Visiting Whitby with Mina Murray
Last year I illustrated Mina's description of Whitby a selection of modern photos. This year, I thought I might go one better, so here are some views of Whitby as Mina might have seen it in the 1890s*.
[*or as close as I could manage.]
"This is a lovely place. The little river, the Esk, runs through a deep valley, which broadens out as it comes near the harbour."
"A great viaduct runs across, with high piers, through which the view seems somehow further away than it really is."
[I don't actually know the age of this photo, but it looks about right.]
"The valley is beautifully green, and it is so steep that when you are on the high land on either side you look right across it, unless you are near enough to see down."
"The houses of the old town—the side away from us—are all red-roofed, and seem piled up one over the other anyhow..."
"... like the pictures we see of Nuremberg."
[this is Nuremberg sometime between 1890 and 1906]
"Right over the town is the ruin of Whitby Abbey, which was sacked by the Danes, and which is the scene of part of "Marmion," where the girl was built up in the wall."
"It is a most noble ruin, of immense size, and full of beautiful and romantic bits; there is a legend that a white lady is seen in one of the windows."
"Between it and the town there is another church, the parish one, round which is a big graveyard, all full of tombstones."
"This is to my mind the nicest spot in Whitby, for it lies right over the town, and has a full view of the harbour and all up the bay to where the headland called Kettleness stretches out into the sea."
"It descends so steeply over the harbour that part of the bank has fallen away, and some of the graves have been destroyed. In one place part of the stonework of the graves stretches out over the sandy pathway far below. There are walks, with seats beside them, through the churchyard; and people go and sit there all day long looking at the beautiful view and enjoying the breeze."
[this painting by William Lionel Wyllie is from 1922, so a bit later, but I thought it was too pretty not to include. St Mary's and the graveyard are at the top left, and you can see the steep descent below.]
"The harbour lies below me, with, on the far side, one long granite wall stretching out into the sea, with a curve outwards at the end of it, in the middle of which is a lighthouse. A heavy sea-wall runs along outside of it. On the near side, the sea-wall makes an elbow crooked inversely, and its end too has a lighthouse. Between the two piers there is a narrow opening into the harbour, which then suddenly widens."
"It is nice at high water; but when the tide is out it shoals away to nothing, and there is merely the stream of the Esk, running between banks of sand, with rocks here and there."
[from Horne's Guide to Whitby, 1897]
"Outside the harbour on this side there rises for about half a mile a great reef, the sharp edge of which runs straight out from behind the south lighthouse. At the end of it is a buoy with a bell, which swings in bad weather, and sends in a mournful sound on the wind. They have a legend here that when a ship is lost bells are heard out at sea."
"The steps are a great feature on the place. They lead from the town up to the church, there are hundreds of them—I do not know how many—and they wind up in a delicate curve; the slope is so gentle that a horse could easily walk up and down them."
And a bonus - might Mina have bought one of these postcards for Jonathan?
[they are from 1903, so the answer to this is "no", but again I thought they were too pretty not to include.]
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➳ pater noster (a yandere!om!belphegor x gn!nun!reader) w/ a hint of solomon x reader
synopsis: some faces are not meant to be trusted but what if your faith towards father himself was just a mere illusion? or is it perhaps that the prince of sloth took a liking for you and do whatever it takes for your innocence to be tainted.
cw: yandere themes, religious au, gore (includes mutilation and blood), minor character death, manipulation, fic has a cliffhanger.
a/n: happy halloween everyone! this fic has been kept on my notes for over a year now and publishing it in the spirit of halloween (also college has been killing me slowly so this is the reason why I am not that active here anymore ;_;;).
No one knew how humankind can feel the sense of paranoia when attending the church’s grounds, despite it’s gruesome and horrid history from the 18th century. Some say that it’s because of the church’s dark history while the others passed down the same story that you heard from your childhood that several unrested souls had haunted these holy grounds you stood above since the day you’ve arrived. Thus, beginning your mission as a devoted nun to the high divines.
You didn’t blame those people. After all, the church had stood from thousands of years ago as many of your ancestors were executed for the sake of appeasing the gods, or perhaps is it the demons who are offered these so-called sacrifices. You didn’t believed the words from that crazy woman you’ve encountered this morning that a demon took it’s residence in the catacombs below the old ancestral chruch, knowing that those words are nothing but blasphemy, words that could taint the same people you’ve worshipped and adored.
As the bells of St. Michael Parish had rung, signifying that the mass (which had begun an hour ago) had concluded. Many of the people (who attended) and your peers had left, ready to celebrate grace together with their beloved families, going out to eat or spending time alone in the covenants while a certain nun had stayed behind to make up for the missing prayer they missed this morning.
