been known to occur, sometimes involving minds we might presume to know better. I am referring, of course, to the now infamous case of Dr. Katherine Dylan. Before I go into the particulars of her psychotic break and what it means in regard to this study, as well as our profession, I would first like to say, not all knowledge is safely shared though all knowledge must be.
- opening to the article Folie à deuxby Prof. Carl Townsend.
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