Into the Shadows

Chapter 18: The Castle Pt. 3

I held the camera, panning back and forth as the boys spoke to each other, explained what they were doing and began to attempt contact with spirits, specifically a girl named Jean. 

"If anything goes bad," Sam wrapped up the explanation, "we will cut contact and stop the seance, we already had a few spooky things happen off camera and we don't want anything getting attached to us." 

He did not talk about the demon, it was left completely out of the seance situation. No one would really believe it if he did talk about it. Maybe we would get some of it on film later and could get it analyzed. Maybe someone later could confirm for us that what we were seeing was a demon. 

"Sam, why is your sweatshirt wet? Is the ceiling leaking or something?" Colby asked. 

I looked at the spots on his sweatshirt. 

"No that's just from the holy water I dumped on you guys." I said, "Its on all of us."

"Oh..., yeah guys, Lia did a little blessing ritual thing with holy water and oil to try and give us some protection from the spirits so that nothing attaches to us." Sam explained, "The holy water thing made us feel a bit more secure, especially since this is Queen Mary's Castle and the last time we had a crazy life changing experience was on the Queen Mary ship. Either way, we just want to avoid anything attaching to us, so we are taking precautions and are going to stop the seance if anything weird happens." 

I wondered if I should tell them that the Queen Mary who lived in this castle isn't that same Queen Mary as the ship. Mary Stewart, Queen of Scots, lived in this castle until her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England, had her beheaded. Mary Tudor is the daughter of Henry VIII and she is Queen Mary of England, also known as Bloody Mary, because she tore her country apart persecuting the protestants that her half-sister and successor later protected. They all lived in the same time period and were all related to each other, they were cousins. There is a third Mary too, Mary of Teck, the wife of King George V, and that is who the ship is named after.

"Alright," Sam said, "I think we all just need to hold hands and say together that we welcome all communication with spirits here." 

The boys agreed and I filmed them all as they took each other's hands and repeated the words in unison. 

When the boys asked if something wanted to communicate there was a spike in the K-II. 

"Jean Douglas, are you here with us in the castle?" the boys kept asking questions calling for Jean, getting small spikes here and there. 

A knock on the wall behind Sam and Colby made me jump a bit. I looked up at it, angling the camera waiting for the lens to adjust, but there was nothing there. I had thought I saw something before my eyes and the lens could adjust but I guess I was wrong. 

The next step by the boys to attempt contact with Jean sent shivers running down my spine. They were going to read a poem Sir Walter Scott wrote for her about the story of her and her lover. 

The K-II spiked as they asked if she would like them to read the poem. 

"O lovers' eyes are sharp to see,
And lovers' ears in hearing;
And love, in life's extremity,
Can lend an hour of cheering.
Disease had been in Mary's bower
And slow decay from mourning,
Though now she sits on Neidpath's tower
To watch her Love's returning. "

Nothing. No spike, just quiet. Sam continued after a quick pause.

"All sunk and dim her eyes so bright,
Her form decay'd by pining,
Till through her wasted hand, at night,
You saw the taper shining.
By fits a sultry hectic hue
Across her cheek was flying;
By fits so ashy pale she grew
Her maidens thought her dying."