Speaking in the words of old religion, they closed their eyes and began their session alone to give their thanks to Father himself. The empty church had given (M/C) the sense of peace and quiet they needed after hearing such loud noises during the day, preventing them from having a peace of your mind and soul. They firmly gripped the small rosary that they’ve kept on the side of their habit as they spoke the prayer that indicates the beginning of their daily prayer.
“In nomine Patris et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti”
As you lit the candle, you think about your own family. How are your siblings doing? Are your parents doing fine since your departure? Are they well? Do they missed you terribly?
They prayed for an hour, forgetting about the concept of time and was contented with Father hearing their prayers. Each hail mary’s and our father are spoken many times and it finally concluded with a small “amen.” You feel the soreness of your knees from kneeling on the tuffet as you stood up and make the sign of the cross while staring into the giant cross you say your prayers with. Before you went back to the covenant to join the others, you lit a candle and spoke a small prayer before you make your way towards the others.
Of course they are. After all, you almost recieved countless of messages from your family about your well-being. You spoke your prayers towards them for they will have a good and lasting life, away from the dangers lurking around their lives. You’ve closed your eyes for a bit until a voice interrupted your alone time. “Making up for the missing prayer for this morning, (M/C)?”
“Ah!” You jumped from the voice behind you. “Father Solomon! I didn’t know that you’re here for your nightly walks. You scared me for quite a bit and yes, I did make up for this morning’s prayer.” He replied with a soft hum and lights up another candle for him to say his thanks before he calls it a day. The looming light for the tainted windows of the solemn adds some light aside from the many candles that was lit as the buildings source of light. You find peace within these walls and the peaceful silence doesn’t even bother you, contented with your closest friend by your side.
Speaking of your friend, he breaks the silence and asks a single question that sparked up your curiosity. “Say my friend,” He solemnly spoke, lighting another candle but this time, the color of the candle he lit up was black. “Do you believe these rumors that the demons roaming this sacred grounds? Aren’t you afraid of such creatures who would lured humanity into an endless pit of sin and everlasting pain?”
Hearing that question makes your skin crawling and feeling uneasy. Speaking this kind of question during night time is kinda scary and quite unnerving at the same time. You didn’t want to upset your friend and just went with the flow upon answering his question. “While I do believe in the concept of those creatures, yes. I believe that the demons are still roaming around these holy grounds, tempting for us to succumb into their sin and no, I am not scared. Don’t you forget that one of my closest friends is an exorcist?” You patted his back as you refer to the young priest as your closest friend. The old bell rang from the tower above, signifying that the time for prayer and seclusion has been completed and what better way to call it a day was to eat dinner together with your fellow nuns.
“Now, come along now, Father Solomon. We don’t wanna miss out today’s dinner special won’t we?” Before you make your way towards the kitchen, Father Solomon stopped you on your tracks, held your hand and gave you something. “Wait, my friend. There’s something I should give you.” He handed you an item that was small and light, the first thing you thought that the item you hold was a small jewelry of some sort. “Think of this as my gift of appreciation for being one of my most trusted friends.” The priest then opens his hand and showed you a ring. The ring looks really minimal with the exception of a purple gem on top of the small jewel.
“I found this while I was tending in the gardens the other day and it turns out that this precious gem doesn’t have an owner. Plus, the color kinda reminds me of you and I want you to have it.” Speechless, you took the ring from his hands and slipped it right into your ring finger. It was a perfect size! It wasn’t loose nor tight. You loved this ring but you’re still hesitant upon accepting your friends small gift. Solomon noticed that you were nervous and hesitant on wearing that ring. “Don’t worry about that ring being cursed. For I have already blessed it with the blessings from the celestial realm. That ring definitely can protect you from any harm.”
His words convinced you that this ring wasn’t cursed but just an ordinary ring. You slipped it right back to your ring finger and thanked your friend for the small gift he gave you. “Now come on, let’s get to the cafeteria first before we ran out of those delicious juice they served!”
“You can go first, my friend. There’s something I need to tend in the gardens. I don’t want the children to be playing outside of the gardens this late.” You nodded and proceeded to walk towards the dining area where the rest of your peers gathered. It was quite unusual for your friend to tend the gardens this late, considering that the children are given strict rules when it comes to them roaming around the grounds without adult supervision. Plus, Father Solomon only tended the gardens every Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Today was Thursday and it was supposed to be his turn the next day, which is strange to say the least. As oblivious as you are, you shrugged it off, thinking that it was just a mishap or just a mere coincidence that happened today.
The dinner was good and not long after you finished your meal, everyone in the room heard a scream from the outside. Children are escorted and ran outside from the dormitories, which is led by the nun who took charge in watching over them. “What happened?!” The reverend mother spoke as the young nun shook in fear while trying her best to answer her question. “The demon attacked them! I saw the creature devouring the poor child in front of my eyes! A creature surrounded by darkness as their teeth feast on the poor child!” You hugged the shaken nun, collapsing into your arms as she sobbed and sobbed, knowing that she failed her duty in watching over the orphans, now paranoid and scared due to what’s happening outside of their dorms.
