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frothingatthemaw · 11 months ago

Note

MAG 2 do not open

statement of joshua gillespie regarding his time in possession of an apparently empty wooden casket. statement given nov 22, 1998. audio recording by jonathan sims, head archivist of the magnus institute, london

[STATEMENT BEGINS]

our boy josh went to amsterdam for a few weeks with his friends after graduating (they were all in their early 20s)

he was drunk/high most of the time and acted silly even more of the time

and perhaps this is why he decided to go Out (that morning). date ? unknown. middle of may 👍👍👍

all his friends were eeping mimimi so he went out and looked around at the buildings (architecture major)

but after a few hours he got a bit lost due to he didnt have a map/navigation

however it was mid afternoon and he was kinda lost on purpose. but still he decided to find his way back. he cant speak dutch though so he spent a while going the wrong way

by the time he got back the sky was darkening a bit and he was Stressed. so he went to a cafe before going with his friends.

he was there for a while (who knows) but it was Dark Outside when he realized there was a guy at his table. who looked so ordinary joshy boy couldnt describe him. he "had an odd density to him" with short brown(?) hair (maybe the difficulty was due to drugs)

the guys name is john and he said something about "also being an englishman inside a foreign land" (which joshua remembers because its strange)

john is "from liverpool" (accentless 🤨🤨🤨) and look for a friend who he could rely on for a favor

although josh was high. this is rather suspicious behavior. nuh uh !!

but no, josh. its just looking after a package until friends can pick it up !! + he reaches into his jacket(?) and pulls out an envelope. with 10k moneys in it. (he counted)

bad idea and yet he says yes. and then john says hell be in touch and just leaves.

josh has a bit of a panic but BUT something weighs him down and stops him from chasing after john

he DID NOT spend any of his moneys. and wants to return it. but alas. it looms over him. and john does not show up for the rest of the trip.

he flies back to england and everything goes smoothly

AND THEN A YEAR LATER !! he spends some of the moneys in bournemouth (south coast of england) to move there for his Job (architects firm) (entry level job with meh pay)

rent is a tad high and he doesnt want strangers so he uses his moneys. because john hadnt any of his details. and if it was drugs like he thought 10k would be nothing to them. also he grew a beard so recognizing him would be harder

so he rents a place near the center of the town and moves in right away

a few weeks later he was making breakfast and then suddenly. doorbell. two red faced delivery men with a Large (immense) package

they asked if he was joshua gillespie (he was) and they had a delivery addressed to him and then they just went in. they werent wearing uniforms and they seemed to not be from any delivery company.

he wanted to ask questions but they placed the box and left. and they were both super tall (6'0+ tall) and "very imposing" so its not like he couldve stopped them if he wanted to

the door Slammed and he was alone with the package (2m long, 1m wide, 1m deep) sealed with packing tape + his address was on it (no return address or anything though)

he was gonna be late for work but he couldnt leave without seeing what was in the box so he went and got a knife to cut through the tape

in the box was a coffin !!! quite unexpected. he stared at the coffin in Mute Surprise.

the coffin was made of unvarnished pale yellow wood and had a thick metal chain wrapped around it. it was locked with an iron padlock (closed) (key was in the hole)

he was reaching for the key BUT !! he noticed 2 things.

1. a piece of paper

2. "DO NOT OPEN" scratched into the wood (letters 3 inches tall)

he stopped reaching for the padlock and started sitting on the floor, being quite confused.

he unfolded the piece of paper. it said:

"delivered with gratitude.

-J"

and now he connected the coffin with john from amsterdam. and all these questions come to his head (is this the package) (is he looking after a corpse) (whos gonna pick it up) (when)

he called in sick and sat and stared at the coffin with no idea what to do.

then he started sniffing it. and smelled nothing. but it didnt stink (so there was either no body or it was a fresh body) (because it was early summer)

as he got up his hand brushed the coffin and it was Warm. like it was in the sun for a While. it made his flesh crawl slightly and he stopped touching it.

he went to make tea and was relieved standing next to the kettle because he couldnt see the coffin from there. and when he was done making his tea he just kept standing there. sipping his too hot tea.

when we went back into the hall (where the coffin was) it was still there and unmoving. he took the key out of the lock and put it on the table and then he grabbed the coffin by the chains and pulled it to the living room and pushed it against the wall

he then recycled the cardboard box like normal. and then he just Had a coffin.

at first he assumed it was drugs in the coffin. but also why would you store something in a coffin and then leave it with a stranger. he decided not to think about it and avoid the living room.

he stayed on the lookout for Rot smells but there was no smell.

eventually he got used to it and started using the living room again (after about a week)

at some point he even used the coffin as a table and placed his orange juice on the lid. and he didnt even realize it until he heard moving. and then there was (slow) (deliberate) scratching at the lid (under his drink) (moving the surface)

this was quite confusing to joshy woshy (the coffin had been there long enough that anything living in it shouldve died) (if there was something in it that could move why didnt it before ???)

