the amulet part 1
Oct. 11th, 2008 06:31 pmThis journal entry has been a long time in coming, and had it not been for the persistence of several inquiring friends I would not have committed it to writing. I refer to the affair of the amulet and the subsequent recovery of both it and the body of the young lady from the seas just off of Port Babbage. Miss Janus has related her part in the matter since the beginning, and for the most part I have not. Perhaps it has been due to the stoic nature of my family, or perhaps her telling of the tale gave me all the notice I desired at the time. It has been far from easy to relate this in a clear manner, for many parts of the tale fly in the face of logic and science, but I have been told that you must follow the evidence wherever it leads and draw conclusions from there.
In the beginning I found out about the amulet and decided that I wanted to attempt the recovery. The interest and the inquiries from several questionable persons led me to the conclusion that someone with more honorable motives should make an attempt. I acquired a diving suit and after a few discreet inquiries of my own I began diving a pattern in the area I felt most likely to contain the wreckage and the amulet. I actually began diving further out from the port and systematically worked my way back to the docks. This idea was based on observations of the tide and the chart that had come to light once the amulet became public knowledge. I found a wrecked ship on the bottom but it was quite bare, so I continued making dives in that general area. The greatest hindrance I found was that the suit I have only allows me to go so deep for so long. I was nearly ready to give up when I found two things on the bottom…a seated body and a diver in a metallic diving suit. We were unable to directly communicate at that depth, but I was able to deduce that the other diver had the amulet. The first shocking revelation was the body. It appeared to be a young girl sitting in an oddly serene pose there on the bottom, much as an eastern mystic would. By the clothing I would have guessed that the body had been there for a great number of years, but the disconcerting matter was the condition of the body. It was obvious that it had been under water for a long period of time, but if the body had been submerged for as the clothes had indicated, it would have been more decomposed or consumed by opportunistic sea creatures. I was initially dismissive of any hint of supernatural activity, but the things I saw defied a logical explanation. I did not linger long in my thoughts there on the sea floor, as the other diver motioned for me to rise to the surface.
Once we were on the docks, and unhelmeted, I had the occasion to speak with Miss Janus. She was as cautious about my motives as I was about hers, but after a bit of conversation, we found that our intent to recover the amulet was very much the same. We then retired to the confines of her Vernian Sea residence so she could remove the diving suit. After allowing her to change, she removed the amulet from the metallic confines of the diving suit. Once this was done, I felt odd, as if the room was not still or level. Miss Janus seemed far more affected by the amulet, and it could have been due to her contact with it. I also started to notice something audible...there was not a source, or a great volume...but it was odd, and disconcerting to be sure. We contained the amulet inside of a heavy metal lockbox for security's sake. The ill feeling subsided once the amulet was locked away, and we then decided on the next course of action. We decided that it would be best to secure the item at the Police station, until any legal claims were cleared and the future of the amulet was decided by proper authority.
Comment by Viv Trafalgar on October 12, 2008 at 7:38pm
Jed - this is a most glorious perspective on the whole adventure. Thank you for posting it and for participating in today's Salon!
Comment by Beq Janus on October 16, 2008 at 8:19pm
Indeed, thank you for all of your support Jedburgh, you are a trusted friend.
In the beginning I found out about the amulet and decided that I wanted to attempt the recovery. The interest and the inquiries from several questionable persons led me to the conclusion that someone with more honorable motives should make an attempt. I acquired a diving suit and after a few discreet inquiries of my own I began diving a pattern in the area I felt most likely to contain the wreckage and the amulet. I actually began diving further out from the port and systematically worked my way back to the docks. This idea was based on observations of the tide and the chart that had come to light once the amulet became public knowledge. I found a wrecked ship on the bottom but it was quite bare, so I continued making dives in that general area. The greatest hindrance I found was that the suit I have only allows me to go so deep for so long. I was nearly ready to give up when I found two things on the bottom…a seated body and a diver in a metallic diving suit. We were unable to directly communicate at that depth, but I was able to deduce that the other diver had the amulet. The first shocking revelation was the body. It appeared to be a young girl sitting in an oddly serene pose there on the bottom, much as an eastern mystic would. By the clothing I would have guessed that the body had been there for a great number of years, but the disconcerting matter was the condition of the body. It was obvious that it had been under water for a long period of time, but if the body had been submerged for as the clothes had indicated, it would have been more decomposed or consumed by opportunistic sea creatures. I was initially dismissive of any hint of supernatural activity, but the things I saw defied a logical explanation. I did not linger long in my thoughts there on the sea floor, as the other diver motioned for me to rise to the surface.
Once we were on the docks, and unhelmeted, I had the occasion to speak with Miss Janus. She was as cautious about my motives as I was about hers, but after a bit of conversation, we found that our intent to recover the amulet was very much the same. We then retired to the confines of her Vernian Sea residence so she could remove the diving suit. After allowing her to change, she removed the amulet from the metallic confines of the diving suit. Once this was done, I felt odd, as if the room was not still or level. Miss Janus seemed far more affected by the amulet, and it could have been due to her contact with it. I also started to notice something audible...there was not a source, or a great volume...but it was odd, and disconcerting to be sure. We contained the amulet inside of a heavy metal lockbox for security's sake. The ill feeling subsided once the amulet was locked away, and we then decided on the next course of action. We decided that it would be best to secure the item at the Police station, until any legal claims were cleared and the future of the amulet was decided by proper authority.
Comment by Viv Trafalgar on October 12, 2008 at 7:38pm
Jed - this is a most glorious perspective on the whole adventure. Thank you for posting it and for participating in today's Salon!
Comment by Beq Janus on October 16, 2008 at 8:19pm
Indeed, thank you for all of your support Jedburgh, you are a trusted friend.