You quickly ran outside towards the scene of the crime and what came out from your mouth was a gasp and felt the feeling of dread and nausea seething through your stomach; a child’s mangled form is laying on the floor, lifeless as blood continuously flow from it’s main source, staining the dirt below. Their eyes wide open, mouth distorted into a scream, as if they had called for help. A bite wound can be seen on the side of the child’s stomach, exposing their remains.
Colors of red and blue, flashing throughout the entire grounds, despite all the noise and commotion the police made, all you can hear was a deafening ring on your ears. Your legs gave out after you knew which child is assigned to this gruesome fate. It was none other than the child whom you’ve taken care of ever since their infancy, the same child that gave you the brightest smile you’ve ever seen and the one who made your day even better. You began to cry hysterically, catching the attention to your closest friend as he gave his shoulder to cry on.
“There there, it’s okay (M/C). I know it’s hard for you to process what happened and I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect them in time.” Solomon rubbed his hand back and forth on your back while watching their body being placed in a body bag and placed on the back on the ambulance, ready to be examined by medical professionals to see who’s the main perpetrator of this horrid crime.
You couldn’t sleep that night after you went back to your residency alone (due to Solomon being one of the people being questioned). The more you blinked, more tears slid from your cheeks, staining your pillows, thinking on what happens if you rescued them in time. Will they still be the same child you took care of? Will they grow up and obtaining their dream profession after they graduated college?
You wished those events can happen in real life but alas, they couldn’t because they finally succumb to their untimely death. You felt the numbness coursing throughout your body while staring towards the dimly lit ceiling of your room.
Despite trying you best to fall back asleep, you couldn’t shake the vivid and gruesome scene. You became scared for a bit but prayed to the celestial beings that you and the others are guided to a safer path. You prayed and prayed until you couldn’t feel your knees anymore as tears continuously poured down your cheek. After what it felt like hours, you lay down on your bed as eyes finally closed, taking a good night’s rest for tomorrow’s occasion.
. ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .
You woke up on a strange environment, standing barefoot on the stone cold ground gave you goosebumps throughout your entire body. You’re still wearing the exact same clothes you went to bed but didn’t remember that you put on the ring right before you went to bed. It’s strange to say the least, you remembered that you took off that ring and placed it right on your bedside table.
The ring itself began to glow, bright violet specks of light flickered as more fog appeared in this strange place. The more you walk in this endless loop, the more the temperature became colder and colder to the point that your body began to shiver. The thin clothing that clings to your skin doesn’t help and you felt like you’re about to pass out due to hypothermia.
Out of nowhere, a voice called out for you.
“(M/C)”
It was a man’s voice. It echoes across the void. You whipped your head back and forth to see who’s the owner of that voice. At first, you thought that it was Solomon’s voice but it isn’t or wasn’t it Simeon to begin with? No, it’s not the same person who spoke your name.
“Come home to me. For you have committed such crime and sin, a sin that belonged to one of my brothers.”
There it is again! And what crime is he talking about? You? A nun who’s devoted to Father himself, committed a sin that belonged to the 7 deadly sins? That’s absurd! You never commited such acts, not after you became a nun in the first place. “What are you talking about? Who are you and what crime did I even commit? I’ll never turn my back against God and commit a sin!”
The voice chuckled and that’s when you felt your ring finger began to tighten up. You tried removing the ring in your finger but it felt like it was glued on your poor finger. A bruise began to form on your finger as it cuts off the circulation. “Who I am doesn’t matter, little one. After all, you’re gonna meet me soon.” You screamed as the ring began to bury deep within your skin, blood dripping from the newly formed wound. “As for your crime, well. You already know what that is, my dear. You’re gonna find out about that soon. But for now,” You screamed in excruciating pain, more blood came rushing from the cut as your finger was completely cut off, laying lifelessly on the cold stone ground.
Before you know it, a shadow looms over you. Ram like horns on each side of it’s head and it gave you a eery smile, taking pleasure on the pain you just went through. It’s violet-pink eyes stared into yours and in response, you gave this malicious entity a sharp glare as you bare your teeth, both in pain and to show your bravery despite being in pain.
The demon surely loves your bravery towards him and it amuses him. He picked up your severed finger, keeping it as a souvenir and leaned in closer towards your face and spoke,
“It’s time for you to wake up.”
A sudden jolt of energy woke you up, sweat dripping down from the top of your head while the beating of your heart becomes faster and faster the more air you breathed in. You look around your room; the light of the sun seething through your window as the fresh breeze of cool air makes its way to your room. In a panic, you checked your ring finger. To your relief, it wasn’t severed nor wounds appeared around the finger. As for your ring, the simplistic jewelry is still on the same area you’ve placed since last night.