he picked up his glass and the scratching stopped. hrmmm. he places it on the other end of the lid and a few (4) seconds later the scratching starts up again (insistently)

he took the glass away again and the scratching didnt stop for another 5 minutes (golly)

he decided to not do it again and used his powers of Ignoring.

he chose to not open it or see inside and instead to not do that. he will not look inside.

coward? maybe. but he lives soooo

he felt better about his decision a few days later. it was Raining and a saturday. he had no friends because he had a coffin in his living room (not good for a social life)

he was instead in his room reading.

the rain outside was Heavy and Big. and the coffin was singing (moaning melodiously) (dats cwazy)

he went out and stared at the coffin for a while and then went back into his room, put some headphones on, and played music to drown it out.

and it was like this for a few months (coffin scratches at stuff atop it + siiings in the raaaain)

he considered handing it off to someone else or going to the magnus institute to investigate but. instead he decided that he was scareder of john (not to be confused with jon, the archivist) (not the same guy) (just btw) than of the coffin. so he kept quiet.

joshua believes the coffin may have given him bad dreams (he doesnt remember his dreams but he kept waking up in a panic) (clutching at his throat) (unable to breathe)

he also started sleepwalking. the first time this happened, he was woken up by the cold (middle of winter) (he keeps his heat off at night)

he was standing in the living room over the coffin when he awoke with the key in his hand (golly !!) this worried him so he went to the doctor + got a referral to the sleep clinic at the hopital but he didnt have the problems at the hopital

he started hiding the key in harder to reach spots but he kept waking up with the key in his hand. one day he woke up and had the key literally in the lock and almost opened it.

so what does he do? he puts the key in a bowl of water and freezes it. sometimes he still woke up to himself trying to get the key, but he always woke up before anything happened due to it was cold

for like 18 months hes just kinda used to this. when suddenly it rains and then the coffin doesnt start singing (:0)

he went to go check on it and yeah. it was not Singing. and then theres a knock at the door (light) (unobtrusive) (rang out like thunder in the quiet flat)

john + the delivery men stood there. and they were surprised to see joshua although he wasnt surprised to see them. he asked if they were there for the coffin (they were)

john says he hoped it hadnt been too much trouble. josh "tells him where to stick it".

john is Impressed when josh goes to the freezer and gets the key. he was so excited to get rid of it that he just drops the ice on the floor and told them the coffin was in the living room. he does not want to see what they do with it or if they open it. and when someone starts screaming. he does not want to know who it is or why. he leaves when the delivery men carry the coffin away.

he follows them downstairs and watches them lock it away into the van (labelled "breekon and hope deliveries") (then they drove away) (there was no sign of john)

and that was the last he ever heard of it. he moved to london with a new job after. and now he just tries not to think about it.

[STATEMENT ENDS]

"its always nice to hear that my home town is not entirely devoid of odd occurrences and eerie stories. ice cream, beaches, and boredom are all very well, but im glad to hear bournemouth has at least a few apparitions to call its own." he has drugs + no witnesses as a theme so clearly this statement isnt true. also the institute didnt find any supporting evidence whatsoever + jon thinks its a waste of time now (almost 20 years later)

he did mention it to tim though, who did some digging anyways. breekon and hope existed + were a courier service until 09 when they went into liquidation. but they were based in nottingham (very north of bournemouth) (no records of deliveries available)

the owners of the building that the apartment joshua gillespie listed as the site of events keep extensive records that go back 40ish years. and from what tim could find, for the 2 years that joshua lived there, he was the only person who was there and the other 7 apartments were empty. nobody moved in after he left and the building was sold + demolished soon after the statement was given.

nobody who worked for the housing association in the 90s is still there. and although he tried, tim could not get an explanation for Why joshua gillespie lived entirely alone in that quite large building.

[RECORDING ENDS]

THIS IS MY FAV EPISODE THAT I HEARD WHEN I LISTENED TO THE FEW THAT I DID !!!!!!!!

this clears up my confusion a lot and this was written so well????? you make things our very clearly in the way the actual podcast did not do for me, so thank you for your service <3

i love this whole story so much and how it just is a complete mystery. i hope it's somehow revisited or something. or more information is ever gathered. or something. because something about this story is fucking delicious to me and i'd love to know of more in the same vein or maybe even theories upon this one if no other information was ever given about it in canon tma. OUGHHHH!!!!!!

how did josh just Live Like This btw. i would've lost my mind. how did he just Ignore it all when THAT'S what is happening in your small space of a flat....... hats off to him i guess. he's a stronger man than me

also many apologies for getting to this so goddamn late... i promise i always will get back to them, it may just take me a while due to mental illness stuff and etc. i hope you understand sjksjsk i'm trying my best and i appreciate your time into these a lot. i love them, so thank you for sharing :] hearing these are so fun!!