It felt so real. The pain, the blood dripping from your wound and the way your ring tightens up. You thought that when you woke up, all that was left on your finger was torn up muscles and blood staining the comfortable bed sheets. Not to mention how that mysterious entity pinpointed a crime that you didn’t even committed, let alone considering that it was also a sin.
A sin that belonged to one of his brothers.
Instead of becoming scared due to your horrible nightmare, you’ve become even more curious not only towards that entity but also to the ring Father Solomon gave you yesterday. And it looks like you have something to talk about to the young priest himself.
. ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .
“Solomon!” You called out to your dear friend from afar, seeing him reading the sacred scriptures underneath a tree that’s located from the outskirts of the old church. “There you are. I was searching for you everywhere and it’s unusual for you to be alone in this tree since you almost spend your time in your office.”
The priest only hums softly, moving aside to indicate that he’s inviting you to sit with him, which you gladly accepted. “I hope you’re doing well since the incident last night. Condolences to you and the others.” You smiled in sadness from the words you heard from him. “It’s fine, friend. They’re still trying to find the killer. I hope they caught them fast and finally have some justice to [c/n]. Poor child, may God let them rest in peace.”
You wiped off your tears, still remembering the sweet, innocent smile the child gave to you. They’re such a good kid, taking the role-model as an older sibling to the other orphans and even taking some of the blame if one of the orphans made a mistake. The thought quickly subsided, shaking your head and a serious look appeared on your face. “The kid’s not the reason why I’m here. May I ask you something, my friend?”
Solomon placed a bookmark on his book and placing it over the soft patch of grass. Wait a minute – you noticed that his eyes are quite strange; eye bags and the soft color of purple and pink hue over his brown eyes. You saw how his eyes twitched as if he didn’t sleep well last night. You’ve become so distracted over the color and the eye bags of his eyes that his voice broke your trance. “Ask away, (M/C) and I’ll try my best to answer those questions of yours.”
“Do you know this ring’s origins?” You showed him the ring around your finger. His smile widen when he saw you wearing the ring. “Quite beautiful, isn’t it?” He took your hand on his, inspecting the piece of jewelry he gave you yesterday. “Yes, I agree with you but I have a dream- nightmare rather, about this piece of jewelry.” The priest’s giddy expression suddenly dropped as soon as you mentioned the term ‘nightmare’. This concerns Solomon and he felt the atmosphere between the both of you became serious.
“What nightmare, (M/C)? Please do tell me what happened there?” You hesitated at first, still vividly remembering how a demon appeared out of nowhere as the ring began to sever your poor finger. The lingering pain still subsided within your mind, for the pain you felt was too real in the awakening world.
You randomly rubbed your hand against your ring finger while looking at the green patches of grass, noticing on how each sway of the individual leaves was caused by the cold winds blew across the courtyard. After what felt like hours, you’ve spoken about this gruesome dream of yours. “I’ve encountered something…evil from this dream of mine. I saw an entity that we feared and loathed, it’s horns are long and twisted, a tail which can choke a mere human to death in under a minute and his white sharp eyes.”
You shivered alone by just describing the demon’s features but it didn’t stop you from telling your close friend what such events had left you shaken since this morning. “I also remember how the ring you gave me tighten and remembering the pain I’ve endured as I try to pry off this cursed piece of jewelry. Believe me or not, this caused my ring finger to be severed, blood dripping non stop from my veins as I screamed in agony and pain while that demon watched me cry in satisfaction. What does that filthy creature even want from me?”
Solomon only listened to your words with a fixated expression on his face. “So your saying that this ring I gave you is the main reason why you have a nightmare last night?” You nodded, still feeling the your body shaken a little after you told your horrid story of a nightmare. “I thought this ring was blessed by you, father. Isn’t the blessing by the celestial beings cleansed this ring from the likes of 'it’?”
“I did blessed this ring. In fact, I performed a ritual that has been done way back thousands of years ago. I thought that the ring couldn’t be possessed by any entity unless..” Your priest of a friend suddenly stood in silence and after what felt like hours, he finally break the silence. “I did blessed this ring. In fact, I performed a ritual that has been done way back thousands of years ago. I thought that the ring couldn’t be possessed by any entity unles..” Your priest of a friend suddenly stood in silence and after what felt like hours, he finally break the silence.
“I think that the ring isn’t the target to begin with.” His words send chills down your spine. Hands are sweaty from paranoia and nervousness, eyes widen a bit from the words his spoke and your mouth wide agape; no words are even coming out from your mouth. Solomon looks at you in a serious manner for he knew that your life is in danger.
“The demon wants you, my friend. You are in grave danger…”
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