#ender.txt #askbox #mutual.arson #tma asks

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frothingatthemaw · 11 months ago

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okay i dont think itll fit in one ask but here we go (and by it haha well lets justr say the entire podcast)

MAG 1 anglerfish

the magnus institute is a research organization for the supernatural (oooOOoOoO). they take statements of people who have had Paranormal™ experiences !! jonathan sims believes most of them are fake.

our beloved head archivist jonathan "jon" sims was promoted (by the head of the institute) (elias bouchard) from researcher to !! head archivist !! of the magnus institute, london !!!! because the one before him (gertrude robinson) is missing (oooooo) (she died). the year is 2016 and he started at the institute in 2012 also i might give you specific episodes later just so you can hear peoples voices yk yk

but !! he has been assigned two (three (3)) assistants !! tim stoker, sasha james, and martin blackwood !! he Does Not like martin.

the archives are VERY disorganized !! the files are not all in their right boxes and the boxes have some strange labels like 86-91 G/H

most of the (thousands of) statements are handwritten or typed on a typewriter, with no digital/audio copy. "in fact, i believe the first computer to ever enter this room is the laptop i have brought in today". he is making audio recordings of statements. also. this is all recorded on a tape recorder. (attempts to record many of the statements on his laptop have been met with significant audio distortion) (but not all of them) (btw a lot of this is direct quotes. i am not currently listening to tma i just know it) (what autism does to a mf)

because the investigation and research isnt included in the files, tim, sasha, and martin have to do supplementary research. and he will Read them at the end of each statement. but since its super super disorganized the order of the statements is. not. like there just is no order its random

BUT !!!!! statement time

statement of nathan watts. regarding an encounter on old fishmarket close, edinburgh. statement given april 22, 2012.

statements are given in first person but im just gonna summarize

SO. this guy is at college (or uni as the brits say) (for biochem) (it was a few years before he gave the statement thats probably important to note) and he has a weird birthday + took a gap year so hes like 2 years older than his classmates which means he tends to hang out with older students

so hes at a party for his friend michael mccauley because he got accepted into an earth science masters and theyre down at a place drinking very disruptively so they have the place to themselves

so now hes drunk so he decides to walk (30 minutes) (very hilly) home (he did resist going home but he went anyways a bit later) but so hes walking home and he has a bit of a tumble stumble (on account of the hills) (steep) (he is drunk) so he has a cigarette to calm himself

suddenly (gasp) there is a Guy in an alleyway next to him and he asks "can i have a cigarette" and so our man nathan is a bit unnerved but he holds out a cigarette nonetheless but the alley guy doesnt move and keeps Swaying (hes swaying) and says it again

the guy had a Blank face and was lookin kinda sickly and was Swaying some more (from the waist)

so then the alley guy asks again and then statement giver nathan is like. woahg that guys mouth is not moving. so then he looks at Alley Figures feet and well gosh golly they are not on the ground

so he drops his cigarette and turns on his phone flashlight but then the Alley Figure disappears (folding in by the waist) (like they were tied to a string that suddenly got pulled tight)

so hes looking in the alleyway and he sees nothing. its just a boring old alley.

so he goes back to the Public where there are People due to it is Public and goes home the rest of the way in a taxi. and then he goes to bed mimimi

and then the next day after doing hangover stuff he goes to the Spot again to look at it while the Sun is out. but nothing happens. and there is an unsmoked cigarette (marlboro red)

he looks it up and theres nothing. he tells his friends and they go erm well you were drunk but hes never hallucinated while drunk but nobody believes him

and then a few days later a student disappears. john fellows. who was at the party longer than nathan and in the picture on his missing poster he has a pack of marlboro red cigarettes in his pocket (woahg)

nathan has not quit smoking. but he does take more taxis

STATEMENT ENDS

what a first episode !! crazy right so now the research

- no evidence to prove this. our beloved archivist was going to refile this statement in the discredited section that he made because hes a skeptic

- BUT. sasha (love her) found missing person reports from between 2005 and 2010 and there were six (6) people who went missing there in those years

- jessica mc something in 05

- sarah baldwin in 06

- daniel raulings(?) in december 06

- ashley dobbson? and meghan shorr in may and june 08

- john fellows in march 2010

they were all unsolved !! baldwin and shorr were smokers but we dont know about the rest

sasha also found the last picture taken by ashleys phone that was sent to her sister, captioned "check out this drunk creeper, LOL" (pls note he says el oh el like the letters personally offended him its really funny) except the picture is an empty alleyway (the same one described in the statement)

sasha increased contrast and it shows the outline of a very long hand at waist height of ur average guy. and the hand looks like its beckoning.

END EPISODE ONE

i love tma so much bro why can't my stupid brain let me do anything..... guys can't have anything around here smh smh /silly

i love you jon so bad.....

also. i did listen to this episode but my brain got a little confused with it (i cannot visualize things in my brain well) so this has made me understand this episode a hell of a lot better, thank you <3 this was so pleasant to read, it's laid out very well and very informative for the shorter formant <3 thank you beloved arson!!!!!!! doing god's work for me fr

i also want to note i have listened/read the first 5 episodes (6 being the next i haven't heard), but i would love to hear more even about the episodes i do know, because you telling me about them helps me a lot to understand all of it better :] no pressure though but feel 100% free to come back and do this anytime at all, i would genuinely love to hear more <333

thank you again, love hearing about this ^v^

#ender.txt #askbox #mutual.arson #tma asks

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